Katsuki spat out some blood, and rubbed his jaw. "Nice cheap shot De—"

Izuku moved up and grabbed Katsuki by the metal collar of his costume and shoved him against the wall. "Don't you ever talk about Uraraka like that. Apologize right now!" Izuku hissed between his teeth.

Katsuki just scowled and grabbed Izuku's arms. "Let me go, or I'm turning you into fucking ash."

Both Izuku and Katsuki, too distracted with each other, didn't hear the pop hiss that ripped through the hallway. They did feel it when a pair of bright yellow boots smacked them both in the head, separating them from each other.

Both boys turned, seemingly ready to tear into the person that had butted into something that didn't concern them. However, when Gran Torino glared back at them, they stopped.

"Gran T—" Izuku started, but he was cut off.

"Other wall, now." Gran Torino pointed to the other side of the hallway. "And you," he addressed Katsuki, "you stay right there."

When Izuku didn't immediately move, Gran Torino looked at him. "Kid, I'm not playing around right now. Wall. Now."

Gran Torino could see Izuku was fighting back saying something. He could almost hear the kid's teeth grinding together. But eventually cooler heads prevailed, and Izuku took a few steps back until he was against the other wall in the hallway. Gran Torino didn't show it, but he breathed a sigh of relief, because he did not want to have to try and force Izuku to listen to him. Right now, he only had a small mess to clean up. That, that would have been a full on shit show.

"Alright. Now, if this was the old days, this would get solved in a couple of ways. Either I shove the two of you into a room and let you beat the crap out of each other. I'd beat the crap out of both of you, or I'd wait until one of you is the winner, and beat the crap out of that one." He kept his eyes on both so that they knew he wasn't playing around. "But this isn't the old days, and you two have shit you need to take care of."

"Why are you here, Gran Torino?" Izuku asked tersely. The tone in his voice was strange to hear for Gran Torino. During his time training him, Izuku had spoken with respect and excitement. Clearly, the boy was pissed.

Not good, all things considered.

"Apparently I'm here making sure you two don't fail your tests before you even step foot on the field," Gran Torino huffed. He was about to add that Miruko had noticed the two leaving the control room and had 'politely' told him to go make sure 'the kid the Runt wants doesn't get himself into trouble.' He wasn't going to add what Miruko said after 'wants.' That woman needs to learn about age appropriate conversations.

Katsuki glared down at the old hero. "Of course he's fucking here. All Might's teacher, right? And All Might took you to see him." Katuski shifted his glare up. "He's fucking in on the whole thing, right?"

Gran Torino blinked and glanced over at Izuku, but the boy was still glaring daggers at Katsuki, before looking back. "'In on it?' Kid, whatever conspiracy crap you got rattling in your head is no excuse to be making a complete fool of yourself. You do realize the thin ice you're on right now? I'm willing to send you two back to the control room and pretend like nothing happened. Your teachers on the other hand, they might decide that you need to have some kind of punishment. U.A.'s gotten pretty stringent about kids fighting, last I heard."

Katsuki crossed his arms. "Finally someone that can at least sound convincing when he's lying. Deku and All Might can't even get a story straight."

Gran Torino regarded Katsuki coldly. "Kid, you don't know jack about what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know," Katsuki replied with certainty.

There was a change in Gran Torino's voice. An old coldness that reflected some dark times in his past. "No. You really don't. If you knew anything, you wouldn't be screaming at the top of your lungs that you did. So stop acting like a child. And—" Gran Torino powered on when Katsuki opened his mouth, "if I thought you did know something and you were going on like this, you'd be shut up by now."

"Is that supposed to be a fucking threat?"

"Kid, when I threaten someone, they know," Gran Torino finished.

Katsuki and Gran Torino traded glares, before Katsuki cliched his tongue against his teeth with an audible tch. "Always read that you older guys played by some different rules."

"You have no idea the rules I play by. Now, despite you being a loud mouth, you seem like you got a brain in there. You looked at the puzzle and got all the edge pieces put together. So let me make this clear. Congratulations. Now before you start trying to dig into the rest. Drop. It."

Gran Torino sighed, and let himself lean on his cane. "Now, this is done. For everyone's benefit, this is done. Straighten yourselves out, go back to the control room and try behaving like you aren't in elementary school."

"No."

Gran Torino blinked. After a second, he blinked again when he realized that it wasn't Katsuki that had said that. Turning around, he looked at Izuku in disbelief. "What?"

Izuku stepped away from the wall and towards Katsuki, his hands clenched into fists. "I'm not going back anywhere with him after this."

"Kid…"

Izuku ignored Gran Torino, gave Katsuki one last look and then turned away, walking down the hall.

Katsuki sneered, "Don't pretend like you're on some moral high ground, Deku. You're the one lying to our fucking class. You don't have a leg to stand on here. All your fucking secrets and shit? The only one here that should be pissed is me. You're the one breaking trust here."

Izuku paused and Katsuki kept going. "You just don't like I fucking called you out over it. If you wanna act like a freaking crybaby, why don't you try and hit me again. Maybe this time I'll actually feel it."

Izuku didn't turn around when he finally spoke up. "You have no idea how hard I can punch now."

Gran Torino's eyes went wide, but Izuku kept walking away. Katsuki took a few steps to go after him, but Gran Torino blocked his way. Though he still yelled after Izuku, "Where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

"Leaving."

"Leaving? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. After what you just did, I'd rather fail this test then team up with you."

"This is all your fault, Kirishima!" Mina screamed as she and Eijirou dived for cover when the gigantic draconic form of Ryukyu dive bombed and splintered the trees around them.

"How is this my fault?!" Eijirou shot back. "My plan was perfect!"

Scrambling to her feet, Mina stuck out her tongue at him. "Perfect?! Your 'plan' was 'let's go fight a dragon like those fantasy movies!' That's not a plan!"

Picking bark and twigs out of his hair, Eijirou pointed back. "It's better than your plan was. Running for the exit isn't manly at all! Now we don't even know where the exit is because we're lost in this forest!"

"You wanna tell Toga she wasn't manly for reaching the exit? Or how about Uraraka?" Mina countered.

"Er…" Eijirou coughed into his hand. "I'm just saying at this point the only chance we have at winning is bringing her down."

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing… Hey, where are you going?!" Mina waved her hands around as Eijirou began climbing up one of the trees.

"When she dives at us again, I'll just jump onto her!" Eijirou said with confidence.

"Are you crazy?" Mina called up to him.

"Ha! Crazy like a fox. Watch this!" Eijirou was now perched precariously on the upper branches of the tree while he checked the sky, looking for Ryukyu. She was already coming back down for another pass.

"You are going to die!" Mina said with utmost certainty.

"Nah! I got this!" As soon as Ryukyu was only yards away, ripping the tops of the trees abart with her body, Eijirou leapt up, and got immediately steamrolled. His body hurtled through the air off into the distance.

Mina groaned. "… I swear, if he's sticking out of the ground when I find him, I'm leaving him."

A horn blared over the forest training zone, "Team Ashido and Kirishima retires due to running out of time."

Mina growled and pulled at her hair. "Not just leaving him, gonna bury him deeper."

Mei tilted her head to the side. "Man, those guys didn't work well together at all."

Recovery Girl grunted. "Just because you're friends and get along, doesn't mean it's a recipe for a good team. They spent so much time arguing that they didn't have a chance at escaping or capturing Ryukyu."

Miruko grunted. "This is why I hate teaming up. Makes crap too complicated and you end up not getting anything done."

Recovery Girl looked over at her. "Well, aren't you just a shining example for the future."

Miruko just grinned, but didn't have a chance to say anything as the doors to the control room opened and Ochako strolled in. "Oh no, Ashido and Kirishima didn't pass? That's horrible… wait, Miruko?!"

Ochako gasped when she saw the rabbit hero, then felt some dread when she saw the smile on the other woman's face. It was the same smile she had whenever she ended up kicking her through something. "Hey there Runt, watched your exam."

Ohhh this is either good or bad. Ochako put on a brave smile. "You did? What'd you think?"

Miruko smirked. "Grapples are a neat touch, and those spikes are nasty. You diiid miss that kick I taught you, though."

"He he he," Ochako laughed nervously as Miruko got closer. "Well, I did win."

"Oh sure, but if you're gonna use one of my moves, you're not gonna miss with it." Miruko put a hand on Ochako's shoulder. "Sooo, next time you got work studies or internships, I'm just gonna have to remind you how to properly use that move."

Ochako gulped, flashing back to the kicking training Miruko had put her through those last couple of days. "O-oh… great." I'm going to die.

Desperate for some kind of salvation, Ochako looked around the room, looking for the person she had come to the room to see in the first place. "Um… where's Deku?"

"Oh! He and the loud one went to have a talk like a while ago. They haven't come back yet."

"Deku and Bakugou went to have a talk?" Ochako frowned, not liking the sound of that.

"Oh yeah. The loud jerk looked pretty mad about something. Not sure what though," Mei answered off hand.

Ochako gleaned back towards the door. She hadn't seen or heard anything on her way back, but there were other hallways someone could take to get to the control room. "How mad?"

Mei had her hands in her pockets, and was leaning back in her chair. "Slightly above normal? I dunno. Midoriya didn't seem too phased by it, though. Though they are taking a while. They missed the whole exam."

"The whole…" Ochkao blinked. That means that they've been gone for over thirty minutes. Turning on her heels, Ochako was about to walk out of the control room, but Miruko grabbed her shoulder.

"Runt, don't. Those two needed to work something out, so let them. They're big boys, they need to solve their own issues."

Ochako narrowed her eyes a little at the hero. "With all due respect, there's a lot of history there. I'd feel better if I knew everything was alright."

"Of course you do. Figured you'd be all mommy bear over this, so I sent that short old guy to check on things."

Ochako blinked. "Short old… Oh, Gran Torino? He's here?" Izuku had talked alot about the old teacher. So while she didn't have a lot of experience with him, she knew from Izuku's and All Might's description that he'd make sure Izuku would be okay.

"STOP FUCKING TELLING ME WHAT THE FUCK TO DO!"

The scream that reverberated through the door and into the teachers' waiting room made more than a few heads pop up. Midnight looked over at Snipe while Aizawa tried to bury himself deeper into his sleeping bag. Nezu just seemed amused as he sipped his tea. Cementoss decided to ignore everything.

All Might scratched his head. "Was that my imagination, or did that sound like Young Bakugou?"

Then a new voice joined the screaming student. "Kid, I swear to god someone at home doesn't smack you around enough."

"She hits like a bitch!"

"I'll buy her some brass knuckles then! Shut up. Stand there. And let me see if I can get this mess cleaned up."

All Might sunk into his chair. "Aaand that's Torino…. This isn't going to be fun."

Knock

Knock

Knock

"All Might, you decent in there? We got a problem."

Gran Torino's knocking and question had All Might jumping to attention and buffing himself up. "Yes! Come in Gran Torino!"

Gran Torino walked into the room, with a very unhappy Katsuki following. That in itself was a strange sight to see. All Might looked between the two, noting the serious look on his old teacher, and when he looked at Katsuki, All Might noticed that the boy's lip was swollen. In fact, the way a couple of the other teachers leaned over to get a better look at Katsuki, they noticed it too.

"Gran Torino. Young Bakugou. What's going on?"

All Might really hoped that the old man hadn't done something to his student. Unfortunately with the way Katsuki liked to mouth off, it wasn't hard to imagine Gran Torino giving the kid a good kick.

"There's a situation that you need to deal with," Gran Torino said, "between this one and… Midoriya."

"A situation? What kind of situation?" All Might did not like the sound of this. Especially since Gran Torino was taking it so seriously.

"A… delicate one. One that might be better done in private."

Gran Torino was choosing his words carefully. So that was just making All Might more nervous.

Before he could say anything or Gran Torino could explain further, one of U.A.'s small security robots rolled into the room. "There is an unauthorized withdrawal from the testing facility." The robot tilted its head up and projected a video, taken from security cameras it was linked to. "Student of 1-A, number 18 Midoriya Izuku, has left the training zone."

Every teacher in the room looked at the projection, then turned to look at Bakugou.

"The fuck you all looking at me?"

"What is going on?" Aizawa was out of his sleeping bag, not looking like he was in the mood to deal with this.

Midnight frowned, holding her hands up. "Now hold on. Midoriya might just be getting some air. No need to make a big deal about it."

"The kid decided that failing the test is better than teaming up with this bundle of positivity," Gran Torino finally said as he pointed his thumb at Katsuki.

"What?" All Might couldn't believe what he was hearing. In fact, none of the teachers could. To just decide to fail a test, let alone a term final, was not something Izuku would normally do. They knew the boy had worked hard just to be sure he'd even be allowed to take the test.

"Look, the kid is pissed. So he's not thinking straight. I think it would be a good idea if you," Gran Torino pointed his cane at All Might, "take this one and we go talk to him. Like I said. Talking in private might be good. Give everyone a chance to air out some crap."

All Might raised an eyebrow. Again, Gran Torino was pushing for a private talk. And when he looked at Katsuki, the boy was giving him a very strange look. Like he knew something.

Oh, this isn't going to be a fun conversation, is it.

Midnight leaned over to get a better look at Katsuki. "What happened to your lip, Bakugou?"

Tch, Katsuki clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Son," Snipe said simply. "We know what it looks like when someone got popped."

… Oh holy shit.

"The two of you," Aizawa began, "were put together for a reason. Plenty of pros don't like one another, but when there is a job to do, they do it. If you aren't able to show that kind of maturity at this point, then you fail the exam. And it seems," Aizawa glanced at the projection, showing Izuku continuing to walk away from the building, "that Midoriya is fine with dealing with those consequences. And if the two of you have been fighting, you should expect more consequences. I'll expel you both."

Katsuki opened his mouth, but Gran Torino coughed into his hand. "Kid. For the love of god. Learn when to shut the hell up and let an adult deal with this."

Aizawa regarded Gran Torino briefly before looking at the security robot. "The building is monitored. Show me what happened before Midoriya left the premises."

The robot chirped and beeped before the projection changed into a static image reading 'File Not Found.'

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

"Oookay?"

"Well that's something."

Aizawa sighed and turned to Nezu. "You're not even being subtle about it."

Nezu, though, held up his paws. "I can assure you this isn't my doing."

"Uh huh. Well who else would be able to hack our security?"

Midnight leaned back in her chair. "Did we ever install those upgrades after the sports festival?"

In the control room, Mei sneezed as she kept her eyes on the exam. Pocketing a small device.

Nezu chuckled, "Well since there doesn't seem to be any proof of a fight, unless Bakugou would like to report something?" Katsuki's silence spoke volumes. "Then I suppose that only leaves the issue of the exam."

Nezu tapped his paws on his desk, acting like he was thinking, "Midoriya and Bakugou's exam is last, so there is plenty of time before they are required to be at their station. Technically, until their assigned time, they're free to come and go as they please. So," Nezu looked at All Might, "if everyone is on the bus to be taken to the exam I don't see any reason this should become an issue."

"Thank you, Principal." All Might sighed with relief.

"However, if Midoriya still insists that he does not want to take this exam, that is his choice. And what ultimately happens will fall under Aizawa's decision."

Katsuki sneered. "So I'm screwed because of his choice?"

Nezu poured himself some tea. "Teammates are responsible for more than just themselves. Midoriya not taking the test fails himself and you. But that goes both ways, if you want to pass, you need to make him want to pass. Some might say this isn't fair but," Nezu took a sip, "the world isn't fair. Something I think Aizawa has told your class on multiple occasions. But you have a unique situation. Unlike so many, you have a chance to correct this. Understand?"

Katsuki huffed and crossed his arms.

"Good. Now if you three want to reach Midoriya before he gets too far away, I suggest you leave now."

When the teachers were alone, there was silence. Until Midnight spoke up, "So, who had Midoriya getting into a fight with Bakugou on their bingo card?"

Cementoss asked, "Does a punch count as a fight?"

Snipe scoffed, "No chance. Bets still on."

"You're only saying that because you'd lose if it counted."

Snipe shrugged. "That's fair, but now I want to change my bet."

Nezu shook his head. "All bets are final I'm afraid."

Midnight sighed. "I thought for sure Toga would be the one to get into a fight with Bakugou first. Did anyone bet on Midoriya?"

"Not a single person. Even All Might bet on someone else."

"Who? I can't remember."

Snipe pointed his thumb over towards Nezu. "He and Principal Nezu both bet on Uraraka."

Aizawa looked at his fellow teachers and rolled his eyes. Not wanting to deal with their childish behavior, he just walked back over to his sleeping bag.

"Did you think things would get this bad?" Midnight asked.

Aizawa crawled into his sleeping bag. "No. I expected arguments, but not a physical confrontation. They both seemed to have dealt with the worst of their issues during the sports festival."

There was an understanding between the teachers over the two's shared past. After some casual observations from Aizawa and the topic being brought up by Himiko to Midnight, the school did a little digging. There were no official reports, nothing on their school records, to say there were issues. But a few pointed questions painted a pretty clear picture.

"Something is different now," Aizawa concluded. "For Midoriya to act out physically—"

"Allegedly," Nezu added.

"—Means that this is a new issue. Something entirely new. Something he doesn't have experience dealing with."

Midnight hummed to herself, thinking she might have an idea. Her last talk with Himiko had been… enlightening to say the least. "And you're fine just giving them both the same punishment? I doubt Midoriya instigated anything."

"One could accuse you of victim blaming," Cementoss added.

"Is that how you all see it?" Aizawa asked.

"Kid got pushed, and he pushed back. Some would say it was deserved," Snipe offered.

"Nemuri, how often did you get called a slut when you were on patrol?"

Midnight growled out, "More than a few times."

"How about by reporters?"

"…Your point?"

"How many of them did you punch in the face?" Aizawa rolled over to look at Midnight. "None. Because you're a professional hero. You understand that you're held to a higher standard. This is something Midoriya is going to have to learn. Just like those people deserved to be punched, just as I'm sure Bakugou deserved it, Midoriya can't let his emotions dictate his actions. Because slip ups like that will destroy him. That's what I'm trying to teach. Either the press will rip him apart, or if these distractions happen while he's working, a villain might."

Aizawa rolled back over. "I have enough to worry about with this kid tearing himself apart. Not going to tolerate him causing issues for other people."

"So, who wants to tell me exactly what's going on?" Now that they were out of the teachers room, and walking at a hurried pace down the hall, All Might was ready to get a better idea as to what was going on.

"The kids were—"

"You and Deku fucking suck at getting your stories straight. Deku tells me one thing and you say something completely different."

"Huh?"

Katsuki looked over his shoulder, and very pointy, laid out how All Might and Izuku had fucked up. How, if they were still lying about something, made it pretty clear there was more going on. And how whatever was going on was royally fucking over the time he and the rest of the class, got to spend getting trained by All Might.

"I'm fucking done being lied to and screwed over. This gets taken care of now," Katsuki declared before he rocketed off ahead, speeding up to make sure 'that annoying Deku' didn't get too far.

"Well… crap."

"That kid has got too much brain to be making basic mistakes like that, Toshinori," Gran Torino said with a sigh. Now that Katsuki was out of earshot, he could finally say his piece. "This is a huge screw up."

Rubbing his brow, All Might had to agree. "Too many bread crumbs. This feels like Principal Nezu all over again."

Having someone just put the pieces together on their own, instead of being brought into the fold, was rare. When it had happened to All Might, he had decided that being open with Nezu was the best option. A good decision in hindsight. But unlike them, Izuku and Katsuki have history.

Bad history.

"So how bad is the blood between these two?"

"It's not pleasant, though last I was aware, things had begun to improve now that they had taken the mantle of rivals."

"Toshinori, I didn't break up an argument between rivals. The kid, Midoriya, was pissed off. I saw him take the swing then grab that boy and shove him against the wall."

All Might shook his head. "That doesn't sound like Young Midoriya at all."

Gran Torino nodded. "I was too far away to hear what exactly was getting talked about, but the kid isn't happy about that boy sticking his nose into this."

"Young Midoriya holds the legacy of One for All in high regard. I suppose thinking someone outside learning about it, and it being someone he is only just beginning to repair his relationship with… could have set him off… But this must not be as bad as it looks. A misunderstanding? Or the stress of the exam and everything just making Young Midoriya be on edge…"

"… Can the kid control One for All yet?"

All Might blinked then shook his head. "No. while I feel we're close to a breakthrough, he can't use it yet. In fact I've forbidden him from using it until after these exams, when we'll have more time to work on it. Why do you ask?"

Gran Torino sighed. "Cause the kid said that Bakugou has no idea how hard he can punch now." When All Might's eyes bulged, Gran Torino added, "I don't think the kid was serious. Just blowing hot air since he was done and walking away, but that Bakugou was still poking him. Was more of a 'polite' way of telling him to fuck off."

Shit.

Even if it was a comment made out of hand, it was still concerning that Izuku was mad enough to even make it. He knew Izuku. He would never intentionally make a threat like that.

Kouji looked over the railing of the small dinghy he and Fumikage were on. Below the surface of the water, were schools of fish swimming round, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the splashes of more aquatic life. While he waved happily at the fish, Fumikage was observing their surroundings.

Their dinghy was left in the center of the USJ's Flood Zone. Scattered around the gigantic mock maritime environment were other ships of varying sizes. The giant water slides, designed to replicate rapids and waterfalls, dropped gallons of water into the small sea, sending up a mist that gave the whole area a salty ocean smell.

Dark Shadow looked over the boat's edge. "Were there always fish here? Or is that new?"

Fumikage ignored his Quirk and kept his eyes on the horizon. At the water's shore was a large gate, their exit. It's also where Gang Orca had been. "Kouda, did you see where Gang Orca went?"

Kouji's head snapped up and he frantically looked around before shaking his head.

"Tch, I was afraid of that. We should have kept an eye on him when we got sent out here." Fumikage crossed his arms. "Where could he be? He's not on the shore… or on any of the boats that I can see. Maybe he's up above on the slide, readying to attack from above?"

Kouji looked up, fingers drumming under his mouth as he was tempted to start chewing on his nails nervously. The idea that that villainous looking hero might drop down on them was pretty scary.

"Hey, just a thought but, isn't he part whale? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be under the water?"

Kouji and Fumikage both froze.

"Team Kouda and Tokoyami, practical exam. Ready, go!"

No sooner had the announcement come, signaling the start of the exam, before one of the boats suddenly exploded in a shower of water and foam. As the debris fell into the water, out from the foam and mist, a black dorsal fin breached the water's surface, splitting the sea as it rocketed away from the sinking remains.

Fumikage turned and pointed towards the nearest boat. "Dark Shadow! Go! Drag us over!" Dark Shadow flew over the water, and latched on to the other boat. "Come Kouda, we can't stay here!" Kouji nodded and quickly wrapped his arms around Fumikage before the two were pulled off the dinghy.

Their feet skimmed the water's surface before Dark Shadow pulled them onto the deck of the small fishing boat. But Fumikage knew they couldn't stop there. "Move, move!"

Dark Shadow was already soaring over to the next boat, while Kouji hadn't let go of his classmate even when they had landed. Their feet were off the deck when behind them, the small dinghy they had been on exploded as Gang Orca breached through the flimsy plastic hull. The students' eyes met the terrifying hero's before he dove back into the water, making a beeline straight for the boat they had just left.

"Dark Shadow! Faster! We can't let him catch up to us!"

Behind, the fishing boat was cracked in half as Gang Orca swam right through it before he ducked down into the water, deep enough his fin disappeared from sight.

The pair's landing was much rougher this time. Fumikage winced at the pained grunt Kouji made as he hit the deck. He would make sure to apologize after the exam for that. Dark Shadow was already racing out to the next boat, and Fumikage was making sure his grip on Kouji was still solid, when the large boy began shaking his head frantically.

"Huh? Are you injured?" Dark Shadow paused his flight while Fumikage looked him over, but Kouji shook his head, while at the same time moving his hands erratically.

Maybe the jumps are making him sick? But we don't have time to…

Kouji was pointing towards the right now. He looked scared but he wasn't just flailing around. Fumikage frowned. That boat is off the path towards the exit. But, he knew they couldn't wait any longer. "Dark Shadow, head right!"

The living shadow banked right and pulled the pair towards the next ship over, a larger yacht ship. They were still in the air when the original pontoon boat they had been about to land on was ripped apart as Gang Orca breached through the haul and landed on the sinking remains. He watched the pair sail on by and land on the other boat.

"Hmph."

"Holy cow!" Dark Shadow exclaimed. "That was close!"

"I see. We were going in a straight line, so it was easy for him to figure out what ship we would jump to next and cut us off." Fumikage finally understood why Kouji had been insistent on shifting their course. Kouji's nods also reaffirmed this. "Dark Shadow, keep getting us closer to the gate, but avoid a straight line if you can!"

"On it! Here we g—"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Suddenly, the three closest boats were ripped apart, one after another, in a spray of water and foam. A black fin split through the water at alarming speed as it went from one boat to the next before turning after the last. Right for the ship the pair were on.

"Brace!"

Dark Shadow whipped back around at Fumikage's call and pressed two students against the side of the boat, and held them down with its body. But after a few seconds, the ship wasn't hit, cracked in half, or splintered into a million pieces like the others. The delay was long enough that Dark Shadow pulled away so thatFumikage and Kouji could look around.

"Did he miss?"

"Perhaps he doesn't know we're here?"

"Oh," a new voice entered into the conversation, followed by wet footsteps along the wooden deck boards. "I know exactly where you are." Gang Orca, fresh from the salt water, strolled up towards the pair, giving off an aura of menace as his red eyes bore into the two students. "Congratulations on not making the most basic mistake you could have made. Allow me to reward you."

Kouji's legs gave out as he fell to the ground, utterly terrified. Any other situation, Gang Orca would have felt a little guilty making the boy so afraid. He had read his file in great detail and after his talk with the boy's teachers, knew that Kouji wasn't a fighter. But Aizawa was also right that he needed some experience. Better now in a controlled environment than a surprise attack where his life was in danger.

Fumikage stepped forward, with Dark Shadow bristling above him. He glanced over to the side. "Kouda… do you think you could swim the rest of the way? Or maybe have some fish carry you?"

Kouji, still shaking, wasn't able to pull himself up to get a clear look over the railing, but he could turn his head to see the edge of the exit gate. About a hundred meters away. It would be a swim, and not a fast way to escape and end the match. But… Kouji nodded. He was pretty sure he could reach the gate. Maybe even call for help if all the fish and animals hadn't been scared away by Gang Orca.

Fumikage nodded. "Then as soon as you find your legs, make a run for it. Dark Shadow and I will hold the line."

"Oh? You'll hold the line?" Gang Orca's footsteps came down hard. Making the wood boards crack from the strain. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"GO DARK SHADOW!" Fumikage pointed his hand out and Dark Shadow immediately rocketed towards Gang Orca, claws extended and ready to tear into the pro hero. He was brought to a sudden stop as Gang Orca extended a hand and caught him by the head, his shadowy tail coiling up around his body like a spring. With devastating force, he slammed Dark Shadow into the deck, driving him through the wood.

"Pathetic." Gang Orcas stepped forward, over the buried shadow, towards Fumikage. "And now you're defenseless."

The wood decking exploded as Dark Shadow erupted out and wrapped his body around Gang Orca. "Don't get cocky!"

Dark Shadow began to pummel the top of Gang Orca's head, each blow making a hard crisp crack! Gang Orca grunted as he took a step back, turned and drove his back, along with Dark Shadow, into the nearest wall of the yacht. He kept moving backwards, going through the yacht's bridge, before hitting the other wall and crashing through it, ending up on the other side of the yacht. The chain of impacts dazed the Quirk, so he was slow to react when he was hit in the face with a blast of hypersonic waves from Gang Orca's forehead. Stunned, Dark Shadow's grip loosened, and he was pulled off and slammed into the ground. Gang Orca took the extra step of pressing his foot down onto the shadow, driving him into the deck.

"Dark Shadow!" Fumikage, who had chased after the pair, was shocked to see his Quirk get overpowered so easily.

"Why didn't you try to drag me into the ship at the start of the fight?"

When Gang Orca took a step towards Fumikage, he drove Dark Shadow deep into the deck before the shadow was pulled back into Fumikage's body. The boy knew he wasn't going to be able to bring him out for some time now. At least not before the exam was over. But the question made him hesitate. "What?"

"Out in the open, your Quirk is weakened by all this light," Gang Orca motioned to the ceiling, where all the giant lights bathed the area in simulated sunlight. "The very first thing you should have done, was try to get me pulled inside of the ship. Rip open a hole in the deck and take me below into the dark, and away from the light. If you had, you would have had a fighting chance."

Gang Orca had closed the distance and had grabbed the stunned avian boy before shoving him into a wall that cracked under the force. "Are you afraid of your own Quirk? Will you let that fear keep you from doing everything you can to win?" Gang Orca growled while Fumikage clawed at his hand. But even if he didn't have the hero's hand at his throat, he wouldn't be able to answer.

He and Gang Orca knew this.

"You need disciplinary action," Gang Orca lowered his head, and got ready to blast Fumikage with a wave or paralyzing hypersonic waves.

Pop!

Gang Orca blinked, as did Fumikage. As both turned to look at what had made that sound, they saw Kouji, right next to Gang Orca, his fist pressed into the large hero's side. Kouji had thrown a punch.

"Kouda? Why didn't you run?" Fumikage asked. He wasn't mad or anything. Truthfully, he doubted he had stalled the hero for anywhere near the amount of time for Kouji to have made it to the exit gate. He was just confused.

Trembling, because he was deathly afraid, Kouji spoke, something that Fumikage was sure no one had actually heard. "I… I couldn't leave you."

It was the truth. Because when Kouji had finally gathered the strength to stand up, he found that his legs couldn't take him into the water. No matter how hard he tried, that wasn't where he was supposed to go. Instead, he was driven forward, into the giant hole in the side of the ship, after his classmate.

Gang Orca looked down at the boy, and grunted. "I can respect your loyalty to your friend, and willingness to get involved in the fight."

Fumikage's eyes went wide when Gang Orca turned his head to face Kouji. "Kouda, look out!"

But his warning did little good, as the hero's hypersonic waves had already slammed into Kouji, sending him tumbling backwards until he was slouched over the deck railing, looking down into the water. Gang Orca watched him for a few seconds, making sure the boy wouldn't fall into the water. "My Orcinus lets me produce waves that can paralyze an opponent. He'll be staying there for the rest of the exam."

Crack!

Fumikage threw a punch that connected to the side of Gang Orca's jaw. It didn't do much of anything. "Hmph, going down fighting. A good way to end it." His grip on Fumikage tightened. "You have a strong Quirk, but you're afraid to use it. Not a good idea when you rely too much on it. You're completely defenseless without it."

Fumikage clenched his teeth, readying himself to get blasted as well.

Waaoaooooooooooo Waaoaoo!

Gang Orca paused, while Fumikage blinked rapidly. That was a very distinct sound. An animal call that almost anyone would recognize if they had visited an aquarium or watched a nature show. That was the haunting sound of a blue whale.

Suddenly, the water beside the boat began to bubble and writhe, before the over seventy feet long, three hundred thousand pound giant leapt out of the water. Crashing back into the water sent waves slamming into the boat. The sudden bolt to the ship made Gang Orca lose his grip on Fumikage as he fought to keep his balance.

Fumikage, now on his feet, was also struggling, but with much less success. Stumbling back, he tumbled out into the deck, his back hitting the railing. Now outside, his eyes went wide. It wasn't only a blue whale that was jumping out of the miniature sea. All the animals in the water were going berserk. Fish of all sizes were skimming the water's surface, leaping up and slapping into the boat. Dolphins circled the boat, leaping higher and higher into the air.

The giant blue whale was back up to the surface, its tail raised high into the air, before it crashed down hard, hitting the boat. Fumikage tried to keep himself from getting thrown into the water, but it was all but impossible. But he was just able to do it, since he kept a steel-tight grip on the rail.

But while he was able to hold on, and Gang Orca was still inside the ship's bridge, it suddenly dawned on him that Kouji was hanging off the edge, unable to protect himself. When he looked to where his classmate was, he only just got to see his feet disappear over the side of the boat. "KOUDA!"

Gang Orca, hearing Fumikage's cry, turned and swore. With Kouji paralyzed, he would most certainly drown. Rushing at full speed, Gang Orca leapt off the side of the boat, chasing after the young man.

He didn't see behind him, a silver streak sail through the air. A dolphin, leaping high enough to snag Fumikage's cloak and pull him into the water.

Kouji hung over the railing, dizzy and weak, his body no longer able to move. Behind him he could hear gang Orca talking to Fumikage, as he got ready to do to his classmate what he had just done to Kouji .

Kouji closed his eyes. Not being able to move, meant there was nothing else he could do to help his classmate and himself win this exam. They were out of options.

Fwissshhhh!

Some sea mist smacked Kouji in the face, making him open his eyes, and he gasped. Under him, just breaching the surface of the water, was the broad back of a giant blue whale, its blowhole spraying up a mist of sea water. Around it, Kouji could see schools of fish and, darting to and fro, a pod of dolphins.

Kouji's jaw felt so numb. Just moving his mouth took so much effort. The effect from Gang Orca's attack was so devastating, that it was almost impossible to say anything. But Kouji wasn't going to let his classmate down.

If there was ever a time to go plus ultra, it was now.

"My friends of the sea, please lend me your aid!"

Diving into the water, Gang Orca began to frantically look around for Kouji, knowing he needed to get the boy above water as quickly as possible. But as he looked around, he couldn't see the body.

Where is he? Where—!?

WAM!

From behind, Gang Orca was struck in the back, sending him tumbling through the water. Reorienting himself, Gang Orca was just able to avoid the next attack as a dolphin streaked by him.

What is going… wait?

Off in the distance, rocketing away from the ship and towards the shore, Gang Orca could see Kouji and Fumikage getting carried away by dolphins. Watching that, it dawned on him just what had happened and what was going on. Huh, well done young man.

As more and more of the sea moved to block Gang Orca, he sighed, letting a few air bubbles escape his mouth. He could of course give chase. He'd even probably catch up. But he'd have to fight through a lot of fish and dolphins and a particularly annoyed looking whale that probably wasn't too happy with all the noise he had been making in the water.

There is always a time to know when it's time to step back, and at this moment, Gang Orca knew that it was that time. He had delivered his message to one student, and had moved the other to action.

"Team Kouda and Tokoyami have passed!"

Izuku fiddled with one of the pouches on his harness. He had made it to the road that would take him back to U.A.'s main campus, and was debating if he should go ahead and turn off his phone. He imagined that sooner or later, he was going to start getting calls. And he really didn't want to talk to anyone.

Especially if they were going to try and convince him to come back and take the exam with Katsuki.

Which was not happening.

"…"

Izuku thought back to the incident and watched it over in his head. And with hindsight being 20/20, it was pretty clear he could have handled things better.

"Could have punched him again instead of going for the grab. A good left hook would have knocked him flat."

"I AM HERE!" The ground exploded into a cloud of dust as All Might crash landed. "To make sure you take your test, Young Midoriya!"

Izuku blinked from the ground, thrown to the ground from the shock of the entrance. "A-All Might?!"

As the dust began to settle, Izuku saw that it was indeed All Might standing there.

Why is he here? …Wait, he said why. How is he here so fast?!

"I fucking swear to god, put me the fuck down right now!"

"I have jets in my feet, you didn't need to grab me too!"

…Oh.

All Might put the two, less than happy, passengers down. "Come now. This was the quickest way to get to Young Midoriya." All Might chose to ignore the angry looks and focus back on Izuku. "Now, Young Midoriya… Um…" When All Might looked back where Izuku had been, he saw the spot was empty. Looking around, he finally found him. Walking down the road away from them.

Katsuki eye was twitching. "Did he really just fuck off?"

"…"

Katsuki looked back at All Might. "The hell? Why does he look so freaking sad?"

Just like Katsuki said, All Might looked downright pitiful, slouched over and looking like he was about to cry. Gran Torino scratched his head. "Pretty sure the kid gets excited every time this guy does his big 'I am here' entrance, yeah?"

"Uh huh? Wait, he's depressed that Deku blew him off?"

"Seems like it."

"… Screw this." Katsuki turned around. "I'm dragging Deku back." Katsuki took off before either adult could tell him that was a horrible idea.

"Deku! Oi! Stopping acting like a little shit and—"

"Kacchan," Izuku turned and glared at him. "Shut up or I'm punching you again."

"No punching!" All Might called out as he put a giant hand between the two. "No punching. Everyone is here to talk."

Izuku crossed his arms. "And if I'm not interested in talking? Or hearing anything he has to say. Unless you're here to apologize?" Izuku made sure to pointedly look at Katsuki for that last bit.

"Get fucked," was quick to retort.

"Then I'm done." Izuku turned but was stopped when All Might reached out and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Young Midoriya, please. You worked extremely hard to get here today. Don't throw it all away. At the very least respect yourself enough to try and come to an understanding. You deserve to be able to take this test. You earned it."

Izuku huffed. "I am respecting myself by not hanging around him. I'm not putting up with him over this, after what he said."

"Kid," Gran Torino cut in. "We get it. Look, just listen, alright? Like it or not, this is part of growing up. Sometimes you have to deal with shit people," Gran Torino ignored the angry 'Oi' from Katsuki, "to get the job done. It's not just what heroes have to do, it's pretty much a part of life." Gran Torino sighed. "And honestly, while you might not like this, you did such a bad job at keeping things under wraps. So that's something you have to deal with."

There was a pause before Izuku turned to look at Gran Torino. "You're telling me what I have to deal with? I'm pretty sure I'm the one that gets to make those choices."

…Did the kid just use the 'I have One for All so I'm in charge' card?

"Young Midoriya, you're right. Ultimately this is your decision to make. I'm just asking you to listen before you make that decision."

Katsuki frowned. "His decision? Why are you two acting like he's in charge?" Glancing at the three, Katsuki didn't see anything from Izuku to dispute the idea. Hell, he seemed to be pushing the idea. And All Might seemed to be reinforcing it. Hell, even the pain-in-the-ass old man seemed to be stopping short of straight up telling Izuku what to do. And Katsuki knew the old fart had no problems being a bossy son of a bitch. "The fuck is going on?"

One awkward silence later.

"Just say what you want to say already," Izuku sighed. Figuring this would be the quickest way to deal with this.

All Might sighed in relief before turning to address Izuku and surprising him as he bowed. "Young Midoriya, I've put you in a particularly awkward situation. By no fault of your own, you've been thrust into something that has unfairly put you under the scrutiny of your fellow friends and classmates. For that I am deeply sorry."

"Huh?" Izuku, despite not being in the best of moods, was not prepared to see All Might apologize like this. Thrown off by the display, he almost missed what he had said. "What do you mean by scrutiny?"

Katsuki crossed his arms. "You think I'm the only one to notice that All Might spends way more time with you than the class he's supposed to be teaching?"

All Might nodded. "While we came to find you, Young Bakugou… painted a rather unpleasant picture of things. Explaining that my negligence in my duty as a teacher has resulted in some feelings of abandonment with your classmates."

Izuku glared back at Katsuki. "You explained…? Explained what? You expect me to believe that my classmates are mad at me?"

With a huff, Katsuki glared back. "They fucking should be pissed off at you. But everyone is being understanding and shit when they should be confronting the problem head on."

"Name one," Izuku challenged.

"Ponytail Girl, Lightning Dolt, Half and Half and how about fucking Four Eyes?" Katsuki listed off four names instantly. "They all brought it up. Once All Might started training you, suddenly he's not around to teach our fucking class."

Izuku's eyebrows went up, his scowl from before changing into a look of shock. "They said… Wait, no one's brought this up to me. If they were upset they would have—"

Katsuki threw up his hands. "No one's saying anything because you keep fucking yourself up and can't control your Quirk for shit! No one wants to be the one to say something and then down the line, you end up fucking dead because of your fucking martyr complex." Katuski pointed. "But if you really thought our class wasn't going to notice that suddenly they weren't getting taught by All Might, but by the other teachers, you're more of a dumb ass than I ever expected."

Katsuki walked up and jammed that finger into Izuku's chest. "We come here, and get told that the number one himself is going to teach us how to be heroes. You take that away and think everyone is going to be alright with it? Anything not him is a fucking downgrade."

"Young Bakugou, as I told you already, any fault in this situation is on my shoulders. I was the one who failed to ensure I had enough time to perform both my duties."

Katsuki huffed, and then looked back at him. "That's another thing. What the fuck does you having enough time have anything to do with this?"

A pause.

"Oh for fucks sake," Gran Torino groaned, covering his face with his hand.

Katsuki glared at All Might before turning to look at Izuku. "You need to face some facts. Whatever the shit thats going on here, you're fucking up a lot of people with it. Because news flash, the extras in class. Not all of them are fucking dumb. If you think I'm the only one here that's put this shit together, you're not just a dumbass. You're fucking delusional."

Mei hummed, looking down at a device that she had made to track and record Izuku's Quirk usage. It could also act as a GPS if she fiddled with the settings. At the very least, it looked like Izuku was still on site.

"Duck!"

Mezou grabbed Shouto and threw the two of them to the ground, just as a bullet ripped through the trunk of a tree behind them. On the ground, Mezou's arms extended out, all but one tipped with a large ear that twitched as they listened. "Snipe-sensei is roughly… a hundred meters to our right."

Shouto nodded and was about to get up to continue their chase, but Mezou held him down. "Hold on… he's doubling back. Stay low and let him close the distance."

"Just tell me when to attack."

The entire exam had been like this. Snipe had kept himself at a distance, far outside of Shouto's reach, and had been taking pot shots at the pair while ducking and dodging through the trees. Always on the move, his shots were keeping the pair from making it to the exit gate. But with Mezou's Quirk, they were able to track Snipe through the dense forest.

This cat and mouse game had been going on for a long time now, with both students sure that they were running out of time.

"Todoroki," Mezou's moved his hand out and started to point off in a direction. Shouto nodded and put his hand on the ground, frost already starting to form on the grass. A few seconds passed, and then Mezou began to count down on his hand.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

ONE!

Mezou's hand gave one final jerk, and Shouto took that as his signal and unleashed a wave of ice that rushed out, freezing the ground as it went on.

"Oh HECK!?" The yell was still a ways off. Shouto was impressed that Mezou was able to find a target so far away.

"We got him!" Mezou yelled.

Shouto was on his feet now. "Sensei," he called out, "drop your gun and surender, or I'll freeze everything over there."

There was a pause, before Mezou gave a thumbs up. "I heard him drop it. Let's get him."

A short while later, the announcement rang out, "Team Todoroki and Shouji have passed."

"So you know someone else that's suspicious?" Gran Torino asked.

"And if I fucking did? You gonna sick your serial killer on me?"

Izuku growled, "Be nice to Toga."

"Right, because she gives a shit if I call her names."

"No, she doesn't. But I do."

"Getting off track here kids," Gran Torino cut in. Which Katsuki seemed to agree with.

"Look, Deku. You don't get to stand there and lie to me about," he waved his arm over towards All Might, "whatever the fuck this thing is. Not when you've done jack all to be competent and keep it an actual secret. Man the fuck up and accept some fucking responsibility instead of being a whiny little bitch and running off."

"While not the way I'd put it—t all in fact—there is a point to be made. There comes a point when attempting to keep things hidden does more harm than good."

"Smartest thing you've said in a while," Gran Torino grunted.

"…Can you not undermine me in front of my students please?"

Gran Torino just snorted.

Izuku looked at All Might, looked at Gran Torino, then looked at Katsuki blankly. "I haven't disagreed with a single point you've made, you know that right?" The three stared at Izuku. "Aaand" Izuku powered on, "after you confronted me, did I say anything like, 'you're wrong,' or 'I'm not telling you anything?'"

Katsuki frowned. "No, you ran off like a bitch after getting all pissy."

Izuku took a deep breath, then exhaled through his nose. Twin tongues of flame flickered out as he did. "Kacchan. I. Do. Not. Care. If. You. Know. At. This. Point."

…

"You don't?"

"You don't?"

"You don't?"

"At this point, you not knowing is more of a pain in the butt than dealing with whatever happens after I tell you."

All Might clapped his hands. "Then problem solved… I think?" All Might had a feeling that Ochako might not be exactly happy with how this had all gone down. He got the feeling she didn't like Katsuki all that much.

"But I'm still not taking the test with you."

And all progress was immediately dashed. "WHY THE FUCK NOT?!"

"BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVEN'T APOLOGIZED FOR WHAT YOU CALLED URARAKA!" Izuku spat fire as he yelled back.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Gran Torino looked at Izuku, before he threw up his hands. "Oh all the stupid—!"

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!" Katsuki fired back, hands crackling and popping to match his frustration. "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A FUCKING DUMBASS?!"

All Might quickly moved to separate the two boys. Or more precisely, to get Izuku away from Katsuki. Because Izuku looked like he was ready to square up and take another swing at Katsuki, and this time, it looked like Quirks might be involved. If that happened, forget failing the test, there were far worse punishments the two could end up facing.

"Alright enough!" All Might's voice boomed, making both teens step back. Now that he had both their attention, he lowered his voice. "It seems that what we thought was the issue, wasn't the issue. Or at least, wasn't the most pressing one. Young Midoriya, Young Bakugou. What else were you two fighting about, then?"

Katsuki jammed his thumb in Izuku's direction. "I needed to make sure this shitty nerd wasn't still freaked out just because Round Face is—"

"Anything that's going on between Uraraka and myself is our business and has nothing to do with you, All Might or anything school related," Izuku cut in, a dangerous edge to his voice. "So you keep whatever you heard that night to yourself."

"You think I want to talk about this shit?" Katsuki countered back.

All Might looked down at Izuku. And noticed that despite the young man looking just as angry as ever, there was a little bit of color to his cheeks.

Okay, let's think this through. Something happened recently between Young Uraraka and Young Midoriya… Hold on, All Might cleared his throat. "Er, would whatever it seems Young Bakugou overheard have anything to do with… you asking me for advice yesterday?"

Gran Torino coughed, "Well, that's a mistake."

Izuku didn't answer right away. He just kept glaring at Katsuki. But before All Might had to repeat himself, Izuku muttered, "Yes."

Oh…boy this just got complicated.

"But, I am not going to talk about that. That's an extremely personal topic between Uraraka and me. And has nothing to do with anything." Izuku made his position extremely clear on that. "The issue is I will not put up with the way he disrespected Uraraka."

"For fuck sakes are you—"

"You crossed a line, Kacchan!" Izuku bit back, cutting Katsuki off. "I let you get away with a lot, I won't let you get away with this."

Katsuki sneered ugly. "You let me? Who do you think—"

"Time out!" Gran Torino stepped up and asked Izuku, "What exactly did he say?"

Izuku's face twisted, like he just took a bite out of a lemon, peel and all. "I'm not going to repeat it."

"I called her—"

Izuku's hands went up, ready to throw down, but Gran Torino was already dragging Katsuki away. When they were a good distance away, he said something to Katsuki. The boy's face soured just like Izuku's. Then he leaned over and said something into Gran Torino's ear. Gran Torino took a second to digest what was said. Then wacked Katsuki over the head with his cane.

"You shitty old geezer!"

Ignoring him, Gran Torino walked back over to Izuku and All Might. "Okay. I now know exactly what was said."

"And?"

Gran Torino pointed his cane at Izuku. "Kid had every right to deck this little shit in the mouth for it."

"OI!"

"But kid. Throwing the exam is dumb. And I get the feeling that as soon as that Uraraka girl hears why you did it, she's not going to go after this bundle of joy. She's going to come for you, and kick your ass. And after seeing how she fights, she would destroy you." Izuku crossed his arms in a huff, but didn't argue the point. He was being selfish, sure, but everyone has that straw that finally breaks the camel's back. And this was that straw.

"So, let's get you both back to the building already. I'm guessing either you'll want an apology or something else for what was said. So," Gran Torino gave this some thought, "how about you get to call his brat's mom the same thing he called Uraraka. That way you're even."

The silence that followed was so quiet, you could hear all the bugs in the trees stopping to gawk at the idea.

"He calls my mom that and I'm fucking killing him!"

"Why would I ever want to call Mrs. Bakugou that?! She's nice!"

Izuku and Katsuki screamed at the same time. Then Katsuki blinked. "The fuck do you mean that old hag is nice?"

"Or," Gran Torino went on, "I could go find that Miruko lady. She seems to have a soft spot for Uraraka. I'm sure she'd have no problem taking a pound of flesh out of the brat here for what he said."

"I'll turn her into bunny stew!"

"I don't want other people dealing with my problems!"

All Might stepped in, stopping any more of this from getting any more insane. "Hold on, before we listen to any more brilliant ideas, if what was said was so bad, would a simple apology even fix this?"

"I mean yeah," Izuku said simply. Which got him some looks of disbelief. "What?"

"You throw this kind of a fucking fit, punch me in the fucking mouth, and act like you're ready to throw down at a moments notice, and you expect me to believe that all I have to say is 'I'm sorry!'"

"I mean… yeah?"

Katsuki threw his hands up in the air, not believing a word of it. "Okay, then. I'm fucking sorry. Happy, you little shit?!"

"I forgive you, Kacchan."

…

…

…

"WHAT?!"

"Hold on, Young Midoriya," All Might looked genuinely confused, "I… that's it? That's all you want?"

Izuku, who now looked like he was back to his normal chipper self, just smiled and nodded. "Yup."

"Really?"

"All Might, I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard Kacchan say he was sorry for anything. We've known each other for over ten years and I wouldn't even need all my fingers. I'm taking the win."

"I'm going to fucking kill you," Katsuki seethed.

Izuku didn't look bothered in the slightest. "Uh huh. You might wanna rethink that."

"Give me one good reason."

"I'll give you two. If you kill me, then we'll fail the exam."

"…Fuck."

"And," Izuku went on, "if we win, I'll tell you the whole story."

Katsuki blinked. "Say that again?"

Izuku sighed. "At this point, All Might's right. You're so obsessed with this, I'm worried it'll start affecting your schoolwork or whatever thing we have now. So, if we can work together and win,I'll tell you."

Nezu sipped from his cup of tea, looking completely and honestly sad at the state of things. Honestly. He was really broken up. Totally.

"Oh dear oh dear," Nezu said, completely sympathetic to the utter devastation around him. "I seem to have gone and over did it." He took another sip. "But I can't be blamed for those two getting all tangled in tape trying to swing away. Everyone knows you shouldn't be around a building when it's collapsing. And all that electricity, not my fault at all. I mean whatever was Kaminari trying to hit? All he did was zap poor Sero. Shame shame."

The intercom inside the giant crane crackled to life, and Recovery Girl's voice came in. "You know no one believes a word coming out of your mouth, right?"

Nezu smiled. "Oh, whatever do you mean? I even went and left them a completely viable escape route."

"Uh huh."

…

…

"Have the robots been able to dig the pair out of the rubble yet?" Nezu asked as nonchalantly as if he was asking about the weather.

"Just about," Recovery Girl said with an annoyed sigh.

"Then everything is completely fine."

Needless to say, Denki and Hanta had both failed. It was a complete devastation on their end.

The doors to the control room opened again as more of class 1-A filled into the now quickly shrinking space.

"Oh come on!" Mina grumbled. "Isn't there another room you all can watch the exam?"

Mina's ire wasn't directed at her classmates, but at all the teachers and heroes that had decided to watch the exam.

"That's what I'm saying!" Minoru complained as he worked to try to find a spot where he'd be able to watch. He yelped as Shouji picked him up and got him on his shoulder. "Hurray for tall friends."

Ochako and Himiko pushed their way to the front, finding a little space next to Recovery Girl and Mei.

"So this is kinda insane," Himiko grumbled.

The doors opened again and Himiko threw up her hands. "No vacancy! Get lost!"

Above the crowd noise, there were some startled yelps from students and heroes as a short yellow old man bounced from head to head until he landed next to the pair. Recovery Girl eyed the old man with strained annoyance. "I assume we're all good to go then."

Ochako frowned, keeping her eyes on Gran Torino. Something the hero was well aware of. "It's all okay. Things are taken care of."

"So nothing serious then. Pre exam jitters?" Ochako asked.

Gran Torino looked at Ochako. "It's all dealt with. Now let's just worry about watching this thing. Though something so big, just watching a video is a bit of a let down. At least we could get some drinks here."

Recovery Girl rolled her eyes. "You don't get drinks during a school event."

"…Riiight," Gran Torino said, not believing that for a second.

Mei hummed as she leaned over and started to play with the control panel Recovery Girl was sitting at.

"Aaaaaaand there," Mei said as she played with some settings. "We have sound."

Gran Torino blinked. "Wait, you can just do that?"

"I'm in the support class. I can do anything."

"Hey look!" Denki shouted over the noise of the crowd. "It's starting!"

As the giant gates behind Izuku and Katsuki closed with a metallic clank, Izuku took the chance to take stock of the situation. He was taking the exam, a small miracle after earlier. Katsuki had also been thoughtful—no. Quiet? No. Non-confrontational?

…

Yeah, Izuku would go with that.

Katsuki had been non-confrontational the whole walk and then bus ride to the testing area. When Aizawa had contacted the bus mid drive, there had been a moment of apprehension. No one on board was sure what he was going to say.

"Is the issue dealt with?"

"It is." All Might had answered simply. Not going into detail.

"Midoriya, Bakugou." Both students flinched at their teacher's voice. "I'll respect All Might's word that the issue between you is settled." Both hoped that would be the end of it but Aizawa apparently had messages for each of them.

"Midoriya, I won't ask what caused you to seriously consider withdrawing from the exam. I am aware of how hard you've worked these past few weeks. For you the issue must have warranted the reaction. However I am glad you've chosen to reconsider.

"Bakugou," Katsuki crossed his arms as he looked over at the speaker Aizawa's voice was coming from, "you have raw talent but all of it won't do you any good if you sabotage the very path you're walking on. Something you'll need to learn is that the path you walk is shared with your fellow students. Sometimes to succeed you must ensure they succeed."

Katsuki grumbled but didn't exactly fight the idea.

"As for both of you. If you wish to be rivals, start acting like it. You can't be a rival if you can't both be working towards the same goal."

Those words still echoed in Izuku's ears as he looked out at the deserted mock city.

"So let's hear it then," Katsuki growled out.

"Eh?" Izuku had to do a double take. "You talking to me…?" Izuku almost smacked his head, because unless Katsuki was talking to some ghosts, then yeah he was talking to him. "I mean… What do you mean?"

"Your plan. You always have one, so let's hear it."

"O-oh! Yes, a plan…" Izuku suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to stand where he was. He got the feeling he was in the blast radius. "I… don't actually… have one."

Izuku waited for the explosion to come, but it never came. Only because, when Izuku braced to look, he saw Katsuki looking at him in utter and complete shock. "W-what?"

"You don't have a plan? You? You're a damned nerd and you don't have a plan?!"

Izuku shrugged. "I mean, when did I have a chance to come up with one with you?"

Katsuki growled. "…Well do your stupid mutter thing and come up with one before—"

"Team Midoriya and Bakugou, practical exam. Ready, go!"

"—Before the exam starts… Fucking hell."

Izuku scratched his chin before he snapped his fingers. "Okay, I have an idea."

"Well what is it?"

"We'll do what you always do and wing it."

…

…

…

"That's the smartest fucking thing you've ever said," Katsuki said with a ferocious smile.

Ochako smacked her head while Himiko started to cackle.

"At least this won't be boring. So who wants to take bets for this being over in under five minutes?" Ochako turned to glare angrily at Miruko, which just made the hero's smirk get bigger. "Kid, your friend is screwed."

"You don't know that. Izuku's been in a lot of bad spots before, and has gotten out of them," Ochako countered.

"On a stretcher maybe," Himiko deadpanned.

"Grrrr," Ochako growled. "Deku's strong and he's smart. He'll figure something out. So stop just assuming this exam is over before it even starts. What's the worst that could happen?"

Ka-BOOM!

No sooner did those words leave Ochako's mouth than the whole building suddenly shook, the people fighting to keep their balance. As the shaking soon stopped, the heroes and students collected themselves.

"What the heck was that?" Denki asked.

"An earthquake?"

"It sounded like an explosion."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Holy…fuck," Himiko's jaw was on the ground and her hand was pointing up at the screen. "What the fuck happened to the city?"

Heads turned and eyes went wide.

Ochako stood in dumbfounded silence while Mei whistled. "That. That's the worst that could happen."

The only warning Izuku and Katsuki had before everything went to hell was the cracking snap of the sound barrier breaking, followed by a wall of rushing air that ripped through the city street, tearing apart the sides of buildings, shredding the road and picking up anything, even if it had been anchored to the ground. Including Izuku and Katsuki, as they were thrown into the air and hurtled backwards, landing amongst the rubble.

Katsuki swore loudly as he pulled himself to his feet while Izuku spat out a mouthful of dust. "Wha… what was that?"

"Shit, you seeing this? Look at the fucking buildings." Katsuki would have been impressed with the destruction if he hadn't just gotten his bell rung. Even with the dust still settling, the damage that had just been done was obvious.

"It's like something just split the city in two…" Izuku said in awe. However, he quickly shook his head and got to his feet. "But what—-"

"Who gives a damn about damaging the city." The voice that echoed out from the dust made both Izuku and Katsuki's blood run cold. All Might emerged from the dust, his trademark smile not offering any form of comfort towards the pair. At that moment, it was the terrifying grin of death.

"Y-you have got to be kidding. A-All Might?" Izuku gulped.

All Might stamped his foot down, sending out a shock wave that almost bowled the pair over, while clearing away the dust giving them a clear picture of what he had just done. It was less like the city had been split in half and more like someone had punched a hole through it.

"If you two make the mistake thinking this is just an exam, I promise you, you'll be sorry. I am a villain. Think of me as anything less, and your grades will be the least of your worries. It'll be your very lives at risk." All Might stretched his arms out, welcoming the pair. "So, who wants to be the first to fall?"

Izuku felt his lungs freeze. At that very moment, he wasn't standing in the mock city taking an exam. He was back at the USJ, under the shadow of the monstrous Nomu. A moment when The Reaper himself had reached out and tried to pull Izuku down into the dark abyss.

But it hadn't.

Nor had The Reaper been able to pull him into the abyss in Hosu City.

In those moments, Izuku had been afraid. Afraid and not able to do anything. Too slow to move or unable to. But now, he was neither of those things. And an instant later, that cold icy fear that kept him from breathing, burned away as Izuku roared. A low, dark, thunderous bass ripped out from the very core of Izuku's being and was expelled as an infernal stream of emerald fire. That hit All Might dead center.

Hot hot hot hot hot!

All Might hissed as he put his arms up to defend himself from the fire. He had expected their hesitation to be longer. But it seems like Young Midoriya's past experiences have helped him overcome my intimidation… Okay, he's still breathing fire, Young Kyouka's lessons truly paid off… OW, REALLY HOT!

All Might started to push back against the flames, smoldering but otherwise unharmed. "If all you're going to do is scream at me then—"

"DIE!" The scream came from above as Katsuki had launched himself into the air. "Let me show you some real firepower!" Katsuki had a hand on his Grenadier Bracers, pulling the safety back. Katsuki yanked the pin out, and fired the stored up explosion right into All Might.

KA-BOOOM!

Twisting as he landed, Katsuki eyed the smoking area while Izuku walked up beside him. "So we both know that probably didn't do anything, right?"

"Tch, so what."

"Did you even hit him? I couldn't see," Izuku asked.

Katsuki frowned, not entirely sure. "Fuck if I know, all your fire made it hard to aim at him. But it still felt fucking good to blast him," Katsuki answered.

"I hope it was worth it then. Since you missed."

Izuku and Katsuki's eyes went wide as All Might's voice came from behind them. They both turned, to see All Might, a little singed around the edges, but completely unharmed. Arms held up across his body like an X. "Carolina Smash!"

All Might chopped down with both hands, and smacked both Izuku and Katsuki away before they could react. Both were hurtled into opposite buildings so fast they punched right through and crashed inside. All Might looked back and forth between the two holes, waiting to see which of his students would burst out first.

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

Katsuki exploded out, propelling himself through the air as he closed in on All Might. "Bastard!" All Might didn't wait for him to get close though. Turning, he rushed to meet Katsuki head on and faster than the boy could dodge, grabbed him by his head, and slammed him into the ground. Then with a dismissive kick, drove his foot into Katsuki's side and sent him tumbling down the road.

Then the other building started glowing green. The glow started to expand to the area just outside the gaping hole in the wall as rubble began to lift off the ground. All Might couldn't see inside, the glow was too bright, but he assumed that Izuku was picking up a lot of stuff.

"Delaware Smash!"

The side of the building was ripped apart as Izuku fired the rubble, all of which was just added to the attack.

All Might smirked, before he turned and raised his fist. "Texas Smash!"

All Might punched the air, sending a blast right into Izuku's attack. The force of All Might's attack completely overwhelmed and powered right through Izuku's. Even after pulverizing the rubble Izuku had thrown, the blast of air kept going straight into the hole in the building and blasted Izuku through the back of the building, right through another wall where he landed outside, back on the street.

The control room was strangely quiet as the dust settled. Even some of the more rowdy heroes were taken aback at how brutal All Might was handling his exam. Recovery Girl in particular looked like she was ready to reach through the screen and bash All Might over the head with her cane.

"Calm down, Shuuzenji. I'm pretty sure getting all upset isn't good for your blood pressure at your age," Gran Torino said. He was one of the few people in the room that didn't seem all that concerned at what he was watching.

"This is ridiculous. This is supposed to be an exam. Instead it's like the sports festival all over again. A school activity shouldn't be this violent." Recovery Girl was seething. "I'm ending this nonsense." She reached up, ready to enter into the control room's system to signal the end to the exam, but Gran Torino grabbed her arm.

"And what good will that do? Do that and you undermine everything those boys worked for."

Recovery Girl wretched her arm away. "My job is to ensure the safety of these students. If I feel that an exam has gone too far, I have the final say if it's to be ended or not."

"Except those two are already back on their feet." Gran Torino motioned to the screen, showing Izuku and Katsuki were already back up. "So just hold your horses before you do something that'll affect those boys' future."

"I don't need to be lectured by you over this," Recovery Girl snapped back.

"The kid's been training for this day, for this fight in particular, because of you. If you suddenly just pull the rug out from under him, well, whatever trust he has in you is gone," Gran Torino answered back coldly and quietly. "Or did you forget you're the one that threatened to never heal him again if he kept getting himself hurt?"

Recovery Girl almost growled back, but she suddenly knew she was cornered.

"The kid is in a situation where going overboard could probably get him the win, but he would be doing exactly what you told him not to. All Might's going this hard just so the kid can show you he learned his lesson. You stop the exam before he has a chance to show he's learned anything, and he's just going to think there isn't a reason to even try. And if I know that, then so should you."

Reluctantly, Recovery Girl pulled her hand back. Which made Gran Torino sigh in relief. All The while, neither hero noticed that Ochako had taken her eyes off the screen and was coldly boring a hole into Recovery Girl's back.

Not going to heal him?

"God fucking damn it!"

"Kacchan, look out!"

Crash!

Izuku and Katsuki's bodies ripped through the air as they both slammed into an overturned bus, knocking it over onto its roof. Izuku pulled himself out of it first, hissing as he landed onto the road. "Kacchan."

"Fucking what?" Katsuki growled from inside the bus.

"Winging it isn't working." Izuku Groaned as he got to his knees and tried to catch his breath. Looking down the road, he expected to see All Might walking towards them, but he wasn't there. Izuku didn't have time to wonder where the hero had gone off to as there was a horrendous crunch as All Might landed on the bus.

"Do you really have time to be taking a break, Young Midoriya?"

Oh no!

The side of the bus blew open as Katsuki ripped himself through, pulling Izuku along with him. "Put up a damn shield!"

Izuku did exactly as he was asked, and the air around them shimmered as he made his psychokinetic barrier. "Kacchan, what did you—-?"

"FIRE IN THE HOLE ALL MIGHT!"

"Eh?"

All Might leapt off the bus just before it suddenly exploded, ripped apart into shrapnel that sprayed everywhere. Izuku hissed as it all bounced off the barrier. "Kacchan, what was that?!"

Katsuki pointed towards his belt that was lined with small grenade looking devices. "You think these are just for show? Now where'd All Might g—!"

Thud!

All Might landed right on the barrier, directly over the pair. "Ooooh that's not good," Izuku winced. All Might lifted a foot, then stomped down hard. Izuku hissed as the ground around them cracked as the barrier was pushed into the ground. That, that had hurt. All Might raised his foot to stomp down again, but Katsuki rolled over and leveled his other bracer at him, hand yanking back the safety.

"Drop the fucking barrier!" Katsuki screamed. Before Izuku could, All Might leapt away, removing himself as a target for Katsuki's attack. "Damn!"

Izuku frowned as he watched All Might soar through the air, putting several yards between them. All Might doesn't just out class us in strength and speed. He can out maneuver us out here. It's… it's too open.

"God damn you! Get back here and stand still, coward!" Katsuki seethed.

All Might scratched his head. "That's… not what that word means, Young Bakugou. But," All Might vanished as he launched himself up into the air. "If you'd like me to come back, I'd be more than happy to oblige!"

Izuku, thinking fast, shoved Katsuki away with his Quirk while also pulling himself back so that the spot where All Might landed was empty. Katsuki yelled something, Izuku assumed it was a curse, but it was lost in the loud thud of All Might's landing. Katsuki went for his bracer again, but All Might moved, and for a second Izuku was sure Katsuki was going to blast him by mistake. Fortunately, Katsuki was able to stop himself from pulling the pin.

Unfortunately however, he wasn't fast enough to stop himself from getting jumped by All Might, who grabbed him by the leg and swung him like a bat, straight into Izuku. The two collided with a crunch and were sent tumbling down the destroyed road.

Laying in a tangled mess of limbs, Izuku finally decided something, after he stopped being dizzy, of course. We need to find a way to keep All Might in one place.

Out in the open, All Might had no boundaries. That, coupled with his incredible speed, made any kind of victory impossible. But knowing what the problem was, and coming up with a solution, were two different things. It wasn't like Izuku was going to just look down the road and find the answer to his problems.

Then Izuku opened his eyes and found a solution right in front of him. A building that hadn't been hit by All Might's initial attack. A place that might, just might, be able to at least take away the hero's mobility.

"An underground garage…"

"The hell did you just say?" Katsuki grumbled as he pulled himself free from their tangled mess. He looked over at Izuku, but stopped himself from asking anything else. It would have been wasted breath since Izuku was starting to mutter. He could make out a few words, but stopped himself from actually trying to understand it in full.

Damned nerd, if you're coming up with a plan, do it faster.

As Izuku muttered, Katsuki kept an eye on All Might, who was now simply walking up to them. "Any day now, Deku."

"Kacchan," Izuku said, as he snapped back to reality, "get ready to fire your bracer."

"What do you think I've been trying to do?!" Katsuki snapped. "He jumps around too fucking much for me to get a clean shot."

Izuku stood up, his aura flaring up. "I'll give you your shot. Just make sure you're ready to fire when I tell you to," Izuku ignored Katsuki grumbling about him telling him to do anything, "then, as soon as you fire, we make a break for that garage."

Katsuki blinked, looked over at the garage Izuku was looking at and had immediate opinions on that. "Yeah, fuck no."

"Kacchan."

"Fuck. No. Are you crazy? Thats a fucking death trap."

"Kacchan, do you really think I'd suggest it if I didn't have a plan?"

Katsuki growled, teeth grinding together. "God. Fucking. Damn it. I swear to god if we lose because of this I'm kicking your ass."

"Just get ready to fire," Izuku said as he took a few steps forward while Katsuki pulled the safety back and put his finger into the firing pin.

All Might raised an eyebrow at the two. "Again with the bracer. Don't you think you should try something new. Since you haven't hit me once with it—URK!"

Suddenly, the weights around All Might's wrists and ankles glowed green. The ones around his ankles felt like they were anchored into place, keeping his feet locked where he stood, while the ones on his wrists were pulled down, forcing All Might to kneel before he stopped himself. "Wha?"

"KACCHAN NOW!" Izuku screamed.

Izuku had a hunch. Those weights were supposed to be strong enough to slow All Might down. So they had to be strong enough to withstand all the power All Might had when he was throwing punches. So, in theory, they would also be strong enough to hold him in place.

So Izuku focused all of his will into them, and pulled down, confident that the weights wouldn't break from the force. Izuku knew that he wasn't going to be able to hold All Might for long, maybe for a second, and that would just be from the shock. But that second just might be long enough to give Katsuki his opening.

"FUCKING DIE!" Katsuki screamed as he pulled the pin and fired the bracer.

Oooooh, this is going to suck.

The blast hit All Might dead on with a deafening Ka-BOOM!

"Holy fuck that actually worked?" Katsuki huffed. However, he didn't have long to think about it. Izuku grabbed him and started pulling him towards the garage.

"Hurry! We don't know how long that will give us!" Even as the dust was settling, Izuku swore he could make out All Might's form from inside the dust cloud. He was kneeling, but that didn't mean much for them at the moment.

"The hell? Stop pulling me, let's just go cuff him!"

Izuku ignored that idea. They needed to take their chance now and escape to a better fighting position. "We need to go now!"

All Might laughed mockingly as he watched the pair take off. "And where do you think you two are going? Running away?" Standing up, All Might winced. Okay, those things pack a wallop. Doesn't help that Young Midoriya kept me from defending myself either… good plan.

Katsuki was about to scream something but Izuku grabbed him by the shoulders and practically threw him in the opposite direction as the two took off. "Stick to the plan!" They needed to get into that underground garage. At least that way they would remove some of the mobility All Might had out in the open city. Why was that so hard to understand?

…Wait…?

"Hard… soft…?" And then something from earlier clicked.

"You know Deku," Ochako was still swaying her shoulders, but was now looking at him. Not directly, but her eyes were on him. "When all this is over… I wouldn't mind letting you find out. What's hard… and what's still soft."

Izuku's face lit up like a christmas tree. "Oh my god, was she flirting with me?! DID SHE SAY SHE WANTED ME TO TOUCH HER?! HOW DID I MISS THAT?!"

All Might, who had finally made it to his feet, tripped and fell flat on his face, while Katsuki just did what he always does, and exploded, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" before shoving Izuku on with a few small explosions.

All Might was left, face first in the road, wondering if he was going to need to start taking extra precautions with Izuku. Because it sounded like someone was raring to go with the young man. The problem was, was it Young Toga who had made the offer? Or could it have been Young Uraraka? Either way, that poor boy is going to get eaten up before he reached his next semester at this rate.

Mina laughed. "Damn, Toga. You teased Midoriya so hard you got that delayed reaction."

More than a few of Izuku's classmates and some of the teachers were chuckling at the sudden distraction that had come over Izuku. Cementoss wondered if perhaps it might be prudent that the students get some sex ed lessons in the future, which made Midnight grin at the idea.

But while everyone was either laughing at poor Izuku, who didn't know that they could hear what he said, or just trying to watch the exam, two people had their eyes off the screen.

Midnight was looking over at Himiko, expecting to see the young woman gloating. However, Himiko was looking at Ochako instead, who was as red as a tomato.

"What did you say to him?" Himiko asked, looking way too proud at the moment.

Ochako just chirped and tried not to meet Himiko's eye, not wanting to let on that she was actually really happy that Izuku finally got what she had said to him. Even if it took him until damn near the end of the test day.

With each hurried step, the two of them descended deeper into the garage. Taking the spiraling ramp, they went lower and lower underground. As the pair kept going, Izuku's mind raced. Getting into the garage was one thing. Using it to give them a chance to pass the exam was another. Izuku needed to think, and he needed to think fast. In theory the closed off area should help them, but how were they supposed to use that?

Off-handedly, Izuku reached down and touched the cuffs hanging on his belt. Before the exam, he had figured that if the opportunity arose, he'd use his Psychokinesis to attach them to All Might. But once the fight started, cuffing was the last thing on his mind.

Izuku needed to fix that. He now knew how All Might was fighting, and he needed to use everything he'd learned to come up with a strategy.

Or… I could focus on the gate…

Capture was only one of the ways they could win. The other was escaping. Of course, that brought up a whole new set of problems because after how they had gotten tossed around, there was no way one of them would be able to hold All Might off long enough for the other to reach the gate. They would have to find a way to keep him in one place.

Then Izuku blinked.

Hold him…

That one thought led to more and as Izuku's mind began to work, his feet started to slow down until he came to a stop.

"The hell are you doing?" Katsuki asked as he skid to a stop. Izuku didn't answer. He was already back to muttering to himself.

"For fucks sake."

Step

Step

Step

All Might's footsteps echoed in the garage. There was no hurry in his pace. As far as he was concerned, his students had just made themselves fish in a barrel.

"Well shit, he's right behind us. Well, Deku. You brought us down here, so what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Kacchan, you want to win, right?"

Katsuki had to actually do a double take at the absurd question Izuku had just asked him. "What the fuck kind of question is that?"

"Ummm, Deku, please don't make me agree with Bakugou here," Ochako groaned, while behind her, Himiko patted her shoulder in support.

Izuku looked down the parking lot, towards the descending spiral path, where All Might was about to walk through. "Kacchan, yes or no?"

"…Yes." Katsuki had to pause before he answered, because Izuku had a look on his face. He looked a lot like how he had, during their fight back at the sports festival. There was a crazed glint in his eyes. "The fuck are you planning?"

"Kacchan, how do you want to win?"

Step

Step

Step

All Might was getting closer, but Izuku was starting to smile. His mad lad switch was flipped and he was ready to get crazy. "I can see two ways for us to win, but we're only going to get to use one. So, do you want to go for the gate or capture?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You're talking about two ways to win, when you just made us run into a freaking death trap. You sure you didn't suddenly get brain damage?"

Izuku smiled. "I didn't suddenly get brain damage, Kacchan. Coming here was the safest place to fight All Might."

"Until he brings the whole thing down on our heads."

"Kill me," Ochako groaned into her hands, "I'm about to agree with another thing Bakugou just said."

"He can't," Izuku said simply.

"…Holy shit you actually do have brain damage." Katsuki pointed upwards to the surface. "Do you not remember what he fucking did up there?"

"All flash and no crash. It was a scare tactic. Neither of us was even hurt after that. Getting All Might in here gives us a huge advantage," Izuku explained simply, like he was saying the weather was nice. "He won't be able to move around like he was without really wrecking the place. He'll even have to watch out how he attacks too."

Izuku could hear Katsuki getting ready to make his point again so he kept going, "All Might will do everything he can to not let this place collapse. He might be playing the role of a villain, but he's a hero. Collapsing an underground garage with us still in it? No chance he'd do that. So on top of the weights he's wearing, he's going to have to make extra sure he doesn't do something that puts us in unnecessary danger."

Katsuki frowned, and looked around. "And what about us?"

"Oh, we can go all out, no problem. Cause even if we do something that'll threaten the structure, All Might will just rescue us."

"…Fuck me if that all doesn't make sense."

"…Is this Izuku fighting dirty?" Himiko asked.

Ochako nodded.

"That's fucking hot."

Ochako nodded.

"Alright so what are your plans?" Katsuki asked, keeping his head on a swivel as he looked between Izuku and the ramp.

"I collapse this garage on All Might. While I'm doing that, you're going to need to worry about blasting us a way out through the rubble before we get buried too."

Katsuki didn't reject the idea flat out, he imagined that it'd take All Might at least some time to get out of all this steel and concrete. And he knew he'd be able to blast through enough to get a path out before it all came down. "And you'd be able to bring this down. This whole thing?"

Izuku smirked. "I'd only have to destroy the support pillars. Not the whole building."

"And the capture? How's that one work?"

"Well… I'll need to borrow those grenades…"

All Might walked into the lower level and frowned. Standing in the middle of the parking lot was Izuku. Just Izuku. Katsuki was nowhere to be found. So something was up. And if something was up…

Ahh, so Young Midoriya came up with a plan… Wait, he wouldn't drop this whole building on me with him in it, would he? All Might paused. No no, he wouldn't. Not with Young Uraraka watching and… why is his barrier up? And why is he covering his ears—?

Boom

Boom

Boom

Suddenly all around the parking lot, a series of explosions went off. One of them was right behind All Might as he jumped forward to avoid the rubble falling on him. Landing, All Might tried not to look shocked. But after a few seconds the echo of the explosions faded and nothing else broke. As All Might examined the damage, it appeared that the only thing that had been destroyed were the exits.

"So what exactly is the plan here, Young Midoriya? Trapping yourself in here with me? I hope you don't expect me to believe that Young Bakugou ran off for the gate. So he's in here somewhere."

Izuku smirked. "Maybe."

Oooh good. Attitude. That's… wait, why am I getting attitude? That's reserved for people that are winning… Or think they're about to win…

"Young Midoriya," All Might began carefully. "What are you planning? Now that you've trapped yourselves in here, I can just look around and find Young Bakugou. And worse yet, now you've cut yourself off from the exit gate. A foolish deci—"

"Three things." Izuku cut All Might off, holding up three fingers. "Firstly, we're not trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with us." Izuku dropped a finger, while at the same time his barrier finally shimmered out of existence. Along with his green aura, which was strange. "Two, Kacchan and I aren't concerned about the exit gate at all."

"What?"

"What?" Hitoshi asked. "Did he really just say that?"

"What part, the 'you're trapped in here with us' or the gate thing?" Kyouka asked back, just about as shocked at what was going on as anyone in the room.

"Both."

"Errr, we sure All Might didn't hit Midoriya a bit too hard earlier?" Hanta questioned nervously. "Cause isn't Midoriya… you know… smarter than this?"

"You'd think," Himiko said offhandedly.

"Ouch, kero."

"I'm just going off past experience here." Himiko ignored her friends since… "What we need is to ask someone who's just as crazy as Izuku to figure out what's going on…" Himiko's hand snapped up and she pointed at Denki. "And no I don't mean me." Denki deflated as Himiko viciously killed his joke. "So Ochako, you got any… idea… why in the fuck are you smiling?"

Sure enough, unlike every other sane person in the room, and Himiko, Ochako didn't look worried. In fact, not only was she smiling, her smile was twisting into a perfect mirror of the one forming on Izuku. Manic and brimming with an unknown confidence.

Also a tad on the crazy side.

"And three," Izuku's demeanor was now practically a one to one of how he was back when he faced Katsuki in the sports festival finals. A crazed mad lad that had the most dangerous weapon of all on his side. A plan. "You're not going to have any time to spend looking for Kacchan."

Izuku clenched his first and spread his feet out, as he got ready. "Because you'll be dealing with me."

All Might raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Big words from someone that was… that was…Young Midoriya?"

All Might trailed off as Izuku hunched over, teeth clenched, and his arms bent inward and up. He sounded strained, and All Might didn't have any idea what was going on.

And then red streaks of energy began to criss-cross over his body. They moved outward, from his chest and spread, covering his legs and arms and even up around his face.

Spread it out. Don't let it just fill up one part of your body.

Izuku recalled the conversation he and Ochako had the night before. Instead of focusing all his power into one place when he used his Quirk, he would spread it out, so as not to damage the thing he wanted to move. He also recalled the feeling of holding the power back. Towards the end of the training, it had felt like he had been able to throw a punch with just around five percent of One for All's power. But now, instead of that five percent stored up in just his arm, he spread it all throughout his body.

"Y-Young Midoriya!" All Might was in a panic, rushing forward to stop what was happening. "I told you to not use—!"

The power of One for All spread throughout Izuku's body. The unbearable strain and pain he used to associate with the Quirk soon began to vanish. As it did, the red streaks over his body began to fade away, and in their place, green arcs of lightning danced and sparked around Izuku's body.

Izuku stood upright, let his body relax, and brought his hands out in front of him. Looking down at his palms, Izuku opened and closed his hands. "That was a lot faster than the last time. I think pretty soon, it'll be instantaneous."

Lowering his hands, Izuku, still with green lighting dancing around him, smiled up at a stunned All Might who was only a foot or so away. There was no mistaking the pride beaming from Izuku while All Might was still picking his jaw off the ground. "I figured it out."

"Young—"

All Might was cut off as Izuku closed the distance between them, lept up into the air and slugged All Might across the jaw, with enough force to send the hero backpedaling.

The punch echoed throughout the whole parking lot.

Katsuki, hidden in the back and trying to work up as much of a sweat as he could, stopped to stare dumbfounded at what had just happened. "What in the fuck?"

"YEEESSSSSS!" Ochako screamed in triumph. "GET HIM DEKU!"

"What the hell?"

"Whoa, look at that?"

"Midoriya stole my thing!"

While her classmates were shocked, Himiko whirled around and grabbed Ochako by the shoulders. "You bitch! Is this what you and Izuku were so coy about?!"

Ochako flashed Himiko a toothy smile. "Maaaaybe."

Himiko's bad eye was twitching under her patch.

"Wait, so is this," Shouto paused to make sure he picked his words carefully. "That ability Midoriya tried but that ended up hurting his body?"

Ochako freed herself from Himiko and nodded at Shouto. "Tactile Psychokinesis. That's right. Basically, he pumps his body with his psychic powers and gives himself a huge boost in strength and speed."

Mei squinted at the screen. "His aura is different. And the crest isn't…"

While Izuku's body was crackling with green lighting, the crest on his head wasn't making the green ears. Something Mei found peculiar.

"Yeah!" Denki yelled. "Electricity is my thing!"

Ochako shrugged. "We think it's just a side effect of how he's using his Quirk."

Gran Torino leaned forward, smirking as he watched Izuku slug All Might in the face, then over the students' shocked cries asked, "And how did he figure out how to use this? Last I heard he was still having issues. To the point that All Might forbade him from working on it anymore until after the finals."

A few eyes turned to Ochako, some of them belonging to her teachers. "Ah well. After he started getting used to turning the power down inside his body, he then figured out another way to make it so the strain wasn't so bad. Before, he was just pumping up an arm with his Quirk. Now he's spreading the power throughout his whole body at the same time."

Gran Torino nodded, humming in approval.

"Wait, what do you mean turning his Quirk down?" Mina asked, eyes stuck to the screen.

"Well he can't use all of his Quirk, so he can only use a percentage. Right now at least. We're sure that as his body gets used to it, he'll up the power."

Tenya recalled the power displayed back in Hosu City. There was a huge difference between that and what Izuku was using now. "What percentage can Midoriya use safely then?"

"He guessed it was around five percent."

That got a lot of shocked responses.

After that first punch, Izuku landed on the ground and immediately kicked off, propelling himself away from All Might before the hero could reach out and grab him. Izuku's momentum carried him into a parked car. Driving his feet into the side, Izuku kicked off again and headed straight back for All Might, though this time he hit him from behind.

Smack!

Izuku kept going, letting his speed carry him past All Might so he was outside of punching range. Then he bounced off to the side, so he could zoom by and strike All Might from a different angle. At the very least he wanted to make sure he didn't attack All Might head on. He might have finally gotten a handle on One for All, but he knew it wasn't near what All Might had. So, Izuku resorted to hit and run tactics.

Just like Gran Torino had used against him.

It was a blatant copy of Gran Torinos fighting style, but if it works, who cares.

Punch

Punch

Pun—

All Might's hand shot out and Izuku was huffing as he tumbled away. Gasping, Izuku twisted around and kicked off the ground as All Might reached for him, hitting the ceiling of the parking lot.

All Might turned and swiped at the air, expecting Izuku to immediately bounce back down. He was impressed. Ecstatic even. Not only had Izuku made an astonishing breakthrough, but he was using One for All competently in a fight. Going as far as to adequately mimic Gran Torino's fighting style. Both knew going head on wouldn't work, so Izuku was working around that issue.

Good job, Young Midoriya. You're… still on the ceiling?

All Might's hand passed through the air harmlessly as Izuku, green lightning replaced with his regular aura, was pressing himself up against the ceiling. Then his cheeks puffed out.

Ohhh he's going to set me on fire aga— Hot hot hot!

After letting out a blast of fire, Izuku let his body fall and the lightning came back. Pulling his fist back, Izuku yelled, "Detroit Sma—!"

All Might's hand reached out and grabbed Izuku, pulling him in so that he could wrap him up in a crushing bear hug. "Ack!"

"Gotcha! What are you going to do now?" Izuku hacked and coughed as All Might began to squeeze. "I just saw something very interesting. You can't use both at the same time, can you?"

Izuku swore he felt every rib and vertebra in his back pop as All Might crushed him. It was also getting hard to breathe. The air was getting pushed out of his lungs and he couldn't suck it back in. So a blast of fire into All Might's face was out.

Izuku also had to deal with the fact that All Might had caught on to his problem immediately after seeing the switch once. Izuku couldn't use both his Psychokinesis and One for All at the same time. The same issue existed with his Boric Pyre. It just took so much concentration to use One for All that trying anything else made him lose his grip on the Quirk.

He was sure he'd get the hang of it eventually, it was just like figuring out how to use his other two Quirks together. It'd take time. Unfortunately, that didn't help him right now.

"Wh-what'll I do—"

Oh, talking is hard. Not a good idea to try that. Izuku chided himself.

"That's right. I've got you and—"

Punch.

Punch, punch, punchpunchpunchpunchpunchpunchpunch!

—I'll do this!

With his arms free, that meant Izuku was free to just pummel All Might's face. Which—while he certainly didn't enjoy it—Izuku wasn't exactly doing a lot of damage with either. And with him having less and less air to work with, his punches were getting weaker.

Brain, plan A isn't working!

Fall back to old reliable!

Use my head!

…DON'T HEADBUTT HIM!

Izuku switched out of One for All and reached out his hands to the sides, his green glow flaring to life. At the same time All Might cocked his head to the side. "And what do you think you're doing?"

This! Is what Izuku would have yelled if he had any air left in his lungs. Instead, he just focused on the cars on either side of him, and once he had two, grabbed them. All Might's eyes went wide when he realized what was coming. A second too late. The two cars were yanked off the lot and slammed into his sides with enough force to make him drop Izuku, who scurried back and sucked in some lungfull breaths.

While Izuku caught his breath, All Might shoved the cars away and after a pause, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a red smear on it. "Hmph, all that for a drop of blood."

"Once a god bleeds, it's no longer a god," Izuku said back. "You're not invincible, All Might."

All Might smirked, with the bloody lip Izuku had just given him. "Impressive, Young Midoriya. Very impressive. If I was playing the role of your teacher, I'd be proud of you. I might even sing your praises too. But, in case you forgot, right now, I'm a villain. And," that threatening aura that had sent chills throughout Izuku's body was bad and in full force, "if that's the best you can do with your new power, then you don't have a prayer of winning." Izuku watched All Might start to walk towards him, then, with a swing of his fist, shatter a concrete pillar. "That's power. What do you think will happen to you when I hit you with it?"

Psyching himself up, Izuku slapped his hands together before he took up his fighting stance, green lightning dancing over his body. "You're only strong if you can hit me, All Might."

"Overconfidence is dangerous, Young Midoriya, or did you miss Young Uraraka's match?" The concrete cracked as All Might kicked off, charging right into Izuku as he got ready to attack.

Right jab!

Izuku was already leaning to the right as All Might's right fist shot out and popped the air where his head had been. Making a crack like a whip being popped.

Right jab!

Izuku kept leaning to his left as All Might pulled his fist back to throw the second jab. Stepping in, Izuku threw a flurry of punches into All Might's right side before he stepped back to avoid the second punch.

Left hook!

Izuku shuffled to the right, getting himself moved around to All Might's back, just as he twisted his body around to throw the hook across his body.

Right arm swing!

Izuku ducked down, as All Might's massive arms whizzed by overhead. Izuku for good measure threw a punch into All Might's knee.

Left!

All Might's punch missed and Izuku threw a barrage.

Right!

Izuku was already out of the way and countering.

Hook!

Jab!

Haymaker!

Izuku's legs burned, his hands hurt and his head was starting to spin. Even with One for All pumping through him, he wasn't getting the damage he needed. He needed to deliver a shot that would stagger the towering hero.

Left haymaker! Left side! Scar! Scar!

All Might's fist destroyed the air Izuku used to be, as Izuku was leaping back and then kicking off the ground, throwing all his weight and strength into his punch. "Detroit Smash!"

Izuku's fist was about to slam into All Might's side when the giant hero kicked off the ground and sailed backwards, putting several yards between himself and Izuku. While All Might looked at Izuku in shock over what had just happened, Izuku gaped in shock, equally surprised.

"Did I just win that? ... Oh wow, the room is spinning." Izuku's legs suddenly gave out as he sat on the ground to collect himself.

The exchange of blows had been intense for both Izuku and All Might.

It had also lasted for only a few short seconds.

"What are you doing sitting on your ass?!"

"What in the holy fuck was that?!" Miruko screamed.

No one else in the room seemed able to give her an answer as many of the pro heroes were left picking their jaws off the floor. Gran Torino himself had leapt out of his seat after the second punch thrown by All Might, eyes wide. "Did that just?"

"WOOOO! GO DEKU!" Ochako just cheered regardless of what had actually happened.

Himiko had pulled off her eyepatch and was rubbing her eyes, winking one and then the other, making sure her vision hadn't just gone crazy. "Where the fuck did that come from?"

Ryukyu was scratching her head. "Umm… U.A. still checks for performing enhancing drugs, right?"

Ochako had to seriously bite down on her tongue so as not to explode at that. Fortunately for her, Tenya was one step ahead of her. "I resent the implication that Midoriya, or any U.A. students for that matter, would resort to something as unethical, dangerous and illegal as using some kind of performance enhancing drug!" He chopped his hands down every other word for good measure.

"Midoriya has been training non-stop since he got back from Hosu City, kero," Tsuyu added. "It only makes sense he's gotten better."

"That's right!" Eijirou yelled, "there's nothing manly about drugs! They're no good!"

"Well, Trigger is at least," Himiko said offhandedly.

A few eyes looked at her. "What?" More looks with Himiko giving everyone looking at her a bored glare. "Let's just focus on Izuku kicking ass people."

Tsuyu leaned forward, looking at her with those big Froppy eyes. Himiko groaned, "Look, you know how people need to make sure their pot brownies are labeled. Well sometimes I wish people were labeled."

…

Ohhhh.

"So it was someone you ate?" Denki asked. "That tracks."

A pause before Himiko added. "Seeing sounds was pretty dope though."

Mt. Lady carried on the conversation before it got sidetracked. Scratching her head, she looked at Izuku. "I mean, he was rather impressive in the sports festival. So maybe…" She wilted when the other pros looked at her like she was nuts. "Never mind."

While the students were too busy cheering on their classmate, already captivated with the many twists and turns the exam had had, the heroes in the room, pros and teachers alike, were racking their brains over what they had just seen.

Aizawa had his arms crossed. He knew full well the kinds of improvements Izuku had gone through the last couple of months. He had a very solid grasp on where Izuku was. Both with his Quirk control and his combat abilities. Even taking into consideration the surprise that he had developed and refined his Tactile Psychokinesis, it was still something Aizawa had been expecting to see eventually. All Might had given updates on the super move's progress. The last being that Izuku was on the cusp of figuring it out. Something Izuku had apparently done alone with Ochako the night before the written exams, if her and Himiko's exchange was anything to go by.

But even then, even then, that didn't explain how Izuku had just dodged and countered the punches All Might had thrown. Even with enhanced speed and strength, he didn't have the experience to know how to move like that. Izuku's movements had been sloppy, over exaggerated and about at the level a first year should be. An exceptional first year but a first year all the same. But even with all that, Izuku had just pulled off something in those scant few seconds that should have been impossible. Despite the handicap All Might had, Izuku shouldn't have been able to avoid a single punch. Much less, the flurry that followed.

Something had just happened, and no one in the room had any explanation for it.

While all of this was going on, no one noticed Mei slip out of the room.

"What are you doing sitting on your ass?!" Katsuki exploded out from behind a row of parked cars. "Get the fuck up!" Tossing his last grenade right at All Might's feet.

All Might crossed his arms over his body as he tanked the explosion, blanketing him in a cloud of smoke and dust. The shock from the blast was enough to help Izuku shake the dizzy spell and hurry to his feet. It was now or never.

All Might coughed as he wiped away at the smoke. He could also taste blood in his mouth and it was more than just the busted lip Izuku had given him. Despite their rough start, the pair had done well to wear him down. While he still had time before he would have to drop his transformation, the weights and his students' perseverance had worn him out.

I suppose it's time to end this before—

"ARRRRRHHHH!" All Might recognized Katsuki's yell, and the small explosions that must have been propelling him. Through the smoke, he could just make out the boy's shadow. He saw a hand, glowing with a prepared attack, start to breach the smokey veil, but All Might reached out and grabbed Katsuki's arm, redirecting the explosion away.

As the smoke cleared and All Might got a good look at Katsuki, two things stood out. One, the boy was wearing a feral grin, and two, he only had one of his bracers. All Might was holding the arm that didn't have one.

Wait? What's going on?

Katsuki swung his body around, and leveled his other hand with All Might's face, pointing his one Grenadier Bracer dead center. Then the support gear glowed green, and the grenade lever safety was pulled back. But not by Katsuki.

Uh oh.

The air around the bracer and All Might's body shimmered as a bright green barrier went up to protect Katsuki, just as Izuku rushed forward and shoved the other refilled Grenadier Bracer, that Katsuki had tossed him after All Might was lost in the smoke cloud, right into All Might's left side.

…Now that's cheating.

Izuku pulled the lever back while he put up a barrier to protect himself. Izuku pulled both pins, one with his own hand and the other psychically, and All Might was enveloped in blinding light.

The explosions ripped into All Might while Katsuki and Izuku were, more or less, protected from the worst of it. The barriers shattered from the explosion and both Izuku and Katsuki were thrown backwards. Tumbling across the pavement, they both clawed to get back on their feet and rushed to the smoking crater, both pulling the cuffs they had been given. Diving head first into the smoke they reached out and—

"Team Midoriya and Bakugou have passed."

Elation filled the control room as the class cheered on their classmates. Teachers and pros gave nods of approval, impressed with the final match. Himiko grabbed the first person she could, a very lucky Tsu, and swung her around happily. Tsu very much enjoyed the ride. Tenya was chopping at the air, both congratulating and admonishing the pair for such a reckless plan. Hitoshi was wondering if he should tell him that there was no way they could hear him while Shouto just shook his head, knowing there was no point in trying. Ochako, elated beyond words, was floating up towards the ceiling, screaming happily.

On her way back to the main campus, Mei heard the announcement while she looked over her handheld, carefully studying what it displayed.

Flat on his back, and ears still ringing from the blast, Izuku wasn't sure what was going on. Everything was spinning, but he was pretty sure it was because he had been so close to a giant explosion, and not because of anything he had done that was Quirk related.

But as the ceiling stopped spinning like a wheel, Izuku was able to start making out shapes and colors. Then people. All Might, with cuffs on both his wrists, was shaking Katsuki's hand, a giant smile on his face while Katsuki just looked like his normal, if scuffed, self.

The shadowy woman also looked quite pleased.

…Wait, huh? It's them again… or just her?

With All Might and Katsuki seemingly oblivious to the third party, the shadow walked around the pair, looking down at Izuku. Most of the figure was just a black shadow with a faint pink glow around the edges and it had bright piercing yellow eyes. But as the shadow got closer, bits and pieces of the darkness seemed to fade away.

The shadows outline had made Izuku think it was a woman, but now as the shadow faded away, Izuku could see more of the person underneath. She was a beautiful woman with a tough demeanor. Her bare arms were lined with muscles but she seemed to have a caring nature about her. Long black hair with short bangs and a half-up-half-down bun. She wore a black body suit that just seemed to make every one of her muscles stand out, along with a pair of yellow gloves, a red half-cape around her waist and a large flowing white cape over her shoulders. Izuku didn't see the full picture all at once as the shadow kept moving, as if to swallow her back. But even separately Izuku could tell she was very beautiful.

The shadowy woman smiled as she knelt down beside Izuku, and gave him a thumbs up. "Not bad, kid. It looks like Toshinori picked a winner."

Errr, thanks, pretty shadow lady?

The shadow laughed, and made to ruffle his hair, though her hands had turned back into shadow and Izuku didn't feel anything. Then she stood up, and as more and more of her began to recede back into the darkness, she looked over at All Might. Even as more of the shadow swallowed her up, Izuku saw a proud smile, and some tears in her eyes. "I always knew you were special."

Then, she was gone, and Izuku was left to wonder if she was even really there. Or at least that's what he wished he could wonder, because if past experiences told him anything…

"Oi Deku! You dead or what?!" Katsuki walked over to Izuku's side, and roughly kicked him. "If you're not dead, then get the fuck up."

"Go away Kacchan, I think I wanna take a nap."

"HA HA HA HA! I don't think anyone could refuse either of you a good night's rest. You both earned it. Congratulations on your win. You got me good at the end," All Might winced and rubbed his side. "Really good, y-ouch."

"Screw sleeping," Katsuki cut in. "You me and the nerd have a conversion to have. Or have you forgotten, Deku?" Katsuki looked down at Izuku. Waiting to see if he was going to go back on his word. He didn't think he would, but he also wasn't sure if he was going to pull a, 'let's do this tomorrow' bullshit.

Izuku closed his eyes, then nodded. "All Might, can we use your office?"

"Of course. I think that would be best."

After the match was over, Katsuki, not wanting to wait any longer, had been insistent that they take care of business as quickly as possible. So, still covered in bits of rubble, the three were on their way to All Might's office, after hopping on a bus to take them right back to the main campus. It would be the most private place that they could talk. Katsuki had grunted at the idea. Commenting that he had seen Izuku, Ochako and Himiko leave the office many times.

"Define many," Izuku asked. Surprised that apparently their group had been being watched and he hadn't noticed. Especially since Katsuki wasn't exactly known for being subtle or stealthy.

"Remember when your shithead old man showed up?"

"Umm, yeah?"

"Since then."

It dawned on Izuku and All Might that they might actually really really really suck at keeping things a secret.

"Well… um… perhaps I should mention to Aizawa that you have a talent for espionage, Young Bakugou." The annoyed growl from Katsuki made it clear that that was not a great idea. "Yes well, I'll brew us some tea and then we can… oh?"

When the three had turned a corner, coming to where the room was, they found that they were not alone. Standing in front of the door to All Might's office was Mei.

"Umm," Izuku sorta just came to a stop, with Katsuki almost running into him. "Hatsume?"

"The hell is Inventor Chick doing here?"

All Might coughed into his hand, frowning. His time limit was quickly running dry. So he needed to move things along. "Ah, Young Hatsume," he smiled brightly as he walked up to her. "What can I do for—"

Mei walked past him, ignoring him completely, and marched up to Izuku. Not used to being so utterly ignored, All Might almost tripped over his own feet. Mei was now almost nose to nose with Izuku and he, taken aback at how close she was, stammered and tried to take a step back to get some space. There was something about the neutral expression on Mei's face that he found incredibly disconcerting. Also her eyes, it was like they were looking into his very soul. When she reached up and plucked the crest off Izuku's forehead, he wasn't sure what to say.

"Um?"

"Tactile Psychokinesis," Mei spoke. "A technique you developed by focusing your psychokinetic powers inward to boost your physical abilities. Towards the end of your exam, that's what you used to throw hands with All Might, right?"

…How does she know what 'throw hands' means? Darn it Toga I know this is your fault.

Izuku nodded. "I, yeah? When I first used it I really hurt myself, but thanks to All Might's training and some fine tuning with the amount of power I use, I can use it in a fight now."

"Hmm," Hatsume eyed him carefully. "You weren't glowing like you normally do."

Izuku laughed nervously. "Yeah I'm pretty shocked by that. I guess when I use my Psychokinesis inside my body instead of outside, it changes my glow. The lightning looks pretty cool though, doesn't it? I guess you were watching my exam, huh?"

"Everyone was. All the teachers and heroes and all your classmates watched."

Izuku beamed with pride.

"But I wasn't just watching, you know. I was taking readings," Mei said. She pulled out a small device from her pocket. "Remember how I said I can get signals from the gear I made for you? It's how I knew you blew past my safety factor last time."

Izuku wasn't beaming anymore.

"Well, I was getting all kinds of great data. Was giving me all kinds of ideas on how to keep improving my babies and making your costume as reliable as possible. You know, to keep you safe and alive. Which is my job."

Izuku could only nod.

Hatsume held up the device, showing off a screen with a chart. It had a few different peaks and valleys, along with a timeline at the bottom as she scrolled through. Izuku quickly realized that this was power and heat readings from his exam. It showed the ebb and flow of the battle over the course of the exam. But when Mei reached a point towards the end of the timeline, the line graphs suddenly went flat, with only a few blips sprinkled throughout. "See here Midoriya?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I don't have any readings. For the whole end of the exam, nothing. It's almost like you were fighting All Might, while not using your Psychokinesis." Mei held up the crest. "My baby is supposed to give you ears when you use your Quirk. But, it wasn't on at the end either." Mei put the device away, while she played with the crest. Looking like she was about to pocket it as well. "Midoriya I—"

"Hatsume," Izuku interrupted Mei, "I wasn't using my Psychokinesis Quirk. In fact, Tactile Psychokinesis is just something I made up to hide the fact that I have a third Quirk."

Izuku could feel Katsuki's eyes on him after he said that, but he ignored it. "If… If you're still willing… would you like to join Kacchan with me and All Might in his office? We were going to have some tea. While I… explained. Everything."

Mei looked at Izuku, rolling the crest over in her hand as she did. "Everything?"

"Yes."

Mei looked at Izuku some more, then down at the crest in her hand. For a few seconds she was still, before she sighed, took Izuku's hand and put the crest into it. "You know, you could have saved me a whole lot of trouble, right?'

Izuku looked away. "Sorry."

Mei shrugged. "Eh, not a big deal. At least I can finally figure out what's going on. That whole 'hysterical strength' thing was such a lame excuse. So it's not like I'm shocked or anything. So what kind of tea do you have, All Might?" Mei, suddenly back to her normal self, threw the group for a loop. As All Might listed off some of the flavors he had as he invited her in, Izuku was left with Katsuki in the hall.

"Are you fucking serious?" Katsuki asked. Not screaming at this point. More like he just had to say it.

Izuku sighed. "If you're upset you not the only one learning today—"

"I'm not fucking upset about that, Deku. I'm trying to figure out how you decided that not telling her of all people was a good idea. For fucks sake, I thought she was already in on the secret."

"Wha?"

"She's you fucking tech, you dumbass. She should have been fucking number one on your list of people you need to tell. You don't tell the person making your fucking gear you have a third Quirk? You. Are. A. Fucking. Dumbass." With that said, Katsuki marched into the room, wondering if All Might had any spicy tea.

As Izuku chuckled to himself as he followed into the room after everyone. He honestly couldn't really argue. Izuku closed the door behind him and got ready to talk. A few seconds after, if someone had passed by there, they would have heard a loud hiss, seen what looked like white steam whiffing up from around the door, and then heard a particularly shocked and still angry shout.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"So I wonder why All Might brought Izuku straight back here instead of to the control room with the rest of class?" Himiko asked, "Think he's in trouble?"

Ochako shrugged. "I doubt it. Probably wanted to talk to Deku privately about what happened at the end of the exam."

Himiko smirked. "What do you think I'm talking about? Wasn't Izuku sorta banned from using One for All?"

Ochako pulled at her school uniform's tie. "Technically he was banned from using it since he couldn't control it. And since he can now control it, he didn't break any rules."

Gran Torino huffed as he walked beside the pair. "Well, aren't you a smart cookie?"

After the exam was over, the class was told that the staff would go over the exams, both written and practical, and tally up their scores. They would be given the results once they were back in class after all the hero classes took their exams. So it was some time later that the class got back to the main building and changed out of their costumes.

Himiko smirked. "And I thought I was the one always looking for ways around rules."

Ochako pointed at Himiko accusingly. "This and that are totally different. You just outright break them! I…" Ochako rubbed her chin. "I just find the wiggle room."

Gran Torino smirked while Himiko rolled her good eye. "We're exactly the same and you know it."

"Shut it. Look, we're finally here. So we'll put this to bed." Ochako knocked on the door. "It's Uraraka and Toga."

"Oh, Uraraka," Izuku's voice came through the door.

"Ah! Come in. Come in," All Might's voice called back.

Ochako swung the door, and she smiled brightly. "Deku! That was an amazing fight! And Alllll… ummm."

Ochako almost tripped over herself when she saw that it wasn't just Izuku, who was at the counter making a fresh pot of tea, and All Might in the room. Mei was sipping on some tea, sitting next to a very solemn looking Katsuki. Then there was All Might, still in his hero costume but shrunken down.

Ochako had to pivot hard, even as her mind raced as to what the actual fuck was going on. "Ummm, Mr. Yagi, you're here… In your All Might cosplay! Did you come to congratulate Deku?"

Katsuki looked up at Ochako and sneered. "God you're lame."

"Kacchan," Izuku warned.

"That was almost as bad as the shit you tried," Katsuki shot back. "So don't get all pissy because I called your girlfriend out for being shit at trying to cover your ass."

"Say wha," Himiko asked as she came inside with Gran Torino closing the door behind them. "Who's what now? You talking to me?"

"Girlfriend, not 'side piece,' bitch!"

"Kacchan!"

Mei sipped at her tea some more. "Oh good, we're back to yelling. He's finally over his shock."

Ochako looked at everything. Took the whole scene in. She stood motionless as she felt her world come to a sudden violent, horrifically brutal, halt. "No."

Izuku found some more tea cups and started preparing drinks for Ochako and Himiko. "So um… I guess you two should know. We… that is to say I… um…" Izuku scratched at his neck.

"He told us the whole kit and caboodle," Mei said with a smile. "We know about All Might having like an hour he can be all muscle up, which explains why he tends to vanish for no reason lately, we know about All for One and that whole mess. What else did we get told?"

"One for All," Katsuki finished. "And how All Might gave it to Deku."

"No."

Everyone stopped and looked at Ochako. All Might, Gran Torino and Himiko noticed that her hands were clenched into tight fists and her body was starting to shake. "No." She repeated again.

"Now listen kid before you—" Gran Torino tried to step over to her, but Ochako exploded before he had a chance to say anything.

"HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?!" Ochako screamed at All Might, who was taken aback. "OF ALL THE PEOPLE, HIM?!"

"Y-Young Uraraka, please just settle down and—"

"I WON'T!" Ochako growled out, her anger bubbling over as she stormed over to All Might. "You're supposed to be Deku's guide! You're supposed to protect him. And you let this happen?!"

"Uraraka please just—"

Izuku tried to step in, but Ochako kept going. Swinging her hand and pointing right at Katsuki. "Out of every single person in school he's the worst person you could have let find out. How, how can you screw up this badly?!"

Katsuki was on his feet, hands sizzling and smoking. "You better watch you damned mouth or—"

There was a flash of silver as Himiko stepped behind Katsuki and pulled out a knife that she pressed against his throat. "Sit. Down."

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

"Oh yikes."

"Young Toga!"

"EVERYONE STOP!" Izuku screamed, bringing the chaos to a sudden halt. Everyone turned to look at him. "Toga. Put the knife away. Now… Please."

Izuku ended his request softly, looking at Himiko and pleading with her. It was obvious that he didn't want this. None of it. Himiko sighed and pocketed the knife, before she backed off and grabbed herself a cup of tea and found an empty seat next to Mei. Katsuki rubbed his neck while glaring at her, but ultimately sat back down.

All Might deflated and was back in his seat, though he was keeping a careful eye on the whole situation. To say he hadn't expected such a negative reaction to this was an understatement. The raw hate that had bubbled out of Ochako was startling.

Gran Torino didn't sit down right away. He was keeping an eye on Himiko. He only relaxed a little when she pulled the knife back out and chucked it into a corner, where he could grab it and hold onto it before he sat down.

That just left Ochako, the last one standing and still fuming. Izuku looked at her and winced at the anger he saw. But at the very least, she was giving him a chance to explain. "This was my decision, Uraraka. For both Kacchan and Hatsume. They both put it together."

Ochako ground her teeth together. "I'm not upset about Hatsume. It makes sense for her to know. But him?"

"He's been putting the pieces together for a while now, Uraraka. All Might and I… Our stories had some gaps," Katsuki loudly rolled his eyes, "and there were some other mistakes that happened too. So Kacchan put it all together and confronted me about it."

Ochako's eyes narrowed. "Confronted. Is that why you were gone for the rest of the exams? Miruko said she sent Gran Torino after you two since it looked like things were going to get heated… Wait, did he blackmail you?!"

"WHAT?! NO!"

Mei tilted her head to the side. "Wait, I thought you were going to fail the test because your fight got so nasty? That's what you said earlier."

Ochako's eyes bulged while Izuku moved to defuse the bomb Mei had just dropped in his lap. "NO! No, that had nothing to do with the secret! Totally unconnected!"

"He was threatening to make you fail your exam?" Ocahko asked. Izuku hadn't denied the fight, just what it was about. And she sure as fuck was going to find out why Katsuki almost completely upended Izuku's hard work.

"No. Uraraka I was the one threatening to pull out of the exam rather than team up with him. My choice." Ochako's eyes were now wide, her mouth hanging open but Izuku kept going. "We had a fight over something else and… I sorta kinda… punched him. And then said I wasn't going to team up with him because of it. But he apologized and its all fine now."

Himiko raised her hand. "Hold the fuck on. He apologized? What, like he said he was sorry?"

Katsuki growled but Izuku nodded. "Yup."

"…Holy fuck, did you record it?"

"Move. The fuck. On."

Deciding he didn't want to spark anything else off, Izuku kept going. "Anyway. Like I said, Kacchan already had all the pieces. So I had a choice, acknowledge that there was something going on but not tell him, or… you know. Tell him."

Ochako had a hand rubbing her brow. "And you went with the second option? Instead of telling him to f— To get lost?"

"Yeah?"

"Why? Deku, you have to give me a reason here."

Gran Torino coughed. "Technically—"

"Old man," Himiko whispered. "Do not even try to make Izuku think he doesn't need to tell Ochako. Not if you don't value your fucking liver."

"…I have your knife."

"You have one of my knives."

"I can give you two reasons, Uraraka," Izuku went on, not hearing the side convo going on. "One, is that Kacchan wasn't going to let this go. He would obsess over this to the point I'm worried it would affect his grades."

"You're not responsible for that. It's his own fault if he can't just leave well enough alone."

"Maybe, but I'm kinda the same way so I guess it's sympathy pain… or whatever the actual term is. If I knew there was a secret going on with All Might right in front of me, I'd be doing everything I could to figure it out."

"Deku," Ochako sighed. "You're not that dumb. You're a smart and responsible person."

"Uraraka, I jumped onto All Might's leg the first time I met him just before he jumped up into the sky. Remember?"

Ochako recalled that story. She was back to rubbing her brow. "And the second reason?"

"Kacchan still… does and says a lot of stuff I don't like. I mean I punched him today. But… I value what we started to have after the sports festival. And not telling Kacchan would probably… Well I'm almost certain it would destroy it. Trust is important and all that."

Ochako really wished Izuku hadn't brought up that whole rivalry thing. Because with that, it made this bad decision make sense to him. Because she could just about see it from his perspective. Izuku was good, kind and wanted to be friends with people. He wouldn't willingly do something to damage a relationship. She knew this, and she had a feeling others knew it too. So she took a breath, counted to ten, and, "I don't agree with this Deku. Not one bit."

Izuku winced.

"But… If this is what you want to do," She waited to see him react, and he nodded. "Then… I'll go along with it."

All Might sighed. "I'm glad you'll support—"

"I said go along with it. Not support i," Ochako quickly corrected All Might. "This is a mistake. A mistake that shouldn't have been allowed to happen." She made sure to give All Might and Gran Torino some dirty looks. "But if it's an argument every time we meet up… that's not going to help anyone. So I'll go along with it, and make sure Deku comes out of this better and stays safe." She crossed her arms. "That's all I can give you, Deku."

It was enough for Izuku, who bowed towards her. "Thank you Uraraka… Thank you."

With the crisis seemingly over, Gran Torino added something, "Look. At the end of the day, whether you like each other or not isn't really relevant. What matters above all else is that everyone in this room understands the monster Midoriya is up against. And that it's our responsibility to ensure he's ready for the day he faces All for One. Everything else is secondary, understand?"

The angry ones in the room gave small grunts while others nodded. So at least for now, the issue was settled.

"If we're done here," Katsuki grunted, "then I'm gone." It had been a few minutes of quiet as everyone just decompressed. "Want to get out of this costume and go take a fucking shower."

Mei tilted her head to the side. "Didn't you rush everyone here after your exam? That's what he said, right?"

"Inventor Chick, shut the hell up." Katsuki rubbed his brow. "You're fucking annoying."

"Um actually…" Izuku cleared his throat, nervously running his finger over the rim of his cup. "There's, um… something I'd like to ask All Might. Now that explanations are over and everyone is, um… settled down. Though," Izuku glanced at his phone, noting the time, "it is getting kinda late…"

"Young Midoriya, if you have something you wish to ask or say, we will of course wait on you," All Might said with a smile.

Himiko was already up at this point, assuming that since Katsuki was leaving she could leave too. She was tired and also wanted to get started on her revenge against Midnight. "If we're late for dinner, I'm snacking on one of you."

Ochako, despite still being in a sour mood, reached over and pulled Himiko back into her seat. "You sit, and what did you want to talk about, Deku?"

Izuku rubbed his neck nervously, but he was committed to getting an answer, even if the question probably was going to cause a lot of problems. "Um… So All Might…"

"Yes?"

"When you use One for All… do you ever… um… see people that aren't really there?"

Ochako almost dropped her cup while Himiko stared at Izuku like he had grown a second head.

"Or maybe…hear voices?"

"The fuck?"

"You see… the both times I've used One for All… I… I had some kind of vision. There were eight people. They were foggy, almost like living shadows but their eyes, I could feel power from them and… one of the shadows looked a lot like you, All Might."

Almost as one Ochako and Himiko turned from Izuku to All Might. All Might threw up his hands. "That's too freaking scary!"

Izuku almost fell out of his seat, shocked at how scared All Might looked. "Wait! I thought for sure you'd know something!?" Sighing sadly, Izuku lowered his head. "Well that settles it, either I'm going crazy or One for All is haunted."

Ochako frowned. "Wait, hold on. What do you mean the both times you used One for All?"

Izuku blinked, then laughed nervously. "Sooo, that's the thing…"

Izuku laughed jubilantly as he leapt from tree to tree, green lightning crackling over his body. Even the tiny percentage of One for All that Izuku had spread throughout his body was enough to give him the mobility to leap around like a green glowing monkey. Or rabbit. He could hear Ochako cheering him on, absolutely ecstatic as she watched.

Landing on a branch, Izuku could feel the power of One For All giving his muscles the strength to absorb the landing and then kick off again. Up into the air, and back towards Ochako in the clearing. Laughing and feeling on top of the world. Izuku pulled his legs in and did what any teenager would do sailing through the air. He did a backflip.

And just like any teenager who tried to do a backflip for the first time, he totally missed the landing and fell flat on his face.

"OOF!"

"D-Deku!" Ochako rushed over to make sure he was alright, though her hurried pace slowed as Izuku just kept laughing joyfully. "You knucklehead." She reached down to give him a hand.

Izuku, still smiling brightly, looked up and reached out to take her hand. But standing behind her smiling face, were eight dark shadows. Even in the dark of night, Izuku could make them out. And the glow of their eyes. Eyes that were looking right at him.

Ochako blinked a few times before she exploded, face blue and her body shaking. "WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME I HAD GHOSTS BEHIND ME!"

Izuku held up his hands defensively. "I thought maybe I just hit my head on the landing. Since when I blinked to get a better look, they were gone."

Himiko scratched her head. "Soooo what? Is Izuku just nuts? Brain damage? Or are we really going to sit here and say that One for All is haunted?"

Gran Torino was rubbing his chin, while All Might leaned forward. "When I was younger, much much younger, I saw them too."

Heads turned. Katsuki scowled. "The way you freaked out made it seem like this was a new fucking thing? Shouldn't that have been one of the first things you warned Deku about?!"

Ochako quietly hated that she was in agreement with Katsuki.

"It was a very long time ago. It was only the one time it happened. After that, I never saw anything like it again. My master too, also had a similar experience."

Izuku sighed in relief. "I'm not crazy, thank god."

Mei had a notepad out, and was scribbling away. "So I get to make a baby to detect ghosts! Oh, this is gonna be fun!"

"Holy shit, it's ghosts." Himiko rubbed her head. "Because that's what this story needs. Fucking ghosts in Quirks."

All Might shook his head. "I don't think it's anything complicated like that. It's not ghosts or spirits, but traces of will. Something left behind by the previous wielders. Not something intended or something that can be interacted with. Though I didn't see them myself right after getting One for All like you, Young Midoriya. Your connection with it must be strong indeed."

Izuku beamed at that, despite the weirdness of the conversation.

"You did say that One for All is much stronger for Deku than it was for you," Ochako pointed out, "maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Perhaps."

"So where does this theory come from then?" Ochako asked. "You seem to have a pretty good idea of what they are even though you saw them just once."

All Might nodded. "The theory comes from my master, the previous wielder of One for All, Shimura Nana."

Katsuki latched onto that name immediately. "That's who you and the old man were talking about earlier. So she wasn't just some other teacher then."

All Might smiled. "She was more than just a teacher, that's correct. We had this talk a long time ago. She was telling me about a dream she had. She called the shadows 'vestiges.' She thought that One for All has more stored up in it than just power. Perhaps the feelings of the previous users, the ones that cultivated that power, were recorded into One for All. Their wants and dreams. She said that 'feelings always come before power.' One for All is… our impossible dream. Each user builds towards something and… if our time is cut short before that dream is realized… We can meet again inside One for All."

Himiko hummed. "That's creepy and lovely. Oh, is that why All Might is one of those dead shadow things? A little bit of him got recorded over when he sent it to you,"

"Please don't say dead shadow things. I'd like to sleep tonight," All Might whimpered.

"At least it's something… er, I was going to say simple… about how it at least it's not ghosts," Ochako said with a sigh.

Katsuki frowned. "Hold on a second. Deku," Izuku looked up, "didn't you ask if All Might heard voices too?"

And suddenly the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"Um… yeah." Izuku rubbed his hands together nervously, as all eyes were back on him. "So, um… at the end of the exam… I saw the vestiges again… or well… one of them. She," All Might and Gran Torino leaned forward, "she, um… spoke."

"Check please," Himiko groaned. "I want off this ride now."

Mei leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Do you think it was her? All Might's teacher?!"

All Might shook his head. "I was never spoken to. This is… incredible."

Ochako held up a hand. "Okay, before we start jumping the gun, how can we be sure?"

Izuku scratched his chin. "Hmmm, Oh! All Might, do you have anything that would have her voice? And or maybe a video? You haven't shown me what she looks like. The vestige I saw was a lot less fuzzy. So if it matches…"

All Might frowned then nodded. "One second." Walking over to his office's desk, All Might reached in and pulled out his cell phone. Mumbling to himself, "I know I saved it in one of those cloud things… Ah, here we go. Nana… sent me this after I won the sports festival years ago."

Flipping his phone around, All Might pressed play and showed the group the video message he had saved: "Hey there Toshinori!" Izuku went stiff and his eyes went wide. "Congratulations! Not only did you win, it was an utter devastation! Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh… maybe best I don't word it like that. Or I'll sound too much like Sorahiko. But I'm proud of you." The video of Nana smiled brightly. "Of course I'll be seeing you later to celebrate with a feast. Kotarou and a certain lazy bum," off-screen an annoyed hand swiped at Nana but she laughed as she ducked it, "are looking forward to seeing you too. Though if he offers you a beer, this time turn it down." The call ended with someone complaining that it was just the one time, and it wasn't his fault. No kid should be almost two hundred centimeters.

Putting the phone away, and taking a moment for himself, All Might cast his gaze back to Izuku, but the look on the boy's face said it all. But Izuku still had to say it. Still had to put it into words.

"That was her. The one that spoke to me after the exam. That was her."

As that sank in, All Might took a breath and asked, "Young Midoriya. What did she say?"

"'Not bad, kid. It looks like Toshinori picked a winner.' Then she looked at you, and she looked… proud and kind of sad before she said, 'I always knew you were special.'"

When All Might's eyes started to water, Himiko hurried to dig out a hanky for him. "Here you go, big guy."

"My thanks, Young Toga. I just… need a second."

"Okay, so these aren't just shadows. If the shitty nerd is actually right about this, these things, ghost, or whatever, are more than just little bits of feelings. Feelings don't talk. They don't interact with the damned world." Katsuki crossed his arms. "And of course it's fucking Deku who is the first to deal with them."

Ochako frowned. "Why are you mad at him for that?"

"Who the fuck said I was mad? I'm just laying out that All Might's theory is shot, and we got nothing else to go on."

Gran Torino coughed. "That's not entirely true." Every head turned to look at the old hero. "You see… Nana didn't tell you the whole story about that dream she had."

Katsuki groaned. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Izuku ignored Katsuki. "Gran Torino? What do you mean?"

Gran Torino leaned back in his seat. "So the dream she had, she told me about it back when she had had it. The shadows and the whole bit. It's even how she started to come up with the idea that more got transferred over when One for All is passed from one person to another. But what she didn't tell you was this. One of the shadows talked to her. Said that this man, that looked like a fuzzy shadow, walked up to her and sorta looked her over. After a bit he just said, 'the time has not yet come,' and vanished. After that she never had the dream or saw the vestiges or whatever again."

"Why wouldn't she tell me that part?" All Might asked.

Gran Torino shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe since you only mentioned seeing the shadows and not hearing them, she didn't think about it. Or maybe she didn't want to burden you with anything else at the time. Hell, after the one talk she never talked to me about it again either."

Ochako hummed, leaning forward and cupping her hands together. "So what do we do now?"

Izuku tapped his chin before standing up. Then startling everyone around him as green lighting began arcing and sparking over his body.

"The fuck?!"

"Deku?!"

"I swear to god if he goes all The Exorcist, I'm fucking leaving!"

"This is so exciting!"

Izuku, with One for All pumping through his body, looked around the room. But all he saw were the people who were supposed to be there. No shadows, and no voices. "Nothing's happening."

"Are you fucking out of your mind?!" Katsuki shouted.

Izuku just shrugged, before he stopped using One for Al. "I guess it's not going to happen every time then."

"Soooo, what do we do now then?" Himiko asked.

All Might thought about it. "Until we know more, or until the event happens again, it might be best not to dwell on it for now."

"Really?" Ochako didn't look convinced. "You think that's for the best?"

"I do. We know from three generations of wielders of One for All that these vestiges exist. We now know they do carry some semblance of self. But at no point when they do appear have they indicated or done anything that could be seen as a threat. Nor do I think they ever will. If these vestiges are some remnants of the past wielders, then they come from people that dedicated their lives to stopping All for One and protecting people. Heroes. I'm willing to place my faith in One for All."

The group looked at All Might, then towards Izuku, who was looking at his hands. "I… I think you're right, All Might. I could feel a power from them, but never anything like ill intent. I don't think there's anything to fear from them."

"Of course, I'm not saying we just ignore them if they should appear again. I think it best you let us know immediately. Or if there are any other weird phenomena that you experience. Agreed?"

"Yes sir," Izuku said with a firm nod of his head.

"Alright, I'm fucking done." Katsuki stood up. "Don't care if there are any more ghost or phantoms or whatever. I'm going home." Without so much as a goodbye Katsuki was out the door.

Mei frowned. "Wooow. Not even going to help us clean up the room? The small dick energy is real."

Izuku groaned and shot Himiko a look. "You've got to stop, Toga."

Himiko just beamed. "Never!"

Ochako was up and out of her seat, reaching the door before muttering, "I.. gotta use the bathroom." And was gone.

"All that tea went straight through her," Mei said as she helped pick up some cups. "Or she's trying to get out of cleaning duty too."

Izuku waved it off., "Oh, it's okay. She does a lot for me all the time. I'll get her cup clean."

Himiko frowned, watching Izuku pick up Ochako's tea cup, then looking towards the door Ochako and Katsuki had left through.

Katsuki had a headache. After everything he had learned today, all it resulted in was giving him a huge fucking headache. What the fuck?! What the fuck?! WHAT THE FUCK?!

He knew he was going to be in for a story, but to get plot bombed with immortal villains, generational Quirks, the fact that the freaking number one hero was losing his fucking power and was actually fucking Yagi Toshinori, that Izuku had that power and that it was now even stronger than All Might's, just to top it off with fucking god damned ghosts, was enough to make his head feel like it was going to split open. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he felt that tomorrow he was going to punch Izuku in the face for this.

Not that he hadn't asked for this, but come on. You don't pull that kind of shit and not deserve a fucking punch to the face.

Also, after all of this, he almost kinda technically worked for Izuku.

Nah fuck that. I'll just kill this All for One bastard or whatever and make all this One for All shit pointless.

Katsuki didn't bring this up during the initial talk, but he almost felt like there was a disconnect between Izuku and All Might. He got the feeling when Izuku talked about beating this All for One, it was in the traditional sense. Beat him up and throw him in jail. With All Might, it felt like it was the more permanent sense. Especially since All Might admitted he had tried to kill All for One. Which was a shock, All Might going for the kill. Kinda a crazy idea. Almost as crazy as the idea of Izuku having any kind of killing instinct. Izuku was not someone that would ever be willing or able to take a life.

So that could be a huge problem down the line.

Katsuki was so engrossed in his own thoughts he didn't hear the hurried footsteps behind him until they were right on him.

"BAKUGOU!"

Katsuki looked over his shoulder to find Ochako standing behind him, face scrunched up in a frown and her eyes burning. "We're not done yet."

Katsuki just rolled his eyes. "Got nothing to say to you, Round Face." And went back to walking down the hallway.

Ochako gaped at getting completely ignored before she stormed forward and put herself in front of Katsuki. "Don't you dare ignore me." She stepped forward until she was face to face with him. "You do not just get to trick Deku like you did and walk away."

"Not dealing with whatever hysterical shit you got going on. I don't give a shit if you don't like that I know, and I don't give a shit how you want to rationalize it in your fucking head. So shut the fuck up, and get the fuck out of my way."

Ochako sneered. "If you think for a second I'm letting a threat like you just walk away, you're insane."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "Don't fucking push me or you'll learn real quick what kind of threat I can be."

Ochako was shaking, the rage inside of her, everything she had held back during the meeting was starting to bubble over. Miruko's words, telling her to let her anger fuel her, to empower her, and not control her were getting drowned out by the beating of her heart, echoing in her ears like a war drum. More and more she just wanted to reach out and snap Katsuki's—

Katsuki looked over Ochako and spat out, "It really eats at you doesn't it? The fact that Deku decided to make a decision without you. I get that you baby him like a fucking doll or something, but considering how fucked-up of a job you've done keeping him 'safe.' Maybe it's good he didn't fucking wait for you to tell him what to do. He maned the fuck up and took some responsibility. While you, what the fuck have you done for him? I wasn't the one that left him to get smacked around by that Nomu. And it sure as shit sounds like you did jack-all to look out for him in whatever mess you were involved in at Hosu City. Maybe it's time to leave the job to someone who's actually capable of looking out for him."

Katsuki words cut into Ochako. They cut deep, leaving bloody wounds in her soul and heart. They also cut the very last threads of her patience and self-control.

SMACK!

Ochako's hand whipped out, and struck Katsuki across the face. The strike was hard enough to knock him off his feet and leave him floating in the air as each of Ochako's fingerpads made contact.

"The fuck—!"

Ochako grabbed Katsuki and screamed as she turned and slammed him into the nearest wall. "You motherfucker!" There was no more control. No more sense of self-restraint. The simmering hate Ochako felt for Katsuki was now a full blown, frozen turkey in the deep frier, out of control blaze. "How dare you! You selfish arrogant bastard! I'll—"

She didn't get the chance to finish as a yellow streak slammed into her and tackled her to the ground. "Turn off your Quirk. Now!" Gran Torino made it very clear he wasn't messing around as he twisted Ochako's arms back, leaving her hands almost touching, but instead of pushing them together himself, he was giving her one chance to make the correct choice. But if she did anything else beside put her fingers together, she was fucked. "Don't make me knock you out, kid."

Still seething, Ochako had to think about what she wanted to do. The fact she was actually thinking about it made Gran Torino grit his teeth. Because if this went south, there was no telling how bad this was going to go. For Ochako, for Katsuki, for himself and for Izuku. Because he had a very sneaking suspicion that Izuku would not give a damn what reason there was. The moment he finds out he had to knock Ochako out, the kid may very well go for his throat. Ochako was his hair trigger. And anyone what messed with that was fucked with a capital F. But finally, mercifully, Ochako pressed her fingers together and hissed out, "Release."

Katsuki fell to the ground, only just having time to brace himself. "You fucking bitch!" He was about to charge, but Gran Torino had already blasted off Ochako and moved to block Katsuki. Pushing him back, further down the hall, and putting enough distance between the two that they couldn't suddenly start fighting again.

"No one do a damned thing. Is that clear!" Gran Torino gave Katsuki a look before turning to Ochako, who was getting back on her feet, whipping away some blood from her nose and mouth. "Kid, you don't move from that spot. Am I clear?"

Gran Torino almost flinched at the hate in Ochako's eyes as she looked his way. Though those eyes weren't directed at him but at Katsuki. He was just caught in the crossfire.

Holy fuck. I thought the kid was bad earlier. What the hell?

"I want an explanation, now. What the fuck is going on? You do not use your fucking Quirks on each other."

Katsuki spat, "You wanna try that again, bitch?!"

"Kid," Gran Torino looked back at Katsuki, "just shut up." Gran Torino then addressed Ochako. "You better have a damned good excuse for the stunt you just pulled."

Ochako didn't wilt under Gran Torino's glare. She just pointed at herself. "I'm doing my fucking job. The one neither you or All Might seem to take seriously."

"What?"

"You let Deku tell him," she jabbed her finger Katsuki, "about One for All. About everything. The person that made Deku's life a living hell for ten years! You let Deku get tricked into telling him instead of protecting him. So if neither of you are going to deal with him," Ochako's knuckles popped as she closed her fists, "then I will."

"You fucking bitch. You wanna go, then lets—"

"Will you shut up!" Gran Torino was almost tempted to let Ochako get in a few swings, just because he was done hearing Katsuki's mouth.

Almost.

"What do you think is going to happen kid? What?" Gran Torino was racing to get this taken care of. Because if it went on too long, things would get messy.

"He only cares about himself. Nothing would make him happier than to sell Deku out. Either to the media, or the League of Villains themselves."

Katsuki almost did a double take. "Are you fucking high?"

"We both know you'd rather be on their side. You're more a villain than any kind of hero. You'd join their side just out of spite and jealousy." Gran Torino was unsettled with that. Because it sounded like Ochako actually believed it.

Katsuki spat, "You dumb fucking bitch. You think I'd ever go to their side? You think I'd want to join a group of losers?" Katsuki's face twisted, a feral snarling grin spread over his face as his red eyes glowed, reflecting his determination. "News flash, bitch. I only care about winning. And the best kind of winning is the way I've seen All Might win. Any other kind of victory would just taste like ash. No matter what, nothing will ever change that!"

Katsuki's hands were turned upward, fingers curled into claws as his palms smoked. "As for Deku and One for All, I don't give a shit. In fact, this is perfect. All it means is that when I beat him and become the strongest hero, it means I beat him and All Might combined. A perfect fucking victory for me."

Katsuki's voice was getting more deranged, more twisted and crazy. "I can't fucking beat him if he's not at his fucking best. So I need him to get strong. I need him training all that power he's got now. And I won't fucking let anything fuck that up. Psychokinesis, Boric Pyre and One for All. Deku will have all of that, and he'll still only ever be second. So do you get it? I'm the best fucking person to know this shit, because I'm the only one here that's going to work to make sure Deku is at his best! Because that's the only way I'll ever accept my win."

Gran Torino wasn't sure if that was the most psychotic thing he'd ever heard or the most inspirational. It was twisted, self-serving and fucked up. But it also made his position crystal clear. Any threat of him being a turncoat, was utterly ridiculous.

"Well kid," Gran Torino asked, "I think that should settle this dispute. Don't you think?"

Ochako's eyes darted over Katsuki. Her face twisted with every word he said. She hated him. Hated hated hated him. And the idea that he had been brought into this group of trust ripped at her soul but, and as much as it made her physically sick to think it, she couldn't detect any kind of lie from Katsuki's fucked up counter to her. She could taste blood and bile as she was forced to acknowledge the simple, hateful, truth. "Fine."

Gran Torino sighed, oh thank god. "Okay. This is done. And out of respect for Midoriya I'm going to say this once. This doesn't get brought up. This never happened. You," he looked at Katsuki, "left and you," he turned back to look at Ochako, "went to the bathroom like you said you were doing. I got strings I can pull if this got recorded by security. So don't even think about it. This didn't happen. Move on. Understand?"

Katsuki huffed and turned to walk away. "Fuck if I care."

"Bakugou!" Ochako called after him. Her eyes narrowed into slits, with death reflecting in them. "If you ever do anything to betray the trust Deku's given you, I will kill you."

No one in the hallway doubted for a second that Ochako wasn't bluffing. That wasn't a threat. That was a promise of intent. Ochako would kill him.

From the shadows in the hallway, a yellow eye watched the three disperse. Fortunately for Gran Torino, the camera's in that area had suffered a little technical glitch. Himiko would have to make sure to return Mei's little device quickly. Seeing Katsuki leaving, then Ochako, with Gran Torino soon after… She knew things would get bad. She had seen the look in Ochako's eyes. Fortunately, apparently Mei wasn't totally insane, since she had passed her device to her, and told her what button to press to turn off the cameras.

Letting out the breath she had been holding, Himiko slipped back towards All Might's office. She had been ready to step in if Gran Torino hadn't been able to get things under control. She loved Ochako too much to let her hands get stained with blood. If anyone was going to deal with Katsuki, should the need arise, she would be the one to do it.

Izuku and Ochako, they were the ones that needed to stand out in the light. They needed to be the ones that were beacons of hope for the future. Himiko, she knew her role, even if she kept it hidden from them. In Green Tea Rescue, she was the one that would get her hands dirty. She was the one that would walk in the shadows, and tread through the muck and blood.

She would not let either of the ones she loved touch the darkness of this world.

The hour was late and the sun now set under the horizon. Izuku grabbed his bag and hummed happily as he moved to get off the empty train. Behind him, Ochako walked to see him off. Her stop was a little down the line. Stepping off the train, he turned to look at Ochako, and beamed up at her. "We did it, Uraraka. We passed."

Ochako's smile matched Izuku's. "We sure did."

The train gave a small announcement that the doors would soon be closing and that passengers should stay clear. "Um, Uraraka?"

"Yes, Deku? What is…" Ochako paused when she saw that Izuku's cheeks had turned a little pink. "…it?"

"I… haven't forgotten my promise."

Ochako flushed and fidgeted around. "O-oh? That's… that's good." She didn't think he was going to confess now of course, but hearing him say that, it made her feel all warm inside. "I'm… really looking forward to us getting to talk."

Now it was Izuku's turn to feel all warm. "Okay. I just… wanted you to know that." Izuku glanced down at his shoes, shifting his weight from one to another. "Um… Uraraka… Can I ask you a question?" If Izuku was pink before, he was now a glossy apple red. Ochako found it adorable. "So… earlier today… You um…"

Oh… Oooh. It didn't take Ochako long at all to figure out what Izuku was getting at.

"You… said that…I could…" Izuku moved his hands, mimicking the outline of something similar to an hourglass shape., "Were you you…" Izuku wasn't able to finish anything he started to ask, but Ochako understood every single word said and left unsaid.

Was I serious about letting Deku touch me?

Had she just been teasing, or had the offer been sincere?

Perhaps the day's events emboldened her. Maybe now that certain feelings between them were out in the open, despite the promise of them giving each other another chance to talk about them, Ochako didn't feel the need to hold back. Maybe Himiko had become a really bad influence on her.

Regardless of the reason, Ochako leaned forward, and cupped Izuku's cheeks with her hands, her pinkies extended so she didn't accidentally float him away. "Deku." Her voice was soft and sweet. Like a rich velvet cake. "I'll make you a promise. After we have our talk, I'll let you know. Okay?"

Izuku gulped hotly. Ochako could feel his body starting to heat up. It made her fingertips tingle. The whole situation made her own body feel hot. With a touch and some soft words, she could make Izuku melt in her hands. Forget feeling emboldened, she felt empowered.

On the flip side, Ochako remembered the way it had felt when Izuku had held her that night after their special dinner. His hands on her waist, then those fingers brushing over the small of her back. There was a very real and guaranteed possibility that she'd be putty in Izuku's hands too.

A melody came through the train speakers. A final warning that the train would be leaving the station and that the doors would be closing any moment.

Gingerly, Ochako pulled away. As her fingers ran along Izuku's cheeks, Izuku took an unconscious step forward, trying to keep the contact. But all too soon they were separated, Ochako on the train, and Izuku on the station. The doors creaked as they started to close.

"Good night, Deku."

"Good night Uraraka."

Izuku watched the train leave and almost floated down the road from the station. Today, honestly, had been amazing. Some surprising twists and turns, yes, and getting a chance to sucker-punch Katsuki had been surprisingly therapeutic, but in the end, it had all worked out.

Reaching home, Izuku threw open the door, "Mom, Eri! I'm home!"

Inko stuck her head into the hallway. "Izuku!" She came out and wrapped her son up in a hug. "How did your tests go?"

"It went great actually," Izuku said proudly. "Sorry I'm a little late for dinner, though."

"Oh, it's fine. I'll get it warmed up for you," Inko said happily.

Izuku kicked off his shoes when he noticed there was an extra pair by the door. "Do we have guests?"

"Oh yes," Inko said as she and Izuku walked into the living room. "You'll never guess who came by to visit. You remember Doctor Tsub

Authors Notes:

Hello and happy new year. You've reached my answering machine. I'm not currently available due to hiding in my bomb bunker. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and arc. A lot of stuff here I've been waiting to write for a while.
I guess I'll see you all in the next arc. Which I guess is Kamino? Wait is that the right order? Oh who knows.
A huge shout out to my beta reader WereTech
And as always please feel free to comment review or critique, it's all welcome here!