Inko and Hisashi had never been on a longer plane ride or drive than they were now. After the phone call from their believed-to-be-dead son, they were in no position to talk. Thanks to her training, Kiana immediately got on the phone and asked "Izuku" what color her hair was. When he answered correctly, she asked where he was. He passed the phone to Mr. Shinobu Yanagi, who sounded nervous as he explained they found Izuku while camping on Mt. Yakeyama. He was found hungry, dirty, and in his underwear; they immediately took him back to camp, fed him, got him something to wear, and came down the mountain, where they got cell service and called the phone number he told them.

"You did a wonderful job, Mr. Yanagi. I need you to take him to the nearest ranger station; he has been missing for over a month. My name is Kiana. It may be hard, but please do your best to keep him calm so he doesn't go into shock. I am departing with his parents now; notify me what ranger station you are at, tell them to call their supervisor and give the code HRTNG0056," she heard the man repeat the code and someone else writing it down, they read it back and then he reread it to confirm. "Very good Mr. Yanagi, since I know this is your cell phone I am going to send you message with my number, you call it IMMEDIATELY, if anything happens or if you have any troubles, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Y-yes Ma'am," he replied, the line disconnected.

The Yanagi's loaded the car and did as they were asked, once they reached the ranger station the parents went inside to talk to the ranger, while Izuku who was wrapped in a blanket sat in the back huddled next to Rieko. The girl even tone and gentle nature seemed to help in keeping him calm, he was much better after hearing his mom's voice but he was still freaked out about where he was, what had happened and how he couldn't remember anything. It had been one whole month that he couldn't remember.

The ranger was concerned, but not to the level that the Yanagi's believed he should be, once he finally did call his supervisor and gave the code, they watched the almost dismissive look on his face fade. Till the man was as white as a ghost, his hands were trembling when he asked where the boy was.

"Is he dangerous?" Emiko asked, wondering what caused such a change in the man's demeanor.

"I-I don't believe so, ma'am, but he is a high-value target, being looked for by the HSC, the JDF, and the national police," the ranger gulped. "We read about this thing in training, but I never…"

"The boy is frightened and afraid; if you don't calm down, you are going to make this even worse," Emiko said sternly. "Shinobu?" her husband just nodded. "I am going to get him out of the car, and we will stay with him until his parents arrive. You must keep calm and ensure whoever shows up is also calm. If the poor boy has been missing for a month, who knows what horrors he has had to endure that his mind has blocked them out." The ranger nodded.


-Military Base Epsilon-

General Thunderbolt was sitting in his hospital bed, the presence of his granddaughter Yui somewhat alleviating his typically sour disposition. She was quiet and didn't feel the need to talk about nonsense, a fact that worried her parents but made her just right.

As he was still recovering from the giant green ape, he had been in an increasingly sour mood, especially with the loss of a whole airborne division; thankfully, none of the people under his command had died. But then, somehow, this huge brute had managed to escape and disappear; lack of progress when he gave an order was an excellent way to get his dander up. He had put off his daughter coming to visit as long as he could till, in the midst of trying to stall them once again, Yui got on the phone. "Grandpa, I am coming to see you!"

The older man chuckled. It was not a request, not a question; she was giving him a statement. His daughter had come in and fussed over him; thankfully, her husband was a good man who just asked some basic questions before letting the girls do their thing. Yui asked if he was going to get better and if he was going to catch whoever put him in the hospital. When he answered yes to both, the little girl smiled, climbed into the bed beside him, pulled out her book, and sat quietly reading to herself.

He loved his family, though his daughter did fuss a lot more than he liked; his granddaughter would make a fine military general one day. When she showed him her quirk, he lit up like a Christmas tree; this girl could carry a whole armored division in her pocket now as long as she didn't do something silly like become one of those costumed heroes running around like a chicken without its head half the time.

His little Yui had fallen asleep, and her parents had gone to get food when one of his aides came. She was a levelheaded woman most of the time, but she seemed to melt whenever a child was around. She regained her senses once she got it out of her system quietly, and the general threatened to demote her and send her to the navel division.

"Sir, the Midoriya boy has been found!"

"The boy that was believed to be dead when the truck exploded carrying all the gamma items," his bushy mustache twitched. "We need to know where he has been, what happened, and how he survived. According to his file, he had some minor collection quirk?" his aid nodded. "Nothing that would account for his survival. Who do we have in the area?"

"Lieutenant Talbot, sir."

"Good…good." He smiled. "Get him on the horn, and have him go pick up the boy so we can get some answers before that damn Hero Commission get their hands on him!"

"Yes, Sir," she snapped a crisp salute and exited the room.


-Ranger Station M.Y-254-

Soga Kame was by nature a quiet person; they loved nature, and they enjoyed their job as, for the most part, it was quiet. Today was not one of those days when Yanagi had walked into his station. He was expecting the usual tourist/camper information, not that they had found some child on the mountain. When he called his supervisor at their insistence, he was not ready for the reaction his supervisor gave or the way his computer suddenly lit up with alerts going out all across the network.

The Yanagis brought the boy into the station; he was dirty and very nervous. The Yanagi's daughter held his hand and kept talking to him. Mr. Yanagi helped the boy to the restroom and shower to get cleaned up. Mrs. Yanagi rustled up some clothes from the lost and found, while Ranger Kame was able to provide an oversized T-shirt, but at least it was clean. He looked much better as he sat with the little girl, nibbling on a protein bar while they looked at something on her phone.

It was this way till a few other rangers showed up; they were worried that there was someone else lost on the mountain or a possible kidnapper on the loose. As they tried to get some answers from Izuku, all they did was succeed in making him cry from their harsh tones; Mrs. Yanagi stepped in and acted as a mediator. All he could tell them was that he was in a truck, the hero lady had been yanked out, and then he was in the cave. They tried to press for answers but got tears and a reprimand from Mrs. Yanagi.

As more rangers showed up, even a few local heroes specialized in forest search and rescue. Thankfully, the heroes were much better equipped to handle things. A woman with brown hair and amber eyes came into the station and immediately took control. She introduced herself to the parents and the children. Her name was Terra. Her quirk had to do with Earth Manipulation, but she also came with new clothes and some sweets; the kind woman even had some underwear. She squatted with Izuku and gently asked him some questions with a patient smile, taking all his answers. She then turned to Yanagi and the ranger and went over where their campsite was and where they encountered Izuku. She listened to Izuku talk about the cave and then approached the sun. She smiled, thanked him and Reiko for being so helpful, and quickly exited. She called people together, and they left, taking some of the chaos with them.


-Chaos-

The heroes and other rangers had just left when a military vehicle pulled up with a few other cars in tow; the sound of helicopters could be heard coming closer. The first vehicle, a jeep, the man who appeared to be in charge stepped out, issued some orders, and came barging into the ranger station.

"I am Lieutenant Talbot, and I am in charge as of now!" his voice boomed throughout the station. "Are you the ranger in charge of this installation?"

Ranger Kame stepped forward. "Yes, sir, I was the one that called this in. A search party has already been dispatched to see if they could locate the area the boy awoke in."

"Good, give that information to Sargent Bantham outside; where is the boy?" The Lieutenant asked, but he was already staring at him; when the Ranger confirmed Izuku's identity, the Lieutenant nodded and walked right over to the children, only to be intercepted by Emiko, who got in his way.

Shinobo went to a corner and called Kiana.

After some brief introductions, he tried to step past Emiko, but she calmly got in his way. "Sir, as of right now, until this young man's family arrives, I am his guardian. I will not hand him over to you just because you state your name and rank as if that gives you a free pass."

Lieutenant Talbot glared at the woman behind his mirrored sunglasses, "Mrs?"

"Yanagi."

"Mrs. Yanagi, I am under strict orders to take this boy into custody for questioning simply," he replied, his voice falsely sweet. "That is all he has been missing for a month, and we need to know if he has any answers in regards to a confidential matter; if you would be so kind as to step aside…" he moved to the right, a flicker of annoyance crossed his face when she slid in front of him.

"Lieutenant, I am afraid I can allow no such thing to occur," she said calmly. "It would be a violation of his rights and those of his parents to allow you to question him without one of them present. If you were to confer with the Ranger, you find out that the boy does not remember anything of the past month. He remembers being in the truck, then awakening in a cave."

"Well, that seems convenient," he said. "Are you a lawyer of some sort, ma'am?"

"Why yes, I am a civil rights lawyer," Emiko smiled as she handed over her business card. "So you can understand that I will defend this child's rights with any means at my disposal until such time his parents come to relieve me of my duties and take their son back into their custody."

Talbot sighed; he hated lawyers almost as much as he hated people impeding him from doing his job. He removed his sunglasses and activated his quirk Command. "Step aside and be quiet!" Emiko stiffened and did as ordered. Shinobo, relaying information, immediately came to his wife's defense. "Be Still and Be Quiet!"

The children started to panic as they saw the two adults standing completely still. Reiko called for her mother and father, and when they did not respond, she glared at the man. "What have you done with them?" Reiko stood in front of Izuku with her arms spread."You will not take Izuku!"

Talbot sighed, "Little girl, that boy is coming with me." He stepped forward and shoved Reiko to the side, sending her toppling over; she cried out in pain. Izuku tried to move to her side but was grabbed roughly by the arm. "You are not going anywhere," Talbot growled as he hatted children.

Izuku called out that Talbot was hurting him; Reiko tried to pull Izuku to her with her quirk, snatching him right out of Talbot's grasp. When she grabbed onto him, he returned the gesture. Frantically, they clung to each other as the "adult" tried to tear them apart. His hand slipped, and he ended up striking Reiko, who started to cry, but it succeeded in breaking the grip. He yanked Izuku behind him, "Stupid child," he muttered to the crying Reiko.

"you hurt her," Talbot heard Izuku stammer, "YOU HURT REIKO!"

Suddenly, the boy seemed to burst from his grip, and when he screamed the second time, it was guttural, louder. Talbot whirled around and saw the boy increasing in size, his skin turning green. He wasn't sure if it was a roar or a scream of pain coming from this thing that was the scared little boy. The roar of the beast alerted the soldiers outside that something was amiss. The door flung open as the Ranger and the sergeant he had been speaking with came flanked by two soldiers. The military men immediately drew their weapons.

Talbot activated his quirk one more time! "STOP!" he bellowed. He saw the green monster, hesitating but not stopping; it turned to him, its massive hand grabbing him around the waist. Shots rang out from one of the soldiers. The sergeant ordered them to cease fire, and Reiko screamed in terror. The green monster threw Tablot into his men as Ranger Kame dived for cover. The beast roared, drowning out all the other sounds. Reiko covered her ears, and she felt herself being lifted; she looked, and the monster had raised her from the ground, holding her protectively to its chest.

The Yanagis could suddenly move again; as Emiko yelled and tried to float her daughter out of the monster's grasp, the thing growled and broke through the back of the station, taking off into the forest with Reiko.


-Reiko-

She tried to push the beast away, but it did nothing. She tried to pull herself free. She felt the things hands tense, but again, she went nowhere. It took her a moment to realize that despite the fact they were tearing through the trees, the thing had her almost cocooned, holding her so protectively. She felt the thing leap into the air; she let out a shriek at the suddenness of it. As the momentary feeling of weightlessness peaked, followed by the sudden sensation of falling, it made her scream again. As they landed, she felt the vibration of the impact, but she was not jostled in the slightest; besides, she thought of them taking flight; she didn't scream this time when they landed.

She suddenly heard yelling and screams, the sounds of cars and horns. She turned twisted and was able to catch a glimpse. They were standing in the middle of a highway.


-Lady Nagant-

They were speeding along the highway when suddenly, a loud commotion and tires were squealing as everyone slammed onto their brakes simultaneously. Kiana swerved to the side, getting them out of the chaos; she managed to safely bring them to a stop.

"What is going on?" Hisashi said from the back seat where he was with Inko. "Are both of you alright?"

"I'm okay," Inko responded, looking around.

Kiana got out of the car quickly, and that was when they heard it; Kiana and Hisashi had heard it before the monster's roar. "Stay with Inko," she yelled as she took off running up the side of the highway. She pulled her radio, "Overwatch, this is Nagant. I need backup; that green-hulking monster from the base is back!"

As she ran further up, she saw the thing, took its foot, and shoved an 18-wheeler to the side, roaring and swiping at the cars that tried to get too close. She immediately noticed it was carrying something; as it turned and lifted, she saw it cradling a young girl. "Overwatch, we have a hostage situation; the monster has a girl. Be advised, Overwatch, we have a hostage situation.

Nagant knew she needed to get this off the highway, to get them somewhere else, but how? She ran forward, creating a bullet; she climbed up on top of a van, her arm morphing into a rifle. She aimed and fired.

The shot was wide, intentionally, but the sound made the creature stop and focus on her. She saw it snarl, and then that same look of what Nagant sware was recognition. She slid out of the van and started to walk forward, creating another bullet and loading it just in case.

"Hey, big guy," Nagant said as she walked forward. "What do you say we put the girl down?"

She saw the monster's arms tighten around the girl more as it growled at her. "Izuku, we can't stay in the middle of the freeway!" she heard the little girl shout. Nagant froze…Izuku? "No, don't jump over there, take me over there," the girl called out. She saw the girl's little hand pointing off the highway towards the trees. "Please, the freeway SCARES me; I am scared," she saw the beast grunt and glare at Nagant and the drivers. It started walking towards the trees and getting off the highway. Nagant gave chase, running parallel with the creature, her mind racing.

They kept moving till they came into a clearing. "You need to put me down now!" she heard the girl say. The creature grunted back. "The bad man is gone. Ok, I am ok." She saw the thing shift, so the girl was kneeling in its massive hands, looking it dead in the face. Nagant began slowly raising her arm but saw the thing's eyes immediately dart to her. Nagant froze, released the bullet, and turned her arm back to normal.

"You are telling me that thing is Izuku Midoriya!" Nagant yelled.

"YES!" the girl responded.

"Hey, big guy," Nagant said again, walking forward, her arms in the air. "Rember me from the truck…Go Beyond!" She saw that look of recognition again.

"You need to put me down now," the little girl said; the monster shook its head like a petulant child. "I am safe; see, there is a hero here. She pointed to Nagant. You said she was the hero who came to save you!" The thing again grunted and shook its head. "She came back to save you."

"Yeah, I came to save you; I have your parents, your mom and dad," The head jerked up at that statement.

"See it okay now," the little girl said. Nagant was shocked at how calm this girl was; she began to think she had an ice quirk or something. "I am safe; you are safe." The thing tried to look away from her, but she put he hand on his cheek and pulled him back to look at her. "YOU. ARE. SAFE. NOW!" Nagant watched as this little girl pressed her forehead to this monster and started to whisper that same statement repeatedly. She saw the eyes closed like in a trance, and they began shrinking and getting smaller. The muscles shrunk, and the skin went back to a typical hue. There in the clearing was Izuku Midoriya, cradled by the bravest little girl she had ever seen. The little girl rocked, gently telling Izuku that he was safe.

"Overwatch the..Hulk is down. The situation has been resolved; I need immediate assistance," she radioed in. She slowly walked forward as Izuku's eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" he muttered.

"I don't know," Reiko said, "But the hero is here."

Izuku looked past her and saw Nagant. He smiled sweetly at her, and his eyes sparkled; for the first time, she felt like a hero; she was this boy's hero. "I knew you would save me," he said softly as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.


-Can You Say Clusterfuck?-

Heroes, emergency services, HSC agents, the JDF, and two worried parents. Trying to keep Inko away would have been akin to a suicide mission; Hisashi fell to his knees and began to sob when he saw his son. Izuku woke up in his mother's embrace; he smiled at her before he nuzzled in and fell back asleep. Inko just cradled him to her, her tears falling silently.

Reiko sat and waited; it wasn't long before her parents arrived; they had a curious look of relief, worry, and anger when they stepped out of the vehicle. Reiko ran towards them, and the group hugged.

Inevitably, it became questions of jurisdiction. The monster had attacked military personnel when it first manifested, but Nagant argued that it was provoked; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reiko's mom talking to Inko, who nodded, and the woman walked over.

"I am Emiko Yanagi, mother of Reiko and the lawyer for the Midoriya," the woman said, commanding everyone's attention. "First, I would like to press charges against Lieutenant Glenn Talbot for illegal use of a quirk, assault, and battery of two minors, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping." Everyone was frozen. "I believe you, Lady Nagant, as a member of the Hero Commission, have the authority to file charges on my families and clients. The Midoriya's would also like to agree to surrender to Lady Nagant and the HSC, as long as Lady Nagant agrees to take my clients in personally."

Nagant passed Emiko to Inko, still holding Izuku, and saw Inko mouth the words, "I trust you."

Nagant turned back to the agency's representatives. "Major Brakis, we will be filing charges against Lieutenant Glenn Talbot and taking Izuku Midoriya into custody as this seems to be some quirk reaction. We will reach out if we need any assistance." Nagant said as she turned and walked away. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She felt good coming to the aid of the Midoriyas.

"I am going to need you and your family to give a full statement," she said to Emiko, "I would also like to have your daughter near when he wakes up, as we don't know what triggers his transformation, but that girl was a cool as a cucumber."

"Of course, Lady Nagant, Reiko has a very strong protective instinct, and she immediately connected with Izuku when we first found him. I believe he transformed because that man had hurt her; he wanted to protect her," Emiko replied. "He has been terrified since we found him. I think it is a good idea for now. She has been asking if he is alight this entire time."

"She is a good girl with a bright future; let me introduce you to his mother; please forgive her if she doesn't put him down; people kept telling her that he was dead for the past month. She never believed them." Nagant said as they approached.

"That is because she is a mother," Emiko said with a smile.

The introduction was brief as they were loaded into a van and taken to the HSC facility in the area. Nagant explained that this would only be a temporary placement to the Midoriya and that, due to what she believed to be Izuku's quirk, they would be moving to the main building in Tokyo.

"What is going to happen to my son?" Hisashi said.

"I don't know, Hisashi," Nagant said honestly. "I am hoping and praying that the only reason he didn't have any control is due to the nature of his quirk manifesting and the desperate situation of his first awakening. We must figure it out and get it under control." She saw the worried looks the Midoriya gave each other.

"This isn't going to be easy. I am sorry, Inko, but this will take time," Nagant told them.

"I have my baby back; that is what is important. And thank you so much, Emiko, Shinobo, and especially you, Reiko," Inko said; the little girl looked shocked. "Kiana told me how much you helped my baby."

Reiko blushed, "He is my friend, and friends help each other."

"I hope you will continue to be his friend; he will need all the help. All the support we can give him," he said, mummer of support filled the van.

Hisashi placed his arm around Inko; they looked down at their sleeping boy; the road stretched out endlessly before them. It was a long road; they didn't know where it would end; they just knew they would be by their son; they had nearly lost him, and they were not about to let him slip away now.