True Sacrifice

by InuKagomeLuver4Eva

To be a hero means to sacrifice for those in need, yet there are times it requires a heavy toll. A private resort trip goes south even before it can begin and Ochaco Uraraka throws herself into the face of danger to protect her friends, resulting in the loss of the very thing that made her who she was. Soon after, a villain emerges and twists the odds to his favor. Izocha.

14. A Light in the Bleakest of Nights

"Whenever you're ready, Ochaco, take your time." Tsu encouraged her friend with a firm grip on her forearms, ensuring she would be able to swiftly catch the brunette. Recovery Girl was finally making her get up after being bedbound for so long and Ochaco was more than eager to take the opportunity. She just wasn't sure if her legs would hold her for more than a few seconds. That's why her friends were all around supporting and encouraging her to move.

"You've got this, Uraraka! Go Plus Ultra!" Kirishima cheered with both fists pumped into the air, his skin hardening in an instant. The rest of the class cheered her on in the usual infirmary, the private one no longer needed since she'd woken up and became more stabilized. Aizawa and All Might stood by in the corner to provide silent support, Recovery Girl at the ready in case anything went wrong in between. Despite their best efforts to keep the crowd to a minimum, word quickly spread throughout the class, and they all showed up a short while ago.

"No quirk usage outside of the training grounds, Kirishima." Mr. Aizawa casually warned with a flash of his quirk, the hardening disappearing instantly.

"Sorry, Mr. Aizawa! I got too wrapped up in the moment, won't happen again."

"Come on, girlie, move those legs so you can go give Midoriya a hug like you did at the class battle!" Mina whistled with two fingers much to Ochaco's immediate horror, the look on her face frozen while her mind tried to unscramble itself. The pinkette cackled excitedly with Toru jumping in on the teasing. The gravity quirk user quickly turned her face away to hide the rubescent coloring her skin.

"We know you both totally like each other! Come on, Ocha, use this chance to get in close!"

"They both do have a point," Jiro casually added with a grin.

"Ladies, let's not stress her out during her physical therapy session, okay? Though I'm ashamed to admit we've all been waiting for that moment…" Yaoyorozu admitted sheepishly with two fingers pressed together, a light blushing dusting her face.

"M-Mina! Toru! Jiro and Yaomomo too?" Ochaco sputtered out while looking at the pinkette with the most embarrassment she'd ever felt. She almost had to make sure she wasn't floating away but thankfully a soft squeeze from Tsu eased a fraction of worry. This was all becoming a bit too much of a frenzy over some physical therapy.

"Didn't you two kiss in your hometown, Uraraka? What's the big deal about a hug now?" Kaminari's input and the heat building up in Ochaco's head finally burst with a spout of steam, the poor girl slumping back to the bed in defeat. Tsu kept her arms steady but turned to face the rest of their class with a disappointed look.

"This isn't helping the situation, you guys. Ochaco needs to focus on strengthening her muscles back up, not worrying about everyone pushing her to hug Midoriya. If you're not going to help then go wait outside."

"Wow, you didn't even need to step in there, Aizawa. It's impressive how Miss Asui took command so easily." All Might whispered to his fellow teacher who merely grunted a response. Not like he felt interfering would do anything, so he let them sort it out. If things got completely out of hand then he would step in, but watching Asui take charge gave him a little peace of mind.

"Sorry, Uraraka, Tsu!" The class chorused with a brief bow to the annoyed frog quirk holder. Ochaco shakily looked up, eyes darting over her classmates who were now silently waiting with bated breaths for her to stand. Through nineteen pairs of eyes she searched until auburn landed on emerald off to the side. He was towards the back of the group though still visible as he waited alongside his classmates for support. Deku also seemed to be embarrassed about the whole situation but switched to silent, strong support once they locked eyes. He held up a fist for her and mouthed 'you can do it'.

"Promise you've got me, Tsu?" Ochaco asked her froggy friend quietly, eyes never leaving Deku's. A nod of his head told her he was there for her one hundred percent. She sent him a silent thank you.

"I promise, ribbit."

Here goes nothing.

Ochaco braced her slippers against the tile floor and with the comforting grasp of her friend, began trying to lift herself off the bed. Her arms shook with effort, yet Tsu kept a firm grip to give her an anchor point. The wound on her abdomen tugged a bit so she faltered, leaning forward to relieve the strain and relaxing her arms for a minute. She had to think about this from a different perspective. Obviously her arms had deteriorated so trying to pull herself up using that method wouldn't work. Plus it strained her upper body which in turn tugged on the scar. Just like when Deku injured his arms and couldn't use them anymore…she'd use her legs to support herself.

"Come on, Uraraka, you can do this," Deku muttered under his breath, anxiously waiting for his friend to overcome the challenges she was facing. It was that first step that led the way to success and despite everything that's happened to her, he knew she could do it. His hands clenched into fists in front of him, praying to give her strength.

"We believe in you, Ochaco," Mina encouraged with teary eyes as she waited at the goal line, arms wide open to catch the brunette.

"You've aways encouraged us to go beyond, so now it's our turn." Jiro agreed with a nod.

"You can do it!" Toru cheered with trembling clasped hands.

"Go Plus Ultra!" Kirishima cheered with a wavering voice, the tears already streaming down his face. Bakugo glanced over at him with a scoff. Why was the idiot crying over Cheeks standing up? He'd taken shits more impressive than this.

"Do your best, Uraraka!"

"Come on!"

"Give it your all!"

"We believe in you!"

Ochaco concentrated hard on getting her legs to move, a deep breath in and a slow one out. Her core muscles had weakened over the past few months, but there was still enough to sit her up so it should be plenty to help her stand. Tsu waited patiently as her friend tightened her grip and pushed down hard on her legs to stand. Apparently that was the easy part seeing as Ochaco fell against her friend almost immediately, a little too much force used in getting up. As expected, her legs began faltering and giving out on her. Tsu held her up with ease and helped Ochaco stand upright. Jiro stood on the other side as precaution in case she fell sideways, hands hovering near her arms for a quick catch. Now she just needed to take a few steps to satisfy Recovery Girls healing plan. The goal was to reach Mina about fifteen feet away.

"Don't rush things, Ochaco, go at your own pace and make sure to take one step at a time." Recovery Girl chimed in.

Ochaco nodded while concentrating on looking at her feet to make sure she didn't trip over them. While tightening the muscles in her thighs, the brunette shakily lifted one foot to move in forward. Tsu and Jiro kept up with her pace as they slowly shuffled across the room, the steps shaky and uneven but better than nothing. Her classmates waited with building breaths as her foot stepped over the line marked by Recovery Girl and she fell into Mina's grasp, the required steps now completed. The room erupted into cheers and Ochaco found herself sandwiched by crying girls as the rest of her class surged in to congratulate her. There was barely a dry eye in the room save for the three teachers.

"Guess there was nothing to worry about after all." Aizawa let out with a small smile twitching at his lips. He knew she could do it; Ochaco Uraraka didn't look like it from the outside, but she was stronger than even she believed. All Might clapped a hand on his friends shoulder with a bright smile, shimmering relief clear in his eyes. He was such a sap for small achievements like this.

"There never was anything to worry about, Aizawa. We've known all along that Uraraka is strong. With the support of her friends, I get the feeling recovery will go smoother now. How soon do you think you can work on her, Chiyo?"

"Another few days or so, small sessions to begin with. My surgery's only done so much and now the rest is up to Uraraka. It's going to drain her pretty bad, but I think in a few days she'll be moving around easily and back to training within a few weeks if the sessions go well. I was going to have her keep moving around but I feel she needs this moment with her classmates," Chiyo hummed with a smile. Ochaco stood surrounded by her classmates with the biggest smile of relief she'd seen in a while.

"What's all this racket in here? Did I miss a party?"

Midnight snuck up between Aizawa and All Might silently, startling the old pro while earning a grimace from her former classmate. She took in the scene and a warm expression took over. Uraraka was moving and happy again, something she hadn't seen in a long time. The recovery must've been going well. She always loved such loving connections between students, so young and innocent.

"You missed the first steps of a hero regaining her confidence. Though I'm sure there'll be plenty more moments like that." All Might filled in as Midnight rested both arms between her fellow teachers, watching the scene with adoration.

"Uraraka's come a long way since the first attack, hasn't she? I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to throw herself right back into training by next week. Have you heard anything new?"

"No. Nothing new has come down the line so we'll just have to wait. For now, we can rest a little easier that the hideouts are being infiltrated one by one. We're not any closer to finding Ronaldo, but we've got our leads looking into possible further locations." Aizawa filled in as Nemuri began swooning at the loving bond between the students. He began swaying back and forth due to her excited shaking of them both, yet he just endured it. She could have her moment every now and then. "Another thing. Stop sending Hawks to do your dirty work when it comes to gossip. It's annoying."

"Pssh, you're no fun, Shota! It wasn't just gossip he was supposed to gather intel on. I care about your class. They've really proven themselves as top-notch future heroes, so be proud of that. Though I thought the both of you might like this little tidbit of info I managed to sneak from our eyes in the skies." Nemuri held a small, folded piece of paper in between two fingers while keeping cerulean eyes on the students. Aizawa glanced at it before snatching and unfolding it.

Activity at the destroyed mansion. Nighttime foot traffic happening. Seems to be a supply move of sorts. Will continue to monitor.

"What could they possibly still find there? That entire place was demolished to below ground level." All Might muttered behind his hand after skimming over the words. They were Hawks' alright. Apparently he was still monitoring the area, but on whose orders? "Does Principal Nezu know about this?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, it's not on his order to be out there. Endeavor won't claim responsibility either. My guess is that the Hero Public Safety Commission is sticking their nose in it for their own purposes, but at least we're getting the information for the sole purpose of tracking the Quantum Council. As long as they don't suspect anything, we should be able to keep that line of communication open."

Aizawa shoved the paper into his pocket, keeping a fist around it tightly. If activity was still occurring at the demolished home of Paranoias, then either All for One or Machiavelli needed something that remained in the ruins. The ammonia blast should've taken care of anything in there, including the room of deceased experiments. Tired black eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. Did this have to do with Yoshizawa's body going missing? Were they looking for something in particular, something that correlated to the villain's quirk? The broadcast they were sent months ago showed the villain whirling around an orbed cane. Did it have something to do with manifesting his quirk or did it merely amplify them? It wasn't with the smoldering body when he caught it, meaning it was probably still there.

"What's on your mind?" All Might nudged the teacher lightly. He'd noticed him staring at nothing in particular, but when his eyes narrowed the former pro knew he was deep in thought about something. "It's about Paranoias, right?"

"Not here." Aizawa replied curtly before motioning with his head at the doors. All Might nodded. Nemuri watched them leave with a slightly notched brow, though turned her attention back to the heroes. It wasn't any of her business right now and most likely the information would be brought up during a meeting.

"What's with the secrecy, Aizawa? Don't tell me you've figured something out about this whole situation." Toshinori quietly shut the empty classroom door behind him after ensuring they weren't followed.

"With the Safety Commission undoubtedly watching closely, this needs to stay between us for now alongside designated staff," Aizawa walked over to the blank chalkboard and grabbed a small piece of chalk before beginning to chart out information. Quantum Council was the largest circle with multiple branches protruding. "Quantum Council started with Yoshizawa Isoruko nearly twenty years ago. They tried to poison hero society and failed thanks to your intervention with Principal Nezu, alliancing agencies, and intel. He went underground all these years and chose to just now resurface under Paranoias. We can confirm he was working for All for One, at least a portion of the latest activity, but we can't confirm his affiliation prior. Uraraka has confirmed that his second hand, Ronaldo, was the mastermind behind everything by altering Paranoias' memories. What we got out of two of his henchmen back up her story. There's still no concrete intel on who he is or what the full potential of his quirk is."

"None of the villains captured in recent raids have memory of who he is, meaning it's possible that once discovered, the link between Machiavelli and his targets snapped. They've been ordered to self-destruct if caught by heroes to eliminate any tracing back to him. It almost sounds like something All for One would do, though that man prefers to gloat in the spotlight." All Might added and Aizawa scribbled that bit of info in beneath the Ronaldo bubble.

"But if Ronaldo can link to that many people simultaneously, he has to be getting help from All for One. Even for a powerful quirk it's an immense amount of targets at once. Unless he only cycles them at certain times to prevent overworking his quirk. If he had a checklist of places to build up first, that would make more sense. Right now, though, the raids don't seem to be showing any sort of pattern. And what the man I captured mentioned; they were told not to leave a single trace behind, even if it meant killing themselves. Why would they risk death just for him? What does Machiavelli offer that so many villains want?"

"Maybe it's not what Machiavelli offers, but what All for One has. Weaker villains always want to become stronger, right? And what better way to do that than to get in close with All for One or the League. Stealing and distributing quirks is what he's good at, Aizawa. Promise a highly yearned after quirk to a poor, desperate person and they'll do whatever trick they have to just to get it." All Might walked up to the chalkboard, hand to his chin as he studied the growing circles. A finger tapped just below AFO and League of Villains. "Anyone who impresses the League, gets in under the assumption that there's a great reward waiting for them. All they have to do first is start taking down the heroes standing in the way."

"You're saying some of them tried to start taking heroes out before they even begin. We came to that conclusion after the paralysis incident." Aizawa stated, earning a nod in return. Drawing an arrow away from the bubbles, the teacher wrote Students and circled it. It made sense after all. Villains who couldn't go after higher level pros could lower the bar and aim for heroes in training, the ones who weren't fully adapted to their quirks. League Hopefuls was written beneath the League bubble, linking the arrow to the students. "That would explain why they tried to target a bus full of young heroes, but they weren't counting on pro heroes being among the mix. Or it was a gamble in the hopes of heroes showing up, the civilians could've easily been the main targets. No direct lead on who told them of our whereabouts and despite using an unmarked bus, they must've been waiting in strategic spots for familiar faces to show. Either that or someone leaked information. The sports festival is beginning to cause a lot of trouble for the school."

"I can almost guarantee All for One is behind that, if not indirectly through Shigaraki and his gang. They mentioned trying to impress the League to get in, yes? While unorthodox, it's possible the League is doing an underground recruitment of sorts to gain new members. Lure them in with the promise of a better quirk then tell them who to attack and when. This could be something much larger than we're expecting, Aizawa. If that's the direction it's going to go…we'll need some serious backup, more than what Japan has."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, All Might. Dragging other countries into our fight just creates more of a mess that the Japanese government has to clean up later. For now it doesn't seem like Ronaldo, All for One, or the League are making much of a move. Not to say they aren't scurrying around in the darkness, but they're not making anything visible yet. Except…"

"Except?"

"Unleashing Nomu at the mansion was a risky move because it gives away All for One being behind it. That's an undisputable fact. Nomu are tied directly to him. Another major factor is that a quirk enhancer was used on Paranoias. That was technology created by Chisaki and the Hassaikai, later being stolen by Tomura Shigaraki and the League. Dabi's flames took care of the rest at the end. All for One couldn't have been happy with how Paranoias handled things; he lost a pawn, Nomu, a quirk enhancement, and now the world is putting the pieces together."

"Sloppy work like that isn't tolerated, so it's likely he went back into hiding temporarily until things settle. Casualties were reported across the world from the paralytic attacks, but none here thanks to the fast responses of heroes. Seeing as his name is being whispered amongst the civilians, both quirked and non, it may be too much attention on the League and All for One. But there's still one unanswered question; specifically why Ochaco Uraraka? Why do they still want her?"

"She wasn't the intended victim from the beginning. Midoriya has been targeted by the League for some time now and it's possible she was in the wrong place and time. While Paranoias mentioned she was a guinea pig for the paralytic spray, I don't think it was intentional. You remember what she said after waking, right? How Ronaldo had altered his memories? If Paranoias' memories had been altered then it's a possibility that Ronaldo had diverted from the main plan in order to remove him and move up through the rankings." Aizawa stopped writing mid-sentence to look at the former pro. Toshinori clenched his jaw, realizing his former nemesis had been going after his successor throughout the whole ordeal and other students were getting directly wrapped up in the process. "All Might?"

"Y-yeah, sorry. It all connects together now. But if that was only a temporary paralytic, then it's probable that Midoriya could've been kidnapped and retained until the quirk returned…only to be stolen by All for One. Once Paranoias realized things weren't going exactly to plan, I think he was going to execute Uraraka as a failsafe just to lure Midoriya in."

"Were you withholding that information from me?" Aizawa accused lowly with the chalk pointing at the former pro. Pieces began to break off from the immense hold. "Because that's the first time I'm hearing about a villain wanting to sacrifice one of my students."

"Not intentionally! Young Uraraka confided in me about a few things that I didn't feel comfortable sharing while she was still in a vulnerable state. Apologies!"

"Next time, tell me something like that."

"G-got it."

"Here's what we've compiled so far about the mansion; Paranoias acted as the face of the Quantum Council while Ronaldo worked behind the scenes with All for One. Ronaldo messed with Paranoias' memories in order to do so, thus resulting in Uraraka being targeted and kidnapped instead of Midoriya. In doing this, he pushed himself further into cahoots with the League and All for One, gaining favor for bringing U.A. into the fray and One for All into arms reach. Paralytic quirk liquid was being deported from the country all across the world to expand the range of damage while also being used as a distraction. Things went south when we showed up on his doorstep. Bakugo and Midoriya uncovered deceased experiments down in the basement while Uraraka learned first-hand as a fighting subject for villains enhanced with quirk boosters. Midoriya mentioned it looked like an old nuclear reactor room, likely built to withstand high levels of radiation and blast force, where the bodies were dumped. By the time villains were detained and deported to prison cells, their boosters had worn off and left little trace in their system. High quantities of ammonia destroyed the mansion, leaving little evidence behind. We still don't know what he planned to do with such large quantities, but it could've been set up as a failsafe in case the plan failed. Hawks is reporting that there's activity happening at the ruins during the night—"

"To remove the deceased test subjects."

All Might and Aizawa seemed to realize it at the same time, both inhaling sharply. The latter set the chalk down and took a few steps back to look at the freshly drawn diagram. It all connected. All for One, Quantum Council, Nomu, quirk paralytic. Aizawa's hand shook as it raised to his face, fingers digging into his skin. Those people weren't just for experimenting, they were—

"All for One is creating more Nomu by using the discarded experiments, and he's starting with Yoshizawa Isoruko."

---

Ochaco skipped down the hallway happier than ever before. Recovery Girl had finally cleared her after a few intense healing sessions, some that knocked her out for days, and today she was finally being released back to normal school life just two weeks after waking. Classes had yet to start for the day, so the old nurse released her early to give her time to adjust. Taking out her phone to check the time, the brunette faltered as the messages began popping up. Everyone was wishing her good morning, asking her how she was feeling, when the cranky old nurse would let her go (Mina). A smile tugged at her lips. They were all so supportive during her recovery time. She'd need to thank them all properly. Though there was one person she was missing a text message from, a certain green haired teen who'd gone radio silent since yesterday afternoon.

While the rest of the class mentioned he was busy with All Might and extra training, Ochaco didn't entirely buy it because Deku still would've shown up yesterday like he always did. Even when All Might stopped by to check in, he seemed to avoid the question by redirecting the conversation after saying he was probably training somewhere. A heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach. Something was going on and it directly involved Deku. Glancing at the time once more, she debated. Forty minutes until the first person would even begin to wander in before the bell. It wasn't like she needed to change; the girls had taken care of that by ensuring she had nearly every outfit from her closet sitting in a bag on the infirmary floor. Recovery Girl was going to have one of the school aids bring it back to the dorm when they had a moment. Food didn't sound that appealing either with the onset heaviness filling the space.

The teen chewed on the corner of her lip. Should she see if he was there? He'd gotten to the classroom before, way earlier than expected, after Christmas break. He seemed to use his desk to think a lot when not in class. Readjusting her bag, Ochaco settled her resolve with a quick face slap then hurried off to the classroom. To say her nerves weren't firing up in anticipation would be a lie; she was apprehensive to be in a room alone with him again. It didn't work out so well last time with Deku handing her the forgotten notebook instead of confessing. If that's what he was even going to do, obviously she was too nervous to think straight. Tapping her pads together, the hero pushed herself faster despite Recovery Girl's warnings to not overdo it yet. But everything felt fine in her body save for the growing pit in her stomach that began pushing against her lungs.

Shoes tapped out of sync as the 1-A classroom door came into sight, the brunette slowing down. Swallowing the anxiety creeping up her throat Ochaco grasped the handle, said a small prayer, then slowly opened the door. It was dark in the room save for the wintery light entering through the large windows. Snow fluttered down lazily as the next round of snowstorms began, promising at least two feet of the compacted flakes. Auburn eyes darted over to the familiar seat only to find it emptied of the one person she was looking for. Disappointment cancelled out the nerves and the teen wandered over to his desk. His bag sat neatly against the chair, but there was no sign of him.

"Maybe he went to grab some breakfast," The gravity manipulator hummed though it sounded like a feeble excuse, and she soon shook her head. There was something going on between him and All Might, that much she could guess, the two seemingly both in on the secret. "It's not your place to ask, Ochaco…"

Shuffling back over to her desk in the back, Ochaco set her bag down beside the chair and dropped heavily into it. Lidded auburn stared down at the twisting fingers in her lap. Was he purposely avoiding her? Had she insulted or hurt him in any way? Their conversations had been upbeat lately, so it shouldn't be anything like that. Worry began to gnaw. What was going on between him and All Might; did it have anything to do with Paranoias or Ronaldo? Was U.A. planning an assault on another villain hideout? They'd already gone through at least a dozen smaller ones according to the rest of the class. Could she…

Twisting her fingers upwards, Ochaco traced over them visually. No issues with her quirk since it returned, nor since fully recovering. Even though she was still targeted by the villains…could she join the fight? It wasn't just a matter of being physically fit, her conscious needed to be clear and free from distraction and doubt. Allowing even a single sliver of doubt could crumble the solidifying resolve in seconds. After immense pain and suffering, could she throw herself right back into the fray without a second thought?

Tracing over her right palm lightly, the hero sighed heavily. Nightmares were still a problem. Despite Paranoias taking control of her mind and body, there was still a level of consciousness during the skirmish in the dorm kitchen. Bakugo, of course, was about to blow her entire face off just to take down the villain. Not surprising though not comforting in the moment. Then there was Deku's reaction…he was so reassuring and comforting in the living room then it turned to fear and anger. He was petrified of Paranoias hurting her with the glass, going so far as to tell Bakugo to back off. He did his best to remain hands-off to prevent hurting her body. Then there was the anger. Even during the harshest of battles, Ochaco had never seen that level of anger until that moment.

The finger stopped tracing over the old stab wound. Deku was protective of his friends, teachers, and those in need. But had he always been that soft with her? With Eri it made sense; the horrendous torture the small child endured meant taking a slower, softer approach when it came to most daily activities. Though with her…did it mean…he pitied her or still felt guilty for his failures? Pressing her forehead into the desk, Ochaco stared at the floor with a sigh. She was being silly; Deku never pitied her, but the guilt was obvious. A glinting caught the hero's attention after accidentally nudging her bag and causing it to fall over. The Uravity pin faced upwards from its precariously placed spot on the front. Two fingers plucked the pin from its home and lifted it up for a closer view.

It seemed to be a newer one she hadn't seen yet; tiny Uravity gear was upgraded to the latest version, antennas included, and she was posed with intricate wires popping out from the wrist holders. The pin even had the wires as attachments, meaning they swished with every motion. Ochaco rested her arms against the desk and stared at the pin in her palm. She seemed so confident and ready to save the day in that floating pose. Far from how she currently felt. It'd been months donning the familiar hero costume, that probably needed size adjustments, and apprehension filled the brunette. Saving Sylvia confirmed she was meant to be a hero through and through. So why was the idea of donning her suit once more so daunting?

"Uraraka, is that you? I didn't realize you'd been released from the infirmary, that's great!"

Looking up at the sudden voice, Ochaco felt her heart skip a beat as Deku made his way over from the doorway. She hadn't even heard him come in. "Morning, Deku! Yeah, sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, so I decided to get here early. Recovery Girl said I should be good to go!"

"That's amazing! How are you feeling? I know it's going to take a bit to regain some strength," Izuku felt his heart nearly burst from happiness. Uraraka was out of the infirmary and back in class! Honestly, he was surprised to see her here this early, but it just made his day that much better. "I'm so happy to see you out of the infirmary!"

"Haha, thanks! For the most part I'm alright. Obviously I need to get stronger so I can help take down Ronaldo and the Quantum Council. I doubt it'll be anything like fighting Yoshizawa, so let's both do our best!" Ochaco lifted her fists to be motivational, but the expression on Deku's face fell from excitement to slight concern and sympathetic. Not entirely sure why he had a sudden shift, the brunette made to ask when warmth trickled down her cheeks. Oh.

"It still bothers you," He spoke softly, slowly pulling up a chair beside hers. "Want to talk about it?"

"I'm afraid, Deku," She admitted with a quivering voice, eyes remaining locked on the pin. A padded finger absentmindedly played with the tiny wire chains. "I still have nightmares about the torture there. Even though it wasn't more than a day, I still wake up most nights crying out. How I was just…they treated me like I wasn't human…"

"You don't need to go into it if it's too much. I honestly can't imagine how people can be so cruel for fun. If…we're being open here, ever since you disappeared from the dorms, I could barely eat or sleep not knowing where you were or if you were injured. I was terrified to see how bad your wounds were going to be when we found you…"

"Deku…" Ochaco turned her gaze to him, taking in his slumping form as he placed both forearms against his legs. While there weren't tears yet, it wouldn't take much for them to start. "I caused a lot of trouble for you, didn't I? I'm sorry."

"No, not at all! It's natural to worry about someone you really care about." Izuku quickly sat up with both hands waving frantically. Virescent orbs were watery though not at the point of spilling over. Though from Uraraka's visibly crumbling walls, they'd both be crying soon. "I don't want you blaming yourself for any of this. It's part of being a hero; both the good and bad. What we've both experienced…it's normal to deal with the aftermath. That's why there are support systems to help with the trauma."

"And everyone's been great, truly…can I ask you something? A bit personal?" Ochaco averted her gaze back down, already feeling his full attention on her. Should she ask or was it just overthinking? Padded fingers clenched the mini Uravity tighter.

"Of course, I'll answer anything you ask, Uraraka." Izuku replied earnestly.

"Are you…do you still blame yourself for what happened? Do you regret any of it?"

Izuku stiffened in surprise. That wasn't a question he was expecting at all. Uraraka was refusing to look at him, instead focusing on the mini version of herself. It wasn't a comfortable question for her to ask. Of course he felt guilty; there were so many chances he could've saved her from the villains, yet she slipped through his outstretched fingers multiple times. Guilty, yes. Regretful? His heart felt just a bit heavier. "Do you…think I'm by your side more because of it?"

"I-I…I feel like your guilt keeps you around more, Deku. You're spending so much of your time with me, and I don't want you to stray from your destined path. You could be training or-or helping to take down the Quantum Council and the League instead of—"

"Instead of helping my best friend recover from a traumatic event? A person who's saved me countless times, on the field and off? Someone who supports me when I'm at my lowest point? Of course that matters more than any villain! You're more important to me than anything, Uraraka."

Ochaco's breath hitched. More than anything? He'd never spoken like that before, and she didn't even have to look at him to feel the sincerity. A wave of guilt washed over, and the brunette slowly stood. She was acting like an idiot in front of him again. Swiping furiously at the falling tears, the teen attempted to compose herself, facing away from him. He was too good for her. A hand ever so lightly grazed against her shoulder, hesitantly, before resting firmly.

"D-did I upset you?"

"I'm sorry for asking something so stupid, Deku…" Ochaco sniffled pathetically, a small, hiccupped laugh slipping out. "I tend to overthink sometimes and being cooped up for so long didn't help. I know you're not staying by my side for those reasons, I'm just afraid of you losing sight of your goal. I feel like your time could've been better spent than constantly worrying over me."

"I can't expect to reach my goal when there's a person crying out for help right in front of me." Izuku replied reassuringly, causing Ochaco to look up. He gave a bright smile and held out a hand for her to take. "Uraraka, you don't need to be afraid anymore. I am here."

Ochaco stumbled into the miniscule space separating them before launching at the unsuspecting hero. He caught her easily, steadying them both with a step back. Slender arms wrapped around his neck tightly as she nestled her face in the crook of his shoulder, muffled crying just barely audible. Surprised, and more than a bit flustered at the sudden contact, Izuku returned the embrace firmly after brief hesitation. Her entire body was shaking.

"It'll be alright, I promise. I won't let Ronaldo get to you or anyone else again. We'll put an end to this and make sure Yoshizawa rests easy."

"You're too good to me, Deku,"

"Well, that's how it's supposed to be when you…l-love someone, right?"

Ochaco felt everything come to a screeching halt and she dropped down to her heels, pulled back, and stared up at the heavily blushing green-haired hero. Auburn eyes slowly widened as heat rushed her face to match that of his. His grip loosened a bit though both hands remained lightly against her back. Her mouth dropped open, floundering for words to come out before settling on the first thing that dropped to her tongue. "E-eh?!"

Izuku placed a hand over his mouth, turning his head to the side. It seemed like a good follow-up to her remark, so he just went with it! His whole body burned rubescent. The first attempted failed up in the old science lab when his nerves got the better of him, giving her the notebook she dropped instead of a proper response. And considering there wasn't anyone else in the room right now…

"I-I uh f-felt since y-you confessed at Christmas…i-it's only fair t-to give you a p-proper response?"

"A-are you serious, Deku?" Ochaco whispered with both hands against her face. Now tears were falling for another reason. Never in a million years had she expected this, despite hopeful wishing, and now it was happening. Her classmate quickly nodded with a fast glance back, hand still covering his mouth. "I…when I confessed to you, I never realized you…I m-mean I didn't think that you…really?"

"C-can I prove it?" Izuku asked shakily, slowly lowering his hand and turning back towards her. Uraraka looked a bit confused but nodded, nonetheless. "Close your eyes for me?"

Ochaco obeyed, auburn orbs softly closing. Izuku swallowed hard in an attempt to calm his nerves. He could do this, right? If she could then so could he. Plus he'd spent countless hours scouring the internet on how to do it properly. Carefully shifting his free hand towards her face, he clenched his fingers inward then released to ease the shakiness. Calloused skin glided across softness before lightly curving to fit against her jawbone and neck. She twitched a bit at the contact though remained still with eyes closed. Izuku licked his lips and took a deep breath in before slowly shifting forward with a thrumming heart. The cuteness of her expression had his own scrunching up as his heart squeezed. She was so adorable! Shaking his head to refocus, Izuku slightly tilted his head and closed the distance between their lips.

He remained tentative, wary of how much pressure to use or how to even move his lips, and just kept them slightly touching hers. His mind was going hazy from the intense heat coursing through his veins. Uraraka's lips were soft, much softer than her skin, and they felt like silk across his rougher ones. Sensing what he was trying to do, the brunette made the bold move and put more pressure between them to fully seal the action. The once trembling, scarred hand that rested against her face pulled Ochaco just a little closer, as did the hand resting against her back.

Resting one hand against his chest with the other sliding over his hand resting against her face, Ochaco leaned into the kiss, relishing in the new sensation. She'd kissed him on a whim back in her hometown, but now they both controlled the situation to their comfort level. Deku was obviously nervous, even with handholding, so it was a major step forward. Agonizingly slow, they both pulled back a few inches with eyes locked.

"I-is that enough p-proof?" Izuku asked lowly, the intense beating of his heart quivering his words. Tears were already beginning to overflow from the strong slurry of emotions boiling over. Uraraka stared up at him in a daze, blinking owlishly with moist eyes.

"…can you do that again?" Ochaco inquired barely above a whisper. It felt so loving and tender that she didn't want it to end. Deku looked surprised for a few moments then let out a small, nervously amused breath. "I might need more…proof…"

'I am here with a phone call! I am here with a—'

Both teens shot apart as the ringtone blasted into the empty room. Izuku clawed for the phone in his pocket and shakily hit the answer button, slapping the phone against his ear. "A-All Might?"

Ochaco took the distraction to walk around and fan against her burning face. They'd kissed! Their first real kiss! He loved her back! And then she asked him to do it again! Flapping her hands faster to disperse the steam protruding from chestnut locks, Ochaco paced back and forth until a familiar beeping of her phone went off. Pulling it out of her skirt pocket, the teen unlocked the screen to see a U.A. alert flashing urgently.

An unknown trespasser has entered school property. Please make your way to the nearest shelter to await further instructions. Do not engage in combat. Report to the closest pro hero if you encounter the trespasser.

"An unknown trespasser? How could someone get through all of the security systems?" Ochaco mumbled to herself while biting down on a nail. Principal Nezu ensured that the school had top of the line defenses after the reporter incident, so how was it possible for someone to gain access to the grounds?

"Uraraka," Glancing up from her phone, she looked over at Deku to see he was in hero mode. The phone drifted away from his ear as All Might continued to speak, a finger pressing down on the speak button. "You need to listen to this…"

"…the intruder on campus is claiming to be Yoshizawa Isoruko! Both of you need to find shelter at once and wait for a teacher to find you! Don't engage! I repeat—" The phone line suddenly disconnected leaving both teens higher on edge. Izuku tried to call him back only to hang up in frustration multiple times.

"There's…no way. He died, right? You saw it…" Ochaco felt the panic rising within. If Yoshizawa was still alive…no, there was no way he could've survived according to Deku. But if it wasn't him then… "Deku…you don't think…"

"He's gone. There's no way he survived Dabi's flames after falling from nearly ceiling level. Something's not right. It's like the phone service has died out. Do you have signal on your phone?" Izuku gave up and turned to her. After a quick confirmation, Uraraka shook her head. Putting a hand against his mouth, the hero began to analyze the situation. "Communications are down. Intruder on campus, supposedly Yoshizawa Isoruko. There might be someone working on the inside to sneak villains in, but that doesn't explain Yoshizawa being here. Uraraka, do you remember if Ronaldo had any abilities, anything All for One might've given him?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself?"

Ochaco froze with an icy hand clenching her heart, wide auburn eyes slowly shifting towards the familiar voice. Deku slid to stand protectively in front of her, arms out and slightly back while powering up. Sitting by the windows with feet resting atop a desk, sat Ronaldo; villain alias Machiavelli. The villain was decked out in a deep crimson three-piece suit with a snow-white cape pooling on the floor. Shined, black shoes tapped against each other casually. His black locks were gelled back and out of his face. Once dark eyes were now glowing unnaturally golden in the darkened room despite the massive windows filtering the morning light in. In his hand, twirling freely, was an eerily familiar staff that refracted light across the room.

"Ronaldo." Izuku grit out with growing fury. Something latched onto the back of his uniform, twisting tightly into the material. He could feel Uraraka shaking through the jacket, fear rolling from her frame in waves. "Or are you calling yourself Yoshizawa Isoruko now?"

"Machiavelli. Ronaldo is no more, same as Paranoias. Though using Yoshizawa as an excuse to sneak into school grounds appeared to be a good idea. Seems the pro heroes are really frazzled about his sudden appearance." Machiavelli shrugged with a little laugh, as if responding to his own inside joke.

"That's because his body disappeared from the school morgue. You had a teleporter on him, didn't you?" This was bad. The cane he destroyed back in the mansion was now in possession of the mastermind behind Uraraka's kidnapping and the paralysis bombs. If it had anything to do with brainwashing, this fight would turn sour quickly. A low whistle emitted from the villain, and he began to slowly clap in an exaggerated manner.

"Impressive work, Izuku Midoriya! Almost like you can read me like a book. Though this literature is far more advanced than you could ever hope to comprehend. Now, let's get down to business, hm?" Machiavelli shifted his legs over to hit the floor with a clicking of heels. The staff shifted to twirl between palms at his back. "Ochaco Uraraka—"

"Leave her out of this!" Izuku shouted while taking aim with his fist. Black whip could subdue him for a longer timeframe than just using Air Force, but Air Force would give them the distance to escape and find a pro. The villain stopped two rows over with a curious glinting in his eyes. "Take one more step and I'll have no other choice than to fight! You're not taking her anywhere, not on my watch!"

"You misunderstood, apologies. Perhaps I should explain myself more clearly: I'm not here to take her, not yet anyways, but to provide a bit of a warning if you will. Paranoias may have been cowardly in relinquishing the shackles, though I am less willing to part with such an able test subject. You've proven yourself strong, Ochaco, that makes you a nice target for those working amongst the shadows. Best if you sleep with one eye open because I'll be back for you."

"She's not going anywhere!" Izuku snapped. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but torturing people for the sake of experiments is demented! Even Yoshizawa accepted that at the very end! But you betrayed him and had Dabi do your dirty work!"

"Dabi? I'm afraid you're getting your facts jumbled up. Dabi wasn't the one who killed Yoshizawa; I was. Technically, a Twice clone of me did, but it was still my likeness that skewered through him with ease after he had a change of heart and let your pretty little friend go. He should've been honored to die by my hands—"

"You're sick," Ochaco growled against Deku's back. Fire raced through her veins and the gravity manipulator released the iron grip she had on the jacket to step around her classmate. He immediately prepped black whip, small tendrils waving out of his knuckles, and grabbed onto her arm with the other hand. Machiavelli tilted his head with a knowing smile, further enraging the brunette. "Had you left his memories alone, Yoshizawa could've avoided such a senseless death. All he wanted was redemption at the end, yet you had to manipulate his memories to suit your needs; rather, All for One's plan because you're nothing more than his pawn. Once you fail, he's just going to discard you like all of the others."

"Hence why he's dead and I'm not. The pawn was taken out by a knight after a tactical checkmate, for which I happen to be said knight. My ranking now elevates after removing the weakest link. Don't forget, Ochaco; I'm a master tactician that has every backup plan imaginable. I do believe my time here has ended. A word of advice before I depart," Machiavelli shifted the cane to his front and hovered it above the floor, the orb beginning to illuminate. Both heroes quickly shielded their eyes as black whip launched forward to snatch the weapon. A wide grin stretched across his face as he twirled the orb rapidly, deflecting the tendrils with ease. "Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can because all hell is about to break loose."

"You're not leaving!" Izuku took the risk of lowering his arm and shot secondary strands of black whip at the villain.

"Farewell."

Machiavelli stopped spinning the staff before tapping it twice on the floor. With a small pop he vanished just as the tendrils reached him. Silence filled the classroom as both teens tried to assess the situation. Releasing black whip, Izuku stared at the spot where Machiavelli disappeared. No scorch mark, no insignia, no signs pointing to how he entered or exited the property. The orb could be a critical clue in how he was exiting and entering without a trace. Ochaco cautiously placed a hand against his arm, instantly garnering his attention.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked worriedly.

"Deku…" Ochaco closed her eyes as turbulent thoughts began to create a buzzing mind. Her gaze slowly shifted from him to the Uravity pin residing on her desk, slender fingers carefully grabbing it for a closer look. Confident Uravity, always there to save those in need. Friends. Family. Citizens…Sylvia. The pin curled into her palm firmly. She was ready. The brunette took in a deep breath before swinging a resolved expression to her classmate. "We're going to take him down, even if it's the last thing I do. I won't let him get away with this anymore."

"Right. We'll take him down, for Yoshizawa." Izuku nodded confidently with a growing smile. It was elating to see the drive return after so long.

"One more thing…" Her classmate's expression was curious as she lifted up onto her toes. Ochaco briefly pressed her lips against his cheek, silently conveying her gratitude. Heat flooded her face as he stared at her wide eyed. "Thank you for protecting me, Deku. It means a lot."

"Y-You're…uh…w-welcome, U-Uraraka…" Izuku sputtered out with fingers raising to the tingling spot. Both arms quickly covered his face as it became too much to bear. Uraraka placed a hand against her face and slightly turned away, heavy blush tinting both cheeks rubescent. Before either could react further, the door to the classroom slammed open and the lights were flicked on.

"Are both of you unharmed? Didn't you get the villain alert?" All Might wheezed from the doorway, one arm supported against the wall with the other pressing against his old wound. The former pro took a moment to compose himself before stumbling over to them. Without warning, he threw his arms around both teens and hugged them tightly. "I'm glad to see you're both alright. As soon as I heard the alert, I knew you'd head back for the classroom, Young Midoriya. I wasn't expecting you two to be together, but that was the best possible outcome."

"All Might, you need to know something," Izuku started after the teacher withdrew, immediately noting the hardening look in the worn blue eyes. "I don't know how or why Yoshizawa Isoruko got onto the property, but he was just a distraction from another trespasser."

"What?! Who else got onto school grounds?"

"…Ronaldo." Ochaco finished evenly, both men turning to face her. "He dropped in with a warning; they're not done with me yet and Japan is going to be turned upside down with chaos very soon. Then he disappeared."

"You're kidding me…we've been searching for him for weeks without a trace! He just shows up here sans warning? How did he know where you two were? Did he say anything else?" Toshinori pressed for more information. He could hear other teachers storming down the hallway to clear each classroom, so the time to get imperative intelligence was dwindling. The more he could gather, the faster they could search for him before any more lives were affected. "At least tell me what he looks like."

"Red suit, white cape, black shoes, dark hair. His eyes were glowing golden when they were dark before. I think All for One is boosting his abilities, All Might, he didn't look like that before. He claimed to be a master tactician, which would make sense looking back at it. We didn't have time to escape before he showed up and gave us the warning. The bigger issue is he has Paranoias' staff, with the crystal ball on top. That's how he controlled me last time."

"I was positive it broke in the final fight. Ronaldo must've found a way to repair it and is now utilizing its powers." Izuku supplied quickly. The old pro appeared deeply unsettled by the news, expression darkening rapidly. Uraraka clasped her hands together tightly to control the bubbling anxiety.

"All Might, did you find them?"

Aizawa sprinted through the doorways, hands entangled in scarf and goggles on. Behind him was Midnight, Snipe, and a few clones of Ectoplasm. Seeing the two unharmed with the former pro, Eraserhead released his tensed defensive stance and lowered his goggles. "Didn't you two hear the warnings? Why weren't you headed for shelter?"

"Aizawa, they had a visitor." Toshinori stepped in, noting the way Shota's expression harden considerably.

"Don't tell me…"

"Machiavelli."

"What? How did he get in here? He's been completely untraceable since the mansion incident." Aizawa scowled, hand tightening against his scarf. There was no way! After the kidnapping, Principal Nezu made security upgrades from his own funding. No villain should've been able to slip past the walls, even from the skies. Yet he seemed to find the two students heavily involved with the Quantum Council without issue. "We'll deal with that later. Are you two unharmed?"

"We're fine, just…a little shaken up is all." Izuku replied after sharing a glance with his slightly disturbed classmate. She was holding onto the Uravity pin tightly. "I don't think his intensions were to be hostile this time, delivering a warning instead. But he had the cane Paranoias used which aids in mind control, in the very least. I know I snapped it in half during the final fight. He must've repaired it and is using it to his advantage."

"Did he try anything?" All Might asked. Izuku pursed his lips and looked slightly downward, an instant indicator for the teacher.

"Ronaldo illuminated the orb just like last time. Neither of us looked into it, but we don't know what it did." Ochaco admitted quietly. "Then he tapped the staff twice on the ground and vanished without a trace. I think…he was using an illusion or a copy of Yoshizawa to create a distraction then found us. It shouldn't be possible for him to still be alive."

"Both of you need to be checked out by Recovery Girl. I understand you just left, Uraraka, but if Machiavelli did something to control either of you, we need to know and stop any further plans he has. Grab your bags and let's go." Shota ordered with both hands slipping into his pockets. The students were disappointed in the result though obeyed, nonetheless. Uraraka placed the pin back onto her bag while Midoriya made for his. "Detective Tsukauchi is already here for an update, so we'll pull him aside before his departure. All Might,"

"Yeah." Toshinori already knew what his fellow teacher was implying. Things were becoming too dangerous for the students. The very last resort choice was to secure the intended targets within U.A. for safety, though that never settled well with him. Midoriya was more than capable of fending off dangerous villains and he remained protective of Young Uraraka. But it wasn't his final decision to make. He'd have to go before the Hero Public Safety Commission and U.A. to sway their decision. "I'll make some calls."

"Sorry to get you dragged back to the infirmary, Deku," Ochaco spoke lowly as the group of pros escorted them upstairs to nurses office. He shook his head and offered a reassuring smile in return.

"I'm no stranger to those beds, so no big deal. I'd rather make sure Ronaldo isn't planning anything like teleporting you away again."

"Wait, that's it!" Ochaco gasped while whirling to face him, getting much closer than normal. Deku flushed vibrantly though awaited her answer. "That's how we'll find him, Deku! By letting myself get teleported away again, the pros can track down the hideout!"

"Not happening." Aizawa cut in with a sharp glance back at them.

"Hold on, Aizawa. You might actually be onto something, Uraraka. Our plans to track him down haven't been successful in the least. But…if you were to bait yourself—"

"All Might, do I need to remind you what happened the last time she was teleported away?" Shota stopped and shifted to face them with a heavy scowl aimed at the blonde. Both heroes-to-be flinched at the harsh statement. "Uraraka was tortured and nearly died on the way back from the sheer extent of her injuries. Not including actually dying on the operating table. If you think for a second I'm going to let my student willingly go back to that psychotic freak, you're gravely mistaken. End of discussion."

"Aizawa—"

"I can do this, Mr. Aizawa." Ochaco spoke up in the tense atmosphere, all eyes turning to her. The heavy scowl and taut expression told her to not push it, but she was done sitting on the sidelines anymore. With a hand curled against her chest, she continued. "I understand how dangerous it is considering what happened with Yoshizawa, but if we don't do something soon then more innocent lives are going to be lost. I won't back down from the fight anymore; I'm ready to put an end to this."

"She won't be alone. All of class 1-A stands behind Uraraka fully. We refuse to allow a repeat scenario. Everyone's been training to be stronger, to prevent another classmate from getting injured like that again. You've seen the progress, Mr. Aizawa, you know we can do it. I know you believe in us." Izuku backed her up without an ounce of hesitation and Uraraka looked up at him gratefully, cheeks tinting pink. All Might didn't miss the interaction. A knowing smile lifted his worn face. There was something different between them now, that was for sure.

"We'll discuss it later. It's not my final decision on what happens," Eraserhead responded after a brief pause, turning away from them to continue the escort. Both teens felt disheartened at the response. Shota scratched at the back of his head feeling their deflating hopes. Damn kids. "But…it's my job as a teacher to support my students in any way possible. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" Both teens grinned widely.

"You shouldn't scare them like that, Shota," Midnight teased while keeping stride with the angsty pro. An annoyed look was all he sent. "You want them to succeed and become great heroes. Even though you want to protect them even more now, we both know this is a hardship they'll need to hurtle in order to do so. The fact that Uraraka has the drive to put an end to this means she's healed and moved past the trauma."

"This fight will be nothing like the one with Paranoias. We don't understand Machiavelli's quirk and abilities, including the potential boosters from All for One. All things considered, Nemuri, Uraraka got off lucky. That may not be the case moving forward."

"Don't be such a sour kumquat! Besides, look at them together! You can definitely feel the love! So adorable!" Nemuri swooned with both hands clasping together against her chest. Aizawa rolled his eyes at the display. After getting it out of her system, Midnight leaned in closer with a hand covering her mouth from sight. "Midoriya will protect her so there's nothing to worry about, right? Your trouble child may be what saves the day. With what you told me, we're going to need his strength and tenacity more than ever. I'd never thought of the possibility beforehand, though returning to the ruins makes more sense now."

"Save it for the meeting." Aizawa stopped the conversation as they neared the infirmary. Midnight nodded discreetly before stepping aside to allow the students access to the door. All Might stopped by her side as the homeroom teacher ushered the students in. With a final warning look at the two, he followed suit and the door shut quietly behind.

"All Might," Said hero turned his attention to the somnambulist. "When were you going to tell me those two are now an item?"

"E-eh? I didn't realize they were! Besides, it's not my place to—"

"Tell me everything you know!"

---

Hawks perched upon a rooftop in the growing dusk, sharp eyes watching people mill around below. They'd gotten another tip about a Quantum Council meeting happening in a concealed from sight bar. After interrogating the last batch of uprising cult villains, a list of meeting places was uncovered. While their leads seemed to run them around in circles all over Japan, most of the underlings were detained and charged with conspiracy. Keeping them off the streets was better than allowing large congregations of hero-hating people to join an uprising. Hero numbers were already dwindling; either killed by the League, retiring, or just plain giving up due to the never-ending battles to protect citizens. People were losing faith. Once people started losing faith in heroes, society began a downward spiral.

A tingling of feathers alerted the flight hero to a growing number of bodies packed into one area. The meeting place was supposed to be just around the corner with an entrance down the alleyway he was currently surveying. Other heroes were in place to ambush once the word was given. Voices began filling the vacant, narrow and winding path between buildings. Hawks shifted back a little to avoid detection.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, didn't Paranoias try the same thing and fail?" One voice spoke just below normal levels, cautious of their surroundings.

"Shh! Do you want the whole world to hear you? There could be pros hiding out! They've been raiding every single hideout so far! At this point, they're going to have to direct us to the main location." Another hissed, though still loud enough for them to be heard by Hawks.

"They're in position." Endeavor rumbled over the intercom. Hawks tapped a finger against it to reply.

"Not yet, they're talking about the main location. Standby."

"Don't let them get too far ahead. The place is bound to be filled with bombs."

"Cool your jets, Hotpot, I'm close enough to be seen and heard." Hawks cranked the volume down to avoid blowing his cover before crawling around to the other side of the roof. A group of about a dozen citizens were beginning the descent down some stairs to the concealed bar. "They're nearing the stairs."

"Wouldn't that be the goal? The heroes can't figure out where it is, so we'd be safer there, right? Machiavelli is just placing decoy buildings to throw them off. But…is what we're doing the right thing? I mean, don't get me wrong, I have a bone to pick with some heroes, but they're human too ya know. My kid looks up to All Might especially. He got super excited about the sports festival U.A. held too—"

"So? Would you really rather be controlled by heroes who think they know what's best for us? Or do you want to take things into your own hands and fight back? Since that Paranoias freak ended up blowing up in his own home, villains like us have been left without guidance on how to make something of ourselves. This is the next step! If you can't handle the truth, then you may as well leave now, dude, before the blue flamethrower freak returns."

"Dabi. So, the League's assisting with recruitments. Endeavor,"

"Moving in."

All was calm until hell broke loose as heroes swarmed in on the unsuspecting citizens. Some tried to fight back but ultimately gave up in resisting once the powerhouse of heroes stepped in to deflect the attacks with ease. The first citizen who mentioned headquarters turned tail and slipped through the ambush to head back towards the surface streets. But before he could even reach the sidewalk, Hawks fluttered to a stop, blocking his path with both wings. The pro smiled casually while looking down at the fearful man with sharp, intimidating eyes.

"Hey there! Why don't you tell me more about Machiavelli's headquarters, hm?"

All villains were rounded up, loaded into awaiting police transports, hauled off for interrogations then sentencing. The small gathering of pros who had attended began to split off one by one to return to their designated regions, leaving Hawks, Endeavor, the police, and Kamui Woods. U.A. teachers were wrapped up in their own drama to afford to lend their assistance this time, though thankfully it wasn't needed. The doors to the transporter slammed shut and the vehicle took off.

"Thanks for the assist, Kamui." Hawks casually turned to the wood hero with an easygoing grin.

"Of course. I understand other pros were preoccupied for this mission, so I'm glad to be of assistance. Though I am surprised about one thing; normally U.A. involves themselves in these raids, though they retracted on this one. Any reason for that?" Kamui asked with arms crossed against his chest. Hawks felt his eyes narrow the slightest increment. Keeping it to themselves, huh?

"They've got their own problems to worry about. Can't be sending the best out for every raid, who'd watch those troublesome kids? Whatever the reasoning, it's best not to pry into it." Simple. To the point. Though with a slight warning for the pro to not dig further into the matter. A few seconds of pondering before the wood hero tightly nodded. Good.

"I'll send over my report to Endeavor's agency once I'm finished with it. I look forward to hearing the results of the interrogations."

"Understood," Hawks waved him off with a two-finger salute. Though as soon as the hero was swinging away back to his district, the smile dropped into a tight line. There was so much the school was keeping from the other pros during a critical time. Even Nemuri had dropped off his radar for the past week, briefly stating strict confidentiality. The Safety Commission was beginning to get on edge; he'd been intentionally delaying in getting information to them due to the fact they'd royally fuck up what U.A. had planned. While it wasn't right to let this battle involve young kids still learning to harness their powers, they were critical components to this fight. The Commission would only slow their progress with legal barricades.

"Hawks, we've been dispatched to U.A.." Endeavor strolled up with his usual stoic expression. Honestly, if he didn't know any better, the flight quirk holder figured the man only had two expressions. Angry and stoic. "Principal Nezu has personally requested our presence regarding new information. He's mentioned it's urgent."

"Oh, they've finally found something else? Wouldn't put it past them, they've been heavily involved with the Quantum Council since the beginning of this year. All Might even worked to take them down back in the day if I remember right."

"It seems a certain person managed to sneak in past the security system and interact with two students." It didn't take a genius to figure out who Endeavor was talking about. Hawks' eyes grew wide, a breath being sucked in through his teeth.

"You're kidding me! How in the world did that happen?"

"We're going to go find out. Do you have things handled here? We're needed elsewhere." Endeavor turned to the police and his assisting heroes. Both groups gave him the o-k to go. "Drop your reports on my desk and I'll get to them when I return."

"Yes!"

"Ya know," Hawks began as they both took to the skies. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that U.A. isn't willingly sharing imperative information with the other pros aside from us?"

"There's a reason for that. Either they're not entirely confident in their findings, or they can't risk word getting out and it finding a way to Machiavelli." Endeavor gruffed back. True, it was strange for the school to be withholding information like this, but they'd soon find out the reasoning. "This has become a delicate situation in which the less ears that hear, the better chance there is to take him down."

"Betcha Midoriya was one of the students involved in that interaction. My best guess is Uraraka was the secondary target. Afterall, she's still got a target on her back. She seems to have recovered well enough, though there's no telling until they're out in the field again. Wonder what Machiavelli wants with her. Paranoias used her for paralytic practice, alongside quirk enhancer bait, then released her without much further incident. What further use to them would she be?"

"I suggest waiting until we get there before asking pointless questions." The number one hero replied with a hardening gaze. While true, it didn't make sense as to why the gravity user was still sought. They'd done a trial run of paralytic on her before torture testing with quirk enhancers. Paranoias released her, fighting off Ronaldo until the end. But why? A missing puzzle piece was the last thing that could connect the board into a complete picture. But with how things were going, undoubtedly the students were about to get wrapped up in a war meant for the pros to handle.

It didn't take too long for the pros to reach the school entrance, both landing a few feet from the gate. Outside stood Principal Nezu with Cementoss, Snipe, Aizawa, and Present Mic. A few clones of Ectoplasm were filling in the space between the main building and the gate, acting as lookouts. Hawks gave an easy wave as his broody counterpart merely strode forward with a set mind.

"Principal Nezu, it must be pretty serious for you to call us out this time of night." Endeavor got straight to the point.

"Apologies for dragging you out here so late, Endeavor, Hawks. Unfortunately, we've had a bit of a security breech that now requires further outside assistance due to the severity. If you'd follow us, there's a meeting room set already set up." The principal motioned from Cementoss' shoulder.

"How's that trouble child of yours, Eraserhead?" Hawks sidled up next to the grouchy teacher with a push of his wings. An eyebrow lift was his response. He and Endeavor could be twins. "Touchy subject?"

"Now isn't the time for jokes, Hawks. I suggest cutting the banter, the Commission is here." Aizawa replied curtly and he could see the facial change in the other pro. Carefree on the surface, troubled on the inside. Hawks' eyes revealed much more than his expressions, albeit for the briefest of moments.

"They've found out, huh?"

"Seems so. They aren't happy with our extensive list of information while theirs is nothing more than a paragraph. While I appreciate you coinciding with Midnight on the matter, you're going to have to watch your back."

"Aw, you care about me, Eraser!"

"Watch it."

Izuku and Ochaco sat nervously in the meeting room filling with more people by the minute. The Hero Public Safety Commission members were sitting on the opposite end of the table with eyes constantly lingering and darting over at the teens. Midnight sat beside Ochaco with an impassive expression, shooting silent warning messages to the authoritative suits. Their appearance here meant they found out information was being funneled to the school and not them. Hawks wouldn't have slipped up in that area; he always had an answer to every inquisitive accusation. Someone else either slipped info or they did their own investigation without consulting U.A..

A knock on the door had all attention shifting to the newcomers. Class 1-A filed into the room, led by Iida and Yaoyorozu, lining up behind the two teens staring in surprise at their appearance. The Commission woman scowled in displeasure.

"Why are there more children entering a private meeting between the Safety Commission and U.A.? They have no right to be here, these two are already pushing it. Remove them at once." She demanded evenly with the hint of a threat lingering in the words.

"They have every right to be here," Midnight countered, resting her chin on the back of her shackled hand. Both women stared each other down, intensifying the already tense air. "Their classmates are heavily involved in the Quantum Council, why shouldn't they be here to support them? Besides, that decision was made by Principal Nezu and their teacher."

"This is already a delicate situation that needs to be handled professionally. U.A. is already in hot water over not reporting crucial information to the Safety Commission." Yokumiru Mera interjected a valid point, his voice tired and worn. "While camaraderie is commendable, there's a time and place for that to happen."

"My, my, it seems everyone is here now. Shall we get this meeting started?"

Principal Nezu entered the room followed by the other pro heroes and teachers. Aizawa took note of his students rallying behind Uraraka and Midoriya, addressing them with a slight tilt of the head. They all responded with a nod, ready to defend their classmates while respecting the boundaries he placed on them. Once settled into their seats, the meeting began.

"As we were just explaining to your teacher and students here, Principal Nezu, it's unprofessional to be allowing more children into a private meeting. This isn't some social where everyone gets to hang out." Madame President reiterated, beginning the meeting with a strong start. "This is a serious meeting regarding the lack of critical information relay to the Commission to ensure proper regulations are being followed. If we just let anyone have access to crucial, confidential information, that leads to the villains quickly gaining the upper hand in a fight we can't afford to lose."

"While I understand your concerns, Madame President, these students have all been involved with the Quantum Council one way or another. They have every right to listen in on a meeting regarding the next steps in taking down the villain Machiavelli. Both students, Ochaco Uraraka and Izuku Midoriya, are the biggest concern to U.A. currently and moral support does wonders for reassurance." Nezu replied calmly, both paws clasped together against the table. "Now, while I understand you'd like to discuss the matter of violation breeching, I do wish to begin with more imperative matters first."

"And that would be?" Madame President trailed off with an expecting gaze.

"As of last week, U.A. High was infiltrated by not one villain, but two. Through our thorough investigations, we have come to the conclusion that one was Paranoias, formerly known as Yoshizawa Isoruko. The other has been positively identified as Ronaldo, aka Machiavelli."

"You had not one, but two dangerous villains cross your threshold?" Yokumiru replied in astonishment, though his face quickly settled into disgruntled. "Why were we not made aware of such an event?"

"Our students health and well-being is priority number one. U.A. has proper procedures to follow in the event of a villain compromise on school grounds. Thus, we were following those procedures to the letter while conducting a full investigation into the matter alongside Detective Tsukauchi. Our reports have been completed and are ready to be sent to your agency for filing." Cementoss handed them both a sealed, vanilla packet containing the report findings.

"Those two students were injured?" Madame President inquired while opening the packet to grab the documents.

"No, no. No further injuries were reported. As precaution, both were checked out by Recovery Girl without so much as a scratch." Nezu confirmed. "All Might can confirm that as he was the first to arrive on scene."

"Hm." Yokumiru flipped through the report before setting it down with a heavy sigh. "Everything seems to be in order on your end. We'll need to do an investigation on our end for Commission records, with your permission to interview both students separately."

"Of course! Though there will be a stipulation to that request; it must be done within the confines of U.A. for safety. Uraraka is still considered a target for Machiavelli and taking her outside so freely could endanger her life."

"…we'll get back to you on that. Moving on, we're going to start with the information that U.A. has been withholding from us regarding the villain Machiavelli. You know full well the consequences for withdrawing warranted contact." Madame President took full command of the situation once more, turning sharp eyes to Nezu. Though after a few seconds they shifted over to the door where Hawks stood stiffly, eyes matching the sharp gaze. "While we can't confirm the source of the leaks, we'll need to eliminate any internal sources."

"I can assure you that all information pertaining to the Machiavelli matter has been uncovered through diligent work between Detective Tsukauchi and our teachers. No outside sources have made contact with the school. Recent intelligence from two of Aizawa's students have helped in connecting the final pieces together. Inside the envelope is a fully detailed report of what we know, nothing left out. U.A. never intended to withdraw crucial details from the Hero Public Safety Commission." Nezu motioned to Midoriya and Uraraka, the teens looking over with slightly furrowed brows of unease.

"I'd like to hear it directly from them." Madame President pointed at them, eyes tracing over their faces, searching for weakness and dishonesty.

"That decision is up to them," Aizawa interrupted from a few chairs away. "I won't force my students into something they're not comfortable doing. Uraraka, Midoriya?"

"We'll answer any question you have." Ochaco responded after a quick glance over to her classmate. He nodded encouragingly. She could feel the silent motivation from her friends as well, their voiceless cheers giving much needed courage. "What would you like to ask?"

"First and foremost. Can you accurately confirm the villain you interacted with on school grounds?"

"I can confirm it was Ronaldo, former second-hand to Paranoias. Although his appearance has changed, I vividly remember his face and voice." Ochaco answered easily. Though the answer didn't seem to fully satisfy the question, the Commission scribbled down some notes then moved forward.

"How much interaction have you had with said villain?"

"The only direct interactions with Ronaldo were—"

"Please address him by his villain name for the records." Madame cut her off with a stern look, pen hovering above the paper while waiting for a correction. A few students behind the brunette appeared to ruffle their feathers though remained silent.

"R-right, sorry. The only interactions I've had with Machiavelli was back in Paranoias' mansion, up in the main control room. The second time was earlier this week when he appeared in the classroom."

"What happened in the classroom?"

"I…"

"Uraraka arrived early to settle back in before classes started. She had just returned from the infirmary." Izuku quickly took over after noticing the obvious discomfort on her face. She shot him a thankful look as Midnight lightly grasped her shoulder. "I had an early meeting with All Might, so I returned to the classroom afterwards. It wasn't long after the school alert system activated that he appeared without warning."

"Did he mentioned what his ultimate goal was or even a location?"

"No. He mentioned that the Quantum Council wasn't done with Uraraka, and that all hell was about to break loose. Afterwards, he disappeared with no visible teleportation methods or quirk activation."

"Thank you for your input. We'd like to hear from just Ochaco Uraraka moving forward over the next handful of questions," Yokumiru took over as his boss continued to jot down information and thoughts. "Is that alright with you?"

"…sure." Ochaco twisted her hands tighter into her skirt as all eyes swung to her. There were at least a dozen people watching and waiting for her to speak and it sent her nerves into overdrive.

"During your imprisonment under Paranoias, did you learn of his plans to attack across Japan?" Madame President resumed the interrogation without missing a beat, eyes looking up from her paper. There was obvious unease swirling in auburn eyes. "I understand these questions may bring back unpleasant memories, but in order to better assess the situation at hand, they need to be asked."

"Paranoias…mentioned testing quirk boosters on other villains residing within the building," Ochaco started, taking a moment to prepare herself for the trip down nightmare lane. "That's why I was there; to be a tester for those boosters and to fight against villains injected with them. The original goal was to infect the world with the paralytic."

"Did you disclose any of this information to the pro heroes at the time of rescue?"

"She was barely conscious," Bakugo drew attention to himself by loudly answering. Todoroki stood next to him, both heroes standing behind Ochaco in defensive postures. Izuku stared at them with mild astoundment, mimicking Uraraka's expression. Todoroki he half anticipated to come to her defense, but Kaachan as well? "Uraraka was literally bleeding out from the extensive wounds acquired from the fighting ring Paranoias put her through. She couldn't even get a full sentence out coherently."

"And you are?" Madame inquired with annoyance.

"Katsuki Bakugo, one of the ground teams deployed for the rescue operation alongside Deku and Todoroki. We were the ones that found her."

"Hm. Children sent straight into the home of a power-mad villain to rescue another child. That doesn't look good for publicity, Principal Nezu, the news channels are already swarming over U.A.. If that information gets out, it's not good."

"We had the utmost faith in our students to rescue their classmate. They were escorted by their teacher Eraserhead who ensured their safety. U.A. doesn't believe in holding heroes back from their true potential, despite the situation becoming dangerous. Each and every student was made aware of the consequences prior to the battle. Each and every student agreed to the terms of fighting against Paranoias without hesitation, for the sake of returning Ochaco Uraraka to safety." Nezu replied easily.

"Your questions are crossing the invasive line, if you're going to continue then do so in a private setting instead of an open meeting." Aizawa stared down the Commission president with a tired yet warning gaze. They were trying to pry data straight from the source without caring of his students feelings. Already he could tell she wasn't comfortable with the questions but wasn't going to go against their word. "We're here to discuss the recent events, not a playback starting from the beginning."

"Very well. We'll save that for the one-on-one. So, let's get caught up on the latest developments." Yokumiru shifted directions and turned his attention to U.A. staff. "While enthralling as it is to read through a hefty stack of documents this late in the workday, why don't you just give us a fast rundown of what's happened since the last update."

"Of course. All Might, if you would?" Nezu redirected towards the former pro who stepped forward with his stack of notes. All Might refused to look in Izuku's direction, even as he begged for a silent reassurance.

"So far, we have the understanding that Machiavelli was behind Paranoias trying to revive the Quantum Council due to his mind manipulation quirk. In conjunction with testimonies from prior hired hands detained in the mansion, a collaboration between All for One and Machiavelli was confirmed. During the battle, as Paranoias was losing control due to enhancements from an untraceable quirk drug, Machiavelli revealed his true intentions in front of Ochaco Uraraka. She was released from captivity shortly after by Paranoias who showed remorse in his uncontrollable actions. When Machiavelli appeared before Midoriya and Uraraka in the classroom, pro heroes were encountering what appeared to be Yoshizawa Isoruko, otherwise known as Paranoias."

"It's stated in your report from earlier that he was found to be deceased, as unofficially confirmed by pro hero Eraserhead. When going to check on the body brought back to U.A., it was found that his body had disappeared. How did he get out of the school with no one noticing?" Madame President asked sharply. The news kept getting worse and worse, becoming both a paperwork and PR nightmare.

"Machiavelli confirmed earlier this week to have used a teleporter quirk to remove his body from the school. It was originally thought to have been an inside job, though there's no evidence that proves so. Security was at maximum resource allotment upon his arrival." All Might confirmed with a ruffling through documents. Not even the students were aware of that fact as their faces began to twist in horror. They weren't going to like what was to come… "Though we can't confirm how he managed to revive him, if at all. No one could survive wounds like that. The other more likely scenario is the usage of the villain Twice and his abilities; cloning. Shortly after his appearance, Paranoias disappeared and all that remained was a discolored puddle which coincides with his quirk."

"Continue,"

"Machiavelli used a Paranoias clone as a distraction, giving him a few minutes with both Midoriya and Uraraka in the classroom where he gave a warning; Uraraka is still a target for the Quantum Council. And what's to happen next will be destruction on an unspeakable level. He disappeared afterwards with the aid of what we believe is a teleportation quirk, similar to how Uraraka was captured in the first place. He also carried Paranoias' staff with him. Young Midoriya confirmed it was broken during the mansion battle."

"Machiavelli is now running around with a possible mind-controlling staff and can teleport in and out of secure locations?" Yokumiru sighed with two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, he really hated this job.

"The staff is confirmed to have belonged to Paranoias. It's full purpose is still unclear, though intelligence leads us to believe it has to do with brainwashing techniques or quirk amplification. Another thing to note is that both students were informed by Machiavelli that he was a master tactician. Combining that with memory-alteration abilities, you have a serious problem on your hands. This combination has been utilized during recent raids upon villain hideouts aimed at recruiting more people for the Quantum Council. We believe the League is also heavily involved."

"The League's close networking with the Quantum Council has been confirmed with the latest raid. A recruit let it slip that Dabi has been actively involved with the meetings, at least to an extent." Hawks added in with eyes closed. He could feel Madame President sending him a scorning look for not providing crucial details. "Any raid we bust is nothing more than a decoy to the overall plan. The police are interrogating them as we speak to lock onto a main base."

"Well, that gets us closer to putting an end to this at least. But what you reported about the rescue mission, are you sure on that?" Madame turned her attention back to the U.A. staff, setting the papers back onto the table. Her expression was now grim, already expecting the answer she didn't want to hear. Aizawa raised his hand to temporarily pause the meeting.

"Before you continue on that topic, I would like to preemptively dismiss the students from the room. This isn't a part of the conversation they should be hearing."

"Why not? It can't be that bad, right?" Kirishima asked pleadingly.

"With everything we've witnessed so far, how could it be worse?" Sero joined in, others voicing their agreement.

"This doesn't involve students from this point on," Endeavor stepped in to quell the growing chatter. Shoto stared him down with suspicious eyes. "It doesn't matter what you've seen so far, there's a certain limit that students should be exposed to—"

"I've seen an abandoned radioactive room filled with dead experiments, all in different stages of decomposition and a charred skeleton. Try me." Bakugo challenged with a hand smacking on the table. Izuku clenched his jaw and averted his gaze from Uraraka, the brunette looking up at Bakugo before glancing at him with alarm and confusion. He didn't want her to ever know that part. It was already traumatizing enough reliving the memories of that fight, this would just add onto it.

"What the hell, man? That's why Midoriya and Todoroki told you to shut up when visiting Uraraka?" Mineta piped in with a quivering voice. "How could you hide something like that from us! Don't we have the right to know too?"

"Like it's actually any of your business? What good is it going to be to you? Want a description of how rotted they were?" Bakugo shot back nastily; red eyes narrowed in on the purple headed hero.

"This isn't the time to be discussing this," Iida cut in while trying to separate the two. "We're just here to support Uraraka and Midoriya, not criticize Bakugo for withholding disturbing memories. Just calm down—"

"Calm down? Are you really trying to—"

"Everybody relax!"

"This is getting out of hand…"

"We're interrupting an important meeting right now!"

"Deku…have you known all along?" Ochaco shakily reached out to him with a low voice, the other students going at it behind them. Still refusing to meet her gaze, the green haired teen tightly nodded then placed his hand over the one touching his arm. He was trembling, keeping the bottled-up emotions from spilling over. "Oh…oh no. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…I never knew…"

"I…didn't want you to know, Uraraka. Kaachan saw everything but pushed me back to avoid seeing it. There were…that room was filled with death. You were already suffering so much…" Izuku replied quietly, tilting his head back towards her to lock gazes. Uraraka looked at him with complete understanding, going so far as to pull his hand under the table to hold. She squeezed firmly in assurance, something he really needed in the moment.

"Quiet." Aizawa ordered as he flashed his quirk, hands tangling habitually into the scarf as backup. The room fell silent as ordered restored to the meeting. Blinking hard, the pro gave them all a stern look before turning back to Principal Nezu. "I've given my input on the matter though ultimately, if you want them to stay, that's your choice."

"If it weren't for the fact that these students have been heavily involved with the Quantum Council already, some more than others, I would wholeheartedly agree, Aizawa. But the more information they know, the more successful they'll be in their mission. If you have a weak constitute, feel free to leave the room at your discretion. This next part is disturbing, to say the least."

"Any takers?" Aizawa turned back to his students, searching all twenty faces only to find steeled resolves. A heavy sigh slipped as he sat back down, motioning a hand at All Might. "Continue."

"R-right. Going over all gathered information from the very beginning of the attacks to the latest incident, we've determined that…the discarded test subjects in Yoshizawa's destroyed mansion…are being used to create Nomu. We believe that Yoshizawa Isoruko will also be transformed into a Nomu due to his immense power." All Might kept his eyes on the papers in his hands, listening to the disgusted and shocked gasps all around. In all honesty, he was going to tell Young Midoriya sooner about what they'd discovered, but ultimately decided against it at the last minute. It was too grotesque, and the poor kid had been through enough with Uraraka still hospitalized.

Ochaco couldn't stomach it anymore and abruptly departed from her chair headed for the door. Present Mic swung the door open for her, giving her the precious seconds to reach the restroom in time. Aizawa pressed a thumb and finger against his browbone. This meeting had turned into an absolute disaster.

"I believe we're done for this evening. Principal Nezu, we'll be in touch to reschedule, sans students preferably." Madame President decided while packing up the paperwork and handing it to her subordinate. Nezu agreed, hitching a ride with Cementoss and escorting both Commission members from the room alongside All Might.

All that remained were the class of 1-A, Midnight, Present Mic, Aizawa, Endeavor and Hawks. No one wanted to speak as they digested the news. After a few minutes of silence, Hawks excused himself from the room to take a call. Endeavor tried to get his son to look at him though his head remained down. Midnight shifted from her seat, spoke quietly to Present Mic and Aizawa, then also departed. Aizawa let out a silent sigh before standing to address his students.

"I understand this isn't easy to digest," He began, earning a few looks though most were too perturbed to focus. "If you need to talk, we're here. Otherwise you're free to return to the dorms for the evening. You'll be escorted back by Ectoplasm."

"You're…sure about this, Mr. Aizawa?" Izuku spoke up after no one made an effort to move. A light nod confirmed what the teen feared most. "So, what happens now?"

"We'll continue to monitor the situation and move forward from there. The Hero Public Safety Commission will ultimately decide whether or not to allocate other resources to the cause. We'll know more once Endeavor gives us his full report on the raid across town and the police interrogations."

"You'll have it by morning." Endeavor replied with a huff, turning away from the students and heading for the door. His presence wasn't needed any further. Just as his hand hit the doorknob, a voice stopped him.

"Endeavor," Shoto shifted around the table to better look at his pathetic excuse of a father. "You're going to go after him, aren't you?"

"Undoubtedly. As soon as his headquarters is found a plan of attack will be drawn up."

"Once that happens, I'm requesting to be assigned to the frontlines under his supervision, Mr. Aizawa."

"Todoroki…" Izuku breathed out, glancing between the pro heroes and his classmate with clicking realization. As much as he hated his own father, Todoroki was willing to put up with it if it meant taking Machiavelli down. Bakugo scoffed under his breath but begrudgingly raised a hand as well with an eyeroll. "Kaachan…"

"I don't want that Icy-Hot bastard to have all the glory. I'm requesting the same. Deku, put your fucking hand up too. You're the one who wants to avenge Yoshizawa and shit more than the rest of us." Bakugo growled before yanking the stoic teen to his feet, shoving him towards Todoroki.

"Mr. Aizawa, please allow us to lead the front lines in order to take down Machiavelli. It's time to put his reign of terror to an end." Izuku begged his teacher with a bow. Both fists clenched against his side tightly. He'd make him pay; for torturing Uraraka. For killing Yoshizawa. For endangering thousands of lives all over Japan and across the seas.

"You're all getting ahead of yourselves, take a breath and step back. As admiral as your declarations are, nothing's been confirmed yet," Aizawa waved off their raised hands, though sighed and turned to face the number one hero. Undoubtedly the students would get sucked back into fighting, as they already have been for the past few months, so there was no point in fighting their requests; their minds were already made up. "Can I entrust you with these three troublemakers if needed?"

"Of course. I'll expect you three at nothing less than your best, understood? You may have scraped by fighting Paranoias, but this villain is far stronger and more dangerous considering All for One is involved." Endeavor faced the three teens with hands planted on his hips, chin tilting upwards pridefully. Take that, Eraserhead. His students didn't clamor to join him on the frontlines.

"Yes, sir!" All three chorused.

"I want to be there as well."

Ochaco stood in the doorway with one hand pressing against her abdomen, yet auburn eyes burned with a ferocious resoluteness. Endeavor stepped out of the way to allow the brunette in, eyebrow notched curiously as she stood next to Todoroki. "Ronaldo needs to pay for what he's done to Yoshizawa. I won't forgive that as long as he's roaming free hurting others. I'm the one he wants, right? Why not deliver directly to his doorstep?"

"You're saying you want to intentionally be delivered to Machiavelli knowing full well there's a chance he could kill you?" Endeavor questioned bluntly.

"That's correct." Ochaco confirmed with a tight nod. "Undoubtedly, he's got a way to teleport me to where he's hiding, or he'll show up in the middle of the night. Regardless. If the pros can't get a lead on his location, then I'll give you that opening by teleporting to him."

"Uraraka…" Izuku felt his chest swelling with pride. She'd come so far since the first attack and now she was willing to throw herself right back into the flames. Like a true hero. "We'll stand behind you, no matter what decision you make. We're in this together."

"I second that." Todoroki agreed without hesitation.

"Fuckin' hell. Whatever, as long as I get to kick Macchiato's ass." Bakugo barked.

"I think you mean Machiavelli, Kaachan…"

"Who gives a shit, nerd?!"

"All of us stand behind you four, so make class 1-A proud." Iida gave a sharp salute, others quickly following suit with their own agreements. "Just do us all one favor,"

"What's that?" Todoroki asked curiously.

"Make that bastard pay for hurting Uraraka!" Kirishima crowed with a fist up, his other hand latching onto his bicep. A thundering chorus of cheers filled the meeting room and Aizawa couldn't help but smile into his scarf. Nothing kept his students down for long. So for now, he'd back off on the protectiveness to allow them to flourish into the heroes they were meant to be.

"And avenge Yoshizawa for us! Even after everything that went down, he still helped Ochaco escape. I feel bad how things happened to him, and no one deserves to be turned into a Nomu." Mina added on with a fist in the air, mimicking Kirishima.

"Mina," Ochaco gave her a watery smile as padded fingers swiped at the few tears that escaped. Everyone was so supportive, for that she was eternally grateful. A cool hand settled against her shoulder, and she looked up to see Todoroki giving a rare, and small, encouraging smile. She returned it tenfold.

"You kids have way too much energy for it being this late and there's an English exam tomorrow at nine sharp." Aizawa controlled the volume of the room once more to relay the important facts. A collective groan replaced the cheers. A smirk appeared on the tired, scruffy face of the teacher.

"I haven't studied for English!"

"Oh man, there's still time tonight, right?"

"Study group!"

"Wait, isn't tomorrow Saturday?" Ojiro pointed out after checking his phone's calendar, others quickly following suit.

"Hey, he's right!"

"How could you deceive us as such, Mr. Aizawa?"

"Totally not fair!"

Aizawa snickered while heading for the door. He was just making sure they paid attention, there weren't any tests scheduled until next week. Without glancing up at the flaming number one, who still appeared smug about taking battle priority, the erasure pro stepped out into the hallway with Present Mic right beside him. Once the door shut, the two relaxed with heavy sighs. Worst. Meeting. Ever.

"Man, ya know hard it was to keep my volume down in there? Total snore-fest with those Commission members. Seems they went too far with the questioning for other students to jump in and defend Uraraka. Think they've got an ulterior motive?" Mic complained with a flapping hand, shooing away a yawn that escaped.

"Don't know. They act like they're missing key information and if their intel is restricting details, it may be for a good reason. It's possible that with everything going on right now U.A. is the best choice for this fight without their interference with strict policies." Aizawa replied with an adjustment of his scarf. Hawks denying the Commission was a huge risk, especially if they uncovered he was relaying information to Nemuri instead. Both of them could risk jail time and job loss if that's the case.

"I'm kinda surprised Uraraka wanted to join in with the triple trouble tribe, 'course I understand why. Kidnapped, tortured, nearly killed by a homicidal villain that turned out to be a traumatized, broken soul in the end. She doesn't seem the type to be vengeful, right? Wonder what's got her so wound up about it."

"It has to do with the Nomu experiments," Shota explained, feeling the look his friend was giving through his sunglasses. Even in the meeting he noticed the same look when mentioned. It wasn't exactly a comfortable topic between the two. "Uraraka feels an injustice being done to Yoshizawa due to the fact that he wasn't really evil to begin with. Misguided, probably, but not flat out evil. Machiavelli manipulated his mind according to his own needs and killed off the weaker pawn. He let her go in the end, even sacrificing himself to save her. Best guess is it's a way for her to finally give him some peace in the afterlife."

"Ya know, you've got some great kids this year." Mic casually mentioned with a grin, noting the way his friend softened at the remark. It wasn't often he saw that look.

"They annoy the hell out of me and cause more paperwork than normal…but yeah, guess I do." Aizawa replied with an amused huff, a smile sticking around. They truly were the best kids that would pave the path forward for a change in hero society.

"Feel like a few drinks tonight?"

"Sure, after that meeting I'm going to need more than a few. You're buying."

"Sorry, listeners, this radio channel is experiencing technical difficulties in the funds frequency!"

"You're full of shit."

"Ahahah!"

_B_

Having returned to the dorms after an exhausting meeting, most students chose to hit the sack and recover their energy after a long week of studying. Barely half remained downstairs in the common room, not quite ready for sleep. Ochaco sat on the couch with Tsu and Yaomomo on each side, Izuku, Bakugo, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Iida scattering around the rest of the couches. Small talk kept things going until the elephant in the room could no longer be ignored. Waiting until it was silent for a good pause, Iida cleared his throat to garner attention.

"I understand what lies ahead for all of is perilous, especially for you four. We all stand behind you with full support, you know that, right?"

"Of course, Iida," Ochaco instantly agreed, others nodding.

"Don't tell me you're going to lecture us about going into a dangerous situation, four eyes." Bakugo drawled as he leaned backwards against the back of the couch.

"No—yes, in fact, but if this is truly what needs to be done…as class representative, I won't stand in your way. I just want to ensure you all aren't doing this solely for the sake of revenge. While I didn't know or understand Yoshizawa like you did, Uraraka, does it seem like this is something he'd want?"

"When I was up in that control room, chained down to a chair without an escape route and barely conscious, I watched Yoshizawa start to lose control. Memories of his childhood were beginning to slip through and for a moment…he mistook me for his mother. The very mother that was too afraid to stand up to her abusive husband, too afraid to stop the experimenting on a small, sickly child. He was nothing more than a lost child, Iida. A child searching for a reaching hand to grab." The brunette began explaining while tugging both knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them for comfort. Even now it still caused a painful thump in her heart with the pain and guilt weighing heavily. "It was that conversation that solidified for me that Paranoias wasn't a villain; he was just an abused and lonely soul being forced to do unspeakable things. He admitted to me that he was tired of trying to revive the Quantum Council, something he never really wanted to do again. He aligned with All for One solely to rise in the villain world once more, but then Ronaldo revealed it to be his plan. Yoshizawa realized the horrific things he'd done and still tried to right them by freeing me. Right now, I need to do what I can to make sure he rests easy, even if it means throwing myself at Ronaldo to do so. I'm prepared to take whatever risk is necessary; including sacrificing my life."

"That's so sad and manly," Kirishima sniffled through the arm covering his leaking face. Bakugo gave him an 'are you freaking serious?' look but didn't make a verbal remark.

"You've done your duty as a hero, Ochaco, and it's an incredibly commendable action. Showing compassion and understanding makes up a big part of our job. I think what Iida is trying to say is there's a fine line between avenging someone and taking revenge for the injustice done against Yoshizawa." Yaomomo gently summarized what the class rep asked.

"Revenge wouldn't do me any good, Yaomomo, because Yoshizawa was at peace by the end of the fight. With someone as sick and twisted as Ronaldo, taking all my anger and frustrations out on him wouldn't do any good. It would just make me appear to be a loose cannon hero solely out for vengeance. He was at peace in the end, but if All for One is planning on turning him into a Nomu," Ochaco stood from the couch and moved to face them all, hands clenching together at her front. "Then I want to do everything in my power to stop that from happening. Yoshizawa deserves to rest peacefully with his family."

Izuku scrubbed at the tears overspilling with a sleeve. The overwhelming kindness and compassion was a big part of the reason he fell in love with her in the first place. Most of the others were teary-eyed as well from the speech, including Iida who removed his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to quell them. Bakugo merely scoffed, immune to sappy speeches.

"That was beautiful, Ochaco," Tsu ribbited from her cushion with tears overflowing.

"Agreed. I won't worry about your mindset when you four go into battle. Just…promise to come back safely this time." Iida cleared his throat and returned his iconic glasses to his face. Ochaco gave a silent agreement, one that he picked up right away. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to head to bed now. It's been a long day for all of us, especially with that meeting."

"Yes. Goodnight, everyone, I hope you have peaceful dreams." Momo dabbed at her eyes with a silken handkerchief before following suit, bidding her classmates farewell. Tsu followed suit shortly after, only stopping to hug her friend, and waved to the remaining guys. Kirishima left shortly after, claiming he had an early workout to get to. Only Izuku, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Ochaco remained on the couches.

"This battle won't be anything like before," Todoroki started off, gaze averted to stare at the floor. "I can tell even Endeavor has some reservations about it. There isn't enough information to formulate a proper plan of attack, meaning we'd be going in blind for the most part."

"Machiavelli ain't shit. I'll blow his face up before he can even hypnotize me or whatever the fuck it is he does." Bakugo slammed a fist against his palm and tiny sparks fell to the floor.

"With All for One's aid, he could be nearly impossible to stop. Plus, he has Paranoias' support item. We know it aids in mind control, but that may not be its only function. It seems to support teleportation as Ronaldo tapped it twice on the ground then disappeared. There's countless unknowns and I think Endeavor feels the same. The police report outlining the interrogations from earlier could have a breakthrough heroes need, leading to an opening to storm his headquarters and take him down." Izuku began muttering to himself, two fingers pinching against his mouth.

"What do you think, Uraraka—oh." Todoroki asked, turning to his classmate only to find her curled up on the couch fast asleep. The brunette was slung over the arm as if she'd rested her head for merely a few moments. "She must've been exhausted. That meeting probably dug up some bad memories. Not to mention Bakugo brought up the dead body room—"

"They needed to know we've already seen some shit as heroes, using it as an excuse to prevent us from doing our jobs is bullshit." The blonde replied without much bite, choosing to let his head rest against the back of the couch. "Not my fault she wasn't ready for the truth to come out."

"I wasn't going to tell her," Deku replied quietly, earning the gazes of both males. He folded his hands together over his knees before looking up at them. "Uraraka still has nightmares about the torture she endured and that would've only added to the suffering. I'm not blaming you, Kaachan, but some things are better left unsaid. Maybe it would've been better to take that secret to the grave."

"Do you think it's going to affect her much?" Todoroki glanced down at his phone as it buzzed. An incoming message from Endeavor could wait. Not like his father sent imperative information, he just liked to spam his phone with texts to get his attention. Izuku shook his head unsurely.

"I think the incident with Ronaldo earlier this week resolved most of the trauma, if not all. Now she's determined to take him down if it's the last thing she does."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Cheeks will be fine…as long as you're by her side, Deku." Bakugo painfully admitted, even putting on a scowl when his childhood friend looked over at him with glimmering eyes of hopefulness. "Don't get your fucking hopes up! I'm only saying that for her benefit!"

"Kaachan…that's the nicest thing you've ever said,"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm going to bed!" Bakugo screeched at a low enough level to avoid waking the brunette up, slapped Izuku in the face with a pillow, then went stomping off through the commons while cussing under his breath. Todoroki sighed and shook his head at the ridiculousness of it. Those two would never change.

"Should we wake her? It's going to be cold tonight; she may catch a cold down here. But if she hasn't been sleeping well, maybe it's better to let her rest." The dual quirk holder shifted to a stand in search of a blanket, shuffling to the small storage cabinet resting against the wall. It took a minute of digging, but he found one buried behind a barrier of holiday decorations.

"I'll watch over her for a bit, Todoroki, I'm not in a hurry to go to bed after that meeting. Maybe I can figure out another way to end this." Izuku explained lowly, thanking him as the blanket was passed over.

"Give me a call if you need anything at all, Midoriya. Between you and me, though, Bakugo was right."

"Pertaining to…?"

"As long as Uraraka has you, there's no need to worry. You've already proven as much. Have a goodnight." Todoroki replied while walking away, briefly tossing a wave up.

Izuku flushed from the remark. Apparently the whole class seemed to think the same, immediately giving their support to the squad taking the frontlines. He was truly grateful to have such supportive and caring friends. Unfolding the blanket in his hands, Izuku gently placed it over Uraraka and made sure she was covered completely. Leaning back against the couch beside her, the teen stared up at the expansive ceiling with a genuine smile. How the stars aligned perfectly, he'd never know, but his life had taken such a one-eighty. From being a quirkless, pathetic boy to becoming the next number one hero after inheriting his idols quirk. He'd proven all the naysayers wrong. But it wasn't so much a bragging moment than a humbling one. Izuku Midoriya had challenged the odds of being part of the twenty percent quirkless population. Even when everyone around him didn't believe he could still become a hero, he did. He pushed through the thickening barriers one by one, smashing them to bits to tackle the next challenge.

Then there were his friends. Real friends. Even though he and Bakugo grew up together, there wasn't even a spec of kinship after he acquired his quirk. In middle school, his former friend told him to suicide and pray to come back with a useful quirk. And although he and Bakugo constantly go at it, there's still a thread of hope to rekindle the former friendship. But from the moment he entered U.A. property, he tripped into a new friendship. Quite literally. Ochaco Uraraka was the first person to save him from eating pavement before the entrance exam. And when the chance came to repay the favor, he did so without a second thought. Seeing her trapped beneath the rubble as the enemy robot came close to crashing down triggered something within. The broken limbs were a side effect though it was the first major step into becoming a hero at U.A. High School, the same place that taught All Might. One by one, the list of friends grew. The more he grew to understand them and understand their abilities, the more he encouraged them to grow just as they did to him.

Especially…

"Deku?"

Izuku groggily stirred at his name. Rubbing at his face with one hand, it took the hero a moment to realize he'd fallen asleep in the common area. Uraraka looked at him with a tired smile, still wrapped up in the blanket. "You dozed off a bit there. Do you know you mumble in your sleep?"

"Eh? O-oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was doing that," Izuku sheepishly apologized with a small laugh. Apparently she wasn't the only one tired. Grabbing for his phone discarded in his lap, he checked the time. They'd been asleep for a few hours with the time reading nearly two-thirty in the morning. "It's already this late? What time did we get back to the dorms?"

"Probably a little after nine. I've been awake for a bit already," Ochaco replied softly, auburn orbs watching as he stretched out from the weird sleep position. With the mention of Yoshizawa turning into a Nomu, the nightmares had grown exponentially worse. Now all she saw was a hideous creation instead of the misunderstood villain. And that was in between the scenes of faceless experiments rotting in a dark room.

"How are you feeling? I bet you're still tired," Izuku put his phone back down after locking the screen, turning to his classmate. Uraraka was pulling her knees to her chest, something she often did when thoughts were plaguing. She wasn't even trying to hide the pain at this point. "Another nightmare?"

"Mm."

"Do you need to talk about it?" Ochaco huffed in amusement. Always such a worrywart. Chestnut locks swayed back and forth.

"I'll be alright. That meeting was a lot to take in, is all. Even though it's disturbing to think about, it doesn't change my view on what needs to be done. If anything, it just means I'll have to work harder to put an end to Ronaldo."

"I'm glad to see it hasn't changed your view of the situation. Things are only going to get harder from here on out," Izuku turned serious for a moment and Uraraka focused intently. "I'm not sure the pros know how to properly handle this case. We don't have enough information to accurately plan around Ronaldo's quirk, meaning we're going in blind. Even if they manage to find the headquarters, it's probably already planned out that way. With Yoshizawa, he used optical illusions to deter us to a certain area of the mansion. He was tracking us in order to separate then attack, splitting you up from Todoroki. Ronaldo is probably still keeping tabs on you until he's ready to teleport."

"So, by that logic, they think the same way." Ochaco supplied after mulling it all over for a minute. She's had plenty of time to think over the whole situation as he slept, so it wasn't hard to come up with a hypothetical answer.

"What do you mean?" Deku looked at her inquisitively, head tilted the slightest angle.

"Well, look at it this way. Ronaldo altered Yoshizawa's memories from the beginning in order to get in better graces with All for One. So, in theory, how Paranoias acted should've actually been Ronaldo's way of thinking. How else would the plan have been laid out so meticulously? Yoshizawa's quirk didn't require extensive planning to activate, merely someone to hypnotize with the aid of his staff. He also mentioned he should've stuck to mind control at circus shows when he was getting highly frustrated, another sign that the quirk's effects were slipping. The only reason it failed was because Paranoias' thoughts became mixed with the influence of Ronaldo. Once it began to crumble thanks to bringing up old memories, that's when it was revealed to be a quirk. Remember what he said in the classroom? He wasn't willing to let go of a test subject."

She could see the gears turning in his head as he stood to pace around, connecting all of the pieces together into one solid plan. Folding the blanket up into a neat square, Ochaco stood to stretch out. Her body was stiff from the slouched sleeping position. After stretching her arms forward, she made to pull them back when Deku latched onto both hands excitedly. Heat flourished on her face, but he didn't seem to notice as he realized the answer they were searching for.

"That's it, Uraraka! If you add everything together then it doesn't make sense for Yoshizawa to be behind his actions! Someone tortured and experimented on during childhood wouldn't continue on with the same cycle! He broke that cycle when his father passed, then he went into hiding after the first failed Quantum Council attack nearly twenty years ago. Ronaldo must've been waiting for the right time to resurrect with the aid of a stronger villain! And what better timing then—"

"When All Might retired…" Ochaco finished with wide eyes, coming to the same conclusion as him. Deku nodded eagerly, clasping her hands a little tighter. The brunette looked up at him as everything connected into place. "Deku, do you understand what this means?"

"We can take down Ronaldo now." Izuku answered confidently as Uraraka became emotional. They weren't tears of sadness or fear, more like when a heavy weight is lifted from your shoulders after a long time. Relief. Palpable relief. "We can do this, Uraraka, now that we know how to beat him at his own game. Even if he tries to block our path forward, we'll smash it to pieces!"

Ochaco nodded furiously, face adorned with a wavering smile. Deku released her hands slowly though delicately kept a hold of one as she wiped at her face. No matter how many times he looked at her, she made his heart pick up its pace every moment. She was incredible, that was undeniable, in more than one way. Intelligent, kind, caring, compassionate, not to mention…beautiful. The full extent of realization washed over Izuku Midoriya in that moment, virescent eyes widening a bit before settling into a half-lidded tender gaze. Just as Uraraka had slowly fallen in love with him, he'd walked the same path without realizing it.

"You're incredible, Uraraka," Izuku spoke softly, curling his fingers around hers. She looked up at him with glistening, owlish eyes, trying to comprehend the meaning. Though as soon as she did, her face softened into a warm smile and radiating features. "I mean it. You're the most incredible person I've ever met and…I'm thankful you're the one I fell in love with."

"Deku…" Ochaco murmured with tears brimming anew.

A thumb gently swiped across her cheeks to catch the clear droplets. Leaning against the warm touch, lashes fluttered lowly until auburn shifted back up to tender, glistening emerald. Fingers shifted to rest against her cheek ever so softly. Carefully shifting their hands until they intertwined, Deku silently asked for permission. Uraraka lightly nodded her head before allowing her eyes to slip closed.

With the woman he loved more than the world before him, Izuku Midoriya closed the distance between them.

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Phew! Sorry it took so long to write; I was stuck for a long time in the first few paragraphs. Yay, love confessions!