A/N: Alright, time to play catchup! Let's see just how well our broccoli boi is handling his newest superpower.

Accused

"Stop flailing around!"

"Easy-! For-! You-! To-! Say!"

Deku bit back a curse as he felt a bullet whiz past his ear, far too close for comfort, especially given current circumstances. If he'd had a moment to collect himself, the greenette would have used it to comprehensively wonder just what on earth had happened in the last two minutes.

The day had really started out simple enough.

After settling into their temporary headquarters with Endeavor's agency in Otheon, he, Bakugo, and Todoroki had been sent on a grocery run to gather supplies for the pros, much to his blond rival's irritation. In fact, he half-suspected that Bakugo was rather pleased when a duo of robbers had raced past them, one of them carrying a suitcase full of what they assumed to be pilfered valuables. Almost without even hearing the shouts of the shop owner that had been robbed, the young heroes sprang into action, with Ground Zero and Freezer Burn in hot pursuit. Deku had more or less silently relegated himself to cleanup duty as he trailed behind them, taking time to make sure that no one was seriously injured in the wake of the thieves' escape, as well as preventing any collateral damage within his reach.

As he had given chase, he reflected for a moment that keeping property from being destroyed would have been a lot easier if he had ever managed to master Blackwhip. Still, given that he was now able to use Energon fairly efficiently (thanks in no small part to the gauntlets made by Akarui), he was able to move more quickly and confidently than he had with One For All, as he no longer feared breaking his bones in the event that something unexpected occurred.

After the villains had torn down an alleyway, with Ground Zero chasing after one who seemed to have some kind of explosive ability similar to his own- not that anyone would be stupid enough to compare the two's quality within Bakugo's earshot- Freezer Burn had finally managed to run down the second thief. The man seemed to have the ability to generate a miniature tornado around his body that allowed him to move quickly, even through the crowded city, though it proved powerless against an ice wall.

Just as Deku had managed to catch up to his friend, the half-and-half hero was realizing that the second thief had ditched the case at some point. This led to Deku looking around the narrowed route and catch a glimpse of somebody running away from their location, down another side alley. He instantly gave chase, trusting Freezer Burn to handle the delivery of the other villain into custody to his friend.

The pursuit lasted longer than he had expected, with the new criminal- a boy not much older than Deku himself- managing to give him a pretty spectacular run for his money throughout the city. The hero lost sight of his quarry two or three times, and only when he managed to corner the other boy at the train station was he able to try and get some straight answers.

He was shabbily-dressed and incredibly shifty-looking, not to mention how smoothly he dodged each of Deku's questions without giving anything in the way of a direct answer. Still, he had a briefcase in his hand, identical to the one that the heroes had seen the villains passing off to one another during the chase, so he was pretty sure that he'd got the right guy…

Until it turned out that there was nothing more in the case than some paperwork and writing utensils- absolutely nothing to tie its owner to a jewel heist. Deku had been horrified by his own assumptions and had repeatedly begged the other boy for forgiveness, who suddenly looked a lot less self-assured than he had been when he had been getting grilled by the hero a minute ago. Deku supposed it was only natural- after being chased and harassed by an unknown hero, he could understand the adrenaline wearing off and the stress of it all finally catching up to the poor guy.

In spite of the shabby-looking kid's insistence that he was fine, Deku had been about to offer him a lift to a hospital when they suddenly found themselves surrounded on all sides by over two-dozen police vehicles, including Otheon's equivalent to S.W.A.T. The runner had immediately collapsed in sheer terror at the sight of over thirty guns- pistols and rifles alike- being aimed right at him. Deku had tried to talk the police down, but was more or less ignored in favor of the acting sergeant announcing that they had permission to use lethal force before they all opened fire.

Deku had acted just in time to blast the ground in front of himself and the other kid, kicking up a dust cloud that hid them from view long enough for him to scoop the boy onto his shoulder and then make a beeline for a nearby rooftop. This only bought them a moment, however, because the second that the frightened civilians nearby started pointing and shout in their direction, the police continued to shoot at them, forcing Deku to take the other boy on the run before he could even ask if he was alright. It was all he could do to tell him not to flail around before he took off as fast as he dared.

From rooftop to rooftop he bounded, doing everything that he could to keep away from heavily populated areas, as he could not bear the thought of a civilian getting caught up in this crossfire. Why are they so hostile?! he had to wonder as he realized that there were even more police officers after them than he had originally thought, as there was a new squad coming up the road toward him, while the original pursuers kept hot on his trail. Even if this is about stolen jewels, they shouldn't have been so antagonistic right off the bat! What happened?!

Checking to see that there were no people in the road between him and the oncoming officers while his recue screamed in terror, Deku aimed the palm that wasn't carrying his unwilling passenger at the lead car and concentrated harder, firing a rod of light that pierced the car's hood at an angle and destroyed the tire on the passenger's side, sending the car slamming into a thick signpost and causing a swerving pileup behind them as the officers' compatriots attempted to avoid hitting them directly. This also forced the original pursuit squad to come to a halt, as the pileup spilled out onto the intersection, allowing Deku a moment to set his passenger down as soon as they were out of sight from the police.

"What was all that about?" he asked, more to himself than the other boy, who seemed like he was on the verge of really being sick, now.

Before he could even think about giving an answer, Deku realized that it had been a mistake to assume the danger was past, just because they had lost their initial pursuers. A flash of sparkling green light caught his eye, headed right for the other boy, and so he acted the only way he knew how; interposing himself between the projectile's target and the missile itself, firing compact lasers from both hands in a manner reminiscent of Ground Zero's AP Machine Gun maneuver. As whatever was coming at them was too small and fast for him to be able to hope to match its precision, he had to hope and pray that quantity would beat quality in this instance.

Fortunately for the two boys, it was. One or two of the lasers collided with the projectile and blew it to smithereens, which allowed Deku time to do two things. First, he grabbed the other boy again and took off toward the river that ran along the border of Otheon's capital, keeping an eye out for more green projectiles or regular bullets that might be coming for them. The second thing he did was take a moment to realize that whatever it was that had just tried to take him or the other boy out, it was not a standard weapon- which meant that it had to have come from someone's quirk.

A villain, he thought with certainty as his gaze tracked three more green projectiles headed for him- arrows, he could now see. Why would a villain attack the same person that the police are after?!

Even as he had the thought, he unleashed another storm of lasers that intercepted the arrows as he ran, all while he searched for the vantage point of the person shooting at them. He nearly mistimed his landing on the next rooftop, but he found the archer, taking aim again from afar. Feeling his temper surge uncharacteristically, Deku furrowed his brow as he drew back his left fist while muttering, "That's enough…"

Flinging his fist in the direction of their attacker and concentrating harder than ever, he shouted, "Aquarius… Flash!" Almost before he had finished saying the words, a head-sized ball of energy had appeared and then exploded in a whirling fashion toward their attacker, not only destroying any more projectiles that they might have sent Deku's way, but also obscuring their vision so that by the time the hero had jumped into the river with his fellow runaway, none of their pursuers had seen where they had gone.

"I gotta say, European food doesn't exactly live up to the hype," Mina said as she critically eyed the half-eaten lasagna sitting on her plate. She, Kurai, Eri, and Gran Torino were sitting at an outdoor dining establishment under a warm noon sun for lunch. They had been on patrol for most of the day, and since things seemed to be relatively quiet in the area, their supervisor had decided that they could take a little time to unwind.

"What's not to like?" Kurai asked as he rubbed his hands together as he eyed the next slice of his pizza. "This reminds me of my parents' favorite restaurant."

"Which is nice every once in a while, but I feel like we've eaten knockoff Italian every day since we got here," the pink girl replied. "They like garlic a little too much for my taste, is all."

"Hey, if you don't want it, I'll eat it," he grinned as he reached for her plate, which led to the slapping of his wrist. "Ow! Coulda just said no!"

"No," she smirked before sticking her tongue out at him.

To the side, Gran Torino rolled his eyes while Eri giggled quietly at the byplay between the young couple.

It had been three days since they had arrived in Klayd, and so far, Humarise had been keeping quiet, which in some ways was more worrying than them openly attacking a city again. In the meantime, the young heroes had kept themselves busy with stopping thefts and a couple of muggings. Kurai had done his best to stay out of the sight of any social media posts, even though they were in another country with few chances to have his identity revealed, but it seemed that his and his classmates' efforts were still enough to grab the attention of a number of locals. They hadn't been swarmed by the media like Kurai had been in Japan at any given point, but there had been a few people who had approached them with friendly intentions after seeing the new heroes in action.

Following their initial appearance in stopping a bomber from blowing up a four-star restaurant, Kurai had been more or less consigned to using Blackwhip as his given quirk in public, since he didn't want to have people asking questions about why he appeared to possess multiple powers. He could still use Danger Sense without anyone being the wiser (not that he really had a choice with that one), but he had to be clever about using the raw physical abilities given to him by One For All, nor could he use Float or Smokescreen without giving himself away. Thanks to some extensive digging into the past users done by his brother, he knew that the Third's quirk was some kind of speed (and possibly power) enhancement, but he had not yet tried to use the power, nor had the man's vestige offered him any kind of help in understanding the ability.

Neither he nor the Second seemed to like Kurai, having called him too soft to do what was necessary to secure a future free of All For One's influence. Thanks to some of the memories he had received from the First, he knew that both men had killed villains that had stood in their way when they were alive, and had done so without remorse. Because Kurai was of the opinion that death should not be dealt so cavalierly- only as a final resort in a battle- the two heroes of old kept to themselves whenever the previous vestiges contacted him from within the psychic realm. This would probably become a source of contention for Kurai later on down the line, but he had hands plenty full trying to learn the practical applications for the other powers that had been willingly bestowed upon him by the other vestiges.

As Kurai contemplated these developments, he found himself grinning wryly without even realizing it until Eri asked him what he was thinking about. "Just that my life is a lot wackier than I could have ever predicted it would be," he admitted. "I mean, think about it- rise to heroism, death, resuscitation, physical rehab, learning about my family's mistakes, more heroics, death, resurrection, mental rehab, new powers, world-wide threat… Even if I didn't get diagnosed with some version of 'crazy' or another, I think I'm going to need more counseling when this is all over."

"Do you think you'll be able to see the same counselor as before?" Mina asked.

She tilted her head in confusion when his face fell before he answered, "That won't be possible. She died during the Humarise attack."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," the pink girl apologized as she reached over and grasped his hand. He had told her about the progress he had made thanks to Sayuri, so to hear that she had met such an unnecessary fate was disheartening.

"You're sure?" Gran Torino asked with a somber expression on his face.

"Yeah," Kurai nodded without hesitation. "When my vestige took over my body, we searched the hospital for survivors and restrained the patients who were trying to escape. Found what was left of her body before we had to make our way outside."

"Sorry to hear that, kid," the old man said sympathetically. "You doing alright with all of that?"

"Better than I expected, I suppose," the boy admitted. "I mean, I'm not going on a psychotic rampage even though I'm feeling pretty bummed out, so… progress?"

"I'll take it," Mina said as she squeezed his hand.

It seemed as though she wanted to add something else, but then Kurai's scouter alerted him to an incoming call. "It's Todoroki," he informed the others as he withdrew his hand and answered the call. "What's up, man?" Even though his phone had been destroyed in Kanto, the scouter could function as a replacement device until he got his hands on another mobile.

"We have a situation on our hands," his friend replied quickly, causing him to stiffen in his seat. "Look up Midoriya's hero name on the World Hero Alliance database."

"Mina, Eri, look up 'Deku' with the alliance, quick," he said he felt a pit start to grow in his stomach. While they frowned and did so, he asked Todoroki, "Should I even ask how bad this is?"

"You won't have to once you see the report," the other boy answered. "Bakugo, Schnee, and I are planning to head to the border of Klayd, and we're pretty sure that Midoriya is already on his way to meet you."

"Why is he coming to Klayd if-?"

"Holy crap!" Mina yelped, startling not only Kurai, but several of the other patrons nearby. Without being prompted, she thrust her phone in her boyfriend's face, forcing him to see an announcement that took him a good five seconds to make sense of.

The requested report title read: Japanese Hero Deku Wanted for Mass Murder.

"Come again for Kai?!" he sputtered as he snatched the phone up and all but shot out of his seat. "Todoroki, what the hell am I looking at?!" Across the table, Eri was showing the news to Gran Torino, who looked just as disconcerted as the rest of them.

"He's been framed by someone- probably the local government," the other boy replied grimly. "The biggest issue facing us is that we don't know why- they've shut out Endeavor and the agency from the investigation under the premise that it would be a conflict of interest for us to get involved in his pursuit. That, and the authorities have been given permission to use lethal force to bring him in."

"Son of a-!" Kurai paused, forced himself to take a deep breath, and then exhale it slowly as he counted to ten. When he was sure that he would be able to talk without losing his temper at the situation, he asked, "Does this have something to do with Humarise?" Even though his voice was mostly under control, Mina couldn't help but notice the way that his arms were shaking while his eyes became glassy and unfocused.

"Possibly, but I'll get to that in a minute."

"You said that you and our other classmates were heading our way? What about Endeavor?" As he spoke, his right hand spasmed slightly, and it was only thanks to Blackwhip that he didn't drop Mina's phone into his half-finished food.

"He is obligated to fulfill his duty here in Otheon," Todoroki answered while Kurai shook his head silently in response to Mina's searching gaze before using his quirk to deposit the device into her open hand. "As his acting sidekicks, it is our job to make sure that he can do his job without worrying over the broader details of this posting."

Kurai's mouth stretched into a wry grin before he sat back down and said, "Smooth. What makes you think that Izuku's headed our way, though?" His eyes were returning to a more alert state, though he was clearly still not quite on his game just yet.

"He sent me a message before he disconnected his phone to stay off of the government's radar," his friend replied quickly. "I had to do some guesswork since it was coded, but it makes sense to me that he would seek reinforcements with you and Eri. He did mention that there was someone with him who seems to have been caught up in whatever conspiracy this is, but he didn't have the time to give me all the details."

"Got it, expect a plus one when we find him," Kurai nodded. "If I remember correctly, there's only one road that borders a train track running between these two countries, right?"

"Yes."

"Should we meet at the border, or do you think it would be better for us to meet somewhere in Otheon?"

"How confident would you be in your ability to locate Midoriya if he were off the beaten path?"

"Not very," Kurai admitted with a grimace. "I can't use Divine Eye anymore, and he has no way of knowing that I would be looking for him. We would more than likely just end up missing each other in our search."

"Then it's probably better for you to wait at the border," Todoroki told him. "I'll contact you if we get a more precise location for his whereabouts, in which case, you should move to support him."

"I understand," the white-haired teen replied, though he had a scowl on his face and whitened knuckles as he did. "Good luck, man."

"One last thing," his friend answered before he could hang up. "I'll tell you the full story later, but the short version is that some of Endeavor's field intelligence tells us that Midoriya is carrying something that used to belong to Humarise; and they've made it clear that they want it back. He's being pursued by villains, so he may be under fire when he manages to make it to Klayd."

"Alright, we'll keep a lookout as best we can," Kurai nodded.

"If all goes well, we should be arriving by train in two days' time."

"Okay, we'll meet up with you at the border, then."

"Alright."

"Damn," the young hero grumbled as he hung up and then looked at his current mentor. "We need to move, sir."

"Are you alright, kid?" the old man inquired with an unusually concerned expression on his aged face as he waved down one of the wait staff.

"Yeah, fine- Todoroki, Bakugo, and Schnee are trying to track down Izuku," he explained in a dismissive manner while the pro requested the check from the waiter. "They want to meet us at the border and provide assistance if things get really dicey. Apparently half of Otheon's law enforcement is out to get Izuku."

"You've been shaking for a while, now," Mina said with some steel in her voice as the employee left to retrieve their ticket. "That's not normal for you whenever things start getting like this."

"Endeavor's team thinks that Humarise is involved somehow," Kurai continued to deflect with his response. "Apparently Izuku and someone else were involved in a mix-up that resulted in their coming into possession of something that Humarise wants very badly."

"Kai, are you good to continue with this mission?" Gran Torino asked sharply before turning to his significant other. "He doesn't look right- can he handle this?" By now they were speaking in much softer voices than when the news had first broken, as even though they were speaking their native tongue in a foreign land, one could never be too careful about eavesdroppers. Kurai's quirk would more than likely alert them if anything he said would land them in trouble, but Gran Torino didn't believe in taking chances.

"Look, Humarise wants this thing that they're carrying bad enough that they've got both villains and domestic law enforcement using lethal force to get it back," the Guardian Hero interjected before Mina could get a word in, the hesitation and shaking gone from his bearing under the scrutinizing gaze of his mentor. "Their claim that he's a mass murderer has already been released to the entire World Heroes' Alliance as a top-priority alert, even though Otheon is kind of an out-of-the-way country without any major planetary influence. My gut tells me that someone's trying to put the squeeze on Izuku, and whoever it is has more than the ear of the local hero community- they've gotta have their claws in some of the highest law offices to get away with something like this. We don't really have time for me to deal with a psych eval- we gotta be ready to move at the drop of hat."

"Do you have any proof that Humarise is behind Midoriya being framed?" As Gran Torino posed the question, the check arrived, leading the old man to lay down some euros and scratch a note that told the waiter to keep the change as their tip.

"No, but we can't exactly expect Humarise to hold up a giant neon sign that says 'We Framed Deku', now can we?" Kurai last words were delivered in a deadpan that showed just how thin his patience was. As they moved to exit the restaurant while speaking in lowered tones, he added, "Whoever is doing this is counting on Endeavor not being able to help him in a country where no one can vouch for Deku's character. We all know that he'd never kill anyone, but who's going to listen to us out here?"

"Didn't you guys kill Nine?" Mina asked before she could stop herself.

Kurai gave her a pained look as they exited the establishment before he answered, "I'm the one that Final Flashed the guy, if we have to split hairs… but that's not really the point I'm trying to make." The momentary hesitation in his voice was accompanied by another shudder that crawled along his body, though his eyes remained sharp and focused.

"Right, sorry." Mina looked contrite that she had inadvertently forced him to recall one of the most traumatic moments of his life, but at the same time, if a mere memory could undo him in a moment of relative quiet, there was no way that they could chance taking him into battle.

Looking over at the three expectant faces directed at him, Gran Torino grumbled, "Toshinori sure knows how to pick the trouble magnets, doesn't he?"

"Sir?"

"We can't just all go to the border and sit on our hands while we wait for Midoriya to arrive," he told them as they turned off the main street into a back alley. "We're only allowed in this country as we are to help with the global crisis at hand. Unless we have proof that Humarise is involved in his setup, we can't just sit and wait to spring a trap. We're expected to help out the local heroes however we can in the interim."

"You also don't just expect us to sit here and wait for the news that Izuku was arrested on false charges, do you?" Kurai shot back irritably.

"Watch it, kid," Gran Torino warned him. "I get that he's your friend, but we have a responsibility to act as heroes, first and foremost. Believe it or not, I remember what it was like to have a friend like that at your age- I know the lengths you're willing to go to save him. Let's just make sure that we put that determination to an appropriate use."

The girls watched as Kurai visibly struggled to contain himself for several seconds before he let out another long breath and said, "Alright… You're the pro. What are you seeing that us newbies aren't?"

"We've got a sizeable portion of law enforcement that is likely under the control of a hostile terrorist group that's remained undetected for years, and is now risking exposure because they've thrown all their chips in with hunting down Midoriya," the older hero answered as he leaned on his cane. "They want him so badly that they've thrown all but the barest of caution to the winds. They'd have never made it this long if they were stupid, which means they've been backed into some kind of corner, and are acting out of fear. Even if we don't know the precise trigger for this fear, do any of you have an idea of how we might exploit it?"

The three teenagers exchanged uneasy looks as their minds raced in an attempt to see what he was getting at. Kurai was doing his best to be objective, but his worry for his friend was making it exceedingly difficult, and Eri wasn't doing much better. Mina was also worried for their green-haired friend, but for once, she was the first to see the bigger picture that the others were too stressed to make out. "We can capitalize on that fear factor," she said aloud, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Like Gran Torino said, whatever Izuku or this mystery person he's with has done to make them nervous, they're hardly being rational. What if we gave them something else to think about that would be even more terrifying- an element so unexpected and improbable that even if it doesn't send them into a full-blown panic, it would at least make them second-guess their next moves?"

Kurai was about to ask what kind of deterrent they could possibly have that fit such a criteria when he realized that she was looking at him with a pointed gaze. "Oh," he said as he leaned back against the alley wall, a thoughtful look coming over his face. "That'd probably do it." Unlike earlier when faced with a sudden scenario that involved placing an enormous amount of stress on his shaken sanity, his body remained fairly relaxed and his eyes continued to remain bright and alert.

He's in his element right now, Mina realized. It might prove to be different if he went into combat as he was now, but the part of his mind that had been hardwired into him from a young age was seemingly proving effective at keeping his mind sharp and on-point without distractions from his immense trauma.

"You up to coming out of hiding, kid?" Gran Torino asked him without any traces of humor in the smile he was giving the boy. "There's a chance that this backfires and Humarise retaliates with their global bomb strikes. You ready to take that risk?"

Kurai thought for a moment before he answered, "The fact that they're sticking to their schedule even though they're panicking tells me that they aren't ready for their big attack. If they could have wiped out everyone with quirks, they'd have done it already. The odds are in our favor that my reemergence will only cause further panic among their numbers, and weaken morale- might even buy the world a little more time if the other branches start to lose the faith in their leader's ability to contain the situation."

"Kind of like how All Might used to deter crimes from even happening just because villains knew he would catch them in the act if they tried anything," Eri mused aloud, her eyes watching for any sign of stress manifesting itself in his flesh again. "The world has seen what you can do several times now- there's no denying your power or ability to use it well. No one in their right mind would challenge you openly."

"Unfortunately, villains are hardly ever in their right minds," Mina grumbled.

"True, but many of their followers do so mostly out of a fear of their power," Kurai pointed out. "If we give them an alternative- something to fear even more- there's a good chance that your prediction will play out. Even if all of them don't back away out of a fear of me, there will likely be a significant amount of inner conflicts." Turning to Gran Torino, he nodded and said, "I think it's worth the risk."

"One little problem," Eri said before the older hero could say anything on the matter. "How are you going to call out the Humarise members that are hiding out in Otheon's law enforcement before they call to have you arrested, too?"

"Easy," Kurai said with a lazy, familiar smile. "I'm not going to give them a chance to shut me up." His bearing was so starkly contrast to when he had nearly lost his cool mere moments ago that Mina could almost forget that it had happened at all.

"Sounds like you're getting something in the way of a plan, newbie."

"We don't have proof that they're Humarise," the boy said as he cracked his knuckles ominously, and just like that, his friends' hackles were raised again. "But they don't have the jurisdiction to arrest me if I'm in another country when I call them out. Better yet, while they're scrambling to deny accusations and deter the suspicions that I'm going to plant in everyone's minds, it'll mean even less coordination between them and their field agents." He wasn't shaking with the burden of his memories again, but the look in his coal-black eyes was not that of a stable person.

"Please tell me you're not planning to have Akarui hijack their media networks," Eri said as her own body grew rigid, as if in response to the tension emanating from the other wielder of One For All. "That's cyber-terrorism. Not even he'd be able to talk his way out of that."

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous," Kurai replied, though his smile remained fixed in place, which did nothing to help the others relax.

"Why does that not make me feel any better?" the Eleventh wielder muttered.

"I'm just gonna have him make breaking news that no media station worth their salt would ever pass up on."

"As long as it's nothing illegal and it gets those Humarise yahoos worked up into doing something stupid, I'll agree to play the role of supervisor," Gran Torino informed them, also keeping his guard up for the first sign of trouble from his young charge. "I don't understand technical jargon unless it's my microwave back home. Just let me know when we're good to head to the border with Otheon."

"Sir, yes sir."

His ready acceptance of the order helped the others to breathe a little easier, since it seemed that he would still respond appropriately to the chain of command. Even so, the manic gleam in his eye remained as they all made for their hotel across town, which resulted in Mina and Eri both making several silent petitions to his ancestors that he wasn't about to come apart all over again.

An hour later, Kurai was on the phone with Akarui, who sounded more than a little tired when he picked up. "Can you do it?" he asked his brother as he paced in front of his bed while Mina and Eri were each engaged in their own phone calls.

"Dude, I have not slept in nearly forty hours, and in case it's slipped your mind, the sun's not exactly at its peak where I'm at," the younger boy groused. "I've been trying to figure out where these bastards are hiding the bombs via social media and the dark web while also experimenting with counteragents for Trigger. So far, the only thing I've been able to determine that we didn't already know is that they have more than one bomb per Humarise base across the globe. We're looking at more like four or five bombs being deployed from each base, each one at least ten times more powerful than the one that gassed Kanto… For a minute there, I thought that I had found the bombs they probably have rigged in Mexico City, until I realized that I was staring at the molecular structure of the cheese powder they put in a damn Dorito. I don't even know how that ended up in my spectrograph."

"Sorry!" a familiar voice called in the background. "Work snack!"

"Dammit, Hatsume!" Akarui raged, causing Kurai to edge his scouter away from his ear. "I said no food in the lab!"

"Not your lab!"

"Akarui, buddy, focus," Kurai said sternly. "I take it this means you're too busy to work me into your schedule?"

"Don't put words in my mouth," his brother snorted. "Besides, this'll give me an excuse to step away from the science project the alliance has been working me ragged on. I'll say that I'm working a new cyber-sleuthery angle so they leave me be for a bit."

"How long will it actually take?"

"Dude, I've had a way to get videos up social media platforms across the globe since I was nine," Akarui chortled. "Just never had a reason to use the algorithm. I may have also acquired the email addresses of the leading anchors in several news' stations- don't ask me how, I'm not answering. All I need now is the video itself, and then I can take a frickin' nap."

"Will it translate according to the country it's being viewed in?" Kurai inquired.

"Like you have to ask."

"I do, actually."

"Of course it does!"

"Good," Kurai grinned. "I'll have that to you in less than twenty. By the way, how'd you like your birthday gift?"

"Like you have to ask."

"I do-"

"Don't you start that!" Akarui warned him as he tried to bite back his laughter. "I am currently enjoying them, as a matter of fact, and now I'm going to hang up before you sour the sentiments attached to them. Later."

"Thanks, pal." As the line disconnected, Kurai gave Mina a thumbs-up, which got her nodding rapidly. After they had made it back to their rooms, his bearing had softened considerably, which allowed the others to relax almost as much as he seemed to be.

Almost.

After a few more hurried exchanges between her and their classmate, Mina hung up and got to her feet while saying, "Iida says good luck."

"Mister Aizawa says the same," Eri added as she hung up her own phone. "He also says that you'd better be ready to face the consequences that this will bring about."

"Wait, from him, or just in general?"

"He didn't specify."

"From him it is," he chuckled ruefully. After a slight pause, the boy decided to say, "I can still hardly believe that my death really made international news."

"Students of All Might fight off seasoned villains comparable to All For One without backup, only one of whom reaches a tragic end after heroically defending his comrades?" Mina replied dryly. "This is the stuff movies are made of, sweetie. Of course everyone heard about it, even if it was just in passing overseas. Your return to life is definitely gonna double their interest in you, though… You'll be famous all over the world once you do this, not just in Japan. You sure you're ready for that?"

"There's not really a choice for me, is there?" he answered with a wry grin. "I owe it to Izuku to give him every chance to escape Humarise, and I have the responsibility to do what I can to thwart those psychopaths, even if it's just a little."

"There's always a choice," she replied before she planted a small kiss on his lips. "I'm just thankful that you usually know how to make the right ones."

"You're getting dragged into this mess with me," he teased her. "My stunning girlfriend- who happens to be wearing an engagement ring- will undoubtedly be hounded by the media almost as much as me. You okay with that?"

"I go where you go," she grinned. "It's as simple as that."

"I would find you two very cute if we weren't on something of a timetable," Eri coughed, bringing them out of their mutual gazes into each other's eyes. "The sooner we get this thing going, the better it will be for Deku."

"Right, sorry."

About an hour later in Otheon, Todoroki and Bakugo were boarding a train that would get them closer to the border with Klayd, though they would have to wait until the following morning to be able to get on the next train that would take them the rest of the way. Weiss was in tow, but she seemed preoccupied as she stared down at her phone while they boarded the private coach she had reserved for them.

"What's got you distracted?" Bakugo asked as she sat next to him. "Twenty minutes ago, you couldn't get us moving fast enough."

"Look at this," she answered as she held her phone up to the window, which quickly shimmered as the screen was occupied by the image on her device. "Seems like our friend is taking an extra step of initiative." Before either boys could ask what she meant, the video she had loaded began its playback, and the contents surprised them both into silence.

"People of the world," said Kai as he stared at the viewers through whatever camera had captured his image. "My name is Kurai 'Hikari' Hogo-sha. For those of you who don't recognize that name, I am also known as the Guardian Hero, Kai- the very same one who was pronounced dead two months ago, following a battle on Nabu Island."

Satellite imagery of the storm that Nine had caused, as well as a brief photographic montage of the resulting damage accompanied his words. This was followed by an image of a news article featuring his death as he continued, "Let me be clear; I am one and the same as the person in this image. I survived the USJ attack orchestrated by the League of Villains, who later went on to lead the assault that claimed my arm and nearly my life in the process. I won the UA High Sport's Festival and helped Gang Orca destroy a major human trafficking syndicate." As he listed his accomplishments, more images swept across the screen in relation to his words, as if to punctuate them. "Alongside All Might and another of my peers, I stopped a terrorist attack on I-island. I assisted in the takedown of the yakuza group known as the Shie Hassaikai, and I alone defeated one of the Black Nomu that appeared to menace the city Fukuoka. I also dealt the finishing blow to a new villain with the same capabilities as All For One during the battle of Nabu Island."

The images ceased and now switched back to showing Kurai, clad in a new version of his hero getup, his face a grim mask of implacable determination. "After that last battle, it took me some time to recover, but I'm ready to continue the fight against the enemies of peace and justice that threaten our society," he said as he clenched his fist menacingly. "I have an axe to grind with the League, naturally, but today I name the terrorist organization known as 'Humarise' as my enemy."

"Damn, the Hikari duo are not holding back with the theatrics, are they?" Kaminari commented as he and his classmates watched the unfolding news on Edgeshot's hotel room TV.

"That really is Kai?" Kamui Woods asked, sounding surprised.

"You bet!" Sero grinned happily. "He needed some time to lay low while he recovered from the battle on Nabu, and since the League seems to have it out for him especially, the teachers thought it would be better to keep up appearances with his death. But now it seems like he's ready to make his big return."

"To what end, though?" Edgeshot had to wonder with a disapproving frown. "With his skills and abilities, he would have been better served by striking at Humarise while they had no way of expecting him." Like many of the other top heroes, he had scouted Kurai as far back as the UA Sport's Festival, and had kept an eye on his career ever since, so he had a good idea of what the boy was capable of.

"Unless he's using this to serve that express purpose," Blake murmured as she peered at the video with an intensity that her colleagues did not miss, but also did not understand. "Kurai is no fool, and he doesn't half-ass things, either."

"To those that have pledged their efforts to fascism of Humarise's ideologies, I have this to say," Kurai went on. "Surrender to the heroes within twenty-four hours, or I start taking your bases apart with my bare hands, starting with the Otheon establishment- and their affiliates." Jabbing a stiff finger at the camera, he added a menacing growl as he declared, "Get in my way, and you'll have a repeat of Kanto on your hands."

Across the world, people watched as Humarise's gas bomb in Japan was neutralized by Kai's newfound power mere days prior. No one, not even the local authorities had been able to confirm who or what had caused the gas to suddenly disperse amidst a freak cyclone and storm of black lightning which had saved thousands of lives in the process. Now it seemed the answer was being revealed for all to see plainly. As it was, Tenya Iida looked at the TV with a proud smile as he bore witness to his friend assuming the heavy mantle of One For All with strong shoulders and an unyielding resolve.

"He really is something else, isn't he?" Tensei mused with a smile, even though it could not be seen from within his helmet.

"You don't even know the half of it," Tenya replied in kind.

"I have given my warning," Kurai concluded as he lowered his hand and allowed black bio-electricity to crawl up his arm with an unmistakable air of menace. "Flect Turn, you're planning to topple the world with your twisted ambitions, but I am here to stand my ground and make sure that your insanity stops where I do."

With that, the video ended, and people the world over began to take to the forums. Many wondered if this truly was the martyred young hero from Japan, while others who were only just becoming familiar with his story wondered what kind of kid had the stones to openly challenge an organization like Humarise. Some believed that he had truly made a triumphant return while others argued that it was just a cheap scare tactic being employed by the World Heroes' Alliance to try and frighten Humarise out of hiding. Some even demanded that the person with the audacity to employ a dead boy's hero name step forward and be held accountable for such a heinous crime.

Underlying all of these arguments, however, was one unifying reaction on behalf of evildoers to Kai's declaration of war- fear. Those who had come to join the Paranormal Liberation Front now knew that this young hero had it out for their leader, big time- which meant that they would also be targeted if and when they were called to fight against the heroes. The zealots of Humarise now had a face to go with the mysterious figure who had thwarted their plans for Kanto, and to make matters worse, he seemed to have grown even more powerful than when he had been supposedly slain by a villain with capabilities that far exceeded their own.

Even on the off chance that this was someone else claiming his title and status for their own, the power that they had shown was no joke- and he was clearly unafraid to use it against them to its fullest.

All Might and Goodwitch could only watch on with wide eyes from the World Hero Alliance HQ as they bore witness to Kurai's undoing of everything that they had done to keep his revival a secret until now. Around them, many of the other world leaders of law enforcement were scrambling to determine whether or not this was authentic footage, or if some third party was trying to take advantage of the current situation to further a goal that they could not yet fathom. Whatever this video was aiming to accomplish, it had appeared on every social media platform almost simultaneously, and had been offered to just about every news outlet on the globe for public use, some of which were already playing the clip to their audiences, having wanted to capitalize on the attention that this would no doubt generate in the days to come.

"Should we stop this?" asked one of the officers from Brazil, looking utterly bewildered.

"How can we?" responded a hero from Scotland. "It's already all over the net, and media posts using the key term 'Kai' are exploding, especially in the east."

"We have officials in Otheon demanding answers as to why they have been singled out for scrutiny by one of our operatives, and what we plan to do to punish the chap for stirring things up without provocation," added a police commissioner from London. As he said this, several of them looked at All Might, who could only shrug helplessly.

"I can only assure you that the boy in that video is who he says he is," he admitted. "Unfortunately, I don't know what he hopes to-" He paused as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, causing him to pull it out and see that Gran Torino was the one on the other end. To the other heroes and officers, he held up a hand and said, "I may have some answers momentarily. Please, excuse me."

As soon as he was out of the room, he answered the call and breathed out, "Sir, what is Young Hikari doing?! We have government officials from Otheon demanding that we recall and arrest him! He was supposed to lay low!"

"They threatened his friend, Toshi," Gran Torino answered calmly. "Would you have done any differently if they had done this to David or Nighteye? Done everything in your power to make sure that they take the heat off of your loved ones and direct it at you instead?"

"I-! Well, no…" All Might admitted as he felt himself deflate a little. "But he's just a boy, and he's made unnecessary enemies. He's just getting into using One For All-"

"Toshi, Hikari has experienced pain and struggle even greater than you and I have in our long line of this work," Gran Torino interrupted him. "He's not a mere boy. He knows what could happen to him because he's taking this path, but he's choosing to bear it so that he can save his friend. Besides, aren't you the one who's always saying that meddling where we don't technically have to is the essence of being a hero?"

All Might made a face before he muttered, "I should have taught my classes with the method of 'do as I say, not as I do', shouldn't I?"

"Probably, but no use in crying over spilled milk," the older hero chuckled. "At least he's learning to think ahead a little sooner in his career than you did."

"That doesn't help me deal with the Otheon government!"

"Well, maybe take a minute and think about what it is that they're demanding, and on what grounds they're making those demands," Gran Torino replied. "Honestly, Toshi. You're too old for me to be holding your hand with something like this."

All Might was tempted to argue further, but he did as his mentor suggested, forcing himself to slow down and think about the cards that had been laid out on the table. Otheon is framing young Midoriya, but they are refusing to submit proof of his misdeeds, which means that they're probably in league with Humarise, he mused to himself. Young Hikari has responded by threatening them, though he also has no proof that they are, at the very least, aiding Humarise. This puts them at an impasse while the alliance can only watch from the sidelines. If we favor Young Hikari without reasonable cause, the integrity of the organization could fracture and leave us in an even bigger mess than before. At the same time, if we don't give Young Hikari a chance to prove that he is acting on solid intelligence, we set a bad precedent for future gatherings where other governments may be complicit in acting against us from the shadows.

He's effectively put all of us in a three-way deadlock, and whoever makes the first move against the others will almost certainly be assumed as the guilty party, he realized as his eyes grew wider. And the longer that Otheon refuses to provide solid proof of Young Midoriya's guilt, the more suspicious they will appear. He's made time into our ally instead of allowing the enemy to monopolize its advantages.

"You figure it out yet?" his former teacher asked.

"Yes sir," All Might nodded with a small grin. "I see your influence is already at work in him. Thank you."

"Well, he's shown some real promise up to now," Gran Torino admitted. "Be a shame to let it go to waste if he threw a tantrum instead of thinking up an actual plan to deal with all of this. A few pointers should help him go a long way in the future."

"Let's hope," All Might sighed as he turned to see Glynda stepping out from the meeting room with a stern look on her face. "I need to go, sir. Please notify me if anything changes on your end."

"I will if I can."

"Thank you." As he hung up the phone, All Might held up his hands in a defensive gesture before saying to the blond woman, "I made it as quick as I could. How's the situation in there?"

"They're considering dispatching heroes to retrieve your apprentice and bring him in for questioning," she said shortly. "You'd better get back in there and make a convincing argument if you want to prevent that from happening."

"Alright. Thank you for stalling them."

"Thank me by making sense out of this mess that your student has gotten us all into," she groused as he led the way back into the coordinator's room.

Once All Might was inside, all heads turned to look at him before he straightened himself up and said, "I'll ask that we refrain from interfering with Young Hikari's plans for the time being."

"On what grounds?" demanded an official from France. "This coalition is made possible only by the cooperation of all governments across the world. What does that say about us if we ignore an entire country in favor of a rogue hero with a provisional license?"

"As you said, this is only possible because we are cooperating with one another," All Might replied smoothly. "In light of that, it seems to me as though Otheon has not been holding up their end of the bargain. They've dispatched law enforcement to hunt down one of the heroes that we dispatched, with lethal force, I might add. And they have done so without offering any kind of proof of their accusations. If they are not forthcoming with their situation, we are under no obligation to assist them, unless it has to do with Humarise, especially given how antagonistic they're being with all of this." This got several of the officials in the room to look among themselves uncertainly as they weighed his words. "Young Hikari seems to be under the impression that our enemies are in hiding somewhere in Otheon, and if he is correct, that tells us one of two things. One, the government may be allowing Humarise to exist in their borders without opposition. Two, they could have also allowed our enemies to grow in strength right under their noses, which would speak of an astounding incompetence on their part. Neither scenario instills confidence in me regarding their words."

"But there is no proof of that!" argued the Frenchman.

"Just as there is no proof that young Midoriya has killed anyone," the former hero replied calmly. "We are in a precarious situation, ladies and gentlemen, and a hasty mistake is not something we can afford right now. If Otheon would be willing to provide proof of Young Midoriya's misdeeds, then we would be compelled to act upon it. You may accuse me of favoritism if you must, but until the people willing to open fire on a teenager provide some solid evidence, I'm more inclined to believe in the words of the other young man who has repeatedly sacrificed himself for the greater good, with no thought to his own gain in the process."

Before the French official could argue again, the man from London interrupted, "You are certain that the person in the video is your student, All Might? Beyond any doubt?"

"Unquestionably," the blond man nodded. "That young man is Kai, and he does not go back on his word. If he's declared war against Humarise, they'll be best served by offering their immediate surrender."

The Englishman returned the nod before he said, "If you vouch for him, then I say we give the young man some time to prove his actions as justifiable."

"I agree," Glynda added as she gave the others in the room a stern gaze. "A government that thinks it's best to shoot at children first and ask questions later does not merit an ounce of my respect, much less trust."

Following their declarations, more and more country representatives decided to acquiesce to All Might's request. There were a few that held out longer than the others, especially those whose borders ran alongside Otheon, but eventually they realized that on the off-chance that this 'Kai' was right about Otheon's involvement, an outright refusal to cooperate with the others would only implicate them in Humarise's recent actions.

As the vote came to a close, All Might breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he thought, That should buy you some time, Young Hikari, Young Midoriya. I hope you both find the best way to use it.

Mataras: Alright, schedule resumes as normal this coming weekend- meaning the usual bi-weekly release dates.

Kai: Until you forget again.

Mataras: Who says I'll forget?

Akarui: Says those calendar reminders you set up for yourself.

Mataras: How did you even-?!

Akarui: Please. I'm Akarui Ex Machina- your security might be respectable by normal standards, but child's play for me.

Kai: Says the actual child.

Akarui: Exactly. I'm a child, and I'm playing. Child's play.

Litrosh: And with that, we have run out of time.

Akarui: No we haven't, we-

Litrosh: I can hear Mataras' blood pressure rising, mate.

Mataras: ...

Akarui: Well- I see your point.

Kai: Next time- Strike Back

Litrosh: Who will reach the border first? Hero or villain?

Chronoa: Either way, I'm ready to Go Beyond!

Kai: Plus Ultra!

?: Notes

Aquarius Flash: A condensed ball of energy is created and then hurled away from the caster, exploding in a whirlpool-like fashion. It seems to serve as a defensive maneuver that enables the user to hide more effectively in the aftermath of the resulting explosion(s). Could possibly be used in a more offensive fashion if utilized at close range against clusters of enemies.

Next time on your Hero Academia: Unleashed...

The quartet were keeping an eye on the city plaza, where a farmer's market seemed to be taking place, when Kurai's scouter lit up to alert him to an incoming call. "The wha-? Bakugo?" His confused muttering drew the attention of teammates just in time for him to connect the call and ask, "Bakugo? What happened to Todoroki?"

"What, I'm not good enough to-?! Ah, never mind!" the blond boy shouted on the other end, even as the quartet detected a rumbling sound coming from the mountains across the border. "Deku screwed the pooch! Icy-Hot said it was time for you to get your ass in gear and play backup!"

"Should I even bother asking if you had something to do with the big bang we just heard?" Kurai deadpanned as he saw a small dust cloud rising from the same mountains.

"Get your asses over here!"

Kurai disconnected the call and turned to scoop Mina into his arms while he said, "We're on." In a lowered tone that only she could hear, he added, "Watch me."

The second that she nodded, black and white lightning sparked in the air before Kurai and Eri launched themselves toward the mountain range at high speed, the resulting rush of wind buffeting a shouting Gran Torino as he was unintentionally left far behind the younger heroes.

"You kids are just as bad as All Might!" he yelled after them.