Hey everyone it's me back with another chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings! Summer has finally started in full swing for me, so now we can all sit back, relax, and enjoy the upcoming season as I release a few chapters. These next few are ones which have some action in them, so look forward to it, we're finally approaching the part I wanted to get to in this story, so look forward to it! Anyways, without further delay, let's get started!

Disclaimer: I don't own -man or BNHA, all respective rights go to their respective owners.


Chapter Nineteen: True Warmth

"That boy was homeless? Did I hear that right?" one of Midoriya's classmate's parents said as the entire room erupted in a torrent of murmurs and hushed whispers. Right when the conference was winding down, Walker dropped a bombshell that stopped them all in their tracks.

"I never heard anything about this," All Might—who was busy dealing with the fallout of such a dramatic revelation—thought to himself as he quickly checked the list of attending students. Earlier, he'd gotten an error message about missing data, and he assumed that it was just that, an error, but it appeared that there was a proper reason for that warning.

"Yo, All Might, do you need some help?" Miss Midnight asked him as she smoothly, and politely, pushed a few of the worried onlookers away. For a situation like this, a tactful approach would be necessary. "This is bad," she thought as she grit her teeth. With this revelation, they wouldn't have a chance in hell at getting the guardians to accept Walker as part of class 1-A. "Although," she continued, "I can't say that this scenario is all bad." Even though this didn't work well for them, for Walker, there was a chance that this could be exactly the break he needed. Honesty was a virtue, after all. Sadly, before she could get involved and diffuse some of the tension, the boy poured more fuel onto the proverbial fire.

"I can tell, you see, that none of you trust me," Walker said as he turned to some of the suspicious parents. "To be honest, I've got no real way to convince you otherwise. I mean... I'm a student who has killed another living being. As parents, I'm sure the concept of me sharing a classroom with your kids must be exhausting, and—no matter what I say—I know that there's no way easy way out of this."

"Walker... I..." All Might, and the other teachers, didn't know what to say. As the boy talked, they noticed that his posture and expression changed. Previously, he gave off a very introverted and almost self-contained aura to him. But now he was like an entirely different person. They weren't the only ones who noticed this sudden change. The boy's classmates, especially young Midoriya and Bakugo, were both taken aback by his actions.

"However," Walker continued, "even though there's no easy way for me to change my nature, I promise you all that I'll try my best. For people like you, who were willing to put up with an individual like me, I believe that that's the only proper thing to do." As he spoke, Walker turned his gaze to Midoriya and gave his classmate a small nod. He didn't know it, but their little talk earlier had opened his eyes—in more ways than one. "If you all are so willing to try and change yourselves for the better," he thought, "then I owe it to you to extend the same courtesy." If they would work in order to accept him, he'd put in the effort to change himself into an individual that was worthy of their trust.

"Hey, kid, are you alright?" Metal Meister started as he walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. It was obvious that the corrupt hero was worried about him, but Walker shrugged him off.

"No, don't worry, I'm fine," he responded as his eyes lit up with an ambitious fire that none of them had seen before. "It's time for me to stop standing still." As Mana taught him, he'd keep moving forward—no matter what it took. However, Allen knew that he couldn't take that first step by himself. He was trying to start a real life in this strange timeline, and for him to succeed he'd need more than his own grit and determination. His sudden burst of confidence shocked quite a few of them, but for people like All Might—a person who was eagerly observing the boy's growth as his teacher—the change was a welcome one.

"Well," he started, "his announcement could've been a bit more tactful, but I think that, in the long run, this is a good thing." Even though the entire point of this conference had been derailed, somehow, Walker had taken it upon himself to accomplish the task all by his lonesome. However, some, like Mr. Aizawa, couldn't help but be suspicious at this sudden turn of events.

"His eyes... those aren't the eyes of a student," the teacher thought as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Over the course of the semester, he noticed—on several occasions—that the air Walker gave off was more... mature... than that of his peers. At first, he brushed it off as nothing more than a simple quirk in his character, but now he was certain that there was something else that produced Walker's strange personality. "Hey," he whispered as he sneakily tugged on All Might's sleeve, "do you buy any of this?" he asked, which caused All Might to raise a confused eyebrow.

"Why? Is there a problem?" he asked as Aizawa sighed. All Might's trusting nature was going to get him killed one of these days. So, instead of explaining his theories, Aizawa instead opted to simply show the retired hero what he was thinking.

"I mean, just look at Walker, he doesn't look like a student at all, right?" he started as both of their gazes turned to Allen's strangely mature aura. Granted, they assumed that most of it was the byproduct of his sudden announcement. However, that wasn't all, the shock of this situation had forced the two men to acknowledge some of Walker's... stranger... traits that they hadn't before. It was a multitude of little things that tipped them off. Namely, the boy's tone, manner of voice, strange upright posture, and almost professional stance all gave off the impression that they were staring at an experienced hero. And that, for lack of a better term, terrified the two of them. "It's obvious that he's telling the truth about growing up on the streets," Aizawa continued as Midnight made her way over to them, "but that can't be all. You've seen the kid's moves, for a boy who's quirkless he's got quite a number of tricks up his sleeve, and you know as well as I that that's not normal."

"Good point," Midnight interjected as her lips curled into a tight frown, "something isn't right about all of this. If Walker grew up homeless, then where did he learn all of his techniques? It just doesn't add up." Sadly, it wasn't like they could just walk up and simply ask the boy. He was a minor, after all, and after making such a heavy, and personal, announcement, interrogating him could easily backfire. The last thing they needed was a swarm of reporters asking them why they were questioning a student. And so, with no obvious outlet for their inquiries, these questions slowly bubbled and churned within the three teachers. And, right when their minds were beginning to wander down dangerous roads, someone snapped them out of their thoughts.

"Jesus, guys, I know what the boy said was heavy, but you three look like you're standing in the middle of a morgue," Metal Meister said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It appeared that they weren't the only ones who were annoyed at this situation. However, unlike them—who were currently being plagued by thoughts of suspicion and numerous questions—Metal Meister simply looked tired.

"Are you okay, friend?" All Might asked in a worried tone, but the corrupt hero simply waved him off.

"Nah, I'm just worried for the kid," he started as he jabbed a thumb in Walker's direction. "I know he means well, but saying such a thing in front of all of these parents wasn't, in my opinion, the brightest of ideas. All it would take now to get him on everyone's blacklist is just one outlier, just one family taking issue with what he said, and what little connections he has at this school will all be for naught." The boy probably hadn't realized it yet, but his entire career at this institution was dangling on the top of a pin. But, even in this dire predicament, Allen Walker refused to back down. He knew he couldn't simply brush off his sins with a simple speech, so, instead, he'd have to do something a bit more... drastic.

"Listen, Mr. Walker, I know you mean well but maybe you should take a break," one of the parents' said in a slightly-annoyed tone. "I understand that you come from an unfortunate background, but that doesn't recuse you of your actions. Half the villains your class will be taking down in the future will have similar pasts, and we don't give them a free pass." The man was right, simply having a tragic childhood wasn't enough to excuse such horrid crimes. Forgiveness, in this case, was a reward that would be earned through his actions. If he wanted his classmates' full trust, then he'd have to show that he was worthy of it.

"What can I do to prove to them that I mean well?" Allen thought as he bit his lip. Earning goodwill back piece by piece would be, at this stage, far too slow. There was also a chance that—if he didn't leave a good impression on the majority of the parental body—that this would be the last time he'd be able to give these people a truthful view of his character. Everything was hanging off the back of his next words, and, luckily, he knew exactly what to say. "If that's the case," he started as he tightened his grip and readied his resolve, "then let me prove to you that I'm just as serious about being a hero as my classmates." Even though his audience was suspicious, he knew that these people all meant well. They were just concerned for the wellbeing of their children. "Mr. All Might, there's a practical exercise coming up soon, right?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, actually," the man responded with wide eyes. "We do have a joint training activity with the other hero classes, but how did you know about that?" In response to the man's query, Allen only sighed and shook his head. Obviously, he had read about it on his class schedule. He was still barred from going on off-campus trips, and other similar projects, until the end of the year. So a practical exam like this was one of the few chances he still had to prove himself.

"I know that no amount of excuses or explanations will be enough to wipe my record clean, so allow me to demonstrate my worth to you all with my actions," he announced. His classmates might've been trying to accept him, but that wasn't worth anything until he could show everyone else that he was worth keeping around. People liked results they could see, after all. And while the confidence he exuded was enough to sway most to at least the middle ground, it had another effect that Walker didn't anticipate.

"Boy," Metal Meister thought as he bit his lip. "Your words mean well, and I know that you're telling everyone the truth, but if only you knew... how terrifying your eyes are." Besides the grand nature of Walker's statement itself, what had taken all of their breath away was his gaze. Those eyes of his... for a split second they obtained an almost visceral look that shook many of them to the core. However, as quickly as this happened, this malignant aura was replaced by a powerful feeling of grit and hope. It was such a jarring, and sudden, change that many of them—even Metal Meister—thought they were seeing things. As a result, the majority of the people present simply brushed this little infraction off as a simple twitch. The only ones who didn't being Aizawa and Metal Meister. Both of these men, especially the corrupt hero, could feel that there was something huge about Walker that the boy kept hidden. Perhaps it had to do with his past, or his experience, but either way, neither of them thought that Allen Walker was normal.

Still, even though that little scare had boggled all of their minds, Walker's earnest plea had somewhat succeeded. The parents, for the rest of the conference, didn't speak negatively of him, and the issue of his circumstances were mostly ignored. For, even though some had their suspicions, with no evidence to back these feelings up, they were mostly brushed under the rug. "Okay, everyone, break it up! God... you all have a way of making a happy occasion moody, don't you think?" Midnight interjected as she flamboyantly broke through the room's heavy atmosphere.

"Oh, right," All Might started as he turned his attention back to the boy. "If what you said is true, Mr. Walker, then you can simply hand us the remaining forms and be on your way. Don't worry, we'll figure something out," he finished with a smile. When it came down to it, none of them were ready, or willing, to go the lengths needed to accept Walker yet. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, boy," All Might thought to himself with a frown as he looked out the window. "For this really will be your last chance."


Midoriya and his classmates all sighed as they slowly made their way into one of the gymnasiums. Just like Walker had said during the conference, they were all scheduled to do a joint training exercise with Class 1-B later that day. None of them knew what exactly they'd be doing, but, to be brutally honest, the details of this little faux battle was the furthest thing from each of their minds. For, just like their teachers, what they were all eagerly awaiting was something else entirely. "Hey," Mineta mumbled to Kaminari with a frown, "do you think that Walker's actually going to show up?" he asked. "I mean... after what happened... you'd almost think that he'd want to run away." They were still all teenagers, after all, so illogical actions like that weren't exactly unheard of.

"Walker?" Bakugo scoffed, "there's no way he'd play hooky after a declaration like that." Perhaps it was due to his extreme personality, but Bakugo felt that he—strangely—understood his unfortunate classmate. Feeling the need to publicly lash out like that wasn't something just anyone could do. It required guts, and an iron will to follow through that most simply didn't have. "Tch," the boy scowled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just get out here and do what you need to do, you extra," he continued. "I'm tired of you stealing my spotlight." Since the upcoming activity was also a practical examination, all of them were decked out in their full hero outfits. A few, like Midoriya, had received a few upgrades and were looking closer and closer to their professional counterparts. Thanks to this, when Walker finally showed up—dressed in his quaint, almost formal outfit—a strangely underwhelming aura filled the air.

"Ah, Walker, over here!" Midoriya called out to the boy with his typical large smile. After the conference, he had grown to be Walker's first real friend in the class. Slowly but surely, the rest of them were starting to warm up to him too.

"You guys are just raring to go, huh?" he asked them with his usual grin. Only Midoriya noticed, but it seemed that there was a typical hint of sadness to what would typically be a happy expression. Could it be that something was wrong?

"Nah, I must be overthinking things," Midoriya thought, "he's probably just tired." In reality, Allen's expression was the result of his usual mask. He swore, after all, to prove to them that he was worthy of being called a hero—but that didn't mean he could afford to be completely transparent. As these worries shot through his mind, when nobody was looking, Walker frowned and squeezed his left arm.

"I'll show them today what sort of person I really am, but I can't let them know about the innocence. If they ever found out... who knows what could happen?" After the incident with Chin-Mae, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes with his anti-akuma weapon. Humans in this period were highly susceptible to innocence's influence, and in a battlefield, where everything exploded into chaos, one wrong move could spell disaster. As Allen sat there strengthening his resolve, Mr. Aizawa and All Might suddenly made their way into the gym to give them their instructions.

"Okay, everyone," Aizawa started as he got out a small clipboard and pen, "we've got a packed schedule today, so I'll keep this short. I'm sure you all know about the joint training activity with Class 1-B, correct?" he continued as he quickly surveyed his students' faces. Most of them nodded in agreement, however, a few still seemed to be lost. When he saw this, Aizawa couldn't help but sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. "Some of you really need to start reading your emails," he whispered under his breath. "Anyways, for those of you who don't know what's going on, listen up! Cause I'm only going to be saying all of this once!"

"Here we go," Allen thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. "It's finally time."


The gigantic industrial park which would be serving as their arena seemed to stretch on for miles. It was a twisting maze of factories, machines, and debris—the perfect battleground. Slowly but surely, the students of Class 1-A and B funneled into the control room, raring and ready for the surely exhausting trial that awaited them. After Vlad King cleared up the details of the training, and introduced a new face to the event—Hitoshi Shinso—the opening rounds could finally begin. "Man, I can't believe they actually let you join us, Shinso!" Midoriya said as he eagerly shook his friend's hand. "It's a bit sudden, and the fact that you'll be participating on both teams is quite strange, but I'm glad you're here!" He knew better than anyone that the boy was always looking for a chance to get into U.A.'s hero course. And now, if luck was on his side, this could be exactly the breakthrough he needed! As the two of them shared this heartwarming moment, Allen couldn't help but watch and frown.

"They need to take this more seriously," he thought as he curled up his sleeves. Now that Midoriya had somewhat closed the gap between them, Allen was starting to notice a few things about his classmates that he hadn't before. Namely, their complete lack of self-awareness. "I can tell that they all mean well, but now that we're here, on the precipice of such a major battle, they're all acting like today is just another walk in the park." Of course, he didn't mean that in the literal sense. Several, such as Mineta and Kaminari, were quite stressed about the upcoming practical examination, but they were only worried about it as students, not as professional heroes. "I guess, even if we grow closer as friends, nothing will change the fact that me and my classmates are still technically children," he mumbled to himself under his breath as Shinso slowly made his way over to him.

"I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced," the boy started as he raised a hand for him to shake. Politely, Allen took it, gave him a small bow, and returned the student's gesture. "My name is Hitoshi Shinso." Even though he seemed a bit introverted, it was nice to know that this boy was polite. Allen had a feeling that they'd get along well in the future. After their introductions were complete, the teachers walked over and clapped their hands together to regain their attention.

"Okay, you all, that's enough dilly-dallying," Aizawa said as he motioned for Shinso and Walker to come forward. "Since this year we've got two newbies, and an unideal number of students, we've decided to choose their positions via a random draw. Each team leader will be assigned a number, and then Walker and Shinso will each pick one at random via lots. We'll continue to do this until each class—both 1-A and 1-B—are assigned one of them to fight alongside you."

"I see," Allen thought as his gaze darted back to Midoriya and the rest of his classmates. "Considering our circumstances, that would make the most sense." Obviously, he hoped to be paired with his fellows in 1-A, but at the same time, he wouldn't deny that he was curious about the trainees in the opposing class as well. A few, such as Monoma and Kendo, were looking at him with an inquisitive eye—though that was almost definitely the result of casual curiosity than real strategic thinking.

"Since there will be two teams of five, said students will automatically be pitted against each other during the examination," Vlad King said as he scratched the back of his neck. This way, they'd be able to keep this little competition fair and on a relatively even playing field. "Although," the hero thought as one of his eyes darted over to Walker, "I still don't see how this quirkless boy is going to be any help." Sure, he took down a villain, but that was one-on-one. The necessity of a hero's quirk usually came into play during hectic brawls such as this. "I heard that Walker made a ruckus during the last parent teacher conference. Truth be told, if he wanted to prove himself worthy of his spot at this school, this would be the best time to do it." His personal doubts aside, he knew that Walker must've been aware of that fact, and so he opted to keep his worries to himself.

"Okay, you two, let's get started," Aizawa said as he got out a small cup of lots. It was time to get this party underway.


Allen sighed as he intently watched the monitor hovering above him. Sadly, he had drawn the proverbial short stick, and was paired with a team from Class 1-B instead of 1-A. "Cheer up, champ," All Might told the boy when he noticed his downtrodden look. "I know you're trying your best to get along with your classmates, but you shouldn't let this get you down," he continued with a smile. "After all, there's no better way to close the gap between you all than some good, old-fashioned competition!" As usual, All Might's words were immediately followed up by one of his signature grins. In the face of that smile, it was impossible for him to maintain his gloomy mood. However, that still didn't solve his problem.

"Thanks, Mr. All Might, but that's not really my issue," Allen said as he watched 1-B's Fukidashi decimate a small building. Even though their worldviews were still a tad immature, it was obvious that every student was giving this their all. In a way, this made him feel oddly... guilty. "Do I really deserve to be out there when I'm hiding the majority of my abilities?" Such thoughts filled his head in every quiet moment. And, even though he knew that he had to keep his innocence hidden, as a student, such negative ideas surfacing was simply unavoidable. When All Might noticed his destress, he immediately made an effort to try and lighten the mood. However, someone beat him to it.

"What's got you down, Walker?" one of the boy's teammates, Neito Monoma, asked as he lightly pulled him away from his teacher's side before dragging him to the back of the room—where the rest of their team was sat. "You'll burn yourself out if you worry too much," he continued with a smile.

"Sorry," Allen responded as he gave the boy a curt bow. "I've been placed in your team's care without warning, I'm certain that this must've thrown your strategy off." His response was normal and to the point. However, his teammates' reaction to this was anything but. Mere seconds later, Monoma simply grinned before placing his hand on Walker's shoulder in an ironclad grip.

"Much to the contrary, Walker, you are our strategy," he continued with a disturbing grin and laugh as he slowly lowered his tone down to a whisper. "I mean, you're a member of 1-A, right? Which means... you know what makes them tick. We can only go so far with what little knowledge we have, but you've studied in the same room as them every day. Unlike Shinso, who's still a stranger to our course, you've been directly involved for quite a long time. With our brains, and your intel, we'll crush 1-A without mercy!"

"Having a person like you on our side will definitely help," one of the other teammates—Nirengeki Shoda—chimed in with a thumbs-up. "Even though you don't have a quirk, we should be able to close the skill gap with strategy and teamwork. So don't worry about the small stuff and just leave the fighting to us!"

"R-right," Allen responded with a small nod. "They're still underestimating me," he thought with a sigh. After taking down a villain by himself you'd think that he'd earn a bit of respect. However, in this world that was dominated by quirks, maybe that was simply nothing more than wishful thinking. If he wanted to be accepted, he'd have to force them all to understand his own set of expertise.

"Ooh," he overheard Mr. Aizawa whistle as everyone's gaze turned back to the main monitor. At the moment, Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu were pulling off amazing maneuvers one after another. Allen couldn't help but be impressed as he watched the pair absolutely decimate their opponents with a tactical assault. However, what was even more impressive was 1-B's response to this intense aggression. "You trained them well, Vlad," Aizawa told his colleague with wide eyes. Without missing a beat, 1-B drew Tokoyami's Dark Shadow away from the boy in order to weaken it. Thanks to his teammates, Allen already knew how dangerous a situation like this was for his classmates. And that was simply due to Kuroiro's quirk—an ability which allowed him to integrate himself with any dark material.

"Hah, those fools have fallen for the trap hook, line and sinker," Monoma said with a grin as the tides of the battle slowly began to turn. Thanks to his ample experience, Allen already knew that 1-A was now fighting on borrowed time.

"Without the raw power of Dark Shadow, the others will be probably be completely overwhelmed," he thought with a raised eyebrow. If he was in their shoes, this would be the perfect time to retreat and regroup. However, such a cowardly strategy required the personal fortitude to swallow one's pride and pullback—an act which he thought would be simply too much for such young adolescents. "Hmm," Allen mumbled with wide eyes as he stared at one of the other monitors, "what's Aoyama doing?" Out of all the possible fighters, he'd thought that Aoyama would be the last to see direct action. This was simply due to the fact that the boy's quirk was one that focused on long range, which would suggest that he'd fit more of a support role then that of a main combatant. However, he was proved wrong when the young hero—most likely at Yaoyorozu's instruction—let off a torrent of blasts to weed Kuroiro out of the shadows. "These guys really do have an amazing amount of potential," Allen thought with a smile as, yet again, 1-B turned the tables with Komori's quirk—which allowed 1-B to completely blanket the field in a layer of mushrooms. Earlier, he overheard one of the other teams mention that the girl's quirk affected her teammates as well—which suggested that an ample amount of planning must've gone into this strategy.

"Damn," he heard Sero curse, "Kendo's strategies sure are scary, huh? I'm glad I'm not fighting her." Truth be told, Allen was extremely impressed by both teams' excellent use of tactics and positioning. It was obvious that both were helmed by extremely-capable individuals, ones that—if given the chance to grow—he was certain would become terrifying adversaries.

"Do you see now, Walker?" Monoma spoke up with a wide grin. "The class you're in might've stolen all the glory, but I guarantee you that 1-B hasn't fallen behind in the least! When it comes to raw power and mind games, we're second to none!" As if they were in the middle of some drama, right on que, the bell signaling the end of the battle began to ring. While he was distracted by his classmates' comments and his own thoughts, 1-B had cut through his expectations and snatched an incredible victory from 1-A.

"It was an amazing match. Good job, guys," Allen overheard Vlad King say as the man triumphantly clenched his right hand into a fist. "Hey, Monoma, you guys should start getting ready. You all are up next, after all," he continued as Aizawa motioned for Midoriya and his team to come closer.

"You'll be going against Walker," their teacher said in his usual deadpan tone. "Are you guys going to be okay with that?" he asked. After the parent teacher conference, it didn't take long for Aizawa to figure out that his class was trying to strengthen the bonds between them and their new comrade. "If you don't feel right about it, I can always see if one of the other teams want to take this match." It was obvious that he was worried about them, however, Midoriya only shook his head.

"No thank you," he responded with a smile as Ashido and Uraraka gave their teacher a wave from across the room. They must've predicted what he was going to say. "We all want to show Walker that we accept him as one of us. Turning away now would be cowardly—or, at least, that's how we see it." In the end, exchanging blows was the only way left for them to show their acceptance.

"Heh," Aizawa chuckled. "Good, in that case, go ahead and make your way to the field. Thanks to the chaos of having to figure out where to put two transfers, we're already behind schedule," he continued. Without a word, Midoriya and the others all nodded and hastily exited the control room. In each of their eyes—especially Walker's—burned a fiery determination which shook their teachers to their core. "These students sure are something else," Aizawa thought to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now then, boy," he mumbled as the monitor assigned to Walker flickered to life, "let's see how you dance."


After the holy war, when the Millennium Earl fell and the Family of Noah vanished from the face of the Earth, a strange period of stagnation began. To avoid any future risks, the Order voluntarily burned any and all information they had on their hidden history in a great purge that—thanks in part to the decline of the Bookmen—went mostly unnoticed by the world. Over time, the men and women who shed their blood, sweat, and tears in this conflict would be lost to the ever-decaying pages of history. However, at the same time, that wasn't to say that this gap in history went completely unnoticed. Those who were knowledgeable of this void of information mainly congregated within the halls of the Vatican, eager to research any possible leads on the details of their long forgotten predecessors. Many were driven to uncover the specifics of common mysteries such as the circumstances behind Pope Leo XIII's infamous final written order. Others, curious to deduce the true purpose of the multitudes of strange artifacts scattered throughout Europe and other countries, usually requested the Vatican's assistance on multiple occasions. Several relics, such as ancient uniforms or other similar items, had evidence that connected them to the organization. And so the Catholic's headquarters was usually always swamped with at least one or two research teams per day. Most of the time, these visitors were handled by the public departments of the organization. However, once in a blue moon, when a certain individual was present, these historians and bookkeepers would be allowed to observe some of the oldest, and most regulated, texts the Vatican had to offer. And whenever this happened, another piece of the never-ending puzzle that was their history would usually be uncovered.

"Hey! Wait up, ma'am, I know your position, but you simply can't bring all these people into the main storehouse without permission from Pope John!" Father Gregory groaned as he pushed through the crowd of professors and researchers. Usually, he'd simply be able to use his rank to force them all out. Sadly, that wasn't an option this time.

"Ah, c'mon, Father Gregory, aren't you curious to find out what our ancestors left behind?" the woman leading this giant pack said as she twirled her dark purple hair over her shoulder. "I've already sent one of my subordinates to officially request a meeting from His Holiness, so you don't need to worry." At her words, Father Gregory couldn't help but scowl. Knowing this woman, she could've been telling the truth or completely lying through her teeth. An ability which, thanks to her tenure as the leader of the Vatican's intelligence and espionage branch, had been sharpened and toned into a lethal weapon.

"Here she goes again," Father Gregory thought to himself as one of his eyebrows twitched. "Santi Marescialli or not, you always find new ways to be a thorn in all of our sides, Linda Weinsbach!"


Author's Note

Well everyone here we are at the end of another month. Hopefully, as I said above, I'll be able to get more chapters out at a quicker pace now that things are starting to slow down. As you've seen in the chapter, we're finally moving onto the first real action-centric BNHA arc in this story. So, because of this, some things will be different as I try to find out what works. Just stick with me and I'm sure it'll work out. After this arc, we're finally going to be moving onto the final stages of this story (yeah, I know, but it had to come eventually) so I hope that you guys will be able to enjoy it as I try to figure a way out of this story!

Anyways, besides that, thanks again to all of those who left reviews. It really helped me understand how to improve my writing and the story, so please, if you have the time, keep giving me your input! It really helps! With that out of the way, I'm going to go ahead and close off this author's note here. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings!

Chapter Twenty: A Gallant Performance