I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

"I-I can't breathe…" Mineta thought as he began clawing with his free hand at the sludge covering his mouth. But due to the sliminess of the substance, he could find no place to gain a good grip. His eyes went to Midoriya and saw him struggling as well, unable to grasp any of the sludge. He then noticed the eyes of the sludge man alternating between the two of them, muttering loudly to himself in a manner like Midoriya.

"Decisions… Decisions… With you, I'm able to use smaller hiding spaces. But with you, I'll be better at blending into the crowd…"

What was he talking about? It was already getting hard to think of an answer when Mineta was running out of air. In fact, his struggling almost stopped because he didn't want to waste any more energy than necessary.

It wasn't long before he got an answer in the form of a long smirk as the slime around his throat tightening sharply. Mineta's mind speed up to the danger and he began to claw at his liquid noose to no avail. Looking over, he could see Midoriya suffering the same and losing the battle just as quickly. The sludge man gave a relaxed chuckle, as though murdering two middle school students was as casual as watching TV.

"Ah well, doesn't matter, both of you will be dead. But don't worry, I'll at least let you both experience your deaths together."

Mineta, with whatever strength his body could muster, began to thrash and shout against his restraints to break free. His weak frame straining against the sludge with all his might as he watches his friend grows weaker and weaker. The regret in Midoriya's eyes growing as the light continues to fade...

"Damn… It… Not here… Not like this…"

"Have no fear boys! For I am here!"

The nearby manhole erupted as a muscular man leapt out of it. Before the sludge man could react to his sudden visitor, the stranger threw a punch and scattered the dense slime as though they were nothing but petals. Both Midoriya and Mineta could finally breath again, but they were still both on the verge of passing out. With the last of their consciousness, the duo saw the bold smile that plastered their savor's face.

"All… Might…?"

…

…

…

After what seemed like the longest moment, Mineta stirred from the darkness that clouded his head and slowly sat up, his senses reorientation themselves. He looked to his right and saw Midoriya, equally dazed, looking back at him. The two gave a weak nod to the other before finally registering the voice that was beckoning them.

"Hello? Hello? You boys okay?"

It finally registered with them who it was that was talking to them. All Might, Symbol of Peace, and the greatest Hero of their generation. Mineta could only just stare in awe, unaware of his friend freaking out over the Hero's autograph.

"I apologize for getting you boys caught up in my Villain hunt. But thanks to you, I managed to snag this slippery fiend!" All Might said with a laugh. He then proceeded to show them the blob that tried to kill them, neatly packed into a 2-litter soda bottle. A part of Mineta's ego began inflating over the fact that the Number One Hero thanked them. So much so that he began to fidget around. But in turn, he failed to notice the question brewing in Midoriya's eyes.

"Well then young men, I'm off to the police station to drop off this sucker. Don't be a stranger!" All Might said, soaring off in an epic jump.

"Thanks again All Might!" Mineta shouted with a wave. And that was when he unleashed the rest of the energy he was holding back from the encounter.

"HOLY SHIT! Midoriya, we got to meet All Might in person! I can't wait to rub this in the… Other's… Faces…"

Only now did the boy realize he was all by his lonesome. Initially, Mineta thought another Villain got his friend and looked towards All Might. But it was here that he saw a mass attached to the Hero's leg before disappearing. He stared into the distance as his jaw went slack. He didn't…

"Midoriya! I know you're a fan! But at least warn him before hitching ride!" He yelled as he began running in that direction. But because of his short legs and the distance covered by the Symbol of Peace, Mineta couldn't guess where his friend was. And that fact only deepened when it took him about twenty minutes to reach the city. Which meant that Midoriya could be anywhere by now.

Then an explosion was heard nearby, the scent of smoke filling the air.

"Trouble… Midoriya might be there!" He thought as he took off in search of the source. And in a short moment, Mineta found it, a shopping lane that ran between the buildings. There was already a crowd gathered and their expressions told him that the battle wasn't in the Heroes' favor. Things could go bad in an instant and he felt like walking away… But the thought of Midoriya getting hurt stopped his retreat. He was his partner and Mineta should be there to watch his back, as he always said he would.

So with an uneasy courage, he waded though the patch of civilians to the front… Only to regret not backing out while he still could. The gates of Hell have started to open on this small street. Fire and rubble littered the street as a large figure stood in the center of it all. Mineta focused in on that, trying to make out who it was through the smoke and distorting heat haze. Paling when he recognized it as the Sludge Villain that tried to kill him and Midoriya.

"Why is he here? I thought All Might caught him?" Mineta thought, starting to gnaw at his finger nails. His blood was already running cold just by the fact that a Villain managed to escape All Might. The next thing he observed made him feel like he was stranded in the dead of Winter. The sludge man's hands were exploding…

"No… It can't be…" Mineta began looking for any evidence of the person ensnared by the slime. And as though confirming his fears, he spotted a head of spikey, ash blonde hair. "Bakugou…"

Half of him wanted to cheer, seeing a bully like him being blindsided by bigger fish was a very cathartic sight… But his more reasonable, fearful half began to realize the magnitude of the situation. From what Mineta could tell, Bakugou has been caught for some time since he lost most of the control to his body. And though the explosive boy was still struggling, it was obvious that he was losing the strength to fight off the Villain. Bakugou was going to die…

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Mineta thought, looking all around him. He saw several Heroes on point, but none of them could do anything more than damage control. Mount Lady's giant form was too big to fit into this narrow space. Kamui Woods is weak against fire and that was everywhere. Backdraft was too busy trying to put out the fires to join the fight. As for Deathgoro and the other Heroes that could move in this environment… They were too weak to pry Bakugou out or unable to hurt the Villain without hurting him.

The only thing capable of saving Bakugou at this point is a massive rush of air. So he Hero needed was…

"All Might, where is he?"

At this point, Mineta saw Bakugou's raging face finally faltering and giving way to desperation and fear. His eyes were calling for help… For someone to save him from this disaster. To see someone so powerful and ruthless become so helpless made Mineta feel even smaller and weaker. It reminded him that even the strong could be brought down by another who's stronger. That even Bakugou could die from this Villain…

The thought was horrific. And the sight of Bakugou's terror would've burned itself into Mineta's memories… Had it not been for the sight of a familiar, reliable back, rushing forward towards the danger. He didn't know when a smile formed on his face. But he did let the feeling in his chest give rise to a loud cheer.

"GO MIDORIYA!"

The green haired boy kept rushing forward through the fire and the flames. He then unslung his backpack and threw it at the Villain in one smooth motion. The action wasn't much, but it did manage to stun the blob and subsequently released Bakugou's head. Allowing him to breathe. Using this opportunity, Midoriya started a frantic dig to free his once childhood friend.

As Mineta watched him, a thought ran through his mind. He should be over there and helping him, otherwise he won't make it. But the legs he tried to move felt like lumps of iron rusted to the floor. No matter how much he wanted them to move forward, they refused to obey. And even the sludge Villain recovered from his stupor, his body was still rooted by cowardice.

With each second slowly, Mineta watched as the Villain raised its hand and readied to blow Midoriya to kingdom come. The sight was reminiscent of a guillotine, poised to fall. And the whole thing was brought down just as quick. His heart seized up, eyes staring at the plume of smoke that replaced his friend. He fell upon his knees as his mind plagued him with thoughts of Midoriya being nothing more than a smear of gore on concrete.

Before he could fully fall into despair, however, Mineta saw the smoke clear and witnessed a miracle. Shielding his green haired friend from the blast was none other than All Might, smile seemingly more radiant than ever. He swiftly grabbed both Bakugou's and Midoriya's hand and threw out a terrifyingly heavy punch. His booming voice piercing through the chaotic noise.

"Detroit Smash!"

A rush of air exploded along the street, rushing out both ends. The other Heroes on scene begun to focus on shielding the crowd from this man-made wind storm. Mineta had to use every ounce of strength in his feeble body to hang on. It didn't take long for the force to subside, the crowd looking back at the Number 1 Hero. The fires have been put out and the Villain was nothing more than splotches trying to reconstruct itself. Rain started to fall as well, despite the sky being clear all day, and cheers erupted all around.

The Symbol of Peace has saved the day.

Not much has happened after that. The police and city municipal workers arrived to clean up the Villain and any wreckage present. Reporters were asking questions. And civilians were trying to get pictures. Normally, Mineta would be trying to get some up-close shots of Mount Lady and her fine assets… But there were two things he was more concerned with.

One, Bakugou was being praised. Mostly for his strong quirk and endurance against the Villain. It's natural sure, even Mineta was impressed by the whole thing… But doesn't it bother anyone else that the Heroes are laying it on thick with the compliments?

And two, Midoriya was being scolded for rushing out so recklessly. Sure it made sense and no one in their right mind would charge a Villain… But shouldn't be saying something about his initiative? After all, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. And Mineta's pretty sure that applies here.

He broke out of his thoughts when his friend was finally able to go, having been thoroughly admonished. Midoriya looked fine physically except for a bit of debris on his uniform. But Mineta could tell that he was in deep thought. Those melancholic eyes say it all.

"Hey, Mineta-kun sorry for the wait." Midoriya said.

"It's cool. Let's head on home, I think we had enough excitement for today."

"Yeah… I guess that's enough…" Midoriya then became wistful, his being radiating with the want for something more. Mineta then patted his partner's arm, once more putting the weight of his words into it.

"You looked really cool you know, the way you charged in."

"I didn't really do anything though…" Midoriya replied. Though as the seconds passed, a small yet satisfied smile began to form upon his face. "Was I really that admirable?"

"More than any Hero there."

Mineta wanted to add 'even All Might', but he doubted his friend would believe that. Still, his words had done the job and Midoriya was dragging his feet less. The two just went straight home without another word between them. It wasn't done out of awkwardness or tension, but because each of them was wrestling with their own inner demons. And even when they've reach the point to part ways, neither of them said anything more than a simple 'see you later'.

Mineta looked back as he saw Midoriya disappear around the corner and sighed. He bent down slightly to rub his knees, both still feeling sensitive. A reminder of his uselessness today.

"I can't even move when there's trouble… Some partner I am… I'm just talk…"

There was still time to improve before UA's entrance exam, about a year give or take. He needs to figure out how to get more out of his Quirk. And how to not freeze up during an actual crisis. Otherwise, Mineta would only be dead weight to Midoriya and his journey to be number one.

Starting tomorrow, he's going to work harder than before. For his sake and the Hero he looks up to…

And that has been Chapter 4. It's been a while and writing hasn't been getting any easier.

"Mostly because the guy hasn't been finding the motivation."

But I've been slogging it through and one day, I'll be able to finish all the stories I've started. A tall order, but nothing unattainable.

"Ten years later and he'll still have trouble finishing one."

I have the patience. Anyway, I've been busy the past month. My family went down to Tennessee for a reunion and I've got to experience the wilderness there. We had all sorts of fun. Well, except the time I had to dance (badly) because I lost a family poker game. From that point on, I decided to learn how to suck so I won't lose as badly. It turned out well.

"Except the time where you almost lost and had to sing in make up. The river saved you."

Hush you. But yeah, that was a fun week. Other than that, I've been trying to write, look for a job, and clean my house. Nothing spectacular. And hopefully, I'll have more exciting news in the future.

"Like half a year from now."

So with that said...

Until Next Time. T1.