Chapter named after the fear of being alone.

Chapter 11: Autophobia!

Izuku knows he shouldn't be doing this.

It had been a few days since Itsuka had disappeared, and Izuku couldn't sleep well in that time. He had been thinking to himself, wondering what he could have done differently to avoid this situation, but no matter how much thought he put into it, the answer was always the same...

There was nothing he could have done to prevent Itsuka's disappearance.

His relationship with Bakugo had improved somewhat, and Bakugo had promised Izuku that they'd get Itsuka back no matter what.

However, Izuku Midoriya had never been one to sit back and let time flow while someone was in danger.

Izuku thought about the possible suspects who could have taken Itsuka away, and the answer was pretty obvious.

Itsuka's old friends had managed to take her away.

The problem with that theory is that it would be pretty difficult for that to be possible...

Izuku knew what those girls were capable of, and yet none of their quirks would have been enough to sneak into U.A completely undetected, much less with one person in their grasp. How on Earth did they manage to bypass every security system at U.A? There was no possible combination of their quirks that could have made this feat possible. The cameras were in good shape, and they had been fully operational all night, so there was no way the intruders managed to tamper with them.

Nevertheless, Izuku's frustration and impatience got the better of him, and eventually pushed him over the edge.

Izuku knew that he was doing something irrational, irresponsible, absurd and very dangerous, but he couldn't just sit back and abandon Itsuka.

After spending his respective day off in house arrest, Izuku made up a story about his mom being sick and him being the only one who knew what medicine she needed, so he needed to get out of U.A as soon as possible and take a day off. Some of the staff were skeptical about this, since a student had just disappeared and they didn't want another disappearance in their hands, but there wasn't much they could do to stop Izuku. After all, family DID come first...

Izuku was currently running through the alleyways of Musutafu in his hero outfit, searching for the specific alleyway in which he and Itsuka bumped into her old friends. Perhaps there would be clues to Itsuka's disappearance. It wasn't much, but it was all the leadway Izuku had to work with.

Izuku finally arrives at the alley, and he begins to scan the place.

The effects of their fight with Itsuka's old friends were still there. There were burnt marks on the floor and walls, some of the paviment was cracked and there were some dry blood stains on the floor.

Izuku sighs, thinking back to the events that transpired in this place not too long ago. Itsuka had gone all out to protect him and herself, which was pretty exciting to watch at first, but now those memories just felt... wrong.

Itsuka had single-handedly managed to take down two skilled fighters in practically no time, and she probably would have taken the three of them out if Hikari stayed behind. This just worried Izuku even more and presented more difficulties on his theory of Itsuka's old friends coming to get her.

Itsuka probably would've had some trouble dealing with more than one person, but she could sure put up a fight! The night she disappeared everything was absolutely quiet except for Izuku's fight with Bakugo. If the girls took Itsuka, they must have either performed some silent takedown tactic to take care of her or Izuku was missing something. How did Itsuka go down so easily without anyone even hearing her fight?

Or perhaps there was no fight at all...

Either way, Izuku had come here to see if there was some kind of sign of Itsuka's whereabouts in this place, and so far, all he got was even more worries.

Izuku sighs before turning around...

Only to be met with the sight of three boys staring at him with malicious smiles.

Izuku steps back on reflect. He had never seen any of these guys before, but their smiles and aura made it clear that they were NOT friendly. "Who are you?"

One of the boys steps forward. The boy has short black hair, black eyes and is dressed in a formal suit. The boy smiles maliciously. "Izuku Midoriya. You look shorter in real life than in TV."

Izuku glares at the boys. They knew who he was and they were standing right in front of him at THIS specific alleyway RIGHT as he got the idea to search for Itsuka. It was too much of a coincidence.

Izuku activates One for All preventively. "Who are you and what did you do with her?"

Another boy steps forward. This boy has blue hair, blue eyes and is dressed quite casually, but he looks more tired than his friends. "Hmm... Is THIS the boy, Satoshi? He doesn't look like much... (His screams will be music to my ears...)"

Izuku notices that this guy changed his tone drastically at that last bit. His voice was deeper and raspier. It was as if someone else had spoken after him.

The boy dressed in a suit, whose name was appatently Satoshi, giggles. "It is, Kenshin. He might not look like much, but I know what he's capable of."

Izuku's glare hardens. "Answer my question!"

The third boy steps forward. He is visibly shorter, he has green hair, green eyes and his outfit was very flashy. The boy was dressed in very bright colors, almost like a clown or prankster. The boy smiles maliciously. "So this is really him? Great! Let's hurry up with this, then!"

Izuku adopts a fighting stance while glaring at his soon-to-be opponents. "I am the hero Deku! I will NOT rest until Itsuka Kendo is safe, you hear me?! WHERE IS SHE?!"

The three boys giggle.

Satoshi snaps his fingers. "Get him, boys."

In response, the short boy's eyes glow purple for an instant while the blue-haired boy starts to groan painfully.

Izuku wastes no time before dashing at his opponents. 'I know this is risky, but I don't know how their quirks work. Gotta take them down fast!'

But then, the unexpected happens!

Izuku slips on a puddle on the floor and falls face-first to the hard concrete below him.

Izuku groans. 'What the-? How did this happen?! I swear that wasn't there a second ago... Or did I not see it?'

Izuku notices that the blue-haired boy starts to change. He becomes slightly taller, his eyes turn red, his hair grows while turning red and a red lightning engulfs his body.

Izuku gets up and dashes at the trio again. 'Crap! How does his quirk work?!'

But before Izuku can get far, a bird drops some poop onto his face.

Izuku staggers backwards, grossed out but also surprised at the absurdity of the situation. 'What the heck?! How did THAT happen?!'

Izuku wipes the remains of feces off his face only to be met with the sight of the now red-haired boy right in front of him.

"Let's see how powerful you really are!" The boy punches Izuku in the stomach, and Izuku is sent crashing against the wall.

Izuku audibly grunts. 'Ugh! That... That was even stronger than me! And his voice... It's completely different!'

Izuku gets up and dashes at the red-haired boy once again, but before he can reach him, a tree leaf which was floating in the wind gets stuck to his eye.

Izuku staggers back again. 'Damn it! No, this isn't happening on coincidence! This HAS to be one of their quirks! Who's doing it and how does it work?'

Before Izuku can react, the red-haired boy grabs him by the arm and throws him to the wall. "You're a weakling!"

Izuku grunts again. 'Ack! He's fast too!'

Izuku gets up again and sees the red-headed boy approaching.

Izuku takes a deep breath before charging up One for All in his right arm.

"I'm gonna destroy you!" The boy charges at Izuku with a noticeable thirst for blood.

"Washington..." Once the boy is close enough, Izuku uppercuts him, sending him staggering back. "SMAAASH!"

The boy is sent crashing to the wall behind him, giving Izuku some time to catch his breath.

Izuku looks around to see where the other two are. He sees the green-haired guy standing in the same position he was at the beginning, but the guy in the suit was nowhere to be seen.

Before Izuku can react, the black-haired guy appears behind him and places his hand on Izuku's head. "Gotcha! Checkmate."

The floor below Izuku breaks, and he sees and feels himself falling into an infinite void of nothingness.

Izuku wakes up in a dark room, which is dimly lit.

He looks to his surroundings, but doesn't see anything. It's almost as if he was in some sort of grey cube.

And then, his eyes fix on her.

It was Itsuka.

She was laying down on the floor, and she appeared to be unconscious.

Izuku wasted no time before rushing to her side. When Izuku reaches her, he tries desperately to wake her up.

"Itsuka! Itsuka, it's me! Are you okay?!"

Then, Itsuka coughs a bit before opening her eyes weakly. "Ugh... Izuku...? Is that you...?"

Izuku couldn't believe it. He had found Itsuka, and she was safe.

Izuku hugged Itsuka as tight as he could. "ITSUKA! Oh God, we were all so worried! I was SO worried!"

Itsuka coughs before letting go of Izuku. "Thanks, Izuku... But... What happened...? Where are we?"

Izuku looks to his surroundings again. "I don't know, Itsuka..."

"Poor things, you must feel so unpleased."

Izuku shivers at the sound of a male voice echoing through the room. Izuku helps Itsuka get up and holds her close while snarling at the room. "Where are you?! Show yourself, coward!"

The room lights up, and a figure appears in front of Izuku and Itsuka. It's the black-haired guy in the suit, Satoshi, who smiles mockingly at the pair. "Wakey-wakey, Izuku."

Izuku glares at Satoshi while holding Itsuka close. "Who are you? What the hell do you want? What's your deal with Itsuka? How did you break into U.A without getting detected?"

Satoshi giggles. "Calm down, hero. I know you have lots of questions and they'll be answered eventually, but for now all you need to know is that you're trapped here with no way out."

Izuku and Itsuka raise an eyebrow. Izuku talks in an untrusting tone. "Alright... What are you playing at?"

Satoshi chuckles. "Me? Nothing. If anyone's gonna do some playing it's you, Izuku Midoriya. You'll have to beat me if you wanna get out with your precious Itsuka Kendo."

Izuku glares at the boy. "So what's stopping me and Itsuka from beating you up at this very instant?"

Satoshi claps his hands. "Do it if you want. You'd only be wasting precious time and energy which you'll need for what lies ahead of you."

Itsuka rushes over to the boy and tries to punch him, but her hand goes through him. "Damn it... What did you do?!"

Satoshi shrugs. "What, do you think I'll spoil the surprise so soon? Nah."

Izuku sighs. "Fine. We'll beat your little game if it means we'll get out of here."

Satoshi smirks. "Oh, but that's the beauty of this, Izuku Midoriya... If you want to beat me..."

The room darkens completely for a moment.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAT YOURSELF FIRST."

The lights of the room come back, and a door appears on a wall.

Izuku and Itsuka look at each other briefly before going through the door, unsure of what to expect but willing to get out of there.

The next room is also dark, but what intrigues the duo is that the room is noticeably larger than the last one.

Satoshi's voice echoes through the room. "You are a very interesting person, Izuku Midoriya..."

Izuku clenches his teeth as he walks through the room with Itsuka following closely. "Thanks, I guess. Why is that so?"

"Such a strong body and mind, yet... You seem to overthink and worry about stuff you don't need to worry about."

Izuku swallows some spit. It's almost as if this guy knew about his habit to overthink. There was no way he could know about it, though. "Well... I guess that's just how I am."

"Say... You're quite fond of spiders, aren't you?"

Izuku gulps. He has been afraid of spiders ever since he was a little kid because a spider had bitten him while he was eating lunch at school, causing him a great amount of pain that lasted for days.

"Perhaps this is a great way to present the challenges you'll face. Oh, and by the way... Don't play dumb with me. We both know what you can do. So GO AHEAD AND BREAK YOUR BODY IF THAT'S ALL YOU'RE GOOD AT."

As soon as those words left Satoshi's lips, a huge number of spiders swarmed into the room.

Izuku and Itsuka felt goosebumps on their skin. The spiders were noticeably big, and there were so many of them it was impossible to see a spot on the floor that wasn't being covered up by the spiders.

The arachnids were quick to swarm the pair, and Izuku cried out when the creatures crawled up his legs. The spiders began to attack them both, biting into their skin.

Izuku felt an awful pit on his stomach. 'No! This... This is too much!'

Izuku looked to the side and saw Itsuka being ganged up on by the spiders, who were now covering her up completely. Izuku dashed over to her side, trying to get his mind off the feeling of the spiders on his body. "ITSUKA!"

Itsuka tried to swat the spiders away, but it was no use. For every spider she swatted away, six more crawled up her body. "Izuku, we have to get out of here!"

Izuku looked to the side and saw another door. Izuku quickly held Itsuka's hand and dashed towards it.

However, it seemed that the room was getting bigger and the spiders were multiplying as Izuku took more steps.

By now, Izuku's feet were stuck to the spot, as the spiders completely swarmed him. "No! NO! ITSUKA!"

Izuku looked back to her, and he saw that Itsuka had fallen to the floor. The spiders were quick to swarm over her body and cover her completely.

Izuku swallowed...

Before charging up the power of One for All in his entire body!

"Oklahoma... SMAAASH!"

Izuku spun in place with his fist extended, as he saw All Might do many times before. Izuku created a gust of wind so strong it turned into a small tornado which made every spider in the room float away from them for a moment.

Izuku grunts in pain before looking at his now injured left arm. 'Damn it... I didn't mean to use that much force...!'

Izuku shook off the thought before going over to Itsuka's side and helping her get up. "Itsuka! We gotta go!"

Itsuka nodded before the pair made one last sprint towards the door.

Izuku closed the door behind him once they were both on the other side.

Izuku lets out a sigh of relief. "Whew... We made it. Are you okay, Itsu-?"

Izuku was cut short when he took a look at Itsuka. For some reason her face seemed... blurry. It was as if he was saring at her through some kind of stained glass.

Itsuka tilted her head to the side. "I think I'm fine, Izuku... But... What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Izuku takes a moment before shaking his head to snap out of his trance. "Ah... I'm fine, but... Your face, Itsuka..."

Itsuka touches her own face in concern. "What's wrong with it?"

"I... I can't see it very well..."

"What do you mean? I'm right here."

"It's... It's hard to explain, Itsuka..."

Itsuka sighs. "You know what? Let's just get out of here first and then we'll worry about my face. I have a feeling we haven't faced the worst yet."

Izuku nods. "You're right. But... I wonder how this guy's quirk works. Maybe he's working with someone else to create all of this? Those spiders looked VERY real, and the room felt surreal... Do you think he can create hallucinations based on our fears? If not, then maybe he's working with someone who can manifest thoughts..."

Itsuka shrugs.

Satoshi's voice echoes through the room again. "Ah, you made it. How... curious."

Izuku holds Itsuka's hand. "You. Your name was Satoshi, wasn't it? Who are you and what are you gaining from this?"

Satoshi giggles. "Oh... I might come off as someone very eccentric, but I'm really a very simple person who thinks about stuff that no one else cares about."

Izuku raises an eyebrow. "Explain yourself..."

"You see... Have you ever wondered what's the purpose of... everything? What our mission is as a species? What we humans came to the world for?"

Izuku looks slightly surprised at the sudden thought-provoking subject.

Satoshi sighs. "Yeah, I know you haven't. No one I've ever met has, and it's a bit absurd. Either way, there's no clear answer to that. We won't ever know why we're alive or what our place in the universe is."

Izuku gives Itsuka's hand a gentle squeeze before replying to Satoshi. "That doesn't answer my question... What are you even gaining from torturing me and Itsuka?"

Satoshi grunts. "Of course you're not listening... No one ever listens."

Izuku looks at his surroundings with a small glare. "I AM listening to you, Satoshi. I just don't know why you're giving much thought to an impossible question."

Satoshi chuckles. "At least I have your attention. I'm glad. Anyways... Even if you don't believe me, that question made me go down the path I walk today."

Izuku raises an eyebrow again. "How did that happen?"

"You see, since we don't have a clue to what our true purpose is as a species, we also don't really understand the political frameworks that really govern the world. That's why none of that should exist from my point of view. No heroes, villains, political parties, none of that noise matters. Do you honestly believe that we came to this world just to fight on stupid ideals like heroes and villans? No. We don't know anything about anything. We don't know what happens after death. We don't know when this small rock floating in space we call Earth will cease to exist. We don't know what our place in the universe is. If we suddenly were to disappear no one would care. No one really cares about our small lives in the great scope of the universe. Nothing matters. Nothing makes sense..."

Izuku feels an uneasy feeling creep onto his back at Satoshi's words.

Izuku takes a breath before replying. "You're wrong, Satoshi..."

Satoshi falls silent for a moment. "Pardon?"

"I said you're wrong, Satoshi."

Satoshi grunts. "Mind elaborating?"

Izuku looks at the empty room with a determined stare. "You said no one cares about our lives... You're wrong. WE care. Sure, we don't know what'll happen once we die... But isn't that just a motive to enjoy our lives to the fullest in the time we have?"

Satoshi chuckles. "You're right on that, which finally brings me to the point of this conversation. If our great purpose in this obscure universe is to enjoy our lives... Then I'll do whatever the hell I want with no consequences."

Izuku lets out a small gasp at Satoshi's words. "W-What do you mean?"

"I had a big brother... But he hated me because our mother loved me more than him. His hatred for me grew as time passed, and it evolved into physical attacks. I still remember all the times I cried and begged him to stop, but he didn't stop until I was on the floor, bloodied and barely conscious. I couldn't take it anymore, so I grabbed a knife and plunged it into his throat while he slept. That felt... SO good..."

Izuku shivers. "You... You're crazy..."

"I left my house after that and became a murderer. I felt SO good when I was killing... It's as if I had taken all the anger and hatred of the world when I left home. I started to ask myself the same questions I asked you and came to the same conclusion as you, Midoriya. If we're the only ones who care about our pitiful lives on this small space rock... Then why the hell should I waste time caring about others? I'll spend my life doing whatever I like."

Izuku clenches his teeth. "You... You monster... Heroes were created to keep people safe from psychopaths like you..."

"Am I really the monster? Or am I the only one who sees the big picture?"

Izuku growls. "Why are you doing this?! Why not use your life to spread positivity instead?!"

Satoshi laughs. "Positivity?! That's not what I want, Midoriya. All the power I've gained has been through fear and intimidation! The only times I'm not feeling empty is when I'm killing..."

Izuku's glare hardens. "Is THAT why you took Itsuka?! Just so you'd have someone to hurt?!"

"Oh not at all... You see, I'm the leader of a street gang and we're not playing around. We'll grow strong to harvest chaos and disarray to our heart's content, but in order to do that, we have to make the group bigger... I have some acquantainces that were willing to help us out just as long as we brought that girl over to them."

Izuku's mind starts to think. 'Is... Is he talking about Itsuka's old friends? Did they join forces with Satoshi and his gang to get Itsuka back?'

Satoshi giggles. "It was quite easy to sneak into U.A, actually. When you have a valuable person in your group things get easier."

Izuku takes a mental note. 'So he's referring to a person in his gang whose quirk made Itsuka's kidnapping possible... Better find out who it is.'

"Oh, believe me, I AM enjoying this conversation, but we're still not through with the challenge ahead of you, Izuku!"

Izuku looks at the empty room again while holding Itsuka's hand. "Bring it!"

"Let's see... Ever since you got that quirk of yours you've always kept a small fear hidden inside your brain, Izuku..."

Then it hits Izuku.

Satoshi knew about One for All, and if that's the case, then now everything made sense.

None of this was real.

Izuku and Itsuka are trapped in their own heads, and Satoshi was playing with their fears.

Satoshi laughs. "That's it... Everytime you activate your quirk you feel a small pang of fear hit your soul, Izuku. You fear the pain and agony that come when you punch something at full power... You fear losing your limbs... Perhaps you fear having your bones broken, or better yet, smashed and shattered... I CAN WORK WITH THIS."

Suddenly, Izuku and Itsuka feel a sharp pain in their limbs, and they fall on the floor.

Izuku and Itsuka scream, feeling as if their fingers were turned into ice and then broken with a hammer.

Izuku feels as if his legs were being slowly ripped off from his body while Itsuka feels as if her hands were being ran over by a car.

Satoshi's laughter is the last thing on Izuku's mind.

Izuku looks at Itsuka with a pained expression. "Itsuka... Hold on..."

Itsuka lifts her head to look at Izuku while crying out in pain. "Izuku...!"

Izuku cries out in pain as he tries to stand up, but he smiles through the pain. "I... I'm not finished... I won't let you win, Satoshi..."

Satoshi's laughter ceases.

Izuku stands up despite the pain on his limbs. "You... are a sick bastard! I won't rest until you're behind bars! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Izuku now fully stands up, ignoring the pain.

In that instant, the room lights up and the pain disapears.

Izuku lets out a shaky breath before going over to check on Itsuka. "Itsuka... Are you okay?"

Itsuka grunts on the floor. "Yeah... I am."

Izuku helps Itsuka get up, but when he does, his eyes go wide. "Itsuka..."

"What is it?"

Izuku blinks to see if this is another hallucination. Now Itsuka's entire head is blurry. "Your head... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Why?"

Izuku feels like something terrible is about to happen. "N-Nevermind... Let's just move on..."

The couple step into the next room, which is also empty and silent.

Satoshi's voice echoes through the room. "Ah... Silence... The only other thing I love more than screams."

Izuku growls. "YOU'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING, SATOSHI!"

Satoshi sighs. "I must admit... I am a bit disappointed, Izuku. I was hoping you'd give up halfway, but you're like a very persistent worm. PERHAPS I NEED TO GO DEEPER INTO YOUR HEAD IF I REALLY WANT TO BREAK YOU."

Izuku doesn't even flinch. "Do your worst! After I beat your stupid game you won't be laughing! Show yourself and stop hiding like a coward!"

Satoshi giggles. "Let's see..."

Then, a figure appears in front of Izuku.

It was All Might.

Satoshi chuckles. "Look at him. So still, so imponent, so smiling... IT'S A SHAME YOU DISAPPOINTED HIM, JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS DISAPPOINT YOUR TEACHERS."

Izuku speaks through clenched teeth. "I'm NOT listening to YOU, Satoshi..."

Satoshi laughs. "Right, because you never listen at all. You didn't listen to your friends when they told you to not go save Bakugo from the League of Villains. You didn't listen when Aizawa told you and your classmates to stay inside the dorms after curfew. You didn't listen to Itsuka when she told you to not injure yourself anymore at the Sports Festival. You didn't listen when your teachers told you to stay at U.A instead of going off to save Itsuka on your own... ALL OF THIS IS ON YOU."

Izuku grits his teeth. "Shut up..."

Then, the room darkens and Izuku hears many voices around him.

He hears Aizawa's voice, telling him that he could never be a hero with his self-destructive quirk and reckless attitude.

He hears All Might's voice, reminding him of the time when All Might told him that the quirkless couldn't be heroes.

He hears Bakugo's voice, reminding him of the first day of middle school when he told Izuku to kill himself.

He hears his mother's voice, reminding him that not even she believed that he could become a hero without a quirk.

Izuku felt lost in the darkness, as if every ray of hope and light was being extinguished from his soul.

It was a sinking feeling, as if all light would fade and he'd die alone in the dark with no one to hear him.

But then...

Izuku remembered that he wasn't the same as before. He had come a long way since middle school, and it was thanks to the people he had met that he was able to get where he was in the first place.

Even though Aizawa was sometimes rough as a teacher, Izuku remembered that he had given his all to defend him, Tsuyu and Mineta at the USJ incident. He had his head smashed to the floor by the nomu, but he had secured the safety of his students. Izuku was glad to have Aizawa as a teacher... Perhaps it was a "tough love" situation.

Even though All Might didn't quite believe in him at first, Izuku had managed to surprise him and even himself at the sludge villain incident. After that, All Might had repeatedly assured Izuku that he couldn't have chosen a better successor. Izuku felt blessed to have the greatest hero of all time as his mentor, and even if he sometimes didn't listen, All Might had never expressed disappointment in him.

Izuku's relationship with Bakugo had been rough for the longest time. But his fight with him some days ago was useful to let each other know how they felt. Plus, Izuku remembered that Bakugo wasn't always a mean, arrogant jerk. The way he blamed himself for All Might's retirement was one that pained Izuku, and the way he looked at him in the eye while promising to catch whoever took Itsuka away assured Izuku that things would only improve from this point.

His mother hadn't told him what he wanted to hear in that moment, but that didn't matter anymore. His hero outfit was proof of that! Ever since Izuku managed to get into U.A, his mother was nothing but supportive, and even if she had put up some resistance and escepticism to him moving to U.A, Izuku knew that it was because she loved him and cared for him unconditionally. He couldn't have asked for a better mother if he even wanted to.

And last but not least, Izuku's mind drifted to the Sports Festival, to the moment he met Itsuka.

God... He felt like meeting her was a miracle. He had trusted her with the secret of One for All and she wasn't bothered at all. She was happy to teach him martial arts to improve with his quirk! Not to mention how she always stuck around him despite his many flaws...

Izuku remembered what Itsuka told him at the Sports Festival.

"Well, if it helps, you have at least one person who believes in you now."

"Just take it easy, okay? I'm here now!"

"Maybe check with your pal Itsuka first before going all Rambo on 'em?"

Izuku felt happy at the memories of Itsuka.

He had never met anyone who made him feel as safe as she did. It was like he could just be himself around her. No putting up strong fronts, no nervous need to keep secrets, no urgent need to meet expectations...

Izuku might have gone off on his own to save Itsuka by himself, but he didn't regret it.

Itsuka was someone worth fighting for.

It took a moment for Izuku to realize he had been walking this entire time. He was already at the end of the room and he hadn't even realized it.

There was also something strange about that experience... Even though he was completely engulfed in darkness...

Izuku felt like there were more people watching him. Their presence felt different to Satoshi, though. It felt... calming.

Izuku lets out a small sigh before stepping into the next room.

Upon entering the next room, Izuku sees that Satoshi is standing in front of him with a small glare.

Izuku tries to grab Itsuka's hand again, but...

He turns around and realizes that she's nowhere to be found, as if she had never even been there in the first place.

He also realizes that the door to the previous room has disappeared.

Izuku looks at Satoshi with a glare. "Where is she?"

Satoshi groans. "Could you please explain... How the actual fuck you still stand? This is becoming annoying. You should just give up and stay down, but somehow you keep getting up."

Izuku steps forward. "I guess I'm just that stubborn."

Satoshi grins. "If I really wanna get to you... THEN I WILL HAVE TO INVADE THAT TINY BASTARD BRAIN OF YOURS FROM THE FRONT LOBE."

Izuku's glare hardens. "I won't give up."

The room goes dark again, and when the lights come back on again, Satoshi's figure is replaced by a memory of Bakugo being taken by the League of Villains at the forest training camp. Satoshi speaks in a low, threatening tone. "YOU CAN'T SAVE ANYONE."

Izuku steps back from shock, and when he tries to avert his gaze, he sees the memory of him being completely powerless against Muscular. "IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT KID HELPING YOU, YOU'D BE DEAD."

Izuku sprints past the projections of his failures, but before he can reach the exit, a memory of himself being defeated by Bakugo from their recent fight appears. "TOO WEAK TO LIVE UP TO HIS STANDARDS."

Izuku falls to his knees and starts to hyperventilate. Satoshi really knew where to strike, what buttons to press and how much. Having Izuku's failures thrown to his face was something no one had done to him, and it was being quite effective.

Izuku looks down in a panicked state. He didn't want to admit defeat, but this was too much to bear.

There was a tiny spot of doubt in Izuku's soul that always refused to go away. He doubted his capability to become All Might's successor. He doubted himself when he made reckless decisions. He doubted his capabilities to become a hero.

This was it.

Who'd be dumb enough to put their trust on him? No one.

But...

Izuku thinks about Itsuka again. His mind drifts back to the night he had told Itsuka about One for All. Her words...

"We all make mistakes sometimes, but that's just how life goes."

"We have our high moments and low moments, but none define who we are. We are just humans, after all."

"I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until you get it once and for all. You're not alone."

"I'm here for you. Thanks for trusting me with this... I won't tell anyone..."

Itsuka was a pillar of support for him.

Itsuka trusted him.

Itsuka was the only one who had promised to be there for him when he needed it.

Izuku still wasn't sure if he was good enough. He still didn't know if he'd be good enough to follow in All Might's footsteps. He didn't know if he could become the next symbol of peace.

But right now, that didn't matter.

Itsuka was in trouble, and by GOD, he'd try his damn hardest to save her.

Izuku exhales deeply before dashing to the door, leaving the projections of his failures behind.

Izuku closes the door behind him and finds himself on a cliff overlooking a dark and empty void.

Satoshi is directly in front of him, facing away from Izuku with his arms crossed.

Izuku growls mentally. The way Satoshi was standing in that mocking yet ominous pose, dressed in that suit and having that threatening aura around him... It reminded Izuku of another undesirable individual. Nevertheless, All for One wasn't here.

Izuku glares at Satoshi with no empathy left in him. "Where is she?"

Satoshi laughs.

Izuku clenches his teeth. "Where is she?!"

Satoshi laughs even harder.

Izuku loses his patience. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Satoshi's laughter evolves into a maniacal laughter.

Izuku glares at Satoshi with hateful eyes. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

Satoshi looks at Izuku with a maddened grin. "SHE'S WITH US! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW STUPID YOU'VE BEEN ALL THIS TIME FOR THINKING SHE WAS WITH YOU! NOW SHE IS OURS! SHE IS WITH US IN THE REAL WORLD AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU CAN DO!"

Izuku feels his frustration, exhasperation and worry for Itsuka accumulate. "TAKE ME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD!"

Satoshi giggles. "You still haven't bested me yet, Izuku. You still haven't bested yourself!"

Izuku growls. "YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT YOUR DUMB GAMES?! TAKE ME BACK!"

Satoshi laughs and starts to grow in size until he covers the void in front of the cliff. "You're a long way from home, little Izuku! Your bravery has been great so far, but we both know the ending!"

Izuku stands on the edge of the cliff, looking at Satoshi with the angriest expression he had ever mustered. "You think you scare me?! I've fought against worse than you!"

Satoshi's face and body changes...

And transforms into Aizawa!

Satoshi towers over Izuku, speaking using Aizawa's voice. "What if you're wrong about everything you think about yourself, huh?! What if you become useless at some point?!"

Although surprised, Izuku retaliates. "I am NOT listening to YOU, Satoshi! Mister Aizawa might have not believed in me at first, but I know he's seen me grow! I WON'T LET HIM DOWN!"

Satoshi transforms into Bakugo. "And yet, you always seem to let someone down! How DARE you lose against me, huh?!"

Izuku growls. "You're NOT him! Plus, I promised Kacchan that I'd get stronger to beat him! I'm getting better and I don't plan on ever stopping!"

Satoshi transforms into All Might. "That's your problem, young Midoriya. You NEVER stop, not even when I tell you to! You always find some way to disappoint me!"

Izuku shouts. "All Might would NEVER say that! I swear I'll be worthy of being his student!"

Satoshi transforms into Uraraka. "If that's the case then you're MILLIONS OF MILES away from it! You couldn't even be on time to save ME!"

Izuku chokes on a sob of frustration. "YOU'RE NOT HER! I... I know I was too slow to save her, but-"

Satoshi transforms into Todoroki. "You couldn't save her, Midoriya. How could you even hope to compete against someone like me when you failed to save Uraraka from being hurt and Bakugo from being kidnapped? I would have secured everyone's safety in no time."

Izuku sniffs back tears of anger and exhasperation. "I... I..."

Satoshi transforms into Endeavor. "Hoping to be something you just can't is just pointless, kid. It's cruel, even. Not even I could surpass All Might. What makes you think that some useless nobody like you could step up to his level? Or mine, even?"

Izuku looks down. "You... You're not... him..."

Satoshi transforms into Shigaraki. "You almost got killed by me at the mall! If that girl hadn't come, you'd be nothing but ashes by now! Not to mention that so-called hero school of yours is only making you soft while I grow stronger! While your focus has been on useless duties like choosing hero names and cleaning bathrooms, the League of Villains is gaining power... Soon, the complete destruction of hero society will come and you'll be forced to watch from the sidelines as everything you love turns into ashes..."

Izuku starts to tremble. "That's... not..."

Satoshi transforms into the hero killer Stain. "I should have killed you when I had the chance! The vulnerable state hero society is in right now is the perfect opportunity for the League of Villains to expose how fragile their sense of justice is, and the worst part is that you're too WEAK and PATHETIC to stop them from doing it!"

Izuku's expression falls. "They... You... I..."

Satoshi transforms into Muscular. "You got some pretty good raw power, kid. And yet, you're too stupid and weak to use it! If it wasn't for that kiddo saving you, I would have killed you!"

Izuku loses his fighting stance. "No... Kota is... I..."

Satoshi transforms into All for One. "You never stood a chance to begin with... Not you or anyone in that glorified hero school... Your resistance is pointless... I've already won... You're too weak and helpless to save that girl you were searching for... All Might's attempts to stop me have failed, just as your attempts to save that girl have failed too... Is there anything more painful than watching that tiny spark of hope in your soul be crushed and shattered before your very eyes? You cannot ever hope to beat me, Izuku Midoriya..."

Izuku tears up. "You... I..."

Satoshi transforms into Itsuka. "You've lost me, Izuku! Even if you DO rescue me, you'll just disappoint me like you'll disappoint everyone else!"

Izuku kneels down and chokes on a muffled sob. "I... I..."

Izuku suddenly finds himself at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the endless darkness of the void below him.

Many eyes appear on the sky, all staring at him.

A maniacal laughter can be heard in the distance.

Satoshi speaks using Itsuka's voice again. "Go on, do it. Jump just like Bakugo told you back in middle school. You tried and yet you've lost me and yourself. You can't save anyone. You can't do anything so don't even try it, Izuku. There's nothing left for you either way. Give up and accept reality."

Izuku looks at the void in front of him for some moments.

The void is dark, empty and seemingly infinite... And yet, its call is enticing... Like giving up would be a release.

Izuku lifts his left leg...

Before stepping back from the edge of the cliff.

Satoshi morphs back to his original form, towering over Izuku and grinning from ear to ear maliciously. "Can't you see, Izuku? You're lost and alone, you have nowhere to go, no one to turn to, and Itsuka is lost... Why do you STILL fight?!"

Izuku takes a moment to think about that question.

Izuku looks up at Satoshi with an absolutely enraged expression. "BECAUSE I LOVE HER!"

Satoshi's grin turns into a surprised expression.

Izuku activates One for All and jumps towards the giant Satoshi. "Detroit... SMAAAAAAAASH!"

Izuku punches Satoshi in the face, and the entire cliff goes dark.

After some moments, Satoshi appears on the ground before Izuku, looking beaten up and tired.

Izuku glares at his fallen opponent.

Satoshi coughs before smiling at Izuku. "You know... I loved stories too... Romance stories, to be exact... Love is a strange thing... It can make you stronger or weaker... It can be your greatest strength or your biggest weakness... Your source of power or your downfall..."

Izuku scoffs. "I don't care."

Satoshi coughs again before looking at Izuku with a small smile. "Oh? Don't you want to hear more of me and my stories? Don't you wanna "save me" like only you'd do? Don't you wanna see the light inside me like you desperately want to in everyone? Aren't you gonna foolishly try to "save me from myself" as you always want to do with everyone?"

Izuku's glare hardens. "Take me back NOW."

Satoshi giggles softly. "Calm down, Izuku... This time we spent together was fun, wasn't it?"

Izuku huffs. "Never call me that again. I'm the hero in training "Deku" to you."

Satoshi chuckles. "Alright, alright... You beat me, so I have to keep my part of the deal... Just don't regret it."

The cliff starts to go dark until everything fades away.

Izuku opens his eyes and finds himself in some sort of disheveled hospital bed. The room he finds himself in is quite messy, dirty and poorly lit. It looked like some sort of abandoned surgery room.

Izuku looks to the side and sees Satoshi clutching his head in pain while walking to the door.

Instantly, Izuku's tiredness disappears. "HEY! COME BACK HERE!"

Satoshi turns around the corner.

Izuku gets up and sprints after the boy, not caring about the numbness he feels in his entire body.

Izuku follows Satoshi to another room.

And Izuku freezes at the sight.

In the room, Izuku sees Itsuka's old friends sitting on different parts of the room with solemn expressions. They were all there; Haruka, Hikari, Misa and a girl he assumed was Honoka.

However, what made Izuku freeze was the person standing in the center of the room.

It was Itsuka.

Her pupils were green and her lips were tugged into a smile, yet it was the fakest, emptiest and most lifeless smile Izuku had ever seen.

Itsuka waves at Izuku. "Wakey-wakey, Izuku."

Satoshi grins tiredly while wrapping his arms around Itsuka from behind her. "See? She's here. Congrats, champ! You found her at last..."

Izuku drops to his knees.

Satoshi's grin widens. "She is ours and ours only... And this is all your fault."

Izuku lets out a blood-curling scream.