My Hero Academia: The Story of Twin Heroes

by Guy with a fanfic acount

[MHA AU Fic] "What if Izuku had a Twin Sister?" (This story will follow the main show.) After a Villain encounter, Izuku Midoriya meets All Might and learns the truth. Meanwhile his sister, Ami Midoriya, born with a dangerous quirk, tries to overcome her insecurities to become a hero. (Season 1 Done. S2 ongoing.) Reviews are needed & appreciated. :)3YR ANNIVERSARY! Eventual Romance

36. S2 Chapter 26: Heroes and History

UA High - Class 1-A

Ami stared at the board in front of the class with a smile on her face. After a week of internships, she and Izuku were finally back in class. She was excited to reunite with her classmates again and wondered what they had done in their internships.

She sat in her seat and relaxed, listening to the voices in the classroom. The students were just getting settled and were only now beginning to talk about their internships. Ami was curious to hear about them, however, the vacant seat to her left had earned her attention. She glanced at the unoccupied desk belonging to the explosive blonde and raised her eyebrow at it, pressing her lips together in confusion.

"Kacchan's not here yet? That's odd. He and Iida are practically tied with coming here early." Ami thought, glancing at Izuku in her peripheral vision. Izuku also noticed the empty desk in front of him and glanced back at Ami, raising his shoulders up a bit in confusion.

Almost on cue, Ami heard the classroom door slide open, getting her attention.

Bakugo opened the door with a tight grip, dreading what was to come. There was a reason he didn't show up early and that reason was Best Jeanist. He opened the door with an intense glare and gritted teeth, receiving some stares. The class had gone dead silent as Bakugo entered the room.

His eyes quickly darted at each of his classmate's reactions and felt his eye twitch with anger. Last to get his focus, he stared at the twins and could see the shock in their faces. The nerd looked like he'd seen a ghost. Habanero, however, had her jaw dropped.

"Great." Bakugo thought, looking at her reaction.

His spiky hair was gone. Replaced by hair that looked to have been combed several thousand times over till it laid just right. He looked like a gentleman and it seriously pissed him off. Habanero barely kept her mouth closed as a big smile formed on her lips, causing him to tighten his own jaw. He watched as her face turned red from snickering. She brought her hand up to her lips and covered them, trying desperately not to laugh out loud. He scowled at her with a look of death as he slammed the classroom door shut.

"Grrr!" He growled, expecting this reaction. He had no words to say that would equal the embarrassment he was feeling right now. This was not how he wanted to see Habanero again after a week. Tears fell from Habanero's eyes as she laughed in her hand.

The rest of the class had different reactions to his hair. Few people laughed. Few people cried. Most people were silent. Izuku was among the silent types. He had a ghostly expression on his face, completely caught off guard by Bakugo's hair. It was wrong. It was unnatural. That kind of look did not fit Bakugo at all.

"What did Best Jeanist do to you, Kacchan?" Izuku thought, looking pale.

"Is that Bakugo?" Sero asked, getting Bakugo's attention. He looked at Tape-Arms and watched him enter the class with the widest smile ever. He immediately started to point and laugh at him, unable to hold back.

"What is it? Whoa!" Kirishima said, entering class behind Sero. Shitty Hair immediately joined Tape-Arms in laughing at Bakugo.

Hahahaha!" The two students laughed, annoying Bakugo. He clenched his fists tighter than he could possibly imagine and cracked his knuckles with his grip strength. Ami heard Kirishima and Sero laughing and couldn't resist, laughing along with them.

"What the heck, Bakugo!" Kirishima and Sero said at the same time, laughing uncontrollably. Bakugo heard Habanero laughing with them and began to fume, feeling veins bulging out of his forehead.

"Stop laughing. My hair's gotten used to this and I can't get it back the right way." Bakugo growled, gritting his teeth as hard as possible. They continued to laugh at his expense without a care in the world. At that moment, Kirishima and Sero were the bravest in the class.

"Did you not hear me? I'll kill you all." Bakugo said, barely getting through to them. His threats meant nothing with that hairstyle.

"I'd like to see you try, Pretty Boy." Sero laughed, bawling his eyes out with Kirishima. Bakugo blew steam out of his nose. His fuse went off in his head, causing him to boil.

"What did you call me!?" Bakugo roared, making his hair stick up like an explosion.

Just like that, his hair was back to normal.

"There it goes!" Kirishima and Sero said at the same time, continuing to laugh as Bakugo felt the urge to activate his quirk.

"Hahaha! Oh man, Kacchan…"Ami said, out of breath from laughing so hard. Her voice caught his attention, diverting his eyes towards Habanero with a killer glare.

"I haven't seen your hair look like that since picture day!" Ami teased, finding the strength to laugh again. Her face was redder than a tomato. Bakugo flared his nostrils at Habanero, growling with rage.

"Don't you dare bring up picture day, Habanero!" Bakugo roared, hearing dumb and dumber laughing behind him. Two threats of murder later and the class was back to talking with each other again. They were discussing everything that happened to them on their internships with smiles and laughter.

"Awesome! You got to face actual villains? I'm super jealous!" Mina smiled with envy, staring at Jirou with excitement.

"Well, I didn't fight. All I did was help people evacuate and provide logistical support." Jirou admitted, being honest about her internship as she twirled her earphone jack with her finger.

"But it still sounds like so much fun." Mina said, wishing she had something close to that in her internship.

"I spent basically the whole time training and cleaning the ship deck." Tsu said, placing her finger on her bottom lip, "Though, there was this one day we caught a bunch of drug smugglers." She added, getting surprised reactions. Mina and Jirou both looked at her in astonishment, not expecting to hear about drug smugglers.

"Okay, that's cool." Mina and Jirou said in unison.

"What about you, Ochaco? How was your week?" Tsu asked, noticing the battle hardened expression on her face.

"I'd say that it was very enlightening." Ochaco said, punching the air several times with an intense aura.

"I think she found her fighting spirit." Tsu noticed, getting nods of agreement from Jirou and Mina.

"Yeah, that battle hero must've been something else." Jirou stated.

"After one week she's like a totally different person." Kaminari interjected, looking at Ochaco's battle spirit. The comment made Mineta scoff, shaking his head in response.

"Different? Don't be fooled, Kaminari." Mineta warned, beginning to shiver uncontrollably.

"All women are demons at heart. They just hide their true personalities behind pretty faces." Mineta said, biting his fingernail with a haunted expression.

"What the heck did Mt. Lady do to you?" Kaminari asked, looking at his haunted expression. He grabbed hold of Mineta's wrist and snapped him out of his episode.

"Everyone at my internship loved me- it was actually kinda great." Kaminari said, looking back at his internship fondly.

"Now, if you wanna talk about the ones who really changed, it was those four." Kaminari said, looking at Iida, Todoroki, and the Midoriya twins. Ami noticed Kaminari's glance and pointed at herself in confusion.

"Huh?" She blurted out, wondering how she got added in with those three. Bakugo raised his eyes for a split second in surprise. He looked at Habanero in his peripheral vision and remembered the messages he had received from her. He thought about the nerd behind him and stared down at his desk, clenching his fist slightly.

"That's right. They were in Hosu." Bakugo thought, remembering the news report about the Incident. He snapped out of his thoughts and continued listening to the conversation in silence.

"Glad you guys made it back alive. Seriously." Kirishima said, looking relieved.

"I worried about you, too." Yaoyorozu added, looking at them with concern. A group quickly formed around the four of them, catching Ami by surprise.

"You were lucky Endeavor showed up and saved you guys." Sato pointed out.

"So cool. Just what I'd expect from the Number Two Hero!" Hagakure said, getting a blank reaction from Todoroki. He remembered the Police Chief's words and was silent.

"Yeah, that's right. He saved us." Todoroki said, getting looks from Izuku and Iida. Bakugo heard the tone in his voice and quietly scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"That's not what happened, isn't it, Deku?" Bakugo thought.

Ami heard his tone and frowned, remembering what Gran Torino had told her about the Police Chief's words. She looked at her desk for a couple seconds before brushing the side of her hair, thinking about her own cover story.

"Did you guys hear the news about the Hero Killer?" Ojiro mentioned, getting everyone's attention.

"Everyone's been saying that he was somehow connected to the League of Villains. Can you imagine how frightening it would've been if that creep had been there when they attacked the USJ?" Ojiro stated, getting nods from Shoji and Sato in agreement. A villain like him in the USJ would've been really bad.

"He's scary, yeah. But did you see him in that weird video? It's all over the internet." Kaminari interjected.

"I didn't even know there was a video of him." Ojiro said.

"Yeah. Stain's a pretty evil villain, but, like, super tenacious. He's almost kinda cool, dontcha guys think?" Kaminari said, ignorantly.

"Kaminari." Ami and Izuku blurted out in shock, causing Kaminari to tense up. Even Bakugo was glaring at him. He quickly realized his mistake and felt his eyes burst, looking at Iida in apology.

"Oh! Dude!" Kaminari cringed, realizing how stupid that was to say.

"No. it's okay. You're fine." Iida said, raising his wrist.

"It is true that he's quite a tenacious villain. I understand why people might think he was cool. But instead of helping the world, his beliefs led him to cold-blooded murder. No matter his motives, killing cannot be condoned." Iida stated, making Kaminari frown with guilt.

"To keep anyone else from suffering like me, well, I promise: I will strive to be the perfect hero!" Iida proclaimed, chopping the air.

"Yeah. Let's do it." Izuku agreed, nodding profusely.

"It's time for class to begin! Everyone, please take your seats." Iida said, returning to his usual self.

"He's back." Tokoyami said in a solemn tone.

"This is your fault for talking about weird stuff." Jirou scolded, narrowing her eyes at Kaminari.

"Sorry, I'm gonna keep my mouth shut." Kaminari apologized, looking at the floor in shame. Ami listened to Iida get back into the spirit of being Class Rep and laughed, returning to her own thoughts about the Hosu Incident.

"Hehe. Ya know, I don't know why you lumped me in with Izzy and them." Ami interjected, acting shy.

"I mean, sure, I was in Hosu at the time, but it's not like I was in danger or anything. Ha…haha…" Ami said, laughing awkwardly. Bakugo heard the tone in her voice and rolled his eyes, knowing she was lying. He compared Habanero's tone with IcyHot's and quickly noticed the connection. Both of them were lying.

"Tch." He scoffed, flaring his nostrils in annoyance.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ami. We heard about that apartment fire on the news." Ojiro smiled, bringing up the past. Ami looked up at Ojiro in her desk and tilted her head, looking at the smiles on all of her classmates' faces.

"Yeah, you and Backdraft saved everyone!" Hagakure pointed out.

"Iida, you and Manual were there, too, right?" Ojiro asked, looking at Iida for confirmation.

"Yes, I was." Iida replied, nodding his head, "Though, I arrived late. We only acted as support. Backdraft was the real hero for holding the elevator for everyone to evacuate." Iida explained, getting excited nods from the class. Mina looked back at Ami upon hearing the mention of Backdraft, remembering where Ami's internship was placed.

"Oh, yeah. You interned with Backdraft at that Quirk Museum, right, Ami? What was that like?" Mina asked. Ami looked at Mina and smiled, nodding her head in rapid succession.

"It was great. Backdraft's the coolest." Ami exclaimed, energetically.

"That's nice, but I actually meant the Museum." Mina replied, receiving a nod from Ami.

"It was a lot of fun. You could spend forever there and not get bored. I got to go on a tour and everything. There was so much hero stuff there and a lot of history, too." Ami answered, quickly summarizing her experience inside all of the Areas. She received several awes and ooh's from her classmates.

"I heard the owner's a hero, too, is that true?" Hagakure interjected, looking at Ami curiously.

"Mhm. He's a super nice guy." Ami answered, exciting the invisible girl.

"Really? What's his name?" Hagakure asked, causing Ami to pause temporarily. She awkwardly giggled for half a second and scratched the side of her face, softly.

"I don't actually know his real name. He just referred to himself by his hero name. Imiter." Ami answered.

"Imiter?" Hagakure repeated, not understanding the meaning of the name.

"Oh, a French name? Il doit avoir un excellent goût." Aoyama praised, nodding with a smile of respect.

"I also got to meet his wife, Misaki. She was really nice, too." Ami added, thinking about everyone she met at the Museum. Hayato, Thane, Nashorn, and Wyvern entered her mind at that moment.

"I actually met more heroes there besides Mr. Imiter and Backdraft." Ami said, getting her classmates attention.

"Really? Who?" Mina asked, making Ami smile.

"There was this really tall guy there with the head of a rhinoceros. He spoke German and he was super tall. Like, really tall. His hero name was Nashorn." Ami said, overemphasizing his height. The class nodded in understanding, trying to picture him in their heads.

"I thought he was a janitor when I first met him, but he was actually a part of some hero group called the Health Syndicate." Ami explained, receiving nods. One student in particular had their heart skip a beat at the mention. Before Ami knew it, she was staring face-to-face with Yaoyorozu.

"The Health Syndicate? They were there?" Yaoyorozu said, rushing up to Ami with a sparkle in her eye. Ami was quickly blown away by Yaoyorozu's sudden enthusiastic appearance. Ami fully comprehended her words and let out a small surprised gasp, covering her mouth with both hands in excitement.

"Woah, Yao-Momo, you know who the Health Syndicate is?" Ami asked, using Yaoyorozu's recently acquired nickname from the class. She couldn't believe someone in her class actually knew who the Health Syndicate was.

"Mhm. I met one of them while I was with my father on an overseas business trip. He has a stock in a company owned by one of their members." Yaoyorozu explained, causing Ami to pause.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that answer." Ami thought.

"Wait, overseas?" Ami asked, falling on deaf ears as Yaoyorozu squealed slightly in excitement.

"Tell me, was he there? Mothman?" Yaoyorozu asked, looking at Ami with a smile.

"Uhhh, what?" Ami questioned, not expecting the question. Yaoyorozu's excitement quickly deflated upon seeing Ami's confused reaction.

"I take it that's a no?" She asked, frowning slightly. Ami looked up at the ceiling with her hand resting on her chin in deep thought.

"Wait. Moth..Moth…" Ami repeated, putting her finger on her lips in deep thought. She recalled seeing that name somewhere in the Museum, but where? The more thought she put into it the more she remembered where she saw the name. Her mind drifted back to the Arcade section of the Play Area. The name listed in first place on every game in the arcade: Moth.

"Dance Master!" Ami blurted out with a wide smile, pointing at Yaoyorozu as if she had the right answer.

"Huh?" Yaoyorozu questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"Isn't that an arcade game?" Kaminari asked, looking at his classmates for support. They nodded in confirmation and looked at Ami. Yaoyorozu heard Ami's words and slumped her shoulders, standing back up to full height. She coughed and composed herself, hiding her embarrassed blush.

"So, he wasn't there? That's a shame." Yaoyorozu frowned, clenching her fists, "Still, how exciting that you got to meet other members of the Health Syndicate." She said, clasping her fingers together.

"Yeah…" Ami said, raising an eye at Yaoyorozu in confusion. She looked at her disappointed expression and wondered who Mothman was for her to have this reaction to mentioning the Health Syndicate.

"I don't know who Mothman is, but I did meet this other member who was pretty strange." Ami said, referring to the stoic redhead in her mind.

"His quirk was sentient, too, like Dark Shadow." Ami added, looking at Tokoyami. Tokoyami raised an eye at that comment, surprised to learn about a hero with a sentient quirk. Dark Shadow quickly popped out of Tokoyami with a surprised stare, zooming towards Ami.

"Really?" Dark Shadow asked, receiving a nod and a pet from Ami.

"What's his name?" Tokoyami asked, crossing his arms.

"Wyvern." Ami blurted out, getting puzzled reactions from her classmates. They had no idea who that was. Ami stared at their faces and frowned.

"No one?" Ami asked, receiving silence. She looked at Yaoyorozu and asked her.

"What about you, Yao-Momo?" Ami asked, hoping she would know.

"Oh. Sorry, but I don't know who that is, either. Is he new?" Yaoyorozu asked, shaking her head in response.

"Oh…" Ami frowned, slumping her shoulders in disappointment.

"I know about Dragonflame. Are they related?" Yaoyorozu inquired, thinking of another member she was sure about. Ami heard the hero name and raised an eye.

"Dragonflame? Uh, maybe?" Ami replied, not sure of their relation.

"So, what was he like?" Yaoyorozu asked, curiously.

"He was kinda weird and messed with me a lot. But he was cool." Ami bluntly admitted with a smile.

"He messed with you? That doesn't seem heroic." Kirishima commented. Before Ami could come to his defense, the sound of the intercom echoed through the room.

"Attention, Class 1-A! Please head outside with your hero costumes on, please." The intercom said, getting the classes attention.

"Hm?" Ami said, surprised by the announcement. On cue, the racks containing their hero costumes appeared out of the wall to her left.

"Mr. Aizawa's not greeting us?" Tsu questioned.

"You heard the announcement, everyone! Let's head to the lockers and put our costumes on." Iida instructed, watching his classmates stand up and head towards the racks containing their costumes.

"I guess, we can talk about the Health Syndicate later?" Ami asked, looking at Yaoyorozu.

"That's fine." Yaoyorozu smiled, nodding in agreement. Ami watched her grab her costume and head out with the rest of class. Ami waited for most of her classmates to pick up their costumes and eventually headed towards the racks. She sighed and approached the racks, looking inside and spotting her costume.

"Reunited at last…" Ami whispered, picking up her costume from the rack.

UA High - Outdoors

"I am here!" All Might announced, "Hope you're ready to return to our lessons." All Might said, standing in front of the class. Ami looked at All Might with a smile, happy to see him again.

"Today it's Hero Basic Training. Feels like I haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back." All Might said, smiling proudly. He kept his eyes on the twins and noticed their excited faces. He was happy to see them after hearing about what happened in Hosu. He wished he had time to say hello but class had already started.

"Now then. Listen carefully for what's in store." All Might announced, getting the class's attention.

"We're going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you've learned from your internships and apply it to this rescue training." All Might stated, receiving a hand up from Iida.

"If it's rescue training, then shouldn't we be at the USJ instead?" Iida asked. All Might smirked, expecting the question from Iida.

"Ah, that facility specializes in disasters. As I said earlier, this is a race. So prepare. You're about to step into Field Gamma! Inside, is an area full of factories that form an intricate labyrinth, so good luck finding your way around. You'll be competing in groups of five. Each person starts from a different location on the outskirts of the model city. I'll send a distress signal, and you do what you must to rescue me. Whoever finds me first wins!" All Might explained.

"But try to keep the property damage to a bare minimum, please." All Might smiled, pointing in the direction of the explosive blonde. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at All Might's finger, causing him to look somewhere else.

"Why're you pointing at me?" Bakugo questioned, looking away with gritted teeth.

"All right! First group, get to your places!" All Might announced.

Field Gamma - Spectator Area

Ami sat with the rest of her classmates as the first group entered Field Gamma. She sat next to Yaoyorozu and Jirou and stared at Izuku with a blank expression. She looked around and couldn't see Bakugo anywhere, confusing her. She cranked her head to the side and looked behind her, spotting Bakugo by himself with arms crossed. He had a blank glare in his face, like he was in deep thought.

"I wonder what he's thinking about? We never got to talk about what happened in our internships yet." Ami thought, looking down at the floor for a few seconds. She glanced at the screen for a split second and spotted Izuku stretching, making her smile lightly.

"He's probably wondering what Izzy's learned. I'm curious about that, too." Ami thought, glancing back at Bakugo. Bakugo looked at Deku on the screen with narrowed eyes, watching him stretch. He stared at Deku with examination, wanting to know how he would perform. He didn't know anything about who Deku interned with other than what he saw on the news. It was some old guy he had no idea about.

That sparked curiosity inside him. What could an old guy like him teach Deku? Unless…

"Did that old guy Deku interned with know about One For All?" Bakugo thought, glancing down at Habanero. He cut off his own thoughts when he noticed Habanero was looking at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and gritted his teeth, causing her to quickly turn away.

"What was she looking at me for?" Bakugo thought, flaring his nostrils. He rolled his eyes in silence, hearing words from Best Jeanist enter the back of his mind. He clenched his fists tightly in response, shrugging the memories aside and focusing back on the screen.

"Iida hasn't completely recovered yet, right? He should sit this one out." Kaminari suggested, looking at the five students on the screen.

"Man, everyone in this group has really good mobility." Kirishima pointed out. Ami nodded in agreement, glancing at Yaoyorozu for her input.

"Huh. I'd say Midoriya is at a heavy disadvantage against those four." Momo admitted.

"That's what I think. Moving around quickly isn't really one of his strong suits, that's for sure." Jirou said, glancing at Ami sitting behind Yaoyorozu.

"I mean, no offense, Ami." Jirou added, with a small frown. Ami scoffed and smirked, shrugging her shoulders.

"None taken." Ami said, not showing signs of being bothered. Truly, she wasn't. She looked at Izuku on the screen and crossed her arms with hope.

"But I wouldn't strike him out yet." Ami grinned, causing Yaoyorozu to glance at Ami questionably.

"But everytime he uses his powers he gets badly injured." Momo pointed out.

"Who's your pick? I'm bettin on Sero." Kirishima betted.

"Oh, yeah? I got odds on Ojiro." Kaminari smirked, looking at Ojiro on the screen.

"I choose Ashido. Cause she's got a super athletic body." Mineta said, absolutely sure of his choice. Ami turned her head around and looked at Bakugo with curiosity.

"Hey, Kacchan. Any bets?" Ami asked, smirking. Bakugo looked at her smirk and flared his nostrils, holding in his opinion.

"Hmph. No comment." Bakugo replied, causing Ami to raise her eye in surprise.

"Knowing you it's anyone but Izzy." Ami said, causing Bakugo to scoff. He said nothing back and stared at the screen with focus.

"Alright, you damn nerd, how're you gonna break your bones this time?" Bakugo thought.

"Is everyone ready? Begin!" All Might announced, pressing a button in his hand.

Honk

A loud horn echoed through Field Gamma, announcing the start of the training. Immediately, the students started their run towards All Might. Sero launched tape out of his elbow and wrapped it around a steel pipe. Using it as leverage, he propelled himself into the air with ease. He launched ahead with another shot of tape while Mina slid on a large metal pipe with her acid quirk. Ojiro smacked the ground with his tail and flung into the air while Iida kept focused, speeding through the maze with his engines.

"Look at him go! In a maze like this, it makes sense to be above everything else." Kirishima said, watching Sero launch himself into the air.

"So that means Sero's at an advantage because he can take to the sky." Shoji said. Sero swung around the maze with a smile on his face, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through him.

"It's like this course was built with me in mind!" Sero exclaimed, swinging away on another pipe. Suddenly, a green blur zoomed by him at fast speeds, throwing him off slightly. He looked at the blur and gasped, quickly catching himself again and swinging forward. His eyes bulged out as he caught sight of who passed him, looking in disbelief.

"What, no way!" Sero exclaimed, picking up his pace. Izuku zoomed through the maze with an intense smile on his face, feeling the wind brush against his face.

"With my new training, I can win!" Izuku proclaimed, feeling exhilarated.

"Whoa, Izzy?" Ami questioned, letting her mouth drop with a surprised gasp.

"What did Gran Torino teach you?" Ami thought, looking at the screen with a rush of excitement.

Izuku jumped from pipe to pipe with ease, surprising everyone with his speed. The class watched Izuku through the screen with shock, talking amongst themselves in amazement. As she watched Izuku jump across platform-to-platform, a familiar feeling swept through her. She had seen movements like that before. Off to the side, Ochaco also took notice of Izuku's jumps. She watched the screen with dejavu, clenching her fists tightly.

"Those moves…" Ochaco mumbled, speaking up as Ami reached the same conclusion.

"He looks just like-" Ami thought, glancing back at Bakugo for his reaction.

"Those are my moves!" Bakugo thought, opening his mouth slightly. Bakugo stared at the screen with wide eyes, temporarily replacing his narrowed glare with a look of genuine surprise.

"What the hell? He's using One For All like I use my explosions!" He thought, feeling the hair on his arms stick up. As he stared at the screen, the question he asked All Might long ago flashed in his mind.

"You said your quirk gets stronger the more it's passed down from person-to-person. So then, does that mean…Deku, will be stronger than you?" Bakugo asked.

"Well, if you're asking about now, then I'd say no. However, after he has accomplished more of his training, then yes. Someday, Young Midoriya, will be far stronger than I ever was." All Might answered. Bakugo returned to reality and blinked a couple times, composing himself.

"Heh." Bakugo grinned, letting out one single chuckle as a twisted smile formed on his lips. Ami looked at the twisted smile on his face through her peripheral vision and smirked, looking back at the screen in amazement.

"He looks like he's taking it well." Ami thought, unsure what to think with that crazed smile.

"You damn copycat. So, you're not breaking your bones? Whatever. If copying me is all you can do so far, then I can still surpass you at becoming Number One." Bakugo thought, watching the screen with confidence.

"Focus. I can do this. Don't go above five percent." Izuku said, leaping across a building in the maze with a single bound.

"Go, Izzy. Woo!" Ami cheered, raising her hands up with excitement.

"I've just gotta stay calm and alert." Izuku thought, running on a pipe. As soon as he psyched himself up, he made the mistake of immediately slipping off the pipe. He looked down at his feet and stared at the pipe as he fell under it, letting out a tiny gasp. He quickly fell to the floor, landing face down with a light thud.

"Huh." Ami blurted out, looking at the screen with a pale face. She cheered too soon.

"Pfft." Bakugo grinned sadistically, chuckling to himself. Ami heard the chuckling from Bakugo and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Tch. If that's the best he can do, then the time at my internship might not have been a waste after all." Bakugo thought, composing himself. He kept his arms crossed as well as his sadistic smile. He could see his classmates look at him with disapproval for laughing, making him scoff. He looked the other way and scowled, shaking his head. He caught a glance of Habanero's disapproving frown and rolled his eyes, ignoring her glare.

"I could've made that." Bakugo mumbled, hearing the horn go off seconds after.

Honk

"And it's over! Thanks, Hero! And congratulations!" All Might said, presenting a piece of paper on his hands with words showing his thanks for saving him.

"All right!" Sero celebrated, throwing his fist in the air with a triumphant smile.

"Darnit!" Mina said, stomping the ground repeatedly. Izuku laid on the floor and covered his face, prompting Iida to get on his knees and check on him.

"Uh, Midoriya. You're okay, right?" Iida asked, surprised to see Izuku was, as far as he knew, completely intact. Not a single bone in his body looked broken, surprising everyone.

"I guess he hasn't mastered the landing part of Bakugo's moves." Ami thought, rubbing the back of her head. She sighed in relief, happy to see Izuku was basically uninjured.

"Young Sero may have come in first, but compared to the start of the year, you all showed me some incredible improvements. Keep working and preparing for your upcoming final exams!" All Might said, staring at the four students in front of him. They assembled into a vertical line and stared at All Might with solemn expressions.

"Sir!" They said in unison. Izuku would also nod as he raised his head off the floor, getting on his knees. He felt drained from all that fast movement, causing him to perform breathing exercises.

"Group One, leave the field." All Might ordered, receiving nods from the four.

"You're up, Group Two!" All Might announced, looking at Izuku in the corner. He smiled at the boy and approached him, muting his microphone.

"You surprised me. That was incredible." All Might praised, turning back around. He displayed a thumbs up towards Izuku, catching his attention, "Find me after class. We need to talk." All Might said.

"Uh, yes, Sir…" Izuku muttered, feeling a little confused.

"The time has come for me to tell you the whole truth. About me. And One For All." All Might said, keeping his back turned on Izuku. From the spectator side, Ami and Bakugo stared at the screen with raised eyebrows. They could tell All Might was saying something to Izuku while his mic was muted. They glanced at each other in silence, both wondering what was being said.

Later - Boy's Locker Room

"Ah, that was some tough training today, huh?" Sato asked, hearing sighs of agreement from his classmates.

"It's the first class in a while that had me glistening." Aoyama stated.

"Man, I really gotta work on my mobility." Kirishima said, opening his locker with a frown.

"You could also compensate by improving other skills." Tokoyami suggested, adjusting his tie.

"Still wish I could use my quirk for speed. I'm jealous of guys like you and Sero." Kaminari admitted, looking at Tokoyami with envy. Sero had a massive smile on his face. He was the first to win in his class, making him feel real good about himself. In the corner, Bakugo sat on a bleacher and stared at his hands. He easily found All Might when it came time for his group to look for him, remembering the conversation after.

"Congrats, Young Bakugo. You've gotten faster at finding your target, I see. Did you learn a lot from Best Jeanist?" All Might asked with a firm smile, making Bakugo scoff. He learned something alright. He looked at All Might with narrowed eyes and crossed arms, wishing to talk.

"What've you got to say to Deku?" Bakugo asked, bluntly. All Might was a little surprised by his straightforward question and coughed, muting his mic. He recovered and stood firm, looking at Bakugo with a grin.

"Young Ami asked me the same question." All Might replied, remembering the end of Group Two's turn.

"See me after class." All Might answered. Bakugo returned to the present and flared his nostrils, clenching his fists. He looked at Deku and noticed he was thinking about something. He could guess it was whatever All Might wanted to talk about. He contemplated how serious he looked when talking to Deku through the screen, making him more curious about what he needed to say.

"Hey, Kaminari." Mineta said, distracting Bakugo with his voice. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the purple fiend and the walking taser in silence.

"What?" Kaminari asked, looking down at Mineta.

"You won't believe what I just found. It's the jackpot! Someone shawshanked a hole in this wall!" Mineta pointed out, immediately catching the attention of everyone. They all felt an ominous chill go through them as Mineta talked. Most affected was Izuku. He heard Mineta's sentence and raised his head up with eyes wide, feeling his cheeks turn a faint red color.

"A hole?" Izuku thought, feeling his hair stick up in fear.

"A previous generation has given us a gift. You know what's next door, right? This looks into the girls' locker room!" Mineta said, feeling like he just discovered gold.

"Don't even think about it. Peeping on them like that would be criminal." Iida scolded Mineta, protesting his lewd actions.

"Then you'll have to throw me in solitary confinement, cuz you can't stop me!" Mineta said, walking towards the poster on the wall with blood coming out of his nose. He licked his lips and started salivating viciously.

"I wanna see Yaoyorozu's curves. Ashido's slender waist. Hagakure's floating underwear. Uraraka's super-fine body. Asui's unexpectedly soft boobies. Ami's perfectly-shaped bu-"

Slam

Izuku dashed over to the poster, blocking it with his torso. He leaned his back against the wall with an uncomfortable frown, staring down at Mineta. Mineta stopped moving, staring at Midoriya in silence. The world around him faded away as he hyper focused on Midoriya's face. Everyone felt the wind touch their bodies as Izuku leapt onto the wall in front of Mineta.

"...Mi- Midoriya. What are you doing?" Mineta asked, freezing in place. His eye twitched as his mind malfunctioned.

"Nothing. Just, uh, leaning on this wall." Midoriya said, acting like nothing was going on.

"You're blocking the hole…" Mineta stated, bluntly. He stared at Izuku with a solemn expression.

"Hole? What hole? I don't see a hole anywhere?" Midoriya questioned, laughing awkwardly. Mineta's eyes went bloodshot. He opened his mouth and continued to salivate, sending foam out of his mouth.

"Move, Midoriya." Mineta said, bluntly. Izuku looked at the conviction in his eyes, gulping anxiously. He could tell Mineta wasn't going to give up easily. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Mineta with his own solemn expression.

"No!" Izuku resisted, holding his body firmly in place on the wall.

"I'm not letting you peep on my sister!" Izuku proclaimed, getting proud thumbs ups from his classmates.

"Yeah, man, c'mon." Kirishima said, shaking his head at the situation.

"This is highly inappropriate." Tokoyami commented, making his disapproval known with the tone of his voice. Mineta heard his classmates behind him and blinked a couple times. He took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes.

"...Alright, fine." Mineta relented, backing down with a strangely calm voice.

"Really?" Izuku questioned, tilting his head a little in surprise.

"No! Let me look through that hole!" Mineta shouted, opening his bloodshot eyes. He ran towards Izuku and pulled at his arm, causing him to tense up in defiance.

"Never!" Izuku said, raising his voice. He tussled with Mineta, making sure his back never left the wall.

Girl's Locker Room

The girls heard the commotion inside the boy's locker room through the hole. Their facial expressions said it all. Disgust and embarrassment were on all of their faces, temporarily stopping them from changing.

"Despicable. We'll close this hole up immediately." Momo said with pure disgust.

"Thanks for the save, Midoriya." Tsu said, listening to Mineta's attempts to push Izuku away. Jirou kept her earphone jack halfway through the hole, standing by for additional defense in case Mineta managed to get past Izuku. She definitely wasn't going to poke Izuku with her quirk. She listened to their fight with arms crossed and a disturbed expression.

"Why am I the only one he didn't say anything about?" Jirou questioned, suddenly feeling very self conscious. Ami, however, was a different story. Her eyes twitched with deranged anger as steam blew out of her nose.

"I'll kill him!" Ami roared, causing Hagakure to hold Ami back with her arms.

"No, Ami. It's not worth it!" Hagakure pleaded, holding Ami back.

Boy's Locker Room

"Move!" Mineta exclaimed, slapping Izuku's face with both hands. Izuku gritted his teeth and kept both his hands firmly on the wall, letting the side of his face rub against the wall.

"N-No. Go away." Izuku hollered, refusing to budge. Mineta was getting desperate as he tried to pull Izuku away. In the corner, the blonde listened to their exchange with a twitch in his eye. He was getting fed up with the pervert's stupid game.

"C'mon, just a peek!" Mineta pleaded, causing Izuku to frown.

"No, that's wrong!" He scolded, looking at Mineta with a narrowed eye. Mineta could only see one side of his face as he tugged on Izuku.

"Ugh. Just move!" Mineta groaned, trying to pull Izuku's arm off the wall. All of a sudden, Mineta felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Huh?" Mineta questioned, stopping his pulling. He looked at the hand on his shoulder and jumped when sparks suddenly appeared.

"Ah!" Mineta yelped, feeling his eyes bulge outward and his face turn pale with fear. The small pops of explosives on his shoulder immediately identified who was touching him. He instantly stopped tugging at Izuku's arm, confusing the green haired teen. He turned his head and stared at Mineta with both narrowed eyes. Izuku raised them upon seeing Bakugo tower above Mineta with a dark aura of danger. Mineta stared at the pops on his right shoulder and gulped, cranking his head more to the right to get a look at Bakugo. Mineta looked at the angry expression on Bakugo's face and felt the sudden urge to go to the bathroom, audibly gulping for a second time.

"Listen here, you little bastard. I've had it up to here with that annoying voice." Bakugo snarled, growling in rage.

"Uh-" Mineta spoke up, trying to find the words to speak.

"Shut it, Pipsqueak! If I hear another damn word out of your mouth, I'll send you back home in an urn. Got that?" Bakugo threatened, causing Mineta to flinch in fear. He listened to the threat and was about to agree, but he quickly shut himself up before speaking.

"..." Mineta nodded, refusing to speak.

"That's better." Bakugo said, letting go of Mineta's shoulder. Mineta looked at the smoke and dirt on his shoulder from all the mini explosions and gulped, trembling with fear. He reluctantly backed down, fearing for his life. Izuku watched Mineta head for the bathrooms in the back of the locker room and relaxed.

"Thank goodness." Izuku sighed, dropping his head down in exhaustion. His sister's integrity was saved.

"Whoa. Did Bakugo just team up with Midoriya?" Kaminari whispered into Sero's ear. Sero nodded in agreement, equally surprised by the turn of events.

Later in the Evening

The bell signifying the end of the school day rang across the campus. Everyone started heading home with smiles of relief as they walked with friends. Izuku, Ami, and Bakugo walked down the empty hall and reached their destination. The Teacher Lounge.

Izuku stared at the door and clenched his fist, remembering the last time he was in this room. Bakugo did the same, looking off to the side and avoiding eye contact with the twins.

"Someday, Young Midoriya, will be far stronger than I ever was." All Might said. Bakugo remembered those words and shrugged, noticing Deku was standing still for half a minute.

"Start knocking, Deku." Bakugo ordered, getting threateningly impatient. Ami looked at Bakugo with a frown and crossed her arms, feeling as anxious as Izuku.

"Right. Sorry." Izuku apologized, looking at the door. He took a deep breath and knocked, sliding the door open.

"All Might. You wanted to see us?" Izuku said, staring at All Might. The deflated All Might sat on the couch with his hands clasped together, staring at the floor with a solemn expression.

"Come have a seat, you three." All Might said, knowing they were all there.

"He seems…different." All three of them thought at the same time, staring at All Might in silence. Ami entered the room first, holding her hands together awkwardly. Bakugo came in second, keeping his hands in his pockets. Izuku entered last, taking a seat in the middle. Ami sat on his right while Bakugo sat on his left. When the three got comfy, All Might raised his head up and stared at the trio with a serious expression. Bakugo stared at All Might and noticed his extended glance towards the twins.

"You two went through a lot recently. I'm sorry I wasn't around to help you out." All Might apologized, nodding at the twins.

"Oh, no. You don't need to apologize for that." Izuku said, brushing the apology aside. Ami nodded in agreement, understanding that there was nothing All Might could do.

"Yeah, you don't have to apologize." Ami concurred, thinking about the Hosu incident.

"Is that what this is about? Did he want to check up on us?" Ami thought, glancing at the slightly confused look on Bakugo's face.

"No. Otherwise, why invite Kacchan? He still doesn't know about what actually happened in Hosu. Unless he wanted us to give him the details, too?" Ami thought, thinking of reasons for being here. Izuku looked at All Might's face and frowned slightly, recalling their last exchange.

"More importantly, you mentioned One For All earlier?" Izuku brought up, causing Ami and Bakugo's eyes to rise.

"One For All? This is about One For All?" Ami thought, looking at Izuku in confusion.

"All Might didn't mention One For All when I asked?" Ami and Bakugo both thought at the same time.

"Yes, about that-" All Might said.

"Hold on." Bakugo interrupted, preventing All Might from speaking.

"If we're here to talk about One For All then I gotta know something first." Bakugo said, receiving an eyebrow from the Number One Hero. He nodded in agreement and untensed his shoulders.

"That's fair. Go right ahead." All Might relented, sounding a little relieved. He could use the additional time to gather his thoughts. Bakugo ignored the look on All Might's face and glanced to his right. Deku and Habanero were both staring at him questionably. He flared his nostrils and quickly spoke up.

"Deku. You, Four Eyes, and IcyHot fought that Hero Killer freak, didn't you?" Bakugo blurted out, receiving a hesitant nod from Deku. He scoffed and continued, glaring at Habanero.

"And you, Habanero. Something else happened to you at Hosu, didn't it?" Bakugo asked, receiving a small nod from Habanero.

"I knew it." He grumbled, letting Deku and Habanero hear it. Izuku gulped nervously and spoke up.

"To be honest, it's kind of a long story for the both of us." Izuku stated, getting Kacchan's attention. He flared his nostrils and placed his left arm on the couch arm and got comfortable.

"Then start talking." He replied.

"Right." Izuku said, nodding in agreement. He composed himself and let out a small cough, gathering his thoughts. Ami listened as Izuku explained his side of events. He started with an explanation on who Gran Torino was and his connection to All Might. Then, he moved onto what he was doing at Hosu, how he got there, and how he found the Hero Killer. When he mentioned the part with Iida, she could tell Bakugo was furious.

"So, Four Eyes tried to avenge his brother?" Bakugo asked, receiving a nod from Deku.

"Yeah." Izuku said, causing Bakugo to scoff.

"And he was as good as dead till you and IcyHot showed up?" Bakugo asked, getting his facts straight. He received a slow nod in confirmation.

"Todoroki showed up later, but, yeah." Izuku corrected, making Bakugo roll his eyes.

"Figures." Bakugo said. He thought about everything Deku had told him about the fight and clenched his jaw, forming a scowl. Deku almost died. He thought about how the fight started and flared his nostrils in annoyance. Why did Four Eyes think he could take on a mass hero murderer? Why the hell did Deku let himself get paralyzed by his stupid quirk? If IcyHot was there, why didn't he show up with his stupid Father? Those questions circled around his head repeatedly, leaving him frustrated.

"Almost got yourself killed again, huh? You're such an idiot. Did you even have a plan? What if you died? What about One For All then? Did Habanero even cross your mind?" Bakugo scolded, raising his voice.

"Kacchan…" Ami said, hoping to calm him down. She couldn't help but notice the way he was reacting. It was similar to how she felt when she learned what happened. Although, he seemed more focused on One For All rather than him. The fact he even brought her up in his complaint towards Izuku reminded her of that night after the USJ incident.

"Easy there, Young Bakugo." All Might warned, wanting to not risk anyone else hearing the conversation. Izuku felt a pit in his stomach at Bakugo's mention of Ami. He was trying to get a reaction out of him. It was almost like before.

"You were so scared All Might could die that you threw away your sister like she was nothing. Throwing her onto me like that. The hell's wrong with you?" Bakugo said, echoing through Izuku's mind. Izuku tensed up at the memory and clenched his teeth. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Bakugo, appearing serious.

"You would have done the same." Izuku stated, creating silence. Bakugo heard his words and froze, raising his eyebrows in genuine surprise. Even Ami was caught off guard.

"You would have done the same." Deku's voice repeated through his skull. Would he? Bakugo thought about the question and paused, imagining what he would have done if he was there. Deku was right. If he was there, he would've challenged the Hero Killer also. He glanced at Habanero and noticed the surprised look on her face. He stared at her and saw glimpses of the past. He remembered pulling her away from the Sludge Villain and challenging him. Turns out, the answer to his question had already occurred.

"Hmph." Bakugo scoffed, looking away from Habanero. Well played, Deku. He glanced at Habanero to Deku's right and noticed her silence. He figured she already knew what happened. He wondered if Deku knew what happened to her. Satisfied with Deku's side of the Hosu Incident, he looked at Habanero with a solemn glare.

"So what happened to you in the middle of all this? And why did you take three days to tell me nothing?" Bakugo asked, referencing the text message he received. Ami heard the question and nodded, speaking up.

"When the Nomu's attacked the city, Backdraft told me to stay inside the Museum…" Ami explained, firstly adding context. She brought up Hayato to him and his condition at the time. She then explained the Quirk Museum's security systems and how they worked, or, should have worked. After a quick summary, she told him everything that happened that night in the Quirk Museum.

Bakugo listened with narrowed eyes, hiding his emotions. She was arguably worse off than Deku. Stuck inside a dark Museum with a child while a giant monster chased after them. Every close call she mentioned made him clench his fists slightly in response.

Still seated between Ami and Bakugo, Izuku couldn't help but notice the way he was reacting to Ami's story compared to his. It was strange, like he was invested. Even though his glare was the same, he could see he was shocked. Upon reaching the end of the story, the glare in Bakugo's eyes had loosened.

He stared at the floor and took it all in his head, thinking about what Habanero had forced the kid to do. He cringed at the thought of getting electrocuted to the point of activating his quirk. If it happened to him, he would've likely caved the whole floor in. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. To think Habanero was capable of letting herself get injured to that degree. No, she was capable. He knew that. He remembered how she looked at the end of their fight in the Sports Festival, causing his heart to skip a beat. He snapped out of those thoughts and flared his nostrils.

"Are you telling me you actually died, Habanero?" Bakugo asked, receiving a frown in confirmation. The frown on her face made his body tense up more than he expected. He processed this information and looked away from the group, feeling a strange amount of fear.

"What happened?" Bakugo asked, wondering what saved her life.

"Hayato's quirk started working again. So, Wyvern made him use it as a defibrillator and shocked my heart. That's what brought me back to life. I didn't know what happened until I woke up three days later." Ami explained, going over everything that happened after she had woken up.

"So, his quirk activated yours through electrocution?" All Might asked, receiving a nod from Ami.

"Yeah." Ami answered.

"I see." All Might said, going over what he knew about the investigation in his head.

"It's no wonder the boy was targeted." All Might thought.

"His quirk wasn't working because of a tumor?" Bakugo asked, raising his eyebrow.

"It's rare but not unheard of. Though, I've never heard of a case as severe as this." All Might explained.

"That's pretty much everything that happened to me during my internship." Ami said with a disappointed frown. She was still sad to have lost out on three whole days of the internship. Bakugo listened to the end of Habanero's story and felt a sense of relief go through him. Not only did Habanero survive, she was here to tell the story herself with no visible signs of permanent damage. He looked away from the group and crossed his arms, cracking a smile for a split second before returning to normal.

"I'm glad you two are safe and sound." All Might said, receiving grateful nods from the twins. Once he was sure that the previous conversation was over, All Might took a deep breath and returned to the real topic.

"Anyways, about the Hero Killer. You said he managed to swallow some of your blood, correct?" All Might asked, recalling Izuku's retelling of events to Bakugo.

"Yeah, he did." Izuku answered, causing Ami to cringe. The way the Hero Killer had to use his quirk was gross to her.

"Why are you bringing that up?" Bakugo questioned, looking at All Might for an answer.

"Do you remember how I gave my power to you. What I said that day?" All Might asked, looking at Izuku.

Eat this!" Izuku said, doing an All Might impression. Ami giggled while Bakugo looked at Deku's face with an eyebrow raised.

"How the hell did he do that?" Bakugo questioned, internally.

"No, not that part." All Might said, waving his hand side-to-side, "I said the key was in my DNA. That's why you had to swallow the hair." All Might explained, causing Izuku to quickly burst out of his seat in panic.

"Whoa, holy crap! Don't tell me the Hero Killer has One For All now!" Izuku blurted out, sending off alarms in Ami and Bakugo's minds.

"No, he doesn't." All Might quickly confirmed, "I just thought you might be worried about that, but…I see it didn't cross your mind." All Might sighed, looking at the floor. Ami breathed an instant sigh of relief, feeling like her heart stopped beating for a second time. Bakugo had felt the same although he was more discreet about having a heart attack.

"One For All can only be given to another person if you, the bearer, intend to pass it along. It's not something that can just be taken by force." All Might explained, making Izuku relax in his seat.

"So, eating Izzy's hair won't give me One For All? That's good to know." Ami said, ruffling Izuku's hair with a playful smile. Izuku smiled back, feeling the mood lighten up.

"Precisely. No one's inheriting One For All by accident." All Might nodded, looking up at the ceiling.

"Although, it can be transferred by force." All Might mentioned, putting a hand on his chin. Bakugo and the twins raised an eyebrow at All Might's comment.

"What do you mean?" Ami asked.

"Kind of like this." All Might elaborated, describing a made up situation using himself.

"Here! You have to take it!" A random girl said, shoving chocolates into All Might's face with an intense blush.

"Oh, uh…" All Might stuttered, getting flustered.

"What kind of an example is that?" Ami, Izuku, and Bakugo questioned, realizing the meaning behind his example. All Might finished his example and sighed, clasping his hands back together.

"The Quirk you now have is unique, and you should know its origin." He said, looking at Izuku with a serious expression.

"Young Ami, Young Bakugo. If you want, you can back out of this room before I continue." All Might said, looking at them with a serious frown. Ami and Bakugo both raised their heads and sat straight up, turning to look at each other in silence. They exchanged looks and nodded, knowing that they were about to hear something very important.

"I'm staying." Ami answered, looking at All Might with a nod.

"I'm not going anywhere." Bakugo replied, crossing his arms. Izuku glanced at them both in his peripheral vision, feeling less nervous. The anxiety he felt loosened a bit after hearing their voices. He was glad to know that he wouldn't be alone in learning what All Might was about to tell him. All Might nodded and flashed a quick smile, feeling the same relief that Izuku felt. He wouldn't hear it alone. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reopening them with a solemn face.

"One For All was derived from another odd quirk, a power that's very old." All Might explained, getting interesting reactions.

"It used to be something different?" Izuku questioned, receiving a grim nod from All Might.

"The name of that quirk is, "All For One." All Might said, feeling the air in the room change. Ami heard the name and felt goosebumps go through her.

"All For One…" Ami repeated in her mind. The obvious parallel to One For All didn't go ignored. Bakugo also heard the name and felt his eyes widen slightly through his normal glare.

"It allowed its user to take quirks from others. Then the user could keep the quirks for himself or give them to someone else." All Might explained, shocking the trio with this knowledge.

"What? You mean…He could steal powers?" Izuku asked, feeling an unnerving chill.

"And give it to others?" Ami interjected, receiving a firm nod from All Might.

"This was back when quirks were just starting to show up. Before society had figured out how to deal with the newly powered among them." He explained.

"When quirks first appeared suddenly, it was impossible to say what it meant to be a "normal" person. Laws and human rights were hotly debated. Civilization's progress stalled. Society decayed." All Might explained, receiving nods from the trio. They knew about that part of history from school. Ami, especially. She looked down at the floor in remembrance, seeing herself in the Hero Area of the Quirk Museum. She recalled the words on the display sign for the costume of a hero from that era.

"The First Generation: Before reaching the world we have now, these ordinary citizens used their meta powers for good and became one of the first superheroes of their time." Ami remembered, returning to the present. She looked at the expression on Izuku's face and composed herself.

"If superpowers had never appeared, then humans would be taking interstellar holidays by this point." Izuku quoted, looking at All Might, "I remember hearing that from someone famous." Izuku recalled.

"Right." All Might nodded, knowing the quote as well.

"During that chaotic period of change, there was one person who managed to rally many people together. He went by the name of his power, All For One. He stole quirks from others. And then, with his overwhelming abilities, he spread his influence across the country. He manipulated people to serve his purposes, and committed evil acts with little resistance. In the blink of an eye, he became the leader of villains and ruled over Japan." All Might explained, surprising Bakugo and the twins.

Bakugo heard his words and looked to the side, remembering his research on quirks the night before the USJ incident. The experiments, the discontinued scientific research, and past rumors of powerful quirks in existence. There was one rumor in particular he read about from the internet. A boogeyman with a powerful quirk. A Dark Ruler. He looked down at the floor and hid his eyes using the shadow of his hair as he thought of the first conversation he had with All Might after learning the truth.

"It's a nasty wound, I know. About five years ago, I got this injury from a fight with a villain. My respiratory system was destroyed. I lost my whole stomach. This was the best I could do after all the surgeries." All Might's voice said, echoing through Bakugo's mind. He clenched his fists in response, thinking about the culprit behind his injury. He remembered what All Might said to him when he asked who the villain was.

"No. I got this injury from another villain. Most of the world doesn't know about it. I did everything I could to keep it a secret."

"Who? Who was it that did that to you?" Bakugo asked, receiving a surprised look from All Might.

"...That's not something I want to say for now." All Might said, truthfully. Bakugo's mind returned to the present with wide eyes as the realization dawned on him.

"I've seen plenty of rumors about this online, sure, but isn't that all just made up? It's not mentioned in any of our textbooks." Izuku asked, glancing at Ami and Bakugo for backup. They both nodded in agreement, making All Might frown.

"Because it's the kind of shameful history people would rather ignore. Anyway, when a person gains true power, they enjoy showing it off to others." All Might stated. Bakugo heard that statement and frowned ever so slightly before returning to normal.

"How does this all tie together, though? And what about One For All?" Izuku questioned.

"I said that All For One could give quirks to others, remember? He made people trust him or submit to his will by altering their abilities. But apparently, there were many poor souls who couldn't bear the burden of the quirks they were given. They became like mindless living dolls, incapable of speaking. Just like the Nomu's are." All Might explained, causing Ami to raise her eye at his statement. Glimpses of the two Nomu she'd seen face-to-face flashed through her mind. Their cries, their massive strength, and their permanent smiles sent chills down her spine.

"The Nomu's are…his creations?" Ami thought, gulping in fear.

"They were given power by him and lost their minds because of it? That can't be right. The Nomu I fought wasn't mindless. There has to be more to their creation than him just passing quirks onto them…" Ami thought, thinking about the feline Nomu.

"Meanwhile, some quirks actually evolved as they were passed on. Some even combined with other power sets. This evil man had a quirkless younger brother. He was small and sickly, but he had a strong sense of justice. They couldn't have been more different. It pained the brother to see All For One's deeds, so he kept resisting him. And then, All For One transfered a quirk to his sibling, one that would allow him to stockpile power. We don't know if it was a gift he was giving his brother, or if he just wanted to force him to submit." All Might explained, getting looks of realization from the trio.

"Don't tell me-" Izuku muttered.

"Yes. Even though everyone thought he was quirkless. Turns out, the brother did have a quirk. Though even he hadn't realized this to be the case. He had a useless power that only allowed him to pass on quirks." All Might said, spreading his arms out wide.

"And so, the stockpiling ability merged with the younger brother's power, and that is how One For All came to be." He revealed, slamming his hands together.

"I've always found it ironic that justice so often spawns from evil." All Might admitted. Ami processed the information through her head and had several questions, however, Izuku beat her to the punch.

"Wait, hold on! I understand how One For All came about now, but this bad guy must be long dead by this point. So why are you bringing him up?" Izuku asked, making All Might sigh heavily.

"One who steals quirks has no limits. Anything's possible. There are quirks that halt aging. He probably has something like that. The Symbol of Evil seemed pretty much immortal. With the state of the world at the time and the huge difference in their combat abilities, the younger brother decided to entrust this new quirk to future generations. Even though he couldn't defeat All For One, he hoped One For All would continue to grow in power until it was strong enough to stop his older brother." All Might explained.

"And that's how you got it and kicked his ass five years ago, right?" Bakugo asked, finishing All Might's sentence. All Might looked at Bakugo and frowned, catching the blonde's eye.

"Right. It was only five years ago…" He said, causing the glare in Bakugo's eyes to loosen. Bakugo could tell All Might was bothered by the mention of five years ago. The twins heard the sadness in All Might's voice and frowned as well.

"Like, Young Bakugo said, One For All was passed on to me and I became its Eighth user. It only took passing the quirk along seven times before it could stand a chance of taking on All For One." All Might explained, causing Izuku's mind to flashback to the past. Memories of his fight against Shinso echoed through his mind. He remembered staring into the tunnel entrance and seeing eight shadowy figures staring back at him with glowing eyes.

"My vision. I saw the previous users. I couldn't see what they looked like but I saw them." Izuku said, recalling the similar hairstyle of one of them. It was like Ami's hair.

"That's right." All Might replied, reminded of that vision. He remembered the chill he had in his soul after learning that he was one of those shadowy figures Izuku saw.

Off to the side, Bakugo listened to their chat and focused on All Might's sentence about All For One. He stared at the floor and hid his shock behind his glare.

"It only took passing the quirk along seven times before it could stand a chance of taking on All For One." All Might's voice repeated in Bakugo's mind.

"Seven times? It took seven users before it was strong enough to rival All For One? How strong was that villain?" Bakugo thought, thinking about the implications.

"Wait a second. If that's the case, then all those past users had to have fought All For One at some point to even realize they weren't strong enough to beat him. So, then, what happened to them?" Bakugo thought, hearing Habanero speak up.

"That woman I reminded you of. She was the previous holder before you, right?" Ami said, snapping Bakugo out of his thoughts. He looked at Habanero and All Might, watching him nod in confirmation.

"That's right." All Might nodded.

"Huh?" Izuku said, looking at Ami in confusion, "What woman?" He asked, looking at All Might for answers. All Might tensed up slightly at the question, seeing an image of her face as he blinked. This was it. The moment he'd been dreading.

"She's referring to the former Seventh user of One For All. My master: Nana Shimura." All Might answered, making Izuku gasp.

"Nana Shimura? You never told me about her." Izuku said, thinking about his vision.

"So, that woman I saw…That was Ms. Shimura." Izuku thought.

"I was your age when I met her long ago…" All Might explained, looking up at the ceiling. With a deep breath, he remembered a conversation he had with her long ago.

Many Years Ago

"I wanna make a world where everyone smiles and lives together happily. For that to happen, people need a symbol." Toshinori said, standing a dozen feet away from Nana. The two stood alone near a river as Nana listened to what he had to say with intrigue.

"A symbol?" She questioned, curiously.

"A Symbol of Peace. The reason crime is on the rise everywhere is because citizens have no one to believe in. They need to rely on someone. That's why I wanna be the pillar that gives people hope." Toshinori proclaimed.

"Huh. So that's what drives you to become a hero. Even though you're quirkless." Nana asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes." Toshinori smiled, glad that she understood his dream. Nana looked at him and chuckled, facing him directly.

"Toshinori Yagi. Is that right?" Nana inquired, receiving a nod from Toshinori.

"Those are some pretty funny ideas ya got. You're kinda crazy." Nana smirked.

Present

"She was an excellent teacher. I owe her many things. I wouldn't be the man I am today without her. Nor would the world." All Might said, emphasizing her importance.

"She sounds amazing." Izuku said, wondering what she looked like. He only had her shadowy figure to go off in terms of looks. And, having the same hairstyle as Ami. Maybe she had green hair, too?

"Yes, she was." All Might smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart as he reflected on fond memories.

"So, when you defeated All For One. Was she there, too?" Izuku asked, innocently. Suddenly, the air in the room changed once more. All Might's smile dropped upon hearing the question, causing the trio to look at All Might with concern.

"...No." All Might whispered, deeply. He stared at the floor with hands tightly gripping his knees.

"All For One was responsible for many atrocities during his reign. One of them being the loss of her life." All Might explained, causing Izuku to frown heavily with guilt.

"Oh…" Izuku mumbled, feeling sad that he asked.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." Ami frowned, giving her condolences. Izuku looked at All Might and nodded in agreement while frowning.

"Thank you. Ever since I mentioned her to you, Young Ami, I've been dreading the day I'd have to tell you all what became of her. When she passed, Gran Torino trained me to defeat All For One." All Might admitted, causing Izuku to respond.

"Gran Torino knew her, too? He never mentioned her." Izuku said, frowning.

"He thought it best that I be the one to tell you about her. In truth, I should've told you all of this from the very beginning. I'm sorry for keeping it hidden for this long." All Might apologized, bowing his head in regret.

"That's okay, All Might. I understand why you thought you needed to keep it a secret." Izuku assured, standing up for him.

"Thank you, Young Midoriya." All Might said, nodding slowly in appreciation.

"But, All For One…He's dead now, right?" Ami asked, returning to the big topic with worry. All Might looked at her with a defeated look, gulping faintly.

"Up until recently, that's what I had thought…" All Might said, causing Ami to get goosebumps.

"You thought?" Ami questioned, tilting her head in disbelief.

"...After recent events with the Nomu, I can no longer deny the truth that's in front of me. All For One is still alive. And I believe he is the brains behind the League of Villains." He explained, causing the trio to look at him with wide eyes.

"There's no way…" Bakugo thought, narrowing his eyes in disbelief.

"Mhm. And now you know. The entire purpose of One For All is to defeat All For One. As its holder, you may one day have to fight against this great evil yourself. Because I failed..." All Might frowned, feeling guilty. Ami swallowed her saliva and felt her legs tremble slightly in fear. The weight of All Might's words pressed deeply into her shoulders, making her feel anxious.

"No way. You mean Izzy's gonna have to fight someone who can steal people's quirks? Someone that not even All Might could defeat in his prime?" Ami thought, fearing for Izuku's safety. She looked at All Might with a frown and thought about the villains she encountered at the USJ.

"All Might, how do you know that it's really All For One behind the League? I mean, that villain controlling the Nomu in the USJ seemed like the leader. Plus, you said it yourself that you defeated him five years ago. And you said giving people powers made them mindless. That's not what I saw at the Quirk Museum. That one wasn't mindless, at all. What if the Nomu's are being created by some other method? Maybe, there's a new villain out there with a similar quirk-stealing ability?" Ami said, going into a long tirade of fearful muttering. Izuku listened to her words and nodded, understanding her muttering. All Might was taken by surprise by Ami's reaction. He'd never seen Ami get carried away like Izuku before. Bakugo also had trouble understanding everything she said, getting more questions as she went on.

"Ami." Izuku said, grabbing Ami's shoulder and shaking it. The shaking caused Ami to snap out of her fearful muttering, causing her to look at Izuku in confusion. She looked at All Might and Bakugo and realized what happened. She had gotten carried away. She coughed and cleared her throat, going silent and placing her hands on her lap. She looked up at All Might with a frown as she composed herself.

"I wish that were true, Young Ami. I do. But, only a man like All For One is capable of hiding in the shadows for this long." All Might sighed, standing up. He approached the window and stared at the sunset, frowning in deep contemplation.

"I know you didn't expect this, but-" All Might said, hearing shuffling from the couch.

"I'll do my best!" Izuku exclaimed, surprising both Ami and Bakugo. All Might heard Izuku's words and gasped, turning around and staring at the boy in shock.

"I'll do whatever you ask. No matter what it might take. As long as you're with me, I can do anything! I know you'll have my back!" Izuku said, looking at All Might with fists raised in assurance. All Might's mention of Nana Shimura's fate still clinged onto his mind.

"I won't let what happened to Ms. Shimura happen to All Might. I won't!" Izuku thought.

"Izzy…" Ami whispered, getting emotional. Despite the clear danger All For One represented, Izuku stood strong. His bravery caused a tear to fall down her eye. Bakugo remained silent, processing everything he learned about All Might's past. He looked at Deku in repressed shock.

"Deku…" Bakugo thought, looking down at the floor in silence.

"Not even All Might could defeat All For One…How could you ever-" Bakugo thought, clenching his fists tightly.

"No." Bakugo whispered to himself, denying his thoughts.

"Someday, Young Midoriya, will be far stronger than I ever was." All Might's voice echoed through his head. Bakugo raised his head up and stared at the back of Deku's head with narrowed eyes. While doing so, another memory entered his mind.

"You can call me, Deku. But I'm not the same helpless, defenseless kid, anymore. You hear me, I've changed! From now on Deku is the name of a hero!" Deku shouted, Bakugo returned to reality and unclenched his fists.

"Deku, you heard what All Might said. This All For One guy is no joke. You better get stronger, you damn nerd. Or else, I'll kick his ass without you." Bakugo thought, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through his veins.

"What do you know, Deku? You actually gave me some inspiration." Bakugo thought, hiding his sadistic grin.

All Might looked at Izuku's face and felt time slowing down. He looked at the determination in his face and frowned, feeling like he was at a loss of words.

"Come on…Tell them..." All Might thought, pressuring himself. Despite the regret he felt not telling him about All For One till now, there was still something else that he had to keep hidden. Something that only he and one other knew.

"He needs to know. They all do. That's not how it'll all happen. Our futures are…" All Might thought, flinching slightly. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, catching the trio's attention. He felt a force pulling on his body and hesitated, losing his will to tell the truth. No. Now wasn't the time.

"They won't understand…" All Might thought, justifying his hesitation.

"Thank you." All Might said, looking at Izuku with a grateful smile. Minutes later, Izuku and Ami said their goodbyes to All Might and departed. All Might stayed in the Lounge and continued to stare at the sunset with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Young Midoriya. But…By the time you face him, I won't be by your side anymore." All Might thought, closing his eyes.

"Hey, All Might." Bakugo said, getting his attention. All Might opened his eyes and turned around, staring at the door to the hall. Bakugo looked at All Might with narrowed eyes, holding the door open for himself. He poked half of his body inside. He stared at All Might and looked at the sad expression on his face, showing no reaction to it. He flared his nostrils and looked at the floor before speaking up.

"...Sorry for your loss." He said, paying his respects. He slid the door shut and exited the lounge, leaving All Might alone. All Might took in Bakugo's condolences and turned around, thinking about his former master.

"Thank you, Young Bakugo." All Might whispered.

Class 1-A

"Well, it's almost time for Summer Vacation. Don't get too excited. You can't just relax for an entire month." Mr. Aizawa said with a tired stare.

"Does that mean…" Kaminari said, looking back at Kirishima.

"You'll be training while you're camping in the woods." Aizawa announced, sending the class into an uproar.

"Camping?" Ami asked, raising her eyes up in surprise.

"I knew it! All right!" Kaminari and Kirishima hollered.

"A big sleepover!" Mina exclaimed, throwing her fist in the air in celebration.

"Baths!" Mineta exclaimed.

"Fireworks!" Tsu added.

"Springs!" Mineta added.

"And S'mores!" Iida added, calmly raising his hand up.

"Skinny Dipping!" Mineta exclaimed with a more intense voice.

"We've been training in cities, so these will be very different conditions for most of us." Yaoyorozu said, placing her hand on her chin.

"No matter what the environment, we must always remain vigilant. Yes. Very wise." Tokoyami added, nodding his head in agreement.

"Hanging out with everyone all summer. I'm so excited!" Hagakure exclaimed, flailing her arms around in joy.

"However." Aizawa said, activating his quirk for a split second. The class immediately quieted down, allowing him to speak, "Those of you who don't pass the final exam before the semester is over will have summer school." He warned, causing everyone to tense up.

"Everyone, do your best!" Kirishima encouraged, twisting around in his seat.

"This is so stupid..." Bakugo muttered, having outgrown camping.

"All you girls better pass this thing!" Mineta demanded, using Izuku's shoulder for balance. Izuku looked at Mineta in his peripheral vision and frowned with discomfort. Ami turned around and looked at Mineta with a harsh glare, gritting her teeth in annoyance. She hadn't forgiven him for trying to peek at the girls through a hole in the wall and neither did Izuku.

"Even though what All Might had to tell us was horrifying, our daily life continued as usual." Ami narrated.

Later

"All right. That's it for class today." Mr. Aizawa said, looking down at the pieces of paper in his hand.

"There's only one week left before your final exams begin. I'm sure you're all studying constantly, right?" He asked, folding the pieces of paper into a neat stack. He looked at his students with a dead stare.

"Don't forget to keep training. The written exam is only one element. There's also the practical portion to worry about." He said, heading towards the door. He stood at the door and gave one last look at the class with tired eyes.

"Good luck." He warned, sliding the door open and leaving. Almost immediately, Mina broke into laughter while Kaminari screamed into the air.

"I've barely even taken notes this semester!" Kaminari and Mina shouted.

Mina put her hands behind her head and laughed off her pain while Kaminari freaked out.

Kaminari - 21st/21

Mina - 20th/21

"And with the Sports Festival and Internship, I didn't have time to read the textbook." Kaminari complained, scratching his head out of nervousness.

"It's true that we haven't had very much free time lately." Tokoyami admitted, staring at Mina and Kaminari with a solemn expression.

Tokoyami - 15th/21

"We'd barely learned anything when we took our midterms so they didn't seem all that hard, but I'm kinda worried about these. I bet they're a lot and they probably won't pull any punches when it comes to testing us." Sato said, receiving a nod from Koda in agreement.

Sato - 13th/21

Koda - 12th/21

"As someone ranked in the top ten, I'm not that concerned." Mineta said, appearing smug at his desk.

Mineta - 10th/21

"What? How'd you get tenth?" Mina and Kaminari asked, swarming around Mineta with jealousy.

"Aw, man, and here I thought you were one of us!" Mina gritted, losing what little hope she had for him.

"Don't you know weirdo little creeps like you are only likable if they're kind of stupid?!" Kaminari asked, "Who's gonna love you now?" He questioned, receiving a smug stare from Mineta.

"Everyone. Trust me." He said with a smug look of confidence. In the front row, Ami listened to Mineta's words and rubbed her forehead with eyes closed. She frowned as she remembered her placement in the midterms.

"Tenth place. I can't believe it. Mineta almost did better than me!" Ami panicked, internally. She had a bad taste in her mouth just by admitting it in her mind.

Ami - 9th/21

"I'm so grateful to be in 9th!" Ami thought, feeling relief go through her soul.

"Ashido, Kaminari! We've still got time to study! That way, we'll all get to go to the training camp together." Izuku stated, being optimistic for their odds.

Izuku - 4th/21

"Yes! As class rep, I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud." Iida declared, raising his hand up to make himself known.

Iida - 2nd/21

"It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn't it?" Todoroki cutted in, looking at Kaminari with a blank stare.

Todoroki - 5th/21

"Why you gotta cut me down like that…?" Kaminari whined, feeling worse about his intelligence.

"Hey, don't worry about it, you two, I can catch you up to speed on the important topics, if you want?" Yaoyorozu offered, bringing a glow of heavenly light into their vision.

Yaoyorozu - 1st/21

"You're the best, Yao-Momo!" Mina and Kaminari said in unison.

"I'm afraid I won't be any help when it comes to the practical, though." Yaoyorozu admitted, feeling a sudden weight pull her shoulders down.

"I've been studying, but…could you help me out, too?" Jirou asked, approaching Yaoyorozu.

Jirou 7th/21

"I'm having some trouble understanding quadratic functions." She admitted, causing Yaoyorozu to look at her in surprise.

"Really?" She asked, not expecting to hear someone else wants help from her.

"Tutor me, please! Classical Japanese is killing me!" Sero joined in, forming a prayer.

Sero - 18th/21

"Is there room for one more?" Ojiro said, entering the group, "I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little." He admitted with a tiny smile.

Ojiro - 8th/21

"I'm on the same boat as Jirou. I could use some help with the Math problems." Ami cutted in, entering the large group of students.

"Pretty please!" The students pleaded in unison. Yaoyorozu looked at the quickly formed group with glee, bringing sparkles in her eye.

"This is wonderful! Yes, let's do it!" She declared, feeling a burst of confidence.

"All right!" The students yelled, celebrating with cheers.

"Okay, then. We can hold a study session at my residence over the weekend." Yaoyorozu said, standing out of her seat.

"Seriously?! I can't wait to see your fancy digs!" Mina said.

"Oh! I must call Mother and have her prepare the great hall for us to set up; it'll be the perfect spot." Yaoyorozu said, visualizing her and her friends in the great hall.

"Great hall?" Ami, Jirou, and Kaminari questioned in their minds.

"What kind of tea does everyone like? I'll have her make sure we're stocked." Yaoyorozu asked, surprising the group even more.

"That's overkill." Sero and Ojiro thought.

"In my family, we always drink Harrods or Wedgwood, so if you have any other preference, let me know! When we're finished, you'll all be model students! I'll make it my personal duty to push you forward." She declared with glee, turning around with her fist raised.

"Is she humble bragging? Or does she not even realize what she's saying?" Kaminari asked.

"She's so excited and bouncy that I don't even care." Jirou said.

"About that tea. I'm not so sure about the hairy one." Kaminari said.

"No, it's from Harrods." Yaoyorozu said, correcting his mistake. In the front, Kirishima stared at Ami and the rest of the newly formed group with a smile, glancing down at Bakugo in his desk.

"Sounds like I should be studying with her." Kirishima smirked, goading Bakugo into a response. The blonde looked at the redhead with gritted teeth and a glare.

Kirishima - 16th/21

"You think I don't know enough? Maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull!" Bakugo said, receiving a nod from Kirishima.

Bakugo - 3rd/21

"I'm counting on it." Kirishima said.

"Hah. Everyone's panicking right now, but it won't do them any good to cram this late in the game." Aoyama smiled, looking positively beaming.

Aoyama - 19th/21

"Shouldn't you be more concerned? You didn't do very well in the midterms." Shoji asked, looking at his strange beaming smile.

Shoji - 11th/21

"Are you talking about, moi? I did just fine, thank you." Aoyama assured, looking at Shoji like he was crazy.

Bakugo stood up out of his seat and put everything away on his desk in silence. He looked at Habanero and watched Ponytail point at a destination on a map on her phone. He didn't see the location but he didn't care about that, either way. He put his hands in his pockets and continued to stare at her, thinking about what happened to her in his head. He couldn't get it out of his head. That strange feeling. Not just that, he couldn't shake the feeling of nearly losing something forever. Something he didn't realize mattered to him that much.

He scoffed and shrugged those thoughts aside. Who cares? She was right there in class with him. She was still alive. With that out of his mind, he exited class without saying a word.

The Next Day

Yaoyorozu Mansion - Front Gate

"Wow…" Kaminari said, staring at the front gate like he'd never seen one before.

"I knew her family had cash, but I didn't know she was this rich!" Kaminari stated, looking at how far the property fence stretched. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, looking shocked.

"Is it me or is the fence curving with the Earth?" Ami asked, wondering just how much land belonged to Yaoyorozu's family.

"It's like Hayato and his butler. Does she have a butler, too?" Ami thought, wondering what was in store for them inside. Jirou approached the electrical box next to the gate and pushed the button in the center, ringing the doorbell.

"I've been waiting for you, everyone! Please, come in!" Yaoyorozu said through the intercom, opening the gates. The group stared at one another with awkward smiles, not knowing who should step first. Ami shrugged and stepped beyond the gate, entering the property.

The Grand Hall

The group sat at a large dining table. A very large dining table. They looked around the big mansion halls and felt smaller than ever before.

"These rooms are so tall. I think the hallway was bigger than my house." Ami admitted, taking a seat.

"Mine, too." Jirou replied, causing Ojiro to nod in agreement.

"I could not feel any more out of place right now." He smiled.

"Yeah, me, too." Sero agreed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Is something wrong?" Yaoyorozu asked, getting the group's attention. She entered the hall with a trolley carrying the fanciest looking tea set Ami had ever seen.

"No, everything's perfect!" The group said in unison.

Several Study Sessions Later

"And break time!" Yaoyorozu declared, causing Ami and Jirou to drop their math books on the table.

"Ugh. With equations like these, how have we not figured out faster than light travel yet? Ami asked, reclining into her seat in relaxation. Jirou did the same and relaxed into her seat, yawning in exhaustion.

"I don't know." Jirou replied, stretching her arms upwards. Sitting across from them with a stopwatch, Yaoyorozu clapped her hands in celebration.

"Nice work, girls." Yaoyorozu praised, looking at them with glee, "How many questions did you answer this time?" She asked, causing Ami and Jirou to hold up their papers for Momo to see.

"More than ten this time." Ami smirked, looking at her work.

"I almost solved the whole sheet." Jirou said, smiling softly. The two students were given a sheet of questions to solve as fast as they could in half an hour. Needless to say, they were beginning to excel in the Math they were formally struggling on.

"That's wonderful." Yaoyorozu said, smiling at them in accomplishment. She felt a boost in confidence with the success of her tutoring skills.

"Thanks for all the help, Yao-Momo." Ami smiled, looking at Yaoyorozu with appreciation.

"Yeah. I think I understand quadratic functions now." Jirou said.

"It was my pleasure. Isn't learning so much fun?" Yaoyorozu asked, clasping her hands together.

"Uh…" Ami and Jirou stuttered, glancing at each other in hopes the other would answer.

"Don't worry, it was rhetorical." Momo chuckled, getting giggles of relief from Ami and Jirou.

"I'll go tell the others that we're taking a break." Jirou said, standing up.

"Alright." Ami nodded, watching Jirou leave the study room.

"So, did you have any questions?" Yaoyorozu asked, looking back at Ami.

"I can't believe you live in such a huge mansion, Yao-Momo. This place is amazing." Ami said, looking around the study room.

"Thank you. It's been in my family for generations." Yaoyorozu said, appreciating the compliment.

"I wish I lived in a mansion. Then again, it must be pretty easy to get lost here." Ami commented, getting a giggle out of Yaoyorozu.

"Very. I used to play Hide-and-Seek with our staff when I was little."

"Aww. Wait, Staff?" Ami questioned, tilting her head in response, "How many people live here?" She asked, curiously.

"10 maids, 10 butlers, 10 gardeners, 20 chefs, and my parents and I." Yaoyorozu answered, causing Ami's eyes to burst wide open.

"53!?" Ami exclaimed, blown away by the amount of people living here.

"Wow, are you the Prime Minister's daughter or something?" Ami asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Yaoyorozu laughed at the question and shook her head.

"No. No. No. Not at all." She denied, waving her hand in amusement.

"Either way, I'd love to move in." Ami joked, being half-serious.

"You're too kind." Yaoyorozu smiled, "Was there anything else you'd like to talk about?" She asked, receiving a nod from Ami.

"Yeah. Actually, I wanted to talk more about the other day. You said you knew about the Health Syndicate?" Ami asked, curious about what she knew. Momo nodded in response, leaning forward in her seat.

"Mhm. Although, I might have implied that I knew more about them than I really did. To tell you the truth, I've only ever met one of their members." Yaoyorozu admitted, feeling apologetic.

"That's fine. The more I know about them, the merrier." Ami said, brushing her apology off.

"Now who was it, again? Mothman, right?" Ami questioned, receiving a nod.

"Mhm." Yaoyorozu nodded.

"How long ago was that?" Ami asked.

"I was five." She stated, catching Ami off guard.

"What?" She questioned, raising her eyes in surprise. Yaoyorozu nodded with a smile, reminiscing about the past.

"It went like this…" Momo explained.

Years Ago - Somewhere Overseas

Two people were inside the elevator heading up. The man was dressed in a black business suit with an expensive red tie. He looked dressed to impress. He checked the time on his watch and nodded to himself.

"Right on time." The man smiled, looking at the little girl he was carrying in his right arm. She was currently distracted looking at all the skyscrapers in the big city through the glass window. He smirked at her and lightly shook her for attention.

"We're almost there, Sweetie." Mr. Yaoyorozu said, looking at Momo with a smile.

"Remember, good behavior and I'll take you to that statue over there." Mr. Yaoyorozu said, pointing at a green statue in the middle of an island in the bay. Momo squinted her eyes and stared at the statue with excitement, looking at her father with a happy grin.

"Okay." Momo said, nodding her head rapidly.

"Whenever Father would take me to one of his meetings, he'd always promise that we'd visit some of the landmarks afterwards." Momo narrated.

"We'll be meeting the man in charge soon so no running around and messing with the other suits, okay?" Mr. Yaoyorozu said, receiving a nod from the little girl.

"Okay." Momo complied. Soon enough, the elevator reached their destination. When it came to a stop, Yaoyorozu quickly pressed a button in the elevator, causing it to stay closed for a couple seconds.

"All right, let's get you down." Mr. Yaoyorozu said, putting Momo on the floor.

"Daddy, how long will we be here?" Momo asked.

"Don't worry. We're only finalizing things. It'll be over in a flash." Mr. Yaoyorozu explained, brushing Momo's hair. Momo smiled at her father and nodded in understanding. He smiled and stood up to full height, keeping his hand touching the top of her head. The elevator door opened up, prompting Mr. Yaoyorozu to step inside. Momo followed after him, keeping close to her father's leg. She held onto his pants fabric with her hand so she'd be as close to him as possible.

The father and daughter entered the meeting room in silence. Momo looked around the room and noticed its bizarre shape for an office. The room was dome shaped. Which was odd because the skyscraper didn't have a dome roof. And they weren't on the roof, either.

To her right, she could see a door leading to a helipad outside. There was a small helicopter on the helipad, making her remember the time her father took her on one of those. Upon closer inspection, however, she noticed the silver helicopter wasn't exactly a helicopter. Its blades were placed on the sides of the hull just above where the doors should be. She didn't have much time to look at it before getting sidetracked by other things in the room. Like the several businessmen sitting in chairs in the middle of the room.

"Ah, Mr. Yaoyorozu. It's a pleasure to meet face-to-face." The man in charge said, getting her attention. Momo looked at the far end of the room past the businessman and stared at the back of a revolving chair. She couldn't see who was speaking with the chair in the way.

"Likewise. I hope you don't mind but I brought my daughter along." Mr. Yaoyorozu said, catching the man in charge by surprise.

"Oh?" He replied, spinning the chair around. The man in charge quickly came into view, making Momo's eyes widen with fear. Sitting in the swivel chair couldn't simply be described as a man. It was something else. He was silver colored with two short fluffy antenna looking things on the top of his head. His face was structured like a human yet his features were completely insectoid. His eyes were colored blue and bulbous. The only human feature he had on his face was a mouth, but even then, it was full of razor-sharp teeth. And his nose was just two little holes above his mouth. His wings folded around his back and chest, giving the appearance of a cloak that wrapped around his torso. His body structure was completely humanoid-shaped but everything was insect-like. He had an exoskeleton that covered his entire body. His legs were also shaped differently. They were bent backwards instead of forwards. And his feet were shaped like talons. His hands, while still insectoid in appearance, passed as human.

"Eep!" Momo yelped, making eye contact with the man in charge. Mr. Yaoyorozu heard the yelp from his daughter and looked down, seeing the fearful expression on her face. His face went pale with realization that he had forgotten to mention a very important detail about the man in charge.

"Oh, shoot. I knew I was forgetting something. Momo, Sweetie, I forgot to mention that the man in charge is a-"

"A bug." Momo squealed, hiding behind her father's leg in fear. Mr. Yaoyorozu heard her rude comment and felt his heart stop. He looked up at the man in charge and saw the look of surprise on the other businessmen in the room.

"Mr. Mothman, Sir. I am so terribly sorry. She doesn't like bugs, not that you are one. I just forgot to tell her that you bared-" Mr. Yaoyorozu said, looking at Mothman's emotionless reaction.

"Resemblance to one?" Mothman asked, ending his sentence for him. Mr. Yaoyorozu gulped and felt sweat form on his forehead, shaking his head in response.

"Oh, uh, um…" Mr. Yaoyorozu said, lifting his collar up for air. He suddenly found it hard to defend himself through his third degree stage fright. Mothman sighed and stood up. Momo stayed hidden and peeked one eye out, keeping track of the giant bug. Mothman stared at the girl behind Mr. Yaoyorozu's leg and opened his wings, revealing his insectoid wings. Momo felt intimidated by the Moth's massive wingspan and gasped. The massive insectoid hovered above his swivel chair, taking to the air. The other businessmen in the room stared up at him in awe. Their boss was flying, again. Mothman kept his bulbous eyes on the girl as he hovered forward, flapping his wings at inhuman speed. Momo felt her legs start to tremble as she heard the insectoid hover closer towards her direction.

"Do I frighten you, little one?" Mothman asked, keeping his teeth obscured with his lips. He tilted his head rather creepily as he hovered towards her father. Momo squeezed her father's leg more tightly with her grip. She didn't answer the man's question, but her body language was all he needed to see.

Mothman landed in front of Mr. Yaoyorozu in silence, placing his talons on the ground. Momo peeked around her father and stared at Mothman's talons upon landing and gulped, seeing how sharp they looked.

She stared back up at the Moth and flinched, noticing how tall he really was. He was a whole head taller than her own father, freaking her out even more. Mr. Yaoyorozu noticed his daughter's frightened face and frowned, placing his hand on her head to comfort her. The feeling of her father's hand on her head helped calm her down.

"What's your name?" Mothman asked, squatting down. He attempted to appear as non-threatening as possible. Momo stayed behind her father and gulped, answering him with a shiver.

"...Momo." She replied, shaking lightly.

"Momo?" Mothman repeated, receiving a reluctant nod from the little girl.

"That's a pretty name you've got there. Why don't you come on out, Momo?" Mothman requested, scaring Momo.

"..." she said nothing, opting to stay behind cover. Mothman chuckled in response, shaking his head softly.

"I look scary, don't I?" Mothman asked, repeating the question in a different way.

"Mhm." Momo replied, nodding her head with a tremble. Mr. Yaoyorozu looked at Momo and rubbed her hair with his hand, keeping her calm.

"It's okay, Sweetie. Mothman's a hero in this country." He said, hoping to convince her that she was safe. Momo heard the mention of his hero status and poked her head out from behind his leg, looking at Mothman in surprise.

"He is?" She asked, looking up at her father.

"That I am, Momo." Mothman replied, getting her attention.

"I can also do this." Mothman said, demonstrating his skills. He brought both his hands forward and snapped his fingers, creating a tiny pop from his fingers. Momo flinched from the pop and hid herself before peeking back out seconds later. Her eyes widened when she noticed what he was holding in his hand.

"Tada!" Mothman said, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Momo gasped at the bouquet, stepping to the side of her father's leg.

"Flowers for a lady." Mothman offered, shaking the bouquet slightly. Momo gulped and raised her hand out. She took the bouquet out of Mothman's cold insectoid-hand and smiled. Mothman let go of the bouquet and stayed squatting. Momo held the bouquet with both hands and smelled the roses, smiling in satisfaction.

"Thank you. Your quirk. You're like me?" Momo asked, looking at the Moth with less fearful eyes. Mothman looked at the glimmer in her eyes and stayed stoic, not wanting to frighten her again with his razor sharp smile. He raised his hand and pointed at himself in emphasis.

"My quirk is what you see, Momo." Mothman answered, confusing her. What he did wasn't a quirk?

"Then how did you-..." Momo asked, hearing a chuckle from the Moth.

"Hehe. A magician never reveals his secrets." Mothman said, bending one knee down.

"Your dad told me many things about you, Momo." He said, getting her attention. She smiled at his words with a sparkle in her eye.

"He did?" Momo asked in delight.

"Oh, yes. He told me how smart you were. In school and with your quirk. He didn't mention how adorable you are, though." Mothman said, making Momo giggle. She was starting to feel more comfortable around the Moth despite his scary appearance. She smiled happily and listened to him continue.

"But, he did tell me this. He's lucky to have a little girl like you." Mothman said, making her smile. She looked at the bouquet of roses in her hands and smelled them, frowning visibly in remorse. She looked up at the friendly bug and bowed her head in apology.

"...Sorry for being afraid of you, Mr. Mothman." Momo apologized, making a smile form on Mothman's face. Mr. Yaoyorozu had a look of relief on his face, feeling less nervous than before.

"Apology accepted, Momo. And, to be fair, I wasn't expecting to meet you either." Mothman admitted, looking up at Mr. Yaoyorozu. Momo looked down at the flowers and raised her hands out towards the Moth, offering them back to him. He smirked at her kind act and shook his head.

"Keep the flowers. They're yours." Mothman stated, bowing his head.

Present

"And that's how I met Mothman." Yaoyorozu explained, making Ami smile.

"He gave you flowers? That's sweet." Ami commented.

"Mhm." Momo agreed, taking a sip of tea, "He was really nice to me. And he taught me not to judge books by their cover." Momo laughed. Ami laughed with her and imagined him in her head. He sounded fun, like Mr. Imiter.

"Why couldn't I have met him instead?" Ami thought, wishing she had met Mr. Dance Master himself. Wyvern was okay and all but Mothman sounded awesome.

"So, did you ever run into him after that?" Ami asked.

"Sometimes. Only at parties hosted by my father. I was nine, the last time I saw him. He probably wouldn't recognize me now." Momo said, sighing slightly.

"I dunno about that. He seems like the type that would, the way you describe him." Ami said, making Momo smirk.

"Describe who?" Jirou asked, reentering the room.

"Oh, hey, Jirou." Ami greeted, twisting around in her chair.

"Sorry if I interrupted." Jirou apologized, returning to her seat.

"Don't worry about it. Ami and I were just talking about the Health Syndicate." Momo said.

"What's that?" Jirou asked.

"It's a hero group." Ami answered.

"How are the others doing?" Momo asked, curious about their progress. She had left them alone with a detailed list of notes that would help solve her mockup test made just for each of them.

"They were happy to take a break. Kaminari and Mina need your help understanding something, though." Jirou said, receiving a nod from Yaoyorozu.

"I'll be right there." She said, getting up from her seat.

"We should probably get back to studying." Ami suggested.

"Right." Jirou agreed, returning to her studying.

"And so, we studied. And studied. And studied. Yaoyorozu put us all through the works. Helping us better understand everything about Math, Language, Science, and History. Eventually, the written tests began." Ami narrated.

UA High - Class 1-A

"All right, put your pencils down. The last person in each row, bring the answer sheets to me." Mr. Aizawa announced, prompting the class to stop.

"Thanks so much for all your help!" Mina said, thanking Momo immediately.

"I didn't leave anything blank at least!" Kaminari said, praising Momo. Ami looked at their happy faces and grinned. She looked at her own test and felt proud to say she understood everything. Sort of.

"Just like that, our three days of written exams were over. Now it was time for the practical." Ami narrated.

Practical Exam Area - Center Plaza

"Now then… let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you wanna go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes." Mr. Aizawa warned, surrounded by teachers. The students stared at the teachers dressed in their hero costumes. Ami stared at the group of teachers in front of their class in confusion.

"Uh. Why are all the teachers here?" Jirou questioned.

"I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today." Aizawa stated.

"We're fighting those big ol' metal robots!" Kaminari exclaimed, getting excited.

"Fireworks! S'mores! Here we come, camp!" Mina exclaimed.

"Actually, this year's tests… will be completely different, for various reasons." Principal Nezu said, appearing from inside Aizawa's collar.

"Principal Nezu!" The students exclaimed.

"You're changing things?" Yaoyorozu questioned, feeling a sudden nervousness.

"The tests now have a new focus. There will be Hero work, of course. But also teamwork and combat between actual people." Nezu explained, sliding off Aizawa's collar with Thirteen's assistance.

"So what does that mean for you? You students will be working together in pairs and your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers! Isn't that fabulous!?" Nezu asked, causing the students eyes to widen and jaws to drop.

"We're fighting the teachers?" Ochaco asked in disbelief.

"Additionally, your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships." Aizawa explained.

First, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team. Against me." He announced, surprising Yaoyorozu.

"Then we have the Midoriya Twins paired with Bakugo." Aizawa announced, causing Bakugo to raise his eyes in surprise. Izuku and Ami looked at Bakugo in shock. That was short lived, however, as Ami and Izuku looked at each other with excitement, both realizing at the same time they were working together as twins. Plus Bakugo.

"Huh? So, it's like the combat exercises, again. Only a 3v1 this time?" Ami questioned, wandering over towards Izuku and Bakugo. The wonder of who they were up against was quickly dispelled as Aizawa made his announcement.

"And their opponent is…" Aizawa said. A figure appeared in the air and immediately landed on the floor in front of the trio, causing them to stumble back.

"I am here to fight!" All Might exclaimed.

"We're up against All Might?!" Izuku, Ami, and Bakugo said at the exact same time.

"Hello there, what a trio we have here. You're going to have to work together if you want to win." All Might said, raising his hand out. Bakugo gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, hiding his slight nervousness. Ami and Izuku, however, were petrified.

A few days ago

"With the connection between the Hero Killer Stain and the League of Villains, it's possible criminals everywhere will become much bolder." Principal Nezu stated.

"It'd be best if we could start preparing for that before it happens. As a school, we should be taking every precaution. If fights against villains are gonna continue to intensify in the future, then having the kids train against robots ain't practical." Snipe said.

"Originally, we used 'em to avoid complaints about people getting injured in the entrance exams, but they're just not challenging enough." Snipe admitted.

"We can ignore the complaints. Let people say whatever they want." Aizawa said, not bothered by it.

"This sounds like it could be problematic." Midnight stated.

"I understand why you want to change the exam, but having students fight us? Even if they're in teams of two, is that a good idea?" Cementoss questioned.

"Yeah. I think it's a bit unfair." Thirteen agreed.

"If we win too easily, we won't be able to give them actual grades, yo." Present Mic said.

"Of course, we could take that into consideration and give the students an advantage." Snipe said.

"Principal, what are you thinking?" Aizawa asked, looking at Nezu.

"I believe I agree. We need to change the practical exam to reflect the current times. How do we ensure the students aren't put in life-threatening situations? The answer is simple. We must push them. We make sure that they're as strong as possible." Principal Nezu said.

"That makes sense." Midnight said.

"I agree." Thirteen said.

"Right, then let's talk about the teams." Aizawa said.

"First, Todoroki. He's doing quite well generally speaking, but relies too much on brute force. And Yaoyorozu is an all-arounder, but lacks the ability to make spur-of-the-moment decisions and apply them." He stated.

"Therefore, I'll erase their quirks and take advantage of their weaknesses." He said, placing himself as their opponent.

"Sounds good." The teachers agreed.

"Next, for the Midoriya Twins and Bakugo. I'm leaving them to you, All Might." Aizawa said, catching All Might by surprise.

"In this case, I didn't pair them up based on ability or classwork. I went with relationships. I know you've got a soft spot for the twins. As for Bakugo, he's been getting more settled around them lately. Therefore, getting closer to you. Please ensure that they learn something." Aizawa said, making All Might sweat a little.

"You're paying close attention, huh, Aizawa?" All Might thought.

Present

"We're going to be a team!" Izuku exclaimed, holding hands with Ami in celebration. They circled around each other and hopped in the air with joy.

"This is amazing, Izzy! We haven't teamed up since the obstacle race in the Sports Festival." Ami stated, receiving an excited nod from Izuku.

"I know! Even better now that we'll be in a team with Kacchan!" Izuku said, feeling happy.

"Yeah." Ami nodded.

"Tsk…" Bakugo scoffed, hearing their conversation from the side. The twins were too focused on teaming up to hear his scoff.

"We're going last, too, so we'll have plenty of time to come up with a strategy." Izuku exclaimed.

"Uh huh." Ami agreed.

"To complete the exam you'll have 30 minutes. In order to win, your objective is to put these handcuffs on your teacher. Or you can win if one of you manages to escape from the combat stage." Principal Nezu explained.

"So, we've either got to capture the teacher or run away. It's basically like the combat training." Kaminari noticed.

"Yeah, but is it really okay to just jet?" Mina asked.

"Yup." Nezu said, giving them a thumbs up.

"It's going to be much different than the combat training you all went through earlier. After all, you're up against people way better than you!" Present Mic, striking a cool pose.

"Better? Really? Wait, aren't you just the announcer?" Jirou asked with skepticism.

"Hey, watch your mouth, girl. Have some respect!" Present Mic shouted, frowning at the disrespect.

"This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle. As strange as it is, please think of us as villains." Thirteen said.

"Assumin' you come across your enemy. If you think you can win against them, then fight. However-" Snipe said.

"In instances where you're outmatched, it would be smarter to run away and find help." Aizawa said, finishing his sentence.

"Todoroki. Iida. Midoriya. I'm sure the three of you understand." Aizawa stated, getting their attention.

"I won't make that mistake again. I will pass this test and prove that I'm a hero." Iida said to himself.

"So we fight to win or run to win." Izuku said.

"That's right! It's a test of your decision-making skills. But with these rules, you're probably thinking your only real choice is to flee. That's why the support course made these super-clever accessories for us." All Might said, showing off the accessories.

"Behold! Ultra-compressed weights!" Present Mic announced.

"These babies will add about half our body weight to our physiques. It's not much, but they will eat up our stamina and make it harder for us to move around." All Might said, putting his on. The weights were instant as soon as he latched them on. He felt a rush of air fly out of his mouth as the weights pulled his wrists down.

"Oh, shoot… These are heavier than I thought." All Might admitted.

"We had a contest to come up with these designs, and young Hatsume ended up winning it." All Might explained.

"Wow, good for Hatsume!" Izuku said, remembering his Cavalry Teammate.

"So, you're making yourself weaker than you already are? We don't need a handicap to beat you." Bakugo claimed, keeping his voice low so others wouldn't hear. Ami and Izuku looked at him with wide eyes. All Might listened to Bakugo's comment and laughed in amusement.

"Haha. This'll be fun." All Might stated, ready to fight.

"Let's begin. The teams will take the practical exam in the order you were called. We have a stage prepared for you." Aizawa announced.

"Sato, Kirishima. You're up." He ordered, receiving a quick reply.

"Yes, Sir!" Kirishima and Sato said in unison.

"Those waiting their turn to fight can either watch the exams or try to strategize together as a team. It's your choice. That's all." Aizawa stated, heading inside with the rest of the teachers. The students were left alone on the street.

"Ojiro, I'd like to discuss how we might be able to coordinate the use of our quirks." Iida said, receiving a smile from Ojiro.

"Great." He said.

"Tokoyami. Let's go come up with a plan." Tsu said.

"Agreed." Tokoyami answered, heading inside.

"We've got to figure out a way to destroy Ms. Midnight's costume!" Mineta said, throwing his fist in the air. He made sure Bakugo didn't hear.

"You are such a little scumbag." Sero said, wishing he had a different partner.

Monitor Room

"Well. Looks like I have my work cut out for me today." Recovery Girl said, staring at the monitor.

Izuku and Ami stared at the screen with her, watching Kirishima and Sato enter their match. The electric door opened up behind them, getting their attention. They both turned their heads around and made eye contact with Ochaco.

"Oh, Hey, Deku. Hey, Ami. You're watching, too?" Ochaco asked, entering the room.

"Hey, Ochaco." Ami said, waving lightly.

"Hi. And yeah. It's not like we get many chances to watch students in combat with teachers, right?" Izuku stated, showing an interest in his classmates' matches.

"Where's Bakugo?" Ochaco asked, looking at the twins.

"He's right there." Ami said, pointing at the very corner of the room. Ochaco followed Ami's finger and turned around, noticing Bakugo leaning on the wall in the corner of the room, ignoring them and staring at the monitor with a silent glare. Ochaco looked at his glare and frowned a bit with slight concern, turning back to face the twins. She brought her hand up to her mouth and leaned closer towards them, keeping her voice down.

"Shouldn't you be strategizing together?" Ochaco asked, receiving nods from the twins.

"He said he's quote-on-quote working it out." Ami replied, bending her fingers forward in disappointment.

"I tried asking for details but he wasn't open to saying anything." Izuku whispered.

"Honestly, we're just glad he's even here." Ami whispered, receiving a nod from Ochaco.

"I can see that." Ochaco nodded, "And, uh, my partner is a little preoccupied with himself." Ochaco admitted.

"You don't say…" Izuku whimpered, knowing how Aoyama was. Ami giggled a bit in amusement.

"That's why I thought I'd try and get inspiration from everyone else's battles." Ochaco said.

"Smart." Izuku said.

"It's starting." Ami said, staring at the screen with interest. All attention was immediately diverted to Sato and Kirishima's match as it commenced. Bakugo stayed in the corner and kept his glare aimed at the screen.

Kirishima and Sato activated their quirks and went for a frontal assault towards Cementoss. What started out as a solid plan quickly devolved into a mess. Cementoss quickly made more and more walls of cement around the muscular duo without breaking a sweat. Sato and Kirishima punched through each wall as they were being made. It didn't take a genius to see that the frontal assault wasn't working in there favor.

"Within minutes, Kirishima and Sato tired themselves out. Cementoss could tell they were getting exhausted and put an end to the match, burying their exhausted bodies in cement." Ami narrated.

"Mr. Aizawa's pitting students against teachers they'll have a hard time against. To pass, we'll have to recognize our weaknesses…and overcome them." Izuku stated, causing Ami to gulp.

Honk

"Sato and Kirishima have been knocked out. Exam over!" The intercom announced, shocking their classmates.

"Seriously?" Kaminari exclaimed, sitting in the rec room with Mina.

"That fast?" Iida questioned, listening to the intercom.

"Kirishima went down?" Tsu questioned in disbelief. Recovery Girl stared at the screen and sighed, standing up out of her chair.

"It's only the first match and I'm already needed." Recovery Girl said, walking away from the monitor room.

"No way… it was that one-sided?" Ochaco questioned in shock.

"Their quirks were too ineffective against his." Izuku stated, feeling unnerved. Ami felt the same way, thinking internally about their match.

"Oh, man. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought." Ami thought, "And our team is the one taking on All Might." She panicked, gulping. Bakugo stared at the screen with narrowed eyes and flared his nostrils.

"Idiots." He thought, referring to Shitty Hair and Candyman. Ami turned her head slightly and looked at Bakugo with a nervous expression. His glare hid whatever thoughts he was having, making her more nervous.

"I really hope you're coming up with a plan, Kacchan." Ami thought, watching the matches with Izuku.

More time passed as the matches continued. Ami, Izuku, and Ochaco watched with glee as Dark Shadow handcuffed Ectoplasm's leg, making them the first team to pass the final. Ami clapped and cheered their team on in celebration.

"Way to go, Dark Shadow." Ami smiled, nodding in excitement. With the second match over with, the third match quickly started up. Compared to match one and two, it was going well. In the end, their match ended with a victory. Iida had used reciproburst to swing Ojiro across the field, securing their victory.

"Team Iida and Ojiro have passed the final." The intercom announced.

"Wow, Iida, you're so cool." Izuku smiled.

"Also, I'm completely stuck." Iida said. His whole body was stuck in the ground except for his head. A small price to pay for victory.

"Pfft." Ami giggled, laughing at his predicament. After the match was over, the fourth match had begun. It went a little longer than expected but eventually it ended in victory.

"Team Todoroki and Yaoyorozu have passed the final exam!" The intercom announced.

"Nice one. Yao-Momo." Ami said, nodding her head in praise. She clapped her hands and thought about Momo's match.

"Looks like she got her confidence back at the end." Ami thought, noticing how happy Yaoyorozu was on the screen. Once their match was complete it was onto the fifth match.

Ami, Izuku, and Tsu watched as the fifth match continued on screen. Ochaco and Aoyama were both gripping onto a railing as hard as they could. Standing about ten feet behind them, Thirteen had her black hole quirk activated. A huge wind tunnel spawned in the arena, threatening to swallow the students whole.

Izuku watched the screen with suspense. He didn't know what was going to happen next. Surprisingly, Ochaco had let go of the railing, sending her flying towards Thirteen's black hole quirk. Thirteen panicked and quickly deactivated her quirk just as Ochaco got close to her. In an instant, her training with Gunhead kicked in. She grabbed hold of Thirteen's wrist and slammed her to the ground, catching her off guard. Ochaco quickly handcuffed Thirteen, ending the match.

"Team Aoyama and Uraraka have passed the final." The intercom announced.

"Uraraka's Judgment was great! I can't believe she thought to use her opponent's power to get in close!" Izuku said in admiration.

"Ribbit. I don't know. It looked to me like Ochaco just lost focus and let go for a second." Tsu said, having entered the Monitor Room before the fifth match started. Ami also noticed Ochaco's odd behavior and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think so, too." Ami said, looking at Tsu.

"Oh, really?" Izuku questioned, not noticing her behavior.

"Uh-huh. The two of them were talking. I wonder what Aoyama said that shocked her so much." Tsu inquired.

"It's too bad we can't hear their conversations." Izuku said,

"Hm…What was that about? I guess I could ask Aoyama what happened later." Ami thought, snapping out of her thoughts by the door opening.

"Uraraka won. Not surprising. I'm happy for her." Iida said, entering the room with Yaoyorozu.

"Awesome match, Momo. Good thinking." Ami praised, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thank you." Momo said, appearing grateful. Ami nodded before staring back up at the screen. She lowered her eyes and kept a straight face, thinking about her team's match.

"That's five matches now." Ami realized, frowning slightly, "It won't be long till we reach our match now that we're halfway through." Ami thought, feeling more anxious. She made another glance at Bakugo and noticed he wasn't even staring at the screen anymore. His head was faced down, appearing to be deep in thought. Ami looked at him and sighed, exiting the watch party. She slowly made her approach with arms crossed, getting Bakugo's attention. He raised his head up and turned towards Habanero, observing her with a glare.

"What do you want?" Bakugo asked, keeping his arms crossed.

"Hey, Kacchan." Ami said, smiling at him.

"Just thought I'd check up on you." Ami said, making him flare his nostrils.

"I'm fine." He replied, causing her to raise her eye at him.

"Really?" Ami questioned, leaning herself on the wall to his right.

"You know, we're halfway to our match now. Have you come up with a plan yet?" Ami asked.

"I have one." Bakugo replied.

"You do? That's great." Ami smiled, feeling less nervous about their match. She looked at the rest of the group in the Monitor Room and then back at Bakugo, keeping her voice down.

"You're not gonna make Izzy use One For All a dozen times, right?" Ami asked, making him scoff.

"If it comes to that." Bakugo said, giving Ami some concern.

"If?" Ami questioned.

"If he can use One For All now without breaking his bones then I don't see any reason not to make him fight." Bakugo stated. Ami looked at him with a small frown and relented.

"Yeah, you've got a point. I guess I'm just worried about his safety, you know?" Ami admitted, sighing in acceptance.

"Worry about yourself, Habanero." Bakugo said, glaring at her, "As of now, you're the weakest one in the team." He added.

"Huh?" Ami said, thrown off guard by his comment.

"Wha- Me?" Ami asked, pointing at herself.

"If Deku can move like me now then that makes you the slowest. Compared to All Might, you're nothing against him." Bakugo explained, making Ami frown. He stared at her disappointed frown and gritted his teeth. Ami sighed in defeat, accepting his harsh words.

"Yeah, I know. Compared to you two, I'm pretty standard. Especially now that Izzy's improving so fast. The way he was moving around in Field Gamma proved it. I am the weakest one in the team." Ami admitted, looking down at the floor.

"Glad you agree." Bakugo smirked, making Ami flare her nostrils. She looked back up at him with her own glare, smirking back at him.

"Oh, yeah? Well maybe I can just hold on to your leg and you can be stuck with me." Ami suggested, making Bakugo scoff.

"Only if you don't slow me down." Bakugo said, causing Ami to raise her eyebrow.

"Wait, did he just allow it?" Ami thought, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"What exactly do you have planned for me?" Ami asked, tilting her head a bit in confusion.

"We'll get there when we get there." Bakugo replied.

"Yeah, I thought so…" Ami mumbled, shaking her head. She just knew Bakugo wasn't going to share the plan with her yet. She shrugged her shoulders in acceptance and stared up at the screen. She then thought about something else and got distracted by it, making her glance back at Bakugo.

"I heard about what happened in the lockers the other day." Ami said, getting Bakugo's attention.

"Thanks for helping Izzy back Mineta down." Ami said, smiling at him in appreciation. Bakugo looked at her and nodded.

"He was getting on my nerves." Bakugo admitted, forming a scowl at the memory. He had enough of his stupid perverted thoughts and wanted nothing more than for him to shut up.

"He's lucky to be alive." He added, making Ami giggle.

"Yeah, I wanted to kill him, too." Ami agreed, making Bakugo flare his nostrils in amusement.

"Ya know, I'm kind of surprised that you're so accepting of this team." Ami said, noticing the lack of complaint of being placed on the same team as them.

"Who says I'm accepting?" Bakugo growled, intensifying his glare at her. She snickered in amusement and rolled her eyes.

"Pfft. You didn't have to say it. The fact you're even thinking of a plan for this match is enough." Ami said, making him scoff. She was right about that. He didn't like being on the same team as Deku, but he didn't have many complaints with her on his team.

"I'd be pissed if it was only me and Deku." Bakugo admitted, causing his eyes to widen a bit in realization. That didn't sound right. He made a quick glance towards Habanero and noticed she was looking away from him, staring at the screen.

"Was she even listening?" Bakugo thought, quickly composing himself. Ami looked away in confusion, keeping her arms crossed and looking at the screen for distraction. She heard what he said and it caught her off guard. Very off guard.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Ami thought, questioning his phrasing. She squeezed her hands tightly, forming fists out of nervousness. She felt her face turn red from blushing and listened to her heart beating fast. She stared up at the screen and attempted to settle down, feeling that strange feeling again. She calmed down and tried justifying his sentence in her head. It was easy to assume he was referring only to whatever his plan for the match was. Yeah, that made sense.

"How important am I to this plan of his?" Ami thought, feeling embarrassed. She was glad the room was dark, it helped hide her blush.

The awkwardness of the moment caused them both to go silent, saying nothing else to each other. They simply stared at the screen and watched the rest of the matches in their spots. Eventually, more and more time passed as the matches went on. It wasn't until the ninth match that Izuku noticed Ami was in the corner with Bakugo. He quickly assumed Ami was trying to get information out of him about the plan. He figured he should be there, too, and approached them.

"What do you want?" Bakugo asked, keeping his voice down.

"Hey, uh, just wondering if you have a plan yet." Izuku answered, rubbing the back of his head in anxiety.

"Don't worry, Izzy. Kacchan's got a plan. Don't you?" Ami smirked, making him flare his nostrils.

"Uh huh." Bakugo grumbled, making Izuku sigh in relief.

"That's great. What is it?" Izuku asked.

Honk

"Team Sero and Mineta have passed the exam!" The intercom announced.

"He actually won?" Bakugo thought.

"Wow, good job, Mineta." Ami said, staring at the screen.

"Guess it's our turn now." Izuku said, staring back at Ami and Bakugo.

"Mhm. Come on. I'm leaving." Bakugo said, heading towards the electric door.

"Right." Ami said, nodding her head.

"Good luck, you three!" Ochaco shouted, waving goodbye at them. Izuku turned back and smiled, waving at the group before leaving. He followed behind Ami and headed towards the location of their match. The trio reached the closed gate to their match and stood around, waiting. Bakugo took a deep breath and flared his nostrils in preparation, turning around and glaring at the twins.

"Hmph. We've only got a few minutes left before our match starts, so listen up. Cuz I'm only gonna say this once, you hear me?" Bakugo stated, standing tall. Izuku and Ami glanced at each other and nodded, composing themselves. They clenched their fists tightly and stared at Bakugo with solemn expressions.

"We're ready." The twins said in unison, causing a smirk to form on Bakugo's lips.

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Author's Notes:

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of 2024. What a long and difficult time its been. I thought I had everything ready. Thought things were going well, but once again, life just goes on a different path. The adderall shortage has really been the worst though. Its been 4 months since I ran out and only now do I finally have my prescription. Finally I can write again. What have I done in the last four months?

Well, November and December went pretty smoothly. It's been work, work, work, and all. January, however, was a different story. Man, this year is already looking to be a crazy one. Personal stuff, work stuff, and writers block stuff, with a side of sick stuff. Yes, I got sick again. Even worse, I got sick on my birthday. :( worst gift ever.

Now comes February and my team lost the Super Bowl :(. So bad year for me, I guess. Nonetheless, I am back. And hopefully I can write this next chapter and have it out sooner than later. The goal for this year was to not have any massive delays between chapters like in the first half of 2023. Right now, I'm kinda failing at that but lets stay hopeful.

Season 2 is nearing completion. We are right around the doorstep. Anyways, about this chapter.

This chapter combines Listen Up! Tale from The Past, Gearing up for Final Exams, Yaoyorozu: Rising, and Stripping the Varnish into one episode. The last two episodes in this chapter were only basic summaries. The reason for that is, since they are pretty much isolated episodes focused around other students, Ami's presence wouldn't make a difference. These episodes basically stay the exact same so I didn't need to put much emphasis on them at all. It's the first two episodes in this chapter that really matter. Everything stays mostly the same in canon with the big exceptions being the most important bits.

First off, this chapter features something a lot of people have been wanting involving Izuku for a while now and I hope I did a good job with how it's portrayed here. That is, Izuku's real protective brother moment. Just like in canon, Mineta discovers the peephole to the girls locker room. Only instead of telling Izuku, he tells Kaminari instead. Mineta, being Mineta, then starts listing off every attractive trait for every girl in class excluding Jirou. If you recall what happened in Season 1 Chapter 7, then you already know what Mineta finds attractive about Ami.

Upon learning about the hole, Izuku does what any older brother would do and blocks the hole. In case anyone forgot, Izuku is the older twin by three minutes. Mineta tries to shove Izuku out of the way, however, an unexpected alliance forms in the locker. Bakugo steps in and threatens Mineta's life. Putting a swift end to Mineta's perversion. Since starting the second half of this season, I always knew this was how I wanted that scene to go. I hope this was a satisfying change.

Next, Bakugo learns about what happened to Ami and Izuku during the Hosu City Incident. Personally, the weakest part of the chapter for me. I wasn't at my best when writing that part and I wanted to make it better. That's the best I came up with. It was lot worse before I minimized it. If I kept it as it was before editing then this chapter would have reached 30k words and I don't have the strength for that right now. It was essentially a big recap wall of text that I condensed down as much as I could while still being readable. I managed to basically cut it down to just Bakugo's reactions. Which, hopefully, makes sense and is good.

The next bit was the All For One conversation. This was actually easy to write compared to the previous bit and it was a lot easier to change the dialogue around. The major difference between canon here is that Ami and Bakugo are learning about All For One at the same time as Izuku. Izuku is also learning about Nana Shimura early, too. Not only did I add more to the conversation, I even included the opening flashback from season 3. It was important that I had Ami's thoughts in there, too, as well as Bakugo's. Unfortunately, Nana Shimura's hero name still remains a mystery as of the time this gets uploaded. (February 27th 2024) so I couldn't have All Might tell Ami what her hero name was.

Not only was Ami's thoughts important in these two important bits, but so was Bakugo's. As you've already read, we're seeing a different Bakugo react to things. Even his canon reactions are different now. Instead of showing clear anger at Izuku basically copying his moves during the Field Gamma Test, he's instead feeling cocky that imitating him was the best Izuku could come up with during his internship. With the added benefit of knowing about One For All early, Bakugo basically believes he's still capable of surpassing the power and becoming Number One. With that added knowledge, the scene where Bakugo storms out of class with Aizawa thinking he's getting worse never happened. Instead he's more tame and showing restraint. Plus a little something else after learning Ami had basically died.

The next important bit is actually completely original. I gave Momo a backstory. Kind of. Not really a backstory. I don't know if Horikoshi ever gave Momo a flashback or something about her life yet since I don't have access to the manga. Since that kind of stuff has never been brought up in the story, at least I think, I pretty much could do whatever I wanted. Still, though, I think I kept it pretty tame.

Basically, in this section, Mr. Yaoyorozu is a businessman who works with heroes. I don't remember if her parents' jobs are mentioned anywhere in the series so that's what I came up with. Ami studying with Momo was always going to happen. Before I started writing the fic when I was figuring out what Ami was going to do in the story, this was one of those thoughts I had.

Anyways, the Momo Flashback. In it, we're introduced to Dance Master Champion, Mothman. Mothman is an original character based on the American Cryptid of the same name. In case you didn't figure out the location of this flashback. Yes, it's in New York. Rather than just stating it's New York in bold writing like I do other locations, I wanted you guys to guess.

Mothman is another member of the Health Syndicate. He's potentially going to be the last original character I introduce in the story unless I have another great idea. He may not have much to say in this chapter, but he will make another appearance in the future. Stay tuned for that.

As for design, in my head, I personally imagine him looking like a white Big Chill from Ben 10. With a more moth-like appearance, of course.

I've already forgot if I mentioned this already but the Health Syndicate was originally going to be the leads for a different fanfic I had in mind. They were written sort of like the Clones in The Bad Batch. Things didn't pan out and I eventually settled on including them in this story to add extra differences to the canon.

Momo knowing who the Health Syndicate is is actually a leftover from that original idea. Originally, the story idea I had in mind for them was to be like a one-off episode kind of fanfic. The Health Syndicate would visit UA High and take on 1-A students in matches similar to the teacher fights. Momo's opponent would have been Mothman. Wyvern was also going to fight Izuku and Bakugo at the same time. I know that kinda implies there are more Health Syndicate members but I don't plan on adding them to the story. Unless I have a very good reason to, then I don't see any need for them.

The last important bit of the chapter is, of course, the ending. I hoped I didn't murder the pacing here too much but now you know what I was talking about in the last chapter. I rushed by all the matches so that we could jump straight away into the fight against All Might. Now we've officially reached the penultimate chapter for season 2. With the addition of Ami and a different Bakugo, who knows how the fight will go? Stay tuned and find out.

With all that out of the way, that's pretty much it for this chapter. Once again, I am sorry for the delay. I had such a good 1 chapter a month streak, too. :( I will try my best to get this next chapter out. Till then, tell me what you thought about this chapter in your reviews. Be sure to point out any mistakes I made or inconsistencies. If there's any questions, ask me that, too. Till the next chapter, thanks for reading and have a good day!

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Next Chapter: Three's a Crowd

The trio face off against their Idol: All Might. The trio must work together in order to beat him.