"I still can't believe that Uwabami wanted to take us on! This will be an amazing learning experience!"

"If you say so."

"Are you not excited for this, Kendo?"

"No I am, but I just don't think it's going to be what you expect it to be."

Momo Yaoyorozu gave Kendo a confused look as the two of them rode the train to Uwabami's agency, which just so happened to be located in Tokyo.

"Oh really? Well if you don't mind me asking what are you expecting from this?"

Kendo sighed as she stared at the screen of her phone. On it was a message from Midoriya.

Izuku: "Sorry I'm busy today so tonight's not good. Maybe tomorrow."

"I don't think we're going to be doing much hero work this week."

Yaoyorozu raised an eye at Kendo, confused. "But we were scouted to do internships for hero work?"

Kendo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and said hero just so happens to be a big TV personality."

Kendo watched as the cogs slowly began to fall in place and turn inside Yaoyorozu's mind. When everything finally clicked, her jaw dropped. "You don't mean."

Kendo nodded solemnly before sparing a quick glance at Yaoyorozu's chest. "Yeah, and I think it's fair to say we both have a couple personalities of our own."

Yaoyorozu let out a sigh as he placed a hand over her chest. "Fudge."

Kendo looked over at her confused. "Fudge? Are you having cravings or is it just that ti-"

Yaoyorozu quickly shook her head as a faint blush spread across her face. "N… no it's nothing like that! Sorry, that was very unladylike of me, I guess Jiro's tendencies have been rubbing off on me."

"Mhm, I'm guessing you two must be pretty close. Have you been friends for a long time?"

"We actually just met this year, but I'm certain she's the best friend I've ever had."

Kendo smiled softly as she saw a faint blush spread on Yaoyorozu's face. Seeing the way she smiled Kendo flipped through her pictures of the one she had taken with her new friends. Most of them were taken by Setsuna or Tetsutetsu, but she didn't mind. As she flipped through she stopped at the one taken at Midoriya's apartment in Osaka. The two of them sat next to each other on the couch while Eri was asleep on his lap. They really looked like a family.

"… did you choose to do your internship here?"

Kendo jumped slightly as she turned to Yaoyorozu. "Huh?"

"I was just asking why you chose to do your internship here. It seems strange that you'd willingly go into this knowing what is going to happen."

Kendo scratched the side of her face nervously. "My boyfriend kind of talked me into it."

Yaoyorozu's eyes lit up with concern at the mention of a boyfriend. "Kendo, you don't think he was doing it for impure reasons?"

Kendo looked at her with a taken back expression. "Wow, you really are prim and proper."

"I'm serious Kendo, he could be using this opportunity to take advantage of you!"

Kendo put a hand up and shook her head. "It's fine, Izuku's not like that."

"And how do you know that?"

"Well we've been dating since the entrance exam and he hasn't ever tried to put the moves on me… let alone even tried to kiss me."

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened in shock. "Oh… umm… well in that case I guess there's nothing to worry about."

Kendo sighed as she grumbled under her breath. "I wouldn't say it's nothing to worry about."

"Hmmm, did you say something Kendo?"

"Nope, nothing at all."

"I see." Yaoyorozu took out her phone to check the time. "We still have a little while before we reach our stop. So why did you choose to come here? You said your boyfriend convinced you, but I'm guessing there's more to it than that."

"Yeah, he said it would be good for me to gain experience with media attention early on. We have three years to fine tune the things we're good at, so I went with something I know nothing about."

Yaoyorozu turned to Kendo in surprise. "Oh wow, it sounds like he put a lot of thought into what would be best for you."

"… also the fact that he lives in Tokyo may have swayed my decision as well."

Yaoyorozu gave Kendo a deadpan expression before pinching the bridge of her nose. "… well besides that, the reasoning is sound. He must be pretty smart. Did he not make it into UA?"

Kendo shook her head. "He didn't even try. Actually he's not even going to high school."

"What!"

Yaoyorozu's outburst caused everyone in the same car to focus their attention on them. With a sense of embarrassment quickly rising she apologized before turning back to Kendo. "What do you mean he's not going to high school?"

"Look Yaoyorozu, I know we've interacted during a few officer meetings, but I don't know you that well. Also it's not my place to tell you my boyfriend's reasoning, that being said it is my fault for bringing it up."

Yaoyorozu nodded quietly. "No it's my fault for trying to pry. It's just the whole concept of not going to school seems so foreign."

"Tell me about it, I didn't even think it was an option until he told me."

The two of them laughed softly at the idea of not having to go to school. Kendo looked down at her phone after feeling a gentle vibration.

Izuku: "You're gonna do great out there Battle Fist!"

Kendo sighed a smile crept on her lips.

Itsuka: "Shut up!"

Izuku: "Be safe and let me know when you get there ok."

Itsuka: "Thanks and will do."

With her creeping smile turned to a full blown one, Kendo leaned back into her seat, contempt.

"So, I told you my reason for coming here, what's yours?"

Yaoyorozu looked down as she held her bag close to her chest. "I failed at the Sports Festival. I panicked and couldn't do anything to keep myself from being eliminated. It was a complete embarrassment."

Kendo looked over at her, slightly taken back. She could see the mixed emotions running through her expressions.

"Maybe so, but you still made it into the top sixteen. That's still better than what I did."

"That's only because you refused to advance when your team was rightly the next to advance."

Kendo began to refute the claim but stopped almost instantly. "Yeah, you got me there. So, do you normally panic in situations like that?"

Yaoyorozu shook her head. "No, I've always been cool, calm and collected… well at least until the USJ. Until him."

Kendo looked down as she squeezed her phone. "You don't have to answer, but I was wondering if you could tell me what it was like. I've heard bits and pieces but it's been pretty vague."

Yaoyorozu tensed up even more as her eyes stayed glued to the floor. "Terrifying. It was terrifying. We were fighting for our lives and the only reason Yusa didn't die was because of Phoenix."

The shock was plain as day on Kendo's face. Out of everything she had heard or seen reported, none of it mentioned this. "What?"

"A villian with an electricity quirk caught her and was holding her hostage. I didn't know what to do, I froze up. I couldn't think of anything to do, all I could think about was my friend dying. But then Phoenix showed up, he didn't say a word he just melted his partners eyes with a snap. We were all in shock, then he shot at all of us."

"Wait, you got shot too?"

Yaoyorozu shook her head. "No, I created a shield in time by sheer luck; however my friends weren't as lucky. They got shot and lost the use of their quirks. Phoenix then burnt all the evidence and his partner's body, erasing them from existence as he fled."

"I can't even imagine going through something like that this early on. It sounds horrifying."

"It was, but that wasn't even the worst part."

Kendo's shock continued to grow as she looked at Yaoyorozu with an open mouth. "Seriously?"

Yaoyorozu nodded silently. "The worst part is that Phoenix let us live."

Kendo shock turned to confusion. "How is that the worst part?"

"When he showed up, I was all but certain that we were doomed. He didn't say anything, he just stood there and silently ignited the other villain. He easily could have done that to us, but he didn't."

Kendo looked up as she thought about what Yaoyorozu had said. At first she didn't get it, but the more she thought about it the more she understood. The idea of someone being so much stronger than you that they don't even see you as a threat truly was terrifying. Kendo herself had experienced events similar to this in her days of martial arts when competing against someone far more skilled than her, but never in a case of life or death.

"So you chose to come here to learn how to keep a cool head in those types of situations?"

Yaoyorozu nodded silently as she held her bag to her chest tightly. Kendo took a breath as she saw the uneasiness etched into Yaoyorozu's face.

"Well, this week might not be exactly what you hoped it might be, but I'm certain Uwabami will have some advice that will be able to help you."

Yaoyorozu smiled softly. "Thank you Kendo, I really needed that."

The two girls spent the rest of their train ride talking about school and about their classmates. They both found comfort in the fact that they each had their own trouble makers that made them want to pull out their hair. It was however slightly unsettling that the two classes were similar in their personalities.

When the train finally reached their stop, the two of them had fully expected to walk to Uwabami's agency. They were mere student interns and she was a famous pro, but much to their surprise Uwabami was standing in front of the station waiting for them with a limo behind her. The two students gave each other a confused look before quickly making their way to her.

Uwambi smiled as the two girls stood in front of her. "I hope your trip wasn't too difficult."

Yaoyorozu quickly shook her head. "Of course not ma'am and thank you for accepting us for the week!"

Uwabami laughed softly. "My, you are quite the excitable one."

Yaoyorozu's eyes suddenly widened. "I… I am? I'm sorry."

Uwabami shook her head. "No need to apologize, I hope it stays that way, it's infectious."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, I know the two of you just arrived, but we're going to get started right away. Go ahead and put your things in the back and I'll explain on the way."

The two students swiftly threw their bags in the back before getting into the limo. Once inside Kendo looked around taking everything in.

"Is it your first time?"

"Huh?" Kendo turned to Uwambi, confused.

"Is it your first time in a limo?"

"Oh, yeah."

Uwabami sipped from her glass of water with a gentle smile. "Well you'll be used to it by the end of the week."

Kendo gulped nervously as she had a sinking feeling growing in her gut. "And, uh why exactly is that?"

"Well I do have a few commercials and talk shows lined up for this week."

Kendo's eyes widened. 'Please don't say it.'

"And the two of you will be making your big debut."

Kendo and Yaoyorozu both forced out shaky smiles as Uwabami handed them scripts for today's shoot. As Kendo begrudgingly read over the script she heard a single word muttered from Yaoyorozu.

"… Fudge."

Kendo sighed at what she heard. 'Fudge is right.'

Midoriya let out a deep sigh as he put his phone away. As much as he wanted to hang out with Kendo while she was at her internship with Uwabami, he knew that he couldn't attempt to until he finished his mission in Hosu. After the "negotiation" with the Hero Killer had fallen apart he had been given a new job, to find and dispose of him. He knew that finding the Hero Killer wouldn't be easy, thankfully working in the underworld came with a perk of having plenty of connections.

Casually making his way through the narrow back alleys, Midoriya acted as if he didn't have a care in the world. His calm demeanor was a mere facade, truthfully he was on high alert. He knew that at any given moment he could be attacked.

Two hours passed and Midoriya had found no traces of the Hero Killer. He hadn't expected to randomly stumble upon him, but he had hoped that he would have found at least some traces of him. Then again, if he had left a trail, he probably would have been caught by now.

Midoriya had enough for the day, all he wanted to do now was go home and shower. He made his way into the deepest part of the alley, he didn't want anyone to potentially see Kurogiri's portal manifest. As he pulled out the phone to make the call, he came to a stop.

A soft pair of footsteps echoed through the alley. Looking over his shoulder, Midoriya saw someone approaching him. He couldn't make out any noticeable features, they were wearing a pair of jeans and baggy hoodie with their head facing down.

Every fiber of his being was telling him to be on guard. Midoriya watched as they slowly approached him. As they grew closer he was able to distinguish that they were a man, but nothing more. The man passed Midoriya without saying a word and eventually turned a corner leaving Midoriya by himself. After letting out a sigh, Midoriya reached for his phone again, but stopped when he felt a pressure applied to his spine.

Midoriya slowly raised his hands in the air trying to show that he'd cooperate. His hands barely made it halfway up before a voice stopped him.

"You've disappointed me, Phoenix. First you join up with those embarrassments and now I catch you off guard right after I walked past you."

"To be fair, not everyone is as good as you when it comes to hiding their presence. Now could you put that away, I only came to talk."

"And why should I believe that?"

Small flames instantaneously appeared and disappeared all round Midoriya. "Because if I was here to kill you I'd have set you ablaze the moment you pressed that knife against my back."

The blade slowly retracted and Midoriya turned around to face the Hero Killer.

"If you're here to recruit me then you're better off saving your breath. There's no chance I'd ever work with that man."

"Then what about working with me?"

The Hero Killer narrowed his eyes on Midoriya. "And why would I do that?"

"You said before that we're two sides of the same coin."

"That was before I knew you were with them."

"Even with them I still have the same goal as before."

Stain's expression changed, showing that his interest had peaked. "And what is this goal of yours?"

"I'm trying to figure out who killed my parents."

Stain's eyes narrowed. "So Phoenix, the man who only kills villains, is simply a boy seeking revenge. Truly you're a bigger disappointment than I expected."

Midoriya rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall. "Well what were you expecting?"

"As I said before, I thought that we were two sides of the same coin. I was tails, taking out fake heroes who only seal self gratification. You were heads, ending would be criminals and villains before they could cause further despair. I thought we both strived to make this world a better place by following our own paths."

With a deep sigh Midoriya shook his head. "I guess I can see how you came to that conclusion, but it's not the case. I just want to find and kill the person who killed my parents, after that I'm going to live as normal a life as possible."

"And what if you never find this man? Will you search until you die? What if he's already dead? Will your blood thirst be quenched?"

Midoriya's fist tightened. "I will find him, that's why I joined the league, they can find him for me. And if he's already dead, then that's fine by me."

Stain's eyes stayed fixated on Midoriya as he silently studied him. He took in every slight moment he made looking for any hint of a tell.

"I see. And what makes you so sure that the League can find him for you?"

"All for One, he has plenty of connections and followers."

"So mere speculation."

"Not entirely, he has hinted at the fact he knows something I don't."

"They could be stringing you along. You have no way to know for certain if what they say is true."

"I know, but they're still the best lead I've ever had. Everything else I've done has always been dead end almost instantly."

Stain sighed as his head momentarily dropped. "I don't agree with what you're doing, but I can admit that you do have a purpose. As long as you don't stray from your path I have no reason to kill you."

Midoriya raised an eye at the Hero Killer. "So, does that mean you're willing to work with me?"

"We're aiming for different things, I don't see how our targets intersect."

Midoriya ran a hand through his hair. "In order to get the information I need, I have to make myself useful to them. To keep things simple I've been told to capture a hero."

"It sounds like you just want me to give you the name of an unworthy hero. But you do know I don't capture them, I kill or cripple them."

"I know, but I also know that you have a pattern. Doing this would let you be rid of one other fake hero in this city."

The Hero Killer relaxed slightly as he stroked his chin. "This world being rid of another fake hero is tempting, I get the feeling that there's more to this. Why would they have you do something like this? It seems like a job for someone well below your level."

"It's because they want there to be no doubt to the world that Phoenix is a villain."

"I thought that was already the case?"

Midoriya shook his head. "No, even with my part in the attack on the USJ there's still people that don't consider me a villain."

"Even with that body count you've racked up over the years?"

"I've never attacked a person that the public has deemed as good. Everyone I've targeted has been a criminal of some sort. By capturing a hero it will cement my name as villain."

"I see, well it looks like someone in the League is able to think long term. Not only will they ruin the name Phoenix, but if it's found out that we worked together my name gets tied to the League of Villains by association."

"That was an unforeseen benefit. I had actually never planned to seek you out from when I was first given this task. The previous meeting was pure coincidence."

"The timing is quite unfortunate for you, Phoenix."

"Yeah, but I still have to ask. Will you help me?"

The Hero Killer remained silent as he pondered the idea, after a minute he locked eyes with Midoriya.

"Phoenix, why do you want my help? Capturing a hero should be a simple task for you, as long as you don't pick someone with a water quirk."

Mirdoriya's fist unclenched as it hung in defeat. "Just because I've killed, doesn't mean it doesn't weigh on me. Not too long ago I branded a family that sold their lives just so their son wouldn't be quirkless. I felt sick afterwards since it was my first time hurting civilians. I know this is going to eat at me too, but I was hoping that your reasons for killing them would help take some of the weight off."

Stain turned around and began to walk away from Midoriya. "You've done well to think all of this out. It does make me glad to know that you're not blindly driven by your blood lust. If you do complete your goal you might even be able to atone for your sins."

Mirdoriya's eyes glimmered with hope momentarily. It wasn't just the hope of help, the hope that he one day would be able to leave this life behind.

"Does that mean you'll help me?"

"Meet me here in two days at sundown. I'll help you just this once, but I can't promise that I can ease the burden."

Midoriya nodded as the Hero Killer left the alley, leaving him by himself once again. A couple minutes passed before Midoriya called Kurogiri to pick him up.

After crossing through the portal, Midoriya found himself in the bar. Everyone was in their usual place. As he approached the bar, Shigaraki began with his questions.

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

Shigaraki sent a glare towards Midoriya. "Why not? I told you I wanted him dead."

"I know, but you'd benefit more with him being alive for now."

Shigaraki groaned as he began to scratch at his throat. "I don't care, it's my right to destroy the things I hate."

Midoriya shook his head slowly as he let out a deep sigh. "I'm guessing All for One tried to teach that even the things you hate can bring value."

"Yeah, he also taught me that I can destroy those things. It's better to destroy anything that stands in my way."

"You won't make it very far with that foolish mindset."

Shigaraki's itching came to a stop as his eyes locked onto Midoriya. "What was that?"

Midoriya turned to lock eyes with Shigaraki. "Your ideas are foolish. Life isn't like the video games you play, you can't always restart if it goes wrong. Every action you take has consequences so you need to think things through more."

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you agree with the Hero Killer?"

Midoriya turned to face the bar again. "All I'm saying is that if it wasn't for Kurogiri and All for One you'd be alone, dead, or rotting in some prison."

Shigaraki got up swiftly, knocking over his stool. Midoriya shot his eyes at him and prepared for a hand to be sent his way, but it never came. Shigaraki stormed out of the room as he mumbled to himself. Most of what he said was unintelligible, except for a few select swears that were directed at Midoriya. When the door closed and Shigaraki could no longer be heard, the TV in the corner of the room powered on as All for One's voice filled the room.

"Do you think it was truly wise to provoke him like that, Phoenix?"

"Someone needs to, he needs to know that things won't always go his way."

"That may be true, but he's a work in progress."

"And how long have you been working on him?"

"I found him when he was around five, so his training started when he was six."

Midoriya deadpanned as he stared at the blank screen. "So it's been fourteen years and he still hasn't learned that things don't always go his way. I honestly don't know what you see in him?"

"An unbridled hatred that can never be extinguished."

"Is that really something that you should value over common sense or the ability to think outside of your own desires?"

"It is. Strategy and common sense can be taught, but hatred like that can't. It is something that is born from pain and trauma. With time it will bloom and produce an indomitable spirit that will bend everything to its will."

"Still, you know he can't survive on his own as he is now."

"You're right, but he's changing for the better and I have you to thank for that. Just right now he left and I'm sure he's thinking about what you said."

"How do you know he's doing that?"

"Well for one, I watched that boy grow up so I have a good read on him. And secondly, he didn't try to turn you to dust as he left."

Midoriya stopped to think for a second. All for One was right, ever since he had joined up with them, Shigaraki was always quick to rely on his quirk, but this time he didn't even threaten it. The more Midoriya thought about it, the more he realized that small changes were happening. With enough time, Shigaraki could become a competent leader.

"I'll admit that he is changing slowly, but with what he wants to do, he needs to change faster. As of now his only draw to bring new people in is the two of us."

"I can't deny that what you say is true, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give him a push."

"Spare the rod, spoil the child."

"I never took you for the religious type, Phoenix."

"I'm not, the boss used to tell us that all the time when he punished us. I hated it back then, but as I grew up, I realized that he was just teaching us that our actions have consequences."

"Do you think that it played a role in how you turned out?"

"I can't say for certain, but I'm sure it didn't hurt. I do know it holds way more credibility than people that believe the month they're born in determines their entire personality."

The room stayed quiet for a minute as the two of them thought about everything they had said. They were walking a fine line that would change the direction of the League of Villains forever. Truthfully, Midoriya didn't care what happens in the long run. Once he got his information he was gone and ready to live out the rest of his life as a normal person, but that didn't mean he wouldn't prefer to work with the least amount of headaches possible.

"Tell me, Phoenix. Why didn't you kill the Hero Killer? I've heard how the previous discussion went and it doesn't sound like there's any chance of him changing his mind."

"It's like I said, for now he's more beneficial to us alive at the moment."

"I guess that means you have some sort of plan then."

"I do, I'm killing two birds with one stone."

A soft laugh filled the room. "I dare say I think I know where you're going with this, but I'm not one to spoil a big reveal."

"I'm meeting back up with the Hero Killer in two days. Hopefully he's going to lead me straight to a hero to capture. I'll meet the requirements you set in place for us to get the quirks. Plus it comes with the added benefit of the media thinking the Hero Killer and the League of Villains are working together."

Even without a video being displayed on the screen Midoriya could sense All for One's sickly smile.

"Phoenix, you have yet to disappoint me, but do you have any ideas on how to take the Hero Killer off the board? I don't see Tomura changing his mind on that."

"Well I'm meeting up with him in two days at Sundown. If someone were to cause an incident in Hosu at the same time naturally more heroes would be drawn to the scene. Also I'm pretty sure some bigger names may be drawn in if rumors start spreading that I was in Hosu as well."

"Outstanding, you're having all sides dance in the palm of your hand. To think this far ahead at such a young age is amazing, I wish Tomura displayed a fraction of your intellect."

Midoriya shrugged as he pulled out his phone, he had received a few messages from Kendo that had attachments with them.

"That's what happens when you grow up in the Yakuza."

"It's truly impressive, seeing how you have turned out makes me wonder what could have been if I had found you that day instead. You probably could have amassed a formidable army by now."

"No offense, but I'm glad you didn't. I want out of this life and that wouldn't have been an option if you had found me."

"I know, I know, but just keep an open mind. If something were to happen to Tomura, you'd be the best choice to lead the League."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I already have a job lined up." Midoriya stood up and nodded at Kurogiri who proceeded to open a portal. "I'll be back in two days. I hope that everything will be taken care of by then."

"Of course, we'll take care of everything on our end."

Midoriya made his way through the portal and found himself in a back alley near his apartment in Tokyo. He extinguished the flames around his mask as he threw it in his pocket. Before making his way home, he checked the messages from Kendo to make sure everything was alright.

A small smile crept on his face as he read the messages. Everything was fine, she was just updating him as to what she was doing throughout the day. Midoriya found the attached picture of her Yaoyorozu going through the hair and makeup process, as well as a few pictures of what was happening behind the scenes of the commercial shoot. Midoriya shook his head softly as he typed a message for her.

Izuku: "I have all day tomorrow free. Maybe if you ask nicely we could meet up when you're done with your work for the day? Or I could just so happen to cross paths with you during your patrols?"