AN: Thanks for reading my story and all of the comments!

Amit Barabi - they have about 5 months until school starts, yeah. I'm enjoying the casual pace that I'm traveling at, but there are several time skips coming up soon.

Az-Bebere - Kaina has Plans, but if the kids are involved or not is tbd :)

Naruto30 - absolutely, Izuku is still the eternal optimist in this.

Arispuffer - glad you enjoyed it! We're still running through a sequence of events, but the AN will return next chapter.

"Thanks for the help," Agent Ice said as he finished binding the Hero Killer's hands. "I must admit, I was a little worried about if you'd be able to stop him in time."

All Might laughed awkwardly. "Believe me, in my forty years I've encountered all types of villains and scenarios. You learn to prepare for everything." He watched as Agent Ice propped the Hero Killer up against a wall.

"After tonight, I can believe that." Agent Ice stood and rubbed his gloves together. "It's easy to forget when the news only shows your biggest cases."

"It's for the best," All Might said softly.

Agent Ice turned to look at All Might when suddenly they heard many footsteps running toward them, and a familiar voice calling out to him.

"All Might!" Izuku yelled as he waved his hand in the air. "We need to talk to you!"

Agent Ice looked at All Might questioningly. He knew the hero claimed to have brought the students under some UA-sponsored observation program, but they were supposed to stay away from the active scene and simply watch from a safe distance.

All Might simply smiled and turned toward his charges. "What's going on Young- err… students?"

Izuku skidded to a halt in front of All Might. "We um." He looked over and saw the unconscious form of Stain slumped against the wall. "We have something to show you!"

"Yeah! Something weird happened!" Aika said, bobbing her head furiously.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Here!" Jiro thrust out her hand, shoving a fistful of photographs in All Might's direction.

All Might took the photos and began flipping through them, his brows furrowing as he saw their contents. Without turning, he offered the photos to Agent Ice. "Where did you get these?"

"Um…" Jiro started tapping her ear jacks together nervously as she looked to her friends for help.

"We probably should talk about that later," Ochako said softly, her eyes seemingly searching for something around the alleyway.

"All Might." Agent Ice looked up from the photos. "If these are true, this is really concerning." He looked at the kids. "Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Yes, I'm sure," All Might replied. "They may be students, but they had to be thoroughly vetted before they were even allowed to accompany me."

"But what about the photos themselves? I'm sorry, but they're just kids. They could have been given these photos to try and throw us off-"

"There's more," Ochako interrupted. She swallowed the lump in her throat when the two heroes looked at her. "She- the person who gave the photos to us said that there's a shipment moving through the docks tonight. And if you move fast you can catch her in the act!"

"Tonight?!" Agent Ice's brows narrowed as he looked at Ochako and then back to All Might. "This is-"

"I understand," All Might said, giving the hero cover. Even though he trusted the teens in front of him, this was still an active, and dangerous, investigation. "You go do what you have to do. Call me when you're done, and we can talk."

"Don't you want to help? After all-"

All Might shook his head and placed his hand on Agent Ice's shoulder. "My job was to deal with the Hero Killer. You have a different, more important job - keeping your city safe. While the Hero Killer is a national problem, what is going on with this hero is a local problem. And it would be best for everyone if it was solved by local heroes, not by the Symbol of Peace."

Agent Ice gave All Might a long look before nodding once. "I understand." His eyes drifted over to the teens. "I want a full explanation about everything here when we're done though. Don't you dare leave Tipoca before then!"

All Might chuckled. "I promise to tell you what I can."

Seemingly satisfied, Agent Ice folded up the photos and placed them in a pouch on his belt before pulling out an earpiece. Slipping it into his ear, he called someone as he began taking off down the alleyway. "It's me. I can't use the hero network right now but I need you to…"

All Might watched as the hero left before turning toward the teens with a heavy sigh. "That was close! You were supposed to simply watch from the rooftops!"

"We didn't mean to cause a problem!" Izuku waved his hands defensively. "But it was important!"

"What really happened?"

"Kyo- ow!" Aika started speaking, only to have an ear jack stab her in the ear.

Kyoka glared at her friend before turning toward All Might. "We watched you swoop in, but then, I heard someone on an adjacent rooftop." Using her ear jacks, she began gesturing wildly toward one of the buildings. All Might seemingly understood her message as she saw his eyes look away from her toward one of the buildings. "Of course, those two decided to investigate." Using her hand, she gestured toward Izuku and Ochako.

"We were worried!" Izuku said.

"Who did you find up there?" All Might asked.

"I think we should talk about that elsewhere," Ochako said quickly.

"I see," All Might said before going silent. In the distance, he began to pick up the faint sound of sirens. "And it sounds like the police will be here soon. You should go enjoy yourselves, and I'll meet up with you later."

Stay someplace public and visible went unsaid, but the kids picked up the meaning behind his words.

"Alright!" Ochako said loudly. "I think I saw a department store a few blocks down, and I'm hungry! Who wants food?"

"That sounds great!" Aika agreed.

"You always want food though," Himiko countered.

"Yeah, so what? You've seen my exercise routine!"

Himiko snorted. "Of course! That still doesn't explain how you eat so much more than us!"

"I have a fast metabolism!" Aika announced proudly, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. "And I am taking full advantage of that!"

"Don't remind us," Kyoka deadpanned. "But I could use a snack as well."

"Enjoy yourselves!" All Might said in a comically fake tone. "While I help the police process this villain!"

"We will, All Might!" Izuku said.

On a different rooftop several blocks away, Kaina listened as the teenagers said their goodbyes to All Might before she cut the transmitter.

"Those kids are full of surprises," she mused to herself. "Too bad I couldn't get any good pictures of them." She looked off in their general direction. "It's too risky with All Might in the area."

Standing up, she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and pulled it tight. "Sorry Mirror Girl, but tonight's not your lucky night."

Kaina walked over to the fire escape and quickly descended to the street, disappearing in the maze of back alleys.

As the five teens walked out of the alleyway, Izuku silently sought out Ochako's hand and wove his fingers between hers before he turned to Kyoka.

"Any luck with the mystery woman?"

"No." Kyoka shook her head. "She took off the second we hit the ground."

Izuku didn't even realize his grip had tensed up until he felt the pad of Ochako's thumb rubbing soothing circles in the back of his hand. His eyes met hers, and he felt his tension begin to melt away.

We're safe.

"I'm surprised it's so… empty," Aika said as she looked around. "It's almost spooky!"

"That's because it's the perfect place for an ambush," Ochako explained.

Izuku nodded in agreement before continuing. "The Hero Killer doesn't like operating in public areas. While his quirk can paralyze multiple people, he still has to draw their blood to use it. It's much safer to strike when people aren't around. Then he can kill without fear of interruption."

"It's a shame," Himiko began, her voice laced with sadness. "I- his quirk could have been so useful for heroics! Imagine just being able to paralyze people like that! He could end fights so quickly!" Her voice dropped. "He could have shown people that blood quirks aren't creepy…"

"Hey now." Aika grabbed Himiko's arm. "Don't think that way!"

"Yeah," Jiro agreed. "You'll just have to show the world instead!"

"You're right." Himiko forced herself to smile. "I'll just have to be so popular that people forget about people like him!"

"That's the spirit!"

The five continued in silence, letting Kyoka work to ensure that the Mystery Woman or any of her associates weren't following her. Fortunately, it didn't take long for them to emerge into the shopping district and release a collective sigh of relief as they found themselves surrounded by people again.

"So where's this department store?" Aika asked, breaking the silence.

Himiko laughed as she felt her tension being released. "I can't believe you sometimes."

"It's that way." Jiro pointed as she looked up from her phone.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

As Izuku and Ochako watched their friends take off toward the store, they both felt themselves relaxing.

"Looks like we may have survived this one?"

"And you don't even need to go to the hospital!" Ochako replied cheerily.

Izuku felt his face heating up as he rubbed the back of his head. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Ochako's face softened as she looked at him. "Eventually, maybe." She bumped her shoulder into his. "I just don't like worrying about you, you know?"

"I know." Izuku looked at his partner. "I feel the same way."

"Well," Ochako giggled, "let's hope more missions turn out like this one in the future then."

"Yeah." Izuku turned away. "I'm still trying to figure out who that lady was though. Something about her…"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Ochako assured him. "But for now, let's just celebrate a successful mission."

Izuku smiled as he felt Ochako's grip tighten around his hand. "Yeah, let's go."

After she was sure that nobody was following her, Kaina returned to her hideout. After she prepared her instant ramen, she pulled up a local news stream on her computer and sat down at the table to watch.

"...where, mere moments ago, Agent Ice led a team of heroes in what is the largest Trigger bust in recent memory. Numerous criminals and smugglers were arrested. But the most shocking arrest was one of our very own heroes: Mirror Girl."

She watched as the image of the hero appeared on the screen along with her name and the name of her quirk, while the news anchor remained stoic about the news. The reporters continued to talk about the attack as Kaina paid more attention to her meal, savoring it while listening to see how the initial reports paint the image of the fallen hero.

Kaina frowned as she finished the ramen, looking at her computer screen in disappointment.

"Even with the evidence right in front of you, you're still afraid to tell the world the truth." She sighed. "I'm starting to see why Stain did what he did. The system is so frustrating."

Standing up, she walked over to another makeshift desk and looked at the photos and evidence she had collected on her own. "That's what I get for following Stain. I could have had a wonderful scandal with this and forced the heroes to clean up their mess. But the news is already downplaying it, and that's before the damned HPSC gets involved." Sighing, she threw the portfolio across the room, where it landed in the garbage can. "I guess if I want to open people's eyes, I have to do it myself."

She walked back to the computer just in time to see the feed change to a reporter standing next to Agent Ice. Curious, she sat back down.

"Tell me, Agent Ice, how did you learn about these smugglers?"

"Well," Agent Ice began. "My fellow heroes and I have been working on an undercover sting operation for months now, trying to get close to the criminals so that we could discover how Trigger was moving through the city. It was just as much of a surprise to us as it was to you when we discovered Mirror Girl was also working with these criminals."

Kaina snorted. "I've got to applaud your acting skills, at least."

"You said fellow heroes were working with you, are you able to divulge any names?"

"Of course," Agent Ice suddenly looked very sad. "I was working with my good friends Catalyst and Alakazam."

"Catalyst and Alakazam?" The news reporter looked surprised. "The same two heroes who were attacked before they died of Trigger overdoses?"

"The very same," Agent Ice said, grim-faced. "It turns out the rumors of the legendary Hero Killer were true, and he had mistaken our undercover operation for actual corruption. Fortunately, All Might tracked him down in time. Otherwise, he may have ruined our whole operation and let Mirror Girl escape justice."

Kaina frowned. "And this is how the Hero Killer's reputation dies."

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You must be thankful All Might was on hand to stop him."

"I am," Agent Ice replied. "And I intend to thank him personally and ensure that the Hero Killer is brought to justice, for the sake of my friends. I also won't stop until our ports are secure and the Trigger smuggling is completely cut off. While tonight was a large step, it wasn't the only one. In honor of Catalyst and Alakazam, I vow to stop at nothing to ensure Tipoca's safety."

"Well, there you have it, folks," the Reporter turned back to the screen. "Agent Ice is a true hero trying to keep our city safe."

Kaina punched the key to stop the feed with more force than necessary. "Tch. The Hero Killer could have done great things with his influence, but he had to go and squander it." With a heavy sigh, she leaned back in the chair. "I wonder if it's even worth taking the mantle of Hero Killer now."

Pulling the laptop closer, she brought up a map of Japan before she retrieved a well-worn notebook. She was done with both Tipoca and the Hero Killer. She needed to decide on her next destination to begin her plan.

Even if she had to do it alone.

After delivering the Hero Killer to the police, Toshinori returned to Agent Ice's agency. Letting himself in, he quickly changed into more casual clothes before he sat at a guest desk.

While he normally let his staff fill out the police report, this time he felt the need to do it personally.

He had hoped that the dull tedium of the paperwork would help relax him after the battle with the Hero Killer, but it didn't. He kept replaying the conversation over and over in his head.

Toshinori was no stranger to villains targeting heroes. The entire reason he chose to become the Symbol of Peace all those decades ago was because of how dangerous Japan was, after all. However, something about this one was different.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was the standard by which Stain measured all other heroes that bothered him. After all, his successors served as a constant reminder that even he couldn't measure up to the image Japan had of him. Or perhaps it was the fact that Stain had a point, but his conclusions and methods were completely wrong.

No matter what the case may be, Toshinori was happy that the man was now behind bars, his crusade cut short. It gave him time to think about other issues.

Like that mysterious lady who had given his charges those photographs and had tipped them off about the docks. Who was she? And why was she watching the same alleyway as they were?

What was her role in all of this?

It made him uneasy.

As he neared the end of the report, he heard the door to the agency opening up. Looking up, he saw Agent Ice entering the room and began to rise.

"Well, wherever those kids got their information, it was accurate."

"I know," Toshinori said. "I saw the Hero Network explode as the raid began."

With a heavy sigh, Agent Ice stood in front of the desk Toshinori was working at and leaned on it. "All Might. I know you have access to resources that a hero like me can only dream of. But can you please explain what happened tonight?"

Toshinori sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I am trying to figure that out myself," he admitted.

"Well, can you at least tell me who those kids are? I know you claim they are students under some special program, but they were significantly more competent than I was expecting - they can't be older than first years."

Toshinori turned away from the hero. "How old are you?"

Agent Ice was taken back. "I- I'm 26, and have been a hero for eight years."

"That means I was a hero for almost fifteen years before you were even born." Toshinori turned toward the hero and locked eyes with him. "I know it's hard to imagine, but someday I'll be forced to retire. It may seem like I will go on forever, but I can't." He let out a weary sigh. "Those children - all of the students attending the hero schools throughout the country. Even heroes such as yourself. Some day, I won't be able to be the unshakable pillar holding up Japan. And when that day comes, we need young heroes such as them to step up."

"All Might-" Agent Ice paled. "You can't mean to tell me-"

Toshinori held up a hand to cut him off. "Of course, I hope to live a long and healthy life! And I intend to serve Japan for as long as possible. But alas, I don't have an immortality quirk! It is high time that I began to prepare students for that eventuality."

"The raid tonight-" Agent Ice's eyes lit up in recognition. "That's why you didn't want to go."

"Exactly!" Toshinori grinned at the hero. "It is a good reminder that even though All Might was here in Tipoca on business, that doesn't mean the city's heroes were taking the night off."

A silence settled over the agency as Agent Ice appeared deep in thought, while Toshinori simply stood there and waited patiently. Eventually, the hero spoke up. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"There is a hero school here in Tipoca, isn't there?"

"Yes, Citadel Academy. It isn't particularly well-renowned because the students mostly go on to protect Japan's coasts and waterways. Those jobs are important but not particularly glamorous."

Toshinori reached out and placed a hand on the other hero's shoulder. "If you wish to make a difference, find the best and brightest at the academy and mentor them. You, and all of the other heroes of Tipoca. Teach them to stand on their own, so that when the time comes, they will be ready to fill in the void I leave behind."

"Those are big shoes to fill," Agent Ice confessed.

"Indeed. If one person tried to fill the gap, they would surely be crushed under the weight." Toshinori wiped away the sad look on his face and forced himself to smile. "However, if ten, a hundred, a thousand heroes are ready to step up and fill the void? Why then, even the lowliest of heroes will be able to help!"

Agent Ice's face filled with resolve as he gave Toshinori a single nod. "I understand. I'll see what I can do!"

"Thank you."

As the two separated, Toshinori sat back down while Agent Ice walked over to his desk to begin his report. Before sitting down, he looked across the room to the number one hero. "Those kids must be very special to gather your attention. If they're the type of student in our schools right now, I think Japan's going to be in good hands once you retire."

Toshinori looked up. "Indeed, they are."