The Golden Beacon

by LadyGamerGirl

Ciana Finley, a girl who unexpectedly warped into another world inhabited by superhuman people and shockingly finds out she holds a power within herself as well. Now must survive on her path to UA in order to make the person she loved and lost proud while gaining new friends along the way as well as to shine light to those who lost their ways. Writing partner - Silent Slender

15. Chapter 15

The next day had arrived, and before long, the afternoon heroics class was announced. Per Aizawa's instructions, the class was set to leave for an off-campus facility for Rescue Training. Unfortunately, due to the 'explosive' battle in their first combat lesson two days prior, Izuku was forced to gear up with just his gloves, padding and utility. Only now, he wasn't afraid of destroying himself or his clothes, eager to show off what he can do all thanks to Ciana.

"Hey there, Midoriya, say, where's your costume?" Uraraka pointed out, wearing her costume as he sighed a smile.

"You saw what happened after the combat training, it was kinda trashed..." The one in question over that was standing not far behind him, missing one of his gauntlets as Ciana stood next to Izuku, stretching.

Ciana was a little distracted with her thoughts, looking down on the ground with a worried expression… she had another premonition that they will… be attacked, Ciana wasn't sure if it was part of training but it looked serious…

"Another dream of something coming… should I be concerned about this? I mean it is a rescue training so… it could all be just an act, looked rough though…" Ciana took a glance at Izuku and her other friends, she was worried Izuku would somehow wind up hurt again. She wasn't in it as usual so… will she mess up somehow?

"-hey, you okay?" Uraraka waved her hand in front of Ciana's face as the class had already begun to filter into the bus. "You were really spacing out there, even Midoriya couldn't snap you out of it,"

"Ciana?" Izuku asked, cocking his head slightly while Iida waved frantically to get the class in order... to no avail.

"Huh?" She quickly glanced up, her attention now back on her friends as she blinked a few times to get back into reality. "Oh, y-yeah I'm fine!" She stood up straight with her arms around her back, smiling anxiously. "I-I'm just nervous about the new test, that's all."

Ciana already made Izuku worry enough especially when she jumped off his balcony last night… she didn't want to add more to his concerns, she at least payed attention enough to get on the bus. Felt like they are going on a field trip.

Izuku felt she wasn't entirely honest but didn't want to press it right now as they sat down and were on their way somewhere. Iida sat across from them, slumped down in defeat. "The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy,"

"Iida, you really need to chill," Ashido shook her head slightly.

"Well, if we're pointing out of obvious, there's something I want to say," Tsu spoke up, looking to Izuku and Ciana. "About you, actually."

"Huh, what about me, Asui?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

Without even blinking she added. "I told you to call me Tsu,"

"Ah, right, sorry," Izuku mumbled.

"That power of yours, isn't it alot like All Might's?" And Tsu dropped the big question that immediately put Izuku on the defence.

"Huh, really? You think so, huh? I-I never really thought of about that...?" Now he was muttering in Ciana's direction to excuse how obvious the answer was to himself and Ciana.

This was just getting harder for them to hide now… Ciana was panicking a bit herself but just seeing Izuku doing his usual muttering just brought her nerves down as she giggled as usual.

"I actually thought he had some kind of lightning quirk, I'm still pretty shocked he went all out like that." That wasn't a complete lie as she thought that's what he had at first. Now smiling innocently as she giggled from her pun she made.

"Comparing his quirk to Bakugo, I feel you two were pretty similar to your powers. I bet if you both combined them together as a team you both would be unstoppable." She comments as she payed no mind Bakugo was in the bus with them who could possibly overhear her or not…

"Huh!? Like I'd ever be on a team with that damn nerd! Leave me out of this, Blank!" Katsuki's voice yelled from the back of the bus.

"Wait, Tsu, you're forgetting All Might doesn't hurt himself, that makes a huge difference," Kirishima replied, all ignoring the blonde, as Kirishima allowed the pair to sigh between them, happy the redhead deflected the question for them. "Still, pretty cool to have a simple augmenting type of quirk, you can do alot of flashy stuff with it," Raising his hand, Kirishima's skin hardened like stone. "My hardening quirk's super strong and can take on bad guys, but it doesn't look all that impressive," He frowned at the basic reinforcement.

"Oh, no way, I think it's pretty awesome looking," Izuku spun back around with a smile, passionate about the sight of the redhead's practical quirk. "You're definitely pro material with a quirk like that,"

"You really think so?" He smiled, not really sure about his quirk himself. "Seems like it be easier being a popular hero if I had something flashier,"

"My naval laser has the perfect combination of pizzazz and strength," Aoyama chimed in.

Ashido's hand patted his. "But it's way lame if it gives you a stomach ache, sweetie," Her words left his pride shot through the gut.

As usual Ciana paid no mind to Bakugos usual insults, she just chuckled at his behavior towards her. Now starting to perk up more as they all were talking about their powers, starting to have fun in the moment.

"All I can do is just glow and boost peoples' stamina, it's not much compared to you guys." She now scratched her cheek in a shy manner.

"But thanks to Izuku he's actually been helping me learn more ways what I could do with my ability, he's definitely the smartest guy I ever came across." She gave credit to her friend as she now glanced at him with a bright smile on her.

"I-It's only fair, since you've b-been trying to help me gain control over mine," Izuku scratched his head bashfully.

"And your power's super useful in a pinch, sure, not a strength quirk but that's not what matters, right?" Ashido replied with a big grin as those around them nodded or made a sound of agreement.

"But hey, if we're talking the most flashy and powerful, it's Todoroki and Bakugo," Kirishima motioned to them, the former not making any reply while the latter grunted and looked out the window.

"Sure, but Bakugo's always angry so he'll never be that popular," Tsu basically threw a sledge hammer at Katsuki's glass-like temper without even blinking.

"What did you say, I'll kick your ass!" He roared, much to Jiro's annoyance as she rubbed her ear.

"Dude, shut it, sensitive hearing here," The punk rock teen grumbled.

"Ya see?" Tsu just pointed at the obvious.

"You know, in only the first few days since we've met, but by now we can clearly tell your personality is like flaming crap mixed with garbage," Kaminari mouthed, sending the heat wave that was Katsuki's glare his way.

"You'll regret the day you applied to this school, loser!" Katsuki was losing, as Jiro leaned further away, her jacks rising.

"I will seriously paralyze you the whole way, and way to prove their point, dumbass," She deadpanned.

"You wanna go too, long ears!?" He seethed.

"Not really, but someone needs to put your ego in check," Jiro rolled her eyes, looking down at her phone again.

Meanwhile, Izuku was having an existential crisis, hands clutching his head down low, "I can't believe what I'm hearing, Kacchan's the one in class getting teased! UA is so confusing!"

Ciana did feel a little bad for Bakugo, but how everyone is being her smile perked up brighter how much fun she was actually having. Feeling like she actually belonged even though deep down she knew she wasn't meant to be a part of it…

"Hey, Bakugo might have a personality of a rabid animal but he's just really serious about his goals." She comments with a smile. "The whole time I known him he's not as bad as he might act, he even helped me keep it together when it came to tough situations. So I can vouch he make a good hero, he just needs to learn to cool it at times."

Izuku was glad that Ciana could see it too, he worried his conflicted feelings concerning his old friend would cause a disagreement, but again, he admired his goals, strength, and drive. But everything else? That was left to be desired. Not to mention one thing Katsuki said before Izuku ever met Ciana. Something that still bothered him to this day.

"Serious?" Ashido raised one brow while one eye squinted, clearly not seeing it as Katsuki and Kaminari shot insults back and forth. "I mean, I guess he is pretty committed, just really takes a while to see it,"

"I mean, if anyone knows him better than us, it's Midoriya and Finley, I think she's right, I mean, he hasn't attacked anyone yet, right?" Kirishima shrugged, watching the banter unfold with Iida stepping in too.

She nods her head while still smiling, Ciana knew people who are much crueler and she didn't see Bakugo as one of them. "Trust me, when I first met him I could tell I really ticked him off. But the whole time he had the chance to strike me he didn't, plus… during the fight the other day even when he went overboard… he never used his quirk on me." Ciana had taken notice of that, Bakugo was very rough with her when it came to grabbing her by her hair and flinging Izuku to hit her, but he didn't use his explosives on her except for Izuku.

Ciana sat back in her seat more, rubbing her neck a bit anxiously. "Everyone has their own goals here wanting to be a hero, some might go to some extreme measures and others like Izuku take it by heart. Like for me, I want to be there for people to give them their strength back, and maybe help teach others to stand up and not show fear when situations call for it."

"I totally get that, having a strong heart's part of what makes a manly hero!" Kirishima grinned.

"You always jump in to help Midoriya when he's injured, so that makes sense," Tsu pointed out, tapping her chin.

Before Ciana could reply, grateful for their support of her ideology, Aizawa then raised his voice a bit. "Hey, hey, we're here, stop messing around," Just over the treetops, a large domed facility could be seen.

"Yes sir!" All chimed immediately.

---

Now, all of the class stood outside the grounds of a massive building, akin to a stadium in sheer size as the third teacher arrived to greet them. "Hello everyone, I've been waiting for you!" A voice rose up and murmurs grew in the crowd. Their costume consisted of a white space suit design using what appears to be a puffy jacket instead of an actual suit, a black helmet with white eyes, and a pair of yellow boots.

"Oh My God!" Uraraka squealed with delight.

"The Space Hero, Thirteen!" Izuku fanboyed. "The chivalrous pro who's rescued hundreds of people from disaster across the world!" If anyone screamed 'Rescue Hero' it was her.

"I can't wait to show you what's inside!" She stepped to the side and swept her arm wide for them to proceed.

"This is gonna be awesome!" The class cheered, eagerly following the hero indoors.

Ciana thought he looked pretty weird in the suit he was wearing… she didn't get so pumped since she had no knowledge of the hero's here, Ciana just gave him a funny smile while scratching the side of her head.

"The suit looks kind of heavy on them… how does he go around rescuing people in that?" Ciana giggled to herself as they now followed while being beside Izuku, looking around as she does. Ciana was still nervous about what's going to happen… her worried expression appeared again.

"Situation might get intense again judging by the dream I had… I wonder how it will end? Will… Izuku hurt himself badly like what happened with Bakugo and Uraraka…?" She glanced at Izuku while he was looking excited, worried what will happen to him and even her friends.

"I hope everyone will be okay… at least we're all together, so… maybe it'll be alright…" Ciana prayed it will be okay.

While passing under the blue archway, Izuku's awe vanished a bit when he noticed the lost and pensive look on Ciana's face. Since they were at the front they weren't well hidden, so instead, Izuku nudged his hand closer, taking her left in his right to offer his silent support, feeling her jump a bit when their eyes met. She looked surprised to be sure as Izuku smiled, slowly, her own mirroring his as her grip tightened.

Inside the facility, the whole area was unlike anything the students had seen before. Large sections of the facility were marked off with drastic changes to the environment. "Holy crap, it looks like some kind of amusement park!" Kirishima summed up nicely.

"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etc!" Thirteen waved her arms wide in a grand display of the site. "I created this facility to prepare you for different types of disasters! I call it, the 'Unforeseen Simulation Joint'! But you can call it the USJ!"

Despite her expressive stature, everyone stared blankly at the acronym, "Just like Universal Studios Japan," It was a little on the nose.

Ciana was actually surprised they had a universal studios in this world too… maybe their worlds aren't too different after all, though even being wowed by the inside of the building… Ciana sunk back a bit as she had no idea how to handle natural disasters…

"Well I got by the bomb test two days ago… maybe this one won't be too different, I wonder if we'll be doing teams again or be on our own through each test?" The idea of doing this on her own really made Ciana anxious, she still was not used to the idea of training to be a real superhero.

"All I can do is just boost stamina… nothing that super, hope I'll be able to figure something out… as well as Izuku not hurting himself again, people are watching so I can't do our personal method to help him…" she tried to take a deep breath.

"Keep it together Ciana, don't shake up again." She raised her fists up in determination as she put her serious look back on.

Eventually, after Aizawa and Thirteen spoke privately, the space hero waved her arms wide. "Excellent! Before we begin I need to say one thing, well maybe two things... possibly three, uh, four, maybe five... six even."

"We get it," Everyone grumbled.

"Listen carefully-" Suddenly, her tone got much more serious. "-as you know I have a powerful quirk, it's called 'Blackhole', I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust,"

"Yeah, you've used Blackhole to save countless people from disasters before, haven't you?" Izuku praised while Uraraka nodded giddily.

"That's true, but my quirk can very easily be used to kill," Her words cut down their smiles, now, she had their full attention. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous, in our super human society, quirks are certified and strictly regulated, so we often overlook how dangerous they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your power can be deadly,"

"Even if you're trying to do some virtuous like rescuing someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your potential, and because of All Might's combat training, you've likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people, carry those lessons over to this class," Thirteen rallied. "Today, you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives, not to attack enemies or each other, but to aid others,"

Then she nodded to them, "After all, that's what being a hero is all about, ensuring the safety of others," She then gave them a dramatic bow. "That's all, thank you for listening,"

The whole class erupted into cheers.

Ciana started to perk up when she heard about they will be aiding others. "Aiding people? That sounds like something I can do, but… what if I mess up…?" Ciana flashbacks to her mom's death when she tried to defend someone from being shot… she wasn't able to get the help she needed in time…

Knowing that accident happened to her mom made her afraid she would mess up and suffer her fate… while everyone was cheering, Ciana was quiet as she processed her mom's actions. "I-I'm still just a regular girl… I don't know much about what hero's do here, but I have read a lot of comics and watched movies when I was younger… maybe I'll get some kind of idea what to do."

Glancing over at Bakugo, she recalled the space hero saying they were learning how dangerous their powers can be. Thinking this is also would be a good way for him to learn not to go overboard like he did two days ago.

"Right, now that that's over-" Aizawa suddenly froze as the spotlights that lined the dome flickered once, and the power throughout the facility turned slightly.

Down by the central plaza fountain, the water spat irregularly, and from the space between the air, the world twisted and darkened. A large, blackish-purple vortex tearing through reality. Waves of unstable darkness webbing across the ground as from the center of the abyss, a hand stretched through, pulling with it a face covered by a severed gloved hand.

"Stay together, and don't move!" Aizawa warned his class, turning to the commotion below. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Woah, what is that thing!?" Kirishima backed up slightly as those at the front saw what came through the large rift. A small army of various people, some with more obvious mutation quirks than others. "Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people?"

"Stay back!" Aizawa snapped, and beneath his binding cloths, he pulled up his yellow goggles to obscure his eyes. "This is real... those are villains!"

Glancing over at the sudden commotion of the people coming out of the vortex… her eyes widened when she recalled this is the premonition she had in her dream, Ciana stood back in fear as she got a bad feeling about them…

"P-please tell me this is part of the test…" Ciana nervously said, noticing everyone's reactions including the teachers… this didn't seem like it was part of it.

"Wait… r-real villains?! W-what are they suddenly doing here?" She questioned in a panic, already she was flash-backing again to her mom with the robbers… she had no idea what she can do in a situation with people with powers…

"Perplexing, the schedule we received from UA said All Might would be here... all I see is Thirteen and Eraserhead." The Warp Gate spoke formally, shrinking down to a blackish-purple cloud with sharp, long yellow eyes

The man at the front, wearing multiple hands over his body sounded tired and devoid of empathy. "Where is he? I went through all the trouble of gathering all these friends who are eager to meet him, they want All Might, the great Symbol of Peace... maybe if I kill a few kids he'll come out to play."

Izuku had never felt more terrified than he did now. This was that harsh reality hidden by the media for the most part, that inky blackness that rotted the world from below. He felt his body clamp up, the man below wanted them dead as an example, all to get to All Might. They were playing for keeps. This... was reality.

"What, real villains, no way?" Kirishima gulped, his brow furrowed. "How can so many of them get into a facility at UA this secure?"

"Yeah, Thirteen? Why aren't the alarms going off?" Yaoyorozu stepped forward.

"Good question..." The Space Hero murmured.

"Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this there only target?" Todoroki spoke up. "Either way, if the alarm sensors aren't being triggered, then one of these villains is masking their presence here. They chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time a class was being taught, they're fools for trespassing here," Yet his heterochromia eyes hardened. "But they've thought this out, whatever their plan they must have a concrete objective in mind, but what is it?"

"They want All Might?" Ciana does recall in the movies the villains target their arch enemy… some even get together to try and team up to destroy them.

"This isn't good… if he's losing his power since he gave his to Izuku as well as the condition he's in… there's no telling what could happen to him if he shows up now." Ciana was definitely scared, but noticing the way Izuku was shaking up had her surprised and concerned for him. This is probably his first time he faced real villains like her.

Seeing Izuku like that… Ciana suddenly perked up with a determined face, clenching her fists, Ciana knew this is what they trained for. She reached out to clutch Izuku's hand to let him know she's here for him, knowing this isn't the time to get scared but to be strong no matter what happens.

"Thirteen, get them out of here, and alert the main campus," Aizawa stepped forward. "Actually, if they've got the ability to block out sensors, then they might be blocking our regular communications too," Their teacher glanced over his shoulder to one. "Kaminari, try using your quirk to contact the school,

"Yes sir," He quickly fiddled with his headphones.

"What are you going to do, you can't fight them on your own!" Izuku blurted out in worry for his teacher's life. All the facts he's learned of Eraserhead left him feeling their odds were slim at best. "There's too many of them even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style isn't suited for this, you work best in stealth or one to one fights, against a group, you..."

Aizawa spared Izuku a look. "You can't be a Pro with only a single trick - good luck, Thirteen," With that, he dove forward over the massive flight of stairs toward the plaza, unravelling his scarf between his fingers.

Despite the odds, Izuku and Ciana stood by in complete awe as their teacher caught and slammed three villains in the air above him like they were children. A large, four-armed brute attempted to club Aizawa but was immediately beaten so bad he was thrown backward, their leg wrapped in cloth as Aizawa dove backward, avoiding a punch from behind before kicking the flanker in the neck, tossing them into a group before flinging the airborne man straight into his allies, Aizawa standing unscathed.

"Wow, he's holding them all off, I should've have underestimated him..." Izuku murmured, completely taken back by the battle.

"Same here… he's not as sluggish as I thought for a guy who sleeps during his lectures." Ciana comments as she watches, seeing real battles up close like this was just so crazy but also amazing at the same time.

"This is even better than the movies…" Ciana mumbles to herself, though hopes he will be okay still. Wondering if she should stay in case he gets injured or weak in any possible way…

"This is no time to be analysing, we have to go!" Iida yelled desperately for them.

"R-right, coming!" Keeping a tight grip on Ciana's hand, Izuku ran, pulling her alongside him toward the exit.

But like all best laid plans, a wrench was tossed in their way. A large vortex emerging on the ground, releasing the warp villain to obscure their exit. "Unfortunately, there is no escape," He bowed where his head would be. "It's a pleasure to meet you, we are the League of Villains, I know it seems impolite, but he invited ourselves into this haven of justice to say 'hello',"

"And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath," The second those words left his mouth, Izuku stopped shaking, in fact, his heart stopped for a second in true horror.

"And yet he's missing, perhaps there was a last-minute change in plans we could not foresee?" He murmured, "Well, in the end it doesn't matter-" He threshed out his arms like drapes, expanding his void like a wall. "-I still have a role to play."

Ciana could actually see the fear in everyone's eyes as they watched in horror of this guy making his appearance, including Izukus… Ciana was scared too but… remembering how people shook up when the criminals showed up unexpectedly… Cianas eyes suddenly turned serious, showing no fear once again as she stepped forward.

"Come on everyone! don't let this dark shadow just scare us like this!" Ciana yelled with serious eyes, bringing her fists up as she stood in front. "We came here to be hero's! We can't let fear get the better of us! We're just as strong when we stand together! No matter what they do we can't back down!" Ciana might not have a chance to survive but knows they are stronger when they work together, glancing at the shadow in front of them. Her eyes scowled at him.

"You think just because you look all dark and scary is enough to shake us down? No! We're just not heroes in training but we got heart like any hero does!" She yelled at the shadow guy, not wanting any of her friends to get hurt but also not wanting to let him scare them… her eyes shone a bright glint in them as her fists clenched, showing that she's not afraid to stand up.

"Hahaha, you are either very brave or simply foolish," He mouthed off, "You clearly require much needed education in regards to how delicate your lives hang in the balance."

Just then, Kirishima and Katsuki lunged in for the attack with Katsuki releasing a large explosion point blank. "Hah, like she said, we're stronger together," Kirishima grinned. "Ready for more!?"

Izuku covered his eyes for a moment, trying to see through the smoke as a deep voice resounded. "You live up to your school's reputation, but you should be more careful, children, otherwise-" Through the smoke, the villain remained unphased by the attack, his darkness having used the smokescreen to wrap its abyss around the whole class. "-someone might get hurt,"

"The two of you, get out of the way right now!" Thirteen yelled, unable to use her quirk as both were in the way.

"I'll scatter you through-out this facility to meet my comrades! And your deaths!" That wall of darkness soon overwhelmed them, blotting out their vision.

"Ciana!" Izuku cried out through the smog, unable to find her hand again as the intense air pressure made him stumble around as his skin felt all prickly.

Ciana quickly covered her eyes as a quick instinct when the dark smoke surrounded them, it was hard to see any of her friends in this darkness. "Izuku!" She yelled in worry of him, her eyes shut tightly in fear… she had no idea what to do to help her friends.

"T-this stuff is too dark… I-I can barely see anyone…" but then her eyes suddenly shot open when she realized something. "Wait… darkness, of course!" Recalling what she's surrounded by… Ciana brought her arms down as her eyes closed, taking a deep breath… She suddenly emitted a bright glow lighting her body up…

Clenching her fists… her glow became brighter as some of the darkness around her faded, opening her eyes to finally see some of her friends.

Ciana's expansion of light dispelled the darkness, only her surroundings had changed drastically. Not only were none of her class around, but she stood within a ruined building. It was spacious enough, and thankfully, she wasn't alone in this new environment as one rubbed their eyes. "Ow, okay, best not stare at you when you do that, Finley!" Kirishima blinked to clear the stars from his eyes.

Ciana was surprised but relieved to see one of her friends was nearby still, perking up with a smile when she saw him. "Kirishima! Are you alright? What happened to everyone?" Ciana quickly asked as she ran up closely to approach him in worry, dimming her glow a little for it not to be too bright to blind him.

"Move it, Blank!" And of course she ended up with Katsuki who raised his glowing palm toward her face. She yelped, ducking as a blast shattered what windows remained, knocking two villains against the wall painfully. "Get the hell up, we've got more of these wannabe villains!"

True to his word, the trio were backed against one another, facing down several thugs and small-time villains that were waiting for their arrival. "Two brats and a little girl, really?" "Quiet, they're from UA, don't go underselling them!" "Bet the girl will scream once her back-ups gone!"

"Tch, is that all, huh?" Katsuki marvelled at how pathetic they were, small explosions going off in his palms, his face livid with rage. "If you think it'll be that easy, then come at me!"

"Get ready, Finley, stay close!" Kirishima warned, hardening his forearms into thick clubs.

"R-right!" She quickly responds as she stood back a bit, her determined eyes stayed as she eyed the villains carefully, getting ready to do something when situations calls for it.

"Be careful you guys!" Despite his hate towards her she still shown concern for Bakugo, Ciana powered her stamina up knowing she's going to need it to fight. "Izuku… wherever you are, please be okay." She thinks to herself but still stays focused on the battle.

One villain lunged for Ciana but she saw it coming, something about his movements, it made all that pent-up fear wash away. He was... moving so slow. Taking in a lungful of air, she felt her muscles tighten as her body reacted purely on instinct, taking all her lessons with All Might and Izuku to heart as she grabbed the man's right arm as blades protruded from his fingers. Twisting his arm, she flung him over her back, tossing him into the ground with a harsh slap.

Kirishima dove past her, striking another across the jaw before using the man's body as a weapon, flinging them into two others as they were engulfed in an explosion, tearing down the wall behind them. Ciana kept up the pace, body radiant as she zipped between a four-armed villain's grab to slip her right arm around their neck, using a surprising amount of force to sweep them off their feet, and with a cry, slammed the man against a window, shattering it as they collapsed in a heap.

"Die!" Katsuki roared, sweeping wide to stretch out his explosive into a concussive heat blast, disorientating several that were instantly kicked by both Kirishima and Ciana, leaving two wide open to Katsuki's palms, their eyes wide in terror as another eruption escaped the blonde's palms, leaving them burned and gasping for air. "Say goodbye!"

He propelled himself forward, knocking two villains aside to blast another pair against the concrete walls, leaving them groaning while Ciana promptly swung her leg against the backs of the fallen villains' necks. She turned her head, seeing Kirishima deflect and disarm a thug with a pipe, striking them down with a chop to the neck.

All of them were panting from the sudden brawl. "Think that's the last of these guys, bunch of weaklings,"

"Alright, let's hurry and find the rest of our class, if we're still in the USJ, everyone else probably is too," Kirishima suggested, looking around at the damage. "And not all of them have the same offensive skills we do, we gotta make sure they're safe, especially as we're the ones that screwed up and got in the way," He closed his eyes briefly, scowling at himself. "If Thirteen was able to suck up that villain we wouldn't have been separated like that! We have to make it up to the others!"

But despite that, Katsuki turned his head. "If you want to track everyone down, have fun, but I'm gonna go destroy that warpy bastard,"

"Bakugo wait!" Ciana quickly approached as her hand went to his shoulder, it was not only to stop him but also bring his strength back as her hand glowed. "We should stick together, we can't always fight these kinds of guys on our own. I know you can take care of yourself but I'm worried you'll still get hurt somehow…"

Ciana tells him with clear worry in her eyes for him. "This is basically like our test we're supposed to do, we have to aid the others when they could be in trouble. If you want to keep passing this course then we should stay together." Ciana tried to reason with him, it was probably no use but she didn't want to leave him behind.

"Huh? You saw what happened, our attacks didn't do a thing to him! Come on, don't be an idiot man," That set Katsuki off as he glowered at the pair, shrugging Ciana's hand off as his fatigue vanished yet again.

"Shut up! I'm going to take him out because he's their way in and out!" He answered bitterly. "If I cut off their escape route they'll have to pay for what they've done, we'll just have to figure it out!"

Just then, Katsuki reached just between him and Ciana, his hand clenched in the air to release a blast. Ciana's jumped but gasped when she saw the villain that had the appearance of a chameleon appear, a knife inches from hers and Katsuki's backs as he tossed the villain away without missing a beat. "Anyway, if all these villains are small fries like these guys then our classmates can handle them,"

"That reaction time was insane!" Kirishima gawked, levelling a proud smirk at Katsuki. "And hey, since when do you act so calm and rational? Usually you're all like, 'die, die, die, die!'," Kirishima could visualize it perfectly, Ciana just snickered at the interpretation.

"I'm always calm and rational, you redhead loser!" Katsuki screamed, his face just like what the pair imagined as Kirishima pointed and smiled happily.

"Yeah, there you are!"

Despite how scary the situation is her smile rose, being with her friends she felt like she had nothing to fear as they made her feel strong. "Katsuki I get your so fired up to take more villains down but you saw how big and tough that shadow guy was, he might be stronger compared to the ones we just fought."

Her serious face came back on as she now placed her hand on Kirishima's shoulder to give him his strength back as well. "I don't want you to run into him unless we're all together, plus I want to be there to boost you back up when you need it, you're my friend too so I can't help but be afraid one of them will get the jump on you somehow when you're alone…"

Ciana at least knew and believed the others can take care of themselves, but she wanted all of them to stay together as they get moving knowing they are stronger as a team and to make sure they are safe.

Done with this conversation, Katsuki turned to leave the building. "Go and find the others if you want to - and stop using my first name, Blank!" He added, turning forward sharply. "I don't need your damn quirk to beat that warpy villain, got it? So stay out of my way,"

"Hey, hold up," Kirishima waved, clenching his fists. "I think what you're really saying is that you believe in our classmates," Hardening them, he punched the stone-like arms together. "And that's thinking like a man, Bakugo!"

"Pah, whatever helps you sleep at night, now move it or go find your own way back," Katsuki grunted lightly, moving through the ruined hallways to a hole leading to the outside. "There's probably others hiding out after that fight, try not to get caught,"

"Here, I gotcha," Kirishima helped Ciana by wrapping an arm around her waist, the two of them leaping down to the street with Katsuki launching himself down. So far, the ruins were completely abandoned. "Huh, guess all the villains were in that one building?"

"They underestimated us," Katsuki remarked, "Move, now," Without a second to waste, Katsuki took off running in the direction of the central plaza, Kirishima and Ciana close behind him.

"Hm?" Ciana, even as she ran, felt her head pull itself back toward the slanted rooftops, seeing a few bits of concrete and rubble fall from the top. She swore she saw... it was probably the explosions Katsuki made, the whole area could be unstable now.

This caused her to panic the moment she noticed, knowing that is not a good sign. "Guys we have to get out of here!" She suddenly shouts. "The explosions Bakugo made probably made this place unstable now! If we don't get out of here sooner than we could end up getting crushed!"

Ciana warns, knowing if she gets crushed herself she will be a goner… she's not born a superhuman after all, her two friends might be okay but she wasn't sure how she will take the collapse. Ciana wanted to get out of here quickly just so they don't get crushed and get injured worse.

"My explosions were held back enough to minimize the damage, you think I'd actually set off a large blast in a collapsing building, you idiot!?" Katsuki yelled from the front as distant rumblings like impacts from a bomb echoed across the USJ. "Huh? Seems that large one's fighting something..."

"Then let's move it, double time!" Kirishima waved his fist, picking up the pace.

Ciana didn't waste any time moving along with the others as they ran, she made sure to keep an eye out in case anything gives out. Ciana was worried they wouldn't get out in time but still prays for a miracle.

"This place is built almost like a maze… do you guys know where we're going?" She asked as they ran, she guessed they wouldn't since they were forced here but they have more knowledge of being a hero in situations like this than she does.

"This place was only built to take up a small section so look, there's the mountain zone to the south," Kirishima pointed as they ran forward, moving between collapsed buildings and through others that created archways and tunnels between streets. "Then the landslide to the east, so we're going straight toward the plaza... right?"

"Are you seriously lost already!? This place isn't that big!" Katsuki let out an exasperated grunt, blasting a hole through a wall, clearing the way out of the ruins zone. "There, like it wasn't obvious..."

Ciana sweat dropped from the sudden blast he made… but this only caused her to chuckle. Bakugo can be really funny with his temper sometimes. "That's more helpful… thanks Bakugo!" She said with her usual smile, then put her serious face back on toward Kirishima.

"I'm guessing everyone was split up in different places… I mean if we're here then the others might be in different sections too, just like the test we did to get into UA." She theories.

"That's probably obvious but I wonder where that shadow guy is? He might be stronger compared to the others and if we come across him then I think it's going to take all of us to stop him, especially now that I know my quirk can dissolve his dark fog."

"That's what I've been wondering, how exactly do we touch a guy made of smoke or shadows, whatever he is?" Kirishima asked the blonde up front as more blasts struck the earth past the trees, large plumes of dust rocketing into the air. "Woah, the heck's going on over there?"

"He's got a body, that's why, you idiots! Around his neck is a metal brace, I saw it when we missed our shot, he's only pretending to hide behind his warp smoke, bastard's useless once his little mirage is gone, and that's what I'll aim for!" His lips stretched into a hellish grin. "Hmph, take a look for yourselves,"

---

Moving through the trees, the trio came up on a scene like no other. The large, black creature with an exposed brain was caught between two warp gates, clutching All Might as it dug its claws into where his missing stomach was, drawing blood in an attempt to pull All Might through. The hand's villain stood idly by, watching the scene unfold. All Might was struggling to break free.

"Oh crap, All Might's pinned!" Kirishima tried to move but Katsuki put his arm out.

"Go for the hand villain, I got that warp bastard - Blank, on my mark, use your quirk to emit as much light as possible, got it?" Katsuki craned his hands backward, sweat dripping from his palms.

Ciana was afraid All Might would fall for this trap, seeing him like this had her gasp in worry for the hero. Perked up and surprised by Bakugos leadership, she gives him a nod of understanding. "Got it, and I have a name you know. What do you think my name Ciana stands for in my quirk?" She scolds him.

Now paying attention to when he gives her the signal, it really stuns her when Bakugo isn't being power crazy he can actually be a good teammate when he wants to be. "Be careful Katsuki…" she tells him, hoping he will be okay but also All Might as well. Wanting to get in there to help him as much as possible.

Just before his signal, their heads perked up when they spotted Izuku running full tilt toward All Might, his body charged with One For All as his speed picked up dramatically, clearly going beyond his five percent limit he only recently acquired as his face contorted with desperation. He didn't stop, even as his mentor looked to him, practically pleading for Izuku to run away, instead, Izuku leapt forward, hand clenched. "Hyaaah!"

"How foolish," The warp villain shifted his main body directly in front of Izuku, intending to consume him in his gate again, that's when Katsuki flicked his palms, giving the signal.

He propelled forward, flying between Izuku and the villain with a small blast to the neck armor clearly visible on the main body. "Get the hell out of my way, Deku!" Kacchan barked, "Now, Blank!"

Ciana rushed in just seconds behind him, squeezing her hands so tight they turned white as her aura expanded into a burning, radiant glare, blinding the villain at such a short range as Katsuki took that moment to grab the neck armour and bring the warp villain down, pinning him completely. Kirishima tried to go for a chop on the hands villain but missed, much to his dismay while a trail of ice snaked up one half of the large villain's side and through the gates, freezing it in place.

"One of your poorly trained thugs told me you came here because you think you can kill All Might," Todoroki declared, looking no less pleased about the ordeal. Thankfully, his ice had given All Might the change to pry himself free, flipping to land next to the students as he held his stomach wounds.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, then snapped his gaze to Ciana. "A-and you too?"

Ciana was glad to be able to be useful in this fight with her quirk, she sure was surprised and incredibly worried when Izuku came into view. Ciana was very relieved to see Izuku okay as she quickly gave him a hug. "Izuku!" The hug doesn't last since they are in a serious battle they need to focus on.

After splitting up Ciana was worried he used his power, looking over him quickly. "I-I'm fine but what about you? Did you hurt yourself again?" As she held his shoulders Ciana wasted no time replenishing any stamina he lost.

"No, I'm alright," He assured her, happy she too looked okay minus a few bumps and scratches, Izuku was just damp from the shipwreck zone. "But everyone's here..." Izuku silently thanked them all as he stood close to Ciana, both glaring forwards.

All eyes were on the villains now, the hands villain turned to his warp gate user, "Kurogiri, how could you let those brats get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here..." He demanded in a raspy voice.

"Hah, you got careless you dumb villain, it wasn't hard to figure you out," Katsuki smirked. "Only parts of you turn into that smoky warp gate, you use that to cover your actual body as a kinda distraction, thinking that makes you safe, that's why we missed," He pressed. "But if you didn't have a body you wouldn't be wearing this neck armour, right? You're no immune to physical attacks if they're well aimed," Of course, Kurogiri attempted to shift only to have his neck rattled with warning blasts. "Don't move, if you try anything funny I'll blast you apart so bad they'll be putting you back together for weeks!" The devilish grin he wore was anything but kind.

"Oh, that doesn't sound very heroic," Kirishima jabbed slightly.

"They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men, kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs, can't have that," The hands villain noted. "Nomu."

Signally the one trapped in ice, it shifted its body, pulling it back out the warp gates as the right side of its body crumbled into chunks of ice, but it still squirmed as it locked its pin-like eyes to the students. "How is that thing still moving, it's all messed up?" Izuku felt like it was a body horror brought to life.

"Stay back, everybody!" All Might warned, standing upright again as the ice shattered, and raw muscle fibers and bone protruded from the monster as it rapidly regenerated its lost limbs. "What is this, I thought you said his power was Shock Absorption?"

"This is so inhuman…" Ciana comments in a very frightened manner as she huddles close to Izuku in fear, these guys are definitely not like any villains she read in comics but are like monsters emerging out of hell.

"All Might looks shaken up as well… will he be okay taking on these guys?" Ciana still was very concerned for his well-being after finding out his identity, thinking maybe she can help restore his stamina if he's suddenly worn out and especially hurt.

"I didn't say that was his only quirk," The leader practically smirked as the dark skin covered the raw flesh again, the damage fading away. "He also has super regeneration. Nomu was designed to take you on at even one hundred percent of your power, he's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back," Now, their situation had grown dire.

"First, we need to free our method of escape," Hearing this made Ciana and Izuku flinch as their eyes travelled to Katsuki pinning Kurogiri. "Nomu, get him."

Without even a moment to blink, Nomu split between them, bringing his fist down on Katsuki's position with enough force to send a shockwave through the air that tore up the earth and forced the others backward, Izuku clutching Ciana tightly as they skidding back a few feet. "Ah, such force..." He hissed, holding Ciana up against his chest as she shook off the whiplash. Then the greenette gasped, Kurogiri was free, Nomu standing over him with no sign of Katsuki. "Kacchan!"

Ciana gasped too, only for her eyes to fall to the right of them, spotting the frazzled blonde unharmed. "Katsuki!?" She gaped.

"Woah, that's awesome, you dodged him!" Izuku praised.

"Shut up, no I didn't, you damn nerd," He didn't blink, sitting recovering from what just happened.

"Then how did you get over here?" Kirishima asked, equally as confused, but Todoroki's surprised look gave the answer as they followed the two lines through the tarmac.

"Isn't it obvious?" Todoroki spoke up as the dust settled to reveal All Might, guarding with his forearms as he panted heavily.

"All Might…" Ciana mumbled out his name worryingly as her eyes went over to him… Ciana could tell he protected Bakugo… like any hero would do for people. Her hand went over her heart as she stared straight over to the top hero in much concern.

But Ciana was very grateful Bakugo is okay, knowing what All Might did reminded her of her mothers actions.

Coughing a bit, his face looked darker than before. "These are kids and you didn't hold back!?"

"I didn't have much choice, he was threatening my companion," The hands villain excused. "Besides, these kids are no angels. That plain-looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed out punch, what kind of hero does something like that?" He accused as Izuku locked up a bit, if they made it out of this, someone was going to throttle him. "You heroes think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say its for the sake of others,"

"Well, you know what, All Might? That pisses me off," He waved his arms wide. "Why do people get to decide that some acts of violence are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgement on what's good and what's evil," As the villain spoke, those lackies that Aizawa had defeated were starting to come around. "You think you're the Symbol of Peace? Hah, you're just another government sponsored instrument of violence, and violence always breeds more violence, I'll make sure the world understands that once you're dead,"

But All Might didn't even budge, holding his guard up, "You're nothing but a lunatic, criminals like you, you always try to make your actions sound noble, but admit it, you're doing this because you get a kick out of it, right?" He shot back as the man's red eyes narrowed under his hand mask.

"He's got me figured out..." He grumbled.

"We've got them outnumbered," Todoroki declared.

"And Kacchan's found the mist guy's weakness," Izuku reinforced, sparks of emerald coming to life around him.

"These guys may be tough, but we can take them down with All Might's help," Kirishima hardened his arms again. "Let's do this."

"Right! We're stronger when we stand together, let's show him how powerful we truly are inside!" Ciana declares with a determined smile and nod, raising her fist to show she's more than ready to give it her all.

Ciana wasn't very afraid anymore knowing she's surrounded by her friends she believes in, when the right chance comes she will make a dash to help All Might when he needs his strength back. Her eyes now went to the villains in front as she narrowed them seriously and fearlessly, not only will she fight but will look out for her friends as much as possible while she's still standing.

"Don't attack," All Might swept his arm to stop them from advancing. "Get out of here,"

"You would've been in trouble if not for me, you need our help," Todoroki countered his teacher's point.

"I thank you all for your assistance, but this is different," All Might clenched his fist back at them. "It's gonna be alright, just sit back and watch a Pro at work!"

"But you're too hurt, you're bleeding, and you're-" Ciana cut Izuku off before he said too much, herself not wanting to see All Might do this alone, but then, the Symbol of Peace flashed them a thumbs up, reassuring them of his choice.

"Don't worry Izuku, I may not have known about All Might for long but I can tell he's strong enough to get through this. When he's finished off this fight I'll even step in to restore his strength." She smiled at him in reassurance.

From how long she's known him as Mr. Yagi, Ciana knows he has a strong heart. No matter how hurt he is he will pull through just like her friends.

There was silence between the hero and villains.

"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him, I'll deal with the children,"

"I'm afraid I barely have a minute left in this form, my body's declining faster than I thought it would," All Might clenched his fist, tightening his muscles as best he could, if not for his missing lung, he could use an advanced form of the breathing technique he learned so long ago, but now... he had only embers of his power.

"Let's clear this level and go home," The hands villain rushed the students.

"Even so, I have to stop these villains," All Might raised his fists.

"Heads up, we're fighting after all," Kirishima warned, all of them prepared to battle with the main villain.

"Because I Am..." Stars connected inside of All Might, and his power came bursting forward like a rush of adrenaline. "The world's Symbol of Peace and Justice!" His eyes were glowing with unrivalled perseverance.

Everyone tensed as Nomu shot past his leader to intercept All Might, their fists colliding with enough kinetic force to send out a shockwave, tossing everyone backward onto the ground to brace. "Weren't you listening, he has Shock Absorption!" The hands villain snapped, but All Might grinned.

"Yeah? What about it!?" All Might asked, going blow for blow with Nomu as their fists became blurs of skin, releasing powerful ripples of air pressure like a storm.

"He's going to fight that brain guy head-on!?" Izuku gawked, the shockwaves constantly keeping anyone from interfering.

"Woah, they're so fast!?" Kirishima was nearly blown away himself.

Ciana wrapped her arms tightly around Izuku, both unable to look away in complete awe.

With the concussive blows of each fist that flew faster than their eyes could track, each and every strike sent waves of sound rattling through their bodies, despite not having One For All anymore, being injured and overusing his time limit, All Might continued to push on.

"He said your Quirk was only 'Shock Absorption' not 'Nullification', meaning there's a limit to what you can take, right!?" This only coupled with his increasing ground on Nomu, the beast now starting to struggle against the constant bombardment of attacks, even though he struck All Might's wound, it only pushed the blonde harder. Making heavy strides against Nomu.

"So you were made to fight me, big guy? If you can really handle me firing at one-hundred percent of my power, then I'll have to go beyond that and force you to surrender!" Every step made broke apart the land, ripping trees up by the roots, and every attack only grew stronger, past a limit that shouldn't be possible.

"Hyrah!" One long winding punch threw Nomu off his feet as All Might closed the gap with a dive forward, "A real hero!" All Might descended from the sky, Nomu intercepted from the ground only to be struck Nomu under the chin, throwing him backward. All Might blocked a punch with both arms, pushing Nomu up high with his feet. "Will always find a way for justice to be served!"

Two feet drove Nomu into the ground, the rock and rubble thrown high into the air by All Might's landing, taking Nomu with it all as he wrapped his arms around Nomu's, spinning him high into the air and with a warcry he tossed the creature down like a meteor, decimating the very courtyard's foundations.

Everyone was gawking, Kirishima smiled with child-like wonder, Todoroki and Katsuki were at a loss for words, Izuku was caught between amazement and disbelief, and Ciana's smile radiates with an inspired surge of energy. While Nomu remained unable to move, having been pushed up off the ground from the impact radius, All Might landed. "Now for a lesson, you may have heard these words before but I'll teach you what they really mean!"

Holding his right arm back as if to grab hold of something unseen. "Go Beyond!" His fist unleashed a similar scream of energy like Izuku's, fist colliding with Nomu's chest. "PLUS-!" The limit finally broke, burning Nomu's skin under the sheer pressure created. "-ULTRAAAAAAAA!"

The very world shook with the gravity of the punch, Nomu was gone in seconds, flying out through a new hole in the side of the USJ, shining the light down upon them all as the clouds parted. Dust and debris turned the area into a mess, and All Might was the last one standing, frozen in form for a moment. He too was battered and wounded, but his smile was everlasting.

"That was like the finishing move in a video game! He beat the Absorption outta him, I've never seen that kind of brute strength!" Kirishima boiled it down to its essence.

"Imagine having power like that, he was punching that monster so hard it couldn't regenerate," Katsuki marvelled.

"He did it..." Izuku's voice was filled with nothing but relief.

Ciana cheered with a jump and her fist in the air. "That was awesome! Nice going All Might!" Ciana never witnessed such an incredible fight like that before and definitely had her star struck. Already Ciana felt like a little kid again just getting so wowed by an awesome show battle, Ciana began to chuckle now too due to his show off of his catchphrase.

"I can see why you look up to All Might so much now Izuku, he's truly an amazing hero." She comments to him with a brighter smile, already she felt like she was becoming a bigger fan herself.

"Yeah... he's amazing," Izuku smiled a little, holding her hand tightly.

"Back in my hay-day, five hits would have been enough to knock that guy out," All Might stood tall, fist on his heart. "But today it took three-hundred mighty blows."

But it wasn't over yet, All Might turned on his heel to stare down the two that remained. "You've been bested, villains," The hands villain was shaking with rage by this point. "Surrender, we all want to get this over with quickly,"

"He... cheated," Shigaraki growled, scratching his raw neck irritably.

"What's wrong?" All Might's voice made him stop. "Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier?" But the man's glare shot straight through the hands villain's soul. "Well come and get me, if you dare!"

The man was thrown off his game by this point. "Man... this is intense," Katsuki managed to get out.

"As expected, there's no reason for us to fight now, he can handle this," Todoroki confirmed.

"Come on, Finley, Midoriya, we should regroup with the other guys, last thing we want is to get taken hostage or get in his way," Kirishima waved, but none of them could see what they saw. The smoke... it was coming off of All Might. He... was at his limit. He was only bluffing.

"It's almost obscured by the smoke, but I can see it, the same vapour from when he's about to transform back..." Izuku's heart clenched, if they left, All Might would be defenceless, he couldn't move at all!

Ciana could actually see something was wrong too as her smile faded to stare back at the smoke. "If we leave now, then…" Ciana was trying to debate what to do as she stared at the smoke longer… looking to Izuku then her friends, she knew he's going to need his strength back…

With a serious expression and a clench of her fist, Ciana made a bold decision… letting go of Izuku's hand, without another word… she suddenly took off dashing into the smoke…

"W-wait, Ciana!" Izuku reached out but missed her hand.

He took one step, "What's the matter, are you scared!?" He taunted, trying to stall for time. All Might then gasped, turning his head when he felt two warm hands press to his injured stomach. "What, Young Finley, no, you must get out of here, my time is short!" He whispered in a hurry.

"Exactly!" Ciana stands firm where she is with a look of no fear. "You're obviously losing your strength and I need to be here to replenish you before you do!" Ciana yelled, her hand staying where it is as she concentrated on giving All Might as much strength back as he could possibly need…

But then the hand villain started to have a fit, nails digging into his neck as he rasped, "If only Nomu was here, he'd rush you right now, pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought!" He growled.

"Tomura Shigaraki, please, do not fret," Kurogiri revealed his name. "Look at him, he is clearly weakened, Nomu's attacks were successful," This caused Shigaraki to pause, looking up again. "He's on his own, bar the one who seems to have noticed the same thing, and the other children appear to be frozen in fear, and look, our underlings are recovering. We likely have some time before reinforcements arrive, if you and I work together we can do this, we still have a chance to kill All Might!"

"Yeah... yeah, you're right," Shigaraki calmed down, lowering his hands. "This is it, we have no choice, we have to do it now," His anger now pointed back at All Might and Ciana. "I mean, the big end boss is right here. That brat... what is her quirk exactly? Definitely not light, could be a support class, can't have that ruin this for us, Kurogiri, discard her,"

"Consider this revenge for what you did to Nomu!" Shigaraki charged head on while Ciana was focused on aiding in All Might's recovery, but he still didn't stop shaking, was it already too late to replenish his stamina? Or did she use most of it with that blinding attack from before?

Ciana wasn't sure, but… she will have to use the last of her strength to fully replenish All Might, it was a huge risk… especially that she will grow weak, but Ciana couldn't leave him like this… shutting her eyes tightly, Cianas palm became even brighter to transfer more as much as she could before she can even be struck…

Doing this was already making her feel weak as her legs were giving out a little… but she tried to keep standing.

"Holy shit, this is bad! Young Finley, you need to run!" All Might's thoughts ran rampant, pushing Ciana back as Kurogiri's body warped into a wide sheet to encompass them both. "I need... backup!"

But then, his answer arrived in the form of a green-haired hero that leapt forward without breaking his bones. The sight was unlike anything All Might expected, the bolts of energy rippling across Izuku's form as he clenched his teeth to suppress his fear. "It won't have the same strength as last time, but I can still put a dent on that weak spot!" Izuku clenched his fist, drawing it back at eight percent, even if it made his arm strain. "Don't you dare touch either of them, you stupid villains!"

And yet, a warp gate widened, allowing Shigaraki's hand through to reach for Izuku's face. If that happened... it would, he can't evade now! "I won't fall for that again!" Kurogiri huffed.

"Hehehehahahaha!" Shigaraki cackled, just a few more inches and Izuku would be reduced to dust and gore.

Ciana gasped in horror when she saw Izuku come in, already she was panicked and took her hand off All Might as she tried to get to him. "Izuku!" She yelled, once she started to move her knees gave out as she fell on all fours with a grunt… But this isn't the time to give out especially that Izuku was in trouble…

Ciana gaze lifted up with anger and determination as she tried to stand back up. "Leave him alone! Take your hands off him!" She yelled more, on her feet again as she tried to get to him with her hand reaching out toward him.

Then, a resounding shot of a handgun rang out, a bullet piercing Shigaraki's palm perfectly. Izuku rolled into a kneeling position in front of Ciana and All Might, quickly recovering from shock to raise his fists toward the last villains.

The commotion only grew louder as a voice echoed from far back at the entrance, as loud as humanly possible. "Your Class Rep has returned! I fulfilled my duty! And I brought reinforcements!" Iida's voice boomed, soon followed by more gunshots and explosions that shot up into the air. The teachers had arrived to lay out the villains that remained.

"Aw man, the Pros are here, it's game over for real," Shigaraki turned to leave through Kurogiri, clutching his bleeding hand. "Let's go home and try this when we - guah!" Three more shots struck his body, on for his left shoulder, two for his legs as he collapsed, shielded by Kurogiri from the barrage of long-distance shots.

"Let's go," Kurogiri surrounded Shigaraki only to grunt in fright as his darkness was being pulled from a distance by Thirteen. "This is... Blackhole!?"

But Kurogiri's form grew smaller and smaller, sucking up Shigaraki's form as only his head was left, eyes bleeding with malice at the trio, "I may have failed to kill you this time but your days are numbered! All Might, Symbol of Peace, I am going to kill you!" In a flash, both villains disappeared, escaping for today as the chaos finally subsided around them.

Cianas was filled with relief when their friends came to their aid, looking back towards them with tears and a smile on her face. "Everyone… thank you!" She mumbled out, but then her concern quickly went back to Izuku as her eyes had a lot of fear in them. "Izuku!"

Ciana stood in a kneeling position as she took hold of his shoulders, very relieved and happy he's safe as she had a firm grip on him. "Izuku a-are you alright?" She quickly asked with some tears still in her eyes. "Does anywhere hurt at all?"

Despite his minor injuries, Izuku clawed at the ground beneath him, hanging his head. "Even with my new control I... still couldn't help you," He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "I screwed up, saving you both..."

"That is absolutely not true," Hearing his mentor's voice, Izuku lifted his head to the smoke peeling off All Might, his form somewhat deformed. His time would run dry for today shortly but he smiled proudly at his successor and student. "You both bought me a few vital seconds-" Then, his weakened parts buffed out again quickly, finally, Ciana's aid had given him one last boost of strength to maintain his form but nothing else. "-if not for that, I'd be dead now, Young Midoriya, you've saved me once again. And you too, Young Finley,"

Ciana smiled up at her friends and their hero as she appreciated their praise and encouragement. "It was nothing, I'm just glad I could help anyway I can." She smiled a bit more, now helping Izuku lay on his back on her lap as she kept hold on him.

"Izuku, you were very brave to come out to help us like that… I don't expect any less from my hero for doing that." She smiled warmly as her eyes were still wet with some leftover tears. "I'm just so happy and relieved you turned out alright in the end…" Now she went to hug him, more tears leaking out of her eyes as she held him.

"Ciana..." Izuku sniffed, and graciously accepted her embrace, feeling more relieved than ever with her close by. "Thank you... All Might," Izuku finally teared up, hold a strong smile all the while. "I'm just... glad you're both okay!"

Ciana held him tighter with her hands wrapping around him closely, grateful to have him in her arms again as well as having him unharmed. "Me too…" she whispered out, smiling even brighter as she was happy they not only came out okay but that it's all over…

They had their moment to rest, but something nagged in the back of Ciana's mind. Just then, her eyes caught something falling gently from above. She squinted for a moment, watching as a single, vibrant red material fell into view, landing on the ground before them with a shimmer and flash of red sparks. It was like cloth torn from a cape, but... where did it come from.

Listening closely, the faint thresh of wings beat heavily on the air, a distant shadow coming into view as it trailed down over Izuku and Ciana, the pair snapping their heads up to what caused it. "Ciana, stay back," Izuku warned, moving in front of her while All Might could only stand and look, grateful his true form could be hidden a little longer from what came into view.

"Your courage to face the greatest adversity, even when odds are stacked against you is admirable, I furrowly enjoyed every moment, every action you two took to defend your mentor, I'm touched, truly," A deep, eerily familiar voice complimented with a gesture of their hand. "But now that the League has played their hand, I feel it is only right to introduce my own; wouldn't you agree, little pawn?"

Just when she thought it was finally over… Ciana had a tight grip on Izuku as her eyes narrowed at the figure seriously, not wanting to show anymore fear. These guys don't give up… it was pretty clear, Ciana managed to give some of All Might's strength back which is good but she had no idea how worse it could possibly get now…

The monster landed, wings of silver scales with a large gold talon fixed to the tops of the wings folding behind his back. He wore a formal suit with the sleeves rolled up, revealing skin covered in matching scales with a vibrant velvet membrane jutting from the backs of his forearms and elbows, palms covered in scales with black nails. A puffy red cloth tucked into his collarbone, leading up to a face obscured by a gleaming silver skull of a dragon, two scarlet eyes watching from within the sockets, unblinking. Two large gold horns jutting from the scalp. Behind his back, a thick tail with three long spines jutting from the end was revealed, clutching an unconscious villain as red wisps of light were pulled from his body, drawn into the man's form as he sighed, tossing the man away like trash, his skin pale as a ghost now.

Ciana was afraid but with everyone here she shouldn't lose hope now, she was still standing so she should be able to provide some help still. Ciana tried to stand up as well as tried to get Izuku back on his feet. "Izuku can you move?" She asks in concern for his well-being, willing to give him his strength back as well if he needed it.

"Y-yeah, I can move, but... C-Ciana, that's..." Izuku couldn't believe his eyes, he really did exist. He... was here the whole time? Was he just watching them? "W-What do you want!?"

"Want? Yes, I came here for a reason, taking advantage of the League was worth the risk," The villain commented, never taking his gaze off Ciana. "You still have the strength to move? How impressive,"

Ciana gaze went back to the figure, once she did… her eyes widened in much horror and gasped. This is the man exactly from her dream… h-he was here and he is real! This was enough to cause Ciana to tremble, already she felt her confidence fading.

" Y-you… y-your-!" Ciana was speechless, already she was fearful of her life again. She had no idea what to do as she couldn't focus on a strategy how shaken up she was becoming…

"A pleasure," Dusting off his blazer, he continued. "That look in your eyes hasn't changed, my ghastly appearance must be hidden with this covering," His claws tapped to his skull. "My quirk has... evolved, I'm... not entirely human anymore."

"You... you're the one who's behind poor Finley's displacement to our world, what do you want with her, Meru Zena?" All Might said his name with scorn, but that only confirmed the nightmare before the girl in question as she held onto Izuku tighter.

The man, the living myth of social media had made his first true appearance. Meru Zena bowed with an arm across his chest. "I was never fond of that name... but it's grown on me, as for my involvement with Finley here... well, wasn't it obvious to you, oh Symbol of Peace?" He then pointed straight at the frightened girl. "Her and I... are one in the same, quirk and all,"

This only made Cianas eyes widen in not only shock but confusion, flinching when he started to point at her. "W-what?!" One in the same? He has the same superpower as her? Ciana didn't understand what this man was implying but her head shook, not wanting to believe a word he said.

"N-no no I'm nothing like you!" She shouted, still trembling but one thing she knew for sure is she's not a monster like him.

"Allow me to be transparent then," He placed his hands together, fully aware of the Pros watching him from afar. "I struck a deal with someone very powerful, with their aid I was able to grant another a piece of my quirk, the catch was I needed a specific person, in their words, 'one expunged from this realm', and with their guidance, I was able to pierce the veil between worlds, and I found my catalyst, you," He nodded to Ciana. "Bringing you here to this world was meant to be the hardest part, but then they lost you, and I... saw an opportunity, now look at you, maturing, evolving... though you certainly lack a few of my capabilities, you still have gotten stronger," Meru Zena clapped softly. "Well done, truly you were the perfect choice, everything I've been searching for,"

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing, not only that, Ciana was... terrified, and that made something within him boil. He held her tightly, drawing up five percent as best he could, holding back a grunt from overusing his power as he glared back at Meru Zena. "I won't let you take her!"

Ciana could not believe at all what she was hearing, that's why she was here? He… brought her to this world so this man could use her for something with the power she was given? Just the thought of this man using her for something cruel really brought more fear in her eyes, but she became very surprised when Izuku suddenly took hold of her tighter and the determination in his eyes to keep her safe. "Izuku..." Ciana whispered in name in worry, she didn't want to get him involved in this especially to protect her.

"Young Midoriya..." All Might felt so ashamed for being unable to move less he revealed his identity, the energy given by Ciana would only last so long.

"'Take'? No, no, I haven't come here to fight or to steal, but... to ask a simple question," Meru held up a finger.

Perking up in surprise the guy wanted to just ask a question brought more confusion back to her eyes. "Huh? W-what do you want to know exactly…?"

"I am nothing if not reasonable, with how many Pros are present, not excluding the students, I know when to pick my battles. No, my question is simple. But first, I wish to explain myself, it is only fair given what I will ask," Clearing his throat, he swayed his head slightly. "I am not here to be crowned a ruler, or to diminish the weak, I only seek salvation from this world, the same that is rotten with hypocrisy and false justice, you can claim whatever you heroes wish to drug people on, but I know the ugliness you hide, the things those in control do to delude people, twisting lies into false truths, I... have seen enough, I have heard enough,"

He raised his hand toward them. "I will rip apart the decay and use it to my benefit, I will strip away lies and deceit so I may open a path free of this world, but I cannot do that alone, I... am not strong enough, not anymore, my allies require one final piece to my plan, with it, there will be no reason to fear this society or be judged by it, that is why I'm here," He let out a heavy breath, looking straight at the scared little girl. "My question is this; If you could, if the opportunity presented itself, would you change fate to undo a person's death?" Meru asked, hands behind his back.

"W-what…?" Change fate to undo a person's death? Is… he talking about her mother? "Change fate?" Ciana was confused but looked down to think this over… it's true she loved and missed her mother, she give anything to have her back, but… if it's just going to make things worse for everyone, she wouldn't do that no matter how badly she wants her back…

Now with her serious expression back, she shook her head. "No…" she boldly states as she looks back at him with a glare. "I-I don't understand anything about what you're planning but one thing I know for sure is that it can't be anything good… it's not what my mom would have wanted!" She shouts with a glare now.

"And yet, the man that killed her gets to live, though, justice in that sense was fulfilled, they never arrived in time to save her, did they?" Meru leaned forward a bit to push his point further. "She could've been saved, but they failed, they made excuses for their incompetence, and she died,"

The way he brought that up was enough to have her get taken back by his words, now looking down as she wasn't sure how to respond to that… it's true that if it weren't for them… if the police arrived in time she would have lived… but instead they managed to get away with it all… Ciana didn't have a response now as her eyes shut tightly as her tears came back out, trembling from the horrible news of what happened to her and remembering how angry she was that no one would step in to help her…

"I am by no means saying people will die, I much rather avoid that, but... those that get in my way I cannot say will walk away unscathed," Meru shook his head, stepping forward once. "So I'll say this only once. Will you aid us? If so, no harm will come to you or your friends, no one will die, and you can return to your world again, that is why you've been fighting all this time, right?" He cocked his head a little.

Izuku tensed up at that, he... he knew that ultimately, Ciana would likely want to go home to her family, but... he felt his stomach open up as his heart ached. He didn't want to keep her here if she decided to leave, but he also didn't want her too... as much as he knew it was the right thing. Biting his cheek, he glanced around to see Katsuki, Todoroki, and Kirishima were hanging around, and some of the teachers were moving closer from behind. If they could corner Meru Zena here…

Ciana didn't even look up the more he spoke, these sudden questions just left her confused… She had no idea what this man had planned, part of her did want to go home but… her gaze lifted to Izuku a little, part of her really didn't… the reason she kept fighting was because she wanted to live up to her mother who was kind and strong that wanted to stand up for others. But when he mentioned no harm would come to her friends… is he threatening to harm them?

Now glancing behind her as they were watching and listening, who knows what they are thinking, now that they know she's from another world and meant to be a pawn in his game… she might not be able to go back now without being called a freak or a mistake… Cianas tears only spilled out from her eyes more as her knees gave out… trembling as her gaze stayed on the floor. "I-I don't know… I don't know!" is all she responded, she wasn't sure what right or wrong thing to do anymore as she just cried in confusion and fear…

"You can't just throw someone into a position like that!" Izuku finally snapped, seeing her like this, and with All Might barely hanging on to his form with all these eyes watching, he had to make this end, for them and more importantly, for the girl crying against his shoulder. "You tore her away from her family, you twisted her body into something it was never meant to be and now you expect her to work with you!? That's the most selfish and self-centered thing I've ever heard! Sure, it would be nice if a person could bring back someone they loved, but no matter the reason, no one should have that power. Especially someone who will use others for their own ends! Ciana isn't a pawn, she's a person trying to become a hero like all of us!"

Her gaze lifted back up slightly as she watched and heard what Izuku said, her tears still dripped from her eyes but took the moment to take in his words and his reaction, the way he looked so fierce and un afraid when he stood up for her… it even warmed her heart to know he still cared for her and wanted to stand by her. "Izuku…" she cried out softly.

He smiled a little at her face, wiping her eyes a bit with his thumb. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you, I promise, we're partners after all?"

"I see," Meru drew back their attention, hands by his sides. "So, this is your answer? I suppose I'm not entirely surprised, disappointed, certainly, but I respect your decision, little pawn," Slowly, his wings began to unfurl. "I wished to ask you first and foremost, to avoid any unnecessary actions, so don't hold it against me for what comes next-"

With a puff of black smoke and burst of red energy, Meru Zena vanished, blinking several meters ahead until he stood behind Izuku and Ciana, his tail blades flexed sharply beside him. "-I will take you by force,"

"Ciana, move!" Izuku grabbed and threw the ravenette aside as the tail swung wide, smacking him across his right arm as a loud 'crack' echoed, Izuku tumbling away with a cry straight into Kirishima's arms.

"Crap!" Katsuki growled, blasting the air in front of him as his explosions didn't even phase Meru, turning his attention toward Ciana as his tail lashed out, clamping its blade around her waist to pull her off her back, suspending the girl behind him while turning to address the students and heroes.

"Come, for you have never seen a monster like me," He gestured for them to attack, to which they compiled.

Ciana yelped when she got pushed away, quickly darting her head as she cried out for Izuku in horror. "Izuku!" She tried to immediately get back up, but then feeling the sudden grip of the man's tail around her had her startled and gasp in surprise. "Ahh!" She yelled, now trying to struggle out of his grip.

"Let me go!" She yelled, this can't go like her dream… being taken by this man! Ciana didn't want to be used for something sick and twisted, trying harder to struggle free as much as she could.

"He's got a hostage, watch your hits!" Snipe warned, firing several shots from his revolver as all simply bounced off Meru's forearms as the villain lunged, bringing his right wing down like a scythe through the ground, nearly cleaving Snipe in two as the left followed up, forcing the hero backward, aiming for the softer parts of Meru's body. "Can't get a clear shot!"

"I got this!" Cementoss pulled at the ground, sending a wave of concrete to cover Meru's feet, only for the villain to thresh his wings, lifting him away before slamming down behind Cementoss, the force quaking the earth before both wings dug into the earth, tearing up a cyclone of debris and wind pressure to throw the sturdy hero flying, while others evaded the shockwave. Meru warped again, wing blade coming down across Kirishima's forearms as he managed to block the strike.

"Impressive defence-" Then he swept Kirishima's legs, burying the redhead stomach first into the ground beneath his foot. "-but your technique lacks refinement,"

"Go to to hell!" Katsuki yelled, blasting Meru point blank but was stunned when one crimson wing wrapped in front of the monster's face as a shield, threshing once to stun Katsuki before a hand grabbed him by the collar, drawing him closer to the skull head.

"You are far too predictable," Unamused, he threw Katsuki away before a wave of ice froze his legs in place.

"You aren't leaving," Todoroki warned, the ice creeping up Meru's legs toward his torso. So he raised his arms and with a sharp twist, swung them down to shatter the ice with a single blow, tossing chunks everywhere. "He broke it with one swing?" Then another flash of light forced Todoroki's wide eyes to turn around, placing a wall between him and Meru's right wing as it shot forward, tearing the ice wall apart with ease.

That's when Meru noticed the pink mist filling the air around him. "Hm, Midnight?" His chest puffed out, drawing his wings around himself.

"Just a little more..." Midnight tisked, she just hoped her student was okay.

Then, both wings fanned wide, releasing a deadly wave of dark red energy like saw blades, rippling through the earth in a cross pattern, throwing the heroes off as the four waves of energy exploded. "Allow me to say what separates us, little pawn," As Meru Zena spoke, he blocked another string of bullets and avoided both Hound Dog's and Vlad King's assault with a few thrusts of his wings. "While you appear to absorb your strength willingly, I on the other hand, take as much as I wish from those around me, leaving them drained and powerless, you could do the same, but you refuse, let me show you what I can do,"

Squeezing her tail around her tighter, the air suddenly got much darker as Meru Zena reeled his head back, and with a hellish howl, his mouth released a ferocious beam of dark red light that burned through the tarmac, exploding in a trail of crimson fire in front of him. With a dark smokescreen in place, Meru Zena took flight, intending to escape via the hole All Might created. "To think, waiting for the League to weaken their trump card would work..."

If they allowed it, he'd be out of range for any of their attacks to reach, even Snipe's shots were like bugs to the villain stealing away the girl caught in his tail. Ciana couldn't break free as she panicked, trying desperately to loosen the tail's hold on her body to no avail. This was it, she was... going to be taken away.

Cianas eyes spilled with more tears as she kept trying to struggle out of his grip, her eyes closed tightly as her life flashed before her eyes… she was going to be taken and used for something terrible… she probably won't be able to see daylight again, she probably won't even get to see Izuku ever again…

This is not what she wanted… she didn't want to be taken, Ciana did not want to leave behind her friends. Despite how scared she was, she was determined to break free, her eyes shut tighter but then opened them back up as she screamed. "I said let me go!" She screamed, suddenly a bright light shined out of her eyes much brighter as well as her glow around her body brightened even more, it became very hot as it was burning Meru Zena's tail around her body…

"Gah!" His tail recoiled from the harsh backlash, releasing her high in the air as he grabbed her by her arm only for the same reaction to burn his palm, forcing Meru to release her form.

Ciana screamed as she plummeted toward the ground, everyone moved to catch her at the right moment, only a green blur beat them to the punch. With his good arm, Izuku had leapt high and managed to catch Ciana around the waist tightly, pulling her against his chest as his back struck the ground hard, causing them to slide but Ciana was otherwise unharmed, as both teens breathed heavily, completely exhausted as Meru Zena was forced back by Present Mic's scream before it could disorientate him.

"A feedback? Her emotions counteracted my own?" Meru Zena pondered over this revelation, the burn easing up as he tapped the side of his head. A moment later, a white rift split the sky. "Well played, little pawn, until next time," With that vow to himself, the fabled villain disappeared, the rift closing with a distinct 'pop'.

On the ground, the Pros rushed to the aid of those injured in the skirmish as Izuku winced, cracking his eyes open. "C-Ciana...?" He croaked, lifting his head a bit.

She had no response… After that burst of energy, it left Ciana unconscious and drained as she now laid limb in Izuku's arms… She was exhausted and weak from how much energy she burst out of herself, her eyes were closed and was still injured from the battle but otherwise fine as she was still breathing.

After that sudden attack she unleashed who knows how long she will be unconscious for since it took a lot out of her… but Ciana got very lucky to have managed to escape for now…

---

[Transition]

Elsewhere on UA grounds, the rift snapped shut behind Meru as he moved to lean against a tree, breathing heavily as he stared at his burnt hand. "It appears I underestimated her capabilities, even under stress," He marvelled at the damage slowly fading away.

"Do you wish for me to proceed?" Yuuki asked, hand already raised to snap her fingers. "With her weakened, it would be easy to swipe her away and-"

"No, do not engage, the heroes are on high alert, today we lost but gained so much," Meru commented but Yuuki appeared troubled as her brow furrowed.

"Why is some girl important to our cause? She is weak, she crumbles in the face of adversity, and worst of all is her insufferable nagging straight out of some awful cartoon," Yuuki muttered. "She's a child-"

"That is important to us, if we force her along it will only complicate things, I've merely planted the seeds," Meru stood up again, watching his underling. "Do as you're instructed, and things will fall into place," His tone was anything but negotiable.

Immediately, her head bowed. "Sir, as you wish, I didn't mean to speak out of place,"

"You're fine, continue your work, gain their trust, and in time we'll have what we want, we've waited years, a little longer will fly by," Meru patted her shoulder, and her fingers snapped, giving him a rift to leave through. "Now run along, Rift, you have work to do,"

"Yes..." The gate shut, leaving Yuuki alone with her thoughts as her body shivered a bit but her eye hardened. "I am nothing without you, sir," Snapping her fingers again, she jumped through her own portal.