Hello, everyone. Here's hoping you've all been well over the past couple of months. I have to say, it's a little surreal to be writing this after MHA has come to an end. Despite knowing the manga was in its final arc, it still caught me off-guard seeing those final chapters; not the first time I felt that way, though. Sometimes even when you see it coming, the end of a series still can blindside you. Anyways, here's the latest chapter, which is going to be quite a pivotal one. I hope you all enjoy it!

I do not own anything.

A Big Pink Ball of Sunshine

Chapter 12-Break in the Clouds

Izuku always knew he'd be in this situation. It was a grim thought, but one that'd gained increased prominence in his mind, rather at the forefront or at the back. He had to confront the possibility as it was part of the deal he'd made. His Quirk wasn't quite natural, not to mention it an immense amount of baggage that came with it. It hadn't deterred him from accepting it, even if a part of Izuku had been scared he wouldn't be able to shoulder the burden One for All came with. He'd pushed past that fear and accepted it. Once again, he found himself being tested in proving himself able to carry the power and responsibility that came with it.

While it came as a surprise to him others knew of Quirk transferal, he'd quickly and quietly accepted the predicament he was in. This wasn't about willingness, at least not in the way All Might had described regarding the transfer of One For All. Staring at the device told him that it wouldn't matter if he gave his consent or not-he was going to be strapped to it regardless and have his Quirks removed from him. Izuku could tell all that without Namase explaining it to him, but his doing so had certainly placed an extra amount of pressure on him.

"It's just a question of if I'm going to have to take it the easy way, or the hard way. One of these ways will benefit you and everyone you care about, Mr. Midoriya, and the other…will not. It's your choice which it will be."

No matter what he chose, people were going to get hurt, most likely die. There was no way he could give this man One For All. He was a villain, perhaps a polite one, but a villain none the less. Not only had he sent murderous subordinates to abduct him and Mina, he'd admitted to having once worked for All For One. For what it was worth, Izuku at least felt confident in that he wouldn't give it to the Ultimate Evil; he was far too greedy for that, although that just meant he'd use it for his own ends. One fear was laid to rest, but another persisted in its place, and that was the one Izuku focused on.

Staring at the machine, he wondered how much he could consciously resist its ability to drain his Quirk. On that front, was it possible the vestiges of the previous wielders could aid him in resisting the machine, or would they resist it themselves? That wasn't something Izuku wanted to bet on, but he was going over every advantage he might be able to claw out. His gut told him he was going to need it, though he was rapidly coming to that conclusion consciously. Escaping this situation, with his Quirk, was going to take him using everything he could think of. That would include playing dirty.

He thought it was really just his mind working too hard. His brain simply short-circuiting from all the stress he was putting on it (not the first time), but a second later he realized that wasn't it. Izuku felt his once racing pulse die down. Voices slowed to a halt, as did the beeping of the machinery around him. For a second, he took solace in that, finding the half-second of stillness to be rather peaceful. It ended fast, shadows stretched out from beneath him while the outside world lost its color. That made it all the easier for the shadows to standout, their black silhouettes surrounding him. Each stared at him with unwavering eyes that almost made him feel like a bug beneath a bird's shadow. Compared to them, Izuku knew that's what he might as well have been.

Or maybe he was a hatchling-that was preferable, and probably a better comparison.

This was the moment he spread his wings and saw if he could measure up to them.

While the world was frozen, he looked around him, meeting each of the silhouettes' piercing gaze. Izuku didn't shirk from them. Rather his actions carried over into the real world or not, he looked on with determination. Recognizing that, they silently spoke to him. They knew what he was thinking-what he was contemplating. Would it be a dangerous idea? Absolutely, but it was amongst the few options they-he-had left.

"When the time comes, use my Quirk. It's just the sort best-suited for deception." Came a voice amongst the assembly. Izuku rounded on it immediately. The silhouette had no unique features, though Izuku believed they started to come into focus the more he stared. A splash of color temporarily returned to the world. A large red coat with a high collar that covered the bottom half of his face Jet-black hair crowned the top of his head. Sandwiched between those two things were his eyes, titled silts that stared back at him with unwavering focus. Izuku returned the expression, silently absorbing his predecessor's words.

"Your Quirk," He was actually able to feel his mouth moving. It was different from when Banjo spoke to him, potentially helped by the different circumstances.

The predecessor closed his eyes and released something from his body-smoke. Izuku knew what it was, even as the world around him dispersed. He knew what he needed to know, and he now had the confidence to go forward.

He was back in the lab, facing the machine that could and would transfer Quirks between individuals. All around him were scientists who'd make sure it worked, as well as armed guards who'd ensure he sat down and let it work. To say nothing of the mastermind of this whole plot. Namase remained beside him, looking on with that smug smile. Izuku quickly realized the entire conversation with his predecessors had happened in his head, and in short time. In the real world, it'd probably been less than a minute.

But it was a minute his captor didn't want wasted. "Well, Mister Midoriya? I'm waiting? Any longer and I'll have to take your hesitation as-"

"P-Please, j-just promise me you'll let Mina go." Her face appeared in his mind like a flash of lightning, but one with the staying power of thunder. Ironic considering he'd always seen her as the sun, his precious sun. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. What do you mean if anything happened? She's already been kidnapped and is being held prisoner. Chided a cold and depressive voice. There was no arguing with it as it was right, so painfully right. The fact he had no idea where she was hit especially hard. I'll find her when I escape. I will. He doggedly told himself.

Looking from the ground to Namase, he saw his smile having grown. "Ah, a simple request, but don't worry, quite doable. Sure, you can have her back." Without warning he leaned close, his cold eyes burrowing into Izuku's. "But she'll only be given back after the transfer is complete. Nothing before, otherwise you might get some funny ideas."

Izuku recognized he had no power to argue otherwise. For his plan to work, he'd have to play along. "Understood." Even he noted how obedient his voice sounded.

"Excellent! Let's get started!" Namase proclaimed with a smile. Of course he was happy, he was seconds away from getting a power many had fought and died for. That included his former boss, who was still sitting locked up in prison. Not to mention his protégé, who was off doing who knew what.

The memory of Shigaraki unnerved him more so than the potential failure of his plan. Their "meeting" at the mall where he was seconds away from having his hands around his throat-all he'd need to do was activate his Quirk from there and he'd die. Izuku had nightmares where he went through with it; his first impulse had been to feel around his throat, making sure it was still there. Not even his continued breathing was enough to sooth him, not immediately so. As bad as the situation was, Izuku realized he'd still take this predicament to facing his fellow "successor"-he didn't feel like he was ready for that just yet.

After this, assuming he made it out alive and with One For All, would he be more ready?

His handcuffs were removed, although two bodyguards were practically right on top of him. Izuku was willing to guess their Quirks were geared toward either super strength or restraint. Getting away from them might prove paramount when his moment comes. Another factor he took into consideration.

As the preparations continued, he tried to picture his escape in his mind. It gave him something positive to focus on, yet he noted how it wouldn't be easy. The room had doors on both sides, but they were almost eleven meters away. While he could cover that distance on his own, he had to take into account interference, especially when it became clear something had gone wrong with the transfer. Once that became evident, the doors might seal shut-could he punch through them? Crash through them? He hadn't been training for nothing. The thought of busting through the potential reinforced doors sounded exciting, like something out of a comic. This whole thing sounded eerily similar to those comics he read as a kid, and what Mina herself loved reading.

How would he find her? What would happen to her once he made his escape? Namase had said she'd be brought to him once the transfer was complete, but Izuku found his word suspect. He knew he had to save her-he had to save her, but he couldn't give up One For All.

This is the type of situation I've found myself in, the type of situation I've put her in. The solemn thought rung in his head like a bell. One tolling his eventual, potential demise. That made walking onto the platform akin to walking up the steps of the gallows, and of his own free will to boot. Sorta. The spherical device that sat before him was the noose that would end his life, his life as a hero-in-training, anyway.

"Just so you know, I'm planning on keeping my word, Mr. Midoriya. After this, you really will be free to go if you wish it. However, you could always get another Quirk. I'd love to have you working for me." Silently, he looked into the older man's eyes. Those brown eyes never wavered, never lost their confident glow. Regardless of what he might have had planned, he was supremely confident he was going to get what he wanted. As he said, it was just a matter of if it'd be the easy way or the hard way. The former had a window for him, or at least Namase had left it open. "I know you were born Quirkless, such a sad fate for one who so passionately idolized All Might." Izuku said nothing, but his silence drew further amusement from him. "Going back to that life won't be easy, so I do think you'd be wise to take me up on my offer. Really, do you want to go back to that dark abyss? Living in the shadow of that so-called former friend of yours? Who relentlessly bullied you over the gap between you?"

The mention of Bakugo led his eyes to widening. It was finally a response, one that Namase took great pleasure in.

"I read your file, remember." He merely affirmed. "Some of your teachers were concerned about you. Being in the minority tends to invite discrimination. Believe me, it can be a horrid thing."

While a fast-pacing heart, Izuku realized he believed him. He wasn't going to wonder how genuine his empathetic-sounding voice was, but he was willing to acknowledge he'd seen said discrimination. Namase worked for All For One, and he'd probably seen the darker side of human nature.

Quirkless, he found himself thinking as he followed instructions. His hands reached forward and grasped the handles of the spherical device in front of him; Namase did the same. The cold metal seemed to further arose the memories he rarely thought of. Izuku had never forgotten them, not completely, he simply chose not to dwell on them. Fear tended to come with them, a question of what would happen if his classmates, his friends, found out the truth? What would Mina think of him? Compared to me, you were always so radiant, so much…more real.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"I…"

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. I can see it on your face. Really, it's nothing to be ashamed of. The same goes for accepting a Quirk from another. I can introduce you to some people who'd help you get through such a thing." Namase continued.

"You've done this before." Izuku affirmed with narrowed eyes. He didn't want to give anymore than he already had, but he couldn't deny he was being lured in. As much as he hated it, Namase had found one hell of an emotional hook.

"Yes, quite so. See, All For One was a pioneer in Quirks transferal. At the time, it was thought of as just a fantasy, but well, All For One itself is a Quirk that greedily takes power into one's self. Technology eventually caught up to it; it's quite incredible, isn't it?"

Izuku was grateful the machine started up, saving him from giving a response. It was a whirling sound that sent his already racing heart into a greater uproar. Listening to it made him imagine One For All literally being drained out of him and funneled into Namase like a pair of whirlpools. The air grew charged with energy that Izuku knew would aid in the transferal. However, it seemed to feel like it was trying to choke the life out of him before that happened. Every hair on his body stood up while his blood chilled, though that didn't stop it from racing in his veins like lightning. His heart pounded at a hundred beats per second. It was a maddening combination, but still just a prelude to the storm.

The feeling struck him entirely out of the blue despite everything he'd already experienced. "Gaaah!" Invisible hands felt up every part of his body, pawing through it as if searching for something. It was the most intrusive feeling he'd ever had; what made it worse was Izuku knew it was just getting started. The hands searched and searched while he grunted and screamed. His fist instinct was to push them away, and he almost followed through on it. Almost. It was a hole of light amidst the blanket of dark clouds. Being hit by it reminded Izuku of his plan-it suddenly looked a whole lot less viable than it did before. Still, it was too late for him to back out, although that idea was looking rather tempting. More so as the seconds ticked by. Seconds filled with pain and violation. Both feelings lessened after what seemed like a eternity of the torture.

Those invisible hands had found what they were looking for, and like a greed child, they pulled.

"Aaaaargggghhh!"

"Endure, Midoriya! It'll all be over soon!"

It pulled. It pulled. It pulled. Forget a whirlpool, this was a gorilla trying to rip something out of him with all its might. Izuku felt his head thrashing back from side to side as that something was firmly attacked to him. His panic already high, reached a new level. Throwing his head back, that panic forced its way out of him to such an extent it almost drowned out the whirling of the machine. That damn sound was louder this time, growing as the procedure continued; he should have known it wasn't going to be painless. Of course, Namase had left that part out.

But…I've…I've felt pain before. Pain is something I've always known. A serene voice amidst the storm, and it was his voice, more miraculously. How was that possible? Because, you're you. You've gotten this far, through everything that's came your way. You thought up this plan with help from the others, but it falls on you. Mina's safety depends on you.

Izuku saw her through the storm, the bright pink sun that'd unexpectedly came into his life. Her smile, her eyes, her shine.

Gnashing his teeth, he shut his eyes in concentration. A second later they opened, glowing bright green as arcs of lightning danced around him. Right across from him, Namase's expression changed, triumphant glee morphed into shock. His expression changed again, outrage coloring his once calm features.

It became a tug of war between the two of them, a battle of wills. Izuku always had a feeling that's what it'd come down to; he'd bet on having the advantage since even if they were just remnants, he had eight others besides his own. While he called forth his own, he felt those eight remnants stirring within him. If he could have turned around, he was sure he'd have seen those eight shadows behind him, supporting him, fighting off the theft of the power they'd passed along. It was a power meant to stop the greatest evil of the modern world, and it wouldn't fall here, not to this lesser discipline of it. Izuku was going to make sure of that.

The arcs of green lightning intensified, as did the whirling of the machine. He quickly reasoned that as being good, he had to overload the machine somehow. Just as he resisted it, he also resisted Namase. Keeping his eyes on him, he saw his rage growing-this was clearly not what he wanted to happen.

Well, now you know how I felt. A petty thing to say, the sort of thing he rarely vocalized. Even now, he was glad his concentration was entirely on holding onto One For All. He felt it holding onto him as well, resisting its attempted seizure. Eight lingering wills, but each with a great amount of power, they came together inside of him as the raging verdant storm around him. It almost felt like when he was channeling its power through his body; admittedly, Izuku missed the feeling and found himself cherishing it. Even as it also felt like someone was trying to rip his heart out of his chest through sheer strength. His own was called forth to push back.

"DAMN YOU, JUST LET GO! GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE ME ONE FOR ALL! GIVE IT TO ME, RIGHT NOW!" Namase's voice boomed.

Izuku's was louder. "NO!"

The whole lab vanished, swallowed up by the clashing storms. His was bright green while Namase's was electric blue. They were both a nest of wild, angry vipers, but the latter's more so. Further hammering the point home was his face, twisted in never-ending fury. He seemed to be trying to use it all to force Izuku into submission; his rage only grew as that tactic failed, second after second. Izuku felt him continuously pushing and tugging, but he pulled back in his own way. He literally dug his heels into the steel platform-he could have sworn he felt it bending beneath his feet. Far in the back of his mind, he noted if that was real, it was a good thing. This machine had a limit, and it was going to be reached before Izuku's resistance did.

It could have just been his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw sweat rapidly accumulating on his brow. Though Izuku was sure the same went for him, he was hoping Namase's will would break before his. The way his face seemed to bend further in irritation and outrage seemed to lend credence to that possibility. It was exactly what he needed.

Spacing his feet apart, or believing himself to be doing so, Izuku inhaled. The charged air tasted like pure electricity. His body was already brimming with energy, yet that inhalation supercharged it even more. He used it all to pull in his direction.

"NO! NO! NO! NO!"

Something gave, he felt it. Sparks burst from all around him, the whirling sound of the rings erupting into pain-filled screams as the metal bent and ruptured. The ironclad grip he'd felt on One For All remained, but he felt himself falling backwards. Someone, something, caught him, before he could fall back completely.

Nice work, Izuku. Just as we knew you would. Whispered a faintly feminine voice.

Stay focused. Chimed in a second, this one male. Instinctively, he knew who it belonged to. Now, while you have the chance!

The knowledge came to him in a flash. Even for his hyperactive mind, it moved fast. Something told him the knowledge sticking would be a fifty-fifty thing; at the moment, he simply focused on what was important.

Amidst the sparks and explosions, his body expelled smoke from every pore. It felt…strange, not as intense as Black Whip's manifestation, but Izuku still noted how different it felt compared to everything he'd experienced. He wondered if this was what it felt like to have a "full-body emitter" Quirk like Mina and Todoroki. While smoke wasn't as impressive theirs, it was exactly what he needed at the moment. Voices vanished into the smoke as much as people did. In that moment, Izuku twisted around began channeling the more powerful effects of One For All. Given the mental tug of war he'd just had involving it, the activation was instantaneous. He kicked off the metal platform, shattering it beneath his feet.

Power flowed through not just his feet but his arms, one of which was reared back. A simple smash attack, after the door came down, he was going to run. After that, well…he'd have to find some way to locate Mina, while avoiding capture. With any luck, the mayhem caused by the machine's destruction might buy him some extra time. If not, Izuku would simply work with what he-

"IZUKU!"

Like that, everything was thrown into disarray. The power in his fist faltered. A stray piece of his mind realized he was about to crash into the wall, and his body reacted on instinct. Bringing his legs up, he stopped what would have been an embarrassing face-fault. As he hit the door, he looked back in the opposite direction. Though he couldn't see her, he knew she was there. "MINA! MINA!"

"IZUKU, IZUKU, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Shit, it's the girl! Grab her!"

"Dammit, someone grab her!"

"Clear away the damn smoke first!"

Clear out the smoke, Izuku immediately seized upon. The sadness of dispelling the smoke screen he'd created was short-lived; actually, practically nonexistent. His arms, glowing with the almighty glow of One For All, were swept back only to come together in a thunderous clap. It was a move by some big-name hero a century ago. The origin didn't matter, what did was the effect. The horizontal blast of air fanned out across the lab, wiping away the smoke in an instant. In that instant, all was revealed, the complete disarray the lab had been thrown into. Izuku's eyes swept over the scene, searching for someone in particular amongst the chaos. When he found her, he felt joy for the first time in what might as well have been hours.

She stood out amongst the crowd, just like she always did. Even her prison getup didn't distract from the pink glow of her hair and skin. He was glad she didn't seem to have any physical injuries, but then again, he was looking at her from over half a dozen meters with numerous between them. Speaking of which, his air clap had knocked several of them off their feet, especially those closest to him. The rest were still disoriented, including Mina.

There was only one thought in his mind-getting to her.

"MINA!" His legs were already cackling with energy when he shouted. He kicked off for the second time, denting the doors in the process. The thing next he knew, he was practically flying across the room, people either being pushed or knocked aside. No, it was more of the latter-he was far too fast to be stopped. At least until he was almost within arm's reach of her.

One of the guards stood in front of him, eyes hostile and brimming with fury. Once again, instinct took over. He threw a punch, knocking the guy toward the ceiling. It caved from the force of his attack, but he didn't stop to consider the damage. He didn't stop to consider anything except her.

"Mina!" he cried out again reaching for her.

Her own hand reached out as well. "Izuku!"

Several Minutes Earlier, Prison Block…

Okay, I'll admit, this plan came together a whole lot better in my head. Mina found that was often the case. It was easy to think something, but doing it always posed more of a challenge. This time was no difference, especially as it involved pushing her Quirk to new heights. Ironically, that sort of thing always brought a bit of excitement to her. This time, she had to do it because her life, and her boyfriend's life depended on it.

That gave her focus, a focus she knew she rarely attained outside of a live battle. It allowed her greater control over her acid, control that would have made her family proud.

Her acid came from inside of her, then it was secreted through her skin. This time, she wasn't manifested it that way, she was keeping it internal. Just because she could manipulate acid didn't mean she was entirely immune to it-the flaw of her own Quirk was overuse would wear down her body's own immunity to acid. It also didn't mean she could do something hilariously crazy like ingest acidic materials without issue. Ironically, she was trying to keep the acid inside of her and control it as she wished. Slowly, she'd been succeeding at that.

The inhibitor chip had an insertion needle that penetrated her skin. That supposed strength was going to be a weakness, and Mina's escape to freedom. At least, that was her plan.

Sitting still had helped her concentrate the acid into the back of her neck, where the chip was inserted. If it wasn't for little over eleven years of school, she didn't think she'd be able to do that. And even then, it was a struggle.

It felt so strange controlling the acid while it was inside of her instead of outside. That was where her Quirk shined, but here she was pushing it to new heights. Internal heights, to be specific. Mina felt it flowing through her, an odd feeling that came with the occasional bout of pain. There was no slipping up and redirecting it to secrete from her skin, not until she melted the device off. Her hands tightened so much she felt her knuckles were going to turn from pink to white at that image, that image she so vividly worked toward.

Mina had used the process of throwing acidic spitballs as a guide. Instead of the acid exiting via her mouth, she focused it to the back of her neck. New and unexpected, but she felt the redirection and the effect. Acid rapidly accumulated on the back of her neck, where that chip was inserted. The more she kept at it, the more she found it felt a little like vomiting, except she couldn't just spit it all out.

Seriously, this whole thing was equal parts enlightening, disgusting, and even terrifying. Regardless, she kept at it.

The pressure grew, and with it, Mina felt the pinch of the device all the more. With nothing else in the room, she was able to clearly hear the growing sizzling of metal. She was aware of the possibility the more it gave, the greater the chance some alarm would go off. Mina was ready for that-it was partially what she wanted after all.

A series of sounds went off, beeping intermixed with the sizzling. Mina's eyes widened, and for a second, she almost lost her concentration. She frantically grabbed it back before it could slip away. She stayed at it, listening to the growing sounds before they became a loud hiss throughout the room. Something popped off her skin, and with it came a sense of relief that flooded through her. Again, she almost lost control, but she maintained it, maintained the buildup of acid within her body.

There were footsteps from the outside, growing louder as they drew closer. The doors flung open and voices of outrage and confusion entered the cell.

Mina popped one eye open and saw them to her left. She sprung into action the moment they were within range. Given how much acid she'd built up, that range could have been as far as ten feet. The four feet they came in was just fine.

Finally, she spit it out. All of it. It was a massive spray of purple acid, larger than an average shot. In fact, it was so big it covered the guards as they foolishly charged in, only realizing what had happened at the last second. By then, it was too late. Mina heard them scream as her acid melted their flesh, and it wasn't just second-degree burns, she knew for an absolute fact she'd probably scarred these people for life. Assuming she didn't kill them.

That was one of the reasons why she ran and didn't look back. Had she just killed those guys? She'd have to look back to find out, but she couldn't' do that. If she did, she'd be captured and thrown back into her cell, this time with greater restrictions. Not to mention she'd been even further away from Izuku.

Izuku, she called, feeling that sharp ping of heartache. Now that she was out, she could find him. She had to find him.

Except she had absolutely no freakin' idea where to go. Hell, she still didn't know where she was!

Okay, I need to find someone and get them to tell me where I am and how to get to Izuku! Given the mess she'd just left behind, Mina imagined that wouldn't be too hard. Glancing up, she saw cameras in open view. Rather easily, she channeled acid into her hands and lobbed the globs at them. That would likewise get her captor's attention. Still, she needed to figure out a solid plan of action. It'd help if she could get out of the open for that. Looking to her right and left, she kept her eyes open for something that resembled a door. Upon seeing one coming up on her right, she dove for it. First a glob of poison to the door handle, and then she threw herself inside.

The first thing she saw looking up were faces, scared faces. They'd stood up from the table they were sitting at as she'd busted in. With her clothes, Mina knew she was an escaped prisoner, though she was also someone they really didn't want to mess.

"W-W-What the-"

"Where the hell am I!" She barked. Mina knew she probably had guards on her tail, but she needed answers. To get her point across, she secreted acid from her hands, and made the most dangerous sneer she could manage. "Where the hell am I!" The question was repeated louder, and with far more ferocity.

"K-K-Kuroko Corp HQ!" One of them squeaked.

Ultimately, she took that to mean she was still somewhere within the city, hopefully. Her prison hadn't been located in some barren place secluded from civilization. There was still a lot she didn't know, one thing in particular.

Still digesting the information, she turned back to the door. Pointing her index finger, she shot a concentrated beam of acid at the ceiling. For such a fast-acting move, it worked. Pieces of it cam crashing down right atop the door, blocking it. Turning back, she saw those in the room had wisely chosen not to make a move. Between her voice and Quirk, Mina had probably made it clear attacking her wasn't going to be a good idea. After what she did to the guards, she realized how much she'd be capable of doing-armed or not. Her eyes set toward the table leading her to march toward it. Both her fists came down rattling it, and forcing the workers further back.

"You guys are holding my boyfriend, where is he!" That same thunderous voice brimming with answer. Time was of the essence, so she wasn't even going to bother trying to play nice. To that end, she secreted a small amount if acid around her fists. It immediately began eating through the metallic table, the hiss being loud enough for them all to hear.

No one dared to press her, but Mina needed someone, anyone to talk.

One woman did. She had two sets of eyes, all of them blinking in fear as she forced her voice to work. "P-P-President Namase's probably taking his Quirk now! U-U-U-Using t-t-the Transfer Unit!" Mina focused her gaze on her. "I-I-It transfers one person's Quirk into another! I-It's a top-secret project!" She continued to confess underneath her unrelenting glare.

The project wasn't so top-secret anymore. "Where the hell is it and how do I get to it!" Mina yelled.

To her chagrin, a response wasn't immediate. Probably because that sort of information would really land them in hot water. With one strike at the table, she showed them what the alternative was.

It was a mustached man who spoke up, eyes wide with fear as he looked between the collapsed table and Mina. "F-F-Four floors up! I-It's on the west wing! Y-Y-You take the elevator up and g-g-go to your immediate r-r-right!"

"B-B-But the elevator's locked down!" Another worker squawked. He immediately regretted his words as Mina's black eyes turned to him.

There was banging coming from the other side of her makeshift barricade. She was running out of time. Panic rose up within her, but she stamped it down to remain calm. Or mostly calm. "Where's the elevator from here?" she barked.

They all looked around each other one more time. Despite the noise from the other side, they recognized Mina could still hurt them-she would hurt them if she didn't get answers. Just like before the fear she induced in them overrode whatever company loyalty they might have had. Put another way, self-preservation kicked in.

"G-G-Go to the right and make a left turn at the intersection! K-K-Keep going and you'll see it!" Confessed another worker.

The ground sizzled as drops of acid fell from her clenched fist. It hadn't been intentional, just a reflexive action. Spinning around, Mina found it worked to her advantage-thrusting her arms out she shot a blast of purple acid just as her makeshift barricade came down. The guards surging forth were caught completely off-guard by the acid blast. Screams of pain and alarm were her cue to bolt it, and she did. While they were stunned, she dove for the first opening she saw. Coming up into a crouch, she took off, remembering the words of the worker who'd confessed. All her athleticism was put to the test as she ran as fast as she could. Alarms blared around her, just as she knew they would. What she hadn't expected was for walls to start coming down.

Seeing the steel barricade slide out in front of her, Mina realized she wasn't done pushing herself. She immediately thought of Izuku, how he time after time pushed himself to new heights, even when it broke his body. It reminded Mina how despite her worry, she admired that trait of his. As a couple, she wondered if that determination would bleed into her. Like him, her body had limits on how far her Quirk could be pushed, but training raised those limits. She'd reached a new height to break out of her cell, and now she knew she had to do so again in order to break through this reinforced wall and those that lay after it. If she didn't, it was back to the cell, and her imprisonment would be worse than before.

Izuku's smiling face flashed in her mind. That dark green hair, those cute freckles, those verdant eyes, and finally that radiant smile.

I'll save you, Izuku! I promise, I'll save you! The thought roared at her with the intensity of thunder. Mina felt the surge of power into her arms-into her fingers, as she shaped them into a three-clawed shape. This move was one she'd been practicing for weeks, but now was the time for her to put it to use. "Raaaah!" She yelled swiping her right arm forward.

Her acid-coated hand tore through the metal wall like a hot knife through butter. The resulting sizzling was loud and instantaneous. An oddly sweat yet rank smell entered her nose, but Mina pressed on without contemplating it. With the hole she opened up, she busted through and continued to run. She ran until she came to that intersection and made that left turn. More walls between her and her destination. Without looking back, she ran with both arms stretched out, bright purple acid dripping from them. There was no point in trying to stop the drip, her captors already knew where she was heading; maybe she wanted them to realize they couldn't stop her.

In some still calm part of her psyche, Mina noted the irony. Here she was using a move inspired by one of the scariest movie monsters of the twentieth and twenty-first century. Said monster had a tendency to escape from captivity and break through all obstructions to cause death and destruction. That is, when it wasn't maturing into adulthood after bursting from some poor sap's chest. Mina felt like a classic xenomorph, yet in her heart she knew she wasn't. She left destruction but not death in her wake. Her goal wasn't to escape but to rescue.

And she was going to rescue her boyfriend, no matter who or what got in her way.

Once she got to the elevator doors, she tried to use the buttons, but they were locked. Something about an ID card needed. Just like they said. That wasn't a problem for her thought. Mina swept her left hand across the doors, the acid instantly eating through them. Though she had to crouch, she slid in. Voices from the other end of the hall reached her, screams for her to stop.

"Like hell," Mina huffed. Looking straight up, she saw the emergency hatch. Steeling herself, she jumped for it, forced it open and stood atop the elevator car. All around her was the sleek yet depressive grays and blacks of the elevator shaft. "Four floors up." She muttered looking straight up. It seemed like a mile above her, but with the continued rush of adrenaline and determination, she resolved herself to climb it. She knew she could-if she could scale the practice buildings at U.A. then she could scale this shaft. But first, she ahd to make sure she wasn't followed.

Her hands still bent in their three-pronged claw shape, she swiped at the elevator cables. Once the last one went, she dove for the wall, digging her acid-coated fingers into it. Then, she did the same with her feet, having long lost the slipper she'd been given. As the elevator car screeched on its way down, Mina began climbing. Sweat rolled down her cheeks and exhaustion nipped at her, but she pushed past those inconveniences. She continued on even when she heard the car hit the bottom of the shaft with a resounding boom! By then, she was two floors up and going for her third.

Oddly enough, the shaft brought her some degree of peace. It was just her and the climb, which Izuku's life and hers depended on.

"Maybe…I should get into climbing when this is over with." She muttered. It was a fanciful thought-one she'd run by Izuku. One thing they had in common was a love for physical exercise. The image of them rock climbing brought a brief smile to her face. Brief, as her mind unintentionally wondered to Izuku's reaction to everything that'd happened. Not to mention the second Quirk he'd manifested back at the school. Mina knew what she'd seen, and felt. She knew it wasn't like Todoroki's Half-Cold Half-Hot, which was technically categorized as one Quirk. Absolutely nothing about Izuku's super strength or speed lent itself to manifesting freaky black whips from his hands. Stop it! You can ask him about all that later! After you're safe!

She finally reached the fourth-floor door. Of course, it was shut, but one swipe of acid and that wouldn't be a problem. Just as she was about to launch that swipe, Mina stopped.

Her brain buzzed with a recollection of how she'd came to this point. Those office workers had told her about it…and there's a chance they'd told the same to any guards that'd came upon them. Potentially including the ones she'd sprayed with acid, provided they were in any condition to move. On top of that, whoever was monitoring the hallways in some security room probably realized where she was heading. It wouldn't be hard to guess she was heading for Izuku, and given their knowledge of the layout, it'd be easy to set up a trap. That's what was likely waiting for her beyond the door.

"Shit!" Mina cursed. Even without the verbal repetition, the word echoed in the emptiness of the elevator shaft. Digging into her hand and footholds, she tapped her head against the wall. It was cold as ice. "Okay, think, Mina. Think. What would Izuku do?" It was thanks to him she'd even stopped and considered this. Like him, she quieted her mind and looked at her options. Admittedly, there weren't many, but she knew she had some.

For starters, she could go up an extra level. They were expecting her on the elevator door above her. Sure, there'd be security on the next one up, but they wouldn't expect her to be there. She could fight her way down a floor, but that came with its own risks. Speaking of fighting, that was her second, and most blunt choice. Go through the door and fight her way through the security force that likely awaited her. She'd fight hard, but Mina had a feeling it'd only end with her defeated and captured. She'd be back at square one, and Izuku would be…who knew what. A cold hand crept through her as she remembered the device the workers had referred to, a machine that could transfer Quirks. There was no way she was going to let that happen, yet she still had to figure out how to get to Izuku.

The image of his empowered form came to her mind. Fast as a jet and hitting like a tank, all cloaked in an aura of green lightning. Man, did he look cool.

Her black and yellow eyes widened as the idea struck her like one of those punches of his. Cloaked, Mina repeated. Joining her boyfriend was the image of several of her classmates, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Tokoyami. All of them had ways of using their Quirks to protect themselves and attack. Kirishima had such an ability as near the entire foundation of his Quirk, and she always thought it'd be awesome if she could do something similar.

Mina looked between her hands, excitement and concern rising up within her. Could she pull off something similar? When she closed her eyes, she saw Izuku again. His presence made her realize she had to try; she would try.

Alone in the elevator shaft, she had all the peace and quiet she needed to concentration. Effects became immediate, acid secreting from every part of her body, through even her apparent resistant clothes. That was a plus since it'd be embarrassing if those melted as well. She felt the acid accumulating around her, wrapping around her like a second skin. The increased amount caused the wall to begin to sizzle and melt. Mina took that as further good news; the vast amount of acid hadn't lost its acidic power. Her eyes practically glowing, she looked up at the door and prayed this plan would work.

With a yell, she leaped forward and punched through the door with both hands. Ther acid surged forth as she leaned forward. Everything around her sizzled and burned, the door frame, the wiring, everything. Straight ahead of her she saw a security detail, several pointing guns at her. Her body moved on instinct. One step became two, then three, and then a dozen. She crashed into them with her acid blob of a body. They screamed and shirked away as it ate away at hem. "Coming through!" Mina yelled as she began spinning around. Blobs of acid shot out, hitting in every direction. While it decreased the size of her acid armor, it gave her more breathing room. Holy shit, it's working! Haha! This is awesome! I can't wait to tell Izuku! Speaking of which, hang on, Izuku, I'm coming!

She kept enough acid to keep her arms coated as she returned to her run. Actually, her entire body was still coated in it. Made breaking the barricades much easier than before. She made a beeline for her goal, feeling her legs moving subconsciously without any input from her. It felt like free running, one of her favorite forms of exercise. How fitting that it was coming in handy now, in real life.

"Halt! Stop right there, you little brat!" Shouted one of the two guards at the end of the hallway. His fists manifested as twin mounds of rock. Mina was sure she could melt them before they made impact.

"Seriously, kid, give up!" Yelled the other guard. Unlike his partner, his hands glowed with energy. That energy exploded outward as a straight energy beam.

Yelping, Mina ducked to her left, just barely dodging it. Another came at her, and she did the same to avoid it. Still, she kept on running.

"That's it! I'm dropping her! Get ready to hold her down!" The laser-user shouted. Both his hands were stretched forward, and from them came a flurry of lasers headed straight for her.

Spinning makes everything cooler, don't fail me now! She also hoped her dance practice wouldn't let her down either. That's what she drew on as she transitioned from a sprint into a spin. Her acidic shell grew, and with it she launched several globs at her final obstacles. They were bigger than the previous ones, each practically the size of basketballs. Mina saw them make impact, eating through the rock-user's enlarged hands. Deciding to focus on him, she launched more acid globs-from the loud sizzling, they hit home.

"G-Gaaaah! Arrgghhh! D-D-Dammit, no one said her acid was this powerful!"

"Shut up! Just grab her when I-"

PWWOOP!

Mina had long accepted she'd have to get physically violent to escape and rescue her boyfriend. The usual scaling back of corrosiveness was gone. If the laser-user's hand melted off, she wouldn't have been surprised, but she found she wouldn't have cared either. Not as much as she believed she should have.

Pain was nipping at her arms and legs. Mina knew what that meant, so she put everything she had into one final sprint. Probably not the best idea since she had no idea what lay beyond the door, but hopefully then she'd be able to drop her acid armor. And maybe catch her breath.

It took effort to melt through the giant doors, a given since what was inside was probably incredibly important. A very important someone was probably inside, and that gave Mina an extra boost of strength. Her arm was reared back then thrown against the resisting metal; it crumpled beneath her, allowing her to run forward. As she entered the room, the acid dispersed, and with it a sense of fatigue hit her, as well as a sense of numbing pain. While she acknowledged it, her focus was more on the pandemonium she'd just barged into.

She couldn't see anything through the massive veil of smoke in front of her. A dozen voices were shouting in confusion as they couldn't see either. Parts of the smoke were lit up by flashes of light, but visibility was ultimately zero for everyone, including her. Regardless, she stepped into the chaos, believing that her boyfriend was somewhere here. "IZUKU!" Mina shouted into the disarray.

"MINA! MINA!"

The response cut through the smoke and confusion. It struck her like an arrow, filling her with energetic joy that almost had her burst into tears. She took more steps into the smoke, still unable to see but knowing she'd heard her boyfriend's voice. "IZUKU, IZUKU, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

As she called out, she bumped into someone. Close up, she saw a white lab coat, not something she figured Izuku would be wearing, even as a captive.

A moment later, new voices reached her ears. In calling out to Izuku, she'd announced her presence, and people were taking notice of it.

"Shit, it's the girl! Grab her!"

"Dammit, someone grab her!"

"Clear away the damn smoke first!"

Ah, crap! Mina impulsively took one step back. While the smoke was keeping her from seeing Izuku, she realized it was also keeping her, and him, safely hidden. The nearest she could tell, Izuku was somewhere far away, but he was in the room with her. Along with who knew how many other scientists and thugs, who she was sure were now actively searching for her. Mina tried to summon up acid, and while it worked, it came with a sense of stinging pain in her arms and legs. Don't give-

THUMP! WHOOOSH!

Even as her arms rose, the shockwave forced her to take a step back, near completely knocking her off her feet. Others were, especially those closest to the epicenter. All the smoke cleared away in an instant, though confusion still ruled the room.

"MINA!"

She shook hers off fast hearing that voice. Standing up straight, she saw him zooming toward her like a bullet. Even when one of the guards tried to stop him, Izuku sent him crashing into the ceiling with an uppercut. It was a superpowered move that'd leave the guy unconscious, and probably sporting a broken jaw and a concussion.

"Mina!" His hand glowed as he stretched it out.

"Izuku!" She yelled back doing the same.

THUMP!

Looking back, Mina would say there was something romantic in the way he practically tackled her to the ground. Sure, it hurt a little, but she recognized the familiar weight and feel of her boyfriend's body. Her arms wrapped around him, clenching onto him as he did the same to her. She'd done it, she'd found him again. Mina held him like any second he might just disappear or someone would take him from her again. He held her with a similar grasp. They laid there together on the floor, holding one another like nothing else existed.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! I-I-I'm so happy you're alright!"

She laughed. That was definitely the Izuku Midoriya she knew and loved. "Y-Y-Yeah, I-I'm here!" he lifted his head up and the urge to kiss him took hold of her. Disregarding the situation, she did, although it was short-lived. Probably no more than a fraction of a second.

Holding her, Izuku rolled over, allowing them to evade the dogpile that would have crushed them if they hadn't. He stood up, still holding her in his arms. Before them lay the guards and scientists, all having gotten their bearings back. Outnumbered was an understatement, yet Mina felt absolutely safe being held in Izuku's arms. She looked to him and saw not a hint of that emotional relief she'd seen and heard before. The look of a determined hero-the look she loved-was there, and it was just as amazing as the last time she'd seen it. Despite the mayhem and danger around them, Mina believed with all her heart they were going to make it through this. The feeling was followed up by an internal resolution to do her part as well.

"MIDORIYA!" Roared a rage-filled voice. Following it, Mina saw the remains of a platform and some sort of device. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be operatable any time in the near future. The man who ordered it built, this company president, wasn't looking so hot either. His blue hair was disheveled and the color had seemingly drained from his face. It made his bloodshot eyes all the more greasily to behold. They were trained on Izuku, attempting to drill a hole in him to no avail. Arcs of blue lightning dances around him, though Mina couldn't help but note how weak they seemed. She deduced the failed transfer had taken a lot out of him; it was probably one of the few advantages they had.

Izuku fearlessly met his venomous glare. "I told you, I won't let you take One For All. Not you, not All For One, and not Shigaraki!"

"Bullshit! I will have it!" Screamed back the older man.

"That doesn't seem to be working out for ya', pal." Mina pipped in. Sure, she may not have known entirely what was going on, but she was damned if she wasn't going to get in on some trash talking. And maybe talking up her boyfriend a little.

For the first time, the man acknowledged her presence. He too glared at her with anger, but Mina stood strong against it. Even if he had a room's worth of thugs, she wasn't scared of this man. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart, you little bitch! Just you wait!"

"We won't, Namase. We're leaving, now!" Izuku must have been planning this. Mina knew him enough to guess his mind was already working on an escape plan. Her back and forth provided him the perfect cover. Her ears rung with the sound of each pop, practically a gunshot going off in her ears despite being away from the source. First, she saw the man, Namase, take a shot directly to the head, knocking him back. The rest hit amongst the crowd.

Mina extended her left arm, index finger pointed out and acid burst from the tip. Her aim was on any thug that looked like they might be a problem. Plus, it did a hell of a job in getting everyone to scatter.

She didn't know how many shots she got off before Izuku stepped forward and struck out with his right leg. His body glowed with activation of his Quirk, and its power, the power she knew, was on display. The crescent-shaped blast of air flew outward with speed to great to be countered. Another two followed it up, leaving almost everyone in complete disarray. Coming down, Izuku turned to her. In the next breath, she found herself swept up in his arms as they ran through the door she'd came through. The room was a thing in the distance.

"W-W-Woah! I-I-Izuku!" The fact he was carrying her bridal-style would have brought a blush to her face if she still wasn't highly aware of their situation.

"I'm sorry, but I know we've got to get out of here!' he shouted, likely aware of the same thing. Given his superspeed, as well as her own exhaustion, he'd made the right choice. Mina just wished she could tell him that.

There were more important things to say, though. "Y-Yeah, but how?! I know we're un some sort of corporate building, but how the hell do we get out!"

Izuku's brow bent in concentration. He was thinking, most likely of an escape plan. "…Mina, I…need you to-"

"Whatever it is, I'll do it." She spoke. "Izuku," their eyes locked and she felt her heart skip a beat. "I trust you."

"…Thank you, and I promise I'll…I'll explain when this is over with." His Quirk activated, bright pink lines racing across his body. Being so close, Mina could have sworn she felt the raw energy rolling off him as it coursed through his body. It was like being held by a living car engine. Izuku's eyes glowed with turquoise fire as he reared back his left arm. Mina quickly scrambled out of his grasp, knowing what was about to happen next. "Texas Smash!"

BOOM!

If the Delaware Smashes were gunshots, then the Texas Smash was the bazooka. Mina felt her whole body shaking from the megaton punch that blew a clear hole just through the wall, but everything beyond it. She looked on in awe even as her ears continued to ring from the shock. A clear path of destruction leading straight to the outside. She just barely made out pieces of broken glass at the end.

Izuku took her back into her arms. "Hang on tight, Mina." She did exactly that, wrapping her arms around his neck as he sped through the hole. Everything zipped by in a blur. And then the next minute, she felt open air hitting her skin for the first time in what felt like hours.

The shock made her open her eyes, she saw the world, skyscrapers, buildings, everything as it'd been when they went in. It was all frozen in place, something that struck her as odd until she looked around her. The ground was hundreds of feet below her, yet it wasn't getting closer-it stayed stationary. Mina's eyes widened as she found everything else was as well. Eventually, her eyes round up looking back at Izuku.

He was facing forward, concentrating. With that concentration, she felt herself, she felt them, beginning to move. They gained speed at a remarkably fast pace.

"W-W-E'RE FLYING! IZ-IZUKU! HOLY SHIT, I-I-IZUKU, YOU CAN FLY!" There was no containing the amazement, the exhilaration. "YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU COULD FLY!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD UNTIL NOW!"

Hearing that should have been cause for concern, but the taste of freedom and the positive bewilderment was too much for her to consider it.

The brief burst of speedy flight gradually slowed down. Fortunately, their descent was on the slow side as well. Izuku panted as they drew closer toward a rooftop. Mina kept her eyes on it, watching as the ground came closer and closer until their feet touched down. She bristled remembering the fact that she was barefoot. That bristling continued as the wind caressed her body. Had it always been this cold?

"A-A-Are you al-g-g-gah!"

His scream of panic set Mina off. "W-What? What is it?!" To her confusion, her boyfriend was looking away. "I-Izuku? Hey, you okay?"

"I-I-I am, b-but…I…here!"

It was her turn to fall into flustered stuttering. "H-H-Hey, I-I-Izuku! I-I-I don't think n-now's the time for that! O-O-Or the place!" Contrary to her words, she was liking the peek at his shirtless body.

"M-Mina, i-it's not that. I-It's…y-your clothes are…about to fall off." He said in a near whispering voice.

Blinking, she looked down at her clothes, the prison outfit she'd been dropped into upon weaking up. While it may have been crafted with some resistance in mind, she'd pushed it to its limits and a little beyond with her escape. Her pants had so many holes in them they were practically hanging onto her legs in tethers. The only solid pieces were around her upper thighs; it also explained why she was feeling so cold, and that was before getting to her shirt. Izuku's distress and offering was made clearer as she realized it was almost entirely gone. Thankfully, her breasts were still covered, but there were a couple of holes in the chest area. Both the sleeves on her shirt were practically gone, though the shirt was still hanging on at the shoulders. Hell, there was still something left to cling onto her, even if there were a slew of holes and her belly button was exposed.

"Oh…crap. It, uh…um," She was reminded there was a reason specialized costumes became a thing, a very big, very important thing in hero business. All that acid she'd coated herself with was more than her clothes had been able to handle. Blushing, she took her boyfriend's shirt. "T-T-Thanks, Izuku. You can turn around now." The minute he did, she leaned forward and kissed him. This time, it lasted for a good few seconds. At its end, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Thanks for saving me."

"…I was the reason you were-"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Kra-KOOM!

Instead of looking up to the sky, they looked where they came. Kuroko Corp HQ had been a giant, circular building with a and steel exterior. One floor of that great building exploded in a burst of lightning that lashed at the air with an angry fury. More glass shattered as the bolts twisted and clawed at the building. It was a beast struggling to break free of its cage, and when it did, mass destruction would undoubtedly follow. As violent as it'd be, the mayhem would have a target.

"Mina," Izuku began.

She quickly stood beside him. "Don't even think about asking me to run away. I'm not." He looked to her and she looked back at him, her black and yellow eyes holding the same intensity as his. Despite the storm brewing half a block before them, she was as ready for it as him. "I told you, whatever comes our way, we'll face it together."

A thunderclap boomed in the skies above. Glancing at it, they noted how much darker it was when they'd last been outside. To venture a guess, it was close to nightfall, buildings across town were already beginning to turn their lights on.

"MIDORIYAAAA!"

Came a second thunderclap, this one with a distinctively male tone.

"Man, he sounds pissed off." Mina remarked.

"Get back!" he grabbed her and jumped away to another building. The rooftop went up in a burst of electricity that would have made Kaminari tear his hair out in jealously. "He's after me." Izuku whispered as they touched down on a nearby building.

"Yeah, I figured that."

"MIDORIYA!" Another scream sounded. They looked up to see the Kuroko Company president hovering in the air above them. His once pristine suit was now charred and torn, partially thanks to the vast amounts of electricity running through him. That current had caused his hair to stand up in wild spikes, a look that complimented the ferocious look in his eyes. They too cackled with power, a rage-filled bloodlust that befitted a villain. Gone was the civility or politeness he probably put up as a CEO.

Like before back in the building, Izuku stood defiant. "You're not getting One For All!"

"Yes, I will! I've worked too hard to fail here!" He screeched. "Do you have any idea how long I waited! How I much I went through to set this up!" His lightning surged with his rant, yet his eyes narrowed as Mina let her curiosity show. Izuku likely did as well. "Yes, I went through a whole lot to set up this transferal. It was supposed to be quick and quiet! It could have been, but you just had to play the hero!" Namase spat toward Izuku.

"You felt it, Namase. One For All rejected you, and besides…you'd never be able to control it."

"I can control it better than you, some Quirkless brat who All Might took pity on!" Mina felt her blood run hot at the accusation. She'd have fire back if the man wasn't apparently done with his rant. "Don't count on him or any of those other heroes to save you here! I took care of that!" His hands came together, bolts of lightning jumping between his fingertips. As they jumped from one end to another, the bolts merged into a cackling sphere that grew bigger by the second. "No's coming to save you little brats!"

Izuku's body ignited with All For One. "We don't need anyone to save us."

Mina's own hands curled, acid once again secreting from her hands. "We can save ourselves."

Roaring, he released that electro ball, a bright blue sphere of compressed electricity that zoomed toward them. Izuku took off at it, kicking it away with his right leg. Kicking off the air again, he continued shooting toward Namase. He evaded the attack in a flash of lightning, a feat he laughed about.

"You can't catch lightning, kid!" he boasted.

"Watch me!" Kicking off the air again, Izuku headed for him, only to fail a second time. Luckily, he was able to guard himself against the lightning-fast attacks Namase launched at him. Like Izuku had said, he was the man's target, and that meant he'd completely forgotten about Mina.

She moved ran forward so that she was behind the electrokinetic. Soreness nipped at parts of her body alongside a sense of thirst, the two tall tell signs she was reaching her limit. Not surprising considering she'd consistently pushed her Quirk to new heights, alongside her physical body. Mina knew despite her words and wisecracks she was running on the last quarter of her strength. She had to make her attacks count. She also had to avoid this guy capturing her and using her as leverage against Izuku.

Her aim with the Acid Magnum hadn't diminished, nor had the move's power. Mina grinned watching the shot strike Namase in the shoulder, giving Izuku and opportunity to land a powerful punch on him. Immediately afterward, he vanished in a flash of lightning-one she saw heading straight toward her. That made it possible for her to evade his grasp. Izuku came crashing down in front of her a heartbeat later. He rushed Namase, immobilizing him.

"Gah! Don't think you can stop me! And don't think you're accomplishing something protecting her! You think you can be happy with a girl!" He flared up the aura of lightning around him, yet Izuku didn't relinquish his hold on his arms. "You'll end up destroying yourselves and everyone you love! You'll just end up creating another Shigaraki!"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Mina yelled.

Izuku's own aura flared, concentrating around his forehead as he threw it forward. Namase grunted as he took the headbutt, but he stood his ground. His muscles bulged as he attempted to push back, but Mina knew it was a losing battle. Izuku's superstrength was beyond anything someone with a similar Quirk could muster.

Kra-koom!

Looking up, Mina realized, with panic, he could match it in a different way.

For electrokinetics, thunderstorms were perfect weather, at least if they could absorb ambient electricity. She didn't know how many volts of there were in a single lightning bolt, but she guessed it to be a lot-enough to even the scales between him and Izuku. He seemed able to call down one of those bolts onto himself, causing his lightning aura to grow. Still, Izuku held him back, gnashing his teeth all the while. The ground, the rooftop, began cracking beneath their feet. Seeing it gave Mina an idea, one she quickly acted upon.

His focus was still all on Izuku, giving Mina the opportunity to move to the Namase's side. Stretching out her hands, she shot a low-aimed blast of acid at the ground beneath him. As she predicted, the already weak foundation was further stressed by the acid. "Izuku, get ready!" She intensified the acid blast.

"I WON'T BE DEFEATED HERE BY YOU BRATS!" The acid dissolved, and the ground broke apart. Mina covered her eyes from the brilliant flash that lit up the space in front of her eyes. She heard Izuku call out her name, undoubtedly blinded as well.

"GAAK!"

"I told you," Came the cackling voice, closer than it should have been.

The next time Mina's eyes opened, she found herself eye-to-eye with the madden glare of Kuroko Corp's CEO. All she got was a few seconds of looking at him before her eyes shut as pain tore through ever corner of her body. She screamed and thrashed, but something held her in an unbreakable grip. Her eyes couldn't open, but she had an idea what it was, not that it helped her situation. This pain was intense, but it was also different. Not only could Mina feel her insides being torn up, she could have sworn she felt something being taken from her as well. As agony filled her being, life was leaving her.

Then, it stopped. It mercifully stopped. Just as she felt sweet relief begin to course through her, her ears registered harsh shouting. Forcing her eyes to open, she made out the hazy figure of Namase in front of her. Turning her head, she saw Izuku standing several feet away, paralyzed. Despite her faze, she knew what was happening-she'd been captured and now she was leverage. It was either Izuku surrendered or Namase would kill her.

I…I can't…I can't let him…No. I…I WON'T let him. I won't let him take…Izuku's Quirk. I won't…let him…I won't let him…hurt Izuku! I won't! LIKE HELL I'M GOING TO LET HIM HURT MY BOYFRIEND!

The void she'd been in roared to life. It smelled deeply acidic, enough to bur her nose several times over, yet Mina embraced it. From the depths rose a geyser of purple and pink-colored liquid that consumed her. She bathed in its corrosive power, letting that persistent though guide her in embracing it.

With a scream loud enough to reach the storm clouds, Mina slammed her hand into the one holding her. Droplets of poison flew in her wake as the bulk of it slammed into Namase's arm, specifically around her fingers. They dug deep into his skin despite the electricity coursing through it. After punching through his skin, her acid poured into his veins, and that's where it really took effect. This time, he was the one screaming, perhaps louder than her. Mina dug her fingers in deeper. She kept her grip on Namase's forearm even when he let go. She reared her right arm back, then launched it straight into his gut. Besides being a good jab, it was a punch coated in her acid-that's why she drove it in as much as she could.

"Aaaaarrggggghhhh!" And boy, did it have an effect.

WHAM!

And so did Izuku's flying side kick. Namase flew in the opposite direction, his stomach, face, and arm in immense pain.

Izuku turned to her, going from fighter to concerned boyfriend in a second. She shook her head, nonverbally telling him not to worry about her. Together, they turned back to the wounded corporate tycoon. He was hanging over the edge of the roof, his aura of lightning vastly diminished from what it once was. Clenching his right arm, he struggled to rise up, looking at them with a glare of pure hatred.

"Th-This…this…isn't…over!" The moment his left hand rose to the sky, something black wrapped around it, literally in the blink of an eye. "Gah! L-Let go of me!"

Izuku firmly shook his head. "No, Namase! This ends here and now!" As he raised his other hand to the sky, another black whip shot out, coiling around that arm. He was trapped, and Izuku clearly wasn't intent on letting him go.

Mina was in agreement with him. She didn't want to go through this again, someone attacking her brother, holding her captive, all to get to her boyfriend. Trying to steal her boyfriend's Quirk. "Izuku," she called. "Reel him in." Her left hand was reeled back in a pose he was all too familiar with. His surprise changed to recognition, then trust as he did as she asked. Namase screamed short journey to her. The closer he got, the more clearly Mina could see the fear in his eyes. "Detroit," she whispered.

"Acid," Izuku continued, having caught her drift.

"Smash!"

Wham!

Her fist coated in a thin sheen of acid, and his bolstered by a quarter of his superhuman strength. Definitely not the sort of attack a person wanted to be on the receiving end of, especially after they'd just taken a kick to the head, also enhanced by a degree of superhuman strength.

Namase flew straight up, toward the clouds, which were beginning to break. The aura of electricity was completely gone, as was any sense of fight he might have had left in him. That became evident when he began to descend after reaching the apex of his skyward ascent. He was in for a mighty painful fall as Mina didn't feel like trying to catch him, although Izuku might since he was that kind of guy.

Luckily, her boyfriend didn't have to.

There was a flash of red, followed by a trickle of similarly colored feathers. Mina held out her hand to catch one of them as a voice called out to them. "Nice work, kids! We'll take it from here!"

"T-That voice!" Izuku proclaimed. Of course he'd recognize it.

"Hawks. He watched from afar, as did I. It was not a decision made lightly, but it seems to have turned out for the best." Now that voice, she did recognize. Turning her head, Mina breathed a sigh of relief spotting Best Jeanist. He radiated an air of warmth that they'd been sorely lacking from every adult they'd ran into in the last couple of hours. "Izuku Midoriya, Mina Ashido, sorry it took us so long, but we're here, and we've got the situation under control."

"Mina Ashido, your family's safe, as is yours, Midoriya." Hawks called as he touched the ground. A quiet groan was emitted from Namase, proof of his continued life. His hands were bound in cuffs, Quirk-restricting cuffs, now that they were needed given his lack of consciousness. Still, Mina felt a spark of relief seeing something restrictive on a villain for once.

That spark flickered, then went out, and with it the last vestiges of her energy. Fortunately, she had someone there to catch her, and someone for her to hold. As Izuku leaned against her as she did him, his hand interlaced with hers. Mina could have sworn she felt the surge of relief pulsing through him as he could hers. Even with the numbing pain spreading through her arms.

"We'll have you both down and at a hospital in a moment. I believe you two would…like a moment to catch your breaths." Best Jeanist remarked, eyeing their interlocked hands.

"We'd…appreciate that." Mina huffed. Now, it was hitting her, the exhaustion, the pain, the numbness, everything, but the good news was she was alive and so was Izuku. She turned to him with a lopsided smile, one he returned. "Izuku,"

"Mina," he replied. "I-"

Whatever else he had to say, she stopped him with a kiss. This time, it held for a solid minute. No security guards and scientists around them, no power-mad CEO howling for Izuku's blood, and thankfully, a couple of pros content to give them their moment. Mina knew she probably owed them a hell of a thank you for that last one.

Whatever Izuku was lost in the kiss. He didn't try to pick it up afterward, merely pull her into a hug she was all too happy to return.

Thus ends our couple's latest adventure. Things aren't quite finished yet, but they're through the worst of it. This was an original encounter different from their battle with Gentle and La Brava, which looking back I'd say was more of a genuine tag-team battle. Against Namase, I went through a couple of different ideas, one of which include Izuku getting struck by a lightning bolt and Mina creating an "acid whip" to keep him from getting away.

Let me make this clear, his Quirk Transfer Device had at best a 10% chance of actually working, even then, as Izuku pointed out, the power would have probably torn him apart. Since the vestiges have shown some ability to see the world through Izuku, I went ahead and had them coordinate with him so they could really stick it to Namase during the attempted transfer. In doing so, I decided to have him awaken some of their Quirks as well, especially since some of them would have helped him escape. I mentioned it back during the festival chapters that I planned on Izuku manifesting Float much earlier, but I pushed it back. This was the idea I came to.

Speaking of Quirks, I wrote Mina getting imaginative in using hers, as well as pushing it to new heights. Not quite an Awakening, but more like a step there fueled by her desire to rescue Izuku. As name-dropped this chapter, a big inspiration were the xenomorphs/aliens from Aliens. It was probably a while back that I read a story where Mina was a fan of the series and the idea stuck in my head.

The scene involving her clothes was actually something I decided on the spot. Looking back on her Acidman move, I saw on the wiki that her costume was specially designed to be able to withstand her acid, much like everyone else's are tailored to their abilities. Once I saw that, it just clicked to have her clothes be 80% gone and Izuku to do the gentlemanly thing and offer her his shirt. A nice, cute fluffy moment after they'd (seemingly) escaped to freedom.

For those of you who remember the pair that Izuku and Mina fought at the school, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about them. I chose to have them appear at a different point in the story, complete with our heroic couple getting another crack at them.

Now that there's been a decent amount of ancient, expect a whole lot of drama next chapter. There's a talk to be had and secrets to be explained, scenes I've been eager to write for the last year or so. Here's hoping you all enjoyed this chapter focusing on Izuku and Mina's wild escape, and hopefully you'll enjoy the couples talk due for next chapter! Until then! Also, RIP, James Earl Jones, a legend and an icon, and Emi Shinohara, an absolutely stellar seiyuu.