Hey folks! It's back to "Through the Rough" this chapter, as we're in the thick of the raid on the villains now! But things are starting to go awry, as even though Hawks just took out Twice, now he's left to try and get away from Dabi, which won't be easy.

Luckily, there may be someone there to help him out… but let's start things off slow. Xiaomei, take it away!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

One's justice can lead to another's destruction. With Hawks having finished the likes of Jin Bubaigawara, the villain known as Twice, the villains have lost one of their key fighters in the battle ahead. That said, it hasn't come without its costs.

Hawks is now in the thick of receiving Dabi's wrathful flames, and there isn't anyone who knows that he's even fighting in the villa at all. Well… except one… Why don't we go back in time for a little bit?

FLASHBACK

Sitting in the backseat of a small red car driving down the busy highway was a four-year-old Tsubaki Aina, holding onto a stuffed animal of a bird as she stared off into space. She and her parents had just visited a well-known pediatrician, discovering whether or not the little girl would be able to naturally manifest a Quirk. Though the scans showed no signs of that being the case, the doctor had mentioned the possibility of manifesting an Ether-type Quirk instead.

As he had explained the details, Tsubaki had just tuned everything out. She didn't really care whether or not she gained a power. She was content with the way she was.

"Tsubaki, honey…" her mother chimed in, trying to get her attention from the passenger seat, "I'm so sorry things didn't work out…" she apologized.

"We still could try that Ether-therapy the doctor suggested," her husband pointed out.

"It's expensive, but…" she started to reply, looking back at Tsubaki. She was just fiddling with her stuffed bird. In that moment though, she felt her eyes start to itch. Something made her vision feel hazy as she rubbed her eyes, groaning uncomfortably. When she next opened them, there were glowing yellow lines upon them. Blinking twice, the white-haired girl looked around outside the car. Birds were flying by, cars were speeding past her family along the highway, and people were roaming about in the distant city. But she was nowhere near any of those things to see them from where she was.

"Tsubaki, you're being awfully quiet…" her father noted as he looked back at her.

"Is everything okay?" his wife asked of the little girl, who perked up and looked ahead. A light gasp left her lips.

"That truck…" she said, "It's gonna crash…" she confirmed to her parents' surprise.

"What are you talking about?" her father asked.

"And what's going on with your eyes?" her mother questioned, having noticed the strange glowing lines. Ahead of them, an oil tanker suddenly swerved, crashing into a few cars. The father took notice and gasped, trying to get out of the way to avoid crashing. But it was no use as the vehicle was about to end up slamming into another. As her parents screamed with fright, Tsubaki was completely calm. She was aware what was coming next. Several red feathers shot out, snatching up each and every person caught up in the pile-up before they could get seriously hurt. The white-haired girl found herself lifted out of the car along with her parents. She curiously looked down, spotting the rescuer below.

It was an ash blonde-haired boy with red, feathery wings. Tsubaki stared at him in awe with shimmering eyes. She would never forget the sight of those wings that had saved her…

END FLASHBACK

"Outta the way!" Fatgum yelled as he ran across the battlefield away from the villa, "This Fataxi's comin' through!" he declared, carrying all of the other student heroes with Fumikage and Shiki in his fat body.

"You know, we could've just followed you…" Laguna mumbled with embarrassment.

"By the way, you guys sure it's okay for us to leave now?" Juzo asked.

"Yeah, we could still help you guys out a ton!" Denki proclaimed.

"Trust me, you guys did enough with disrupting the enemy's response to our attack," the BMI Hero assured, "With them not coordinated, they're basically sitting ducks for the rest of us," he mentioned on.

"Hope you're sure about that…" Laguna muttered, giving off a nervous expression.

"But now you guys just need to surround the villa and round everybody up!" Shiki pointed out as he glanced back at the building under attack, "Nobody'll get away then!" he affirmed confidently.

"Well, we'll see," Fatgum replied, "I'm confident, but there's a thing about hubris, you know…" he noted.

"Hubert?" Shiki said as he blinked, "Who's that?" he asked with a tilt of his head. Most of the others gave him blank looks of befuddlement in response. At that moment, a spray of blue flames erupted from the building, causing the Fat Absorption Quirk user and the student heroes to glance back.

"What's that?!" Kinoko yelped out.

"Blue flames…" Fumikage uttered. At that moment, he noticed a figure shooting out from them. "Wait… is that…?" he started to guess, widening his eyes, "Oh no…" he said. Shiki noticed as well, letting off a worried grimace.

OPENING

Insert "SPECIALZ" by King Gnu

Opens with the dawning sky as several heroes gather together, walking side by side as they approach Jaku City. Leading them is Endeavor, followed by Justice, Holy, Eraser and Mirko. We also see the likes of Ryukyu, Present Mic, Eraser Head, Witch, and Sister. As they approach the hospital, watching from afar are Izuku and Rebecca, who both have sweat nervously trickling down their bodies as they help with evacuations in the city.

We switch to a scene of the many villains of the Paranormal Liberation Front, with Tomura at the back, lying dormant in a vat as he awaits the day he'll be unleashed upon the world. Both Deadend Crow and Gigantomachia tower over everyone as they both grin ominously. We get shots of Shura, Ijuna, Maria, Spinner, Himiko, Compress, and Fie. Twice is seen on the floor crying his eyes out as he's surrounded by Hawks' feathers. However, blue flames spew into the room, coming from a sadistically grinning Dabi. We see Feather fly onto the scene to try and help, but she's suddenly ambushed by a laser beam piercing through her abdomen, coming from a figure lurking in the shadows.

Several Nomu in the hospital emerge, as the heroes all battle them back. Holy melts down two of them before Eraser erases a chunk of another. Justice uses his Grand Chariot to finish off even more, while the others continue ahead. Mirko arrives at Doctor Garaki's lab, only to wind up getting knocked aside. She looks over, widening her eyes to see the High-End Nomu that've just been released.

We cut to the city as the young heroes are helping evacuate people. Suddenly though, a wave of decaying destruction is about to wash over them. Izuku and Rebecca quickly work with the others to get everyone out of there, all while sensing the ominous presence of All For One. Back in the hospital, we see Tomura emerging from his vat, willing himself to life before instantly decaying a hero beside him. His eyes flash brightly before he fires lasers from them, followed by decaying everything in sight with just a simple touch.

There are various scenes of the heroes outside Gunga Villa making their move, Laguna and Hitoshi coming face-to-face with Nero, Shoto and Homura hurriedly following their comrades, and finally, Katsuki glancing back at Izuku and Rebecca. He flashes through distinct memories of the couple throughout their childhood, knowing that Rebecca is more of a true friend to the One For All inheritor than he'll ever be. He snaps away from those thoughts, needing to blast himself away from the incoming decay wave.

As the opening winds down, we see Tomura standing at the epicenter of his decay wave, donning a cape as he gives off a sadistic grin. We get scenes of Acnoella, Crow, Shura, Elsie, and Nox, completing the Oracion Seis. As the heroes stand to face off against the greatest evil known to Japan, so too do the villains…

END OPENING

"You killed Twice… like it was nothing…" Dabi growled out as his flames smoldered inside the villa, "And yet, you've got the audacity to call yourself a hero?!" he snarled in question, unleashing another blast of blue fire. Hawks tumbled away from the flames, falling to the floor and rolling to try and put them out on his back. There were barely any feathers left on his wings, which were practically burnt to a crisp.

'How are his flames somehow getting even hotter?!' he wondered inwardly as he grimaced.

"You hypocrite…" Dabi muttered, stamping his right foot down onto the Wing Hero as he yelped with pain, followed by being subjected to even more flames igniting upon him, "I can't believe you murdered him!" he shouted out, while Twice's dead and bleeding body lied by the railing behind them. The Fierce Wings Quirk user managed to lift his head up.

"You sound upset…" he noted aloud, "so what's with the damn smile, you lunatic?!" he questioned of the pyrokinetic, who had a wicked grin upon his face.

"Shut your mouth, you damn traitor! You're being rude!" Dabi snarled back, still smiling, "I can't cry 'cause my tear ducts are burned shut!" he pointed out, "But do you even know what you've done…?" he inquired of the Wing Hero, "His Quirk was invaluable, he made my dream feel possible…!" he noted in a snarl, "I'm more than just a little upset…" he confirmed before unleashing another powerful blast of blue fire, "I'm consumed in my sorrow!" he proclaimed. Hawks groaned with agony, trying to endure the flames.

"What's your deal…?!" he asked, "I researched the League, found background info on everybody…" he listed off, "except for you and Shigaraki…!" he confirmed, earning another smirk out of the pyrokinetic. He knew the Fierce Wings Quirk user's real name, a name that he had given up in order to be a more secretive hero under the Safety Commission. He wanted to be a hero just like the person who had helped save him. "Tell me…" he began, "who are you?!" he questioned of the villain upon him. A grin crossed his face before he answered. And with that, Hawks' eyes widened.

"More than Twice… more than any army of villains…" Dabi began, "your attention should've been focused on me," he pointed out, "The League, Shigaraki…" he listed off, "I've never cared about them…" he admitted, "Did you know the world could be forever changed 'cause of the obsessions of just one person?" he inquired of the Wing Hero, who was still in shock, "There's no such thing as a true hero in this society…" he affirmed, "You frauds must be killed…" he stated, "Get it now?" he questioned on, "I am the one who'll carry out Stain's will!" he declared firmly. Hawks was left shocked. He didn't know what to do. In fact, he couldn't really do anything in his position. "See ya, Hawks," Dabi remarked, rearing his right back as flames billowed upon his hand, "In the end… your death means nothing!" he proclaimed, about to incinerate the Fierce Wings Quirk user. At that moment, glass shattered. "Huh?" the pyrokinetic uttered out as he glanced back. A room's doors went flying off from the hinges as Feather burst out, aiming what looked to be a small pistol toward the villain.

"Feather…?" Hawks said in shock. A yellow bolt was shot from the Eye of Venus Quirk user's weapon, striking Dabi squarely in the back.

"AH!" he yelped, feeling a surge of electricity through his body as he collapsed onto his left knee, "The Interstellar Union, huh?" he grumbled as the I.U.A. Hero flew over, "Thought you'd all be too busy with tryin' to stop Shigaraki…" he muttered out.

"Save your remarks," Feather retorted as she went over to the Wing Hero's side. She widened her eyes at the sight of his burnt back, with smoke wafting off from it.

"Feather…" he groaned out, getting her attention, "Get outta here…" he insisted, "You're… no match for him…" he noted with a grimace. The Eye of Venus Quirk user took on a determined expression.

"I do not plan on leaving you here, Keigo," she responded to his surprise, reaching down and grabbing her stun baton from her belt, extending it from both ends, "After I subdue him, we'll make our escape," she promised, narrowing her eyes onto Dabi.

"Well, isn't that a nice idea?" the pyrokinetic remarked back, "Betcha' could take me down now, especially since you got that fancy Quirk that lets you see what everyone's gonna do around ya," he noted on as the I.U.A. Hero lunged at him. And all of a sudden, a ray of yellow light shot out and pierced right through her abdomen.

"Wha…?" she uttered out as her eyes widened. Hawks gasped with shock. Dabi chuckled.

"Well… almost everyone…" he corrected as a figure was lurking up in the hall above them…

X

"Damn it!" Holy cursed as she hurried down the halls of the underground alongside Endeavor, Shota, and Mic, "Those Nomu are causing us way too much trouble!" she complained.

"And it's sounds like things are only worse deeper down!" the Voice Quirk user noted on, "We're really gonna need your help on this one, Eraser!" he remarked to his fellow teacher, who simply nodded. The group turned a corner, widening their eyes in surprise to find the other heroes still struggling to break through against Chubs.

"You… can't kill me…!" he proclaimed in a deep voice.

"It's one of the High-Ends, isn't it?" Holy assumed with a grimace.

"Looks that way…" Endeavor muttered. Justice then landed down and slid to a stop beside them.

"Sorry we haven't been able to take this guy down yet…" he apologized, "Its regeneration is too quick for us to deal any lasting damage…" he pointed out.

"And I don't wanna risk using Erase too early…" Eraser added nearby as sweat trickled down his face.

"Ergh…!" Crust grunted, struggling to hold Chubs back. Reacting quickly, Holy ran forward.

"Holy, wait!" Shota cried out. Purple energy lines formed along the dual-type Quirk user's arms before she threw her right one out, placing her hand onto the Nomu's chest. A melting explosion erupted from its body as it cried out with pain. The others widened their eyes.

"So Melt does work on living things…" Holy noted aloud.

"A bit much, don't you think?" Eraser remarked in question with a nervous grin.

"If it was still human, I'd agree…" the dual-type Quirk user retorted, "Eraser Head, now!" she called out to Shota. His eyes flashed red under his goggles. As Chubs attempted to heal himself, his body stopped regenerating.

"You have my thanks!" Crust exclaimed gratefully, "And as for you…" he continued in a grunt, pushing back against the Nomu, "you'll be clearing the way for us!" he declared firmly. Endeavor then rushed forward.

"Flashfire Fist…" he started to bellow, clenching his right fist tightly before thrusting it out and striking the Nomu in a burst of powerful flames, "JET BURNNNNN!" he roared. Holy braced herself from the fire, peeking behind Chubs to see a glimpse of the lab just ahead.

'Mirko…' she uttered inwardly with worry. Inside, the Rabbit Hero was continuing to hop around, evading the attacks from Woman and Ribby as best she could. But when she tried countering, they were quick to dodge themselves.

'I'm not landing hits!' she realized with a nervous grin, narrowly managing to jump away from getting stabbed from Ribby's protrusion from behind, 'It's not that I'm getting weaker…' she noted to herself, 'I know my own body better than anyone…' she added inwardly, 'It's just that these guys… are waking up…!' she concluded through her thoughts, 'Fun as this has been, I know I got a job to do…' she mentioned.

"Sorry, guys…" she apologized, flipping over to land on her feet before hopping away, hurrying down the corridor to where she had heard Kyudai earlier.

"Going… after the doctor again?" Ribby assumed, "Stupid hero!" he yelled, extending his protrusion as it had more spikes jutting from it. They slashed through Mirko's left hip and lopped off part of her right ear, but she kept moving onward. Both Eleph and Woman lunged at her from behind, with the former grabbing her by her hair, while the latter bit into her left leg.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared, breaking free of their grasps as a good portion of her hair and part of her ankle were torn away. She continued down the corridor, even as Ribby's protrusions shot after her. She knew that her best chance of escaping the situation was by running. So if she'd do that, she'd first need to make sure her job was done. There was a light at the end of the tunnel as she leapt upward, arriving to find the giant vat containing Tomura, with Kyudai accessing the console nearby. He widened his eyes upon spotting the Rabbit Hero.

"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed out.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Mirko exclaimed, having her right leg raised for a powerful kick. Her head was almost stabbed right through by Ribby's protrusion, just narrowly going past her. It pierced into her leg, with blood spurting out from the new wound.

"Got you…" Ribby muttered from the entrance to the cramped corridor.

"I'm… not done!" the Rabbit Hero affirmed, roaring as she willed herself to keep going. At that moment, the Nomu suddenly felt an increase in temperature. He noticed too late that Endeavor had arrived, landing a fierce punch to his head to knock him to down onto the floor.

'The thing about us heroes…' Mirko began inwardly, breaking free of Ribby's protrusion as she closed in on the vat, 'IS THAT WE NEVER GIVE UP!' she bellowed through her thoughts, her foot striking the glass casing.

X

The moment Endeavor had blasted through Chubs, he rocketed into the lab with the other heroes to follow, striking down Ribby in a powerful blow. Eleph and Woman were surprised to see the other heroes rushing, with the former getting himself tackled by Justice, while the latter was subjected to Mic's ear-piercing shout.

"Shota, did you get them?!" Holy immediately asked of the Erasure Quirk user as they hurried in.

"Just the first two!" he confirmed in response, "Took me a second to see the third!" he added, "Endeavor, finish it off quick!" he advised of the Flame Hero from afar. Taking heed to his warning, the Hellflame Quirk user expelled a fiery blast onto Ribby, hoping to incinerate him completely. Back in the corridor, Mirko's smile hadn't faded. But it wasn't a good one.

The moment she saw Tomura in the vat, she knew that if he was released, nothing good would come of it. At the very least, she needed to make sure that he was taken out, even at all the costs she had made. The glass casing of the vat cracked.

Outside, Woman was narrowly dodging the rays sent her way from both Holy and X-Less. She was observing each of the heroes, noticing what powers they were using while also understanding that only Shota was likely responsible for nullifying his Quirks. And along with that, she quickly deduced that it was his eyesight that made it responsible. She started running through the sea of vats, trying to escape the Erasure Quirk user's field of vision.

"So fast!" X-Less exclaimed as he and Holy continued chasing after the Nomu, "And that's just its physical strength without Quirks!" he pointed out additionally.

'But why's it deciding to run?' the dual-type Quirk user wondered inwardly, 'Unless… that's not what it's doing!' she exclaimed through her thoughts, widening her eyes with a grimace.

"Shota, focus on the other two for now!" she advised quickly to the Erasure Quirk user's surprise, "I don't think they've caught on like this one has!" she pointed out.

"Caught on?" the U.A. teacher repeated in surprise.

'Did it figure out how my Quirk works?' he assumed through his thoughts. Both X-Less and Holy tried to shoot Woman down with the lasers they fired off respectively. Unfortunately, the feminine Nomu was evading their attacks, getting further and further away from Shota.

"Now my mind and body are in peak condition!" she confirmed, taking a laser beam to her right arm as she quickly regenerated it.

"Oh no…!" the dual-type Quirk user gasped upon noticing. Woman's legs started swelling.

"It feels so good!" she exclaimed, making her legs burst, unleashing sprays of liquid towards her foes. Crust rushed in, generating shields to protect his comrades. Justice and Eraser narrowly avoided getting struck, while Endeavor glanced over with slight concern. That moment of distraction allowed for Ribby to start regenerating ever so slightly, making his protrusion move.

Back at the end of the corridor, Mirko's foot was continuing to crack through the glass casing of the vat. What she didn't realize was two protrusions were coming her way. One pierced through her lone arm, while the other went through her left leg. They both tugged on her as blood flew out from her new wounds.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared out, managing to smash her foot against the glass casing before swinging it down, "LUNA ARC!" she exclaimed in the process. The fluid in the vat started pouring out as alarms started blaring. At that moment, the Rabbit Hero found herself pulled away. "Wait!" she yelled, being dragged through the wires.

"Th-The system…!" Kyudai gasped out, seeing the fluid spill out from the vat, while the console started malfunctioning, "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed with dismay. Back in the main lab at the other end of the tunnel, Ribby had escaped Endeavor's grasp, jumping away while reeling in his protrusions. Before the Flame Hero could think to go after the Nomu, he suddenly found himself struck as Mirko crashed into his arms. He managed to bring himself to a stop, holding onto her.

"Mirko…!" he gasped out, noticing her many injuries as she breathed heavily. Hurrying over through the sea of vats was Holy, whose eyes widened with horror. Aside from the Rabbit Hero's missing arm, she also had several wounds to both of her legs and blood pouring out of her. She breathed heavily with exhaustion.

"Rumi…" the dual-type Quirk user uttered in disbelief. The Flame Hero quickly pulled out a handkerchief he had.

"I'll cauterize these," he assured, placing the handkerchief by Mirko's mouth for her to bite into, "Brace yourself," he advised.

'It was only five minutes, but still…' Holy noted to herself, 'She took on multiple Nomu all by herself…' she added inwardly, trembling with frustration. Endeavor was frustrated, too. He wished that he and the others could've arrived just a few moments sooner.

"Add this to the debt I owe you from Kyushu," he said while searing the Rabbit Hero's wounds, "So please don't die on me," he requested.

"Ergh…!" Rumi grunted with pain, "Come on… you don't owe me crap…!" she muttered out.

"There you are… number one…!" a voice hissed out, getting Endeavor's attention as he looked up to see Woman jumping down toward him, "Destroying you… will make me feel great…!" she proclaimed excitedly. The Flame Hero was prepared to attack, only for Holy to step in front of him. Yellow, curved energy lines shined brightly along her arms as her hair flashed gold. She snarled as she unleashed a massive beam of light from her right fist, piercing straight through the feminine Nomu's head as she toppled over onto the floor behind the heroes.

"Holy…" Mirko uttered with shaking eyes.

"Mirko, at least be grateful," the dual-type Quirk user insisted as her hair went back to normal, "While Endeavor sears your wounds, we'll finish the job you started," she declared, "I'm going on ahead!" she announced, running off.

"Right!" Endeavor responded.

"Hey… team…" Mirko communicated, managing to reach her right hand up to her communicator. From afar, the other heroes battling the Nomu heard.

"Mirko, you're alright!" Justice exclaimed.

"Thank goodness…!" Crust whimpered out while blocking off an attack from Chubs.

"In this sea of monsters, I'd figured you'd be down for the count…" Eraser admitted while swiping his right arm, relieving Eleph of its legs in a white flash.

"Shigaraki's… floating in some kinda capsule…" the Rabbit Hero confirmed to her colleagues, "From what I've seen… I think it's an activation chamber…" she mentioned.

"And the doctor's trying to activate him now, right?" Holy assumed.

"Yeah…" Mirko confirmed in response, "Don't let Shigaraki wake up…" she insisted in between haggard breaths, "He's not just some punk kid anymore…" she added grimly.

"Of course, we're on it!" the dual-type Quirk user affirmed, only to be stopped as Woman jumped out in front of her. She grimaced. Meanwhile, Shota ensnared Ribby's left arm with his capture scarf, glaring at him all the while to disable his many powers.

"Reinforcements should be inbound in a matter of seconds…" he confirmed into the communication line, "But those seconds are the problem…" he added, "We can't let Shigaraki into this fight!" he insisted.

"Then we've got no time to lose!" Justice yelled as he rocketed off, "Holy, I'm leaving the point to stopping Shigaraki to you!" he decided, as the dual-type Quirk user ducked and rolled under the barrage of blasts shot her way from Woman, who was subsequently tackled away by the Interstellar Hero. "Take X-Less and Mic with you!" he added in instruction.

"Right!" Holy responded, "Let's hurry!" she called out to her colleagues.

"You got it!" the Voice Quirk user responded, hurrying after her alongside X-Less towards the tunnel. Ribby attempted to jump in their path, but was thwarted as his torso was cleaved in a white flash, courtesy of Eraser.

"Don't stop!" he shouted out, earning a small grin from Holy. The trio of heroes hurried down the tunnel. At the end of it, Kyudai was frantically checking the console, which was smoking and sparking.

"Damn, this machine's on the fritz…" he muttered out, "But at least the data looks good…!" he affirmed, closing a portion of the console he had opened, "I'll need to rouse Shigaraki quickly before more of the solution leaks out…" he realized, looking back at the breaking capsule containing what would've been a perfect creation, "Damn it…" he cursed, trembling a little. However, he steeled himself, letting out a frustrated growl. "I'm not happy letting you out when you're still unfinished…" he admitted while adjusting the console settings, "But All For One's dream must survive!" he declared, only for the console to suddenly start sparking again, "Crap! Blasted machine!" he yelled in frustration, banging his left fist against it before grabbing the attached remote. He activated it, ready to press the button that appeared. "Time to wake up, Tomura Shigaraki!" he announced. However, he didn't realize that there were other heroes closing in.

"Mic!" Holy called out as purple energy lines formed along her arms.

"Got it!" the Voice Quirk user responded. He leapt over some cables while taking a deep breath. "NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screeched out, unleashing a sonic wave that blasted into the glass casing of the capsule. In that same moment, the I.U.A. Hero had placed her hands against the floor, causing the ground to melt all the way to the capsule itself. The force of both attacks knocked Kyudai down in a yelp. As he sat up, he gasped to see Tomura drop down to his knees and topple over onto the floor, completely lifeless.

"We'll grab Shigaraki!" Holy decided as she and X-Less made their way toward the downed Decay Quirk user.

"No, don't!" Kyudai cried out. However, his path was blocked off as Mic rushed in, rearing his right arm back. The whole time this mission had been going on, he was thinking about how Shota broke down with anguish upon discovering what had happened to their classmate so long ago. But even so, they were both going to persevere and stop the villains. That was their duty as heroes.

"Checking for authenticity!" he called out before striking the doctor squarely in the face with his fist, "DJ PUNCH!" he roared fiercely, sending him tumbling down onto the floor, "That's for making my buddy cry!" he shouted. In the meantime, Holy and X-Less checked on Tomura. The former blinked in surprise.

'He's not breathing?' she noted to herself.

"I'm not getting a heartbeat or a pulse…" the caped hero beside her confirmed, with his right hand resting against the Decay Quirk user's chest.

"Hff…" Kyudai whimpered out, getting their attentions, "His body's in suspended animation to reduce the strain during the transfer process…" he explained, "That receptacle housed the means to revive him…!" he added sadly, with tears streaking down his face, "The only reason for me to live was to see this through…!" he cried out, "Now the dream… I shared with him… is gone…!" he whimpered further.

"Transfer process…" Holy repeated, curiously narrowing her eyes, "X-Less, take care of getting Shigaraki out of here," she instructed of the caped hero, who needed, "Mic and I'll deal with Garaki," she decided.

"Yeah," Hizashi agreed, holding the doctor tightly by his lab coat, "We'll need you to call off those damn Nomu!" he pointed out, jogging off with him in hand, while the dual-type Quirk user followed. X-Less stayed behind, ready to pick up Tomura. However, he couldn't help but notice the machine humming nearby.

"Considering that we've got reinforcements on the way and we understand how the Nomu can be dealt with, I'm sure we won't need to worry about calling them off," Holy affirmed confidently, "So I guess we can start asking you questions…" she noted to Kyudai.

"Seventy years ago…" he began, much to her and Mic's surprise as they didn't expect him to start talking suddenly, "I was ridiculed for my ideas…" he said, "They said my Paranormal Singularity Theory was irrational and based on weak evidence…" he explained further, "The shortsighted fools…!" he grumbled out.

"Singularity…" Holy repeated, her eyes slightly trembling before she blinked with realization.

"The world was in chaos at the time…" Kyudai recalled, "In order to maintain peace, there couldn't be suggestions of a collapse in stability in the future…" he mentioned on.

"Now we call it the Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory…" Holy noted, "We already had to deal with some zealots abiding by that…" she remembered.

"Cults love it," Mic remarked on, "And the man who made the damn theory went missing and was thought dead after his claims were published," he added.

"If he were alive, he'd be over a hundred-and-twenty…" the I.U.A. Hero pointed out, recalling when encountering Kyudai's clone, he apparently had a Quirk of longevity, "So… it's you…" she concluded with a grimace.

"I was exiled…" the doctor said, "I lost everything!" he added vehemently, "He was the only one who reached out a hand when the rest of the world cast me aside!" he remembered on, "His presence is overwhelming! His smile like Buddha's!" he proclaimed happily, still tearing up, "He is a god walking among us in human form!" he kept going, "My Quirk, Life Force," he continued, "gave me the ability to live twice as long as a normal person at the cost of physical strength," he told the pair of heroes, "I offered that power to him," he admitted, "The power I have in me right now is actually a duplicate of my original," he mentioned further.

"A duplicate?" Holy repeated.

"You're a friend of Kurogiri's, aren't you?" Kyudai assumed of Mic, causing him to blink in surprise as he clenched his teeth together, "I'll admit…" he began, "back then, what I really wanted was Erasure…" he confirmed. Holy could tell that the Voice Hero was struggling to keep his composure after hearing that. The doctor was more than just a villain. He was a revolting madman who had made a multitude of abominations. But at least now, his greatest creation had been stopped…

X

Tomura's world had been crumbling around him for the longest time. He had lost his way since his childhood, marred with scars from the family that failed to protect him from the cruelty of his father. And yet now… he felt relaxed.

He felt nothing in the world could hold him down anymore. Even as vestiges of his family festered in his mind, he turned them to dust. No matter what they said to him, all he wanted to do was destroy. He was done with being held back by them.

That was exactly what Kyudai wanted. All For One had entrusted the future to his successor, so he had given the doctor his original Quirk and had been using a copy of it since then. And that power was granted to Tomura for his use. He was going to be seen for as he was.

As X-Less blasted the machine humming behind all the cables, an electrical current charged through the purple solution strewn about the ground. And all of a sudden, Tomura arose. He was done being rejected. He would make the rest of the world pay.

ENDING

Insert "SKETCH" by Kiro Akiyama

We start with Rebecca waking up in her bed, rubbing her tired eyes before going to get ready for the day. She pulls out her phone, posing for a picture as she winks. The scene changes to her gathered together with her female classmates before class, taking another picture together.

There's a montage of pictures, one of Weisz trying to fix his Arsenal armor as Eijiro and Tetsutetsu watch, another of Shiki floating upside down with a blushing Ochaco during training, Homura swinging her sword out, clashing with Togaru as their classmates cheer them on, and Neito trying to show off with Denki's Quirk that he copied, only to turn dopey after overexerting electricity. Rebecca looks through her photos before coming across one of her and her boyfriend, having taken a selfie together in their hero costumes. We cut to when that picture was taken, having been during their work study with Endeavor.

Katsuki blasts on ahead, keeping pace with the Flame Hero before they subdue a villain together. Shoto captures several thugs in a wave of ice, while Izuku ensnares others with Blackwhip. As Homura cuts down another foe, Rebecca speeds in front of one, kicking him down. She grins, taking another picture in the midst of their victory.

The scene transitions to her holding her phone before being tackled into a hug by Eri, making her giggle. Witch, Sister, Hermit and Shota watch as they play with each other, giving off warm smiles. Rebecca snaps another photo with her and Eri, followed by snapping several pictures with many of the teachers, too. One happens to be All Might, who flashes double peace signs in his muscle form just as Rebecca takes the picture. He deflates to normal, coughing up blood as the Cat Leaper Quirk user apologizes profusely.

The last picture Rebecca has stored is one of her and Izuku, as she makes a kissy face with him amidst the falling cherry blossoms at U.A. It's also the last picture taken before the mission in Jaku City. We see her looking at the very photo while knelt on her bed, the light from her phone reflecting off of her face, with her eyes veiled by her hair. A few teardrops drip onto the phone…

END ENDING

I can't believe it took me so long to get this chapter drafted at all, but that's what happens when you get preoccupied with a bunch of other things… Anyways, that's the end of that chapter!

I really hope you're excited for what's ahead in the coming weeks. I'm certainly looking forward to the next few updates. Thanks for reading!