Guild Master here again, again.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

ESD response to the location where the UA students were in need was a few moments before the villains managed their escape. Unknown to everybody else, Nakamura was the one who held off ESD response and set up the jamming signal to coron off the area from external signals. His work at the UA summer camp was supposed to be just him and the villains while the students and teachers were blissfully unaware of the cleanup.

Having the plan go astray with the bravery test had him picking up the mess. Fifteen kids were transported to a nearby ESD medical facility and were able to regain consciousness after being treated for the poison in their systems. Eleven others were injured with minor as well as major wounds and were taken to the same medical facility to be later transported to a hospital. How it was that they managed delicate and intricate surgery in twenty three minutes and sent the young Midoriya with mended bones out was a miracle of modern medicine.

The last thirteen were completely fine, aside from the psychological injuries. Pixie bob was cared for by the ESD medical staff and were able to get her out of critical condition immediately. Ragdoll's presence was still up in the air with everyone scratching their heads as to where she was currently. As far as mysteries went, that one wasn't even the biggest one that came out of this whole nightmare of a situation.

While combing through the forests, the ESD and police reported four dead bodies that belonged to the villains. They were all burnt to a crisp and were nothing but blackened skeletons when they arrived on the scene. Some of the bodies had been missing some limbs or a head, but the reports were inconclusive as the damage to the bones were too extensive to see what it was that caused their deaths.

People began to whisper and ask questions as to who it was that would just eliminate villains like they did. Some praised it as necessary while others were banding together to demand that the authorities catch this maniac. Another divisive opinion lost to the miasma of other online forums.

The Day After the Camp Incident

There was a gaggle of reporters outside of UA Academy's gates as they were looking for a juicy bit on what it was that the UA neglected to do to protect their students. The conference room was again occupied by the teachers anong with the principal. Also there was the ESD technical lead as well as the ESD response unit lead. This meeting was drawn up to address the recent incident so far. The only people who were missing were Aizawa and Vlad, though they were at the police station taking a statement.

Like last time, the room had the borders with ESD armed guards standing at the ready. Last time it felt unnecessary by most of the instructors to have such a security detail. Now it was starting to feel as though that these armed guards may be more necessary than they first had assumed.

"The fear of villain conversion amongst the public is quite high, isn't it?"

The principal had been the one to bring the conversation to the subject of the biggest form of criticism that the school was receiving amongst their staff. Many teachers were speaking on the matter of the development while acknowledging the lack of foresight to predict such an assault. All Might was feeling most of the guilt in the room as he had been completely unaware of the attack while it was happening. There was an even bigger elephant in the room that was the presence of the two ESD lead officers assigned to the security of UA Academy as a whole.

Nobody wanted to say it out loud. The officers weren't at liberty to act unprofessional enough to rub the mess into all the teacher's faces, not that they would have. It was the UA teaching staff that rejected the proposition of the ESD to offer their procedures and security to the students during the summer camp. Some time before the summer; the ESD gave the UA staff an offer for their services and protection for the summer camp with comprehensive plans and detailed reports as to what would be their security measures.

They were even willing to allow the school staff to pick the location of the summer camp as well. All of them created the argument that such a heavily monitored location with multiple officers would draw too much attention from the villains after their students. An idiot with a car and binoculars could have found the sports camp when the buses took off for the camping site itself. Most of them were actually defensive of the ESD for how efficient and well funded they were in comparison to the heroes.

Most people didn't like to be put out of a job, and the newest designation of government defense was doing the job quite well. It was mostly due to them feeling a bit threatened that the ESD were to make most of the security decisions and leave them out in the cold that made the teachers vote off the additional protection. Now it was here to bite them in the ass as the proposition had to go through public sectors for approval and some reporter caught wind of the offer through their sources.

In comparison to the failed protection of the many students during the summer camp; the invasion of the DSA was an absolute success for the ESD. Not a single injury from the student body with three officers who had to remain anonymous on their deathbeds that gave their lives to guarantee the safety of the heroes in training.

The public couldn't figure out if this was some kind of cruel joke or not that the ESD fended off over one hundred villains while the entire UA teaching staff failed to protect students from less than ten villains alone. Credibility to the UA staff was descending like a rock tossed into the ocean.

After the teachers were given their opportunity to speak, it was the ESD officers' turn to speak freely. Every hero there had no right to speak against the government officials assigned to be the commanding officers of the schools protective services. On top of being ridiculed by the public, the teachers were truly ashamed of the event as their complacency cost the students their safety. It was when they discovered that the ESD were to go over the preventative measures proposed in their documents that they felt coarse salt being grinded into their open wounds.

"As you can see here, our first proposition was to fit every student with a discretionary bracelet that would have acted as their access bands to the resort. In reality we would have fitted them with tracking sensors effective up to four hundred kilometers."

So this whole issue to locate the student was literally circumvented with the addition of a simple bracelet. Things only got worse for the teacher's pride as the meeting continued. There were things like sensor coverage up to the edge of the property, additional staffing to patrol and monitor twenty four seven for all major areas, and the support of additional officers within a response time of five minutes if the support was to be called in. The fastest you can drive from the highway to the resort was fifteen via the service roads.

Then came the next touchy subject that the ESD were looking into. It was in their hands since the issue was of dire consequences if failure was realized. The technical lead took the floor again and discussed whatever available information they could share.

"Many of you are aware of the possibility of a leak in information being a possibility. We have confirmed this to not be the case as it was likely that the League of Villains had tailed the transportation to the camp destination. Security footage here and here have picked up a tail of some kind being consistent in several locations. We are certain that the use of basic tactics had been the factor in revealing the camp location."

Something being as simple as that was just the right amount of force to the gut that made the teachers realize the degree of which they were being naive. It wasn't this as the images and footage had been altered to give this impression. The real reason was due to Haru allowing the message to go through and had intended to use the message as bait to eliminate a large amount of the league on his own. As much as he wanted to blame the teachers and pussycats for allowing their student's into the forest like that; his position was that of somebody using children as bait for a deathtrap.

Things were looking more and more bleak for the teachers as the problems they knew about and several they didn't know about were brought to light by the officers. Finding these glaring issues to the safety of the students was quite the rude wake up call for all the teachers present for the meeting.

End of the Meeting

More than an hour of hazing over the ineptitude of UA teaching staff left the room heavy hearted and humbled at the reality of the situation. While they were all complacent, these people were operating in reality and had all the necessary countermeasures against those that were deemed as hostile. Pride was a very dangerous thing in this line of work.

The last point of discussion arose for the teachers to be informed of a very important piece of information. It made the heroes question themselves even more than they were already.

"And to finish off the meeting; we have confirmed the location of a possible base of operations for the League of Villains. This building here on the map will be subjected to a raid operated by ourselves and the police. We ask for your permission respectfully."

Both officers who were standing to present the information were actually bowing their heads in respect to the consent of the heroes. Most of the other teachers were expecting coy comments or antagonizing jabs at how inept they were. These people remained professional and courteous while still politely requesting their help just like before. They would be stupid to reject them now, not after the last time they did so.

They all consented to offering their assistance to the raid. There was no doubt in their minds that this was going to be a very successful raid. Before the meeting was drawn to a close, the officers were courteous enough to ask if anybody else had anything to say before they dismissed everybody. All Might had the courtesy to thank the officers for their efforts and even returned the bow they gave the heroes when they hadn't earned such respect from them.

"We thank you for your efforts to keep our students safe. I only wish to be granted this one and very simple favor."

Steam arose from All Might and reintroduced his heroic figure as he disclosed what it was he wanted to do.

"When I see those guys, I'll just say this to them…"

That glare he gave was both eager and intense in it's scorn. It was all the additional motivation the heroes there needed to go plus ultra on this job.

"I am here for payback!"

Local Hospital

Midoriya was in a bit of a daze after having woken up in the hospital. The reality of the situation was still a bit lost on him as he was in a bit of a limbo state while lying on the hospital bed. He couldn't even remember when he was dragged to the ESD medical facility to be healed of his burns and broken bones.

A new experimental treatment that utilized new high end technology to reform and fuse bones together patched up his ribcage. His right arm was stuck into a specialized glove that kept a topical medication covering his burns and prevented it from drying out. So much of the past few hours were a complete blur to the boy. His memory failed him as to exactly what had been going on.

Turning his head to the bedside table, he saw the slices of apples his mother gave him with a small note to let him know she wanted him to eat something when he woke up. His thoughts were still floating back to how the young boy he was with during the summer camp was doing. This was mostly him using a defense mechanism to leave reality for a bit and to just forget his troubles for a bit.

"Midoriya! Sup man?"

The sight of his classmates all pouring into his hospital room was a very comforting sight. Mineta had a rare moment of demonstrating decent human behavior as he presented a muskmelon that he organized to purchase for the injured Midoriya. Izuku asked if this was everyone from class 1-A as he couldn't see too well from his position on the bed.

Iida was the one to let him know that Toru and Kyoka were okay in a different room of the hospital while Momo was relatively in the same state while sporting her own fair share of injuries. When Izuku asked where Mina was, it was Ochaco who said that she had refused the request to come see him when asked. His memory may have been fuzzy regarding other events; remembering the argument that happened was no problem for the young Midoriya.

It was such an ugly memory of thinking he was being the noble one while accusing Mina of being selfish. The look of shock and hurt when he said that was so deeply ingrained into his memory that it haunted him. He didn't feel as though he won that argument as Mina ran off into the night and returned to the resort without him. Her telling him to do whatever he wanted without her was too much of a declaration of breaking up that he still was questioning if they really were done.

Returning to the topic of Bakugou; Izuku felt so useless and was even tearing up at the memory of seeing his childhood friend warning him to stay away as he disappeared into the black portal. Kirishima let Izuku know that there was still a chance to save Bakugou themselves as he was visiting the hospital to come see him. There was a conversation he overheard as something was being discussed in his room.

Yesterday

Kirishima had seen Todoroki in the lobby of the hospital and decided to tag along to check up on Momo and Midoriya together. Yaoyorozu thanked them for their time and accepted their gifts of fruit and sent them on their way. They both were just outside in the hall when they heard what was likely Izuku's mother and Haru in the room as the mother was being consoled by the man. It was known that Nakamura had almost superhuman reflexes, so they didn't risk being seen as they listened in from the hallway.

"I-I can't! How can I just let… I… I just can't… Even Mitsuki is just…"

Hearing such a distraught parent question everything as they see their child injured in a hospital bed was never an easy thing to hear. Haru had to be the one to console the grieving mother from her despair. She was eventually stable enough to thank him for the support as she relayed how helpless she felt to keep her boy safe. Her heart bled for her dear friend who lost her son after the loss of her husband. That bit of information was new to the boys as Bakugou never mentioned anything about his home life.

In the retelling of the story, Izuku was thankfully quick enough to catch the signs of the discussion and asked that neither boy reveal private information meant for nobody else except those who already knew. Kirishima and Todoroki both honored the request as Kirishima continued.

It was then that Haru said something that made both boy's ears perk up as to what it was he was saying. It was something Haru promised Inko that got them the bit of information they were sharing with their classmates.

"... I can look into it for you."

Trust was often an unspoken rule between people when they knew one another and the boundaries they set. What the two boys did was a clear violation of this trust when they heard Nakamura talk about visiting a district some distance away, they committed the name and time he would visit that district to heart. What he promised Inko was to check with an informant he knew of that would help in giving the Bakugou family some peace of mind. The information was the suspected location of the young Katsuki.

Present Time

As tempting as it was for Izuku to blindly say yes and go to the district without a second thought, there were several things getting in his way in saying yes. Iida was the more sensible voice and just said them out loud for everybody to hear.

"So not only did you listen in on a private conversation they had with somebody; you intend to take advantage of Haru-san's private information to do something he would never approve of?"

He hit the nail on the head with his explanation of the current situation. The man deserved better from the kids he spent so much time helping and talking to with whatever topic they wanted to discuss. All of them were given the time of day from the food truck owner and were always treated well under his care. Kirishima was one who knew Haru better than the others, yet he was the one recommending that they take advantage of him.

"You would go out of your way to betray his trust?! He's trying to console a grieving mother! How dare you do such a deplorable thing!"

"I know that! I've known him for years, dammit! But I can't just leave Bakugou out there!"

His reasoning to violate such a valued trust was out of his desire to correct a negligent action he took to save his friend. Kaminari allowed his friend to fall into danger and just fell into complacency while Bakugou was whisked away by the enemy. With his dignity on the line, he asked Midoriya in earnest as to what it was he had to say about the matter.

The rest of the room was arguing the ethics of the situation as Tsuyu brought up a valid point that what they were about to do was not only illegal; it would be an invasion of privacy for a well trusted adult that has done nothing but help them no matter what the circumstances entailed.

A doctor asked that the visitors clear out for Izuku's next examination. They were all leaving when Kirishima delayed his exit to tell Izuku of the meeting time that Haru had planned to see his informant. Iida was keeping an open ear and overheard the secretive conversation to break the law and violate the trust of the man who helped keep him alive during a very vulnerable point in his life.

Izuku's arms were apparently good to go and even warranted the medicated arm glove to be removed. Treatment for Midoriya's arms was something the doctor recognized as something he knew to be cutting edge in the medical field. When asking how this would affect his family's finances, the doctor openly admitted that the whole procedure was already covered.

Both arms were relatively intact, but now were sporting scars up and down the length of them. For the most part, Izuku was okay to the extent of his internal damage. The scars were something that the doctor hoped would remind Izuku to not take things too far next time. Though Izuku felt as though his arms were perfectly fine now, there was a weight to the warning he was given as to how he should consider his own health.

Memories of the fight he had with Mina began to replay themselves in his head at the mere mention of his well being. Being told one's physical health was still ideal while they were still feeling like shit often lost out to the shitty feeling they felt. The letter he received from Kouta for how he treated Izuku did lift his spirits a bit.

For the hours he waited for the meeting time that Kirishima discussed with Izuku before he left, Izuku called and texted Mina repeatedly. It went from things like basic hellos to asking if she and him could talk. He knew she was receiving and checking the messages with the alerts he received, but he was left without a response. It really did start to affect him as he was starting to send messages begging for Mina's forgiveness.

No response for long stretches of time gave Izuku anxiety. Did she truly mean it when she said they were done? As ridiculous as he wanted to dismiss the dramatic exit, a part of him could see how that would be ideal for the girl. Her pain didn't go unnoticed, but that moment of adrenaline and focus to save his classmates got the better of him.

What she was doing was to truly communicate to Izuku how helpless she felt as he kept risking himself so recklessly for others. There was the reality that one day she would find herself waiting and be left waiting permanently if things kept progressing as they did. In her defense, seeing one's significant other repeatedly return from battle to the extent that Izuku did was taxing on anybody who gave a damn about their soulmates.

Years of being with her made Izuku ignorant of the many things he took for granted from the pink girl. Mina would sometimes greet Izuku with a morning text to tell him she was so excited to see him next time in person. Those messages didn't stop even after they both entered UA. He even told Mina that they were in the same classroom and didn't have to send the messages. His heart only grew as the response was her saying that nothing has changed for her in her desire to be with him.

When she recently began to spend the night at his room again, waking up to the sight of her sleeping peacefully in his bed with him was like rediscovering a long lost love he had forgotten about. Her presence in his life was such a consistent presence that once it was gone, he didn't know what to do. He scrolled through his messages between him and Mina to ease the angst he knew he caused.

That Evening

Kirishima and Todoroki were both outside the hospital while waiting for those who were interested in joining them for their little operation to save Bakugou. Right as they were certain that it was going to be nobody but the both of them, Both Momo and Izuku walked out of the hospital hand in hand. Though the both of them were certain that it was going to be just them, seeing Momo and Midoriya walk out together with the look of determination was plenty of an answer for the two boys intent on saving their classmate.

Turning around as a group revealed Iida waiting behind them. Although he was straightforward and a bit simple; he was far from being stupid. His presence there was a very telling action as to how conflicted he felt about all this.

"... Why? After everything we've gone through together… Is this all just a convenience to be taken?"

Iida was not cutting corners with how he felt as he told his fellow classmates how it was he felt to see them act so recklessly. Not only that, to also then betray the trust of the man who kept him alive and unharmed with so much effort that Iida still felt unworthy of. Izuku trying to justify their action made him lash out and punch the boy right in his cheek.

"Why?! Don't you think I'm worried too?! Bakugou isn't the only classmate I have, you know!"

The truth came out as he compared Izuku lying in that hospital bed to seeing his brother float in a specialized tank of liquid the first time he saw him so hurt and incapacitated. Feelings of being so helpless triggered something deep in Izuku as he remembered the feelings of being so helpless against getting Mina to talk to him returned.

"Is my concern of so little consequence? Is… Is Nakamura-san's feelings so small to you as well?"

Violating his mentor's trust was something that did not feel easy to Izuku in the slightest. Izuku could only justify himself by telling Iida what this all meant for the green haired hero in training. Leaving Katsuki behind like he did was haunting the boy unlike anything else. This was something that was plaguing him as much as it did Todoroki and Kirishima. What Todoroki wanted was some answers as to what it was that compelled that villain to be so intimate as he said his name as he left. Hearing his name from the villain caused something deep inside him to question everything.

There was no other way around it. Iida cast his dice and made a gamble with the renegade group of UA students seeking the redemption they wanted after failing to save their friend. All he hoped for was to not run into Nakamura during their attempts to see what it was he gained from questionable sources of information. He did owe the man his life, after all.

Later

Arriving in a very ritzy section of the city they arrived at threw off everybody except Momo as she felt this area to be familiar. The architecture and design of all the buildings advertised money that just didn't seem possible from such a low traffic area of the city. As intimidating as the others felt by the environment, Momo was the one to pull them out of their stupor.

"I think there's a store nearby I know of! Maybe if we look around a bit…"

Momo became the leader for a bit as she looked for familiar landmarks and signs of the clothing store she visited years ago. Things were looking more and more familiar as they traversed the streets of this exotic looking part of the city.

Their journey was abruptly interrupted by a voice that none of them wanted to hear during this journey. Walking past a store for high end ancient medicines was when they suddenly heard a voice that stopped them in their tracks.

"Guys?"

All of them froze in their tracks at the sound of the familiar voice. It was the one voice they all wanted to hear the least for that evening in specific. Behind them was Haru dressed in a slimming ensemble of slacks and custom formal wear that was flattering to his well built figure. He wasn't a stranger to such fine wear, but it was rare for the youth he interacted with often to see him in such dapper wear.

His question remained unanswered while the young heroes in training were struggling to find an answer to justify their reason to be in such a random part of the city. Haru was already putting the pieces together as Momo was now poorly fibbing a lie to salvage the situation.

"N-N-Nakamura-san! What a pleasant surprise! I thought that seeing Asuma-san would be such a nice trip for us to- to see her and her… The things that…"

The situation was already out of their control as Haru saw their eyes start to focus on the manilla folder he was carrying in his right hand. Momo hasn't had a need to see Arisu for years and now she was hellbent on seeing the woman now during her medical recovery? Putting the pieces together didn't take a scientist to read the writing on the wall for the man.

"... She's down the street from here. Why are you guys here?"

He was being a bit more serious with his tone as he began to press the teenagers for an honest answer. Everybody had their own tells to indicate if they were being honest or untruthful. Haru was far enough ahead of the curve to tell who was more guilty of something over their peers with enough knowledge of their habitual tendencies.

Looking back to yesterday, there was a very emotionally vulnerable moment where his attention was focused on Inko as she poured her heart out to her lover. Mitsuki was someone he had a personal obligation towards as her son was someone he had looked over since he was a young child. There were a pair of footsteps he heard in the hallway outside of the room as he comforted Inko with the guarantee he would try to make things right from his end of things.

Ignoring the sound was mostly him being attentive to the emotionally vulnerable woman he was seeing, but it was clear to him now that it was Shoto and Kaminari who was eavesdropping on the conversation.

"... I see. So that's how it is."

His tone slightly shifted as he could tell that there was a unanimous decision made amongst the young UA students that this was something that was worth throwing him under the bus. Izuku could pick up on the slight change of tone and was already trying to salvage the situation with his childhood mentor.

"Haru-san! Listen, we were just-"

"That's Nakamura-san to you, Midoriya!"

It wasn't a rise in volume, though it was perhaps one of the most painful things Izuku could have heard in his lifetime. Though it was Izuku who bit the proverbial bullet, the rest of the group could tell that Haru's disappointment and hurt of realizing what they were doing was unanimous.

He couldn't believe that it was not only one boy he looked after from a young age, but three more on top of that who were willing to betray his trust for their own agenda. Selfless or not, he had been with his lover in a very private moment and swore to her he would deliver on making things better via means he wasn't exactly keen on revealing to everybody he knew. This was unbelievable for Nakamura; he was disregarded and tossed to the side by the people he had done nothing but care for in the past few years.

"I'm guessing this is what you want, right?"

The folder he had in his right hand was brandished rather roughly by the increasingly upset man. Izuku and the rest of the group could tell that they were easily found out by the man they had intended to take advantage of.

"You know what? Fucking take it. I already know what it says."

Finding oneself at the delivering end of a betrayal was quite the burden to those able to feel guilty for the offended party. Haru had enough of the situation as he slapped the folder into Izuku's chest and let the papers fall to the ground while walking past the stunned teens. As far as he was concerned, his privacy was worthless to these kids.

"Now, if you would excuse me; I have to go help a grieving mother who lost her son."

Nobody could casually stomach what had just happened. Haru had seen right through them and was rightfully hurt by their intentions of violating his trust. Kaminari had done this to restore his pride as a man and a hero while disregarding one of his role models to be such an ideal individual. Shoto had simply disregarded a man who had been more of a father to him than his actual biological father. Momo lied to a man who saved her life and never asked for anything in return for his services. Izuku openly tossed his father figure to the side to ease the guilt he had over what he felt was his failure to his friend.

Midoriya had not only alienated Mina, but Haru as well. Mina couldn't bear the nature of which Izuku would constantly place himself in danger, and Haru couldn't tolerate the blatant disregard of trust as Izuku just intruded on his personal business. It was some time before these teenagers found themselves following Momo to the clothing store she knew from a very long time ago.

Later

Entering the building that was clearly not meant for the casual shopper revealed an interior that none of the boys could recognize. A regal and elegant architecture with a center stairpiece that looked to be made of obsidian gave the store an other worldly feel to it. While the boys were struggling to get their bearings, Momo was approached by a well trained attendant asking her of what it was she was here for.

"Is Ari-neesan here?"

The assistant did not hesitate to return to her desk to check for the availability of the individual Momo asked for. Momo was quite comfortable while standing while the rest of her entourage were feeling out of their element. Even the air felt too expensive to breathe while they waited for whoever it was that Momo requested to meet.

At the center of the extravagant lobby were elevators that were only accessible via approved identification of the person's biometrics. This was a very discretionary piece of information since such heavy handed security measures for a simple clothing store would have started to raise some questions. From the center elevator came a beauty that none of the young teenage boys were expecting to see.

Asuma Arisu had lost none of her elegance or beauty from the past ten years or so. Everybody who was attracted to women in that group of teenagers were all unable to look away from the foxy and beautiful woman well into her sixties that commanded everyone's attention effortlessly. From the inception of the business itself, Asuma was the one to command it's presence as she saw fit. She was one of the few people in Nakamura's organization that earned his honest respect. Had she not wanted to remain where she was; Haru would have placed her as a well trusted executive.

"Oh my goodness, Momo! Tell me this beautiful woman who stands before me isn't you."

There was a warm atmosphere between the mature beauty and Momo. None of the boys were able to resist the charm of Arisu as she gave her greetings to each of the teenagers. Momo had been here sparingly since Haru first brought her to this store a very long time ago. It's owner was a bit of an anomaly as Momo offered her black card and was immediately rejected for a free wardrobe service with Asuma personally attending the fitting.

Nobody could refuse such a personal and generous offer by such a person like Arisu. They all were brought to one of the upper floors for their personalized outfits.

Some Time Later

The UA students that originally went into the store for a more discretionary outfit all came out in outfits that would have been well out of their budgets. They all were at least more blended in with their clothing matching the surrounding demographic.

Iida was fitted with a custom fitted Italian suit with a full hairdo and fake Clark Gable mustache by his request. These elements all were designed and assembled in less than twenty minutes for the youngest Ingenium. For Shoto; his fitting resulted in an outfit that was less formal than Iida's outfit, but lost none of the elegance.

His outfit lacked the vest, jacket, and tie while sporting a different color scheme. His hair was tucked under a newsboy cap and was very flattering to his slimming figure. Kaminari was more in the realms of being street punk and had ripped jeans with leather boots while sporting a coat that was street in nature while topping the look with a hairband.

Izuku was a bit of a personal joy for Asuma to work on. He was set up in an ensemble that was similar to Haru's casual wear. His muscular frame was accentuated by the crew cut shirt he wore while wearing the slacks that were almost too comfortable for his needs. The dress shoes and silver watch were clearly too expensive for Izuku as Arisu gave them to the boy free of charge.

Momo was a bit more street chic with denim booty shorts and a letterman jacket that was a very welcome addition to her look. Her baseball cap and skate shoes were all the urban additions to her fashion that made Izuku fall in love with Momo even more than he already did. The black choker was just the cherry on top that accentuated her neck. Her outfit was such a demonstration of how it was that a woman's body could be such a deadly thing against a man's desires.

There was a tv that was playing the news inside of the store as the UA students were finalizing their outfits. On the monitors were the teachers who were at the summer camp with representatives from the ESD to speak to the press on their behalf. It was a formal apology by the staff that was present at the summer camp for the whole of UA Academy.

First question posed was that the security measures employed by UA staff were found to be extremely lax in comparison to the degree of threats and potential dangers they have received during the year. This point of criticism then led into another reporter's chain of questioning.

It was the proposition that the ESD had offered to the UA staff that was rejected by majority vote by the staff itself. The document that was publicly available to those looking for it was now part of the conversation as this one reporter started to unravel the main flaws of the UA's staff's decision to not take their offer.

"Twenty six injured with one missing. Meanwhile the Emergency Security Department was able to protect the entire student body without a single reported injury. How is it that they were able to protect the students from over one hundred villains while your staff was unable to protect your own students from less than ten?"

It was the most pragmatic question at hand that was working against the heroes as a whole. The reporter then kept pressing the issue with another factoid on the matter.

"The ESD even gave the lives of three of their officers for the protection of your students. What is it that makes the lives of UA heroes more valuable when you can't even deliver the same results that cost three anonymous officers their lives?"

Representatives from the ESD spoke out against such accusations as it should not be a matter of numerical losses as to what it was that made one decision better than the other. These officers gave their lives to protect and serve, not to divide and create debate. This selfless response had created a further divide for the public who were criticizing the heroes of modern society.

Then came the greatest form of criticism that Aizawa and Vlad were also aware of. The document that was hanging over the entirety of UA since the occurrence of the event.

"There is still the issue of the proposition that the ESD had brought to the UA staff before the event that had countermeasures against many of the events that had occured. What does UA have to say in light of such negligence of charity from a very successful department of public protection?"

It was mostly up to the ESD representatives to address the accusations as they reinforced the belief that they were not a governing form of public protection. As a responsive form of protection of public safety, they were there to ensure the betterment of public safety with it's consent. To do so without permission was to be counterintuitive of their philosophy.

"It is not a question of consent here. The ESD had measures to prevent the students from having to engage with such dangerous situations. Not only were there designated security zones that the students would have utilized, but several types of evacuation plans all thoroughly researched by their experts. Now they seem to be picking up the pieces of your mess."

Harsh criticisms were in endless supply as there was too much to take apart. An accusation as to the nature of the rejection was the largest nail in the proverbial coffin against the teaching staff of UA.

"Could it be that you simply had felt inadequate and didn't wish to further disgrace yourselves as heroes? Would it have hurt your pride to continually accept handouts from the ESD while you do nothing but endanger the lives of the students?"

Izuku couldn't believe that people were really feeling like this for the heroes of UA. Outright hostility against the people who were once the public's protectors. Why were they being put down like this? Even the Emergency Security Department was trying to defend Aizawa and Vlad, so why were they all being so callous?

"Because that's the reality of the world, child."

Izuku and the other students all turned to see Arisu standing with her arms crossed underneath her still shapely breasts while standing in her high heels. It still baffled them that someone her age still looked so balanced in such high and delicate looking heels.

"Everybody makes mistakes. When heroes make a mistake, innocent people tend to suffer the consequences. By rejecting that offer from the ESD, they took it upon themselves to act as your protectors. They failed that task."

The student's didn't want to hear what was already being said by the reporters coming out of this woman. Izuku and Kirishima were stopped by Arisu with one cold stare as they wanted to defend their teachers and say that she was wrong about them. Her position here at the store was not one she fell into, she earned it by being who she was.

"You must understand that consequences exist. It doesn't matter if your intentions are good or not; if you have to lose an arm to save a life, you still lost an arm. Pretending that they shouldn't answer for their negligence isn't something that people should do in this situation."

Arisu approached Midoriya and gently bent down to take his hands into hers. She studied them and observed the remaining scars from his time at the summer camp. He could feel how delicate she was with his own hands, like if he were to squeeze them too hard they would shatter. The sensations of being touched like this also resurfaced the memory of holding Mina in the bath while they studied each other's hands.

Being reminded of that night and how it was the last time they saw each other and spoke to one another made his heart turn inside out. It was because of him she was crying and scared. That was a very big and bitter pill to swallow.

"These scars. They're recent, aren't they?"

Izuku just nodded yes. She put his hands on top of one another and sandwiched them between her own as if she was trying to magically heal them.

"Everything we do leaves its mark, child. Some are bigger than others, but they are there."

What she said resonated with everybody there. They began to realize that they too were part of a situation much like their teachers and the public. She looked into Izuku's eyes and spoke with honesty and compassion for him and his struggles.

"People are the same. The things we do to and for those we care about can either heal or leave its mark, like these scars in your hands. Understanding people can help heal and prevent us from making these types of mistakes. Don't just look at your teachers and expect people to forgive them. Try seeing it from their perspectives as well. They gave these people their children and paid the cost of their mistakes. How would that make you feel?"

Everything from the past twenty four hours or so became so much clearer for Izuku. He was certain that he was doing something noble and good while doing whatever he felt like without thinking of the negative repercussions. Mina only wanted to care about him and he threw it back in her face like she was the bad guy in the situation. Following Haru and violating his trust to only put himself into further danger was negligence for how his mentor felt. Everything he's done so far has not been without its cost; that price being the relationships of people who loved him.

Tears were leaking out as the guilt was starting to spread. All five teenagers couldn't look up from the floor as they knew that they screwed up. Todoroki wanted to burn the file containing the information regarding Bakugou's location. This information was meant for a mother who was missing their child, not for a bunch of kids to use as a map to get into a dangerous situation. Kirishima was the one who made the speech about being a man and a hero he wanted to be in the future. Those words felt hollow after he hurt the man who set him on that road of self improvement. Both Momo and Iida owed their lives to that man. Nobody could defend their actions.

Making the teenagers was not Arisu's intention. Another touch from her right hand upon Izuku's left cheek turned his face towards hers. Staring into her eyes was like staring into his grandmother's.

"You're not a bad person for making a mistake. That doesn't mean that good people aren't capable of doing bad things. Sometimes, all that separates a hero and a villain is simple intention."

The small band of students all left the store with heavy hearts and minds occupied with bigger things. Back at the conference, Aizawa had issued his apology by admitting that the heroes of UA did act irresponsibly and will work with the police and ESD officers to locate and help save his student. This admission of guilt was a step in the right direction to help mend things over, but it was just a step in a long journey of recovering the public's trust.

All the students now disguised in their more adult apparel now had the means to look inconspicuous through the streets. Opening the folder revealed to them a location that was seen as the suspected headquarters of the League of Villains. There was also more information regarding a warehouse that was closer that the government had suspected to be another base of operation.

Because of their current location and the direction the two destinations were in, it made sense to try the warehouse first and then the hideout after the fact. With their hearts steeled and ready for battle, they made their way into battle.

League of Villain's Base of Operations

Shigaraki was feeling conflicted by what it was he was hering in the news. Yes, the heroes were being torn down and judged; though it seemed that the public was now jumping on the ESD's bandwagon. They were meant to break down the heroes of today's society and nothing else. Why were these pigs in different clothing being treated like the solution to their villain problems?

"Why? What the hell do these guys have that the public are so eager to pay through the nose for? These desperate idiots will latch onto just about anything and suck it dry."

The villains were gathered in the bar with Bakugou binded to a chair with manacles designed to prevent his explosions from going off. Watching the press conference didn't help the villain's situation much since there was now a nationwide manhunt for them all.

"Don't underestimate their abilities like last time, my student. These people are not only intelligent and well armed; they are uncompromising and tenacious in keeping the public out of harm's way. Do not hesitate when faced with them, for they won't hesitate when they come for you."

On the monitor was the blank screen with audio for All for One coming through. Nobody wanted to admit it, but the master of their organization was correct. Since they first showed up, it was clear they were around to stay. If they were the ones to destroy heroes, then the ESD were their polar opposites and sworn enemies. They were even representatives there to help out the heroes during the press conference. Nothing the ESD did helped their cause in removing heroes from today's society.

All of the villains there were discussing the ignorance of the public right in front of the captured Katsuki. His eyes were scanning around for any additional information as to how it was he could escape. The most prevalent issue was his entrapment to the chair. Just sitting there obediently gave Bakugou enough time to realize something was a bit off. He was certain that there was somebody here who was missing from the attack effort on the summer camp.

"Hey, where the hell is that weird metal teeth guy? You put him in his kennel or something?"

Everybody clammed up at the observation made by the young teenager. Some of them even got uncomfortable at what had happened to their currently missing work associate. Reason being was that there was an update passed around to the other villains as to where several missing people went; rather, how it was they were doing when Kurogiri discovered them.

Yesterday

Teleporting to a bit of a random area, Kurogiri was looking around for the missing villains he had opened up a portal for. Since they didn't step through, he came to check and peek his head to check what it was that kept them. To his horror, they were all indeed unable to make their escape.

All their shirts were torn off while they all sat upright. Mustard was only identifiable by the tanks still sitting on his dead body. Muscular's face was twisted in absolute terror and agony with his limbs being blown off and body covered in deep bruises that were going yellow and green. Both Moonfish and the Nomu had bullet holes in their heads, though it was the Nomu with its face torn to shreds and chainsaw still lodged in its chest that was the worst of the two.

There was no way a hero had done this. Was this the work of that man that the master mentioned? He had just assumed that he was just a bit off his rocker. Looking at this, his master probably had some right to be rather put off by such a violent and powerful enemy. All of them had died in violent looking ways.

The bodies of Muscular and the Nomu were the most startling to look at. It was as if they were tortured to death over just being killed and mutilated post mortem. Something was just visible in the moonlight that liked to be drawn onto the front of all their bodies. Kurogigri had to let his sight adjust before realizing it was a message carved into all their bodies. The message was lost on the teleporter since it wasn't meant for him. All it said was this.

Does it still hurt?

Present Time

Shigaraki was the one to move the conversation forward. His master had been agitated by such a cruel method of communication and was not keen on speaking of it at the moment. What he had to say was an offer to Katsuki to join their side of the fight. He saw the boy's performance at the sports festival and had kept an eye on the boy ever since.

While he had him here, the reason that they were so focused on him was to see if they could convince him to join willingly. It certainly would help their cause in creating further misgivings about heroes to modern society. Katsuki could see this as his opportunity to escape. He was being coy about their offer, so when Shigaraki managed to feel generous enough to let him out of the chair he launched into action.

"I hate lying about having to do shit I'm not even gonna do. Plus, this place smells like shit."

Kurogiri panicked as the attack that Bakugou launched knocked off the hand gripping his face. Though Shigaraki gave the boy a warning stare, he just calmly returned the severed hand to his face as if nothing happened.

"I truly wanted to do this the easy way. Sure I can't convince you?"

He couldn't have felt more sure if he tried. There was a disappointed sigh before Tomura just turned to the blank monitor and asked his teacher to lend him his power. All for one had been far too eager as he agreed to do so for his precious student.