Under a dark rain, the entire Class 1-A students had already gathered together in the common area. Ever since Izuku and Luna departed UA High, they all spent the past few days pondering about the letters that the targeted students have written for them.
"Really? You think so?" Uraraka asked.
"Just guessing. But it is likely." Shoto replied.
"He's obviously hanging out with Endeavor and the others." Katsuki confirmed. He then shredded Izuku's letter into tiny pieces. "I'm gonna kill that damn nerd!"
Katsuki's face then softened.
"And...Luna's definitely with Tarot Chariot." Katsuki added. "There's no doubt about it."
"You're guessing? Didn't anyone contact them to get confirmation?" Iida suggested. "Those three were your mentors."
"I called multiple times. At no point did Hawks ever answer his phone." Tokoyami answered.
"Denim Face either." Katsuki responded.
"Same with my father." Shoto added. "They're busy, sure, but this is still odd. It's not a leap to assume they're hiding something from us."
"Also, All Might and Tarot Chariot haven't come back to campus, either." Jiro pointed out.
"Yes, you're right." Ojiro agreed with a nod.
"Did you three know Luna was leaving UA?" Mina asked Selene, Diana, and Aisha. "Not to intrude, but you girls are super close to her."
"No. None of us knew." Selene answered.
"Yeah, we were shocked as you guys are when we read the letters." Diana replied.
"Even if we did, we couldn't do anything to stop her." Aisha added.
"Classes are suspended. So we can't even get promoted to the next grade right now." Katsuki explained. "Hero course students were told to help secure the area, or be on standby. Which means we don't have time to hunt for any real intel. Denim Face and Feather Head both visited Deku and Luna in the hospital. All Might and his wife were there, too. Then there's the letters. If they didn't want to get anywhere close to campus, then who the hell put these on our doors in the middle of the night? Deku and Luna had All Might and Tarot Chariot doing their dirty work. Those guys have gotta be making moves together."
"If they're with the adult heroes, then we can assume they are protecting them, oui?" Aoyama questioned.
"The news only said that the top three heroes had teamed up." Kaminari stated. "Nobody else, not even Tarot Chariot, was mentioned in the report."
"Listen, moron. I may not know Endeavor and Tarot Chariot very well. But I know Deku and Luna." Katsuki growled. "And I've got a good read on All Might, too." He clenched his hand into a tight fist. "I promise, this is the worst case scenario."
"Then we need to figure out how to contact Midoriya and Luna, and help them out. Let's go!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"Endeavor graduated from UA, right?" Uraraka asked Shoto as she stood up from the green couch.
"Yes, that's right." Shoto replied.
"Let's get some answers." Uraraka said with a serious expression. "From both Endeavor and Tarot Chariot."
Later on, Endeavor and Tarot Chariot presented themselves inside Principal Nezu's office. But they both looked completely surprised when the entire Class 1-A students showed up and blocked the entrance.
"Principal. You set us up." Endeavor said to Nezu.
"I heard a request from my students and decided a group discussion would be worthwhile." Nezu notified. "When you're in education, your lessons should be fresh."
That's not surprising. Tarot Chariot remarked.
"I don't understand why you've been ignoring me. Didn't we just talk about how we're going to deal with Toya together?" Shoto questioned.
"Shoto, the fact that you're willing to stand at my side is why I still fight." Endeavor responded.
"What good is that doing us?" Shoto retorted. "Why haven't you brought Midoriya back? Let me guess. You've got Deku and All Might looking after each other, right?"
Endeavor didn't respond.
"I knew it. I'm sure that sounded like a smart move. And maybe with someone else, it'd be a good idea. But you missed something." Katsuki stated as he walked up to Endeavor with spiky bangs hiding his eyes. "You don't know Deku. If you did, you'd realize he can't be trusted out there. He never considers his own wellbeing. He just says he's fine. That type of thinking is what made All Might the Symbol of Peace, so he can't be trusted to stop Deku." He lifted his head and revealed his concernedly red eyes. "Listen to me! Something terrible is gonna happen if you let them do this alone."
Katsuki turned his head to Tarot Chariot.
"And you should know Luna better than anyone." Katsuki said. "She suffered the aftereffects of the war just like the rest of us. But we both know it's gotten worse for her when she left and went out alone with this vigilantism." His face slowly altered into an emotional expression. "Please, I love your daughter and I want anything to happen to her."
All Class 1-A students gasped in a complete mix of shock and surprise. Even Endeavor looked utterly surprised.
"Wait, so it's true?" Yaoyorozu questioned.
"You're really Luna's...?" Ojiro muttered.
Tarot Chariot's hat concealed over her eyes for a moment, silently agreeing with Katsuki about Luna. She has secretly ordered Coppelia to scan and record Luna's behavior. During breaks, Coppelia reported her scan analysis to Tarot Chariot, who was ultimately concerned that her daughter's behavior was beginning to change drastically. According to Coppelia, the overwhelming stress and pressure from the trauma of the war, the relentless Oriana and All For One targeting her for her Quirk, and bearing the responsibility of protecting her friends has seriously increased. And as for her mother, she couldn't bear to watch her own daughter suffering any longer.
With a soft sigh, Tarot Chariot then pulled out her magic card and handed it over to Katsuki.
"This card will help you track down Luna's location." Tarot Chariot said.
"Thank you." Katsuki said, taking the magic card from Tarot Chariot.
Tarot Chariot then looked up at the rest of the Class 1-A students.
"Yes, it's true." Tarot Chariot confirmed. "Luna is my daughter. All Might and I have been keeping her under wraps from the moment she was born. The last thing we wanted is for All For One and Shigaraki to manipulate her for their own personal gain."
All Class 1-A students turned their heads to Aisha, Selene, and Diana. Before any of them could open their mouth, Aisha already beat them to the punch.
"Yes, everyone." Aisha said. "We knew about Luna's relation to Tarot Chariot and All Might since we were kids."
"And the reason we didn't say anything to any of you is because it was Luna's choice and hers alone." Selene replied.
"Yeah, if she wants to tell you that family secret, that's on her." Diana concurred. "And we will support her decision no matter what."
After a moment of silence, Endeavor then pulled out a tracking device that already pinned Izuku's location.
"Hold up, is that GPS tracking Deku?" Sero asked.
Without giving Endeavor a chance to respond, Sero immediately smacked the GPS device out of Endeavor's hand. He, Mineta, Hagakure, Koda, and Mina jumped forward to seize the GPS device until Sero successfully caught it in his hand.
"I need to borrow this." Sero said. "Sorry, sir. I know I'm just a guy who randomly ended up in Midoriya and Luna's class, but I wanna help."
"Me, too." Koda agreed. "Especially after everything we've been through this year."
"Yeah, same here." Mineta concurred,
"Ditto!" Hagakure nodded.
"I can't believe they didn't confide in me about their worries concerning One For All and Divine Trinity, but I'm more surprised that they thought a simple letter would convince us to let them run away." Shoto said.
"Class 1-A sticks together. We'll track their location, and we'll stand by their side. We know that One For All and Divine Trinity have burdened Midoriya and Luna with a terrible responsibility, but that doesn't change the fact that they're our friends." Iida declared with a determined face. "And knowing that someone we care about is walking a treacherous path, means we can't look to the future with a smile."
"The streets are too dangerous. They're brimming with crime. It's no place for students." Endeavor said.
"I've seen how you've matured, Todoroki." Nezu reassured. "I agreed to let Midoriya and Luna team up with you and Chariot because I know that they didn't want to come back to UA and risk it being targeted by villains. They were worried. But they can come back. The school will be just fine."
Jiro, Kirishima, and Uraraka gasped in surprise.
"Ever since we accepted them, they've been under our protection like every other student here." Nezu added.
"What about the evacuees you've taken in?" Tarot Chariot asked as she walked up towards Nezu's desk. "They'll be at risk if they return, and they're furious with us already. Something like this will stoke the fire."
"I'll figure out a way to make them understand." Nezu replied. "Besides, I didn't approve our status as an emergency shelter because we have a large campus. You see, when we were preparing for the last school festival, we reinforced the UA Barrier. We didn't end up needing the extra security, so this is our chance to test it out. Don't forget, All Might grew up in this school, too. And we survived. Go ahead, students. Bring your classmates back."
Selene, Diana, and Aisha stood across Luna with serious expressions.
"Selene? Diana? Aisha?" Luna spoke. "What…are you doing here?"
"We're here to bring you and Midoriya back to UA." Aisha replied.
"Midoriya? Hold on, he left UA?" Luna asked with a slightly surprised look.
"Yes, just like you." Selene answered. "Most of our classmates are on their way to his location."
Luna turned away from her friends and looked down at the ground.
"I see." Luna said. "Look, don't get me wrong, I appreciate your concern for me. But I'm not going back to UA. Have you not read the letters…?"
"We did, but we'll still bringing you back." Diana interrupted as she narrowed her eyes. "Your body may be fine, but your mind isn't. You have to come back. We're worried about you."
"There's no need." Luna said, looking at her friends over her shoulders. "I've chosen this path on my own to protect you and our classmates from getting hurt or dying at my grandmother's wrath. So please…leave me be."
Luna unfolded her Dazzling Wings from her back and flew upwards. But before she can reach above the buildings, she was suddenly enveloped with sea green psychokinetic energy. Luna didn't have enough time to react and the psychokinetic energy instantly pulled her down to the ground as she managed to land on her feet.
"Sorry, Luna, but you're not going anywhere." Selene said. "We know your intentions are pure, but we're not leaving without you." She turned to Diana and Aisha. "Let's do this."
Diana and Aisha nodded.
Diana manifested her green aura around herself and spawned out ten holographic copies, sending them to encircle Luna in fighting stances.
"I'm warning you." Luna said threateningly.
"You gave us no choice." Diana said.
Diana snapped her fingers and her holograms started engulfing their hands in green energy.
Luna activated Dazzling Trinity, igniting pink triquetra tattoo-like marks all over her arms and legs.
Diana's holograms released green energy blasts at Luna, who swiftly dodged each energy blast with backflips and full splits. Luna fired a barrage of pink energy bolts at Diana's holograms that destroyed them one by one. Diana then charged forward in red aura and fired a strong red energy blast at Luna from her right hand, sending her crashing to a building wall.
Once Luna pushed herself from the crater, she unfolded her Dazzling Wings and flew up high. But Diana switched into her yellow aura and soared after her just as she grabbed a hold of Luna's left leg.
"Have you not heard what Selene just said? You're not going anywhere!" Diana yelled.
Diana spun around rapidly and slammed Luna straight to the ground.
Luna recovered and glared at Diana, who rejoined Aisha and Selene.
"Sorry, Luna. But you're not leaving." Aisha said.
"You want me to stay and fight? Fine." Luna said under her breath. "I'll stay and fight."
With an overwhelming amount of Divine Trinity, Luna released a powerful pink energy beam that made her friends scatter away.
Diana charged forward and manifested her entire body in a combination of red, orange, and yellow auras. She fired several red energy blasts from both hands while flying around Luna in a rapid circle. Luna leaped up and spun around in rapid speed, sending a barrage of pink energy blasts from her hands. Diana protected herself against Luna's energy blasts with a yellow force field.
"Do you really think going through this path alone is the right thing?!" Diana shouted. "What makes you think we'll be okay with it?!"
Luna caught the sight of Selene charging towards her before leaping forward with a large blast of pink energy that she fired at Selene. But Selene quickly avoided the energy blast with a spinning side flip above it. Once she landed on her feet, Selene performed ninjutsu hand gestures and created a large star-shaped orb of stellar energy. The stellar energy orbs then bursted and released ringed planet-shaped blasts of stellar energy straight at Luna. Despite evading the blasts, only three of them managed to land a successful hit on Luna.
"The principal has granted you a chance to welcome you back to UA! So, come back with us!" Selene shouted.
Luna panted heavily, but she gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes in determination.
Luna activated her Exofists and fired a barrage of fist-shaped projectiles at Selene, who swiftly dodged with fast backflips.
Then, Aisha soared out of nowhere and blasted Luna with psychokinetic blades. With swift speed, Luna dodged and punched her fist-shaped projectiles at Aisha again. Aisha immediately became intangible, causing Luna's attack to zoom through her. When Aisha became tangible, she paralyzed Luna with her psychokinesis and swung her around, hitting her friend to every building wall upon contact.
As Aisha released Luna from her Quirk, Luna slowly pulled herself up on her feet. But it was too late for her to react nor escape when Aisha levitated a solid dark bluish-gray round headband straight at Luna and placed it around her head. The headband began to activate with neon white circuits on its surfaces. Luna's eyes lit up in complete shock just as she collapsed on her knees in an unexpected paralysis.
Then, Diana thrusted her arm forward and sealed Luna in a large yellow force field. She, Selene, and Aisha walked up to Luna, who struggled to break free from the paralyzing effect of the familiar device.
Somewhere near the battle, Tarot Chariot watched as the Shatrix already secured an unconscious Galatea with a long black snake-like chain wrapping around the villainess.
Tarot Chariot then turned her head and stared at Luna fighting against the paralyzing effect within Diana's force field.
"Should we help them?" Celena asked, looking at Tarot Chariot with a concerned face.
Tarot Chariot shook her head.
"Let them handle my daughter on their own." Tarot Chariot said as he turned to walk away. "I have faith that her friends will get through to her however they can."
Lilith, Estrella, and Solaria followed Tarot Chariot while carrying the unconscious Galatea. Celena looked at Luna one last time before following her older sisters and Tarot Chariot.
"Listen, Luna. Even though our mission is to secure your safety, we get why you're doing this. We all would've done the same thing if we were in your shoes. But you don't have to do this alone. You got us and our classmates back in UA. We can do it together." Selene said sincerely with a saddened look.
"We know Divine Trinity's important to your growth and guidance since you inherited it from your mom, but you're still our friend, no matter what." Diana said. "And we won't let you fight this battle alone."
"None of you…can understand…the exhausting pressure of what…I'm going through." Luna said as she struggled with the paralyzing effect.
"If you want us to understand, then talk to us." Aisha said.
Luna narrowed her eyes when she looked down at the ground.
"Back at the Sports Festival, you helped me reunite with my emotions." Aisha said. "I still miss Amora every single day. But when we became one, my family and I worked things out between us, and I continue to express my emotion through my Quirk whatever situation we come to."
"And after school, we shared notes on our techniques with our Quirks every day. You even helped me come up with new ones that worked effectively with my ninjutsu skills. Just like my Uncle Edgeshot, you became an inspiration to my journey into becoming a hero." Selene added.
"And remember when we went to save Nico and the Shatrix from Carina? When I was down and out from the fight, you managed to stay strong, endured the pain, and kept on fighting. That inspired me. Even though I wanted to be the strong one, it turned out you were the strongest of us all. Both physically and mentally." Diana stated.
Then, Luna looked up at her friends with an emotionless look on her face.
"Yes, it's true. Everything you're saying is true, but I still have to do this on my own." Luna said. "I know…you're worried about me. But your words won't change what I have…to do. So please…just leave me alone."
"But why?" Selene asked.
"You know why." Luna said.
"She's right, Luna. Why do you have to do this alone?" Aisha questioned.
"You all read the letters, right? I told you why." Luna said.
"But that's not enough." Diana retorted firmly. "Why do you have to do this alone?"
"You know why!" Luna muttered.
"Answer the question, Luna." Selene said firmly.
"Talk to us." Aisha said.
"Come on, answer it." Diana said.
Luna began gritting her teeth with a hint of frustration and irritation as her friends continued pressuring her into giving an answer. Her entire body began glowing with triquetra-shaped symbols all over her limbs. She focused her Divine Trinity into a triquetra-shaped orb of energy, making her friends back away in shock.
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ALL FOR ONE AND ORIANA TO TAKE YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE I'VE CARED ABOUT AWAY FROM ME!" Luna screamed.
The energy orb exploded, blowing the girls away from their friend. When the smoke cleared, they found Luna sobbing on her knees as she was free from the headband device.
"After the war ended, I just couldn't bear the aftermath." Luna said. Her eyes were filled with heavy tears. "Oriana has been actively targeting me because of my Quirk, trying to force me to join her side. But then, All For One found out about my relations to her parents and he's been relentlessly trying to get my Quirk since then." She looked back up at her friends. "Please understand. I can't stay at UA when they are out there trying to finish what they started. That's why I had to leave. I don't want you and our classmates to die!"
Selene, Diana, and Aisha gazed at Luna with deep shock in their wide eyes. Up until now, Luna has been really keeping them and everyone else in their school out of harm's way from the villains' radar. That's why she wrote the letters to them before her departure.
Selene, Diana, and Aisha walked up and surrounded Luna before kneeling to the ground.
"It's alright, Luna." Aisha said. She wrapped her arms around Luna, who gasped in surprise. "Thanks for sharing your feelings with us. Now, let us share your burden."
"She's right. It's okay to cry when you're scared." Selene added as she hugged Luna tightly.
"We won't let you go through this alone. We'll become stronger together as a team." Diana proclaimed. "Team Trinity forever."
Luna gazed silently at her friends for a moment as their words finally got through to her. She then buried her face on Aisha's shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Luna apologized. "I'm so sorry. I'm…I'm ready to go back to UA."
Aisha soared through the air with her psychokinesis. Selene levitated next to her to the left. Diana flew next to Aisha to the right in her orange aura. Luna was encased in a large yellow force field from Diana's Quirk. Throughout the whole flight, Luna was very silent with an empty look on her face.
Aisha's eyes then caught the sight of Class 1-A and Thirteen standing right in front of the fortified UA High.
"Oh, there they are!" Aisha shouted.
Aisha and Diana soared down as they landed on the ground.
"Hey, it's Luna." Tsuyu said.
"Oh, thank goodness." Yaoyorozu said in relief.
Aisha and Diana released Selene and Luna from their Quirks. Selene and Luna landed on their feet, but Luna was starting to struggle to stand for a moment. Before Selene could catch her, Katsuki quickly caught her from falling. Both Luna and Katsuki stared longingly at each other. Luna closed her eyes and looked away in tears. Then, Katsuki immediately wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, who looked utterly stunned.
"Welcome back." Katsuki muttered. "I understand why you left, but don't you ever leave out of my sight again."
"I-I won't." Luna muttered back. She hugged Katsuki tightly while burying her face into her boyfriend's chest. "I promise."
Aisha, Diana, and Selene traded relieved smiles. They then turned their heads to see Shoji carrying an exhausted Izuku on his back. They also saw Thirteen's revealing face when she took off her black helmet. She has short navy-blue hair with a blonde colored part at the top and hazel irises that have rings around them.
"I'll update you and Luna, Midoriya. Most of the civilians have been evacuated to shelters. The ones left on the streets are anti-hero vigilantes or looters taking advantage the jailbreakers cost." Thirteen informed. She looked up at the fortified UA High along with Izuku and Luna. "They won't last for long. More and more of them have asked for our protection. Plus, since most of the rioters formed gangs, they're easy enough to deal with in one swoop. During evacuations, we had to split up our forces. We've done our best to improve the situation outside and in though. At this point, all of the help you two have been providing around the city can be taken care of by others. You two can leave it to us now, okay?"
Izuku and Luna stared at their fortified high school. Since they both left as vigilantes, UA High became equipped with a mechanism that had fortified with about three thousand layers of bulwark plates. They noticed the "UA EMERGENCY SECURITY SYSTEM" up on the massive metal wall.
"This is…U.A?" Izuku spoke weakly.
"The U.A. Barrier to be exact! And this big wall is just the tip of the security iceberg." Sero said with a proud smile.
"You and Luna are totally going to geek out when you hear about the system! They said we could even merge with Shiketsu!" Hagakure added.
Izuku and Luna exchanged silently concerned faces before looking back at their fortified high school.
I wanted to respect what everyone has done for us. Luna and Izuku thought. We just can't…take this risk.
Then suddenly, everyone started hearing a loud group of demanding protestors coming from the blue entrance door within the school.
"Geez, loud, are they?" Thirteen remarked.
Thirteen and Class 1-A students entered inside the fortified school, where they are being currently confronted by hostile civilians. They aggressively refused to let Izuku and Luna to stay in the UA shelter because they are completely aware that Shigaraki is targeting both of them. Despite Present Mic's reasoning attempts, the civilians declined and wanted Izuku and Luna out, believing that their "ticking time-bomb" presences will bring death upon them.
The negative outburst of the crowd greatly overwhelmed Luna and Izuku. Katsuki hugged Luna tightly as Luna began crying into his chest. Izuku quietly turned around and started to walk away, but Uraraka suddenly grabbed his hand that stopped him from walking out.
"It's gonna be fine." Uraraka said with a reassuring smile.
Iida and the others. Bakugo. All of us. We're all in this together. We won't let you and Luna go. We can't. You two don't have to do this alone. Uraraka thought softly. She then turned and faced the crowd with determination. When a hero suffers, who's supposed to protect them?
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