"Is there a lunch I should know about in particular?" Excitement danced in Inko's eyes. "Perhaps one that happened… off campus?"

Ochako dropped her head into her hands with a groan, then felt herself begin to float towards the ceiling. 'Nice goin', Ochako. Now ya' really gon' an' done it.'

Izuku adjusted his respirator as he approached the gates to Field Gamma, the metal chill against his bare hands. A few people had gotten changed faster than him, and were already standing at the gates. Bakugo, Kirashima, Kaminari, and Ashido stood in their costumes, while Mineta was in his PE uniform.

Izuku frowned and tugged on the shoulders of his costume. His back had been itching on and off all morning, and it was getting to the point he thought it might be a rash or something. He twisted to try and scratch the awkward point between his shoulder blades, then caught sight of the rest of the class not far behind him. Tenya, also in his PE uniform, herded them along with reminders of the time and arm chops that seemed even faster than usual.

For a moment, Izuku made eye contact with Uraraka, but she twitched her gaze away quickly.

It had been… something of a weird morning.

Much like the aftermath of Tenya's treatment on Saturday, Izuku didn't remember much of the previous night. He vaguely remembered that they'd jogged back to the dorms in celebration of the fact that Tenya could , with a short stop when they'd run across Kendo from 1-B. Once they'd gotten back, Izuku had dropped in on his mother to wish her a good night, then dragged himself to bed. He'd slept through the night, then gotten up at 6:00am for his usual morning run. He'd found Tenya in the basement Gymnasium's raised track doing laps of his own, and they'd enjoyed several quiet laps together.

Once they'd finished, Izuku had split off to grab a glass of water while Tenya returned to his room. He'd found his mother all but dancing around the kitchen as she prepared a small breakfast for the class. Despite the fact that she'd made it clear she wouldn't be preparing all their meals for them, her nurturing nature wasn't really backing her up.

When he'd asked about her good mood, she'd given him an impish grin that sent every alarm bell he had blaring and told him not to worry about it.

He worried about it. He worried about it a lot.

Then Uraraka had been acting strangely, a combination of watching him and avoiding eye contact him that left him extremely nervous.

Once they'd made it to the school, many of the teachers had been especially careful around him. Aizawa had been relatively normal, but Kayama had pulled him aside and completely dropped her persona to make sure he was ok. That had been somewhat jarring. She'd done the same for Shoto, then Tenya, who had returned from his talk slightly disgruntled and with his hair mussed. The sight had prompted Mineta to gnaw on, then bite entirely through, his pen. Even so, Izuku had to give him credit for at least keeping his thoughts inside.

Through Tenya, Izuku had learned that Aizawa, Kayama, and Yamada had all been friends with Tensei during their UA days, and Midnight still tried to get away with ruffling Tenya's hair like she had when he was little. That had explained the somewhat tense atmosphere he'd noticed after the sports festival, even if the heroes had largely kept it professional.

But now, finally, it was time for Heroics. If All Might showed up and started looking at him strangely, he might scream.

Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I AM HERE!" All Might crested the high wall of the training grounds in a steep arc, then landed heroically in front of them. He stood, then planted his fists on his hips and pumped out his chest. "FOR YOUR BASIC HEROICS TRAINING! How is everyone doing, after their internships?"

The students answered with a highly varied range of enthusiasm. Some, like Kaminari and Ashido, cheered loudly. Others, like Tokoyami and surprisingly Yaoyorozu, were far more subdued.

'Now that I think about it, I don't think I heard her talk about her internship at all…' Izuku frowned, then glanced towards Tenya. He found his friend watching Yaoyorozu as well, a pensive expression on his own face. 'I guess I'm not the only one.'

All Might nodded along, though Izuku couldn't entirely tell if he was actually able to follow everyone. "While I'm sorry to hear that some didn't go quite as you'd hoped, Young Tenya in particular. I'm glad to see all of you hale and whole now, though! I don't doubt you've all learned something from your internships, regardless of what you may think. And to help show some of that off…" All Might's grin widened, and he raised a finger. "You'll be participating in an activity that'll hopefully be both fun and educational. It's a-"

"You'll be participating in a Rescue Training Race." Aizawa dropped into view on the end of his scarf. Once his feet hit the ground, he gave a sharp tug, and the capture weapon released from whatever he'd anchored it to and fell across his arm.

"...Yes. That." All Might slumped slightly. "Mr. Aizawa will also be overseeing this exercise, to ensure things stay under control, unlike the Battle Trials."

All Might very carefully didn't look at Izuku.

'...God damn it.'

"Is there a particular reason rescue training is being conducted here rather than the USJ?" Tenya asked. "Is that area still off limits after the attack?"

"The USJ received the same security measures as the Dorms and the rest of UA's facilities. It's perfectly safe. In fact, we'll be making up for your missed rescue training there in the near future." Aizawa coiled his scarf around his neck as he spoke, then ducked his head back into it.

"And as for why we're using Field Gamma, the USJ is primarily geared for disaster rescue in particular. This area is better suited for our exercise." All Might continued where Aizawa had left off. "Which is, as Mr. Aizawa mentioned, A RACE!"

All Might held up a holographic disk. A moment later, an aerial view of the training grounds appeared in front of them. "Field Gamma is a dense urban sprawl of factories that wind together to create a maze of alleyways. This will be a test to demonstrate your ability to navigate a complex environment while trying to track my distress signal. On the way, you'll likely encounter a variety of hostile robots. Handle them as you see fit, but remember to try and keep substantial damage to property at a minimum!"

This time, All Might did look at him, then moved his gaze elsewhere in the crowd. Based on the growl he heard, Izuku had a pretty good guess at who.

"Let's get on with this." Aizawa grumbled, then pressed a button on the wall. With a screech of metal, the doors slowly swung open to reveal the industrial maze beyond. A panel in the wall popped open at the same time, revealing what looked to be some manner of wrist-mounted screens. "Everyone grab a receiver. Kirashima, Aoyama, Hagakure, Kaminari, and Sato, you're the first group."

All Might gave a cheery wave, then launched himself back over the wall and deep into Field Gamma. "BEST OF LUck to you alllll…"

Izuku shifted from foot to foot, nervous as he eyed the maze on the other side of the gate. Three groups had gone in, but Aizawa wasn't giving them any information on how the races were going. That wasn't especially surprising, given Aizawa, but Izuku would have liked to at least know how the others had done.

It had only taken a little over five minutes for Aizawa to call up the second group, which included of Jiro, Koda, Mineta, Ojiro, and Shouji, whose group had seemingly taken about the same amount of time. When he saw who was included in the third group, and by default his own fourth, it clicked.

'They're deliberately organizing people based on relative expected performance. The first group is largely locked to human speeds, and have limitations on their higher damage output potential. The second has people with improved sensory abilities to avoid conflict and potentially scout ahead, enhanced strength, and/or have improved mobility. The third…'

Izuku shook himself from his thoughts as Ashido, Tokoyami, Shoto, Uraraka, and Yaoyorozu lined up, just in time for Uraraka to glance back. Their eyes met for a moment, and he quickly flashed her a smile and an encouraging thumbs up.

When she didn't immediately look away, he was relieved. When she continued to stare as the rest of the group prepared, he started to get a little concerned. Thankfully, Ashido came to the rescue.

"O-cha-ko!" Ashido gently poked Uraraka in the ribs. Uraraka nearly jumped out of her own skin, then whipped around to face Ashido, who was grinning widely. She leaned up close to Uraraka's ear and said something that had Uraraka spluttering, then she turned to hastily prepare herself. Ashido giggled, then sent Izuku a smile.

'...Danger?' Izuku thought.

Hikage pulsed twice, though hesitantly.

'Oh, THAT'S a good sign.'

Unlike the previous races, Izuku could see some of what took place in the 3rd round. After all, it was somewhat difficult to miss the occasional pillar of ice or green robot floating gently into the great beyond. It looked somewhat like a 2 Pointer from the entrance exam, which was at least a little more information to go on.

'Group three has an abundance of mobility and firepower. Ashido can easily utilize her Acid for mobility and offense. Given how dark the inside of the maze looks, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow will have a lot of power to work with. Shoto can use his Ice for platforming and enemy immobilization. Uraraka can jump between buildings and easily incapacitate robots. Yaoyorozu can make mobility items and weapons at will. If this group also takes five minutes, then it's pretty obvious Toshinori is deliberately hiding himself further and further away to compensate for increased mobility and combat efficiency.'

Sure enough, a bit under five minutes later, Aizawa waved the last five students forward. Just like that, it was Izuku's turn, up against Tenya, Asui, Sero, and-

A shoulder clipped his own, and he nearly stumbled. He looked to the side, where he found the familiar sight of Bakugo glowering at him.

"You might have made your little breakthroughs. You might even have helped beat Stain." Bakugo looked like he'd bitten into a lemon for a moment. "It doesn't matter. I'll prove here and now that you can't hold a candle to me."

"Bakugo! That is deeply unsportsmanlike!" Tenya called from the starting line.

"Can it, Four-Eyes. Same applies to you too."

"What, are we chopped liver?" Sero asked as he stepped up to the gate with Asui, who croaked in agreement. "Sure, we might not have taken down a high-grade villain, but I know I made a whole hell of a lot of progress in my time with Arachne."

"Feh." Bakugo spat, then continued on his way.

'...Wow.' Daigoro grunted. 'He's a real charmer, huh?'

'That was actually better than usual, all things considered.' Izuku replied as he took his place next to Tenya, a faint trickle of One for All already beginning to flow. 'No explosions, didn't actively threaten anyone, and the fact that he actually said it to me means he acknowledges I've improved. Best Jeanist must be a miracle worker.'

'...and you were friends with this guy why?' Nana asked. 'He sounds awful.'

Izuku considered his words for a moment. 'Because, for all his rough edges, and I do acknowledge they're VERY rough, I think he can do amazing things. I'd rather put up with him and try to encourage that potential than give up and watch him get worse.'

'Hero to your core.' Yoichi sighed. 'I hope you're right about him, though.'

'So do I.' Izuku returned his focus outwards. "Good luck, Tenya."

"Good luck to you as well, Izuku!" Tenya smiled, though it was slightly strained. "Given how much has changed, I fear my success may be far more dependent on it than I'd like."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Izuku lightly patted his friend on the shoulder. "That goes for everyone else as well!"

"Thank you, Ribbit. You too." Asui nodded.

"Thanks!" Sero grinned. "Looking forward to seeing all these developments you've been talking about. Granted, I'll only see them when you catch up at the finish line, but that's besides the point."

Bakugo just snarled and eyed the environment in front of them.

"If you're all done talking?" Aizawa cocked an eyebrow at the lot of them. When they quieted, he jabbed a button on the wall. "Go."

In unison, the receivers pinged as they locked onto All Might's distress beacon. The Engines in Tenya's legs screamed as he blurred forward and into the maze. He stumbled for a second, but recovered adroitly and vanished around a corner.

Bakugo launched forward with a flash of light and heat, the sound of the explosion muted after the deafening roar of Tenya's launch. He rocketed upwards and quickly vanished over a rooftop.

Izuku ignited Full Cowling, then leapt for a wall.

He heard sounds of surprise from below as he immediately outpaced Sero and Asui. He bounced between metal monoliths, shot through a tight gap between pipes, then sprung off the lip of a roof to launch himself into daylight.

"Intruder Aler-"

Izuku reduced the disk-shaped green drone to shrapnel with a quick jab, then checked his receiver. It indicated he needed to head in a northeastern direction, slightly off from the opposite end of the training grounds. He easily cleared a large gap between two buildings, flipped over some kind of turret that swung to face him, then delved back into the maze to break its line of fire. A second later, a yellow drone shot over his head, and his hair rose at the crackle of electricity that radiated from its surface. The drone banked sharply, then accelerated back towards him for another attack.

'Not touching that, and it's actually catching up. Hey, Blackwhip, you wanna play catch?'

Izuku stretched an arm out behind him, and Blackwhip gleefully complied. Together, they snapped a single thick cord out from his palm. It intercepted the drone's charge and immediately coiled around it. Izuku squeezed, and with a sharp pop and the smell of ozone, the drone was crushed like an empty soda can.

'Awesome! Thank you!'

Blackwhip gave a happy wiggle, then receded.

Izuku forged a path through Field Gamma in a flickering arc of green. For the most part, he stuck to the rooftops, where he could best utilize the acrobatic mobility of Full Cowling. However, there were times where ducking into the maze proved beneficial. A few areas were particularly heavy on the turrets, which fired some manner of glue rounds. Others had swarms of electrified drones that weren't worth the hassle of destroying. In sufficient numbers, it was easier to deal with the 1 and 2 Pointers he had to punch through within the maze itself.

By and large, though, remaining on the rooftops was the fastest option for Izuku. As such, once he'd successfully avoided a particularly tenacious drone swarm and reduced a 2 Pointer to scrap, he opted to head topside. Experimentally, he cast out a strand of Blackwhip to entangle a metal beam as he shot below it, then pulled. Blackwhip thrummed excitedly, then retracted slightly. Suddenly, Izuku's expected upward swing accelerated into a gut-twisting blur of speed.

'SHIT!'

Izuku released Blackwhip, then just barely managed to tuck in his arms as he flew upwards through a detached section of ventilation duct. At the far end, he had to kick off one side of the duct to shoot the gap between it and another metal beam, a far closer call than he'd have liked. After that, though, he broke into the open air.

Only to have an already active turret swivel to face him, mere feet away.

'OH COME ON!'

Acting on instinct, Izuku grasped at the new sensation just under his skin, then pushed. Much as En had said, Smokescreen was easy enough to use once he could feel it. With a hiss, a purple haze churned out from under his suit and into the world around him. It quickly reached the turret, which had surprisingly lost its target despite the fact that Izuku could still see it relatively well. Not wasting time to question his fortune, Izuku cast a strand of Blackwhip forward. It slithered into the gaps in the turrets casing, then tightened like a Boa Constrictor. The metal groaned, then crumpled with an ear-piercing sound.

Izuku landed adroitly, then allowed himself a second to breathe. 'That was entirely too close… wait a second…'

The feeling of pressure from Smokescreen had shifted. It spread father now, from his hand… and into Blackwhip, which was also pouring smoke.

'Ohhhh…' Izuku grinned. 'Oh that'll be useful. But I can't let myself be distracted now.'

Izuku dismissed Blackwhip and Smokescreen, then leapt up to another nearby rooftop… just in time to hear several rapid explosions.

"The FUCK?!" Bakugo screeched from several rooftops ahead even as he blasted a turret of his own into a loose assortment of scrap. "How the hell are you up here? And where's all that smoke coming from?"

"Jumped!" Izuku called back automatically as he ducked a chunk of turret that had flown his way. "And, uh, that's a new technique! Like I said, I've made progress!"

"Tch." Bakugo snorted, then leaped as he unleashed a massive explosion to launch himself towards the goal. "And like I said, THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHIT!"

'We'll see about that.'

Izuku sprinted forward. Buildings passed in a blur. Robots were left shattered in his wake. Turret fire flew past, too slow to properly track him.

'Not fast enough.' Izuku thought, frustrated as Bakugo pulled ahead. 'Still not fast enough.'

Experimentally, he kicked off with 6%. His leg tingled, but didn't hurt.

He smiled widely into the intense wind.

Carefully, he let Full Cowling creep up to 6%. His skin prickled and he felt a little bit of strain, but nothing even close to worth worrying over.

Bakugo was slowly growing in his vision. He was actually getting closer!

Izuku vaulted over a fence, then leapt from the edge of the roof with 7%. He heard a faint crack behind him and winced, then ran a quick mental inventory.

'Ok, I think that was just the concrete. 7% feels like a little bit too much, though, so 6% is my new stable limit. Might be able to eek out 8% like I used 7% previously, but probably best not to push my luck.' Izuku passed through a lingering cloud of smoke Bakugo left in his wake, its pungent smell reminiscent of burnt sugar. He was definitely closer now. 'I can work with that.'

Izuku flung himself through the air, twisted around a stray glob of turret projectile that had missed Bakugo, then slid under a ducting tube. He popped himself up on the other side, but faltered at the sight before him.

One building ahead, there was a massive courtyard, surprisingly devoid of robots. Beyond that, the wall of Field Gamma loomed high only two or three blocks away. According to his receiver, the distress signal was right up against it.

Bakugo wasn't that far ahead of him now, but he could easily clear that gap with a few larger explosions to keep himself airborne. Izuku, unfortunately, couldn't. He'd have to leap to the ground and work his way back up on the far side, or work his way through the maze to the goal. That wouldn't take too long, but it would be plenty long enough for Bakugo to secure his victory.

'Shit. Too wide for Blackwhip to give me much to work with. Don't think an 8% jump would work either, and I'm NOT risking 9%. Damn it, I was so close to- THERE!'

Roughly halfway across the gap, a thin tower rose from the ground. A network of pipes ran up its length, then extended towards the buildings on the far side.

'I can aim for that. If I can land on it, I can run across the pipes!'

He didn't have much roof left. He'd need to build up as much speed as he could in the space he had. Izuku pumped his legs faster, putting everything he had into a last dead sprint.

'Catch him.'

His foot smashed down on the lip of the roof, and he crouched low as he tipped forwards. With a heave, he leapt off at 7%.

'Catch Him!'

He soared forward in a graceful arc, his blood roaring in his ears along with the wind.

'CATCH HIM!'

His shoulders itched.

'CATCH KACCHAN!'

'OH SHIT! IZUKU, YOU'VE GOT INCOMING-'

With a ripping sound and a lurch, Izuku stopped falling far above the pipes, though he continued forward. The jolt snapped him out of his intensely focused state, though it took him a few seconds to process what, exactly, was happening.

'I'm… flying? Nana, did Float come through?'

'Um… no.' Nana sounded hesitant.

'Then what…'

There was an odd sensation on his back. Like a pressure, except there was far too much of it to all fit between his shoulders. Izuku tried to reach back to scratch again…

The feeling of pressure shifted, and he found himself swooping to the left. He yanked his hand back, but he overcorrected and swerved to the right without pulling out of his dive. He flailed, then braced for impact as the metal wall at the far side of the gap rushed up to meet him.

He struck it with a thunderous, resonant crash, and his vision went starry. He was vaguely aware of an odd fluttering sound for a moment, almost like a flag in strong wind, before he slammed into the ground back first. The feeling of pressure on his back changed sharply, a painful sensation on something that shouldn't be there.

"...Ow."

Izuku simply lay on the ground for a moment, waiting for his head to stop spinning. From what he could tell, he wasn't really hurt; Sure, he'd probably have a bruise on his forehead and his back, but nothing seemed to be broken. Full Cowling was a wonderful thing.

Then, he tried to sit up.

He couldn't.

He tried again. The inexplicable weight strapped to his back remained, keeping him in place.

'What the hell?' Izuku thought as he looked to the side. 'Did I snag on a pipe or-'

Red.

For a second, he thought he'd managed to hurt himself very, very badly despite his mental inventory telling him otherwise. There was a great swath of red that spread out from under him. The color was wrong, though, as was the shape. It was a brighter red than blood, and glittered brightly in a way that was bafflingly familiar. It wasn't a splatter, but a repeating series of curves joined into points, separated by knobby ridges…

A wing. It was a wing.

'...Yoichi.'

'Yes, Izuku?'

'Is it at all possible that the Nomu's Quirk might have finished manifesting today?'

'...I do believe that might have happened, yes.'

'Literally just now?'

'Almost certainly within the last few minutes.'

Izuku took a deep breath, then let it out through clenched teeth.

'I don't suppose anyone has any suggestions on how to pass full blown WINGS off as some kind of energy manipulation? Because I'm at a loss- are those explosions getting closer?'

Unfortunately, they were.

With a final furious crackle of pyrotechnics, Bakugo slammed into the ground just above Izuku's head. His eyes smoldered as they raked over Izuku, bright as embers and just as eager to burn something.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. Those."

'...Going to need a rush order on those suggestions, guys.'

'Shit.' Daigoro hissed. 'I was going to say you could cover them with Blackwhip, but that would have been a really hard sell. Both for literally anyone with a brain, and also for Blackwhip.'

'A bit late to just blast out smoke to cover your ass.' En sighed.

"WELL?" Bakugo roared, explosions crackling in his hands. "FUCKING EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

"They're wings, Kacchan." Izuku groaned resignedly.

"Oh, you don't FUCKING SAY?" Bakugo snarled. "I thought they were god damn flowers! How could I be so blind- OF COURSE THEY'RE WINGS! More specifically, they're TSUBASA'S WINGS! WHY DO YOU HAVE THEM?"

"What?" Izuku blinked, caught completely off guard. "What do you mean they're Tsubasa's wings? How would that even be possible?"

"You tell me!" Bakugo snapped. He stomped over to the end of one wing, then lifted it. The sensation was extremely odd; Where Engine felt like a part of his arm that he'd somehow never noticed before, the wing was an entirely new limb. "Look at it. You remember all that pompous fucking bullshit he used to spout about his oh-so-subtle patterns? Look at this and tell me it isn't the same god damn thing."

Bakugo jabbed a finger into a section of lightly scaled membrane. Izuku's eyes followed it, and…

"...Oh." He blinked, then felt the blood drain from his face. Now that he really looked, the subtle striations of red on red, like layers of ruby swirled around garnet, were clear to see.

Just like Tsubasa's had been. Exactly like Tsubasa's had been. Except they were from a Nomu. With multiple Quirks.

Which had to come from somewhere.

"Oh. Oh god. Oh FUCK!"

Izuku thrashed as his gorge rose. He tried to roll, but the wings weighed him down and blocked his movement.

'I'm going to throw up. I'm going to throw up on the wings. Tsubasa's wings-'

With an odd sensation half way between a muscle cramp and a joint popping, the wings retracted. Suddenly, their weight was completely gone, and Izuku was free to roll. He flung himself away from Bakugo and wretched violently, his breakfast splattering out onto the concrete below.

"Oh what the hell." Bakugo gagged as he backed away. "Did getting caught out on your years of lying really hit you that hard? I almost started to believe you about your Quirk coming in late, but here you had some kind of copy bullshit all the way back when we were kids! Why the hell did you even hide it? Mimicking people is fucking lame, but it's better than literaly nothing!"

"I didn't-" Izuku bit out, then wretched again. "I didn't have a Quirk."

"Oh you didn't? You just decided to go off and borrow his Quirk after years, huh? Copied it like you did that dead Doctor's? Where the fuck did Tsubasa even move to again? Somewhere in the middle of bumfuck nowhere - Wait." Bakugo froze, then exploded into a torrent of cursing so spectacular it almost managed to distract Izuku from his existential horror. "YOU FUCKING COPIED ALL MIGHT'S QUIRK, DIDN'T YOU! WHEN HE SAVED US FROM THE GOD DAMN SEWER FUCKER! DID YOU MAKE A FUCKING FORGERY OF EXPLOSION WHILE YOU WERE AT IT, YOU SHITTY GOD DAMN THEIF?"

"No!" Wretch.

"THE FUCK YOU MEAN 'NO' ?" Bakugo's hands were exploding violently in his rage. "IS EXPLOSION NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR REFINED FUCKING PALATE? OR ARE YOU…"

Izuku ignored Bakugo and delved into One for All.

'It can't be. There's no way it's Tsubasa. It's just a coincidence!'

Izuku stumbled into the core and nearly collapsed from the sudden transition. Nana caught him as Yoichi sprinted up to them. "The Vestige for that Quirk should be in here, right?"

"He is…" Yoichi said hesitantly, then glanced towards the back of the room. "But I'm not sure-"

Izuku stomped forwards out of Nana's grasp. With a bit of will, the thrones were pushed out of his path like toys swept aside. This, understandably, alarmed some of their occupants, but Izuku paid them no mind for the moment.

The whole of his focus was locked on someone else.

The figure was almost Izuku's height and lanky, completely at odds with the rotund child from Izuku's memory. He sat curled into the fetal position, rocking gently with his back against the wall. The thin tank top he wore was too small, as were the dirty white drawstring pants below them. His hair was still the same barely-there buzz cut, but it was uneven and patchy. His eyes stared blankly ahead from a young face, eyes wide and haunted.

Izuku collapsed to his knees. "Tsubasa?"

Tsubasa blinked twitchily.

"Can you hear me, Tsubasa?"

"Chase." Tsubasa whispered. "Catch up."

"What?"

"Catch Bakugo." Tsubasa whispered, then his eyes flicked up to meet Izuku's own. "Help catch Bakugo."

Izuku couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. Tears spilled down his face, but he couldn't even move to wipe them away. A hand touched his shoulder, then another his back. More joined, until there were seven in all.

"...I'm sorry, kid." Kudo muttered. "I'd hoped this wouldn't happen, yet."

"...Yet?" Izuku croaked, his mind spinning.

"All for One does things like this." Kudo said softly. "He killed me using the Meta Ability of… someone I knew. Given that you seemed to stay pretty far under the radar until the Sports Festival, I didn't think he'd have time to pull something like this, but…"

"But why Tsubasa, of all people? He was Kacchan's friend more than mine, and he moved away when I was six." Izuku asked wetly. He hesitantly reached out, but Tsubasa twitched away from his hand. "I haven't spoken to him since. I don't even remember where he moved to. If All for One did this on purpose, then he must have known about me long before anyone realized he was still alive. He could have…"

Izuku trembled.

"He could have done far, far worse than this." Yoichi finished for him.

"Maybe he wanted someone that wouldn't garner as much immediate attention?" Bruce said, though he sounded doubtful of the idea himself. "But… actually, no. We're making a massive assumption here."

"Which is?" Nana asked.

Izuku felt his physical body shift, but ignored it.

"Tsubasa was completely unrecognizable as a Nomu. If he'd done this to hurt Izuku, that doesn't make any sense unless he already knew One for All could be given Meta Abilities. But if he knew that, he sure as hell wouldn't have engineered this situation and given Izuku another advantage just to send a message." Bruce considered. "So unless his intent was for some kind of autopsy report to break the news…"

"Which, mind you, is just fucked up and convoluted enough that it might have actually been his plan." En grumbled.

Bruce faltered. "You may have a point. But even so, I think it's extremely unlikely."

"So, what? Was this some kind of horrifying coincidence?" Daigoro asked, incredulous. "He just happened to sic a Nomu with a Quirk from a former friend on Izuku?"

"...Danger Sense didn't trigger." Izuku whispered.

Tsubasa stared at him.

"Back when the Nomu… you… grabbed me. You weren't trying to hurt me, were you?" Izuku whispered. "What were you trying to do?"

"Catch Deku." Tsubasa brightened slightly. "Tag!"

The world blurred. At first, Izuku thought it was just the fresh wave of tears, or possibly that he was starting to black out. Then, he realized that the world was literally warping and fading out in patches, much to the Vestiges' distress. Before he could ask what was happening, the ground dropped out from under him, and he found himself staring into Bakugo's face inches from his own. He was holding Izuku up by the front of his costume, glaring down and shaking him. Over Bakugo's shoulder, Izuku saw two luminous red points in the gloom of the maze.

"I SAID WAKE THE FUCK UP, DEKU-"

"That's enough." Aizawa growled as he strode into the light.

Bakugo startled, then whirled to face the teacher. He hefted Izuku, as if for emphasis. "HE'S BEEN LYING ABOUT HIS-"

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Aizawa shouted, and his eyes grew even brighter. For all that he only had a few inches on Bakugo, he suddenly seemed to loom over them both like some kind of demon. Evidently Bakugo got the same impression, because even he was rendered speechless. "I don't know what's going on. But we'll get to the bottom of it in the principal's office."

"What's wrong?" All Might asked as he rushed into the principal's office. "What happened? I came as soon as I saw the rest of the class back to the school! Is Young Izuku- Oh. Er. Young Bakugo as well. Hello."

Izuku groaned as he dropped his face back into his knees. He'd curled up on his chair the moment he'd been pushed into it, and had only looked up when he'd heard All Might's voice.

"Oh, so you're on a first name basis with Deku despite the fact that he lifted your Quirk." Bakugo grumbled. "Fan-fucking-tastic. Today just keeps getting better."

"...Uh… Nezu? Could I bother you for an explanation?" All Might sounded alarmed. Beneath that, Izuku could also pick out the tell-tale wet sound in his voice that said he was nearing his time limit.

"There's been a bit of a development, which Bakugo happened to bear witness to." Nezu said smoothly. "At this point I think it would be best if you close the door and relax until Mrs. Midoriya arrives."

"Oh? OH! I'm not so sure that's-"

"Just do it." Izuku sighed as he lifted his head once more. "I don't think this is recoverable. The truth is probably the easiest way to deal with the situation."

Aizawa's eyes darted between the other occupants of the room in alarm. "You can't be-"

All Might deflated.

Bakugo stared.

Aizawa's jaw worked as his eyes continued to flick between Toshinori and the students.

Toshinori grimaced. His chest clenched, and he quickly snatched a handkerchief from his pocket to cough into.

Bakugo stared.

Silence.

"Well." Toshinori sighed. "This is actually going better than-"

Bakugo started laughing.

"...Shouldn't have said anything. Are you alright, Young Bakugo?"

"I'm fucking relieved!" Bakugo giggled languidly, a genuine smile on his face. "This was a surreal fucking dream, but at least now I know that's what it is. Should have known. No way Deku was actually that fast. Holy shit, man."

Toshinori pinched his brow. "Would anyone mind explaining-"

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Aizawa snapped at Toshinori, then whipped around to face Nezu. "Why did you even suggest it? Why does Midoriya know? Hell, why was HE the one All Might listened to!?"

Nezu snatched some papers from his desk. "Bakugo, please read this and tell me when you're done."

Bakugo took the papers, then eyed them critically. "My Quirk registration? Why the fuck do I need to read this old shit?"

"I simply want to confirm something." Nezu said. "Please humor me."

Bakugo grumbled, but surprisingly settled in. Nezu tapped something on his desk, then turned to Aizawa, who's eye had begun twitching. "We'll address the why shortly, but this has unfortunately become necessary. Midoriya made the call because the situation involves him as much as it does All Might, hard as that may be to believe. I understand you dislike being left in the dark, but please bear with me for a moment. Rest assured, you'll know plenty about the situation shortly."

Aizawa stared at the principal incredulously, but eventually gave a grudging nod.

Someone knocked on the door. All Might instantly returned, then the door swung open of its own accord. Inko rushed in, immediately spotted Izuku, then wrapped him in a hug. "Are you alright, sweetie? What happened?"

The door swung closed, and All Might deflated once again with a harsh cough into his handkerchief. Aizawa looked like he was about to say something, then bit his tongue.

"Fucker accidentally revealed his bullshit Quirk." Bakugo grunted. "Did he lie about it to you too, Auntie? Or were you helping him keep his fucking forgeries under wraps?"

Inko looked at Bakugo askance. "His… what?"

Bakugo clicked his tongue in distaste, then flopped the pages he'd been reading back onto Nezu's desk. "It jumps around, but it all checks out. Same dry crap as it was the last time, just a weird order."

"Excellent. Slightly over two and a half minutes." Nezu squeaked, then held up a timer on his phone, which showed 02:32.41.

Bakugo blinked. "What? Bullshit, that was a minute at the absolute most!"

"Interesting. And what was the first paragraph on the second page about?"

"Something about how I ignite my sweat. Now fuck off with this, I'm-"

"Not dreaming." Nezu said seriously as he tapped his phone, which revealed the timer readout to have been a screenshot. He tabbed back to the actual timer, which showed 00:51.62. "The ability to accurately assess time is nearly impossible in a dream, as is actually comprehending and remembering anything you read. You accurately estimated the amount of time it took you to read your assessment, which you correctly identified in the first place. You were also correct that the document was rearranged, but nonetheless remembered the subject at the top of page two. This would have been completely impossible in a dream."

Bakugo blinked. He snatched back the papers, quickly skimmed them, then tossed them aside. He whipped out his phone, typed furiously, then stared at it as though it had personally wronged him. Slowly, he went pale.

"Shit." Bakugo whispered, then his eyes rose to scan the room. They settled briefly on Izuku and Inko, then on Toshinori. "What the FUCK?!"

"Now that we're all accounted for and taking the situation seriously…" Nezu said. "It's probably time for an explanation. Midoriya, if you would?"

Izuku closed his eyes for a moment, counted backwards from ten, then let out a harsh breath.

"In a very technical sense, Kacchan, you weren't entirely wrong. I do have both All Might's and Tsubasa's Quirks." Izuku said. "But they aren't copies, and I didn't receive Draconic Wings from Tsubasa himself. At least…" Izuku swallowed the acid taste on his tongue. "...It wasn't entirely him, anymore…"

The silence was a brittle thing. It hung in the air, just waiting to be shattered and rain down razor shards on them all.

Bakugo had visibly explored many different ranges of fury, disbelief, offense, and stubborn refusal throughout the explanation. When Izuku explained where his wings had come from, however, the only thing that had remained was unadulterated horror.

Inko sobbed quietly into Izuku's hair, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Aizawa glared a hole into the far wall, as far from Nezu as possible. That was likely due to the faint red glow that flashed from his eyes from time to time.

Nezu was furiously typing away at his keyboard, his tea cast aside.

"That FUCKING monster." Toshinori spat blood as he paced. "A child. He used a CHILD to make one of those… those… GAH. Should have atomized his corpse when I could, CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED!"

Izuku caught Toshinori's arm tiredly as he passed, then pushed up his costume sleeve. Boon flowed through the point of contact, which brought Toshinori's stride to a faltering halt.

"I'm sorry, my boy." Toshinori sighed, then wiped the blood from his lips. "This is neither the place nor time for me to let myself go like this. Are… you alright?"

"No." Izuku admitted hoarsely, and his mother's grip on him tightened. "I don't know what to do."

"I can't imagine you do, young man." Nezu said tiredly as he leaned back in his chair. "This isn't the kind of situation anyone can be prepared for. Sometimes, coincidence can be far more cruel than malice."

"It was a coincidence, then?" Izuku asked warily.

"Unless you somehow drew an ancient supervillain's attention a few months before you began training under All Might, then it was." Nezu's ears flicked. "Tsubasa Higoi was reported missing from Tottori Prefecture in Yazu on January 2nd, 2177."

Izuku nodded somberly. "It's still awful that something like this was done to him, but… God, I feel horrible for saying it, but at least it wasn't because of me."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of for that." Aizawa broke his silence, though his glare remained unchanged. "Atrocities happen every day. You should never blame yourself for the ones you could do nothing about. That merely distracts you from the ones you can."

Aizawa's eyes drifted closed, and his head tipped back to thump against the wall. "I want to be angry at you both, Nezu, All Might. But from the sounds of it, the specific nature of One for All isn't something I'd have needed to know from the start. What I should have known was how short a time Midoriya had been in possession of it… but that's likely something that… would have been in his file… which I…"

Aizawa signed harshly, then thumped his head lightly against the wall again.

"Didn't."

Thump.

"Fucking."

Thump.

"Read."

Izuku could feel his mother tense at his side. "And why, exactly, didn't you? You're one of the people responsible for his heroics training. That seems like vital information to have."

"Ordinarily, the bulk of student files are packed with biased drivel. Delightful Quirk this, keen mind that. I found early on that getting only the baseline information from them, then putting the students through a litmus test of my own, was a better indication of what I'd be working with." Aizawa's head tilted forwards, and his eyes slid half open. "Unfortunately, that apparently left a blind spot for substantial changes too recent or too massive for the student to have adapted to. Short of a Quirk awakening or a severe injury, which I have been directly informed about previously, that wouldn't have come up. Except it did , and I wasn't . Which begs the question of why."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed to slits, then snapped to Nezu. "Why the hell didn't you intervene when I, in my ignorance, left Midoriya to his own devices? I know UA gives us a lot of freedom in how we teach. I've certainly pushed that boundary enough. But not stepping in when I'd obviously failed to help a student seems like a bit too much leeway."

"In retrospect, I agree." Nezu sighed. "I should have checked in on his progress and stressed his situation. However, we too were working under faulty assumptions of how his control would progress. From all previous knowledge of One for All, control would come in short order. We should have known that wouldn't be the case this time when he continued to damage himself so severely, but by then we feared drawing any additional attention to him. As you've demonstrated, you would certainly have had questions."

"The potential extent of which I was unprepared to answer." Toshinori added tiredly. "Given your apparent dislike of myself and questionable opinion of Young Izuku, I hesitated to give you such access. It's no secret that you're a bit trigger happy with expulsion, even with your general education trick. Young Izuku needs every bit of education he can get, and I feared you'd be a threat to it if we tried to hide anything. By the time I felt you trustworthy, you were recovering from the USJ attack, and I didn't want to distress you. Then came internships, and with them Young Izuku made great strides…"

"So you thought informing me of this mess was once again unnecessary." Aizawa rubbed his brow tiredly. "Right up until it was dropped in my lap."

"...Yes." Toshinori agreed.

Aizawa glanced towards Izuku, then Inko, then past both. "We should continue this conversation later."

Izuku followed Aizawa's gaze as both Nezu and Toshinori agreed to his suggestion. Bakugo still sat in his chair, brow furrowed and eyes vacant. He hadn't moved since the explanation had finished, and Izuku was officially worried. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand-

Bakugo's eyes snapped into focus, and he slapped Izuku's hand away. "Don't fucking touch me, I'm fine."

"Are you-"

"Yes, I'm god damn sure. Just my fucking worldview being beaten within an inch of its life." Bakugo growled, eyes burning as they locked with Izuku's. "So all those years of you waiting around for the universe to shit out some miracle actually paid off."

"He earned One for All, Young Bakugo. That it wasn't his by birthright should not make a difference." Toshinori cautioned.

"Through a complete lack of self preservation and some manual labor." Bakugo snorted. "Sure, that's completely equivalent to growing up with fucking high explosives literally dripping out of my hands. Learning when and how to burn some off to keep from destroying anything I touch. Building my body into a finely crafted tool to wield Explosion with the skill it deserves. ALL OF THAT just for him to mosey on up and flick shit out of existence after less than a year of dedicated effort. And that's before all the other bullshit he's also apparently 'earned' since."

Bakugo stood sharply. For a moment, his hands trembled. Then, he clenched them into fists, the flash of a small explosion flaring between his fingers. "But fuck it. I don't care if he's got a Quirk-Eating, hive-minded, old-as-dirt superweapon living under his skin. I don't care if he's got your personal attention, All Might. I don't care because it's not going to make a difference! Because I'm going to win. If I have to train Explosion until it's even more bullshit than punching the sky to change the weather , I'LL DAMN WELL DO IT!"

Bakugo panted harshly after his outburst, the room around him silent. His eyes were wide, and Izuku thought he could spot a desperate edge to them before Bakugo spun and began to stomp his way towards the exit. He froze, however, when Inko's hand caught his arm.

"I know I'm probably one of the last people you want to talk to, Katsuki. But if you need to, I'll be there."

Bakugo trembled slightly, then snatched his arm away as he continued towards the door.

"You understand the importance of keeping what you learned a secret, correct?" Nezu asked carefully. "I understand you had little say in learning of it, but-"

"I'll keep the damn secret." Bakugo hissed. "I'm going to be a hero, not some two-bit information broker. And I'm sure as hell not going to do anything to paint a target on anyone's back."

Bakguo's head lowered as his hand fell on the door's handle.

"One dead kid is already too many."

After Bakugo's departure, Izuku had needed a bit longer to recover from his ordeal. Thankfully, Inko hadn't asked him about the sheer hostility Bakugo had displayed, though he could tell it bothered her. He would have to tell her eventually, but… not yet. He didn't have it in him.

Once he'd put himself back together enough to return to the public eye, he'd given his mother a long hug, then headed for the changing rooms. She'd stayed behind with Toshinori, Nezu, and Aizawa, no doubt for another discussion on how UA hadn't been living up to its reputation. Part of him wanted to be present for that, but for the most part he just wanted to move on with his day and hope it would distract him.

When he'd pulled off his costume, only to find the two massive holes torn in the back by Tsubasa's wings, he resigned himself to the fact that the universe probably wouldn't let that happen. He'd sighed as he stuffed the fabric haphazardly back into the case, then crammed the lid closed. He'd needed to make a trip to the support department regardless, but now it would have to be a priority.

Once he'd finished getting changed, he'd pulled out his phone to check the time… only to see he'd received quite a few messages without noticing.

Conversation: Ochako Uraraka [Uravity]

Uravity: Hey, are you ok?

Uravity: Sorry I've been weird today, just had a rough night.

Uravity: If you need anything, just let me know, ok?

Uravity: Bakugo's back, but he won't tell anyone anything. Please let me know what's going on when you can.

Deku: I had a bit of a Quirk mishap. Nothing broken, but Kacchan ended up caught up in it.

Deku: Thank you for checking in. I completely understand, I've had some weird nights myself recently, and it really throws off my day. Hope you feel better soon!

Izuku reread Uraraka's messages again, then smiled slightly in spite of everything. 'I really need to figure out what to do for that lunch. She does like Mochi…'

Daigoro pulsed.

'Enough of that. I WILL sic the mute buttons on you.'

En and Hikage pulsed.

Daigoro pulsed twice in resignation.

Izuku tabbed out of Uraraka's messages, then moved to the next.

Conversation: Shoto Todoroki [Shoto]

Shoto: Bakugo has returned, but both you and All Might remain conspicuously absent. If you need me to cover for your meeting, let me know.

Deku: I appreciate the thought, but there's nothing to cover for. I just had some issues with my Quirk, which Kacchan was caught up in as well.

Izuku shook his head, but couldn't help a small chuckle as he moved on.

Conversation: Tenya Iida [Ingenium]

Ingenium: Hello, Izuku. I hope everything is alright. We returned to the school without you and Bakugo, then All Might rushed off even faster than usual. Did something happen?

Deku: Quirk development. Kacchan saw it, and had to be brought into the loop along with Mr. Aizawa. I'll explain later, but it's all kinds of a mess.

Deku: Don't say anything about it to him, he's not happy.

The next active conversation in his personal chats was… new.

Group Chat: Deku is Missing II, Electric Boogaloo

Cellophane: Does anyone have any idea what actually happened with Midoriya and Bakugo?

Cellophane: They both took off like bats out of hell at the start of our race. There's no way they wouldn't have finished waaaaay before I did if nothing happened, but I didn't see them.

Cellophane: Froppy Did you happen to spot them on your way through?

Chargebolt: Think they got in a fight or something

Uravity: Bakugo had better not have started something again.

Cellophane: Chargebolt Is that an answer or a question

Chargebolt: Question sry

Earphone Jack: I could kind of hear Blasty's explosions over Iida's engines from where I was. It sounded like he almost got to the far end of the field, then there was this Gong sound and he turned back.

Earphone Jack: I heard some smaller explosions after that, but nothing big enough to have been an actual fight.

Ingenium: I sincerely doubt they'd have gotten in a fight. Izuku isn't the type, and I doubt Bakugo would give up winning a sanctioned competition simply to pick one. However, I have yet to hear from either, so I can't say with any level of certainty what might have happened.

Froppy: Cellophane Didn't see anything. Heard the same Gong sound as Earphone Jack, but I steered clear of the area. Figured it was one of them fighting a large robot, or maybe something hitting a wall.

'Oh God.' Izuku came to a realization. 'Now I'm Wall Fight's successor too.'

Exuberant pulses all around from One for All. Izuku groaned.

Tentacole: Earphone Jack, Froppy I think I heard the same thing.

Creati: Mr. Aizawa didn't accompany us back, and I didn't see him at the front gate as we passed. Whatever happened, it seems likely he handled it.

Shoto: They might have found something unusual in the training grounds.

Shoto: Aizawa was involved. There could have been a hidden objective, or he might have otherwise misled us on the true parameters of the exercise.

Shoto: It was a race, which favors those with mobility. There were also robots that served as obstacles or opponents, which gave those with combative or evasive abilities a way to even the field. Is it possible that there were hidden 'civilians' that could be rescued on the way, to favor those looking to specialize in Rescue heroics?

Uravity: Wait, that actually makes a lot of sense.

Uravity: Tentacole, Earphone Jack Did either of you notice anything like that?

Tentacole: I didn't find anything that indicated faux civilians, though I was mostly focused on avoiding the drones.

Earphone Jack: The idea makes sense, but if that's what actually happened, they were hidden stupidly well. I could track everyone else in my group and the hostile bots pretty well, but I didn't pick up on anything that stood out as something to save.

Red Riot: We're absolutely sure it wasn't just Midoriya accidentally breaking something again? I know he and Bakguo don't get along, but I'm pretty sure if Midoriya put himself in a legitimately dangerous situation Bakugo would have saved him. That could explain the loud sound, and why Bakugo doubled back.

Earphone Jack: Maybe? There's usually a lot more general noise when Midoriya really hauls off, though. I think I would have been able to hear a lot more wind and crashing if that was the case.

Ingenium: Izuku faced down Stain with his newly developed technique, which is what he used at the beginning of the race. The worst he did was apparently a fracture in his arm from one of the opening strikes, but he otherwise managed to keep up without injuring himself. I sincerely doubt anything in this test would have pushed him to do much more than that.

Cellophane: That's a really good point. He shot off like a green bullet, and I didn't see him again after he cleared a building. If he could keep that up, he wouldn't have had any reason to risk anything extreme.

Cellophane: Which circles back to what could have possibly happened.

Pinky: Blasty's back, but he's not saying anything.

Pinky: Fair warning to everyone, he's in a weird mood.

Red Riot: Understatement. He's quiet.

Minoru Mineta: He can do that?

Red Riot: Yeah, but it's not really common. It's usually only when he's absolutely exhausted or pissed past the ability to form words.

Minoru Mineta: I kind of thought he only had the one volume.

Bakugo Katsuki: I can read this too, you little shit.

Bakugo Katsuki: Fuck off.

Chargebolt: Rip

Cellophane: Rip

Pinky: Rip

Ingenium: Bakugo Katsuki Language!

Invisible Girl: Rip

Bakugo Katsuki: Ingenium Fuck off to you too.

Bakugo Katsuki: If it'll make all of you extras shut the hell up, the Nerd is fine. His shitty Quirk pulled a fast one and I had to bail his useless ass out.

Bakugo Katsuki has left the chat.

Cellophane: Well

Cellophane: I guess that works?

Deku: Sorry to worry everyone. I'm fine.

Deku: I tried to use a new technique to catch up with Kacchan, but accidentally ended up tangling both of us up instead of slingshotting into the lead.

Deku: The, um, 'Gong' sound was me slamming head first into a wall, which knocked me for a loop. I'm fine, but Mr. Aizawa came to get us because we were taking too long to sort everything out.

Uravity: You're ok, right?

Earphone Jack: Yeah, seriously. That sound carried, man. You have a concussion or something?

Deku: Completely fine!

Ingenium: Ah, the tendrils?

Deku: Yeah, still trying to get that under control.

Chargebolt: I'm sorry the tendrils?

Earphone Jack: Wow. You actually got Jamming Way to use punctuation.

Chargebolt: Rude

Chargebolt: **!

Deku: It's another new technique I managed to develop. I can manifest the energy of my Quirk as a pseudo-solid tendril under my control, though it's still really under development. I was trying to slingshot myself, but missed my intended anchor.

Cellophane: You were that close to catching him?

Deku: I was on his heels at the end, but he'd have probably still won if not for my mistake. It was a last ditch effort to clear a gap he could just rocket himself over.

Red Riot: That's still a hell of an improvement, man. Congratulations!

Deku: Thank you!

Deku: Everyone I'll be back soon. Thank you for your concern.

Izuku tucked his phone away, then made eye contact with his weary looking reflection in a mirror.

"Well. This will be… interesting."

Notes:

~Three days after Christmas, the author gave to me~!

EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!

I'd been planning to drop a chapter before and after Christmas as a little gift to everyone for a while. I... um... Wasn't exactly expecting it to be THIS one, given it's kind of a gut punch (assuming I did it right), but here we are. I hope everyone enjoyed it regardless!