Green Tea Rescue

by ss3dj

When Midoriya Izuku was 4 his quirk finally manifested. The doctor named it psychokinesis, but his friend Bakugou Katsuki called it worthless. For the next 10 years, Izuku would grow up bullied and isolated. Then, when a new student named Uraraka Ochako transfers into his class the last year of jr high, everything changes. Rated M for eventual themes.

67. Prophecy's End

Don't stop.

It doesn't hurt.

Don't stop.

---

It didn't hurt. The pain Izuku expected to come didn't. The initial strike had felt like the right side of his face was on fire. But then, nothing. A dull numb throb let Izuku know he had been hit, but besides that, there wasn't any pain. Which probably meant that he was hurt badly.

Gingerly, Izuku started to reach up with his left hand, but he ultimately let it drop to his side. The wound was bad. He didn't need his fingers feeling around an open rip in his face to know that. The laceration was on the right side of his face; starting at his temple, above his brow and hairline, and went down, cutting straight into his right cheek.

He kept his right eye closed, either because he didn't want to open it while he was definitely bleeding… Or because he didn't want to check if he even still had an eye at all.

Get to be eyepatch pals with Himiko now… Arrrr… ow…

Since the wound was on his face, at least he wasn't going to be forced to look at it.

The same couldn't be said for his right arm.

Right as he had been struck, Izuku had pressed against the mass of rock, sludge and flesh with his Quirk, throwing the sludge villain backwards and ripping himself free of his grasp.

Ripping being the key word.

The sludge villain hadn't wanted to let go, and using the bones in Muscular's body like fishhooks, had tried to keep his hold. He hadn't, but he'd made Izuku pay for throwing him off, leaving deep lacerations along Izuku's shattered arm.

His arm hurt. There was a lot of pain there. It just felt… far. Maybe he was just in shock, Izuku wondered. Maybe the adrenaline was working overtime. He didn't know why, but given the situation, I'll take it.

"I-Izuku… y-you're hurt!" Kouta was in shock. He stared up at Izuku, not sure what he was supposed to do. It had looked like everything was over. And now…

Izuku turned, and saw the panic starting to rise in the little boy. He tried to smile—All Might would smile right now—but while he thought the left side of his face worked, because of the numbness in the right side, he couldn't tell if he succeeded. So this time he reached up with his hand to press a thumb into the right side of his mouth, helping it to move his lips into the best All Might smile he could. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Kouta hiccuped, pretty much past what any little boy his age should be able to handle. "Who…? What's happening…?"

Izuku lowered his hand, ignoring how much blood was on it now. "He's a sludge villain… I met him a year ago when he… tried to kill me to hide in my body."

"Hedoro Viran," the mass of death growled as he finished pulling himself out of the rocks, his form now less a body and more a man-shaped mass of muscle fibers and oozing green sludge. "Remember it. It'll be the last name either of you hear."

"How are you…" Izuku hissed, not able to finish the sentence. And honestly, he didn't really need to ask. How Hedoro Viran was here didn't matter. He was here. And clearly focused solely on killing him. "All right. You want me dead. Well, here I am. But if you think you're going to be able to kill me, without giving me your full attention, then this revenge of yours is going to fail."

Hedoro Viran laughed. "Really? Is that your attempt to get me to let the little brat over there go?" His voice was twisted, wet with gore. "Oh no. No, that's not how this goes. Now more than ever, that little brat has to stay. After what you did to this body? He'll make the perfect hiding spot once this shitshow is all over."

Kouta flinched back in horror, while suddenly Izuku wasn't thinking about the pain anymore. Or the numbness. He just stopped so he could straighten up and turn to look at Hedoro Viran. "What did you say?"

Hedoro pulled at the muscles and tendons in Muscular's face, twisting it into a grin that almost matched his own natural face. "I said the little kid will make the perfect hiding spot after all this is done."

Izuku remembered the feeling of what it was like when this villain tried to do that to him. The panic, the horror of clawing hopelessly at his body while he was suffocated. "…Tell me something." Izuku's voice held a hard edge, even if he didn't raise his voice. "Is the other villain, is Muscular dead?"

Kouta flinched.

"Ha ha ha! Really? That's what you're worried about?" Sludge seeped out from Muscular's face while the large yellow eye jiggled with each cruel chuckle. "I jumped him all of five minutes before I made it to the top of this stupid little mountain. Bastard was going on and on about hoping to find a good fight. Made the mistake of switching out one of his fake eyes in front of me. All that muscle and he couldn't stop me pumping myself into his skull through that eye socket." Hedoro pulled at the skin around the socket. "You think someone survives when I take control of their body?"

"Good." Izuku's body began to glow. "Then I don't have to worry about holding back."

"PFFT HA HA HA HA HA! Really?!" Hedoro sounded like he'd just heard his favorite joke at a comedy show. "You're really going to have to explain that one. I gotta hear this before I fucking kill you."

"All Might punched you so hard, he changed the weather," Izuku answered coldly. "So you can survive getting splattered. So I can punch you as hard as I want, and I won't lose any sleep after I leave you a smear on the mountain."

"Awww, the one armed hero wannabe is trying to sound tough." Hedoro puffed himself up, muscle fibers twisting as they grew and were pulled taught across his body. "You threw your best shot already."

Izuku was a neon beacon of light, One for All crackling and Psychokinesis pulsing. The glow was getting brighter around his right arm. Hedoro recognized the move that Izuku had been doing earlier. Brace something or other. He realized what it was, just as deep cracks of red cut through the green glow. He instantly recognized that, as it had happened the last time Izuku had…

Kid! Kid! Whoa whoa whoa!

Izuku grit his teeth, ignoring the voice, as he clenched his right hand after reinforcing his arm. "Let's see how many punches that corpse you're wearing can take!"

---

"Ahhh look out!"

"Move!"

"Agh! Damn it!"

"Look out for the teeth!"

The moment of the attack, the group of Tenya, Shouto, Tsuyu, Mezou, Fumikage, Mei, Tooru, Hitoshi and Minoru scattered. A barrage of long ribbon blades struck down at them like lightning strikes. Classmates grabbed one another as they dove to avoid the unrelenting assault from above. Wrapped in black and swaying like a hanged man from the long, spider-legged teeth that grew from his mouth, Moonfish attacked with shocking speed, his teeth white streaks of death.

"Good, good. So much flesh to cut and bleed." Moonfish almost sounded joyful. "Young flesh slices so nicely."

Minoru yelped as he tripped and hit the ground. He hurried to try and scrambled back to his feet, but Moonfish saw an easy target and struck. "Not the plain one, so you can be sliced!"

"Ahhhh!"

"No you don't!" Shouto drove a wall of ice between the villain and the boy. The ice blocked the attack, and the force of the wall going up sent Minoru tumbling away.

The ice wall didn't last long, as Moonfish ripped through it, and was now right in the middle of the group. Tsuyu lashed out her tongue, grabbing branches and ripping them off before throwing the bundle at the villain's head. It was all diced away before he turned his attention towards her.

"Flesh!"

"Kero?!" Tsuyu leapt out of the way of a torrent of teeth. Shouto, thinking he saw a chance to ensnare the villain, tried to freeze him in place, but the ice didn't get close. Moonfish threw himself up and over the trap. Twisting in the air, he had teeth already ripping through the air, right for the surprised Shouto.

"Look out!" Tenya screamed as he dove and tackled Shouto out of the way.

The pair tumbled but landed on their feet, with Tsuyu keeping down beside them. "He's fast, kero."

Tenya begrudgingly agreed, "He is." Then he noticed something. They were on one side of the villain, but the rest of the group was on the other side behind him. "Oh."

Shouto and Tsuyu saw it too. "Ah."

"We're about to pull an Izuku, I think," Tsuyu groaned before she started waving at Moonfish. "Hey! You want flesh?" She slapped a thigh. "Plenty here!"

Moonfish lunged at the same time Tenya and Shouto pulled Tsuyu back and took off. They heard the group's cries as the villain gave chase.

"Get back to camp!" Tenya called over his shoulder, "Go!" Mezou and Hitoshi took steps forward, ready to go after them, but Tenya made it an order. "I'm telling you as your class rep. Get back to camp!"

Fumikage grabbed the two while Mashiro gave Mei and Tooru a tug. As they watched Moonfish chase after their friends into the dark, they turned and ran.

---

"Hello? Guys?" Minoru finally pulled himself out of the bushes he'd been thrown into, only to find the place now deserted. "Um… oh no… Which way is the camp?!"

---

Momo, Kyouka and Itsuka had stopped while they carefully tried to make their way through the obviously thickening fog.

A lone figure slowly slinked his way through the dark violet clouds. He knew they couldn't see him. They were helpless, lost little girls.

The perfect targets.

He'd make them taste just a fraction of the rage and hate inside his—

"Behind us!"

Kyouka, ear jacks stabbed in the ground, whipped around and pointed right towards a suddenly startled frozen figure.

WHAT?!

Momo turned, her shirt pulled up and wheeling a 'small' cannon around as well, pointed right towards where Kyouka was pointing. "Halt villain!" Her hand, holding the firing cord tight, paused when she got a look at the person Kyouka had heard following them. "Is that… a school uniform?"

Itsuka, busy lowering her classmates to the ground so she'd be able to fight, yelled, "Worry about that later! Blast him!"

The villain swore loudly and swung his hand out. Kyouka heard the metallic click as the revolver's hammer was drawn back, before she saw exactly what was in his hand. "GUN!"

Kyouka dove for Momo, tackling her to the ground, just as the villain fired the first shot. The crack of the bullet turning the dark poisonous forest into a new kind of hell.

As the two fell, they both swore they could feel the bullet pass right over their heads.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you frauds!"

The villain screamed incoherently as he fired a second shot, the sharp ringing of metal on metal letting everyone know he'd shot the cannon between himself and the girls.

"Hurry, shoot the cannon!" Kyouka yelled as she moved to cover Momo's body with her own.

"I dropped the cord!" Momo yelled back.

Two shots, and more cursing from the villain. One shot made another metallic twang as the bullet hit metal. The other sent dirt into the pair's faces.

"Arhhh!" Itsuka hoped her friends forgave her when she dropped them in a hurry. She was rushing for the villain, hands stretched out to grab him or at least the hand holding the gun.

"You think I don't see you?!" He twisted and pointed the gun at Itsuka. There was nothing between her and the barrel of the gun.

Except her giant hands that she uses to punch through stone and metal. Whether that made them bulletproof…

"Kendou!" Momo wasn't sure what she was making. Probably nothing. All she knew was that her body expelled sheets of metal to block the path of the villain's bullet.

"Fucking di—"

Crack!

Bang!

Out from the cloud, a large tree branch swung down and shattered over the helmet the villain was wearing. His arm went wide while he screamed in pain, and the shot went far to the side, hitting the scrambled makeshift wall of metal sheets and wire.

The splintered wood hadn't hit the ground yet, but the villain's arm was grabbed and twisted with a hard yank, forcing him to drop the gun. Then his feet were kicked out from underneath him, and as he was driven viciously into the dirt, the trio could see who had come to their aid.

Her face was wrapped up in torn cloth, but they saw the blonde hair tied into messy buns.

"Toga?!"

While Himiko secured the villain, Kouji came rushing out of the brush, his face also hidden by a makeshift mask to protect against the gas. Though as Momo peered at him closely, they way he was fretting about, it almost looked like he was… "Oh my god, they're holding their breaths under those wraps!"

As fast as she could, Momo created two more gas masks. The larger one she handed to Kyouka, who rushed for the large boy. The other she hurried to slip over Himiko's face. Though she made sure to approach from where her good eye could see her.

If I surprised her by trying to take those wrappings off and she didn't see me… I'd be bifurcated.

After making damned sure Himiko saw her, Momo worked fast to get the wrappings off, confirming that Himiko was also holding her breath, and got the gas mask on her as fast as she could. But in those few moments when Momo made the switch, she noticed several things.

A frigid coldness emanating from Himiko, reflected by the almost inhuman disdain reflected in her eye.

A wild, feral growl that ripped itself out from the villain's throat the moment the rags were pulled off. The hate, even without seeing the villain's face, she could feel the hate emanating off him.

But on top of that, now that she had a chance to really get a look at him, it was obvious he wasn't any older than any of them. And that uniform… I've seen it before… Not personally but… on the TV?

What's more, the gas. The gas was familiar. But why?

Once the mask was secure, Momo stood up and surveyed the situation. Kyouka had Kouji's mask on. Kouji also had a knife. Which was… very odd. He was also looking up. And it seems like Kyouka was making him.

Very odd.

Itsuka was moving back to pick up her fellow classmates, with Kyouka and Kouji coming over to help. Itsuka paused and looked back at her. "Thanks for the wall."

Momo gave a small shrug. "I shouldn't have frozen up when I saw he was a student our own age."

Itsuka nodded. "Thanks all the same." She hesitated, and Momo got the impression she was staring. "You… might want to fix your shirt."

Momo glanced down, and sighed. In her hurry to protect Itsuka, it seemed like the wall of metal she'd created had torn up her shirt.

A moment of picking at the tatters also confirmed the same for her bra.

"Four… maybe five hooks, I bet," Momo heard Itsuka murmur before she turned to get back to work looking after her classmates.

Was she… ? Momo shook her head while she made herself a new top. There would be time to chide Itsuka about infidelity against Kyouka later. Right now, there was a crisis to handle.

Walking back towards Himiko and the villain, Momo found the gun, a dark metal revolver, laying on the grass. She made a soft tsk of disgust as she picked it up. "To bring a gun to use against students. How utterly barbar—"

Momo was cut off when Himiko snatched the gun out of her hand and pressed the barrel under the villain's chin so it was pointing up into his head. "I'm giving you one chance! Turn off the gas now, Saito!"

And just like that, Momo knew why everything was so familiar. "Oh my god."

---

Himiko was dealing with a lot right now. A fucking lot. And a lot of old lessons, instincts and methods were starting to breach through all the lollipop and gumdrop bullshit U.A. had been trying to replace it all with. Or at least cover it up with.

To try to make Himiko nice.

As Himiko pressed the gun barrel harder into the soft spot between Saito's chin and neck, she wasn't feeling very nice.

"Don't make me say it again. Turn the gas off now!"

"Saito?" Momo looked down at the villain. "You don't mean the boy that…" She looked around, recalling the recorded footage of the scene in front of school. Of a rage-filled victim of Himiko's early descent into violence coming back for justice, only to lose control and use his Quirk in anger. Many people had been rushed to the hospital after inhaling the poisonous gas he'd given off. Izuku included. He'd also grabbed an officer's gun, and tried to shoot Himiko there and then. "What is going on?"

If Himiko wasn't wearing a gas mask, then everyone would have seen her bare her fangs. "Questions later. Turn the gas off or else—"

"Or else what?!" Saito snapped back. "You think I'm scared of some fraud school's housebroken pet! You won't do anything to—"

Himiko jerked the gun so it was pointed right next to Saito's head, and pulled the trigger. Everyone jumped in alarm at the gunshot, Kyouka and Kouji calling out asking if Himiko had just killed their prisoner. Itsuka looked hardened but wasn't exactly moving to do anything. Momo was about to demand an answer, but she didn't need to.

Himiko hadn't shot the boy.

But she had just made a very loud and painful point that was surely leaving the inside of his ear ringing. Then she pressed the heated barrel under his chin, drawing a pained squeak from him as it burned his skin.

"Next one goes through your fucking skull," Himiko hissed out.

Saito growled back, "There she is! There's the monster that cut me open!" His head jerked to the side, looking over at the others. "I told you! I told all of you what she was, but none of you wanted to believe me!"

Himiko's finger tightened on the trigger. There was a lot she wanted to say. A fucking lot she wanted to ask. But, that all took a backseat to the current situation. "I'm not going to let you keep pumping your fucking gas into the forest and put my friends, classmates and anyone else from school at risk. If it's a choice between your life, and theirs, it's not a choice at all. Last warning."

Momo could tell Himiko was serious. She'd seen what Himiko was capable of, thanks to studying the USJ recordings shown to the class. Himiko was capable and—Momo had no doubt—willing to make the hard choices. The tone of her voice left no room for any doubt. Add in the fucking mess that the attacker was someone from her past, and Momo was sure Himiko would take the extreme option. Himiko was raised on the streets to be able and willing to take that option. It's how she survived. As she had reminded the class a number of times.

But just because the extreme is an effective option, doesn't mean it needs to be the only one.

Momo hardened herself as she made her voice as cold as she could. "That gas mask he's wearing is real." It had been an observation she'd made earlier when Himiko had restrained him. "Why?"

Himiko didn't turn to look at her. "His gas is poisonous. To others and himself. Saw him accidently knock himself out once being stupid with his friends."

"I see." Momo didn't raise her voice. Didn't make any threats. She just walked over, and looked down at the pinned villain with cold indifference. Then, without a word, she lifted her foot and drove her heel into Saito's face, shattering one of the mask's red lenses. While Saito took a hurried panicked breath before he held it now that his protection from the gas was compromised, Momo just crossed her arms and watched him to see what he did next. "There. Now either he stops, or he incapacitates himself with his own Quirk. Either way, problem solved."

Off to the side, Itsuka, Kyouka and Kouji just stared at what was transpiring.

"Huh."

"You said it sister," Kyouka agreed.

Seconds ticked by, and Himiko and Momo watched as Saito fought against himself, the skin around his eye beginning to flush as he kept holding his breath. Soon, he had his eyes closed as he tried to block out the way his lungs were starting to burn for air. How every instinct was screaming at him to breathe.

His fists pounded the grass before he finally did what he had to do.

The gas swirling around his body faded. And without him acting as a constant source, the breeze began to slowly clear the air.

Himiko thought he might burst with the way his body jerked and twitched as he fought desperately to hold out until the spot around them was clear enough that he felt he could finally, mercifully, take a breath.

"You… cough cough… bitch!" Saito swore angrily. Momo pressed her palms together before pulling out a long metal bo staff. Holding it vertically in one hand, she jammed the end into the other lens of his helmet, popping it out.

"For good measure," Momo stated as she moved to press the staff into his chest. "I'd advise you to answer any question Toga asks you truthfully and quickly. Right now I don't think the trouble she would get into for ending your life is worth it. But, I am fully willing to walk away and leave you with her."

"You playing bad-cop, wh—"

Momo spun the staff, striking Saito across his helmet, before jamming the end back into his chest. "We're not playing anything. You attacked us. I'm willing to put up with whatever drivel you're going to spew at us as your justification for this horrid attack in the hopes of getting useful information out of you." She paused, "You want titles? I'm the bad-cop. Jirou is the good-cop and Toga is the shark from the motion picture Jaws I'm keeping from ripping you apart." She applied pressure to the staff. "Make no mistake, my stepping in has nothing to do with keeping you from harm. I'm acting purely in Toga's best interest." It was only after she was sure Saito got the message that she pulled back on the staff.

Having a metal rod jammed into your ribcage probably would make answering questions very difficult.

"Who are you with? Names, Quirks and your numbers," Himiko growled out.

Saito glared back. "Really? Shouldn't your first question be 'why?'" Himiko said nothing.

"Is this another attack by the League of Villains?" Momo asked. "They seem to make it a point to attack us."

Himiko shook her head. "Can't be them. Shigaraki killed Saito's parents. There's no way he'd—" Himiko trailed off when Saito started to laugh. "What?"

"Shigaraki didn't kill them. He freed me from them." There was a glint in Saito's eyes that sent a shiver up Momo's spine. "They tried to stop me. I had every right to want you dead, but they tried to stop me. Then my real friend brought Shigaraki. Told me he'd help me get back at you. You and all the damned frauds at U.A. That bitch and green shit who stopped me."

Momo's cold persona slipped momentarily while Himiko applied more pressure with the gun, pushing it harder into his throat. "You let him kill your fucking family because you fucked up your ambush?"

That glint turned sharper. Darker. A twisted madness that Himiko had seen in some of the monsters that prowled the dark alleys. "They wouldn't let me leave. I did what I had to do."

Himiko didn't need to ask anything else. She could fill in what had happened. Saito might not have committed the final act, but she could see it in his eyes. He'd been a part of their deaths. Started the attack, even.

The fact that everyone around her was quiet too, meant they had put the pieces together too.

"You need to start talking, Saito. You need to give me a reason not to kill you."

Saito laughed. "I'm going to hurt you, Toga. Shigaraki said I'd get my chance. He said when the League gets what we came for, you'll hurt." Himiko pulled the hammer back on the revolver, the hard click of metal drawing eyes. Saito smirked. "They won't let you. These frauds have to keep pretending to be heroes. So you can bluster and threaten, but nothing you say or do will work on me." He looked her in the eye. "You don't scare me anymore."

Momo glanced over towards Himiko, now suddenly very worried that Himiko might do something. Because Saito might not have meant it, but he'd just offered up something. Confirming that the League of Villains was here for something. And that it—

"Mustard?!" Came a random call from the bushes. "What's going on? We need you making the gas and Dabi making the fire so…" The group watched as a green lizard-man came stumbling out of the brush, pausing as he saw the scene in front of him. "Um…"

"…" Kouji stared, then pointed.

"…" Kyouka agreed.

Itsuka mouthed, "'Mustard?'"

Momo looked down at Saito in disbelief. "You picked that?"

Himiko hadn't taken her eye off Saito, but he twisted to scream at the suddenly appearing villain. "SPINNER HELP ME!"

Spinner immediately swung out his massive mishmash sword of knives. At the same time, the others took up defensive stances. Spinner then glanced and saw Himiko. "I know you. I know you! False disciple! You're responsible for Stain's capture! I shall avenge him on the honor of all wh—"

Himiko ripped the gun away from Saito's jaw and snapped it level with Spinner.

CRACK!

Just in time for Itsuka to close the distance and drive her Buick sized fist into Spinner's whole being. Launching him off his feet and sending him flying.

Himiko wasn't even going to bother watching the bastard's body hit the tree, since no matter how this ended, he wasn't going to be a problem anymore. But as she turned to continue her interrogation, Spinner's body hit a tree, and exploded into a viscous ooze that covered the trunk, while the rest of his gooey corpse splashed onto the ground as a puddle.

Himiko stared, her eye going wide as she recognized instantly what had just happened, even as the shock made her freeze up. "…Jin?" He's alive? Jin's alive?!

Himiko had to bite down as she fought to refocus. There would be time later to deal with the sudden shock and guilt eating at her. She had work to do. Survive the night, Then I can figure this shit out… Fuck!

Itsuka gaped. "I… Huh?!"

"Nice!" Kyouka then coughed, "I mean… wha?"

"Oh, he popped quite nicely… Er… How ghastly… Yes, that's what I meant."

Kouji made some hurried hand gestures, looking a little pale. Kyouka put a hand on his shoulder. "Shhh."

"You… splattered him…" Saito gaped, then went stiff when Himiko put the gun back under his chin. "Wait… how'd you know he was a clone?!" Saito screamed at Itsuka, then at Himiko. "And how do you know Twice's real name?!"

Crack!

Bash!

Crunch!

Himiko snapped. Growling out some blue collar swears that would make even Ochako's relatives blush, she brought the handle of the gun down on Saito's face, crushing the mask with hard pistol whip strikes. "You fucker!" she yelled as she ripped off her own mask while grabbing him by the broken mask's remains, and yanked him up into a sitting position. She ripped off the shattered mask so she had a clear view of Saito's suddenly terrified face as he got a clear look at her rage-filled features. She jammed the barrel into Saito's mouth, the end hitting the terrified boy's back molars with enough force to damn near knock one out.

"I am through playing games. I am through playing by the heroes' playbook. You are going to tell me exactly what you shitheads are here for. And I swear to god, if the next words out of your mouth aren't answers, I have enough bullets in this gun to make the last few minutes you have on this earth more excruciating than when I left you in a puddle of your own blood!"

"Toga!" Momo moved to try and separate the two, because now it really did seem like Himiko was going to go through with her threats. "Explain what's going on. That villain, what happened to him?"

"I thought he'd just… bounce…" Itsuka muttered.

Fangs bared, Himiko seethed out, "That wasn't a real person. It was a copy. Jin… he's someone I met," Himiko cut herself off, "Forget that. Who and how he's here isn't important. His Quirk is called Double. He can make copies of things and people."

"So the villains are copies?" Momo asked at the same time Kyouka gave Itsuka a reassuring pat. "How do you tell the difference?"

Himiko didn't have time to answer. From the dark, a blue light cut through the shadows. Himiko saw it, and felt a pit form in her gut. Because what the Spinner copy had said had been, 'We need you making the gas and Dabi making the fire.'

They had the gas maker. But where was the bastard setting everything on fire?

Suddenly, Himiko didn't care about Saito anymore. "Oh god." She turned and was screaming, "Kyouka! Kendou! Move!"

Himiko's realization and warning came too late. She and Momo were off to the side, so they were able to dive out of the way of the sudden roaring blast of blue fire that came ripping out of the brush. Itsuka and Kyouka, however, were caught flat-footed. Caught in the path of certain incineration.

The flames were on them, just as Kouji leapt and grabbed both, putting his body between them and the fire as he took them to the ground.

"Mustard, off your ass and go!" The villain yelled over Kouji's pained cry.

Momo had rolled back onto her back and looked towards where her three schoolmates had been. To her horror, there was nothing to see but fire. At the same time, as Himiko quickly got to her feet, she caught sight of Saito making a break for it, dashing into the woods. Himiko roared, and had the gun pointing at him, both hands gripping the handle, finger on the trigger. He was right in her sights. His body, illuminated by the blue flames.

For a moment, time froze as she had her shot lined up. She didn't see a manic, vengeful boy running for his life. She saw the young man that had made her heart flutter. The first person to make her heart flutter. Which she repaid by losing her mind, and slitting him open navel to collar.

She couldn't pull the trigger.

And then he was out of sight.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck, "FUCK!" Himiko screamed as she turned, and promptly decided that whoever this burned bastard was, he was getting shot.

Bang!

Dabi dove, firing off a wave of flame straight at Himiko, who scrambled for safety.

"Ha! Didn't think I'd run into Stain's traitorous bitch." Dabi slammed his hands together as he rolled up onto his knees, while Himiko was on her stomach, the gun leveled at him. "You got what, one shot left in that thing? Think you can get a killshot before I burn you along with your dumb friends?" Dabi's hands ignited into flame while Himiko grit her teeth. He then smirked, and glanced to his side where Momo had hurried to her previously created cannon. "And you. You think I'm letting you shoot me with that? It's two on one, and I'm the only one willing to—"

SHUNK!

Dabi was cut off as a knife blade exploded out the front of his face. There was a moment when everyone just froze, and then Dabi made a sound like, "Really?" Before his body liquified into a puddle, revealing a very much alive Kouji, his clothes charred and his face and skin blackened with soot and smoke from the fire. Behind him; Kyouka and Itsuka were pulling themselves up off the ground, both looking absolutely shocked.

Momo was shocked.

Himiko was shocked.

Kouji had them all beat as he dropped the knife Himiko had given him, and fell onto his butt.

Kyouka scrambled to make sure he didn't fall onto his back, hissing as she gave his injuries a lookover. "Easy, big guy. I got you." She spoke softly. "Hey, you saved us. You did good." Kouji nodded stiffly, his hands twitching as he reached for his back. Kyouka made him put his hands down. "It's not bad. Scary more than anything, huh." She reassured, "I'm sure Yao-Momo can make some first aid ointment for you. We'll get you patched up."

Momo hurried over, creating some first aid supplies while Itsuka sat beside Kouji. "Big guy, you saved us from becoming extra crispy bacon."

Momo examined the wounds, and confirmed that it looked like Dabi's attack had missed. "Here. It's a good thing Toga told us we're dealing with copies of villains. We can take extreme measures to get out of this situation."

Himiko was back on her feet. She casually popped open the revolver's drum and emptied it before she tossed it away. "Yeah… I said they had someone that could make copies. Besides being fragile… there's no way to tell the difference." Kouji blinked, then pointed at the puddle. "Look at it this way, you got to be a badass, and not have any of the guilt afterwards."

Aaaaaand that was the limit Kouji could take. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted into the girls' arms.

---

"How's Kouji?" Himiko asked while Kyouka worked to get his back bandaged up.

"It's not that bad, but we need to get it bandaged before we get moving," Kyouka answered. "Don't want to risk infections." Kouji made some hand movements, but Momo shook her head.

"No, we're treating your wounds first. It'll only take a few minutes." Then she turned to Himiko. "But you'll be going now."

"Huh?" Himiko raised an eyebrow, along with everyone else that was giving her a look. "I'm not abandoning…" She trailed off when Momo raised a hand to silence her.

"Given the situation, getting into a philosophical debate over the moral question of us splitting up will only delay us getting important information to our teachers." Himiko frowned. "It's simple. Carrying Kendou's classmates and helping Kouda will slow us down. But if you split off," Momo shrugged, "you'll be free to move as fast as you can."

Himiko still wasn't convinced, but Momo wasn't about to let her get a word in edgewise. "Tell me I'm mistaken. That you wouldn't be quicker by yourself. That you wouldn't be able to slip by any villains and tell our teachers or the Pussycats that not only are we being attacked by the League of Villains, that not only are they after something, but they also have a villain that's capable of creating copies of other people. Potentially giving them a bigger numbers and tactical advantage over us."

"Izuku wouldn't just leave you guys like this," Himiko countered. Shocking herself with her own argument. Clearly the dork had had a huge influence on her.

Fuck that cute bastard.

"No. You're probably right," Momo conceded. "But you're not Midoriya. You're pragmatic. And right now, we need pragmatic." Momo reached down and picked up the knife Kouji had dropped. "As your class vice representative, I need you doing what you can to save the most lives." Himiko frowned and kept Momo'a gaze. "And right now, that's you getting to the campsite as fast as you can and relay everything we know. Tell them that most, if not all, 1-B has been incapacitated due to the poisonous gas and that they need to send out rescue as quickly as possible."

Himiko glanced over at the others, and saw they were in agreement. She took the knife. "Sorry. If I was either of the other two, I'd have come up with some way to take you with me."

"Just do what you're good at," Momo reassured her.

Himiko slipped the knife into her waistband. "What I'm good at, huh? That's a dangerous thing to tell me to do."

The silence from Momo pulled everyone's attention. She looked at Himiko with cold eyes. "Do what you need to do to save the most lives. If you need someone to take responsibility, I'll take it."

Himiko met Momo's look. The meaning of what those words meant were not lost on her. Then with a nod, she vanished into the dark.

A few seconds later, Kouji made a few more gestures, wincing as Kyouka worked quickly to finish. But the message got through and Kyouka reassured, "She'll be fine. Plus now she has a knife again. Unless you're upset you're not going to get to pop anymore goo clones."

Kouji made a distressed face.

Itsuka frowned as she watched the spot Himiko had vanished from. "So I guess I'll be the one to say it. Was that a good idea? You pretty much just gave her permission to ignore a direct order from Mandalay." She then added, "I know we also did that, but we were defending ourselves and my classmates. Yaoyorozu just… gave Toga the green light to actively go against what the heroes have told us to do. Actively attacking is a hell of a lot different than defending."

Momo sighed. It wasn't like Itsuka didn't have a point. However, "I know what Mandalay told us. But that warning and instructions aren't going to do anything but hamper Toga making sure that update gets to who it needs to get to. And she doesn't need to be second-guessing herself right now. So as her representative, it was my responsibility to give her what she needed."

"An excuse?" Itsuka asked. "Like I said, I don't want to say this but… Toga did make a show the other day reminding people she was dangerous. Plus, you don't just call someone 'the shark from Jaws' without reason."

Momo shook her head. "No. A chance to think freely. I don't think she will kill… Not unless she's pushed." Momo glanced over at Kyouka and Kouji.

Kyouka shrugged. "Is she capable? A hundred percent. But if nothing else, she probably doesn't want to deal with the headache that'd come after." Kouji gestured. "Ah, yeah, Uraraka or Tsu would probably kick her ass. Midoriya might square up with whatever teacher or officer tries to punish her. She definitely doesn't want the headaches that come with that."

Momo agreed, and continued her previous thought, "Ultimately, if she gets in a situation where she has to… I'd rather she has me ready to take the blame. Versus her hesitating and getting hurt."

Itsuka frowned. "Do you think that's why she let Saito get away?" Some agitation leaked from her voice.

Momo didn't have an answer for that. "I think that… the whole situation is such a mess… And now isn't the time for us to try to make sense of it." Momo couldn't blame her. It was her classmates that had borne the brunt of Saito's attack, after all.

"Technically… as a full class rep, not a vice rep, I'm probably the one that should have told Toga all that… or been the one to make sure she follows the heroes orders…" Itsuka gave Momo a serious look. "Or have stopped her from running off after your whole 'responsibility' thing." Momo waited to see if that meant Itsuka was about to do something right then and there. She was right, letting her go, or trying to stop her was her call. Itsuka, though, seemed to be willing to put the issue behind her, at least temporarily. "Let's make sure Kouda is all good, then we gotta move."

"Agreed."

---

"Oh no?! Your copy is goo too! How'd that happen? I knew it was going to happen!" A man in a black and grey bodysuit ended his rant with a dismissive wave towards Dabi, who didn't even bat an eye.

Taking his hand off the tree he'd set on fire, he looked around and frowned. "Well that's not great. Look." Dabi pointed out towards the woods that used to be covered in a dark haze of violet gas. "The gas is getting blown away. Looks like it wasn't just my copy that ran into trouble. Mustard isn't doing his job either."

"Spinner, you and the kid, all taken out? That's not good. How exciting!" Twice held his hands up. "Want me to make a couple more of you?"

Dabi kept his eyes on the horizon. "No. We should fall back to extraction. Even with the gas lifting, the fire will still act as a deterrent. Plus, considering who Chimera just sent looking for the source of that big explosion earlier, I think it'd be a good idea if we camp the exit. I'm betting our exit strategy could get a little dicey."

---

"SMASH!"

Ka-BOOM!

Izuku screamed as he kept throwing himself at Hedoro Viran. His right arm would have been a crumpled mess if not for his Quirk bracing it.

"DIE!"

Tendrils of flesh, sludge and broken bone shards whipped at Izuku as he kept ducking and dodging. The deep cuts along his body showed he wasn't able to avoid all the strikes. But, "You still haven't hit me!"

"SHUT UP!"

Hedoro reached out with Muscular's almost unrecognizable arm. Izuku took the chance to let it get close before taking a deep breath, fwoosh, and setting the whole thing on fire. Hedoro screeched in rage as the flesh was burned away. But he didn't let up, and what was left slammed into Izuku. The muscle was gone, but the sludge was untouched. Izuku's chest and mouth was engulfed, and Hedoro wasted no time trying to suffocate him right then and there. "Damn shit! If you think you'll burn me yo—"

Izuku switched to his left, and punched up, splattering the tendril of sludge off himself so he could breathe. Hedoro hissed, but Izuku didn't give him a chance to recover. Reaching out with his Psychokinesis, he shoved the villain hard, pushing him back several yards, and opening up the distance between themselves.

Izuku dropped to a knee, hacking and coughing up smoke. He could feel the heat radiating off his body. Not as bad as he'd let it get earlier, but his body was not recovered enough to use Boric Pyre regularly.

Not good… Not good at all. The muscles burn but I don't think I have the firepower to burn away that whole meat suit… Izuku's stomach twisted and he moved on. Best not to think about exactly what he was fighting. I can splatter the sludge with One for All but… Izuku didn't even bother to look at his right arm, and looked down at his left. It wasn't broken, but just the feeling let him know he wasn't going to be able to throw many more punches like he just had. And I can't keep using my Psychokinesis either. I'm going to knock myself out before I knock this jerk out.

If it was just sludge or muscle, Izuku felt he had what it took to win in a straight-up fight. But Hedoro had both. And I don't have time to keep switching back and forth trying to wear him down.

"ARRRRRR!" Hedoro ripped at the ground as he charged at Izuku. A mass of muscle and sludge, he'd fully given up trying to hold a form that was anything close to human. Weaving the muscle fibers over himself, Izuku dodged to the side to avoid the battering ram attack, only to cry out in shock, as what Izuku was pretty sure were ribs, were expelled out of Hedoro's body like giant spikes. Izuku hit the side of the mountain, and reached out to catch the attack. His hands grabbed the ribcage and he strained against it, blood spurting out of his right arm as the muscles, or what was left, tensed. Anchoring himself against rock and stone, Izuku grit his teeth as he fought to keep himself from getting impaled.

Should have seen that coming! Darn it! How does Himiko fight with just one eye?!

"Going to fucking kill you. Then going to kill the fucking kid! Then those cat bitches! Then that whore you're always with! THEN I'LL FIND YOUR FUCKING MOTHER AN—"

Hedoro promptly found out what it was like standing behind a fighter jet with the afterburner cranked up to eleven. Even as he quickly wrapped up his precious muscles in sludge to keep them from getting evaporated, the force of the blast sent him flying backwards and through the boulders that had fallen from the Rocky Mountain Smash Izuku had unleashed earlier, until he exploded out the other side.

Izuku dropped to the ground, and vomited. He really tried to ignore the fact that what was spewing out from his mouth was sizzling when it hit the ground. As for his chest, blisters covered it like he was a pox carrier.

Bad… bad bad bad… Oh this…

Doesn't hurt.

Izuku clenched his teeth, ignoring the trouble he was having breathing, and pushed himself up to his knees. Things weren't as bad as they could be, and he knew he needed to say something. Be like All Might. Let Kouta know I'm okay. And to scare that darn monster that I'm still able to go.

"Take that, you jerk."

… Ten outta ten Izuku. That'll scare that sludge-filled balloon of a villain and make him think twice before getting back up…

…

Izuku's head twitched. "Huh…"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Izuku ignored the scream. Something had just clicked for him. "Huh…"

Um, kid?

Quiet nagging voice, I'm thinking.

…Excuse you?!

Izuku straightened himself up, and watched as Hedoro Viran clambered over the remains of the rockslide, muscles regrowing around his sludgy body. Those muscles really do just make him a really horrifying balloon… Izuku glanced down at his messed up arm, and flexed his fingers. Ha… guess I get to use the move afterall.

The plan forming was crazy. No, stupid. Izuku smirked because of that fact. "All or nothing. Better make this count." With his left hand grabbing at the stone mountainside, Izuku hauled himself back up to his feet. "One shot." The brace around his right arm flickered as it dimmed. Izuku just needed his arm not to flop around. More than anything, he needed to focus on One for All. He needed speed, otherwise, he was going to die.

And if I die, Ochako will kill me.

"Hey ugly!" Red lines started criss-crossing over Izuku's legs. Not the same dangerous glow that had flashed over his arm, but enough to warn him he was about to do something that tipped the balance of brave vs stupid into the 'getting chewed out later' zone. "I'm giving you one chance. Leave. Or else."

Hedoro screamed, and Izuku charged, legs propelling him forward like an out of control race car. He had his target, and he wasn't about to change course. Hedoro just gave him his opening. Tendrils of flesh and bone unfurled and struck at Izuku. He shifted, but kept on his straight path. Deep cuts were a small price to pay. As long as he won, then it'd all be worth it.

The distance closed, and Izuku let his last push-off send him soaring through the air those last few dangerous feet. Izuku pulled back his right arm, fist clenched into a tight fist. Hedoro added more and more layers of muscle around himself, ready to tank the hit, like he had done so many times before.

Except this time, Izuku had a new target. He wasn't aiming for Hedoro's body.

HURK!

With a sickening squelch, Izuku drove his fist and arm into the screaming villain's maw, and straight down his throat.

The stunned villain gurgled as Izuku forced his head down as he landed on the ground. Hedoro tried to yank himself free, but Izuku bent his arm, hooking it inside.

"There's this old American movie I watched once. Pre-Quirks. It was about this asteroid that was about to hit the Earth, so NASA sent up these miners to stop it."

Hedoro yellow eyes swiveled out of Muscualr's eyecockets to look at Izuku, filled with rage and hate.

"See, they couldn't just fire missiles at it, it wouldn't do anything, but if they drilled into its core…"

Sparks started crackling around Izuku. Hedoro alarmingly noticed a lot of sparks going off around Izuku's right shoulder; the rest of Izuku's arm was hidden inside his mouth and esophagus. "Then, instead of failing with thousands, it only took one to burst the asteroid open. And save the day."

More and more of One for All pumped through Izuku as he pushed his body to raise the level of power. 80%, 90%. More and more he raised the level, doing what he had done that very first night in Hosu City. Pumping everything into one limb. Pumping it further so that it filled his hand and fingers.

Hedoro's eyes went from rage-filled, to confused, then horrified. "HURCK! GURGLE!"

"Sorry, can't hear you with my fist shoved down your throat!" Izuku snarled back.

95%

Izuku wretched Hedoro's face in a way so that he could look him dead in the eye. Despite the damage, he opened his right eye, showing the villain a glowing green sun surrounded by gore. The eye was still there, and he was using it to look at the now terrified villain. "If I ever see you again, I swear I'll find out if your sludge body has a boiling point."

100%

"Delaware! Smash!"

Izuku flicked his fingers open, and popped Hedoro's body like an overfilled water balloon.

---

Kouta slowly peeked his head out from behind a boulder he had been hiding behind, not sure what he expected to find. "M-Midoriya?"

Izuku was standing alone, his right arm raised up so he could look at his hand. Slowly, Izuku let the arm fall to his side. The fingers were twisted, broken and bruised black. His hand, along with his arm, were done.

Seemingly like he knew he was being watched, Izuku turned, and gave Kouta the best smile that his face let him do, while he went back to keeping his right eye closed. "I still got my left arm. I'm fifty percent better off than any of the other times I've fought big bad… sc… sc…" Izuku had to stop, and fight for the right words. Things were starting to get hazy. "Scary villains…"

Ha… ha… ha… Take that Aizawa-sensei. I can… totally win fights without…. Izuku shifted as his thoughts escaped him. …What was I… oh… Kouta. Safety. Right…

Walking over to where Kouta was proved difficult. Each step felt like it took too much energy. Wonder if this is what it felt like to wear those weights, Izuku thought to himself as he knelt down next to Kouta. "Hey… You okay?"

Kouta nodded. "Where… What… Where's the villain?"

Izuku looked around. "Um… well, there's some of him over there… And over there… Some in the trees… Maybe some of him is still falling back down to earth…" Izuku grimaced, then glanced back down and saw that Kouta was still sitting on the ground. "Can you stand?" Kouta tried, but his legs gave out. "Ah… looks like this whole thing has you pretty shaken up…" Izuku bit down a hiss of pain as he knelt down and moved his left arm behind his back. "Here. Climb on."

"B-but, you're hurt?"

Izuku made a sound that could almost pass for a laugh. "Oh, it's fine. You're probably the lightest thing I've picked up since I got here."

It took some finagling, and more than once Izuku swore he was going to pass out as Kouta pulled himself onto his back. But finally, Izuku had Kouta slung on his back in a very clumsy piggyback. "Okay… okay… um…" Izuku looked around. "Which way is it to camp?"

---

"You… you stopped," Kouta nervously spoke up. The trek down the mountainside had been long and windy. Not because of the path itself, but because Izuku had been unsteady on his feet for most of it. He hadn't tripped or done anything that risked himself dropping Kouta, but now that they were on flat ground, Izuku had started to get worse.

"We have?" Izuku sounded lost. Flummoxed. He looked down at his feet, curious why they weren't moving. "Oh… that's." Izuku shut his mouth. Punch drunk as he was, he wasn't going to let Kouta know the ground looked like the surface of the ocean.

A calm ocean. But even a calm ocean had waves.

"Let me just…" Izuku gave his head a shake, hoping to clear the cobwebs. All he did was make his head throb and face sting. "Which way to camp?"

Kouta pointed ahead. "That way." He'd been having to point a lot. "We can stop if you need to."

Izuku frowned, and willed himself to take a few steps in the direction Kouta had pointed. "No. I'm getting you to safety." Another few steps. "Besides, it doesn't hurt."

"You're a bad liar," Kouta huffed.

Izuku did his very best to laugh without making a pained wheeze. He almost got away with it. "My girlfriend would… agree with you."

"…I think I can walk…" Kouta didn't sound convinced. And after that last couple times proved his legs were still jello and Izuku had to 'silently' suffer picking him back up into a one armed piggyback, Izuku just shook his head.

"Getting you back to camp." He took some more steps. "And nothing is getting in my way."

"AHHHHH I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!"

A small purple thing tumbled out of the bushes and face planted directly in Izuku's path.

"…Eeeeecxept that…" Izuku was glad for the distraction. He was worried he was about to have to ask Kouta to point out which direction camp was.

You'd think I'd remember after he pointed it out back at the mountain. It'd be embarrassing to have to ask again.

"Is it a villain?" Kouta asked hurriedly, ducking below Izuku's shoulder.

The vice Izuku's head was in was given another crank by an imaginary Nicky Santoro as he started pulling for his Quirk, ready to deal with whoever this possible villain was.

"AH! No! Not a villain! Not a villain!" Minoru leapt to his feet, waving his hands around frantically. "…Midoriya?" Minoru trailed off when he saw exactly who he'd landed in front of. "Oh my god."

"Mineta?" Izuku stared for a second, before he worked his mouth into a smile as best he could. "Hhhey…" Izuku swallowed down the way his tongue slurred and tried to keep himself steady. Hard to do when the world was shifting. "Are you alright?"

"You're asking me that?!" Minoru rushed to Izuku's side, and began fretting around him. "Holy shit dude, what the fu—"

"Language," Izuku warned. "No swearing."

Minoru blinked, then finally noticed that Izuku was carrying someone. "Oh… OH! You got the kid! You got Mandalay's kid!"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. There was… a villain… Really… bad one."

Minoru got a look at Izuku's face and decided that looking at that was not the best idea if he wanted to not throw up. "No kidding."

"Where's everyone else?"

Minoru frowned. Can't tell him a villain chased us. He might want to go after them… "We were running back to camp and… I got lost."

"Dang. That's… rough…" Izuku coughed, and an alarming amount of smoke puffed out from his mouth. "I fought a big villain… being worn by another villain…"

"Eh?" Minoru wasn't able to follow that at all.

"Ow…"

"Dude, you need to get back to camp now!" Minoru stated obviously. But even the obvious didn't change some facts. "You can walk? Does the kid know how to get back?"

Kouta nodded from behind Izuku. "I do!"

"Okay… okay, we'll just… take it slow and…" Minoru frowned when Izuku started to kneel down. "Wha…"

"Kouta… you need to go with Mineta now," Izuku winced out, as he dropped to a knee. "Sorry, but I don't think I can take you the rest of the way." Izuku swayed and Minoru got his hands on his shoulder to keep him from falling forward.

Kouta, confused but not going to argue with the person who'd just fought and suffered so much to save him, slid off Izuku's back as carefully as he could, his own legs giving out instantly. Izuku glanced at him and chuckled. "See. You still need to be carried."

"H-hold on. You don't want us to leave you, do you?!" There was a quake in Kouta's voice. Izuku and Minoru could tell he was close to crying.

"Hey, of course we're not leaving Midoriya behind. He just wants me to carry you. No big deal. It's not like you're taller than me or anything, ha ha ha ha…haaaa." Minoru glanced up at Izuku, who wobbled as he got back up to his feet. "You're not asking me to just take the kid and leave… Right?"

"Sorta am, yeah."

"…I can't do that!" Minoru shreeked.

"I know, I know how you feel. Heroes aren't supposed to leave anyone behind. We've been training to save everyone. But right now, we have to focus on getting Kouta to safety. And… Well, you can do that easier than me now."

Minoru frowned as he teetered on the edge of panic and being grossed out. "Uraraka will kill me if she hears I left you looking… well… like… um…" He really needed to stop looking to see if Izuku still had an eye. "I can… I can get branches and stick them together and drag you! Yeah, yeah I can do that…" Even the idea sounded stupid as it left his mouth.

"Mineta, please." Izuku tried to sound reassuring. "I'll be fine. You need to do this. Please, it's the right thing." He pointed at Minoru's head with his left hand. "Besides, wouldn't I stick to anything you put together? Ochako really would be mad if that happened when I look… like this."

Minoru sighed, not looking happy at all. "I hate this."

"I'm not… exactly jumping for joy myself."

That got a snort from the two of them before Minoru finally turned and pulled a distraught-looking Kouta up onto his back. Izuku made sure to flash the boy a thumbs up. "It'll be fine. I'll see you at camp."

Izuku watched Minoru pull Kouta onto his back and scurry off. Izuku almost laughed at the scene. Kouta was taller than his classmate. Once they were out of sight and Izuku was left alone, the force of will that had kept him on his feet began to slip from his grasp. He staggered once, twice. Then at the third step, Izuku reached a large tree and pressed his back against it. The last of that will finally faded into nothing when he used up the last of his strength to lower himself down to the ground, sitting at the base of the tree trunk.

"I wonder… if I'll get in trouble…" The world became fuzzy. Little wisps of black creeped at the edges of his vision, a dark void rolling in making it so hard to see the dark forest.

"Shh."

Izuku was vaguely aware of it sounding like someone was kneeling down next to him. A yellow-gloved hand ran over his head, avoiding the deep cut and stroking his hair softly. A woman's voice, strong but compassionate, hushed that worry away. "It's okay. You did good. You did good kid."

Nana, the seventh bearer of One for All and mentor to All Might emerged from the black clouds.

And she was not alone.

---

When Himiko breached out of the heavy bushes onto the open pathway towards the campsite, she was instantly ensnared. Something wrapped around her arm, and was pulled tight. Snarling, Himiko twisted and leapt into the air, making the length of whatever had her caught go loose. As she tumbled and rolled up the long cloth around her body while she closed the distance between herself and whoever had decided to be dumb enough to try and capture her.

Knife at the ready, she somersaulted over her would-be assailant and tried to drive her knife into their shoulder. But the man twisted, and the woods rang out with the crisp sound of metal against metal. Himiko's knife point had slammed into the flat of the man's combat knife he used to parry her.

With a grunt of annoyance, Himiko got a leg around the man's neck, hooked her knee to latch on, and pulled him down with her as she hit the ground.

Twisting the knife in her hand, Himiko got the blade pointed up, and thrust it forward into the man's head, just as the man had his knife pointed down, and was driving it into her chest.

"STOP!"

Both knives froze in mid-strike.

"IT'S TOGA DAMN IT!"

Both knife welders glanced towards the one screaming. Midnight looked like she was having a fit, scuffed up and exasperated. Himiko blinked and turned just at the same time Aizawa did. Teacher and student looked at each other, taking a moment before they pulled their blades back. Midnight quickly knelt beside the pair, working to get Aizawa's capture cloth off Himiko.

"You both look like crap," Himiko observed. Her tone lacked any teasing or condescension. She saw the way both were scuffed up. "Run into a confident one?"

Midnight grunted. "Something like that."

"Is the camp in danger? What about everyone who got dragged away for lessons?"

"Attacked, but after the sudden explosion, they chose to retreat and, I assume, regroup with their conspirators."

"You mean Izuku's explosion." Himiko felt it needed to be said. "That pretty much confirms that it was Izuku."

Aizawa frowned. "Perhaps. But we'll deal with that when we can. Your classmates were not involved in the fight at camp, and Vlad King is holding down the fort for people that start coming in. We were hoping to start running into you all, but so far you're the first to cross our path…" Aizawa glanced back where Himiko had jumped from, like he was expecting someone to follow after her. "You were paired with Kouda. Where is he?"

"Back with Momo, Kyouka and 1-B's rep. They sent me on ahead because you all need to know what's going on." The serious edge to Himiko's voice had the two heroes' attention. Himiko wasn't one to take things seriously unless things were really bad. Midnight did notice a small quiver to it, though. Himiko was holding back a dam full of emotion. There was also something in her eye that went beyond the worry she knew Himiko was feeling for those closest to her.

What the hell is going on?

"What do we need to know?" Aizawa was straight to business.

"Most of 1-B is out of commission. Kendou was carrying a bunch of them. The League of Villains didn't just start burning the forest to make us panic, they had someone in there pumping the place full of gas… They had Saito. He's… working with them."

Even the normally monotoned Aizawa looked startled to hear this. "The bodies though…"

"Shigaraki killed them, but after Momo and I interrogated him, turns out he was pretty involved in their murder. Apparently, Shigaraki didn't go there upset someone took a swing at Izuku. Went there to recruit him. And Saito jumped at the chance."

And suddenly Midnight's question was answered. She was also closing the distance and, much to Himiko's shock, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Um…" Himiko froze. "What are you…?"

Midnight just squeezed tighter. "Midoriya, Uraraka or Asui aren't here, and you need a hug."

Himiko, despite everything, didn't really have an argument against that. So she begrudgingly—at least that's what she told herself—accepted the hug and consolation.

"Had Saito," Aizawa said after a few moments. "Past tense."

…Oh fuck. Midnight didn't like where her mind went with that observation.

"He's alive. But he lost his gas mask, so he can't use his Quirk like he was without taking himself out." She rolled her eye when she felt Midnight relax. "But he got away all the same."

Aizawa glanced at Midnight, an eyebrow raised. "An untrained novice villain got away from you?"

Stepping away from Midnight, Himiko wrung her hands. "Yeah, that's the other thing I needed to tell you guys about. The situation is… potentially a lot worse than it seems."

Midnight motioned towards the smoke. "Worse than all that?"

"The League of Villains has a member… They have someone named Jin with them. He's… someone I met towards the end of my time with Mr. Stain. Jin was nice. Lonely, but kinda jovial. Mr. Stain and I kinda crashed at his apartment building for a bit. Place was pretty run down, so it was a good place to lay low.

"Mr. Stain had just killed some hero, can't remember who, and he said it was better to stay put then try and run around. Jin was our neighbor. Probably knew we were up to no good but wasn't interested in asking questions. Good sort."

Himiko laughed coldly. "I sorta would visit him even when Mr. Stain told me not to. The guy was lonely." The laugh died on her lips. "We were at that apartment for two weeks. First few days, things were fine. Then one day, he comes home all depressed. Not sure why, but he starts talking about why he has to work so hard. Before he shuffled off into his apartment, he made some copies of himself. That was his Quirk. Double. He could make two copies of himself, and then the copies could make two copies. He showed it off once."

Midnight noted that there was a pained look on Himiko's face. Whatever came next, she regretted it. That wasn't something that happened very often.

"I think… making those clones when he was so messed up… started the issue. I think he… they… practically filled up his apartment with copies. Because a little while later, we start hearing a lot of shouting. A lot of shouting, asking if anyone remembered who the original was."

Himiko took a breath.

"Then they started killing each other. Screaming they were real and that the fakes had to die. They spent the next nine days killing each other. During which Mr. Stain forbade me from going in. He was probably worried about the fight spilling out into the whole building, and dragging us into it. And the authorities."

Himiko sighed.

"By the time it was done and the room was quiet, Mr. Stain said it was time to leave. I of course had to check on Jin. I found him alone in his apartment, messed up, his face cut open. He looked at me… and I turned to follow Mr. Stain. Up until now, I thought he was dead. But I just ran into two of his copies, clones of other members of this attack force. Some lizard douche, and a copy of the guy burning down the forest if I had to guess."

Himiko looked the pair in the eye. "Jin can only make two copies of things at a time. But if he copies himself and the clones make copies…"

Aizawa swore under his breath, while Midnight rubbed her brow. "We potentially could get overrun."

"If that were the case," Aizawa started, "they would have done it already. Hit us with a wave of limitless copies. But so far, that doesn't seem to be the case. There may be factors preventing it, but we can't be sure."

"I mean, if it was me, and I had access to a villain with fire and Jin, I'd make infinite fire villains and burn us all to ash." Himiko ignored the looks. "But Saito mentioned something while he was raving. That the League is here for something. And I'd hurt because of it. He didn't say what, but it's probably why they haven't gone full scorched earth on us."

Midnight crossed her arms, fingers tapping. "That's not great. Plus, even if this Jin person can only make two copies, it still puts us at a huge disadvantage. If he can make two more of the villain we fought… we're screwed."

"Well, the clones are super fragile. So a few good hits and they melt… Who'd you fight anyway?"

Midnight grunted. "Some blue cigar-smoking werewolf."

Himiko's head whipped around. "Blue werewolf? Smoking? Like a cigar? Did he have dreadlocks?" Aizawa and Midnight nodded. "Oh… my fuck… Chimera's here?"

Before the teachers could ask how she knew this guy too, there was a lot of commotion from the bushes. Aizawa's eyes glimmered red while Himiko got her knife ready. Just before some floating pants and shirt burst out of the bushes.

"Aizawa-sensei!"

---

Right behind Tooru, soon Mashiro, Fumikage, Mei, Hitoshi, and Mezou all entered onto the path, panting and with more than their fair share of scuffs and some cuts. Cuts Himiko noted definitely hadn't been from any branches they might've run through as she looked Hitoshi over.

Mezou winced as Midnight applied some pressure to a cut on one of his arms. "No. We were ambushed by a villain. He got us from the shadows. He could grow out his teeth like giant bladed spider-legs."

"His teeth?" Aizawa asked, a dark tone to his voice. "You're certain?" Midnight was silently praying they weren't.

The whole group nodded, Tooru adding, "Not something you just mistake."

"Moonfish," Aizawa hissed. "There were reports sent out that he'd escaped not too long ago while being transported to Tartarus for execution."

The students looked at Aizawa in shock. Even in a world filled with villains, it was still extremely rare for one to be marked for death. It implied that whoever Moonfish was, he was extremely dangerous.

"Oh no." Mashiro paled. "Iida, Todoroki, Asui, and Mineta were with us, but we got split up. The villain was… he was focused on them when Iida ordered us to get to camp."

Everyone heard the sharp breath Himiko took through her nose.

Dark Shadow slipped out and nudged Fumikage. "Tell them the other thing."

"Other thing?" Midnight asked.

"Yes, when we were running I overheard… Moonfish say something that seems to indicate he was looking for someone specifically. Someone he wasn't allowed to hurt."

Aizawa and Midnight looked at Fumikage, then swiveled their heads to Himiko. Aizawa crossed his arms. "That seems to confirm this attack has a purpose besides causing chaos."

"Wait? Someone?" Himiko asked sharply. "This fucker was looking for a person?"

Fumikage nodded. "Yes. He said—"

"HEEEEEYYYY! DON'T LEAVE US!"

Hitoshi blinked. "Wait, was that—?"

"I thought he was with Iida and the others?!"

Minoru stumbled out of the woods but to everyone's shock, he fell flat on his face. Along with Kouta who had been clutching to his back, carried in a clumsy but desperate piggyback.

"Oh my god, is that Mandalay's nephew?!"

"Holy crap!"

"Wait… is that blood?!"

Teachers and students rushed to the pair's aid. Aizawa had Kouta pulled up and held, and began looking him over quickly. The bloodstains on the boy's clothing had him fearing the worst, while Midnight rolled Minoru over, and lifted his arms over his head, encouraging him to take slow deep breaths. "Easy. Easy, we got you. You're both okay now." She glanced at Aizawa, and sighed when she saw him tone down the frantic examination.

"He's uninjured," Aizawa told the worried students as they looked between the two.

Mezou knelt by Minoru. "You're okay? After the attack and we got split up, we lost track of you."

"Just, huff huff, ran," Minoru hacked out. "I have, huff huff, to, huff huff…"

Hitoshi put a hand on Minrou's chest. "Easy man. You just ran here carrying someone bigger than you. Take a chance to breathe and then—"

"Midoriya's hurt!" Minoru hacked out finally. "That's his blood on Kouta."

Midnight shot Aizawa an alarmed look. There was a lot of blood on Kouta's clothes.

Himiko hissed out a, "Hurt?"

Minoru winced when he saw Himiko's golden eye focused on him, but Kouta whimpered out weakly, "I… A villain attacked me. He found my hiding spot and was going to… He looked like the villain that took… that took mom and dad…" Kouta was on the verge of tears. After everything that had happened, he was only holding on by threads. "Muscular."

Minoru finally felt like he could sit up. "Midoriya said something like it wasn't actually the guy, but another villain using his body… Honestly, it was really confusing and I didn't push. Midoriya wasn't… all there when he told me to take the kid and run for camp."

"You…" Himiko ground her teeth together, stopping herself from accusing Minoru of abandoning Izuku. If Izuku told Mineta to take the kid. No shot he would have taken no for an answer… FUCK!

Aizawa stood up, cradling Kouta. "What were Midoriya's injuries? I'm assuming similar to the USJ and Sports Festival. Concussion along with a…" Minoru shook his head. "What?"

"He was walking, sorta, but… his right arm was… it had these large punctures and gashes." Minoru shuddered. "His face was also…" Minoru had to work not to throw up. He hadn't had time to really think about it at the time he saw the injury, or for the whole run, just focusing on getting Kouta to safety, but now… "His face was cut open." He took his hand and ran his fingers down the right side of his face, slowing when his fingers passed over his eye. "He… might not have an eye anymore. I couldn't tell."

Dead silence followed after he dropped that horrifying bit of information. Then, when Himiko pivoted, Midnight snatched her wrist. "Don't." She looked over at Mei. "You have devices on Midoriya. I've heard you talking about it since you got here."

Mei quickly whipped out her little handheld. "Yes! Yes, I have readings. He's… readings are weak, and…" Mei paused as she looked over the data she had on hand, recalling what they had looked like prior to the mad sprint away from Moonfish. "I don't have medical readings like you want. But what I have says he's probably about to pass out or is already."

Aizawa frowned. "Can you tell us where he is?"

"No." Mei then quickly cut off the angry snap she felt coming her way from Himiko. "If you needed me to pinpoint a city from the other side of the world, yes. But all I can say with this is he's in the forest." She paused. "I should be able to put something together at my mobile lab."

Himiko screamed, "Fuck! Why does this keep happening?! He keeps getting himself hurt!" Kouta winced and Himiko almost broke a fang shutting herself up. "I didn't mean…"

"Midoriya's penchant for getting himself hurt aside, we need to—" Aizawa started but Kouta spoke over him.

"The villain wanted him," Kouta cut in. Making everyone look at him. "He kept screaming and ranting that he only came here for the chance to kill him. The villain… he hated Midoriya. Hated him."

Hitoshi scratched his head. "Hold it. This villain wanted to kill Midoriya? You're sure?"

Kouta nodded. "He said something about not caring about what a… Shi… Shig…" Kouta frowned trying to recall the name he'd heard.

"Shigaraki?" Midnight asked grimly.

"Yeah. He said he didn't care what Shigaraki or the TV said. He was here to kill Midoriya."

It took different people different amounts of time to reach the same horrible thought. As bad as it was that there was a villain out there that had wanted to kill Izuku and was willing to defy orders to do it, that meant that someone, either Tomura himself or whoever this TV person was, had given orders about Izuku. And Himiko was starting to have trouble breathing.

"Moonfish said he was looking for 'the plain person.'" Fumikage finally finished what he had started to say before Minoru and Kouta had showed up.

One: A villain defying orders not to hurt Izuku.

Two: Moonfish passing comment he was looking for the 'plain person.'

Three: Saito saying whatever the League of Villains took would hurt Himiko.

Even the ones that didn't have all three pieces knew what was happening. But Aizawa, Midnight and Himiko had all the puzzle pieces and now they knew.

"The League of Villains is after Midoriya," Aizawa growled out. "This isn't an attack. This operation is an abduction."

---

"You need to let me go," Himiko hissed down at Midnight when the woman's grip tightened.

Midnight was holding a feral cat by the tail, and was about to get torn up. But she was absolutely not about to just let go.

"She's right, let her go." Aizawa dropped a bomb right into Midnight's lap that stunned both her and Himiko.

"What?!"

"Right now, we need to move quickly and smart. Three objectives. Three of us to carry them out." Aizawa explained quickly, "Midnight, you need to reach the Wild WIld Pussycats like we originally planned. But now it's imperative that Mandalay sends out the message." Midnight frowned deeply but didn't argue. She wasn't a fan of this idea, but the reality of the situation made it pretty clear things needed to happen.

"Message?" Himiko asked.

"Under my authorization, all students have permission to fight back and defend themselves."

Fumikage glanced at Mezou, and both stepped up. "We're ready to head back out."

"Oh god," Minoru tried not to sound too terrified at the prospect.

"No. The order is meant for the students to use to get back to camp. I will be escorting you all the rest of the way, where you all will stay." Aizawa wasn't using his Quirk, but the kids all swore his eyes were glowing red. When no one stepped up to argue, he then turned to Himiko. "You, however, I'm sending out into the woods."

"No. We are not—" Midnight started but Aizawa wasn't having it.

"We can not pretend she's just another student right now. Her skills and experience are needed." The blunt reality of the situation smacked Midnight in the face, hard. "Toga. Find Midoriya. Get him back here if you can. Otherwise, go into hiding with him. Understand?"

Himiko nodded, but waited. She didn't yank her wrist free of Midnight's grip. She looked at her and let herself speak softly. "Tell Mandalay that Kouta is safe. And make sure she sends out that message too. If Izuku knows he's safe, he'll be easier for me to manage."

Midnight hated this. The contorted frown on her face made that clear as day.

She still let go. And Himiko was gone.

Soon, so was Midnight as she headed off for the other heroes, and then Aizawa was too. As he and the students rushed back for camp, Kouta buried his face into the teacher's shoulder. "He kept protecting me. After I said all those mean things to him."

"That's the kind of person Midoriya is," Aizawa answered softly to the boy. "Always looking out for others."

But never himself.

And this time, Aizawa worried that Izuku was going to have to face the consequences of that. Even if by all accounts, once again Izuku's hand had been forced.

Damn it.

---

Izuku was down, his back against the tree and ass on the ground, his head lulled to the side as he drifted from being aware, to something closer to dreaming, and back again.

One moment, the world around him was the forest. Dark, scary, but normal aside from the fact it was currently being burned to the ground and that there were dangerous villains potentially hiding in every shadow.

"…"

But at least the forest was quiet.

"…"

Because when it flickered out of existence, as Izuku's grasp on consciousness slipped, the forest was swallowed up by clouds of black. Which you'd think was scary enough to make Izuku want to stay awake.

"…"

But it wasn't fear that made him fight to keep his eyes open.

"…So loud…"

It was the fact that in the black shadowy dream, the arguing going on was freaking annoying to listen to.

"The ninth did what he needed to do to win. It's what should be expected," Bruce noted with all the curtness and lack of bedside manner you'd expect from a tenured doctor.

Daigoro muttered something in his native Spanish. "Y el premio a la mayor gilipollez dicha es para…" While he took a few large steps away from Bruce, deciding that standing between one of One for All's war veterans and One for All's hero matron was not the place to be.

Nana glared up at Bruce from her spot besides the slumped and—she hoped—mercifully out of it Izuku. "Say something like that again and I'm breaking your jaw."

Hikage ran a finger over his jaw. "Can our bones break here?"

En shrugged. "She would be the one to find out."

Kudo moved besides his friend. "He has a point. Now isn't the time for motherly affection. The battle isn't over. The ninth needs to—"

Nana was up now, looking ready to fight a battle then and there. "Do you not see how bad he's hurt?!"

Bruce, without missing a beat, "He's not as badly injured as he was after we awakened. His legs aren't broken and he doesn't need both arms to fight with his Qui—"

Crack!

Daigoro wound back and clocked the third in the mouth, knocking him backwards where he was caught by Kudo. Shaking his hand, the dark tan man mused, "Huh, that sure felt pretty solid. Probably could break your jaw if she tried."

Within the strange landscape, Nana and Daigoro stood beside Izuku. Kudo and Bruce stood opposite to them. While a brewing fight formed between the fifth, seventh, second and third, the fourth and sixth moved to put themselves between the two groups. In the distance, the eldest first and the flame of the eighth watched the whole scene, unmoving and unspeaking.

Izuku muttered, and winced, "It'd be really nice if my brain was mush right now."

He was pretty… no, very sure Ochako would smack him for saying that. The one voice was right, he'd been hurt way worse before. The issue was, at least those past few times he was suffering from such a bad concussion that his brain was numb, so he wasn't feeling the full extent of his injuries. This time, he wasn't so lucky, so he could feel how bad things were this time.

The vestiges all looked down. Hikage knelt in front of him, and waved his hand. "Look, the young man is out of it. It doesn't matter if he did the right thing or not." Nana frowned. "Or if his injuries aren't as bad as you think they are." Bruce crossed his arms. "There's not enough fight left in him to do anything else. He's drained."

En agreed, happy to take on the role of peacemaker alongside Hikage. "I doubt the boy's going to move from this spot until backup gets here and he's carted off."

"We'll just have to hope that they get here soon, and that the other students will be able to hold their own, or avoid confrontations with any other villains like the one Midoriya faced."

It seemed at least the voices of the past were willing to accept that as things were, Izuku's role for the night, for better or worse, was done.

Back…up.

Other… students.

Other… villains.

…

…

Move.

A wet, anguished-filled grunt, choked out from a body that needed to just stop, grabbed the ghosts attention. They watched as Izuku pulled his leg in, planting his heels into the grass. His unmutilated left arm reached up, fingers digging into the tree bark as Izuku forced himself up and onto his feet.

"¿Qué cojones?"

"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa! Kid?!" Nana was back to Izuku's side, her hands instinctively going to his shoulders to push him back down. But to her horror, she just passed right through him, her hands fading into smoke before she pulled back and they reformed.

She swore under her breath, hating that the bond wasn't strong enough for there to be any interaction between them and Izuku. "Damn it, kid. Stay down, you're going to make you—"

Izuku gave out a pained whimper as he got up. The wet drip drip drip of blood hitting the grass seemed ungodly loud and echoed far too long around them.

"Midoriya, please. Stay down. You're going to make things worse."

Izuku, swaying on his feet, took a step. Then another.

Making Nana about ready to tear her hair out. "Why are you up?!"

Izuku paused, and shocked Nana when his head turned, and he looked right at her. "Ochako… I can't leave her alone…"

Move.

Izuku walked off into the dark. Spending more effort and attention on making sure his feet kept moving, than on the direction he was going. And for each step, the ghosts faded away, back into One for All's core.

---

"Back! We're retreating!" Beros ordered, firing multiple arrows while she began floating back up into the sky, putting as much distance between herself and the newly arrived Midnight as she could. "Don't get close to her!"

Midnight would have felt a small boost to her pride at being recognized so quickly and singled out as a threat, if she wasn't busy dodging arrows.

Spinner swung wildly at Mandalay, who sidestepped and backhanded him in the snout. He stumbled back, and growled out, "Why?! What's she going to do, stripetease us?!"

A bright blue glow enveloped Spinner before he was launched backwards, towards the glowing red Beros, thanks to Magne realizing the problem at the same time. "Sorry hun, she gives them numbers and her Quirk is no good for us."

Mange twisted and took off. Tiger growled and started to chase, but Mandalay called after him, "Don't. We have no idea if they're regrouping with more villains." She knelt down beside a gasping Pixie-Bob. "Besides, we need to get Ryuuko medical attention back at camp." Midnight knelt down next to the group. "The students that left, did they make it?"

Midnight frowned. "Some have… but things have gotten complicated. I'll explain it as we get back. But you should know, we got Kouta." Mandalay's professional facade cracked. Her relief threatened to take her out of the mindset she needed. Which Midnight needed. "Listen. I have two messages from Aizawa. And I need you to send it out. Things are bad. Really bad."

---

"Yao-Momo! Right there!"

The sudden crunching of leaves and branches warned Kyouka someone was running up on them fast. Which was all Momo needed to act. Twisting, she swung her bo staff around, and jammed it into the dark brush. Only to give a surprised yelp as it was violently blown out of her hands in a fury of fire and smoke.

Thrown off balance, she wasn't able to defend herself when someone launched out of the fireball and slammed into her, throwing her to the ground and pressing their palm into the side of her head.

Kyouka screamed as her jacks went flying, only for another person to burst out of the bushes and catch both, wrapping them up and yanking Kyouka towards them. Her feet were kicked out from underneath her, and with her jacks pulled taut, the second attacker drove their foot into Kyouka's chest.

"WHOA HOLD ON!" Itsuka screamed.

Momo made a very unladylike growl. "Unhand her now!" While from all over her body, she created multiple machetes, with the blades facing out towards her attacker. All of which were about to get longer as she got ready to expel them into whoever was holding her. "Let go of Jirou or else I'll—"

"Wait?! Jirou?!" The second attacker suddenly yelled.

"EVERYONE STOP!" Itsuka screamed again. "They're 1-A! You're all from the same class!"

Momo felt her head get wrenched to the side as her attacker ripped her gas mask off. "The fuck?! Ponytail?!"

Kyouka felt some pressure taken off her chest, and used the chance to reach up and pull off her mask.

Momo and Kyouka found themselves looking up at Ochako and Katsuki. The two teens turned and saw Kouji having already taken his mask off and was hurrying to pull Itsuka's.

Ochako gasped and quickly got off Kyouka and pulled her to her feet. "We're so sorry! We didn't recognize you all, you all just attacked us as we were running and we just—"

"You all did advance on us without announcing yourselves. Given the situation, that was most unwise," Momo countered curtly while she got up and let all the sharp pointy metal bits fall harmlessly to the ground.

Katsuki felt his brow twitch. "You seriously trying to say it's our fault you two just got your asses handed to you?"

Momo crossed her arms. "You two blatantly disregarded a hero's direct order by attacking us."

Itsuka coughed.

"You tried to hit me with a metal broom stick!"

There was a short pause, before everyone let out a long, stressed-filled sigh, and as one, decompressed.

Ochako, despite the horror of the night, started laughing and Kyouka gave her a shoulder to lean on. Momo relaxed immediately as she started making herself another new shirt while Katsuki rubbed his brow. "Fucking hell, why were you guys even wearing those things?"

Kouji pointed at them widely. "Hurt." He squeaked out.

Ochako and Katsuki looked down at themselves. The two had obviously been through some shit. With the way the four were looking at them, they seemed to think that took precedent over their masks.

"We… ran into Shigaraki," Ochako explained carefully. She waited for the shocked gasps to pass before adding, without going into detail, "And he had a Nomu… that could talk."

Silence.

"Check please, I want off the 1-A experience, thank you," Itsuka grumbled to herself.

"Talk? Like, talk talk? Like, the fucking thing from the USJ talked?" Kyouka looked about ready to join Itsuka in looking for the exit.

"This one looked more lik Giger centaur."

"Oh good. The walking nightmares come in different shapes." Kyouka threw her hands up.

Katsuki clicked his tongue but stayed silent on the subject. He certainly wasn't going to bring up why the Nomu could talk. And he also sure as fuck wasn't going to thank Ochako for not bringing it up either. So instead, he changed the subject as he finally acknowledged that Itsuka was carrying a lot of people in her hands.

"What the hell is going on with 1-B? And why are they all wearing masks? Fuck, why were you all wearing them?" His gaze shifted to Kouji. "And what the fuck happened to him? The one none-fighter here, and he looks like he got the worst of everything."

Ochako noted that Momo, Kyouka and Itsuka didn't seem to particularly like the way Katsuki was being so dismissive of Kouji.

"The League of Villains has a member with a fire Quirk…" Momo paused. "Or at least, they made a copy of a villain with a fire Quirk."

"A copy?" Ochako didn't like the sound of that. "What happened to you guys?"

---

As Momo explained their side of events, the relief Ochako had felt at hearing Himiko was fine, just out ahead of everyone else, evaporated when she heard what had left Itsuka's classmates in their state.

"Saito? The same guy that ambushed Himiko outside our school with all those reporters? That Saito?" Ochako just couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How does… how does something like this even happen?"

Katsuki crossed his arms. "You're really that surprised the shitstain turned rotten after the stunt he pulled?"

Ochako didn't say anything. She had been front and center to the whole ordeal. In retrospect, given what happened that day, and then everything that Himiko had told them after the fact, the way the HPSC and U.A. were trying to maneuver the story so that only he got any blame…

"Everyone tried to make sure they got out of the mess clean… Save Himiko, doom Saito… god, this is messed up," she muttered to herself while rubbing her brow. She glanced at Katsuki. "Why does it feel like the League of Villains is taking a personal touch to us now?"

That got a sneer from Katsuki, but he ignored it and focused on the other part of the story. "And what about this cloning bastard? She tell you anything before she bolted?"

Momo shook her head. "I'm afraid she didn't. But she did know him by name. Not the villain name Saito was using."

"Mustard," Katsuki cut in.

"Eh?"

"Use his damned villain name too. Shitstain wants to throw his lot in with Shigaraki and whoever else he's roped into this mess, then he's Mustard now. Not Saito."

Momo frowned deeply, but it was Kyouka that objected strongly, "Asshole, that comes off pretty dehumanizing coming from you."

"Your fucking point?"

Ochako slipped in between the two. "Losing focus. Copy villain. Go."

Momo continued, "Besides seeming to know who this villain was, she seemed particularly upset. She didn't dwell on it, but it was obvious after the first clone dissolved that she was upset. Angry."

Ochako wasn't sure what to make of that. Himiko's past is complicated. I guess it makes sense she might know other villains. She's mentioned some before but… "Was this deliberate? Do you think the League went looking for people with connections to Himiko?"

"I don't think so. Sai…" There was an annoyed growl from Katsuki. "Mustard seemed particularly shocked she knew who this Twice was."

"So, a coincidence?"

Momo shrugged. "I'm unsure. There was the other individual I spoke of. Spinner I think was the name, he appeared to be a follower of Stain. It might be that after learning Stain was in the League of Villains, followers of his ideology just naturally migrated to the organization. Which means they may be familiar with Toga and she with them."

"Fucking great. That's going to be a pain in the ass later," Katsuki grumbled.

Ochako gave him a side eye. "Why are you upset by that?"

"What do you think's gonna happen when the media hears that more Stain shits are making noise? And that they may know Bun Head? I'll bet you this'll turn her into a lightning rod again."

Ochako blinked, then swore harshly, "Fuck."

Kouji gasped, covering his mouth. Kyouka tapped his side. "Best you forget you heard that." Kouji nodded feverishly.

Katsuki just rolled his eyes, but gave his large classmate a once over. "You all haven't said what happened to the animal whisperer over here."

"Remember the fire villain we mentioned? The one that was probably responsible for the fires going on?" Ochako and Katsuki nodded. "Well, he got the drop on Kendou and me. Tried to burn us with a huge blast of fire. Kouda leapt in and put himself between us and the fire while he tackled us to safety." Kyouka laid a gentle hand on Kouji's arm. "Saved our lives and kept us from getting hurt by the fire."

Kouji made a few bashful waves, but Momo wasn't hearing it. "You deserve the praise, Kouda. I'm going to make sure the school knows how brave you were."

"Hear hear," Itsuka added.

"Hmph," Katsuki gave Kouji a hard look. "Not bad, Rock Face."

"Oh dear god, Bakugou's giving out compliments," Kyouka snickered.

"We must be deeper in the manure than I feared." Momo didn't seem to notice the looks she got for that one.

"Lobes, if she's going to hang around with you, for god's sake, get her to speak normally," Katsuki grumbled.

There was a snap, a twig cracking under weight. Kouji moved to shelter the passed out students while Itsuka closed her fingers around them. Momo pulled out a bo staff while Katsuki's hand started popping. "Whoever's in there better say their fucking name or I'm nuking everything and everyone over there right the fuck now!"

Silence followed Katsuki's threat.

Ochako leaned in, eyes squinted as she tried to peer through the dark and brush. "He's not kidding. You wanna live, out in the open now!" Nothing. Ochako glanced over at Kyouka, who had her jacks in the ground.

"Someone's there. But…" Kyouka frowned. "Sounds like they're in pain. They're breathing really hard… and I'm hearing… dripping?"

Itsuka looked towards the source of the snap. "Bleeding?"

"If that's what that dripping is, then they're really hurt," Kyouka confirmed grimly.

Momo pulled her staff back, lowering it and putting it on the ground. Her side began to sparkle before a white case, marked with a red cross, popped out from her waist. Katsuki looked incredulous, but Momo shushed him.

"If you're injured, we can help you." Momo ignored the looks Katsuki and Ochako shot her. "We're supposed to be heroes. I don't recall any of our lessons being ignoring an injured individual. If he's already gotten the stick, we might get more from the carrot right now." Ochako seemed more open to that than Katsuki, but he wasn't making a point to argue. "Please, just come out to us, and we can help you."

For a few seconds, silence. Kyouka confirmed they were still there. Ochako was about to suggest maybe they needed to send someone in to get them. Then came a raspy groan.

"I… can't…"

Ochako jerked like she'd just been punched in the nose. Katsuki lowered his hands while the rest all stared in open shock into the dark bushes.

"Deku?!" Ochako called out. "Deku, is that you?!" She started for the brush, but came to a halt when there was a pained cry and the sound of someone stumbling away from them.

"N-no. No, can't see… no… Bad idea… bad idea to look for you…"

Everyone was confused, looking at each other, not knowing what was going on.

"Is… Did Midoriya just run back?" Momo asked.

Kyouka nodded. "He moved back. But not far or anything."

Still, Izuku had moved away from Ochako. Which was alarming.

Katsuki's eyes darted from a very confused and starting to panic Ochako, then towards the brush. "He sounds like he did after our fucking match at the sports festival." Ochako glanced at him. Katsuki turned back to look at the brush. "And you got mad at him the last time that happened, right? And over the other crap too. Chased him down." Ochako's eyes went wide. "He made promises about not letting this happen, right?"

Itsuka blinked. "Wait, is he not coming out because he's afraid Uraraka will be—"

"Deku! Deku, I'm not mad. I won't be mad or anything like that. If you're hurt, please. Please come out so we can help you!" Ochako whipped around and called out, worry and fear gripping at her, but she tried to keep her voice steady.

If Deku has a concussion, he might be confused about what's going on. He'd never just hide like this.

"I broke… my promise," came a soft reply.

Ochako reached out her hand toward the shadows. "It's okay. Deku, it's okay. We all got attacked. Look, I'm all beat up too. So… so it's okay if you had to push yourself tonight. Just please… please don't run away from me. Let us help, okay?"

Ochako held her breath, fighting every instinct screaming at her to rush into the brush to get to Izuku's side. But the part fighting to hold her in place made it clear. Doing so while Izuku was hurt and confused, could send the boy running. Which could make a bad situation even worse.

The bushes rustled and Kyouka let out a sigh. "He's coming."

They could all hear it clearly now, Izuku getting closer to them, could just see his silhouette in the shadows. But as he got closer, things began to look wrong. They could hear his labored breathing, raspy and filled with pain, see the way he swayed with each step, unsteady on his own feet. He was leaning to the side, letting his right arm hang limply. When he was finally close enough to reach for Ochako's hand with his left, it was when he was out of the shadows and everyone could see him.

"Oh dear god," gasped a horrified Momo.

Izuku stood before them now, in all his mutilated horror.

Itsuka and Kouji forgot how to breathe for a long moment. Kyouka had a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Katsuki was left stunned and frozen stiff.

Ochako's heart shattered, tears welling up as she was left confused as to what to do.

Izuku, unsteady and leaving a trail of blood behind him, looked over Ochako, worry replacing the confused empty, glazed over, expression his face had had moments earlier. "You're hurt." In that moment, his own hurts and pains were forgotten as he suddenly only cared about Ochako's well-being. "We need to get you… first… aid…" He stepped towards her, but his legs gave out.

Crying in shock, Ochako wrapped her arms around him, holding him so he wouldn't hit the ground.

---

"What happened…? To you guys?" Izuku looked at Katsuki, but it was clear the question was for everyone. "Why're you all look like you lost your fights?"

"Shut the fuck up. Don't want to hear that from you."

Kouji just tapped his fingers together, not thinking his actions warranted any concern, which got some leveled looks from the rest of his group.

Ochako kept Izuku's head lying on her lap while Momo and Kyouka went to work. More and more first aid boxes were created and snapped open as they used everything Momo could create to help tend to Izuku. As they worked, Izuku summed up his fight as best he could.

"The sludge bastard did this?" Katsuki growled as Izuku recounted the events he'd gone through. Hearing that he of all people was around had his bristle up. He had some hateful memories of his own over that villain. "How in the fuck?"

Izuku coughed, and on top of sounding horrible, everyone saw the smoke that escaped Izuku's mouth. "He… took over another villain's body. Lots of muscles…" Izuku gingerly started to reach up towards his face, but Ochako cupped his hand between hers to stop him. "Lots of… bones."

Momo and Kyouka paused and glanced at Izuku's injuries. The punctures, gashes and lacerations suddenly made a lot more sense.

Ochako bushed Izuku's hair, being careful to keep her touch delicate when her hand went towards his right side. "Himiko's going to be mad you two won't be pirate buddies."

Izuku made a soft, wheezing chuckle.

"How'd you win?" Katsuki asked. Izuku glanced down at his mangled, overcooked chicken-wing-from-the-fryer, fingers. So did everyone else. The conversation was quickly shifted.

"We can worry about the villain later," Itsuka said, frowning. "Midoriya. What happened to Kouta?"

When Izuku had mentioned he'd done what he'd done to protect Kouta, more than a few worried looks were shared since it didn't seem the young boy was with Izuku now.

"Ran… into Mineta. Asked him to take Kouta to the camp," Izuku rasped out.

Ochako swallowed. "He left you?" There was an unmistakable edge in Ochako's voice.

Momo paused as she started wrapping up Izuku's hastily disinfected face. "Uraraka. I don't think Mineta could do anything for Midoriya."

Izuku painfully agreed. "He said… he didn't think he could carry me. Told him… to go."

Kouji shifted on his feet, his eyes scanning the forest as it was really the only place he could look without getting queasy. "He was alone?"

"Separated from his group when a villain attacked them," Izuku summed up. Then, as Momo had Ochako gently turn his head to the side so she could finish wrapping it up in gauze, Izuku looked at Kouji. "Weren't you and Himiko… paired up?"

Kouji started making motions, but Momo stepped in, thinking it would be easier for Izuku if the explanation came from her. "Toga was with us during the start of the attack. After we… got away from the villain we were dealing with, we decided that she should go on ahead to warn the teachers. Kouda stayed to help with the wounded."

Izuku got a good look at who Itsuka was carrying. He might have been in extreme pain and dealing with easily his third worst case of getting his bell rung, but even he still saw how everyone suddenly seemed more interested in anything other than answering. "How bad is this?"

Ochako swallowed. "Bad."

"How bad?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Depends on which fucked thing we tell you."

"Bakugou. There'll be time for that later," Ochako warned. She did not want to add to the stress Izuku was going through right now. Saito, Tsubasa and godforsaken Tomura could wait until after this nightmare was over.

Kyouka waved Katsuki over. "Get over here and hold his arm still so I can splint it." The lacerations were now gauzed over, so she could now worry about making sure his arm wouldn't flop around when… "Hey. What's the plan now?"

Katsuki frowned as he held Izuku's arm steady while Kyouka began tying the splint. "The hell you mean?"

"I mean, what are we going to do now that we found Midoriya?"

Itsuka looked over her shoulder at her classmates. "We'll get him back to camp with everyone else."

Momo stopped what she was doing, but Ochako beat her to the punch. "We can't move him. He's in no condition to be moved. We need to fortify and wait for Aizawa-sensei or Midnight-sensei."

Kyouka glanced down at Izuku as she finished. This was the first time she'd seen him in such a state up close. "He was moving around when we found him. I don't think staying out in the open is a good idea." The unspoken 'how in the fuck was he moving at all' question hung in the air for several seconds. "We also have to worry about more than just Midoriya…" She glanced at him. "No offense. But we got people that I don't think we can keep here."

Everyone looked over at the still unconscious classmates Itsuka was holding.

Ochako nodded. "Okay… yeah, Kendou's classmates need to get back to camp." Ochako glanced down at Izuku. The emergency treatment was done, and with him all bandaged up, she slowly lowered him onto the soft grass. She kept stroking his hair until she stood up. "Yaoyorozu, can you make more emergency supplies… and maybe some tools or weapons I could use to defend us?"

Itsuka frowned deeply. "Hold on. No one's suggesting we leave you two here alone! We can't do that."

"Splitting up is our best option," Ochako countered as she began walking around, trying to get a good feel of her surroundings. Trying to see if there was a better spot she and Izuku could hide. "The five of you need to get back to camp as fast as you can."

"Oi, hold it." Katsuki was up and moving to get in front of her. "You think I'm leaving?"

"…I think it'd be better if you went with them," Ochako stated. Each word, calm. Collected. And cold. "You can help protect them."

Katsuki eyed Ochako. "That really what this is about? Me protecting them? Or is your paranoia acting up and you just want me gone?"

Everyone could see the sparks starting to crackle and jolt between the two. Kyouka put herself between them while Momo made it very clear, whatever this was, it stopped now. "You two need to put whatever petty bickering you're going through behind you. I will not allow you two to endanger all of us by acting like a pair of immature children."

Katsuki snarled as he twisted to glare at Momo. "Who are you calling a child?"

Momo didn't blink. "We are in a dangerous situation with injured that require treatment. We need to come up with a plan and act on it before we—"

"MEMBERS OF CLASS A AND B!" Mandalay's voice suddenly cut through the brewing argument, making everyone flinch.

Izuku chuckled softly. "He he he, the voices in my head are talking again…" Ochako and Katsuki stiffened, but it didn't seem like anyone really noticed. They were all too busy focusing on the sudden telepathic message being sent to them.

"Villains have left, the villains have left," Kouji whispered hopefully to himself, praying the message was that the danger was over.

"YOU ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED BY ERASER HEAD TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT!"

The six all openly gawked. "We're… what?" Kyouka asked.

"That's… that's not a good sign," Itsuka said grimly. "If they're telling us we're allowed to fight, after Mandalay's first broadcast…"

"Ponytail was right, we're still neck deep in shit," Katsuki growled out.

"WE'VE ALSO IDENTIFIED THE VILLAINS' OBJECTIVE FOR THIS ATTACK!" Everyone got quiet. "THEIR GOAL IS MIDORIYA IZUKU! I REPEAT, THE VILLAINS ARE AFTER MIDORIYA IZUKU!"

"Oh god." Ochako suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"MIDORIYA WAS CRITICALLY INJURED DUE TO AN ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF THE VILLAINS WHILE SAVING KOUTA! HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DEFEND HIMSELF. FIND AND GET HIM BACK TO CAMP! MIDORIYA, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME! PLEASE YOU'VE DONE MORE THAN I COULD HAVE EVER ASKED! AVOID ANY MORE COMBAT AND GET BACK TO CAMP!"

And then.

Silence.

One moment, Ochako found it hard to breathe. Another, she was starting to hyperventilate as panic and horror gripped her. "Oh god, they're after Deku. They're after—!"

She slapped herself across the face. Momo and Kyouka flinched while Itsuka and Katsuki approved when Ochako turned back, looking ready to work.

"We can't stay here. Yaoyorozu, I need you to make a stretcher. We'll secure Deku to it and then I'll float him and it. It's not perfect, but it's the best way we can move him without aggravating his injuries any worse than they are."

She pointed towards Katsuki. "You need to take point. If we're attacked, you're going to be the chainsaw they walk into first." Katsuki nodded. "Kouda, I want you to…" Ochako trailed off when she noticed Kouda wasn't looking at her. Or anyone in their huddle. He was looking back, and appeared completely shocked. "Kouda?"

Kouji pointed widely behind them, panicked.

Ochako whipped around, just to see her world shatter in front of her. The spot where she had laid Izuku down was empty. And Ochako just stopped functioning. She couldn't understand what was going on.

Katsuki swore. "Fuck! He must have run off! Motherfucking shithead must think since he's the target he has to get away from us! Ears! Find him now!"

Kyouka jammed her jacks into the ground while Itsuka shook her head. "How is he moving, though? He shouldn't be able to stand. All that damage, his body should be shutting down to protect itsel—"

"I can't hear him," Kyouka gasped out. Her eyes now darted around as she physically looked while listening. "There's… I can't hear him. He's…"

Momo also started looking around. "He can't just be gone."

Kyouka hushed everyone harshly, demanding quiet.

This doesn't make sense. Jirou should be able to hear him.

Kyouka stopped. The long jacks went rigid before her panicked look turned sour, a deep frown etching on her face. Then suddenly, Kyouka yanked both jacks out and launched the ends to the side, embedding them into a tree. A split second later, after she pumped vibrations through them, the tree shattered.

"There's someone there!" Kyouka yelled, just as whoever was in the branches leapt from the tree top, only to land on another.

A man no one recognized patted himself down. "My, you sure sniffed me out quickly. I may be a star, but tonight, I wanted to stick to the shadows and let my co-stars have the limelight. Just my luck running into someone with your talents, young lady. The name is Mr. Compress." The man tipped his tall top hat towards Kyouka. His face was hidden by a white mask with black markings. "I'd hoped to slip in and out while you all were so distracted amongst yourselves."

Ochako ground her teeth as she screamed, "What did you do to Deku?!"

Mr. Compress leaned on his cane while raising his hand. With a few hand gestures you might see from a corner street showman, a small green marble appeared between his fingers. "Fret not. I haven't harmed the young man. I just used my magic to take him. I am sorry, but even the brightest stars like this boy, all have to face the reality that they can be pulled backstage at any mome—"

"RAAHHHHH!" Ochako threw herself at him, screaming like a wild beast as she rocketed across the air weightlessly. Her hands swiped at him as he nimbly pivoted and lept to another tree while she slammed into the branches.

While she reoriented herself, Mr. Compress took a second to pocket the marble. "My my my, you're—"

"GIVE HIM BACK!" Ochako had already ripped herself free and had launched herself again.

Mr. Compress lept again. "You're very possessive, huh? Not an attractive trait in a wom—"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Katsuki propelled himself right at the man, swinging his hands out as he threw a line of explosions meant to envelop him and any escape route he might try to use. But Mr. Compress was already dodging past, and the explosions only cut into Ochako's path. "Fucker! Stay still and die!"

Mr. Compress didn't stop this time when he landed. Instead he kept bouncing away, loudly complaining that if his showmanship wasn't going to be appreciated, he was just going to leave.

Ochako slammed back into the ground after getting knocked back by the explosions. "No! NO! NO NO NO!"

"How the fuck is he that fast?!" Katsuki swore loudly as he landed. But he wasn't staying put. Hands pointed back, he was about to propel himself after the showy villain, only to get grabbed by Momo.

"Hold it, you can't go after him alone. If Midoriya was his target he may be—" Momo then pivoted and latched onto Ochako, restraining her before she floated herself again to try and fly after the escaping villain. "LISTEN! If he has Midoriya, then the odds are he'll contact his fellow conspirators. I will not allow the two of you to potentially face a group of villains alone."

Ochako ripped herself free. "Yaoyorozu, we don't have time!"

"No. We don't. I will not let you face this without better odds." Momo turned towards Kyouka. "I'll need your help for my plan. Hurry!" Kyouka didn't hesitate and hurried towards Momo and the confused and panicked Ochako. Katsuki eyed the calm vice rep. "The four of us will give chase. Uraraka, you'll float us. Jirou and I will tie us together so we don't get separated in flight. Kendou, you'll need to throw us towards the villain. Kouda, stay with her and help get her classmates to safety and tell the teachers what's happened. Bakugou, you'll be the one controlling our flight so we don't lose sight of our target. Understood?!"

Itsuka swiftly put her classmates down while Momo began creating straps for everyone to hold onto while Kyouka wrapped her jacks around the four. Once they were floated, Itsuka hefted them up. "Get him guys!" she screamed as she reared back and threw them.

The force of the throw was shocking, but Katsuki was able to keep them facing where they wanted to go with corrective explosions. As they flew in pursuit, Ochako glared into the darkness, repeating to herself that she wasn't going to let the villains take Izuku away.

She had made a promise to protect him.

To him.

To Inko.

To herself.

She was not going to let the villains win. Not after everything they had already done to him.

I'm coming Deku. Just hold on! I'll get you back!

---

"MEMBERS OF CLASS A AND B! YOU ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED BY ERASER HEAD TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT!

Tenya, Shouto and Tsuyu were in mid stride/hop when Mandalay's telepathic message screamed into their minds. But the exact moment they heard that combat was authorized, and their feet hit the ground, they instantly turned to stop running and counterattacked.

"Flesh! Let me cut into you!" Moonfish's bladed teeth grew out like spears, raining down from above them. Shouto sent out a wall of ice. However, unlike the previous attempts to put up defensive walls, this wasn't meant to slow down the villain, but to ensnare him.

He kept the wall low to the ground, and instead of spreading the ice out, focused on building it around the teeth that slammed into it. Glaciers formed around the teeth, keeping them from reaching the three of them but also holding the villain in place.

Cracks immediately started to form, but Shouto kept applying more ice. "Hurry before he breaks free!"

What had surprised the three during the attack the most, wasn't the villain's desire to cut into them. The manic evil that seeped from him as he tried to stab them with his teeth. It was the way he used his Quirk to move. That mobility was a hurdle to any attempt to fight back.

Tenya saw the opening, but there was still the issue of reaching.

Which Tsuyu took care of immediately. As Tenya's engines roared to life, she sent out her tongue to wrap around his waist, swinging him up into the air like a rocket-propelled pendulum, letting Tenya pick up momentum to power up the kick he was aiming for the villain's head, intent to knock him out in one blow.

New teeth shot out from Moonfish's mouth while the old stuck ones were yanked out, pushing himself to the side, so that Tenya was only able to land a glancing blow. But the villain's own dodge and the force of Tsuyu and Tenya's combined attack still sent the villain spiraling into the trees, disappearing into the brush with very loud crashes as limbs broke his fall.

Tsuyu swung Tenya back towards her, while Shouto switched from ice to fire.

"Hold Todoroki!" Tenya called out. "We can't risk igniting more of the forest on fire! We may end up making things worse for everyone else still in the woods!"

Shouto frowned, but couldn't argue. "Then we need to figure out a plan soon. I don't think that kick took him…" White bladed teeth slowly began to snake out of the shadows. "…out."

"We need to hurry, kero," Tsuyu said with urgency. "You heard the rest of the message."

Both Tenya and Shouto agreed they needed to finish this, and fast.

"Tsu. You can't let yourself get distracted by what we've learned," Shouto offered his noticeably antsy friend. "If you're not focused on this fight, you're going to get hurt."

More and more bladed teeth were emerging from the dark, like the legs of a spider descending down its web towards its prey.

"Todoroki is correct. We won't be able to help anyone if we don't focus." He was relieved to see that Tsuyu agreed. Her normally large eyes were narrowed dangerously, showing her intent, and that she'd picked up some tricks from either Ochako or Himiko on how to make an angry face.

"The moment he comes out of the bushes, we rush him from either side. Todoroki, I want you to focus on using your ice as a shield to slow down his attacks. Help create an opening for us."

The black form of Moonfish slowly emerged. "Flesh!"

"GO NO—!"

SHUNK!

Moonfish's head jerked to the side as a large knife was driven into his jaw. Multiple teeth shot out of his mouth in a blind, panicked, attack. A wet scream of rage and pain ripped through the night air.

CRACK!

The knife, driven into the villain's jawbone twisted, splintering bone and separating Moonfish's lower jaw. His jaw now compromised and his own flailing attacks with teeth growing and striking out at random, soon left his mouth shredded and hanging loosely off his face as he stopped and the last of his teeth separated from his mouth, ending in bloody nubs.

The trio openly gawked at the sudden violent turn, then winced when the knife was viciously yanked out, pulling chunks of Moonfish's jaw along with it. Collapsing to the ground, Himiko stood over the writhing villain. Face cold and emotionless, she waltzed around the writhing sadist, before driving the knife into his sternum.

"Toga!" cried out an alarmed Tenya.

Himiko raised a hand, letting him know to wait. Then as she knelt besides Moonfish. "The knife is right next to your heart. Don't remove it, don't come after us. Stay right there, and by the time the heroes come to arrest you, you'll still be alive in time for them to hang your ass at the gallows until your feet stop twitching. Or don't, and end things on your own terms. You'll bleed out before you're able to plan step two."

Himiko let go of the hilt, then turned towards the three. There was a brief moment where she was almost unrecognizable to them, then with a blink, she bolted towards Tsuyu and wrapped her up in the tightest hug, burying her face in her girlfriend's neck as she clutched her close.

Tsuyu, initially overcome with shock at just how brutally Himiko had dispatched the villain chasing them, was able to reach up and stroke Himiko's hair. "I'm okay, kero."

"I know," Himiko whispered. "You can take care of yourself. Just… give me a sec."

Tsuyu nodded. "You're two for two in the villain rescue category in our relationship. USJ and now. I need to step up soon or I'm going to be the only person in the whole relationship without a rescue."

Himiko stayed glued to Tsuyu for a few more moments, before she pulled back, and looked over at her friends. "You two alright?"

"We're not cut up," Shouto observed dryly.

Tenya glanced back at the Moonfish, who was apparently taking Himiko's first option. Staying still. "I suppose that's one of us."

"Complaining?"

Tenya adjusted his glasses. "I recall my brother talking about this man. There aren't many villains that actually get the death sentence."

Himiko got the message. While Tenya didn't condone her methods, he sure wasn't going to complain about them. Since everyone seemed to be in one piece, Himiko put her game face back on. "You all got the message?"

"We did," Tenya confirmed. "About being able to fight, and Midoriya."

Himiko gave a curt nod while she looked around. "Good. According to Mineta, when he last saw Izuku, he was hurt bad. Izuku sent him away along with that Kouta kid to get taken to camp. The problem is, he said Izuku was dazed but able to walk."

Tsuyu frowned. "You're thinking he might have wandered off from wherever they last met."

Himiko nodded while she walked up to one of the long spider-legged tooth blades sticking out of the ground. With a few hard kicks to the flat of it, the tooth cracked, then splintered off from the rest. Taking a chunk of ice, Himiko smashed it, breaking it until she had several long knife shaped shards.

"Yeah. Izuku was headed towards the camp only because Kouta was pointing him in the correct direction." She ripped at her clothing until she had several long strips of cloth to wrap up the ends of the shards with, until she had a small collection of makeshift shivs. "Without the kid, Izuku could be anywhere. But we still should head towards—"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The four turned and peered off into the night sky.

"Those are Bakugou's explosions, kero."

The class knew those booms by heart now. Tenya then pointed. "There, look!"

Shouto squinted. "What is… Are those…?"

"Bakugou, Momo, Kyouka and…" Himiko kept her eye focused. "Ochako for sure. No chance they're flying like that without her."

The oddness of the sight would have kept the four speechless if not for Tenya pointing out, "They're flying away from camp. Out towards where some of the worst of the fire was."

"And the gas," Himiko added darkly. "Where you'd be crazy to go. A death trap."

Tsuyu tapped her chin. "If the villains wanted to make an escape… it'd be easier for them to all be in one place, right? And they'd want to keep us away from that."

"A place so their portal bastard can grab them all at once." Himiko suddenly had a bad feeling. "Oh fuck. There's only one reason Ochako would be headed that way."

The answer hung over their heads, smothering them. Ochako would be focused on finding and protecting Izuku. The only reason she would be part of some attack on the villains was for one thing.

"They have Izuku," Tsuyu croaked in alarm.

Himiko bolted, following in the trail of the fire rockets. Tenya swung an arm around Shouto, lifting him up, while he called for Tsuyu to hop onto his back. With his engines roaring, he took off, picking up Himiko before she'd been able to vanish into the brush. Even with the weight of three people weighing him down, Tenya powered through, working his legs and Quirk to catch up with the others as they sailed through the sky.

---

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa hold on!" Hitoshi chased after a surprisingly fast Mei. "What do you mean you lost the signal?"

Arriving with Aizawa as he led the rest of the group back to camp, they had only just arrived when Mei took off to where the buses were parked.

Mei chucked the pad she had been looking at over her shoulder and into the sputtering boy's hands as he tried not to drop the device. "I mean one second I was getting readings on Midoriya and now I'm not."

Hitoshi looked down at the silent pad's screen. No data was showing. Instead across it were two words.

Signal Lost.

Hitoshi paled at the words. "You're not… you're not saying he's dead?"

As the pair reached the parked buses, Mei snatched the device and started pressing at the screen. "Don't be stupid. If he was dead, then this would be telling me."

Hitoshi put a hand over his heart and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god, things aren't that bad."

"Oh, they're worse."

"…Huh?"

Something started rumbling from behind one of the buses before Mei's robo-cycle shot up into the air, loaded up already with the mobile workshop, as Mei normally kept it. "He's been captured by the villains."

Hitoshi paused, eyes going wide. "Hold it, you can't know that. Maybe the thing is just busted!" Mei gave him a look. "Okay… maybe not that. But to just assume…" He trailed off when Mei brought the cycle down next to her and hopped on.

"No one here has a Quirk that can interfere with the signal my trackers have," she stated plainly.

"…Fuck… Then we need to get Aizawa-sensei and Vlad-sensei…"

"Eraser Head and Vlad King were in the middle of discussing who was staying to guard at camp and who was going to start searching for the rest of 1-B." Mei thumbed back at an empty spot on the cycle. "You can go tell Vlad King and Eraser Head and they might have a free hand to send out. Or you can put all the training you've been doing to use and help me save Midoriya."

Hitoshi ground his teeth before he clambered onto the cycle, grumbling the whole climb. "Should have failed that damned exam. Going to save Midoriya and chew him out for helping me pass."

---

"Who hasn't reported in?" Dabi asked as he strolled besides Chimera.

Chimera blew out a long puff of smoke while he almost crushed his cigars between his fingers. "Muscular, Moonfish and Hedoro haven't responded to the call to regroup at extraction."

Besides them, Twice shook his head. "Oh man, all the nut jobs are dropping like flies! Oh, but I'm still here! Does this mean Twice is on the chopping block?!" Both men regarded Twice with mild annoyance but let the strange man spout off.

Walking into the clearing the rest of the attack squad was currently standing by,. Dabi glanced over at the most recent arrival. "The plan was that we would use my fire and the gas to keep people away from this spot." Saito glared at Dabi, hand clutching the ruined gas mask. "But after his screwup, this spot isn't as secure as we'd want it."

Saito jabbed a finger at Dabi. "Your clone got popped! Don't try and pin this all on me!"

Twice pointed at Dabi and himself. "Wait, is that Dabi's fault or mine?"

Beros, not missing a chance, added, "We also don't have the long range cover we were expecting either."

Spinner put a hand on Saito's shoulder to help calm him down, while also addressing Beros. "I don't think we can blame her for having to move after… whatever that blast was."

"No one is putting blame on anyone right now," Chimera cut in. "The operation is still on. We focus on completing what we came here to do."

Twice motioned towards himself proudly. "At least my clones got the backup target." Then smacked himself. "Well the clones should get the credit, since they're the ones that grabbed her." Then he paused. "Or should the credit go to our missing leader and that scary thing who scooped her up before GTFO-ing?"

Magne smirked. "He's the boss so, of course he'll get the credit. Still, where does that leave us? The three creepy ones are gone, but that masked handsome string-bean hasn't radio'd in yet either."

Chimera took a long drag. "He last reported he was approaching Midoriya's location and was going to radio silenc—"

There was a crackle in everyone's ear as their radios went off. "Everyone! The target has been secured! I have Midoriya Izuku! I'm almost at the rendezvous point now. We need to extract quickly!"

Dabi frowned while Beros began floating into the sky. "Quickly? Wasn't the plan that we got five minutes to reach here once we had the kid?"

Beros was up above the treeline. "I have visual on Mr. Compress. He's only a few… Shit!" Beros knocked an arrow. "He was followed! We have incoming!"

Beros fired multiple arrows, while the villains below hopped to attention.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

"It's the exploding kid!" Beros called out. "And… the hell?! Compress, move! You're about to get—"

Bero's warning came too late. The villain watched Mr. Compress breach the treeline, just before something slammed into his back, and drove him into the ground.

Straps were torn off.

Jacks unwrapped.

Finger pads touched together.

Palms sparked and cracked.

And a little green marble flew from Mr. Compress' hand, bouncing off the grass before it popped, and Izuku's body tumbled across the ground, coming to rest, with him now laying motionless between the two groups.

---

"Get Deku GO!" Ochako screamed as she made a mad dash for him.

"Secure the target!" Chimera roared.

Dabi leapt to the side, "Compress, move!" and swung out his hand while calling out a warning. Blue flames were already swirling around his palm as he fired off a stream right for the group of kids still standing on the villain's back.

Mr. Compress twisted out from under everyone and dove for cover. Just as the rest did the same,flames slammed into the spot everyone had been standing. Katsuki yanked Momo and Kyouka away while Ochako scrambled for Izuku.

Magne tsked. "Uh uh little girl!" And swung her giant metal beam at Ochako. "I think you should sit down!"

BAM!

The beam hit, just as Ochako threw the hardest kick she could into it, knocking the swing wide and up. Manga blinked in alarm. "Oh, so you're scary!" Before she could bring the beam back down, Ochako twisted on her heel and drove her other foot into the villain's stomach.

"ARHHH!" Saito charged Ochako, but was suddenly yanked off his feet as Katsuki exploded overhead, grabbed him by the collar and threw him over his shoulder, slamming Saito's face into the ground.

"These guys suck! You bastards are done!" Katsuki kicked off Saito's body, and turned up to face Beros. "And you, bitch? We got unfinished business!"

"Bakugou! MOVE!" Momo called out as she set up a cannon. "MOVE!"

Katsuki twisted, just in time to see Chimera charging him. Hand up, he fired off multiple explosions until his whole form vanished in dust and smoke. "Ha! Looks like I just put down Old Yelle—" Chimera roared as he exploded out of the smoke, completely unharmed. Katsuki flinched back, this time alarmed. He fired more explosions, but they didn't do anything to slow the charging villain down. Chimera reached out with a clawed hand to grab Katsuki…

…Just as the roar of an engine ripped through the trees and Tenya rocketed across the ground, leg twisted to deliver a kick right to Chimera's head. The contact between the engine propelled kick and wolf skull made a loud crack that everyone in the clearing heard.

"Hmph, not bad for a runt." Chimera shocked the students as he looked at Tenya. "But you're fighting way outside your weight class, boy." Chimera grabbed Tenya's ankle and swung him around, right into Katsuki, sending both boys tumbling across the ground.

Twice looked around. "Oh look! I can see my breath… But it's summer?!"

Dabi's head snapped up. "Incoming!" He warned, just as a wall of ice exploded out from the trees and straight for Chimera.

The wolf man growled before he opened his mouth, and fired off a blast of flame that shattered the ice before it even reached him. Shouto stared in shock from his spot in the bushes while Chimera smirked. "Anyone else want to— Beros, the target!"

Beros, from above, swiveled around, and saw the issue. A long winding tongue was going right for Izuku's body. "Oh no you don't." Bero fired multiple arrows, raining them down on the pink appendage, stopping it in its tracks. She then changed her target and fired more arrows from where the tongue had come from. Tsuyu leaped and bounded out of the way, wincing as multiple arrows grazed her, and she hopped for safety.

"I got her! I got her!" Spinner yelled as he rushed Tsuyu, swinging his giant sword around. "I got, URK!" The ground under Spinner writhed, then split, sending the gecko man falling flat on his ass.

Kyouka, jacks sent out and jammed into the ground, pointed at him. "Yao-Momo! There's one down! Hit'em!"

Momo swerved the cannon she'd made, wincing slightly since after creating so many objects, she was starting to feel the effect of overusing her Quirk. "I hope I got the compound right." She fired a glob of gray that splattered Spinner. He cried out as the glob hardened around him.

"What the hell is this stuff?!"

"Fast drying cement, made famous by Gang Orca's—"

"Less explaining and more splatting Ponytail!" Katsuki screamed.

"Oh?! Oh yes!" Momo turned while Kyouka loaded another round into the cannon. Momo aimed high, right for Beros. "Let's deal with the air cover!"

Beros lept back as Momo and Kyouka worked in tandem to try and shoot her out of the sky. "A little help here!"

Chimera snarled and charged the pair. Ochako leapt for him, but she was batted away before she could touch him, her eyes going wide at just how easily he powered through her. Chimera suddenly came to a stop halfway to the pair, his ear twitching. His head on a swivel, he looked around, before he hurried to raise his arm in front of his head. Just in time to stop a shiv from being driven into his skull.

Blood dripping down his arm, he lowered it so he could look Himiko in the face as she hung in the air, still holding onto the makeshift stabber. "Toga."

"Kon," Himiko growled. "Where's the rest of your merry band?"

"Not here." Chimera glanced at the many shivs Himiko had on her. He noted they weren't made of metal but something closer to… "Moonfish?"

"Ripped them out myself."

"Hmph."

The exchange ended when Chimera took a swipe at Himiko, who yanked the shiv out and launched herself away from the villain's claws. As she landed, she flipped the shiv in her hand, and holding the sharp end, threw it so that it hit the tree Twice was next to with a solid thunk.

"HA! You missed by a mile! AH! That was too close!" Twice flinched to the side.

Himiko glanced his way. "I see anything come out of your hands, the next one goes between your eyes. Jin, don't get involved."

Twices eyes narrowed, and then pointed a thumb at himself. "It's Twice! Only my friends get to call me Jin!"

The villains were scattered along with the students. In the middle lay Izuku. Ochako was back on her feet. "You're taking Deku over my dead body."

Dabi rolled his eyes. "Kid, you realize that's not the threat you think it is, right?" He then turned to address the group. "Let's be clear. We are leaving with this kid. You coming here isn't going to change that. All it's going to do is get yourselves killed. And make his," Dabi motioned towards Izuku, "final moments with us all the more painful. Because he seems like the sort that would just get all torn up knowing one of you got killed because of him." Blue flame danced on Dabi's hands while the students all glared at him. "So. You all get one chance to turn around and leave. Because this isn't going to go the way you think it will."

Ochako growled, "We beat you League of Villain scrubs back at the USJ. We've had lots of training since then."

Dabi smirked. "Kid, you beat a bunch of posers when Shigaraki thought quantity trumped quality. Guess what, we're the quality. And you're out of your league." Dabi glanced Himiko's way. "Look at her. She's wound up worse than a feral cat. She knows what the deal is. Hell," Dabi thumbed over at Chimera, "this big bastard could take you all on himself."

Ochako took the risk to shift her focus. As much as she hated it, Chimera was giving her the same feeling she'd had when she'd been face to face with Stain. Hell, these villains in general just felt different than the ones from the USJ. Not that it really mattered to her. I'm saving Deku.

"Really? Quality? With a guy dressed like a Stain fanboy and a tantrum throwing brat?!"

Dabi shrugged as he answered, "Not every team is…." He trailed off, coming to a dead stop mid-sentence, and swayed on his feet, unmoving like a statue. The villains turned and Magne tilted her head.

"Burnt Ends? Hello? What just happened?"

Chimera twisted as his eyes went wide. "None of these kids said anything! The one with mind control! Damn it! He's hiding…" He pointed. "THERE!"

Magne focused on the spot Chimera pointed. Suddenly there was a blue glow, followed by a red that enveloped Tsuyu. Hitoshi was yanked out of the bushes at the same time Tsuyu croaked out in alarm as she was pulled off the ground. Sticking down, she became an anchor as Hitoshi slammed into her.

The crack left no doubt Hitoshi and Tsuyu were knocked the fuck out from the hit.

Twice pointed angrily. "Cheap trick! I love it! … Hold on. Anyone hear that?" Twice looked around. "Oop, car! Car, everyone out of the road! How is there a road in the middle of the woods?" Twice promptly skedaddled while the other villains watched him run off.

Chimera looked like an ulcer in his stomach burst. "Car? What the fuck is he talking about?"

VROOM!

"…Okay, that does sound like a—"

CRASH!

Bursting out of the trees, Mei gunned the engines of her robocycle and pointed it towards the biggest villain she saw.

"—CAR?!" Chimera yelled out just before Mei slammed into him, folding him over the front of her contraption and off his feet. The metal of the cycle crumpled from the impact, but Mei never let off the gas. The force was enough for Mei to drive him straight into the other side of the clearing, crashing him through the trees before both were out of sight.

"Hatsume!" Shouto yelled in alarm.

"Shit, looks like Goggles just took out their big gun. Everyone, take these fuckers out now!" Katsuki screamed as he launched himself up toward Beros. At the same time, the rest of the students charged. Ochako rushed as fast as she could, repeating words over and over in her head.

I'm going to save Deku!

---

Mei pressed the pedal down to the floor as she urged her robocycle on. For every tree-struck she could feel it shudder and break underneath her. She hated this, but she hated the idea of what it meant to lose even more. It felt like just spending a couple of days training alongside her friends and their classmates had corrupted her with their dumb heroic nonsense.

That burn guy said this dude was the biggest threat. So let's take him off the board!

"HA! How's my bumper taste, asshole!" A clawed hand ripped up and grabbed the hood of the cycle. "Uh oh!"

---

"Oh, he's gonna rip that dumb kid apart," Lady Nagant muttered to herself as she worked her scope to get an eye on the two. "Dumb kid hit him with a car thinking it would do anything besides piss the big guy off."

She had only just gotten back into position when the attack happened, and she had let herself turn away from the huge brawl since the sheer randomness and weirdness of someone driving a flying vehicle into one of the most dangerous people of their attack squad was just too random to ignore.

Another crash and more metal was thrown into the air, letting the sniper figure out exactly where Chimera and the dumb kid had landed. Shrapnel exploded out of an opening in the brush. And Lady Nagant was pretty sure the kid was wrapped up in the mess.

---

Mei screamed as she pulled her mobile workshop around herself and got off the bike, just as it was torn apart.

"Little bitch!"

Mei had spent the past two days making so many inventions specifically to combat the endless waves of stone golems created by Pixie-Bob. She now was throwing them all at Chimera. Drones, remote bombs, heat-seeking sticky grenades, plasma explosives. Anything and everything she had, she used. All while staying inside the workshop, keeping it between herself and the monster ripping through everything.

She was doing everything she could think of, but it wasn't enough.

---

Chimera was charging after. Claws rending metal into unless scrap. Lady Nagant gave the kid credit. Whoever they were, they had enough toys to at least keep themselves from dying right off the bat. But even with all the tech in the world, there wasn't much anyone could do once that monster decided he was going to kill.

Case in point, Lady Nagant watched as Chimera grabbed the scrap yard armory and ripped it open, before chunking the bits off into a tree, exploding the rest and sending the kid falling to the ground, surrounded by ruined tech.

---

Mei screamed as she hit the ground, her hands reaching out and grabbing anything metal she could find. She swung, but Chimera backhanded her away. Slammed into the dirt and scrap, she was helpless.

Through tear-filled, blurry eyes, she watched as Chimera stood over her. Gritting her teeth, she got ready to use her one trump card. The one thing she'd always promised herself she'd never use.

---

"Dumb kid. What did she think…" Lady Nagant blinked, pulling her eye away from her scope. She blinked again, while her brain worked to figure out what it'd just seen.

After a moment frozen, Lady Nagant put her eye back and focused on the kid. A U.A. student, but definitely not one from the first-year hero classes.

She'd studied the profiles of each kid before the mission. None of them had pink hair in dreadlocks.

"Hey…" It was starting to click. Just who this dumb kid was that Chimera was about to tear limb from limb. "Hey hey hey hey!"

Lady Nagant had never altered her aim and fired a round as fast as she did right then and there.

---

The tree besides Chimera exploded into splinters. The act was enough to stop him for a moment. Then, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"

Chimera plucked the radio bullet out of his pocket. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Listen to me. It's almost been five minutes. Kurogiri is almost here. Get back to extraction."

It didn't go unnoticed by Chimera that Lady Nagant hadn't addressed the question. "We're going to talk about this."

"Move!"

Chimera pocked the bullet, then looked down at Mei, ready to tell her a line about the brave dying young, and the stupid dying younger. But he couldn't. His words of wisdom never came as he looked down at Mei, her right elbow pointed at him in a very familiar pose and a very familiar, if mostly pink, bullet in her left hand. She was also frozen on the spot, her eyes wide. Chimera then noted the wisps of white smoke around her elbow. "Well… I'll be damned."

Mei was left sucking in deep breaths as the adrenaline crash hit her hard. Her body was overcome with horrible shaking as her mind caught up with her body. Realizing that she'd just come within a razor's breath of getting herself killed.

Should… chase him… right?

She was out of her depth. She was a support student, for fucks sake. Not someone that's supposed to be up in the front lines. But even as terrified as she was, she just couldn't stay lying on a pile of scrap. But every time she tried to pick herself up, her arms and legs were as solid as jello, and she collapsed. After the third try, she fell facing the splintered remains of a tree. The one that had exploded and made Chimera stop.

…Don't look…

Mei didn't want to know what was going on. She didn't want to know who had shot the tree. Didn't want to know who had been talking over the radio. Didn't want to know why Chimera had looked at her, about ready to shoot him with her Rifle, and seemed to recognize it.

…Don't look. Just don't look. Just pretend everything is going to be okay. Mei repeated those hollow thoughts even as she rolled over. She couldn't hold herself up, so she rolled on the ground like a little child, her eyes focusing on where the shot would have come from.

Mei saw her. Miles away, but there she was. And through her own scope, she saw that she saw her. Mother and daughter made eye contact, and Mei knew that things weren't going to be okay.

"Gotta get back," Mei started to crawl. She ignored the way Lady Nagant had started shaking her head before she looked away. "Can't let that guy get back!"

Gritting her teeth, Mei forced herself up onto her knees. She could feel her limbs feel more solid. I'll chase that guy down. I'll throw something together that'll—

Mei's head snapped to the side after Lady Nagant fired a blank, knockout, round. Clocking the side of Mei's head and sending the girl to the ground unconscious.

---

"I'm sorry…" Lady Nagant closed her eyes, hating herself. "But you need to stay there. It's almost over. So just… stay there."

Lady Nagant's world was in chaos. Her daughter was not supposed to be here. She was an inventor. "For fucks sake, why is she here!" she hissed, eyes closed as she ground her palm against her brow. "Focus on the mission. Focus on the mission. She's away from everyone now. Just…focus."

---

"Wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!"

Twice yelled as he slapped Dabi upside the head, snapping him out of Hitoshi's influence. Freed, Dabi instantly went on the offensive, sending a blast of fire straight for Momo and Kyouka. Shouto dove between the attack, creating a glacier wall to protect them. Dabi grinned twistedly. "That's not going to be enough!" The flame suddenly doubled in intensity, and when it hit the ice, it exploded, the shockwave hitting the trio and sending them flying.

Above, Katsuki was in pursuit of Beros through the sky, propelling himself through the air while he dodged and exploded all the arrows she fired. "Gonna teach you a lesson for getting in my way at the mall, bitch!"

"Vulgar pain in the ass!" Beros pivoted so she was facing up, and with a fistful of arrows, sent a hail bolts of twisting and swirling green streaks towards Katsuki. To her shock, instead of trying to explode them one at a time, he started filling the air with explosions, creating a vortex of fire and smoke that was now roaring right towards her.

Shit! Beros went for another arrow, but gasped when her fingers felt nothing. I'm out!

"HA HA HA! Too bad bitch!" Katsuki had closed the distance, and Beros knew she was screwed. "HOWITZER IMP—!" Katsuki's left shoulder suddenly exploded in a spray of blood, ripping him out of his attack, and sending him tumbling to the ground, gripping at the hole in his arm in pain.

Ochako looked up and—ducking under a strike from Mr. Compress' cane—leapt up and was just able to float Katsuki before he hit the ground. The pair tumbled across the ground, but at least Katsuki hadn't gone splat.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Katsuki hissed in pain while Ochako looked at the wound in shock.

"You've been shot?!"

Twice clapped happily while he whipped his metal tape measure around from his wrists at Tenya, who was alarmed at the man's agility. "Ha ha ha! Our sniper is back! Better not let these heroes know though!"

Tenya's eyes went wide. "Sniper?!" In that moment, Tenya suddenly found himself glowing blue, along with Twice. "Huh?!" was all he got out as Magne grabbed a hold of Twice.

"Bye honey!" she cheered darkly. "This is my special! Repulsion Breakup: Moonlight Flit Cannon!"

Tenya quickly recalled what had happened to Hitoshi and Tsuyu earlier. Red and blue attracted. So blue and blue… "Recipro Burst!" Tenya's engines roared as he fought against the repulsive effects of Magne's Magnetism. Gritting his teeth, he saw that Magne was also straining against the effect now. He could feel his engines overheating; in a few more seconds, he was going to stall out, and he was sure wherever he landed, it was going to take him out of the fight.

If I'm out, I better make this count!

Pivoting, Tenya anchored himself with one leg, and ripped around to deliver the hardest roundhouse kick he could. His heel slammed into Twice's head, right as his engines sputtered and stalled. Twice hit the ground hard, while Tenya was thrown across the clearing, slamming into a tree and crumpling to the ground.

Magne started tapping Twice's face with her hand. "Honey, we might need some of your clones here pretty soon. You need to wake back—"

"MAGNE MOVE—URK!" Mr. Compress warned before he had to twirl his cane to avoid the slashes of Himiko's shivs. "My word you're vicious!"

"Fuck off and die!"

Magne had gotten the message, and had just enough time to get her giant magnet up to block the driving kick Ochako had aimed for her face. "Honey! I get that we're trying to take your boy, but you really need to calm down!"

Magne swung the beam around, displaying frightening strength, while Ochako displayed the same, planting her feet, and striking out with a palm strike, hitting the beam and ringing it like a bell.

The impact sent a bolt of pain right up her arm, but she was waaaay past giving a shit. "You're in my way!" she growled like a feral animal. Her arm and hand hurt but hitting the beam with her palm gave her an opening to uncurl her fingers, and make contact with all her pads. Floating the beam, she grabbed it by its cloth wrapping and yanked it out of Magne's surprised grip, tossing it off into the dark.

Without the beam, Ochako went in for another punch, but was shocked when Magne recovered and caught her chin with an uppercut. "ACK!"

The strike lifted her off her feet and sent her reeling backwards. "Little girl, I grew up winning fist fights in the streets."

Crack!

Pow!

"You're tough! But you'll need a lot more than some fancy karate bullcrap to win with me!" Magne rained punches like an experienced brawler. Ochako was off balance, and couldn't get her defenses up.

Think! Do something! What would Deku do?! He'd use his head and win already!

…

Ochako growled as inspiration hit her like a bare knuckle haymaker, and instead of worrying about defence, she fell back on the old adage, 'A good defense is a good offense.' She saw the massive right coming for her, so she reared back her head, and headbutted Magne's fist.

CRUNCH!

Magne ripped her hand back, swearing and cursing up a storm. "Damn it!" She drove a combat boot into Ochako gut to push her back while she clutched at what were surely some broken fingers. "Okay. You go away now!"

Magne swung her hands out, one towards Ochako, and the other towards Himiko. Red energy danced in her palms, and Ochako saw it. She'd seen it done on Twice and Tenya. She'd seen it done on Hitoshi and Tsuyu.

She makes people like magnets. Same poles repel… A red glow started around both girls. Opposite poles… Ochako, Magne and Himiko were in a straight line. So would… aw fuck it! "HIMIKO TURN INTO DEKU NOW!"

Himiko ducked under Mr. Compress as he tried to grab her, and slashed at his knee caps with a shiv. It wasn't a deep cut, but the act sent him stumbling back, far enough that she could act on Ochako's order. She saw the glow, and had a good idea what was about to happen. Gray sludge seeped from her skin as she forced herself to transform as fast as she could. A moment later, Himiko transformed into Izuku, and the red glow around her turned blue. Yanking out another shiv, she drove both into the ground and held on for dear life.

Magne watched the glow on one of her hands change color and just stared. "Wait… Huh?!"

Ochako kicked off the ground, and let the full effect of Magne's powerful Magnetism Quirk yank her through the air at speed. Magne only realized what was about to happen just as Ochako screamed, "LUNA ARC!" and hit her with a full axe-kick to the face.

The red glow around her faded and Ochako landed, huffing and spitting out some blood. Himiko dropped her transformation and moved besides Ochako, while across from them, Dabi and Mr. Compress stood side by side.

"How do you want to play this, Himiko?" Ochako asked with a frown. "It's three vs three but…"

"Three?"

A cursing, grumbling Katsuki was back on his feet. The makeshift compression bandage Ochako had made from her overshirt was already stained red. "Three, Bun Bitch… And it's not going to be three for long. They're getting back up."

It was the unfortunate truth. The villains were recovering faster than they were. Magne was shaking the cobwebs out of her head. Spinner had been spending the whole fight chipping himself free of the concrete. Beros had recovered her arrows and was already notching them. Mustard was helping Twice back onto his feet. They hadn't been able to deliver any full knockout blows. Or at least, none that compared to the ones their side had gotten.

"Hey… here's a thought. You got shot… why aren't we getting shot now? They have a sniper, right?" Himiko asked Katsuki.

Katsuki blinked a few times. "That's… fuck, what the hell?"

The answer came as the darkness of the forest was swallowed up by a black vortex. "That would be my doing."

Himiko reacted first. The voice had been right beside them, so she turned and shoved Ochako and Katsuki away, diving back at the last second as Kurogiri portal expanded out from where they had been standing.

Ochako and Katsuki hit the ground hard, while Himiko rolled and started throwing all her shivs right where the portal villain's yellow eyes were. "Such bad manners."

The knives vanished into the dark, and Himiko had to dodge and weave further back as portals opened up around her and the shivs came right back at her. "Fuck!"

"It's time to leave. I've retrieved our lady sniper. We're leaving." Portals started opening up around all the villains. Ochako watched as they started disappearing. Then she saw a portal open where Izuku lay.

"DEKU! MOVE!"

Izuku, body spent, mind drained, nothing left inside to do anything, heard Ochako. Heard her screaming. He didn't understand the words. But he could hear she was distraught. So of course, he moved towards her. Rolling away from the portal, he began to crawl towards her. "O…cha…ko?"

Dabi clicked his tongue in annoyance, and leapt out of his portal and took off running for Izuku. "No chance, kid!"

Ochako was in a panic. "Katsuki, launch me!"

"Fucking… God damn it, don't blame me if you get burned." From the ground, Katsuki swung his hand towards where Izuku was, just as Ochako floated herself and lept right into his line of sight. "GET THE NERD!"

BOOM!

Ochako was propelled forward. Rocketing through the air, Ochako was laser focused on Izuku.

I'll save Deku. I'm going to save Deku! I'm going to save—!

From the portal Izuku had moved away from, a scaled blue hand reached out and grabbed Izuku by the scruff of the neck, hauling him up as Chimera stepped partially into view.

No!

"I have the target. Let's get out of here." He stepped back, pulling a limp, hanging Izuku along with him.

No! No! NO!

Dabi smirked and stuck his hand out. Not having to worry about Izuku who had been between them, he could fire off a blast of blue fire. Right at Ochako, who had no way to stop herself, change direction, or defend against the attack.

Ochako watched as her world was engulfed in fire. Even yards away, the heat singed her. Once it hit her, she would be dead.

But just before the fire hit, she felt it. A warm pressure around her body. Gentle. Firm. Safe. It was a feeling she would never forget. Feeling it for the first time after she and Izuku had completed their ten months of hell, it was Izuku's Quirk. He had her. And just as the fire was about to engulf her, Izuku, in a moment of clarity that defied all logic and reason, used whatever gas fumes he had left in his tank to push Ochako out of the way of Dabi's attack.

"I'm sorry… Ochako."

And he was gone.

When Ochako crashed into the ground, her left side was smoking. Her clothes were charred. Her skin blistered and red from the heat. Her hair burned close to the scalp. She didn't feel any of it, though. She didn't feel anything. She just stared where Izuku had been, and felt her world shatter into nothing.

Izuku was gone.

She had failed.

And the cry that ripped itself from her soul was one of complete and utter despair.

---

Crashing through the brush, Tiger and Aizawa rushed into the opening, ready to fight. Aizawa's eye glowed red as he kept scanning as wide an area as he could. Behind them, Mandalay had her claws at the ready while Midnight had fresh rips in her costume. But the four came to a stop when they saw all the students, kneeling, sitting or standing off. Looking lost, exhausted and defeated.

Midnight pushed past Aizawa and felt her stomach drop when she saw Himiko, crouched over, clutching a motionless Ochako, Tsuyu behind her, holding her while she wept.

"Oh no…"

Aizawa turned, and found Tenya limping up to them, helped up by Mei, who looked blank and emotionless. "Iida, what's happened?"

Tenya shook his head. "We couldn't save him. We tried, but…" Tenya wiped away tears that started falling. "They took Midoriya."

---

Slowly, All for One lowered himself to the floor. The whole time, his attention never wavered off of Inko. When his shoes clicked softly on the floor, he addressed her with a small respectful bow, an arm crossed over his chest. "Midoriya, I'm afraid I must offer my most sincere apologies. About Young Tomura, and for what you are about to experience."

Inko did not like the sound of that. There was something at play, and it felt like suddenly her ability to have any control over her life was just stripped from her. But she was not about to show she felt like that. So she took the moment to work to regain that control. First by making sure she didn't suddenly find herself in a bloodbath. "Tell your dumbass bodyguards to drop their weapons before they end up splattered all over the place." Inko glared at Curious. "Now."

Chitose blinked, startled at being talked to in such a manner. Even more so when Inko reached over, and forced her to lower her Curious Flattener. "You… wait… How the fuck…?"

Inko gave her a hard look, before she shifted her gaze back to the big fucking monster that had just strolled into the restaurant. "What, did Hisashi never tell you this?"

"He said… he," Chitose glanced nervously at All for One, "showed up once… but this sounds like…"

"Ha ha ha ha ha," All for One laughed. "I see. So you never spoke about our full interaction to your husband. You're a shrewder woman than I gave you credit for."

Never spoke… WHAT THE FUCK?!

Inko frowned, and despite the fear gripping her, moved away from the table, and walked up so much like the way she had once before on the beaches of Bespin, standing toe to toe with a man that could kill her without a thought, unflinching and proud. "You came to apologize?" Inko made sure to look as sceptical as she could. "Since when does a man like you apologize for anything he does?"

"Ah, it seems the years have not dulled that backwater defiance I saw in you." He reached out, and Inko had to fight every instinct in her body not to flinch away. And to not let her eyes focus on the holes in All for One's palm. His fingers gently took her chin, and lifted her head up. "If I was a man given to indulging in his baser instincts, I think I would have enjoyed taking you from that little island."

"And if you had, I'd be running your whole criminal organization by the end of the year." Inko recalled what those hands could do. The danger she was in. She ignored it. "Why are you here? Last I heard, you were dead."

"And who told you that? All Might perhaps?" All for One chuckled darkly. "How unlike him to so openly lie like that." He pulled his hand back. "But yes, I suppose I should get to the point. Unfortunately, even one such as me can not afford to be out in the open in this day and age." Inko was sure that, behind that mask, he was smiling. "At least not yet."

That gave everyone in the room something to think about. All the members of the Meta Liberation Army shifted while they followed Chitose's lead and lowered their weapons. Inko, though, pushed past it. "Shigaraki. You came because of him?"

"Yes. I fear Young Tomura has caused you a great deal of duress. Coming so close to death, I know is none too pleasant an experience. And while I'm no stranger to spilling blood, such casual disregard of purpose behind a death, I find most distasteful. Hearing that you had been the victim of one of his… unfortunate tantrums disheartened me greatly." All for One's head tilted to the side, and Inko just knew he was looking at her neck. "How fortunate that it seems that the wound you suffered was so easily healed. Quite fortunate indeed."

Inko frowned deeply. "It almost sounds like you're more familiar with him than your average figurehead."

"Legacy makes strange partners out of those that leave it and those that inherit it."

…The hell does that mean?

"So your student fails at the USJ. Fails at Hosu City. But it's after our run-in that makes you reveal yourself? Why am I so important?"

"Oh, it's not you that's important. Oh. I find you endearing. A fond experience from a time where I was normally surrounded by dull boot-lickers. No, I fear you are just the messenger this time. It's why I said I was here to apologize not just for Young Tomura, but for 'what you are about to experience.'" Inko didn't like the sound of that. "It is true that I find you quite endearing, and wish we could have more time to catch up. But I know, as a mother, when your son suffers. you suffer."

Then when Midoriya blood is thinned by half, the demon will come back to take the calf.

Caution and self-perseverance were instantly thrown away as Inko swung at All of One. her arm pumped full with every ounce of power from Fa Jin she had stored up. But her fist never even reached his body. Her punch hit something that shimmered between herself and him. The air twisted, before All for One moved his hand to the side, and a table exploded with a crack.

"Impact Recoil. A Quirk I picked up to help myself deal with All Might himself." All for One then pointed that hand at Inko. "Perfect for him, and more than enough for you."

While the people in the room tried to figure out what the hell just happened, the tips of All for One's fingers turned dark and several black rivets exploded out. The black spears streaked right at Inko, ripping her off the floor and sending her against the wall with a hard crack.

Everyone in the room thought for sure they had just watched Inko die, impaled and left crucified. But as the people scurried around, that wasn't the case. The black rivets hadn't pierced her, but had just picked her up. She'd still been slammed against the wall, but not stabbed.

"Yes, that's the fight I expected. Heroes may be at their most dangerous when they're injured, but a mother can be just as vicious, just as dangerous when their child is threatened."

"Leave Izuku out of this! If you want me, then—" Inko tried to pull herself free of the rivets, but in the process, another ripped right by her head, making her flinch.

"I fear you don't understand the situation. This has nothing to do with you. You're going to let the heroes know that I'm the one behind this. You are not important, but your son is. Your son is now the epicenter of everything I have planned. Your son is more involved than anyone else, even my closest allies. And you can thank All Might for that."

Inko snarled as she pulled and struggled. "I won't let you touch my son!"

"Touch him?" There was a change in All for One's voice. It almost came off as pitying. "My dear woman. My League of Villains attacked and returned from that camp U.A. took the children to almost half an hour ago. I already have your son." All for One snapped his fingers, and the black portal he came through appeared behind him. "The police and heroes are on their way to find you. They're trying so hard to keep this from leaking out while they try to plan their response. I want you to let them know, it was me."

The rivets withdrew, and the black portal swallowed All for One up before Inko hit the ground.

---

Inko didn't recall how she got brought down to the ground floor of the restaurant. Vaguely, she recalled Chitose taking her down, before people pulled her away. Everyone was panicking, but Chitose looked pissed off, once again, pulled away from Inko when some strange shit was going down.

Now Inko found herself alone as the fog lifted from her mind. Though even as things cleared, it did nothing to help her.

He said he has my son.

The verse from that damned prophecy pounded in her ears.

Then when Midoriya blood is thinned by half, the demon will come back to take the calf.

Too much was happening all at once. All for One being alive threw everything into chaos. She had let herself believe she'd been wrong about everything, to now have that blow up in her face.

All Might was wrong…

"Or he lied," Nenshouki hissed darkly in the back of her mind. Inko squeezed her eyes shut. Because that thought threatened to shatter the one bright pillar of hope Inko had about heroes in this evil, cruel world.

One thing at a time. I… I need to call Izuku. Warn him that he might be in danger. This was a bluff. All for One just wants to use me to scare the heroes. Make it seem like Izuku is some important piece to things. No… No, there is no way. He just must know All Might was training Izuku at school, and wants to use the threat to make All Might and the heroes panic. It's not real. It's not real…

"Mrs. Midoriya?"

"Ma'am?"

Two distinct voices that Inko had come to recognize instantly. Detective Tsukauchi and Principal Nezu now stood in front of her. The detective looked more than a little worn down, and even the normally strangely jolly principal looked subdued. Inko was also now aware that the room she was in was illuminated by the flashing lights of several police cars parked outside the building.

The detective took a step forward, looking unsure about a lot of things. "Mrs. Bakugou let us know you were here. We… we need you to come with us. There's been…"

Inko could feel the last few strings holding herself together start to snap. "He has Izuku," she whispered. "Doesn't he?"

Tsukauchi glanced at Nezu, then back at Inko. "Ma'am… we don't…"

Inko focused on Nezu, and the longer she looked at him, the more the world began to come into focus. The last time she had seen things so clearly was just after she had buried Sakura all those long years ago. "All for One has my son. You let him take my son."

---

"GAH! That death shouldn't count!" Star and Stripe screamed as she slammed a fist into one of the hanging punching bags while her techs added a plus one to her Dragon Souls death counter, bringing it up to 356. "That guy jumped from the other side of the map! HAX! HAX!"

It was late, and Star and Stripe was doing her weekly Force Stream let's play. She'd been playing for an hour, and still hadn't made any meaningful progress. "I hate this GAME!"

Her boys were laughing their asses off. Ethan's laugh was heard from off-screen while the chat was scrolling with constant troll faces.

"Stupid game! Stupid, stupid… Why am I back at the bottom floor of the tower? I rested at the bonfire, right?" Star and Stripe looked completely flummoxed as she got back into her chair. "Guys, WHY AM I AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TOWER?! I RESTED, RIGHT?!"

"Nope!" Ethan called after moving to the other side of the room. Like that gave him any protection.

The stream's auto-censor / advertiser-friendly function put in some work for the next twenty seconds or so after that.

A chirp from the chat screen let her know another charity donation had triggered. She grumbled as she looked over at the screen. "Thank you Captain-Celeberty-Fan-Xx69xX for your ten dollar donation. Just a reminder, all proceeds from this BLEEP show goes towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."

She paused. "Also Chris, if this is another dupe account to get around my bans, I'm throwing your headquarters into the sea… Okay, let's see. 'Wasn't Izuku Midoriya the kid that was involved in the whole I-Island fiasco?'" Star and Stripe blinked. "Um, yeah. That's the student from U.A. where All Might is now teaching… which is still weird to say. Good kid. Looking forward to seeing where his career goes."

Star and Stripe paused for a second, and glanced at the chat screen. "Huh, what's with all the 'it's him' posts?" Star and Stripe then looked up over the monitors at her boys, who seemed just as confused at the sudden strange mentions.

Another chime indicating another donation. "'Star, haven't you seen the news?'"

Pausing the game, Star and Stripe brought up her web browser and, live on stream, typed in Izuku's name, focusing on news.

What the heck is going on?

Star and Stripe moved the mouse over to where the first news article would pop up. It was just an instinctual thing at this point. Something she'd done so many times. She didn't have a chance to click as her eyes saw the news article's title. 'Famed Japanese Hero School Attacked Again. Hero All Might's Star Pupil Missing. Feared Kidnapped by Villains.'

The story was less than an hour old.

The stream promptly went dead.

---

Izuku lay on a cold metal table, eyes closed and dead to the world. Save for the harsh violet light that showed on the table, the room was dark. Cables ran along the floor and walls. Medical tools and instruments lined multiple trays. Some looked like they belonged in a hospital surgical room. Others looked ripped straight out of a horror movie. All ready to perform in the hands of a surgeon. Or a madman.

Emerging from the dark, a short pudgy man moved to stand beside the table. His mustache couldn't hide the greedy smile on his face. The goggles on his face made him appear to have bright demonic eyes as they reflected the surgical lamp hanging overhead.

---

The world was a black void, and All for One smiled as he walked through it. How long had it been since he'd last glimpsed this world.

Years had stopped having meaning for him so long ago.

Dark.

Darker.

Black.

The world swirled around him in revulsion. Each step, a strain on his body. It rejected him.

He was not welcome.

He was not accepted.

He was rejected.

He was rejected.

Eight soft lights. Sparks of a greater flame he could not see.

He would be expelled.

All for One could feel his body breaking apart. The storm ripped at him. Tore at him. Shredded him.

"You reject me again little brother?" All for One reached out. "Won't you take my hand this time…?"

The black storm raged. The lights, the sparks, burned bright. Just like it had when he had tried before, but brighter. Stronger. Now there were more lights.

The storm dwarfed his ability to take. Its very nature rejected taking.

And All for One smiled.

---

All for One stood over Izuku, looking down at his unconscious form as he pulled his hand off his head. "Well, doctor. I think it's time we began."

---

Death comes.

Midoriya blood calls to death, and the Reaper hears it from the depths.

Death will come for Midoriya then, four times then once again.

Fear the rage that you have stirred, or you'll drown amongst the animal's herd.

As a demon offering a trade, a reward you must take for your aid.

When land is gone and blood flows free, a two-faced killer you must flee.

A hand of death is at your throat, blood will spill so the knife you must note.

Then when Midoriya blood is thinned by half, the demon will come back to take the calf.

Birthed from fire eight thrones hide, but fear the demon as he slips inside.

Authors Notes:

Sorry for the long wait everyone. November got crazy so I didn't have as much time to write like I usually do in my lab lol. Welcome to the start of Kamino hell. Occupants one unlucky boy.

It's so weird to finally be at this point. The Hedoro stuff, Saito as Mustard. Mei seeing Lady Nagant is with the League of Villains.

…
Ochako's hair.

There are people in my discord who ARE going to kill me for that last one.

Not much else to say, just things are about to get so crazy.

Make sure you check out the TV Tropes page, the next cover for the Kamino arc will be posted shortly!

A huge shout out to my beta reader WereTech

As always, comments reviews and critiques are always welcome!