Izuku did some rapid-fire squats by the fake nuclear weapon, trying to distract himself from what his brother had just done. He was still feeling guilty, being the reason Nobutoshi had unloaded on Bakugo, ruining an already shaky reputation with the class in the process. Izuku kept thinking: If only I had stood up for myself more, if only I had been less of a pushover before, he wouldn't have hurt Bakugo, he wouldn't be hated now—

"Are you sure you're okay?" Uraraka asked.

He looked over to Uraraka. Her big eyes were shimmering with concern. That's right, I have to put on a strong face for her… If I mess up here, she'll probably fail too. And Nobu is probably watching me right now, if they let him.

"I'm fine," he said, trying to convince himself of that fact. There was no way he could be daunted by what had happened in the past. "Let's win this!"

"Okay!" Uraraka nodded. "So, um, what should we do? They just entered the building…"

"I think you should guard the weapon. Your quirk can make it float, right? That will help keep it out of their hands."

"I can do that, yeah… What about you?"

"I'll scout. If I can, I'll try to stop them from making it here…"

"Will you be alright? Their quirks are scary… Especially Tokoyami's…"

"Yeah, it's this big black bird. I saw it during the physical test, and apparently it's more powerful in the dark…" He looked at his fist. "I'll get just one shot to blow it away… I have to make it count…"

"Won't you hurt yourself, though?"

"Probably."

"Aizawa said you had to stop that!"

"He did, but there's no other way to win this…"

Izuku made his way through the building, listening closely for sounds of movement. Tokoyami and Mineta were being stealthy. As he moved, Izuku began to have second thoughts about his plan. One For All was still impossible to control. Even in a tiny burst (from his finger, for instance), he would do a massive amount of damage. If he were to hit someone head-on with that attack… The results would not be pretty.

It would be even worse than what Nobu did to Bakugo, he realized. At least Nobu can control his crazy strength…

What could he do, then? He had to somehow fight without using his quirk. Or learn to control his quirk speedily, but that didn't seem likely.

Before he could finish his plan, he came across Tokoyami in the hallway. The birdlike person was difficult to see in the dark building. The two of them locked eyes and froze, measuring the situation.

"Midoriya Izuku," Tokoyami said. "We finally meet in battle."

Izuku gulped. "B-Bring it!"

A shadowy creature began spiraling out of Tokoyami's body, filling the room with a substance somehow darker than black…

(LINE BREAK)

"What the hell is that?" Nobutoshi muttered, his eyes glued to the screen. "He had something similar before, but it wasn't anywhere near as big! Hey, this looks bad!"

"Tokoyami Fumikage," All Might said. "According to the notes I've been given, his 'Dark Shadow' grows stronger where there is little light."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds familiar…" Izuku probably remembers that, considering how nerdy he is… "But they're in a dark building!"

"Yes, they are…"

"This is stupidly unfair," Nobutoshi snapped. "The location favors Tokoyami! Should you stop this? Before Izuku gets hurt by that thing?"

"Battle is not fair," All Might said. "Surely you know that better than anyone, Young Midoriya."

"Yeah, I guess…" He shook his head. After all I've done, who am I to ask him to stop a battle? But when my brother's involved, I can't help but feel this way…

He noticed the beads of sweat on All Might's face, and the way the teacher studied the screen with even more concern. So All Might was also worried about Izuku in this situation. That made sense, considering their connection…

Izuku was trying his best to deal with Tokoyami, but he was having no luck. Their confrontation raged for longer than anyone expected, Izuku being as industrious as he could. Eventually, the dark creature grabbed him and placed him aside, allowing Tokoyami to pass through uninhibited. Izuku tried to fight on, using his newly muscular body, but it was useless. He raised his fist, prepared to strike, then hesitated.

He doesn't want to attack with his quirk? Nobutoshi was confused. Is it because his quirk breaks his body? Or he doesn't want to hurt Tokoyami too much? If just one finger could send a ball that far, I have no idea what a whole fist could do…

On the other screen, Uraraka was squaring off with Mineta. The purple boy could use the balls on his head to bounce quickly around the room. This wasn't all that useful, however—Uraraka made the weapon float, keeping it out of reach. The strategy was sound, but it would be useless if Tokoyami made it to the top floor with that quirk of his. He was getting closer… It was only a matter of time…

Then Izuku made a fist again. Instead of pointing it at his opponent, he pointed it towards the ceiling and pumped upwards. A massive explosion shook the building, sending pieces of concrete flying into the sky. A hole had been ruptured in the roof, sending light blasting down on top of them. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow withered in the sudden direct sunlight, hotter and brighter than usual in the early afternoon. Mineta fell atop his teammate's quirk, bouncing off the depleted Dark Shadow.

"Use your quirk, Uraraka!" Izuku cried.

Uraraka did as he requested, holding onto the nuclear weapon and making it float in the air. She levitated above the destroyed building—not as high as Nobutoshi had taken Bakugo, but still far enough that the other students could not touch her.

Mineta feebly lobbed purple balls into the sky, but he couldn't send them nearly far enough. "Argh, Tokoyami!" he grumbled. "Can't you get up there? You're a bird, right?"

"I may look that way, but I am unable to fly." Tokoyami sighed, lowering his head. "My Dark Shadow would be large enough to reach in the darkness, but not in this scorching sunlight."

He peered through the hole in the ground, seeing Izuku a few floors below them, cradling a broken arm. "It's shameful to admit, but he got us. I wasted too much time dealing with him… We've got none left."

At that moment, All Might's voice rang out. "TIME UP! THE NUCLEAR WEAPON AS BEEN DEFENDED. THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS!"

Nobutoshi grinned broadly. He figured something out. Of course! If the location is unfair, you just need to blow a hole in that location. And he did that without seriously injuring anyone… Aside from himself, I guess…

"Hey, All Might," he said. "Izuku's arm will be healed, right?"

"Yes, it will," All Might said, out heaving a huge sigh of relief. "He needs to control One For All faster, though… Or this will keep happening…"

"One for what?"

"UH—" All Might looked him in the eye. "Nothing! Forget I said that!"

"Okay…"

"In any case, Young Midoriya," All Might said, his expression hardening. "I allowed you to watch your brother. Earlier, the class made its decision. It's time for you to serve your punishment and think about what you did."

(LINE BREAK)

Nobutoshi arrived home and stared at the door for a minute or so. His satisfaction from savaging Bakugo and watching his brother triumph was starting to wear off, leaving him with the lingering shame that he had been trying to push out of his mind the whole way home. He had to tell his mother what he had done.

He wrapped his hand around the doorknob and pushed his way inside, hesitating for a short time before entering the living room.

Inko was waiting for him.

"Nobutoshi!" she said, her voice wavering audibly. "You… You… I heard you…" Her mouth worked to push out something she didn't want to say. Eventually, she gave up and looked down at her left hand, which held her cellphone. "The school called me."

"Oh…" Right, All Might said they were going to contact her. They didn't waste any time. "Mom, I'm sorry—"

"It's true, then!? You attacked one of your classmates? He had to go to the medical room?"

"...Yes. But the reason—"

"They told me everything! The person on the phone said… I have to come in for a parent-teacher interview. Because of what you did…"

"I only did that because—"

"I thought you were over this phase! You would always get into fights at middle school, but this sounds so much more severe… That boy's family could sue us!"

"Mom, please calm down," Nobutoshi urged. "I really doubt that would ever happen. There's a teacher with a quirk that heals basically anything. They have no reason to sue."

"But why did you do it, Nobutoshi? A-Apparently, you hurt him so much he passed out… You broke his nose… Even after they told you to stop… And you were suspended from school! So soon!"

"Yes, I was," Nobutoshi said, sighing. "Izuku is still in class right now, but they wanted me to go home. The reason I did it…"

This was hard to explain. Nobutoshi had never talked about Izuku's bullying before—Izuku never wanted the truth to reach their mother, who would be heartbroken if she found out. Inko was already in a heightened emotional state right now, so it really wasn't the time…

"We got into an argument, and I got carried away… Uh…" No, I have to tell her the whole truth. Sorry, Izuku. She deserves to know. "Mom, I had to get revenge on him. For Izuku's sake."

Inko blinked, not understanding. "You're… blaming your brother?"

"No, I'm not. I'm blaming Bakugo. For what he did to my brother. It wasn't Izuku's fault at all. If anything, it was my fault for not doing anything like this sooner."

"The other boy was… Bakugo? He went to school with you two, didn't he? Why would you hurt a friend?"

"He wasn't a friend. He was… a bully."

"...He bullied you?"

"Not me. Izuku. He bullied him every day. He called him a quirkless weakling. Remember those times he came home with bruises and cuts? They weren't because he fell over or got hurt playing baseball or whatever he said. They were because he was beaten up."

The face that Inko made broke Nobutoshi's heart. She shook her head wordlessly, eyes filling with tears. That face was so similar, he realized, to Izuku's face when he became emotional. The resemblance was striking.

"I never knew about this!" she cried. "Are you joking? Tell me this is all a joke."

"We… decided not to tell you."

"Why?" Inko grabbed Nobutoshi's arms with her shaking hands and pressed her head into his chest. "Such a horrible thing was happening to Izuku? Was that why he always wanted a quirk? B-Because… that was happening?"

"I'm not sure," Nobutoshi admitted. "Probably not. He wanted to be like All Might since before then. And… Mom!" He was panicking a little now—Inko was taking this even worse than he expected. "He has a quirk now! He's at UA! He's living his dreams! Mom, listen, you've done nothing wrong…"

"How long?" she asked breathlessly.

"How long what?"

"How long did this go on?"

"Oh, well… I don't remember. The last three years were the worst. I'm not sure if it happened before that."

"This is so terrible," Inko said, sniffling noisily. "Where is he now? Izuku?"

"He's in class, I think… He'll be home in the next hour, probably."

"Nobutoshi… How could I have not known? Three years… Maybe more… And that boy was always smiling… I never realized a thing…"

"I'm sorry for never telling you—"

"It's my fault!" Inko burst out.

"What? No, it isn't at all…"

"It is! I'm his mother! And yet I didn't notice, even with all these clues… His injuries…"

"It's really not your fault, mom," Nobutoshi said, laying a hand across her shoulders.

"A-And you, Nobutoshi… Why did you become so… violent?"

"Violent?" Nobutoshi flinched, withdrawing his hand.

"You keep fighting! So often!"

"Oh… Well, I wanted to protect my brother this time."

"You shouldn't do it like this!" Inko said, tears sliding down her face and leaving shiny snail trails behind. "They told me about what happened to the boy! What did… Why did… Did I not raise you the right way? I told you not to use violence against others, didn't I?"

"Yes, mom, you did…"

"So why are you doing this!? You should have told a teacher… or something…"

"Mom… This isn't, like, your average school. We're training to be heroes. This was combat training."

"Heroes are kind, good people!"

Nobutoshi sighed. The reality was that he and Izuku were training to be real heroes in the future. That entailed notions difficult to stomach for a fragile housewife: violence and brutality. Somehow, it didn't seem like Inko had really confronted that fact, pleased as she was to have her sons accepted into a prestigious school.

"I'm sorry," was all Nobutoshi could think to say. "I'm sorry for letting you down. This is the way things are."

Inko wiped her face feebly, but the tears kept flowing as if the floodgates behind her eyes had been thrown open. "Should I have sent you to a professional?"

"A… what?"

"Like, um, some sort of child psychologist… One of my friends sent her boy to a child psychologist. Do you think that would have helped you relax? Should you… go to one now? I just don't feel qualified for this…"

God, no, Nobutoshi thought. "Mom, you're totally qualified. You've raised me with so much love and kindness at every possible point. I couldn't have asked for a better mother."

"But…"

"I'm being honest. You did all you could. I mean, look at Izuku… He's such an amazing person! The reason I'm not…"

He trailed off. What was the reason they were so different? Were some things just decided at birth? Their upbringing was identical, aside from the scorn Nobutoshi received due to his intimidating powers or un-Japanese appearance. Well, I'm not actually her child by birth, I guess… Of course, he didn't say this to Inko, not wanting to upset her further.

"Don't cry, mom," he said, hugging her tight. He wished his brother would hurry up and get home—he was always better at dealing with this type of thing. "We'll be okay. I won't do that again."

"You promise?"

"Well…"

"You promise, right, Nobutoshi?" She looked at him almost fearfully. "No more violence like this?"

"...Not against my fellow students. Not, uh, excessively."

"Thank you," she said, hugging back. "I just… get so nervous thinking about you two boys. Especially you, Nobutoshi. Ever since…" She paused.

"Ever since?"

"Since I, um… adopted you." Then she averted her eyes, like she was telling a lie. "I care so much about you."

"...Right. I care a lot about you too, mom."

It took a few more minutes to calm Inko down. Nobutoshi sat her down in front of the television, turned on her favorite reality TV show, and announced he would cook dinner for them that night. He wanted to take her mind off everything, now that he felt so bad about what had happened.

There was also a curiosity he had never really noticed before. The reality of his "adoption" was obviously odd or taboo—otherwise, Inko would not be so anxious and evasive about it. He assumed it was because he had a different ethnicity, or because adoption in general was unpopular in Japan, but he was starting to wonder if there was more to the puzzle. Knowing his birth parents would help solve the mystery of his quirk, too.

In any case, that was a question for later. While he prepared to cook dinner, Nobutoshi phoned Izuku. His brother usually picked up on the first or second ring, but this time there was a delay and an unexpected voicemail. He's probably out with his friends, Nobutoshi thought. The girl and… Iida. He usually spends some time with them after school.

"Hey, Izuku," he said, leaving a message, "I talked to mom and ended up telling her… basically everything. About the bullying, I mean. I'm sorry. I know you didn't want her to find out. I just had to."

He placed the phone down and massaged his temples. What a day it had been. He had finally punished Bakugo, but it came at the cost of his mother's hysteria. Would he always have to deal with this friction? Between the punishment he should be dishing out and the panicked reactions of those around him?

(LINE BREAK!!)

"Explain this to me again," Principal Nezu said, taking a sip from his steaming cup. "This Midoriya Nobutoshi boy was driven by… revenge?"

"I think so," All Might said, leaning forward subserviently as if he were the misbehaving student. "Principal, I have to apologize. This all happened on my watch! I hurried over to stop them, but…"

"Yes, yes, he disobeyed when you told them to stop, and then he flew into the air to continue hurting the poor boy…" Nezu nodded a few times, processing the information in his genius head. "Yes, I can see the barbarism, and he's obviously a problem student. But I also see a lot of potential! He can stay in the sky indefinitely?"

"I think so," All Might said.

"He can," Aizawa interrupted. The black-haired teacher was leaning against a wall in the staff room. "He broke almost every record when I tested his powers. He's a head and shoulders above everyone in the class. Along with just about any student I've seen. I mean, he broke your record in the entrance exam, didn't he, All Might? Let's not ignore that."

"Ah, yes," All Might said. "You're right about that. So… You think the class made the right decision?"

"Yes," Nezu said. "It would be catastrophic to lose such a talent! We can't expel him! Absolutely not."

"Besides, he had his reasons," Aizawa said. "I don't expect him to do this to anyone else. From my brief interactions with him, he seemed like a sensible person. As sensible as you can be as a teenager."

"I don't know about that, you guys!" came a loud, shrill voice. It was Present Mic, who had just entered the staff room. "I know how strong this boy is better than anyone—I was running the exams, after all! But… He ignored the orders of his supervising teacher! Of ALL MIGHT! The NUMBER ONE HERO! It was combat training, so I understand the violence, but heroes MUST obey orders!"

"It's something of a rebellious phase, perhaps," Nezu said. "He could change."

"ALSO, in my English class, he wasn't doing ANY work! He was just looking at the clock the whole time!"

"That's because your English classes are boring as hell, Mic," Aizawa said. "Why don't you try to make them more interesting?"

"That's rude! I'm always entertaining! It's that boy's fault for not paying attention!"

"Well, it's a relief that you're his homeroom teacher, Aizawa!" Nezu said. "That way, you can always stop him from getting out of hand!"

"Actually, I can't."

"Oh?"

"My quirk doesn't work on his."

"What?" Present Mic asked. "But it's, like, the exact type of quirk you're usually able to shut down!"

Nezu cocked his head. "Then it is probably not a quirk at all."

"You connect the dots quickly, Principal," Aizawa said. "That was my suspicion too. It's something different."

"Then how does it work!?" All Might burst out. "What's the power source? It's crazy!"

"That's rich, coming from you," Aizawa smirked. "The internet is always squabbling over the nature of your powers."

"Well, yes, I guess they are…" All Might shook his head. "Anyway, just to confirm again, you're okay with what happened? His suspension?"

"It sounds like the appropriate response," Nezu said. "The class has good judgment."

"Should we move him to a different class, perhaps?" Aizawa asked. "Or move Bakugo to a different class? We could put him in class 1-B."

"Young Midoriya—Midoriya Izuku, I mean—said that was a bad idea," All Might said. "Apparently, Young Bakugo is very prideful, so it would be best…"

"Aha," Nezu said. "Youngsters and their pride. I see. So it would be best for them to remain in the same class. Still, I question if Bakugo will recover from such a comprehensive beating…"

"I'm worried about that too," All Might said. "I want to spend time counseling him… But I have my hero duty too!"

"Understandable," Nezu said. "You are the Number One Hero, after all. We have to be slightly accommodating."

"By the way, All Might," Aizawa said, "I know I'm piling more things on your plate, but I asked you to help investigate Midoriya's past…"

"Oh! Yes! I've been looking into this! In fact, I've reached out to one of my old contacts. From when I worked in America. He's an agent of SHIELD, a secret organization… Oh, maybe I wasn't meant to say that… Well, they want more information."

"I know of them," Aizawa said. "And it's surprising that they would be interested in a mere Japanese high schooler, even if he is very gifted."

"Can you blame them!?" Mic said. "He's from UA! The best hero school in the world!"

"Whatever information they want, we should give to them," Nezu said, taking another long sip. "It's important that we find out the truth of this boy before something else happens… Something more serious than this…"

(LINEBREAK!!)

Izuku opened the door to his mother's apartment. It had been a few days since Nobutoshi had told his mother about the years of bullying he had sustained as a result of Bakugo. Inko was incredibly stressed at first, but she was starting to accept that it was no longer going on. The first night had been particularly difficult, with lots of tears from both of them.

"Izuku!" Inko called out, moving into the living room to embrace him. "Did you have a good day at school, sweetie?"

"Yeah, we had some really interesting classes… I took so many notes!"

"Did you walk home with your friends again?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Did you…" Her smile seemed to twitch. "Did you have any problems? With your classmates? They didn't say anything mean?"

"I'm fine, mom," Izuku said. "That's all in the past. Actually, Kacchan came back to school today."

"You mean… The boy who—"

"Yeah, him. He's got no injuries from what Nobu did. There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, thank goodness… I'm so relieved to hear that…"

"Where's Nobu, by the way?"

"He said he was studying in his room…"

"Oh, okay." Studying? That's weird.

Izuku went to Nobutoshi's room to check what he was doing. To his surprise, his brother actually was studying—he was sitting at his desk which had been long neglected, hunched over a textbook. He was scribbling notes with his super-human speed.

"Hey," he said, turning around. "Welcome home."

"Th-Thanks," Izuku said. "Um, I can't believe you're actually studying. When's the last time you did that?"

"It's been a while… But I haven't had much to do recently. I mean, usually I'd fly to the park and let off some steam, but I think mom would rather I didn't."

"Oh, right…"

"So I thought I'd try to improve my academic grades. If I can do that, I'm sure she'll feel a bit better. Think I'm less of a delinquent, maybe." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Izuku. For telling her."

"You've already apologized a lot." Izuku shook his head. "It's my fault, Nobu. I should have been the one to tell her."

"Maybe. It sure would have been easier if she knew nothing at all… I'm sorry about putting you in that situation, too. With the class all asking about it."

"It's okay… I don't hold a grudge or anything." Izuku's shoulders slumped. "You're not sorry about what you did to Kacchan, though, are you?"

Nobutoshi's face hardened. "No, everything but that."

"I didn't think so. Still… I can't agree with it."

"I know you can't." His eyes flashed. "By the way, I heard your conversation with mom. You said Bakugo was back at school?"

"...Yeah."

"And? How is he?"

"He's, um, not hurt."

"Well, obviously not. If Recovery Girl can fix you up after you break every bone in your body, she could obviously heal him too. But how did he interact with you? Was it any different?"

"Well… he didn't interact with me."

"Not at all?"

"No."

"Huh… That's good, I guess. He's probably learned his lesson about bullying you. I'm glad."

"Nobu… I tried to talk to him, but he just grunted and turned away. And then a few other people tried—like Kirishima, who was becoming his friend—and he didn't respond much to him either. Just grunts and one-word answers. He isn't properly talking to anyone."

"What? He's not bullying anyone at all? Sounds like what I did was a success, then."

"He's not communicating at all. I feel like he's just… totally crushed. Because of what you did to him. Or maybe he's so obsessed with getting revenge that he can't function. I think… you went way too far." He looked away awkwardly. "But you know I think that already. I won't go on about it."

"...Cool. So, uh, any other news while I'm away? How's everyone else doing? That girl you're hanging with—I forget her name."

Izuku went bright red. "U-U-Uraraka? N-Nothing, why do you ask about her?"

"You just seem to get along well." He totally likes her, Nobutoshi thought. "Did you hang out together after school again?"

"Yeah… With Iida as well…" Izuku winced, like he expected Nobutoshi to react negatively to this information.

"I don't care who you're friends with, really," Nobutoshi muttered. "Well, I'd rather you be friends with a snobbish prick than a bullying asshole. So sure, Iida's fine."

"N-Nobu!"

"What?"

"He's not a prick… He's a good guy. Just a bit uptight. E-Even if you disagree—"

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't expect me to ever get along with him. He wants me expelled, right?" He chuckled. "Idiot."

"Actually, we decided he would be class president."

"Eh? Don't care about shit like that. As long as he knows I'm the strongest." Nobutoshi raised his eyebrows. "You know that Todoroki guy? How's he doing? I get the feeling he's stronger than most."

"I feel the same… But he doesn't talk much. He's kind of scary, really. His quirk is really overpowered too."

"What is it? I left before I saw."

"Like… Ice. But that's selling it short. There's so much ice."

"Huh…" I could probably melt it with my heat vision, Nobutoshi thought. Or break it with my fists. "What about Tsu?"

"Tsu?"

"Oh, uh, that's what she wanted to be called. The frog girl. Green hair, long tongue, big eyes…"

"You don't usually remember people's names so quickly," Izuku noted.

"Hm? I guess I don't. Well, I actually met her on the day of the entrance exam… And then we were paired on the same team. I feel a bit bad, really, for involving her in my grudge match."

"Then you should apologize to her?"

"I guess."

"Well, you'll get your chance soon. You're coming back to school tomorrow, right?"

"That's the plan."

"Are you… excited?"

Nobutoshi laughed. "What, like a little kid on a field trip? Well, it'll be nice to get out of the house."

"Actually, I think we are going on a field trip of sorts. It's a disaster rescue thing, from the rumors…"

"Oh, cool."

"You're going to see the class again, yeah?" Izuku tried to laugh, but it was a fearful sound.

"You don't think I should? If it's too soon, I could stay away a little longer."

"No… It's okay. You'll have to see them eventually. It's better we get it over with. I just hope they won't hate you forever…"

(LINE BREAK!!)

Nobutoshi's reunion with the class did not get off to a particularly good start. He entered their homeroom after his brother (who received several smiles and hellos from all over the room) and it was like the temperature dropped several degrees. The second they saw the older Midoriya sibling, people stopped talking. Some looked away fearfully. Some glared like he owed them money.

Nobutoshi rolled his eyes. "Hey, guys," he said provocatively, not expecting a response.

"Midoriya Nobutoshi!" Iida said, striding over to him with those pretentious robot-like strides. It looked like the whole class president thing had gotten to his head. "I hope you won't be causing any more trouble for us!"

"Trouble?" Nobutoshi sneered. "What, you scared of what I could do?"

Iida bristled. "You've only been in this room for a few seconds, and you're already—"

"Already what? I'm just making conversation, dude. As I'm entitled to."

"G-Guys!" Izuku said quickly, moving over to diffuse the situation. "Please, let's just try to be polite."

Nobutoshi shrugged. "Fine then. Don't get in my way, Iida." He sauntered over to his table and sat down, radiating his usual "don't talk to me" energy. It was then that he noticed Tsuyu was sitting next to him.

"Uh, hi!" he blurted out.

"Hi," she replied, deadpan.

"How have you been?" he asked instinctively.

"I'm good, ribbit. How was your suspension?"

"Pretty boring. I was just stuck at home all day." He remembered what Izuku had said—that he owed this girl an apology. "Hey, I wanted to say sorry to you."

She cocked her head. "For what, ribbit?"

"For involving you in my grudge match. I know you kind of agree, but it wasn't fair for you."

"I wanted to help you. Don't worry, ribbit."

"But still—"

"It's okay. Everything worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"...I guess." I can never win an argument with her. He looked away because he could think of nothing out to say, taking in the rest of the class. Still a lot of ugly glares from all around the room. That purple baby—Mineta—looked like he wanted someone to call his mom.

And then there was Bakugo. Nobutoshi had to do a double take, because he didn't notice the spiky-haired boy at first. He looked the same, but his entire presence had transformed. He was hunched over, face tight with rage or shame or both. He wasn't relaxed with his feet on the table. He was withdrawn, like a snail that had retreated into an invisible shell.

I see what Izuku meant, Nobutoshi thought. He's completely different. And he doesn't talk much now? So I don't have to deal with his annoying voice? Sounds like a win to me.

Class went by as usual. He sat through Present Mic's boring English class, applying more effort than he usually did for Inko's sake. There were some similarly boring math and science classes, which he found easier than usual after his few days of study. Then came the afternoon—and the class that everyone was waiting for.

"Rescue training," Aizawa announced. "Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. You can decide if you want to wear your costume this time… Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities as well."

Wear my costume? Nobutoshi thought. Well, I may as well…

"The training will take place off-campus," Aizawa continued. "So we're taking a bus. Get ready."

The bus was an awkward affair. Students could sit facing each other. Nobutoshi, of course, sat at the very back, as far away from everyone else as he could. He was kind of close to Bakugo, who looked out of the window broodingly and continued to not acknowledge his presence.

I'm getting a bit bored here, Nobutoshi thought. Was it really that easy to break you?

Maybe it was, but he sensed something brewing in Bakugo that made him stay alert. The former-bully was not done yet… with whatever he had planned.

Up the front of the bus, Nobutoshi watched Izuku socializing with the other students. Even Tsuyu was up there ("call me Tsu," he heard her say). So everyone gets to call her that? It surprised Nobutoshi how much that irked him. He thought he was the only one that got to use that nickname.

They arrived at the USJ facility, which was full of replica situations for saving hypothetical civilians. They were met by the Space Hero, Thirteen, who gave an introduction. Nobutoshi was quite interested in the "Black Hole" power, which seemed to have incredible destructive capacity… and yet it was only used to save people from disasters.

I guess that's what rescue training is, Nobutoshi thought. It's not as compelling as combat for me, though… He stifled a yawn.

Suddenly, something changed. Nobutoshi noticed it before most people did—an electrical current working its way around the facility, destabilizing the area. Behind Aizawa, a purple-black shadow materialized, starting small and growing into a massive smog. It was like nothing Nobutoshi had seen before.

"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa shouted.

From the shadow emerged a conglomerate of people and creatures, marching out to meet them like a mottled tide. There was a massive quantity of them, seemingly commanded by a slender, blue-haired person covered in eerie hands.

"Is this like the entrance exam, where the test's already started?" Kirishima asked dumbly.

"No! Get back!" Aizawa took a step forward, preparing for battle. "Those are villains."

"Villains!?" Izuku shouted, stunned. "What could they… What could they be doing here?" He looked around, sighting his brother. "Nobu, he told us to get back… Wait, why are you grinning?"

"Oh, sorry," Nobutoshi replied. "He just said they were villains, right? Proper ones?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"I see. Then this class just got a lot more interesting…"