When Snake arrived at the shipping address the Intel team had acquired, he didn't find anything off. It was a rather rundown-looking neighborhood with a few apartment buildings, an old warehouse, and a small restaurant. All in all, it looked perfectly normal. So as he hid away on a secluded rooftop, the starry night sky providing the perfect amount of light to remain hidden, he kept watch. Eventually, a large truck stopped in front of the warehouse, and a dozen people exited the building and walked over to it.

Binoculars in hand Snake looked over everything he could find, the truck's license plate, company logos, and the driver. One of the people there then opened up the back of the truck, allowing Snake to see inside. Again nothing seemed off, but that's what irked Snake. The people gathered started unloading unmarked crates from the truck and carrying them into the warehouse.

"Come on people, we do have a schedule to keep you know?" a voice suddenly called out, drawing the attention of the crowd. Snake couldn't hear the words, but he followed the crowd's gaze and found Night Owl standing at the warehouse's entrance. Even as Vice President of the HPSC, he dressed as a scientist. Unknowingly, Snake tightened his grip on his binoculars. He watched as Night Owl walked forward, turning on a long-distance microphone R&D had created.

It picked up some chatter, but nothing important was picked up. Still, the knowledge that Night Owl was here of all places was useful. And Snake wasn't about to let him slip through his fingers again.

"Let's see banners, check, balloons, check, streamers, check, cake, check, fog machine… fuck I knew I forgot something," Night Owl muttered, with Snake immediately becoming confused. That all sounded like party supplies. What was he doing exactly? When the mad scientist stepped back inside the warehouse, Snake realized the only answer he was going to get was by getting in close. So carefully he climbed down the building's fire escape.

Once on the ground, he stopped to look through the area. Finding the street clear he quickly crossed it, sneaking behind whatever cover he could find until he was at the warehouse's door. Lightly pushing it open, he found an empty foyer connecting to a hallway on the back wall. Through the hallway, he could see the warehouse's main area, which was currently pitch black. The only reason he knew it was the storage space was due to the faintest outline of a shelf, the contents of which he couldn't see.

It was worrying, there were a dozen people here originally and they all somehow vanished. Cautiously Snake stepped forward, pistol drawn. His eyes darted around the room while he slowly moved through the foyer and into the hallway. Not wanting to give away his position, Snake rummaged through his bag and brought out a pair of night vision goggles. Well, they were more goggle than goggles, but it didn't matter. Once they were on, the main room became easier to see, which only became horrifying to Snake. On the shelves littered hundreds of guns, some inside crates others just littered about.

Every kind of gun he could find was there, machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, snipers, shotguns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, anti-material rifles it was all there. The more he looked around the worse it got. Snake spotted tanks, trucks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and so many other vehicles. Everything Ocelot had told him about, a good chunk of that equipment, was here.

But this couldn't have been all of it. For one, Snake knew Night Owl wasn't dumb enough to leave everything all in one place. And two, there just wasn't enough here. Sure he saw tanks, but it was only twenty or so. The equipment here, while frighteningly numerous, was not all of it. There had to be some answer hidden somewhere around her, so Snake kept looking around, moving to an unexplored part of the warehouse. If he was right then there might be a shipping manifest somewhere in the warehouse. If he could get his hands on it then he might be able to find the… other…

Snake halted on that thought, as he found one new key detail—a welcome banner, held up by the ceiling.

"About time you got here, I was worried you'd miss the party!" Night Owl exclaimed, the warehouse's lights turning on suddenly. They blinded Snake for a second, forcing him to rip off the night vision goggles he brought. Yet it was still difficult to see. That didn't mean he couldn't hear though. A loud cacophony of boots followed Night Owl's words, informing him of the dozen men that had now reappeared.

Slowly but surely his vision returned, with Snake being able to see the rest of the room again. In front of him were the dozen men who had unloaded the trucks. Though now their faces were covered by a variation of masks, all with a skull design displayed. Night Owl, stood atop a makeshift stage decorated with all manner of party supplies, and a large table resting in front of him. On the table was a large cake decorated with vanilla icing, which Night Owl carefully cut into with a knife.

"Thought I'd set up a little welcoming party just for you. So don't be shy, we've got plenty of cake," Night Owl told him, pulling up a chair behind him and sitting down. The mad scientist then kicked up his feet onto the table and dug into the slice of cake he held.

"So, this was a trap," Snake commented, realizing he would be forced to comply. Slowly he walked up a path of stairs connecting to the stage and found himself a chair at the table. Night Owl meanwhile shook his head, stabbing his fork into his slice.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no. This is your welcoming party. If it were a trap you would be dead by now. See believe it or not Snake, I don't want to kill you," Night Owl explained with a wide smile, "And why would I? After all, you're a part of this too."

"A part of what?" Snake demanded, his question making Night Owl's smile wider somehow.

"The grand finale! The endgame of this little catastrophe I've been building up! The beginning of what you and I both know is coming," Night Owl replied, with Snake slowly connecting what he and Miller had already known, but never believed.

"A war," Snake muttered, to Night Owl's seeming excitement.

"Bingo!" the mad scientist exclaimed before taking a bite of his cake, "Ooh, some damn good cake, glad I spared no expense."

Snake didn't care to hear that last statement, his thoughts were too focused on a growing rage. Why? Why was Night Owl doing any of this?

"That's what this is for, you're doing all of this just to start a war!?" Snake yelled, aiming his pistol at Night Owl's skull. It was followed by the racking of rifles as the men accompanying them aimed at Snake. He didn't care though, his mind focused only on whether he should pull the trigger.

"What can I say, I wanted some entertainment," Night Owl replied smugly, taking another bite of his cake, "This really is delicious, you sure you don't want any cake?"

"Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain from a war?" Snake demanded, noticing a slight dimming of Night Owl's smile, "A man like you doesn't plan all of this for some mild amusement."

"Impatient aren't we? But if you want answers, then you're going to have to play along," Night Owl countered, setting his cake down on the table. Snake grumbled at the notion of keeping his gun trained on the scientist.

"What makes you think I'll ever play along? I could shoot you right here and end it all, even if that means dying," Snake retorted, watching as Night Owl stood up and snapped his fingers. A pair of men then left the room, while Night Owl rummaged through his labcoat's pockets.

"It starts with n and rhymes with puke," Night Owl replied, taking only seconds for Snake to pale. The response made Night Owl laugh as he walked around the table, looking out at the warehouse, while Snake slowly lowered his pistol.

"The Tyrant?" Snake asked, thinking back to previous years. His realization was confirmed with Night Owl's smile turning to a smug grin.

"Who else would it have been?" Night Owl replied, "Now, if you kill me, kidnap me, or do whatever else to me, that nuke will detonate."

The mad scientist continued to walk around the table before he stood next to Snake. Looking up at him, Snake could only glare against Night Owl's gaze.

"Don't worry. This little game of ours doesn't have any grand rules. I'm not going to force you to do anything or kill anyone. The only criteria is that the MSF cannot leave Japan unless I say so. Other than that you can do as you please," Night Owl told him, which only brought confusion to Snake—the question of why again ran through his mind. Anyone rational would be afraid of their enemy stopping them. So what was he doing? He wanted them here this entire time, Snake thought, all of it for his big war.

"So this warehouse is a base of operations then," Snake muttered, only to see Night Owl shake his head no.

"Nope. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is where we're keeping all the broken equipment. Turns out a whole lot of the JSDF's stuff just doesn't work anymore. And I wasted so much money on this gear too," Night Owl muttered, "But that's why I'm here! Call this little meeting a consolation prize for all the work you've done trying to stop me."

Snake didn't bother to question why Night Owl was even telling him this, though he chalked it up to it being part of Night Owl's plan.

"Now, as fun as this get-together's been, I'm afraid you'll have to leave," Night Owl suddenly. It caught Snake off-guard with how abrupt it was. Even more so when Night Owl motioned toward the door. The action was followed by the other men grabbing his arms and forcing him up. Snake fought against it, of course, making them let go. But he knew fighting them all would be a difficult and pointless affair. So reluctantly he walked, finding no resistance from Night Owl, or the guards.

"Do come again, oh! And say hi for Midor- sorry, Akatani, for me," Night Owl told him smugly, quickly angering Snake. He had to mentally stop himself from aiming his pistol at the scientist, and instead, carefully put it in his holster. Then, angry with what little he could do, Snake left.

"You missed a spot," Ocelot commented, lazily sitting back in a small lawn chair in the very early morning. And it was very early, the sun only now rising to the sky. Bakugo meanwhile, could only bite his tongue to stop himself from shouting back at Ocelot's comment. To think this is what he's doing, cleaning a mile-long wall with icy-hot and shitty hair. His hands ached as Bakugo continued to scrub away at the wall, cleaning it of whatever dirt and grime he could find. If that wasn't bad enough the TA extra, Bakugo couldn't remember his name, was running laps around this part of the school with his annoying dog running up alongside him.

Bakugo could feel the sparks forming from his hands but stopped himself before he combusted his sponge. To think he let that coward get the better of him. Were it not for All Might's interference he would have blasted the extra into next week. Something he wanted to do more and more as time lingered on. And why, why did he seem so familiar? Who the hell cares was always his answer to that annoying question.

But it was something to focus on, as the hours ticked by, with nothing but himself, the wall, and a sponge. Finally, Ocelot stood up from his chair while briefly stretching.

"Alright, class starts in half an hour. Once school is done I expect you back out here, is that clear?" Ocelot told them expecting an immediate answer. They failed to give one yesterday when their punishment officially started and as such another week of cleaning was added.

"Yes sir," they all replied in unison, all in a distinct tone. Kirishima's was that of acceptance, Todoroki's response lacked care and was monotone, and Bakugo's held a small hint of anger, but the anger was somewhat hidden. With that done Bakugo set the sponge he was given in a bucket next to Ocelot's chair and walked out toward the direction of the main school building. Once getting inside he practically sprinted to the locker rooms.

That was until he spotted the TA extra sitting out in the halls, an odd device in his hand. It had a holographic projector, evidenced by a small greenish-blue avatar of some girl standing on top of it. Bakugo guessed it was a phone, but it didn't resemble any phone he'd seen before.

"[It can't be that bad,]" he heard the TA mutter in English, only understanding a few of the words. Bakugo didn't particularly care though, as his hands instead shifted to fists, and an annoyed snarl reached his lips.

"[They were everywhere! I don't even know how Rody got that many chickens! We never should have taken his plane,]" the avatar replied also in English, "[I don't have the storage space for all this chicken, and West won't accept all of it.]"

"[We can always fix it-]" the TA tried to reason. Slowly Bakugo began walking over to him, his anger more than visible to anyone. Why wouldn't it? This damn coward was going to get what was coming to him.

"[He trashed your secret armory too you know,]" the avatar interrupted, forcing the TA to pause for a second as Bakugo got ever closer.

"[...The real one, or the Oasis one?]" the TA asked.

"[Both,]" the avatar answered, right as Bakugo grabbed the TA. The device in his hand quickly clattered to the ground, while the teen gave Bakugo a confused and shocked look.

"Got you now you slippery bastard! Where the hell do you get off!?" Bakugo demanded his hands sparking while the TA continued to look at him shocked.

"S-sorry what?" the TA asked, annoying Bakugo who then shoved the other into the wall.

"Quit pretending! You're a damn coward who snivels away in the shadows acting like you can beat me in a fight!" Bakugo shouted, "Acting as if you're somehow better than me. Well, let me get this through your head, compared to me you're an extra and you didn't win."

"But I did," the TA countered, the shock slowly fading away. His face also turned sour, becoming more annoyed with Bakugo. Of course, this also annoyed Bakugo more.

"The hell you did! That wasn't a fight, that was you hiding away!" Bakugo countered, which brought a small laugh to the TA's lips.

"No, that was me using every advantage available to win," the TA retorted, while the sparks on Bakugo's hand continually flared up.

"So fucking what!? When you and me fight for real, I will blast your ass to hell!" Bakugo exclaimed, right as the TA tiredly shook his head.

"Is that before, or after I pull the trigger on this gun?" the TA asked. The second he uttered the words, Bakugo paused. He couldn't see any gun in his peripherals, and both of the TA's arms were by his sides.

"...The hell are you on about?" Bakugo demanded.

"Look down," the TA replied. And slowly he did so. Somehow, in some way Bakugo didn't know, the TA had sneakily aimed a pistol directly at his stomach. How? Bakugo knew he would have seen him moving to draw the gun. Even then there was no way he could have missed a gun pointing directly at him.

"I had that pointed at your stomach the second you started shouting," the TA explained "See, you're right, in a straight-up fight you will most likely beat me. Which is why I will never allow that to happen."

Bakugo could only angrily mumble in response. To his shock, the TA wrenched himself free of Bakugo's grasp before restraining both his arms with zip ties and forcing him to the floor. It was all so quick he barely had time to react, only registering that the gun was now pointed at his head instead of his stomach.

"I'll get a sniper rifle and shoot you eight hundred meters away, I'll hide in a building and rig up traps, I'll buy hundreds of cheaply made drones and duck tape explosives to them, I'll use flashbangs, grenades, and anesthetic gas because I will never fight you fair," the TA continued, "Call it cowardly all you want, because in the I'm alive, and you're dead."

"I'll show you dead you damn extra!" Bakugo exclaimed, struggling to break out of his restraints. Yet that proved futile as Bakugo's arms were forced into an awkward position, making it so any explosion would either hit him or hit everything except his restraints or the TA. Said TA meanwhile, walked away a little and picked up the device he had previously, the avatar still present on it.

"[Is everything all right?]" the avatar asked while turning to glare at Bakugo briefly. Which surprisingly caught him off guard as it stared directly at him. Not in a vague area, but in the eye.

"[Yep, just a minor scuffle. Anyway, I'll see you and Rody later.]" the TA told the avatar who simply gave a small smile and a wave goodbye.

"[See you then,]" the Avatar said, before disappearing entirely. With the conversation done, the TA placed the device in his pocket while holstering the gun still in his hand. He then turned to face Bakugo, while slowly walking backward.

"Anyways, class starts in fifteen minutes," the TA told him," Might wanna get moving."

"Oh fuck you! Get over here and release me!" Bakugo shouted, struggling to break free of his restraints. They just wouldn't break, and he was sure these were not normal zip-ties. Yet the TA gave him a cheeky smile and continued to walk away, while Bakugo could do nothing but angrily shout at him. Eventually, he gave up trying to free his arms, and instead rolled off his stomach and onto his back.

Very carefully he then sat up and slowly managed to stand up. Every part of him wanted to chase after the TA, but he knew there was little time left. So he ran off back in search of the locker rooms. But Bakugo vowed the moment he was free, he would make that extra pay.

When Uraraka entered the classroom, she found the amusing sight of Bakugo struggling to get into his seat. The explosive blond's uniform was a disheveled mess, same with his hair, and his arms were restrained behind his back. She stifled a small laugh at the sight before walking over to her desk where she quietly greeted Iida and Asui. But then she stopped, spotting a small package on her desk.

Uraraka looked over it carefully, but slowly realized it was an MRE with a note taped on the front. The kanji on it was written somewhat poorly as if someone was relearning to write, but it was legible.

"Hey, thanks for the info again! Sorry for taking advantage of you for it, I hope this will make it up to you," the note read, with Akatani's name signed at the bottom. Next to it was a heavily erased and scribbled-out segment that was still somewhat present. To the point Uraraka could almost read it, but only almost. All she got were the letters I, Z, and U. Silently she looked the gift over, debating whether to accept it.

On the one hand, he had tricked her into giving away the class's weaknesses and quirks. On the other, she'd skipped breakfast. Not to mention that by technicality this wasn't a handout, only an apology gift. So very sneakily she put the MRE into her backpack, the only three who noticed being Asui, who didn't question it, Iida, who wanted to question it but thought it was rude to pry, and Mina, who had earlier seen Akatani place it on her desk.

Said pink girl held a mischievous look on her face. All that was needed now though, was for Ocelot to step into class. Soon enough the door to the class opened and Uraraka turned to face it. But instead of Ocelot, stood Mr. Aizawa.

"Morning class," he tiredly greeted, while Uraraka could only look on in shock. Mr. Aizawa was not in good shape, not in the slightest. Both his arms were in casts and covered in bandages, same for his head. As he stepped into class, Uraraka couldn't help but notice a slight stumble in his walk.

"He's… he's not actually going to teach today, is he?" Uraraka quietly asked, with Iida hesitantly turning to reply. Except Mr. Aizawa beat them to the punch.

"Something you'd like to share with the class Uraraka?" Mr. Aizawa asked, catching Uraraka off guard. She looked forward nervously, unsure whether to answer or to lie. Either choice felt like the wrong answer, so she just chose one.

"W-well, I was uh… wondering if you were well enough to teach today," Uraraka hesitantly replied, while every word that escaped her mouth felt like it sealed her doom. She couldn't tell but Uraraka was sure Mr. Aizawa was scowling at her reply under all those bandages.

"I'm fine. Besides, it would be illogical to waste more time in a hospital bed when I'm fit enough to walk," Mr. Aizawa answered before a screen on the wall behind him lowered, "Now I've taken the liberty of reviewing yesterday's heroics class, and I am not pleased."

The screen quickly lit up with a video of the exercise taking place. It showed the class entering the park, forming a plan, and that plan ultimately falling apart, which Uraraka tried her best to not look guilty over.

"If you think this is going to cut it at UA, then I should have expelled you on day one. Bakugo and Todoroki, you two are the powerhouses of this class, the fact both of you were taken down so easily is unacceptable. I expect you to do better next time," Aizawa told them, his gaze hovering over the class as he moved to find his next targets. As if the universe was against her, his eyes fell on her.

"Uraraka, a hero doesn't cower behind cover, not when others are putting their lives on the line," Mr. Aizawa remarked, with Iida quickly raising his hand.

"Sir, Akatani was shooting at us from an unknown position. None of us knew who he was going to target next, so everyone needed to find cover," Iida tried to counter, which Uraraka was grateful for. However, she could feel the annoyed scowl of Aizawa switching from her to the spectacled teen. But before Aizawa could say anything, the sound of clicking spurs interrupted them.

"It's also basic common sense, which you seem to lack," Ocelot then chimed in, causing Aizawa to quietly grumble.

"We're in the middle of class Ocelot," Aizawa said, turning toward Ocelot. Ocelot just gave him a sly grin and drew one of his revolvers.

"A shame," Ocelot replied, with the class watching in horror as Ocelot pulled the trigger. Aizawa moved to try and throw off Ocelot's aim, but the bullet hit him quickly. Uraraka could only watch the events unfold, slowly turning pale. To see how quickly Mr Aizawa was shot, was something else. She tried to shake off the brief moment of fear from Ocelot drawing a gun on her teacher, before noticing Akatani walk through the door.

He looked around the class for a second, before giving her a small wave, which she hesitantly returned, still getting over the previous sight. Ocelot meanwhile walked over to Aizawa's unconscious body and picked it up, the sounds of something cracking echoing as he did so. Though Ocelot looked unperturbed by the noise and began walking out the door.

"Akatani is going to handle the review for now. I'll be back after I take the hobo to the infirmary," Ocelot told them all, with Uraraka watching as Akatani stepped up to the podium, nervously. Once Ocelot was gone, Uraraka could tell all eyes had fallen on Akatani. He coughed lightly while nervously tapping his finger on the podium.

"So… Uh… I don't know how to start this," Akatani muttered while rubbing the back of his head, "Let's uh… you know what, let's just answer some questions for now. Does anybody have any?"

Very quickly a dozen hands shot up, catching Akatani off guard but he quickly laughed it off. At the same time, Uraraka spotted Bakugo struggling to get his arms, which were still restrained, held up. She laughed but brought the view back to Akatani as he pointed at the first student.

"Yaoyorozu," he called out.

"I've been thinking over the exercise for a while now, but I'm still confused about what your plan of attack was," Yaoyorozu replied, "I think I've figured out most of it, such as why you were examining Koda, Shoji, and Jiro before the exercise began, but I want to be sure."

"Ok, no problem. So before the exercise began I decided to do some digging to learn about your class's quirks," Akatani explained, with Uraraka again hiding a look of guilt. As he talked the screen on the wall changed over to a camera following Akatani.

"At the time I already had a basic plan, which was to set up shop on the roof of a building with a clear line of sight on the park. I might be wrong, but I think it was around nine hundred and fifty meters away," Akatani continued, before stopping as Yaoyorozu gave a quick cough in surprise.

"N-nine hundred and fifty?" she asked, her eyes wide at the number. Uraraka couldn't help but be surprised as well, the implications of it weighing down quickly. Akatani wasn't anywhere near them when the fight began.

"Yep. Anyway with the intel I was able to gather I determined that the biggest threats for me were Shoji, Jiro, and Koda-"

"Ha! Those extras were your biggest threats?" Bakugo exclaimed, a smirk on his face. Uraraka couldn't help but become angry at Bakugo's words, it only became more so when she saw Koda shrink back into his chair slightly. She wanted to voice her mind, but Akatani beat her to the punch with a mischievous look.

"More so than you were. By the way, are you having difficulties over there? Because I thought someone as powerful as you would have freed themself by now," Akatani countered, as a few of the class turned to face Bakugo. Uraraka, now realizing why Bakugo was restrained, couldn't help but laugh at it. Of course, Bakugo immediately heard her, a small explosion echoing around the room.

"Something funny round cheeks!?" Bakugo loudly demanded standing up from his desk. The brief snorts from Kaminari quickly stopped him as he turned to face him.

"How is it not?" Kaminari replied laughing as well, "Don't tell me you're actually struggling with some zip-ties."

"Wait he's not even handcuffed? It's just a pair of zip-ties?" Ashido asked, slowly beginning to laugh as well as she stood to look at Bakugo.

"Why you little-"

"Everyone please, can we get back to the topic at hand?" Iida quickly lambasted, wanting to keep class going for the moment. It quickly quieted everyone down though, with Iida then having a question for Akatani.

"Now, as much as I disagree with Bakugo's wording, especially considering none of our classmates have deserved such name-calling, he does have a point. Wouldn't Todoroki pose more of a threat than Shoji, no offense Shoji." Iida pointed out, before turning and giving Shoji an apologetic nod.

"None taken, in fact, I'm gonna have to agree with you," Shoji replied, "Sure I'm strong and all, but you saw what Todoroki did to that building."

"That is a good point. The reason I viewed you three as my biggest threats, was because you were the ones who could find me the quickest," Akatani answered, as he adjusted the screen behind him. It switched from a live video to an overly display of the exercise, displaying a map of the facility. Something Akatani quickly pointed to.

"Remember I was nine hundred and fifty meters away from all of you. The only people capable of finding me at that distance are those with advanced senses. So for you the extra eyes and ears your limbs can create. For Jiro, it's her hearing, and for Koda, it's the animals he can command. To win I needed to make sure none of you could find me. That's why I said you were my biggest threat," Akatani explained to the class slowly connecting the dots, more so Yaoyorozu from what Uraraka noticed.

"After you three were dealt with I would eliminate my second biggest threats. Those were Ashido, Sero, Hagakure, Iida, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Mineta, and Asui." Akatani continued, as Uraraka noticed the classroom's temperature drop just a little. Looking around she spotted Todoroki with small flecks of ice on his arm and a displeased look on his face. Uraraka had a small guess why, mainly due to the names that had already been called, and more specifically those who weren't.

"Yes! I was useful!" Mineta celebrated before briefly pausing as he thought it over, "Wait how was I a threat? My quirk is just sticky balls."

"And mine's just tape," Sero asked as the rest of those called out thought it over. Which was confusing. Uraraka was by no means a powerhouse, but Akatani considered her an actual threat. A threat over that of Todoroki and Bakugo. In fact, he counted a few people over Bakugo.

"Wait yeah! I can create acid but why does that put me on the same level as Iida? He's faster than some cars. And yet we're on the same threat level?"

"That does seem odd when you think about… it…" Hagakure commented as she also thought it over. Seconds later she loudly gasped as the revelation came to her.

"We were the ones who could reach you!" she exclaimed proud of herself for realizing it.

"Yep. All of you had some kind of ability that allowed you to reach me. Mineta and Asui could climb the walls of the buildings, making it difficult for me to find and eliminate them if they climbed out of my line of sight. Iida's speed speaks for itself, while I assumed Ashido could skate across the acid she creates. Right?" Akatani asked, turning to look at Ashido. The pink girl nodded slowly as she began to see the logic taking place.

"Now Uraraka could float herself, Hagakure is impossible to see without infrared goggles, Yaoyorozu could create a scooter or a gun, and Sero could swing around like Spider-Man."

Sero simply nodded along at the last part, with the same smile he always had. Now he had thought about swinging around with his tape, but he never tried it before. Of course, he felt no need to correct Akatani about this. Sero didn't bother to correct him. That said he would be trying it out later, if only to prove the idea child him had correct. Of course, Uraraka saw a small flaw in Akatani's logic, an explosive one.

"What about Bakugo? He uses his explosions to propel himself forward quickly, and Todoroki could skate with his ice," Uraraka pointed out, with Akatani nodding.

"True, however, there is a reason for both. For Bakugo his explosions are loud. I heard him before I ever saw him. And as such the moment he stopped to try and find me I knew exactly where he was and took him down." Akatani explained, "Todoroki was originally higher up as a threat. He would have been a bigger threat than Ashido, but then he did this."

Akatani stepped to the side a little, giving the class a look at the screen. It switched from the overlay to a first-person view from where Akatani was lying. Nothing seemed off at first, but then Uraraka remembered what Todoroki had done during the exercise. Because currently, it seemed Akatani didn't know where Todoroki was. The camera was focused on Koda instead. But then Todoroki created a building-sized glacier.

Akatani quickly saw it, and then immediately found Todoroki, who was very quickly knocked out. Again, Uraraka felt a very noticeable drop in the classroom's temperature, before it slowly heated up.

"Now, do you have the rest of my plan figured out?" Akatani asked, looking over at Yaoyorozu.

"I believe so. With the intel you acquired, you eliminated us based on your threat assessment. To eliminate us more efficiently you sent in small drones to provide you recon and to try and keep tabs on us at all times. All while you sat hidden away on a rooftop almost a thousand meters away. Am I missing anything?" Yaoyorozu asked, with Akatani thinking it over for a few seconds.

"You're missing a few things, but to be fair it would have been impossible for you to know about them."

"What were they?"

"Claymore mines set up near the rooftop's only doorway, along with a couple of trip wires, and my dog DD to provide early warnings and support if the drones missed something," Akatani replied. The moment he finished talking a very tired-looking Ocelot walked through the class's door. On second thought, Uraraka believed he looked more as if he was hit by a truck. His hair was a mess as were parts of his clothes, oh also the blood dripping down his forehead.

"... Everything alright?" Akatani asked, voicing the entire class's opinion.

"Oh, everything's just peachy. Had to break Aizawa's arms a second time just to force him through the infirmary door," Ocelot replied, leaning back to stretch.

"So that's all Recovery Girl?"

"Who else would it have been," Ocelot muttered, before turning to face the class, "You manage to go over all of the exercise?"

Uraraka thought the question over for a second, as did the rest of the class before Iida stood up to answer.

"Somewhat sir. We managed to go over a decent portion, however, we have not been able to cover all of it," Iida replied, with Ocelot bringing a hand to his brow annoyed.

"Great, well homeroom is over in a minute, so we'll go over the rest of it during your heroics lesson," Ocelot decided, while slowly turning to walk out of the classroom. He of course didn't miss the annoyed groans from the rest of the class as they realized they weren't getting any training today.

When lunch arrived Ashido, food was the furthest thing from her mind. For today she had a different plan, one that was slowly being thought out. So from her seat, she watched as everyone filed out of the classroom, except for two, Akatani and Uraraka. Now granted, Ashido was rather hesitant in her plan. She saw the potential for an interesting couple, but they had only interacted once.

So, she was smart enough not to base this entire plan on one interaction. Akatani was also working with a band of mercenaries, practically villains by everyone's standards. This meant Operation Lovebirds was more about waiting to see if this was a good idea, than trying to secretly get them together. So Ashido watched on, pretending to do homework as Uraraka walked over to Akatani. She expected something a little more climatic, but they just talked before walking out of the room.

Ashido waited a few seconds to not appear suspicious, before standing up and following them out. There she saw them walk to the cafeteria, nothing interesting happening all the while. But she kept forward, stepping to the side as she walked by a squad of… soldiers… Ashido stopped for a second as she turned to face the soldiers. The first thing that caught her eye was the almost robotic limbs strapped to them, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie.

They didn't have that stuff before, did they? Ashido could have sworn they didn't, then again she barely knew what it was. Deciding she didn't want to be spotted, Ashido moved away slightly and hid behind a wall of lockers. Then she peeked around slightly to better look over the soldiers present. One was a lizard mutant, who annoyingly tapped on the but of his rifle. The other two were a mix of caucasian and Middle Eastern descent, one of which was cleaning a rather large pistol. And the fourth was… Wait no that couldn't be right. Ashido almost thought this was a trick her eyes were playing.

She could almost swear that was… no it wasn't. Surprised and confused, she decided to go find Hagakure, if only to get a second opinion on what she was seeing. Very quickly she found the invisible girl enjoying lunch with Yaoyorozu.

"Come on, you have to admit it was funny," Hagakure said, with Yaoyorozu hesitantly thinking it over.

"Well… yes, seeing Bakugo restrained was amusing. But it was immature and childish," Yaoyorozu countered, right as Ashido arrived right behind Hagakure.

"Oh hey, was wondering when you would-"

"Freezer Boy is on campus," Ashido said, interrupting her. Now she couldn't see it, but Ashido was sure Hagakure was giving her the most shocked expression one could find.

"W-what!? Where!?" she exclaimed, undeterred by the glances they were getting from other tables.

"Freezer Boy?" Yaoyorozu asked, confused, the name not sounding familiar to her. She flinched back slightly, as Ashido now gave her a shocked look.

"You don't know?" Hagakure asked, surprised, with Yaoyorozu slowly shaking her head no.

"No. Is he a new hero I haven't heard of?" she asked, still confused about why they were so shocked. It really didn't sound familiar, but they acted as if he was a big-name hero

"He was the talk of shippers everywhere years ago, Yaomomo!" Ashido exclaimed, while Yaoyorozu muttered "Yaomomo?" before shrugging her shoulders to herself.

"I'm going to need more context," Yaoyorozu pointed out, still confused by what they meant. So Ashido took a deep breath and thought over her answer.

"Years ago Freezer Boy was an active low-ranking hero, operating in America," she carefully explained, "However he became the talk of shipping groups due to his interactions with well-known international hero Heart Star."

"Ok, now that is a hero I do know," Yaoyorozu commented, nodding along as the girls continued. Her parents had done dealings with her agency for years now, mainly sending donations to a charity fund Heart Star had set up.

"It was a large will they won't they scene as everyone wondered if they would get together. But then one day, Freezer Boy disappeared." Hagakure added, quickly catching Yaoyorozu off guard.

"Disappeared?" Yaoyorozu inquired, not entirely believing that a hero would simply disappear so easily.

"Disappeared," Hagakure replied, "Nobody knows where he went, not even his parents. The only information we've had on him in the last few years, was his final interview with the press, and statements from his parents saying he's still alive. Other than that, no one has seen or heard from him in years."

"... And you think he's here on campus," Yaoyorozu noted, with both girls nodding very quickly in response. Well, Ashido did, neither could tell if Hagakure did as well.

"It could just be someone who looks like him," Yaoyorozu commented.

"That's why I need Hagakure's second opinion. So we gotta go now before they start patrolling the halls again," Ashido said, quickly walking away from the table with Hagakure closely. They only stopped once at the cafeteria's entrance and motioned for Yaoyorozu to join them. She thought it over for a second, before standing up and following them. Which Ashido was grateful for, as she could barely speak English correctly.

Very quickly they arrived at their destination, where Ashido again spotted who she believed was Freezer Boy. Sure there were some differences, such as the scars and aged-up face. But the resemblance was uncanny.

"That has to be him," Hagakure agreed, ducking back behind the locker, "But if he is Freezer Boy, then why is he working with mercenaries?"

That was the thought Ashido hadn't considered, instead far too caught up in the moment. But now the words slowly registered as she peeked around the corner. He was a hero, so why was he working with villains?

"Maybe he's undercover? He wasn't a well-known hero, to begin with,"

"But they would have told the public he was still around. He would have made press appearances to make everything seem normal," Yaoyorozu countered, with Ashido seeing the logic in it. But there had to be a reason.

"Uh… someone he loves is being held hostage!" Ashido pointed out, only to immediately back down from the point. Freezer Boy's family gave frequent interviews to the press, so they were all unharmed. And as much as it hurt her shipper's heart, Heart Star never admitted to being in a relationship with Freezer Boy.

"What if we just ask him?" Yaoyorozu asked, peeking around the corner as well. Of course, she then regretted her question as she remembered who else was with Freezer Boy. But her comment sparked something inside both Hagakure and Ashido. This was the mystery of a lifetime, something both had been looking for answers to. Though both were still smart enough to think out a plan.

"Here, you go and ask him, we'll stick with you for support," Ashido told her, making Yaoyorozu step back a bit.

"Wait I never agreed to that!" Yaoyorozu replied but by then it was too late, as both girls dragged her over to the group of soldiers. As they did so it became easier to hear snippets of their conversation. And Yaoyorozu didn't like what she was hearing.

"[I just hate this fucking country,]" the lizard mutant muttered.

"[Seriously? You can't think of one good thing to say about this place?]" the one resembling Freezer Boy asked.

"[Food's decent,]" the lizard replied, which earned a slow nod from the others.

"[How about family, you have any family here?]" Freezer Boy asked, earning a "tch" from the lizard.

"[Just my father, but he and I don't talk often. He views me as a freak that couldn't possibly be his child,]"

"[Damn…]"

"[We just had to be sent here of all places. I'd of rather stayed in Africa,]"

At this point, they were close enough for the soldiers to notice them, though they didn't do anything when they saw them. It was only when they stopped next to them that the soldiers acknowledged them.

"[...You need something?]" Freezer Boy asked, and Yaoyorozu already had cold feet. A light push from Ashido encouraged her to speak up. Why was she even doing this? She didn't know who Freezer Boy was until a few minutes ago. But with a deep breath, she replied "[Are you… Freezer Boy by chance?]"

For a few seconds, everything went quiet as the words registered with the soldiers. Then very quickly, the other soldiers busted out laughing, while Freezer Boy brought an annoyed hand to his face.

"[Seems you got a fan Rookie!]" one of them called out between laughs. The other meanwhile struggled to stand up from all the laughter.

"[How's about I get you a pen?]" the other added causing Freezer Boy to grumble annoyed.

"[Oh fuck you,]" he muttered, flipping all three men the bird. However, it seemed to only help them as the lizard gave out a mock gasp.

"[Such foul language, I thought heroes were supposed to be better than that,]" the lizard commented, bringing another wave of laughter to the three, while the girls looked on in confusion.

"What are they saying?" Hagakure asked, hoping Yaoyorozu could explain.

"They're… joking around with him?" Yaoyorzu replied unsure. The man they assumed was Freezer Boy removed the hand from his face then, and gave the girls a tired and annoyed look. With a brief sigh, he thought up his response, one which Yaoyorozu quickly translated.

"[I am, was, Freezer Boy. But please, call me Grizzly.]"