BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. APPARENTLY, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE WRISTWATCHES ANYMORE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I DID THIS TIME.

So, a lot of you seemed worried about the last chapter, and how powerful the bad guys have become. Considering who they're up against, can you blame me? Besides… you ain't seen nothin' yet.

My Alien Academia

Chapter 53

Bitter Pills

Sweat dripped down Midoriya's forehead as he did one pushup after another. He had been exercising for over an hour, and he was starting to reach his limit, but he didn't want to disappoint his 'assistant'.

"Come on, Izu!" Eri cheered from her seat on his back. "You can do it!"

"O-okay…" Midoriya mumbled, and paused when Eri reached over to wipe away the sweat on his face with a rag. "Thanks, Eri-chan."

"Go, Izu!"

Midoriya didn't know why Uraraka had asked Eri to sit on his back while he did pushups, but both girls found it funny, and he couldn't say no.

On the other side of the gym, Bakugo was scowling up a storm, but he didn't dare say anything aloud. The last—and only—time he'd said something disparaging about Midoriya's pseudo-paternal relationship with Eri, Kirishima had told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't make it out the door if he did it again.

Speaking of Kirishima, he was spotting for Bakugo as he lifted weights. He was also the only one who was actually willing to help him out, since the rest of the class was just done with the constant insults and put-downs.

"Come on, man, just five more, and you'll beat your record," Kirishima encouraged.

"Whatever," Bakugo grunted, and forced himself to lift the weights five more times. "There, I'm fff…" he paused when Kirishima gave him a warning look and pointed at Eri. "—freaking done. I'm gonna hit the showers."

Kirishima waved as he stormed off. He resisted the urge to make something explode as he got into a stall and washed away his volatile sweat. It bothered him to no end that Midoriya was still 'ahead' of him, and there wasn't anything he could do to catch up. He'd gone on more internships, more work-studies, defeated more Villains, and most importantly—to him—Midoriya had an unbroken streak of wins against him.

Sometimes… sometimes, he wished things were back to the way they were, with Quirkless Deku cowering in fear of his every move. Lording it over the loser had never failed to brighten his day.

But whenever those thoughts formed, others would rear their ugly heads. He now knew that Midoriya had come close to full-blown depression because of him, and however much he despised the once-Quirkless boy, Bakugo didn't want his suicide on his conscience.

The sound of voices in the locker room made Bakugo pause; normally, he wouldn't care if the extras in his class were in his presence, but he recognized the voices of these particular extras, and it pissed him off.

"So, wait, you can modify your engines?" Sero asked.

"Indeed!" Iida sounded proud. "More than one member of my family has a Quirk like mine, and we have discovered that they can be repaired, or even changed, through surgery. Tensei's Quirk was once much weaker, but a combination of the surgery and intense training resulted in him becoming a splendid Hero!" There was a pause. "Hanta, are you all right?"

"Dude, you hit me in the head eight times during that. You have got to work on that hand-chopping thing."

Bakugo almost shouted at them to shut up. The last thing he needed was Deku's fan club chattering on about stuff he couldn't care less about. The only reason he remained silent was because there was a chance Deku's friends would spill something that he could use to finally beat the nerd.

Nothing underhanded, of course; if Bakugo was going to beat Deku, he would do it by being stronger, faster, and better.

"By the way, Tenya, do you think you and Momo could watch Eri tonight? I heard Izuku and Ochako talking about a date, and I thought we could do them a solid."

"I will ask Momo, but I have no issues." Iida paused. "Why did you not volunteer?"

"Well, I've got plans with Tsu."

Iida sighed. "Ah, I see. Very well."

"Thanks, man."

Bakugo's eyes narrowed. So, Deku and his girlfriend were going to take the night off? Well, that just meant Bakugo could get in some extra training. It wasn't the breakthrough he was looking for, but it was better than nothing.

"—and then, he jumped right out of the ground, no clothes, looked at us, and you know what he said?" Hado grinned even wider than before. "He just looks at us and says 'How are you guys?'"

Melissa almost choked on her laughter. "Ha! Oh, that's hilarious!"

Rather than get embarrassed by Hado's story, Togata joined in on his girlfriend's laughter. "Yeah, I'm just glad I finally got underwear that I can use with Permeation."

Melissa bit her lip so hard that it hurt, and she fell onto her side as she tried not to laugh. The Big Three were almost as far gone; they had been on internships all week, and crime was on the rise, so some honest laughter was exactly what they needed.

"Hey, kids, try not to kill the poor girl, would you?"

Togata whirled—or tried to, since he was sitting down, and just ended up flopping over. "Gran Torino! What brings you here?"

"He is with me," Sir Nighteye said as he stepped around the corner. "We are compiling notes with Nezu for an upcoming operation." He sighed at the inquisitive looks on the students. "I apologize, but this particular case goes well beyond what you are authorized to know. If that changes, you will be informed."

Gran Torino scowled and smacked the tall man with his cane. "You came here to do boring stuff. I came here to scare the crap out of Toshinori. Where is he?"

"I think he's in one of the classrooms that got closed," Melissa said, and got out of her chair. "I can take you there."

"Thanks, kiddo." Gran Torino grinned up at All Might's former Sidekick. "You coming?"

Nighteye sighed. "I suppose I can join you, if it is on the way." He glanced at his intern. "Mirio, could you find Midoriya-san and remind him that internships with me are still on offer? After what happened with Hawks, he might prefer a less exciting weekend."

"Sure thing, Sir!" Togata sprang to his feet; he dragged Amajiki out of his chair, while Hado needed no such encouragement. "Come on, guys, I think we can get him before his date."

Gran Torino chuckled as the third-years left. "That Midoriya kid sure has a lot going on, huh? He wants to be a Pro Hero, he's got schoolwork, a girlfriend, and he's taking care of that little girl. I'm surprised he hasn't had a breakdown."

"I suppose he's become more resilient after he was kidnapped by the League of Villains," Nighteye mused. "After something like that, his current lifestyle must not seem like such a challenge."

Melissa hummed noncommittally as she led them into the main UA building. "It probably doesn't hurt that his friends are always around to help him. He probably would have a breakdown if he tried doing everything by himself."

"I can't believe it took Toshinori decades to learn something this kid figured out at sixteen," Gran Torino complained. "I knew I should have drilled that into his thick skull when I wasn't beating him to a bloody pulp."

Nighteye said nothing; he wanted Togata to be the next Symbol of Peace, but he couldn't deny how lighter the boy seemed to be when he had people who knew about his burden of One For All.

"Hey, blondie, you said Toshinori is using a closed classroom?" Gran Torino raised an eyebrow. "Why would it be closed?"

Melissa sighed. "After the dorms were introduced, a lot of General Studies students dropped out, so there are some free rooms during the day. Some students go there to make out."

Gran Torino grinned up at her. "Speaking from experience with a certain blonde kid?"

Melissa tried to look innocent, and failed spectacularly.

Nighteye sighed. "You've corrupted him, haven't you?"

"Hey, how do you know he didn't corrupt me?" Melissa waggled her eyebrows. "I know I didn't teach him to be that good with his tongue."

Gran Torino laughed hysterically, while Nighteye tried to get that mental image out of his mind. The old man was still chuckling when Melissa brought them to their destination, but all three of them froze when they heard a frustrated shout, and then the crash of something breaking. Without thinking, Melissa reached for the door, but Nighteye stopped her; he held a finger to his lips, as Gran Torino opened the door just a crack.

The three peered through, and saw All Might in his muscle form, steam hissing off his body as he withdrew his fist from what remained of the desk he'd destroyed. Pictures and reports were scattered all around; Nighteye had to cover Melissa's mouth to muffle her gasp when they saw that there were pictures of Midoriya and many of his transformations.

"What is the connection?" All Might asked himself as he transformed, and started to pace. "All For One wouldn't have shown so much interest in the boy, no matter his Quirk, unless there was a deeper link between them. Is Midoriya a distant relative? All For One has been alive for centuries, so it's entirely possible that his Quirk was passed down and mutated over time, but how does that explain Tennyson? All of my contacts have turned up nothing!" He stopped and knelt to pick up a photo. "Maybe Nezu was wrong, and the boy is more capable than we thought. If he is a spy, then he's the best All For One has ever trained."

By the end of All Might's rant, the door had been closed, and the trio had retreated a safe distance to come to terms with what they had seen and heard.

"I can't believe this," Melissa said, eyes wet with unshed tears. "How could Uncle Might thing that Izuku is working for All For One?"

"I thought the bastard hadn't gotten under Toshinori's skin," Gran Torino grumbled. "I guess I was wrong. Looks like the kid has a target on his back, and it's not even the Villains this time."

Nighteye sighed. "We can't confront All Might about this. The last time I opposed him, he refused to consider any way that was different to his own. If we try to convince him otherwise, he'll dig in his heels and openly confront Midoriya-san."

Melissa stared at him. "You think he'd hurt Izuku?"

"Only if he thought Midoriya-san was directly threatening someone, which he hasn't." Nighteye frowned. "But All Might still wields immense influence with the public. One or two speeches, and all of Japan might see Midoriya-san as the next great evil."

Melissa looked ready to protest, but Gran Torino held up his hand. "You've only seen Toshinori as family, and as a Hero, but I've seen him at his lowest. When Nana was killed, All Might was ready to strong-arm informants, destroy companies that had no idea who they were really working for, and raze an entire ward to the ground. That was back when he was young and reckless, and he's had decades to hone his hatred of All For One into a weapon. When it comes to that old bastard, Toshinori will use everything in his arsenal… especially now that he's retired and has nothing left to lose."

Melissa thought about the man she'd just seen, the man she still thought of as her uncle. Then she thought about Midoriya, the good-natured boy who only wanted to be the top Hero just so he could help the most people, who had been through so much in just his first year of high school.

"What… what should we do?"

Nighteye nodded approvingly at her. "First, we inform Nezu-san about this. Even if he already knows, it would be a good idea to keep each other updated. A word of warning, however—I suggest that we tell no one else about what we've seen today. It would do no one any good if we start a divide between those that would follow All Might, and those that would stand by Midoriya-san. Until it comes to that… I suppose we should protect Midoriya-san in any way we can."

Almost two weeks had passed since Midoriya's aborted internship with Hawks, and he was in the unusual position of being completely bored. Everyone else in his class had gotten internships for the week, but he was stuck on campus until the police and HPSC could determine if it was safe enough for him to go out in the field again. That left him alone in the dorms, with nothing but his homework and his thoughts for company; even Eri had been busy with her lessons from Nezu.

The good news was that the homework part was done, and after a quick review as Grey Matter, he was proud to say that it was all correct—and at least he didn't use Grey Matter to get the answers in the first place.

But now that it was done, he was bored. He'd do anything for something to do.

As if the universe heard him, there was a knock on the door. Just before Midoriya opened it, Togata's head phased through, making him jump.

"Hey, Freshman!" Togata smiled brightly. "Mind letting me in, or do you want to come out?"

"Er…" Midoriya decided to let Togata in. "What's going on, Mirio?"

Togata shrugged. "I thought you'd be bored, so I—"

"Yes!" Midoriya grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Please, whatever it is, I'll do it!"

"Oookay, how does an internship with Sir Nighteye sound?" Togata pried Midoriya's hands off him. "He said it would only be for a few days, but he thought you could use a quiet patrol or two."

Midoriya grinned. "Thank you!"

"Cool. Oh, and Gran Torino said he was going to be in the neighborhood for a while, so he'll probably want to spar with you."

That brought Midoriya up short; unlike Togata, he didn't know how vicious the little old man could be a in a fight.

"Um, sure?"

Togata chuckled. "Your funeral."

Uravity sighed as she went on her aerial patrol. Part of her wanted to fly higher, well over the clouds, like she and Midoriya had done on their first date, but she couldn't. She had brought up the question with Ryukyu earlier, and she had told her that Heroes weren't allowed to fly over certain altitudes without government approval, or in an emergency, and neither was happening today.

Upon learning that, Uraraka was very glad that she and her boyfriend had not been caught. Granted, it would have probably gotten them a slap on the wrist, but it would have seriously ruined the evening—not to mention, they probably wouldn't have run into Eri, and Uraraka didn't dare think about what might have happened to the little girl otherwise.

"You okay, Uravity?" Spirala called out as she flew next to her.

Uravity was still getting used to Hado's new Hero name. She had been considering changing it for months, and had been asking her friends for good suggestions. Eventually, she had settled on Midoriya's, but when she'd thanked him for it the other day, he had looked totally lost. He'd stammered and mumbled to himself, but those who knew him best could see that something had completely thrown him off. Everyone had been too busy that day to comment, and later, Midoriya seemed back to normal.

"Just frustrated, I guess," Uravity said. "It feels like we should be doing something, but I have no idea what."

"You're not the only one feeling that way," Ryukyu rumbled as she flew above them; Uravity glanced up and saw Genesis and Froppy wave before moving to the middle of Ryukyu's back. "After the incident at Deika, a lot of Heroes want to be more proactive, but the HPSC wants us to act like everything is normal."

"Which is stupid," Spirala said with uncharacteristic bitterness. "The League killed hundreds of people before they were driven off, right? Why aren't we hunting them down?"

Ryukyu sighed. "Logically, it's because we need to wait for more information, but that doesn't stop everyone from wanting to flood the country with Heroes."

The attack at Deika City had been a major topic of conversation for a while. The League had snuck in while the local Heroes had been investigating another matter, and when they had been discovered, there had been panic. People without training had formed mobs to drive the Villains out, but the casualties had been staggering; it was considered the biggest loss of life from a Villain attack in over twenty years. Still, the internet was abuzz with discussion about whether or not the civilians should have gotten involved, and it was raising debate on legal Quirk use.

Now it was Spirala's turn to sigh. "We need a distraction, or I'm gonna be mopey all day."

Uravity looked down at the city below them, and spotted a familiar mop of pink hair. "Well, we could say hi to Mina."

Ryukyu smiled. "All right, let's take a break."

The all-girl team landed; they earned some applause from some nearby civilians when Genesis and Froppy gracefully hopped off Ryukyu's back just before she transformed, and all three of them landed on the sidewalk at the same time.

"Trying to show me up?" Sky Dancer teased, hands on her hips. "Seriously, I give you a nine for synchronicity."

Ryukyu smiled. "Glad to know I rate so highly with you."

Alien Queen ran over to her friends for a quick round of high-fives. "Hey, girls! How's the patrol been?"

Froppy shrugged. "It's a little too windy for me, ribbit."

"The winter weather isn't helping," Genesis added. "I'm just glad that my costume adjusts for temperature."

"Same," Uravity, Froppy and Spirala said, and laughed.

Alien Queen made a face. "Yeah, go ahead and brag. It's not my fault I can't use that nanotech stuff."

"I mean, it kind of is," Uravity pointed out. "Your Quirk just doesn't work well with it."

"Hey, hey!" Spirala grabbed Alien Queen by the shoulder. "Are you on a break yet? We should totally grab lunch together!"

Ryukyu looked to Sky Dancer. "Well? Are you free?"

"Only if you're buying, Miss-Top-Ten."

The girls of the Rising Stars weren't the only ones meeting up. Not long after Togata had brought Midoriya to Nighteye's Agency, they were on their way to Tokyo to meet up with Endeavor.

"There are a few logistical matters left over from the Eight Precepts raid that I want to discuss with him," Nighteye explained as he drove the car. "During the lead-up to the raid, I noticed a few deficiencies between how the Heroes and police cooperated. With the new top Hero's support, I plan to present a motion later this month to help facilitate more efficiency."

"Why are you only doing this now?" Midoriya asked.

"Unfortunately, we are both very busy," Nighteye said. "It wasn't until now that our schedules aligned, and even then, it will only be for a few hours. I trust that you two will be able to handle a patrol with Endeavor's team while he and I speak?"

"Of course, Sir!" Togata saluted, and then grabbed Midoriya in a headlock. "I'll make sure this one doesn't get into any trouble."

Midoriya gave him a look. "Huh?"

"Don't give me that—almost every time you've gone outside this year, you've either been attacked, or done the attacking."

Midoriya wanted to protest, but if he was being honest, Togata was right. It was like the universe was conspiring to put him in danger.

A short while later, Nighteye parked the car, not far from where Endeavor was waiting. He wasn't alone; he had Triumph with him, as well as his top Sidekick, Burnin.

"Nighteye," Endeavor grunted. "There's a nearby coffee shop that Heroes frequent. You and I can speak without interruption."

"Excellent." Nighteye held up a briefcase. "I have brought the files you asked for."

Endeavor nodded, then turned to his Sidekick. "Burnin, take the interns on patrol. I want you at the third checkpoint in no less than two hours. Stay there, and we will join you."

"Got it, boss." Burnin looked at the three teenagers. "You heard him, runts! Let's march!"

Nighteye and Endeavor didn't speak until they reached the coffee shop, and were given a private booth. Even then, they were quiet until Nighteye opened his briefcase and pulled out five files, then turned on an app on his phone.

"All potential listening devices within a hundred feet are now jammed," he said. "Still, we had best keep our voices down."

"Agreed. Now, I assume you are up-to-date with Hawks' intel?"

"Yes. The League's takeover of the Meta Liberation Army is one of the worst possible scenarios. What is more concerning are the Heroes who are part of this conspiracy."

"Traitors," Endeavor growled. "How many has Hawks identified?"

"That is currently unknown. To ensure operational security, each taskforce is only made aware of the traitors in their sector. However, I believe there are as many as a hundred. Thankfully, those in our sector are not particularly strong. It seems that many of those with weaker Quirks were chosen specifically because they aren't noticed very often."

Endeavor looked at the first file. "I don't even know who this is."

"Whipcord," Nighteye said. "His Quirk creates a thin whip of air that he can control at will. It is strong enough to cut into concrete, but it only lasts for as long as he can maintain a whistle. We have strong evidence to suggest that he will be placed at Jaku Hospital as security for Target Two."

"The Doctor," Endeavor muttered behind one hand. "I can't believe someone would ever want to create those Nomu."

"And there is much we still don't know; capturing him is our top priority, except for Target One."

"And we're sure he'll be at the hospital?"

"We've tracked the supplies Target Two has been moving." Nighteye looked haunted. "If our intel is correct, and I have no reason to suspect otherwise, the procedure will not be even close to complete when our operation begins."

"At least there's that." Endeavor sighed. "What about the interns? Despite their power, I can't condone putting them on the front lines, not when this battle should be our responsibility."

"Believe me, I agree with you, but those above us are not as burdened by principles as we are. I am not certain about your son, but I know that Deku and Lemillion will be ordered to the front."

Endeavor leaned forward. "Well, I need to be certain."

For the first time since the meeting started, Nighteye looked worried. "Are you sure? What I see may very well be set in stone."

"He's my son," Endeavor growled. "If he'll be forced onto the field, I won't let him leave my side. I need to know, Nighteye."

Nighteye sighed, but complied; he put his hand on Endeavor's shoulder, and looked the man in the eye. After a few seconds, he broke contact and leaned back.

"Well?" Endeavor demanded. "Was Shoto all right?"

Nighteye massaged his eyes. "I did not see him in any danger."

Endeavor knew the stories from other Heroes who had worked with Nighteye. If he was ever vague after looking into the future, it meant that something was so important that he couldn't risk someone altering their destiny. He claimed that everything he saw always happened anyway, but Nighteye wasn't the type to put all his eggs in one basket.

"I suppose I'll have to accept that." Endeavor took a deep breath. "We still have some time before we have to meet up with the interns. I assume you still have more details to cover?"

"Plenty."

"So, you're Deku, huh?" Burnin looked him up and down. "I saw your fight with Overhaul, and with that Nomu. No offense, but someone like you should be working with higher-ranked Heroes more often."

"Who, Endeavor?" Triumph muttered. "I'd rather be anywhere else."

"I've interned with Hawks," Deku protested.

Burnin grinned, but it wasn't a nice grin. "Yeah, but he's not Number One, is he?"

"Hey, ease off," Lemillion said; his smile was casual, but there was an undercurrent of steel in his voice. "Besides, if Hawks or Sir gave up Deku, then every top Hero would think they could steal him."

"And it would be hard to learn anything if I kept switching," Deku added.

Burnin shrugged. "Your loss, kid." She paused. "Hey, do you guys hear something? Sounds like… water?"

Curious, the three boys focused, and heard what sounded like liquid moving around, followed by terrified screams.

"It's coming from that way!" Deku pointed to his right.

"Okay, let's go!" Burnin led the way, even as she spoke. "First things first, we're gonna evaluate the situation. If we can help, we will; if we can't, our job will be to evacuate civilians until Endeavor gets here."

When they turned the corner, they saw an old man who looked like a disheveled priest. Most of his face was concealed behind a grey beard, and his eyes lacked pupils. He sat in a meditative position atop a sphere of glass that carried him through the air. As he passed by buildings and cars, the glass in their windows became like a liquid and floated up to join the sphere, which made it larger.

"I have seen the end!" the old man shouted. "The stars weep, for they have died and been reborn! Their tears will shed the truth upon the world, exposing the violation upon our very souls! Humanity is a fraud, monsters hiding behind smiles, but it will all come crashing down with the rise of Entropic King!"

Lemillion blinked. "Okay, scale of one to ten on the crazy scale, this guy's an eleven, right?"

"No, just a ten," Triumph said. "He's using complete sentences."

"Good point." Lemillion looked around at the civilians fleeing for their lives. "Burnin, what's the plan?"

The Sidekick took a moment. "Right, okay. Triumph, make some barriers over the civilians, just in case that glass comes crashing down. Deku, you've got forms with fire, right? You and I are on defense; we'll melt the glass if he tries attacking with it. Lemillion, see if you can get up there and take him down—gently, since he's old."

Some of the civilians cheered as Triumph protected them with a tunnel of ice, while Burnin and Heatblast ran by. Boosting his power with One For All, Lemillion jumped up to the old man's level, and kept himself in place with his newest Quirk, Float.

"The shining fool!" the old man shouted. "You do not know the corruption you embody! Your light only blinds the world to the truth!"

"Sorry, sir, but I really don't know what you're talking about." Lemillion drew back his fist. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to knock you out, and then we'll get you some help."

"No! I cannot be silenced! The world must be warned, before it is too late!" The old man hopped off his sphere, and took a smaller piece of glass with him. The rest of the sphere sprouted writhing tendrils of glass that tried to smash Lemillion, but with Permeation active, they couldn't even touch him.

Before the glass construct could hurt anyone, Heatblast melted it to molten goo, where it fell to the street. "I've got this, Lemillion! Stop him!"

The old man's eyes went wide when he saw Heatblast. "Embodiment of lies! You who hold the truth that only I have seen! You carry the stars' corruption, and must be stopped! You are just as wicked as the Entropic King!"

He tried to summon the glass from the street, but his Quirk wouldn't allow him to control the molten glass. With only a little glass available, he threw a thin javelin right at Heatblast's head; however, the intense heat turned it into a splash of molten liquid that Heatblast easily wiped off. Before the old man could try again, Lemillion knocked him out with a quick chop to the neck.

"Well, that was fast," Burnin complained. "I didn't even get to do anything. Still, you kids did great; no injuries, and the only damage came from all that stolen glass, and that wasn't even our fault."

Lemillion and Triumph looked pleased with the results, but Deku, now human again, was concerned. He kept thinking about the old man's ravings; to him, it sounded like he had somehow known about the true origins of Quirks, and of the Crisis. That should have been impossible, but… well, he would call Ben and see if he could get some answers.

"Well done, all of you," Sir Nighteye said, his sudden appearance enough to make Deku yelp. "It's not often I'm too late to assist, but I am pleasantly surprised."

"Sir, I thought you'd still be a ways off," Lemillion said as he handed the old man off to a pair of police officers.

"We got the alert about a Villain attack as soon as it started," Endeavor said, arms crossed. "At my best speed, I was able to get us here quickly, but it seems this old man wasn't too much of a threat. Good work."

"But we aren't finished," Nighteye added, gesturing to the street. "Though it is only ice, it is still an inconvenience. You can speed up the process by melting it down."

"That shouldn't be hard for you," Triumph said to his father.

Endeavor smirked. "I didn't create all that ice. I just got here; you should clean up your mess."

Triumph stared at him. "Are you kidding?"

"When have I ever been kidding?"

"Good point." Triumph grabbed Deku by the shoulder and dragged him off. "Come on, let's get rid of this ice."

"Wait, why me?" Deku asked as he flailed about.

"Because I want to get this done before dinner, now hurry up."

Later that night, Midoriya was in his dorm room, nervously pacing as he spoke on the phone. "Anyway, that's what I heard from the guy, and the things he said just lined up too well with what happened."

On the other end of the line, Ben sighed. "Honestly, kid, you'd be better off talking to someone who actually remembers what went down. I know that Crisis happened, and I was there for the final fight, but everything before that is a blank. Sometimes, I have trouble remembering it happened at all." He sighed again. "Okay, this is only a theory, but it's possible that someone with a deeper connection to that kind of cosmic… stuff… might know if something changed in the multiverse. You said that he was acting crazy, right? Maybe the truth broke him."

Midoriya winced. "I don't like that."

"I never said it was a happy theory, just a theory." Ben paused. "Any other questions?"

"W-well, did Jen ever point out things that are different from before the Crisis? Paradox said that some stuff might have changed, and I've noticed a few little things."

"Nothing too serious," Ben said. "Just some little stuff, like someone who's left-handed, when they used to be right-handed. That sort of thing. How about you?"

"Um, one of my friends cut her hair; I remember her talking to us about it before the Crisis, but when it finally happened, no one else remembered that conversation." Asui's new shoulder-length hair still threw him off. "And another of my friends changed her Hero name, and everyone remembers that conversation except me, but apparently, I was the one who helped her settle on the new name."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I think Jen's been having moments like that, but she's keeping it to herself. If you need to vent to her, I can make sure she calls you."

"No, it's fine, just weird." Midoriya finally sat on his bed. "How are Gwen, Kevin and Julie?"

Ben paused again. "They're… adjusting. Everyone they knew is dead, and I know from experience how much that hurts. It's been thirty years, and I still have bad days, and it's fresh for them."

Now it was Midoriya's turn to sigh. "You know, sometimes I miss the days when I was Quirkless, and I didn't know world-shattering secrets. My life was simple."

"When was that?"

"Almost two years ago."

"And now you know that Quirks come from alien DNA, you've traveled through the multiverse, and you've got a girlfriend."

The third point made Midoriya do a double-take. "What does that last one have to do with anything!?"

"Kid, you're a teenager; having a girlfriend is a big part of your life, and if it isn't, you're gonna stop having a girlfriend real quick."

Now, Midoriya was sputtering, and Ben laughed.

"Izuku, this will be weird, but unless something becomes dangerous, my advice would be to let things play out naturally."

"Okay." Midoriya sighed. "At least I'm getting experience with rolling with unexpected things."

"Kid, you've been getting experience with that since you started turning into aliens from another universe." There was a muffled voice in the background. "Uh-oh, gotta go. I just heard Kara say she was going to make cookies for our new houseguests, and the last time she baked, she almost burned down the house."

Before Midoriya could respond, Ben hung up. Midoriya sighed and rested his head on his desk. "I think I need a break."

Had he leaned back, he might have spotted the tiniest glint from the surveillance drone that had heard everything he'd said.

"You're sure this is correct?"

"Yes, Director. We have the audio recordings, and transcripts."

"How many people have had access to either?"

"Other than you, three, including myself."

"All right, get yourselves over to Division One. You'll have your memories of today wiped, and you'll be back on the job tomorrow."

"Understood, Director."

"… You're still here."

"Sorry, it's just… is it true? I know I won't remember any of this, so I was curious."

"You're talking about the alien DNA, and origin of Quirks? Yes, it's true. You're one of the only people on the planet who know the truth."

"That's… a lot to take in."

"Which is why we snatch up as many people with memory-erasing Quirks as we can, before they get it into their heads to be Heroes. It's so much easier to make anyone who stumbles onto the truth forget it all. Seriously, go get your brain scrubbed, and then go home. I don't need you having a panic attack in my office."

"Thank you for coming in on such short notice, Hisashi," Yotsubashi said with his typically genial smile.

"Of course, sir," Hisashi said, wondering for the third time in the last few minutes if he'd accidentally grabbed the tie with a stain on it. "You sounded quite urgent. Is everything all right?"

"Hmm, that is a tough question to answer." Yotsubashi rose from his chair, and winced. "Forgive me, I've been working rather hard lately, and I think I was starting to physically merge with my chair. Why don't we go for a walk, and I can explain the situation?"

Hisashi followed his boss through the Detnerat headquarters. Many other employees bowed respectfully at the CEO, and to Hisashi's embarrassment, some of them also bowed to him.

"You'll have to forgive their enthusiasm," Yotsubashi said. "Many of them are fans of your son. How is he, by the way?"

"Er, he's fine," Hisashi said. "He told me how he helped stop a man who was clearly mentally unwell, and was using his Quirk to put civilians in danger."

Yotsubashi raised an eyebrow. "I noticed you didn't call the man a Villain. That word gets tossed around quite often these days."

Hisashi shrugged. "Apparently, his mental state is causing some debate on whether or not he will even be tried."

"How sad, but at least your son is doing well." Yotsubashi turned a corner, and led Hisashi down a corridor he wasn't familiar with. "Now, back to why I wanted to talk to you.

"Long ago, during the first generation of Quirks, there was a woman who had a child. His Meta-ability wasn't very strong, like most of that first generation, but he was ostracized by society for a simple cosmetic difference from what humanity considered 'normal' for the time. His mother begged and pleaded on behalf of her son, that he would not be mistreated for a biological quirk. Years later, her message was rediscovered by the government, and that was how the term 'Quirk' was applied."

Hisashi nodded, even though Yotsubashi didn't look at him; that story was taught to everyone, and was considered the first step towards Quirks being accepted into society.

"That woman's son took up his mother's message, but applied to it all people. It was a noble dream, especially when those without powers vastly outnumbered those who did. He led protests, rallies, fundraisers—everything he could to protect those who were being persecuted. It was never enough; bigots attacked those with Meta powers, avoided their shops, and burned down their homes. Discrimination was at its highest in human history, but that man refused to back down. Eventually, after a group of truly despicable people murdered an entire family under his protection, he decided that violence could only be met with violence. He took on the name Destro, and organized his followers into an army; unfortunately, while they had righteous fury, they didn't have anything else needed for a successful war, and they were quickly defeated. Destro was captured and put in prison; before he took his own life, he managed to smuggle out his manifesto, which was published by sympathizers."

Again, this was all common knowledge to Hisashi; the rise and fall of Destro was often pointed out as a microcosm of the entire world's reaction to Quirks. It just happened to occur in Japan first, which ended up putting the Japanese just ahead of the rest of the world in terms of accepting Quirks.

Yotsubashi sighed. "Did you know that Destro had a child?"

Hisashi blinked; that was news to him. "No, I had no idea. I would imagine that any descendants would have kept their heads down."

"Oh, they certainly did." Yotsubashi smiled. "They agreed with Destro's message, though his methods were rejected. At the time, with Heroes on the rise, and places like Tartarus becoming adept at imprisoning people with powers, it was deemed too risky to rally an army in the open. Instead, subtler means were used—money, politics, and carefully-selected words from popular figures became the weapons of this new movement. It was slow, but over the years, many people have flocked to the Liberation banner. It was only until recently that things began to change at a faster pace."

At this point, the two men had stopped, which was good; Hisashi probably wouldn't have been able to put one foot in front of the other at that point.

"How…" Hisashi swallowed nervously. "Sir, how do you know all this?"

Yotsubashi smiled, and gestured to the nearest door. "Why don't I introduce you to some people? You'll understand in a moment."

His curiosity overtaking his common sense, Hisashi followed his boss through the door—and immediately tried to run, but Slice's hair wrapped around him and pulled him all the way inside. It wasn't just Slice, but several of the most wanted criminals in Japan; they had been sitting around a table, and got up just as the door opened.

"You're late," Nine commented.

Yotsubashi shrugged. "Forgive me, I'm rather fond of Hisashi, and I wanted the chance to have a normal conversation with him before this unpleasantness began."

Several thoughts were running through Hisashi's head. He wasn't stupid, and immediately realized that Yotsubashi was working with the League of Villains. More importantly, he was now in the presence of the people who had kidnapped and tried to kill his son, and for perhaps the first time in his life, he was consumed with fury.

"You bastards!" Hisashi's Quirk wasn't considered strong, but his rage empowered him, and the stream of fire that spewed from his mouth was more like a flamethrower. The fire burned through Slice's hair; he landed in a crouch, and he aimed another shot at Yotsubashi.

Had the CEO been anyone else, the attack might have caused serious injury, or even death. But Yotsubashi merely held out his arm, which darkened and expanded to be larger than the rest of his body. The fire washed over the limb, but if it caused any harm, Yotsubashi didn't let it show; he merely brushed off some ash, while Chimera knocked out Hisashi with a quick chop to the head.

"Let's be careful with this one," Chimera grunted. "The last time we abducted a Midoriya, it didn't end well."

"This one isn't nearly as powerful as his son." Nine glanced to the side, and held out one hand. "Stop."

"Just let me carve him up a little," Slice hissed, and her smoldering hair lashed about like a nest of cobras. "Look what he did to me!"

"It will grow back," Nine said. "Besides, I'm sure Toga will get enough blood for both of you, right?"

Toga held up a syringe. "Yep! Don't worry, I won't kill him, but he's gonna be miserable for a long time."

Slice grumbled, but calmed down. "Fine. How long do we have to keep this guy, anyway?"

"Only until he can't be used as a shield against his son," Nine answered. "Toga, you'll have to keep up the façade that he's perfectly fine, just working hard. Can you fool his family?"

Toga grinned. "Of course! Business-guy here gave me tons of surveillance footage of Izuku's dad, so I know exactly how to act, even if I have to meet them in person!"

"Good, then we're ready to begin the next phase." Nine turned to Yotsubashi. "When is the strategy meeting taking place?"

"Two weeks," Yotsubashi said promptly. "It will take some time to make up the appropriate excuses, but I'm positive that we can get the entire Paranormal Liberation Front gathered for a strike against the government by then."

"Excellent." Nine had expressed his concerns about Shigaraki's true plan, but as long as the pawns of the rechristened Paranormal Liberation Front—including Yotsubashi—did their part, Shigaraki didn't care. In truth, neither did Nine, but if the former MLA had been almost undone by the League, what chance did they have against a small army of trained Heroes?

Well, the Heroes would have to find us before we make our move, he mused. And we have Twice to back them up. It doesn't matter how strong the enemy is if we have an unlimited pool of disposable forces.

Several hours later, Hawks buried his face in his hands. A few of the PLF soldiers who trusted him had let him in on a rumor that the leadership had captured a particularly valuable hostage. As far as he was concerned, there were only two people the PLF would take hostage, and he would have heard if Midoriya Inko was missing.

"This just got so much worse," he whispered, and then set about creating a coded message for Sir Nighteye.

Their plan had just developed a new wrinkle.

All right, here we go! This was a breather chapter, for the most part. After the last couple of chapters, I wanted to give Deku an easier time, though he's still struggling with the aftereffects of the Crisis. That's something that's going to bother him for a while, maybe for the rest of his life.

And the Paranormal Liberation Front has made its first move. Hisashi was too useful as a hostage to not kidnap, and with Toga able to perfectly mimic him, the only reason the good guys would know he was taken was because Hawks is a fantastic spy.

Oh, and there's one thing I really want to talk about, and that's All Might's growing paranoia of Midoriya. All For One is a master manipulator, and even the tiniest seed of suspicion would sprout roots. As far as All Might is concerned, anyone All For One would show enough interest in that he would risk kidnapping them is someone to be wary of, and he already had his suspicions of Midoriya because of the sheer variety of powers he possessed. He hasn't quite reached tinfoil hat levels of paranoia, but he's not going to be extending the hand of friendship anytime soon. Besides, Midoriya has befriended practically every other Hero he's worked with, even if he doesn't know it, so I decided to give him a sort-of enemy.

And it looks like some people already know the truth about Quirks. What a twist!

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, in both eBook and physical format. I promise, I'm getting closer to finishing the sequel! Less than 2 chapters to go!

You can also support me on P-atreon (link in my profile), if you want to help me reach a stable financial state that would allow me to write these chapters at a much faster rate. Seriously, if every one of you reading this donated at even the lowest tier, I'd be able to quit at least one of my jobs, but as it is, I might have to work more hours.

Thanks to the following Muffins, for being awesome pastry-people:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Red Bard, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye, Kristen Tyler, Patryk kawalec

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, Crazyman844, CherryGoesBoom

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll

Next Chapter: A call to arms! Midoriya learns what has been happening in the shadows, but as the battle looms, a fading light tries to rekindle what it has lost.

Plus Muffin!