BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY LATEST PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD HAS BEEN FOILED, SOMEHOW BY FOIL. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IRONIC, POETIC, OR STUPID.

So, things got a little out of hand last chapter, and now the good guys have to deal with the fallout. And All Might.

My Alien Academia

Chapter 58

The Breakdown

Sir Nighteye didn't have time to analyze the situation. He barely had time to see that Midoriya was unconscious, likely badly injured, and cradled in the arms of a girl wearing a hulking suit of black and green armor. The only other thing he saw was that All Might was glaring at the young man that Nighteye had pledged his support to.

"All Might, stand down," he snapped.

"Shigaraki and the League escaped," All Might said, not looking at him. "I can't let All For One's other agent get away!"

"All For—how are you so blind?" After everything that had happened today, Nighteye wasn't even going to try being diplomatic. "Even if your ridiculous claims are true, look around! This isn't the time for your vendetta; there are people in this city that need help!"

"Speaking of which…" Ultiman snapped his fingers. "I just moved everyone who was hurt, and anyone who was trapped under the rubble, to the nearest hospital." He grinned. "Including Izuku."

Nighteye blinked; sure enough, Midoriya was gone. All Might glared Ultiman, but before he could take more than a step in his direction, Supergirl grabbed his arm and squeezed. To Nighteye's shock, there was a sickening crack, and All Might pulled back with a broken arm.

"I saw that look," Supergirl said, eyes blazing red. "Don't even think about attacking my kids."

"I'd listen to her." Ben hadn't transformed yet, and seemed remarkably calm, but there was a cold glint in his eyes that made the hairs on the back of Nighteye's neck rise. "My family is very protective."

"Young Midoriya isn't your cousin," All Might accused. "I don't know what your relationship is, but you aren't family."

Nighteye looked at Ben for his reaction; all he got was a raised eyebrow, and then a glance at his family, who collectively shrugged.

"If you're saying we aren't related, you're right. I think it's time to come clean, if only to get you off Izuku's back." Ben sighed. "But first, we should probably get you to the hospital. You know, since you've got a broken arm now."

All Might's glare could reduce most criminals to tears, but the Tennysons didn't even blink.

"You think you're scary?" Ultragirl nonchalantly asked. "You got nothin' on Batman."

Finally, All Might took a step back. "Fine. But you had better explain yourselves."

Ben sighed again. "With what's happened, we really can't afford to not be totally honest. Ken, can you take us all to the hospital?"

Ultiman shrugged. "Sure, but if he goes after Izuku again, I say we sic Mom on him again."

"I'm for that," Julie said, glaring at All Might with eyes eerily similar to Midoriya's.

"If she does not stop him, I will," Nighteye said, and gave All Might a look full of disappointment. "You will not threaten that boy again, Toshinori."

All Might didn't back down. "That depends on what the truth is."

Uraraka wanted to pace, but she was too exhausted; the best she could manage was bouncing her leg up and down as she waited for news. Whether he thought they needed to be looked at, or maybe he wanted them to be with their friends, Ultiman had sent Uraraka and Sero to the waiting room of the hospital.

The Rising Stars were a mixed bag of injuries. Todoroki had been badly burned, and only his resistance to fire had kept him from getting incinerated. Ashido's acid coating had also saved her life, but her own burns were serious, and there were several bad injuries from shrapnel, thanks to her ride on Gigantomachia. Iida's leg was shattered in several places, and had been rushed into surgery to repair both his leg, and his engines. Yaoyorozu and Asui weren't actually injured, but the former had nearly killed herself from using so many lipids, and the latter was so badly dehydrated that she'd been given both an IV and a soak in a tub to give her as much liquid as possible.

The worst of them all, however, was Midoriya—at least, Uraraka assumed he was in the worst shape, since she hadn't been able to even find out where he was. The only reason she even knew he was in the same hospital was when she heard a nurse mention him over her phone.

"You know, some people might think you're clingy," Sero joked tiredly.

"Can you blame me?" Uraraka asked. "Look at it from my point of view, and tell me I shouldn't be worried sick about that boy."

"I never said it wasn't deserved." Sero idly kicked at his helmet, where it rested next to Uraraka's. "I don't think things have ever been this bad."

Uraraka winced; the butcher's bill was still being calculated, but even the most optimistic estimates placed the death toll at over twenty thousand, at least. Over two hundred Heroes were dead, including Crust; on a personal note for the students, Aizawa had been murdered in the final minutes of the battle, and most of them were still in shock.

As if the universe wanted to make Uraraka's day just a little bit worse, she spotted a familiar—and unwelcome—head of blonde hair marching straight at her, and she tensely got to her feet. At least Bakugo wasn't alone; Jen and a redheaded girl accompanied him, so Bakugo wouldn't do anything stupid.

Jen gave Uraraka a hug. "Hey, you're Ochako, right? I'm Izuku's cousin, Jen."

Uraraka blinked; even though Jen was American, she was still surprised when someone she wasn't close to called her by her first name. "Um, hi. Do you know where Izuku is?"

"That's why we came here," the redhead said in slightly stumbling Japanese. "I'm Gwen Tennyson; I'm Ben's other cousin."

"Is he okay?" Sero asked, and heaved himself up from his seat.

Jen grimaced. "I honestly don't know; we got kicked out of the OR as soon as we checked that he was getting help. We thought it might help if someone he cared about was pulling for him."

"And you brought him?" Uraraka pointed at Bakugo. "They hate each other!"

Bakugo sneered. "I'm not here to give Deku a hug, Round-Face; I've got something I need to do, and we're all going to the same place."

"You knew where Izuku was this whole time?" Sero raised an eyebrow. "You could have told us."

Bakugo held up his hands; they could all see the dried blood on his gloves. "I've been helping with triage since we got here. So has everyone else in our class that can stand; you two were put on guard-duty for the injured."

Uraraka gaped. "Wait, that's why no one told us to do anything? Nobody even said we were supposed to be here!"

"You weren't, but I told the nurses that we asked you two to do it." Bakugo shrugged. "I just didn't want you two to mope all day worrying about the Dekusquad."

"Wow, that was… almost nice of you," Uraraka managed to say. "Thanks?"

"Whatever." Bakugo turned to Jen. "We got 'em, let's move."

"You go on ahead, Ochako," Sero said. "I'll stay here, in case someone comes by and wonders why the people who are supposed to be on guard duty, you know… aren't."

Uraraka smiled at him. "Thanks, Hanta."

"You have good friends," Gwen commented as they left Sero behind.

"Yeah, they're the best," Uraraka said, and frowned at Bakugo when he gagged. "What?"

Bakugo glared at her, but there was none of the usual intensity, and he sighed. "I don't have it in me to be pissed off at you today."

Uraraka winced; she should have known that even Bakugo wouldn't be unaffected by all the death and destruction of today. And then there was Aizawa; even if Bakugo had never liked the teacher for never taking his side, he had always respected the man, and now he was dead. Uraraka could barely wrap her head around that herself, not to mention everything else that had happened that day; she wondered if she was in shock.

As her body moved on autopilot, her mind continued to wander. So many Heroes had been badly hurt during the battle. There was Endeavor, who was still in surgery as the doctors desperately tried to save his arm. And then there was Ryukyu; could she recover from having her wings torn off? Did they grow back, since they didn't look like they fit under her skin while in her human form?

Maybe Izuku knows, she thought. I'll ask him; maybe it'll take my mind off things if he starts doing that cute mumble.

"Do you know how Izuku is doing?" she asked.

Jen sighed. "All I know is that he's getting the best care. We decided to get you when we were allowed to see him."

A horrifying thought occurred to Uraraka. "Wait, what about his parents? Do they know yet?"

Jen paused mid-stride, and shared a look with Gwen. "Um… okay, you should get up to speed on that front."

The two girls quickly explained that Hisashi had been kidnapped by the PLF, and replaced with Toga. Izuku had rescued his father shortly before his fight with Shigaraki, but the Midoriya patriarch was also in the hospital; Inko was darting between her husband's room and her son's, and only the presence of Supergirl at her side at all times kept her from falling apart.

Uraraka's heart went out to Inko; just having one person in her family in the hospital was bad enough, and this was so much worse.

"Goddamn Deku," Bakugo growled. "He can't go getting fucked up like this when it hurts his mom that much."

"Since when do you care?" Uraraka snapped.

The fire in Bakugo's eyes faded, and he slumped. "Inko… she was always nice to me."

Uraraka glared at him. "And you still treated her son like garbage."

Bakugo sighed, but it was Gwen who came to his defense. "Hey, now is the absolute worst time for you guys to be fighting each other. How about you focus on Izuku and the bad guys, and maybe we can figure out our next move before the world ends?"

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Uraraka asked.

Jen shared a knowing look with Gwen. "After what we've been through, it really isn't."

Uraraka was led through the hospital, past rooms full of people moaning in pain. Some were Heroes and police, but the vast majority were innocent civilians; doctors and nurses frantically tried to save the worst of the injured, but even Uraraka could tell that they wouldn't save everyone.

"Believe it or not, this could have been a lot worse," Jen said quietly. "If the situation is what I think it is, there's a good chance that every hospital on the planet could have been full right now."

Uraraka didn't want to believe her; she felt sick enough as it was.

Eventually, they reached Izuku's room, where they found Julie and Kevin standing guard; the latter had a strong grip on Hawks' shoulder to keep the man from getting inside.

"Last warning, chicken-wing," Kevin growled. "Stand down, or get put down."

Bakugo snickered. "Chicken-wing—gotta remember that one."

"Look, I'm not here to start anything," Hawks said tiredly. "If anything, I'm here to help."

"Gonna need more than your word," Kevin said.

"You can trust him," Uraraka blurted out. "He's Izuku's mentor; one of them, I mean."

Kevin looked skeptical, but a nod from Jen made him step back. "Fine, but you're the last one we let in today. It's getting crowded in there."

Surprisingly, there were no doctors in Izuku's room—either they were all out, and were okay with so many strangers, or said strangers had kicked them out. Uraraka recognized some of them, including Nezu and Sir Nighteye, but not the blonde girl in what looked like a formfitting spacesuit, nor the wizened old version of Grey Matter; those two were hunched over several alien machines and muttering to each other.

Uraraka took them all in at a glance; she was more concerned with her boyfriend, who looked absolutely dreadful. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and he was shivering, despite the relative warmth inside the room from so many bodies. What really caught her attention, however, was that the green scars around his arm had gotten longer; they had crept all the way up his arm, to just past his collar, and Uraraka suspected they had moved across his chest as well. Even worse, smaller scars now spread out from the corners of his eyes; they almost looked like a shredded mask.

"Oh, cousin," Jen whispered, "what did you do to yourself?"

Nezu raised an eyebrow at her. "You say that like this was not inflicted by Shigaraki."

"It wasn't," the grey alien snapped. "I was very specific when I told him what he could and could not do with his new Omnitrix. I told him to only limit himself to one hyper-evolution per recharge cycle. I should have built that into the system to prevent this exact situation, but I was convinced that he was far more responsible than Ben was at this age."

It said much about the situation that Ben didn't even protest, and was focused on Izuku.

At that point, Uraraka stared at the little alien with wide eyes. She realized that this was Azmuth—not only the creator of the Omnitrix, but the reason Quirks existed! It was more than a little shocking to meet the man responsible for the single greatest change in her Earth's history.

"I'm confused," Hawks confessed. "I thought the watch just sorted through his weird DNA to give him his transformations."

"Right, you're not in the know," Ben said with a sigh. "Okay, short version: Azmuth, the little guy, spread alien DNA across this Earth, and that's why you have Quirks. Izuku doesn't have a Quirk, but that watch has pure samples of that same alien DNA, but when his Ultimatrix broke, it gave him all of that DNA at once. His Omnitrix actually does sort through the DNA now, but also keeps it from killing him."

Hawks and Nighteye blinked once, twice, and then the former scratched his head. "Aliens?"

"This Earth?" Nighteye muttered.

"The multiverse is a thing," Ben said casually.

"Accept what he says," Nezu said tiredly. "I can personally vouch for him."

"If that was the abridged version, I'm almost afraid to ask what the full version is like," Hawks said; there was so much suddenly being thrown at him that he wasn't sure how to react, or even what to react to.

Uraraka had already known all of this, so while Ben and Nezu gave some more details to the people not already in the loop, she went over to Azmuth.

"Excuse me, Azmuth-san?" She gave a quick bow, just to be polite. "Um, what's wrong with Izuku?"

Azmuth glanced up at her. "Who are you?"

"Uraraka Ochako. I'm his girlfriend."

Azmuth sighed. "I'm getting too old for this nonsense. Fine, I'll explain: to put it bluntly, he's an idiot."

"Hey!" several people shouted at once.

"Be offended all you like, it doesn't change the fact that he deliberately damaged his health." Azmuth took a deep breath. "As I said before, his Omnitrix can only handle one hyper-evolution per charge. Because he used more than one, it briefly shorted out, and stopped stabilizing his DNA. For a few minutes, over a million different species were going to war with his human genes; it's honestly impressive that he didn't immediately die. Even still, his long-term health will be impacted by this—headaches and nausea, for starters, but it appears that his immune system is at least partially compromised."

"How long will that last?" Jen asked.

Azmuth sighed again. "The rest of his life, which I'm positive will be much shorter now. I cannot undo what has been done to him; even I'm not sure where the alien DNA ends and the human begins. The best I can do is help stabilize him, and perhaps help him live longer than another decade."

Kevin winced. "Well… crap."

Bakugo had remained conspicuously silent this entire time, but Uraraka had been so worried about Midoriya that she'd completely forgotten that he was now privy to her boyfriend's secrets. She turned to face him, and saw him leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Something you want to say?" she asked, her voice almost a snarl.

Bakugo scoffed. "What, you think I'm gonna blab about Deku's secret? That he's a fuckin' fraud? First of all, Round-Face, the only proof I have is the grey frog's word, so even if I told someone, I couldn't back it up." He sneered. "Besides, it'll be way more fun to hold this over Deku's head for the rest of his life."

Jen glared at him. "What, you're gonna blackmail him?"

"Please, like I'd ever pull such a bitch-ass move." Bakugo grinned, but it wasn't a nice grin. "But I might enjoy making him think I will."

"Wow, you are an absolute bastard."

"Thanks, it's something I enjoy."

"If you two are finished," Ben said, eyebrow arched in the way only an annoyed parent can, "we need to talk about Shigaraki."

Nighteye nodded. "What happened to him? How could he have gotten so powerful? I can understand having an additional Quirk, but he was doing things far beyond anything I have ever seen."

Ben shared a look with Azmuth. "You want me to take this, or should you?"

"I'm busy, and I already delivered the bad news about the boy. It's your turn."

Ben sighed. "Right, fine. Okay, listen up. Back in my universe—and yes, I'm from a different universe than the rest of my family—there is one species of alien above all others. They're called the Celestialsapiens."

"And what is it that makes them so powerful?" Nighteye asked. "What can they do?"

"Yes," Ben deadpanned. "Seriously, they can do anything. They're omnipotent."

That simple declaration chilled everyone who was from this Earth to their very souls. It seemed impossible; Uraraka knew of no Quirk that powerful, and then almost slapped herself for forgetting that Quirks weren't the be-all and end-all of powers.

"I'm surprised you know how to say that word, Tennyson," Kevin joked.

"I've had enough run-ins with Celestialsapiens to know," Ben shot back, but his attempt at a joke was halfhearted at best. "Still, I mean it. Traveling through time, altering reality, teleporting across space—"

"Messing with minds, destroying souls, unlimited power?" Uraraka cut in, before she realized what she was saying.

Ben gave her a look. "You're referencing something, but I don't know what. Still, you're right. Celestialsapiens are beyond gods; and yeah, I've dealt with those, so I know what I'm talking about. Somehow, Shigaraki has managed to get that same power."

Nighteye frowned. "That seems unlikely. Doctor Garaki would have needed access to a sample of that same Quirk, and someone that powerful would not have stayed a secret for long."

Now it was Hawks who cut in. "It's more likely than you think. All For One was able to hide his true abilities for centuries; only a few people in the government ever knew the truth, and that was because they were in the old bastard's pocket."

"You're half-right," Ben said, and pointed to Azmuth. "Okay, it's your turn to explain, because I couldn't really follow you the last time."

Azmuth paused in his work and gave Ben a side-eye. "And you wonder why you never went to college.

"The reason why no single human was given Celestialsapien DNA was because the human body simply can't withstand it. However, I needed to know if it was at all possible, so I spread out segments of Celestialsapien genetics." Azmuth sighed. "There is another reason—no one human could be trusted with that kind of power, assuming they could survive holding it."

"Of course, it looks like Shigaraki handled that problem," Ben said. "If Azmuth's scans are right, that guy made his body strong enough to handle that kind of power, at least for a while."

"But he wasn't finished," Azmuth continued. "The process was interrupted, and without outside processes, it will take much longer for him to become a complete Celestialsapien."

At that point, Nighteye decided that he was going to accept everything he was hearing; Nezu had clearly already done so, and this story was too insane to be fiction.

"How long do we have?" he asked.

"A year," Azmuth said bluntly. "Perhaps longer, if Shigaraki isn't given enough time to rest and recover."

"Hang on a sec," Ken cut in. "There's one thing that still bugging me. Did Shigaraki show any hesitation, or signs that he was fighting himself to use his powers?"

Nighteye thought back to the reports he'd read. "Not that I am aware of."

Ken took a deep breath. "Then we are officially in the worst-case scenario. Celestialsapiens can't just do whatever they want; each one has two personalities, complete opposites of each other. The reason why they don't just snuff out a random universe is because both personalities are constantly debating on what to do, and can't agree. It takes something on a cosmic level just to get their attention, and something way worse to get them to act."

"Shigaraki didn't seem to have that problem," Nighteye said.

"Like I said, it's the worst-case scenario; we're dealing with a being capable of anything, without any restrictions. The only thing holding him back is that he probably isn't aware of how powerful he really is, but the longer this goes on, the bigger the risk."

"He also hasn't completely assimilated the Celestialsapien DNA," Azmuth added. "Right now, he's vulnerable."

"And how do we take advantage of that?" Nezu asked.

Ben sank into a chair; he seemed to age a lifetime in a single moment. "Right now, the best way to stop him is to find him before he reaches full power… and kill him."

Those who knew him looked at him in shock. "Dad!" Jen shouted.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Ben snapped. "Because unless a bunch of other Celestialsapiens decide to join the party, I don't know what else to do!"

"Dad." Ken grabbed Ben's shoulder. "Remember what I can do? I'll go to them and tell them what happened. A rogue Celestialsapien isn't something they can ignore."

Ben nodded, but he still looked resigned. "If you think it'll help."

Ken snapped his fingers, and vanished in a flash of green light. At that point, Hawks finally found his voice again.

"Okay, this is all fascinating, and more than a little terrifying, but how are we going to explain this to the public? I doubt 'we were all an alien experiment' is going to fly with the rest of the planet."

Kevin raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you just make a pun?"

Gwen elbowed her boyfriend. "Not the time, Kevin."

Nighteye ignored them. "In this case, I believe telling anyone would cause mass panic, assuming anyone actually believed us. It would be best to keep this information to ourselves, aside from a few people who should know."

Supergirl, who had been staring worriedly at her husband until now, suddenly spun around. "Guys, I'm hearing lots of raised voices, all over the city, the country…" She closed her eyes and focused. "It's happening all over the world."

Nighteye frowned, and pulled out his phone; he had kept it silent, but saw that he had received a dozen alerts from various associates, all linking him to a news story that had gone viral. He tapped on the link, and saw that a number of tests and discoveries, all buried by the HPSC, had been leaked to the entire world.

Clandestine visits to an unknown satellite, unauthorized surveillance of innocent people, even kidnapping and experimenting on people with interesting Quirks, and erasing memories to cover up their crimes. These findings even confirmed everything Azmuth and the Tennysons had claimed, with so many official references that Nighteye recognized that he knew anyone with access to the internet would be able to prove that it was genuine. The brief hope that he'd had that the situation could be handled quietly was shattered.

Especially when one of the documents he saw involved Hawks illegally bugging Midoriya, and part of a conspiracy to manipulate him, either directly, or by threatening his family. There was also a contingency that involved assassinating the boy at the HPSC's say-so.

Nighteye wasn't the type of person to let his emotions get the better of him, but today wasn't a typical day, and Midoriya wasn't a typical student. His vision went red, and before he knew it, he had driven his fist into Hawks' face.

"You bastard," he hissed.

Hawks staggered back and wiped away the blood dripping from his nose; his eyes darted from Nighteye to the man's phone, and he sighed. "Oh, so you figured out that I was a Commission spy?"

"Among other things." Nighteye glared at him with a rage he didn't know he was capable of. "According to this file, you and your Sidekick had orders to kill Midoriya if he was deemed a threat!"

"Orders that I didn't follow, since he's still alive." Hawks shoved his hands into his pockets; it was meant to show that he wasn't a threat, but Nighteye knew he didn't need his hands to fight. "I never had any plans to turn against him."

"Other than bugging his room, you mean?" Nighteye didn't normally sneer, but he felt the urge to. "Get out, Hawks. I do not trust you around Midoriya anymore."

Hawks grimaced, but when almost everyone in the room started looking like they were about to attack him, he wisely retreated from the room.

"One thing occurs to me," Nezu said quietly; he was looking at his own phone, reading through the same articles as Nighteye. "It's obvious that the League of Villains, or whatever they call themselves now, are the ones who released this information. I imagine that they did so to cause panic and confusion, as well as mistrust in the government. However, I don't believe they would do something like this for anarchy's sake; there is something else going on."

Nighteye felt a chill go up his spine. The day had been bad enough already—what else were the Villains planning?

Tartarus was one of the few places in Japan—indeed, in the entire world—not in chaos over recent events. The warden and his top officers were aware, but they instituted a communications blackout for the regular guards; they didn't want to risk the inmates hearing any rumors and starting a riot. Despite assurances from the HPSC that any fighting would be far from the prison, the warden had the guards and Heroes assigned as extra security on full alert.

When the HPSC went dark, the warden initiated a full lockdown. Steel doors, three feet thick and electrified, slammed shut, and prisoners were forced onto their bunks at gunpoint; anyone who resisted was reminded that their Quirk-suppressing collars also had explosives wired into them that could be detonated at any time. Within minutes, the prison already known for being inescapable became even harder to crack.

Unfortunately for the guards, Tartarus had one weakness—it might be able to detect a warping Quirk, but it couldn't actually prevent it from happening. The guards had less than a minute to react to the portal Kurogiri created before all hell broke loose.

Gigantomachia might have been badly injured, but he had enough strength to put his arm through and smash aside anyone in the immediate area. With that breathing room created, the rest of the League charged in; Chimera and Re-Destro led the way, killing a dozen guards in seconds, followed by Dabi and Slice. Nine was next, and he cut open the first cells he saw.

"Come out," he commanded. "My colleague will remove your collars. After that, do as you wish."

The first out of her cell was a woman with short purple hair; she raised an eyebrow at the Villains.

"And who the hell are you?" she asked.

Behind his mask, Nine smirked at her audacity. "You may call me Nine. I serve the man who will shape the world in his image."

"Then why isn't he here now?"

"He is," Nine said. "There is someone he wishes to free personally. Who are you?"

The woman shrugged. "Name's Tsutsumi Kaina; used to go by Lady Nagant."

Now Nine was impressed; he knew that name, and the skill of the one who owned it. "In that case, would you be interested in joining our cause?"

"Does that cause involve getting rid of all the liars who ruined this country?"

Nine thought back to all the chaos unleashed already. "Absolutely."

Lady Nagant grinned and allowed Mr. Compress to get rid of her collar. "Where do I sign up?"

"Hello, my old teacher."

All For One leaned back in his chair, finally free to move as he wished. "Tomura. It has been a long time. You've grown strong since we last saw each other."

"I know." Shigaraki held up one hand. "The Doctor's plan, the one you didn't believe in… it worked."

"Fascinating." All For One's grin stretched across his face as he lunged for Shigaraki. "What a wonderful power for me to take!"

Faster than it took to blink, Shigaraki snagged his former master's wrist; an instant later, Overhaul detonated the entire forearm in a wash of blood and bone.

"I figured you'd do that," Shigaraki said. "I think we need to change how things will be between us from now on. I'll be the one calling the shots, and you'll be one of my advisors. If you don't take this deal, I kill you right here, and Nine remains my right hand." He paused. "Speaking of hands…"

With another brush of his fingers, Shigaraki restored All For One to the way he had been years ago, thanks to a brief application of Rewind.

All For One took a moment to appreciate that he was suddenly at the peak of his power once again. "Are you sure that was wise, Tomura? I am now a much greater threat to your power."

Shigaraki looked the man in eyes that had been restored and laughed. "No, you're really not." As if to prove his point, he stepped well within the older man's reach. "Let me put it this way: you will never betray me."

There was a shiver in the air, and before All For One knew it, he was on his knees. "As you command." He blinked. "How did you—"

"Like I said, you're not a threat to me." Shigaraki glanced down at his arm, which was crumbling away again. "Damn. All right, we're done here. Time to go."

"What is your next step?" All For One asked, masking his unease behind centuries of experience.

"For now, I need time to rest. After that…" Shigaraki grinned. "After that, this world will be mine."

Lady Nagant did her best to remain composed when she saw All For One, in his prime, casually walking out of his prison, led by a man who looked like he was slowly dissolving, yet was far more powerful than all of them combined.

"Gotta say, I wasn't expecting the Demon King himself to be joining us," she said.

Shigaraki barely glanced at her, and then turned his attention to Nine. "A new recruit?"

"Considering her skills, she seemed too valuable to waste," Nine said easily.

"Fair enough." Shigaraki pointed to the warp gate. "Move out."

"What about the other prisoners?" Nagant asked. "Some of them might also be useful."

"They will be, as a distraction." Shigaraki raised an eyebrow at Nine. "The collars were disabled, and they were released, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then we have everything we need, and then some." Shigaraki smiled at Nagant, but it did nothing to assure her. "Unless you'd rather stay here?"

Nagant shrugged. "It's not like the food could be worse anywhere else. Let's get out of here."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

In a flash of green light, Ken returned, but it wasn't a peaceful arrival; he collapsed to the floor, smoking and wheezing.

"You okay?" Kevin asked, and got a dirty look in return.

"Do I look okay?" Ken struggled to his feet. "Do you guys want the bad news, or the worse news?"

"Start us off easy," Ben said, "give us the bad news."

"Okay, the bad news is that the Celestialsapiens aren't going to help out," Ken announced. "As far as they're concerned, this universe isn't their problem, and neither is Shigaraki."

"And what if Shigaraki becomes a full Celestialsapien and makes it their problem?" Julie asked.

"That's the worse news." Ken looked as grim as his father. "They almost decided to just erase this universe, but since Izuku was part of the team that stopped the Crisis, they're showing mercy by just quarantining this entire universe off from the rest of the multiverse."

Supergirl grimaced. "That's mercy?"

"In their eyes, yeah." Ken sighed. "Nobody from this universe can leave, including Shigaraki, and only a Celestialsapien can change that. They're also… kicking out anyone not native to this universe."

Azmuth blinked. "Wait, I can't leave yet! There is still work I can do to stabilize Midoriya! Without me, he won't—"

Before he could finish speaking, Azmuth vanished; Ken's eyes glowed green in an effort to stave off the forced relocation, but everyone not from this universe was already fading.

"Remember what we said," Ben called out, his voice sounding like it was coming from the far end of a tunnel. "Shigaraki isn't at full power! You've got a year to find him and end this before it's too late!"

"Tell Izuku to use Grey Matter!" Ken shouted. "He might be able to hack the Omnitrix and find the right alien!"

"Just stay alive!" Jen added, though she was all but vanished. "We'll do what we can from our side!"

And then, just like that… they were gone.

Uraraka looked uncertainly at her principal. "What do we do now?"

Nezu looked down. "I don't know."

The expanded Tennyson family was violently thrown into the living room; most landed on the floor, but Ken was hurled into wall hard enough to crack it.

"I think that was another warning from the Celestialsapiens," he groaned as he got to his feet. "They really didn't like me having unrestricted power, and I'm one of the good guys. We're just lucky they didn't delete Izuku's whole universe."

"Not to brag, but I believe that my input had something to do with it as well," Paradox said; she was sitting in a chair, sipping a cup of tea.

Gwen blinked. "When did you get here?"

"I'm a time-traveler, that question has no meaning to me." Paradox glanced at her watch and sighed. "Ironic though it may be, I can't stay here for long. There is a lot to do."

"Then why are you here?" Ben asked warily. "Not another threat to the multiverse, right?"

"There are always threats to the multiverse, but you aren't the ones who have to handle them." Paradox sighed again. "I just wanted to let you know that I paid a visit to Izuku's universe before we were all kicked out to take care of a few matters. Notes, hints, that sort of thing."

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Kara asked.

Paradox scoffed, and there was a hint of anger in her eyes. "If the Celestialsapiens have a problem with it, they can take it up with me, but they'll get more of a fight than they would have from my predecessor."

Ben sat down and rubbed his face. "Thanks, Paradox. Izuku will need all the help he can get."

Paradox nodded solemnly. "Considering what is about to happen, I thought it would be in his best interest."

Jen raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what's going to—and she's gone. Of course."

Julie looked around. "So, what do we do?"

"I'm not sure," Ben admitted. "The rest is up to Izuku."

"This is quite unusual, All Might. Are you sure this is the right course of action?"

"I assure you, Prime Minister, I wouldn't ask this of you if I wasn't certain."

"But what if you're wrong? It would be bad enough if I had the wrong person arrested—a child, no less—but I saw how hard he fought against Shigaraki. Midoriya-san might be our best chance against that maniac, and I'm sure many people agree with me. It could start riots in the streets, assuming everything that's been leaked doesn't do that."

"Prime Minister, I can assure you that public order will not deteriorate. I am here, and I'm back at the top of my game. You don't have to worry about the public turning against you. I'll show them where to focus their rage."

"I… I see. When can you be ready?"

"As soon as you get the arrest warrant pushed through."

Midoriya wished he could stay asleep; it helped him forget about all the betrayal and intrigue that had pushed into his life. It also allowed him some respite from the pain he was feeling, especially in his left arm. Unfortunately, something was tapping rather insistently against his cheek, and he finally worked up the energy to open his eyes.

"Nezu-sensei? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Midoriya-san," Nezu said. "I would have preferred to let you rest as much as possible, but we are out of time."

Midoriya froze. "Did the League of Villains make another move?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here." Nezu held up his phone and nodded at something he read. "I came into some information that has me concerned. I'll explain on the way, but we need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"What about—"

"Your friends are not in danger; they will be informed, but if they are told too early, they might be at risk." Nezu pointed to a bag on a chair next to the bed. "Get dressed, and then meet me at the school; use Ghostfreak to get out undetected, and then Jetray to get to UA as quickly as you can. You'll likely get there before me, so get to my office and stay there; if anyone other than myself comes in, I want you to run. Do you understand me?"

It wasn't just the directions that had Midoriya scared; his usually unflappable principal seemed genuinely worried, and that was something he'd never seen before.

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Nezu hopped off the bed and headed for the door. "I'll do what I can to stall for time. Hurry!"

Once he was gone, Midoriya got dressed; he noticed that Nezu had brought him casual clothes—jeans, a white shirt, a grey hoodie, and grey shoes. All of it was new, and nothing he would typically wear. As he put the clothes on, he noticed a pair of sunglasses; he figured that if he had to go in disguise, hiding his eyes would be a smart idea.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then turned into Ghostfreak; immediately, he noticed that he was no longer in pain, but he didn't have time to dwell on that. He went invisible and floated through the walls until he was outside of the hospital; he then flew as high as he could to avoid any witnesses, and turned into Jetray. After getting his bearings, he flew to UA in just a few minutes, though he had to be careful while flying through the pouring rain. He turned back into Ghostfreak and passed through the walls until he arrived inside Nezu's office.

"Well, this is… a lot," Midoriya muttered to himself as he turned back to normal. As soon as he was human, the pain returned, and he started to feel sick. "I guess the Omnitrix keeps me in top shape when I'm an alien."

He made his way to Nezu's desk to wait, but noticed a tablet that was on, and a note that said 'Midoriya-san, please read all open articles'.

"Nezu-sensei really does prepare for everything, doesn't he?" Midoriya sat behind the desk and picked up the tablet to read.

Some of the bombshells Nezu had left for him were things he already knew. He had pretended to be asleep when Ben had been there, and had heard everything, including how Hawks had betrayed his trust. He'd wanted to cry, but the damage to his eyes seemed to prevent all but a watery sheen.

Finding out just how many people had died was a punch to the gut. The death toll was still rising, but there were at least thirty thousand fatalities now, and the number was likely to rise. When he read about the attack on Tartarus, he thought his heart would stop, especially when Nezu had left a note about how Chisaki Kai and his top officers had all escaped. Chisaki himself wasn't a threat without his hands, but if his enforcers were still loyal to him, they could be a serious problem. Stain had also escaped, but there was no indication that he'd joined up with the League; if anything, he might not have been associated with them in the first place.

Crime was on the rise, with some cities reporting more than a sixty percent increase in Villain activity in the last twenty-four hours alone. Heroes were trying to contain the situation, but there was surprising resistance to their aid not just from civilians, but also the police. In several instances, some Heroes had been forced to defend themselves from angry citizens, who then formed an impromptu militia to stop several rampaging Villains.

Worse than the crime, which was mostly centered in Japan, was the shock from learning the true nature of Quirks. Some people were turning to religion for answers, while others were forming some kind of blood-purity organization, with Quirkless people seen as 'true' humans. Mobs had already formed to attack people with Mutant-type Quirks, just like in the early days of Quirks. Unrest was spreading across the globe, and both Heroes and law enforcement were scrambling to maintain order.

A knock on the door got his attention, and Midoriya activated the Omnitrix, ready to go alien the second he thought he was in danger.

"Midoriya-san? It's me," Nezu said, and Midoriya relaxed. "I'm coming in with guests."

A moment later, the door opened, and Nezu walked in, followed by Midnight and Melissa. Midnight tried to look like her usual self, but the death of Eraserhead had hit her hard, and since makeup interfered with her Quirk, there was no hiding the puffy eyes from so much crying. Melissa looked haunted, but it couldn't be from the revelations the League had leaked; Midoriya figured she was in shock from all the deaths, and he didn't blame her.

Melissa ran in and gave Midoriya a tight hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you in the hospital."

"It's fine," Midoriya said, and returned the hug. "How are Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire?"

"They're with Recovery Girl," Melissa said. "They'll be fine, but they're exhausted."

Midoriya sighed in relief; he hadn't been able to check on all of his friends since the battle.

"As much as I'd like to give you time to catch up, that's simply not possible," Nezu said, and hopped onto his desk. "Midoriya-san, I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this: there's a warrant out for your arrest."

For a moment, Midoriya couldn't quite comprehend what he'd heard. "What?"

"All Might has lost his mind," Midnight hissed; she was angry, but not at Midoriya. "He's convinced that you're somehow in league with All For One, and he talked the Prime Minister into rushing a warrant through. It's not totally finished, so we've got a few hours to get you out of the country."

If Melissa hadn't been holding him, Midoriya might have collapsed. "All Might kept calling me a Villain during the fight, but I stopped thinking about it after… after Aizawa-sensei…"

Nezu nodded sadly. "I understand. Midoriya-san, it is my belief that you are our best hope against Shigaraki as he is now. You can't help us if you're locked up, but this choice is up to you. If you do this, you'll be on the run, unless another country grants you asylum, and the situation is too chaotic right now."

Midoriya thought about it. "What about my family? My friends?"

"We can't risk them being labeled as accomplices," Nezu said. "If we move fast enough, they might have time to say goodbye, but if I think they'll try to join you, I will stop them."

"Right," Midoriya agreed. "I don't want them to get in trouble."

Melissa looked uncomfortable at that, but Nezu kept talking. "I've reached out to some international friends and explained the situation. They've agreed to shelter you for now, but you'll have to prove to them that you aren't what All Might says you are. Two of them will be waiting at the airport to get you out of the country. You'll meet the rest as you travel."

Midoriya took a deep breath. "This is a lot to handle. I'm not used to doing things like this with strangers."

"Which is why you won't be completely alone," Melissa said. "I'm going with you."

"What? No!" Midoriya stepped back. "You've only been here for a few months, Melissa! You can't throw away everything for me!"

Melissa grimaced. "I knew that Unc—that All Might suspected you a while ago, but I didn't say anything. He's my legal guardian for a few more months, and I can't live with someone who treats you like a criminal. You don't deserve that, and if it means I have to go on the run to prove it, I will." She smiled weakly. "Besides, I already talked to Mirio about it, and he said the only reason he isn't joining us is because he wants to work with Sir Nighteye to slow All Might down."

Midoriya could see in her eyes that her mind was made up. "What about my parents?"

"Again, the best way to protect them is to keep them in the dark," Nezu said. "After you're out of the country, I'll give them my personal protection at UA. No one will hurt them, you have my word."

"And Eri?"

Nezu sighed. "I'll have to explain things to her. I wish I could let you say goodbye, but All Might convinced her to use her Quirk on him, and she's been asleep since yesterday morning."

"Another reason I can't stay with him," Melissa cut in. "How dare he do something so selfish?"

Midoriya took a moment to consider his options. "I can't just run around the world. I want to help stop Shigaraki."

"You will," Nezu promised. "While most of the Paranormal Liberation Front was destroyed, Detnerat has branches all over the planet. They can provide bases and supplies for Shigaraki at any time, especially with Kurogiri to warp the Villains anywhere they want. I'm still putting together a plan, but I want you to help take down those locations. If you find anything useful, send it back to me, and I'll handle the rest."

That took a tiny bit of weight off Midoriya's shoulders. He didn't want to be a burden, shuffled around from one country to another.

"Okay," he said. "I'm in."

"Excellent." Nezu nodded at Midnight, who handed Midoriya a familiar case. "If you're going to keep being a Hero, you should look the part."

Midoriya opened the case, and saw his costume; he frowned when he saw the visor that Hawks had given him. In a fit of anger, he grabbed the visor and hurled it against the wall, shattering it.

"I can't believe what he did!"

"If it's any consolation, he genuinely regrets what he did," Nezu said.

"It's not," Midoriya snapped. "Hawks can go to hell, for all I care. He knew my dad was kidnapped! That means that it wasn't him I spoke to on Christmas Eve, it was Toga! He knew, and let him get hurt anyway!"

"I get it, you're mad," Melissa said, and put her hand on his shoulder. "But we don't have time for that now. You can punch Hawks later, okay?"

Midoriya glared at the broken visor for another moment, and nodded. "Okay. Let's get out of here."

The drive to the airport felt like an eternity. Along the way, Melissa revealed another reason why she would be going with Midoriya.

"There was a notebook on my desk that wasn't mine," she said. "At first, I thought it was one of your notebooks, but the handwriting is different. Someone named Paradox left a bunch of instructions for me, but didn't want me to show anyone else. They also included a lot of secrets that no one should know… and they said that you would trust anything they said if I dropped their name."

Midoriya blinked several times. "Yeah, I know her. We can trust her. I'll explain everything when we have more time."

"Cool, because I was getting a little creeped out that some stranger knew so much about my personal life."

Midoriya nodded absently. He wished he had his phone, to at least use that to say goodbye to everyone if they couldn't make it, but Nezu had insisted that his phone be destroyed. He was positive that All Might was having it tracked, even though the warrant still hadn't been signed.

After a while, Midoriya couldn't stand his own thoughts, and glanced over at Melissa, who was making notes on a tablet. "What are you doing?"

"Designing some projects," Melissa said. "Mei is gonna be so mad that she couldn't work on these with me, but I don't want her to get in trouble."

"And we might get tracked if you tried talking to her."

Melissa paused, and then smacked her forehead. "Right, still getting used to being a fugitive."

Midoriya nodded. "Um, that tablet isn't connected to the internet, right?"

"Okay, that I didn't forget." Melissa looked out the window. "I think we're going to be there soon."

The rain was still coming down as the car pulled to a stop; according to Nezu, the weather around Japan had gone crazy, and no one could figure out where the sudden downpour came from, nor when it would stop.

"Oh, good, it seems they made it on time," Nezu said as he pulled out an umbrella.

Izuku took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and then he saw them, standing near a small plane. His parents were first; Inko was holding up an umbrella for both her and Hisashi, who was propped up with crutches. Izuku was hugging his parents before he realized he'd moved.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, even though the tears wouldn't fall. "I'm sorry, I don't want to leave, but—"

"It's okay, honey," Inko said through her own tears. "You didn't do anything wrong, and this is the only way to keep you safe."

"We'll keep fighting for you here," Hisashi said, and did his best to smile. "There's no way this crap will hold up in court."

Izuku nodded shakily. "Thanks, Dad."

Inko hugged him again. "I wish we could say more, but there are a lot of people who want to say something, and you need to leave soon."

Izuku looked around his parents, and was swept up in a hug from the Big Three.

"Stay safe, flying buddy," Hado said, and tapped one of the scars around his eyes. "Get better, okay?"

"Don't worry about your friends," Amajiki added, and Nejire smiled proudly at her boyfriend when he maintained a steady gaze with Izuku. "We'll make sure they're still here when you get back."

One of Togata's arms was still in a cast, but he managed to give Izuku a backbreaking hug. "I won't let All Might get away with this, Izuku. I promise that he won't go after you again." He stepped back, but only so that he could pull Melissa into a deep kiss. "Sorry, I just didn't know when I'd be able to do that again."

Melissa grinned and kissed him again. "Sooner than later, I hope."

Izuku couldn't help but laugh when Hado and Amajiki both started making gagging noises, but his smile faded when he saw the Rising Stars. All of them were crying, or looked like they were about to start.

"Izuku…" Tenya awkwardly pulled him into a rough embrace; it was difficult, since he was in a wheelchair because of his broken leg, but neither of them cared. "You are my best friend, Izuku. I will never betray your trust, nor your friendship. If you need me while you're away, I will reach you, no matter what it takes."

"Th-thanks, Tenya." Izuku swallowed, and stepped back. "Just make sure everyone keeps their spirits up, okay? You make everyone laugh when you do that hand-chopping thing."

Like Tenya, Momo was also in a wheelchair; even with over a day to restore her lipids, she was still too weak to walk on her own, and her trembling had nothing to do with the cold and rain. She held onto him tightly, like she was worried he would vanish in her arms.

"Stay safe, Izuku," she whispered, and kissed him on the cheek. "You're the reason we came together, and it was the best thing to ever happen to us. Never think otherwise."

Izuku nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to help me with my homework when I get back? I think I'll have to catch up on a lot."

Momo laughed, and then shooed him away. Shoto was next; he was covered in healing burns, but he refused to let that stop him from giving Izuku a hug.

"Thanks for everything you did for me," he said. "When you get back, you'll see that we're strong enough to help you fight Shigaraki. Don't think you have to do this alone."

Izuku let go, so that Shoto wouldn't put more pressure on his burns. "After everything, I never want to be alone."

Shoto had barely let go before Mina grabbed Izuku; unlike her boyfriend, she didn't even try to hide her tears.

"It's n-not f-fair!" she sobbed. "This is s-such bullshit! You're a Hero, Izuku, and y-you sh-shouldn't have to r-run away!"

Izuku hugged her tightly. "When I get back, we can talk about how much this sucks. Until then, can you smile? You're the fun twin, remember?"

Mina choked on a laugh and hugged him back. "Yeah, and that means I've got to plan one hell of a party for when you get back."

When Hanta approached, he looked more miserable than Izuku had ever seen him. "You know, I'm really bad at living up to my Quirk. Every time I try to stick to you, you get pulled away—when the League kidnapped you, the raid, and now this."

Izuku rubbed his eyes; between his injuries and his damaged tear ducts, they were getting very sore. "Just… just try to keep everyone else together, okay?"

"You got it, man." Hanta hugged him, and then pointed him at Tsuyu.

Unlike everyone else, Tsuyu was unaffected by the rain, but she looked as devastated as Izuku had ever seen her. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but she couldn't get the words out.

Izuku hugged her, and she returned it with all the strength she had. "I'll miss you, Tsu."

She nodded, even as she sobbed into his chest.

"Can you say 'ribbit' one more time?" Izuku joked. "I don't think I'll hear it for a while."

Tsuyu took a long breath, and smiled. "Ribbit."

"Thanks." Even though he didn't feel it, Izuku managed to wink. "Don't forget to drive Hanta crazy with that, okay?"

"Deal… ribbit."

As much as he hated saying goodbye to his friends, there was one that Izuku wanted to part with the least. Ochako let her umbrella drop as he slowly approached; he reached out to stroke her hair, and she leaned into his touch.

"Izuku, I…"

"I love you." Izuku held her for what felt like the last time. "I'm sorry I couldn't say it before, but I love you."

Ochako let out a sob, and kissed him; they tried to make it last, so that they wouldn't forget the feeling of the other's lips. But they both knew it couldn't last forever, and they finally parted.

"We won't be gone forever," Midoriya said quietly. "We'll be back."

"You'd better," Ochako said, waving a finger under his nose. "I'm not raising Eri as a single mom."

Izuku laughed for a good while, but when he stopped, he looked Ochako in the eye with all the seriousness in the world. "I will come back."

Ochako nodded. "I know. And we'll be here when you do."

As much as he hated to do so, Izuku stepped back and turned to Nezu. "I'm ready to go."

Nezu smiled. "I wish you the best, Midoriya-san. Stay safe, and be well."

Melissa rubbed her eyes and walked over to Izuku. "You sure you're ready?"

"No," Izuku admitted, "but if I don't leave now, I don't think I ever will."

The door of the plane opened, a ramp slid down, and a man's voice called out. "If we're going to leave, we need to do it now! We're running out of excuses for why we haven't left yet!"

Izuku and Melissa grabbed their bags and hurried up the ramp; both of them wanted to stop and wave goodbye one more time, but neither of them could stand to see their friends and loved ones crying any longer.

Waiting inside the plane were two people, a man and a woman. The man wore a business suit that did nothing to hide his hairy hands and feet, nor the furry tail and simian features on his face. The woman was young, barely in her twenties, and beautiful, with hair so white it almost hurt to look at it; everything she wore was white, from her skirt to her blouse, and her shoes to her small hat. It all served to give her an unreal, almost ethereal presence.

Izuku didn't know their real names, but he knew what they called themselves while they worked. The man was Monkey King, the top Hero in China; the woman was Geosynch, his counterpart from Russia.

"Welcome aboard," Monkey King said with a wink and a smile. "Take a seat, we've got a long flight ahead of us."

Izuku gulped; even now, after everything he'd been through, he was still a little overwhelmed when meeting prestigious Heroes.

"Where are we going?" he managed.

Geosynch laughed, and her voice was like the tinkle of bells. "First, we stop at I-Island to meet others. Then, we make plan to stop your Shigaraki."

Melissa needed a moment to process Geosynch's slightly broken Japanese, not helped by her thick Russian accent. "What others?"

Now it was Monkey King who laughed, loud and more like a monkey than a human. "What, did you think you were the only ones breaking the rules to save the world? Don't worry so much, and remember that you're not alone."

Izuku sat in a chair and watched as the plane took him away from all but a single person he'd ever known.

No, he thought, I won't ever be alone.

(SID—Rain, Full Version)

The Rising Stars watch as the plane flies away, until it is out of sight. Those who aren't too hurt to walk on their own help those who are. Nezu takes Inko and Hisashi back in his car, but gives them space to cry; Inko closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, she is watching workers take her things into a room in UA. She clutches two photographs close—one of Izuku, and one of Holo-Ben—and sits next to her husband on the couch. On the nearby television, the news shows a mob of people holding up signs, either with Izuku's face crossed out, or demanding his arrest.

The scene changes to Amajiki and Nejire at school, training despite their injuries, and then to Togata, Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino in an office. All Might is with them, shouting and pointing, but the three men don't flinch; when All Might is done, they silently turn their backs and leave. All Might smashes the table he is leaning over, scattering papers and photos; when the picture of Midoriya falls to the ground, he glares at it, and everything goes black.

The lights turn on, and Hawks is standing in front of several Heroes, including Endeavor and Mirko. Next to Hawks is Soldier, who is unconscious on a hospital bed, with several doctors examining her. Hawks gestures from himself to his handler, and the other Heroes look on in horror. Despite barely being able to stand, Mirko manages to punch Hawks hard enough to break his nose, and limps out of the room. Hawks waves off a doctor who comes to check on him, and wanders off; he pulls the shattered remains of a green visor out of his jacket pocket and bows his head.

The scene changes again, and most of the Rising Stars are in their homeroom, speaking to both Class 1-A and 1-B. Some of the students are confused, while others are angry, but they all listen as the Rising Stars speak. Iida chops at the air as he practically shouts, until Todoroki gently grabs his shoulder; Ashido then speaks, her eyes filled with tears as she gestures from where Aizawa would stand, and then to Midoriya's seat. Finally, Bakugo steps up and nods; a moment later, everyone else does as well, and they all file out of the classroom, and the light turns off behind them.

When the light returns, it is to the League of Villains, standing around a map of the world. Nine points at several locations, and then at Kurogiri, who nods. Dabi grins, and Toga cackles as she spins a knife; the rest of the Villains either nod or smile, except for All For One. He glances at a door behind him, where Shigaraki is sleeping, his hair flickering between white and a starlit void.

The scene switches to Uraraka, sitting in Midoriya's room with Eri. Uraraka reaches out and picks up Midoriya's pillow and holds it close. Eri whimpers and leans into her side; Uraraka hugs her when she starts to cry, and everything fades away, to become the plane landing at the I-Island airport.

Midoriya steps out of the plane, now in his costume, and shields his eyes from the clear sky. Waiting a short distance from the plane are several of the world's greatest Heroes, all watching him with interest.

Monkey King and Geosynch lead Midoriya and Melissa down the ramp and over to the other Heroes. Despite everything, Deku stands tall and looks each of them in the eye.

"Where do we start?"

And that, dear readers, is where we will end this arc! Deku is a fugitive in his own country, and has to join up with other Heroes who aren't, well… All Might. As for why he was able to convince Japan's leaders and public to turn against Midoriya so quickly, you have to remember that All Might basically saved Japan from completely falling apart, and was the superhero of the country for a good couple of decades, at least. He also hasn't been out of the game for that long, only a few months, so plenty of people are ready to believe in him. His behavior is also why I can believe that Melissa wouldn't want to live with him anymore.

Also, I really wanted a reason for Ben and company to not just swoop in and save the day. In fact, Ken going to the Celestialsapiens was their attempt to do just that, only for it to backfire. Midoriya no longer has the Tennysons to help or give advice, and the last instruction he got from Ben was to, well… commit murder. Between that, recent betrayals and losses, the Crisis, and being a teenager, the poor kid isn't doing so hot, and that's before you consider that he's slowly dying.

Sorry for not updating this story sooner, but I finally got an apartment! In California, no less! It's expensive, but I've got a roommate to help out, and I'm taking more hours at work, but unfortunately, I won't be able to do as much writing. I will still do my best to update something every month.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon, in both eBook and physical format. I'm trying to get the next book finished, but as I've explained, I don't have as much time as I used to.

I would also appreciate any donations via P-atreon (link in my profile). With so many expenses, it's hard to write, but if every single one of you donated at even the lowest tier, I would be able to cut down on my hours, write more often, and maybe even get enough sleep to function through the day! Stranger miracles have occurred.

And now, I'd like to thank the following people who helped me get that apartment:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Aaron Meek, Matthias Matanovic, Red Bard, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye, Kristen Tyler, Patryk kawalec

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, Crazyman844, CherryGoesBoom, michaelb958

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll

Next Chapter: The days pass, and Midoriya finds himself in a race against time, while the people of Japan must decide which Hero to believe in…

Plus Muffin!