Re(Action): Shattered Memories

by sleppt

There’s a certain brand of chaos Midoriya has gotten used to, especially as a hero student. Villain attacks, harsh training, the list goes on. Above all else though, he did not expect his dreams to be invaded by a stranger who seems to be the embodiment of pure chaos. Said stranger offers to show him the events of an alternate universe that feature his friends and family.

6. Resting And Reflecting

"Alright, everyone, since not everyone has been to the Dining room, I will lead you," Sleppt said at the theater's doors.

Everyone was accounted for and was in a neat line per Bola's orders. Bola himself had already disappeared in the shadows of his balcony with SM Eri on his shoulder.

Sleppt opened the doors and led the group into the halls.

It was primarily silent until Ochako looked at her friend, who still wore that black coat. Seeing her friend in that was still a little odd, but he looked cute in it. "Deku?"

"Hmm?" He turned his head to glance at his friend.

"What exactly happened when Bola kidnapped you?"

Everyone perked up and looked at their classmate for an explanation. Izuku beamed, either unaware or uncaring of the stares, "He didn't kidnap me. It was more like a… emergency intervention?" The defense sounded weak even to him, but it was the best Izuku could come up with, "I was just being stupid." Admitted Izuku softly, catching a few of them off guard. "I was trying to compare myself to the other me all the time, not noticing he has his fair share of problems too.

"Oh…" Ochako looked at her friend with sympathy. A few others threw similar looks, along with guilt mixed in. "How… did you figure it out?"

Izuku smiled a little, "Well, Bola decided to lock me in a room with my other self, and we talked it out."

There was the sound of a record scratch, perfectly representing what happened to the line of thoughts of everyone but Izuku.

"Young Midoriya…..I'm sorry…I think I misheard you. Could you repeat that?" Surely the man misheard his successor.

Izuku then began to notice everyone was staring at him and seeing his classmates and teachers on him like he'd grown a second head was unnerving. "U-um, I was being stupid s-so Bola locked me in room with the o-other met-to talk it out." The boy wasn't used to so many eyes staring at him so hard that he wanted to shrink down.

At first, Everyone was silent, all seemingly staring at the boy, trying to process his words.

Until the silence was broken by two away from the group

"Damn, that really broke them, huh? Hehehe!"

"To be honest, Bola, I don't think you being cryptic right now is helping," Sleppt said, shaking his head in exaggeration.

"Let me have my fun!" Was the last thing to come from the man's mouth before it all broke loose.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

"Midori!"

"Deku the hell?!"

Having nearly everyone get close to him in an instant made the green-haired teen feel claustrophobic as he did his best to step back. Ochako and his mother were the closest to him. Everyone was yelling over one another, demanding an explanation. Unfortunately, despite his best, he could not get a word out of the shouts.

If anything, he started to tremble as he clamped his mouth shut.

Sleppt heard the commotion and turned around to see the poor green bean in that particular situation. Taking pity on him, he pulled out an air horn and let it blow, gaining everyone's attention. Kyoka and Mezo winced at the loud noise, with the former throwing a sour look at the butler.

"In my experience with people, multiple asking questions to a very reserved person like Izuku can both drain them and overwhelm them, so I think it best if you all back up a bit so he may explain it himself." The man finished, the smile still on his face.

While they all were a little agitated by the sudden loud noise, they all had sobered a bit and had looks of agreement on their faces.

With a look of appreciation to the Butler, Izuku turned and explained everything about his conversation with his other self. How he talked with him and was hit on the head out of his stupor.

"Um…" Izuku tried to form the words as everyone kept staring at him in bewilderment and disbelief, "So…yeah. I spoke to my other self, and we talked things out. Though, to be fair, SM Eri helped somehow. I tried to ask, but Bola said that it was 'spoilers' and that we should 'watch and find out' that it would make sense later. I'm pretty sure that was some kind of inside joke." There seemed to be a lot of those among the theater staff and between Bola and SM Eri.

"Oh, my dear bunny boy, you have no idea!" Bola cackled.

There were a couple of annoyed grumbles, going as far as some of the teens giving Bola the stink eye. All of which he laughed off before he disappeared in the shadows with no trace. Everyone was exasperated by the dramatics of their host but said nothing of it.

It was quiet for a bit before Denki turned to Izuku, curiosity filling his mind, "Hey, Midoriya?" Izuku turned his attention to him with a questioning look, "If you really met your other self, then does that mean you saw that Keyblade?"

A few perked up and looked at Izuku for an answer.

Izuku scratched the back of his head but was smiling fondly at the memory, "Yeah. He had it, and I…. actually managed to hold it for a little bit."

"No way, really?!" Denki said with wide eyes.

Everyone else was just as surprised.

"Y-yeah."

"That's cool!" Hanta said with his iconic smile, "How did it feel?"

Everyone was curious about that too.

Izuku's smile remained fond, "It was the…best feeling I ever felt…."

"How so?"

Izuku hummed thoughtfully, "It's kinda hard to explain. None of you would understand unless you experienced it yourself…but…." Everyone was leaning a little toward him, "The Keyblade chooses its wielder." Izuku said, "So the fact that it found me as worthy as my other self, the fact that it never left my grasp…it was just something I could never forget….like a warm fuzzy feeling from being accepted for all of who you are."

Everyone was stunned. It really sounded like a fantastic feeling to experience.

"No fair! I want to feel that too!" Came out a cry from Tooru.

"Yeah, no fair, Midoriya!" Came out another cry from Mina, with a few other students agreeing with the girls and whining.

All Izuku could do was laugh nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

Toshinori could only help but let out a chuckle at his successor after hearing that he had been feeling down. Seeing his protege relax, unwind, and be happy was a nice change of pace. "Now then, young Midoriya, is there anything else that happened while you talked with your other self?" The lanky man couldn't help but be curious.

This caused everyone to look at the boy, who could only think about it "...well, I did have some of that sea salt ice cream."

Denki was envious that he cried, "No fair man! You got to eat it before me?!"

Izuku could only laugh nervously.

Sato then got curious. "Well, Midoriya, we've heard about but is it really just salty and sweet?"

Izuku scratched his head. "Pretty much….but it's kinda creamy and soft as well, kinda addicting." Then Izuku remembered what had happened. "Then the popsicle stick started glowing."

Ochako was surprised as he said, "What do you mean, Deku?"

Izuku, instead of saying something, pulled out the stick and showed it to everyone as they saw it glow. "SM Eri called it a proof of heart," He then clutched it with a smile on his face. "And while they said it doesn't really do much at all, it's proof to me that the talk with the other me happened, and it's….. special to me."

Seeing the warm feeling he had when talking about it made everyone else feel a bit warmer.

---

Dark's Dining Room

"You're lying!"

It was by then that Sleppt and the rest entered the room. Those who hadn't had the chance to see the dining room didn't have the time to admire the place as they put their attention on the person who yelled.

That person ended up being Silver, who blatantly disregarded Dark's personal space. Dark, while annoyed by the action, had her expression express her amusement. It only put off Silver and grabbed Dark from the shirt. She tried to shake the Dragoness, but Dark, being stronger than her, remained firm.

"You gotta be lying." Silver's voice cracked as she looked at the Dragoness with crazed, pleading eyes.

Dark's expression turned to annoyance, "First of all, don't touch me." She grabbed Silver's hand and threw her on the lone chair on a table with the name tag saying Silver. Miraculously, Silver was seated properly, and the chair showed no signs of breaking under the sudden weight. It probably could be that the furniture is more durable than normal, "Second, I'm not. There really is a Chicken and Cheese Pizza with chocolate syrup and marshmallows on top.

Sleppt and nearly all of the group's faces turned to one of disgust. A few stick their tongues out of disgust.

"Every day, we stray further from God." Silver sobbed, her head comically resting on the table in defeat as tears fell off.

Dark rolled her eyes, "Stop being dramatic. It's not the worst Pizza I heard of. You should see the pig brain Pizza with congealed pork blood as the sauce." She narrowed her eyes, ignoring the noises of disgust everyone released. Silver and Sleppt, in particular, had green faces. "And I follow no god." She said in disdain.

"Don't ruin Pizza for me, Dark," Sleppt muttered. There were some noises of agreement behind him.

Bola, already seated at a table with a nametag saying Bola and SM Eri, had a large, hot steaming Pizza with a Brazilian sausage known as Calabrese and was taking a drink out of his freshly squeezed orange juice. When he heard what the Dragoness said, he yelled, "Yo, Dark, don't ruin my appetite! And there are kids in the room!"

"Blow it off your armor, Havel wannabe. And they aren't exactly kids. They can handle a little disgust." Dark waved him off, "But fine. I'll stop for now."

SM Eri, who was sitting on the opposite side, was oblivious to what the theater staff were talking about. She had chosen Katsudon and a Stripped Candy apple on the side for lunch and dessert. For a drink, she decided on apple juice.

She'll get the Sea-Salt Ice Cream later. Because it would be a catastrophe if the treat melted before she could eat it. Not to mention she was strictly under the "no spoiler" rule, so it was better not to risk it.

Dark rolled her eyes and instead focused on everyone at the doors. "Welcome to my Dinning Hall. Let me say that recently I replaced the lights with homemade quirk suppressors so as to prevent unnecessary damage." Dark said as she pointed at the lights. At a single glance, they looked like crystals reflecting lights. "Additionally, I will point out that no violence is allowed. You can fight all you want in the training room." The owl-like staff member grunted in agreement. "And that under no circumstances is a food fight allowed to occur. Else I will punish you." She narrowed her eyes with a dangerous glint.

"Why do I have the feeling she will put us in hell if we disobey?" Nearly everyone from the canon timeline thought as they felt a shiver in their spines. They all agreed to follow the Dragoness; rules. Else, they faced her ire.

"With that out of the way, you can sit where you want to be, and my sl-staff will bring your meals."

"Wait, aren't you going to give us a menu?" Asked Denki with surprise in his voice. Many of his classmates also looked surprised or merely didn't care.

Dark waved them off, "Not for today's Lunch. I'll serve you your favorite meals for now, which, yes, I do know what they are. By dinner, you will have other options available to you." She eyed Aizawa and a few other students, "Though I'm aware that a few of you don't have favorite meals, I'll surprise you with something I know you'll enjoy." With that, Dark entered the Kitchen, the double doors closing behind her.

"Sweet!"

Without hesitation, everyone sat down where they wanted. As they looked around, they noticed all of the staff were at reserved tables of their own. They caught Sleppt sitting down in his reserved seat if the name tag on it indicated anything.

They saw Komo and Nam sitting together, with Komo directly on the table and Nam sitting in a chair with a few books stacked, in the Dream Eaters' seat, and quietly chatting. Kyoka and Mezo, being the only ones to pick up their conversation, raised eyebrows when they realized that they were speaking an unknown language. By then, two waiters came in with their dishes. Komo was given Lasagna, an Italian Margherita pizza, and chicken with a side of onion Risotto. Nam was given Spaghetti Carbonara, a steak and cheese, and chips. They gave Komo a glass of sparkling water and lemonade while Nam was given a cup of coffee. They thanked the waiters that left for the kitchen in a hurry.

CBN was sitting at his table with the obvious nametag, likewise with Kai and Chibi at their own table. Kai, while seemingly uncaring, had his eyes on Chibi, who was kicking her feet and bouncing on her chair.

Not long after, two new waiters came in with their meals. CBN was given the equivalent of junk food. Different types of deep-fried meats as well as burgers. He was given a whole cake and some chocolates. He was also given some coffee and water.

Kai and Chibi were given two new-york style Pizzas with lots of different meats, such as pepperoni, ham, bacon, and sausage (no fish, though), with a few veggies here and there. No mushrooms, though. A large bowl of rice full of cabbage and some meat sausages came from Poland, which is known as Kielbasa. Two different pieces of french bread were toasted. One was garlic bread, while the other was spiced with butter and salad dressing. There was even a place for peanut butter brownies, which made Chibi perk up. A few sodas, such as Sprite, Rootbeer, and Fanta, were placed on the table. The waiters left not long after.

Silver…was still sobbing and muttering under her breath on her reserved table. Whatever she said must've been bad, for Kyoka and Mezo silently agreed to never, ever mutter what came out of her mouth. Nevertheless, a sole waitress came in with a delicious-looking Roast beef sandwich and a glass of cinnamon-iced tea. They left as soon as they placed everything down. Silver perked up from her funk at the sight of her food.

The doors opened, and Dark came out. Or at least, they think it's Dark. Everyone was too busy staring with boggled expressions at the humongous mountain pile of food nearly reaching the ceiling, which was quite the height.

There were meatloaf, bread, steamed vegetables, and whatever food they could think of was there. However, they noticed that fried chicken dominated the mountain of food. They saw more fried chicken than any of the other foods their eyes could physically see.

Dark herself didn't care as she placed the pile of food on Sleppt's table. The table buckled a little but, surprisingly, didn't collapse under the amount of weight. Her tail was wrapped around a couple of dozen giant cola bottles, and she placed them neatly on the table. There were no cups brought in, they noted that. Instead, Sleppt opened one of the bottles and drank from it.

Nevertheless, most of the class was dreading the strength she wielded if she could carry this around effortlessly. Minoru looked as though his soul had left his body.

Dark said something to Sleppt, which almost everyone couldn't pick up, and the butler looked offended. The man said something which made the Dragoness nod in satisfaction and return to the kitchen. Kyoka and Mezo picked up something about table manners.

And they began to suspect why. Sleppt took a leg of a chicken and took a bite out of it. The man chewed on it, humming in delight at the taste before shoving the rest inside his mouth. He pulled out the bone. And only the bone. Everyone could only numbly stare at the bone.

Bola snickered at that, "They should see how the others eat." He uttered quietly. After all, Sleppt had better table manners than some individualshe should mention.

But he won't.

Once everyone stopped gawking at Sleppt's meal, they turned their attention to the room. Earlier they haven't taken a chance to see and admire the dining room. Their eyes eventually landed on two individuals they hadn't met before. They were seated at their own tables, minding their own business and unbothered by the stares.

"Now, who are these two fellows?" Nezu voiced as the two glanced at the Chimera before returning to their own musings.

His answer came from Sleppt, whose head popped from the side of the mountain of food, "Those would be our resident Doctor and Workshop Technician, named Doc and Guipa, respectively," The man then pointed to the Finley-dressed man. "Doc, as his name suggests, is our resident Doctor. While he does other stuff, he'll be the one to go to check up on any injuries you may have."

Sleppt then turned to the man with headphones on. "And that there is Guipa, he works at our resident workshop similar to the one you have in the support course. It'll be it with a bit more of a magical touch. Any magic tech you see us using or you use in this theater was probably built or modified by him."

Izuku then chimed in, "Then why didn't some of us meet them when we got here like all of you?"

Sleppt then scratched the back of his head. "Well, they are considerably busier with their projects than some of us are, and they're still setting up most of their workspaces so they can properly operate in them more efficiently." He then took his hat off before continuing, "But don't worry. We'll introduce you before we send you off to your rooms for the night."

"They're also new. Doc has been manning the med wing since the last accident with cosmic dolphins, and Guipa just started." Bola chimed in. "So be kind to them, kiddos."

Doc was one of the better-looking humans, wearing a blue shirt with grey pants and red sneakers. He had sharp cheekbones and glasses and occupied his time by reading a book. A waiter came in with a Bacon Poutine, a Mountain Dew Baja Blast, and hot chocolate. Doc put his book away somehow and rubbed his hands eagerly as the waiter left.

"Is he dating anyone?" Mina had to ask, gaining many sighs of minor fondness and irritation, looking at the attractive man.

"No. But he isn't interested in looking for a partner." Mina pouted at Sleppt's answer.

Why are all the cute and good-looking guys never available?

Guipa was a man with dark brown hair wearing glasses, a teal t-shirt, blue jeans, a brown belt, and headphones. He had been listening to his music until Dark returned with a steaming bowl of some kind of stew with freshly squeezed orange juice. The man perked up when his food was placed on his table and placed his headphones around his neck. "Feijoada with no cabbage, as you requested."

Dark returned to the Kitchen just as the staff started to eat their lunches.

By that point, everyone was seated at their tables. Izuku was sitting at a table with his friends and Eri. Ochako sat on his left while Eri was on his right. They decided to murmur while they waited for their food.

Katsuki sat down at a table that was a little far away from Izuku's group and remained alone. It didn't last long as Ejiro sat down next to him. After he came, Sero came in, and behind him was a more reluctant Mina that was dragged by Denki. Katsuki merely gave them a weak glare, but it held no heat. If anything, he was thankful they decided to sit with him, but he will never admit it.

Fumikage sat down with Koji and Mezo, and the three, mostly Mezo, Dark Shadow, and Fumikage, chatted quietly while Koji remained silent, nodding and pipping in once and a while.

Momo sat down with Tooru, Mashirao, and Kyoka, and they talked to each other.

Minoru, Rikido, and Yuga sat down, and it was mostly quiet. Minoru was both seething and fucking terrified that he was near the demon's domain. Rikido looked unsure as he watched Yuga look at himself in a hand mirror he pulled out of somewhere. Where the hell did the French student get that, Rikido will never know. And frankly, he's better off being oblivious.

The adults decided to sit at a table that was close to the teens. That way, the pros can keep an eye on them.

By then, six waiters came out from the kitchen with drinks. The guests were given drinks from cold to hot. From water to soda. From tea to coffee. With wary eyes, the waiter who gave Katsuki his new favorite drink eyed the bottle of 'molten lava' as the teens called it.

"A…are you sure you want this kid?" The man asked, shuddering a little.

Katsuki scowled at the man, "Yes. Give it here fucker."

The man did as told, though he kept his wary eyes on the 'drink.' "Just be mindful, kid. This drink killed many mortals, including my foolish brother." He said that last bit with concealed disdain.

"Yeah yeah," Katsuki muttered, not really caring.

The rest of his friends, however, stayed clear of his drink while the waiter returned to the kitchen with the rest.

It didn't take long for their food to arrive. Many waiters came in and placed food in their respective places. Many cheered at the sight of their food, yelled "Itadakimasu," and began to eat. Izuku watched Eri cheer when she saw her meal of a small turkey sandwich with a side of apple slices shaped like bunnies come with another stripped candied apple.

He almost jumped in surprise when a large bowl was placed in front of him. Looking up, he saw Dark with a soft smile and a nod before going straight to Katsuki's table. Izuku looked at the bowl and felt his mouth water.

There was also a folded piece of paper taped on the bowl, but he'll read it later.

It was a large bowl of Katsudon. The pork cutlet was large and soaked in the delicious broth it absorbed. There were a few caramelized onions and green onions on top, but he knew there would be more on the bottom of the fried pork and on top of the rice. Without hesitation, he started eating.

Though he will admit, the size was a little too much. But he sure as hell won't complain. It means he'll have to work harder to compensate for this.

Katsuki took a few swigs of his drink, bored out of his mind. Most of the other extras were eating anyway, so he remained silent, lost in thought.

No, he did not jump when a large bowl of Mapo Tofu and a bowl of rice were suddenly placed in front of him. He glanced at the Dragoness, who gave him a natural look and a nod before heading off to the kitchen. Katsuki did notice a folded piece of paper was taped on the side of the bowl of Mapo Tofu. A clever spot where no one other than himself would notice. But he'll worry about that later.

He dug in, taking a silent delight in how his taste buds burned. But there was no way in hell he was going to admit that he was enjoying it.

Though he'll confront the Dragoness into giving him seeds for those chili peppers she uses on her dishes. Cause there's no way in hell their world has managed to create peppers as spicy as this.

While his co-workers and successor's mother ate their meals, the former hero seemed to be lost in thought. Toshinori wasn't really hungry. He knew that much while watching the rest of his students eating. It was difficult to eat and feel hungry when you had no stomach.

Thankfully, all he was given was some tea. Dark had merely given him a thermal, and his sharp eyes noticed that she had placed a folded piece of paper in his pocket.

"Read when alone." She had mouthed to him before heading to the kitchen.

If she insists, he'll have to wait until he has some privacy. At one glance, neither his co-workers nor Inko noticed this. He'll keep it that way if that is what the Dragoness wants. For now, Toshinori will enjoy his tea which soothes his worries.

He'll need it if he's going to speak to his successor.

Done with half of his Pizza, which is incredible for someone who hasn't taken his helmet off, Bola pulled a paper ball from under the table and flicked it at Guipa, nailing him on the head. The man cursed under his breath and looked back, seeing Bola mimic unfolding a note and reading it. Guipa nodded, showing he understood and grabbed the paper ball, which had fallen on the floor under his table.

"What was that?" SM Eri asked the armored man after swallowing her mouthful of food. It was so good! But nothing beats her brother's cooking.

Thankfully Dark wasn't offended when she said that to her.

"Just need to make sure Guipa switches the gravity locks. We don't want him trying anything funny." Bola shook his head and sighed, "I already deal with enough crap from that punk."

"You don't need to do it, you know." SM Eri eyed him worriedly, "No one would blame you."

"Kinda late to regret now." The man sighed, "It's not like I can go back now, eh?"

The girl patted his arm in sympathy, "Hang in there."

"I'll hang someone if he breaks another wall." They laughed, brushing past the sudden grim subject.

Dark eventually left the kitchen with a small chest. While the staff paid no attention to the Dragoness (Silver glanced at Dark nervously and scooted as far away as she could), the students eyed the chest wide-eyed.

The chest glowed a blue hue with markings all over. The center of the chest was that of an intimidating dragon roaring with its wings expanded. Its tail circled and near the head.

Unbothered by the stares, Dark opens the chest. Immediately, wailings of pain and fear came out, with a bright blue light coming out. Many of the students jumped.

"W-what is that?!" Mina yelled, trembling a little.

Dark, unfazed by the wailing, merely pulled out a blue-like wisp and closed the chest, abruptly ending the wails. She hummed thoughtfully at the wisp, unbothered by the unnerved guests. "Hmm, a warlord. A cruel one at that. Should keep me satisfied for maybe three hours…." She muttered under her breath. "Four if it's pushing it…."

"W-what's that?" Izuku had to ask, shaken at the earlier wails.

Dark eyed Izuku for a moment, teasing the wisp in her hands. Though, if anyone looked closely, it seemed like the wisp was trying to escape the Dragoness in a silent panic.

"This is a soul."

With the exception of the staff, everyone's jaws dropped. This was what a soul looked like?!

"There are different forms a soul can take." Dark said in amusement, "But the most common ones are a blue-like wisp.

Nezu rubbed his hand in anticipation. For him to witness something as spiritual as this was fascinating, "Marvelous, where did you manage to get something like this?"

Dark shrugged, "In my homeland, the souls are scattered all over the place. There is no afterlife where I come from. Once you're dead, that's all there is to it. No heaven or hell, no reincarnation. Nothing."

"That's sad." Ochako frowned.

Dark shrugged again, unbothered, "In my home world when someone passes permanently, there isn't anything left of them. They cannot think, speak or have memories of their lives. They are nothing more than wisps of power and energy."

"That's just cruel," Mina whined, unable to stop thinking something like that from happening to her or her classmates like those poor souls.

"Life and death can be cruel." Came the solemn response.

"Then… what's with that wailing?" Denki shivered. "If they can't think or speak…what was that?" He had lost his appetite. A shame too. He had less than half a burger to finish, and it was so delicious.

Well, maybe he can take another bite.

Dark shrugged. "While I explained the souls from my home world, I never said that this chest only had souls from my homeland. I gathered souls from around the Multiverse."

A pause.

"What," Aizawa asked flatly while Inko and many students looked horrified.

"Is that really surprising?" Dark asked sarcastically. "All of you have souls. Without a soul, your body can not function naturally. Nor would you exist, for that matter. The fact I traveled the multiverse also says everything."

"That's debatable," Bola said from his table, still eating with SM Eri, both completely unbothered.

"I said naturally, you bastard. Your soul is anything but natural." Dark snorted as she rolled her eyes.

Almost everyone merely looked sheepish, both at Dark's explanation and the uncertainty on what to do seeing here. Still, there was this unsettling thought. "This did mean she killed them?"

"Souls mean everything in my homeworld," Dark said seriously. "They are used for currency…." Nearly everyone was surprised. "...as well for nourishment."

And suddenly, dread fell heavy on their stomach.

"N-nourishment?!" Stammered a pale Momo as everyone's jaw dropped and blanched.

Dark nodded. "While we can eat foods like this," She gestured to their food, "My home world was in a desperate time where we had to adapt to feed on something. Thousands of millennia allow you to grow an acquired taste towards them, but I personally don't mind."

Before everyone's eyes, Dark put the soul in her mouth and began to chew. Everyone stared in horrified awe as she consumed the soul. Once the soul was swallowed, Dark covered a burp with her hand.

"But enough about my home world and the souls."

"You can't just say that and leave us hanging!"

"I can." Snorted Dark. "I really have no reason to trust you, so why should I tell you the hardships my home world faces? Just because I am rather fond of you doesn't mean I trust you."

Everyone clamped shut.

Bola, having finished his lunch, looked at Dark. "Wow, Dark, I knew you loved me!" He said in a false peppy voice while SM Eri giggled a little after finishing her candied apple.

Dark snorted, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Demon."

As the two began to go back and forth, the others were left to stew in their thoughts. If Dark killed, collected, and ate souls, what else did they do with them? Did everyone here eat souls? And what about their souls, could they? Were they going to be eaten?

Sleppt, who was a third done with his serving of food, seemingly understanding what everyone was thinking, made his way over to the table with a giant fried drumstick putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder, getting his and everyone else's attention.

"I know what you're all thinking, but I promise you all to have nothing to worry about." The man said as he put the entire drumstick in his mouth before pulling it out as complete bone. "We made Dark agree that none of you would be injured or your souls eaten, and you're under Bola's protection," He said, patting the green-haired boy's back.

This put everyone a bit at ease, if not still shaken by the revelation.

Dark then spoke, "And besides, even if that weren't the case, I wouldn't touch them. I prefer the souls of the guilty and hollow." Dark huffed, "I heard many say the purer the soul, the tastier it is. However, I prefer the taste of the guilty. The only times I collected good souls (not eat) were when they coincidentally died while I was on the spot."

This caused Aizawa to speak up "While I'm inclined to believe you as much as I can, I doubt everyone in the theater you've met you'd consider good, especially with how you talk to your boss."

Toshinori then continued the man's thought, "Which brings the question? Why haven't you taken the souls of the staff if you're able to?"

Dark scowled at Bola, who cackled, "For one, some of the souls here are rather unappetizing." He glanced at Sleppt before turning her attention to everyone else, "And the other is because Bola and I made an agreement. Bola caught me off guard when we met. One thing led to another, and I owed him a favor. In return, for reasons I won't say, I would become a chef here and not eat anyone's soul. Once all of you return to your world, the favor will be completed, and I will be on my merry way."

This talk of souls got the one green-haired boy curious, so he spoke up, "Uh…Miss Dark?

"Just Dark, Lord Midoriya. I have little care for formalities."

"U-uh…r-right… I-I have a question. If I may ask?"

At her nod, he continued.

He scratched his cheek. "Well, you clearly encountered a lot of souls, and you said everything needs a soul of some kind to exist, but Bola said it was debatable, so surely you've met some anomalies, right?"

Dark nodded courtly. "Yes. While rare, a soul can be created differently, become crippled, reach abnormal heights, or be experimented on." He glanced at Sleppt, who gave her a nod, "In fact, Sleppt and Bola have abnormal souls."

"What?!"

"It is not my story to tell. But to put it simply, something happened to Sleppt in his home world that turned him the way he is." Dark winced suspiciously at that. "As for Bola… Well, his soul is made out of chaos." She stuck her tongue out of disgust, "Chaos, I don't mind as it gives it an exotic flavor. I've eaten souls from the purest forms of hatred and chaos. No, what really puts it off is something else that makes it rather unappetizing."

Bola cackled in amusement to Dark's irritation, "Dark, please, don't give bad info to the audience. While chaos can be a little wonky, in many ways, my weirdness is a hundred percent natural!"

"Karshoj stoda, wux othoke!" Dark sneered at him, "That isn't what I meant!"

"Sure you weren't~" Teased the man.

"Yeah, Bola's nothing like-" SM Eri started to say, only to be interrupted by Bola putting a gauntlet-clad hand over her mouth.

"Spoilers." He said blankly, getting a muffled sorry. The audience just watched their antics with a new degree of curiosity and worry. Silver shot Bola a look unseen by all the others and got a discrete negative sign. It would come up at the right time—no need to rush things.

The green-haired boy, as well as most of the class and adults, turned around to see the butler with a cheeky smile on his face. "Not today, my lovely theater guests. That story will have to come later." He then began to walk away before looking back. "Let's just say I can't exactly fire off all cylinders right now." Then the man-made clones of himself as they spoke in unison, "But we'll keep on trucking!" With that, the man bid them farewell before returning to his table and again began to keep eating, not missing a beat.

Dark shook her head. "Anyway. Since most of you are almost done eating, you can either ask for seconds or do whatever you want until the break is over." She eyed Izuku and let out an amused huff seeing his pleading expression, "And yes, I can answer some questions involving souls if you're interested. Just don't expect much when the subject is things like him." She made a dismissive gesture in Bola's direction. "Cause even I have to acknowledge that there are some things that are still far from my understanding." She rolled her eyes, "Or best left unknown and forgotten."

Bola cackled.

In a couple of minutes, empty plates were piling, and the waiters went to pick them up and take them to the kitchen. Those who decided that they had enough food in their system debated on what to do while others ordered for seconds. Minoru, stuffed to the brim, tried to sneak out of the dining hall.

He didn't get far as he felt the touch of the grim reaper on his shoulder.

"And where do you think you're going, Mineta?"

Shivering, Minoru turned around fearfully and almost wet his costume at the sight of Dark's murderous smirk. "Did you really think you could evade your punishment? I noticed that you had gotten used to wearing the maid outfit, so I have another fitting one. But first, you are to clean the dishes with the rest."

"Oh, c'mon! Let me go!" Pleaded the midget.

His pleas were unheard as Dark dragged him to the kitchen. When the doors opened, everyone managed to notice briefly the absurd amount of dirty dishes stacked up in the sink before they closed.

Silence.

"I'm glad I didn't face that punishment," Muttered Denki, relieved as he had his second plate of burgers placed in front of him. Though he did feel bad for Minoru, he wasn't that stupid. So without a second thought, he gleefully took a bite of his fourth burger.

Hey, just because he had two plates didn't mean he had to consume two burgers.

By that point, Sleppt had finished his giant meal, cleaning his mouth with a napkin. "Dark, I'll like my second round, please!"

---

Once he managed to find some privacy in the boy's bathroom, Katsuki unfolded the piece of paper and read what was inside.

"Once Dinner is over, I want you to meet up with me here. Some things need to be put to rest." He read the coordinates that were given. He was skeptical, but not like he had anything better to do.

When he heard the bathroom door open, he stuffed the message in his pockets.

He'll worry about it when it happens.

---

Izuku wanted nothing more than to speak with Dark about many things, but the first things first… He unfolded the piece of paper and read it. Eri, their world's Eri, that is, was currently with Aizawa and the rest of the adults.

Well, most of them, his mentor excused himself earlier.

Nevertheless, this was probably the only time he'll have some form of privacy in the Eight Dimension. So he read what the message contained.

"Once Dinner is over, I want you to meet up with me here. There are still some loose threads you need to tie together."

Izuku pursed his lips upon reading the coordinates. He debated whether or not to ask Dark about this now, but something told him it would be better if he waited. Stuffing the note…somewhere, he decided to look for the Dragoness.

He still had a favor to ask.

With a couple of questions about souls and her world if she's willing.

With that, he returned to the Dining Hall and entered the Kitchen, where the Dragoness was keeping an eye on Minoru and a few other staff members who were cleaning dishes.

Though it was noted Minoru had most of the dishes.

"Umm… Dark?"

The Dragoness' sharp, brown eyes landed on the nervous teen.

---

Toshinori pulled out the folded piece of paper that was stealthfully placed in his pockets. In it was a message and a piece of candy that was taped.

"This is a little side project of Bola and SM Eri. I would have done things differently, but I was vetoed as they claimed this was 'better and more fun.' I'm not allowed to tell you what it is either, as they don't want me to 'ruin the surprise.' Though, I can promise you that this won't cause any harm to your frail body."

Toshinori, ignoring the obvious jab about his bony state, was skeptical about that final bit. While he trusted young Eri, he was wary about their host and young Eri's counterpart. Nevertheless, he plucked the candy out and stared at it in caution. Once he was sure he had removed the tape, he hesitantly put it in his mouth.

It was a hard candy, and it was sweet. Though the flavor was never something he had tasted in his life. He shifted the candy experimentally and sucked on it.

It wasn't bad. Despite not being a sweet fanatic like Gran Torino, it was quite good. But what really put him off was what their host and young Eri's counterpart had in plan.

He can only hope that Dark is sincere about this.

With that in mind, he went to join the rest of the adults, unaware of his body's minor changes.

---

"Oh, is that all?" Dark looked amused at the timid teen. "Sure, Sire, I can do that. Just be aware that's probably the only thing I can prevent. I ain't exactly an expert in this."

"T-thank you…A-and p-please doesn't call me that..."

"Heh, quite embarrassed, are you? Alright, I'll stick to calling you Lord Izuku then."

"Don't call me that either…."

---

Having decided for thirds because Dark had really outdone herself, and he also would probably need the energy later, Bola was halfway to the kitchen's doors when he was intercepted.

"I want a word with you." Aizawa stopped right in front of Bola, glaring down at the man.

"Sure." Bola only shrugged, not bothered by Aizawa's confrontational tone, "How can I help you?"

"You can start by saying, why are you doing this? Why put all this effort just to show a group of people with little to no connection to you something like that? What do you gain from it?" When Aizawa finished, he expected many things, but not for Bola to start laughing.

The armored man kept at it for a minute or two before finally calming down, "That was a good one. You know what is even better? The answer."

"Which is?" Aizawa's hand slowly inched to his scarf.

"For shits and giggles." Bola threw his arms up, "And before you start, no, it isn't a stupid non-answer. I literally did this, all this, because I thought it would be fun, and if I'm being honest? It is."

"And you expect me to believe it?"

Bola shook his head, "Of course not. But what does that change?" He gestured at the rest of the audience, "You guys are already here. You are already seeing what we are showing you. If you think this is all some over-convoluted plot, then you're right, but my big end goal isn't hurting any of ya, just telling a good story." He waved his arm at the place, "This is a theater, ya know?"

Aizawa didn't comment, staying still as Bola walked past him. Before the armored man could enter the kitchen proper, Aizawa's voice stopped him at the doors, "This seems like an awful lot of effort to 'tell a good story,' don't you think?"

Bola snorted, giving a smug chuckle, "It really isn't." He gave a two-finger salute and went inside the kitchen.

Aizawa sighed, "That tells us nothing." His scarf wriggled, and from it came a furry head of white fur.

"Quite the opposite." Nezu jumped down from his perch and cackled, "It told us plenty!"

The tired pro rubbed his eyes, "Can you please skip the games and be level with me?"

The unidentified mammal nodded, "Well, Aizawa-kun, we looked at this as a monumental effort for the theater's staff when it wasn't." Nezu tilted his head to where their host went, "It is a hobby, something to unwind and enjoy. And while that puts a new light on our stay here, it also clarifies what our hosts are capable of."

Aizawa took a sharp breath and cursed. So that was why the math wasn't closing because the scaling was wrong.

Aizawa knew someone wouldn't go through all the trouble of creating a facility, manning it, and going after people to utilize it for nothing, but that was the problem. While the scale of things left Aizawa and Nezu seeing the Eight Dimension Theater as a great construct from a possible madman, it was actually equivalent to a model of a madman.

Slightly better, yes, but that only put into focus how small this was for Bola and the staff. For them, this was a game. A game of chess at the tip of their fingertips. How disconnected are they really from the audience?

"I don't get paid nearly enough for this type of existential crisis." Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples to push back the growing migraine while half of his face was covered by his capture weapon.

"There, there." A soft voice and a pat on his leg brought Aizawa back to the present. He looked down and saw Eri, the one from the alternative universe, looking up at him.

She opened a small smile, "Don't worry too much about it."

"It's not that simple." He tried to come up with an explanation that a child would understand, but SM Eri interrupted him.

"It's pretty simple, all right. You feel like things are too out of your control, which makes you scared, and the fact you don't know or trust the person in control makes it worse." The mature understanding and matter-of-fact tone clashed with the innocent face that delivered them, but they hit the heart of the matter the same.

Nezu walked closer to the girl, gaining her attention, "You have to understand that from our perspective, we are in a very precarious situation."

SM Eri nodded, "Yes, it looks like that. But most times, things are not as scary as they look." She gestured at the theater broadly, "This place could have been used for a lot of other things, most of them bad, but Bola decided to make it a home, a heaven, and a good place in the middle of a very bad place." The small girl only smiled brighter at her grim words, "And now things are a little bit better. If you want to judge someone, do it by their actions, and you'll learn everyone here is a good person, weirdness aside."

Nezu and Aizawa shared a glance. The principal chuckled and nodded, "Well, with you vouching for them like that, how can we not give them a chance?"

Aizawa sighed. He needed a drink.

Now.

So without hesitation, he stormed to the Dining Hall, passing a satisfied Sleppt as he finally finished his fifth serving of food.

"That was a nice light lunch." Sleppt chirped as he patted his stomach. "Can't wait for dinner."

---

By the time Izuku reunited with his friends, he was out of the black coat, or Organization XIII coat, as Dark called it ("Just don't tell your classmates the name of it," Dark said as she took the coat from him to wash it, "Best if they figure it out when the time comes."). The Dragoness helped him (or rather instructed him) get out of it; thankfully, he still had his UA uniform underneath. A part of him had wondered what his other self wore, but he wasn't fanatic over his other self's fashion like Mina was.

And hopefully, he won't deal with that anymore.

The coat was cleaned and dried before being neatly folded and put inside a bag, courtesy of Dark. He liked the coat, but it really wasn't his style. Still, he plans to keep it as a souvenir and maybe use it as a Halloween costume.

"Dek-oh!" Ochako waved at her friend before stopping in surprise upon realizing that he wasn't wearing the black coat anymore.

"Midoriya! I see you have changed." Tenya nodded at him. The teen looked pleased.

"Y-yeah…Dark gave me instructions on how to get out of it and gave it to me." He gestured to the bag in his hand.

"I see. I should thank her. We must look representable and respectful." Tenya said as he chopped his hands, expressing his approval in the most comical way.

"So…." Everyone turned to Shoto, "What now?"

"Uh…"

"Young Midoriya?"

"Huh?"

Turning around, Izuku and his friends were surprised to see the retired hero. "All Might?"

The older man looked at his successor calmly, but Izuku picked up the nervous aura his mentor radiated. "I would like to have a word with you. Alone, if possible."

---

"We should play in the arcade again!" Mina yelled with a fist pump.

Once everyone from the Bakusquad was stuffed, they debated what to do. Katsuki had just returned from the bathroom, looking annoyed. His expression was a usual thing, so they didn't question it.

"Fuck no," Katsuki said, his expression turning to a scowl at the unintentional reminder of his humiliation. "I want nothing to do with that extra."

"Still sour that CBN beat you?" Teased Denki.

Katsuki growled but didn't say anything.

"We got to do something!" Pouted Mina, rubbing her belly with an exaggeration. "I would eat more, but I'm stuffed! I can't eat another bite!"

"Me too," Denki whined as he rubbed his stomach. He ate eight burgers with a handful of fries, and frankly, he's surprised he isn't bloated. But he was forever thankful for whatever god was out there. "Those burgers were delicious!"

Still, he lost the chance to ask the Dragoness about the Sea-Salt Ice Cream cause he was distracted.

"I still wonder how that Sleppt guy can eat that much," Hanta remarked.

"I know!" Denki grunted, a little envious, "I'm jealous. He can't be human if he can eat that much this quickly."

Ejiro grinned, exposing his sharp teeth. "Now that's a man right there."

"Or maybe he's an alien!" Mina teased. "That's why he did just that and why he's so attractive!"

"Nah," Hanta gave a dismissive wave, "He looks too human, and there isn't anything extra that screams alien. So I doubt it."

"You never know! There could be aliens that look like humans out there!"

Katsuki had been quiet the entire time; his eyes were unfocused and seemed lost in thought. The red-haired teen noticed this and placed a hand on the ashen-blond teen, snapping him out of his musings.

"Bro, you alright?"

Katsuki shrugged his hand off, "I'm fine." He muttered.

Ejiro didn't believe him, "Bro, you haven't been this quiet since All Might's retirement."

"Or since we found out he suicide-baited Midori," Mina said scathingly as she glared at the teen, not missing Katsuki's flinch. "I can't believe you would do something like that!"

Katsuki shot her a weak glare, "Shut up…. I was stupid and immature." He uttered.

He hated himself for saying something like that and forgetting about it. He had no excuse.

Mina glared at him for a moment before it crumbled, "The staff of this place told us that this was something not to worry about and that this is just some stupid shit about being a teenager. But I got to know why…." Her voice went hoarse.

The pink girl looked so broken, and Katsuki felt a stab in his chest that he desperately tried to stomp on with minimal success. Ejiro was already comforting the girl by putting his hand on her shoulder.

The ashen-blond teen clicked his tongue, "I have no excuse. I bullied the nerd 'cause he was quirkless, and he wanted to be a hero." Not to mention he had this stupid delusion that Izuku was looking down at him.

Ejiro swallowed, "Bakugo, I'm not sure if you noticed this, but your authority, including whatever comes out of your mouth, held a lot of power."

"Yeah, pretty sure if you told someone to go to school in their underwear, they would do it," Denki said jokingly, hoping to bring up the mood.

"Too soon, dude." Hanta shook his head, making the teen slump.

Mina grabbed Katsuki from his shirt, barely holding back the tears, "What did sweet little Midoriya do to you?"

Katsuki, while annoyed, stared at her with a blank stare. "...Nothing." He finally said. "I was just stupid and immature. The teachers were also stupid." He managed to get out of Mina's grip and started to leave. "They were the ones that encouraged me to do it, but I was the one who pulled the trigger." He stormed off.

Mina watched him leave with an unreadable expression and shaky clenched hands.

---

Izuku sweated a bit as he and Toshinori found an empty room so they could talk. His mentor seemed uncomfortable and was trying to find the right words to say to him.

"All Might?"

"Young Midoriya…" Toshinori began, "I wanted to talk to you about earlier."

Izuku blinked, "Talk about-?" Then it hit him, "Oh…."

There was an awkward silence before Toshinori cleared his throat. "It was one thing when we learned that young Bakugo bullied you in your earlier years…." Toshinori, while uncomfortable, his expression narrowed a little, "But then we discovered that you had doubted yourself while comparing your experiences with your counterpart."

"Oh…" Izuku understood where this was going now, and he rubbed his neck. "I-I'm fine now, All Might. I'm not upset about it anymore."

Toshinori hummed, "Maybe with your counterpart…." The former number one hero's expression narrowed again, "But there is still the situation with young Bakugo."

Izuku tensed, "W-wha-"

"Young Midoriya, telling someone to jump off a building is no laughing matter," Toshinori said firmly.

"A-All Might-!"

The man put his hand in front to quiet his successor, "From what I can tell, young Bakugo regrets his past actions, especially since he had forgotten he blatantly told you to kill yourself, but actions have consequences." His firm tone indicated that there is no argument, "Young Bakugo will face consequences when we return to our world, but I understand that he isn't the same person he was back in middle school."

"Y-yeah…" Izuku said, utterly defeated. "K-Kacchan was…difficult back then, and our t-teachers favored him… b-but, he's changed since we came to UA."

"Regretting one's actions and misdeeds does not make them disappear, my boy." Toshinori frowned, remembering his own regret when he discovered Shigaraki's true identity. It pained him to admit it, but Gran Torino was right in this matter.

Just because Shigaraki was Nana's grandson, this did not undo all the villainous deeds he's done. This is no different. No matter how much Katsuki changed, it won't undo his own misdeeds and actions.

"Indeed."

Both master and protege jumped upon hearing Principal Nezu's voice.

Said Principal was happily sitting in a comfy chair that was definitely not there beforehand, with a thermos full of a unique blend of tea Dark had provided him. 'straight out of the universe,' she said, and it was delightfully delicious.

A shame the current conversation made it rather bitter.

Both humans awkwardly stared as Nezu took a sip from his thermal.

"I'll admit since we came to this Eight Dimension, many questions have been answered. Such as Bakugo's record being too clean despite his unpleasant personality at the beginning of the year." Nezu eyed Izuku, "And why your record indicated you were a menace, despite Yagi deeming you worthy to be his successor."

Izuku flinched.

Nezu concealed his anger with his cheery expression, but the aura he radiated was rather blatant. The master and protege duo were unnerved by the murderous aura, which made Nezu just a little amused.

But it did nothing to ease his anger. It boiled his blood that there were educators out there who were encouraging such discrimination, hate, and whatever unsavory beliefs to indoctrinate those under their care for their own agendas.

He had plans to deal with this when they returned to their world. But for now, he needed to address this problem.

"Because there are no official marks on Bakugo's record, we can not do anything too scandalous for Bakugo's past actions." Nezu explained after taking a sip from his thermos, "As such, he'll be placed on anger management as well as therapeutic counseling for when we return to our world. I will discuss further punishment with him later." Turning his attention to Izuku, Nezu spoke, "And while we're at it, you'll also have therapeutic counseling, Midoriya."

Izuku started to protest, but Toshinori placed a hand on his shoulder, quieting him.

"Young Midoriya, please understand that this is not punishment." The former symbol of peace said. "After all you've been submitted to for most of your life, some things need to be addressed properly with adults who actually care for your growth."

Izuku wanted to protest, but the words couldn't form. So instead, he nodded and remained quiet.

"I must speak to Bakugo when I have the chance. But for now, it would be for the best if I leave it be for now."

Toshinori raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Why? Have we run out of time already?

"We have ten minutes, actually. But I doubt that you'll be able to do anything now, and Bakugo is currently exploring this place, and I have no idea where he is. By the time I would find him, I wouldn't have the time to interrogate him." Nezu chirped. "Instead, Midoriya, I would like to question you on what has happened during your years before UA."

Izuku hesitated.

Toshinori saw this and gently patted his successor's back as a form of comfort. "If you're not ready now, we can postpone it, young Midoriya. But I wouldn't suggest putting it off for much longer."

Izuku looked uncomfortable and uncertain. He bit his lip and looked up, "I-I'm n-not ready…."

Toshinori nodded in understanding and patted him gently on the shoulders, "It's alright young Midoriya. When you're ready, we're all ears."

Izuku only nodded shakily and went to the door. Just as his hand grasped the doorknob, he paused and turned to principal Nezu. "Um…sir? I know this is too much to ask… but can you guys not be too harsh on Kacchan?"

Nezu hummed and took a sip of tea. "And why should I, young Midoriya?" There was no indication that Nezu was displeased, but Izuku swallowed at his tone.

"K-Kacchan has done a lot of bad things…." He admitted, albeit a little quietly, "But he's changed in ways you wouldn't understand. I knew him my entire life, and seeing him today shows me how much he changed willingly."

Nezu hummed thoughtfully, "Perhaps we don't understand Bakugo's actions as much as you do, Midoriya, but please, I ask you to trust us to handle it."

Midoriya looked as though he wanted to speak, but instead, he bit his lip. He shakily opened the door and left the room. The two adults remained there for a bit, staring at the door where the teen left before the principal spoke up.

"What do you make of the young man's request Toshinori," Nezu said before sipping his tea.

Toshinori looked at the principal for a second before he stared back to the door where Izuku had gone through, "While it's true Young Bakugo's action can't go unpunished," the man clenched his fists, "I can't help but think over Young Midoriya's proposal," He finished, letting his hands relax and huffing out a sigh.

Nezu's unchanging amused expression looked up at his colleague, "Oh?…. And why, if I may ask," Nezu said. Still, he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Toshinori stayed silent for a second, pondering how he should vocalize his thoughts. "At the same time, young Bakugo's actions are indeed deplorable from what we've seen. I know there's good in him." The tall man turned to look at the small mammal, "And I know that Young Midoriya sees that good more than anyone else."

Nezu then looked up at the man. "While that may be true, your successor's ability to see the good in others may be to his own detriment, Toshinori."

The man was silent for a bit. "You may be right, but I know that Young Midoriya has also seen the bad in Young Bakugo as well, so he knows better than anyone how the boy has changed." Toshinori gave the door a steeled glance with his glowing sunken eyes.

"I have ignored Young Midoriya's feelings once now, which is one too many times."

He then glanced at the principal, "So now I'll take these feelings and this proposal of his to heart."

With that, Toshinori left the room, leaving only Nezu, who sipped on his tea.

The Principal looked thoughtful before he took the most extended sip, having to drink the last of the tea, marveling at the last of its taste before speaking up.

"What an interesting conversation this was." Mussed the Chimera. "But it doesn't change that a certain school district must face…casualties." He cackled in delight as he rubbed his hands eagerly.

---

It took forever for the dishes to be clean. And when you're as small as Minoru, with little chance of reaching the sink, it only makes it worse. So when he reached for the final dish, he could see the end of the tunnel.

The feeling didn't last long, though.

Because the moment Minoru was finished washing the dishes, Dark dragged him out of the kitchen. Thankfully she got rid of the stupid maid's outfit, and he was now wearing some actual masculine clothing.

Still, that didn't mean he was going to drop his guard around her.

"Now then, Mineta," Dark said casually, leaning at the wall and staring at the glowering yet shaking midget. "You would think that this is the end of your punishment… But it isn't." The boy's face lit up before Dark bluntly said those final words.

"What?!"

"Boy," Sneered Dark, "Let me be clear: a decent amount of us despise perverts. And let me tell you, that's a fucking underestimated. We fucking hate them."

"Why?! What's wrong with admiring some beauty?!"

"Nothing," Dark said bluntly, catching Minoru off guard. "I won't lie. Some of us, if not most, are really hypocrites out there. Some people out there have the same perverted thoughts as you but are merely quieter about it." She narrowed her eyes at him but ensured not to seem too hostile. "And more respectful."

"B-but-!"

"Listen to me before you open your mouth," Dark said sharply, and the boy clamped his mouth shut. "Outside of this dimension, there are many like us. They're known as Watchers."

"W-Watchers?" Minoru asked shakily, caught off guard by the sudden change of subject.

"Yes, Watchers. As the name says, they watch. Their job is to watch the multiverse without interfering; they were meant to be neutral, but alas…." Dark clicked her tongue, almost looking as though she ate something sour, before shaking her head. "Anyway, a long time ago, most of them were mortals just like you, but then they stumbled upon a power beyond unimaginable and, thus, became the way they are."

"A-and w-what is this power?" Stuttered Minoru, shaking fearfully.

Dark sighed and muttered something under her breath. Though Minoru was sure he had heard the word fiction, then again, he wasn't certain as the Dragoness spoke very lowly.

"It doesn't matter." She said bluntly, "Point is that after becoming a Watcher, if they wanted to, they can learn to manipulate realities limited to their imaginations. Which turns them into Creators."

"C-Creators?"

"Yeah." Dark walked to a window to look outside with her hands behind her. She could see the blackness of the outside. "As the name suggests, they are creators. Their purpose is to create different worlds. The power is so corrupted and addictive. Not even all of us are immune."

Minoru swallowed.

"We could create new worlds by simple thoughts or interference." She glanced at the teen. "Hell, the world that you and your classmates had been watching is nothing more than a creation of Bola."

"W-what?!"

"Even I created worlds, most of which are still works in progress." Dark turned to him, "I, like all Creators, fell victim to the power. I could create a new branch from a tree. The multiverse is a giant forest, and your world is nothing more than a tree."

"B-but, what does this have to do with me being a pervert?!"

Dark glared at him, "Think Mineta. What would you think would happen if someone who hates perverts with a passion had the power to manipulate worlds?"

It took a moment, but once it sank in, Minoru went white.

"Exactly," Dark said gravely. "They wouldn't hesitate to find a way to kill you. Some…haters are more kinder than others and would just place you on General Education, have you expelled or assured you never existed. Unfortunately, some would go as far as making you worse than what you are as an excuse to either punish you for their content or get rid of you in the worst ways possible."

Minoru shakily took in a breath… "W-what are you going to do to me?"

Dark hummed, "Well, despite my dislike of you, I won't go as far and do something as petty. I despise pointless bloodshed if I can avoid it. Bola, likewise, prefers not to go that far, either. It's the reason why we agreed to give you these punishments. I'll be honest, Mineta, some of the staff would happily beat you to a bloody pulp before you can think. But Bola put his foot down, so rest assured that you are safe."

"Though, everyone seems to forget that Japan has different views on sexuality."

Minoru gulped as he looked around warily.

"I'll be honest, Mineta, when you were on the main timeline, or canon timeline as we're dubbing it, you were safe."

Minoru looked surprised, "Why?"

"Not all of the Watchers or Creators have the power to touch the canon timeline, the bark of the tree." Dark explained, her eyes turning back to the void, "But for those that do, it would be pointless because that world would become a branch with its own leaves of choices, leaving the bark of the tree untouched." She shrugged, "Doesn't seem to stop them, though."

Minoru was quiet for a moment before looking at the Dragoness, "But since we're here…we're no longer part of the bark."

Dark nodded at him, huffing in agreement, "Indeed. You're safe because while most of us aren't fond of you, you aren't the worst of the lot. As I said before, you aren't the worst of the perverts I confronted; the worst thing you did was make those rude remarks and stare creepily at a girl. I literally saw someone take pictures of multiple oblivious women until the police stepped in. And said person was married and with family on a beach vacation. Then, of course, there are those who actually sexually harass people." Dark shook her head, "As I said, Mineta, you are tamer than other perverts. A shame people don't realize that."

Minoru looked thoughtful as Dark began leaving, her hands in her pockets. Minoru mindlessly followed the Dragoness.

"I'll let you be, for now, Minoru." Dark said, "But if you step out of line again, I won't hesitate to put you in a punishment much worse than the maid's outfit. Understood?"

Minoru swallowed but nodded, "Yes, ma'am…."

"Good. Now I believe it is time for you to return to the theater for the next episode." Dark turned to him, "And Minoru, do keep this conversation between us, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am…"

"Good."

Minoru remained silent as he lifelessly followed the female Dragon. It was then that he had a thought. "Wait, if Watchers and Creators can't touch or change the main timeline…then who can?"

Dark's lips twitch, "Isn't it obvious? The creator of your world, the planter of the tree when it was a mere sapling."

"And who's the creator…?"

Dark shrugged, "I never met him personally, nor has anyone in the theater. But the name of your creator is Kohei Horikoshi."

"K-Kohei Horikoshi…" Minoru muttered.

Dark merely hummed. "Quite the interesting fellow. Unfortunately, he seems to be overexerting himself lately, which is not good for his health." Muttered Dark muttered under her breath.

Minoru didn't hear what she said, but he really didn't care. Instead, he quietly followed her until she took a detour, which caused the small teen to finally snap out of his stupor and look at her strangely, "Where are you going? The theater is over there." He pointed in that direction.

Dark stopped walking for a moment and answered, "I need to take care of some things in my room and then pick up Chibi from Kai. You go on without me. I'll join in later." She snorted, "Besides, I still need to cleanse your teacher before the showing. That idiot you call a teacher was foolish enough to get hammered before the end of the day. Normally I would have let him deal with the consequences on his own."

"B-but?"

Dark merely gave him a deadpan, "A human can not properly function with alcohol in their system. Imagine a mortal insisting on drinking my special stash." She snorted, "Under normal circumstances, it would kill him, but because of the nature of this place, he's fine. Just completely out of this world."

The teen swallowed thickly before stuttering his question."A-and what are those things you mentioned?" He asked fearfully, almost looking as though he didn't want an answer.

Dark remained silent for a while, and Minoru wondered if she would ignore him. Then, she finally spoke in a solemn tone, "Something that your mortal mind wouldn't comprehend."

Dark walked away, leaving a terrified Minoru Mineta behind. Whatever curiosity he had died out then and there.

He was better off not knowing.

---

Kyoka was lost, with a capital L. The rest of the letters should also be capitalized, in her opinion.

She had gone up to the second floor to give it a look, maybe found something cool to see or a clue on how to open the exit door. However, that didn't work very well for her. The second floor had various twists and turns that led to separated wings and rooms, with most connections being by rafters which let her see the floor below.

She could understand the appeal as the view was nice—both one of the areas below and the one out of the strange-shaped windows. The outside was a strange void that seemed to be a black nothing, which would suddenly turn into a blank limbo with spiraling patterns, and then into what looked like the bottom of the ocean with the refractive wavy forms of glowing things in the distance.

Bola had said most stuff in Nothing wasn't as nice as him, and the guy didn't give Kyoka any reason to doubt him so far. She could hear his heartbeat under the armor, even if it gave it an echo that sounded strange to her ears, and it never spiked with the telltale signs of a lie.

For that reason, Kyoka made sure not to stare too much and keep away from the windows.

The girl was seriously considering jumping down from one of the rafters and trying her luck when she heard something laughing. It came from a door a little ahead, and differently from the others with their over-the-top signs, this one simply had "Lockdown Room" written on it in black.

The name alone was a massive red flag, but Kyoka didn't have many options, so she approached it warily. Getting closer, her enhanced hearing started to pick up the voice coming from inside.

It was one of the most sickening things she had ever heard.

It was like various voices speaking in different accents and tones simultaneously while rats shrieked.

"Come now, is that your great plan? I expect better from you." The vile thing taunted with so much malice Kyoka shuddered.

"And I expected you to whine about it like a little bitch, so I can't say I'm surprised, punk." Bola's voice, usually calm, peppy, or smug, sounded apathetic, with barely contained anger boiling underneath, something that shocked Kyoka. None of them had ever seen the man get mad, only different levels of annoyed, which made the hostility in his tone clear.

"Oh, someone feeling brave."

"Cut the bullshit, will ya? I was about to serve myself another delicious pizza, but instead, I'm here looking at your ugly mug."

Kyoka got closer still and pressed her ear to the door. Now she could clearly hear the sounds inside the room. Bola, his tone was losing the battle to keep the anger down; something cackling, like dry sticks fueling a fire; the clicks of what could only be chains.

The master of the theater continued his tirade, "Let's skip all the fake pleasantries and go right to the part where you fake you're in control, I call you out on your shit, we threaten each other, and I leave you here to rot some more. I really would like to finish that pizza."

"Oh, but of course. But you got one thing wrong. I am not faking anything." The foul amalgamation of voices let out a laugh that made Kyoka want to vomit.

"Then you're really stupid, eh?" Bola's laugh, normally an impish mad cackling or a boisterous belly laugh when he found something genuinely funny, was now a condescending thing that really didn't fit the man. It at least mercifully silenced whatever else was inside that room with him. "Because let me tell you a secret, you bastard. This game is already over; you lost the moment you challenged me."

The sharp clinking of chains going taunt, "YOU THINK YOU WON?! I WILL ENJOY WATCHING YOU AND YOURS BURN!"

Bola's tone didn't rise; instead, it turned into a smug, drawn-out monotone, "I'm sure you will… not. The difference between you and me, punk, is that I know how to play the game the right way. Meaning, I cheated as nobody's business." He gave one of his signatures mad cackles, something that surprisingly soothed some of Kyoka's worries. "This is why you are gonna stay here until one of them comes to kick your pathetic ass. And just like all your siblings, you will see that good wins."

What was in there with Bola answered with a roar that was just a pure wave of sound, anger, and Madness that hurt Kyoka's head as if someone had brought down an axe to it. The girl scurried back, then turned tail and ran, putting as much distance between the Lockdown Room and her as fast as she could. Kyoka freely admitted to herself she was pretty terrified. Still, she just couldn't decide if it was of whatever evil was contained inside that room or of Bola, who had put it there and said to its face that it was only an annoyance he had already defeated.

Probably both, but the rocker girl had to acknowledge Bola had gone from crazy but well-meaning weirdo to hardcore badass and even more of a weird madman in her head. Something made worse by the fact Kyoka was sure he would have taken it as a compliment.

Just who was the guy that had abducted them all? And what was inside the Lockdown Room?

---

Meanwhile, in a darkened room…

…

"Damn it! Another failure!"

….

"Well, no matter… failure is just a step to process… Though it doesn't change my frustration."

…

"*Sigh* I'll just put this project to the side for now and take a little break. It wouldn't be healthy for me to be too obsessed with it."

…

"Besides…. I have been interested in them for a while now. Unfortunately, I need to return to my position soon. Time is almost up."

.

.

.

*SCREEEEEECH!*

"Ah yes, before anything, I must get rid of you first. I refuse to make another incident like that again. That nearly cost Sleppt's entire soul and the many lost lives before and after him. It was a stroke of luck that he survived."

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!*

…

*SPLAT!*

*SPLAT!*

…

"Ugh, what a pain."

---

Katsuki couldn't tell how long he'd been walking or what part of the theater he was walking through, but it didn't really matter as he was mainly lost in thought.

The blonde had been aimlessly wandering around, trying to get as far away from the lobby as possible.

He didn't need to bother with his classmates or those theater extras.

Shitty Hair wanted to talk to him; Raccoon Eyes wanted an explanation, and all the others wanted to hear why he did it.

"Tch, it's not like me telling those extras why I did it is somehow going to magically make it fuckin better."

And then there were those theater extras trying to get close to him and his extra classmates. It felt off.

"Why the hell did they bring us here? If Rock Head wanted to show Deku stuff, he could've just taken Deku."

"Well, look who it is."

This stopped the boy in his tracks. It couldn't be.

"Hello there, Mr. Katsuki Bakugo."

The blond-haired boy looked up from his feet just to see one of the extras he was talking about,

"Fucking Bell Hop."

The boy had to admit this theater extra had annoyed him with what he would consider the tiniest amount, especially when compared to Rock Head, but that didn't mean he still wasn't annoying.

"Hmmm?" The man pondered, "This place is usually impossible to get to unless you're Bola or any staff member," Sleppt said as he opened a trunk and began to rummage through it. "So, how did you get to my little private paradise in the theater?" He questioned the teen.

Huh? What was Bell hop talking about? He just walked down the ha-

The boy turned around to see a wall from which he had previously come. Katsuki also noticed the walls were dark blue now instead of red.

"The hell?!" Where the fuck did the damn hallway go?!

Now peering up from the trunk, the man could see the boy's shock through his body language, and it took him everything he needed to know.

"Ahh, I see you got here by complete accident, huh?" The older man questioned as he walked up to the boy.

The boy didn't answer the question, simply looking at the man "Bell Hop, how do I get the hell back to the lobby?!" The teen really wanted to be anywhere but here right now.

This caused the man to pause and look at the boy. The glance he was giving him pissed the ashen blonde off.

It was like….he was looking down on him.

Sleppt gave the boy a worried glance; while he was usually this vulgar, the man could tell he was more reserved than usual "Are you sure you want to go back to everyone right now? You seem kinda-"

The man didn't get to finish as the boy interrupted, "Yeah, I'm fucking sure. Take me back to the lobby."

Sleppt looked at the boy as he sighed. He quickly put his hand to the wall as it morphed around to make a hole, "Follow me." He said as he stepped through the teen not far behind and what they saw.

Their backs came out from the hole in the opposite wall.

Both the boy and the man got confused, only to look behind them to see the same image, now on the opposite wall.

Sleppt began to scratch his cheek. He had a good idea of what was happening but knew the short-tempered boy wasn't gonna like the answer.

"Bell Hop, what the hell is going on here?!" Katsuki said, gaining a scowl.

The man twiddled his finger. "W-well, I'm not entirely sure, but for as long I've been in this theater, it has its own special way of doing things, and you seemingly end up where you're going without realizing it. It seems like it just sends you where it feels you need to be, and you aren't allowed to leave till it says so."

The explosive teen gave him a look halfway between deadpan and a scowl. "So you're saying this damn theater has a fucking mind of its own." The place got increasingly annoying the more he was in it.

The man in blue simply shrugged his shoulder, "That's my theory, but it could also be Bola messing with us. He gets weirdly quiet whenever I ask him about it, but I can feel him smiling cheekily underneath that helmet." Sleppt was waiting for the teen to freak out or scream his boss' nickname.

Katsuki, a bit annoyed and angry, just let out a sigh. "I don't have time for this." Much to the surprise of the bellhop. The boy gave him a tired but annoyed look as he asked, "So what the fuck are we supposed to do?"

Then Sleppt pondered for a bit while looking over the boy's demeanor. "Well… you have something on your mind." The man asked, looking at the boy with a tired stare. He figured that's why the boy was here in the first place.

The ash-blond teen stared down. He didn't feel like talking to any of these extras about it, but he knew everyone in the theater staff probably already knew what was going through his head and how he felt.

"What's there to fucking say that you don't already know?" Katsuki looked up at him. "You already knew my damn story before I set foot there. I knew how much of an asshole I was. You probably already know how I feel about it, so what's the damn point?"

The man looked away and nodded his head. "Yes, you're not wrong. I did know your story and why you did it. I don't think that's what we need to talk about," Sleppt said as he stepped back onto the carpet and summoned a couple of chairs from the ground.

The boy then gained a confused look in his eyes. "Then what the fuck is there to talk about?" If this wasn't some lecture about how what he did was wrong, then what was the point

Sleppt sat down in the chair with its back towards the wall as he continued, "I think it's less to do with what you did, and why you did it, how your goals themselves shaped you." He motioned for the boy to sit down before he finished.

Begrudgingly the boy sat down, facing the man as he let him continue.

Sleppt saw this, then took off his hat, letting out a surprising amount of untamed, curly dark hair. He let out a sigh as he caressed his hair, "And I also think you're here 'cause at a point in time….. you and I weren't so different." The man finished, and he stared off, seemingly reminiscent of something.

Katsuki blinked. This isn't what he was expecting, "What the fuck?" He began to glare a bit at the man, "You're like me? is that supposed to be a fucking joke?"

The theater's butler couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I can see why you would think that, but not only am I just a few years older than you, but that is making a mountain out of an ant hill." He waved it off. "But never mind that. I'll give you an explanation later." Sleppt then pointed at Katsuki. "This is about you, so what's your goal?"

Katsuki stared at him for a bit. "Don't you already fucking know what my goal is?" This was stupid. What's the point of doing this fucking thing over again?

Sleppt stopped before he dropped down a bit, getting a bit of a crooked smile. "Come on, humor me a bit now" He then regained his posture. "I could know your whole life story even after I met you, even if I could see your future, but nothing gets better for you if you don't lay it out for yourself."

Katsuki gave the man a look that you could practically tell he was asking if he was serious, but the butler's unwavering smile at him knew he wasn't getting out of this. He just let out a tired sigh and muttered, "I want to be the number one hero like All Might."

The man gave a hum of understanding before letting out a simple "No," the smile never leaving his face. "That's not it."

Katsuki's eyes switched emotions faster than Izuku's mutter storms as bewilderment entered his eyes before it was replaced with a fire as he harshly glared at him. "What?" He said in a slow, threatening tone. "The Fuck do you mean, 'No'?" He said his goal, and this guy just waved it off.

Sleppt saw that the ashen teen had taken it the wrong way but nonetheless didn't falter under the boy's glare. "I mean that, while that is your goal, it's not your root goal," The butler said, pulling a two-liter bottle of cola and a can of ghost pepper cola out of nowhere and landing it on the boy as he took a swig of the regular stuff.

While still a bit mad, the teen took the beverage and began to drink it. It wasn't as hot as the stuff Dark gave him, but it was good enough.

As the butler finished his swig, he put it down, "Now, while being the number one hero like All Might was is a fine goal, it's not the root of it. Your true goal is that root that grew into wanting to be the number one hero is the true goal." He took one more swig of cola. "So again, I ask, what is your goal?"

The boy gave the man a dead-hard look as he reached into himself to find that goal. At first, he thought the man was full of it, but he realized that the man wasn't wrong. "To be like All Might."

The man nodded again but continued, "We're almost there." Sleppt decided to stop holding back as his smile was gone, "What does it mean to be like All Might to you?"

The boy faltered for a bit seeing the casual tone of the man gone as his smile disappeared and his eyes gained a serious manner like his aura itself commanded authority. However, still, he answered, "To be the strongest there is… and to never lose." The boy said quietly, taking a sip of his drink.

Sleppt's eyes didn't falter for a second before he closed him, and his smile reappeared. "To

be the strongest, Huh?" The aura was gone, replaced by solemn and somber energy as he opened his eyes to look at the Katsuki, "And let me guess, is the strongest means to be respected off of your strength, to defeat all villains that stand in your way, to always win?"

The boy, while surprised, looked at the man and nodded a bit. It's what he always figured, anyway.

The boy watched the man put his hand together as he brought them up to his face, and he could hear the man laugh. "Hehehe…yeah, that confirms it, Katsuki. There was a time when you and I were not so different." The man then stood up. "Well, it looks like it's story time."

The man then got himself comfortable "This story begins with myself, and it may seem very familiar. I was a young boy, and I admired a man who lived by strength and power. He lived by his own rules and destroyed anyone who dared to threaten him or his livelihood. Everyone had respected him until the day he died."

Katsuki, while looking at the man, nodded but got annoyed. "But I'm guessing that's not the whole damn story."

Sleppt then nodded. "I can't give you full context as I don't remember all of who I was before this. I can say what happened to the man. His strength and power were the death of him."

Katsuki looked confused. "What? Did someone stronger come on and beat him?"

Sleppt gave a grim look. "Worse. Everyone turned their back on him when his back was against the wall."

Katsuki looked at the man. "So he wasn't fucking strong enough?" Katsuki didn't grasp it fully. If they respected him like they respected All Might, why would they turn on him?

Sleppt shook his head. He knew what the blonde was thinking. "He was plenty strong, but they didn't respect him like I did or how you do with All Might. He wasn't respected out of admiration. He was respected out of fear by others."

The teen froze, "What the fuck?"

Sleppt grimace remained, "He wasn't like All Might. Whereas All Might was one of the greatest in your world, this man was no hero. Compared to your standards, he was considered a tyrant to everyone but his people, but he couldn't be the one on top forever. When he was at his lowest, that fear-driven respect turned into hate and malice as they brought him to his very own death as he struggled and begged for help."

Katsuki froze for a bit, shocked. "Th-they," He swallowed, "Killed him?"

Sleppt couldn't do anything but nod, "But I didn't learn the same lesson they all did." the man clenched his fists, "The admiration I held for the man's strength soon became my flame to spark revenge," he sighed. "So I trained, I fought, I did everything I could to get the power and strength I wanted." He gave the boy a somber smile, "And it worked. I defeated all who betrayed the man I admired so much with my own hands and showed them the fear he felt as they all turned on him."

Katsuki swallowed as he thought about the words he was told. A man who equaled power to All Might was betrayed for implanting fear. It was too much to swallow, but he had to ask, "W-what happened after?"

Sleppt began to look off into the distance. "At first, it felt good taking back what I felt they stole." he then looked at his hands. "Then I began to realize while I had beaten them, I could never get back what I lost, then I felt…..empty," Sleppt then gave Katsuki a hard gaze, "So then I kept taking, I kept growing stronger, I took whatever I wanted and lived by my own rules just like the man I admired." He then gained a sorrowful look. "It never filled the hole I felt."

Out of nowhere, a small smile formed on the man's lips, "Then I…met a little girl…If I remember right, I was paid to take care of her." He then began to chuckle, "At first, she was a little pain in my neck…but the more I stayed with her, the more something began to change. I began to give instead of take, and I didn't know why at first, but the hole felt smaller and smaller the more I did. I learned what respect born from admiration truly was."

Katsuki felt a lump in his throat, unable to swallow. He suspected what Sleppt had in mind, but the words just couldn't form, nor could his brain process it. "And…what was it…?" That was all he could form.

Sleppt looked at the blonde, "It was feeling like you could do all knowing you had someone looking up to you," The butler seemed to pounder as a solemn aura was released, "But no matter how much I changed then, what I did in the past never dies. No matter what power you have, some people oppose you then. That power learned is a knife to your back." He said and smiled, but there was no joy behind it. "I learned the lesson behind that far too late, and it cost me my very existence."

Katsuki, while glum at the information, was confused at the final bit, "The fuck do you mean? You're right here!"

Hearing the teen's confusion caused him to chuckle a bit, "I forgot you don't know." Sleppt then put a finger over his mouth. "Sorry, can't say. Bola would kill me if I spoiled,"

Katsuki got annoyed again and grumbled. "More damn secrets and questions."

Sleppt could tell Katsuki had gone through a lot, but he now had to ask, "But do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

Katsuki looked at the butler, who had nothing but a solemn look in his eyes. "Yeah, I understand…."

Sleppt then gave him a look, "So now my question to you is, do you still desire power above all else?"

Katsuki paused for a moment, pondering on the question before finally speaking. "Yes…." Was all that came out of his mouth, but he didn't seem entirely confident about his answer.

Sleppt saw the teen's hesitation for a second on his answer, "but…?"

Katsuki drank what was left of his drink and then looked at the man, his eyes burning with certainty and determination. "But I refuse to go down the same path you took…..the path your idol took." he then gave the man a determined look. "I don't know what path it will be, but I'll find it all on my own."

Sleppt gave a small smile. "You're a little confused about it, but you have the right spirit and mind for it. The entire staff believes in you." He then clapped his hands together. "Well then, I think this deserves a reward!" the man spoke with glee, "And to think it would be you of all people I choose!"

"Huh?!" Blurted out Katsuki, "What the hell do you mean, Bellboy?!"

The man answered quickly, "While I can't decide your path to power, I can help you achieve power and guide you a bit, so give me one second."

After going through his pockets to find the junk metal he had, the man quickly put it all in his hands and clasped them together, much to the explosive boy's confusion.

All of a sudden, a bright light came from the butler's hands as it shined through an orange hue.

As the light finally died down, he pulled the metal out of his hand and brought it over to Katsuki "Here you are, young Katsuki Bakugo," as he held it in front of the boy only to reveal…

A butterfly charm…

The blonde gave the Butler a blank and annoyed stare "...are you fucking with me right now?"

Sleppt gave him a smile. "Come on. Humor me and take it, please. It'll be worth it,"

Katsuki sighed as he looked at the charm. At least it was his colors. The body itself was green, while the wings were spiked black with an orange outline like his hero outfit.

Begrudgingly the boy held his hand out for the charm as Sleppt let it drop into his hands.

As it touched his hand, Katsuki could feel what he could describe as a surge of energy hitting his palm and traveling through his body in an instant, "What the fuck?!" In shock, Katsuki dropped the charm and empty can of soda, and they hit the ground

Sleppt looked giddy, seeing it unfold. "As I thought you reacted to it."

The ashen-blonde was not amused. "Bell Hop, what the fuck was that?!"

Sleppt answered with a little bit of pride in his voice, "That was the test I just gave you."

Katsuki looked down at the charm as he spoke, "A fucking test?!" The boy was majorly confused.

Sleppt answered, "I said before that I can't choose the path you take, but I can help you achieve some power and guide you" he then pointed down to the charm. "That charm is filled with energy, and your test is to get the charm to react to you and pull the energy out." He then had a cheeky smirk. "If you can do that, then I'll teach you how to use the energy," And went back to the usual smile, "So go on, pick it up."

Katsuki looked at the man like he'd grown a second head but had begrudgingly picked it up slowly.

At first, the energy felt off, but as he held it more, the energy emitting from it felt warm but powerful. "So, how do I pull the energy out of this stupid thing?"

Sleppt then wagged his finger "Nope, can't tell you."

Katsuki looked in confusion and irritation. "The fuck you mean you can't tell me?"

Sleppt gave him a faux look of offense. "It's a test; I can't just give you the answer." He then tapped on the charm. "Besides, if you can already feel it, you just have to keep feeling it till you can get a good grip on it."

Katsuki looked at him, not happy. "That's fucking stupid."

Sleppt shrugged. "Hey, if you don't want to do it, I can just take it back," he said as he reached for the charm.

Katsuki quickly moved the charm and his hand away. "No, fuck that! I'll do your damn test."

Sleppt gained a cheeky smile. "Alright, but be warned, the energy reacts to your emotions. So too many negative thoughts, and it can backfire on you."

Katsuki shrugged it off as he turned his back to the butler. "Whatever…..I can go now, right?"

Sleppt simply opened and held in the wall, and the blonde and butler saw the theater lobby. "Alright, you should probably get back to the screening room. The next episode starts soon," He said as Katsuki stepped through. "I, for one, have things that need doing," he said as he began to walk away.

Katsuki stared at the charm as he walked the opposite way. "Yeah, whatever." Then something came to the boy's mind. "Hey, Bellhop!" He yelled to the man.

Sleppt turned around as the hole slowly closed. "Yeah?" he asked the boy.

Katsuki then asked, "What's the energy called?"

Sleppt gained a sly smile as he answered, "It's called Ki'' He finished as the hole closed.

---

"Hi!"

"Uh… hi?" Eri greeted back the other her that wasn't her, but also was her? She was still really confused about it.

The other her picked Eri's hands with hers and held them softly, "I wanted to talk with you for a bit, alone."

Eri tilted her head, "Why?"

The girl smiled and winked, "Can't go spoiling stuff for the others now, right? But I can make you an invitation." She giggled and pulled Eri along, "C'mon, I know you'll like it."

"Are you sure Mr. Eight won't be mad?" Eri was sure the funny man wouldn't do anything bad to them, but he said his theater had rules, and Eri didn't want to break them.

The other her grimaced slightly, "He's… a little too busy to care at the moment. Also, it's kind of a loophole, so I'm sure he'll only be glad I found it." She looked up and hummed in thought, "And probably proud that I used his own schtick on him."

Eri decided that it was probably fine and let the other her lead the way. Later she would be really glad she did so.

By then, everyone was filling up the theater room again as the countdown read 2:56 and went down.

Bakugo sat down in his seat. As much as he wanted to sit elsewhere, Sleppt had stressed that he needed to be in his appointed seat. So with great reluctance, he sat with the rest. Mina refused to look at him, though she did glance his way before looking away quickly. Ejiro looked as though he wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say, so he kept his mouth quiet. Denki and Hanta had no idea what to say either, and the tense atmosphere was too much for them to handle. They wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but they couldn't really think of anything.

He subconsciously touched the charm the butler gave him in his pocket. This 'Ki' Sleppt mentioned was mysterious and confusing. But the bellhop won't help him at all with the test he gave him. Still, he wasn't one to give up.

If only now he could find the time and place for it.

Around that time, Dark came in with a content Chibi on her shoulders and unlocked the door to the cart mobile. She doubted anyone would want to feast on anything, but best to be prepared just in case. Though, first things first…

After instructing Chibi to stay put, she dragged a worst-for-wear Aizawa behind the cart.

A couple of seconds later, there was a spark of light and sounds of clocks ticking from behind the cart. Not long after, Aizawa came out, groaning a little as he looked more tired than usual, as he went to his seat in a foul mood.

Dark was utterly amused by it all and huffed. "Just be mindful that I'm only doing this once today, especially since I was generous enough to give you some of my special stashes. I know full well that you're going to get intoxicated again during dinner. Once that happens, you will deal with the massive hangover on your own."

Aizawa shot her a glare, which unfortunately still unfazed her, and returned to his seat. Grumbling on the way.

By that point, the doors opened, and a different wolf came in. A lot of folks jumped and yelled in surprise and fear when they saw the sudden wolf. It was bigger than all of them combined, taking up a decent amount of space in the theater. It had cobalt blue scales with white edges, with several ridges running down its back. In short, they looked like a dragon wolf of sorts.

"Ah, Astrid, I was wondering where you've gone," Dark said casually, unbothered by the jaw drops from everyone.

"Astrid?!"

The wolf looked nothing like she did earlier.

Dark narrowed her eyes at Astrid and spoke with a disapproving tone, "And I see you took the form of a Lunagaron. While I don't mind, you are taking up quite an amount of space here and intimidating our guests. Change to something smaller and less threatening."

Astrid looked at everyone; they all stiffened. She snorted, and her body started to shift. Seeing her body begin to break down and melt as it started to put itself back together was a little disturbing.

When it was said and done, the wolf was a third of its former size….and she was no longer a wolf. She had taken the form of a white lioness. The lioness had rune marks on her face, and she had a small mane from her back and two braids. She had beautiful angel-like wings and long moon-like earrings on her ears.

Dark hummed in approval, "Ah, an angelic Luna Lion, also known as the Leono Lunar. It has been quite some time since I have seen their kind. Brings fond memories."

Astrid looked pleased with herself. It was by then that everyone snapped out of their stupor.

"What the hell just happened?!" Blurted out Denki.

Dark snorted as Astrid decided to lie down on her spot and go to sleep. "Astrid isn't your everyday wolf. She's a shapeshifter."

"Shapeshifter?" Kyoka looked gobsmacked.

Honestly, she wouldn't have believed it had she not just witnessed said wolf turn into a lion, albeit disgustingly.

Dark shrugged, "I found her egg about half a century ago, and I was amazed when she hatched. I trained her to her greatest potential and had her learn many forms of different species to improve her arsenal."

"Fascinating!" Nezu had never been amazed in his entire life. "You don't suppose you have another shapeshifter?"

Many, especially the teachers, felt a chill in their spines or shivered at the mere thought of Nezu having such a creature.

"Afraid not," Dark said, allowing nearly everyone to slump in relief. "Astrid's species is rather rare. So rare that she never met another species of her own other than her hatchlings. Just recently, said hatchlings had reached a certain age where they were on their own."

"Wait…" Denki spoke, with everyone looking as though a crisis occurred in front of them, "If she never met her own kind, how the hell did she have kids?!"

"Astrid's species are asexual," Dark said, amused at their reactions. Honestly, humans as are too amusing these days. "Meaning that she has no actual gender and instead takes the gender of the form she takes. Astrid preferred being known as a feminine being, and I have nothing against it." She shrugged before looking thoughtful, leaning back a little. "And as for how she had children…Well, that was an accidental discovery."

"How so?" Nezu asked, with everyone just as curious as the Chimera.

Dark sat down on a folded chair next to Chibi, who was distracted with a picture book (when did that happen?) and leaned back as Astrid decided to stand up and walk to Dark. The current lioness lay down and curled around the Dragoness.

"Well, I decided to explore this particular world where I found Astrid's egg, and it just so happens that it was not safe. I'll spare you the gory details, but I discovered a particular flower at one point. It released pollen with an alluring scent and was rather fascinating. I analyzed the plant in my lab and discovered that it only blooms every one hundred years."

"As interesting as this is, what does this have to do with Astrid getting pregnant?" Asked Hanta.

"I'm getting to that." Dark said, a little annoyed at being disrupted, "Astrid just so happens to come to investigate the plant that, not long after, she fell ill. For a while, I thought the plant was poisonous to Astrid, so I got rid of it. But as it turned out, it had a different effect…."

She trailed off as she waited for her words to sink in. One by one, a few looks of realization came in, and they looked at her with bewilderment. However, it seemed that some of them still needed some clarification.

"It seems that some of you figured it out." Dark snarked, "But for those that haven't caught on, to put it simply, the flower released a pollen that caused Astrid to have her kits."

Many jaws dropped.

"You mean to tell me that she got pregnant because of a plant!" Denki screeched, with everyone just as incredulous at the information.

"I never thought I would hear those words." Muttered Kyoka, rubbing the temples of her head on the growing migraine. Their insomniac teacher followed his student's actions, while Toshinori and Inko had no idea how to react to the given information.

Dark shrugged, "It's not my fault that Astrid's species adapted themselves to reproduce like that. If anything, I find it fascinating."

"Yes indeed. Though a pity I have missed an opportunity to take one of them." Nezu said with a smile on his face, "But I must admit it was interesting to hear how differently some species reproduce."

"I suppose so." Dark pulled out a novel book from…somewhere, "Anyway, you lot better turn your attention to the screen. Just a couple of seconds left before the next episode starts.

Turning their attention to the screen, it read 0:34, and it was going down. A few of them settled down and were waiting with anticipation. Izuku turned to his side and noticed that Eri wasn't there.

"W-wait!" Izuku looked around, "Where's Eri?!"

Just as they were about to search, the girl appeared on her chair in a puff of colorful smoke. Her counterpart at her side.

Eri shook her head to get rid of dizziness, "That was weird."

SM Eri giggled, "You get used to it."

Bola, who was already on his balcony before they came in, looked at the scene and despaired, "Oh shit, we lost another one." The unicorns looked back at him and winked, only making him grimace more.

Dark snorted at him, utterly amused with his dramatic antics, "That was your fault. You knew full well that was going to happen. So suck it up and deal with it."

Bola recovered quickly and shrugged, "Meh, can't argue with that." He turned his attention to the audience, who was looking at him with confusion or bewilderment. He glanced at the screen, and the clock reached 00:00 before the screen came to life. "Anyway, kiddoes, let's move on to the next episode!"

There were cheers as Izuku had the remote from a game console return to him with a flash.

"Now, my dear bunny, you know what to do!"

Izuku sighed at the bunny remark, again, already knowing that it would be pointless to argue with their host when he put his mind to something. Nevertheless, the green-haired teen obeyed their host.

Dearly beloved played once again, which helped ease some of the tension from the teens.

Kingdom Hearts

Shattered Memories

] New Adventure

[X] Continue Experience

] The Journey So Far

[ ] Credits

Taking a moment to enjoy the music as he looked at the new option that appeared on the menu, Izuku pressed the X button, and just like before, the selected option flashed, the heart logo spun, and the image slowly faded. Everyone waited with anticipation for the episode.

And soon, the screen came to life…

.

.

.

CRASH!

Only for the whole theater to shake.