The Heroic Kaiju!

by FlickeringIdeas

In a world of quirks where possibilities are almost endless, it wouldn't be far-fetched for someone with a monstrous quirk to want to be a hero. Cover image by FleshQB on DeviantArt.

1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Author's Notes:

1. I felt a strong surge of nostalgia so I decided to write this. In a way to remember the good old days and to somehow immortalize them.

2. If any of you recognize the names of the transformations or where they're from, I can happily say that you had an awesome childhood! XD

Dialogue: ''Hi!''

Thoughts: ''Mental Hi!''

Obvious Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA nor any of the Kaiju or music used in this fanfic.

---

''Your quirk is so cool Kacchan!'' A young boy with green hair and freckles exclaimed with a bright smile.

His blond friend let off a tiny explosion from his left palm before posing triumphantly. ''I know.'' He chuckled before eyeing him with a curious look. ''Shouldn't your quirk show up by now Izuku?'' Behind him, two children were still in awe of his quirk.

At that, his friend frowned and looked at his hand. ''I…don't know.'' He clenched his hand, his frown deepening. ''Mom and Dad said some quirks take time but…'' He looked up at his friend with concern and a bit of fear. ''What if I don't have a quirk?''

The blond was about to reply but was cut off by one of the kids behind him. ''Then you shouldn't be a hero.''

His chubby friend nodded. ''Yeah, there aren't any quirkless heroes!''

The effect of their words was immediate as Izuku appeared to shrink and look down with tears welling up in his eyes. ''B-But-''

''And who said there aren't huh!?'' His friend, Katsuki Bakugou cut in with a furious expression. ''People like Firemen and Policemen are plenty heroic!'' He stood between them with Izuku behind him. "And besides! Quirkless heroes are a thing!" While rare, quirkless heroes are quite popular in other countries, despite their few numbers due to the hazards that come with heroics.

The tall kid and his friend faltered from the intimidating blond. ''Y-Yeah but-''

''But nothing!'' Bakugou cut them off. ''If Izuku wants to be a hero then let him! He'll prove all of you wrong and become the best quirkless hero there is!'' He then narrowed his eyes. ''And if you have any problem with that…'' He went into a stance and let off small explosions from his palms. ''You'll have to go through me first!''

The two kids paled and took a step back. ''W-Whatever.'' The taller kid looked at his friend. ''Let's go.'' The chubby boy quickly nodded and followed him.

Bakugou watched them go before crossing his arms with a huff. ''Wimps.'' He muttered before glancing at his friend with a concerned frown. ''Are you ok?''

Izuku nodded with a sniff. ''Yeah…'' He wiped his eyes before looking at him. ''Did you mean what you said?''

''Of course, I did!'' The blond quickly responded. ''All Might said that 'quirks don't automatically mean that you're a hero' remember?''

The green-haired boy nodded. ''Yeah, I remember.'' He sniffed again and looked at him with a frown. ''But what about your friends?'' He would hate to be the cause of friendships being broken.

Bakugou scoffed. ''Bah! Who needs those losers? If they were my friends, they wouldn't have been jerks to you.'' He wrapped an arm around his friend.

Izuku looked at him, touched by his words. ''Really?''

''Really.'' The blond smiled at him. ''Besides, we promised each other to reach the top like All Might!'' He exclaimed with a challenging grin.

After recovering, Izuku grinned and returned the embrace. ''Right!'' His friend smirked from his determination. ''Plus, it would be cool to become a quirkless hero. Like Eraserhead, he kinda fights like a quirkless person.'' He then rubbed his chin. ''But then again, he does have a capture weapon and his quirk does help with-''

With a sigh, Bakugou lightly flicked him on the forehead, causing him to yelp. ''You're doing that thing again.'' He shook his head. ''It's like quirks and heroics are the only thing you think about.'' It was honestly impressive and scary how detailed his friend is.

''Don't forget about food.'' The hero nerd added with a grumble as he rubbed his head. ''And I can't help it, quirks and heroes are cool.'' He pouted but wasn't upset, he knew he could get into his analysis.

Bakugou chuckled with a nod. ''True.'' He then frowned when he looked up and noticed the sky. ''It's getting late, we better go before Aunt Inko and Uncle Hisashi get worried.''

''Don't forget Aunt Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru.'' Izuku chimed in, causing the blond to grumble. ''Kacchan, don't be mean to your mom.'' He exclaimed with a poke on his shoulder.

The explosive child pushed his hand away with a huff. ''Tell that to her.'' They separated from the embrace. ''She's always yelling at me!'' He crossed his arms and looked away stubbornly.

Izuku sweatdropped. ''Maybe if you weren't yelling back at her, things would be peaceful.'' He held himself back from saying, not willing to receive an earful from his grouchy friend. ''Well, have you tried telling her to stop?'' He questioned though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

He was proven right when the blond gave him an exasperated look with his hands in the air. ''I did!'' He kicked a small pebble on the ground. ''But all she said was that she wasn't yelling and that it's just her normal voice.''

At that, Izuku snickered at the reasoning. ''Like you?'' He couldn't help but point out.

''Hah!?'' The blond snapped at him with a look of shock and betrayal. ''I don't scream like her!'' His retort echoed throughout the empty playground.

Izuku snorted. ''Whatever you say Kacchan.'' He teased and began walking away.

Bakugou watched him go with a narrowed look before following. ''Whatever.'' He grumbled.

---

The walk back home was done in a comfortable silence that would periodically be broken by a passing vehicle. But other than that, it was peaceful.

To this day, it's amazing how their families ended up becoming neighbors. Not only did that allow their parents to become close, since they were all classmates in their youth. The same thing allowed the children to have a strong friendship.

After a few moments, Izuku decided to break the silence. ''You know…'' Bakugou looked at him. ''Aunt Mitsuki loves you, even if she yells a lot.'' He pointed out with a sincere look as his gaze shifted to the peaceful sky.

There was silence again before the blond sighed. ''I know.'' He groaned. ''It's just annoying sometimes.'' He rubbed the back of his head. ''I'm not a baby.'' He muttered but it was heard well enough.

Izuku nodded with a hum. ''Mom's the same with me sometimes, minus the yelling.'' He smiled fondly. ''But dad says that that's just how mothers are, even he's like that.'' He placed his hands behind his neck and glanced at his friend, his smile remaining. ''I think he said that parents who don't care, don't deserve to be parents.''

Bakugou thought about it for a moment before glancing at him with a small smile. ''I think I get it, thanks.'' He mimicked his friend's posture.

With his smile widening, Izuku lightly bumped his friend. ''Anytime bro-''

''LET ME GO!''

With a jolt, both boys stopped in surprise. ''What was that!?'' Bakugou exclaimed in surprise.

''I-I don't know.'' Izuku replied after recovering from his shock. ''But it sounded like it came from-''

*crash*

They snapped to an empty street where the sound came from. ''This way.'' Izuku moved while Bakugou wordlessly followed.

When they got close, they leaned against a nearby wall. And since Izuku was in the front, he quietly took a peek to see what was going on.

What he saw made him pale.

There's a tall and skinny man wearing a long coat and a hat that further hid his features and wearing black shoes. And in his grasp is a girl about their age with ash-blonde hair and cat-like eyes, struggling to free herself with her mouth covered by the man's hand, next to them are trash cans that were knocked over. ''You're going to get me in trouble girl.'' His voice sent a shiver through her and Izuku. ''It would be easier for the both of us if you relaxed.'' His words only served to send panic through both children.

Bakugou noticed Izuku shaking and tapped his arm. ''W-What is it?'' He whispered in concern, having never seen his friend look so scared before.

Snapping out of his shock, Izuku hastily but quietly retreated and did his best to stop himself from giving into fear. He couldn't afford to freeze now, not when someone needed help. All Might wouldn't and neither would anyone willing to help.

And with that thought, his breathing began to steady while Bakugou's concern grew when he saw the fear on his friend's face. ''What did you see?'' Honestly, all this suspense was getting to him.

''Th-There's.'' Izuku steadied himself before looking at him with a serious but scared look. ''There's a villain hurting a girl.''

Bakugou was taken aback, their parents had told them that the place they live in is generally safe but they were warned that just because the place is safe, crime wouldn't be impossible here.

And unfortunately, they were right.

Shaking out of his shock, the blond swallowed to steady his nerves like any hero would. ''What do we do?'' He whispered.

At that, Izuku looked around. ''Mom always said to call for help when something bad happens but…'' He noted the empty street and how quiet the nearby houses were, indicating that the occupants weren't home. ''But nobody's around to call.'' He bit his lip as another idea came to mind, but it was incredibly risky.

The girl let out a muffled cry, effectively eliminating any hesitance from the boy.

With his lips pursed, he turned to Bakugou. ''We'll have to fight.'' He hoped they weren't going to regret this.

His blond friend went wide-eyed. ''Are you crazy!?'' He exclaimed in a harsh whisper. ''We need to get help!'' What happened to the nerd he knew!?

But to his dismay, Izuku shook his head. ''No time, if we leave, he'll take her away and there's no one around to call.'' Bakugou looked around and noticed the details he had. ''Who knows what he'll do to her.'' He took a peak and resisted the urge to yell when the man leaned close and whispered something in the girl's ear, making her whimper in fear. ''If you've got any better ideas, say it.'' Internally, he hopes he does, the less risk the better.

Bakugou seemed debating within himself before he eventually let out a quiet but frustrated groan. ''I've got nothing.'' His friend grimaced but understood. ''What's the plan? Can you tell what kind of quirk he has?'' He idly adjusted his wrists.

The determined child peaked again for a moment before shaking his head. ''No idea, he's in a shady disguise like in the hero comics.''

''Great.'' The blond snarked with a huff, liking the odds less and less. ''Into the unknown huh?'' His remark was met with an affirmative hum. ''Fine.'' He turned to his friend with an unsure but fiery grin. ''What's the plan?''

Izuku returned the grin and nodded. ''We need to get his attention first and since my quirk hasn't come in, you'll have to scare him off with yours.'' His friend nodded, he could make a big explosion, he'd done it before in secret and nearly got grounded for it. ''But if something goes wrong…'' His expression turned nervous but serious. ''You'll have to run and find help.''

''Not happening.'' The explosive child cut him off with a glare and raised a hand. ''No hero leaves anyone behind.'' He smirked.

Izuku was taken aback by the loyalty before returning the smirk with a smile and firmly clasping his hand with his. ''Right.'' They released their hands and took a deep breath before rounding the corner. ''LET HER GO!'' He barked while Bakugou stood ready beside him with a heated glare.

The man leaned away from the girl in surprise while keeping a grip on her while the latter stared at the duo in surprise which turned to fear. ''Huh?'' He quickly composed himself and made a show of looking between the girl in his arms and at the boys before gasping. ''Oh! You've got the wrong idea!'' He chuckled. ''Me and my daughter were just-''

''Save it creep!'' Bakugou cut in, his earlier fear dissolving into resolve. ''We know you're up to no good!''

''Yeah!'' Izuku nodded with his arms crossed to look tough. ''So let her go!'' He glared while subtly eyeing the girl who looked torn between hoping and fearing for them.

The man stared at them for a moment before his clueless persona was replaced with a neutral look. ''I see, then I guess there's no point in denying it.'' The air suddenly became tense but the boys held their ground. ''Didn't your parents teach you to not approach strangers?'' He questioned in a disappointed tone.

''They did.'' Izuku nodded, his face still determined. ''But they also taught us to help those in need!'' He narrowed his eyes. ''So, if you don't want any trouble, you'll-''

The man chortled jovially, interrupting the child's warning. ''Such selflessness!'' The fear on the girl's face grew as he gave them a look that they couldn't describe. ''But quite…naughty for trying to tell me what to do.''

While ignoring the shiver that went up their spines, the children stood firm while the man continued. ''Boys aren't my thing but…'' He gave them that weird look again while slowly twirling a finger in their direction. ''I'll make an exception for both of you~.'' He licked his lips as the girl's eyes widened in terror.

As Bakugou looked disturbed and grossed out, Izuku eyed the girl's eyes and muffled screaming. ''What is she?'' He heard something behind him and looked before his eyes widened. ''Kacchan mov-!'' His warning was too late as branches from a nearby tree in someone's garden moved like snakes and grabbed the two boys.

''Too slow~!'' The man giggled as the children struggled. ''You should have known better than to go against someone without knowing what quirk they have.'' He 'tsked' while shaking his head. ''Obviously, your parents didn't teach you well.'' He mocked with a pout.

Bakugou growled with rage in his eyes. ''SHUT UP!'' His palms sparked before he blew off a couple of branches, only for new ones to quickly replace them. ''What the!?''

''Oh my! What a dangerous quirk!'' The man dramatically gasped but didn't look anywhere near concerned, just cautious. ''Better save you for last.'' His gaze shifted to Izuku who was struggling. ''And what about you? Got any dangerous quirks for me?'' He prodded with a curious look.

But Izuku didn't respond and merely focused on escaping, prompting a raised eyebrow from the man. ''A one-track mind huh?'' He shrugged. ''No matter, you'll have your turn.'' He turned his attention to the girl in his arms. ''Now, where were-''

*boom*

With a sigh, the creep looked to Bakugou as more burned branches fell. ''I was wrong, you're the one that's going to get me in trouble.'' He then smirked before throwing the girl towards more branches to catch her and cover her mouth. ''But no matter, the night is still young and I have just the thing for troublemakers like you.'' He reached into his coat and pulled out a syringe with fluid inside.

The sight of the item caused all of them to pale. ''Get away from me you freak!'' Bakugou was about to set off another explosion before the branches aimed his palms toward the fearful girl. ''Shit!'' Thankfully he was able to stop himself from setting off an explosion.

''Careful now~!'' The man teased while wagging his finger. ''We wouldn't want an accident to happen now, would we?'' He then made a few gestures, causing the vines on the blond to restrain him and cover his mouth. ''There, now you'll be much easier to deal with.'' He began lowering the struggling blond. ''I'll be sure to do something about that dirty mouth of yours back home.'' He added with a leer.

With the gravity of the situation setting, Izuku's struggles increased. ''L-Let them go!'' The man paid him no mind as he slowly and tauntingly lowered the angered blond. ''P-Please! Listen!'' Guilt and shame went through the boy as Bakugou continued the struggle while glaring at the evil man.

His gaze then shifted to the girl looking at them in silent apology and fear. The sight sparked something within him, something that he hadn't felt before.

When he looked at Bakugou again, who defiantly stared at the needle while the man licked his lips, that feeling increased. Like a fire had been ignited within his very soul, spreading throughout his body.

And combined with his will and frustration with the situation, the flame turned into an inferno. Causing the branches to crack and his scleras to turn green while his form shook. ''I said…'' His pupils sharpened and his emerald irises formed around the sharpened pupils as the man aimed the needle at Bakugou's neck. ''Let…'' He snarled as his teeth sharpened with drool as the girl closed her eyes in inevitability. ''THEM GO!'' He roared as a bright light and shockwave erupted from his body.

As soon as this happened, the man was knocked away from the blond child and slammed against the wall before falling to the floor with a groan and dropping his needle, including his hat revealing a middle-aged man with blue hair. At the same time, the branches holding onto Bakugou and the girl lost power and dropped them.

Despite his shock, Bakugou remembered the mission and regained his focus to look at the girl who lifted herself off the ground in a daze. ''COME ON!''

His call snapped her out of it and after glancing at the man who was still recovering, she sprinted towards the blond who protectively wrapped his arms around her like a hero. ''I've got her!'' He turned to his friend. ''Let's go Izu…ku…'' When he trailed off in shock, the girl leaned back in confusion before remembering the other boy and looked before being stunned as well.

With a groan, the man lifted his face off the ground and rubbed his head with one hand. ''That's what I get for playing with my prey.'' He muttered before his eyes landed on the destroyed syringe. ''Great.'' He groaned before standing to glare at the boy.

Only to pale at the sight.

Instead of a vulnerable child, in his place is a medium dinosaur-looking beast with a U-shaped horn crest and additional nasal horns. The front of its body sported a jagged layer of armor. Five fingers and three toes with sharp claws at the end. Topped with a large tail and a dangerous aura that was enhanced with the smoke emitting from him after transforming.

But despite suddenly feeling small, the villain tried to save face, concluding that the child must have just unlocked his quirk. Making him inexperienced and easier to deal with. ''That's quite the quirk you have there.'' He fought against his nerves when the beast lifted his head and stared at him in anger. ''I-I think we got off on the wrong foot, and since your friends are free again, why don't we just go our separate ways and-''

The beast let out a powerful roar and charged at the man who let out a yelp and brought his hands forward. Causing the trees behind the child to return to life shot out branches that grabbed Izuku's wrists and legs, which only proved to slow him down. ''W-What power!'' He grimaced with sweat as he commanded more branches to wrap around the beast's limbs.

But like before, it only slowed him down as he continued marching through the struggle with a growl and rage in his eyes. Causing some branches to snap off and the villain to falter.

And with each branch snapping, the man's fear grew as he gradually took a step back. ''N-Now hang on-'' Another branch snapped with a step forward from the beast. ''T-This whole thing is just one big misunderstanding!'' He whimpered as he unknowingly cornered himself against a wall. ''I-I swear I wasn't-!''

Tired of hearing the man talk, Izuku roared and freed himself before continuing his charge. At this point, the man realized the position he was in and trembled as no trees with branches were left for his quirk to use.

When the beast got close, the man was about to dodge to the right but Izuku instinctively expected the move so rather than continuing the ramming maneuver, he decided to slide close to the villain while turning his body. Causing the man to collide with his powerful tail, knocking the wind out of him as he was carried by the momentum and thrown to the wall behind Izuku.

After slamming his back against the wall, the man slumped on the ground, nearly passing out. ''Ugh…'' He let out a weak groan and held his side, surmising that something broke. ''How did this happen?'' A shadow loomed over him, forcing him to look up to the enraged child weakly. ''I-I'm finished.'' He raised a trembling hand. ''P-Please.''

Izuku growled and grabbed the man's face, the latter emitting a pained groan that was muffled into his palm. ''L-Let go!'' He whimpered while feebly hitting the arm holding him in a similar way the girl did to him earlier.

In response, he was lifted and slammed against the wall, knocking him out in the process. ''Villain…'' The enraged child snarled and tightened his grip, piercing a bit of skin with his claws, causing a bit of blood to drip.

As this happened, Bakugou and the girl snapped out of their shock and began to panic, realizing what the young boy was about to do. ''O-Oi! Izuku! Snap out of it!'' The blond released the girl and ran to his friend.

But Izuku didn't hear him, nor did he register the child standing next to him and hitting his legs. ''This isn't who you are!'' He began hitting as hard as he could. ''He's already beaten!''

After a few more hits, Bakugou's hands were beginning to hurt. ''His skin is tough!'' He held his hands with a grimace and considered using his quirk but didn't think it would be a good idea. ''All Might wouldn't do this! He'd take them to jail!'' Izuku stopped squeezing but didn't release the man.

Seeing this, the blond felt hopeful but cautious. ''Heroes don't go around killing people! Only villains do that!'' His friend growled but didn't move, forcing the blond to think before trying another way. ''What would Aunt Inko and Uncle Hisashi think!?''

At that, Izuku stopped growling and stilled. ''Mom…'' His posture loosened a bit. ''Dad…'' He blinked, the intensity in his eyes lowering a bit.

Bakugou was glad that he was getting through to him. ''That's right, think about how hurt they would be.'' He pointed out with a pleading look.

''Hurt…'' His posture loosened some more before his eyes hardened and increased his grip again. ''He hurt you and the girl!'' The man let out faint whimpers from the pressure, his blood flowing more.

The blond felt his stomach drop in panic. ''NO STOP!'' He desperately tried to shake his friend's leg but to no avail. ''WERE SAFE NOW AND HE'S-!'' He stopped when he caught movement in his vision.

Izuku let out a low growl as his tail slammed against the concrete, cracking it in the process. ''I won't let you hurt anyone else!'' His eyes glowed with rage as he prepared to crush the man.

''P-Please stop!''

Not recognizing the voice, Izuku glanced to the left and saw the girl that they had saved. Looking up at him with tears and fear as she had her hands on the side of his leg. ''You've done enough! Let the police punish him!'' She begged.

Izuku opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. ''He did hurt us but it's over now! Look at him!'' He did just that and finally noticed the blood, causing him to tense. ''He can't fight anymore!'' Izuku began to shake, unsure of what to do. He wanted to punish him, to make him pay for all the pain he caused them and possibly others before them.

But at the same time, why did it feel so wrong to do this?

Seeing this, she pushed on. ''If you don't stop now y-you'll…'' She faltered before mustering whatever courage she had left and screaming with conviction. ''YOU'LL BECOME A REAL MONSTER LIKE HIM!''

As her words echoed throughout the area, Bakugou stared at her in shock while Izuku froze. Become like him? Like a villain? Someone who went after the innocent?

Just the thought of becoming like him felt like cold water flowing through his veins and caused him to fully grasp what he was about to do. Not only was he about to take a life in anger, but it was going to be against someone who had no way of fighting anymore. What kind of hero would do such a thing?

Not only that but what would his parents think? Yes, the man deserved punishment and more, but would it be worth scaring his family and friends over it? Would it be worth throwing away his future?

To be known as a monster and nothing else?

As clarity began to take over, Izuku's expression became more appalled before snapping at the man's injured form and hastily dropping him. ''I-I…'' He staggered back and fell on his butt with a heavy thump. ''I d-didn't mean to…'' He stared at the blood on his claws and trembled. ''I…'' He couldn't finish his words, feeling sick all of a sudden.

The girl said nothing and stared at him in sadness while Bakugou regained what composure he had left and approached him. ''He isn't dead.'' His words helped a little, but his friend was still disappointed in himself. ''He's just really hurt, I'm sure he'll get treated before he's taken to jail.''

Bakugou and the girl covered their eyes when Izuku's form flashed before revealing a heartbroken child who hugged his knees and surprisingly, intact clothes. The sight broke their hearts, but before they could say anything they heard the sounds of police sirens nearby.

Hearing this, the blond sighed as he caught sight of a police car emerging from the nearby corner. ''Looks like someone nearby finally noticed, I'll talk to them.'' He turned to the girl. ''Can you keep an eye on him?''

The girl said nothing as she sadly stared at Izuku and merely nodded. ''I will.'' She quietly replied and approached to sit next to the boy who made no move to acknowledge her. And after a moment of hesitation, she pulled him into an embrace, internally glad that he didn't resist.

Bakugou stared at them for a moment before nodding. ''Thanks.'' He braced himself and began approaching the two officers who were approaching the scene in shock.

As this happened, the girl began running her fingers through his hair, in the same way her mother would when she was sad. ''It's going to be ok.'' She soothed while using her other hand to rub his back.

Izuku didn't reply, but his body did relax a bit from her gesture, which she was fine with, and silently agreed to give him time while watching Bakugou explain to the officers.

After a few moments though, he spoke. ''What's your name?'' He questioned in a low voice.

Knowing that he was trying to not think about what happened, she calmly obliged. ''Himiko Toga.''

''Himiko.'' He repeated before nodding. ''Pretty name.'' He muttered before smiling at her despite his tear-stained face. ''My name's Izuku Midoriya and the exploding one is Bakugou Katsuki.''

Despite herself, she giggled at the remark at his friend and nodded while internally touched that he called her name pretty. ''Izuku and Bakugou.'' She repeated before nodding. ''I like your names.'' She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but judging by his smile, it was.

---

AFTER THE EXPLANATION

Naomasa knew being a policeman would be a challenge. Just as his father told him and his father's father before that. He knew that the training alone and the responsibilities that came after that would be a trial by itself.

But despite this, he took on the challenge, not because his family had a history of being law enforcers. No, he did it simply because he felt like he could do more by helping and protecting people. Yeah, there are heroes around with powerful quirks that could do more than the average individual or a person like him with a non-combat quirk.

And while their presence helps, they aren't available all the time. They're people who need brakes too and that's where folks like him come in. To lighten the load for them, to give them a chance to take a breather every once in a while.

It'll be tough, dangerous even, considering that there are criminals and killers out there with powerful quirks. But he'd face them if it meant that people could live in peace in this world.

And it's because of this when he and his partner Akira got a call about civilians reporting explosions and beastly roars near their area, they investigated since they were the closest patrol car.

So, when they got close, fully expecting a rampaging villain, they were caught completely off guard when all they saw was a bunch of distraught children in a place full of dead/burned branches and an unconscious man who he recognized as Ohashi Aki, who is under suspicion for stalking in the area.

Now as mentioned earlier, Naomasa knew being a man of the law would be tough. But he also knew that it was a tragic path.

As the blond boy explained to his stunned partner, his gaze shifted to the boy who was in the young girl's embrace. Even though it was out of his control, he still felt responsible.

Maybe if he had done more patrols, they would have caught Ohashi sooner and none of this would have happened. The kidnappings would have stopped, these children would have been spared from danger and this young boy wouldn't have been pushed to almost choose between taking a life or not.

He knew it wasn't fair to put this on himself, but with his duty to protect people, how could he not?

So, with this thought, he took a breath and excused himself as his partner continued to interview the child. He may have failed to prevent this, but he would be damned if he allowed the boy to continue placing blame on himself like he has.

As he neared, he made sure to compose himself and appear as kind as possible. ''Hello.'' He greeted in a kind tone, but despite this, the children looked up in nervousness. ''I'm Officer Naomasa.'' He went to eye level with them. ''I'm sorry you had to experience this whole ordeal and while I can't promise everything will go back to normal right away, I can promise that the bad man will go away for a long, long, time.'' He firmly but gently promised and while he could have said it differently, he at least owed it to them to not give them any delusions of immediate normalcy after this.

The girl seemed to understand, the boy on the other hand was more focused on the man on the ground. ''...I-Is he dead?'' He trembled, prompting the girl to embrace him again.

In all honesty, a part of Naomasa wished he was, after hearing about what he was going to do to these children, but that wouldn't have been appropriate to say, and instead focused on the boy's kind-hearted nature. ''I'm sure he isn't. From what I heard from your friend; you didn't cause any serious damage.'' He gently pointed out.

''B-But he's bleeding.'' The boy sniffed and wiped his eyes while the girl looked saddened by his tears.

''Good.'' The officer held back the remark before smiling. ''I'm sure, but to prove it to you, I'll check for myself. Ok?'' He got a meek nod in response, making him mentally sigh. ''Why is it that bad things happen to the kindest of us?''

Putting that thought aside, Naomasa rose to his feet and turned to the body. ''Be careful.'' He heard the girl say and after sending her a thankful smile he approached the criminal with a stern frown.

As he stood over the criminal, Naomasa mentally reminded himself to act professional and refrain from kicking the body, before crouching next to the man and checking his pulse. Once that was done, he checked if anything was broken before flipping him on his stomach and placing handcuffs just in case.

He then positioned the man so that he was sitting against the wall. ''I'll let the paramedics and the investigators handle the rest.'' He then looked around and spotted a nearby security camera from one of the houses. ''But from the looks of things, there wouldn't be much of an investigation to begin with.'' He smiled to himself and made his way to the children who had stood and had been watching him in anticipation.

''He's alive, just out cold.'' The relief that Naomasa saw on the boy's features was palpable. It was as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders and the girl next to him looked happy for him. ''Now, were the three of you on your way home before this happened?'' He raised an eyebrow when the girl looked tense from the question.

But his attention was diverted when the boy lightly nodded. ''Kacchan and I were but…'' He glanced at the girl with a curious look, the latter not meeting his gaze. ''I don't know about Toga.''

''I'm sure there's an explanation.'' The officer gently encouraged them before going to eye level with them again. ''Right, Toga?'' He patiently prodded with a calm look. ''She probably got lost or too in shock to properly explain.''

Toga bit her lip and suddenly found her feet more interesting, uncertainty on her features as she looked lost on what to do or say.

Suddenly, she felt her hand being held. Looking to the left she saw that Izuku had grabbed her hand and was giving her an encouraging look. ''You can trust him Toga, he seems nice and my parents always say to be honest with the police.''

She took in his words, having heard the same thing from her parents. She then looked to the man who offered her a kind smile and a nod before glancing at Izuku with a smile of her own. ''Ok.'' He beamed from the response while she squeezed his hand in return. ''I…'' She mustered up courage and looked up at the man. ''I ran away and got lost.''

Whatever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't that as Izuku and Naomasa were taken aback. ''Ran away? From your parents?'' The officer eyed her more carefully. ''She doesn't appear to be abused and she looks to be well fed and healthy.''

But to his relief, she shook her head. ''No, Mom and Dad love me and I love them. But they said my quirk might make it hard for others to play with me.'' She looked small from repeating what they said. ''But I didn't listen and went out to the playground to play.'' Naomasa frowned, having an idea where this was going. ''We played and had fun.'' She smiled a little before becoming sad again. ''Until they…'' Her vision began to blur. ''Asked about my quirk.''

Naomasa was about to ask but Izuku's curiosity peaked when her quirk was mentioned. ''Why? What's your quirk?'' Behind him, Bakugou was making his way towards them while Akira called for backup and paramedics.

Toga hesitated again, nervous and fearful of the same thing happening again. ''W-Will you hate me?''

While Bakugou looked confused, Izuku immediately shook his head. ''No way.'' He squeezed her hand. ''You don't seem like a bad person.'' He gave her an honest smile.

His gesture and trust helped, allowing her to think about it before nodding. ''Ok.'' She took a deep breath. ''My quirk lets me transform into any person.''

Bakugou gave her a confused look but was also impressed. ''That doesn't sound-''

''But I need to drink their blood to activate it.'' She showed her pointed canines and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable judgment and reactions. ''This is dumb, why did I even-''

''That's so cool!''

Her eyes snapped open in surprise and turned to Izuku who was looking at her in awe while Bakugou and Naomasa looked surprised but not in a negative way. ''Y-You're not scared?'' Did they not hear her?

But to her further surprise, Izuku vehemently shook his head, his love of helping people and quirks overriding his earlier sadness. ''Not even close! Your quirk sounds amazing!'' Behind him, Bakugou nodded in agreement, it sounded like a very useful quirk for a hero to have.

Toga looked like she couldn't believe what she heard. ''You're not grossed out or think it's a villain's quirk?'' The officer frowned, did the children say that to her? That's just plain cruel to say.

''Nope!'' Izuku chirped and pointed to himself. ''My quirk is pretty scary.'' He grimaced a little when he said that. ''But I'm not planning on becoming a villain anytime soon!'' He then glanced at the unconscious criminal with a frown. ''With practice.''

While Naomasa was impressed with the child's grit despite the circumstances, Bakugou quickly chimed in. ''Yeah! And I'll be there with you!'' The two boys smiled at each other and bumped fists. ''We'll beat every villain like All Might!''

Toga watched them in shock before smiling, swept away by their enthusiasm. ''Me too!'' The two snapped at her in surprise. ''I want to be a hero like Vlad King or Midnight!'' She cheered, prompting words of praise from the two.

Naomasa watched on with a smile and looked forward to seeing their heroics in the future. ''I'm sure the three of you will do great.'' His words prompted a smile from them. ''But we need to get the three of you back home before it gets any darker.'' They looked up and noted how late it was, making them worried about how their parents would react, Toga moreso. ''Do any of you live nearby?'' The boys raised their hands. ''Ok, which one of you lives closest?''

''We're neighbors.'' Izuku and Bakugou replied, gaining a surprised look from Toga. The latter is internally envious of having friends living next to you.

Naomasa chuckled. ''Well, that certainly makes it easier.'' He then turned to Toga. ''Do you know your home phone number?'' She nodded. ''Good, since I assume you live far away. I'll bring you to Izuku's home so you can have a safe place to rest. Then I'll contact your family and have them pick you up. Is that ok?''

While nervous about how her parents would react, Toga still knew that they loved her and must be worried sick, so she nodded. ''Good.'' He turned to Akira who approached them. ''I'll be taking the boys to their home and since the girl lives far, we'll contact her folks to pick her up there.''

''Got it.'' His partner nodded as backup and an ambulance arrived. ''I'll handle things here while you do that, but you need to have the medics check on them first.

''Of course.'' Naomasa nodded and turned to them. ''You guys ok with that?'' After receiving nods, he gestured for them to follow. ''Ok, let's get it over with so you can go home.''

Bakugou nodded and moved while Izuku turned to Toga who was in thought. ''You ok?''

With a jolt, she nodded. ''Y-Yeah!'' After nodding in agreement, he smiled and began guiding her to the medics while she stared at their intertwined hands for a moment before smiling to herself. ''Thank you.''

---

LATER-MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-LIVING ROOM

''They should be home by now.'' A slim woman with dark green hair in a ponytail, Inko Midoriya, paced back and forth while periodically glancing at the clock and anxiously gripping the hem of her shirt.

On a couch, a tall and strong-built man in casual attire with familiar freckles, Hisashi Midoriya sighed. ''You need to sit down Inko, you'll age faster if you keep it up.'' He pointed out with a worried frown as he stood and approached her.

The woman turned to him, tensely. ''I can't help it! I'm not as calm as you!'' She exclaimed while glancing at the door, thinking that would somehow bring her baby back soon.

''Who says I am?'' He calmly retorted and held her arms, making her look up at him. ''I'm just as worried as you are.'' Looking into his eyes, she could tell right away how stressed he was. ''But panicking won't bring them back faster.'' He sighed, hating that fact. ''Five minutes, then we'll call the police, ok?'' He appeased her while cupping her cheek.

Inko stared at him before leaning into his touch with a nod. ''Ok.'' She sighed before placing her head on his chest. ''But make it three.'' He hummed in agreement and wrapped his strong arms around her.

''I hate this!'' A blonde woman, Mitsuki Bakugou barked while stomping out of the kitchen area with her husband, Masaru Bakugou followed while trying to calm her down. ''Katsuki's got an attitude but he isn't dumb.'' She lowered her voice when Masaru grabbed her arm. ''Even if he's stubborn, he at least listens to Izuku.'' She grumbled while leaning into her husband's one-armed embrace.

*Ding* *Dong*

At once, Inko perked up. ''That must be them!'' She separated from her husband's embrace to run to the door. Upon reaching it, she threatened to tear the handle off with how forceful she opened it with a relieved and panicked look. ''Where have you-!? Huh?'' She blinked as she was met with a stunned police officer. ''Good evening officer, what can I do for you?'' She greeted after recomposing herself while the rest caught up only to be shocked by the officer's presence as well.

After recovering from his stupor, Naomasa cleared his throat. ''Good evening.'' He took off his hat and held it in his hands. ''Are you by any chance Inko Midoriya?'' He calmly questioned while noting her eyes. ''Same eyes, but I could be wrong.''

While taken aback by this, she nodded but became wary. ''Yes, but how do you-?'' She froze as her nose twitched while in the back, the others stilled as well when they noticed something.

''Well, you see.'' Naomasa continued, not noticing her actions, and moved to the side. ''My partner and I-''

''MY BABY!''

Before the man could comprehend what had happened, he was effortlessly thrown to the side as Inko cried towards Izuku who had to hastily release Toga's hand. The latter jumped away with a yelp and watched in awe as the boy was scooped up in the woman's arms and spun around as the woman wailed in relief. All the while, the boy accepted it and laughed.

Bakugou watched the scene with a smile before noting his mother approaching before stopping, looking unsure of what to do. He was about to ask what the problem was until he remembered Izuku's earlier words to him and sighed. ''I guess I'm not the only one bothered.'' With this he swallowed his pride and approached her, surprising her in the process.

This reaction bothered him more than he'd be willing to admit, but he brushed it off and hugged her leg when he got close, making her go still. ''Sorry for making you worried.'' He mumbled with an embarrassed blush.

Mitsuki stared at him in shock before smiling sweetly and rubbing the top of his head. ''I'm glad you're back.'' Tears threatened to spill but she shouldered on while he just smiled in the embrace.

As this happened, Naomasa sat up while rubbing the back of his head with a wince. ''Should have expected that.'' He muttered but smiled at the scene, he then became aware of a hand in his view.

Looking up he saw Hisashi offering to help him up and behind stood Masaru, both looking apologetic. ''I hope you haven't had dinner; it'll be a while before things settle.'' He said in a knowing tone.

Naomasa accepted the hand but gave them an apologetic look when he got up. ''That's very kind of you, but I can't stay long. I just need to make a call and get back on patrol-''

''I'm sure the city can wait for a few moments of your time.'' Masaru calmly chimed in. ''And aside from that, you can give us a better explanation when you aren't in a rush.''

Hisashi nodded. ''Yeah, and you kind of look like you haven't eaten anything.'' Just then, the officer's body chose the chance to remind him how hungry he was from skipping lunch today, making the man blush. ''See?'' The freckled man chuckled good-naturedly and patted his back. ''Don't worry, it's just a few snacks while you tell us what happened, then you'll be free to do what's needed.'' He kindly offered.

The officer still looked unsure but eventually nodded. ''Great!'' Hisashi beamed while Masaru smiled and went to inform the mothers. ''Inko makes great barbeque, you'll love it!'' The comment earned him another stomach growl from the thoroughly embarrassed officer.

---

AFTER THE EXPLANATION-MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-LIVING ROOM

''I'm so sorry that happened to you.'' Inko gently said in sadness as she rubbed Toga's back, the latter crying from having to remember what happened. ''Thank goodness nothing else happened.'' She then turned her gaze to Izuku who was seated to her left. ''What you and Bakugou did was dangerous, but I'm proud and more than glad you all made it out alright.'' The others voiced their agreement.

Izuku smiled a little but continued to look at his lap with a frown. ''Izuku?'' She prodded in concern, thinking about the possible trauma inflicted.

When the boy didn't respond, Hisashi had a feeling what was wrong and approached to kneel in front of him. ''None of us think any less of you for what happened.'' He gently placed his hands on his shoulders. "There was no way you could have predicted what could have happened." He then smiled. "But I want to let you know that your mother and I are proud of you."

At that, Izuku looked at him before not meeting his gaze again, causing the man to sigh. "I'm the one that should be sorry." The child snapped at him in shock and disbelief. What did they have to be sorry for?

"Me too." He looked up at his mother's guilty look. "It's the same quirk as mine, I should have prepared you better." She placed one hand on his back while she removed the other from Toga and held Hisashi's hand. "We should have prepared you better."

Hisashi sighed and looked down with a shake of his head. "Your quirk took longer than expected to manifest so we just assumed we had time." His frown deepened in disappointment. "Our complacency placed you and your friends at greater risk because of it."

Inko nodded, eyes filling with tears. "It did." She sniffed and pulled the stunned boy into an embrace while Hisashi took a seat next to the boy and joined them. "We're so, so sorry Izuku." She whimpered while the boy said nothing, looking deep in thought.

The other children said nothing, choosing to not interrupt but felt saddened as well. Masaru remained in somber silence while Mitsuki sighed. "How come they didn't catch him sooner?" She patiently questioned.

After drinking his tea, Naomasa placed the cup on the table with a frown. "Ohashi knows the law well." He shook his head. "Up until now, all we had against him were suspicions." He leaned back in his seat. "He was also good with alibis and always presented hard proof as to why he was there when he was caught on the scene." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "When others went to investigate him, that slippery crook never showed any signs of a motive to kidnap or stalk."

"Until now, when he gave into temptation." Masaru sighed and rubbed the back of his head while Mitsuki muttered obscenities about the man. "I hope the man rots for a long time."

The officer nodded. "He will, no doubt about that." He wore a satisfied smile despite the circumstances. "Since this was his first kidnapping attempt, he got careless and didn't spot a camera from a nearby home." He shrugged. "Not much to defend from that, plus the filed reports about him."

"Good." Mitsuki coldly remarked while protectively holding Bakugou close. "I hope they're rough with him in jail." Her son was a bit embarrassed but opted to just let her hold him.

Naomasa held back a snort. "No need to worry about that, prisoners aren't usually fond of people like Ohashi." Mitsuki nodded, satisfied with that. "I apologize, but may I use your phone? I need to contact Toga's parents and inform them of what happened."

Hisashi nodded and turned to Masaru. "I'll show him where it is." The freckled man thanked his friend who waved it off. "Don't worry about that, just focus on your family." He received a nod and turned to the Naomasa. "Follow me." The man hummed and followed while formulating the best way to converse with Toga's parents.

After a few more moments of silence, the parents assumed that Izuku must have been not in the mood, so they reluctantly began to separate.

Only to be shocked when he quickly held their wrists. "I don't hate both of you." He shook his head while they were taken aback. "As dad said, there was no way we could have known what would have happened." He then looked at his right hand. "I just need to take this as a lesson." He clenched his hand and looked up to his father in conviction. "To be better."

The man idly remembered telling him something similar in the past while acknowledging the determination in his son's eyes. "That's right son." He nodded with a proud look as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you can count on us to support you every step of the way." He promised in sincerity.

Inko however looked to be in thought, prompting Izuku to look at her when she didn't respond while Hisashi gave her a concerned but knowing frown, snapping her out of her thoughts. "S-Sorry! I was just thinking about something." She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before smiling sweetly at him. "Of course, I'll help, I can even show you tips on how to make your transformation smoother and faster." The child grew excited at the prospect of learning with his parents.

"Great!" Bakugou cut in as he hopped out of his mother's lap, the latter resisting the urge to scold him for interrupting the moment thanks to her husband calming her. "We can even train together sometimes if you want!" He offered with a grin.

Izuku returned the expression and hopped off the couch when his father gave way. "Of course!" When he got close, he wrapped an arm around the blond who did the same. "Heroes together!" He then glanced at Toga, offering his other arm. "And you too Toga!"

"Right!" The girl happily chirped and got close to the embrace. "Together!" Her cheer was mimicked by the boys.

The adults smiled at the scene before their focus was on Naomasa again when he entered the room. "Toga." The girl perked up. "Your parents said sorry because since it's late, they'll pick you up tomorrow." The blonde nodded as he turned to the others. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but would it be ok if she stayed?"

"It's no trouble at all!" Inko cut in. "It would be cruel to send her out after what she'd been through." Mitsuki voiced her agreement. "But I'd rather leave the choice to her." She turned to the girl. "So, what will it be, dear?"

Toga looked between the two families in thought before making her decision. "I…" She looked at Izuku and shyly grabbed the hem of his shirt. "I'd like to stay with Izuku."

"Ok." Inko nodded and looked at him. "Would it be ok if she stayed with you in your room?" She received a nod, making her smile fondly at his kindness.

Naomasa nodded. "Then it's decided." He wore his hat again and straightened his outfit. "Thank you very much for the meal and I'm sorry for the rush, but I need to return to patrol."

"It's no problem at all, we're the ones that invited you in." Hisashi cut in and approached. "Thanks again for escorting the kids." The adults voiced similar thoughts.

The officer nodded to them. "You're welcome." He then looked at the children with a smile. "Good luck on becoming heroes and try to stay out of trouble." He advised as he and the father went to the door.

"We will! Bye!" Izuku and the other kids waved the man goodbye.

Mitsuki gave a wave before turning to Bakugou. "Let's go Bakugou, it's past your bedtime."

The blond groaned in embarrassment as Izuku and Toga giggled. "Don't embarrass me!" He crossed his arms and looked up at her with a pout. "And I'm not tired!"

The blonde woman rolled her eyes and looked at him fondly while next to her, Masaru chuckled. "You say that now, but you'll be when we get back." She pointed out knowingly and offered a hand. "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up before bed." The child grumbled and went to grab her hand.

Mitsuki giggled before turning to Inko. "Thank you for letting us stay here for a bit." Her friend waved her off, saying that she was welcome any time. "Same to you." She smiled at her before turning to the pair. "Remember to show manners Izuku. And Toga, you're welcome to visit anytime."

"I will!" Izuku nodded while Toga expressed her thanks before both children waved Bakugou goodbye, the latter saying the same as they made their way to the door where Hisashi politely waited for them. "This is great! I never had a sleepover with anyone other than Kacchan before!" He lit up in excitement. "Do you want to watch-?"

"Izuku." Inko cut in, making him freeze. "All of you have been through a lot today and it's late." She placed a hand on her hip. "You can always watch hero stuff tomorrow." She suggested in a tone that left no room for argument.

Realizing her point, he looked down, slightly embarrassed and ashamed. "Sorry mom." He felt his hand being grabbed, making him look up to see Toga giving him a reassuring look, making him smile.

"It's alright." The mother smiled, finding the moment sweet. "Now show her the bathroom so both of you can wash your faces and brush your teeth." She then paused for a moment. "You can give her the extra toothbrush. Do you know where it is?" She questioned as Hisashi made his way to them.

Izuku nodded. "Yep!" He then turned to tell her to follow before stopping.

This of course made Toga and the adults confused. "What's wrong Izuku?"

It looked like he was snapped out of a daze before shaking his head. "Nothing, sorry." When she gave him a curious look, he elaborated. "You have pretty eyes." He bluntly remarked with a shrug.

He was then confused as to why Toga's face reddened before she looked down with a small smile. "T-Thank you." He was about to ask what was wrong before shrugging and guiding the suddenly quiet girl to the bathroom.

As this happened, Hisashi watched him go with a smile. "Not even a teen yet and he already has that Midoriya charm." He chuckled.

"Yeah…" Inko mumbled, watching them go with a frown.

Hearing her tone, he sighed. "He's going to find out eventually." He moved in front of her. "He's already shown his drive to be a hero since he was younger, it's bound to come up eventually." He calmly pointed out.

She nodded and leaned her head against his chest with him wrapping his arms around her. "But what am I supposed to say, Sashi?" He could feel the fear and doubt coming from her, urging him to rub her back.

"The truth." His answer caused her to tense. "He'll be in for a shock, but that's generally how honesty works." He tightened his embrace a bit. "And let's be honest, telling him the whole truth seems better than keeping something from him." His remark caused her to relax a bit to listen. "It'll make things easier to teach him about his quirk and he'll know that we trust him wholeheartedly." He ran his fingers through her ponytail. "Honesty and Trust was one of the many things we vowed during the wedding if memory serves me right."

Inko was silent before sighing and leaning back to look at him with a loving smile. "You always know the right things to say to make me fall in love with you again." She leaned up for a kiss that he returned with equal love.

When the need for air took over, they separated with Hisashi giving her a teasing look. "I thought it was my looks and muscles?" He released one arm to flex his bicep with a goofy grin.

She giggled and lightly smacked his chest. "Don't get a big head, your muscles and looks are just a bonus." She placed a hand on his chest and over his heart. "I fell in love with what's in here." She then gently guided him to lower his head, with him allowing it. "And in here." She kissed his forehead.

When she was done, he leaned back with a look that warmed her to the core. "The same goes for me." He shook his head. "To this day, I feel like the luckiest man alive." She gave him a quick kiss after that remark. "But back to my point, you'll need to tell him the truth." He held her close again. "And I'll be with you when that happens."

"I know." She nodded against his chest. "I love you." She tightened her embrace.

He hummed. "Love you too." He kissed the top of her head again.

---

THE NEXT MORNING-MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-DINING AREA

"Would you like some more eggs Toga?" Inko kindly offered to the girl who politely declined before sighing at Izuku who was scarfing his meal. "Izu, we have a guest."

The boy froze before he could put more food in his mouth before lowering it with a blush. "I can't help it, your cooking's the best!"

"Hey, I've made good food too!" Hisashi cut in as he ate, prompting a hasty apology from the boy as Inko shook her head in fond exasperation while Toga giggled at the family's antics.

*Ding* *Dong*

Just as the children finished their food, Hisashi perked up at the sound. "That must be your parents Toga." The girl was glad to hear that but was also nervous about the scolding she might get from running away. "I'll get it." Inko went to grab the dishes for washing as he stood while the children went to the living room.

As he got close to the door, he took a peek through the peephole before opening the door. "Good morning." He greeted the visitors as he got a good look.

The first one is a man about his age who's a little shorter than him with an average build, white hair, and brown eyes.

The second person looked just like Toga if she was the same age as Inko. Only she had long hair that passed her shoulders.

As he took note of this, Hisashi could tell right away how stressed they were, but he needed to be sure. "Are you Toga's parents?" From what Naomasa told him, the man's name is Hideo Toga and the woman's name is Mana Toga.

Before the father could speak, the mother stepped forward. "Yes! Is she here!?" She questioned with desperation but was calmly held back by her husband.

Hisashi stared at them and noted the bags under their eyes before nodding. "This way." He stepped aside, allowing them to enter.

---

MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-LIVING ROOM

"I'm so sorry for running away!" Toga cried into her mother's arms, all earlier fear of being scolded faded away the moment she laid eyes on them. "I should have listened!"

Mana shook her head. "No, we should have done better in explaining it to you." She held her tight while Hideo held them both with tears as well. "We're so sorry for not doing more."

Hideo looked even more ashamed. "We should have been there for you at the playground or at least prepared you more for their reactions." He kissed her head. "Sorry."

Hearing her parents blame themselves broke the girl's heart, but rather than continuing the argument, she decided to try another way and looked up to her mother. "How about, instead of taking the blame." She paused to find the right words. "How about we do better next time?" She hoped they understood what she was trying to convey.

Fortunately, it seemed like they did as they looked at each other for a moment before turning to her with small smiles. "That sounds like a good plan, Himiko." Mana remarked as she wiped her tears and turned to the Midoriya family who had been watching in silence. "Thank you so much for taking care of her." Hideo addressed the family with similar thoughts.

"It's no trouble." Hisashi kindly responded. "It was the right thing to do after all." Inko nodded with a smile.

The parents regarded them with respect before turning their attention to Izuku. "Are you the one that saved her?" Hideo kindly asked.

To this, the child shook his head. "It wasn't just me." He pointed to the wall. "My friend Kacchan helped save her too!" Behind him, his parents felt proud of him for sharing the credit.

Mana nodded. "We'll be sure to stop by and give our thanks." She kissed Toga's head before looking at him again. "You've done a great service to this family; how could we ever repay you?" Hideo agreed and wanted to repay them for their kindness.

Inko and Hisashi glanced at each other, already knowing what to say. But rather than responding, they looked to their son to see what he'd say. If it's anything wrong or improper, they'll step in.

But to everyone's shock, Izuku immediately shook his head. "I don't want anything; I'm just glad Toga is ok." His parents grew even prouder of him as he continued. "But if you want to pay me back, just do what she said and be better together." He was pulled into an embrace by his mother.

The girl blushed a little from his focus on her, something that Mana took notice of and filed away for later while Hideo recovered from his shock and nodded with a smile. "You can count on it." Izuku beamed at him.

Hideo then noticed the time and hesitated before speaking. "I'm sorry to say, but it's time for us to go."

"Wait really!?" Izuku looked up to his parents who both gave him apologetic looks. "Aww man!" He slumped against his seat in defeat but understood.

Toga looked up to her parents in a silent plea but was saddened when they gave her the same apologetic look. "I'm sorry Himi, but we still need to settle things first." Mana patted her head in sympathy but that did little to help the girl who looked down.

Seeing this, Izuku's hero instincts kicked in, and got off the couch. "Don't worry Toga, we'll see each other again." Whether it was reassurance for himself or her, he wasn't sure at the moment.

But it was enough to make Toga look at him. "Really?" She looked close to tears.

Seeing this didn't sit well with Izuku so he got closer. "Yeah, it might take a long time, but it'll happen." He promised. "Plus, we can always call each other." He turned to his parents who agreed with him.

Toga thought about it before leaving her spot to hug him, which he returned in gusto. "I'll miss you." She mumbled into his shoulder with misty eyes.

Izuku hummed, feeling oddly warm from the gesture. "I'll miss you too." He wanted to cry too, but he held it in for her.

The parents remained silent, not daring to interrupt the moment but making a mental note to coordinate a day for the children to reunite and play. Or even, stay connected somehow.

After another moment, they tightened the embrace before separating. Toga sighed before looking to her parents, allowing them to take that as their cue. "Let's go, Himiko." The girl looked at her friend one more time before running to hug her mother's leg.

The parents looked at her with sympathy before looking at the Midoriya family. "Again, words cannot describe how grateful we are to all of you." Hideo remarked before he and Mana bowed. "Thank you for all you've done for us." They raised their heads again before following Hisashi out the door with Toga occasionally looking back at Izuku with a sad wave goodbye.

Izuku returned the wave before looking down at the floor with a sigh when they were out of sight. Although it's incredible to have saved someone, it felt like he'd lost something too.

Inko's heart ached at the sight and knelt beside him. "It isn't going to be forever Izuku." She pulled him into a hug. "You'll see each other again and besides; you can always message or talk over the phone like you said." She offered.

He sighed as he leaned into the embrace. "I know, but I'll still miss her." She nodded in understanding and kissed his forehead.

---

MEANWHILE-APARTMENT GROUNDS

The Toga family walked in somber silence as they made their way down the building. The group had just finished expressing thanks to the Katsuki family for everything they'd done for Toga.

And like Izuku, Bakugou did not take the news of her leaving well but understood. And after promising to keep in touch, the family left.

When they neared the ground floor, Mana took the chance to speak. "You'll see him again, Himi." She got a mumble in response, causing her to sigh and opt to give her daughter time.

Hideo watched with a frown, he always hated seeing his daughter sad and his wife worried. He knew he couldn't keep everyone happy forever, but it's hard not to feel troubled, especially after vowing to make the family happy during his wedding.

He began thinking of ways to lighten the mood, maybe bring them to a nice place to eat. Or maybe walk through a park? There's a nice place that just opened for the people to enjoy. Toga isn't the materialistic type so a new toy or object, while it would help a little, would ultimately be a temporary fix.

As Hideo continued to think of ways to cheer Toga up, they reached the ground floor. Passing a bulletin board that he briefly glanced at before stopping upon seeing something interesting.

He took a closer look at it and took in every detail before his eyes widened and a smile formed on his face. "Or this, this'll do." He took his phone out and got a picture. "If I act fast, it'll be a smooth transition." He mused as he stared at the picture before pocketing his phone and catching up to his family before, they noticed he had stopped.

---

LATER-IN A FOREST

"Where are we going?" Izuku questioned as held onto his father's hand while his mother led their family.

"You'll see, Izuku." Hisashi answered with a knowing chuckle while Inko focused on leading them safely through the path, looking like she was reliving something as her eyes scanned the area with a smile.

The response made Izuku pout. "You said the same thing before we left home." He mused and adjusted his bag while admiring the surroundings and the birds chirping. "At least it's peaceful and pretty." He mused while watching his step.

After Toga's family had left, the Midoriya home had become gloomy. Which became worse when Izuku didn't act like his usual self. He was quiet, didn't eat much during lunch, and had no motivation to play or do his usual hero-watching on Viewtube.

Seeing this, Inko couldn't take it anymore and privately suggested to Hisashi that she would be revealing the truth today. And while surprised, he asked how she planned to do it with Izuku's mood the way it is.

Which brings us here, in this quiet trail in a nearby forest close to the city. And while there's civilization nearby, not a lot of people are willing to go here. While some hike or camp, none had gone this deep into the trail as evidence of the lack of clear pathing.

As Izuku hopped over a tiny creek, his mother let out a gasp. "We're here!" Her excitement caused Hisashi to chuckle fondly while the child snapped up and let go of his father's hand and ran between two trees where his mother was gesturing with a grin.

Only to gasp at what he saw.

It was a clearing, roughly the size of a medium football field. The tall trees surrounding the area acted like a boundary of sorts to help measure the area. It has the greenest grass he's ever seen and apart from a few tree stumps, it's a beautiful space of nature.

"Woah…" Izuku exclaimed in awe before looking back at his parents who were watching him with fond smiles. "THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!" He cheered as he did a little spin.

Inko giggled knowingly at how enthralled he was. "I'm glad you like it." She and Hisashi approached and got to eye level with him. "This is where my father brought me to train my quirk when I was your age." She gestured to the space. "No buildings to cause unnecessary damage or people to freak out." She stood tall. "And the best part is, you'll need instinct to find this place, making it perfect for privacy."

"Just don't cause a fire." Hisashi jokingly cut in, earning an embarrassed blush from his wife and a light smack to the arm.

"Wow…" Izuku marveled at the place again before taking a seat on the grass. "The air is so clean here." He took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile while removing his bag. "Did Grandpa have the same quirk as you?" He questioned while slightly distracted by a butterfly flying near him.

At that, Inko looked unsure and looked to Hisashi who nodded with an encouraging look and held her hand as he took a seat in front of the boy. "Yes, he did." She took a seat next to her husband. "My mother was quirkless." She added.

Izuku nodded in understanding before lying on the grass in contentment. "Did grandpa and grandma work from home like you?" Sadly, his grandparents had passed away on both parents' side before he was born due to health complications from what he was told.

Inko hesitated, but a gentle squeeze of her hand gave her courage. "No, my mother was a nurse." He hummed in acknowledgment, tempted to doze off. "My father on the other hand…" she bit her lip before sighing. "Was a former villain."

And just like that, all traces of sleep and calm left Izuku as his eyes widened before he sat up with a jolt. "Ehhh!? Grandpa was a villain!?"

But to his shock, Inko nodded but raised a hand before he could ask. "I know you have questions, but let me explain first, ok?" She said with a tone that left no room for argument and the most serious face he'd ever seen from her. A glance at his father showed that he had the same face, urging him to nod and be patient.

Seeing this, Inko gave him an appreciative look before taking a deep breath. "You see, Izuku. While Hisashi's family lived normal lives, the Midoriya family was once well known throughout the country and the world." He gave her a curious look. "From what I've been told by my father, our family has left its mark through generations as heroes." She paused. "And villains with our Kaiju Quirk."

Izuku gaped at her, but she willed herself to continue. "It sounded ridiculous, but when I did my research, it was true." She sighed as she remembered those days. "Buried in decades of information, there's proof of our family members making names for themselves." She looked up to the clear sky. "People known for their honor and benevolence." She closed her eyes. "As well as infamy and malice."

Hisashi noted her growing emotional fatigue and pulled her close. "But it wasn't always that simple." She kissed his cheek as thanks. "While there had been those who wanted to be heroes to simply help people or villains to benefit themselves." She took a breath. "There were those who became heroes when they came to their senses from being villains or becoming villains through circumstances." She frowned in sadness.

Izuku looked down in thought before looking up at her. "Is that what happened to Grandpa?" While he never met his grandparents, they're still family.

Inko somberly nodded. "Yes." She sighed. "My mother died when I was very young, so my father had to work multiple jobs to provide for us." Her eyes began to mist. "But he couldn't do it forever and when he got sick, we were behind on funds." She closed her eyes as images of her fatigued father coming home late at night flashed in her mind. "And I was still too young to help, so he kept at it the best he could until…he lost one of his jobs for being late too many times." Izuku gasped in horror.

"And it was a big one too, so we were even more behind on funds." She added quietly. "He tried to earn raises from the jobs he already had, but it was taking too long and I got sick." She sounded ashamed of the fact, despite having no control over it. "Medicine was already expensive and our needs didn't make things better." Inko shook her head. "He did what he could, but desperation was getting the better of him. So, he became a villain in secret and robbed banks but never hurt anybody while doing it." She chuckled humorlessly despite the circumstances. "And since I never saw what his quirk was as a kid, it was easy for him to hide his villain life from me."

She giggled before sighing. "It was a short-lived crime spree though; it didn't take long for him to be stopped by a powerful hero." Her face scrunched in concentration before shrugging. "I can't remember his name, but he had a quirk that made him too fast for my father. But rather than taking him to jail, they took him in for questioning instead." She smiled a little. "As it turned out, they had been studying his crimes and noted that he had never purposely hurt anybody, only scaring civilians and running away from heroes."

"After telling his side of the story, the hero vouched for him during the trial and vowed that he would become a better man if given the chance." Izuku was awed by the hero. "It was an uphill battle, but after volunteering to be his parole officer, they gave my father the chance." She took a breath. "To make a long story short, my father didn't waste the chance. With the help of the hero, he was able to find a more stable job so that he wouldn't need to work multiple ones. And because of that, he was able to come home early with more time to rest." She smiled at the memory and wished she had properly thanked the hero but couldn't due to circumstances at the time.

While very glad that the study had a happy ending, Izuku concluded. "Is that why you looked nervous last night?" Her mother was shocked that he had caught that. "That I might hate my family because some of them are villains?"

But to his confusion, Inko shook her head. "It's one reason, but not the main one." The child furrowed his brow, what other reason could there be? "Tell me, when you watch hero videos or study their quirks, did our family name pop up during your research?" She patiently asked though it looked like she knew the answer.

Izuku went into deep thought, recalling every hero research he'd done and history that he'd read. Before ultimately shaking his head. "No, I haven't." He shrugged. "Not even a quirk similar to ours." For some reason, he didn't like that.

His feelings of discomfort grew when his parents didn't look the least bit surprised but saddened just the same. "I knew they were short but…" Hisashi muttered with a shake of his head.

"Short?" The boy tilted his head, his unease growing. "What's short?"

At this, Inko and Hisashi looked at each other, one silently asking if this was appropriate for their son to hear. But after a moment, the freckled man nodded.

Inko returned the nod with a sigh before looking at Izuku with a frown. "Izuku." She paused. "The reason why there isn't much to see is because the heroes and villains in our family had their paths cut short before they could truly reach their prime." She carefully said.

The child was shocked and confused. "What do you mean by that?" Did they quit or something?

She understood his confusion but struggled to word it properly. So Hisashi decided to gently take over. "What she means son, is that they couldn't continue because they were either forced to retire due to impairing injuries that complicated their health in the future." He closed his eyes with a sigh. "Or killed before they could reach their peak." He pulled Inko close when it looked like she was about to break.

Meanwhile, the words and implications gripped Izuku's heart. No wonder he wouldn't have been able to find anything. With each generation, more quirks, heroes, and villains emerge. Each leaving a mark or influencing the world around it.

With so many new developments each day, month, or year, it would be impossible to record, preserve, or report everything. Unless you had a specific quirk for that.

If you didn't have much of a reputation to begin with or left a big enough mark, you'll be forgotten in an ocean of news, development, and information.

"That's why my father never became a hero." Inko continued after recomposing herself and seeing that Izuku understood the situation. "His father had warned him of our family history of short careers before being killed himself in an ambush." The child grimaced. "He didn't want to risk leaving me, so he took up minor villainy, thinking that he'd be spared, which worked, especially when the hero helped him." She let out a wistful sigh. "When my quirk emerged, he gave me the same warning and trained me to defend myself so that I'd be free to make my choice." She smiled fondly at the memory. "When I didn't become a hero or villain, my father was able to relax and was the only retired member to die in peace with no complications from forced retirement." She then sighed. "Now you know the truth, I suggest you take this chance to think about your future." She calmly suggested.

"It doesn't have to be a rush, Izuku." Hisashi cut in, noting how overwhelmed the child looked. "Take as much time as you need, we'll be here." And with that, the parents turned their backs to him, giving him the chance to process everything while Hisashi focused on comforting Inko.

Izuku stared at them before lying down to think. He knew the world of heroics was never an easy one, it was a path guaranteed to have danger in almost every corner. And if he didn't have the right instincts or skill, he'd be beaten before he realized it.

Or worse.

Not only that, the reveal of his family history of villainy with some members brought him a new perspective he didn't consider. The world is a big place, there's no way anyone could control everything. And one decision could change the entire course of your life.

The world isn't simply black and white, he knew this in a way. Life wasn't a straight line, there were more layers to it. And if he chose to back out and let Toga and Bakugou become heroes, he'd be stuck on the sidelines while they did all the work.

Something that wouldn't sit right with him.

With this, Izuku took a breath and sat up. "Our family had heroes and villains." His words caused his parents to look at him. "Something that shocks me, but not something that I'll be ashamed of." His parents turned to face him, intrigued. "Not all of them chose to be villains for selfish reasons." He acknowledged. "Something that I will respect and find more examples of in our history." His mother smiled a little at his words. "I'll even learn from the selfish ones, but not use their skills for evil." He shrugged, skills aren't inherently evil, it's how you use them that decides that.

"Being a hero is scary." He admitted but steeled himself. "But just because it's a scary thing, doesn't mean I'll give up." He looked up to his parents with a courageous look. "I'm sorry if it's not what you want to hear mom, but I can't let innocent people get hurt."

Izuku then looked down when their expressions remained neutral. "I know I could get hurt." He'd seen his fair share of heroes being injured on Viewtube. "But if it means saving a life." He clenched his fists. "I'll take that risk." He said with conviction but didn't look at them, expecting to be scolded.

A tense silence followed and he was beginning to think that they became incredibly angry for his reckless attitude. And just when he was about to say something, he felt a hand on his head.

"Izuku, look at us."

Despite how calm his father sounded, the child braced himself before looking up. Only to be shocked to see them looking proud of him. "We had a feeling you'd say that and even understood if you would have backed out." His mother nodded in agreement despite her tears.

"We already knew of your drive to be a hero." Inko sniffed. "I'm scared of the thought of you getting hurt but what kind of parents would we be if we denied our child's dreams?" She wiped her tears with a wobbly smile.

Izuku was about to speak but Hisashi beat him to it. "There's no denying your passion for it." He chuckled. "Even when you were younger, your eyes would shine with wonder at the sight of heroes." He then raised a knowing eyebrow. "And if memory serves, you even have sketches of heroes in a notebook." At the mention of his hobby, the child turned sheepish, much to their amusement.

"A part of me wishes you'd reconsider, but that would be too selfish." Inko sighed before looking serious. "But Izuku, the path will be difficult and full of responsibilities."

Izuku returned the look. "I know." He glanced at his hand. "I learned that the hard way yesterday." Images of his friends crying out to him to return to his senses as well as his blood-stained claws came to mind. "It's my power as well as something that represents every one of us." He clenched his fist and looked up at them in determination. "Making it my responsibility to be better with it."

"That's the spirit!" Hisashi remarked and pulled the child into a hug. "Just don't let the weight get to you, you'll get old too fast if you do." He ruffled his hair, eliciting laughter from the child.

Inko nodded and joined the embrace. "He's right Izuku, don't let our family name cloud your judgment." She kissed his cheek. "Always keep in mind the main reasons you want to be a hero." She advised in a sagely tone.

"To help people and protect the ones precious to me!" His blunt and immediate response sent a surge of parental pride through them.

"That's right!" Inko agreed before an idea came to her. "So, with that said…" An excited glint appeared in her eye as she smirked. "Want to start practicing?"

Hisashi was taken aback by her sudden excitement while Izuku gasped in delight. "Yeah!" He looked up to his father. "How about you dad?"

After recovering from his shock, Hisashi was swept away by their enthusiasm. "I'll spar with you after Inko teaches you the basics." He laughed when his son let out a cheer before hopping off his lap. "Don't rush things Izuku! Take your time!" He advised as he watched the two of them move to the center. "Looks like we found a family activity." His gaze shifted to Inko, finding her excitement attractive. "Not that I'm complaining."

As they stood a good distance from each other, Inko began. "Ready?" Her eyes sharpened.

Izuku nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on his quirk before snapping his eyes open with sharpened eyes as well. "Ready!" He replied with a sharp grin.

"Then…" In a flash, Inko was replaced by a female version of the same beast form Izuku had been, only larger due to her age and sporting a few details that showed her femininity. Which were more feminine eyes and smaller horns. "Let's get started." She stood tall and emitted a slightly higher-pitched roar.

Hisashi whistled. "Looking good Inko!" He happily hollered with no shame as he leaned back.

The commotion caused a blush to erupt on Inko's face as her tail pounded the ground. "H-Hisashi!" She let out an embarrassed rumble and looked away.

Izuku snickered at their antics before transforming into his beast form with a triumphant roar as his tail swung side to side.

Inko eyed his form before nodding in approval. "Excellent, your starter form is Gomora." She brought a clawed finger under her chin. "It'll be easier to begin with a form I'm familiar with." She hummed.

The young beast cheered before catching onto her words. "Wait, 'starter'?" His eyes widened. "You mean I can transform into more than one!?" He could hardly believe his ears.

"Yes." Despite being confirmed, Izuku was still in disbelief. "Not only does our quirk give us the ability to turn into a Kaiju, but one that had been used by past users of the quirk." She smiled, showing her teeth. "And thanks to generations of the quirk passing on, you'll have quite the choice of monsters to turn into. So, if you become a new Kaiju, it would simply be added to the next generation." The boy looked at himself in awe. "Of course, there were those in the family who had their preferred transformations and since the quirk was still fairly young, there weren't many options for them to use at the time." She thumped her front armor. "For instance, while I can turn into other Kaiju, I prefer to turn into Gomora by default in honor of my father."

Izuku nodded in understanding before her expression became serious. "But keep in mind, just because you can transform into different forms, doesn't automatically mean that you're a master of it. It'll take training and a lot of practice to remember each form's skills and weaknesses." She gestured to the area. "And that's where this place comes in handy if you don't have an alternative, it's where some of our family members on the heroic side go to train."

The young beast user nodded and became serious too. "I understand." He looked up with a thoughtful look. "That just means I'll have to study our family history, rediscover different forms, and learn from there." He concluded before looking at her with a daring grin. "And maybe, I can even do more with the quirk." He idly made mental plans to research later.

Inko looked pleased by his enthusiasm to learn. "Precisely." She then looked thoughtful. "Though I don't exactly know how you can push the quirk beyond its boundaries." She then shrugged with a sad smile. "But then again, nobody was around long enough to try."

The young beast user's mood dropped a bit as he nodded in understanding before looking up in conviction. "Then I'll be the first and learn whatever transformation I can to honor them, including the villains in our family." He stood taller with an aura of determination. "And when I become a pro, I'll spread the word of our family's deeds and sacrifices." He narrowed his eyes. "If people have a problem with it, I'll just prove to them that even monsters can be heroes!" He emphasized his promise with a roar.

Inko was speechless while Hisashi whistled, though no less proud. "That's a big goal there Izuku." And quite sweet when you think about it. "It'll be a lot of hard work, are you sure you're up for it?"

"I'm sure." Izuku nodded and looked at his mother. "Ready to learn mom."

Inko snapped out of her shock and nodded with a smile. "Good." She then went into a stance. "We'll start with the basics, then we'll move on to the more advanced moves at a later date." He nodded and went into a stance.

"Have fun you two!" Hisashi called out as he got comfortable. "Wish I brought some popcorn."

---

ONE MONTH LATER-MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-IZUKU'S ROOM

"Great Grandma is amazing!" Izuku whispered in awe as he watched her perform a heroic special move through Viewtube. "It's been a while since the video was posted, but I bet there are people left who remember her." He mused while taking notes.

True to Hisashi's prediction, sparring had become a family activity when they weren't doing anything. And thanks to Izuku's focus, he was able to make good progress in his training. He even managed to catch his mother by surprise a few times with a couple of tricks he learned through his research.

Despite this, his mother was still able to beat him with her experience and moves he didn't think were possible with Gomora. But his mother had encouraged him with each loss, saying that he'd be able to train on his own in no time.

Even his father had joined the sparring, despite having a humble strength quirk, he proved to be quite clever and used his creativity to outmatch the hero in training, saying: "You've got power son, but you'll need brains too if you want to win."

Something Izuku took to heart.

*Knock* *Knock*

Izuku perked up and paused the video as he turned to the door. "Coming!" He went to open the door.

Upon opening it, he was greeted by his mother. "Mom!" He became excited. "I've been doing some research again and I think I've got an idea of how to transform into a different form thanks to the links you've given me!" He excitedly hopped in place.

Inko giggled at his cuteness. "That's great sweetie, we can focus on that during the next training session." He let out a cheer but a hand on his head stopped him. "But first, I think there's something you need to take care of first."

He gave her a confused look. "What is it mom?"

She smirked, further confusing him. "You'll see, it's in the living room." She said in a knowing tone.

Though understandably confused, Izuku saw no reason to deny her request so he nodded and followed her out of the room. "Is it food?" He innocently asked.

Inko snickered at his usual assumption. "Far from it sweetie."

"Oh." While that sucked, he knew there's more to life than food. "Is it a-" He froze mid-step as he caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair. "TOGA!" He charged ahead while Inko followed with a giggle.

From her spot on the couch, Toga stopped her chat with Bakugou and snapped at the voice with glee. "IZUKU!" She ran to him as well.

When they neared each other, Izuku took action and wrapped his arms around her with a twirl, turning them into a little tornado of childish giggles. "You're back!" He exclaimed with joy when he stopped to give her a proper hug. "I missed you." The duo was oblivious to the mothers taking pictures and videos of the moment with quiet coos.

"I missed you too." She tightened the embrace before they let go of each other with grins.

Bakugou huffed as he approached them. "You weren't that excited when you saw me again." Behind him, Mitsuki snorted.

At that, Toga became embarrassed while Izuku looked confused. "Sorry." She muttered while staring at her shoes, causing Mana to giggle.

"Whatever." Bakugou waved a hand. "Now tell him the good news so we can hang out!" He ignored his mother telling him to have more tact.

"News?" Izuku looked between them, looking lost. "What news?"

Toga's embarrassment instantly vanished and turned to him with a big smile. "We're neighbors now!" She cheered with a bounce while he was taken aback.

"That's right." Mana chimed in. "After we went our separate ways." She turned and touched her husband's cheek with a loving look. "This wonderful man saw a flier on the bulletin board downstairs, saying that the room next to this one is available."

Hideo returned the smile and held the hand on her cheek to kiss. "After leaving, I couldn't stand seeing my daughter heartbroken." He lowered her hand on his cheek to hold and looked at Izuku with a smile. "I knew she would have recovered eventually, but with the opportunity there, how could I pass it up?" His smile widened as he could practically feel the happiness of his daughter. "And from what I can tell, it seems like I made the right choice."

Mana sighed and placed a hand on her cheek. "You should have seen her after we told her." Toga tensed when Izuku looked intrigued. "I swear she could power a whole city with how happy she was." She exclaimed with a fond and slightly mischievous look.

"Woah." Izuku exclaimed in awe before turning to Toga who had gone redder. "Did you miss me that much?" He asked, feeling touched.

Next to them, Bakugou decided to have some fun too. "Yeah Toga." He gave her a smug smirk. "Did you?"

"U-Um…" Toga stuttered and looked between Izuku's innocent face to everyone's teasing expressions. "I…" Seeing that there was no help for her, she looked down before meekly nodding.

While the mothers giggled, Izuku smiled innocently. "Awww, I felt the same about you!" He pulled the girl in a one-armed hug as she covered her red face with a whine. "But we don't have to worry about that, we can see each other whenever we want from now on!" Despite her embarrassment, she gave him a shy smile.

"Yep!" Bakugou cut in as he approached and wrapped an arm around Izuku's free side. "Now let's hang out!"

"Sure!" Izuku began moving when they separated before stopping and looking at Inko when something occurred to him. "Is it ok to tell them of our history?" He honestly didn't know if it was ok to spread the word right away.

While Toga's parents looked confused, the others remained silent as Inko thought about it before nodding. "Bakugou's long since earned our family's trust and most importantly, yours." The blond boy was glad, even though he had no idea what they were talking about. "Toga on the other hand." The girl tensed from her stare. "Seems like a nice person." She gave her a motherly smile.

While the girl let out a sigh of relief, Inko gave her son a serious look. "But keep in mind Izuku. You should be careful how much you reveal and who you do it to." She felt Hisashi hold her hand. "Secrets exist for a reason, especially when they can fall into the wrong hands." Her warning was responded to with a serious nod from her son before guiding his confused friends to his room.

Inko watched them go with a smile before turning to Toga's parents who looked lost and decided to be honest with them. ''I'll explain it over tea.'' The parents nodded and got comfortable as the others took their positions. ''At least the circle of friends will grow.'' She mused.

---

MIDORIYA RESIDENCE-IZUKU'S ROOM

''You've got villains in the family.'' Bakugou muttered as he stared at the ceiling while lying on Izuku's bed before sitting up with a grin. ''A little freaky but sounds rad, to be honest.'' It would certainly make the family tree and history interesting.

Toga hummed in agreement as she watched Izuku research with intrigue. ''I'm just glad that not all of them are bad.'' She rubbed her arm with a look of uncertainty. ''A part of me still doesn't believe it because all of you are so nice.'' Her remark got an amused chuckle from the boy. ''But thanks for trusting me with this.'' She added with a sweet smile.

''Same.'' Bakugou seconded while approaching the duo and watched with them another video of a Midoriya using their Kaiju power to save people. ''Your trust means a lot.'' He thumped his chest. ''And you don't have to worry about me spreading anything, I'll leave that stuff to you.'' Toga nodded in agreement and crossed her heart for emphasis.

After pausing the video, Izuku looked at them, touched by their kindness. ''You guys…'' He pulled them both into an earnest hug. ''You two are the best!'' Toga felt her face heat up but shyly returned the embrace with a small smile.

Bakugou on the other hand rolled his eyes with a smile and patted his head. "Yeah, yeah. Now quit it, you'll make me soft!" He scolded with no real heat and did not attempt to free himself.

Izuku gave him a casual look. "But Kacchan." He poked the blond's side. "You're already soft." Toga giggled behind her hand from the blunt remark.

In an instant, red erupted from Bakugou's face as he pushed the duo away with an indignant look. "Stop that!" He refused to acknowledge the fact that it tickled. "Just you two wait!" He pushed his chest out and pointed a thump to himself. "When I get older, I'll get tough muscles like All Might!"

"Me too!" Izuku chirped before looking at Toga. "Do you want to get muscles too?"

The blonde thought about it before shrugging. "Maybe a little, but not bulky like All Might." She cringed a little at her imagination. "I don't think I'd be able to fit in cute clothes!" Frankly, the boys didn't get it, but they respected her opinion nonetheless.

Bakugou then remembered something. "Oh yeah, I heard from mom that you've been training your quirk with your parents." His friend hummed and nodded. "I've been practicing too at a nice place mom found where kids can practice a little." He then crossed his arms with a pout. "But mom says not to practice together until we get older." He looked to Toga. "How about you?"

At this, the fanged girl looked sheepish. "Mom and dad helped me practice with my quirk when they gave me a bit of their blood. But it's mostly learning how to use it and physical training." She stood while stretching. "Watch this." She made sure there was space behind her before doing a backflip. "Tah-dah!" She cheered with a toothy grin.

"Woah!" Izuku was starstruck as well as Bakugou. "That was amazing!" He clapped, causing the girl to giggle and look away with a blush. "If you keep at it, you'll be hard to hit!" His eyes then sparkled as ideas came to him. "You can hit villains and run away, or maybe dodge them long enough to tire them out before attacking. Plus, there's your quirk in the mix giving you more…" At this point, he muttered so quietly and fast that it wasn't possible to discern what he was saying, but the ideas were still there.

While this happened, Bakugou sighed while Toga looked stunned at his intense focus. "Oi!" He flicked him on the head, drawing a yelp out of the boy. "You're doing it again." He grumbled.

"Sorry." Izuku rubbed the back of his head with a blush and looked at Toga. "Sorry if it bothers you, I just really like heroes and quirks." It wouldn't be the first time someone had been weirded out or creeped out by his muttering. Thankfully, Bakugou thought it was cool while his parents encouraged it, saying that it would help his mind grow.

But to his surprise, Toga waved her hands and shook her head. "I-I didn't mind." Upon seeing his expression, she looked down. "I thought it was interesting." And full of good ideas in her opinion.

Bakugou was about to tease her but Izuku spoke first. "Thanks!" She gave him a sweet smile as he turned to the blond. "Aunt Mitsuki's right, we should practice when we get older." He raised a hand before his friend could retort. "I'm training now because mom and dad said that they can take a hit. And that learning to manage my emotions early would help." He then became serious. "I don't want to hurt you like I did the villain."

The explosive child was silent before sighing. "Fair point." He conceded before grinning. "But when the time comes, I'll show you what I'm made of!"

"Challenge accepted Kacchan!" Izuku returned the grin, already looking forward to their future spar. "And when we get older, we can even share our blood with Toga so that she can train with us!" The girl was beyond touched by the gesture and swore to them that she'd do her best.

The trio went into a discussion of the things they'll do in the future as heroes together and other heroic stuff before joining Izuku in his family research.

---

YEARS LATER-ALDERA JUNIOR HIGH

Since the trio had reunited, the three families had grown close over the years. To the point where it would be considered strange when the trio wouldn't be complete when hanging out.

And as expected, when they got to the right age. The three had trained together in the place Mitsuki had recommended, the only reason that they didn't train in the hidden forest area was because Izuku didn't feel the need to share it with them. After all, he needed a place to think or practice with moves that none of his friends had seen.

As his father told him once: "Never reveal all your cards, save a few tricks in your sleeve."

The three had also gained quite a reputation in that local training facility. It made for quite the show when they trained there thanks to all the explosions and transformations.

And speaking of training, thanks to Izuku's durability (both in regular form and Kaiju form) Bakugou was able to showcase his power and skill. Becoming, what the Kaiju user dubbed: "an explosive tornado" in a fight.

Izuku had grown as well, not just in height but in body as well. He had gained quite a bit of muscle over the years and knowledge thanks to all the research he had been doing. With the additional development of more transformations thanks to dedicated training and focus. Not only that, his Kaiju forms had grown with him, giving them an appearance of adolescence for their species.

Toga had also developed her skills and appearance quite nicely. Thanks to the support of her friends and family, she grew to be quite nimble and skilled with her quirk thanks to Izuku and Bakugou volunteering to give a little of their blood for training.

But of course, they soon discovered that her transformations had glaring weaknesses. While it allowed her to be the perfect copy of the person, she consumed blood from, including tiny details. The same could not be said for the quirks she copies.

For instance, while she can make explosions with Bakugou's form. She lacked the durability necessary for prolonged use like the original user. Not only that, she didn't obtain his skills, forcing her to learn by herself.

In Izuku's case, she could only transform into one Kaiju form that she selected. While a considerable drawback, it was still very useful for overpowering foes or forcing them to split their focus. And with Izuku and Inko helping her, she'd be able to learn the capabilities and limits of the forms. Including new ones that Izuku might obtain.

And because they had grown close, it made sense for them to attend the same school. And just like the training facility, they had made a reputation for themselves. Mainly as people who didn't take kindly to bullying and for making life generally interesting in the school.

Not only that, thanks to their reputation, the bullies of the school were scared off or reported thanks to the bravery the three inspired.

He was then brought out of his musings when he heard the teacher speak. "Why am I not surprised that the three of you are going to U.A.?" He exclaimed in exasperated amusement while the students chuckled.

Bakugou scoffed. "It shouldn't be a surprise in the first place!" He leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. "We're a team after all." Gruffly added.

"Kacchan! Don't be mean!" Toga chirped with a playfully admonishing tone.

While cringing at the use of his childhood nickname, he directed a scowl at the girl. "I'm not being mean, just factual!" He then narrowed his eyes. "And I thought I told you and Izuku to quit calling me that!" He then snapped a glare at a couple of snickering students, effectively silencing them.

Toga giggled. "Sorry, Bakugou." She winked, not looking the least bit guilty. "Old habits die hard."

Bakugou groaned before glaring at the Kaiju user. "I blame you for this." In response, his friend shrugged helplessly much to the ire of the explosive boy.

Their familiar banter was then interrupted by the bell ringing, signaling the end of the class.

---

OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS

"What are your plans over the weekend?" Izuku inquired as the trio made their way to the entrance of the school.

Bakugou huffed. "Training." He gave his friends a dirty look when they shook their heads. "Got a problem with that?"

Izuku chuckled. "Nah, I just expected the answer." He paid no mind to the blond grumbling at the remark. "I like training and researching-"

"And food." Toga cut in with a giggle.

"And food." Izuku agreed with a playful push, making her stick her tongue out at him. "But like mom said, you need to take it easy once in a while. No sense in burning yourself out." He then chuckled. "Not that I'm any better." He could still remember the lecture he got from his parents because he had come home late at night after training by himself.

Bakugou huffed. "I get it, but you'll be left behind if you slack off too much." He then looked ahead with determination. "If you want to be the best, you'll need to think like the best!"

The Kaiju user could only sigh at his friend's stubbornness. "You need to get out more bro." He was met with an indignant look.

Toga, on the other hand, had other things in mind. "Speaking of going out." A light blush colored her cheeks as she looked away. "Do you have any plans this weekend, Izuku?" She whispered but it was heard well enough.

The teen hummed in thought. "Well, I was planning on researching another forgotten family member." The blonde's face fell a bit. "But I can always do that next week." He added with a shrug, it's not like all that information was going anywhere.

Immediately, Toga brightened. "Great!" She covered her mouth before recomposing herself. "I-I mean, cool." She stuttered while screaming internally.

As Izuku gave her a confused look, Bakugou rolled his eyes and held back a huff as he stared ahead. "Just start dating already!" While a part of him wanted to just blurt it out and push them together, he didn't want to risk ruining their friendship.

It was just too pure to risk.

As they neared the entrance, Bakugou's phone vibrated, encouraging him to read the screen to see a message from his mother. "You guys can go ahead." He showed them the phone screen when they gave him confused looks. "The old hag wants some ingredients from the store." He huffed while pocketing his phone.

While Toga deadpanned at him, Izuku shook his head with a sigh. "I'm surprised you can still get away with saying that."

The blond huffed. "The only reason I can do it is because she isn't here to hear it." He then gave a warning look at Toga who looked like she had a devious idea. "Don't even try it, you'll regret it." He let out small explosions from his hands.

In response, Toga calmly raised her hands with a giggle while Izuku chuckled. "All right, travel safely." He then got an idea and placed a hand on the blond's head, making him freeze. "Remember, don't talk to strangers and look both ways before crossing the street." He smirked while Toga guffawed but quickly covered her mouth when a few people looked their way.

"Shut up!" Bakugou snapped and smacked his hand away with a heated glare. "I'm older than you!" He pointed out with a growl. "And just because you've got an inch over me, doesn't mean I'll let you look down on me!" He grumbled before walking away.

"Technically I literally can, but stay safe!" Izuku yelled out to the blond who merely gave him the finger as he stomped away. "Never change." He chuckled as he turned to Toga who had just recovered from laughing. "Shall we?" He gestured to the shortcut in what he hoped looked fancy.

Toga giggled at his dorkiness and did a curtsy. "Let's." She replied before both laughed at their silliness and made their way to the shortcut, shoulders close with content smiles.

---

NEAR THE TUNNEL SHORTCUT

As they neared the shortcut, Toga sighed. "I was able to ask him out, technically." She glanced at Izuku who was calmly walking. "But I bet he thinks it's just another hangout." She pouted at the irony, despite being smart, he was oblivious to the effect he had on her. "It's like dealing with a harem protagonist!" She held back a whine and stomped in her jealousy at the thought of him being attracted to other women.

As this happened Izuku walked in silence before stopping himself and Toga by placing an arm in front of her, earning a confused look from her. "Izuku? Wha-?"

He gently hushed her and looked around in alert. "We're not alone." In an instant, she became alarmed and alert, knowing better than to underestimate his instincts and senses.

Toga surveyed the area while Izuku did the same while occasionally sniffing the air. When nothing happened, the duo hesitantly lowered their guard and the silence was finally broken by Toga speaking. "Is it gone?" She whispered.

The Kaiju user narrowed his eyes and focused on his nose, when he got nothing, he calmed down. "I think so." He then gave her an awkward grin. "Sorry, guess I was just-"

Faster than any of them could react, sludge shot forward from a nearby drain and wrapped the two. "WHAT THE HELL!?" Izuku exclaimed as he and Toga tried to free themselves but the substance trapped their ankles and wrists.

"I'm stuck!" She exclaimed with fear and panic, causing him to struggle more.

A deep chuckle echoed throughout the area, causing them to tense. "Good to know."

Before they could look for the source of the voice, the two were moved apart before a large face emerged, revealing sharp teeth morphed into a sinister smile and crazed eyes. "What perfect timing!" He gurgled out a laugh. "With him on my tail, I needed a way to blend in." His eyes then split apart, eyeing both of them. "Guess it's my lucky day because I've got two disguises handed to me!" He cackled.

As Toga paled from the implications, Izuku glared at the villain. "Let us go!" He yelled while feeling a sense of deja vu and analyzing the situation. "This is bad, I can't get a good grip on him. Meaning physical attacks on his body are useless." His gaze then shifted to the man's eyes. "Maybe those, but I'll need range." He narrowed his eyes as he planned.

"Not a chance brat!" The villain laughed and tightened his old, making them grimace. "I've been given two perfectly good meat suits; I'm not wasting the chance!" He then shifted both of his eyes to Toga who tensed. "Hmmm, I haven't been a girl in a while." The blonde paled and gasped as sludge began crawling up her face.

Izuku's eyes widened in horror before he felt his blood boil. "Get away from her!" The man ignored him and merely chuckled maliciously, making his mind race before an idea came to him. "YOU CAN HAVE ME INSTEAD!" He yelled in desperation.

At that, the villain stopped while Toga looked at him, aghast. "Oh?" He wrapped sludge over her mouth before she could scream, the sight increasing the teen's anger. "Looks like I've got a growing hero in my hands." He stretched his face until it was in front of the teen. "I never understood people like you, why bother risking your lives if nothing changes?"

Without fear, Izuku met the man's gaze with a defiant one. "It isn't a complicated thing." The villain tilted his head, curious. "It's just the right thing to do!" He retorted as he struggled. "Good, I've got his attention. Hopefully whoever is chasing him will get here in time."

The villain gave him a skeptical look. "Even if it means death?" The teen paused his struggle while Toga tried to scream out and free herself. "I don't know if you've noticed, but heroics isn't exactly a safe path."

"I know that." Even as a kid, Izuku was aware of the harsh realities and risks of heroism. But, as he looked into Toga's fearful eyes, something burned within him to fight on if it meant giving people a chance to live. "But it's worth the risk!" He added in determination. "Come on! Where's the hero after you!?"

The response made the villain sigh as if he'd expected it. "I seriously don't get you people." He then sneered, making the teen feel uneasy. "If that's the case, this'll hurt you more than her." He laughed as the sludge on Toga's mouth became tougher.

"NO!" Izuku's struggle intensified as the villain shifted his gaze to the frightened girl. "Just take me and let her go!" His eyes frantically searched the area before growling. "Damn! Help won't make it in time!" His eyes sharpened. "Time for plan B!"

The villain sneered at the girl before both were surprised by a sudden flash of light. Looking to the source, the villain was taken aback to see Gomora trapped in his sludge. "What the!?" He was then forced to regain focus when Izuku managed to tear his clawed hand free. "Oh no you don't!" He quickly submerged the teen until only his head was visible.

Izuku roared in fury as he wriggled in place. "Well, well, well." The villain began to laugh once he regained his composure while tightening his hold, forcing the teen to slow his struggles. "No wonder you had the guts to speak up." He eyed the teen in interest. "And it's a powerful quirk too." He hummed as ideas came to him. "Maybe I could even use it to-"

He paused when the teen added more power to his struggle. "It's pointless to struggle." He held back a grimace when Izuku roared and continued even stronger. "Didn't you hear me?" He grunted before stretching his face until it was hovering over the Kaiju user. "Would you-!?" He recoiled with a grimace when the teen spat in his right eye. "GAH! FUCKER!" He hid his face in his body.

Izuku smirked before grunting when the hold on him increased, particularly around the neck. The villain then reformed his face, looking larger and angrier as he glared down at the teen. "That's it! You're done!" Before Izuku could move he was pulled into the villain's body. "Forget playing around, I'll just take you now!" He yelled while casting Toga aside.

After rolling for a bit, she stopped with a gasp and coughed as she greedily took in air. She groaned as she looked up, only for her eyes to widen she saw Gomora's silhouette struggling within the villain who stood tall in triumph. "IZUKU!" She cried out as she bolted towards them.

The villain gave her a bored look and simply solidified his front in time for her fists to hit it, causing her attacks to simply bounce off with each strike. "It's your lucky day kid!" After slamming her fists against him, she glared up at him. "I've found a more useful disguise than you, so you best be going now!" He cackled as she screamed in rage and continued futilely hitting him.

Seeing this, the villain's amusement quickly died down as he scowled and prepared to backhand her with a large sludge hand while she blindly continued. "I said-!" An emerald glow within his form interrupted him and stopped Toga in shock. "Huh?" He looked down in confusion as the blonde's expression scrunched up when the light within the villain began to grow. "What's happening?" And why was it suddenly getting warm?

Toga narrowed her eyes before they widened when she realized what was happening and bolted. "H-Hey! Where are you going!?" The man questioned in mild panic before it dawned on him when the heat within him grew as his form began to tremble. "D-Don't tell me!" He tried to eject the teen only to scream as the pain and heat grew along with his shaking.

As he screamed, Toga found a nearby corner and hid behind it as she braced herself.

*Boom*

She flinched as chunks of sludge flew past her before she took a breath and peeked around the corner to see Izuku standing on a patch of sludge, still in his beast form and covered in slime. "Ugh gross!" He gagged and spat to the side. "At least the plan worked." He muttered with a growl while looking at the scattered sludge in the area.

As he turned back to normal, Toga ran to him. "What plan?" She questioned while checking him, glad to see that apart from the sludge on him, he was unharmed.

"Since help wasn't going to make it in time, I needed to figure out a way to beat him since physical attacks didn't work." Her mind flashed back to her fruitless punches. "I learned two things." He flicked sludge off his hair with a grimace. "One, his eyes are weak spots." He chuckled. "And two, he really hates ranged attacks." He shook sludge off his foot. "Thankfully he didn't expect Gomora to have an energy attack."

"That's what that was!?" She exclaimed in shock and amazement. "Since when can Gomora do that?"

"Since months ago." Izuku calmly replied while trying to ignore how he smelled. "It's an advanced move that mom taught me." He snickered. "You should have seen my face when she used it on me during our spar." He sighed with a smile. "Since then, I've been practicing until I got that hang of it as well as the other forms who have ranged attacks." He shrugged. "It takes a lot of energy, but I'm getting there." He added with a proud grin.

While Toga was amazed, there was still something she wanted to address. "I'm glad you're ok and that you have a new move but…" She looked down with a frown, causing his smile to fade. "Can you not put yourself at risk like that again?" She hoped she didn't sound selfish.

To her relief, Izuku didn't seem offended and brought her into an embrace. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but it was the best way to maximize our chances of beating him." He felt her return the embrace with a sniffle, making his gut twist. "I can't help but put everyone else's safety above my own, it's just who I am." As much as he wanted to promise that he wouldn't do it as much, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep that promise forever. "I can't lie to her; it wouldn't be right." He tightened the embrace.

Toga remained silent, making him worried that she was mad at him before his fears were erased when she leaned back to look at him with a sad smile. "I know, it's just who you are." She laughed a little as she looked down at his chest and placed a hand over it. "Your big heart is one of the reasons I like you." She muttered without realizing what she had just said.

Izuku smiled and placed a hand on her head, making her look at him. "Don't sell yourself short Toga, you're plenty selfless too." He flashed her an honest smile. "I like that about you too."

The blonde felt her heart hammer and didn't know how to respond so she looked down with a shy smile and nodded. "Thank you for saving me."

"Anytime Toga." He patted her head. "I know you and Kacchan would do the same if the positions were reversed." She hummed in agreement.

The two then separated, allowing Toga to register her appearance with a pout. "I'm slimy." She grimaced at how chilly she felt now.

"Sorry." Izuku awkwardly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head before looking around with a frown. "The guy is pretty strong so I doubt my attack killed him." His point caused her to become serious too. "Which means he'll wake up after a while, so we'll need to be ready and give the hero time to arrive." He rubbed his chin as Toga looked around for anything to use. "Question is, how can we-?"

*Rumble*

With a jolt, the teens snapped in attention and eyed a manhole lid that was shaking. "More villains?" Toga questioned as she and Izuku went into a fighting stance.

When the lid was blasted off, they braced themselves, only to gawk when the perpetrator was none other than The Symbol of Peace. "A-All Might!?" They exclaimed simultaneously as he easily climbed out of the hole despite his size.

The hero looked around in surprise until he caught sight of the teens. "My apologies for the disturbance, but what happened here?"

The sight of the man was enough to stun Izuku in place, so Toga meekly took over. "W-Well, a villain made of sludge attacked us." The hero's eyes widened in alarm so she composed herself and gestured to her friend. "He managed to grab us but Izuku was able to come up with a plan to beat him."

Upon hearing this, All Might looked to him in intrigue. "Is this true young man?" To be able to defeat a powerful and elusive villain at such a young age was truly impressive.

Snapping out of his stupor, Izuku composed himself. "Y-Yeah." He cleared his throat. "When I realized that physical attacks didn't work on him, I had to allow myself to be covered by the villain before releasing my ranged attack." He then looked sheepish. "Of course, I uh, didn't think about the mess afterwards."

Thankfully All Might was more amused and impressed as he guffawed. "I know the feeling well young man!" He looked down at them with his signature smile. "Heroes with powerful quirks tend to get careless, especially when our foes are either fast or strong enough to take more hits." He then glanced around the area until his eyes landed on a plastic bottle. "Speaking off…" He trailed off before turning into a blur around the area until he returned to his original spot with a plastic bottle filled with sludge. "There we go!" He made a show of sealing the lid tight.

The pair had their jaws dropped and blinked as All Might continued. "Now then, I would like to apologize." He looked at the bottle with narrowed eyes. "I underestimated his reputation for being elusive and because of that, he managed to lose me in a series of tunnels below." He then looked at the two with guilt. "I hope he didn't harm either of you."

While still reeling from the fact that the number one hero was feeling guilty for them, Izuku responded. "I-It was a little scary, especially when it looked like he was about to possess Toga." The girl shivered and subconsciously held his hand. "But it all worked out in the end and despite being a massive hero, you're still human." He gave the hero an encouraging smile. "Like mom said once, you could have all the power in the world, but unless you're the creator of life itself. You can't be there 100% of the time." Toga nodded in agreement and smiled at the hero.

All Might looked stunned before composing himself as he took in his words. "Very true, young Izuku." The teen made a valiant effort not to look happy from his name being said by the hero. "As much as I want to be there for everyone, even I have limits." At that, his eyes widened for a moment before he added. "It should be safe from here; you and young Toga should be able to travel home. But in case there's trouble, keep your distance." He then pocketed the bottle. "I'll take him to the authorities in the meantime."

The two nodded. "We will All Might." Izuku responded as Toga hastily let go of his hand with a blush upon realizing what she had done. "And I just want to let you know that everyone appreciates everything that you've done for everyone."

Toga hummed and rubbed her arm with embarrassment. "You're not there for everyone all the time, but your actions and presence are enough." She looked up at him with a kind smile. "Even if you don't think so, people will see you as a hero no matter what." She had seen her fair share of people being inspired by All Might thanks to her friendship with Izuku.

All Might remained silent before nodding to them with a genuine smile. "Thank you, your words mean a lot." He was about to jump away before pausing as he stared at Izuku.

Seeing this, the two teens became confused. "Is something wrong All Might?" Toga looked at her friend, thinking that he still had sludge on him.

All Might then snapped out of it and waved a hand. "Sorry about that, just lost in thought." He then crouched. "Remember, stay safe!" He then jumped away with a triumphant laugh.

The two watched him go in awe. "He's so cool!" Izuku exclaimed with a grin that threatened to split his face.

Toga happily nodded in agreement. "Bakugou's going to be super jealous when we tell him." She could already imagine the explosive tantrum, making her snicker.

Izuku chuckled, thinking along the same lines. "I bet." He then frowned and looked in the direction where the hero jumped. "But what do you think was that about? Before he left."

The blood user hummed before shrugging. "I'm not sure to be honest." She patted his shoulder. "He's a pretty busy guy, so maybe he was thinking about something hero-related." She offered though she was just as lost as him.

Izuku considered her point before deciding to go with that. "Makes sense." He nodded before the pair made their way home.

But as they left the area, both failed to notice a small blob of sludge slipping into a nearby drain.

---

LATER

"I'm such an idiot." Izuku groaned while rubbing the bridge of his nose while Toga did her best to reassure him.

The duo had left the scene in high spirits, both talking about how funny Bakugou's reaction would be once they told him that they encountered All Might.

But as quickly as it came, the mood changed.

Now the reason for the sudden shift in mood is quite simple really. He had forgotten to ask for All Might's autograph.

"It's not your fault Izuku." Toga reassured him. "Anyone would have made the same mistake when they meet their childhood heroes." She knew for a fact she'd be nervous or quite shy if she ever met Vlad King or Midnight. "You can even ask him for it if you ever see him again. No sense in repeating a mistake." She encouraged.

He considered her point before pulling himself together. "I guess." He conceded before smiling at her. "Thanks, Toga, and sorry for ruining the mood." She's right, he could always ask him again if they crossed paths again.

As unlikely as that may seem.

She gave him a sweet smile and was about to speak when both felt the area rumble along with the sound of an explosion. "E-Eh!?" Toga exclaimed in shock before frantically looking around when the area settled. "What was that?" Why was everything so surprising today!?

After steadying himself, Izuku surveyed the area before his nose twitched. He followed the scent and caught sight of a large pillar of smoke. "There!" Toga followed his gaze and gasped at the sight. "Let's go!"

He took a step forward but was stopped when Toga held his arm. "W-Wait!" He gave her a confused look. "Didn't All Might tell us to stay out of trouble?"

"He did." He nodded before grinning at her. "But since when do heroes ignore a crisis?" He retorted knowingly.

Toga looked down before returning a fanged grin at him. "Let's do it!"

---

As they got close, they were shocked by the scene.

Not only was there a large crowd, it looked like something out of a warzone. Buildings were ruined or on fire, paramedics were treating civilians and there were even heroes trying to save people trapped in the structures. Even the blue sky was blocked by thick black smoke from the destruction.

It was chaos.

"What a mess!" Izuku shouted over another explosion and looked to a building to see Pro Hero: Kamui Woods using his quirk to pull people out of their windows. "There aren't enough heroes here to stop the fire!" He pointed to another hero and brave firemen fighting the flames and saving lives. "And it looks like Mt. Lady is too large to enter the area." He noted the giant woman looking frustrated from not being able to help.

Toga nodded and winced from another explosion. "Whatever the cause is up ahead!" She pointed to the crowd. "Let's check it out!" She was met with a nod before the two began going through the crowd.

When they got a good view of the cause, both immediately paled. Not only was it the same villain from before, but in his grasp was their childhood friend. "B-Bakugou!?" Toga gasped as her hands went to her mouth feeling sick from the sight after having a first-hand experience of what the villain could do.

"How!?" Izuku reigned in his panic as he tried to analyze the situation. He was certain that the villain was knocked out after the attack and remained unresponsive when All Might contained every piece they could see. It didn't make sense.

Unless…

"No." Izuku whispered in horror, causing Toga to snap at him in surprise. "After he exploded, we assumed he was out cold from the attack." He then looked at her with a grim expression. "But I was only partially right, he must have woken up while we were talking with All Might."

"And then slipped away in a drain while we weren't looking." Toga concluded with the same horror on her features before looking around. "Where's All Might?" Surely, he had heard the explosion earlier?

"I don't know." Izuku's response did little to ease her worries. "He mentioned taking him to the authorities, for all we know that could be a faraway place with better security to hold the villain." He then narrowed his eyes at the scene. "But even if he knows, his top speed might not be enough to get here on time." He growled when Bakugou tried to pull his arm away before being violently pulled back in. "And from the looks of things, Bakugou won't have that long."

Toga felt her stomach drop at the conclusion and frantically looked at the scene before back at him in fear. "W-What do we do?"

Izuku's expression hardened, from what he can surmise. The villain only needed a few moments before he could possess his friend without interruption. And as he caught sight of Bakugou's panicked and enraged eyes, the decision became clear.

With valor surging through him, Izuku turned to Toga with sharpened eyes. "The only thing we can do."

Toga was taken aback before her expression hardened with determination as she nodded in agreement. "What's the plan?" She leaned close.

Izuku glanced at the villain again before looking at her. "Follow me." She did just that and as they left, both had been oblivious to a man watching them go with a horrified expression before looking at himself in frustration and guilt.

---

The sludge villain was having the time of his life. "Is this all you've got for me, weaklings!" He attached tendrils to nearby debris and flung them at Pro Hero: Death Arms who managed to break them with punches before they could reach the crowd.

After making sure the crowd was safe, he glared at the villain. "Stop going after the civilians you coward!"

In response, the villain sneered. "It's a valid strategy against people with a conscience!" His retort enraged the heroes and spread fear amongst the civilians. "Now come on! Entertain me!" He flung more debris with a laugh.

"Shit!" The pro cursed and bolted to intercept the projectiles. "We don't have the range for this!" He leaped and smashed the projectiles with a huff before looking to the police. "Get these people back! It's not safe!" He then glanced at a news crew. "And someone get the media away from here!"

Seeing the man's struggle, the villain laughed. "Now that's more like it!" He enlarged his head and showed a crazed smile to the crowd. "Struggle! Scream! Cry out for a hero!" He cackled at the chaos he'd caused.

*Boom*

With a sigh, he stretched his face and lowered it towards Bakugou who had blown a chunk out of his body before it reformed. "You're a pretty stubborn kid, I'll give you that." He exclaimed as he pulled the teen back in place and made sure to tighten the sludge on his mouth. "But it'll take more than that to hurt me." He then glanced at the area in amusement. "Besides, I think your quirk has been more useful to me than you."

Bakugou knew this and he absolutely hated it. Every time he got a chance to use a powerful explosion when the villain showed a vital part, he would be forced to release his explosion on a nearby building.

He shifted his gaze to a building that had caught on fire from his earlier attempt to free himself. While beyond guilty, he was glad that the quick response from the heroes and firemen saved the people's lives.

Bakugou growled as his palms crackled with rage. "Let me go!" He thrashed and let out more controlled explosions.

But the display only served to amuse the villain. "Oh? Eager to use your quirk again?" He brushed off the explosion to the face and reformed before aiming the teen's palm at Death Arms, causing both to tense. "Go ahead, let it out!" He encouraged with malice as he bared his teeth at the pro.

"Like hell I will!" Bakugou's palms returned to normal as he stopped using his quirk. "I'm trapped, but I'm not letting you have your way again!" He struggled to pull his arm away.

Meanwhile, the villain sighed in disappointment. "You're no fun." He exclaimed before smiling maliciously. "Oh well, I guess it's time to take the wheel." The teen didn't like the sound of that. "But let's make it into a show while we're at it." He chuckled before facing the crowd. "Thank you all for coming to the show! On today's episode, I have a question to ask!" He cackled as the crowd tensed while the pro gritted his teeth at the spectacle being made out of this. "If any of you answer correctly, I'll let the kid go!" No one had to be a genius to figure out that he was lying based on his delivery.

As everyone stared, the villain chortled. "Wow, tough crowd! But I don't care." He sneered as he moved the restrained teen until he was in view of the news crew. "Now the question, to everyone here and the folks at home." He made a show of lifting Bakugou's enraged face to the camera's view while the sludge villain's face was next to him in sadistic glee. "Apart from controlling sludge and being made of it, what else is known about my quirk?" He asked in a knowing tone.

In an instant, Death Arm's eyes widened in horror. "NO!" He rushed with conviction as some of the people in the crowd who knew the answer expressed horror and disgust. "RELEASE HIM!" He roared in fury as the villain raised his right hand and enlarged it before swinging it at the hero.

The hero was forced to stop and block the attack with his left arm and quickly smash it onto the ground with his right fist. But before he could continue, two sludge fists emerged from the large hand on the ground. "What?"

The pro was then forced to block vicious jabs before swinging at the appendages, managing to destroy one but was quickly replaced by another. So rather than destroying it, he decided to catch the attacks and held on tight.

Only for that plan to fail when a third hand emerged and socked him in the face, forcing him to let go before the three hands merged into a large fist and punched the pro away.

Death Arms grunted as he flew before he regained focus and grabbed the ground, digging into it. Barely stopping himself from crashing into the frightened crowd.

He then looked up with a pained grimace and a bleeding nose to see the villain making a shushing motion. "Quiet now, you'll spoil the surprise." He mocked as the teen let out another futile explosion.

Death Arms spat to the side and prepared to charge again before he was forced to block for the crowd when the villain spat three hardened sludge balls. "Shit!" He lowered his arms before staggering to one knee. "He's got range and my quirk is useless against his body." He grimly concluded as he huffed.

The villain guffawed before glancing at the terrified crowd. "Really? No one brave enough?" He formed a cruel smile as he looked at the camera and the fearful news crew. "Well if that's the case…" The blond tensed when the surrounding sludge forced him to be still while the one on his mouth felt like it was about to enter. "This kid's blood will be on your-"

"It's possession!"

Frowning at the interruption, the villain scowled in the direction of the voice. Only for his mood to sour further when he saw that it was Izuku and Toga standing ready in front of the shocked crowd. "You again!?" The villain felt his blood boil when he remembered the pain he felt earlier.

"Get out of here! It isn't safe!" Death Arms' shout made the two look at him. "This isn't the time to try and prove yourselves!" He tried to stand but the best he could do was shake from his efforts.

Two stared at each other before looking at the man and shaking their heads. "Sorry, but no." Izuku answered and looked ahead as Death Arms was about to scold him. "And we aren't trying to prove anything. Plus, even if we agreed to stay back, it would take too long for help to arrive." The pro gritted his teeth but didn't disagree.

"And from what we know and saw, your quirk does not affect him." Toga added as she focused on the shocked look on Bakugou's face. "Trust us, we have the right quirks to do damage."

After hearing all their points, as well as seeing how serious and confident they are, Death Arms became conflicted. "Even if that's the case, do you even know what you're getting yourselves into?"

At this, Izuku gave him a grin, taking the man aback. "Yep." He then directed a daring grin at the fuming villain. "You can chew us out later, but right now there's a life to be saved." He said with determination while Toga nodded.

The villain then let out an angered laugh. "To be blunt, I'm still pissed after what you did to me!" His words stunned the pro and crowd while the teens remained firm. "But at least you save me the trouble of hunting you down!" He gurgled in rage.

"I'm happy to please." Izuku dryly remarked before becoming serious. "Haven't you done enough?" He gestured around him. "You've wrecked the area and pretty much traumatized most people today." His eyes hardened as he vaguely heard the sounds of children crying in the distance. "If I were you, I'd let that guy go before someone like All Might-"

"All Might?" The villain repeated with a sneer. "That idiot's probably halfway across Japan right now thinking he has me contained." The duo's expressions remained neutral as Bakugou looked alarmed. "But we know better, don't we?" He bared his teeth as he tightened his grip on the blond, forcing him to emit a muffled grunt.

A deep growl emanated from Izuku, making the villain pause, and startling the crowd and the pro. "I'm warning you." He and Toga walked ahead, purposefully drawing the villain's focus on them and not on the crowd who was urging them to come back. "If you don't let him go, things will get ugly." He warned while subtly giving Bakugou a reassuring look. The latter calmed somewhat but is still understandably worried for his friends.

Unfortunately, the villain let out a mocking laugh in response. "It's already been ugly from the start brat!" He bared his teeth with malice. "And it's about to get uglier." He made a show of caressing the blond's cheek, making the teen flinch back in anger.

The display made Izuku clench his jaw, but he kept his composure while Toga remained neutral despite her disgust. "Is there nothing to convince you to stop?" He tried again.

But to his chagrin, the villain gave him a mocking look. "What do you think, brat?" He raised both of his sludge hands and enlarged them, causing Death Arms to grimace while the civilians were frightened.

But Izuku looked disappointed and sighed. "Well, if that's the case…" He quickly raised his left arm in front of Toga who bared her teeth. "Use, Gudon!" Without hesitation, she bit into his arm, shocking everyone including the villain while he merely hardened his expression as his eyes sharpened.

[Ultraman Gaia OST - "Quantum Stream" - Plays]

A green flash of light erupted from his form, causing all witnesses to wince from the sudden brightness.

When the light went away, they were greeted by the sight of a tall Kaiju with a thick rhinoceros-like hide with spikes, tall horns on its head, spiked tail, green eyes, and whip arms.

After wiping her mouth, Toga followed his lead as a gray slime began covering her before dispersing revealing Izuku. A golden light then emerged from her form and revealed a female Gudon. This one with shorter horns, a longer spiked tail, and yellow eyes.

The sight was enough to stun everyone, having never seen anything like it.

Both beasts roared in sync and whipped their arms on the ground. "Grab him!" Izuku roared as his eyes flashed before shooting out green lasers.

The villain was so stunned that he didn't have time to react before his right eye was destroyed by the shot. "AHHHH! FUCK!" He bellowed in pain and buried his face within himself, losing his hold on Bakugou. The latter used the chance to tear his arms free and his mouth to breathe.

Seeing this, the duo swung their arms before extending them towards him, wrapping them around his wrists. "NOW!" Izuku roared as he and Toga pulled while Bakugou did what he could to help them.

Their combined efforts were successful as the blond found himself being torn away from his binds. "I'M FREE!" He cackled as the crowd cheered while Death Arms watched in stunned amazement.

The two then released their grip on Bakugou, allowing him to take control of his flight path and use his quirk to stop himself before he could crash into the crowd. He then found his footing before giving them a grateful grin. "Thanks for the save!"

As Toga nodded to him, Izuku glanced back at the villain who was recovering. "Don't thank us yet!" He turned into Gomora and went into a stance with a roar. "We still have trouble." Toga and Bakugou nodded and stood on both of his sides, ready to fight.

Sizzling sounds were heard as smoke emanated from the villain's head before stopping when he reformed his face. "You…" He growled as he noticed the lack of hostage in his grasp and snapped his healed eye open and glared at them with rage. "YOU BASTARDS HAVE GOTTEN ON MY LAST NERVE!" He shot out two large sludge hands at them. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

[Song Ends]

Toga and Bakugou jumped away as Izuku's horns glowed before firing his laser at the limbs, destroying them and scattering sludge on the ground that evaporated, enraging the villain further. "Damn you!" He glanced at something for a split second and fired a hardened sludge ball.

Toga followed the trajectory of the attack and gasped. "Look out!" She moved quickly and blocked the attack with her body before it could hit Death Arms who was horrified for her. And while her thick hide helped, the attack was still strong enough to hurt, causing her to scream and fall back.

"KID!/TOGA!" Death Arms surged forward and caught her, bearing with her spiky skin with a grimace. Bakugou ran to check on her while Izuku glared at the villain and fired another laser in fury.

But this time, the villain anticipated the attack and quickly shifted to the side to avoid it. "Not this time you brat!" He laughed before firing three hardened sludge balls.

Izuku snarled at the miss and didn't have time to charge another laser so he pushed his armored front out and tanked the hits with a growl.

Meanwhile, Toga shook off her daze. "I'm ok." She looked at the fight before turning to Bakugou. "Help him." He nodded and left while she got up with a groan. "I need Izu to teach me how to use ranged attacks when we have time."

As Bakugou neared, Izuku was about to fire another energy attack before a scream tore through the air. Snapping in the direction, he saw a woman hanging on for dear life on her window. "I-I'm slipping!"

The memory of Kamui Woods being preoccupied with other rescues flashed through his mind. "Bakugou help her!" Izuku ordered as his horns glowed.

The blond's expression steeled. "On it!" He jumped and blasted towards the woman.

The sludge villain watched him with a sadistic smile. "Don't forget about me!" He laughed as tendrils shot out of his body.

Bakugou had just enough time to look at the attack in surprise before they were intercepted by a laser. "Back at you!" Izuku retorted with a huff as the villain glared at him.

The woman had just lost her grip with a scream before she was caught by Bakugou. The latter turned his body towards the ground as they fell. "I got you!" He yelled before grunting from the impact on the ground and skidding to a stop with a groan as nearby officers ran over to help.

Toga was glad they were ok before her gaze shifted to nearby debris. She then wrapped her whip arm around one and threw it at the villain. "Take that!"

The villain just had enough time to save his eye and felt his anger rise. "Stop getting in my way!" He spat a sludge ball at her.

But Izuku was quick enough to swing his tail at it before it could pass him and stood tall. "We'll only stop if you surrender!" He charged his energy attack as more debris passed him thanks to Toga.

After destroying some of the debris with an enlarged sludge hand, the villain screamed as a hole was blasted onto his body from Izuku's attack. "NEVER!" He repaired the hole and shot tendrils at the teen.

Izuku gritted his teeth and smacked a tendril away while blasting a few with his laser. Unfortunately, it was too much as one managed to grab his wrist. "Shit!" He tried to pull his arm free and prepared another laser blast.

But the villain noticed and wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste. "Got you now brat!" He tightened the grip and fired slime balls.

The attack forced Izuku to fire on the projectiles, destroying them in a burst of smoke. He was about to move onto the tendril but a large sludge fist surged from the smoke and delivered a powerful uppercut.

Izuku groaned in pain and was about to fall on his back but the tendril prevented him long enough for the large sludge hand to turn into a tentacle and wrapped around his neck. "Gugh!" He brought his claws up to try and cut and tear himself free but it proved futile.

The crowd gasped in horror. "IZUKU!" Toga and Bakugou shouted as the villain laughed in triumph.

"It's over brat!" The tendril enlarged and lifted the teen before slamming him on the ground, cracking it in the process. "Now it's my turn to have some fun." He laughed as he blocked Toga and Bakugou's respective attacks with large sludge barriers. "Let's have a little experiment of how far you can go before you crack?"

Izuku was then lifted and slammed onto the ground one more time before being flung to the sky. "Up you go!" The villain laughed.

"NO!" Toga cried out as Bakugou stared up in horror along with Death Arms and the crowd.

Up in the sky, Izuku coughed as he breathed before slowing into a dazed stupor and began to rapidly descend.

He was then snapped out of it when a surge of panic went through his body upon realizing the situation he was in. "I'm falling!" He flailed helplessly with distressed roars. "I haven't learned how to use flying Kaiju yet!" He turned and faced the approaching ground in distress. "I'm done for!" He closed his eyes for the inevitable.

"Don't let it consume you son!"

His father's words made him snap his eyes open. "That's right…" He began to steady his breathing. "Remember what mom and dad said about fear."

"It's ok to feel fear, everyone does, but it can also be poisonous if you let it rule you! Acknowledge your fear and add it to your strength!"

"It's ok to be afraid." Izuku closed his eyes and composed himself. "Everyone can be afraid." His sharpened eyes open with a glow. "All you need is the courage to accept it!"

Meanwhile, the villain stared at the sky with a pleased look on his face before looking down at everyone in smugness. "Who's next?" He chuckled mockingly as Toga growled in anger while Bakugou wore a murderous look as his palms popped with explosions. "No need for sour looks." Sludge tendrils emerged from his back. "You'll be joining him soon enough." He enlarged his palms.

"Bastard…" Bakugou growled and stomped one foot forward before stopping when a light above shined on him. "Huh?" He glanced at his shadow in confusion before looking up and taking a step back in shock. "What?"

Toga looked up and gasped while Death Arms did the same and gaped. The crowd exclaimed in shock while the villain couldn't believe his eyes. "This brat…" He gritted his teeth.

Not only was Izuku falling, but he was also charging another laser while doing so, making him look like a falling comet. "It'll be risky to use everything on this but…" His mind flashed to his friends, the destruction, and the people who suffered. "It's worth it!" The glow in his eyes and horns grew.

"Doesn't this brat know when to give up!?" The villain roared out a gurgle and fired three sludge balls. "DIE!"

Izuku saw the projectiles coming but couldn't risk using his attack early so he endured the hits and steadied himself with a growl. "Just a little more!" He narrowed his glowing eyes.

The sludge villain was about to send another barrage before being pushed a bit to the side by an explosion. "!?" He glared at Bakugou who had smoking palms aimed at him as he huffed. He was then pelted in the face with debris, enraging him. "PESTS!" He shot tendrils at them.

Toga rolled to the side while Bakugou blasted over them, the sight angering the villain further and was prepared to attack again until the light above intensified, causing his eyes to widen. "Shit!" He looked up in panic. "I messed up!"

Seeing the moment of disarray, Izuku's eyes flashed as he fired. "IT'S OVER!" He roared as he fired a large laser blast.

In a moment of panic, the villain sent tendrils and sludge balls out, only to pale when they got destroyed in contact with the laser. "N-NO!" He cried out before screaming as the attack consumed him, causing all to turn away from the intense light.

Once the area stopped shaking, everyone slowly looked at the scene where a large pillar of smoke stood where the villain once was, with pieces of sludge scattered in the area.

*CRASH*

Snapping to the location of the impact, they saw Gomora's back showing from a crater in the concrete before it began to shift. He then shakily got to his feet with a wobble.

Once he got his bearings, Izuku shook his head and stood with heavy breaths before he took a deep breath and let out a triumphant roar.

The effect was immediate as the crowd began to cheer while Toga rushed to him. "Come on Bakugou!" She called as her copied Gudon form melted away while the explosive teen quickly followed.

Izuku had just gotten out of the crater and turned back to normal, his clothes and hair messy. He got on one knee before he was pulled into a hug by Toga, nearly knocking him over. "You're alright!" She cried into his chest.

"Of course I am." Izuku reciprocated the embrace with a smile. "Who else is gonna help you and Bakugou with homework?" He teased, earning a muffled tearful giggle and a light slap on the arm.

He tightened the embrace before looking up at Bakugou with a tired grin. "Good to see you in one piece."

The blond snorted. "I should be the one saying that." His expression softened as he knelt next to them. "Are you alright?" He asked while eyeing his ragged appearance.

"Could be worse, but the defenses of my Kaiju forms are good so the worst I'll get is some bruising, fatigue, and soreness, especially from that fall." He patted his chest with a wince and pouted a bit. "But now I'm starving." Just then his stomach audibly grumbled.

Bakugou chuckled tiredly at this. "Pretty sure that's a normal thing with you." Before the Kaiju user could respond, the blond embraced them. "I'm glad you're ok." He whispered.

"Yeah…" Izuku replied with a warm smile as he wrapped his arms around both of them. "I'm glad both of you are ok too." The crowd and Death Arms smiled at the sweet scene. The latter got up and began to approach them.

And then, a sloshing sound was heard.

In an instant, Izuku's eyes widened in horror. "MOVE!" He pushed his shocked friends away just in time for two sludge tendrils to grab his ankles and pull, making him fall face-first on the ground.

Just as he lifted his face off the ground, the crowd screamed in terror as a large sludge hand emerged from the smoke and pressed Izuku's back, making him scream.

"I'm…not done…with you!"

With frustration from the teen and looks of disbelief from everyone else, they followed the hand as the smoke cleared, revealing the sludge villain who had his face split open and his form barely holding itself together.

"Impossible!" Death Arms exclaimed in disbelief as he went into his stance despite the pain in his body. "He should be knocked out!"

A deep, distorted gurgling laughter came from the villain. "Thought so too." He then reformed his face the best he could. "But I guess the brat had no juice left after blasting me for so long." Despite his face appearing to be falling apart still, he sneered. "Sucks to be you." He pressed a little harder, making the teen yell out in pain.

"RELEASE HIM!" Death Arms charged but was pushed back by a quick tendril swipe to the gut. "Shit!" After stopping himself, he held the injured area with a grimace.

Toga attempted to use her quirk before looking at her hands in horror when nothing happened. "No! I'm out!" She caught sight of a nearby small piece of debris and picked it up before throwing it at the villain.

The attack missed the eye but was enough to garner the rage of the melting villain. "STAY OUT OF IT!" He fired a sludge ball.

Toga rolled to the side as Bakugou aimed his palms at him in rage. "Let him go or I'm sending you to hell!" His palm glowed.

But rather than being intimidated, the villain bared his teeth. "Go ahead and blast me!" He glanced at the pinned teen. "I'll just move him in front of your attack!" This caused the blond to tense but didn't lower his stance.

A flash came from Izuku before he turned into Gomora again. "Just do it Bakugou! I can-" He grunted when the villain's hand shifted around to form a tight grip at the same time, tendrils emerged and wrapped around his neck before pulling, the sight making everyone pale.

"After all that…" The villain exclaimed in rage and frustration. "You're still fighting!?" He pressed harder despite his melting hand and pulled at the teen's neck harder, making him look up more while forcing his body to bend. "Why push yourself so far for these people!?"

Despite the painful position, Izuku replied. "Because…" He strained with a grunt. "It's the right thing…to do!" He fought against the pull on his neck with a loud growl as his eyes and horns glowed a little.

The villain felt his rage erupt at the sight. "ENOUGH!" Dripping but sharpened tendrils emerged from his main body before shooting out to the teen. "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU HEROES!" Izuku tensed while Bakugou aimed with gritted teeth and Toga paled.

"Then prepare to be disappointed!"

Before they could react, there was a large impact between the villain's attack and the pinned teen.

When the smoke cleared, the crowd was rendered speechless and the villain paled as they were greeted by the sight of All Might who had destroyed the attacks and freed Izuku with his entrance. "Because there's plenty more of us to come!" The symbol added as he stood tall with a look of righteous fury, a far cry from his signature smile.

After coughing, Izuku weakly glanced up at him. "A-All Might…" He breathed in relief, idly noting that Toga and Bakugou had run to his side in defense.

All Might glanced at him, his frown growing before looking down. "I'm pathetic." His words took them aback. "To allow such a simple ploy to fool me." He clenched his hands. "And for allowing the youth to risk their lives for my error." He clenched his fists before looking up at the villain, making the melting figure freeze from his gaze.

He then took a deep breath to calm his emotions before glancing at the three. "I'm sorry you had to risk your lives." He then looked ahead and went into his stance. "But it's all right now!" His muscles bulged as his power emanated from him. "Because I am here!"

The villain was overwhelmed by the pressure and let out a whimper before turning to flee but his melting form made it difficult.

The sight made All Might angry as he threw a powerful punch. "DETROIT SMASH!" An overwhelming burst of wind shot out towards the villain.

The villain didn't even have a chance to make a sound or do anything before he was completely blasted away and scattered by the powerful strike that caused strong winds to spread throughout the area, urging everyone to brace themselves against it.

Once everything settled, they were greeted with scattered unresponsive sludge and the fires put out from the wind.

The crowds cheered but All Might ignored them and knelt in front of the three. "Are you three all right?" He gently asked, his trained eyes focused on Izuku.

Bakugou quickly recovered from his shock at the fact that his idol was talking to him as well as from what he saw and nodded. "Y-Yeah." He cursed himself for stuttering as Izuku returned to normal and was helped up by Toga. "Just tired and my hands sting a little." He flexed his palms.

The hero nodded and looked at Toga. "I'm a little dizzy from the whole thing, but aside from being hit earlier, I'll be fine." She mentally cheered at the fact that she didn't shy away from talking to the intimidating man.

"Same." Izuku cut in before wincing. "Ok, maybe I'm a little sore." He rubbed his neck with a crooked grin. "And tired, but I think I'll just get some bruising at worst."

All Might looked relieved but also ashamed. "I'm sorry for taking so long." He shook his head. "If I had just-"

"It's all right." The hero snapped at Izuku, surprised to see him with a kind smile. "It's like what Toga and I said earlier, everyone has limits and you're only one man." Toga nodded with the same smile as Bakugou gaped at the fact that they had spoken to All Might earlier. "Besides, it worked out in the end."

The hero remembered their earlier exchange and smiled. "Indeed." He then frowned a little. "But regardless, all of you should get checked by-" He looked up and smiled as Death Arms approached with a slight limp. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine but…" The pro looked down in shame, drawing a curious look from the symbol. "I couldn't do anything All Might and I let them risk their lives." The hits they sustained flashed through his mind.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up he was met with an understanding look from the symbol. "I understand how you feel. But given the circumstances, there wasn't much of a choice left." He shook his head as he thought about it more. "All scenarios would have ended worse if they hadn't interfered." At that, Death Arms contemplated. "So don't feel guilty, just be glad that everything worked out in the end." He calmly reassured.

He then glanced at the teens. "As for the three of you, I assume you plan to be heroes?" He had to hold back a laugh when they immediately voiced their confirmations despite the fatigue and pain. "Then learn from the encounter and improve!"

At the chorus of agreements, Death Arms smiled. "I understand All Might." He then gestured to the teens to follow. "Come on, I can feel the paramedics getting anxious just by looking at us." The young heroes laughed before following while supporting Izuku. "And don't worry about Kamui and Mt. Lady, I'll talk to them if they give you trouble." He added, causing them to express their thanks.

All Might watched them go with a smile, already predicting what great heroes they'll be in the future.

His eyes then landed on Izuku, the latter's conversation with the villain before he intervened still fresh in his mind.

"You're still fighting!? Why push yourself so far for these people!?"

"Because…it's the right thing…to do!"

To risk your life simply because it's the right thing. A simple yet powerful reasoning, one that the man could relate to in a heartbeat.

As his attention was then focused on a news crew approaching him, he nodded to himself as his decision became clear.

---

LATER-APARTMENT GROUNDS

"I can't believe you two met All Might earlier." Bakugou huffed as he rubbed his bandaged hands. Something that spurred his drive to improve his skills and quirk use.

"More like saved." Izuku cut in with a chuckle as he rubbed his bandaged arm where Toga had bit while walking at a slightly slow pace from fatigue.

The blonde noted where he was rubbing and frowned. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little." His admission sent a surge of guilt through her. "But don't worry, that might be because you never had a reason to bite me before." The only reason they were able to share their blood with her during training, was thanks to her parents acquiring specialized equipment from a quirk counselor.

His reassurance made her feel a bit better, but she still felt bad about it as she looked down with a frown. Seeing this, Izuku frowned as well before pulling her into a one-armed hug. "I-Izuku?" She stammered with a blush.

"Don't beat yourself up over it." His calm tone silenced her. "It's not like you meant to hurt me and it was a necessary thing at the time." He patted her shoulder. "Not only that, the plan wouldn't have worked as well if we didn't do what we did." He pointed out without a doubt.

Toga was silent before nodding. "You're right." She unconsciously leaned into him. "I just don't like the idea of hurting the people I care about."

"How do you think I feel when we spar?" Izuku's point made her pause. "I know you and Bakugou are tough, but there's still a real chance of serious injury if I go too far." If it weren't for his parents warning him, he would have treated it like the usual spar with his folks.

Toga hummed, concluding the same thing. "Point taken." She sighed and remained close, thankful that he didn't seem to mind.

Bakugou watched them in silence before smiling to himself.

Upon reaching their apartments, the blond groaned. "Great, now I've got to deal with the hag." While it was nice to know that she cared, she can be a bit much at times.

"I know what you mean." Izuku muttered with a crooked grin, not looking forward to the possible scolding he was going to get, same with Toga who looked nervous.

As the three stood in front of their respective homes, they gave each other a look of good luck before Bakugou took the lead and knocked on his door.

When nothing happened, he tried again only to get silence in return. "The hell?" He rang the doorbell this time but got nothing again. "They aren't here." His face scrunched up in confusion, they didn't mention any plans today.

The boys then turned to Toga who had already knocked and rang the doorbell to her home. Only to get the same result. "It's the same here." She looked at them in concern.

Izuku then faced his door and immediately knocked on it. This time, they heard a commotion, encouraging his friends to stand beside him.

When the door opened, they were shocked to see that it was the same officer from all those years ago, only with a different outfit. "Officer Naomasa?" The Kaiju user exclaimed in surprise.

"Hello Izuku." He smiled and nodded to the two. "Toga, Bakugou." He chuckled. "I'm surprised you remember me." He admitted with a kind smile as he gave way for them to enter.

Izuku returned the smile, assuming that the parents were all gathered there due to his visit. "Hard to forget a face after that day, to be honest." His blunt remark caused the man to grimace a bit but understood. "So, what brings you here again officer?"

"Detective." They were taken aback by this. "Turns out, my quirk is quite useful for investigations."

"Congrats!" Toga exclaimed while the others shared her sentiments. "Is that why our parents are here?" She asked as they began to hear their parents' voices.

Naomasa then became serious. "No." They gave him curious looks. "The reason is a lot more…" He gestured to the living room, the sight making them freeze. "Interesting."

Apart from their parents who looked relieved to see them, there were two new faces on a couch.

One is a stout individual who appears to be a possible combination of several different animals, including a dog, a mouse, and a bear, which would make him a chimera. He has the head of a mouse with circular black eyes, a large scar over the right one, relatively rectangular-shaped ears with pale pink insides slanting outwards from the top of his head, and an elongated muzzle with a small round nose. His fur is white and has large, dog-like paws with pink pads and a thin tail like that of a cat.

He sports a white dress shirt, a dark red tie around his neck, a black double-breasted waistcoat, matching dress pants, and orange lace-up sneakers with incredibly thick soles.

The other one is a very skinny man with sharp, angular features and long limbs, his neck extended and his eyebrows absent. His hair is wavy, with two long strands coming down from his hairline and framing his face. He was clad in formal attire with his coat neatly folded on his lap.

While Bakugou and Toga gave them confused looks, Izuku was able to recognize the short individual. "Principal Nezu!?" His shock garnered questioning looks from his friends. "He's the guy in charge of U.A.!" At this, they snapped to the individual in disbelief. What would the principal of one of the top schools be doing here!?

"Splendid! We can shorten the introductions then." Nezu clapped before gesturing to the man next to him. "This is Toshinori Yagi, a staff from U.A." The man politely nodded to them. "I'm sure that the three of you are well aware that the debacle you experienced was broadcasted?" The three nodded, casting a look at their concerned parents. "Now, because of this, your actions today have garnered our attention." He said evenly. "But first, your parents have waited long enough." He gestured to the adults who looked like they were holding themselves back from checking on them.

Toga and Bakugou immediately went to their parents who embraced them. "I can't believe that low life managed to get the drop on you." Mitsuki said while checking his bandaged hands. "You better be grateful for Izuku and Toga being there." She added while Masaru checked him as well.

"Believe me, I am." Bakugou softly replied and pulled his hands free before embracing her. "You can stop worrying, I'm fine now." He rubbed her back.

Mitsuki huffed but returned the embrace. "I'd be a crappy mother if I stopped worrying." The explosive teen hummed while Masaru joined the embrace.

"We're so proud of you." Mana kissed the top of her daughter's head while Hideo held them in an embrace. "But please, try to be more careful." She felt like she almost had a heart attack when Toga got hit in the fight.

Toga hummed and nodded against her. "I'll do better mom." She tightened the embrace.

Izuku was about to go to his parents but stopped when he focused on what Nezu said and looked at him with a serious look. "Please, if we're in trouble for what we did." He bowed. "The fault is mine; I was the one that encouraged us to fight after saving Bakugou and-"

"You misunderstand." Nezu calmly cut in, making him raise his head in confusion. "I never said what you did was wrong." He shook his head. "Anyone with eyes could see what you did was for your friend." He grabbed his teacup from the table. "Although, there were a few heroes who wanted to admonish the three of you for your recklessness, but Death Arms and All Might vouched for you so those were swiftly taken care of." He took a sip from his tea.

While mentally thankful for the pros sticking up for them, Izuku was still confused. "But, isn't it illegal to use quirks without a license?"

"It is." Nezu nodded. "But self-defense or preservation of another life are natural gray areas that tend to override that rule." He explained before sipping his tea while Naomasa vouched for his claim.

"That's right Izuku." Inko chimed in, garnering his attention. "While not legal, the authorities and the public would understand the necessity to break the law in your position." Her expression became a little stern. "So don't go making ridiculous assumptions and let the person finish explaining first." She gently admonished but softened when Hisashi patted her arm.

The teen flushed slightly and looked at his feet. "S-Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't mean to offend."

Thankfully Nezu was more amused than anything. "No offense taken!" He chuckled before sighing with a smile. "But it's nice to know how devoted you are to your friends." He then gave him a slightly teasing look. "But next time, do try to pay attention more to your energy reserves before going all out."

"N-Noted." Izuku muttered as he sat between his parents. "If we're not in trouble, what's this meeting about?" His mother began checking him for anything serious and made a mental note to make adjustments to his stamina training while Hisashi mentally added adjustments to his reflex training.

Nezu made a sound of approval. "Straight to the point I see, I like that." He placed his cup down and clasped his hands together. "As I said before, you and your friends have garnered our attention." He smiled. "And from what I've seen, all three of you have great potential to do great good with your abilities." The three felt giddy from the praise as he gestured to the adults. "And better yet, your parents tell me that all of you want to be heroes. Which will make today's offer make more sense."

"Offer?" Bakugou expressed his friends' questions. "What offer?" Behind him, his parents exchanged knowing looks. While behind Toga, Mana and Hideo did the same. The latter discreetly took out his phone to record the scene.

To this, Nezu wore a cryptic smile as he gestured to Toshinori who grinned. "How would you like to train your quirks at our training facility in U.A.?" The blond man asked.

In an instant, the teens stilled as their brains did the equivalent of a blue screen. Inko giggled and was gently hushed by her chuckling husband as Izuku's jaw dropped.

After a moment where it felt like the world had frozen, their brains had rebooted and a surge of activity went through them as they stood. "EEEEHHHHH!?" They exclaimed in sync while Nezu calmly sipped his tea.

---

Author's Notes:

1. With work in my life, I can't promise speedy updates or anything. But I WILL do what I can to finish the story. So, I apologize if any of you lose patience or interest.

2. Also, I'm not trying to make another OP Izuku fic with a harem, there's already too many of those. And since I'm not a SUPER expert on the series and to be blunt, it's been ages since I've seen the shows but I have great memories from the games. So, I apologize if the Kaiju you've been wanting to see isn't mentioned in the future and if this causes anyone to be upset.

3. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And feel free to give honest reviews and point out any errors, I'll be sure to fix them.

THANK YOU FOR READING, PLUS ULTRA!