All Might stood amidst the wreckage, his breath ragged, his body trembling beneath his heroic facade. The Nomu was gone, its body reduced to a crumpled husk outside the dome. Aizawa lay unconscious, his body battered beyond recognition, his breathing dangerously shallow. Thirteen was dead. Blood stained the ground where her body had once been, her life stolen in an instant.

And the students…

They huddled together, their expressions frozen in a mixture of horror, grief, and shock. Uraraka was still sobbing, gripping her arms as if she were trying to physically hold herself together. Iida's hands clenched into fists. Yaoyorozu stared at the place where Midoriya had been taken, her mind racing with possible ways she could have stopped it. Todoroki remained silent, his usual stoicism failing to mask the unease in his eyes.

"Deku…" Uraraka whispered, voice broken.

All Might took a deep breath, forcing his trembling body to remain upright. He had no time to rest, no time to show weakness. He turned to his students.

"Everyone…" His voice was firm despite the exhaustion. "We're leaving."

Pro heroes flooded the USJ moments later. Cementoss, Present Mic, Midnight, and even the police force arrived on the scene, their faces grim as they assessed the damage. The moment Detective Tsukauchi stepped inside, he knew this would be one of the worst reports he'd ever have to file.

"Status?" he asked, glancing at All Might.

All Might shook his head. "Aizawa is critical. Thirteen is… gone. Midoriya has been taken."

A heavy silence fell over them.

Tsukauchi sighed. "We'll need to inform his mother… again."

"We need to move fast," All Might said, pushing the thought aside. "If we waste time, we might never get him back."

Tsukauchi nodded. "We're setting up roadblocks and surveillance. If the villains are transporting Midoriya, they won't get far."

Meanwhile, the pro heroes began escorting the students to safety. Many of them were too shaken to speak.

Cementoss created barriers around the crime scene. Present Mic, usually loud and boisterous, spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet tone, guiding the students outside with an arm around Aoyama, who had been shaking so hard he could barely walk. Midnight helped support an injured Iida while Sero tried to comfort Kaminari, who had gone pale at the sight of Thirteen's body.

"Just breathe," Sero muttered, gripping Kaminari's shoulder. "We're safe now."

But Kaminari shook his head, his voice barely a whisper.

"No, we're not."

The chaos outside U.A. High School was unlike anything seen before.

The media frenzy had begun within hours of the USJ attack, but by morning, it had become an unstoppable tidal wave. News vans crowded the streets, reporters with flashing cameras and booming microphones jostling for position, all desperate for the latest scoop.

Every major news network had set up in front of the school's gates. Bold headlines dominated every channel:

"U.A. Under Attack! Security Failure?"
"Pro Hero Thirteen Killed in Battle! Was It Preventable?"
"Student Kidnapped by Villains! How Did U.A. Let This Happen?"

The public demanded answers.

Inside U.A., the atmosphere was suffocating. Teachers walked through the halls with grim expressions, their usual composure barely holding together. Students whispered in hushed voices, fear and uncertainty clinging to them like a plague. The school, once a beacon of hope and strength, now felt like a prison—one under siege by the entire world.

And at the eye of the storm, standing behind a long podium in front of the hungry press, was Principal Nezu, along with All Might and Detective Tsukauchi. Their expressions severe.

Nezu, for the first time in any public appearance, had abandoned his usual playful demeanor. His beady black eyes held no mirth, no hidden amusement—just cold calculation. His tiny paws rested firmly on the podium, his tone eerily flat when he finally spoke.

"This was an organized attack against the students of U.A.," he stated, his voice carrying over the clamoring crowd of reporters. "We are doing everything in our power to ensure the safe return of Midoriya Izuku and to bring these criminals to justice."

The words barely left his mouth before the reporters pounced.

"Principal Nezu!" A woman from JNN News shouted. "How could U.A. allow such an attack to happen? The public trusts this school to protect its students!"

Nezu did not flinch. "Security measures were already in place, but the villains' tactics were sophisticated. They exploited blind spots in our systems, and while our teachers acted immediately, the attack had already begun." His small, clawed hands gripped the podium tighter. "We are currently reassessing all of our protocols, and immediate changes will be made."

Another reporter, a sharp-eyed man from Daily Hero, stepped forward.

"All Might," he addressed, voice cutting through the sea of murmurs, "you were present at USJ. Can you confirm whether these villains are part of a larger group? And more importantly—" his voice grew sharper, "why didn't you prevent this?"

All Might's fists clenched at his sides.

The question hung in the air, a blade hovering over him.

His normally bright, booming voice felt thinner, strained under the weight of the failure still coiling in his chest.

"…Yes," he finally admitted, his voice heavy. "This was not the work of just a few criminals. There is an organized force working in the shadows." His fingers dug into his palms. "As to why I couldn't…"

He hesitated.

The words felt like ash in his throat.

"I—"

Before he could finish, another voice cut him off.

"Who was behind the attack?"

A different reporter spoke up. "Was it the League of Villains?"

"Is there a connection to the criminal underworld?"

"Will Midoriya Izuku be rescued?"

"Is U.A. still safe?"

The questions came harder, faster, layering over one another until the voices blurred into a demanding storm.

All Might could barely breathe.

Because the truth was—he didn't know. They had theories. Suspicions. But the masked villain responsible for Midoriya's kidnapping was still a ghost. His identity was unknown. His motives unclear, and that terrified him.

Detective Tsukauchi stepped forward, clearing his throat before the situation could spiral further.

"The investigation is ongoing," he said firmly, cutting through the noise. "We have every available resource working on tracking down Midoriya Izuku and those responsible for this heinous act."

His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, unwavering. "We will find them."

The cameras flashed faster, voices growing louder. Nezu raised his paw, signaling for silence.

"U.A. will not be deterred by this attack," he declared. "We will continue to train the next generation of heroes. Security will be reinforced, and our students will not live in fear." Despite his assurances, despite the stern resolution in his voice, the unease among the press and public was palpable. They had been promised safety before. And now? A pro hero was dead. A teacher was crippled. A student had been kidnapped. U.A. had been breached, and that trust was beginning to crumble.

The League of Villains' hideout was dimly lit, the single flickering bulb above casting eerie shadows across the crumbling walls. The scent of blood lingered in the air, mixing with the musty stench of the decrepit warehouse and bar. It was the kind of place that felt like it was holding its breath, as if the walls themselves knew something monstrous had just entered.

In the middle of the bar room, slouched against a ragged, torn couch, Izuku Midoriya sat trembling— not from fear, not from pain, but from something far more dangerous.

Laughter.

Uncontrollable, unhinged laughter.

It started softly, bubbling from his throat in quiet, gasping spurts. His shoulders twitched, his hands weakly clutching his bruised and battered ribs as his chest heaved. The pain didn't matter. The gash along his lip, the blood trickling down his face—none of it mattered.

He had won.

The thought alone sent another wave of hysteria rolling through him. His body shook, his fingers gripping the couch as he threw his head back and cackled, a wild, breathless sound that echoed through the hideout. He could still see it—the horror painted across their faces. The disbelief in Iida's eyes, the shaking hands of Yaoyorozu, the raw grief in Uraraka's voice as she screamed his name. "Deku!"

They had bought it. Every single one of them had fallen for it. And he had never felt so alive.

Tomura scowled from across the room, his fingers twitching dangerously. "For fuck's sake, someone shut him up before I do it myself."

Dabi smirked, leaning against the counter, cigarette dangling lazily between his fingers. "Let the kid enjoy his victory. He pulled off one hell of a show." He paused. "Wait until Giran hears about this, likely already have from all the news coverage."

Toga, perched on the arm of the couch, grinned wildly, kicking her legs as she leaned forward. "Izuku~! I think I like you even more now~! The way you lied to them, the way you made them all think you were some helpless little hostage! Oooh, it was beautiful!~"

Izuku tried to calm himself, tried to stifle the laughter threatening to consume him, but the more he thought about it, the more he lost control.

He had stood before them, a masked nightmare, a phantom of everything they feared—and then he had vanished, slipping right back into their arms as their beloved classmate, their precious Deku.

It was too good. It was too perfect.

Another laugh ripped from his throat, this one broken and breathless. His head slumped forward, his messy green hair falling over his eyes as he shook violently, trying to force himself to breathe.

Tomura's fingers itched. He hated the sound of that laughter. "You enjoying yourself, huh?" His voice was sharp, irritated. "You think this is funny?"

Izuku snapped his head up, his emerald eyes gleaming madly beneath the blood streaking his face. His grin stretched wider. "Do you even realize what we just did?" He exhaled, his breath still uneven from laughter. "We shattered them. Every single one of them. They don't even know what to believe anymore."

He leaned forward, his body still barely holding together, but his eyes were alive—hungry.

"U.A. is crumbling, Tomura." His voice dropped into something low, almost reverent. "We ripped the foundation right out from under them."

Dabi exhaled, the smoke curling lazily from his lips. "Can't argue with that."

Tomura narrowed his eyes. "Tch. You say that like it's over."

Izuku smirked, licking the blood from his lip. "Oh, no. This was just the beginning."

The room was buzzing. The aftermath of the USJ attack had left shockwaves, and every villain in the hideout could feel it.

The media was losing its mind. The hero society was scrambling. U.A. was bleeding.

And then, the air changed.

A deep, unsettling stillness settled over the room, like the very atmosphere had been swallowed whole. The shadows at the edge of the hideout shifted, expanding outward, tendrils of darkness creeping across the floor like something alive.

A voice, smooth and unnervingly calm, sliced through the tension like a blade.

"Well, well… what a magnificent performance."

The pressure in the room doubled. The weight of his presence was enough to make even the most ruthless criminals hesitate. All For One's masked face tilted slightly as he regarded the scene before him, his gaze falling on Izuku's bloodied, grinning form. "Midoriya Izuku." His voice was silk and steel, cold yet smooth. "You certainly exceeded my expectations."

Izuku let out a ragged breath, still struggling to contain the tremors in his chest. He grinned. "I aim to impress."

All For One chuckled. "And impress, you did." His head turned slightly toward Tomura, who had gone completely rigid at his master's presence. "Wouldn't you agree, Tomura?"

Tomura scowled, his fingers twitching, but he swallowed whatever frustration was boiling inside him. "He… played his part well."

Izuku barely suppressed the glee bubbling in his chest.

All For One's masked gaze returned to him. "Tell me, child… what drives you?"

This question slammed into him harder than any of All Might's punches. For a split second, Izuku's mind went blank.

"What drives me?"

The images flashed behind his eyes. U.A., a lie built on broken promises. The world, spinning on an illusion of safety. Heroes, blindly propping up a system built to fail. The truth, buried beneath a sea of corruption, ignorance, and complacency.

He wanted to burn it all down. Not to destroy it—no, not entirely. But to force them to see. To tear the blindfold off their eyes and show them what hero society truly was. To see if there were any real heroes left. But…He couldn't say that. Not here. Not in front of him.

Izuku lifted his chin, his expression empty. And then, in a voice as steady as stone, he spoke. "I want to see everything fall."

A beat of silence. Then, All For One laughed. It was a slow, crawling sound—a quiet, knowing amusement.

Izuku didn't move. He didn't let himself react. Because he knew. He knew that All For One didn't entirely believe him.

That laugh—it wasn't an agreement. It was an acknowledgment. Recognition. All For One saw him. And that was far more dangerous than anything else.

"How delightfully simple," the masked man murmured. "A boy who only wishes to watch the world crumble."

Izuku's lips curled into a hollow smile. "Something like that." The room remained tense.

Tomura's eyes narrowed. Toga tilted her head, watching him closely. Dabi flicked his cigarette, his expression unreadable.

And yet—none of them questioned it.

The silence in Class 1-A was suffocating.

It had been nearly two days since the USJ attack, since Thirteen was murdered, since Aizawa had nearly died, and since Izuku had been taken. No one had spoken since homeroom began. The weight of what had happened at USJ pressed down on them, lingering in every breath, every glance, every movement. Midoriya's desk sat empty, a glaring reminder of what they had lost.

Uraraka's fingers dug into her arms, her knuckles white as she kept her gaze locked onto the polished surface of her desk. She could still hear the screams—the taunting, distorted laughter of the masked villain—the sickening sound of Thirteen's body hitting the ground. Every time she closed her eyes, it played in her mind like a cursed lullaby.

Deku is gone. They took him. And she had done nothing.

"This is bullshit."

The words shattered the silence like a sledgehammer. Kirishima, his voice raw with frustration, slammed his hands against his desk. His normally bright and confident demeanor was nowhere to be found. His teeth clenched, his red eyes burning.

"They just—just walked in here like it was nothing! We trained for this. We prepared for fights, for villains! And yet—" He stopped, his voice cracking. "They tore us apart like we were nothing."

Nobody had a response. It was true.

They were future heroes, the best of the best, the ones who had worked harder than anyone to be here. And yet, they had been powerless.

"Thirteen is dead." Kaminari's voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper. He ran a trembling hand through his hair, his usual carefree energy nowhere to be found. "Aizawa might not wake up. And Deku…" His voice faltered. "He's gone."

Sero swallowed, his usual easy-going grin long gone. "They took him," he muttered. "Right in front of us."

Yaoyorozu clenched her fists, her jaw tight. "We should have done something," she said, frustration edging into her voice. "We—we should have stopped them."

"What could we have done?" Jirou snapped, her voice raw with anger. She wasn't just angry at the villains—she was angry at herself. "We were barely able to move! That villain—whoever he was—he was playing with us."

Todoroki, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "The villains planned this." His voice was calm, but underneath it, there was a cold rage simmering. "They wanted Midoriya. They wouldn't have left without him."

"But why?" Shoji asked, his voice low. "Why take him specifically?"

Silence. Nobody had an answer. The question hung over them like a guillotine. Why Izuku? Why him?

A/N: Surprise Chapter! Let me know what you guys think, how do you think this story will go? Who's your favourite character? What do you not like? What do you want to see more? Time will tell.