Faster and faster, we approach the end, with this newest arc: Secret Empire!

Peter and Ochako usher Kaine into the building, carrying the bloody and wounded Bakugo in with them. By now, the only people left in the building are Izuku, Keemia, and Momo, who are shocked to see the former student of U.A. in such a condition. Luckily, they are able to stabilise him and stop the bleeding, but the boy is left tired and weak, and so he is forced to stay laying down on the makeshift table that they've given him.

The group suggests taking him to the hospital, but Kaine tells them no. There will most likely be S.I.L.K. agents waiting there for him, and he had no desire to throw him back to the wolves. This prompts them all to look at Kaine in confusion, and Peter demands to know just what the hell is going on.

And Kaine, seeing no reason to lie, tells him.

Elsewhere, Adriana looks around the damage done to the laboratory and sighs. The Nomu have been forced back into their pods and put into stasis, their mental rewiring having to be redone. Not a terribly long job, most of the work on them had been in figuring out how to, so simply starting the recoding on their mindless brains would be a simple matter that would only take a day or two. The loss of Itsy Bitsy is a bit more troublesome, as she was supposed to be the central apperatus to command and control the Nomu, but seeing as how Adriana is current pulling her clawed fist from out of the mutant clone's chest and letting her body pool red death on the ground, that plan has been shot. Adriana takes a moment to mourn the death of her would-have-been sister, sad to see one of her fellow spider-people go.

What was damaging was the loss of Bakugo, their prime test subject. He is the first person who's quirk was permanently destroyed by the Anti-Venom Symbiote. Doc Ock and the rest of S.I.L.K.'s scientists had been trying to crack that code with their cloned samples of Anti-Venom, and yet they had only been able to develop temporary neutralisers. The original Anti-Venom, meanwhile, had destroyed Bakugo's quirk factor instead of suppressing it. They needed that power, and Bakugo was the key to getting it.

Doc Ock, however, is furious at the damage done to his cloning vats and demands recompense. Adriana is quick to try and calm the scientist, to remind him that they had other test subjects and parts of the laboratory where he could continue his personal experiments, but Otto Octavius is not so convinced. His condition is only getting worse and worse, sped up now by the damage that his former underling Kaine has inflicted upon him, and now one of his primary methods in way of which he can escape that death is damaged, and possibly gone for good. There will not be enough time for him to rebuild it and begin the experiments once again before he eventually kneels over and perishes. He needs a solution to his demise, and he needs it now. He'd use David Shield to make help find it, but since his transformation into the Lizard, he's been on the off and off in terms of lucidity and consciousness, and his daughter was nowhere near as intelligent as her father was, even if she is a genius herself.

Adriana is nonplussed by this, however, and simply tells Otto that they'll have a solution sooner or later. Otto rages at this, and his anger isn't even tempered when he takes the away the drugged-up Enforcers, still mindlessly high on Adriana's pheromones, to be used as his latest test subjects. Adriana is annoyed at his sudden burst of anger, and even more so when his assistant, Carolyn, joins in as well. She uses her pheromones on the two once more, and whilst Carolyn quickly succumbs to the fragrant ecstasy and collapses in supplication, Otto has long since made himself immune to her ability.

Adriana is eventually able to quell Otto's temper and get him back on track, but finds herself pondering about his long-term viability. They have been cordial with each other before, but now that his death was fast approaching, he was becoming more irritable, more unstable. What would stop him from sabotaging their work? Nothing. He was no doubt planning to do so right now.

But that was okay, though. She knew how to get rid of him should that eventuality occur.

It would hurt her operations somewhat, but she could recover.

But that would have to wait for now. Tomorrow, the war against the Meta Liberation Army will begin.

And she finally has her secret weapon ready to fight against them.

The Infinity Gauntlet, modified to suit her needs, and with five of the six Infinity Stones embedded in them.)

(And of course, as she guessed correctly, Otto Octavius is planning on taking what is rightfully his, and is creating a new device to make it happen.

A mind-swapping Octobot.)

Back with Peter and the others, they listen to Kaine as he recounts his story all the way to the end, which leaves them all in stunned silence.

Now, Peter doesn't believe Kaine. For all that he doesn't agree with her and her methods, Adriana is still a close friend of his. She wouldn't do the stuff that Kaine had been talking about, surely. But Kaine doesn't think much of his response. Believe it, or don't. The truth shall remain the truth no matter what.

What really gets under Peter's skin, however, is when Kaine remarks about the Enforcers, how he had used them, how they had betrayed him and how he left them to die, or whatever fate Adriana had for them. Kaine simply remarks that they were villains, and that they got what they deserved, but Peter rails against that. If Kaine really was his brother, if he really was made with his blood and mind, then he should know not to abandon anyone in need-

And that is when Kaine tells Peter that he is sick and tired of his naïve, holier-than-thou attitude, as if he thinks he's better than everything, that he knows better than everyone else. Peter can swing through the streets and make joke after joke as he locks up the bad guys all he wants, but he's never had to get his hands dirty. He's never had to take another person's life for the sake of everyone else. He's never had to deal with the prospect of having to cross his own lines just to save someone else.

Peter can preach about great power meaning great responsibility all he wants, but he's never truly known responsibility. He's never known just how fragile that rule is.

Sometimes some people deserve to die. At least Kaine has the strength to admit that.

Peter feels his eyes twitch, his hands clench, his fists shake.

Then, he leaves without a word, throwing the door open and swinging away into the night, leaving the rest of the group in the building in awkward silence.

Momo is the first to leave, stating that she needs to get back to U.A.. If what Kaine says is true, then sooner or later things are going to boil over, and she needs to get the rest of their friends ready for what is to come. Izuku agrees, and tells Keemia and Ochako to go warn the others in the Spider-Gang (Kaine scoffs at the name) and Inko and May, and tells them to take Kaine with them. He'll look after Bakugo. Ochako and Keemia aren't keen on the idea, but he tells them that he can handle it.

And so, the group splits up for the night, and that is when Bakugo decides to wake up. Izuku isn't too thrilled by this, but tries not to think too much on it.

Elsewhere, Momo makes it back to U.A., and gathers up her friends still within the school, that being Hatsume, Maina, Shinso, Sero, and Todoroki. Momo tells them what Kaine has told her, then informs them of the possible dangers that they are in. The group express how tired they are of constantly dealing with government conspiracies and criminal groups, but they take it in stride anyway, preparing for what is to come...

Unaware of Tsuyu looking over them and telling the rest of their classmates that Momo's group is up to something. She thinks they're planning on breaking the rules again, and many of their classmates, themselves tired of the death and the carnage and their friends either leaving or being picked off over and over again for the last year, agree to stop them in case they try anything.

Then, Tsuyu calls Adriana to inform her of what she has learnt...

…To which Adriana thanks her before hanging up, having just found Peter on a rooftop, hanging up and silently approaching the spider-themed hero.

Adriana surprises Peter with an embrace from behind, definitely catching Peter off-guard and forcing him to notice the fact that she is completely invisible to his spider-sense. Peter asks Adriana how she found him, and Adriana simply comments that it's hard to miss someone when they're swinging around the city in a strop.

(Not a complete lie, but the tracker that she has in his red and black S.I.L.K. suit definitely helps.)

Adriana disengages from Peter, and asks why he's in such a grump. Peter is quiet for a while, before remarking back to what Adriana has said before, about her regretting killing people. Does that mean that she's killed before? Killed more than just Toga?

Adriana comments that it never gets any better, and Peter takes that to mean that she has. Adriana makes clear that she doesn't take joy in it, but the people that she has had to... dispose of, were people that deserved what was coming to them.

Peter thinks back to what Kaine says, then takes note of the sweet smell in the air around Adriana. For once, he is able to resist its effects. He asks Adriana of the names of the people that she has killed. Adriana asks why it matters. Peter retorts that it always matters.

Adriana doesn't, then asks why she should want to remember everyone that she... well, yeah. It's not exactly a fun topic, and the way Peter is phrasing it is a little disrespectful, in fact.

Peter recognises it, and apologises. He goes silent for a long while, and Adriana sits down with him as they look over the city.

Adriana then asks Peter why he decided to become Spider-Man. Peter remarks that he already told her this story, and Adriana knows this. She just wants to know why he decided that he should take up being Spider-Man. He had defeated the Thousand, he had saved his friends. There was, and is, no reason for him to care about the well-being of everyone else.

Peter says that he became Spider-Man because he realised that he had great power, and therefore he had a greater responsibility to use it. However, Adriana counters that no one told him to take up that responsibility. What about the responsibility to himself? Why did he had to give himself up for other people? What about everything that he has gone through? All the death and the suffering and the misery? What about being responsible for himself? Why should he have to use his power to act for others when they refuse to be responsible for themselves?

Peter asks why Adriana is asking about all of this, and Adriana responds by simply telling Peter that he fascinates her, in a way. His dreams, his ideals, what he believes in, all of it is something that she can only dream about doing, something that she both loves and condemns at the same time, going out and saving people even when they don't deserve it. Peter remarks that it is not his place to decide who lives and dies, and that he has a responsibility to save everyone, but Adriana shoots through that again, simply stating that no one gave him that responsibility, that was all himself.

And he would save everyone, wouldn't he? Even his enemies. Even the people who would spit in the face and stab him in the back. The people who, as soon as he sent them to the slammer, they would just break out and kill all over again.

As much as Adriana respected Spider-Man, she had no room for such... niceties.

Peter demands to know where Adriana is going with this, and Adriana makes clear that everything she said before, about her admiring him and his morals, about her regretting killing people, all of it is true. She believes that with great power comes great responsibility too. However, Peter always thinks more in the immediate, in the short-term. He never considers his actions on a wider basis.

Adriana, however, is more of a long-term thinker. She's always thinking about how she can help the world on a grander scale, how she can affect everyone across the globe. How she can help everyone...

She gestures out to the city around them, pointing out all the scars and war-wounds from the various crisis's from the last year. From Sandman's rampage to the Wars of the Symbiotes to even the most recent conflict with the War of the Bounty Hunters, and then to the coming battle tomorrow. Theirs is a broken world filled with broken people, haggard and traumatised. Peter is remorseful at all the chaos that has hit this world, and Adriana continues. They all live in a system that has been failing them longer than many of them have even been alive, and for the last year it has been collapsing all around them, leaving them scared and alone.

She wants to create a better world for them. Not just for the average person, but for people like themselves, her and Peter. Spider-People. She wants to make a safe, happy world, where they will never have to know tragedy once again.

A world where they had no power, and no responsibility.

Peter stills at those words, and Adriana smiles, hugging him once more before walking off, from the edge of the rooftop to the door that she pretended wasn't locked.

But then, she hears Peter call out to her, and tells her something from an old show he once watched with Gwen and Harry. There's this guy carrying a pair of gloves, and he gets on a train. However, he realises that he left one of his gloves on the train station platform, so he simply decides to throw the other glove out onto the platform, so that whoever finds them can just have the pair.

Adriana asks where he is going with this, and Peter simply tells her to have a good night and swings away, finally realising that Kaine was right.

Elsewhere, Kaine, Ochako, and Keemia make their way to Aunt May and Inko Midoriya, who are currently at the old warehouses whilst the Midoriya apartment is being refurbished and secured. However, Ochako decides to stop by Kendo's dojo on the way there to make sure that she is okay. Kaine doesn't see the point in this, but goes along with it anyway.

During this time, Ochako and Keemia talk with Kaine, and express their own disgust at Kaine for his callous disregard of his Enforcers and abandoning them to their fate. Kaine doesn't care for it, though, and simply remarks that they are criminals. Villains. They knew what they were getting themselves in for. Ochako and Keemia counter that they might've proven themselves to be better if he had given them the chance to do so. Ochako has worked with the Enforcers before. They were money-obsessed, but they still seemed like decent enough people.

Kaine simply scoffs at this. The problem with Peter and Ochako and the rest of them is that they're all moralists. They have a strict sense of right and wrong and they refuse to bend it. Kaine, meanwhile, is a moral pragmatist. He's willing to bend and break his own morals as long as it serves the greater good, and he doesn't care how many criminals and villains he has to break to get there.

Ochako retorts that he's been away for too long. She's not as nice as she used to be. She's willing to tolerate death now. Kaine snarks that she's growing up, and Ochako responds to say that she's changed.

Then Keemia steps in. Anyone can change. Look at Panda-Mania, Gibbon, and Hippo. Look at the Tinkerer, and her father. Look at Venom, look at herself! Hell, look at himself! Anyone can change. Anyone can be better.

But Kaine doesn't believe it. People don't change. They simply reveal who they truly are.

They then arrive at Kendo's dojo, and find a despondent Kendo inside.

Kendo has been lost and confused since her uncle's death only a short time ago. Ever since she had been kicked out of U.A., she had been dreading the possibility of facing a dark future, seeing as she had the black mark of being expelled from the best hero school in Japan on her record. However, during all of that, she still had her uncle at her side. She had their partnership, and their working role as detectives and sleuths. Now that was gone, and she was left with purpose once again, uncertain of what she was to be in the future.

And her uncle... Kendo Rappa wasn't a bad man. His quirk simply made him violent, drove him to surrender to his basic impulses and animalistic desires. He was a victim to his own power.

And yet, underneath all that, he was a good man. She had to believe that. He was a good man, and he cared for her, looked out for her, and now...

Now he was gone.

Removed.

Dead.

He was dead, and for all her detective skills and intelligence, Kendo couldn't understand why he had to die.

She could only weep, mourning for his death.

When Ochako, Keemia, and Kaine arrive at the dojo, they find Kendo in the corner, bags under her red eyes and wet cheeks streaked with tear stains. At first, she doesn't respond to them. She doesn't even move, even when Kaine tells her to get up and get a move on.

It is Ochako who breaks through to her, gently coaxing her out of her cocoon of wailing misery through kind words and whispers of reassurance. Ochako is eventually able to convince Kendo to come with them, warning of the dangers that are soon to come, and they leave...

…Unaware of the cosmic eyes looking over them, over Kendo, from another plane of existence.

Back at the old building, Izuku continues to tend to Bakugo's wounds, the latter of whom expressively makes clear his distain at being treated by someone that he thought to be lesser than himself. Izuku, for his part, no longer rises to Bakugo's taunts. He's grown from it. He's not the same person that he used to be.

But Bakugo doesn't believe that. To him, Izuku is still the same worthless Deku as he was before, now a villain after what he did as Venom, and still looking down on him even now-

That is what gets a reaction out of Izuku, as he whirls around at Bakugo and demands to know why the hell he ever thought that he was looking down at him. If anything, Izuku was always looking up to Bakugo. He had been Izuku's image of victory inside his mind, the hero that never loses, and he had been chasing after that, chasing after him, for god knows how long. He used to admire Bakugo. Then, during his time in and out of U.A., he hated him. Now? Now he's not sure how he feels about Bakugo.

And besides, Bakugo had attacked him, hadn't he? Back when he had the Toxin Symbiote. Bakugo had attacked him unprovoked. Wouldn't that make him the villain?

Bakugo doesn't answer the question. Instead, he directs himself back to Izuku. Look at him now then. He had a quirk all of his own, whilst Bakugo has nothing. When compared with Izuku, Bakugo always comes up short, doesn't he? Now, once again, he's taken everything from him. His quirk, his chances at becoming a pro hero, everything.

Izuku glares at Bakugo. He lost all of that himself. Everything that he's saying, his quirk, his career, all of it. Bakugo lost all of that by himself, of his own volition. He could've stopped, he could've slowed down, he could've appreciated everything that he had, and now...

Hell, he could've just gone to his parents again. He had that opportunity. He could've just gone back to them. But instead, he ran off. He attacked Izuku and his friends, and he could've forgiven that - when he was younger, he could've forgiven anyone - but Bakugo lost that chance when he broke into his apartment and attacked his mother. He attacked his mother, Izuku destroyed his quirk through the Anti-Venom in self-defence, and then Bakugo ran off on his own, on the run from the law, by his own choice.

Everything that has happened to Bakugo, he brought it down on him through his own choice. He destroyed his chances to be a hero on his own, not through Izuku or anyone else.

Bakugo snaps at him once more. Was Izuku always this... sanctimonious, or does it just come naturally? Behold, the great, mighty Midoriya Izuku! Proud, tall, a green paragon of undisputed virtue! Bakugo snarls at that, at him, stating that Izuku always thought that he had to be the most morally upstanding person in the room, without any flaws or weaknesses. He always shielded himself away from everyone else because he didn't care about being a person as much as he cared about being a symbol like All Might. All the while he looked at everyone around him with jealousy and envy that he refused to even acknowledge. It pisses Bakugo off, to say the least.

Izuku doesn't have much of a counter to that, seeing as what Bakugo is saying is pretty much all true, but repeats that he's not the same person that he used to be. He accepts who he is now, he accepts everything about himself, flaws and all. And he has his friends to thank for that. Bakugo doesn't know him as well as he thinks he does, but Bakugo counters that he knows Izuku too well, even now.

Izuku remarks that this is how they've been all their lives. Bakugo would always make assumptions of him, of others, and would act upon them, all the while Izuku did his best to try and justify those actions to himself. And now, Izuku is trying to figure out what it was all for. He tried to become a hero to protect others, as well as to make himself feel like he mattered to at least someone. And he knows that Bakugo still wants to become a hero to-

Izuku stops, pauses, looks to the side for a moment, then gives Bakugo a questioning look.

He wants to play a game. Let's pretend that Izuku is gone. Whether he's dead or moved away, it doesn't matter. Izuku is gone. What does the world look like to Bakugo?

Bakugo doesn't understand the question, so Izuku rephrases it. He, Izuku, is gone. All the other people that Bakugo considers to be extras are gone too. The number one hero spot is all his, and there is no one around to challenge him in taking the throne and the crown of hero society from him. Now what?

What now?

Bakugo sniffs. Then the whole world looks to him and knows him to be the winner. The champion. He is the number one hero, he's won, and no one will ever look down on him again.

And?

Bakugo blinks. And what?

And then what? Izuku asks. What does he do with the number one spot? Does he continue to just beat up as many villains as he can find? Does he save people? Does he help them up? Does he sponsor charities and social movements? Does he help with community service programmes? Does he prevent natural disasters? Does he do what All Might wanted and go around the world to bring hope and spread a message of peace to every corner of the globe?

Does he do anything with the number one position? Or does he just keep beating up any villain that he finds?

Bakugo demands to know where all this is going, and Izuku responds that, in all honesty, he doesn't know why Bakugo wants to be a hero. He thinks that he never did. For all of his attentiveness, he never actually understood why Bakugo wants the number one spot.

Bakugo said that it is because he wants to win, but Izuku shoots back that winning is an objective, not a motivation. Izuku understands that Bakugo wants to win, but he doesn't understand why he wants to be a hero. He never did, now that he thinks back on it.

If Bakugo just wants to win, then why not join a wrestling ring? Why not take up martial arts? Why not just go around on the streets and beat up everyone that looks at him funny?

Why not become a villain?

Bakugo snaps at Izuku again. Where the hell does he get off thinking that he's a villain? Izuku snaps back that, aside from attacking him, his friends, and his mother with a Symbiote, where does he get off calling himself a hero if all he's focused on is winning?

Izuku has made a crap tone of mistakes. He acknowledges this. He's lost the right to call himself a hero after everything that's he's done and he's going to be spending the rest of his life making up for it, something that he may never actually finish doing. And he knows that he used to envy Bakugo as much as he admired him, for everything that he had. He's accepted that part about himself now, even if it's not something that he's proud of.

But Bakugo? Why does he still think himself a hero after everything he's done as well? What does being a hero mean to him? He had everything that Izuku ever wants, a father who was there for him, a quirk, the admiration of all his friends and the acknowledgement of his value, and yet - and yet! - it wasn't enough for him! It wasn't enough for him, and he threw it all away - and Izuku thinks that he might've done the same if he was in Bakugo's position - so the prospect of being a hero - of being number one - must really mean something to him, doesn't it? It must have some real value, so what is that value? What is it all worth? What does it all mean?

Izuku makes a wide gesture around him, as if highlighting the whole world beyond the building that they occupy. Look around him! The whole world is shifting on its axis. Hero society is fracturing and fraying, and the people in it are being exposed as no better than the villains that they were fighting again. The word 'hero' is losing its meaning, and yet Bakugo still clings to it, so why?

Bakugo's response is more subdued, but still defiant. He wouldn't become like those weaklings that dare to call themselves heroes. He wouldn't whore himself out to villains.

Izuku doesn't take this at face value. After everything that has happened, even that isn't certain anymore, but fine. Bakugo doesn't want to be a villain, despite having attacked him and his friends and family.

But why does he want to become a hero?

Bakugo doesn't answer.

What does being a hero mean to him?

Bakugo does answer. Because heroes always win.

So why does he want to win?

Why does he want to become a hero?

What does winning mean to him?

Again, Bakugo doesn't answer, and Izuku asks the ultimate question:

Does Bakugo even know what he wants?

Bakugo doesn't answer, won't answer, can't answer. He just sits, looking at Izuku is shaking silence as the two stare each other down.

Then, there's a knock on the door.

Izuku frowns, then tells Bakugo that he is done with his former bully. He's done. He's done trailing after him like he's the only thing that matters in life, because he isn't.

And all the suffering that Bakugo has experienced, is experiencing, and will experience?

He brought it all on himself.

Bakugo just looks at Izuku in silence. He doesn't even protest when Izuku shoves him into a hidden cubby in the building to hide him from anyone trying to lay claim to him before he goes to the door to open it.

It is Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman.

The two talk, chat. They're friendly enough with each other, if not on a personal basis. Jessica apologises for not making it to the party. Things have just been really busy recently. The job of an agent never tires, does it? Izuku smiles when he says that it doesn't then politely asks Jessica what she is doing here.

Jessica tells him that Bakugo has been sighted around the area, and seeing as he had been attacked by the boy before, she wishes to know if Izuku has seen him anywhere. Izuku says no, but Jessica isn't too quick to believe him. She reminds him of his past with him, and makes clear how she thinks he might still cover for him, but Izuku shoots this down, and makes clear that Bakugo doesn't mean anything to him anymore.

Jessica pauses, then nods to this. She pats him on the shoulder and calls him a good person, and warns him that if Bakugo is running around the area, then he might target Izuku again, promising to find and help him should he send out the word.

Izuku thanks her, and they depart, Izuku closing the door to her and sighing. Looks like Kaine may have been right after all...

Meanwhile, Jessica swings up to a nearby rooftop, and swears to herself.

Then, she contacts Adriana, telling her that Bakugo is with Izuku. Adriana thanks her agent for it, and tells her to get Twice, Kirishima, and Tetsutetsu ready to recover him. Tomorrow, they're all going to be very busy.

The next day, Doctor Garaki is feeling giddy. His plan to revive his Master, All for One, has been successful! Having used that snivelling brat Shigaraki's body as a vessel, Garaki had imbued his Master's quirk into the boy's body, and combined it with the sliver of One for All, the Carnage Symbiote, to empower it.

Now his master has been raised from the dead once again, and is even stronger than ever! He's faster, tougher, better! And he now sits on a throne made from the skulls of those worthless MLA losers! Those foolish quirk supremacists have finally met a superior quirk! A quirk that trumps over all of them!

Now, there is much more work to be done! His master is ascendant and his power is unmatched! This time, All for One will destroy that pompous fool All Might, rip his heart out of his chest, and show the whole world that the Symbol of Evil will not die so-

Garaki stops when a sharp pain fills his chest. He looks down, and sees a hand poking through a bloody hole in his chest, crushing his heart.

A whisper echoes out from behind him, telling his that Garaki is going to die, and his master will join him.

Garaki slumps down, and his attacker pulls her hand from the bloody hole in the dead man's chest and flicks the residual chunks of gore off her fingers.

Adriana Soria will make sure of it.

This arc is important to me, because it exists as a point to display the development of some of this story's major characters, and it also contains one of my favourite moments within the entire narrative.

First and foremost, Kaine. Yeah, he's not a nice guy, is he? Kind of a dick, actually. That's the thing about him: he's a good guy, but he's not a good guy. He's still on the side of heroism, but he's utterly ruthless in how he gets there and isn't above kicking people down and keeping them there to do so.

Think of Kaine as a deconstruction of the atypical anti-hero: he's crass, rude, and foul, but he's ultimately still on the side of good and is perfectly willing to help others... but his negative traits that are so proudly on display aren't going to win him any favours from anyone and will most likely bite him in the arse later.

Second of all, Peter. I feel like his and Adriana have some of the most interesting talks in this story. It's always a treat to write them together.

And lastly, Izuku and Bakugo, and their conversation. Like I said above, this is probably one of my favourite moments throughout this entire story, simply because I feel like it is a conversation that has needed to happen for a long time, and while I call out Bakugo for a lot of stuff during this chapter, I don't want it to come across as character bashing. That is something that I cannot stand.

You see, I've never been able to get a good read on Bakugo's motivations. He wants to be a hero because heroes always win and he was inspired by All Might to be an invincible hero that never loses. However, a lot of this feels like it's more of a goal than a motivation. It feels like an objective rather than a purpose, a reason for being.

Bakugo strikes me as the kind of person who doesn't quite know what they want. They have an idea, but it's vague and nebulous and they don't know what they're supposed to do when they get their hands on it. I always imagined that if Bakugo was to ever somehow claim the position of the number one hero, he would never be satisfied by it. He would never think it is good enough, and always strives for a bigger win, even when such a victory might not even exist.

In my mind, Bakugo is someone who doesn't know exactly what hr wants, or what he is supposed to do when he gets his hands on it.

And Izuku... if this was canon, Izuku probably would've forgiven Bakugo for what he did, or at the very least he would still help him or save him from his current problems in the same way that he would save Shigaraki from All for One despite not actually forgiving him.

However, I've never liked Izuku in canon. I think I've said this before, but I've always seen him as just too bland of a protagonist. I've always seen him as just a bit boring. Like, he's there, and we see his flaws through his need to save everyone, but I never understood why. I mean, we can always say that it is due to his quirklessness, but that's more fanon than canon.

Izuku strikes me as the type of person to bury his darker thoughts and more selfish traits because he thinks that they are unheroic, repressing them and pretending that they don't exist so that he can be the best hero that he can be.

But here, in this story, Izuku is a much more flawed person. He is still a good person, but in the past he suppressed his jealousy and envy of the others around him because he thought that it wasn't heroic to feel anything negative, only for that to blow up in his face and leave him changed forever. This is an Izuku Midoriya who is still a good person deep down, but he's also a flawed person with negative traits that he is aware of and accepts, and even rejects the notion of forgiving Bakugo for all that he has done, and cuts him out of his life.

This Izuku Midoriya is more flawed and with more negative personality traits, but he's still a deeply heroic and optimistic person who has friends around him to support him, and is all the better for it.

But anyway, that's all from me for now. Hold onto your hats, people, because next chapter is where it finally all comes together. Next chapter shall be the big twist that I've been building up to since the Kamino arc, and it will change everything about this story and how it goes forward from there!

But until then...

Titanmaster 117 out!