Chapter 8

YOHO YOHO! A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME! OH, I LOVE THIS SONG!...*Ahem* excuse me. Anyways, WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER VOYAGE INTO WELCOME TO THE MCU! PHASE 2!

Last time, we had the invasion of Asgard by the Dark Elves, with the counterparts to the Asgardian warriors, present and not, feeling rather shitty and guilty that they allowed such enemies to invade their home from another universe, we had the heart-wrenching death of Frigga and All Might and Gran Torino forced to see another version of Nana Shimura bite the dust in front of them. We had tears shed and bodies bow before the Queen during her funeral while I played Raeb's Lament in the background, and bitterness and rage well up in All Might and Monoma, now thirsty for blood and wishing their counterparts to go after a Dark Elf, one who's very presence is insulting Aizawa, Mic, and Midnight for whom he is connected to.

On a brighter note, Inko Foster and Thor's love makes the female population of the group swoon, Izuku has figured out just how he truly feels about the girls and now wonders what to do now and who to talk to first.

And now we continue on this 'lovely' trip throughout one of the most underwhelming movies in MCU history, after I watched an actual good MCU movie after a string of flops, including the latest Thor movie. Man, the Thor franchise can't catch a break. They've had one awesome movie, a mid, decent first movie, one horribly annoying, rapidly paced, disappointment for a seeming end to the Thor movies if Chris Hemsworth has anything to say about it, and this one I am currently having the group react to, who now at least is the second worst Thor movie. Huzzah...

But anyways, before we go any further, let us see what the reviews have to say about the last chapter:

KGBeastBoy:...*writes down the hilarious scene for the chapter*. Thank you for that, I have been staring at your comment and laughing for hours.

MadTitan9: I'm on a roll with this and the two recent chapters of MHA watches Death Battle. And now I feel like I jinxed myself. Yeah, I had a feeling that such a name was likely already taken by another story, but I didn't remember if I had ever read one that had it, and I already came up with the name before I thought this, so I just went, 'We're going live. Fuck it!' Yes, Young Justice was one of my favorite animated series of all time, and even if the last two seasons were a bit lackluster by comparison, at least in my personal opinion, I still enjoyed them a bit. I know the theory isn't for everybody, that's the thing with theories after all, but so long as you understand my reasonings for my brand of storytelling, I can't ask for more. Yeah, I heard Majors was proven innocent, but I have that nagging feeling that this is a Johnny Depp 2.0 situation where they are going to get shafted from roles and opportunities for something they didn't do, meanwhile, Miller's Flash movie is coming soon, and because he hasn't been punished accordingly, I will not be supporting this movie by watching it, no matter how much Michael Keaton Batman they want to shove down our throats or DC trying to replace Henry Cavill with his less popular cousin. I think the feelings over the Marvels were less about misogyny, though I will admit that there are more than possible misogynists downvoting it, but mostly because of Brie Larson just being unlikeable. Personally, she comes off as full of herself, and rude, she lies about doing her own stunts, and from her interviews with her fellow MCU actors, they look uncomfortable around her, and she has reportedly been bitchy toward her own co-stars for the Marvels. With Kamala Khan, I don't feel anything toward her since I didn't bother to see her show, but the character and actress do look sweet and nice, so I will give her that, and I actually like Monica, or Photon as I believe she is called, from her time in WandaVision, except for that last line where she said to Wanda that 'they wouldn't know what she sacrificed for them'. Hello, those people she sacrificed were imaginary and she trapped them for days in a magical prison where they experienced her nightmares and pain when they sleep and practically kept them hostage. Overall, I am glad that you will likely take some enjoyment out of this upcoming movie, I will personally not watch it because I just can't stand Larson and don't exactly have much of an interest in her character ever since Danvers became Captain Marvel and seemingly lost her actual personality and interesting character that she had when she was Ms. Marvel.

Nitram004489: Glad to see you like this fic so much, and I'm glad my efforts in the character development and backstory are being appreciated by so many. When I wanted to make this fic, I wanted to do more than have them just react like any other fic, I wanted something more personal shown, I wanted these stories to be more personal to them, comparing the movies to the experiences the group had throughout the canon, making it tie into what is to come in the future with some of their decisions, especially those less explained, and see what this story could also change for their future instead. I will say that despite what I say about Iron Man 3 being somewhat underwhelming compared to the rest of the MCU, it does leave the Iron Man films on a high note that feels like it's a continuous story that has reached its end. Setsuna's bet is mostly for jokes and to encourage Izuku. Setsuna doesn't actually want to be the 'Lead Girl' or want there to be a 'Lead Girl', she just wants Izuku to have the motivation to recognize and admit his feelings, so they can't stop tiptoeing around the situation and just get to dating, the smooching, and the cuddles. But you are right that Set, now that she has properly motivated the Green Bean and we know what happens when he is plenty motivated, might have bitten off more than she can chew. There will be more of Toru and her appearance later on, and Kaminari will, I hope, have a worthwhile time when his counterpart comes into play. As for your Zack and Cloud comment, they can still be upset that Zack died, and by proxy, Izuku died. Just because yes, this is a major part of who Cloud is doesn't mean that it's something that they would like to be reminded of. Even if their death is a major part of who you are, would you like to be reminded of the people you love that you lost and couldn't save?

Diablo4005: Yeah, Moduck's CGI was atrocious and his entire existence in the movie felt like a disappointment, both to the actual backstory and threat that MODUCK is, and because the entirety of his time in the movie is just to be made fun of. Yeah, the movie's a comedy, but show some restraint and give proper respect when it's needed like when Moduck died and they made a joke over him not actually being an Avenger, yes, he technically isn't, but at least give him some closure when he goes. The problem I think people have with Kang being so easily beaten by Ant-Man isn't that Ant-Man isn't powerful, he is, but that Kang is meant to be the next Thanos, the next big bad that will bring the Avengers together and will need all of them to beat him, but because he was beaten by Scott, who isn't as powerful as the Avenger heavy hitters like Thor, Scarlet Witch, or Doctor Strange, then where is the stake when Kang comes back? Why should I be worried or invested if only two Avengers were needed to beat him and not all of them? At least that's my beef with the movie, that stakes are lowered drastically because of the comedy, the comedy should work to make the movie better, not detrimental to the movie's overall plot or impact. And it's alright that you like the movie, and found some enjoyment in it even, I like considered bad movies or series like Phantom Menace and Moon Knight, even though I protest that the latter is bad, because sometimes you can get more enjoyment out of making fun of a bad movie than a horrible, bland, waste of time like She-Hulk.

Child of zelretch: That is...actually something I didn't think of. I was just insinuating that Inko could be a hidden daughter or cousin of Nana Shimura that she didn't bother to tell Torino or All Might about, but Inko as a clone of Nana manufactured by AFO and the doctor...Jesus...that would open a whole new can of worms. *Looks over notes* Hmm...maybe...

And now the Index:

"Zayden." -Normal Dialogue

'Zayden.' -Mental or Internal Dialogue

"Zayden." -Flashback and Mental Flashback Dialogue

"Zayden." -Buff Might, Dark Shadow, and Movie Dialogue

"Zayden." -Comms, PA, and TV dialogue

"Zayden." -F.R.I.D.A.Y. Dialogue

"Zayden." -Movie Narration Dialogue

And finally, I do not own My Hero Academia, which belongs to Horikoshi and adapted by Bones Studios, and I do not own the MCU, the movies of which belong to Disney, Marvel, and Sony in some aspects, and the movies are a product of the studios that worked on them, the directors that shaped the film to their vision, and the actors and actresses that played their roles.

P.S. I have recently looked into the TV tropes page for my stories, which by the way nice job there, guys, honored; however, I feel like I need to correct some incorrect things. For one, Earth-626 is the universe of the MHA watches Death Battle story, this one is Earth-68,421, secondly, despite my slight interference, all counterparts in Kratos vs Spawn fight are in fact accurate counterparts, or at least not the only ones that could be their counterparts, thirdly, about the Author's Saving Throw point, I know it will sound pretentious, but the direction I took with Mineta, Kaminari, and the girls and their actions in MHA watches Death Battle where planned to happen that way, with the only change that I made was the Izuku getting cured from the aphrodisiac halfway through the chapters, as it was originally planned to be later down the 10 chapters of the day.

In any case, with that said, now, let's light this candle!

Thor: The Dark World

Part 3: Grief & Vengeance

Third POV

The scene panned over the city of London again, before shifting to David Selvig talking in front of a board, full of equations, formulas, and the depiction of the Yggdrasil tree and the Nine Realms with Midgard, or Earth, in the center of the metaphorical tree's trunk.

"Dad," Melissa muttered, both relieved to see her father alright, and fully clothed, but still worried when noticing his more ragged appearance.

"The universe rotates on a 5,000-year cycle, and once a cycle all the worlds align," David began before walking off and grabbing a shoe. "I-Imagine that this is our world." David gestured to the shoe. "Oh, thank you." David received another shoe from someone off-screen. "And this is another world."

"Did he already get bailed out of police custody?" Jurota asked, fixing his glasses to see the scene more clearly. "He looks to be in a lecture discussing the Convergence."

"And he has written down what seems to be an accurate portrayal of the Yggdrasil Phenomenon," Momo added. "Right, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"More or less," F.R.I.D.A.Y. confirmed.

"Normally, they're separate. But during the Alignment, everything is connected, all Nine Realms," David demonstrated, lifting the second black shoe over the white one, letting the black shoe's string enter and connect with the other. "All Nine Realms are passing through each other, and gravity, light, and even matter, is crashing from one world to the other," David emphasized his point by slamming the shoes together.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good," Kaminari shivered. "Like what's to stop like one of those worlds just colliding directly with our world?"

"That could be why Selvig was so crazed in his time in Stonehenge," Amajiki replied. "He likely believed the event would be catastrophic enough to spell the end of the world."

"That and perhaps he is suffering some paranoia and eccentricities after someone brainwashed him into opening a portal for an alien invasion," Shinsou noted, dryly, earning a flinch from the guilty blonde next to him.

"But if this happens to us now, the result will be cataclysmic," David walked back to the desk in front of the board, setting down the shoes and pulling out a couple of pencils. "My gravimetric spikes can stabilize the focal point of the Convergence. This time, the Alignment and all the other worlds would just pass us by." He grabbed the shoes again and swung them around away from each other.

"Was that what he has holding when he was running around nu-I mean-exposed?" Toru corrected herself, glancing at how Melissa looked still uncomfortable at the memory.

"Perhaps," Power Loader scratched his chin. "Still, to be able to accurately identify the focal point of such an event and to create precautions against it is astounding."

"Never question the genius that is a Shield, as I always say," All Might laughed and patted his friend's knee.

David chuckled lightly. "Thanks, Toshi."

"It's beautiful. It's simple," David sighed wistfully. "Any questions?"

The screen turned to see David giving his lecture in the middle of a mental hospital, the patients staring at him dumbly, uninterested, or not bothering to care.

"PffttAHAHAHAHA!" Kamakiri burst out laughing. "They got his ass locked up in a loony bin!"

"I'm more amused that barely anyone is paying attention to him," Kuroiro snickered.

Melissa sighed. "At least, he's somewhere safe," Melissa accepted.

"Agreed, Young Melissa," Toshinori nodded, patting his friend's knee again. "Quite the surreal sight to see yourself, huh, Dave?"

"Not exactly anything different from recently," David shrugged. After the I-Island Incident, and his admitted involvement in Wolfram and his crew's easy access to the top-secret island, it was only thanks to the testimony of All Might that David Shield scraped by with being placed under house arrest. hell, it took both the convincing of Toshinori and Nezu, plus their credibility, that Dave was even allowed to come here with Melissa, much less able to be anywhere near the Support Course Lab.

All Might flinched. "I-I'm sorry," All Might apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

"Nah, it's fine, Toshi," David shook his head with a smile. "It was my mess and my consequences to deal with. You already had done enough saving me from Wolfram, much less reducing my punishment that you didn't need to do."

"I couldn't see my best friend locked behind bars for something he regretted and tried to make right in the end," All Might smiled back. "You didn't know about your assistant's or Wolfram's betrayal. And remember, I wasn't the only one who helped to save you."

David chuckled, looking down at the students that helped to fight against Wolfram's crew and the metal-bending Villain, especially his daughter and her green-haired crush. "I know."

"Yeah," One certain old, familiar man with sunglasses spoke up. "Can I have my shoe back?"

"Hold up!" Honenuki suddenly exclaimed, snapping his finger and pointing to the screen. "It's that same old guy from the other movies!"

"Oh, come on! Seriously!" Bakugou exclaimed. "How is this guy somehow in every freaking video?! First, he was in almost every movie in America, and now he's in the same loony bin as Girl Deku's dad, in London?!"

Melissa raised an eyebrow at being called 'Girl Deku', not sure whether to be flattered or offended. Izuku didn't have to think about it much, glaring rather angrily at his former bully. It was one thing to accept being called Deku, and even using it as your Hero name, but having someone you care about, especially someone you are fully admitting liking in the romantic sense, being called Deku was another thing entirely.

"Well, I can't exactly tell you why that's the case," F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke up, her robotic tone mixed with humor. "Although, I can say to expect to see 'Stan' in the other ones, too."

"Stan?" Nejire tilted her head. "That's his name, right? That sounds nice. It's the perfect name for an old, kind, yet grumpy grandpa that he looks like. Is he some kind of magical person or something? Is he the same as your creator, Master Zayden, was it? Is he secretly following us? And-"

"Nejire," F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted her, her tone more insistent and stressed.

"Oops, sorry," Nejire rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed. "Got carried away?"

Mei blinked in confusion. When FRIDAY mentioned the old man, especially when she called him Stan, she had a moment of emotional awareness she never had much outside of interacting with Muscles. 'Maybe it's because FRIDAY is an A.I. or something,' Hatsume figured. 'But back then, she sounded almost...sad to mention him?'

The scene changed abruptly back to Asgard at night, all the while, flying over their heads high above, invisible to the naked eye while Malekith's flagship, the trace of its presence noticeable as it passed the lights of the mythological city of the gods.

"They're still there?!" Mineta exclaimed in fright.

"It's possible they never left," Izuku narrowed his eyes at the invisible outline of the ship. "They could have simply moved the ship far enough away so that they could escape from any lingering detection and out of range of Thor's hammer or their rail guns."

All Might growled, his body shaking with pure anger. 'That means...those bastards had the gall to spy on my home just as we were mourning our Queen, my mother, that their leader murdered!' All Might never felt such blatant disrespect for his Master/mother figure since All For One told him that Shigaraki was Nana's grandson.

Hawks glared at the screen, his knuckles cracking under the clench of his fist. It was humiliating and painful enough for the Winged Hero that his counterpart failed to properly notice the enemy until it was too late to stop them from invading the city he was sworn to protect and watch over, but for them to have never truly left, hovering over his counterpart's home, and still not seeing it all this time, was just unbelievably insulting at this point.

"Heal," Kurse spoke in the Elven tongue towards Malekith, as he rested back from where he rested before, his face covered once more. "You will need your strength to reclaim the Aether."

"At least you left their leader injured enough to require rest," Gran Torino crossed his arms. "Should keep them from attacking again for a while."

"I would have preferred if the man didn't have a head left to rest," All Might growled.

"Easy, Toshinori," Gran Torino said again, more forceful in tone. "I understand your anger. I, myself, have that same desire to kick through the Dark Elf's chest as you do but remember, retired or not, you are still All Might, the Symbol of Peace, an icon and example for all Heroes to follow. Would you set a good enough example to the students, to your successor, if you are so gun-ho-ready to kill a Villain because of what they did to you? Or do I have to remind you how you got that scar?"

The reminder was what finally had All Might calm down, taking a deep breath as he schooled his thoughts. "You're right," All Might admitted. "The students already have enough instances of these Heroes easily killing their foes, I don't need to add to that."

"As long as you can remember to teach them that while we must set a good example for others, we are protectors of the peace first, and foremost," Nezu spoke up, jumping into their conversation. "And, again, that lethal action is the last and final resort to deal with a Villain, one that should only be done when all else fails and lives are at stake."

"Yes, sir," All Might nodded.

"And when you wake, we will kill them all," Kurse proclaimed.

All Might glared at the counterpart of the USJ Nomu. 'No, no one else is dying because of you bastards,' All Might declared to himself. 'Not on my watch.'

Back in the palace, Inko looked at her hand, inspecting it for signs of the infinite power source that Malekith sought. Her face was blank, but her eyes showed the grief and guilt that she felt she was the cause of.

"I suppose that is where you get it, huh, Midoriya?" Asui said, looking at Izuku while pointing at the guilty Inko. "That look of guilt for things that weren't your fault."

Izuku knew what she was referring to and lightly snickered. "Like mother like son, I suppose, huh?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah," Izuku sweatdropped at Asui's usual bluntness. "But not that it's a bad thing." Blinking surprised, Izuku turned back to Asui, smiling at him. "Even if it isn't your fault, that guilty look you have means you care about people so much, that you have a good heart. I'm sure your mother would be glad to know she raised a great guy."

Izuku's cheeks grew red while his heart drummed like he was the drummer of a Dragonforce concert. 'Just another thing she does that I like,' Izuku thought, remembering what his mother's counterpart said about liking the things her significant other did, and, to him, Asui's bluntness and honest kindness were a part of what he liked in Tsuyu Asui. A part that made Tsu, well, Tsu.

"Thanks for that, Tsu," Izuku smiled wide, flashing a brilliantly white smile that almost rendered the frog girl blind.

Tsu's cheeks grew brighter and did everything she could to keep down the croak in her throat, worried it would come off too swooning. "Thanks for remembering my name, Izuku," Tsu smiled back.

As this went down, Setsuna, observant to all from her higher position, grinned mischievously, her eyes narrowing. 'Oh, ho ho ho, you sly Casanova, you!' Setsuna thought, pleased to see that her bluff of a bet had its intended effect on Midoriya's confidence and way with the ladies. Now the only thing she was worried about was that if the shy, stuttering, cute guy can make this much progress so fast, just what did she unleash and would need to expect when Greenie did 'whatever he wanted' to her.

Inko heard the sounds of faint hissing, looking around for the source. She looked out the balcony to see the skies turning red, the mass of the Aether forming and screeching in front of the balcony.

And quickly the good vibes Izuku had vanished when remembering what his mother from another universe was going through, and what was still inside her.

"Has the Aether left her body?" Kyoka questioned.

"No," Iida shook his head, eyes narrowing, concerned. "The way the sky is turning red, the way she seems entranced, this must be some kind of hallucination or vision being subjected to her from the Aether, likely the power and influence of this infinite source of energy taking a toll on her."

Izuku's fists clenched, a sense of fearful urgency burned inside him to get this parasitic energy source out of his mother.

Inko approached the scene, looking around with terror as the entirety of Asgard's golden beauty was swallowed into a dark shadow, the clouds like pools of blood, the multicolor luster of the Rainbow Bridge cracking and decaying into grey stone.

"Is it showing her a vision of what is come to Asgard?" Ryukyu shivered, eyes wide and alarmed at the sight of her counterpart's home in such ruin.

"Or maybe it's what she fears might end up happening," Fat Gum suggested, a drop of sweat rolling down his head, in a similar sense of worry and dread. "I mean, it's not like that thing actually wants the same thing Malekith does, right?"

Edgeshot steeled his nerves, ceasing the shake coming from his clenched fist. "I would put more stock into what fears may come to pass than what Malekith desires," He responded. "The Dark Elf hasn't made contact with the Aether yet, and unless he can influence it from afar in his weakened state, then this is all the workings of Ms. Foster's mind and the Aether's influence showing her what it would do with its power to manipulate reality."

A shadow fell over her and when it passed over her, Inko's green eyes were replaced with completely black eyes with only the faintest dot of white.

Ibara shivered, disliking how the woman's near-total black eyes made her look something more like a Demon. Clasping her hands together, she whispered a prayer to the woman that she may have this malicious parasite away from her body and soul.

All Might had to grip his heart to stop it from beating so fast out of pure fear for Inko.

The vision faded from her eyes while they returned to normal, leaving her panting and afraid. "Inko Foster," A voice snapped her back fully to reality. She turned to find the voice being a trio of Einherjar approaching her. "You need to come with us." Inko blinked, confused.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kaminari squirmed in his seat. "You don't think Thor's dad might think that Midoriya's mom is responsible for all this, right?"

"If that one-eyed fucker even thinks about blaming Auntie Inko, then I'll introduce him to a Howitzer impact to the face!" Bakugou raged.

Izuku smiled, glad to see that no matter what occurred between them that Bakugou still saw his mother as someone he cares for. 'Doesn't that make him more of a scumbag to call her Auntie while her son is his favorite punching bag?' Izuku shook off that dark voice in his head again, but the thoughts had left their mark.

"We are still unable to restore the palace shields," Fandral reported around a war council of Einherjar, Volstagg, and Odin in front of the destroyed remnants of the throne. They overlooked a golden hologram of the palace. "Our artillery cannot detect them. Even Heimdall cannot see them." Fandral looked apprehensive of the words to say. "My king, we are all but defenseless."

"And with them hovering above Asgard as they speak, they can attack at any time they want with very little in the way of resistance. They are like sitting ducks," Ectoplasm's body shook. He felt the hands of both Cementoss and Snipe on his shoulders, giving him a look and nod of sympathy and understanding. The U.A. math teacher sighed and calmed down.

Odin contemplated Fandral's words. Thor walked in, marching towards Odin. "She's your prisoner now?" Thor questioned, upset.

"So, they did take her away? Why?" Toru asked, worried about her crush's mother.

"In fairness, she is the main objective of the Dark Elves, so to leave her unguarded and with very little protection would be not great," Mandalay admitted. "If they can be invisible enough to hide from Heimdall, they could sneak into Foster's chambers, kidnap her easily, and be gone with their prize without anyone even noticing."

"And we saw what happened, tragically, when they had only a few to protect her," Mount Lady cringed.

Miruko growled lowly. She didn't like that Mount Lady had to remind everyone, including herself, that Frigga, counterpart to her most idolized Heroine, was dead, but looking at how the size-changing Heroine cringed, she picked up that she wasn't anymore happier than her, and admitted that it was something she had a point in, and it needed to be said.

Odin looked to Thor's arrival. "Leave us," Thor ordered. They all complied, the Einherjar, Volstagg, and Fandral leaving, the last of whom passed through the hologram and made it vanish. They left the King and prince to speak alone.

"I feel like this is going to be awkward," Sen whispered to Awase.

"Well, yeah, Thor's dad just put his girlfriend under house arrest without seemingly telling him, so soon after his mother and Odin's wife just died," Awase whispered back.

"I do not wish to fight with you," Odin said, walking down the steps to Thor's level, passing him as he continued.

"Nor I with you," Thor admitted, turning to walk after him. "But I intend to pursue Malekith."

"We possess the Aether," Odin pointed out, walking further down the throne room towards the still-intact Dark Elf ship in the middle of the room. "Malekith will come to us."

"Yes, and he will destroy us," Thor rebuttal.

"Even though Thor comes off as impulsive and thirsty for vengeance, he is right," Endeavor admitted. "Odin proposes to stay on the defensive against the Dark Elves but they have tried and failed at it. Their ships are fast and agile enough to evade their rail guns, their defenses are already crippled and will likely take more time to repair than Malekith is to recover, and their weaponry is effective in getting through the Asgardian warriors and their formations."

"Agreed," All Might frowned. "And they are positioned more closely above Asgard and an assault from above with whatever kind of weaponry they may possess could decimate not only their forces but the civilians."

"You overestimate the power of these creatures," Odin replied.

"Oh, overestimating?" Kamakiri raised a sarcastic eyebrow at the AllFather. "Oh right, yeah, that is the word to describe goth elves with laser rifles, grenades that become black holes, and a Hulk of their own that can turn you into a charred corpse with a touch."

"No, I value our people's lives," Thor corrected.

"It is very pleasing to see that your counterpart has matured from the previous movie, Toshinori," Nezu nodded. "While you still seek an offensive tactic, it is out of concern for both Ms. Foster and the Asgardians rather than the thirst for glory."

"Thank you, sir," All Might nodded back, likewise proud of himself, despite how arrogant that sounded in his head.

"I'll take Inko to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard." Thor's plan had the AllFather stop in place. "When Malekith pulls the Aether from Inko, it will be exposed and vulnerable. And I will destroy it and him."

"A smart plan, but risky," Vlad King scratched his chin. "He would draw the Dark Elves from Asgard to keep them from attacking them while they are vulnerable, but they would be risking going to a world the enemy is more familiar with."

"Thor is likewise assuming that Malekith could remove the Aether from Foster," Death Arms noted.

"If Odin's story is to be believed, then the Aether was formed as it was by the Dark Elves long ago, so they would know the ways of how to handle it and remove it from Foster," Kamui Woods pointed out. "The real risk is being able to destroy the Aether and Malekith before he could fully assume control over it."

"And a great risk at that, given that both Bor and Odin say that the Aether is indestructible, and while I do not mean to call to question Thor's power All Might, I don't believe that it would be enough to destroy the Aether," Tiger added his two cents.

"Then instead I would have to destroy the Dark Elves first and foremost or keep them away from the Aether as soon as it is out of Inko," All Might replied, firmly.

Odin turned to face his son. "If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies," Odin warned of the consequences of failure.

"The risk is far greater if we do nothing," Thor himself warned of the price of inaction. "His ship could be over our heads right now; we would never even know it."

"And he's right there," Pixie Bob tilted her head, agreeing with the demigod.

"If and when he comes, his men will fall on 10,000 Asgardian blades," Odin declared confidently.

"And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?" Thor questioned, accusingly.

"AS MANY AS ARE NEEDED!" Odin snapped, his voice booming throughout the throne room. Thor was silent at his father's outburst.

All Might was taken aback by the roar of his other-universe father's voice, as well as how willing and angry he looked to lead their people to slaughter.

"He's blinded by his rage," Iida's gaze fell down his feet, knowingly. "His wife's death has clouded his judgment and will risk anything and everything to get the vengeance he wishes."

Izuku and Todoroki looked at their Class Rep, all too knowledgeable of how Iida knows just what Odin is thinking and what they had to do to save the teen from his own blinded vengeance.

Odin grunted suddenly, leaning onto his spear. Thor took a step forward, hand raised to catch his father if need be.

"Is he tired from that?" Sato blinked, surprised.

"Despite his power, he is still an old man by who knows how long, and we have seen what happens to him when he gets overwhelmed with emotion," Ojiro reminded.

"Yeah. When Loki raged at Odin in the first Thor movie, he fell into that Odinsleep," Shoji nodded. "Who knows whether he needs another one if he is hearing toward it, and if his grief and rage are consuming his energy more and more?"

"We will fight!" Odin yelled further. "Till the last Asgardian breath. Till the last drop of Asgardian blood."

All Might shook his head. 'No,' All Might thought. 'As angry as I am, I will not bathe in the blood of my enemies, if my people's blood is shared with them?'

Thor shook his head, disapprovingly. "Then how are you different from Malekith?" Thor asked seriously.

Odin let out a dry chuckle. "The difference, my son, is that I will win," Odin proclaimed arrogantly. Odin turned in a huff, the slam of his spear echoing through the halls. And with that, the AllFather left. Thor stood there, wallowing in frustration.

"Hatred is blind, rage carries you away," Tokoyami began his next sage words. "And he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught."

"The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas," Reiko stated the book and author the quote was from. "Impressive."

"I am an admirer of the classic tomes of pre-Quirk history," Tokoyami admitted, gazing up at the ghost girl of 1-B. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson's-"

"Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Reiko finished for him, smiling. "Classic, spooky, mysterious. Revelry in the Dark."

"Revelry in the Dark," Tokoyami smiled back, finding her rare smiles rather entrancing.

"Okay, you two, this is cute and all, but can we get back to the movie, please?" Setsuna's floating head came between their gazing, flashing a teasing smile at the two.

The two blinked and looked away, fighting off the blush rising in their cheeks, incredibly visible in their respective dark feathers and pale skin.

'The guys are never going to let this down,' Tokoyami thought, conceding after spotting the teasing grins of Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero.

'The girls are never going to let this down,' Reiko thought, surrendering after spotting the teasing grins of Setsuna, Kinoko, and Itsuka.

On Earth, Darcy paced around the room, while Ian sat on the couch watching the news. "Inko isn't calling me back, David isn't calling me back, stupid S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't calling me back," Darcy huffed annoyed and panicking.

"What's S.H.I.E.L.D?" Ian asked, confused.

"Wait, I don't know about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Kosei questioned, raising his eyebrow. "How come I hadn't heard of the-Oh, wait...right, a top-secret covert intelligence agency."

"It's a secret," Darcy replied, trying to make up for her slip-up.

"Good thing you remembered before she did," Kamakiri snickered. "I bet Tsunotori or Tokage would have hung this over your head if you didn't."

"Tsuburaba, honestly, how could you almost forget about S.H.I.E.L.D. after they were a major part of almost every single movie we've watched," Setsuna said, shaking her head while sporting a mock guise of disappointment. Pony copied her actions like a mime. "For shame on your pitiful memory!"

"Or maybe they still would," Honenuki muttered while Kosei slumped in comical embarrassment.

Darcy called again and got voicemail again. "Uh hey, David, it's Darcy, again," Darcy began to leave a voicemail. "Uh Thor came back, he took Inko to Asgard, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

Ian leaned in his seat as the newsman reported, "Something else went missing this week when astrophysicist, Dr. David Selvig, notable for his involvement in the alien invasion of New York, streaked nude across..." The TV played the same footage of David running around buck-ass nude.

"Argh! Stop showing that footage!" Melissa covered her eyes again, trying to keep the image from being scarred in her mind.

Kouta squirmed again while his eyes were closed by Izuku's hand, while All Might did the same for Eri. Their childlike curiosity made them pout but no matter how cutely Eri pouted or how much Kouta struggled they couldn't have their curiosity satisfied with figuring out what the two were blocking them from.

"Darcy, you really need to look at this," Ian called out. "Your friend, David. What was his last name again?"

Darcy looked up at the screen, eyes making out David. "...when he disrobed and began shouting at visitors to the historic site." As the newsman continued, Darcy collapsed onto the couch in shock. "He was later taken into police custody for psychiatric evaluation. Police are still refusing to confirm..." Ian paused the screen on David's crazed face. Darcy pursed her lips at her ever-increasingly bad situation.

"You know a way this movie would have been a lot smoother would be if we didn't know where Mr. Selvig was in the beginning, and the first time we saw him was in the hospital," Sero analyzed with a critical eye. "We would be more confused and intrigued and then we get the reveal with this newscast and would save the repetition."

"Wow, Sero," Momo said, impressed. "We knew that you were a connoisseur of old movies, but I'm impressed with your eye for storytelling."

"Hey, what can I say?" Sero rubbed his nose, chest pumped up with pride. "I guess if I didn't want to be a Hero, I could have been a film producer or director."

F.R.I.D.A.Y. silently chuckled, amused, pondering if perhaps this movie would have been better received on the Prime Earth if they had someone like Sero during the filming.

Back on Asgard, Thor sat alone at a bar table, drinking by himself away his grief and frustrations. He looked up to see Heimdall walking up to him. "You were not at Odin's war council," Thor commented.

"The Bifrost is closed by your father's orders. No one is to come or to go," Heimdall explained, removing his gold, horned helm onto the table, revealing his short brown hair, and sat down. "We face an enemy that is invisible even to me. What use is a guardian such as that?" Thor took note of Heimdall's bitter tone.

'I feel you man,' Hawks lifted a soda to his counterpart, sharing in the bitterness of their failure.

Ectoplasm sighed, frustrated. If the Bifrost was closed, and with orders to not let anyone come or go, then his own counterpart, Hogun, who currently was with his people in Vanaheim, would be able to receive word of Asgard's attack, much less be able to come back and offer his aid.

"Malekith will return, you know this," Thor said with certainty. "I need your help."

"I cannot overrule my king's wishes. Not even for you," Heimdall shook his head.

"And despite his more stubborn, vengeful actions of late, Heimdall greatly respects Odin unlike what he did with Loki," Jurota noted.

"What about when Heimdall let Thor and his friends go to Jotenheim and started that war that caused Thor's exile?" Bondo inquired.

"Odin likely didn't give any sort of official order to forbid travel through other realms, and so Heimdall bent the rules," Shoda answered.

"Oh, and also Heimdall said that he was also curious as to how the Frost Giants had infiltrated Asgard and so he had a personal grudge to help Thor out," Tetsutetsu added.

"And now?" Ojiro questioned. "When another enemy once more went passed him and his sight and it led to the Queen's death?"

"Do you not listen at all, Tail Brain?!" Bakugou snapped at him. "Odin likely didn't make an official order for that other time and now he has with nobody allowed in or out of Asgard!"

"I'm not asking you to," Thor reassured his friend. "The realms need their AllFather strong and unchallenged whether he is or not. But he is blinded Heimdall, by hatred and by grief."

"As are we all," Heimdall made a pointed stare at Thor.

'T-That's fair,' All Might grumbled internally. While he agreed with his counterpart on his plan against Malekith and the risk to his people if they stayed defensive, he ultimately could not deny the rage and grief upon his own counterpart's mind that more than likely is pushing him down his decision, as Toshinori himself is feeling the same.

"I see clearly enough," Thor replied.

"The risks are too great," Heimdall persisted.

"Everything we do from here on is a risk," Thor insisted back. "There is no other way."

"The greater the gamble, the greater the reward, so go all in, as I always say!" Mic declared.

'You just want this movie to end quicker,' Both Midnight and Aizawa had the same thought. Granted Mic's disdain to watch this movie any further had less to do with the movie's quality and more the further insults to Shirakumo's memory this movie commits with every bad deed his supposed counterpart commits, including being compared to the madman himself.

Heimdall was silent as he contemplated his decision. Until he raised his head and asked, "What do you require of me?"

Hawks grinned. While his counterpart wasn't Loki, the Winged Hero was eager for his counterpart to commit a bit of mischievous trickery. Partly to just cause some fun and the other part to get back at those scumbags that attacked his home and killed his Queen.

"What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order," Thor's voice spoke over a scene of three cloaked figures walking down a dimly lit hall. "Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death." As the two in front turned to enter a building, the one at the back, holding her hood to keep her face hidden, Sif looked back to ensure they weren't followed before following.

Ryukyu, Fat Gum, and Edgeshot smirked, the lady warrior all the indicator they need to know who they were.

'If I can avenge my Queen and save my home, I would rather live in exile, at peace with my choices, or die with no regrets than cower by inaction,' Edgeshot thought.

'You don't have to sell me, Point Break,' Fat Gum grinned, cracking his knuckles. 'You know I'm in.'

'If there is a chance to save Foster's life and further spare the lives of my people, then my sword is yours, My Prince,' Ryukyu nodded.

"Malekith knew the Aether was here," A vision of Malekith sensing the Aether was shown as Thor continued, displaying Thor's vision of Malekith's return, his ships descending and laying waste the smoking ruin that was what was left of Asgard, the streets and buildings lit in flames, smoke billowing into the air, the Dark ships floating around unchallenged. "He will come for it again, but this time, lay waste to all of Asgard."

"This is just what Thor believes will happen if the Dark Elves return, right?" Hagakure asked.

"Yep," Kyoka nodded.

"Okay, good, I just wanted to know before I freaked out," Hagakure thanked the punk rock girl.

'And I will never have this vision come to pass,' All Might thought, clenching his fists. 'Not on my watch.'

"We must move Inko off-world," Thor revealed to his assembled group, Sif, Volstagg, and Fandral sitting around a table while Heimdall stood guard behind Thor.

"The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in the vault," Sif reminded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that the Asgardians are the ones that have the Tesseract now," Tetsutetsu perked up.

"If they had it, the group could just teleport out of Asgard easily and into Svartalfheim," Ojiro agreed.

Izuku frowned, looking at his notes on Tesseract, paired next to his drawing of the Aether. The 9th bearer of One For All did not know why he felt like that would be a bad idea, pondering if it would just be the risk of having such a powerful source of unlimited power possibly falling into the hands of the Dark Elves as well. He would agree that the risk would be a great one, but something about the feeling he got from the Aether, its near-unlimited power and potential, and Odin's story about pre-universe relics made that risk feel far more devastating than he knew.

"There are other paths off Asgard," Heimdall pointed out. "Ways known only to a few."

"One, actually," Thor corrected, wringing his hands together at the mad idea he was about to propose.

Sif turned to her companions warily, Fandral joining in the handwringing. "No," Volstagg looked at Thor as if he has truly gone mad.

Monoma perked up, eyes widened, surprised. "Me," Monoma spoke up, drawing attention from the audience. "He means to free Loki."

"Huh?!" Mineta exclaimed. "Where did you get that from?!"

"I think I see what he means," Mirio cupped his chin. "In the first Thor movie, Loki did say to Heimdall that there were other ways to travel between the Nine Realms outside of the Bifrost, and he used that way to sneak the Frost Giants into Asgard."

"So, if there were any way to get Inko Foster off-world, preferably to Svartalfheim, Loki would be the one to know it," Amajiki finished Mirio's train of thought.

"But wouldn't he just...you know...try to kill Thor or try to escape?" Kaminari asked, worried.

"Yes, that is a rather concerning outcome," Momo admitted, likewise uncertain. "However-"

"Frigga was Loki's mother as well, adopted or not," Jurota jumped in. "And we saw as much when Loki was informed of her death. If there can be anything that might bond these two to a single cause it would be this."

All Might heard the concerns and thoughts of the students, feeling hopeful that Jurota was correct in his assessment, that his counterpart and his brother can reconcile and be close once more, and equal parts naturally cautious that the same man who nearly destroyed two different worlds out of jealousy toward him would use any excuse to stab him in the back.

Thor walked up toward Loki's cell, the God of Mischief standing in the middle, expecting. "Thor," Loki greeted his adopted brother, a smug and mocking smile on his face. "After all this time and now you come to visit me."

"I can't believe they are really doing this," Endeavor grumbled, cautious alarms flaring in his head over this course of action.

"Well, you know what they say, better to trust the devil you know than the devil you don't," Hawks shrugged. "At least with how much he knows him through growing up together, Thor can foresee if Loki will try anything."

"Why?" Loki snarled, leaning forwards. "Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

"Loki, enough," Thor cut him off. "No more illusions."

Loki blinked surprised, letting out a reluctant sigh. Loki vanished in green light and so too did the tidiness of the cell. Furniture was thrown all around, either flipped or broken like the mirror in the corner, scratch marks littered the white walls of the cell, and the God of Mischief himself lay slumped by the wall, the worst sight of all. His hair was disheveled, dried tears from red eyes staining his cheeks, and blood was on the soles of his foot.

"Monoma," Itsuka muttered, looking to the blonde beside her, the shadow of his hair covering his eyes, yet the frown was clear as day on his face.

"I would be concerned if he didn't have this kind of reaction," Monoma muttered, depressed. "It is one I would do."

He felt multiple hands on his shoulder to see it coming from his classmates beside him: Itsuka, Setsuna, Ibara, Kinoko, and even Shinsou. When he felt hands patting his kneecaps, he looked down to see the sources being Ashido and Hagakure with the others of 1-A looking at him with sympathy and concern.

While the blonde at times came off as an arrogant prat, especially towards 1-A, he was still a fellow Hero student, more so to his 1-B classmates, who understood that he was merely trying to elevate their spirits at best and assuage his fears and insecurities at worst. To the 1-B students, Nieto Monoma was that one annoying brother that irked them at times but was still their brother that cared for them, so they cared for him in return.

Monoma could accept their concern easily and gratefully, even the 1-A students' looks he could begrudgingly accept out of sympathy for his situation, but when he spotted Midoriya's look, that was when the bitter pill was too thick to swallow outright. Just last night, he was about to attempt to frame the same boy and Bakugou, for acts he committed himself just to slander the two and keep them away from two of his classmates. And now, that same student, one he was forced to admit was a truly kind and selfless person that he was sure would treat his classmate alright, one he made fun of and mocked, was looking at Monoma with a concerned yet understanding smile.

Now, Monoma felt more connected with his own counterpart, understanding the feeling Loki must have felt in The Avengers when Thor tried to get Loki to stop his madness and come home with him, the feeling of being shown kindness and sympathy from those he wronged.

"T-Thank you," Monoma stuttered out, almost choking at his words. The smiles and smirks from everyone were evidence that they heard and appreciated all the more coming from him.

"Now you see me, brother," Loki said, his usual mischievous mirth gone from his emotionless voice.

"Brother," All Might muttered, deeply saddened at the state of Loki, imagining if he looked any different when Nana died. He found that he didn't.

Thor rounded the cell to get closer to his imprisoned brother. "Did she suffer?"

"She fought to the end, proud and tall. She died a warrior's death," All Might answered, looking to his left. "Just like then."

Miruko spotted his gaze at her and knew what he referred to. She smiled back, not a confident or malicious smirk like she was known for, but a gentle and thankful one. She nodded her silent thanks back at her idol's student.

"I did not come here to share our grief," Thor wrung his wrist at the proposal he was about to suggest. "Instead, I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament."

Loki tilted his head, curious. "Go on."

"I know you seek vengeance as much as I do," Thor explained. "You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you. Vengeance, and afterward, this cell."

Iida frowned. He already had his reservations about freeing Loki from his cell, regardless of his or his counterpart's suffering, but Thor's look was not something he liked. He remembered how it was the gaze he had when he looked into the mirror after Tensei's attack, as well as where that look took him.

'Just don't make the same mistakes I did,' Iida prayed internally toward Thor.

Loki's eyes danced around at the possibilities and motives of Thor and his proposed alliance. The Trickster God chuckled. "You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."

"I'm getting the same vibes from when Loki asked how desperate Aizawa was in Avengers," Sato muttered.

"And much like Aizawa was then, I'm sure that Thor is just as desperate," Shoji replied.

"What makes you think you can trust me?" Loki questioned.

"I don't. Mother did," Thor clarified.

Both Monoma and All Might flinch, the latter for how blunt and cruel he sounded toward his brother, and the former for how deserving, yet still bitter, those words were.

"But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere," Thor admitted and continued. "That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you."

'I understand how he feels,' Monoma thought. 'I orchestrated his exile and tried to kill him in the first Thor movie, I tried to destroy him and Earth out of revenge and greed. Three strikes and I'm out, right?' Monoma looked at his counterpart. 'Please don't strike out this time.'

'While I would wish to be nicer and more courteous, that is my bias, I realize,' All Might admit to himself. 'But objectively, my mother is dead, Inko is in danger, my home is vulnerable, my father is too lost in his grief, and I have no further recourse.' All Might looked at Loki. 'Please don't make me keep to my word.'

Loki was silent for a moment. Then the sides of his mouth began to rise. "Hmm. When do we start?"

"He will betray you," Fandral said with absolute certainty.

"Oh, no doubt," Uraraka agreed.

"Absolutely," Mina nodded.

"Is that even a question?" Shinsou asked.

Monoma sweatdropped. "Fair," He muttered.

"He will try," Thor agreed.

Now, after checking the coast was clear, Thor walked onto the empty hallway, Loki, now donned in his armored robes, freely walked with him. "This is so unlike you brother," Loki smiled devilishly. "So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?"

"If you keep speaking, I just might," Thor warned.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Miruko snacked on a carrot, already smirking at what shenanigans the God of Mischief will have with his brother.

"Fine. As you wish," Loki shrugged. "I'm not even here." As started to pass a pillar, Loki glowed green. Loki was gone when they passed the column and replaced with a regular Asgardian soldier. "Is this better?"

"Huh, almost forgot that he could disguise himself as other people," Kyoka said.

"And with that ability, it would make for an easier escape out of the castle," Momo agreed.

"It's better company, at least," Thor admitted.

"Ouch," Mina snickered. "Thor is quite the sassy prince, ain't he?"

"It isn't too far from actual Thor and the Aesir myths," Iida explained. "The Aesir gods often held contests with each other known as flyting, which was a poetic exchange of insults and barbs at one another."

"So, the Norse invented rapping?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow.

"Uh," Iida stumbled at what to say about that.

"Don't worry, Prez, this is my neck of the woods. I've got this," Kyoka stepped in. "Technically, while it has certain influences from flyting, rap or hip-hop, as it's mostly known nowadays, originated as early as the 1970s in New York from multicultural exchanges between African Americans and immigrants of other countries, mostly Caribbean and Jamaican. Flyting would be more comparable to battle rap. Also, there are multiple sources of different cultures having ritualized insult trading traditions like the Dozens and-"

"Kyoka," Momo jumped in, interrupting Jiro. "You're rambling. I think we got the point."

As Momo snapped her out of her rant, Jiro noticed the students' barely held-back snickers and grins, especially the likes of Mina, Hagakure, and Setsuna. Jiro blushed scarlet and shrank in her seat.

"Hey, don't look so embarrassed, Ji-Kyoka," The punk rock girl perked up and looked up to see Izuku's kind smile. "We're just anxious to see what happens next but we are glad to see how excited and passionate you are about music." Izuku smiled nervously, scratching at his cheek. "I mean, it's cuter than when I ramble on about Quirks."

If Jiro was blushing red before, she almost went thermonuclear now. 'C-C-C-Cute?!' Kyoka's eyes became comical swirls at being called such, by her crush no less while calling her by her first name.

"Still, we could be less conspicuous," Loki offered, the two passing by another pillar while glowing green. Loki returned to normal as they did, yet Thor was replaced with Sif's visage. "Mmm, brother, you look ravishing."

Mina and Hagakure burst out laughing. They were quickly followed by a lot of the group, including Bakugou and Kamakiri doing their best to imitate howler monkeys, Miruko, whose thumping foot was actually causing cracks in the floor below her in her hysteria, and even raising Mic's spirits enough to chuckle.

All Might and Ryukyu squirmed in their seats, being the target of laughter, and in some cases good-nature mockery by Hawks and Miruko toward the latter. All Might grumbled something paying his brother back for this in the future.

A chuckle broke out of Monoma's mouth, smiling slightly at his counterpart's more light-hearted pranks.

Thor noticed his change of appearance and sighed. "It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," Sif's form spoke in Thor's voice.

"Is this in some kind of reference to when Thor was disguised as a woman by Loki in the myths?" Momo asked.

"Well, maybe," Izuku replied, cupping his chin. "In the myths though, he was disguised as Freya, not Sif, and did so to pose as Freya for a marriage to a Giant to get his hammer back. And humorously the giant was I believe called Utgard-Loki-"

"STOP NERDING OUT ABOUT NORSE MYTHS AND WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE, YOU NERDS!" Bakugou roared out, snapping at the two.

"Very well," Loki shrugged again. "Perhaps you prefer one of your new companions given that you seem to like them so much." And as they passed another pillar, Loki changed Thor back to normal, but Loki changed again into the Man out of Time: Captain America, Izuku Rogers, himself.

If there were laughing at All Might and Ryukyu before, it paled in comparison to the laughter and snickers that burst out of the group at seeing Loki pose as Izuku. The only exception, of course, was a paling Izuku.

"Oh, this is much better. Ooh," Loki spoke in Roger's voice and form, with even a replica of Izuku's shield in hand. "The costume is a bit much. So tight." The illusion of the Star-Spangled Man shifted his pants for better comfort. "But the confidence...I can feel the righteousness surging."

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mina collapsed into a fit of giggles. Toru had to break free from her laughter when she had to catch Mina before she fell off of her seat, and even then, the event was enough to have her laughing again.

"Pfft. Deku," Uraraka covered her mouth with no hands to keep the silly grin and chuckles inside. Melissa beside her couldn't even say a word less she risks bursting out like Mina.

"This is amazing," Setsuna slowly clapped while her whole body shook in giggles.

"I *ahem* must admit that this is rather amusing," Momo coughed and composed herself from her giggles.

"Forget amusing, this is hilarious," Jiro snickered.

"Is Loki shifting his pants because of you know what?" Asui whispered to Mei.

"Well, I don't know if Rogers is packing as much as Muscles but given who they are, and the Super Soldier Serum, I'd say most definitely," Mei grinned, her cheeks pink at the memory of such a discovery when she felt Izuku up for 'measurements'.

The Trickster began walking backward. "Hey, do you want to have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism?"

"AHAHAHAHAHA! Get shit on, Nerd!" Bakugou cackled, hugging his sides, while Izuku slumped in his seat, a depressed cloud hanging over his head.

"Hey! Don't be mean to 'Zuzu!" Nejire pouted at Bakugou. "It's not his faults Loki is such a meanie!"

As much as he appreciated Nejire standing up for him, she didn't exactly make things any better for Izuku given how the laughter only grew with her cute defense of him. 'Well, at least it can't get any worse than-'

"Yay! Papa is in the movie!" Eri cheered, happily.

'...Why?' Izuku bemoaned as the laughter exploded once more at his expense.

"God Bless Ameri-" Loki was cut off by Thor slamming into a wall, hand over his mouth and breaking the illusion, returning to regular Loki form.

"Aww, fun's over," Kouta pouted childishly, now that the making fun of his idol portion of the movie was over.

Loki shook Thor's hand from his mouth. "What?" He growled, following Thor's gaze. A duo of Einherjar walked past on patrol, the two remained unnoticed.

"Phew. That was a close one," Mirio wiped his brow. "They would have been cooked any longer he spent roasting Midoriya."

"Was that another pun, Mirio?" Amajiki questioned.

"Yeah! Was it not obvious?" Mirio asked back. "Roasting. Cooked. Get it?"

"Dude, that was bad, even for you," Kaminari shook his head.

"You could at least furnish me with a weapon," Loki suggested. "My dagger, something."

"Really?" Mount Lady raised an eyebrow. "They're already taking a huge risk letting him out, but giving that backstabbing psycho a weapon?"

"To be fair, if they end up in a confrontation against some guards, Loki would be rather vulnerable with no weapon to fight back," Kamui spoke up in the Trickster god's defense.

"Yeah, like the illusion-creating, invisible-turning trickster with more strength than the average man would be at all vulnerable," Death Arms snarked, sarcastically.

Thor looked at Loki, contemplating his offer. Mind made up, Thor reached behind him, Loki smirking at the sound of clanging metal.

"Oh, wait, he is gonna give him something? Mount Lady blinked her eyes, surprised.

"At last. A little common sense-" His smile dropped as he felt his hands restrained. Looking down and raising his hands, the metal given to him was a pair of Asgardian cuffs around his wrists.

"Well, he gave him something," Midnight smirked. "Didn't say if it was something he was going to like."

"And I thought you liked tricks," Thor chuckled.

"And the Trickster got tricked, ladies and gentlemen," Hawks clapped slowly.

"I think your counterpart might be losing his edge, Monoma," Sen snickered.

"Oh, hush you!" Monoma shouted back in his defense. "My counterpart has been trapped in a cell for who knows how long!"

All Might let out a soft chuckle, feeling rather proud that his counterpart was able to out-trick the Trickster God himself.

"Well, what then?" Past Fandral asked further. "Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of Einherjar who will see you coming from miles away."

"I won't be the one who comes for her," Thor corrected, looking to the one who would: a surprised Lady Sif.

Inko looked to see open doors to her guarded room, a soldier walking in with a plate of food for her. "I'm not hungry."

Before the man could reply, the sound of grunting and smacking occurred behind him, seeing his companion fall to the ground, unconscious. The guard soon met the same fate from a strike from Lady Sif. "Good. Let's go," Sif gestured for Inko to follow her.

"Well, isn't that quite the awkward task," Miruko grinned teasingly toward Ryukyu. "Having your counterpart rescue the love interest of your own love interest."

"My counterpart's personal feelings mean nothing to the safety and security of Asgard and its people," Ryukyu tried replying stoically, with only a small twitch as evidence of annoyance.

Sif led Inko to Thor and Loki, the former captive noticing the black-haired trickster. "You're..."

"I'm Loki," Loki bowed in greeting. "You may have heard of me-"

His greeting was met with a slap across the face. "That was for New York," Inko said, glaring daggers at him.

"Ooooh!" The guys sounded while covering their mouths.

"Dude, you just got bitch-slapped by Midoriya's mom," Awase chuckled.

A red-faced Monoma just pouted and huffed.

"I have to admit, the kid's mom's got spunk," Gran Torino smirked.

"She sure does," All Might sighed wistfully.

"I'd imagine that she scares the bejeesus out of you when she gets really angry, huh?" Gran Torino teased.

All Might shuddered, a haunted look on his face. "You jest but you're right," All Might hugged his shivering body. "I had to go on my hands and knees apologizing hundreds of times to her when I told her of what I did to Midoriya during the Final Exams, and even then, she almost skinned me alive. Truly, Hell hath no fury like a mother's wrath."

As All Might continue to shudder, Gran Torino sweatdropped. 'Sounds an awful lot like Nana to me,' Torino thought, and as much as wanted to continue to look at this comically, even give the boy's mother a freaking medal for being able to get a handle on the blonde doofus that was his friend's student, the comparison only served to grow that small part of worry in the back of his mind.

Loki instead smiled, pleased. "I like her."

"Well, at least she's got his brother's approval," Kosei shrugged.

'Mine as well,' Monoma thought, admitting to respecting Foster's spunk and how much better the astrophysicist made his brother from another universe.

"And what of the AllFather?" Past Sif asked.

"It is my sworn duty to notify him of crimes against the throne," Heimdall replied.

Hawks raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Ohoho, I see," Hawks figured out, grinning. "Well played."

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Feather Weight, what is it?" Miruko questioned.

"Wait for it," Hawks lifted a finger and pointed to the screen.

"You call me here on an urgent matter," Present Odin arrived at the Bifrost with a group of Einherjar. "What is it?"

"Treason, my Lord," Heimdall informed.

"Whose?" Odin asked further.

Heimdall lifted his sword from the mechanism, blade flat on his other palm, offering. "Mine," Heimdall revealed.

"I see," Endeavor nodded. "To keep them from running into Odin, and potentially ending up in a losing fight against their King, Heimdall led Odin all the way out to the edge of Asgard, keeping them as far away as possible and more time before an alarm is sounded."

"And it both honors Heimdall's vow to Odin while helping out in Thor's plan," Edgeshot commented, looking to Hawks. "I'm starting to see why you two are connected."

"I guess me and him just have a way with words," Hawks smirked, crossing his arms behind his head.

As the Asgardians drew their blades, expecting a fight, Odin's lieutenant, Tyr, walked in. "My king, the mortal has been taken," Tyr revealed to the surprised King of Asgard.

"Wait, Tyr?" Momo blinked at the name displayed in the subtitles. "Like Norse God of War Tyr?"

"That's what the subtitles say," Melissa said.

"Wait, I know that one," Kirishima perked up, racking his brain for details. "Isn't he the one that stuck his hand into that giant wolf's mouth so they can bind him?"

"Indeed," Jurota nodded. "The Aesir tried to bind the giant wolf Fenrir, son of Loki, down because they feared from a prophecy that he would bring about the destruction of Asgard. They masqueraded their attempts by saying it was a contest, but the third time, with the mythical ribbon, Gleipnir, Fenrir was suspicious and said he would only allow it if a god stuck his hand in his maw and if he suspected trickery then he would take the hand. Tyr was the only one brave enough to do it, and when the wolf couldn't break free, he took Tyr's hand."

"Yeah, that! That was super manly!" Kirishima grinned.

"Though looks like this guy still has his two hands intact," Tetsutetsu pointed out.

His eye alit with realization, Odin ordered, "Stop Thor. By any means necessary."

All Might and Monoma blinked their eyes in surprise. Sure, the two of them knew that Odin would be mad and try to stop them, but by any means necessary. Even death? 'Father,' All Might frowned. 'Is your thirst for vengeance that mighty?'

Monoma thought the same, but looked at the two of them and thought, 'Well, not like either of us is any different.' After all, his brother from another life was so determined to save his girlfriend and avenge their mother, that he was willing to free him from prison despite all he did.

"There they are! Take them." A group of Einherjar spotted Thor and the rest and marched toward them.

"Uh oh," Pony said. "They've been spotted."

"But how did they find out that fast?" Uraraka questioned. "Did the scene with Heimdall and Odin happen at the same time, or earlier? Or did Odin use one of those ravens he talked to before to tell them?"

"I think it's more the earlier scenario," Ojiro shrugged.

Thor readied for battle, only stopped by Sif. "I'll hold them off. Take her," Sif said, her face insistent.

Thor regarded her conviction. "Thank you," He nodded to his friend, leading Inko away.

All Might looked to Ryukyu and nodded his own thanks. The Dragoon Hero smiled and nodded back.

Loki made to follow them, and he was stopped by Sif too, her blade by his throat. "Betray him, and I'll kill you," Sif threatened.

'I feel like I'm going to be told that quite a bit,' Monoma thought, slightly shivering over the feeling of Ryukyu's dragon-like eye peering down on him.

Loki chuckled, amused. "It's good to see you too, Sif," Loki responded.

Sif lifted her blade and let him pass, turning to face the Einherjar, her blade morphed fully into her glaive.

"Ryukyu," Nejire muttered, worryingly.

"Not to worry, Nejire," Ryukyu eased her intern and protege. "This is not where I die, I can assure you of that."

Nejire smiled and nodded, her brows furrowing, determined. "Yeah, you're right!" Nejire smiled wide. "If she is anything like Ryukyu, she's going to beat all of their butts down to the ground!"

"Assuming you can get Loki's help, and you can free this mortal, what good would it do?" Volstagg, this time, questioned, hands in the hair, exasperated. "We'd all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace."

"Yeah, even with as sneaky as Loki, I don't think three people, two very noticeable gods, and an out-of-place mortal are going to get far without drawing lots of attention," Fat Gum agreed with his counterpart.

"That, my friend, is why we won't be leaving on foot," Thor revealed.

In the present, Thor, Inko, and Loki entered the ruined throne room, Volstagg standing guard of the Dark Elf ship. "I will give you as much time as I can," Volstagg declared.

"Thank you, my friend," Thor clasped Volstagg's arm with his own in gratitude.

"Ohohoho, yeah, now that's the ticket out of here!" Fat Gum grinned wide. "Well thought, All Might. You can count on me to hold the line!"

"Thank you, Fat Gum," All Might smiled down at him. "If he is anything like you, it would take a whole army to get past you."

"Damn straight!" Kirishima grinned, proud at his Hero mentor.

"Kirishima, language!" Iida scolded. Kirishima nervously chuckled while rubbing his neck.

Inko gave Volstagg a kind smile and nod and followed Thor, Volstagg offering her one in kind, but stopped Loki from passing. "If you even think about betraying him..."

"You'll kill me?" Loki guessed correctly. "Evidently, there will be a line."

'And of that line, I don't know which I would rather choose,' Monoma shuddered, finding the choice between being slashed apart by Sif or Ryukyu, squashed and suffocated to death by Fat Gum, decapitated by Volstagg's axe, or squashed instantly like a bug by Thor and Mjolnir or a Detroit Smash from All Might quite the impossible choice as to which would be preferable.

Volstagg let him through, ready to fight with axe in hand.

Fat Gum grinned, pumping his fists and pounding his chest like he was the one ready to fight.

The three entered the ship, Inko hanging back while Loki joined Thor by the cockpit, the God of Thunder pressing buttons of the ship's console, the low beeping and whirring leaving fruitless results.

"Oh, wait, yeah, I forgot that this plan requires the know-how of how to turn on and fly one of these ships," Setsuna said.

"And it doesn't look like it is working," Kinoko worried.

"It has been literally a few seconds," Itsuka rolled her eyes at them. "Give them at least some time to figure it out."

"A few seconds closer for the Asgardian forces to be on them," Shinsou pointed out, Itsuka tilted her head in a nonverbal 'Good point'.

"It is like looking into a mirror," Midnight snickered. She looked at Aizawa teasingly. "Are you sure you and Emi hadn't been busy at any time?"

Aizawa responded with a death glare that only had Midnight snickering.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing?" Loki raised an eyebrow.

"I said, 'How hard could it be?'" Thor corrected him, continuing pressing buttons.

"Urgh, why does everybody say that?!" Rin groaned. "Whenever someone says that it always goes wrong."

"That's the joke," Honenuki replied.

A whole army of Einherjar ran towards the throne room. "They're on the ship! Get to the ship!" Volstagg stood ready and waiting. The beefy Asgardian blocked a sword strike with the pommel of his axe, striking the attacker down with the butt end of the pommel. He followed it up by jabbing another that tried to pass him to the ship down with the other end.

"Well, at least he isn't trying to kill them," Death Arms shrugged.

"However, that reluctance to go all out and with that many forces can only buy them so long," Kamui reminded.

"Just don't get yourself killed, Fat," Amajiki spoke up.

"Wasn't planning on it, Suneater!" Fat grinned. "Wasn't planning on it!"

"Well, whatever you are doing, I suggest you do it faster," Loki suggested, impatiently.

"Shut up, Loki," Was Thor's curt response.

Volstagg swiped and knocked Einherjar to the ground with a swing of his axe or the strike of his arms, grunting and tanking strikes from their shields.

"Well, hurry the hell up, guys," Fat Gum yelled at the two on screen. "My counterpart and I are tanky, but we can't hold off a whole army of these guys forever."

"You must have missed something," Loki insisted.

"No, I didn't. I'm pressing every button on this thing," Thor continued pressing more buttons.

"No, don't hit it. Just press it gently," Loki shook his head.

"I am pressing it gently, it's not working!" Thor slammed his hands on the console roughly. Suddenly, the ship came to life, a blue holographic display of the ship's outside shown on the console. "Ha, ha!" Thor laughed triumphantly.

"And who says brute force doesn't solve everything?" Miruko snickered.

Edgeshot rolled his eyes.

Volstagg swiped his axe around threateningly, making the group of Einherjar back up warily. Eventually, they overwhelmed and crashed onto him. Volstagg laughed boisterously, unmoving at their attempts. That was quickly overturned, Volstagg grunting surprised as he began to move down.

"Hurry up, guys!" Kirishima squirmed in his seat. "Fat is going down!"

As the ship charged up, the red engines glowed to life, a strong burst of wind and smoke sending Einherjar, ones not busy dogpiling Volstagg, flying back.

"Well, that works," Tetsutetsu smirked.

The ship rose into the air, Volstagg laughing joyfully.

"Fly, you beautiful idiots!" Fat Gum raised his hands in tandem with the ship. "Fly!"

Thor ordered the ship to turn around for the outside, its bladed extension knocking out pillar after pillar. "I think you missed a column," Loki joked.

"Shut up!" Thor snarked back.

"Great, so on top of treason, freeing his psychotic brother from prison, his friends roughing up some poor soldiers, and escaping with his girlfriend, add the destruction of property to the list of crimes," Pixie Bob listed.

All Might sweatdropped.

Now fully turned, the ship burst out of the throne room and into the skies of Asgard, flying and weaving in between, around, over, and under Asgardian buildings and structures.

"Look, why don't you let me take over?" Loki offered. "I'm clearly the better pilot."

"Is that right?" Thor inquired. "Well, out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?"

"You know, I can't argue with that logic," Setsuna held her hands up in surrender.

Asgardian cannons fired on them, Thor dodging the bolts of energy as best he could. By the side of the two, Inko gasped tiredly before collapsing to the ground.

"Mom!" Izuku exclaimed, worried.

"Oh, dear. Is she dead?" Loki asked.

Itsuka raised an eyebrow at Monoma.

"What?" Monoma raised his hands. "I cannot control whether my counterpart can speak like an ass or not!"

"So, you admit that you speak like an ass?" Toru questioned.

As the students laughed, Monoma fumed red and yelled "Shut up!"

"Inko? Inko?!" Thor called to her.

"I-I'm okay..." Inko muttered, but her closed eyes and low breathing said otherwise.

"Clearly, the Aether's effects are getting worse," Recovery Girl commented. "She doesn't look well at all."

And with the professional health evaluation from the U.A. nurse, rose All Might's impatience and panic.

As they passed, Asgardian torrents fired on them, one nicking the side of the ship, to Thor and Loki's grunts. Thor shifted the blade around and it slashed through one of the torrents, breaking it into pieces. "Not a word," Thor warned.

"So, we aren't going to comment on how he might have just accidentally killed an innocent-"

"Not. A. Word." All Might repeat Thor's words, cutting and silencing Present Mic from speaking any further.

As they flew, a trio of Asgardian ships began to fly after them. "Now they're following us," Loki snarked.

The ships opened fire, their golden bolts of energy either nicking the ship or exploding next to it. "Now they're firing at us," Loki said with further impatience.

"Oh, great, he's back-seat driving," Death Arms groaned. "Everyone's favorite."

"Urgh, I know right," Pixie Bob groaned along with him. "It's like yes, I know, I see the road and cars too, I know how to drive!"

"Then why is your car in the shop?" Ragdoll asked, smiling innocently while Pixie Bob blanched.

"Yeah, thank you for the commentary, Loki, it's not at all distracting!" Thor barked back, annoyed.

"If he didn't say Loki, I would have thought he was talking to us," Kaminari commented.

"Yeah, keep commenting like that, not like it's stretching out our time watching this movie at all," Mineta replied.

Skidding the blade along the ground, Thor shifted the blade of the ship up sideways and tried to lower it again to go into the narrow passage, not quick enough however to keep from slashing off the head of King Bor's large statue.

"Well done. You just decapitated your grandfather," Loki sarcastically congratulated Thor.

Kamakiri snorted. "Okay, as slightly annoying as his back-seat driving is, that was funny," Kamakiri admitted.

Flying out of the narrow passage and over the valleys, waterfalls, and lakes, they tried to evade the cannons' artillery fire, lowering the ship down to where they flew along the underside of a bridge.

"You know, this is wonderful," Loki admitted, continuing his dry sarcasm. "This is a tremendous idea. Let's steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the universe and escape in that. Flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us."

As Loki went on his tirade, the more things he pointed out the more the cogs in Nezu's mind turned. 'While the Dark Elf ship is quite fast, it isn't fast enough to escape the Asgardian ships and I doubt that whatever fuel source it has would be enough to escape from Asgard directly,' Nezu went over Thor's plan and how it was progressing in his head. 'And the plan is for Loki to show them a secret path to Svartalfheim, most likely in Asgard, which will be almost impossible when they are being followed by Asgardian forces. Additionally, Loki is correct that how Thor has been destroying parts of Asgard and attracting attention with an enemy ship would make for them the ship to be nigh impossible to miss-'

Nezu's eyes perked up. 'Unless' Nezu's thought train suddenly went down what he felt was the right track. 'That is exactly what Thor wanted.'

"It's brilliant, Thor! It's truly brilliant!" Just as Loki finished his tirade, he failed to notice a door opening behind him, one that Thor pushed him out of, Loki screamed as he flew out.

"What the Hell?!" Itsuka exclaimed.

The rest of the group was shocked at the sudden action, most especially Monoma, paling at how he was just pushed off the ship by his brother.

Thor smirked, leaving the controls, scooping up Inko in his arms, and jumped out as well, falling until he landed on an Asgardian ship flying right below them. Driving the ship, Fandral laughed, Thor and Inko beside him but his laughter towards the God of Mischief, laying on the floor. "I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," Fandral quipped.

"I'm sorry, huh?" Mount Lady questioned.

Loki got up, looking to see the Dark Elf ship continue to fly while the Asgardian ships chased and fired after it.

"I see," Edgeshot realized. "The plan wasn't to escape Asgard itself in the Dark Elf ship but to escape the palace and draw the attention of the Asgardians while they boarded a secret ship that my counterpart brought in secret, having it low to the water and the bridge to be easy to miss."

"And while the Asgardians chase the Dark Elf ship, they can sneak away in the Asgardian one," Aizawa finished the summary of Thor's plan.

"Ohohoho, quite a brilliant plan, if I do say so myself," Nezu clapped his paws. "A little dramatic and sloppy with the destruction of property in the process but brilliant enough."

"T-Thank you, sir," All Might slightly deflate from his earlier pride at his plan.

"Although, how is the ship still going?" Uraraka asked. "Does it have an autopilot or something?"

"Beats me," Asui croaked.

As Thor set the sleeping Inko down gently, Loki said "You lied to me. I'm impressed."

"Same here," Gran Torino chuckled. "I'm almost so impressed that I'm starting to doubt that you and he are truly connected, Dull Might."

And finally, all of All Might's pride deflated like a sad balloon.

"I'm glad you're pleased," Thor remarked sarcastically in turn. "Now, do as you promised, and take us to your secret pathway."

Fandral stepped away from the stick that was the wheel of the ship, letting Loki take control as he steered the ship to course across the lake. Explosions and fire sounded and lit behind Thor, the God of Thunder noticing to see a lone Asgardian ship chasing and firing after them.

"Well great, they've been spotted," Sato threw his hands up.

"Luckily, just the one," Shoji noted. "If they can take it out, safely, then they can still sneak away."

Loki steered the ship from side to side, evading the bolts before leveling the ship up higher in the air. "Fandral," Thor called out.

"Right," Fandral grabbed at the rope at his feet, stepping up to the ship's ledge. "For Asgard," He declared right before hopping off, swinging from the rope and onto the pursuing ship below them. "Nothing personal boys!" He yelled in advance, striking and knocking one soldier out, kicking another down, and dodging the sword swings of a third, grabbing his sword arm and elbowing him in the face.

"Well done, Ninja boy," Miruko clapped, nodding impressed at the quick takedown.

Edgeshot merely nodded, likewise impressed with his counterpart.

His job done, he saluted off to Thor, the Prince of Asgard nodding back his thanks.

As so too did the former of Symbol of Peace and the Number 4 Hero exchange nods for the latter's counterpart and his efforts.

Loki steered the ship over toward the mountains, the ship heading straight into the side of one.

"Wait, are they headed straight towards that mountain?" Melissa asked, her eyes widening the closer they got.

"Loki?" Thor questioned, alarmed.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it," Loki explained, cryptically.

"True," Hound Dog grumbled, though held back some of his human psychology points about people often doing the harder things in life simply to spite another.

"Are you mad?!" Thor questioned further.

Loki tilted his head. "Possibly."

"No, not possibly, absolutely," Shinsou corrected.

Monoma could say nothing in his defense, more so because he didn't know whether other him was in any part sane.

With no choice, Thor ducked down, bracing himself and Inko. Loki aimed carefully, the mountain getting closer and closer till the target was getting clearer: a narrow crack on the inside of the mountain. The ship slipped in, the ship's wings and sides scratching along the cave's sides, energy whirring around them as the rainbow light of the Bifrost enveloped them, the ship slipping into the energy before hitting the end of the cave.

"Intriguing," David muttered. "With how narrow the passageway was, it would be easily missed from afar as just another side of the mountain. But the way they traveled looked like a part of the Bifrost. How?"

"Perhaps, we've been thinking about the Bifrost too narrow-mindedly," Melissa took Izuku's notebook and flipped toward the pages about the Bifrost. "We saw how that model of the Yggdrasil phenomenon connected the Nine Realms and those other smaller ones, and how they were able to be traveled to easily with the Bifrost Bridge and when it was destroyed, it seemed impossible for them to travel between worlds instantaneously."

"But, then in The Avengers, Odin had transported Thor to Earth with dark magic and the Convergence we saw at the beginning of the movie showed portals opening up to all the realms simultaneously," Melissa began writing down her hypothesis. "Those means were just like the Bifrost, but not by Bridge they used that Heimdall guards, and even if the Bridge was destroyed and repaired, it seemed like the pathways between the worlds were still there, as Heimdall eluded at the end or Thor. So, what if the Bifrost is more than just a Bridge they can use to travel but dimensional energy they harness through the Bridge that is a part of the Yggdrasil phenomenon? Like the Bifrost is an ocean or sea, and the Bridge is just a channel they open and close to run through? It would explain why these other pathways exist between realms because, in my analogy, the other pathways are like other undiscovered rivers that they just haven't found or harnessed?"

Melissa snapped out of her explanation to see the silence that invaded the room. She looked around to see them all looking at her with either wide eyes, full of shock and awe, or confused looks that were often paired with scratching heads.

Before anyone could comment on her hypothesis, F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke up. "Congratulations, Melissa Shield, you are absolutely right."

"She is?" Momo asked, astounded.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulled up information and images on the screen, ones that Mei and Izuku were quick to write down, Melissa too stunned at the moment from being proven right so quickly. "The Bifrost is in fact dimensional energy that grants inter-dimensional transit between the Nine Realms and beyond," F.R.I.D.A.Y. explained. "The mechanism that the Asgardians use to access the Bifrost is more clarifyingly referred to as the Rainbow Bridge, but it isn't the only means that which the Bifrost can be called upon or found. Loki's hidden passageways are essential, as Miss Shield referred to as, hidden rivers connecting the other realms, or more accurately to the Yggdrasil tree phenomenon, like unearthed roots. Odin's dark magics that he used to transport Thor to Midgard also was his more exhausting measure to travel between realms, and the Convergence can be looked upon as multiple holes and breaches appearing in the dams that separate the Nine Realms from each other."

While everyone digested this information, including Melissa being praised by her father, Nezu, Power Loader, All Might, and Izuku for her brilliance. Mei perked up at one of the images that F.R.I.D.A.Y. pulled up, particularly one that A.I. showed before quickly removing, but Mei's selectively eidetic memory memorized that image. In what looked like black-and-white drawings or sketches, the figure in those sketches had the shape of a humanoid man, with curved spikes or horns colored in black arching off the shoulders and the sides of the figure's head, or what looked like a head. The head itself looked more closely connected to the colored black body, with only one-half of what should have been its face colored in white, displaying plain features such as an empty white eye, a curve above it like its brow, and the thin line of a mouth. Another detail she found upon zooming in on the image when she first saw it was the specks of white dotting throughout the black portion of the figure like its body was that of space itself.

On Svartalfheim, a portal flashed into existence, and out from it the Asgardian ship flew out, skipping on the black dirt before continuing to the skies. "Ta-Da!" Loki sang out.

"Well, at least they're now on Svartalfheim," Jurota simplified it.

Kurse walked up toward where Malekith rested, attended by his guards. "We must strike now," Kurse advised his leader, in their Elvan language.

"I just realized, that Kurse is still able to talk and think like normal," Asui pointed out.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kosei asked.

"Well, I guess I'm trying to say that it makes him more dangerous than the Nomu from the USJ or any of the other Nomu," Asui explained. "The whole lot of them are mostly rampaging, mindless monsters and can only act upon command from the League. The Nomu from the USJ didn't do anything until Shigaraki ordered him to attack."

"Yes, I do see what you mean, Asui," Momo cupped her chin, frowning in worry. "In contrast, Kurse can act independently from his leader and think which adds a further element of danger and unpredictability that the regular Nomu don't have."

Endeavor and Hawks had their thoughts return to the Nomu that attacked them in Kyushu. 'Not anymore,' The two thought, remembering how the powerful Nomu was far more intelligent than the rest of the Nomu, able to talk, think, adapt, and counterattack. A Nomu with high enough intelligence to stand against the new Number 1 and 2 Heroes.

'But was that one just a defect or special case? Or are there more like him?' Hawks thought further, the image of Doctor Garaki coming back to mind, how they were all pretty sure that this was the potential creator of the Nomu, and how Hawks believes is the one currently aiding the League and the PLF. The thought that the PLF could end up with more of the same kind of Nomu as Hood further increased Hawks's desire to figure out where the Doctor was and put an end to the PLF for good.

One of the Dark Elves removed the cover from Malekith's head, showing his left side to the viewing audience, and another raised their hand to inspect his face. "No." Malekith swatted it away. "Asgard is meaningless," Malekith replied, sitting up and determined.

Malekith turned to fully face Kurse, revealing the right of his face now burnt completely black and his once white-blue ring of color in his right eye now a sickly yellow. "The Aether has found its way home."

All Might growled. 'When I'm done with you, the black scar will the least that...I...will...' All Might's thoughts stopped as his eyes widened, alit with realization.

More eyes from the group began widening, from the 1-A students who survived the USJ to the adults who'd seen the reports and images.

Mic's mouth dropped open, Midnight covered her horrified mouth, tears pooling in her eyes. 'He...He looks like-'

'Like Kurogiri,' Aizawa thought, his tired eyes fully opened, the sickly yellow eyes over a black, scarred face looked just like the wispy villain's appearance, sans the dark mist all over him. In his eyes, Malekith was replaced by Oboro's smiling face and blue fire-like hair, and then half of his old friend's guise was slowly replaced by Kurogiri's, like an infection rotting away at the memory of his friend.

Aizawa had to look away from the screen before he hurled.

Todoroki's eyes fearfully looked at the villain and, while he too noticed how similar Malekith's change made him to Kurogiri, it was the scar itself that spooked the Half Cold, Half Hot student. Todoroki's hand drifted up till it touched the scar over the left side of his face, mirroring the villain's scarred face on the screen. He then thought of Touya again, the Touya he watched a movie ago parading around a fake terrorist, terrorizing a country and nearly killing Stark, and his slow descent to looking just like Dabi.

Endeavor wasn't oblivious to this, looking down at his youngest son and witnessing the subconscious act. He wouldn't lie and say he didn't think exactly what his son did, or how Dabi's and Touya's faces blending together was haunting him in his mind's eye. Both Todorokis shook their heads, continuing to wallow in their refusal and denial, all the while Enji Todoroki failed to notice how his own hand drifted subconsciously to the scar on his face's left side.

The Asgardian ship sailed through the skies of the Dark World, flying over the collapsed ruins of other Dark Elf flagships. Thor wrapped a blanket over Inko, pressing his hand over her head. Loki, continuing to steer the ship, sighed, wistfully. "What I could do with the power that flows through those veins."

"Stop it," Monoma groaned, shaking his head at his counterpart, not just from the idea of using such power for his own gains, but how much more similar Loki was to himself just now.

Monoma had researched and read about his condition from an early age, curious about himself when the urges had come at the same time as his Quirk. He read how Quirks have a potential psychological effect on the user, affecting or even altering the host's prior personality the more or less it is used or simply through age, Quirks influencing the user to use the Quirk more, like it wants to be used, or being the base foothold for the host's personality itself. Examples of this theory, looking on from the students around him were easy to see. Bakugou's, quite frankly fitting, explosive temper and using his Quirk to express that anger, Setsuna's casual use of her Lizard Tail Splitter, perhaps even Iida's arm chopping as some kind of impulse for constant movement and action.

Monoma had always been a curious soul, even before his Quirk came in, his parents said he had an innate curiosity to mix or try things together, his food, his drawings, and even using other toddlers' toys. And then when his Quirk came in, the desire translated into his Quirk, that curiosity expanding to try out other people's Quirks, wondering what the feeling of using their Quirk was like. That was when he researched everything there was about Quirks and their psychological impact on the mind and body of a person, to know more about himself, but also to know more about other people.

The blonde 1-B student would find a use for this knowledge and know-how in U.A., finding it easier to push people's buttons the more he knows about how people tick and to school and restrain his own impulses to copy every Quirk that he sees, or to flaunt that power to use other's gifts against them.

And right now, Loki lusting over the power of the Aether, that gleam of curiosity and desire in the God of Mischief's eyes, felt so similar to his desires, and remembering what Loki had done with such power, made it all the bitterer of a pill to swallow.

"It would consume you," Thor noted, taking a seat.

"Is he saying that to deter him from taking the Aether or because he actually thinks it will destroy him?" Bondo asked.

"Why can't it both?" Kamakiri shrugged.

"Miss Foster is having such ill-verse side-effects of the Aether because she's more mortal, and perhaps Loki could become better accustomed to the Aether given his stronger physiology and powers but given how the Aether has near unlimited power with a mind of its own, maybe only the Dark Elves for forged it truly know how to control it," Shoda proposed.

"She's holding up alright," Loki replied. "For now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never even know," Thor defended her.

'Agreed,' That was the shared thought of Izuku, All Might, and Bakugou, all too knowing of the hidden, inner strength of the Midoriya matriarch.

"Say goodbye," Loki told him.

"Not this day," Thor shook his head, looking to her rest form.

"This day, the next day, a hundred years, it's nothing," Loki bluntly snarled out, standing up. "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you've prized will be snatched from you."

"Ah, the age-old conundrum and discussions revolving around immortality and/or longer life," Nezu sighed. "Man's eternal search for the means to escape the inevitability of death, but what price would any human pay to subvert the rules of mortality? Would they still seek companionship, even with the forgone conclusion that they will outlive their partner? Will they be willing to repeat their actions knowing it will end all the same, or will they cease to seek such company and isolate themselves? And how long will that last until the need for socialization take hold? And how long will they continue such an existence before they beg for death instead?"

"Well...uhm...thanks for the deeply depressing mood there, Sir," Snipe tried to quip.

As the group attempted to shake off the principal's depressing philosophical thought- and Aizawa and Mirio cover Eri and Kouta's ears from it- Midoriya's thoughts turned towards the past wielders of One For All. In a way, they cheated the finality of death by being part of One For All, recalling his interactions with the Vestiges. But then were they even really the past wielders themselves? Were they truly the souls of the past bearers left behind to continue their work to stop All For One, or were they simply just marks, truly Vestiges of those that came before while their real selves passed on into the unknown beyond death? And if so, did that make the Vestiges any less real and true to who they were? Would that be the same when it comes time for All Might to pass away?

Izuku shook his head from such morbid thoughts. 'No, no whether they are just Vestiges or not, it doesn't matter. They're still alive,' Izuku thought, firmly. 'Maybe not alive like they once were, but I saw how they act, hear what they saw, feel how they feel.' Izuku remembered the Vestiges acting to snap him out of Shinsou's Brainwashing, how they showed him the origins of One For All in his dreams, and the 5th user telling him about Black Whip. He remembered the words that All For One's brother, the First User, said to him, and even felt the feelings that Shimura's Vestige felt, how true her sadness, pain, and love felt. How something like that couldn't be anything else but real?

And right then, Izuku felt another wave of some foreign emotion flood inside him: gratitude. Izuku felt the gratitude and joy that his thoughts resonated with the past wielders, and it made him smile. 'You're welcome.' Izuku thought back, knowing they got the message.

"And will that satisfy you?" Thor snapped at Loki.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature," Loki rebuttal.

Itsuka gave a side-eyed glance toward Monoma, wondering if he felt any kind of satisfaction when their class won something against 1-A, or if it was a farce, an urge that held no end.

"Surrender is not in mine," Thor retorted.

Gran Torino grinned, agreeing. As dumb as he was, Toshinori Yagi was as stubborn as can be, refusing to surrender under any means. He didn't surrender when Shimura died, when his stomach was destroyed, or in his conviction to choose and train Midoriya as his successor. For better or worse, Torino knew that Toshinori was too stubborn a fool to lie down and let other people walk all over him.

At least, when it's not him or Nezu, or Ms. Midoriya, now.

Loki snickered. "The son of Odin..."

"No. Not just of Odin," Thor stood up and made toward Loki. "You think you alone were loved of Mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust."

Monoma knew he deserved that, but he couldn't help that jealous spike of rage believing his other-worldly brother held more affection from their mother than him.

"Trust?" Loki growled, questionably, rage pooled in his eyes as his teeth gnarled together. "Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?"

All Might frowned deeply, his knuckles cracking under the audacity of Loki's accusation.

"What help were you in your cell?" Thor questioned back at Loki's spat.

'Maybe if I was freed to help, I would have,' Monoma thought bitterly.

"Who put me there?" Loki asked back, before snapping. "WHO PUT ME THERE?!"

"You know damn well! You Know Damn Well Who!" Thor yelled back, slamming Loki onto the ship's side, fist raised to strike at him.

An awkward silence made the tension in the room so thick; one could cut it with a cake knife. All Might felt guilty at what his counterpart said to Loki, but he couldn't deny that Loki made it feel like everything bad that ever happened to him was because of Thor, and that made his anger sting. He of all people would know what his faults were or not.

He looked down towards Monoma, not surprised to find the blonde looking back at him and nodding, no words were needed to convey that he understood. 'Again, we're not so different down in our core,' Monoma thought. 'When my class didn't get as much attention as 1-A after the USJ incident, I blamed them for being fame-hungry narcissists when they were but victims themselves. Whenever they fell short, I thought it was karmic punishment for their hubris, a show of testament to my class's strengths, when it was nothing but circumstance.' His thoughts turned to Midoriya and Bakugou, and then to that interaction between Reiko and Tokoyami. 'And when I was afraid for the safety and well-being of classmates I tried to frame and shame those they held interest in when it was none of my business. Would I have done the same with Tokoyami and Reiko, as well? Everything I did, I did because I felt I was owed something for slights that never happened.'

"Hey, stop giving yourself such a pity party," Monoma blinked, surprised. He turned to the voice of those words, finding it in Hitoshi Shinsou. "Your counterpart messed up, a lot, I thought we agreed that nothing he did reflects on yourself," Shinsou continued. Monoma frowned, opening his mouth to reply that that wasn't the case for his mood. "And" Shinsou cut him off before he could reply. "Instead of blaming and framing Loki's bad traits to yourself like you're some bad guy, shouldn't you be more focused on the good things you do? I thought seeing the good in others is what the main characters do?"

Monoma went silent at his words, his brain remembering their talk before their match against Midoriya's team, what he told Shinsou about himself and how the world saw both of their Quirks, how the world saw him as a side character in his own story.

But then, Shinsou's words began to click. 'A main character can feel sorry about themselves at times, but what makes them the main characters, the truly important and strong people they are is the ability to recognize their faults and grow stronger from them.' Monoma then thought about all the things he did for his classmates, hyping them up to be the best they can be, helping to push them to where his class all passed the Licensing Exams or where all but him passed the Final Exams, and pushing themselves to be 1-A's equals, not inferiors, to helm his class make themselves see each other as the main characters of their stories, not the side character of another.

'And' Monoma looked at Shinsou, his tired eyes gazing at him as if expecting an answer. 'The main characters also help others to find their way.'

"Yes, y-you're right," Monoma offered a small, yet grateful smile. "Thank you for talking some sense into me." A small, pompous chuckle broke out his mouth. "How silly was I being now?"

Shinsou scoffed, smirking. "Not sillier than I was," Shinsou replied, looking away, casting a side glance to another person that helped push him down the right path: a certain green-haired bag of sunshine.

Loki expected it warily, yet it never came. Thor breathed heavily, letting his fist drop at his side. "She wouldn't want us to fight."

"Well, she wouldn't exactly be shocked." Loki corrected, smirking playfully.

All Might and Gran Torino snickered, thinking of those words to what Shimura would expect of the two in her absence.

A ghost of a smile graced Thor's lips. "I wish I could trust you," Thor admitted. Saying his piece, Thor turned his back to him, looking on to their destination.

Loki lifted himself. "Trust my rage."

"Rage can be a weapon if you can control it," Jurota muttered, thinking inwards. "Or it can blind your path."

Back on Earth, the psychiatric ward was shown. "You'll have to sign for your father's belongings, Mr. Selvig," The attendant said, turning the clipboard and paper over to Ian and Darcy as they waited.

While Ian looked around, Darcy tapped at his shoulder, gesturing quickly to the man expectant. "Oh, yeah. My father, Dr. David Selvig," Ian repeated, nervously.

"Ah, so Kosei's counterpart is posing as Mr. Selvig's son to get him out of the ward," Itsuka realized quickly enough.

"I suppose they look alike enough," Reiko tilted her head. "Would be better if he was blonde."

"At least I get something to do," Kosei muttered to himself.

The man looked at him suspiciously for but a moment but let it slide. "One man's leather wallet, brown," The man began listing and placing the items on the counter. "One key ring, three keys. Prescription medicine..." The man dropped a bag full of several bottles. "Various." Ian and Darcy looked at each other.

"Ah, no different than here, huh, Dave?" All Might teased David Shield.

"Hey, if anyone out of two of us is the crazy one, it has to be you, you reckless dunderhead," David smacked at All Might's shoulder, yet smirking. "Remember how you just jumped at that giant monster while making my car spin out?"

"Who's the crazier person? The crazy person or the one that follows the crazy person?" All Might grinned.

"Well, that would mean that you are admitting to being a crazy one," David grinned back.

Both Dave and All Might laughed. Melissa smiled at the two bantering like the old friends, if not brothers in all but blood, that they were.

Darcy went to see David being brought to them. "David," Darcy called to him.

"And..." The man lifted the final part of David's belongings: a pair of poles strapped with scientific instruments and panels. "These."

"Are those the gravimetric spikes that Mr. Selvig spoke of earlier?" Momo questioned.

"Yep, looks like it," Kyoka made an extra popping sound at the word 'yep'. "Definitely looks like what he was waving around when he was running around in his birthday suit."

"Please, please, stop reminding me of that," Melissa groaned, shaking her head while pinching the bridge between her eyes.

"Yeah. Those," Ian stared at them, confused. "Thank goodness." Ian smiled despite the man's dry stare.

"Stop being such a horrible actor!" Pony yelled at Kosei. "You're giving us away!"

"I'm not your intern, hoof-" Kosei stopped whatever insulting nickname he was about to use when he felt a cold gaze upon him. His eyes drifted to where Shoto Todoroki gazed at him with a piercing cold gaze that would likely be accompanied by a glacier if he finished what he was going to say. "I mean, whatever."

"David," Darcy called again to the recently arrived Selvig.

David stared at her in a daze. "Yes?"

"Is he on drugs or something?" Kaminari questioned.

"Remember the prescription medicine?" Mineta pointed out.

"Oh, right," Kaminari replied.

"It's, uh, Darcy," Darcy reminded him.

"Darcy," David quickly remembered. Darcy waved and smiled. "Oh. So good to see you." He wrapped the intern in a hug.

"Oh, I missed you too," Darcy hugged back.

"How did you find me?" Selvig asked.

"You were naked on TV," Ian answered. Selvig gave a questioning look at the new face to him.

"Stop it," Melissa groaned again. "Does anyone here have a brain-erasing Quirk or something?"

"Sorry, Brainwashing," Shinsou replied. "And not the kind you're thinking of."

"Only telepathic communication, sorry," Mandalay apologized.

"Oh! I have a baby that I have been fashioning as a brain-erasing device like the ones in Men in Black," Mei spoke up, excited. "We can-"

"No!" Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida all replied firmly.

"Aww," Mei deflated, cutely.

"Okay, time to go. Lots to do," Darcy continued patting the man during the long, now-getting-awkward hug. "Getting weird now."

Pony giggled. "Your dad is funny when he's loopy, Melissa," Pony said.

Melissa giggle too. "I suppose he is," Melissa replied.

David chuckled, sighing back at the memories of Melissa's toddler days when he made silly faces that made her laugh, or when he played dead, dramatically, whenever she lightly threw one of her toys at him.

Finally, Darcy and David walked down a hall, Ian at the back, carrying the gravimetric spikes and medicine for Selvig. "I should not be left in charge of stuff like this," Darcy whined, exhausted. "I don't get paid enough. I don't get paid, period."

"Aww, I was going to make that meme," Kaminari pouted.

"Thank you, other Pony," Kyoka muttered.

"I'm Ian by the way, uh, Darcy's intern," Ian introduced himself to Selvig, as he took his bag of pills. "Yeah, I don't get paid either." David didn't respond other than continuing to open his medicine. "Are you alright?"

"I've had a god in my brain," David responded, drinking his medicine. "I don't recommend it."

"Noted," Kosei replied.

Suddenly, one of the gravimetric spikes in Ian's hands activated, beeping. Ian quickly made after the two.

"Dr. Selvig, sir, your gear is beeping at me," Ian warned.

"It's happening," David replied. "It's sooner than I calculated."

"Wait. What's happened?" Darcy asked.

"Is it the Convergence?" Iida pondered.

David looked up, Darcy and Ian following his sight, to see a flock of birds. "Birds?" Darcy questioned. "Birds are happening?"

"They're starlings. It's called a murmuration," Ian answered. "My dad, he used to take me birdwatching as a kid."

"Did yours do that?" Honenuki asked, curious.

"Actually, yeah," Kosei blinked in surprise at the comparison. "When my Quirk came in, I tried to see if they would notice a wall of solid air. Unfortunately, one didn't."

Koda gave a short glare at Kosei.

"Nerd," Darcy replied, to Ian's slight offense.

"Hey!" Kosei replied, also taking offense.

"Look!" Selvig pointed. The murmuration of birds continued to fly till they vanished after passing through a barely visible blue portal.

"Did they just disappear?!" Toru exclaimed.

"It's the Convergence," Momo replied. "Just like in that abandoned complex, it's spreading out to the rest of the area and perhaps beyond, creating portals to the other realms."

"Where did they go?" Darcy questioned, the three looking around for the missing starlings.

Suddenly, the starlings reintroduced themselves...from below their feet. Darcy screamed as the starlings flew up from under them, Ian taking cover while David looked in wonder.

"I guess they went there," Mina said, slightly chuckling at the humorous situation.

"What the hell was that?" Darcy exclaimed. "Why are you smiling?"

A smiling David Selvig looked at his medicine. "There is nothing more reassuring than realizing that the world is crazier than you are. Take me to Inko's lab." Selvig walked up to a trash can and dumped his medicine down it.

"I hope you aren't as lax with your parole as you are with your counterpart with his medicine, Dr. Shield," Nezu chuckled.

"Don't worry, I am here to make sure he is," Melissa smiled. "Part of Daddy's parole for what he did during I-Island's incident was barring him from the labs. I was there to spot when he would get stir-crazy and drag him back before he activated the sensors of his ankle monitor."

The kids chuckled while David Shield rubbed his neck, embarrassed at his more unpleasant moments during his house arrest.

"So, how are you and Mr. Shield able to be here?" Mei asked. The group was surprised at the pink inventor's question somehow not relating to science or machi-sorry, 'babies'.

"Principal Nezu managed to get I-Island's board of directors and the American and Japanese law enforcement to allow Daddy and me a trip here to U.A. for an inter-school exchange program for myself and for my Daddy to give some pointers to the Support Course," Melissa answered. "Just as long as Daddy keeps himself within the grounds of U.A. at all times and contacts no one but Nezu and All Might." David lifted his leg to show the monitor attached to his ankle. "By phone, I mean."

On Svartalfheim, as they sailed through the debris, Inko woke up, to Thor's and Loki's notice. "Inko," Thor called to her.

Inko ignored the call and got up, looking out to the sky above to see Malekith's flagship descending from the clouds. "Malekith," Inko registered.

"She must have sensed Malekith's approach through the Aether," Ibara said.

"Well, the moment of truth," Setsuna leaned in her seat. "Whether Thor's crazy plan works or not."

'Please let it work,' All Might thought, hoping for Inko to be alright and to bury his hammer in Malekith's skull.

Thor, Loki, and Inko walked up the large hill, crouched low against the heavy winds of the Dark World. They spotted the flagship touched down in the distance, a group of Dark Elves leaving the ship, including Malekith and Kurse at the front, the former still baring his new half-scarred face.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes, the scene in front of him, with Malekith and Kurse side by side, replaced with their apparent counterparts during the USJ attack, an easier comparison when Kurogiri's apparent counterpart was looking more and more like the misty Villain.

Loki inspected the Dark Elves fully, his countenance one of curiosity and planning.

"Alright. Are you ready?" Thor asked Inko, to her nodding.

"I am," Loki spoke up. The two stood up from their crouched positions. Malekith spotted them atop the hill.

'As I will ever be,' Monoma thought, his nerves so high that his fingers fidgeted atop his armrest.

"You know, this plan of yours is going to get us killed," Loki advised.

"Yes, possibly," Thor admitted.

Loki turned to Thor and raised his cuffed hands to him. "You still don't trust me, brother?" Loki questioned him.

"I mean, he wouldn't be of much help against the enemy if his hands are tied up," Rin argued.

"Still, would you easily trust someone who already stabbed you in the back once and went fully against you another time?" Sen questioned.

"Would you?" Thor asked him in turn.

"My thoughts exactly," Sen gestured to the screen.

Still, Thor removed the cuffs, turning back to face the Dark Elves. Loki massaged his hands together.

Monoma blinked, noticing that hand wringing. After all, he often did it himself when he was about to pull a risky gambit.

"No, I wouldn't," Loki agreed. From his cloak, Loki pulled out a dagger.

Monoma's eyes widened. "Wait, Stop!" He shouted, vainly.

Suddenly, he jabbed it into Thor's side.

"NO!" Izuku, Melissa, and the others yelled simultaneously.

"God Freaking, Fucking DAMMIT!" Bakugou pounded at his armrest with a mild explosion. "I Knew It! I Just Knew It!"

Thor groaned at the stabbing, Loki removed the blade and tossed Thor down the hill of black dirt. "Thor! No!" Inko yelled. Loki hopped down after Thor and Inko followed suit, after them both.

"Okay, who called it?!" Miruko grumbled, exasperated yet expectant of this double-crossing. The Rabbit Hero raised her hand and was soon joined by most of the audience.

"Brother!" All Might growled angrily, though he didn't know what his madder at: Loki betraying him again or his counterpart's blind spot for their brother?

"Why?" Monoma growled at Loki, trying to figure out why his counterpart, after that talk they had on the ship, would just so easily and quickly backstab his brother.

Malekith watched this unfold, him and his Dark Elves advancing.

"Great, and now Malekith is pretty much going to get handed Mom on a silver...platter..." Izuku muttered to a halt, his inquisitive eyes dancing around with the theories in his head. Izuku recalled Thor's proposed plan to Odin, he wanted Malekith to pull the Aether from his mother's counterpart, his train of thought, hopefully, unraveling the truth behind this sudden act to Izuku's eyes.

Thor rolled to a stop, Inko rushing down the small hill toward him and the advancing Loki. "You really think I cared about Frigga? About any of you?" Loki questioned Thor. As Loki reached him, the Trickster God kicked Thor in the gut, knocking him further, the Dark Elves reaching them.

Thor looked around for Mjolnir, seeing it laying a few feet away. "All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!" Loki spat. Thor reached his hand for Mjolnir to come. But as it flew towards him, Loki grabbed Thor's wrist and swung down, his dagger slicing through Thor's wrist and chopping the hand off. Thor screamed in pain, a green tint of light flickering in his stump.

"AAAHHHHH!" Melissa's wail of horror was joined by most of the girls, and Mineta. The blonde surrogate niece of the former Hero clasped her hands over her mouth and tears began to leak. Eri and Kouta were quickly turned away from the gruesome sight.

"Toshi!" David exclaimed in horror, not caring whether the man on the screen was his best friend or his counterpart.

All Might's rapidly paling skin combined with his widened eyes to give him a haunted expression of betrayal. He rubbed his own right hand, just to assure himself that the limb was still there, even flexing the fingers for added measure.

Nezu's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Something is off about this,' Nezu thought. 'If what Loki says is true, then why not simply kill Thor right now? True, most villains make the mistake to brag and gloat while the Hero is badly wounded or near defeat and Loki has made this mistake before, but if he truly wished for Thor's death, even a slow one, then he would have stabbed him in a more vital area than just around his side. And that green glow,' Nezu's eidetic memory didn't miss that green flick of light around the God of Thunder's stump. 'Like when he uses his illusionary powers.'

Mjolnir flew past the two, landing behind them. Inko ran up to him, kneeling down to him as Thor clutched the stump where his hand was.

Loki went to them and grabbed Inko The astrophysicist struggled but couldn't escape the Frost Giant's grasp. "Malekith!" Loki called out to the recently arrived Dark Elf. "I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift." Loki tossed Inko at Malekith's feet. "I ask only one thing in return: A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

"How could he?" Mina half whimpered and half raged at the God of Mischief.

"Wait, something is not right about this," Izuku raised his hand and tried calming Mina down.

"Yeah, something is definitely not right about this. There is a stump where Thor's hand was!" Kaminari threw his hands to the screen.

"No, no, I mean don't you guys think that this betrayal came off a little too quickly and suddenly?" Izuku asked. "Especially after their talk on the boat?"

"What do you mean, Midoriya?" Iida blinked his eyes confused at Izuku.

"I just have a feeling that something isn't adding up here," Izuku continued, eyes gazing at nothing while his brain went to work. "Like how we didn't see them coming up with a plan when they confronted Malekith?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, no offense, All Might, but you aren't really the brightest in terms of strategy and planning," Uraraka admitted.

"None was taken, Young Uraraka," All Might replied, sweat dropping.

"Maybe, but after we saw a whole scene with Thor telling his friends his plan how to get out of Asgard?" Izuku pointed out.

"That...is true," Momo agreed, her brain now calculating what Midoriya was insinuating.

"And remember what Thor said to Odin, that he wants Malekith to remove the Aether from Mo-Miss Foster," Izuku corrected himself. "But would Thor really expect Malekith to willingly do that if Thor had just delivered Foster to him without expecting something? Or worse yet, risk harming her if a fight broke out and allowed for Malekith to get the upper hand to remove it from her? It just...doesn't seem logical."

Aizawa's eyes gained a suspicious look to them. 'Midoriya is right. If he...really is like Shirakumo, then he wouldn't fall for such an obvious ploy.' Aizawa knew Shirakumo to be ridiculous and joking, but not stupid. 'And even if we disregard that, this is the leader of his people, who must have enough intelligence to see an obvious ploy. But witnessing the betrayal of his enemies, brutally at that, handing over his goal, and requesting the destruction of a mutual enemy, would be a great way of misleading him.'

"He is an enemy of Asgard," Kurse vouched for Loki to Malekith in their Elvan tongue. "He was a prisoner in their dungeons."

"And now he has the reassurances of his comrade," Monoma muttered out loud, his brain putting the pieces together. "And he referred to himself as of Jotenheim, a realm that he tried to destroy, not of Asgard, to make him appear more like a mutual victim of Asgard."

All Might overhead all of this looked to the screen with open eyes, the pieces falling into place. 'And I don't see his hand anywhere.' All Might note to himself. A silly thing to point out at first, but when compiled with the evidence that Midoriya and Monoma presented, All Might found hope in his brother once more.

Malekith turned back to the pair of Inko and Thor, walking past Inko breathing shakily. He stopped before Thor as he grunted on his knees, his back to Malekith. "Look at me," Malekith ordered. Malekith kicked him over to his back, Thor panting and grunting in pain.

Still looking at Thor, Malekith raised his hand, Inko levitating up into the air. Loki and Thor watched, one curious and the other helpless. Upon his will, the red smokey form of the Aether flowed out of Inko's face, gathering and forming in a swirl between the two.

"The Aether," Asui croaked, staring at the infinitely powerful relic. "He's removing it from her."

"And if what Midoriya and Monoma said is true, then the plan is working," Mirio grinned.

As the Aether flowed out of her, Inko's eyes went inwards, a vision of ruin and Darkness unfolding before her. She witnessed Earth consumed and decayed rotten and in darkness, the fiery light of the sun dying and swallowed in shadow, the Darkness spreading out like a cancer throughout the cosmos, sinking and infecting a structure of the cosmos shaped like a tree, Yggdrasil, and the worlds in its cosmological branches.

"Another vision," Shoto picked up on, narrowing his eyes. "Of what's to come if Malekith succeeds."

As the last of the Aether left Inko's body and grazed Malekith's arm, Inko fell to the ground, exhausted.

"Loki! Now!" Thor suddenly called out.

Grins became to form in Izuku's, Toshinori's, and Monoma's faces when they heard those words.

Loki thrust his hand forward, his palm glowing green. Thor reached his stump of an arm out, the green glow passing over him, the illusion broken, and Thor's hand returned to where it was, along with Thor's armor around his arms.

"It was all an illusion!" Nejire cheered. "To get them to drop their guard, remove the Aether from Miss Foster, and blow it up!"

Nezu smiled at the God of Thunder at how far he had come from his more brutish ways. "Impressive," He admitted.

Mjolnir flew into Thor's hand. Loki rushed to Inko and shielded her. Thor raised Mjolnir toward the Aether, firing bolts of lightning at the swirling red mass, hissing and wailing in discomfort, floating upwards. Suddenly, the Aether exploded in a burst of red and dark mist, enveloping the area.

"It blew up!" Toru cheered.

"He did it!" Pony joined too, jumping for joy.

The dust cleared as Thor stood up, hammer ready. Loki and Inko looked up from their cover to see if the mission succeeded.

"R-Right?" Pony asked, a sudden wave of nervous anxiety flooding her.

All around the three, shards of red crystal rose from the black dirt, floating up around them. They flew into the dust clearing to see the Dark Elves, including Malekith and Kurse, standing unharmed. Thor looked on in shock as the Aether reformed itself in front of Malekith.

"H-How?" Kinoko shuddered, horrified that the plan didn't work.

"Just as Odin's father said, The Aether cannot be destroyed," Ibara remembered.

As eyes widened and dread grew from the plan's failure, Melissa blinked her eyes at how the Aether reformed itself and the pieces of red crystals that gathered to form it.

Malekith raised his inviting arms and Aether flowed into his eyes and mouth to Malekith's screaming.

"And now Malekith has his prize, at last," Reiko grimaced.

Reiko's words, unintentionally, drove the knife of failure into the heart of the former Symbol of Peace. Such shame was only alleviated with the bright side that Inko was finally free of the Aether.

As the last of the Aether went into him, Malekith raised his head, opening his dark blood-red eyes.

Aizawa's knuckles cracked. While the red eyes had no connection to the Warp Gate Villain, the pure colorization of the eyes did bring up in his mind Kurogiri's pure yellow, menacing eyes.

With a swift turn and wordless order, Malekith turned back toward his ship, Kurse following after him, while the rest of the Dark Elves advanced on Thor, Loki, and Inko.

"They're leaving?" Kinoko questioned.

"Malekith has acquired his goal and the Convergence is going to occur at some point soon, so, logically, it would be wasteful for him to stick around and fight with Thor any further," Itsuka explained.

Huffing, Thor readied and swung his hammer, sending three Dark Elves away.

Kurse reached into his belt and pulled out a grenade, activating and tossing it toward them. Loki pushed Inko aside as it exploded above them. Loki tried to run but was pulled by the gravity of the bomb. Before he was sucked in, Thor flew in and saved him from the pull, the gravity bomb finishing behind them.

"Phew," Awase wiped his brow at the near death of his classmate's counterpart. "It's a good thing that he didn't actually get his hand cut off, huh."

"And he saved Miss Foster from the grenade without any prompt or plea from Thor," Izuku smirked, looking at the arrogant blonde of his rival class. "It was quite the heroic act."

Monoma didn't know what he should be feeling. Immense gratitude from Midoriya, one of the most, admittingly, heroic students of their classes and the son of Foster's counterpart, for calling his counterpart's actions heroic, or guilt from the said heroic student praising him in an obvious attempt to make him feel better even though he was unaware of what an asshole-ish action he was planning to do to him.

Monoma decided to just respond with a small smile and a thankful nod.

Giving each other a stare, Thor and Loki got back up, seeing Malekith about to enter his flagship. Thor took off after him, speeding toward the empowered leader of the Dark Elves. But just before he reached him, Kurse swung his arm and backhanded Thor away.

"That's going to leave a mark," Death Arms hissed.

A sudden feeling of phantom pain sprung up in All Might's scarred wound at the memory of when the USJ Nomu struck him in their fight. 'And just like then, I will defeat this abomination for daring to hurt those I care about,' All Might declared internally.

Thor flew back, grunting as he landed on his side. Getting up, Kurse was already on him. Thor grabbed at Kurse's swinging fist and countered with his own punch. The transformed Dark Elf barely flinched. He threw another punch, successfully stunning the Asgardian prince, followed by a powerful backhand that sent him flying further back.

"Just how strong is this thing?" Mount Lady hissed at the strike.

"From what we saw from the beginning, the other Kursed were able to likewise send Asgardian warriors away with a flick of their wrists and were only defeated with multiple Einherjar banding together to strike all at once with spears," Edgeshot recalled. "However, here, there is only Thor and Loki who could fight this creature effectively and the only pointed weapons they possess are Loki's daggers which I doubt would harm this creature much."

"And a strike from Mjolnir wouldn't just bask this guy's skull in?" Pixie Bob quirked an eyebrow up.

"Perhaps, but this Kursed does appear somewhat stronger than the others that we have seen from the beginning if he can easily surpass Thor in physical strength," Tiger replied.

Kurse gave chase while the flagship rose to the sky and vanished without a trace.

"He was buying time for Malekith and the Dark Elves to get away," Thirteen grumbled.

Loki was surrounded by four Dark Elves, all waiting for who to strike first. Loki quickly blocked a swipe from his right, his dagger blocked by the Dark Elf's raised arm.

"Wait, they aren't going to shoot him?" Miruko questioned, confused. "I mean, props to them I guess for thinking they can fight an alien god or whatever in a fistfight, but didn't they have those laser guns? Where are they now?"

"I don't know," Ryukyu admitted honestly, similarly confused, though pleased that it gives Loki a far easier fight.

With Thor, Kurse lifted him off the ground. Thor punched at his gut with little effect and then another punch across the monster's face. However, the third punch Kurse ducked, countering with another powerful punch that sent Thor careening into the mountainside. Kurse looked to the pillar of rock to his side and punched at its base, removing the rock from the ground and lifting it high. Kurse launched the rock toward Thor, recovering in time to raise his arms as the rock collided with him.

"Uncle Might," Melissa murmured worryingly, her hands nervously fiddling with each other. When a hand grabbed at one of them, she paused and looked to find it belonged to Izuku, who gave her the best comforting smile he could muster at his own worried face. Melissa gave a smile back and squeezed his hand.

Thor got out of the resulting rubble, looking up to see Kurse stalking toward him. Thor raised his hand, Mjolnir flying toward Kurse's back. Mjolnir was right behind him as Kurse back-struck the hammer away to the left of them, crashing through the mountain.

"Okay, how is That possible?" Mount Lady gestured to the feat performed. "That thing can destroy an entire bridge of energy, take down one of those giant Chitauri creatures, and strike away at the Hulk, but this monster can just backhand it away?!"

"I suppose," Kamui Woods just shrugged not finding any sense in that either.

"Regardless of whether Kurse should be strong enough to bat away Mjolnir or not, if Thor cannot cause damage with his bare fists, and cannot get his hammer back to him, then he is in trouble," Cementoss responded.

Loki fought with the Dark Elf forces, expertly blocking their attacks, slashing and stabbing at them as they approached, till the last one he put into a chokehold and slashed his knife across his neck.

"Wow, badass," Kamakiri smirked, impressed.

Monoma smiled too, while analyzing Loki's movements to copy for his own. 'You know to swipe at someone to copy their Quirk, not stab at them,' Monoma stated to himself.

Finished, Loki saw Kurse advancing on Thor, walking toward them. Kurse pummeled Thor into the ground, smashing his fists again and again on the grounded God of Thunder relentlessly. Dazed and bruised, Thor looked up at his foe. Kurse raised his arm high to smash down on him...and a spear pierced out from his chest.

Kurse slowly turned to find Loki responsible. Kurse growled at him, while Loki frowned. Grabbing him, Kurse brought Loki to his chest, the spearpoint stabbing into Loki's chest, too.

"NO!"/ "NO!" Both Thor and All Might roared.

Accompanying the enraged roar of the Symbol of Peace, now being kept in his seat from Aizawa's scarf, were the yelps of cries from the 1-B girls, including Itsuka and Pony, and the stunned silence of the rest of the students and teachers.

Monoma grasped at his chest, where Loki was stabbed with the spear. 'Is this how it felt?' Monoma asked, wondering if this was how Present Mic felt when his counterpart was stabbed in the chest by his own. Monoma tried and failed to muster an ironic chuckle, trying to escape the surreal sight of his own counterpart's stabbing.

Loki grunted and strained against the spear in his chest and Kurse's grip. A slight clicking was heard before Kurse tossed Loki away onto his back.

Kyoka, Shoji, and Miruko perked their heads up, catching the quiet clicking. While the two students wondered what it was, Miruko let out a knowing grin.

The sound of rapid beeping filled the air as Kurse stalked toward Loki undeterred. "See you in Hell, monster!" Loki spat out, the beeping growing more rapid.

Kurse looked down at his belt, one of his grenades was live.

"It's one of those Gravity bombs!" Uraraka pointed out.

Monoma smirked. "One last trick to leave on," He muttered.

Kurse tried to reach it but failed. The grenade went off an orange, yellow, and red swirling glow surrounding the monster as he floated up. Kurse roared in pain as his legs twisted inwards, then his arms, his limbs, and rocky armor cracked like bones. Kurse let out one pitiful roar before his head popped out of his helm and down into the vortex of gravity. The last of his armor and body was sucked into before vanishing in an audible boom.

"Good riddance," All Might muttered at the monster's demise.

"That was for Frigga," Monoma muttered again, gratified that his vengeance for his mother has been fulfilled. Partially.

Thor ran up to Loki, kneeling as the Mischief God gasped for breath, skin growing pale. "No. No, no, no," Thor whimpered as he held his brother in his arms. "Oh, you fool, you didn't listen."

The satisfaction of victory of obtained revenge faded quicker than expected reality crashed upon the group. What joy remained in All Might's and Monoma's eyes died, as they watched the two brothers.

"I know." Loki choked out, skin paling further and further, even darkening in place. "I'm a fool, I'm a fool."

Sniffles were heard from the group, mostly from the 1-B students, watching one of their own dying in the arms of his godly brother.

Vlad King's body shook with fury and sadness. Just when he had recovered from the counterpart of Ibara nearly dying in the previous movie, now another of his students was dying before his eyes, the blood Quirk teacher once more powerless to stop any of this.

"Stay with me," Thor pleaded.

"I'm sorry," Loki gasped out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Monoma lowered his head, shadows blocking his eyes. His visible smile whimpered between a sad smirk and a frown. 'At least I managed to apologize,' Monoma tried to repeat in his head as if consoling himself. Only guilty bitterness was met that he couldn't have made up sooner and spent further good times with his brother.

"It's okay." Thor hushed his brother, looking at him mournfully, yet proudly. "It's alright. I'll tell Father what you did here today."

Ryukyu, Edgeshot, Fat Gum, and Hawks bowed their heads. The counterparts to the Asgardian warriors felt guilty and ashamed of themselves for their words and thoughts towards the God of Mischief, believing the trickster to betray Thor at the earliest opportunity. And now that same trickster that mistrusted has done what none of their counterparts did and took revenge for their Queen. All they could do was offer their silent apologies and gratitude, and their silent mourning.

'Heh, he was truly one of us, in the end,' Hawks thought bitterly.

Izuku, Uraraka, and Jurota frowned sadly at the dying Frost Giant, surprised themselves by the feeling of sadness and loss that god's death was doing to them despite his actions towards their counterparts and New York. Izuku brought a sobbing Melissa and Kouta into a hug, doing his best to keep back his own sadness and offer not only his thanks to the God of Mischief but also the feeling of gratitude and sadness that Midoriya was sure came from Nana Shimura.

Uraraka and Jurota felt conflicted in their feelings, unsure of what to feel now that the Trickster God's life was fading before their eyes. At one point, during The Avengers, they felt that they would be secretly happy that the psychopath who invaded New York, traumatized Uraraka, brainwashed Shinsou's counterpart, and manipulated Jurota's counterpart to go berserk would get his comeuppance. Now, seeing the former Villain aid Thor, worked together with his brother to trick Malekith, save Miss Foster from the Aether and the gravity bomb, and avenge Frigga's death, acting like a Hero, made those thoughts feel guilty, and the two felt sympathy and sadness for Thor, All Might, and Monoma.

Loki looked at him silently. "I didn't do it for him." Loki didn't have to specify for Thor to know who.

Monoma choked back a sob. 'For Frigga, for my mother,' Monoma declared, taking Itsuka's comforting hand atop his own in silent acceptance.

Loki's breathing ceased, his eyes closing, skin as pale as dried bones, veins visible, blackened, and decayed.

All Might's armrests were shattered completely. The buffed-up form of the former Hero struggled half-heartedly against Aizawa's binds, a tear slowly falling from his eye, sounds that approximated sobs and grits coming out of his gritted frown.

"NO!" Thor roared, face scrunched in rage and grief, teeth grinding in inner pain.

As the 1-B guys held back their anger and sadness in their shaking forms and the 1-B girls sobbed and whimpered, Bakugou and Shinsou growled, the former more audibly and the latter silently. The anger that the two held for Loki and his actions remained but so now did the anger of their conflicted feelings bringing up sympathy and sadness for the Trickster God.

'In the end, he actually made us feel sad for him and his death,' Shinsou thought, both amused and bitter. 'Ain't that quite the trick.'

Bakugou decided to direct his sympathy to those he felt less complicated about, Monoma All Might, and Ibara, and his anger towards the Dark Elves that had still remained.

With the winds of the Dark World bellowing all around them, Inko could only watch from afar, helpless, as the god held his dead brother in his arms, thunder rumbling in its god's sorrow.

The shaking quiet sobs of the Symbol of Peace stopped and instead, the shaking of his body was of a different emotion. All Might's eyes flashed a bright blue full of one single emotion: Rage.

'Malekith attacked my home, threatened the woman I love, or at least her counterpart, killed my mother, and now my brother,' All Might's fury rose with every unforgivable offense. 'No more ifs or buts. He. Will. Die!'

AAAAANNNNNDDDDD SCENE! Oh my god, finally! 3 parts down, only 1 to go! Oh, also, happy late anniversary! Yep, it has been a year since this 2nd phase of Welcome to the MCU fic was started and almost three years since Welcome to the MCU was first started all the way back in July of 2020. Ah, back when we first were stuck in our homes and getting irrationally angry over wearing a piece of cloth over our faces.

Sorry guys, this took longer than I expected. I actually wanted to finish this and post it weeks ago, but I was really struggling in the final moments of this part for whatever reason, especially the ending with Loki's death. Mostly because the knowledge that this is a fake-out death made it hard for me to convey the sadness that the death of Monoma's counterpart would have on the characters, especially All Might.

And now that the finale of this movie is coming up quickly, so too does that worst part of this movie that has everyone have the evidence to say why this was one of the worst MCU movies. The final fight between Thor and Malekith felt rushed and anticlimactic, with the cutbacks to the other characters just to have them involved in the fight, and the quick wrap-up of the end. But I hope that I can persevere and get this movie over with so we can get onto more plot and a movie that I actually like: Captain American: The Winter Soldier.

Also, another thing that kept me from finishing this thing quicker was because of the hype, excitement, and awe that I experienced with a recent movie that I watched. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Oi por Dios, este pelicula fue increible! The action, different art styles for every dimension, stakes, and conflict of ideologies that made me agree and sympathize with both Miles and Miguel was awesome! No spoilers but this movie was one of the few to come out these past years that I would not say no to watching again and again. It was also a movie that seems to make me connect more amicably and neutrally with my little brother, something that we rarely do nowadays with him becoming a moody teenager.

He even claims that Miguel is him, mainly because his skin tone is as dark as Miguel's, they're both Hispanic, and both like to work out and get jacked. I mean, I'm Hispanic as well, but my skin is ghostly pale and I'm nowhere near as jacked as Spider-Man 2099, so I just let him have his fun, even though I knew of and was a fan of this character for far longer, ever since the Spider-Man games Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time. Anyways, I can't wait for Beyond the Spider-Verse to come out hopefully next year and the Blue Beetle movie coming out two days after my birthday. We Hispanics are eating good lately, though I acknowledge that the Hispanic representation is simply a bonus to the actual stuff that matters that made Across the Spider-Verse good, such as good writing and characters, well-meaning and implemented fanservice and Spider-Man media love, awesome twists and stakes, gorgeous arty styles and amazing music, and moral quandaries that will have us scratching our heads and arguing for months.

Enough kissing this movie's gorgeous ass, I hope you guys liked this chapter, make sure to check out my other stories here and in AO3 if you haven't already, comment your thoughts and counterpart predictions in the reviews, and keep being civil and nice with others.

This has been Zayden StormVoid and in honor of Across the Spider-Verse, here is a written version of the ending of an awesome Spider-Man game that I'm sure you guys will know immediately.

Classic: Yeah, those guys were all right, but you have to admit...

Noir: With four different Spider-Men...

Ultimate: The one thing I know for sure...

2099: Out of all of them

All: I'M THE BEST!

Stan: And to all of you web-spinning wonders I proudly say: EXCELSIOR!