Chapter 27: Final Crisis

Recovery Girl turned to her guests in the observation room/clinic, "It's a pleasure to have you here, Midoriya-san."

Inko looked a little nervous, "Ah, th-thank you, Shuzenji-san. I'm just glad I get to see this…" she looked down at Eri, who was coloring wearing her narwhal onesie, and smiled weakly. "I mean, I saw the Sports Festival and heard Toshi-san's stories, but… I think this might be more of what to expect from Izuku's… Hero career," she said those last words with caution, but pride.

Recovery Girl patted the woman's hand, "It must have been hard, dearie."

"Yes," Inko didn't want to go into details in front of Eri, but she was determined to believe in her son now. Even if the thought of him getting hurt made her feel ill.

"Well, best get prepared. He and Uraraka will be facing All Might for their exam, so that's going to be a doozy," Recovery Girl said with a grimace.

"Indeed… Wait, what?!" Inko said, blood draining from her face.

As Izuku and Ochako began their spiral into anxious doom, a voice resonated within their heads.

"Hey, you two!" Nana shouted. "This is tough, but there's no need to panic! Ochako, you're not going to let something like this stop you, are you? And Izuku, you of all people know that Toshi's still human, not some utterly untouchable god. And how do you think the others are going to react to you panicking, huh?"

That snapped them out of it, the two of them shaking themselves off, looking at each other, and nodding. They turned to the rest of the class.

"Okay, everyone, not much time, huddle up!" Izuku called out, as 1-A gathered around. Momo handed out the earpieces. "Power Loader said there's no restriction on support gear for us, and that should include last-minute additions we create."

"This feels like…" Tenya began, then shook his head, "Never mind, continue."

Everyone looked shocked as Tenya stopped himself from lecturing them, taking an earpiece for himself, but time was short.

"Well, keep in mind that this is meant to be an examination. This will be tough, extremely tough, but not impossible. And… I think all these selections are meant to force us into scenarios where we're at our weakest. If that's the case, we should be aware of our weaknesses and look to overcome them."

"Easier said than done, ribbit," Tsu stated.

"Wouldn't these earpieces just distract us?" Kyoka asked. "Our tests will need our undivided attention, we can't just carry each other."

There was a bit of telepathic wrangling as Izuku made a show of checking his earpiece, "Mei-chan, can you hear me?"

"Oh, hey, Izuku! How'd you get onto my frequency?" Mei asked, coming in for everyone.

"We're facing the teachers for our exams, and Power Loader didn't nix any support gear. I'm counting on that brain of yours."

"Oh, I get to be the girl in the chair?! Sweet! I'll get Melissa-senpai in on this too," Mei started to make movements.

"How quickly can you hack the camera drones?" Izuku asked

"Already done," Mei stated.

"All right, everyone! We've faced actual villains prior to this and came out on top," Izuku said with a smile. Like All Might had told him that fateful day they'd met, this smile may have been made to reassure them, but it had plenty of fear behind it. "I'll see you all at the training camp."

The class cheered as they dispersed. The teachers led each of the students to a bus, taking them to their testing grounds. As they walked to their buses, Izuku and Ochako held each other's hands, squeezing them in hopes of gaining some support.

"You don't need to overly worry about this," Daigoro chimed in.

"I'm only able to use twenty percent of One for All! Even if Dad's at half-strength, that's still more than double!" Izuku stated.

"Yes, but you have tools in your arsenal that he doesn't have," Yoichi stated. "And you have Ochako as well."

"Hell yeah, you do!" Ochako cried out. "We've got this!"

Izuku gave a wobbly smile. If he was going to comment, it was stopped by his earpiece coming in.

"So, Midori, now that we're on the buses, any insights as to what we're being tested on and how we might overcome it? Cause we could really use a plan here!" Mina asked.

And with that question, Izuku went from anxiety mode to analysis mode. Holding a finger to his chin, he began to speak, "Here's what I think…"

"Komori-san, Yanagi-san, the two of you have extremely powerful emitter Quirks that you tend to be reliant on. You ranked low in our initial physical assessments for cases where your Quirks weren't helpful. Aizawa-sensei's going to test you on how well you can do without them…" Izuku stated over the earpieces.

Kinoko gulped, "I've been training since I got last in the Quirk Assessment Test, but I'm not sure it's enough if we're going up against sensei…"

Reiko smiled at her classmate, "He is a formidable opponent, but I believe we can persevere. There are many paths to victory, and we will find one."

Kinoko's eyes hardened under her bangs, "Well, if we're going to be facing the boletes, we should do whatever it takes, even if it goes against our morels…"

Reiko giggled, "Got two puns in one go. Nice."

Kinoko blushed, "If I want to stay on brand, I need to practice."

"Kirishima-kun, Tetsutetsu-kun, you're the most straightforward of our class. You guys are strong, but this is a scenario where your strength isn't going to help that much. Ishiyama-sensei's Quirk can control the terrain and keep you from getting in close to capture him. Not to mention there's no way he'll tire out before you do. You two will need to find a strategy that isn't a straightforward confrontation…"

"So you're saying we can't just go for the capture?" Tetsutetsu sounded disappointed.

"No way, Midoribro!" Eijiro shouted, offended. "I'm not the guy who cowers at a tough opponent anymore! If I confront a threat, I'm going to face it head on! No regrets!"

Tetsutetsu looked at Eijiro, "Dude, are you okay?"

From their earpieces, Izuku said, "I must have touched a nerve. I'm sorry. But sometimes, the best option is to run. I…"

Izuku considered his options, then said, "Okay, imagine this is the scenario. You two have to get… a donor heart to a hospital. There's someone important who's going to die if they don't get it, the ambulance it was in crashed, and no one else can get the heart there in time. Ishiyama-sensei is blocking you from getting the heart to the hospital. Either you'll stop him or at least one of you escapes, but if one of you doesn't get out within the time limit, someone is going to die."

Eijiro's anger slowly faded as Izuku ran down his hypothetical situation, and finally, he gulped, "All right, yeah, thinking like that helps. Sorry I snapped at you, Midoribro, I know you didn't mean it."

"We all have our buttons," Izuku acquiesced.

Tetsutetsu put his hand on Eijiro's shoulder, "Dude, this means a lot to you. I don't know what this is all about, but, how about this? If it comes down to the wire and one of us has to occupy him so the other can escape, I be the one who bolts? That way you can prove your manliness without worrying about failing the test!"

Tears began to flow from Eijiro's eyes, "Bro…"

"Bro…" Tetsutetsu agreed.

"Cutting you off before we get too far into this," Izuku said.

"Ashido-san, Kaminari-kun, your test will be similar to Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's. Nezu fights with his brain, and the two of you were ranked lowest academically. He'll be certain to avoid direct confrontation, and you'll need to think outside the box to beat him."

"So, we just have to try and think around one of the smartest creatures on the planet," Denki murmured.

"No pressure…" Mina chimed in.

"Yui-chan, Pony-san, your first Battle Trial revealed errors in communication. You've both improved, but this will be your way to showcase that. Majima-sensei is a combination of intelligence and physical prowess. You'll need to be sharp."

Pony gave Yui a thumbs up, and said "We've got this, partner!" in excellent Japanese.

"Mm. We do!" Yui said, loudly and clearly.

"Iida-kun, Tokoyami-kun, I believe your match against Kayama-sensei has two facets to it. Firstly, her Quirk is more effective on men than on women. Secondly, while any of us would be thrown for a loop by a provocative villain with a persona like Midnight's, I believe that the two of you would have the most trouble in that scenario. Well, second and third most trouble."

"Who's the first?" Momo asked.

"Me," Izuku stated. Several of their classmates snickered.

"I can agree that I… struggle in scenarios that I find inappropriate," Tenya said. "However, my internship with Gran Torino has greatly aided me in that regard!"

"I wish that I had such an epiphany," Fumikage said. "Interning with Hawks was helpful, but not to such a degree…"

Through the earpieces, Reiko said, "Was I correct in my hypothesis for why he chose you for an apprenticeship?"

Blushing through his feathers, Fumikage said, "No… but Kaminari-kun was…"

"Hah!" Denki stated. "Birdman solidarity!"

"Hm," Fumikage grumbled.

"Kendo-san, Tokage-san, Thirteen-sensei's power is devastating, and neither of your Quirks are particularly suited to combating it. This is another case where you'll need to think outside the box."

Itsuka sighed, "Well, I have a few ideas, but I can't exactly implement them here while Thirteen is listening in..."

Setsuna laughed, "Oh, really? Well, I'm personally really glad Koda-kun's in our class! We've been working on our JSL!"

Itsuka blinked, then facepalmed. "I'm a moron," she signed. "So, remind me, how far can you spread out your pieces? And how much of you needs to be there to regenerate?"

"Koda-kun, Jiro-san, you're up against a Quirk that can drown out both of yours. Jiro-san, your Quirk would make Yamada-sensei's Quirk more effective against you. Most of Koda's animal friends have sensitive hearing and will be susceptible to it as well. They'll probably get spooked… Insects might not be, though. Koda-kun, does your Quirk work on bugs?"

Koji turned white and shivered, but he nodded.

"Green, that's a yes, but Koda-kun doesn't look too thrilled," Kyoka said.

Koji looked down at that. He sat up, took a deep breath, and whispered, just enough to be heard over the earpieces, "I'll d-do it. P-plus Ultra."

He blushed over the cheers that rang over the earpieces. When Izuku said, "I'm proud of you, Koda-kun," he had to cover his eyes with his hands.

"Toru-chan, Momo-chan, I think that you were paired with Snipe because of your stealth skills and use of artillery respectively. Snipe is careful and methodical with his Quirk. If he gets a sense of where you are, Toru-chan, he can hit you even without seeing you directly. And he's good at dealing with enemy fire. You'll need to be careful."

Invisible for the moment, Toru asked, "Momo, you've got a plan to get us through this?"

Momo wanted to protest, but the sheer confidence her partner had in her was pouring out, like Toru was a sunlamp. "I have a few possible options…"

"Tsu-chan, Shiozaki-san… if I had to guess, I'd say that their goal with Ectoplasm-sensei is to see how you respond to overwhelming force."

There was a pause, before Tsu responded with, "That's really weak, Izu-chan, ribbit."

"If I had a better idea, I'd say so, but the two of you are really strong and neither of you have any glaring weaknesses! You're two of the strongest, most capable people I've ever met!"

Tsu looked at Ibara, who had refused to look at the other girl and was silent. "Yeah, ribbit I think this might have to do with personality more than anything. I think Shiozaki-chan doesn't approve of me, ribbit."

"What," Izuku growled protectively.

"If I had to guess, it's probably about our relationship, ribbit," Tsu replied.

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense," Izuku said, uncertain. "Well, out of all of us, you're least likely to fight her over it."

"During the test, at least, ribbit," Tsu said with a hint of ferocity.

"Indeed," Izuku responded. Over the earpieces, he said, "Well, you should be able to handle this test. Ectoplasm-sensei is a powerful close-quarters combat expert. He has a limit to his clones, though I'm not sure what it is. I believe the most ever seen in one place was twenty-seven. Just keep that in mind and be careful…"

"And, of course, there's me and Occhan…" Izuku trailed off. "I'm probably going to stay quiet at this point, we'll need everything we have to figure out how we're going to actually win this…" Izuku said, lowering the volume of his earpiece. He turned to Ochako.

"So, why are we paired together?" Ochako asked telepathically. "If they were trying to put us on the backfoot, shouldn't we be paired with others?"

"I have two theories," Izuku replied. "First possibility was that they assigned us together as a way to be nice to us, given that our opponent is All Might…"

Ryouji and Isamu began to laugh derisively at that statement.

"... Yeah, I knew it was a long shot," Izuku responded to the second and third hosts' outburst. "And to think I ever wondered why the others didn't like you guys."

"Look, sorry, kid, you can't say stuff like that and expect us not to laugh at it," Ryouji stated, tone unapologetic.

"Noted. Anyway, the other possibility was that Nezu's hoping to stress-test our bond in a dangerous combat scenario," Izuku said.

"Probably true," Isamu acquiesced. "Definitely not the only thing at play here."

Sighing at his two immediate successors, Yoichi chimed in, "Ochako-chan, remind me of your big play in the Sports Festival and how it ended up for you?"

Ochako answered, "Well, I used my Quirk to uproot Shouto-kun's glacier and drop it on the arena, but I collapsed from Quirk exhaustion after- oh."

Izuku's eyes widened in recognition, "A big play that was ultimately self-sacrificing and didn't work."

"As opposed to you, with your big, self-sacrificing plays that have miraculously managed to work," Nana teased. Ochako snorted in response as Izuku blushed.

"Yeah, the phrase 'go big or go home' still applies here. But, just for once in both of your lives, you should probably go home," Daigoro stated.

"Your advice is noted," Izuku stated as they approached their testing site. "But, I don't know how well that will work…"

"So, the smart idea would be to try and go for the exits, but that's the obvious idea, so he's going to try and confront us. So, should we try and capture him outright? No, that's a losing battle. We have to try and…" Izuku began to try and plan as they made their way to the field.

"Izu-kun, breathe," Ochako replied.

Izuku snapped out of it, and took a deep, calming breath, "Thanks."

"So, let's think of the primary goal as escaping, knowing we're going to have to fight to get him off our backs. If an opportunity arises, we try for a capture. And we know his biggest weakness…" Ochako said, gesturing to her own left side.

Izuku nodded, though he couldn't help but blush as she gestured to her own body.

It was then that the buzzer went off, signaling the beginning of the exams. Danger Sense erupted as he grabbed Ochako and ran.

All Might swooped in and punched the ground near where they were standing. The force was like a bomb going off.

"Best thing about acting as a villain," All Might chuckled darkly. "No need to worry about collateral damage. So, little Heroes, let's dance."

Inko was torn between being utterly fearful and absolutely livid. Literally one thing prevented her from either bawling her eyes out or screaming until she was hoarse. Or both.

And that was the little girl in the room, who looked shocked, "Grandma Inko? Why's Grandpa Might trying to hurt Papa Izuku and Mama Ochako?"

Steeling herself, Inko tried to keep her tears in place as she placed a hand on Eri, "Sweetie, your Papa and your Mamas and their classmates need to learn how to stop really bad people. So Grandpa Might has to pretend to be a bad guy to see how well they'll do."

"But they know how to do that already!" Eri said. "Papa Izuku and Papa Mirio stopped Overhaul, and Mama Ochako and Mama Nejire were there too! So Grandpa Might doesn't need to do this!"

Silently agreeing with her, Inko smiled as she found the right words. She screwed up the one time her child desperately asked her for reassurance, she wasn't going to let that happen again. "Eri-chan… Even if you do something really well the first time, you need to practice to make sure you're good at it. And your Papa and Mamas need to be sure they're good at it so they can protect you. So, they have to keep trying, and it's better to do it here, at U.A., where it's safer."

She winced as the screen showed All Might throw Ochako into the air. Izuku grabbed her with Blackwhip, but All Might leapt up to him in a second. Despite Izuku dodging at the last second, the force of the blow still knocked the boy back several meters.

"Eri, sweetie, let's go get a snack," Inko said.

"N-no. I want to see this," Eri said firmly.

Inko looked at Recovery Girl, who shrugged. Eri may have been a little girl, but she spent her entire life prior as an insane villain's laboratory experiment. She wasn't sure of what the girl's limits were.

Inko suppressed a wince as Ochako used her cables to touch two broken down buildings, removed their gravity, and threw them at All Might like meteor hammers. All Might reduced them to rubble with a punch. With unease, Inko said, "That's very brave, Eri, but if you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to watch."

It became evident that she wouldn't. Eri would see this exam through. Because these were the people who kept her safe. They had to succeed. She wouldn't feel safe otherwise.

And so, bolstered by the girl's courage, Inko watched as well. And as she did, she was definitely going to give All Might a piece of her mind.

It wasn't going well.

All Might was shrugging off each of their blows. Ochako had hurled debris at him, but it glanced off. Izuku threw Blackwhips at him, but All Might managed to grab them and pull Izuku in. Flight wasn't quick enough, whether through Float or Zero Gravity. Izuku attempted to use Smokescreen, but a wave of All Might's massive hand dissipated it.

It seemed the nadir was about to happen as All Might grabbed Izuku's foot and began to use him as a bludgeon against Ochako…

And then, for the second time in Ochako's life, time slowed to a crawl. And, it seemed, it simultaneously was happening for the first time in Izuku's life, as he was reacting to her actions in time with her.

As one, they moved, Izuku using Blackwhip to pry open All Might's fist, Ochako righting him as he fell. They moved out of the way of All Might's movement and with each of them clenching a fist, they drove their knuckles into All Might's injured side.

VWORP!

As that sound echoed in their brains, time returned to its normal pace. All Might flew back, and when he did, he blinked in surprise.

Izuku, as expected, was glowing with red veins and green lightning. Ochako, however, was covered in red veins and rose-colored lightning.

"Oh my… GOODNESS!" All Might couldn't help but say through the pain.

At that moment, there weren't even words spoken between them. Izuku and Ochako's thoughts were one. Ochako knew that this was One for All. Was using Izuku's memories to activate Full Cowl. Knew that this was only a single percent, not willing to risk any more.

As All Might returned to them, they took off. Blinking, All Might realized that Ochako hadn't tapped herself with her fingers. She wasn't using Zero Gravity, she was using Float !

His heart swelled with pride at his students' accomplishments, that both his stepson and the girl he'd first opened up to were both using his master's Quirk. But, sadly, that would have to wait. This was still an exam. And they were still not fast enough for him.

Ochako was slower. She couldn't safely use enough of the power to fly at Izuku's speeds. And so, with a mighty leap, All Might closed the distance…

Which, apparently, was planned, because Izuku wrapped All Might's arms with Blackwhip restraining him long enough for Ochako to deliver an open palm smack to All Might's chest.

All Might was planning for that, ready to use his power to counteract his gravity being removed and rendering him weightless… Which is why he was shocked when Izuku let him go and he began to plummet towards the ground at high speeds.

In addition to the weights he was carrying, All Might felt as though his body were made of lead… no, something heavier… Osmium, that was the densest element known. Wait, wasn't uranium heavier, though? He'd have to ask David.

His thoughts were interrupted by the realization that his newfound weight would prevent him from safely landing. As he prepared for impact, suddenly, his momentum slowed, until he was floating harmlessly a centimeter off the ground. Once it was clear he wasn't going to crash land, however, the weight returned, and he found himself unable to move.

"How're you doing, Occhan?" Izuku asked.

"Very well," Ochako stated. "Better than usual. Much less nausea, I could do this all day."

"So that's how One for All interacts with Zero Gravity," Izuku mused as he placed a handcuff on one of All Might's wrists. "Lowers the weaknesses and grants you the ability to increase gravity as well. And Float's going through fine?"

"It is," Ochako smiled, then she managed to make All Might's arms weightless while keeping his body weighted down. Once she did, she grimaced. "Okay, this is difficult, but doable. And I tried to see if I could use Blackwhip, but it's not working."

"Probably has to do with the nature of Bonding," Izuku stated as he secured the cuffs. He frowned and said, "We should make sure you're safe. I don't want what happened to Hikage-ji-san to happen to you…"

"Release," Ochako said, returning All Might's gravity as the loudspeakers announced that they were the first team to pass.

"Well done, both of you!" All Might said happily while cuffed. "I suppose that this is the result of a Stage 3 bond?"

"Eee-yup," they said simultaneously.

"Hey, Izu-kun, let's see if it works both ways," Ochako offered.

Izuku nodded, getting a feel for it, and touched All Might's shoulder. When he did, All Might rose up.

"Huh," Izuku said, shocked. "It feels… Occhan, is this what Zero Gravity feels like?"

Ochako concentrated, and frowned, "No, it feels more like Float did."

"I thought so," Izuku replied. As he thought, All Might began to fly around in midair "So, now I can touch someone or something and make it fly the way I can. That's extremely useful."

"Indeed it is, young Midoriya!" All Might stated. "Now, could you please release me?"

Izuku was about to, but Ochako smirked and said, "You know, Izu-kun, the bus is self-driving. Once we board, it'll return us to Recovery Girl on its own. And you need to practice with this new aspect of Float…"

"You're absolutely right, Occhan," Izuku returned her smile. "That's a brilliant idea."

"Oh no…" All Might whispered as he felt his protege float him through the air.

"So, I don't know for certain, but I don't think you have to worry about the aging thing…" Nana said when they were driving back.

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other in relief. But, cautiously, Izuku asked, " Why do you think that, Nana-kaa-san?"

"The Bond is a lot more defined now that it's a Stage 3," Nana said, and all of a sudden, she appeared on the bus.

"Nana-san?!" Ochako called out in surprise. "You manifested?!"

All Might, still handcuffed and floating in midair, turned. His face was hopeful, but when he turned to them, he frowned. "It appears that whatever my master has done is only perceivable by the two of you…"

"That makes sense," Nana said, equally heartbroken.

"Guess we'll have to ask Hitoshi-kun to put you in the driver's seat to make up for it," Izuku suggested.

Nana patted Izuku on the head, "Thanks for the offer." She then perked up, used to hiding her emotional state for the benefit of others, "So! The bond! I can feel an open channel between the two of you…" she gestured to demonstrate. "And I can feel your Quirk factors mingling through it. You're transferring them between each other, so you can produce them in your own bodies."

Izuku was frantically taking notes, "So, it's not that we have additional Quirks in our own bodies, but that our Quirks are using the bond to view each others' bodies as an extension of our own?"

Ochako leaned back, overwhelmed, "This is such a mess. You're lucky I love you, Izu-kun."

"I'm well aware of how lucky I am that you love me, Occhan," Izuku beamed.

Ochako shoved him playfully as Nana cooed happily and vanished from their sight.

"So, I'm thinking we do this as a series," Daigoro suggested. "Get Eight to fight Izuku with each of his girlfriends until we all level up."

"I'm not saying no," Hikage pondered. "But I do believe that trying to force a bond to grow has the potential to backfire."

"This feels very unfair to Melissa-chan," En grumbled. "No Quirk to power up."

Yoichi sighed, "Given how unexpected everything has been since Izuku got One for All, do you think that this won't cause something odd to happen to her?"

En hummed in recognition, "True."

"Huh, it really does help to keep Full Cowl up," Ochako mused after Recovery Girl used her Quirk.

"It's what kept me from passing out when we first met…" Izuku reminisced.

"Go on in, you two," Recovery Girl shooed them away. "Eri-chan's worried, and you should see how your classmates are doing."

Izuku's eyes widened, "That is an emergency!" and the two of them rushed out to reassure the young girl.

Recovery Girl stared at All Might, who was on a bed. Izuku wasn't floating him anymore, but no one had chosen to remove the handcuffs yet. Recovery Girl sighed, "You big oaf."

"I suppose I'm in for the lecture of a lifetime. Not to mention that cane of yours…" All Might winced.

"No, Yagi-kun," Recovery Girl said, her tone long-suffering. "I won't be lecturing you at all today. Nor will I be hitting you."

All Might let out a sigh of relief and smiled. A smile that was short lived as the door opened to reveal Inko. Her eyes were closed and she had a bright smile, all of which belied an aura of hellfire surrounding her.

"Toshinori-san~" Inko said, with a cheerfully ominous tone.

All Might gulped, "Y-you saw?"

"I saw everything ," Inko said menacingly.

His face dropped and he turned to Recovery Girl, "Shuzenji-sensei, please, I'm sorry, don't…" he trailed off, desperately.

"Huh, did I hear something?" Recovery Girl asked. "Hearing must be going at my age," and, with that, she left the room.

All Might could only whimper.