Happy 10 year anniversary to My Hero Academia! Sorry my chapter on this day is so upsetting.

No chapter next week, need extra time for revisions. However, Gems will return this Saturday!

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

It...it was Eri. That...that monster that called itself her "father" had taken Eri and used her very own body to make these Quirk Destroying bullets. Those bandages weren't a child's innocence making a fashion choice.

And then Izuku was hit with another revelation. That's what he did after he took off Eri's bandages. He somehow healed her, hid the physical evidence of his plan. All right in front of them.

It sank in pretty fast. The group of heroes looked pretty uncomfortable- Cooper had to leave the room. Kid felt nauseous.

"Although Kirishima caught the guy who had the substance, figuring out the network for drugs is like a gridlock." Fatgum said. "There's no proof that the Hassaikai is the dealer, but they DID business with one of those middlemen."

"That's all you got?" Kevin frowned.

"No. The other day, Ryukyu and her people stopped a huge feud between two villain groups. Boss is the middle man just mentioned." Nighteye explained.

"The villain used Titan Trigger. The booster extended his short activation time." Ryukyu summarized.

"Linking all this recent crime to the Hassaikai is just wild mass guessing at this point." Rock Lock said. "We're gonna need proof that that Hassaikai is linked to this-"

"Eri. Her arm." Izuku said.

Rock Lock paused. "Huh?"

"He...did something to it. She was all bandaged up, and-" Izuku trailed off.

"He hid all the scars," Monoma said.

"His Quirk," Nighteye said, "It allows him to break down and then rebuild any physical matter he touches. A power that breaks down matter...and a bullet that breaks down Quirks. Chisaki has a daughter. One with no birth record. Multiple holes in the story. And covered in bandages." Sir Nighteye felt bile in his throat.

"It's...too repulsive to imagine..." Blake said.

"...that's the problem with a superpowered society. If you can dream it...someone can make it happen." Gran Torino muttered.

Rock Lock grit his teeth. "You're saying...he's turning his own daughter's body into these bullets and selling them on the Black Market?" He wanted it to be a lie, honestly. He had a kid at home himself...

Albedo nodded, his face contorted with anger and sadness. "That's what it seems like. It's all...so sickening."

"We have to stop him," Mirio said, standing up. "We have to rescue Eri and-"

"But how do we do that?" Kevin asked. "We don't even know where they're keeping her."

"There is another thing to consider. As we know, the drug's effects are temporary, underwhelming in a purely business sense. He may be distributing this imperfect version of the drug to draw in prospective investors. It may be possible that Chisaki's true goal is a bullet that can permanently erase Quirks. But you are correct, Mr. Levin. Without the knowledge of their base, any plan formulated would be pointless," Nighteye explained before he brought up a remote and pressed it. The massive screen clicked to life and showed a map of Japan with several highlight bulletins.

"Which brings me to the matter at hand. Behind me is a map of all known affiliated organizations and confirmed properties owned by the Hassaikai. The list must be narrowed down, so each of you will be given a group or location to investigate on your own."

"If these damn kids would've saved the kid-" Rock Lock said, and Kevin stood up, chair falling to the ground.

"Stop drilling into those kids, Rock Lock!" Kevin yelled. "They KNOW they could've saved her! They didn't know what was going on! Don't you think these kids aren't beating themselves up enough!?" That shut Rock Lock up quick.

"I take full responsibility." Nighteye said. "These three did take measures to save her."

All my hard work…all my efforts to get into the spotlight…and this is how I waste it!? Monoma cursed.

I wanted to accept the risks- just try and take away right there and them, even if I'd get hunted! And I can't even save a little girl!? Some great hero I'D make! Izuku frowned.

And here I thought that thinking ahead would raise the odds of saving her later! Save a million? I can't even save ONE! Mirio's hand balled up so hard it turned red.

No time for sadness…They had to take action.

Now.

"I couldn't help but notice, Nighteye," Ryukyu spoke up, "the locations you've highlighted. They all fall under our normal patrol routes."

"A sharp eye as ever, Ryukyu. That is indeed the point. Should the Hassaikai learn of our investigation, they will scatter. They will hide and we will lose both Chisaki and Eri. We must be careful about this, have everything appear as though it were normal," Nighteye explained.

"We'll be asking you to narrow down the list." Bubble Girl said. "Check out certain groups and locations on your own."

"So that's why there's a bunch of minor heroes here. They were chosen because of familiarity with the neighborhood..." Pierce said.

"You're pretty cautious for a former sidekick of All Might, doing things all roundabout like this." Fatgum frowned.

"Fat-" Albedo said.

"While we're twiddling our thumbs, that kid is probably out there crying somewhere!" Fatgum yelled.

"We can't do things like him! We have to be precise and analyze all angles to raise the odds of saving her." Nighteye retorted.

"I agree with Nighteye," Ryukyu added. "We need to be careful and calculated in our approach. If we rush in blindly, we risk not only Eri's safety but also our own."

Fatgum let out a frustrated sigh. "I know, I know. But it's hard sitting around and waiting when a child's life is at stake."

Kevin frowned. "As a father myself, I'm going crazy just hearing about this...but, I get it."

"We're all feeling the pressure…" Blake said. "Lord knows what I'd do if something happened to Senna."

Albedo frowned. "Let's just focus on what we can do right now. What are we looking at?"

"Locations of places where the Shie Hassakai has been spotted. Mansions, warehouses, etc." Nighteye said.

"And we need to narrow down the list to the places that are currently active," Aizawa added.

Momo's eyes were focused on one dot on the map. That was...around where she lived. And Nighteye mentioned mansions. Could it be...

No.

Right?

"If we mess up now, they'll get away. It'll stoke their only fires even higher." Gran Torino said. "Just like with Stain. Distributing the quirk killing bullets to some small time street punks might just be their calling card..."

Blake raised her hand. "Nighteye. I have a question. I'm not exactly familiar with your ability, but why not use Foresight to see what sort of future awaits us? Going forward without that knowledge seems counterproductive to this-"

"...I can't."

"Why not?" Blake tilted her head.

Sir Nighteye sighed, pushing up his glasses.

"My Quirk has...limitations. For one, it has a cooldown period of twenty-four hours, limiting my use to once per day. I can only view about an hour of any given person's daily life, but even then, it is far from perfect. Considering my Quirk a projector in a theatre, and I am the sole member in the audience, but I am also privy to the film reel itself. Whenever I view the actions of another, I see them as the frames in a film strip, but the perspective is...close to that person. Only their immediate actions and surroundings, no more than snippets beyond that," Sir explained.

"But...that sounds like more than enough? So there must be something else."

Nighteye hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "There is one more limitation. My Foresight can only see a single future, a future that I believe to be the most likely outcome based on the person's current actions and circumstances. It is always...absolute. I maximize my quirk that way."

Everyone fell silent, absorbing Nighteye's explanation. The weight of their task seemed to increase, knowing that they couldn't rely on Sir Nighteye's foresight to guide them.

"I see," Blake said after a moment. "Thank you for explaining, Sir Nighteye-"

"Seeing if we're gonna die sounds darn useful! Then we could come up with a plan to stay alive." Rock Lock frowned.

"I'm not a fortune telling machine. There's no guarantee that the fate I see can be avoided." Nighteye frowned.

"I don't get it! C'mon! Take a look at me. I'll avoid anything that those Yakuza thugs have in store for me-"

"I CAN'T!" Nighteye yelled, shutting everyone up. The sudden outburst from Sir Nighteye shocked everyone into silence. Even Rock Lock, who was known for his outspokenness, was taken aback. Nighteye's frustration and desperation were palpable, and it seemed to weigh heavily on everyone present.

Albedo stepped forward, trying to ease the tension in the room. "Sir?" He said, placing a reassuring hand on Nighteye's shoulder.

Nighteye took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself down. "I apologize. That was out of line," he said, his voice quieter now. "But please understand that my Quirk has its limitations."

Rock Lock frowned. "Right."

Ryukyu cleared her throat. "...no time like the present. There's a child in need out there. That's what matters most."

"Agreed," Nighteye said, "Confirm the girl's location and take measures to save her. Once we're as sure as we can be, let's bring this matter to a swift conclusion. I thank you all for your help."

"Are you sure you're willing to give up all these cats?" The woman at the shelter asked, staring at the box full of them.

"They were my…friend's." The heavily disguised Cass said. "And with my lifestyle, I can't support all of them."

The employee frowned. "I see…what happened?"

Cass hesitated. "My friend was just…caught up in a villain attack."

"How barbaric…a villain like that probably had no family to raise them the right way." The employee huffed, as she looked at the kittens. "Your friend did have a lot of cats, though…"

"She…rescued a lot of them from terrible homes. I…trust you can find them better, loving families?"

"It's what we do here, miss." The lady smiled.

Cass closed her eyes. She gave the cats one last look, and scratched the head of her favorite cat- a grumpy orange tabby.

"Thank you," Cass muttered, before turning away.

"Why go through the trouble of saving all these cats?" Cass asked, one day at the bar. Nyancy was carefully grooming one of her cats- she always did that when they weren't scheming.

"It's sort of my escape." Nyancy said. "You see, when I was younger, I felt lost and alone. I didn't have anyone to turn to and I didn't know what to do with myself. Then one day, I found a stray cat and took it in. It was like a small beacon of hope in my life. And I did it again and again…but one day, I found one that was…horribly injured."

"Awful," Cass frowned. She could excuse murder, but not animal abuse.

"That's when I…first activated my quirk." Nyancy said. "The cat was angry- understandably so, I suppose- but I managed to calm it down and heal its injuries. It was like a switch had been flipped in my brain. Suddenly, I knew what I wanted to do with my life: save cats."

"And that's how you became a cat-themed villain?" Cass asked.

Nyancy chuckled. "Well, I prefer to think of myself as a cat-themed…anti-hero, I suppose. I don't do anything too nefarious, just steal cats from abusive owners or hoarders and take care of them myself. I make sure they're all healthy and happy, and then I find them good homes."

Cass raised an eyebrow.

"And sometimes they tell me to steal stuff. Because it looks pretty."

"There it is." Cass chuckled. "But why roll with…the League of Villains?

"You guys...seemed lonely."

Cass shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You know, for a villain, you're not so bad."

Nyancy smiled back. "Thanks. I like to think I'm doing some good in the world, even if it's not in the most conventional way."

Cass nodded. "I get that. Sometimes the rules just don't work for everyone."

Nyancy looked thoughtful. "Yeah. And sometimes, you have to create your own rules to make a difference…."

Cass sighed. If Nyancy was a superhero, she'd be the only one she'd openly support. She stared up at the overcast sky, and sighed.

"If there really is an afterlife…I hope you ended up somewhere nice, Nyancy." Cass said. "In a warm place- with a lot of cats."

Cass pulled up her hood, and walked off. She went down an alleyway, where Shigaraki was waiting.

"...did you drop the cats off?"

"Yeah."

"You made sure it was a no kill shelter, right?" Even a murderer like Shiggy had morals.

"Yeah."

"...then we're done with that." Shigaraki said. "Come on- we gotta go to our meeting…"

Cass followed Shigaraki silently, her mind still on Nyancy and her cats. But, if their plan was gonna work out...then she needed to push it back. Back into the darkest parts of her mind. They walked into an abandoned subway, where they were told to go. The track had been abandoned years ago, but the Hassaikai used it as...a route for meetings.

"You made it," a voice called out, echoing in the tunnel. Cass' first instinct was to get ready for a fight, but she managed to keep that fighting instinct in check. For now, anyway. The white-cloaked second-in-command to Overhaul stepped out of the shadows with his hands in his pockets.

"Another thug for Overhaul to toss away?" Shigaraki asked.

"No. Call me Chronostasis. His second. You wanted to meet, this is how we do it," the yakuza said.

"In an abandoned subway tunnel. Very professional."

"And this is why Overhaul wanted to take over the League. Rule 1 of any criminal enterprise," Chrono said as he walked over to a wall. He pulled down one of the pipes that snaked across the wall, revealing it to be a secret lever, opening up a hidden stone door.

"Never make what you're doing obvious," Chrono finished.

"I know that. I'm not an idiot," Shigiraki hissed.

"Either way. Follow me."

Cass and Shigaraki followed Chrono carefully. "Did your men carve this out?"

"Yeah. The guy we used was eager to punch stuff, so...we had him go to work." Chrono explained. "A few days later, we had this underground network."

Cass sniffed the air. The faint metallic smell said this place was where a lot of 'contracts' were ended. She made a note to be ready if Overhaul decided to 'dispose' of them.

But from there, things went a bit...weird. Chrono led them down the winding corridors of the network for, what seemed like, forever. Both guests of the yakuza group were getting annoyed, with Cass' eyes starting to glow and Shigaraki scratching at his neck.

"Ok, I'm gonna come out and say it," Cass said, getting Chrono's attention, "I bet you're used to people not catching it, but we've made the same turn five times now."

"There's a lot of tunnels down here," Chrono said with a shrug.

"No shit. But we've made the exact same turn. I've seen the exact same walls five times now!"

"We're not your lab rats running a maze, yakuza," Shigaraki hissed, "Your boss. Now."

"Keep your hands on," Chrono said, leading them to a door that they must've passed five or six times by now, "He's in here."

"...and you didn't just take us...urgh, fine," Cass growled. With that, Chrono opened the door to a very sparse looking room. Nothing but blank walls and tiles, with two sofas and two very comfortable looking chairs, all surrounding a glass coffee table. The only bit of decoration in the room was a black banner with the Shie Hassaikai logo emblazoned upon it. Sitting on the sofa farthest from the door were Overhaul, now clad in a simple black and white business suit complete with a dark purple tie and white business shoes, and the small doll-like enforcer of the Hassaikai, Joi Irinaka, aka Mimic. The doll-like figure was even smaller than Eri, made out of what seemed to be black leather with a simple white, hook-beaked bird mask.

"Not big on decorating your office?" Shigaraki asked.

"I don't like cluttered spaces," Overhaul shrugged.

"I timed us- we were wandering around in that damn maze for 30 minutes. Way to greet your guests." Cass said sarcastically. She then noticed the room had...three chairs in it. Odd. No way one was for her, or their guide.

"Is every yakuza hideout as bizarre as this one?" Shigaraki frowned.

"We can never be too sure who's watching or what a guest might be thinking. So, we set up multiple underground routes," Overhaul explained.

Cass raised an eyebrow, "Underground routes? As in secret passages?"

Overhaul nodded. "Yes. We have several hidden pathways that lead to different parts of the hideout. It's a security measure to ensure that our guests and ourselves remain safe."

Shigaraki snorted. "Sounds like a hassle to me."

"It may seem like that, but it's a necessary precaution in our line of work," Overhaul replied calmly.

"We've survived as long as we have, thanks to our intricate setup." Mimic piped up, looking up from the money he was counting. "So! About your call the other day...did you really mean you'll join us?"

"Depending on the terms." Cass corrected.

"Nice way of putting it," Shigaraki said, flopping down on the couch and throwing his feet up on the table. "Oh, this is a good couch..."

"Take your filthy foot off my table." Overhaul deadpanned.

"No."

"Please. We're still expecting one more guest..." Overhaul huffed.

As if on cue, the door behind them opened up once again. Shigaraki wasn't exactly familiar with this person, but Cass? Cass was very familiar with them. The man that walked in adjusted his suit and removed something from his face. It was a mask, but unlike the masks of the other members of the Hassaikai because it resembled a dull human face.

There were indents in the almost metallic material that mimicked facial features, not replicated them. With the mask off, the figure was a very thin individual with paper white skin. He wore what seemed to be a form-fitting armored suit that covered his arms and legs. The drapery only reached to his knees, giving off the impression it resembled a long coat. The suit's armor became bulkier around his shoulders and hips. The drapery of his robe is equipped with a long loincloth-looking strip of red fabric decorated with a black version of the Hassaikai logo.

"Well, this is a surprise," The man smirked as he took a seat in one of the chairs on the far end of the coffee table, "Been quite a while since we last ran in the same circles. Isn't it, Cassidy?"

"Psyphon," Cass hissed, "You fucking snake. Slumming it with yakuza now? What, needed a new host to suck dry like the parasite you are?"

"...you know him?" Shigaraki asked.

"Once upon a time, though, even then our working relationship was..." Psyphon moved his hand in a circle to find the right word, "Strained, at best."

"He used to be one of 10K's rogues," Overhaul said, "He has connections that we need. When I found him, he was working on recreating a drug that allowed for the temporary splicing of human and alien DNA. What did you call it...Crystal...Dolphin?"

"Not my choice, but I couldn't think of a better one at the time, so it stuck. This is why I leave the marketing to others."

Shigaraki huffed. "Great. Another one of Tennyson's baddies. For once I'd like to go without running into some other two bit villain."

"I wouldn't call him two bit." Cass frowned. "This guy worked for Vilgax...he was his right hand man."

"Yeah, and his boss is now rotting in hell or whatever. Sucks about ol' Calamari Face-" Shigaraki mocked.

"And where is your boss?" Psyphon retorted.

Shigaraki scowled. "Don't worry about it. We have our own plans, and they don't involve you."

"Is that so? Because I was under the impression that we were all here to discuss a potential alliance." Psyphon raised an eyebrow. "This alliance would be mutually beneficial. You see, I have access to certain resources that I believe would be of great use to you."

"We have the funds," Overhaul said. "What we need is someone who can get us access to the right people."

"So why is Tomura here?" Psyphon taunted.

"...brand recognition," Shigaraki answered, "I'm not blind. The League's...something of a trend right now. We're popular. A bunch of new villain blood shaking things up in the hero society. You want us as poster-children for your project."

"Obviously that won't be your only role, but that is why I sought you out," Overhaul nodded.

"So you killed Nyancy...because we said no to a glorified fucking photoshoot?" Cass growled, balling her fists.

"Ah...yes. Nyancy. I am sorry for killing her. Really, I am. That...really wasn't the best way to get our partnership started."

"...we'll get to reparations in a moment," Shigaraki said.

"Right, right, your call," Mimic said, "You serious about that? About wanting to join?"

"Only if certain conditions are met."

"What?" Cass asked.

"Let me finish, Cass," Shigaraki said, holding up a finger, "First, we're not working under you. We're equals in this. Toga won't be taking orders from some low-level yakuza minion when she's the end boss of a whole dungeon."

"That's..." Overhaul began, putting Cass on edge for a minute, "fair. Done. But that's not it, is it?"

"Smart man. Your plan. Explain it to us. Only natural for us to be in the know, isn't it? Besides, I need to know if its even something worth investing in. If the League is gonna advertise something for you, it'd better be goo-"

Before he could finish, Chrono and Mimic were at Shigaraki's throat. The white-cloaked aide had pulled and pressed a loaded revolver to the back of the decay villain's head, while the doll-like director had a muscular arm burst forth from his chest and clamp down on Shigaraki's shoulder in a vice group.

"Someone's full of themselves, aren't they? You think you can ask that kind of information, just like that?!" Chrono yelled.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, you little PUNK?!" Mimic screeched.

"You're one to talk, you bootlickers." Shigaraki hissed. "Your two bit yakuza meat shield was hardly an equal trade for Nyancy. We had to give up all her cats- so, we want a LOADED reparation, okay? And Mr. Compress's arm- also needs compensation for that."

"Chrono. Mimic." Overhaul said. "Back off." The two men slowly backed away, with Mimic sinking back into his suit and Chronostasis putting away his gun.

Psyphon chuckled. "Human beings nowadays do have the rare occurrence to befuddle me. Your powers are...so unique."

"Never even heard of you before today, so the compliment's not really that weighted," Shigaraki said.

"I did mean you...but I also meant Mimic. You humans and your Quirks...so many parallels I could draw."

"But we're not here for that," Overhaul cut it, "Our guest came here to talk...and you're both being rude. You know how important it is to make up for a bad first impression."

"Apologies, Master Overhaul," Chrono said, giving the yakuza head a slight bow in apology.

"It won't happen again, Master Overhaul," Mimic quickly added.

"That's better. Now...let's hear him out," Overhaul said, leaning back on the sofa. It was then that Shigaraki pulled something out of his coat, something that Cass didn't even know he had. It was a small red cylinder, tipped with a silver needle.

"After all the chaos at the warehouse, Patches managed to sniff this out," Shigaraki said.

"...Patches?" Psyphon asked.

"Nyancy's cat. The one we kept...the one he kicked. Point is...Nyancy gave us one last edge over you, even in death. This is why Compress couldn't seal you away, isn't it? You shot him with this and then, when I jumped in, your shooter missed. Isn't that right...Chrono?"

Behind the mask, Chrono's eyes widened. After the second shot missed, he made sure to hide the revolver, keeping everything about the Hassaikai's plan secret. No traces. So then how did Shigaraki know?

"How did you-" Chrono frowned.

"I work with assassins, clock boy." Shigaraki said, rubbing the bullet between his fingers. "It erased Compress' quirk for a few hours...what have you been making, Overhaul?"

"Erasing quirks? How...interesting. No wonder you needed my services." Psyphon grinned.

"Indeed," Overhaul said, his eyes glinting with a cold intensity. "We're willing to pay whatever it takes to get what we want."

"Very well," Psyphon said, leaning back in his chair. "I'll make some calls and see what I can do. But I can't promise anything. The market for alien tech is highly competitive, and there are other players who might be interested."

"The hell are you talking about?" Shigaraki said.

"Easy. We're talking about control. When my plan's complete...the society of Quirks won't be a random variable. The fights between heroes and villains...will be controlled conflicts, controlled...by the Hassaikai," Overhaul said, the pride in his voice apparent.

"So that's why you're here...you're looking to sell Alien Tech to maximize profits." Cass said.

Psyphon chuckled. "Of course. You don't think I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, do you?"

"And I also needed added security. I ran into some kid that was asking too many questions..." Overhaul frowned.

"Sounds like the beginnings of your own Tennyson," Psyphon snarked.

"Something I don't want," the yakuza head emphasized.

"Yeah...I know that feeling." Shigaraki grimaced.

"I have heard about some of your...escapades through the grapevine." Psyphon said. "Sounds like you're just scrounging for anything nowadays."

"We're recruiting," Cass corrected, "Or we were before this guy entered the picture. Would you want to regroup after a major loss? Or did all these years affect whatever brain was left in your skull?"

"I see...similar to my story." Psyphon said.

"How?"

"My master disappeared, so I had to start from nothing. At least I'm not on the edge of losing everything..." Psyphon said.

"Now...unfortunately, Shigaraki, you're not...a businessperson," Overhaul said.

"Don't pretend to be. I let others handle things like that," Shigaraki said.

"Like Kurogiri."

"Yeah...he's much more of a...numbers guy."

"...we'll talk more about what I want from you after."

Overhaul turned his attention back to Psyphon. "You know business. What's the progress on the cell replication technology deal?"

"The trade's going smoothly. If the deal falls through, we take it by force." Psyphon said.

"Huh? Cell replication?" Cass said. "Why do you need that for this?"

"Good. Rappa should be good for that," Overhaul said, "As for the why...that I'm not willing to tell. Not yet, anyway."

"Besides. It's not like you need to know." Psyphon smirked. "It's cute to see you stoop so low by teaming up with Shigaraki...I remember when you worked with real villains."

"...you wanna say that again?" Cass tilted her head, ready to rip Psyphon's head off now.

"Don't even try to kill him." Overhaul said. "If I wanted, I could undo the damage, and then rearrange the functions of your face with my quirk."

"...fucking...fine," Cass sighed.

"At least pretend to have some manners," Mimic huffed.

"You said the exact word earlier."

"And I apologized. So what does that tell you, Miss 'I Aimed for the Baby?'" Mimic asked.

"That's gonna haunt me...isn't it," Cass sighed.

"It rightly SHOULD."

"Even I know that's out of line." Overhaul, the child abuser, frowned. "But…that's just about all I wanted to hear. You're dismissed…"

Cass and Shigaraki grumbled as they both turned to leave.

"By the way, this couch sucks." Shigaraki tapped the couch, and dissolved it. Overhaul huffed.

"Not the worst thing someone's done in this room." Overhaul shook his head in disappointment.

Back at the Nighteye office, the students were still shell shocked by the news. Izuku had his face down on the table, covered up by his arms. Ochako sat next to him, trying to support him the best way she could.

"I...I didn't know it was that bad..." Izuku muttered. "I just knew she was scared and-"

It's like the Bakugou situation all over again… Ochako thought. She placed a gentle hand on Izuku's back, rubbing it soothingly. "It's okay, Midoriya. You didn't know."

Izuku lifted his head and looked at Ochako with a pained expression. "But it's not okay, Uraraka. Eri's being harvested for something disgusting, and I can't do anything to help her. I'm...supposed to be his successor..."

Ochako's heart ached at Izuku's words. She knew how much he wanted to save people and how much it pained him when he couldn't.

Mirio's silence was also deafening. The haunted and pained look on his face was unlike anything either Amajiki or Nejire had ever seen before. Nejire tried to break the silence. "Mirio, I-"

But Mirio held up his hand to stop her. "I need a moment," he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. Without another word, he stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Monoma's pacing around the room made Tetsutetsu and Setsuna realize how much their classmate was carrying in his mind these past few days. "We should've reached out earlier." Setsuna muttered.

Tetsutetsu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Monoma's always putting on a show. I thought he was just finally mellowing out."

"I know," Setsuna admitted, sighing. "It's just difficult sometimes, you know?" We're all dealing with our own problems and struggles, and it's difficult to balance them with being there for others."

Tetsutetsu nodded in agreement. "We're just gonna have to go out of our way to check on Monoma and the others. After all, we're all in this together."

Ochako overheard their conversation, and looked down at Izuku. Momo, Alan, Kirishima and Tsu walked back over, carrying some water bottles.

"Here," Kirishima said, setting one in front of Izuku.

"...thanks." Izuku said, taking the water bottle without looking up.

"I knew things were gonna start getting crazy with All Might out of the picture, but I never imagined this sort of...evil to be hiding right under our noses. I didn't even know anything about the Hassaikai until this meeting." Alan admitted.

"We focus more on the light than the dark," Momo said, as she cracked open her water bottle. "Especially if it's sort of looking us in the face." That sounded cryptic.

Tsu nodded. "Yeah, it's easy to get caught up in our own lives and studies...All wanna do now is make sure no one else has to suffer through what Eri's going through."

Ochako was overcome with guilt. She took a deep breath and rose to her feet. "We can't keep dwelling on what we don't know or what we could have done differently, guys. The best thing we can do right now is...focus on what we can do next." Ochako stated.

"Good pep talk," Kevin said, as he walked in, with Aizawa following behind.

"Mr. Levin..." Ochako said. "And Mr. Aizawa."

"Please. Call me Eraserhead out of school." Aizawa said. "I have some news."

Ochako clenched up. "Good or bad?"

"Depends." Aizawa said.

Kevin huffed. "Eraser here was thinking of ending the work studies today."

"W-what!?" Kirishima yelled, standing up and knocking his chair back. "Now, of all times? I'd never forgive myself if I had to leave the case!"

"Yeah, that's sort of an overstep in terms of a reaction..." Alan frowned. "I know we're young and all, but-:

"Let me finish." Aizawa said. "I was concerned due to the League of Villain's involvement. That makes this a whole different ball game."

"So, you'd trust us to bash up some yakuza, but not the League?" Alan asked. "What logic is that?"

"The Hassaikai's got more files on it. Meanwhile, a majority of the League is shrouded in mystery." Aizawa said. "We don't even know the full extent of their team up."

"But..." Kevin said. "I argued that cutting the work studies short would send the wrong message to students. Thought it was sort of a cop out to end things prematurely."

"Always sticking up for us, aren't you?" Alan joked.

"I was in your shoes once. I know how it feels." Kevin said.

"I'm not going to make any rash choices. But I do want everyone to be cautious." Aizawa explained. "So...here's the lowdown. You kids are going to be under the constant supervision of an adult. It doesn't matter who it is. We're going to do things the right way, whether it's the police, your work study hero, or even me."

"Understood." Ochako nodded. "I'm fine with those terms…"

"Good." Aizawa said, looking at Ochako. "...and by the way..."

Ochako raised her eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"...if we get to that sort of situation..." Aizawa tapped to his wrist. "I'll look the other way if you have to use that, Spanner."

Ochako turned white. "Y-you know about the Omnitrix?"

"Yeah." Aizawa chuckled.

"Why didn't you-"

"Because it's not my place to tell everyone your secret." Aizawa said. "But I figured it out a while ago. I know you're responsible enough to use it when you need it."

Ochako felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Thank you, Mr. Aizawa."

Monoma paused for a second. "Wait, what-?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, she has an Omnitrix." Tetsutetsu said.

"W-what!? Why? When did this-" Monoma sputtered. "Why do YOU guys know!? How come I didn't-?"

"Well, ever since you gloated about that Nomu victory at the camp, you refused to hear any other story from the camp..." Setsuna said. "So, we just never bothered to tell you."

"Kinda your own fault, man." Kirishima said.

"And the Big Three!? Do they know too?" Monoma said.

"Nope." Amajiki shrugged. "Just found out."

"But it's not TOTALLY unbelievable. She did an internship with Ben 10k for a reason." Nejire piped in.

Monoma grit his teeth, and huffed. "...damn it." He looked pained by this revelation.

"Could be worse, man." Kevin shrugged. "At least you know now."

"Yeah, and it's not like having an Omnitrix changes anything." Ochako said with a smile. "I'm still the same person."

"Exactly." Aizawa said. He then turned to Izuku, who was quietly drinking his water bottle.

"...hey. Midoriya." Kevin said. "If it makes you feel better, when you reached out to help Eri, even though you failed...I bet you gave her some hope. You made her feel like she wasn't completely alone in the world. And that's gotta count for something, right?"

Midoriya looked up at Kevin, his eyes shining with tears. "But is that gonna be enough? For now?

"Chin up, Midoryia." Aizawa said. "Pick yourself up. You can reach her once again...if you just trust the process."

Izuku wiped his tears away. "Y-yes, sir."

Ochako couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled in her chest. The raid on the Yakuza's hideout was approaching- maybe later, maybe sooner. She'd never done anything this dangerous before, and the stakes were higher than they'd ever been.

Despite her fear, Ochako was determined to do everything she could to help bring down the Yakuza and save Eri. She was being realistic about the odds of success but remained optimistic nonetheless. After everything Eri had been through, the thought of her being let down was intolerable.

Ochako had to keep going for the sake of everyone.