"WHY'RE YOU HOLDING BACK, HUH? SCARED!?" I demanded as Deku threw out his hands in defense.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT! IT'S JUST NOT ACTIVATING, I SWEAR!"

"Enough!" shouted All Might. "That clearly isn't working, so cut it out - BLARGH!" And he coughed up the blood from before.

I came back down to the floor, as did Deku.

"Wasn't it supposed to activate when he's feeling cornered?"

"Possibly, but we're training so that it doesn't activate! Any feedback, young Midoriya?"

Deku lifted up his hand and flexed it.

"Like I thought, nothing. The presence is gone."

We'd met up in a private room, the three of us, after the training was over. All Might served us tea. Deku and I shared the couch opposite him.

"The Predecessor's quirks? One for All is evolving like that?"

He said it like it was totally a normal thing...

"So you two always chat in here, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. It was surprising to see you here too, Kacchan."

"Bakugou now shares our secret," said All Might.

"So," I got down to business, taking a sip of tea. "Didja know about that black quirk, All Might?"

He shook his head. "Today was the first time I saw it. The bald predecessor, though, the one who came before my own master was supposedly a dark-haired youth. I doubt that my master knew that all their old quirks are packed in there."

"He, dweeb! Today was the first time you saw it too, right? Any clue what set it off? Maybe something's triggering it."

"Don't call him a dweeb," said All Might.

Deku looked a bit like a cornered animal. He hesitated.

What were you thinking when Copycat Bastard said that shit, Deku? The whip came out right afterwards. Did that have something to do with it?

Or was it what he said about All Might's end?

"I dunno...they just told me the time was right. It could be some external factor."

"Yeah. Something to do with All for One. Cuz he's the one who basically created One for All, right? Isn't it an offshoot of his power? HE's also got multiple quirks. That makes you the same as him."

"I didn't want to raise that point..." said All Might, standing up. "To prevent another outburst, we need to learn about this new power."

And that was how we got here.

"Not feeling enough danger, huh? Maybe It'll burst out if I give you a real pounding! Then if I crush you while that black stuff is going wild, that'll make me the undisputed champ!"

"Is that meant to be motivating?" asked All Might.

"If it responds to my emotions, well, back there, I - it's not something I can handle now. I made the decision to put a lock on it, so to speak. IF I envision locking and unlocking it then maybe -" And he was off into mutter mode.

"Blah blah blah, booring!" I snapped. "What's the point if you can't handle it? I'm outta here! Your muttering gives me the creeps."

I headed back to Heights Alliance, irritated. It felt like there was something Deku hadn't told me, some piece of this we didn't know yet.

"Bakugou" Glasses shouted as soon as I walked in the door. salted him. "Where have you been?"

Class 1B was for some reason hanging out in our place with us. Glasses was standing right in my way. "None of your damn business!" I snapped at him, irritated. I gotta lie all the time from now on for Deku and All Might...

"Bakugou, as your class representative, it is my responsibility to -"

I headed over to grab dinner, trying to block Glasses' voice outta my head. Just leave me alone.

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were trading some loud comments about "Manliness". Most everyone else was paired up with whoever they'd fought. Thankfully Copycat Bastard didn't seem to be here - not in the mood to deal with him tonight.

Deku arrived and Glasses immediately greeted him. "Dinner tonight is beef stew!"

"Ooh, nice. And it looks like Class B is here too!"

How come Deku doesn't get the third degree?

"Indeed! They've come to socialize and discuss today's training!"

Deku seemed to be headed my way, but IcyHot intercepted him.

"I've been looking for you, Midoriya. I didn't realize you had two quirks too."

I tensed up. Crap...is Icyhot gonna figure something up?

"Huh?"

"I was just a little shocked that they guy who screamed at me not to hold back was hiding this all along."

"It's not like that! It's probably just derived from the original...it's still just a single quirk...I was shocked too! This has never happened until today."

"Right. Well, that sounds rough. Sorry for doubting you. But it was pretty impressive."

IcyHot is sharp but also dull as a brick.

"You too, Todoroki! Your flames...You're really getting the hang of it."

"No. I still have a long way to go. Just like you, I guess. Which is why I need to keep aiming higher."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him pick up a cell phone.

Hm. What's he mean by that?

DEIKA CITY

Spinner and Shigaraki, Dabi and Mr. Compress, had been separated from Toga's fight with Chitose. Fighting back on their own sides against the seemingly never-ending onslaught of Meta Liberation army warriors, they looked like blips surrounded by human waves.

"How much longer until wakey-wakey time?" called Spinner.

"One our, 20 minutes," said Mr. Compress.

"For real? Even though we knock em down, they just keep on coming!"

"You haven't taken a single one out yet," snapped Dabi.

"Where'd Toga run off to?" asked Twice.

A car came driving through, a car with a dias on top labeled "Hearts and Minds Party". Atop it stood the Meta Liberation Army Member with the dark glasses and long twine of hair.

"ATTENTION! I HAVE TRAGIC NEWS TO REPORT!"

"An election campaign van?" wondered Mr. Compress.

"MISS CURIOUS HAS FALLEN IN BATTLE! SHE HAS GIVEN HER LIFE TO THE LIBERATION CAUSE!"

"Ahh! How awful" Shrieked the audience members, in a wild display of feeling. "Any word from the grand commander about this?"

"DO NOT LET HER SACRIFICE BE IN VAIN, HE SAID."

"I see," said Compress. "Hanabata's playing the role of the preacher gathering his flock. This isn't an army. It's more like a religious sect."

A giant wall of warriors, all at once, were headed towards Shigaraki. He seemed almost dwarfed by their size.

"Shigaraki!"

Shigaraki's hand had seized the face of the first, which began decaying from his touch -

And it spread to the person next to him - and the next -

and the next

and the next

Until the wall was a pile of ash.

"Shigaraki - you -" cried Spinner.