It's been a while since the last chapter of this came out, but I'm getting into a regular flow... I think. Anyway, the last chapter earned some rather harsh criticism and, honestly, it was deserved. I needed to step back and look at it objectively, to separate myself from my creation, and wrestling with that slowed this quite a bit, but I think I've learned the lesson I needed, so here's to you all!

Gamelover41592: I certainly thought so.

LEGOBRICK13: Izuku was trying to be logical, the way Aizawa taught him. Too bad the cinnamon roll didn't think about how Aizawa's senses of what is socially acceptable is a little skewed. Now he has to deal with it.

Monkey D. Conan: I'm glad you enjoyed it! This chapter should answer some of your questions, but -as every good chapter should- I expect it to bring up several more. And yes, the difference between the Assassins and Templars is not as wide as I'm sure many of them would like to think it is.

Ranger McAleer: Oh, those things definitely exist. It took me a while to figure out why you brought those up, but we might see a joke at some point.

sansdust: Thank you, I will!

Souloman: As someone with a sister myself, I know how scary girls can be, so you could say I have some experience there. I'm glad you enjoyed the fights, too. I can't describe every fight there is (I'd burn myself out for something that I know plenty of people skip over anyway), but I wanted to at least showcase each of the well-known characters at least once.

Mirko is a little taller here than in Canon, but that was my own mistake and I'm rolling with it. She just always seemed taller to me, but that might have just been the ears and the fanwork. Also, Izuku isn't as tall at this point, I don't think. In Canon, it's a long while and many months of training before they meet Mirko. Here, he hasn't had so much time to grow.

When I saw her powers, I instantly thought of Buggy and always have. Since I have a One Piece story, too, that was my way of nodding to it and trying to liven things up a little. But that joke has consequences.

And yes, you're right. I was trying to go with "foreboding and ominous" with that last line, but what I thought was clever wordplay landed pretty flat. Every Templar dreams of being the generation to end their fight and Kanri and Okame are no exception, but I was playing that up too much. I'll try to be better about that moving forward.

Steelrain66: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! Please do check out my other works (Coby's Choice started years ago and is still going. I have through Fishman Island posted and am damn proud of it). Anything with Assassins and Templars has to be grey, though. They cannot function in any other framework and I love that dynamic. I think it's a nice overlay for the black-and-white of MHA.

Tellemicus Sundance: I think you've reviewed some of my other stuff, right? Good to see you here! Yeah, AC crossovers in general are few and far between, good ones even moreso, so I thought I'd try my hand at a story I wanted to read. I get that Izuku jumping into it was quick, but he did have the option to leave at any time with Keeper's Quirk and he knew they wouldn't ask him to kill anyone right away, or at least that's how I justified it to myself. As you saw in Chapter 2, there was a training montage, so it's not like he became a full-blown Assassin overnight. Realistically, I'm kind of just hand-waving that for the sake of starting the story. As for the robes, I have a reason for that; it just has not been revealed yet. All that aside, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Wizardwold 1020: Honestly, your review was the hardest review I've ever had to swallow. That's not a bad thing; I'd be a pretty poor writer if I couldn't accept criticism, but it really hit close to home because it made me realize I was falling into a bad trope. I thought I was being clever, "Hoo boy, it's a turn of phrase and Trigger's gonna be a plot point because Quirks," but I was falling into a bad mindset with the narration. Truth is, every AC protagonist seems like the panicle from the beginning, but that's only because we're playing them and the modern-day is more like a sub-plot. That's how I was viewing the story, but I had it wrong. The "sub-plot" IS the story here. It's not just about Izuku, so thank you for your words.

I don't believe that this story is out of its infancy yet. We do not have an Izuku who is willing to kill. Unlike the games' protagonists, Izuku isn't willing to take a life so quickly and he still needs to reach that point, to have that development. I have not had the time nor the words to show that contrast (considering MHA takes place in ONE YEAR from the start of UA. I mean really Horikoshi? One year?) Izuku's has only one mission for the Brotherhood under his belt and he was only there to really observe, so he hasn't been put in any scenario where he has to make a choice between being a hero and being an Assassin, but he will. Oh, will he ever, and I hope you look forward to when that comes. The poor bean will not come out unscathed.

ZonZus: If life didn't have adversity, sadness, pain, struggle, failure, and war, it also would not have success, joy, strength, will, or peace. They are a balance, a balance a world ruled by Templars would see removed altogether in the name of peace.

And Quirks did appear at just the right time to disrupt the Purge of the Turn when the Templars were so close to winning, so it's quite frustrating for them. I do plan to reveal and already have what caused the Dawn of Quirks, but that information won't come out for a long, LONG time, because AC stories cover years, unlike MHA.

Alright, enough of that. On to the story!

Chapter 16

Consequences

"Midori…" Mina growled, Izuku imagining a red glow in her eyes and fire burning behind her. She was not alone, Toru, Ochako, and Jiro, flanking her. The boy's eyes darted to those around, looking for even one ally amongst his class. He was left wanting. Every person he made eye contact with turned away. With the guys exhausted, he turned to Tsuyu and Momo, the two girls who were not actively against him in this moment, but even they refused to help him. He turned back to Mina only to see that her group had grown, the girls of 1-B having joined them with the exception of Ibara Shiozaki, the girl still asleep in the infirmary, and Itsuka Kendo who looked conflicted. "Could you try to explain what the Hell that was?"

"I… I… Uh…"

Setsuna glared at him from within the group, popping her knuckles. It seemed no one among the hero students was focused on the match happening in the ring below.

"H-Hey, come on!" Midoriya argued. "It was an official match. You can't blame me for trying to win!"

"Well, no," Mina admitted. "I don't blame you for that. I just thought you were better than Mineta. It seems I was wrong."

Her words pierced Izuku like an arrow, his eyes widening at the insinuation. His fists balled as his Eagle Vision activated with barely a thought, his irises turning gold. A certain pair of blue eyes widened.

"Excuse me?" Izuku hissed, standing straighter. "Do not compare me to that pervert."

"Then don't act like him."

"Do you think I wanted to do that, Ashido? Do you think I wanted to risk embarrassing myself in front of the world?"

"It sure looked like it!" Mina yelled. Izuku could see the blue of her aura slowly turning lighter as his rapport with her fell. "You looked like you are having fun down there abusing poor Tokage like that!"

"Abusing‽" Izuku demanded. "I fought the only way I knew how! I fought because we both know our teacher would kick me out of the course if I couldn't win! I have been walking a razor-thin line this whole year because everyone else is so far ahead of me!"

"Don't give me that bullshit and act like a victim," Mina spat. "You scored seventh on our Quirk Assessment test that first day and your Quirk doesn't do anything! Every one of us never expected you to even consider a plan like what you pulled down there! We thought you were better than that! That was an insult to every one of us here! Aizawa-sensei told us Japan is watching our class because we're the class that survived a villain attack, and our vice-prez goes down there and does that! That reflects on all of us!"

"Clearly, you are an embarrassment to your class," Monoma sneered, the boy glowing red as he ran a hand through his blond hair while the other pointed at him. "I hope you don't claim to be the pinnacle of your peers."

"You stay out of this, Monoma," Izuku ordered, his voice making the 1-B student flinch. "This has nothing to do with you."

Mina pushed the blond out of the way. "You did embarrass us, though," she said. "You really couldn't think of anything better? You couldn't take a couple more minutes to find a way to show off other than to—"

"Well, I'm sorry I don't have a better Quirk like yours, Ashido!" Several of the girls wavered at his words, but Mina and Setsuna remained firm. "I'm sorry I can't create icebergs like Todoroki or blast myself upward like Bakugo! I'm sorry I couldn't bring Tokage's head down with tape like Sero could have or create my own weapons from thin air like Momo! You said it yourself, my Quirk doesn't do anything! I'm sorry I wanted to win so much that I refused to roll over and quit!"

"Hey, this is getting out of hand," Ochako muttered. "Let's all calm down and—"

"You should have thought of something different!" Mina accused, pointing a finger at Izuku. "You should have grabbed one of her arms or a leg, but no! You had to go for the worse body part you could have!"

"I went for what would be effective!" Izuku said, pushing Mina's hand to the side. "I showed what would be the most efficient way to counter Tokage and now she can find a counter to such a thing! What would have happened if something like that happened against a real villain?"

"And who would do such a thing?" Mina questioned. "Mineta? Some bad Quirkless person?"

"Guys, please," Ochako tried again.

"You don't know what Quirkless people are capable of when we've been pushed too far, Ashido! You don't know what it's like living with that stigma!"

"Yeah, well—!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Kirishima yelled, placing himself between the two. "The Hell is up with you two? We're supposed to be friends! Mina, I know this kind of stuff strikes a special nerve with you and maybe Midoriya took that too far, but you know he's not a bad person."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna forgive him, Kiri. He should have done something different."

"When you're thinking in the moment, sometimes you don't think of the best plan."

"But that doesn't mean you go for the first plan." Mina turned and sat, refusing to elaborate. In Izuku's Eagle Vision, she had lost all but the smallest traces of blue, remaining at white. While saddened by such, Izuku was glad things came to a stop before she turned against him fully. He closed his eyes and deactivated his so-called Quirk, turning his back to her and sighing.

"I'm going for a walk," he said. Several watched him go, but no one followed.

"Mentor, I have reports from the other cells about that Trigger dealer's customers."

"Good," the old man said, gesturing the younger Assassin forward. The man knelt, offering the elder a manila envelope before settling himself should the leader of the Osaka Brotherhood need him to send a message.

The one called Mentor opened it, scanning the titles quickly. Each bundle of papers covered the known members, goals, and actions of one of the groups that had been on Tomino Zi's client list.

Akatsuki in Kanto, seven notable members. Sources suggest they use Trigger to live out their fantasies of pretending to be pre-Quirk manga characters. Connection to Templars: negligible. Threat level: little to none. Suggestion: no involvement necessary.

Doctor G, individual. No other information available. Seven informants and Assassins MIA in the attempt. Threat level: high. Suggestion: long-term plan required.

Golden Peak in Shikoku, four notable members. They run Trigger to the rest of the precinct and blackmail their buyers, including local politicians, so they don't need to work. One of their members recently gained entrance into that section of the Templar Order and is leveraging their blackmail to push pro-Templar laws. Threat level: medium to high. Suggestion: observe and neutralize when possible.

Riverwater in Hokkaido, five notable members and several lackies. Theories suggest their plans have to do with the local water. Connection to Templars: indirect. Threat level low to medium. Suggestion: leave anonymous tip to local heroes.

Shie Hassaikai in Mutsutafu, eight notable members and many lackies. They call themselves yakuza and…

The Mentor paused, having to backtrack to reread what his sources were able to learn.

"Who else has seen this?" he demanded.

"Only you, Mentor," the younger Assassin answered. "Our spies gathered the information individually but have not acted as of yet. They and the other Assassins await your orders."

"I see…" The man's eyes narrowed as he read over the information again. According to this information, the Shie Hassaiki have been established for decades. Rooting them out will be possible but incredibly deadly to people across the board if they aren't careful. "Take these papers and make copies to deliver to our contacts in the Musutafu area. I want every ear we have there looking for more information on these people but remind them to be discrete. These people are already a threat and we need to handle them before they step into the light. Our men will die for nothing if they rush forward recklessly. We first need to confirm if they are connected to the Templars or not. If they are, then taking these yakuza out will become our top priority the moment we learn. If not, we will report them to the HPSC and our heroes will work through them. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mentor." The Assassin took the offered pages.

"Ah," the man said, making the younger man pause. "If you find Nekoi, send her to me."

The man nodded and left quickly, leaving the old man in his office. His lips pursed and his brows furrowed as he considered the paths forward. These yakuza have bones to pick with society —a grudge for the loss of respect they've suffered— and are coming into the means to turn the whole thing upside down. If they were connected to the Templar Order, then it wouldn't be just Japan in the crosshairs, but the world at large.

The Assassins could survive such a catastrophe should they fail —the Brotherhood has been pushed to the brink several times throughout the centuries after all— but the cost of failure here is too high to even consider.

And more than that, any self-respecting Assassin would do everything they could to stop this. He waited, musing on his thoughts as his old wounds started to ache. His left arm rose, rubbing the opposite thigh, massaging it in an attempt to banish the thoughts and the pain of the three scars that had rendered him ineffective for missions. The wounds that prevented him from taking this case himself. The messenger returned at some point, delivering the original documents after copying them before taking his leave again, but the man barely acknowledged him.

A knock came from his door sometime later.

"Come in."

"You called for me, Mentor?" Nekoi questioned as she stepped into the room, lowering herself to be eye-level with the Osaka Brotherhood's current leader. She was dressed in her robes, ready to act for her life's mission in a moment. Her hood was down, revealing the cat ears atop her head. They twitched. "Do you have a mission for me?"

"I may soon," he said. "I believe you will have the best chance of succeeding what I have to ask should we need to or finishing what others start if we leave it to pro heroes, but I wish to give you this forewarning so you can prepare. Please, look over these pages."

The inside of Hosu General Hospital looked clean and tidy, the smell of disinfectant hanging heavy in the air. Tenya walked through the hallways as quickly as was allowed without jogging, the young man hurrying to the room whose number he'd been given at the front desk. Reaching the end of the hallway, he barely paused before throwing the door open, his body shaking as his willpower kept him within the bounds of decorum.

His older brother laid in the bed in the center of the room, wires running from him to various machines as they monitored his vitals and a host of other factors. Their father, Tenkudo Iida, was already there at his bedside in a chair, the man having to sit on the edge to accommodate the exhaust pipes coming from his sides. His face, lined from years of stern expressions Tenya was used to seeing, was downcast as he watched Tensei sleep.

"Father," Tenya said, turning the man toward him. Tenkudo was a tall man just hitting the back half of his life, but his years as a pro hero had already streaked his hair with gray. His dark eyes —eyes both his sons had inherited— lacked the luster that was usually there.

"Tenya, come in," he said, the student sitting in the chair beside his.

"How is he?"

"There's been no change since they brought him in an hour ago. They diagnosed a severed spine from a stab in the back and a concussion from a blow to the side of the head. It's not life-threatening, but they sedated him just in case he woke up too soon and aggravated his wounds."

Tenya relaxed. Logically, he knew that if the Hero Killer, if the Assassin, had wanted Tensei to die, then he or his later associate would have been able to do as much without any resistance, but the confirmation that Tensei wouldn't die as a result of his injuries still lifted some of the weight off his chest.

"Do they know who did this?" Tenya asked despite knowing the answer already. Tensei had said in his message that he didn't want to get their parents involved and Tenya would adhere to his wish as much as he could. If he mentioned the voicemail, then his father would surely want to hear it.

"The Hero Killer, Stain," Tenkudo responded, a layer of vitriol in his voice. "We're lucky. The HPSC thinks Tensei wasn't his target."

"Why?"

"Because they found Kido dead at the scene, stabbed through the heart. He could have easily done the same to Tensei."

Tenya recoiled at this information, his mind immediately placing the name.

"Kido? One of Endeavor's sidekicks?"

"That's right. Endeavor's on a warpath to track down Stain to avenge him. He left the Sports Festival as soon as he heard to get started."

"So Kido was the Hero Killer's target and Tensei was just in the way."

"That's the current theory, yes."

The pair lapsed into silence as they watched the slow rise and fall of Tensei's chest. Tenya tried to guess what was going through his father's head, but his thoughts instead drifted to the voicemail his brother had left him, the message in which he confirmed the HPSC's theory and explained why everything happened. A part of him longed to pull out his phone now and reveal it, to bring this shadow war Tensei stumbled into into the light, but he held off.

They sat there in silence, time becoming a blur for the both of them. Tenya felt his eyelids growing heavy despite the sunlight still streaming through the window when Tensei started to stir. Their father stood, his hand grabbing the handrail on the hospital bed.

"Tensei?" he questioned. "Tensei? Can you hear me?"

"Father…?" The injured man blinked slowly, his movements lethargic. One of his arms rose slowly, his hand rubbing the crust from his eyes. "I'm… alive?"

"But not unscathed." Despite his words, Tenya heard the relief in his words and saw some of the tension leave his father's shoulders. "What happened, son?"

"I…" Tensei's eyes narrowed. "Kido called me there to talk to me about something —warning about the Hero Killer, I think— but then he jumped us. He was so fast, dad, and he got Kido even after I took a knife for him. Stain… he apologized to me."

"What?" Tenkudo blinked. "Why would he do that?"

"He accused Kido of crimes he wanted to avenge before attacking. When I took that first knife that would have killed Kido, Stain called me a fool and said I'd served the people well. That injuring me was an accident."

"But he's a killer!" Tenya interrupted. "He's assassinated so many heroes already!"

"You're here too, Tenya?" Tensei smiled weakly without so much as a flitch. "It seems Stain has some sort of vendetta he's carrying out on his own, and I got in the way of that. I'm sorry."

"We'll get him together, Tensei," Tenya vowed. "My class has internships coming up. Once you're healed, if we work together—"

"No," the pro sighed with a small shake of his head. "Tenya, I can't feel my legs."

"You can't…" The younger brother trailed off, mystified. "W-What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't feel my legs, Tenya. They won't move. I can't run anymore."

The words hit Tenya like a truck.

"W-We have options!" he tried. "I'm sure the hospital has operations that they can do! O-Or maybe a doctor has a Quirk that can help! O-O-Or we can go t-to Recovery Girl and—"

Tensei reached out to set his hand on his brother's wrist. The student's watery eyes looked down at him, pleading, but Tensei only offered him a small, wan smile.

"I think it's time I retire from hero work," he said gently. "I'll keep the Idaten Agency going until you're ready, but I can't patrol the streets like I used to. I… I can't show you everything I've learned. I'm sorry, Little Brother."

"I will go inform the doctors that you are awake, Tensei," Tenkudo said, walking to the door to not intrude on the moment his sons were having. He paused at the door, looking back at the scene while a memory overlayed itself. He remembered his own siblings as he watched them and missed those times before Tengo and Tensu were taken from him by a rogue hero gone mad. He stepped out.

Tenya took several seconds to collect himself, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Tensei," he said with a strained voice, pulling his phone from his pocket. "There's something you need to hear."

"WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!" Present Mic yelled to the adoration of the crowd. "THAT'S RIGHT! GET PUMPED UP 'CAUSE ROUND 2 IS ABOUT TO START! YEEEAAAHH!"

"Are you done showboating, Mic?" Aizawa questioned.

"ME‽ SHOWBOATING‽ NEVER! BUT THAT CAN WAIT AS WE BRING BACK OUR FIRST TWO WINNERS! COMING IN FROM THE EASTERN GATE, HE TROUNCED ONE OF THE FESTIVAL'S FAVORITES IN MOMENTS WITHOUT THROWING A PUNCH, IT'S THE DARK HORSE GENERAL COURSE STUDENT HITOSHI SHINSO!"

The dark-haired student stepped into the light as several members of the crowd cheered. He paused, surprise flashing across his face as he recognized voices from his class in General Studies. Wiping the expression from his face, Shinso climbed the stairs, breathing deeply.

"AND FROM THE WESRERN GATE, HE WON THE OBSTACLE RACE, KEPT EYES ON HIM THROUGHOUT THE PAINTBALL WAR, AND BROUGHT AN EXPLOSIVE FINISH TO HIS FIRST ROUND MATCH, IT'S 1-A'S KATSUKI BAKUGO!"

The crowd cheered once more, louder this time, as the blond stomped his way to the ring. His red eyes were stuck in a glare, his teeth grinding as Hitoshi's dark eyes met his.

"THESE TO HAVE OVERCOME SEVERAL OBSTACLES TO MAKE IT HERE, BUT ONLY ONE CAN ADVANCE TO THE SEMI-FINALS! WHICH WILL IT BE‽"

"hEY MAN, I don't know what was going through that last guy's head, but let's have a good match, ok?" Shinso offered his hand. Bakugo did not respond save to raise a hand to point at the Gen-Ed student. He pulled his hand back, drawing his thumb over his throat. Shinso dropped his hand.

"Ready?" Midnight questioned, looking to both competitors.

"I am," Shinso replied. Bakugo nodded, his eyes never leaving Shinso.

"Then begin!"

Bakugo blasted forward, the echoing boom of his explosions following. Shinso's eyes widened as he dove to the side, Bakugo's right hook ruffling Shinso's hair as he barely missed his foe, another explosion slowing his momentum to nothing as he turned with a scowl. Shinso came up out of a practiced but sloppy roll, the purple-haired student spinning to keep the blond in his sight.

"That wasn't very nice of you!" Shinso called, a weak smirk on his face despite his shaking hands. "I mean, you could have at least wished me good luck!"

Bakugo snarled, launching himself forward again. Shinso dove, but the explosive teen was ready for it this time, Bakugo's hand grabbing Shinso's throat as he tried to dodge. The Gen-Ed student's eyes widened as the hero-in-training planted a foot behind his own, tripping Shinso before driving his back into the concrete. Shinso opened his mouth but only a gurgle came out.

"Not so cocky now, huh?" Bakugo sneered, lifting his foe up an inch before diving him into the ground again. Shinso's eyes widened as his hands came up to grab Bakugo's wrist to no avail. "Yeah, I figured it out, Parakeet. It wasn't that fucking hard after watching Half-n-Half walk out like a bitch, but you won't see me make that same dumbass mistake. If you can't talk, then you can't— Fuck!"

Shinso swung a leg, catching Bakugo unprepared as he stumbled. The overbalancing loosened the angry teen's hold just long enough for Shinso to drag his fingers apart and scramble away.

"That seemed to be a dumbass mistake to me," Shinso coughed as he rubbed his throat. Bakugo bit his tongue to keep from doing more than growling. "Aww, what's wrong? You had so much to say a moment ago."

In response, Bakugo brought his hands down and unleashed a wave of fire, the concrete at his feet pulverizing as the explosion ripped forward. The blast hit Shinso before he could do anything, throwing him ass-over-teakettle to the edge of the ring. Bakugo stomped forward through the smoke.

"It must be nice," Shinso winced. "Being born with a powerful Quirk. I bet people have always told you you're so cool. That you have what it takes to be a hero. From what I've seen, though, you're just like everyone else. You're just a kid playing at something without any regard for how the bad guys feel. You don't know what it's like to have the world against you, and that's why you'll never be a real hero."

"What did you just say to me, you little sh—!" Bakugo froze, his eyes losing their luster as his shoulders relaxed. Shinso smirked, waving a hand forward. Slowly, hesitantly, Bakugo turned and stepped away. Every footstep was a battle but Bakugo's fight was ultimately in vain.

"Winner by ring out," Midnight declared, "Hitoshi Shinso!"

"Oh, he is not gonna be fun to deal with," Kirishima commented as Bakugo seemed to regain control of his body. The blond turned and rushed back into the ring, a hand cocked back. Midnight stepped forward, pink gas coming from her hand to wash over the angry student. Bakugo stumbled before falling to his knees. Midnight said something, robots floating onto the ring to carry the disqualified student away. "Well, we've been given a few minutes at least."

"I kinda wish Midoriya had been here to see that," Kaminari said.

"Why?" Mina demanded, still grumpy.

"He'd be in the middle of a new journal entry right about now, ribbit," Tsuyu put in. "I bet he'd have a lot to say."

"No, not that," Kaminari denied. "I just mean that we know Bakugo was like a bully to him for years. Seeing Bakugo get knocked down a peg might have—"

"I would not speculate about such things," Momo said, standing. Ochako had already left to prepare for their upcoming fight. "It did not happen, so there is no point in musing about it. Please excuse me." She stepped out.

"So…" Toru began after a minute of silence. "That Shinso guy. Anyone else think he's the one that's gonna take the open seat in our class?"

"I assumed that was already a foregone conclusion," Tokoyami replied, his face sporting several band-aids after his loss to Reiko Yanagi. "His revelry has carried him into a most dangerous game, one he has now shown twice in which he is capable of contending. I, for one, will not be adverse to acting as witness."

"He seems like a cool guy," Kaminari said. "Kind of reminds me of Aizawa-sensei."

"That's exactly what we need," Mina muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Well, he beat Bakugo, but I'm not gonna trust him until I talk to him myself. Not when he has a Quirk like that, anyway. Just don't tell him I said that."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, PEOPLE OF ALL SHAPES, SIZES, AND CONSTITUTIONS, IT'S TIME FOR THE NEXT MATCH OF OUR THIRD ROUND! COMING TO US FROM THE WESTERN GATE, YOU WATCHED HER COME OUT ON TOP IN HER FAMILY RIVALRY, BUT CAN SHE CREATE THE REST OF THE PATH TO VICTORY? IT'S MOMO YAOYOROZU!"

Cheering filled the stadium as the young heiress stepped into the light, the girl trying to ignore the sounds as she had been trained to since she was young. Her top was unzipped to show her stomach, a precautionary preparation should she need to create something without notice.

"AND FROM THE EASTERN GATE, SHE CAN RISE TO THE TOP WITHOUT GRAVITY DRAGGING HER BACK, BUT CAN SHE BUST THROUGH THE CEILING? IT'S OCHAKO URARAKA!"

Again, cheering echoed throughout the crowd. Each of the young students had beaten someone to get here, having ended Ibara Shiozaki and Tsuyu's runs respectively, so each had understandably earned a number of fans hoping for one of them to win the Festival. While Momo looked more-or-less comfortable under the public eye, Ochako found herself a little hunched over. Her fingers beat a regular pattern, her thumbs tapping the pads on each of her fingers in order as she breathed slowly.

"Are you ok, Uraraka?" Momo asked as the two girls stood across from each other inside the ring. "You look ill at ease."

"I'm not use to so many eyes on me," the brunette admitted. "It was easier earlier when I was just part of the crowd. Now there are people cheering directly against me."

"They don't matter, Uraraka." The Zero Gravity user looked up with wide eyes, her raven-haired opponent offering a smile. "Matches like this are just like the sparring we did in our Heroics class. The people watching have no baring on the outcome, only you and me."

Ochako sucked in a breath, releasing it slowly as he she put herself in a fighting stance.

"Thanks, Yaomomo. I'm ready."

The match began with little fanfare, both competitors circling each other. Izuku watched this from the shadows of a hallway, away from everyone. Well, he tried to watch the fight, to gain intel on Momo and her fighting style and how much of a danger she would be when she became a Templar, but his mind refused to stay on task. The sting of Mina's words echoed in his head.

I thought you were better than Mineta. It seems I was wrong… Don't give me that bullshit and act like a victim… Aizawa-sensei told us Japan is watching our class because we're the class that survived a villain attack, and our vice-pres goes down there and does that! That reflects on all of us!

Izuku's hands balled into fists, a frown marring his face as all the memories of his past resurged. He'd always tried to take the high road, to ignore the jeering and the bullying for his Quirklessness, and his time with the Brotherhood had finally started to lessen that pain. He had not expected her accusations to cut so deeply, however. She'd even compared him to Mineta, a Templar Legacy, even if she didn't know of the pervert's connection to the ancient organization.

Izuku's shoulders drooped as he tried to relax but attempting to force the tension out only proved to be counterproductive. He breathed, in and out, in and out, like Nekoi and Keeper had taught him so long ago, but his breathing quickened even as he tried to slow down, the boy eventually slamming the side of his fist into the concrete wall.

"AND URARAKA DEFTLY STEALS YAOYOROZU'S CREATED CHAIN FOR HERSELF! THAT'LL HELP CLEAR OUT THOSE CALTROPS, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN HER TRAIN WITH A WEAPON LIKE THAT!"

"She hasn't," Aizawa supplied. "Finding a mid-to-long-range weapon might be an improvement for her to consider in the future, but Uraraka's focus currently is getting close enough to activate her Quirk. Still, she's proven to be a quick learner when she needs to be."

"IF SHE WANTS TO PULL THIS ONE OFF, SHE'LL NEED TO LEARN QUICK! AT THE SAME TIME, THIS MEANS YAOYOROZU NEEDS TO BE CARFUL WITH WHAT SHE MAKES LEST URARAKA GETS HER HANDS ON IT, LITTERALLY!"

"Using your opponent's weapons against them isn't against the rules, meaning any way she can use Yaoyorozu's creations against her is permitted."

"Permitted…" Izuku echoed in a whisper. "Nothing is true and everything is permitted."

He recited the words of wisdom passed down through the ages, repeating them under his breath and in his own head over and over again. He found solace in the words, that nothing is true and that his plan was permitted.

Now, he just has to accept the consequences of his actions.

…Not that he was eager to fulfill that thought. He'd go back after his next match. That should give everyone around enough time to cool off after their spat.

...Hopefully.

"OH, THAT'S GOTTA HURT!" Izuku shook his head at Present Mic's words, refocusing on the match below. Momo had created a beanbag launcher, one of her shots having smacked into Ochako's face. The chain she'd stolen from Momo floated around her like it was meant to be a shield, but it had failed in its purpose if that was the case. "SHE'S GONNA HAVE A SHINER 'TIL SHE STOPS BY RECOVERY GIRL!"

Ochako grit her teeth, forcing herself to her feet. Throwing caution to the wind, the brunette let out a battlecry and charged, swinging her chain. Momo tilted her head, dropping the launcher to form a buckler shield. Ochako swung the chain, but the harsh clang of the metal-on-metal impact was not what the shorter girl wanted. Her eyes widened as Momo charged to plant her fist in Ochako's gut. Shaking hands rose to take hold of Momo's arm, but it just wasn't enough before Ochako's legs gave out and he fell.

All motion froze as the crowd waited to see if Ochako had any trick up her sleeve. She didn't.

"Ochako Uraraka is unable to continue!" Midnight declared. "Momo Yaoyorozu is the winner!"

Izuku nodded to himself as the crowd cheered, the winner of the match kneeling before her defeated opponent to help her recover. He wasn't surprised by the outcome of the fight. Let it not be said that Ochako couldn't have won —she certainly had the skills and abilities to do so in the right conditions— but Momo's sheer versatility in places where others' equipment was limited gave the raven-haired competitor the advantage in the ring.

"THAT'S A WRAP ON THIS CATFIGHT, FOLKS! URARAKA PUT UP AN IMPRESSIVE FIGHT BUT HER CLASS REP MANAGED TO WEIGH HER DOWN, EARNING A SPOT IN THE SEMIFINALS! YOU GOT A TAKE ON THIS, ERASER‽ THEY'RE YOUR STUDENTS!"

"Uraraka showed impressive levels of adaptability in her attempts to match Yaoyorozu's vast arsenal, appropriating some of said weapons for her own benefit," Aizawa offered. "Unfortunately for her, Yaoyorozu knew how to counter her own gear and managed to use that to win. Both strategies are regularly used in hero work, either using villains' weapons or Quirks against them or against villains who can do the same to heroes. That's why heroes need to not only be able to adapt, but to know their gear's strengths and weaknesses inside and out."

"AND THIS HAS BEEN HERO TIPS 101! MOVING ON, OUR NEXT MATCH IS, ODDLY ENOUGH, ANOTHER SAME-CLASS MATCH-UP! NIRENGENKI SHODA AND REIKO YANAGI OF 1-B, PLEASE COME ON DOWN!"

The lull in the proceedings allowed Izuku time to check his phone, though he soon wished he had not.

MISSED CALL: MOM (3)

"Oh, that's not good. She's pissed."

"So?" Tenya prompted.

Tensei was silent as the voicemail he did not remember making clicked off. The voice was clearly his —there was no mistaking that after how many commercials and ads he'd had to make throughout his hero career— but even then it had jogged nothing in his memory.

"That's me," his brother finally replied. "I don't remember it, but that's me."

"You still don't remember anything?"

"Whatever Quirk was used on me took any knowledge I had up to that point," Tensei told him. "Any details Kido gave me, any ideas or concepts or reasons he explained, I don't remember any of them. Right now, I know just as much as you do, Tenya."

"Then what do we do now?" the younger brother asked, putting his phone away. "The Hero Killer, one of these organized Assassins, attacked you and killed Kido. They have to be stopped."

"You're right," Tensei agreed. "Problem is, I don't know if they can be."

"What do you mean?"

"I said it there in that message. This fight between the Assassins and, what, Templars? It's been raging for centuries. You can't possibly believe the two of us can bring it to a close."

"You thought we could," Tenya rebuffed. "Even if we cannot, we must try. Is that not the definition of what a hero does? These crimes, this conspiracy, it is simply larger than the average."

"Tenya," Tensei said, setting a hand atop his brother's. "I can't move my legs anymore. Even if we were to get involved with this, I would be no help in the slightest."

"We need to do something! We could… We could take it to the government. Or the HPSC."

"I think they already know, Tenya. At least some of them. This fight that got me injured is like a war between two yakuza groups, only some of these yakuza are public figures. I know there's more to this story of the battle between them, clearly a long and bloody history around the whole world. To organizations like them, I suspect the HPSC or maybe even Japan itself is more like a single piece in a game of shogi, only the pieces are never removed from the board, they just change hands over and over again."

"One side uses murder as their main means of attack!" Tenya argued. "We need to bring them to justice!"

"We can do nothing until we have more information," Tensei shot back. "Look, Kido called me into that garage and told me all that, so his side, these Templars, must believe I think in a similar enough way to them. They wanted to drag me into this fight, something the Hero Killer and the other Assassin apologized for. I don't have any illusion that the Templars have clean hands, either. If they did, there wouldn't be so much animosity."

"It's clear which side is in the wrong," Tenya insisted, his knuckles white as he squeezed the railing of Tensei's hospital bed.

"Are you saying that because of their name, or because one of them injured me?"

Tenya pulled up short, the indifference in his brother's voice causing his fingers to loosen. "What do you mean?"

"Tenya, you can't let your emotions get in the way here. That's how heroes and sidekicks get themselves and others killed." Tensei paused, his eyes looking up into a thousand-yard stare. "If we're going to get involved, then we need to do this right, looking for information without letting our biases cloud our judgement. I will admit, though, the Assassins' means don't paint a promising picture. Still, I'm afraid of what we might find."

"I'm sure the Assassins are behind a lot of horrors."

"That's not what I meant," the elder brother said with a shake of his head. "I'm afraid that people we know are already part of this shadow war, and more than either of us could ever believe. I don't think for a moment that the Assassins' known figures are only villains."

"You think there are heroes that are Assassins?" Tenya gasped, receiving a nod from the injured man. "But to do such would involve them breaking the law!"

"Law are skirted by heroes more often than you think, Tenya. It's been a long time since the HPSC updated the books and Quirks are far too unique for any law to cover every one of them." Tenya looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon, Tensei cracking a smile at the expression. "Listen, I'll keep running the Idaten Agency from a desk job and you work on your schooling. It's not usually our way, but I want you to take this slow. See what you can find before either of us jump headfirst into this. I just avoided getting pushed in, even if it cost me. I refuse to let that happen to you. If you find anything, I want you to tell me first. Deal?"

For the first time since he got the news his brother had been injured, Tenya smiled.

"Deal."

End of Chapter 16

As one thing concludes, it opens another door. The last chapter had some well-earned criticism, so I hope that I've been able to properly respond to it and show that not everything is about Izuku. As I wrote, I'd been thinking about how the games focus on one character (be that Ezio, Edward, Connor, or anyone else) as a conduit for Desmond and the modern-day Assassins, but this story doesn't take place in an Animus and I need to remember that. No matter how big those Assassins were, they weren't the end-all-be-all of the Brotherhood, and neither will Izuku be. I just needed a good kick in the pants to notice how I'd been thinking,

So, some people took offense to Izuku's tactics; I'm sure that will pan out perfectly! And the Brotherhood now has eyes on the Shei Hassaikai, but can they root out the yakuza without a hitch? Shinso secures his place in the semifinals along with Momo, but it seems like even hero students are not free from a little Quirk bias just like everyone else. The Iida brothers talk, but how will they move going forward? This is a dangerous games they're choosing to play, after all. Let me know what you thing!

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods