Tsukauchi and Hawks stood in front of a large number of pro heroes, the remnants of law enforcement in Japan. "We're gonna get straight to the point: we're taking down the Green Devil." Hawks said. There was concerned murmuring throughout the room.

Endeavor spoke up. "Tell me you have something of a plan, going after that demon without one would be suicide even with our numbers." Tsukauchi nodded. "First, let's get to what we know." The large screen behind him turned on to a satellite view of the planet before zooming in on Japan. "Thanks to Shield Tech's modified satellite, we have a good set of eyes, and we've been tracking the devil for a couple days now, waiting for a chance to strike. It's coming."

The view turned to smoke and green embers, then a recently lit fire, and finally on a weak fire-clad figure trudging through the cold empty streets alone. "This is a real time feed. He's getting weaker, not eating or sleeping half as much as he should. He wouldn't be doing this to himself unless he had a goal, something he's desperate and impatient to see happen. We know what it is. He's after All For One."

The room broke out into a chorus of outcries. At this point, All For One was common knowledge among the hero community while still being kept hidden from the public. Knowledge about the man who can steal quirks is the last thing they need with all the turmoil already going on. "Could he want to join All For One?" some of them asked, but Tsukauchi quickly shut this down. "We have reason to believe he is actually against All For One. You see, what little number of villains he does let live, we've captured and interrogated. The boy wants to kill All For One himself."

Another reason for the heroes to be shocked. All Might especially. He knew better than anyone the kind of threat All For One posed, even if time had weakened him. "If that's the case, why interfere?" Endeavor asked. "The devil is on his last legs, let him fly head first to his own destruction." Unsurprisingly, not a lot of people spoke against that. "That's not the worst idea," All Might said, surprising Hawks and Tsukauchi while also filling them with dread. "He may not succeed in killing All For One, but he should certainly do some damage. A battle like that would certainly be easy to notice, and we can finish them both at once."

The detective and the bird were shocked All Might would suggest letting his son die to make killing All For One easier! He is unknowingly making the real battle ahead exponentially harder. "You're forgetting that would give All For One the opportunity to steal an incredibly strong quirk, one he could combine with others to create something disastrous!" Hawks pointed. "Worst case scenario, All For One somehow convinces the Green Devil to side with him. The Demon Lord has a silver tongue, if it happens, we're all dead. We absolutely cannot allow the Green Devil to reach All For One or the reverse!" Tsukauchi said.

Hawks brought everyone back to the mission at hand. "Don't think this'll be easy cuz we're going after an exhausted kid, he's unpredictable but we can say this for certain: the further he's driven into a corner, the harder he'll fight back. He's also known to learn and grow the more he fights, perks of youth. If he manages to escape and recover, I doubt we'll get another chance to stop him. This is the decisive battle."

"If he stays on the path we've predicted, he'll reach an abandoned district in, give or take an hour, where we can fight without worrying about civilians. Here are the teams to intercept."

Forefront Team
Hawks (Leader)
Best Jeanist
Ingenium
Death Arms
Kamui Woods
Edgeshot
Backdraft

Their purpose is to further exhaust the devil's energy, enough for the heavy suppression team to take him down. A tight group with the most experience in combat with the devil.

Heavy Suppression Team
All Might
Endeavor
Teleki

Finally, by some low chance the devil does get past them, the rear guard.

Rear Guard
Ryukyu
Mt Lady
Midnight
Mirko
Nejire-chan

"It's possible we'll get interference from other villains, so we have a backup squad waiting nearby."

Backup Squad
Fat Gum (Leader)
Burnin (Leader)
Kido
Onima
Suneater
Lemillion
Katsuki Bakugo
Izumi Yagi
Shoto Todoroki

Everyone understood their roles and prepared to move. They would finally end this nightmare. On the way out, Hawks was stopped by All Might. "Young Hawks, a word?" he asked. The wing hero wanted to refuse, but knew this wasn't the time for it. "What's up, big guy?" he asked with his usual carefree smile.

"I couldn't help but see you deflate a few times during the meeting." Hawks brushed off the concern. "We're on the brink of an all-out battle against a murderous kid, you expect me to be cheerful about it?" All Might's smile wavered. "That's not what I mean. I know you want to save him, but is that even possible? Mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, country-wide panic. You can't make him see reason or offer him forgiveness. Some people are simply beyond redemption."

Hawks no longer met All Might's stare, and looked out onto the path ahead. "So that's your advice, number one? Abandon a kid who's already alone? You know, if all we're expected to do is terminate enemies, we're just soldiers, that's it. I didn't sign up for that, I signed up to help people. I signed up to be a hero." With that, the Wing Hero walked away with seriousness that didn't sit right with the Symbol of Peace.

...

"I can't believe it's come to this..." Tsukauchi groaned in his hands as he entered the control room. "Assembling most of our heroes on Izuku, putting children on the battlefield..." Hawks flashed him a smirk. "Hey, maybe fighting fire with fire is what we need here. It's not like the kids are leaving the nest for the first time. The U.A trio are the some of the strongest in the school, and they got their licenses."

Tsukauchi sighed. "And what about All Might's "sidekicks"? Izumi and Bakugo have substantial experience in the field, plus they're brash and don't plan. All Might and Teleki raised them to believe that they'll be the best, they can't be trusted to know when to toe the line. I don't know much about Shoto, but the point is, no matter their strength, they shouldn't be out here."

Hawks silently agreed with the detective. He could only pray the son of Endeavor wouldn't be as easy to fire up and leave open to an attack. If the Green Devil sees Bakugo and Yagi, he'll kill them without hesitation. "Then we'll just have to cross our fingers we can do this without the Backup Squad. Let's move out."

Present

Fate can be a cruel, fickle mistress. Tsukauchi and Hawks understood that quite well. The detective remembered that day Toshinori introduced his step kids to him and his profession. While Izumi didn't pay much attention, Izuku was taking notes on practically everything Tsukauchi said. The look in young Izuku's eyes when he said he hoped he could work with Tsukauchi and his dad when he became a hero. That happy memory was now a cruel reminder of how twisted fate can be.

Once he and Hawks were sure of his identity, the latter didn't hesitate in reaching his hand out to help him. Hawks saw for himself what the Green Devil truly is at his core, a hurt, lonely kid who needs help. The day he and Izuku crossed paths, he swore he would save whatever was left of the young man's soul. Despite his and Tsukauchi's best efforts, they still found themselves on the brink of an all-out battle to defeat him.

"Give it up, Hawks, we're well past the point of reasoning with this bastard." Endeavor said over the communicator. Hawks didn't listen to the words of the senior hero, but still readied himself for a fight. The flaming figure before him did the same.

"It's time, Tsukauchi." All Might said to his detective friend in the control room. The man reluctantly pressed a button linked to the Shield Tech satellite. A clear feed of the impending battle was on the screen of every shelter in Japan. The whole country would see the Green Flame of fear extinguished once and for all, and... 'I'll make this a safe country for Melissa to come to, just watch me, David!'

The time has come. Izuku stood, ready to clash with flames covering his hands, feet, shins, chest and face, wings from his back and his hair arose in a green hue. His perimeter was ablaze with flames high to his waist. His eyes burned as he glared at the assembled heroes. The decisive battle is here with the whole country watching with bated breath. His eyes were focused on the Wing Hero at the front, who stared right back at him.

"I'm sorry," Hawks said as he opened up his wings to take flight. "I never wanted it to come to this." The devil's heat spiked up.

"...Me neither."

Forefront Team

At blinding speed, the winged hero took to the sky, at the same time the Green Devil surrounded himself in a cyclone of fire. Any attack from the outside would burn up before touching him, so then... "You're up, Jeanist!" Hawks yelled.

Suddenly, the devil was bound by his black cape, and his flames were heavily weakened. "Despite being from the black market, the material is of excellent quality," Best Jeanist began, earning himself the devil's undivided attention. "Extremely durable, flexible, high resistance to any force natural or man made. How kind of you to wear the perfect pocket for me to zip you into!"

That's when the heroes moved into attack. While Izuku was bound, he was still burning hot and couldn't be fought in close quarters. However, Kamui Woods, with assistance from Backdraft's ice cold water made attacking possible. The arbor hero extended his arms into thick log-like appendages. His aim was to knock the enemy out, however, even captured he was able to dodge. He dodged Kamui, but was doused in freezing cold water.

As Izuku was about to take to the skies, the bottom of his cape ground itself to the ground, making him kneel. 'Jeanist is a problem, I'll have to-' "Hugh!" his thoughts were interrupted by a white blur striking him across the face. He couldn't see it, but the thermal energy of a radiator tipped him off. 'Ingenium!' He was quick enough to land a hit and reel back before the heat overwhelmed him. It was in that moment Kamui landed a solid hit on his right shoulder.

"Tch!" Izuku released a torrent of flames strong enough to almost completely incinerate his cape and, by extension, Best Jeanist's hold on him. At the moment he did, Kamui Woods and Ingenium were moving in for their next attack. Before they could pull back, Izuku shot toward them at speed they didn't expect him to be capable of. He grabbed the Turbo Hero's right leg, and the Arbor Hero's left arm. Ingenium's engine exploded, spraying blood and hardware. Kamui's arm became charred and was ripped off. Both men howled in pain.

The Green Devil then aimed his palm at Best Jeanist, but Hawks pulled him out of the line of fire. 'An opening!' Hawks thought, knowing who was sharp and stealthy enough to exploit the tiny window of opportunity. He just hoped he wouldn't go for anything vital.

"A-Ah..." Izuku gasped, feeling a sharp pain shooting through his stomach and out his backside. The young man dropped to a knee and clutched his stomach. "Edgesho- burgh!" he coughed blood on the ground as his flames weakened. The Ninja Hero returned to his regular shape and landed with a backflip in his usual crouched stance. While he kept his composure, his body was covered in burns.

'I kept my visit into his body as brief as I could, but I was still nearly incinerated! His insides burn so much hotter than what he releases. It's as if the boy has lava in his stomach!' Edgeshot watched the boy keel over, essentially paralyzed. 'He won't be doing much more with that hole in his stomach. Now is the time!'

The heavy hitter of the Forefront Team, Death Arms, charged forward, fists at the ready. He's been itching to get his chance to dismantle the devil after the humiliation he forced him to bear. "This time, you'll get more than just a bruise!" So eager.

So careless.

The instant he got close, the Green Devil erupted in flames. He pulled his arm and crafted a blade.

Slash!*
*Thump*

Fortunately for Death Arms, Hawks's feathers were quick enough to pull him out of the way, but not entirely. The pro had his right arm sliced clean off his body at the bicep. "GRRAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!" he screamed in agony, his pained wails echoing through the desolate city. Everybody was taken aback by the gruesome sight of the man's lost limb. Everybody but one.

The Green Devil quickly got to his feet and lunged towards Death Arms, er, well, Death Arm. Everyone watching him couldn't understand how he was able to move, and put out more than when the fight began. He placed his hand on Death Arm's wound, and the man released a cry of pure agony. "You're still such a bore." Those were the last words the muscular pro heard before he was blown away by a large explosion.

The Green Devil was airborne again, and quickly fleeing the scene. "Oh no you don't!" Hawks gave chase. He could keep up well, but he couldn't get close enough to attack, not that he was planning to. 'He's wounded, this is only a temporary boost of adrenaline. Maybe, the Heavy Suppression Team will have it easy.' Wishful thinking. Just as Hawks thought, the Green Devil began losing speed and altitude. The flames that covered him were fading away, and suddenly he took a sharp downward dive into the pavement.

He tried to get up, but he was held down by an invisible force. He only felt it on the parts of himself that weren't ignited. 'Teleki...!'

Heavy Suppression Team

The Telekinetic Hero and Izuku's biological mother: Teleki, AKA Inko Yagi, was holding the Green Devil down from high in the air. Due to the injuries he inflicted in her spine. She had difficulty moving anything below the waist, which made her ability to work as a hero decline some. The best she could do is long range now, still effective.

Izuku's rage returned when he knew who was above, causing his flames to re-emerge. He rose to his feet and looked ahead, seeing Endeavor and All Might charging at him. 'Enji, Inko, Toshinori...!' It all came back, his roiling hatred and frenzied anger. The abandonment, the neglect, the betrayal, the childhood that spat out the monster the world sees. And the man the tormented the kindest woman he had ever met.

"He's wounded, he won't even be able to defend himself!" Endeavor shouted. "One smash, that should be enough to end this!" All Might yelled. The two of them had no idea the calamity they were flying into. But Hawks did. "Keep your guards up! He's-!"

FWWOOOSSHHH*

Hawks was interrupted by a massive green eruption. The pavement melted beneath the devil as he released a wrathful howl. Every falling drop of snow was instantly evaporated by his hellish heat. The four pros couldn't brace themselves for what came next.

A shot of green blasted right towards Endeavor and All Might, two Flashfire Fists connecting with the two and blowing them away with incredible force. "Endeavor!" Hawks yelled. "Toshi!" Inko cried, both alerting him of their presence.

It happened so fast. It was an instant, a microsecond. In just the blink of an eye, almost like teleportation. Inko found herself in the debilitating presence of the devil, and a hand going right through her stomach.

Hawks moved as quick as he could to get her out of the way, but Izuku's hand still pierced her stomach, knuckle-deep, his hand drenched in her blood. Hawks was horrified by the gruesome display, but remained focused on getting Teleki away. 'Shit! We made a huge mistake!'

"Hawks, what's going on down there!? The devil's power suddenly spiked!" Tsukauchi yelled over the com.

Hawks grit his teeth. "Tsukauchi, I think we picked the worst heroes we had to put against this guy."

Meanwhile, Enji and Toshinori had just gotten back up. The Flame Hero had labored breaths as he clutched his chest. 'Pathetic! The hero Endeavor, paralyzed by a child's punch!? Stand. Fight!' he willed his power into a javelin. "Are you going to do something, or just keep staring into space!?" he yelled at All Might. The Symbol of Peace was frozen by the sight of his wife suffering and bloody. If Hawks hadn't gotten her out of the way for the worst of it, she'd be dead.

Endeavor didn't have time to worry about his rival, and chucked his flaming javelin at the emerald demon. The latter caught the attack in his hand, and turned to glare at them. Endeavor silently cursed, and knew what was coming. The demon blasted towards them at blistering speed, leaving an inferno in his wake. "Dammit all!" Endeavor yelled as he too blasted off.

He crossed his arms over his chest, building up his heat to its maximum. Orange flames became bright yellow. 'He's driven by wrath, incapable of making smart battle decisions. This time, there will be nothing but ash!' "Get out of there, Endeavor!" Hawks yelled, but was ignored.

"Prominence Burn!!" the man released a concentrated beam of incinerating firepower! The Green Devil flew right into the attack, just as Endeavor expected. For a moment, everyone believed the devil was dealt with.

"TODOROKI!!" The Green Devil screamed as he flew right through Endeavor's most powerful attack. Endeavor looked in awe and horror as the boy had suffered an alarmingly low amount damage and had an unholy wrath behind his eyes. He pulled his fist back, and expelled a massive torrent of viridian heat.

Only to miss due to Hawks pulling Enji out of the way. "Don't drop your guard just because he's wounded! We can't relax until he's out cold!" he exclaimed, but Endeavor growled. "You children think you can do whatever you want, don't you! Leave it to us adults to put you in your-!"

Endeavor paused when he found his back facing the devil, the feathers carrying him were completely incinerated. Endeavor craned his neck to face the young terror. He was met with furious eyes ablaze. Despite the incredible heat, Endeavor found himself with a chill up his spine. He watched, unable to move as his opponent cocked back his fist that was burning almost white hot. The Green Devil spoke, his voice sounding warped like a true demon. "Flashfire Fist:..."

"JET BUUURRRN!!"

Endeavor took the hit square to his back, screaming in pain. He was forced to the ground by a beam of fire, with an explosion on impact. "Endeavor!" Hawks yelled. The number 2 hero was on his front in a large crater surrounded by emerald flames. He was barely moving, the only sounds he made were the bloody coughs he released. Hawks sent more of his feathers to pick up the broken pro.

"Detroit..."
'Oh no...' Hawks thought as he tried to get Endeavor and Teleki away.
"SMASH!"

All Might punched, sending a powerful shockwave directly toward the Green Devil. The moment the boy dodged, he found that All Might was closing the gap from his blind spot. "This ends now, you despicable fiend!" he yelled furiously. Izuku dodged the obvious incoming punch, and went for it. The slowly widening crack in his father's seemingly invincible armor.

"Arrggghhh!" All Might yelled. Hawks, the only other conscious hero stared in horror. Izuku had used Endeavor's javelin from earlier to pierce All Might's stomach wound! Blood sprayed from the man's left side, but he quickly removed the weapon. The devil wasted no time punching All Might to the ground with a wave of flames from his fist. The number 1 hero landed on his knees with a crash, and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Damn. I won't let you-"

"UUAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!"

Toshinori looked up at the incoming ball of rage and destruction. His howl echoed across the evacuated city, the sky itself seemed to be on fire. "I'LL PUT YOU IN THE GROUND!!" he yelled, pulling his fist back and thrusting it forward. A gargantuan fist of fire emerged, several times the size of its user. All Might stood up and pulled his own fist back. "Texas SMASH!" The two attacks collided, shockwave and extreme heat clashing and blowing apart.

Hawks, and the ones he was carrying, were blown aback. The Wing Hero watched as a new arena formed, one on a larger scale than the first the Green Devil and All Might first clashed. 'This time, Izuku went straight for his weak spot from the start, and he's a lot stronger than the kid All Might almost took down! This won't end well.'

In the flaming arena, All Might attempted to jump above the fiery carnage, but found his leg being held down by a flaming tendril. He saw the Green Devil approaching with his fist pulled back. "YAGI!" he screamed in frenzied anger. The man in question pulled his own fist back to meet. "SMASH!" they collided again with force that was felt by those nearby.

All Might didn't hold back in his attack. He no longer saw the demon in front of him as a child, but as one of the biggest threats to innocent lives he'd ever seen. The time for talking was over, and he would use every ounce of strength he had to make the beast fall. However, even with his resolve to not hold back and use his full power, the Green Devil withstood and swung at him again.

Toshinori was jarred. Yes, he had gotten weaker since his wound was last struck and he handed over One For All to Izumi. His hero work was limited from eight hours a day to four hours. But the Green Devil has had days of insufficient rest and eating, and he has a stomach wound of his own thanks to Edgeshot. Theoretically, shouldn't be able to have made it past the Forefront Team! What's driving him? As Toshinori pulled his fist back for another punch, he had a feeling his hero time would be reduced even further after today.

BWOM! BWOM! BWOM! CRASH! BWOM!*

The sounds of All Might and Izuku's heated battle. Everytime they traded blows, the shockwaves shook the earth and carried the flames even further. The entire city block was on fire, and Hawks couldn't land too far away. He still had to keep an eye on the kid. 'If this keeps up, the whole block will crumble to ash!'

Inside the flaming arena, above the ground, All Might and Izuku were in a clash of fists. The muscular blonde threw punches at blurring speed, and shockingly, so did the devil at a pace that matched his! By using the propulsion of Jet Burn to drive his fist forward, and using the recoil of explosive impact to send them back instantaneously. Flashfire Fist: Jet Burn Barrage!

Unlike All Might, who threw his fists without much thought, Izuku's method of matching his blows is not as mindlessly simple. The timing has to be precise, he needs to react everytime he feels All Might's fists moving into his fire. After nearly two years of having to survive on his own, eventually becoming a target for both sides, he learned to hone his instincts. Constantly reading the thermal energy of living things, taking note of their movements, their emotional state. Even in his wrathful state, his body and quirk react on their own. A sneak attack on Izuku is next to impossible.

All Might was in a state of shock. He couldn't find a single hero that could match him, yet somehow this child was doing! Matching him blow for blow, at least that's what it seemed. Even though Izuku reinforced his arms as much as he could, he was still absorbing power that can demolish buildings. At the same time, his heat was increasing to such a degree that All Might himself was starting to burn! 'His arms are breaking with every hit, but he's still forcing them against me! His heat won't stop increasing, surely he must be burning up as well! No one's invincible to their own quirk! He shouldn't be able to keep this up for so long!'

For as long as they've been at it, over three-hundred mighty blows had been traded, the heat carrying far across the battlefield. The surrounding buildings began crumbling to the ground. Just when All Might felt himself reaching his limit, Izuku amped up his onslaught. The punches came faster, hotter, stronger, All Might was pushed to defend himself as he was enveloped in a barrage of green explosions. The worst part is that all of Japan was watching their champion hold on by a thread.

'He's... struggling. He can't take much more of this.' Hawks thought. "Tsukauchi, tell the Backup Squad to get prepped. Did you hear me? Tsukauchi!"

"Hawks..." Tsukauchi finally responed, but not with what Hawks wanted to hear. "The Backup Squad is in no shape to fight right now."

Backup Squad

Half a mile away from where the Green Devil was lighting up the city, the Backup Squad was under siege by a surprise visitor. "You're squad's purpose is to make sure no villains help the Green Devil, and to aid your friends if he becomes too much to handle," the villain said as he stood before the battered heroes. "How's that working out, for ya?"

'This guy...!' Burnin grit her teeth. From the way he spoke, he was well aware of their plan of attack. They questioned how he knew, and how he just appeared out of nowhere. The villain turned his back to Burnin, Fat Gum, Lemillion and Suneater, and hovered above his real prey. His cold blue eyes bore into them.

"Grr...! First the devil, now this fucker! At this point, I'm starting to hate fire fucks!" Katsuki growled while readying his grenade gauntlets, courtesy of Melissa. "For once, we agree on something." Shoto Todoroki said. "We won't lose to some random back alley thug!" Izumi proclaimed while tightening her blowback bracers, also courtesy of Melissa.

The lean man above them smiled wickedly. "Aw, there's no need to be scared, kids. I'm not here to kill anybody. Yet. All I want is to see what the future heroes have to offer. After all, you must be so incredibly powerful and talented to be here without any formal education or experience, right? I wanna see what the future of hero society has to offer... assuming there'll still be a society after today!" he finished with a shout as he flew toward them, blue flames ignited in his palms.

Meanwhile

The only sound in the control room was the sound of All Might being into the ground and the Green Devil escaping yet again with another destroyed section of the city. Hawks gave chase as best he could, but his wings had caught some embers, that would be enough to turn him into a roast chicken. Everyone in the room couldn't understand what happened, how the plan fell apart just like that. How the devil went from barely able to move to actually beating their best. All of Japan had just seen their best fall.

'Psycho Flames is directly tied to his emotional state... Anger, hatred, they make him burn hotter and stronger. But what experience could he have had with Endeavor to warrant that? It doesn't matter now.' Tsukauchi picked up his mic. "Hawks, I'm pulling the Rear Guard out." Everyone else in the room was shocked to hear their leader say that.

"You're what!? We can't do that!" the Wing Hero shouted.

"The Forefront Team is too far to help you in time, the Backup Squad is being overwhelmed by a single person, he took down Endeavor in two blows, and outmatched All Might in a punching competition. And as he is now, he'll kill anything that moves. He's just too much." The flame of despair was strong, relentless. No matter how much they tried to beat it down, it grew stronger. And now it's gotten to the point that it will burn and consume everything in its path.

"No. It's not over yet!" Hawks yelled, pushing himself to get closer to the boy. It burned him, but he kept going. "If we don't end this here, we'll all have hell to pay later! Would you rather All For One get his hands on the kid!?"

Tsukauchi tightened his grip on the mic. "Look at yourself, you're flying into a burning ball of fire trying to reach someone who can't even hear you! If worse comes to worst, I'd rather save as many fighters as I can for the next disaster!"

"Glad to hear it, me too!" Hawks then went radio silent, his com unable to withstand the heat Izuku was emitting.

'There's a reason I designed the Rear Guard the way I did. He got past the Heavy Suppression Team, that proves fighting him now is pointless. So then, we do what we should've done from the beginning!'

Hawks noticed Izuku's heat begin to weaken, and his speed start to decrease. "Izuku!" Hawks called out to him again. "I get it, you went through something pretty fucked up! You tried going home, but it blew up in your face! You're officially public enemy number one. You've been through so much pain it's borderline insanity! They call you a monster, and at this point you might even believe it yourself! But I know it's not true!"

"I saw that look in your eyes when you brought Yaoyorozu back to her family! The shame written all over you when you used her as a bargaining chip to get away!" Izuku didn't show any signs of listening to Hawks, but his further decreasing speed and dwindling firepower were good signs. Hawks looked up and saw they were approaching the last line of defense against the devil. 'We tried and failed over and over again to bring him down with force. So now, we'll go for whatever is left of his heart!'

"Nejire Wave!"

Crash!*

Rear Guard

Izuku was forced down into the ground again by a well-timed wave of energy. "Good work Nejire, stay close to me!" Ryukyu said in dragon form. "Right!" Hawks caught up to the two.

"Nice shot." he said. "Do you think it's over?" Hawks looked at the Dragoon Hero with a smile. "I really doubt it."

"Hey, hey, Hawks, do you know your wings are smoking?" Nejire asked. "Yup."

"He's mine!" Mirko rushed to the crater where the Green Devil landed, ready for her turn to kick his ass. But she came to a screeching halt when she saw a green light behind the dust veil, and a figure slowly rise up. Mirko grinned and licked her lips. "You're a stubborn one, aren'tcha? Well, let's see what-"

"Burgh!" she was interrupted by the sound of vomiting. Izuku's figure was hunched as he spewed his stomach's contents into the crater. As he coughed out the last of it, Mirko looked in awe at the pile of vomit that melted through the earth. 'He pukes lava!? Fucking hell!'

When the dust blew away, Mirko and the others got a proper look at the Green Devil. It was a difficult sight to say the least. A bloody and bruised boy with nearly dead eyes. His arms were the real eye-catcher. Hanging limp at his sides, smoking and dripping blood, broken and battered, almost unrecognizable. The force of All Might's punches, even he couldn't just shrug them off, his arms were ravaged inside and out. The bone fragments of his fingers, knuckles, forearms and biceps stuck out through his skin.

Even Mirko was put off at seeing a kid with such gruesome injuries, her red eyes met his green ones. Izuku remembered Mirko, they met briefly when he trusted her to look after Ashido, Kirishima and Hagakure. He turned from her and tried to fly away, albeit without so much as a fraction of his former speed.

"No you don't!" Mirko jumped at him and reeled back her leg. Izuku swerved around to meet just in time, and raised his flaming leg to match hers. He promptly kicked her off with a wave of flames to create distance. When the Rabbit Hero landed, she examined her leg. "Barely even singed me, he's on his last legs. Heads up, Midnight, Mt Lady, he's heading your way!"

Izuku flew wobbly, forcing his broken body to hold out. He looked ahead and saw a large pink cloud of gas, and out of it walked a long-haired dominatrix with a whip. "When was the last time you got proper rest? Growing boys need their sleep~" Midnight said seductively, but all Izuku felt was pain. 'Midnight...'

His thirteenth birthday, it wasn't another year where he was forgotten and overshadowed by Izumi. His first good birthday in years was thanks to her. He couldn't bring himself to attack her, so he flew upward, avoiding the knockout gas. Only to find he was facing a familiar titan woman. Mt Lady, while vain on the surface, has a heart as big as her quirk. She and that Uraraka girl. 'Uraraka... are you okay?'

He wasn't given much time to ponder as the mountainous hero reached out to grab him. For a second, he debated letting her snatch him, but his body had already backing up out of her reach. Suddenly, he felt his movements restricted. He was bound by golden rings of energy. "Got em!" Nejire yelled. Izuku grit his teeth. 'The kid again...'

Using whatever strength he had left, he released a burst of flames that broke out of the energy restraints. He looked back at the energy quirk user, and found she was being shielded by a motherly wing, literally and figuratively. He froze at the sight, and Hawks moved in.

'Ryukyu and Hado are close, almost like mother and daughter. A familial bond is something he desperately longs for since he hasn't had it since he was four. He wouldn't intentionally tear that apart! Now that he's emotionally open, I gotta remind him of who he is!' "Remember those middle school kids you patched up!? The boy told me what you said to him, that with hard work, he could be a hero! You've wanted to hear those words your whole life, haven't you!?"

The other heroes were stumped by Hawks' approach, and Midnight was the most intrigued. However, when Hawks got in close, Izuku released another burst of heat, not hot enough to incinerate the bird, but his wings were becoming charred and falling off.

Hawks grunted but still persisted. "That girl with aux cord earlobes! She told the police what you did to that scumbag in a hero's costume! Ya know what that tells me? You don't want to burn this world to ashes, you want to see something better! Well I won't let you throw your life away before you see your wish come true!" With one last flap of his wings, Hawks flew into the flames to reach the boy! His feathers were entirely burned away, his consciousness was slipping. Just as he was about to blackout...

The crackling in his ears stopped, a wave of cold air hit him. And he felt a burning hot body crash against him with fluffy hair under his chin. He opened his eyes and saw he was falling, but more importantly, Izuku was falling with him. Hawks weakly wrapped his arms around the boy. 'Oh damn, this is gonna hurt.'

Instead of feeling the hardness of the ground, Hawks felt an uplifting grace. "Got em! Again!" Nejire chirped as she held the two with her Surge quirk. Hawks smiled. "Thanks for the save, hero. I would've had back pains on top of all these burns." the bird chuckled as they were slowly lowered to the ground.

"What was all that about?" Mt Lady asked. She received no answer. "Does Hawks know that kid or something?" Again, no response. Midnight was just silently looking at the boy with a blank expression. 'Could it really be?'

Mirko spoke in her earpiece. "Hey, detective. It's over. He's finally burnt out."

Control Room

The officers in the room were cheering, celebrating the end of this saga. Tsukauchi, however, had tears in his eyes. 'Izuku...!'

The news spread across the battlefield, eventually reaching All Might, a barely conscious Endeavor and an unconscious Teleki. "At last, this nightmare is over."All Might said.

'All Might... I wish I could agree with you.' Tsukauchi thought.

Elsewhere

"Well damn, that's disappointing, but I doubt he's dead." the blueflame wielder said to himself, surrounded by a sea of flames. "You three, though," he looked at the burned and battered bodies of Izumi, Katsuki and Shoto. "Let's see, unrefined lack of control, unearned arrogance and leaving yourself open, and too caught in your self to use your full power. And they dragged you worthless brats out? No wonder you were on the squad that wasn't meant to fight."

The three of them kids were glaring at the pyromaniac who was now rubbing salt into their wounds. "Y-You fucking- ough!" Bakugo tried to speak but was kicked across the face. "Don't interrupt your education, brat." the villain, smirked. "Cause the way I see it, none of you..." he stomped his foot on Izumi's bruised arm and burned it, making her scream. "...are the least bit competent. Just spoiled brats who think they own the world." he turned to look at Shoto.

"You're the biggest disappointment of all, after everything that went into what you are, this is how you turned out?" Shoto's glare then became more of a perplexed one. "Don't worry, you'll have your chance to prove you're not completely worthless, real soon. Hehe." The man grabbed his collar and whispered into it. Suddenly, a swirling black and purple gateway appeared behind him. "Until then, I'll be watching."

Izuku

Hawks had his last feather raised above Izuku's unconscious form, and jabbed it down into the ground beside him. That was Tsukauchi's cue to cut the feed, let the world believe the Green Devil is dead. "So, do you two know each other? 'Cause you talked like you know him." Nejire inquired. "Not exactly, I just know a lot about him from someone else."

For a bit, it was just Nejire and Hawks watching over Izuku's motionless body. His arms required serious medical attention. They saw his face, a thin scar from his cheek that widened at his jaw. That came from his parents. Another scar under his left eye from Yaoyorozu's self defense. Once they get him checked at the hospital, they'll probably find a dozen more scars.

Eventually, the two of them were joined by the other heroes. Ryukyu gently grabbed Nejire's shoulders and pulled her back protectively. "So it was Endeavor's brat, all along." Mirko said, noticing the white hair. Hawks shook his head. "Naw, look at this." he reached into his burned up jacket and pulled out his secret weapon: a bottle of hair dye remover.

He poured its contents out, letting the white hair wash away and reveal green and black hair. Midnight gasped and covered her mouth. Before them was the boy that went missing over a year ago, and was presumed dead. Izuku Yagi. All Might and Teleki's son. The question in everyone's head was what to do with him now.

"Hawks..." he spoke weakly, making everyone jump. The Wing Hero listened. "What are you doing, he'll just exploit your sympathy." Ryukyu warned, but Hawks ignored her.

"I... deserve to die..." Izuku said. Hawks shot Ryukyu a look that said 'You were saying...?'

"I killed... hundreds... ruined... so many futures... I should... burn in hell..."

His voice came out in hoarse gasps as if he was dying. The ones around him, especially Midnight and Hawks, could barely stand to hear it. The latter spoke up. "Maybe you're right. Even if the world thinks you're dead, you can't just disappear. All For One wants you, and I'm betting you're still dead set on hunting him."

"I'll... kill him... to atone..."

Hawks gave a weak, tired smile. "Atone, huh? Well, you've got one hell of a long road ahead of you. The sooner you get started, the better." Everyone looked at Hawks like he had gone crazy. Here he was offering rehabilitation to the person that plunged Japan into fear and panic.

"You... idiot..." Izuku said while slightly gasping.

Hawks chuckled. "Yeah, that's what they call optimists these days. But you know that better than most, huh?" Midnight slowly placed her hand on his broken one. "Izuku, what did they do to you?" she asked. That simple question goaded a single tear from the boy.

"I hate them, Midnight... every last one of them... I couldn't take it anymore... I broke..."

The purple-haired woman wiped the tear away from him, and one from her own cheek. The wail of an ambulance approached, and Izuku said his final words before passing out. "I'll burn... this whole country... before I ever... forgive them..."