Welcome back to "Through the Rough", everyone! With the Joint Training Arc completed, it's only a matter of time before we finally get into the next big arc. However, that'll be but a moment as we're going to take some time for a brief reprieve from all the action.

No point in delaying the inevitable! Let's get right to it!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

"COME ON!" an angered Katsuki bellowed, dressed in his gym clothes as he was firing off explosions at Izuku in Gym Gamma, as he was hurriedly trying to dodge them.

"Wait, stop! STOP!" he pleaded with his hands held out, "I'm telling you, they're not coming out!" he confirmed frantically.

"Guys, knock it off!" Rebecca yelled as she hurried after them.

"STOP!" All Might bellowed with blood flying out from his mouth, "That's not how this should work!" he insisted of his students. After the events of the joint-training session earlier today, Izuku wanted to make sure he could get Blackwhip under control by any means necessary… even if it meant going through physical training with Katsuki.

"Geez, can't you think things through first, Izu?" Rebecca wondered aloud of her boyfriend, causing him to sheepishly laugh.

"That new power's useless if he's having trouble!" Katsuki yelled in frustration.

"We're trying to make sure it doesn't come out, Kacchan!" Rebecca shouted, sticking her tongue out at the Explosion Quirk user, making him growl.

"Young Midoriya, how do you feel?" All Might asked of his successor, who let the green bio-electricity around him subside as he looked to his right arm.

"…Like I did before the match," he confirmed in reply, "I don't really sense Blackwhip… nor the predecessor who I spoke with…" he mentioned. Earlier in the evening, he and the others had spoken in the teacher's lounge about the situation.

FLASHBACK

"So… it's a previous wielder's Quirk…" All Might noted as he finished pouring a cup of tea, "And One For All itself is evolving?" he inquired on.

"You guys always have your secret meetings in here, huh?" Katsuki pointed out, getting their attentions.

"Hey," Rebecca said, elbowing him, "The only reason you're here is 'cause you know Izu and All Might's secret…" she told him, causing him to scoff with annoyance.

"So did you know about that dark energy and the person Deku spoke to, All Might?" he inquired of the former hero, taking a sip of his tea beforehand.

"Never heard of either before," the teacher admitted in reply, "A predecessor with a shaved head…" he noted, pouring another cup of tea for Rebecca, "The person who had the Quirk before my master was a young man with black hair," he added further, "I don't think she knew about the other Quirks growing in One For All, either," he continued, "So I'd say this is uncharted territory for everyone," he concluded.

"I bet…" Rebecca agreed, sipping her tea, "That guy…" she began, causing her boyfriend to perk up, "he said you were gonna inherit his and all of the other Quirks within One For All, right?" she inquired of him.

"Uh… yeah," he responded. His girlfriend put her right hand atop his left.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern to his surprise, "It… sounds like a lot of pressure on you…" she pointed out worriedly.

"…A little…" he admitted, intertwining his fingers with hers, "But I'm glad you guys are here to help me out," he affirmed happily, making the Cat Leaper Quirk user smile.

"Tch," Katsuki scoffed, "So you're the first lucky moron to get access to another Quirk…" he muttered out.

"Hey, that's enough," All Might advised.

"Think harder, Deku," the Explosion Quirk user insisted of his rival, "You must've noticed something that triggered the new power," he noted of him.

"Well… kinda…" he replied, "The predecessor I met… he said that his Quirk responded to my anger and reacted the way it did…" he recalled.

"Anger?" Rebecca repeated with concern in her tone.

"Monoma was egging me on, trying to get me to talk…" Izuku remembered, "Eventually, he brought up you and Kacchan being the reason why All Might had to retire," he mentioned further, causing the pair to perk up in surprise.

"Izu…" Rebecca uttered.

"Don't go getting mad for my sake, Deku…" Katsuki grumbled as he looked away, "Anyway," he continued, "you think this whole thing with One For All might have something to do with All For One?" he inquired of the group, "Knowing that Deku's Quirk originally came from him and how he's got control over multiple Quirks…" he kept going, "he's basically the same as him," he finished. A moment of silence passed. All Might stood up.

"That's something I thought, but didn't want to say…" he admitted, "At any rate, this can't keep happening," he decided, "We have to learn more about this power…" he insisted.

"Yeah…" Rebecca agreed, looking over at Izuku worriedly.

END FLASHBACK

"You're just not feeling the danger!" Katsuki inferred as he pointed at his rival, "If I really beat you down, then it'll come back!" he proclaimed, "That means kickin' the crap out of you until it goes wild!" he declared.

"Stop it!" Rebecca yelled as she stood between him and her boyfriend, "Why is your solution to everything trying to blow stuff up?!" she inquired in frustration, exchanging a glare with the Explosion Quirk user.

"Don't try to murder your classmate, please…" All Might advised as the pair growled at each other, "Young Midoriya, you alright?" he inquired of his successor.

"Yeah…" he replied, "If it's true that this power responds to my feelings…" he continued, thinking back to the moment he had control over it momentarily, only for it to suddenly dissipate, "then maybe I could wield it with the proper training," he inferred, putting his right hand onto his chin, "Like how I imagine the egg in the microwave, I just need to create a visualization for how to use Blackwhip and then—"

"Ugh, shut up already!" Katsuki shouted, interjecting Izuku's muttering, "If you can't use it, then I'm over this!" he decided, trudging off as he turned around, "See ya," he remarked.

"Oh, not so fast, you!" Rebecca yelled, jogging over and landing a kick to his crotch from behind, making him yelp. Izuku gasped, while All Might's eyes widened.

"Y-Young Bluegarden?!" the latter stammered out in shock. Growling, the Explosion Quirk user slowly turned his head toward the ash blonde-haired girl.

"The hell… was that for…?!" he snarled in question. Rebecca steeled herself.

"Consider it payback for Nabu Island," she answered with a huff. Blinking in surprise, a slight blush crossed Katsuki's cheeks. He scoffed again, trudging away. "Sheesh…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user grumbled out.

"Your girlfriend certainly has some backbone, Young Midoriya…" All Might commented quietly to his successor.

"Yeah…" he agreed with a sheepish grin.

"Huh…" Rebecca exhaled, walking back over to her boyfriend, "Anyways, he does have a point," she noted aloud, causing him to blink in surprise, "Sooner or later, you'll have to find a way to use that dark energy in a way that'll help you," she pointed out, "The question is, how are you gonna visualize it?" she wondered on.

"Hmm… I'm not sure just yet…" Izuku replied after a moment of thought. He looked at his right hand intently.

'My power… is a lot like All For One's…' he noted to himself. His girlfriend glanced at him worriedly, wondering how this whole ordeal was affecting him…

OPENING

Insert "Kizuna no Kiseki" by MAN WITH A MISSION X Milet

Starts with Class 1-A walking out onto Ground Gamma, dressed in their winter costumes. They discuss amongst themselves what they're hoping to work on for the end of the year, with Izuku leading the way alongside Rebecca. However, they stop as they spot their opponents of Class B, as some of them wave to the group. Neito cackles madly at the sight of them, only to end up chopped in the neck by Itsuka.

What follows is a shot of Laguna, who thinks back to being a part of Oasis with Goodwin and his other friends. He also sees a blurry figure with long, dark hair, only to witness her fade away as he reaches out to her. He opens his eyes, widening them to find Hitoshi there with his new scarf and support item.

We get to see the Shining Star Heroes with brand new costumes, who are gathered with Shota, Sekijiro, Nemuri, and All Might, as they're about to watch the training matches commence. In round one, Rebecca is grouped up with Eijiro, Denki, Tsuyu, and Hitoshi, leading the charge against their opponents as she draws her Happy Blasters and fires. Laguna and Hitoshi come face-to-face, with the former looking rather anxious compared to normal.

The second round features Weisz equipping his Arsenal Mark II armor, using it to defend himself from the onomatopoeias shot towards him by Manga. Meanwhile, Momo finds herself struggling against the likes of Itsuka, whereas Fumikage and Yuga can't seem to overcome the combination of Kinoko and Shihai. As the match continues, Izuku furiously writes down notes on Class B, while Rebecca looks at him and smiles.

In the third round, Homura clashes her energy blades against Kris' wind. The two of them stare each other down determinedly, rushing forward and enveloping themselves in bursts of red and green light respectively before colliding. The fourth round features Kleene using her wind to pull in the likes of Tenya, Mezo, and Mashirao, as the latter of the trio starts getting sucked in. However, he's saved by Shoto as he fires a blast of flames toward the Wind Snatch Quirk user. She dodges, letting off a little grin.

For the fifth round, we see Shiki and Katsuki standing back-to-back as they're surrounded by the multiple pieces of Setsuna's body. The former of the two assumes his Overdrive form, stamping the ground to make the pieces fall instantaneously, followed by the latter firing off a multitude of explosions. From afar, we see Kyoka and Hanta hanging back, glad that they're letting the muscle of their group handle their foes.

Finally, the sixth match features a team of Izuku, Ochaco, Koji, and Mina. The One For All inheritor shoots his girlfriend a reassuring thumbs-up as he enters the stage, making her giggle. However, her expression shifts into one of fear as she witnesses the mass of black energy tendrils that suddenly start rampaging about.

Meanwhile, we go through various scenes of Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, the I.U.A. Heroes, and many others, including the League of Villains as both Tomura and Shura are standing in the shadows of All For One and Nero respectively. The song winds down, closing out with a picture of Class A gathered together for their joint training session.

END OPENING

"Wait, you guys, too?" Mina inquired of Itsuka, as both Class A and Class B were gathered in the Heights Alliance dorm, gathered for a small get-together.

"Yeah, weirdly enough…" the Big Fist Quirk user replied while rubbing the back of her head.

"We don't watch specific stuff, but we catch a glimpse of those pre-Quirk era movies every now and again," Setsuna pointed out.

"You see that movie called Spider-Verse?" Pony inquired, "It's super cool!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"We'd be happy to have a little watch party with you guys," Itsuka noted to the Acid Quirk user, "What's on the docket for tonight?" she inquired curiously.

"Hmm… I'll have to check with Becky when she gets back…" Mina replied with crossed arms, "We just finished Ant-Man the other day…" she remembered. At that moment, the double doors of the entrance opened, with Izuku and Rebecca entering. Tenya sped over to them.

"Beef stew's on the menu tonight, you two!" he confirmed to him.

"Oh, cool!" Izuku responded.

"Looks like Class B's here, too," Rebecca noted, spotting members of the rival class conversing with her classmates, "After today, I'm glad we're all getting along," she mentioned as she smiled.

"Rebecca!" Kleene's voice cried out as she lunged over, embracing the Cat Leaper Quirk user, who yelped before giggling with her friend.

"Hey there, Deku," Kris greeted, getting the One For All inheritor's attention as he saw the Wind Snatch Quirk user approach. Alongside him was Laguna.

"Oh, hey Jinn," the freckled teen greeted, "That was a great match from you today," he complimented.

"Same to you," Kris replied, "Even though we both lost, I think today was a good experience for all of us," he affirmed, making Izuku nod in agreement. He then looked over to Laguna, who let out a sigh.

"All I'll say is that after today, we're not enemies," he assured, "But I don't expect us to be friends, either," he proclaimed on, "I did a lot of bad things," he confessed to Izuku's surprise, "I can only speak for myself, so I'll just say this," he continued, "From now on, I'll be helping you guys," he declared. The One For All inheritor grinned.

"I'm looking forward to working with you," he said.

"Hey, Rebecca!" Mina called out, causing the Cat Leaper to perk up as she saw her classmate waving her over, "What movie's up next for us?" she inquired, "I think Class B would wanna watch it, too," she pointed out, gesturing to Itsuka, Setsuna, and Pony.

"Mm-hmm!" the Horn Cannon Quirk user confirmed as she nodded.

"Let's see…" Rebecca said, putting her right hand onto her chin in thought, "I'm pretty sure it's… the third Captain America movie…" she concluded.

"Civil War?!" Pony exclaimed, causing everyone around to yelp in surprise, "That's one o' my favorites!" she added excitedly, "If y'all are watchin' that, I wanna watch, too!" she insisted in her country accent.

"You really get into it when you're all jacked up, huh?" Setsuna noted with a chuckle.

"In that case, I say we get everyone together after dinner," Itsuka suggested, "It'll be Class A and Class B's movie night!" she declared.

"Yeah!" the girls around her yelled in agreement, pumping their fists. Meanwhile, at the school's development studio, a snoozing Mei lied upon her workbench, having a blanket draped over her thanks to Power Loader, who sighed.

"She's been at this for almost two months now…" he noted aloud.

"It's not like it's an easy solution…" Hermit's voice pointed out from the corner of the room, as she was furiously typing away upon a holographic keyboard, "Implanting memories is difficult enough of a task, especially when you don't have the person's body to work with as a base to create an android form," she explained.

"Do you think that it'd be possible to create new bodies?" Higari inquired as he approached.

"Oh, definitely," Hermit replied, "The problem just becomes finding a way to implant the memories successfully in the new body, given that the person has an inherit Quirk," she told the support course teacher.

"I see…" he uttered in realization. He then blinked in surprise upon noticing something upon the holographic screen of the Master Code Quirk user. "Aren't those Valkyrie's blueprints?" he inquired curiously.

"Yeah," Hermit confirmed in response, "There's something that's been bugging me since Nabu Island," she admitted, narrowing her eyes as she looked down in thought, "Tsukauchi told us that he and the police kept her secret…" she noted, "but what about the villain who killed her in the first place?" she questioned further.

"Madame Kurenai…" Power Loader said, "If she knows, then what could that mean?" he inquired.

"A lot of bad things…" Hermit responded with a grimace.

"OW!" Sister yelped as she clenched her teeth from the nurse's office, having just taken a hit from Recovery Girl's cane, "Watch it, you old hag!" she shouted.

"You could've been helping me take care of our patients, yet you instead went off lollygagging with Kan, having yourselves a stupid contest over which class was better!" the Heal Quirk user yelled back thoroughly.

"Tch," Sister scoffed.

"DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU HARLOT!" Recover Girl roared. Walking by, Shota groaned.

"She made this whole training session five times worse to deal with…" he grumbled out.

"Sister does have an affection for Class A, especially after Nabu Island," Witch noted, walking beside him with Hizashi, "Seeing how Sekijiro was so enthusiastic about supporting Class B, she made certain the same support would be present for Class A," she explained further.

"If that's how you wanna put it…" Shota muttered.

"So now you've got yourself another kid in the Hero Course!" the Voice Quirk user pointed out, "Reminds me a lot of you," he commented, "And Shirakumo, too…" he mentioned with a small grin. Shota tensed up a little.

"Shirakumo?" Witch repeated in confusion, "Whoever is that?" she inquired curiously.

"An old classmate of ours," the Erasure Quirk user replied to her surprise, "Yamada, don't go bringing up stuff like that," he advised of the English teacher, "That is, unless you wanna make it brief," he corrected.

"Heh," Hizashi chuckled, "Just reminiscin' over the old days," he noted aloud, "I'm sure you would, too," he mentioned as they walked onward. Back at the Heights Alliance dorm, every student was gathered in the common area to watch the movie, as mattresses were welded together thanks to Yosetsu, providing everyone with enough space to sit comfortably if they weren't on the couches.

"This is gonna be so good!" Hanta exclaimed excitedly.

"Refresh my memory, what's happened up to this point?" Nirengeki inquired curiously, "I know there was stuff about the Avengers splitting up and Hulk going missing, but…" he started to say.

"It's not terribly important," Rebecca assured in reply.

"They've got quite the big cast here…" Laguna noted, "Huh…" he sighed.

"What's the matter, Lagunarino?" Kleene asked.

"I'm more into indie films," the Tears Lover Quirk user admitted, "That's where these guys shine best," he pointed out.

"It's hard to not disagree with that…" Hiryu confessed, "I mean, most people would wanna be remembered for a role that isn't just playing a superhero…" he noted on.

"But they're still really good!" Pony pointed out excitedly.

"We gonna get started soon, Rebecca?" Denki inquired of the Cat Leaper Quirk user, who grabbed the remote.

"Just a sec!" she responded, "Everyone ready?" she asked of the audience, as most of them nodded in reply, "And here we… go!" she exclaimed, hitting the play button. As the intro for the film played as usual with the triumphant fanfare, the students watched on curiously, ready to see what was about to unfold. Izuku was half-paying attention. He was still thinking about his new ability in regards to One For All, wondering what he could potentially do with it. He needed to find some kind of way to visualize it better…

The movie started with a scene of Bucky, the Winter Soldier, being issued commands by a Russian general in the past. What followed was him riding a motorcycle to shoot down a car and retrieve what looked to be a case filled with certain substances. From there, the movie returned to the present, where Captain America and his team were after the villain Crossbones, who was trying to obtain a biological weapon in Lagos.

They were able to stop the group and retrieve the weapon before it could be used, but things went south as when the villain attempted to blow himself up, Wanda wound up accidentally sending the resulting blast into a building, killing dozens of people. Resulting from this was the government choosing to intervene, creating an act known as the Sokovia Accords. It would be decided that the Avengers would only act if the government allowed them to.

Sides were being chosen. Strangely enough, Tony was on the side of the government, as he knew that his past mistakes should've been met with oversight. Seeing as how his and the Avengers' actions had made things seemingly worse in some aspects for people, it was only right to make this legislation official.

Steve was against the accords, wanting for the Avengers to work on their own judgments. It was an intriguing ordeal between the heroes, and those watching weren't sure who to side with just yet. For Steve, it was even more of a troubling situation when he found out that Peggy Carter, the woman he was in love with, had died.

He went to her funeral, crying as he carried her casket. Toru and Mina whimpered at the scene, while Pony sniffled. The scene continued with Sharon Carter, Peggy's niece, giving a eulogy for her aunt. Steve had no idea they were related at all, so it came as a bit of a shock. But what she said spoke to him profoundly.

"She said compromise where you can," she stated, "But where you can't… don't," she kept going, "Even if everyone is telling you something wrong… is something right," she continued, "Even if the whole world is telling you to move," she added further, "it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree… look them in the eye and say 'No… you move'," she finished.

"Wow…" Itsuka uttered, "That was… something," she admitted, sounding impressed.

"Mm," Yui said, nodding in agreement. After the funeral, the signing of the accords was to take place in Vienna. There, the class was introduced to the prince of Wakanda, T'Challa, and his father, T'Chaka. All seemed well, with the king giving an opening speech to the members of the United Nations about the accords and how it would better the world.

But then, a sabotage occurred. An explosion struck the building, killing T'Chaka to his son's dismay. From reports, the man who attacked was none other than Bucky. Steve wanted to make sure he went after him first, to try and make sure that it wasn't him. They found him in Bucharest, where he had been hiding out, trying to regain his memory. As Steve tried to help him escape, he was met with law enforcement trying to take his friend in.

"You pulled me out from the river that day, why?" Steve asked.

"I don't know," Bucky responded almost emotionlessly. Law enforcement attempted to detain them both, but the Winter Soldier managed to escape, leaping over to the next building. However, he was suddenly attacked by someone in a black suit, resembling a panther. A few of hero hopefuls were awed by the new character's presence, especially seeing how his suit was bulletproof, much like Steve's shield.

The pursuit continued into a busy highway tunnel, with Steve trying to keep Bucky from getting captured. Unfortunately, the chase ended with him arrested, along with his friends. Rhodey arrived on the scene as well.

"Congratulations, Cap," he remarked coldly to Steve, "You're a criminal," he noted. The next surprise came in the form of the identity of the man in the panther-like suit, being none other than T'Challa.

"Whoa, no way!" Yosetsu exclaimed.

"So that's why he said he'd go after him himself…" Juzo realized. In the movie's background, another character was making moves of his own. Zemo had been working tirelessly to get close to Bucky, impersonating a psychiatrist that was meant to evaluate him. And while that was happening, Steve and Tony were continuing to bicker about signing the accords.

"Hate to break up the set," the former said, putting down the pen that his colleague had given him, still refusing to sign the agreement. Things went from bad to worse when a power outage occurred, having been planned by Zemo. He had obtained the book containing the code words used to take control of the Winter Soldier. Bucky attempted to stop him before he could brainwash him, but it was too late. Under Zemo's control, he provided him with information and then helped him flee while also fending off the likes of several government agents and Avengers alike. Steve was able to get to him before he could escape via a helicopter, falling into a river with him and pulling him to safety.

"Man, I didn't realize how crazy these movies were…" Kosei admitted out of surprise.

"It's actually crazy how similar it is to heroes getting deployed overseas," Nirengeki noted.

"Yeah…" Juzo agreed with a nod of his head. Both Steve and Tony were set to collect recruits in their respective missions, with the former looking to get to Siberia in order to stop Zemo, while the latter was focused on capturing the rogue Avenger. He went to Queens, going to pick up a teenager with superpowers named Peter Parker. Rebecca perked up slightly upon seeing the character interact with Tony.

It wasn't so much that she was surprised by his appearance, but something clicked in her head upon seeing Peter. Tony showed off recorded footage of his heroic escapades, knowing his secret identity as Spider-Man. He tried to deny it, but ultimately was forced to reveal himself to the billionaire genius as he told him about why he did what he did.

"When you can do the things I can… but you don't… And then, the bad things happen… They happen because of you…" he said to Tony.

"Dang…" Denki uttered out.

"That's really profound…" Mezo noted.

"Hmph…" Katsuki scoffed, "He looks like a damn nerd, just like Deku…" he grumbled in annoyance.

"Kacchan…" Izuku uttered out. Before he could say anything else, his girlfriend took him by his left wrist, leading him outside with her. "R-Rebecca?" he stammered out before the doors closed.

"What's up with them?" Eijiro wondered aloud.

"Dunno…" Mina said with a shrug.

"Huh…" Rebecca exhaled, seeing her breath out on the walkway with her boyfriend.

"What's up, Rebecca?" he asked of her.

"I think I figured it out!" she affirmed in reply excitedly to his surprise, "There's a way you can use that dark energy!" she proclaimed.

"Wh… How?" Izuku asked.

"Well, think of how Spider-Man does it," Rebecca advised, shaping her right hand's fingers in the form of the sign of the horns, "It's how he shoots out his webs, and that's what I think could work for getting that new Quirk under control," she affirmed, "Or at least, it gives you a way to better visualize it," she corrected.

"Yeah… good thinking…" the One For All inheritor agreed, taking the same hand sign with his extremity.

'If I think of it like that…' he began inwardly, letting off a grin, 'Yeah, I know it'll work,' he affirmed to himself. The couple returned to common area just in time to see Steve and Tony's teams confronting at an airport in Germany. Steve had the likes of Sam, Bucky, Clint, Wanda, and Scott on his side. Tony had Natasha, Rhodey, T'Challa, Peter, and Vision. Action and hilarity ensued throughout their fight, with some of the students laughing at the humorous moments.

Ultimately, only Steve and Bucky managed to escape the airport via a Quinjet, heading to Siberia. Tony and Rhodey attempted to stop them, while Sam tried to keep them from following. Vision fired off a laser beam from below in an attempt to take him out of the sky, but he missed and ended up hitting Rhodey instead. He plummeted toward the ground. It looked like Sam and Tony would be able to reach him in time, but the ground came into the frame at the very last second as he crashed down in a flurry of dirt and dust.

Fortunately, he was alive. But it left Tony even more frustrated with Steve, who was the cause of all of this. The tension seemed to alleviate when he discovered that Zemo was the one behind everything, traveling to Siberia to aid Steve and Bucky in capturing him.

"Sounds like it's gonna be them against a bunch of those super-soldier guys they mentioned earlier…" Shiki noted.

"That'd be a little anticlimactic, honestly," Tsuyu admitted with a finger upon her right cheek, "We haven't really gotten to know those other super-soldiers…" she pointed out. Rebecca kept herself silent. As it turned out, Zemo wound up killing the frozen super-soldiers. He wasn't there to wake them. In fact, he was there for something else.

"An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again," he told Steve upon being found in the compound, "But one that crumbles from within?" he presumed, "That's dead," he stated. The whole room went silent with anticipation as Zemo started playing a recording of security camera footage from years ago, depicting a car crash; the same one from the beginning of the movie.

At that time, all it had shown was how Bucky had obtained the serum needed for the other super-soldiers created by Hydra. But Tony knew the road that the crash took place on. He knew what had happened.

It wasn't just anyone transporting the serum. It was his parents. Shock and disbelief crossed many of the faces in the audience. Even Katsuki seemed surprised. They watched as Bucky went ahead and killed both the father and mother of the then young Tony, right before shooting the camera, thus ending the recording.

"Oh my gosh…" Itsuka uttered out. Mina and Toru were whimpering. They watched as Tony was about to lunge for Bucky, only for Steve to stop him. And then, he turned to his colleague.

"Did you know?" he asked of him. Some of those watching were covering their mouths to silence their gasps. Steve said he didn't know that the deaths of Tony's parents were Bucky's fault… but his armored friend didn't buy it. And ultimately…

"Yes," Steve said. From there, Tony went on a vengeful rampage against him and Bucky, mainly focusing on trying to kill the latter and prevent him from escaping. All the while, Zemo had gotten exactly what he wanted.

"This is awful…" Momo said as she trembled. Izuku couldn't help but see himself in that position with Steve. And opposite him… was Katsuki. They had an emotionally-filled fight themselves. And this seemed even more charged.

Steve was doing everything he could to prevent Tony from going after Bucky, destroying parts of his suit to render it useless. However, Tony was tenacious, managing to fight back even as his armor lost more pieces. He even destroyed Bucky's metal arm. With that, he and Steve clashed again, as the latter blocked a repulsor blast of his with his shield, leading to a rather epic shot.

"I don't get it…" Ochaco whimpered, "Doesn't Tony know that Bucky was under Hydra's control back then…?" she inquired as she sniffled.

"He doesn't care at this point…" Weisz responded while lowering his gaze a little, "He's just looking for someone to blame," he noted. After managing to start up a counterattack against Steve, Tony managed to seemingly knock him down.

"Stay down, final warning," he warned firmly. The super-soldier brought himself to his feet in spite of his deep breaths, raising his fists.

"I can do this all day," he stated. Tony attempted to shoot him with another repulsor blast, but was distracted after needing to kick Bucky away, as he had grabbed him. That gave Steve the opportunity to pin his armored foe down, punching him repeatedly before breaking his helmet, raising his shield.

"AH!" Mina shrieked, covering her eyes. Fortunately, all Steve did was break the arc reactor of Tony's armor, rendering it useless. He then went over to get Bucky, only for Tony to shout more spiteful words toward his once-colleague. In the end, Steve dropped his shield, leaving it behind. The tension had finally ended… but at what cost?

From there, the movie ended with Zemo imprisoned, though satisfied with his work as the Avengers were left divided. Steve was out to free his colleagues who were imprisoned, while Tony stayed at the Avengers' base of operations for the time being.

"Woo…" Eijiro exhaled once the credits rolled, "That… was a lot…" he admitted.

"Yeah, no kidding…" Denki agreed.

"Considering all the circumstances those heroes had to go through, it's no wonder they wound up against each other…" Tenya pointed out.

"But what's gonna happen now with them divided like this?" Kyoka wondered aloud, "I mean, there's still things like those Infinity Stones to worry about, right?" she presumed on.

"And what of Thor and Hulk?" Homura inquired further.

"Guys, easy," Rebecca insisted of her classmates as she held her hands out to them, "You'll get your answers at some point," she promised.

"Well, this was a great movie," Yosetsu complimented.

"I suppose…" Neito concurred as he glanced off to the side, seemingly wiping his eyes.

"We should do this more often!" Kleene insisted of her classmates.

"Yeah, but maybe in a more open space…" Itsuka advised in reply, "Big as the common space is, it's not exactly fit for over forty people to watch a movie on such a small screen…" she pointed out.

"That's true, even for just one class…" Hanta agreed, putting his right hand onto his chin.

"So do we get a bigger TV?" Minoru inquired.

"Maybe we can ask Hermit for some advice!" Toru suggested. Rebecca smiled, happy to hear the enthusiasm of all the hero hopefuls. Meanwhile, her boyfriend intently stared at the credits, wondering just what could come of the events in the film. And he also wondered if it could happen in reality…

X

"So… you wanted us to come by and help out with Eri today?" Rebecca inquired of Shota as she and Izuku were standing outside the dorm in their school uniforms the next morning.

"That's right," their teacher replied, "After the joint training yesterday, I had asked Monoma to come and see Eri with me," he told the couple, "But… well…" he grumbled out, looking over as the horned girl was hiding behind Mirio, trying to avoid the Copy Quirk user.

"I'm not sure what I did wrong, Mister Aizawa…" he admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, I just mentioned to Eri that there are some bad sides to UA, and you're one of 'em," Mirio explained rather bluntly.

'Well, he's not totally wrong…' Rebecca noted inwardly.

"Good morning, everyone!" a familiar voice greeted, getting their attentions as they saw Yor approaching alongside Anya, who beamed upon spotting Eri.

"ERRRRRIIIIIII!" she exclaimed delightedly as she started running over.

"Anya!" the horned girl cried out with a smile, getting tackled into a hug from the Telepath Quirk user as they giggled.

"Oh, hi there!" Rebecca greeted to Yor as she approached, "Was today supposed to be a playdate day, too?" she inquired over to Shota.

"Yeah, but I wanted to start things early, if that's okay," he noted to Yor.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" she assured in reply, "Anya was really excited about getting the chance to see Eri again," she pointed out.

'It's also a good opportunity for us to check in on both her and Rebecca's progress…' she mentioned inwardly.

"So, what seems to be the trouble for the moment?" she inquired curiously. Moments later, everyone was gathered in the common space. Eri nervously held her right hand out to Neito, allowing him to touch it with his left. A few seconds passed, and he grew a small horn on his head.

"Ah!" Anya yelped upon noticing, "He's got a big bump, too!" she exclaimed, hiding behind Rebecca's right leg.

"He just copied her Quirk, don't worry," she assured to the little girl.

'I get it…' she noted to herself, 'Mister Aizawa just wanted to see if Neito could copy Eri's Quirk and learn how to use it…' she realized, 'But can he?' she wondered on, 'He did say he couldn't use Ether-type Quirks… but I don't think that's what Eri's is…' she mentioned through her thoughts.

"…Yeah, it's a dud for me," the Copy Quirk user confirmed after a moment as he turned to Shota, "Sorry, but I can't help you here," he apologized.

"Disappointing, but that's no fault of yours, or anyone's," the Erasure Hero noted while rubbing the side of his head.

"I'm… confused…" Yor chimed in, "What were you trying to accomplish here?" she inquired.

"And what do you mean by a dud?" Izuku asked on of Neito.

"Basically, I can't use Quirks that function as stockpiling ones," he answered to his surprise, "For example, I can't use Ether-type Quirks because I'd need Ether in order to use it properly," he explained on, "Or as another one, if I tried to copy Fat Gum's Quirk, I wouldn't be able to use it unless I had already stockpiled enough fat like him," he mentioned thoroughly, "It's the same with yours, too," he added aloud to the One For All inheritor's surprise, "I tried using it during our match yesterday and couldn't get a lick of power out of it," he said.

'Well… that's good to know…' Izuku noted inwardly, 'He could've really hurt himself if that wasn't the case…' he added to himself.

"As for why we did this, Eri doesn't yet have control over her Quirk and can't activate it right now," Shota started explaining as he stepped forward, "I was hoping Monoma could copy her power, use it, and help her train safely," he listed off.

"I see…" Yor said, "It's unfortunate that it didn't work out as planned…" she noted sadly. Eri put her right hand onto her horn.

"I'm really sorry…" she apologized, getting everyone's attention, "You're having a lot of trouble because of me…" she pointed out sadly, "It's always like that…" she added, "I cause everyone problems…" she noted on as those around looked on worriedly, "I just wish… I didn't have this power…" she admitted.

"Eri…" Rebecca uttered out. Just then, her boyfriend approached the horned girl, giving off a reassuring smile.

"Your power doesn't always cause trouble, though," he pointed out, "You can't forget, you saved my life with that Rewind Quirk of yours," he told her, "Powers aren't meant to be good or bad," he mentioned, "Think of them like knives," he advised as an analogy, "They might be dangerous, but if they're sharp and you use them right, you can make all sorts of tasty food," he explained while moving his right hand in a chopping motion.

"Exactly," Rebecca agreed as she crouched down beside him, "That's why when you use your power for good, it's wonderful," she assured to the horned girl. Izuku nodded. Even if his own Quirk was somehow derived from All For One, it was his ally now. And he was confident he could master it.

"Come on, Eri! Let's play!" Anya insisted of her friend, "And you can build up all the con…con…" she tried to say, only to blank as she tried to think of how to say the word she wanted to.

"I think Anya's trying to say she can help you build up your confidence," Yor confirmed with a smile, "That way, you won't be worried about trying to use your power again," she mentioned.

"O-Okay!" Eri stammered out, letting off a little smile, "I'll get better at my Quirk!" she promised.

"One more thing," Shota said, "Missus Forger, can I ask you to look after Eri for a little bit?" he requested of the Assassin Quirk user.

"Oh, of course," she responded with a polite bow.

"Midoriya, Bluegarden, Togata," the Erasure Hero addressed, "I need a word with you three about something that's come up," he pointed out to them, much to their surprise and confusion as they looked to each in concern. As they left, Anya focused on Shota before blinking in realization. She looked over to her mother and nodded.

'So the news finally broke…' she realized, 'They couldn't keep it under wraps forever…' she mentioned inwardly.

"Come on, Eri," she beckoned to the horned girl, offering her left hand to her, "Let's go outside and play while the weather's nice!" she insisted.

"Okay!" Eri responded, grabbing hold of her hand and heading off outside with her and Anya. Meanwhile, Izuku, Rebecca and Mirio gasped audibly from afar.

"Are…Are you serious, Mister Aizawa?!" the former of the three stammered in question.

"Unfortunately, I am," his teacher confirmed, "Chisaki was apparently found dead in his hospital bed before getting transported to Tartarus," he told the trio, "It seems as if there was someone who invaded the premises and snuck into his room to assassinate him," he mentioned.

"Do they know who?" Rebecca asked curiously. Shota closed his eyes in thought for a moment.

"They call her the Thorn Princess," he replied, "An assassin in a black dress that's said to have originated in Europe, where her work started," he explained on, "The thing most troubling about her is her Quirk," he mentioned to the trio's surprise, "Her assassinations aren't bloodbaths," he pointed out, "She can simply kill a person by just touching them and saying their name," he said.

"That's… horrifying…" Mirio uttered in disbelief.

"Should we tell Eri about this?" Rebecca wondered aloud, glancing back to the common space of the dormitory.

"No," Shota responded firmly, "I'd rather we avoid talking about him at all around her," he advised, "We can't go bringing up old wounds when we're trying to make progress," he affirmed on.

"Right…" the Cat Leaper Quirk user agreed.

"For now…" her teacher began as Yor watched Anya and Eri play hopscotch together, "let's just make sure that Eri is given all the support she needs," he insisted.

X

"IT'S SNOWING!" Minoru exclaimed. Late November proved to have an early snowfall on the horizon, as flakes fell from the sky.

"Let's test our bodies against the elements!" Eijiro insisted, throwing his shirt off as he ran outside.

"Did you have to go throwing your shirt off…?" Weisz grumbled in question from the front door, standing alongside Momo and Tenya.

"Be careful not to slip!" the class deputy advised seriously. Walking over in a cream-colored turtleneck sweater, Rebecca smiled upon seeing everyone mingle.

"Hey, Becca!" Mina called out in greeting, "We watching Guardians Two tonight?" she inquired curiously.

"Mmm… depends on when Shoto, Homura and Kacchan get back," the Cat Leaper Quirk user replied.

"I think they're supposed to be here by six…" Izuku confirmed as he approached, "Kogetsu's got my number, so she'll let us know if something comes up," he mentioned.

"Ugh, it's so boring waiting to watch a fun movie…" Toru complained.

"But hey, we got time to chillax!" Denki pointed out as he clicked through channels with the remote, "Still, it's kinda bizarre that Todoroki and Bakugo are getting their licenses now instead of back then with all of us…" he noted aloud, "I feel like that's the only thing I've beaten them at…" he admitted.

"Calling yourself inadequate again?" Hanta presumed with a smirk.

"Denki's stinky!" Minoru remarked.

"What the heck, guys?!" the Electrification Quirk user exclaimed, having stopped on a channel playing a news broadcast. Rebecca noticed that it appeared to be a protest with several mutant-type people in the crowd. She curiously went over and sat down next to Mezo, who perked up.

"Peak your interest?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I guess…" she replied, "I was under the assumption that there were laws put in place against things like discrimination due to Quirk genes," she pointed out.

"Just because laws exist doesn't mean they're followed to the letter," Mezo noted with crossed arms, "There are always going to be people who're prejudiced, even those who know it's not right to judge based upon looks," he told her. She gave him a worried look as the channel went to commercial.

"A charming lady with four arms, a gentleman with beautiful fur, and a boy with glistening skin," a voice listed off as three people were upon the screen, matching the identities given, "These types of people were once considered the minority," he pointed out, walking into frame, being none other than Rikiya, "However, these so-called abnormalities kept rapidly progressing!" he noted, "And soon enough, we were in the age of Quirks!" he mentioned.

"What's this?" Rebecca inquired curiously.

"A commercial for Detnerat, I think," Ochaco replied, "You've never heard of them?" she inquired of the Cat Leaper Quirk user.

"Well, that's no surprise," Kyoka chimed in, "The company's mostly geared towards providing people with clothes and other things to people that wouldn't be able to use normal stuff because of their Quirks," she explained.

"That makes sense," Shiki chimed in, leaning against the couch, "Do they work on hero costumes?" he wondered aloud.

"Nah, they're more geared to the everyday person," Hanta replied as the commercial wound down, with its CEO posing in front of his cast of company customers.

"And now, we'll be entering the age of heroes!" he confirmed proudly, "Stay tuned for what's to come at Detnerat, everyone!" he advised.

"Detnerat, huh?" Izuku repeated.

"Sounds like they are doing hero stuff soon…" his girlfriend noted aloud. Within the Detnerat company's main building, the imposing figure of Nero wandered into an office space, only to stop upon finding the puddle of blood lying at his feet, along with the headless body of a suited man dead on the floor.

"Apologies for the mess," Rikiya chimed in as a dark marking at his head receded back from his eyes, "Miyashita here insulted our cause," he noted, "If you wouldn't mind…" he began to request, only for the Oracion Seis member to sigh as he waved his left hand, with blue energy lines appearing along his arms. All of a sudden, a portal appeared, whisking the body and any trace of blood away from the room.

"How vexing…" Nero grumbled as he walked over to seat himself down on a nearby couch in front of a glass table, roiling his trio of dice in his hand, "So, we have quite a bit to worry about, don't we?" he presumed of his colleague, who wiped his eyes and sniffled before approaching.

"Apparently so," he confirmed, "But we need to be sure our cause isn't ill-guided," he pointed out seriously.

"Hence why I'm here," the Oracion Seis member noted, letting the dice fall out of his hand onto the table. They clattered to a stop, landing upon numbers of six, eight, and ten respectively. "Hm," he huffed out, smirking under his beard of tentacles. Seeing them as well, Rikiya grinned.

"I suppose I'll be calling the others," he concluded.

"I as well," Nero said, grabbing the trio of dice off of the table, "I didn't expect things to happen so soon…" he admitted.

"Well, there are plenty of things we don't expect…" Rikiya noted, grabbing a trench coat and a hat off of a coatrack, "But now it's time for us to finally dismantle the League of Villains…" he proclaimed as he placed his right thumb against his forehead while aiming his pointer finger up. Meanwhile, there was traffic out in the city later that evening as the light snowfall fell over.

"Ha…" Homura exhaled, sitting in the back of a taxi cab with Shoto and Katsuki, "Congratulations on obtaining your licenses today," she complimented to the pair, "I know it must've been difficult…" she mentioned.

"More so than the last exam," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user admitted, "But we did it," he affirmed, giving off a small smile.

"Tch," Katsuki scoffed, "Is this traffic ever gonna get moving?" he grumbled out.

"Settle down," All Might advised from the passenger seat, "We'll be back to UA as soon as possible," he assured. At that moment though, the group saw a wave of water rush by on a street ahead, much to their surprise.

"Looks like trouble…" Shoto noted.

"Should we wait for the pros?" Homura inquired.

"They might be a while…" All Might noted with a grimace, "It looks like this assault just started…" he pointed out.

"Humph," Katsuki huffed, "Then I'll handle this," he decided.

"Hey, be cautious," his teacher advised, "First, you need to check—"

"The surroundings, I know," the Explosion Quirk user grumbled as he opened his suitcase, "Worry about evacuations," he advised.

"You can't fight these villains," Shoto pointed out.

"But we can," Homura affirmed while letting her red markings appear along her arms.

"I don't know about this…" All Might admitted, "Your case is one thing, Young Kogetsu, but you two—" He looked back and saw that his students had already left the back of the cab. "HEY!" he yelped as he spurted out blood, quickly exiting the vehicle, "You two only got your licenses thirty minutes ago!" he pointed out. The wave of water was frozen over, as the villains riding upon it with stolen wallets and purses yelped in surprise.

"I suggest you return those," Homura remarked to a pair of the hoodlums before swiping by them with her energy blades, rendering them unconscious. She slashed past a few others before jumping back, landing beside Shoto and Katsuki, who had put on some of their equipment in advance.

"Sheesh…" the Explosion Quirk user grumbled after firing off a blast to knock more of the villains back, "How many minutes have to pass before we can be heroes, huh?!" he wondered aloud.

"What's the deal with you kids…?!" the villains' leader grumbled in question, "You pretending to be heroes?!" he inquired on.

"We are heroes, you pickpocketing fiend," Homura retorted as she narrowed her eyes.

"Now return what you've taken," Shoto advised firmly, unleashing another wave of ice that appeared to freeze the leader over. However, he easily broke free, rushing down the wave of ice.

"We mapped out this course to get all the loot we could tonight, while no pros would be around to stop us…" he noted aloud, "I won't let you ruin this!" he proclaimed.

"It seems he won't be willing to listen to reason…" Homura concluded.

"Get a real job, punk!" Katsuki roared out.

"Unfortunately for you, we'll be taking you down," Shoto declared.

"Ooh, I'm so scared…" the villain group's leader mockingly responded, "Please, I'm not above hurting a couple of brats…" he pointed out, expelling a stream of water from his hand, "My Quirk lets me control carbonation," he told them, "Makes me feel all tingly inside," he added with a chuckle, "I'm way more determined than some punk kids who should be doing their homework!" he remarked.

"…If that's how you see it…" Homura began as she prepared a pair of claw-like blades around her wrists, much to the villains' surprise, "just try and stop us," she challenged.

"Heh," the leader chuckled, "I'm determined… to get away scot-free, that is!" he declared as he rushed aboard the wave of carbonated water with his colleagues.

"Too slow," Katsuki remarked. Both he and Homura quickly ambushed the other hoodlums aside from the leader, knocking them all out instantly. "What was that you were saying about getting away, huh?!" he inquired of the leader, blasting himself toward him.

"You're finished!" the Soul Blade Quirk user proclaimed.

"Oh, I don't think so!" the villain leader retorted, opening up ports of the gauntlets at his wrists to fire off gatling-like blasts of water at his foes. Both of them were forced to dodge, only for Homura to notice something. The villain appeared to be struggling to control the blasts he was firing, as they started waving about wildly.

"Whoa, it's like we're in a snow globe!" one woman commented from afar while trying to record the battle on her phone. All Might took notice while trying to get the rest of the gathered crowd to safety.

"Young lady, get back!" he yelled. One of the carbonated water streams slashed through a lamppost that was about to fall upon her. Reacting quickly, the former pro lunged over to tackle the woman to safety, just as Katsuki blasted himself over to knock the cleaved lamppost away.

"All Might, are you alright?!" Homura immediately asked as she leapt over.

"Try not to get yourself killed, dammit!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted towards their teacher before needing to jump away to evade more of the carbonated water sent towards him and his classmate. She grimaced, making the blades around her wrists disappear. More appeared around her though, aiming for the villain as his eyes widened.

"Warrior Maiden Ultimate Attack…" she began to bellow, firing them out at her foe, "ODIN STRIKE!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, hey! Are you kidding me?!" the villain leader exclaimed, narrowly able to evade the blades as they struck the ground and exploded, knocking him back, "Damn kids…!" he grumbled out, continuing to fire powerful blasts of water that were even cutting through the buildings. Watching on, Shoto grimaced.

"I was hoping not to get too rough…" he muttered, pulling back his left sleeve as heat radiated off of his palm. He aimed it forward. "Flashfreeze… Heatwave!" he exclaimed as he rapidly heated the air, causing it to expand and explode upon his foe. He was sent flying back, crashing into what remained of the ice before losing consciousness.

"Nicely done, Shoto," Homura complimented as she landed beside the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user.

"Carbonated water goes flat when it's heated," he pointed out, "No one likes a warm soda," he remarked, making the Soul Blade Quirk user giggle a little.

"You pulled that crap at the Sports Fest…" Katsuki grumbled as he stomped over.

"Well, I had to hold back this time," Shoto pointed out as he pulled down his sleeve, "Are you hurt at all?" he inquired of his classmates.

"'Course not!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted in response.

"I'm fine as well," Homura assured.

"And what about the bystander?" Shoto inquired.

"I saved her life!" Katsuki yelled proudly.

"Although I believe All Might was the one who rescued her first…" Homura chimed in.

"Huh?!" the Explosion Quirk user exclaimed angrily, making her flinch.

"Hey, are you all okay?!" All Might inquired as he ran over. Alongside him was an exceptionally tall, well-built man, possessing defined muscles and wide shoulders. He had small black eyes, a circular nose, and a prominently large, square jaw, with the lower jaw protruding outwards, and his mouth was notably high up on his face as a result.

His hero costume consisted of a purple, skin-tight bodysuit with black arrow-like markings across his chest, around his waist, and down the center of his thighs. His knee-high boots shared this theme, as they had arrow-shaped cavities down their shafts, and he also wore a matching black mask over the top of his head and eyes. On his hands, he wore elbow-length green gloves with golden scale patterns around the edges, and he also sported a short green scarf-like cape around his neck, a golden disc on the left of it to connect two aiguillettes around his torso. He completed his outfit with a thick black belt with a large buckle, five green circles and a golden rectangle set into the center of it.

"Oh, you're that famous delinquent from UA High!" he remarked to Katsuki, who gnashed his teeth.

"You wanna rethink that word…?!" he growled out. The pro hero looked out at the situation, seeing that all of the villains were subdued.

"Did you three manage to do this all by yourselves?" he inquired out of surprise.

"They were just small-time criminals robbing people, sir," Homura noted.

"We were able to capture them all before they could escape," Shoto mentioned.

"And I got all their stuff right here," Katsuki added as he held up the purses and wallets he had gathered amidst the commotion, "Stashed it before it could get incinerated," he remarked.

"Wonderful!" the hero exclaimed as he hugged the trio of UA students, "I couldn't be any happier with how well you did in this ordeal!" he pointed out, "Thank you!" he mentioned gratefully before letting them go, "You can go ahead and leave the rest of this mess to me, Slidin Go!" he declared as he gestured to himself.

"Thank you, sir," Homura said as she bowed her head politely. Just then, the group heard something burst nearby, getting their attentions. They glanced over to see that the villain leader's gauntlets had broken.

"What happened?" Shoto asked.

"Probably faulty black market equipment," Slidin Go assumed in response, "Don't worry, I'll be taking care of the rest!" he reassured, heading over to gather the remaining villains. In the meantime, All Might went over to his students.

"The three of you were amazing," he pointed out. Shoto and Homura smiled with gratitude, while Katsuki just huffed. "Let's get you back home so you can all eat," he decided.

"I need to clear away the ice first," the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user pointed out.

"I'm not helping," Katsuki bluntly declared. Meanwhile, Homura typed a message upon her phone, hitting the send icon.

'Apologies for the delay, everyone,' she said inwardly, 'We'll be back soon,' she vowed through her thoughts. Elsewhere in Japan, those of the Meta Liberation Army had gathered in a building for a meeting, alongside Nero and the members of Oceans, including Fabiano and Ijuna.

"All of the items we've been circulating through the black market won't be traced back to us," Rikiya confirmed to his colleagues, "If things take a turn for the worse, they'll detonate and leave no evidence behind," he noted.

"We're collecting quite a bit of combat data from them," Skeptic pointed out.

"You've certainly got yourself a strong commercial spirit, Re-Destro," Trumpet chimed in.

"Hmm…" Lyra hummed out while flipping a card in between her fingers, seated alongside Milani, Nasseh, and Callum, "This is so boring…" she grumbled out, getting the attentions of her Meta Liberation colleagues, "When are we gonna go and take down the League, huh?" she inquired, folding her arms behind her head. At that moment, the door opened.

"Ah, that was fast," Skeptic said.

"But of course," Rikiya noted, "We needed this done immediately for leverage," he affirmed. Being dragged into the room was none other than Giran, who appeared to be rather bloodied.

"We tried searching up his clientele, but came up empty," one of the suited men dragging him in confirmed, "He said he erased them all," he mentioned, tossing the broker to the floor.

"How clever," Rikiya remarked. Nero stomped over, enticing the suited men to step back as he approached Giran, who weakly lifted his head.

"Do you know who I am?" the Oracion Seis member inquired with narrowed eyes. The broker flashed a weak grin.

"You know… I guess it's no surprise you were able to find me…" he admitted in response, "Being the great Poseidon Nero and all…" he mentioned.

"Where is your information on the League of Villains?" Nero questioned of him, leaning closer. His dice were held in his right hand, ready to be dropped. Giran just let out a chuckle.

"Let me explain something," he began, "I never go into business with anyone until I get a good look at their face," he pointed out, "And I only do business with guys that strike my fancy," he added further, "And you don't cut it, what with dragging me bruised and battered all the way to your lair and all…" he mentioned, "I'm not leaking a damn thing to you, whether it's about the League or not," he affirmed.

"…I see," Nero said, dropping his dice. They rolled upon the floor, coming to a stop. Each of them had a two. "Hm," the Oracion Seis member huffed, "He's all yours, Re-Destro," he pointed out, stepping aside for Rikiya to approach.

"…I think you and I are going to be great friends," he noted to Giran, whose expression shifted into a grimace.

X

By the time Katsuki, Shoto and Homura had returned to the Heights Alliance dormitory, the common room was completely dark.

"Did we have a blackout or something?" the former of the trio inquired.

"Everyone must already be in bed…" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user assumed, not noticing Homura going over to flick on the light.

"Congrats on getting your licenses!" Ochaco exclaimed, uncorking a party popper with a few of the others as confetti rained down on the newly licensed student heroes, who were shocked to see all of their classmates there.

"Congratulations!" everyone cheered together.

"Here, have some cake!" Rikido offered, bringing a towering strawberry cake over.

"That's massive!" Katsuki exclaimed out of shock.

"Well done, you two!" Tenya complimented, "We're very proud!" he affirmed to the pair.

"Thank you," Shoto said gratefully.

"Bakugo, way to do it, man!" Eijiro exclaimed.

"Yeah, congrats!" Izuku chimed in, "Now we can do hero work together!" he pointed out. Hearing that made Katsuki perk up in surprise as he was eating a slice of cake. He then started growling.

"What, you think you're better than me just because you got your license first?!" he inquired angrily of his rival.

"Th-That's not what I said!" he stammered out, while Rebecca sighed. Homura looked on and smiled, happy for her classmates.

"Homura! Homura!" Mina and Toru's voices whispered out, getting her attention as she looked over to them, "Do the thing, hurry!" they both insisted. It took a moment for the Soul Blade Quirk user to understand what they were insinuating as she blinked in realization. She then turned and approached Shoto, causing him to perk up.

"Oh, Homu—" He was suddenly caught off guard by a kiss to his left cheek from his classmate, making his eyes widen a little.

"WHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!" Minoru, Denki and Weisz exclaimed in shock. Homura didn't understand the point of granting the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user a smooch as part of his celebration. In fact, it wasn't even her idea.

FLASHBACK

"I should… what?" she inquired just before she could head out the door after Shoto and Katsuki.

"Yeah, give him a big old smooch!" Toru insisted, "I doubt he's gonna lose out on his license again after today," she affirmed confidently.

"Plus, you're kinda the only girl that's super close to him," Mina mentioned with her hands at her hips, "Think of it as an extra congrats," she suggested to the Soul Blade Quirk user.

"Okay then…" she responded.

END FLASHBACK

Finally releasing her lips from Shoto's cheek, Homura stepped back. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user blushed as he turned to look at her. She smiled.

"Congratulations, Shoto," she said. Blinking for a moment, her classmate sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks… Homura," he responded gratefully.

ENDING

Insert "Footprints" by the peggies

Opens with Izuku receiving a notification on his phone. He picks it up and looks at it while seated on his bed, while Rebecca sits up beside him and yawns. He smiles, showing her what he just read. She beams after a moment, nodding to him.

The two of them head downstairs together, seeing groups of their classmates heading out together for the day. They smile at each other, holding hands as they leave the dorm. We see Shiki walking on a sidewalk with Momo, calling for her to hurry after him as he hurries off towards a set of stores. Meanwhile, Tsuyu and Ochaco meet up with Kleene and Kris at a supermarket, talking happily with them. Fumikage's checking apples with Dark Shadow, only to see Laguna doing the same.

Elsewhere in the store, we see Katsuki checking some bottles of hot sauce, while Weisz and Minoru are browsing some adult magazines. Homura's eyes sparkle at the sight the Valkyrie-brand energy drinks, which she buys a lot of to the shock of Kyoka, Mina, and Toru. Izuku and Rebecca arrive, having a shopping list on hand. They nod to each other, splitting up with their classmates to gather what they need.

Izuku grabs packets of noodles and rice, while Rebecca gets pork, bok choy, panko bread crumbs, and other ingredients. She's joined by Rikido, who advises her on what specifically she should look for. Meanwhile, Izuku goes to gather up birthday candles with Koji and Shoto, who both grab jars of frosting and sprinkles.

The couple checks out of the store with everything they need, returning to U.A. later that night. With help, they put the ingredients together to make a great feast, along with a birthday cake intended for Tenya. He's touched, tearing up at how kind his classmates are. He blows out the candles, celebrating amongst his friends as they laugh. The song winds down, with the class happily enjoying themselves through the night, hoping for many more great ones to come…

END ENDING

Wow, this… was a lot more fun than I expected it to be. Looking back at the episode, it was pretty dialogue-heavy, but there was good stuff to work with here! Up next is going to be the intended Meta Liberation Army Arc before the Endeavor Agency Arc.

Hope you're all looking forward to what's ahead!