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Chapter Text

Minoru didn't even have time to dread who he was going to beg to be teammates with in the cavalry battle when Snipe walked onto the field and practically dragged him back inside the stadium. He was confused, but he knew better than to question a Pro Hero and one of his teachers. Besides, even behind the mask Minoru could tell the man was pissed. History had taught him that silence was his best chance of survival, at least for most adults. 

It was a bit of a strain to keep up with the much taller man, and Minoru once against mentally cursed his pathetic height. Behind him, the sounds of the starting cavalry battle grew gradually quieter, though Bakugo's explosions and Todoroki's ice could be heard clear as day. This year's first year Sports Festival would certainly be one to remember. Too bad he wasn't able to see it through personally.

After ten minutes of walking, Snipe harshly opened the door to Nedzu's on-site office. The principal had a cup of tea in his paws, sipping from it idly as he smiled in a way that wasn't quite right. The rodent's fur was puffed up slightly, and Minoru knew nothing good could come from that. 

But what truly held his attention was the bandaged form of his homeroom teacher standing next to the principal. Eraserhead was scowling beneath his bandages, his eyes set into a steely glare. Even if his arms hadn't been wrapped together, Minoru had a strong hunch that the man would have crossed them either way. That, or he'd activate his quirk and loop his hands through his capture weapon.

"Minoru Mineta! Please, take a seat!"

Feeling his heartbeat quicken out of fear, Minoru had to remind himself that he was on UA property, talking to its principal. He wasn't back in that wretched place. Only one person had ever called him by his full name like that, full disdain and indifference at the best of times, and spit with angry venom at its worst. But she wasn't here, Nedzu was. With that in mind, Minoru slowly crept over to the chair offered to him, feeling all too much like he had stepped into the lion's den.

"Are you aware of why you're here?"

"N-no. No sir."

"A shame."

Before Minoru could question Nedzu's tone of genuine disappointment, the rodent clicked a button on his desk and turned to his left as a projector came to life. Minoru and his two teachers also turned to look, but he observed that they already seemed to be aware of what was going to be shown. Deep in his chest, he somewhat felt like he knew what was to come as well.

Cycling through the projector slides were several images of him clinging to his female classmates, all of whom looked uncomfortable. Even Hakagure appeared miserable, which was impressive considering she couldn't be seen at all. The girl's pose was just that expressive.

But that wasn't the point of showing these images. Minoru was well aware of that. No, the main topic of this presentation was abundantly clear to him. He was being shown himself at his absolute worst, begging for the attention of his female peers, and going to increasingly extreme lengths to get it. What had started out as a gross hobby had become an unhealthy obsession that escalated into an invasion of privacy. 

"It's barely been a single month into the new semester, and already we have multiple complaints and accusations levied against you by your female classmates. Looking into these accusations, you can see we obviously found copious amounts of evidence supporting their claims."

Minoru could see that, he wasn't blind. He knew what he had done was wrong, very wrong. Part of him wasn't even sure why we did those horrible things. Things like hugging Asui a little too intimately at the USJ. Sure, he was scared and wasn't exactly thinking straight. But their lives had been on the line, and he could have been the cause for his classmate's death if Midoriya hadn't acted to come up with a plan.

Lots of little things had happened since then. A picture or two taken when no one was looking, lots of pathetic begging, an offhand comment here or there, the peephole incident. Hell, even Kaminari didn't really seem comfortable with any of it, and he was the closest thing Minoru had to a true friend at UA. The more substantial evidence started with the Sports Festival itself ironically. Minoru still had no clue how things at UA moved so fast. Then again, she had always complained about how much of a thorn Nedzu was in her side. 

Images of cheerleading uniforms, six in total, were on display. Each of them had an index card placed on top of them that included rough measurements. Minoru didn't need to read the note cards to know it was written in his handwriting. The measurements were guesses to be fair, he hadn't actually groped any of his classmates this time. They would have beat him to a pulp, he's sure of it. Still, it wasn't exactly helping his case right now.

"As you can see, the incidents keep piling up. Which brings me to the final piece."

Principal Nedzu pulled up an image that had just been taken minutes ago of Yaoyorozu crossing the finish line of the race, the first event in the sports festival. The only event he'd been able to participate in. The girl looked absolutely disgusted along with her exhaustion, and it was easy to see why. Clinging to her back on four of his sticky balls, Minoru saw himself looking terrified and completely out of his depth. Though the adults seemed to gleam a different meaning in his expression on the screen.

"Care to explain this, Mineta?"

The small boy did his best to look Principal Nedzu in the eyes, his beady, animal eyes, and he tried to explain himself.

"I- there were way too many students for me to run through that race on my own! Tons of them got bottlenecked, and it only got worse when Todoroki iced the course! I knew Yaoyorozu would make something to get around it, so I hitchhiked on her! It seemed like the logical thing to do! And it's not like there was any rules against it! My quirk didn't hurt her after all!"

Now admittedly, only half of his argument was his own. He knew his small stature would impede him, and he knew that Yaoyorozu was smart enough to come up with a solution on how to avoid the bulk of the competition. Minoru barely weighed anything, so it wasn't like him climbing on Yaoyorozu's back slowed her down a whole lot, and he was careful to keep his quirk away from her jetpack's thrusters to avoid clogging them. 

He only knew about the likely bottleneck because he had overheard Midoriya muttering about it, and everyone had been looking at Todoroki warily the entire time anyway. For good reason. Even Minoru was highly concerned that his heterochromic classmate was so blasé about endangering others, even in a competition. Uraraka still sometimes spoke about how she almost died because of the Zero Pointer from her exam. Minoru wasn't keen on experiencing that anytime soon, or ever.

Silence filled the room, and Minoru took the chance to glance around nervously. Snipe was of course unreadable behind his mask, though Minoru ventured that the man was still pissed at him. Eraserhead had closed his eyes and turned away slightly, muttering curses under his breath. Minoru barely heard it, but it almost sounded like his homeroom teacher was reluctantly agreeing with his reasoning during the race. Principal Nedzu was unmoved, however.

"Your argument for the race is logical enough, but what of the other complaints raised against you? Groping both Asui and Yaoyorozu? Attempting to peak at your naked female classmates through the changing rooms? Endeavoring to trick said classmates into donning cheerleading outfits in front of the entire world? What have you to say about these incidents young man?"

Minoru pursed his lips into a thin line, looking down at his hands as he refused to meet the principal's gaze. Because the truth was, he didn't have any good reasons for his actions. Not any that the three men before him would accept anyway. Minoru knew the real reason he was so fucked up in the head. It was because of her.

But they wouldn't accept that as an excuse. The simple fact of the matter is that he'd caused real harm to his classmates, and he couldn't excuse that. It shouldn't be excused, by anyone. He knew his fate, as did the principal and the two Pro Heroes before him. 

"I'm afraid that these actions are not befitting that of a hero hopeful, nor do they reflect the standard we at UA set for all our students. Minoru Mineta, as of this moment, you are no longer a student at my school. Your record will bear a black mark preventing you from attending any other hero school in the country as well. Eraserhead and Snipe will accompany you to gather your belongings before escorting you off UA grounds. Your school uniform and hero costume will remain with us of course. Have a wonderful rest of your day."

Minoru had only heard roughly half of what Nedzu had been saying, but he got the basic gist. He was far too caught up in calming himself down from another panic attack upon hearing his given name. This time, he was less successful, probably because he knew he was no longer safe. He was being removed from UA, which meant he would have to return to her. 

And that was the last place he ever wanted to be.

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The trip throughout UA to grab his stuff had been brief and silent, filled only with the sound of boots against the floor and Minoru's heart beating as blood flooded his ears. Soon enough, his homeroom teacher was walking him to the front of UA's gate. Snipe had gone back to accompany Present Mic in the announcer's booth for the Sports Festival. Minoru was somewhat confused by that. If UA was so concerned about forcing him out, shouldn't they have had the healthy, capable hero accompany him instead of his bandaged homeroom teacher? Well, former homeroom teacher, but still.

But one look at Eraserhead's angry glare beneath that ocean of bandages had Minoru moving on autopilot, afraid to resist in any way. Even injured as he was, the underground pro was a man not to be trifled with, akin to a dark force of ancient myth, a vengeful wraith lurking in the shadows. Minoru also thought grimly that his former homeroom teacher had a personal vendetta against him now. It certainly hadn't been undeserved. 

As he passed the front gate, Minoru turned around to face his former teacher for what may be the last time. Taking out his student badge, Minoru wasn't sure how he was meant to hand it off to the man, given his arms were still bound to his chest. In the end, he settled for just setting the card on the ground within the inside of the gate near Eraserhead's foot, figuring the man would figure something out, or Nedzu would contact another hero to pick it up. 

"I- I know it probably won't mean anything. B-but, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying all those hurtful t-things, and for d-doing that awful s-stuff. Please, t-tell them that, I-I'm sorry. And t-that, that I h-hope T-thirteen Sensei gets b-better."

He hadn't caused Thirteen's injuries. That had been more Bakugo and Kirishima's incident, though Thirteen hadn't blamed either of them despite their severe wounds, which they had also only partially recovered from so far. Still, he knew word of his inappropriate behavior had spread to the space hero, and given their situation in the hero industry, he felt especially shitty at himself when he thought of what happened to them. Besides, even if he hadn't caused Thirteen's injuries, he'd seen the aftermath during the tail end of the USJ trip. Those scars were probably going to be seared into his brain for the rest of his life.

The sad part was that they were one of his idols. Thirteen was so unlike her, that it genuinely caught Minoru off guard. He adored the space-hero! He hadn't said that at the USJ, however. Uraraka had expressed such joy for the hero as well, and Minoru had the distinct impression that him mirroring her sentiments would imply the wrong picture and sully the moment. So, he kept his genuine admiration silent. He just hoped his former homeroom teacher would honor his wishes, even though he knew he had no right to ask the man for anything. The underground pro just narrowed his eyes before roughly stepping on Minoru's student badge, the plastic harshly digging into the concrete below.

"I'll be sure to send them your regards."   

And with that, the gates to UA high school closed on Minoru, and he could feel his soul leave the moment they shut. Ice chilled his bones and made him shiver, even though there was barely a breeze in the air. The boy pulled his oversized backpack further over his diminutive frame as he started walking towards the place he'd been calling home for the last six months. 

Getting to the house took nearly an hour by foot, but Minoru knew taking any public transportation would only increase his chances of a harsher punishment. He knew he was being watched. He was always being watched. UA had been a reprieve from that invasion of his own privacy, however short it had lasted. But now it was gone. Either way, trouble would be coming for him. Though, this was certainly the biggest scandal he'd ever been part of, with one notable exception that he didn't like talking about. That was the only thing she and him could ever agree on, even if it was unspoken on his end. 

As he turned the corner, prepared to trudge into the small apartment and report the worst news of his life, Minoru found himself surprised to find an unmarked black Lexus waiting outside the residence instead. Two men in suits could be seen moving through the apartment, occasionally hauling furniture out into a moving van, which had Minoru even more on edge. If she had sent in a cleanup crew, that meant news of his failure had already reached her ears.

Minoru was certain this was the case as soon as the driver of the Lexus stepped out, the white-haired man staring at him from behind a black visor with the indifference of a seasoned professional security officer. Which is exactly what Katori Shibuya was, of course. He was practically her second in command, the only individual she explicitly trusted to handle confidential affairs personally. Not even Hawks, the number three hero, had the same level of clearance at this man. The fact that he was here meant Minoru was in far greater trouble than he could have ever imagined.

"Minoru. Madame President wishes to speak to you at once."

"Y-yes- yes s-sir."

Climbing into the front passenger seat of the car, Minoru barely had time to buckle himself in before Katori was driving away from the apartment that had been his safe haven for the past six months. Sure, it had never really been safe for him, but the illusion of security it provided was enough. Now that illusion had been shattered, and all that remained was the cold harshness of reality closing around his throat, making it difficult to breath. 

After another hour of driving, Minoru finally began to see their destination looming in the distance. The headquarters for the Hero Public Safety Commission. Katori pulled the Lexus into an underground parking garage before swiftly parking the car and exiting. Minoru followed quickly, knowing that trying to delay his punishment would only make it more painful. Still, the mystery of what said punishment would end up being scared him.

She had always been quite creative after all. He'd been inflicted with many scars, both physical and mental from past punishments. Of course, the physical scars had been healed by special quirks so that no one would be any the wiser to his pain. She may hate him with a burning passion, but it wouldn't do for the rest of Japan to see that. 

Walking throughout the labyrinthian hallways behind Katori, just barely able to keep up with the middle-aged security officer, Minoru saw many Commission employees pass them on their way to Madame President's office. None of them spared him a glance of anger, pity, or twisted joy. They simply went about their business pretending he didn't exist. Minoru wasn't sure if he was glad for that or not. No onlookers, but also no witnesses. 

Eventually, Minoru found himself standing outside the main office with Katori, who merely tapped the data console next to the door to bring up its identity recognition program.

"Authentication required: please enter your voice and retina scans." 

Katori lowered his digital visor, showing his gray irises before leaning forward and allowing the machine to scan his left eye. A laser panned over his retina as he spoke aloud.

"Clearance level Black Talon 02, codename: Cylerium."

"Identity confirmed. Access Granted."

The double doors preceded to open, and Katori motioned with his arm for Minoru to enter. The boy did so, only briefly looking behind him as Katori stood at his current post outside the office. The man appeared relaxed, yet Minoru could see the subtle twitch of his gloved hands that signaled his alertness. Even behind the now reequipped visor, Minoru knew that no emotion would have been present in Katori's eyes had they been exposed. 

Sensing that his time had come, Minoru swallowed before ducking his head and walking into Madame President's office, the two-foot-thick metal doors sliding closed behind him with a soft hiss before the locking mechanism engaged. The lights of the room were dimmed, and the blinds had been shut, leaving the woman in the chair before him shrouded in dark shadow. Principal Nedzu may have unsettled him, but even the rodent couldn't hope to compare to how terrified this person made Minoru feel.

"Minoru."

Gulping, Minoru shakily willed himself to look up into the piercing purple eyes of the woman before him. Her computer monitors had been turned to face him, obscuring her from his view all the more while showing him the email of his official expulsion from UA. Of course, Nedzu wouldn't waste time in sending it out. He was efficient and logical. It just so happened to come at a price, one he might not have been willing to pay had the rodent known all the facts. But he couldn't have known. No one did. No one except for Minoru, Katori, and her. 

"M-mo . . ."

At the toxic glare sent his way, combined with how her glowing fingernails dug into the wood of her desk slightly, Minoru pretended to cough to hide his mistake. It didn't seem to work, but that couldn't be helped.

"Madame President."

The woman stood from her desk, her eyes and nails the only things Minoru could see for certain. The rest of her body was cloaked in darkness, even as she rounded the desk with a slow gait, walking towards him. Reaching down, Madame President harshly grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up into her predatory gaze as he shuddered in fear.

"You have displeased me today, Minoru. As you have done every single day of your life. I gave you every chance to improve yourself, to show me that you were a worthwhile investment. Yet even that small task seems beyond you. You know what I do to worthless assets, Minoru."

The nails gripping his face began to dig into his flesh with enough force to draw blood, the crimson liquid flowing down from his cheeks and staining the floor along with Madame President's hand. The woman seemed more disgusted at her skin being tainted than the damage she was causing, however. Minoru remained frozen on the spot all the while, praying that she wouldn't activate her quirk. He'd only felt it during a few more severe punishments, and it was a pain so agonizing, he sometimes felt it in his dreams.

Luckily, this didn't seem to be one of those times. Madame President pulled her hand away and produced an alcohol wipe from her coat pocket, tending to the blood staining her hand. Minoru knew better than to wipe at his own wounds in her presence. It would only invite more attention onto himself.

"Fortunately, I anticipated such an outcome would come to pass, and certain measures were put in place to ensure your usefulness was able to be fully realized."

Those toxic purple eyes were back on him once again, pinning him to the floor with a simple gaze. Amidst his fear and confusion, Madame President pressed a button on a remote device hidden within her coat. The office door opened once again, allowing Katori and six other armed guards to enter. Each of the men held sidearms at their sides, allowing Katori to take the lead.

"You summoned me, Madame President?"

"Take him to the science department, Cylerium. I'm initiating the Transference Contingency Protocol, authentication override code Omega-Lambda 7-XL-9."

"Understood, Madame President. I'll be sure to have him reformatted to your exact specifications within twenty-four hours."

With that, Katori walked forward and grabbed Minoru's arm harshly, dragging the small teen along with the six armed agents towards the science center. Minoru still wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he had enough context to know that it meant nothing good for him. This definitely wasn't like his other punishments for failure. No, this seemed more . . . permanent. As he looked at Madame President one last time, she met his terrified gaze with one of indifference.

"You will become a hero Minoru. Even if I have to make you into one myself."

Chapter Text

"Be sure to take things slow, dear. You're still recovering after all. And if things start to become worse, you contact me right away."

"Of course, Chiyo. You know me, I'm responsible."

"One of the only people here left with any common sense at least. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Hopefully you can catch the last of the staff meeting and be brought up to speed."

Waving and exchanging departing pleasantries, Anan Kurose left Recovery Girl's office and began to make their way towards one of UA's conference rooms. The Pro Hero staff members were meeting together to discuss internship placements for the Hero Course students as well as preparations for the final exams, Class 1A's specifically. Not to say that they wouldn't be talking about the other hero students, but it was clear Class 1A's practical exam needed to be revamped. 

Anan knew that Nedzu was planning on having 1A fight against the teachers in pairs based on their individual strengths and weaknesses observed thus far. Personally, she was onboard with the idea. She even had a few students in mind to test themselves against her. The Space Hero's only concern was that the other classes should receive the same treatment. The second and third years wouldn't need much change to their exams, they already had a good idea of their own power. But Class 1B was still very green. If 1A was given a harsher exam than their sister class, the students of 1B would inevitably fall behind as a gap of experience formed between the two classes.

Anan would be petitioning to give Class 1B their exams a week later than 1A. That way, both classes could fight actual Pro Heroes who could challenge them, while giving the teachers adequate time to rest and recover from 1A, and time to really think about who in 1B would benefit the most from being teamed up with certain classmates and facing certain teachers.

But there was still a lot of time to hash out those details. Besides, notes from the students' internships would provide the teachers with even more data to make informed decisions. But helping the students decide on which heroes they wanted to intern under was critical. And since many of them didn't get offers at all, the teachers would have to look into agencies they personally trusted and vetted for good matchups between mentors and students. 

Anan had a lot on their mind all things considered, especially when she was thinking of a few students who might accept an internship from them as well now that she was mostly recovered from the USJ. So, their mind had to catch up to their ears when she heard Aizawa talking about the new dynamics of his homeroom class and how it related to upcoming events.

"With the expulsion of Minoru Mineta, Class 1A now has an open seat available. This isn't an issue for internships but come final exams we're going to have one student left without a partner no matter how we slice it."

"What is your proposed solution, Aizawa?"

"I've taken an interest in a boy from the General Education department named Hitoshi Shinso. He made a promising display in the Sports Festival, both with his quirk and his natural wit. He lacks the physical strength required for the Hero Course, but that can easily be remedied with time and effort. I'd like to request that he be transferred into Class 1A effective immediately. If he proves that my faith in his capabilities was misplaced, I have no qualms about rescinding my offer." 

Outside the conference room, Anan could hear the rest of the staff present give their ascent to the idea. And to be perfectly honest, she herself wasn't opposed to it. Shinso had performed admirably in the Sports Festival from what she had witnessed. Certainly, the students who had dropped out because Shinso had brainwashed them weren't pleased about his methods, but using his quirk wasn't a rules violation, as none of the complaining students had been harmed by Shinso's actions.

Anan was just . . . concerned, that Aizawa was already trying to fill the void Mineta had left in Class 1A. She didn't know much about the short former student other than the rumors of him being perverted. And while she was certain much of those rumors were based in fact, she also knew that there were two sides to every story. It just rubbed the Space Hero the wrong way that a student had been expelled in the middle of what could have been the most influential part of their life. To Anan's knowledge, Mineta's parents hadn't even been called in to sit for an official meeting before the expulsion was doled out.

But Nedzu's word was final, he was the principal after all. Deciding that now was the time to make her presence known, Anan stepped into the conference room, quietly taking a seat next to Yamada. From there, the meeting continued like normal, all the teachers going over internship placements and possible pairings for the final exam. When Anan made her suggestion about 1B being included in the revised exams, Nedzu was more than happy to approve, and Kan sent her a grateful nod.

With the warning bell for homeroom ringing throughout the school, each of the heroes set to moving towards their respective classrooms. Before he could escape, however, Anan caught Aizawa and carefully led him away from any prying ears.

"What's this about, Thirteen? You and I both know it isn't wise to leave my group of hellions without supervision for too long."

"Of course not. I was just confused about Mineta's sudden expulsion. I don't doubt the claims levied against him, I'm sure Nedzu had all the evidence he needed to make the call. But I didn't see any records of a meeting with either of his parents or guardians. That's standard procedure."

Already Aizawa looked like he'd rather be back in bed, even if it was in a hospital bed in Recovery Girl's office. Hopefully his homeroom class wouldn't be too noisy this morning, though Anan knew that was wishful thinking.

"It is standard procedure, and his mother was contacted via email. But the woman never responded, so Nedzu sent her a follow-up email after Mineta's expulsion was finalized, informing her of all the details in case she wanted to schedule a meeting later or if she took issue with anything. Neither Nedzu nor myself heard back from her, so I'm assuming she understood our position."

"I see. Well, best not to keep your class waiting."

As Anan went to walk away, however, Aizawa's voice stopped her.

"Oh, by the way, Mineta wanted me to tell you that he was sorry about your injuries at the USJ. Not sure why he felt the need to apologize for one of the few pieces of damage he didn't cause, but teens are illogical like that."

And without another word, Aizawa was making his way towards Class 1A to prep them for the next stage in their hero careers. Anan, on the other hand, remained frozen still in the halls of UA. She hadn't expected Mineta to apologize for her injuries either to be honest. He hadn't caused them. If anything, it was the fault of the villain who redirected her quirk, and her own fault for going on the offensive blind. 

She'd set a bad example for the kids that day, attacking without knowing all the information. Sometimes you had to strike fast and hard before your opponent could react, but most of the time it was vitally important to know what your adversary was working with for resources, and what you had to potentially counter them and vice versa. 

Bakugo and Kirishima had become victims of that misinformed mindset, attacking recklessly without knowing all the information, though Anan herself hadn't specifically had caused them to have such a mindset. However, stress often impaired an individual's ability to strategize effectively in the moment, and Anan didn't fault the two boys for trying to eliminate a clear threat. They were only first year students; they didn't have the soundest judgement. Most of the students had held their own that day, but not without great struggle and a lot of luck. Things could have easily turned out extremely bad.

A lot of hero students, past and present and especially first years, had been known to freeze at critical moments. Anan had heard all the reports from the incident, and while Mineta had acted a bit cowardly, so did many of the other students. It was a natural response to finding oneself in danger. But like the others, he'd pulled through in the end. They all had. 

So then why doesn't it feel like the danger is over. 

Eventually, Anan forced herself to start walking again. Mentally, she began preparing for how she would tackle her exam against Uraraka and Aoyama and draft a detailed set of notes on Uraraka to send to Gunhead for her internship. But first, Anan wanted to get to the bottom of Mineta's hasty expulsion for herself. And that meant getting answers from Nedzu. Something about it wasn't sitting right with them, and she had a feeling that they'd all made a terrible oversight. So, with a great deal on her mind, the Space Hero sent UA's principal an email requesting a private meeting after school hours.

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It was the day after the Sports Festival, and the members of Class 1A were all clustered together in various conversations about how the festival had gone and what sort of offers they anticipated receiving. Despite her own poor performance in the final round of the festival against Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu was among the few students of Class 1A to be fortunate enough to receive offers from Pro Heroes, having garnered 108 offers in total. It wasn't in the thousands like Todoroki or Bakugo, but it was still a respectable number.

The question now was who to go with. At first, she considered Uwabami in order to increase her media popularity. But after talking to Midoriya and the rest of his friends, they had gotten her to reconsider. Midoriya pointed out that Uwabami did almost no hero work, she was mostly a celebrity who used her looks and hero status to gain popularity and money. Thinking deeper on it, Yaoyorozu realized that the snake hero would likely have used her for personal gain rather than actively helping Yaoyorozu bolster her own career. And Yaoyorozu certainly wasn't tight on money like some of her classmates, so that was a non-issue.

"That still doesn't solve the problem of who I should go with though."

"Oh, I think you should intern under Fatgum."

"Hm? Why do you say that Midoriya?"

"Well, you said yourself that you're lacking in confidence right now. Fatgum is a frontline hero with a friendly personality, so I'm sure he'll be able to keep you in good spirits while also helping you learn how to stay confident in the thick of battle. Plus, his quirk also works based on food like yours, so he could give you some unique advice in regard to that."

Yaoyorozu pondered the information her classmate had provided her, and she found all of his assessments to be correct in theory. Whether or not they would work out in the field was a different matter, but this choice certainly held far more potential for Yaoyorozu than her previous decision. Having officially decided to accept Fatgum's offer, Yaoyorozu smiled at Midoriya.

"Thank you for your advice. I'm truly grateful."

"Of course! Think nothing of it!

"Who do you plan to go with Midoriya, if you don't mind me asking?"

"W-well, I didn't think I got any offers, but then All Might Sensei told me that I had a last-minute offer submitted by a little-known hero called Gran Torino. I'll be interning under him."

"I see. Well, I certainly wish you luck with that."

"Same for you!"

As the class began to simmer down, Aizawa and Midnight began to start the day's activity: choosing hero names. Yaoyorozu didn't need to think too hard about this particular task, she'd had her name planned out for a long time: 'The Everything Hero: Creati'. She was pleased to find that her classmates and Midnight both thought it was wonderful, and she was thankful she wasn't the only person to use a name they'd come up with as a child, with Tsu going with 'The Rainy Season Hero: Froppy', for her own title.

Most hero names were accepted, though a few had to be revised or changed entirely. Bakugo was seething at not being able to include the word murder in his name, and Ashido bemoaned not being able to be called Alien Queen due to some sort of copyright Yaoyorozu wasn't familiar with. But in the end, everyone in class had something that worked. With little time left until their next class, the students began chatting amongst themselves. At least, they started to, until Aizawa got up and flared his quirk to get their attention. Many were surprised that their homeroom teacher was actively ignoring the call to sleep. Yaoyorozu gathered that the man must have something important to say.

"By now I'm sure you're all aware that there's an empty seat in 1A. On the day of the Sports Festival, Minoru Mineta was officially expelled from UA High."

No sound was made, but Yaoyorozu let a quiet breath of relief leave her mouth. She'd noticed that Mineta's seat was empty this morning, but she hadn't thought much of it before. The truth was, despite her loss to Tokoyami and Dark Shadow, Yaoyorozu was more shaken by how Mineta had clung to her back without a shred of remorse or decency in the first part of the Sports Festival. The violation of her consent and autonomy was what had started to shake her confidence, her battle with Tokoyami merely made it's shattering complete.

All in all, Yaoyorozu was glad that Mineta had been expelled. He was a pervert who showed no signs of regret for any of his actions, not that she'd observed anyway. He had gotten what he deserved, and based on the looks the other girls of Class 1A had, she wasn't the only one to think so. Even many of the boys seemed glad to be rid of him, though their reactions weren't as obvious. Still, Yaoyorozu was curious as to why Aizawa would bring such a thing up now of all times.

"Given the empty space present, we will be having that filled by another student soon, a boy from General Education by the name of Hitoshi Shinso."

There were some mixed reactions upon hearing the other boy's name. Yaoyorozu could see Ojiro bristle slightly, but he ultimately kept himself calm. Midoriya seemed determined but also curious and a bit hopeful. Bakugo looked indifferent, but that wasn't unusual for anyone to see. Most of the others just seemed surprised. Aizawa flared his quirk once more to get all of their attention.

"I expect that each and every one of you treat him with the same dignity and respect as you would wish to receive yourselves. No discriminatory behavior of any kind will be tolerated in my classroom or at UA. Remember, your former classmate paid the price for his crimes. Do not follow in his footsteps."

With the threat lingering in the air even as the bell rang out, signaling that it was now time for physics with Snipe, Class 1A couldn't shake that unsettling feeling from their bones. Of course, they all knew expulsion was always on the table, and they were all happy that Mineta had finally been removed from their ranks. But still . . . they had to be careful. Aizawa may use logical ruses in his teachings, but they knew for a fact that the man would not hesitate to drop them if they showed themselves to have no potential. They had to keep climbing. Yaoyorozu just hoped that Fatgum would help stoke the fires of her confidence once more.

It wasn't until Aizawa and Midnight both left and were well out of earshot did the class start gossiping amongst themselves about the situation.

"So, the grapist finally got the boot huh? Good riddance."

"I tried holding out hope for him, but then I heard what he was gonna do with those cheerleader uniforms. Even I think that would have been going way too far."

"And all the other stuff wasn't? is that what you're saying, Kaminari?"

"N-no! I didn't mean it like that Jirou! I promise!"

"I'm just glad we don't have to deal with his creepy stalking anymore."

Yaoyorozu vaguely noted how Midoriya seemed to tense at Hagakure's statement for some reason, but he quickly composed himself, so she decided he didn't need her help. Despite how vindicated she felt with Mineta finally being expelled, she wasn't sure it was right to so openly disrespect another person like that. Sure, Mineta was scum, but it wasn't like he was a villain or something. Yaoyorozu genuinely hoped that Mineta wouldn't dive down that kind of path. She was glad to be rid of him, but she also felt concerned. With any luck, the short boy would take his punishment in stride and emerge all the better for it. Yaoyorozu didn't want to think of the alternative.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Minoru squirmed in fear and pain as he lay on the cold metal operating table, weakly struggling against the restraints to no avail. By now his scalp was bleeding so heavily with the number of balls Katori had forcibly removed from it, Minoru was surprised he hadn't passed out from blood loss. That wasn't much comfort, however. The longer he stayed conscious, the more pain he had to endure. Minoru wasn't sure what exactly Katori was trying to do to him, but he knew Madam President still wanted him alive.

Katori's orders had been to make Minoru useful, after all. The short boy wasn't sure how his pathetic quirk was involved in that plan, but he had long since learned to keep his mouth shut. No matter the questions that burned on his brain, or the cuts and needles that burned his flesh. Minoru barely let his breathing make a sound, doing his best to pretend he didn't exist. Partly to separate himself from the pain he was feeling, and partly to get Katori to hopefully forget he was here.

But as the white-haired man turned his attention back to Minoru, the boy knew his hopes were for naught. Purple eyes fearfully stared into the cold visor of the scientist experimenting on him, no emotion shown on the man's face as usual. Katori effortlessly plucked another ball from Minoru's head just at it had finished forming, and the boy had to bite back a pained grunt. With what strength he had left, Minoru dared to finally speak what was on his mind.

"W-what- what's the p-point of all, t-this? My q-quirk is weak. I'm w-weak. I'm a f-failure."

Katori hummed to himself as he observed the slightly bloody purple ball between his fingers, squishing it curiously as he walked back to his data console. Carefully, the man slotted the purple sphere into his strange machine that Minoru knew absolutely nothing about before continuing to type away. For a while, Minoru thought Katori would simply ignore him, but surprisingly the man chose to answer his question.

"You are no failure. Merely, a bad first draft. There is always room for improvement, room for upgrades. As for your quirk being . . . less than ideal, shall we say? It certainly doesn't have the direct combat potential that the public looks for in popular heroes. But it contains a fascinating mystery that has been waiting to be unraveled. That's exactly why I've taken to studying it so thoroughly."

Studying it? What about Pop Off could possibly be worth studying? Sure, given more time in the Hero Course, Minoru is certain he could have found more ways for his quirk to be applied. That was the nature of training one's quirk after all. Evolve or die. But still, as far as how effective it was in a general sense . . . well, it just wasn't. At least not in Minoru's opinion, but he might be biased. It's not like he's been stuck with it his whole life or anything. Still, despite his current pain, Minoru was curious, and he had nothing better to do nor much to lose, so against his better judgement, he inquired more.

"What do you m-mean, you've been s-studying it?"

"Madame President demands no less than perfection, meaning I must consider all available routes for forging you into a proper hero. Other, more advanced and expensive solutions were considered, such as using a cybernetic body piloted by an artificial intelligence programmed with your memories. But not only would the costs greatly exceed our annual budget, the idea was far too experimental, and a cybernetic hero wouldn't fair too well with public opinion."

Minoru shuddered involuntarily, horrified at the thought that Katori would stop plucking the balls from his head and move straight to cutting it open for his brain. The only references Minoru had for anything close to cybernetic heroes was a prequirk movie called Robocop staring a police officer with a robot body, and a series of prequirk games under the name Mortal Kombat, where ninjas from the Lin Kuei clan forcibly had their bodies surgically replaced with cybernetic duplicates. And as cool as both of those concepts were for a fictional universe, it was an experience Minoru very much wanted to avoid. Thankfully, Katori continued his explanation, distracting Minoru from those particular concerns.

"However, I find myself intrigued by your quirk. Its chemical makeup is quite extraordinary for something that appears so simplistic on the surface. The substance is naturally adhesive against most materials, even human skin, with the distinct exception of your own. But it isn't your quirk making the change, it's you. Your body's cells seem to be able to interact with the molecules produced by your quirk, manipulating them however your body wishes, whether you're conscious of it or not."

Minoru had always known that his quirk wasn't sticky for himself, of course. For him, it always acted like a trampoline. It was simply trial and error. But Katori was making his quirk sound more complex than that, and Minoru found himself wondering just what else he didn't know about his own power. Not that he was eager to help Katori find out, given the man's methods.

"In a sense, your quirk functions similarly to a non-Newtonian fluid, having a singular function on most objects, but becoming adaptable when you personally manipulate it. I believe this holds the secret of how to mold you into the perfect hero."

"W-what are y-you . . . g-gonna do, to m-me?"

Minoru briefly struggled against his restraints one final time as Katori approached him yet again, this time holding a syringe, as if Minoru didn't already have enough needles in him. Alas, Minoru's struggles were once again in vain. Katori didn't seem amused by his weak display, simply cleaning a spot on his neck with an alcohol swab in preparation for the mystery injection.

"Your body's chemistry is marvelous. It holds untold potential. I aim to unlock that hidden capability, while also modifying your physical attributes to better reflect the image of a true hero. By infusing your body's cells with the molecules of your quirk, I believe I can permanently bond the two together. You'll theoretically be able to change your entire body at will, produce weapons and other constructs made of your quirk, increase or decrease its density as you please. There are endless possibilities, and I find myself intrigued to see them all come to light. Now, hold still."

Minoru didn't have much time to think before the needle was shoved deep into his neck, the strange liquid soon flooding his veins. At first, he only felt the slight sting from the point of injection, but soon enough his whole body was burning from the inside out. It felt like fire ants were crawling under his skin, biting at his muscles and consuming his flesh. 

As his screams echoed throughout the lab, Minoru's mind focused on how Katori claimed he had so much potential. That word, that one, damn, word. Suddenly, the fire in his veins gave way to an icy cold dread he was intimately familiar with, and the white-haired man who was currently experimenting on him was substituted with a man with scraggly black hair who looked like a hobo and an avenger of darkness simultaneously. 

Gone was the emotionless visor of Katori Shibuya, instead having been replaced by the burning red eyes of Shota Aizawa, of Eraserhead. Minoru did his best to hold back his pitiful whimpering upon seeing the visage of his former homeroom teacher staring down at him without mercy. Eraserhead's scarf was flaring around him in a menacing symphony, and Minoru swore he could feel the edges of his vision grow dark as the hero further enclosed on him. Just when Minoru could barely take it anymore, the underground pro bent down to his restrained head, whispering just beside his ear.

"You've brought this fate upon yourself."

"M-Mr. A-Aizawa, p-please . . . h-help, me."

Predictably, Eraserhead didn't heed Minoru's plea. Instead, the man simply returned to his post observing the boy suffering beneath his gaze. In Minoru's eyes, the man before him now seemed nothing like a trusted teacher or an underground pro. Even the word villain seemed to vanilla for what Minoru was currently seeing. In that moment, Shota Aizawa appeared as nothing less than a harbinger of death. 

"Goodbye, Mineta." 

Chapter Text

"Ew, get away from me you creep!"

"Minoru, you should know not to say such rude things to your classmates."

"Didn't your mommy ever tell you it isn't nice to talk to a lady like that without her permission?!"

"Haven't you heard? That weird short kid with the stupid hair is such an attention whore!"

"Mr. Mineta, this behavior is not indicative of what our school expects from its students."

"Do you talk to your mother with that foul mouth, or do you wash it with soap first?"

"What would your mother and father think of your actions, Mineta?"

"You've brought this fate upon yourself."

"You will become a hero Minoru. Even if I have to make you into one myself."

The chorus of voices from memories scarred into his psyche tormented him as he rested, pulling him between the realm of dreams and the waking world. But as he heard the last two voices speak in near tandem with one another, Minoru bolted upright, gasping for breath as he did. The others had long faded into obscurity, faces and names melding into a singular, parasitic consciousness in his mind. But the voices of Madame President and Eraserhead were clear and fresh, like nails on a chalkboard ringing in his skull.

Minoru knew he was experiencing a panic attack; he'd dealt with them enough before to recognize the signs. It didn't make coming down from the experience any easier, but at least it was familiar ground. That was all he had to cling onto right now, because for the life of him, the boy couldn't remember anything from before he'd gone to bed. Nothing specific anyway, only faint imprints of pain and sadness, grief mixed with shame and self-loathing. And fear. An overwhelming sense of fear and dread, carved deep into his bones.

When his vision cleared, Minoru swung his legs over the bed he was lying on and decided that now would be a good time to get his bearings. A grunt of pain escaped his lips as he found himself suddenly faceplanting onto the ground beneath him. The floor was cold and rough. Stone? No, it was devoid of imperfections, so more than likely concrete. As Minoru put his hands on the cold floor to push himself up, he realized that his body suddenly weighed a fair bit more than he was used to, and that his arms were much longer than normal.

Getting up slowly, both in confusion at what was happening and to avoid any blood from rushing to his head, Minoru twisted and turned his hands and arms. The limbs responded to his mental commands in perfect sync, as if they were truly his. But . . . they couldn't possibly belong to him! His arms were diminutive and weak! These arms were slim but long and packed with lean muscles that tensed along with his movements. 

Looking down, Minoru saw that his legs were much longer as well, also rippling with lean muscle, and his entire body looked more properly proportioned that what he was used to. He could also see he was wearing some sort of black gym uniform with gold accents. It reminded him a bit of UA's gym uniform, if he didn't count the fact that he had no shoes or socks on. 

"Argh!!!"

Minoru gripped his head tightly while screwing his eyes shut. Thinking of UA had caused the floodgates to open, and now he could remember everything. The Sports Festival, getting pulled into Principal Nedzu's office, being expelled, having to return home . . . facing her. 

"What's happening to me?! What did they do?!"

Stumbling around the room, once again hearing the voices from his dream, Minoru felt his breathing begin to pick up again, his chest heaving violently as he tried and failed to get his heartbeat under control. As his back made contact with something that didn't sound quite as solid as the concrete he was surrounded by, Minoru spun around to slam his fist into the object, only to halt in his tracks, his trembling hand mere inches from the reflective glass before him.

Looking into the mirror on the wall, Minoru finally saw himself for the first time. At least, he saw what this new, foreign body looked like. He was . . . normal. The body he was currently viewing looked like it belonged to an average first year high school kid in a Heroics Course. It was taller than average, but not by too much. Lean, strong muscles adorned the entirety of the body's frame. He was lithe, deceptively so. He could feel his newfound strength coursing throughout his limbs and core, but an outsider wouldn't see that on first glance unless they'd been trained to look for certain features. It was stunning, amazing, heroic . . . and nothing at all like Minoru.

Even his hair was different now! Gone were the ugly lumps of purple on his head that served as an excuse for hair. Instead, Minoru now had actual, real hair. He tentatively ran a hand through it, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things. It was styled somewhat like a crew cut, except longer and messier. The front part was long enough to partially obscure his eyes somewhat, which made him look a bit shy. 

Or maybe that was him projecting how scared he felt inside onto his new appearance. At least his new hair was still the same shade of purple it had been before, just like his eyes. Eyes which didn't look like they were bulging out of his head anymore but were the correct size and looked like they sat at a natural distance from each other. Minoru also found that his vision was a lot better now. Not that he'd needed glasses before, but this was on a whole different level.

But as beautiful as his new body looked, as much as he'd always dreamed and hoped for something like this, even if it hadn't been for noble reasons in the past, he couldn't help but feel that this was all wrong. This body didn't belong to him. It responded to him, it shared similarities to him. But . . . it couldn't really be him, could it? Lifting up his shirt briefly, Minoru could see that his skin was completely unblemished. No pimples, no moles, no lingering scars from previous punishments curtesy of Madame President. He was flawless, like an Ancient Greek sculpture. It unnerved him.

He was too perfect, it wasn't natural. This body was a manufactured design imposed upon him without his consent. He should be grateful to have it! He knew that! But his mind recoiled at how immaculate he looked. It was fake. Minoru started to feel sick, as images of the USJ nomu that All Might fought came to his head. That beast was grotesque, malformed, ugly. Yet like him, it had also been an artificial creation, another individual's masterpiece. The nomu obeyed Shigaraki's every command, like it had no choice other than what its creator wanted. Were Minoru's circumstances so different, especially now? Had they ever been different?

"No, no, no . . . no. NO! I am not a freak! Not like that undead monstrosity! I AM NOT!"

His breathing began to pick up once again, and Minoru could feel his control slipping away like sand between his fingers. His eyes widened and his heartbeat picked up when he began to see his flesh literally start to melt away, peachy skin morphing into purple slime that dripped onto the concrete below him. The ooze looked and even felt nearly identical to his former quirk. What had Katori done to him?!?!

Seeing himself literally and metaphorically falling apart, Minoru felt his legs begin to wobble until he lost the fight to stay on his feet, crashing down horribly onto the ground. Slowly, inch by inch, his fingers melted away, followed by the rest of his arms. His legs didn't last much longer. Rolling onto his back, Minoru struggled in desperation to keep his jaw intact as he screamed inhuman howls, hoping for anyone to hear his call even as ooze bubbled in his throat, drowning him in the purple liquid. 

Just then, a pinkish gas seemed to flood the room through the vents in the ceiling, fully consuming the small space in a matter of seconds. As he inhaled the gas in his panicked haze, Minoru began to feel tired once more. As unconsciousness soon came to claim him once more, he put together in his head that this gas seemed awfully similar to Midnight's quirk, Somnambulist. But that was ridiculous. It wasn't like the Hero Commission had access to his former teacher's quirks. Right? He fell asleep before he could contemplate the answer.

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"Wake up."

This time, there was no chorus of malicious voices to taunt him into opening his eyes. But the monotone voice of indifference was enough to let Minoru know who was talking to him. Opening his eyes, he found himself surprised to find he was no longer laying down on the bed he'd woken up in before, nor was he in a heap on the concrete floor where he'd fallen asleep from a chemical agent flooding his nostrils. 

Instead, Minoru found himself sitting upright on a circular platform which had the Hero Commission's logo carved into it. Holding him captive and upright at the same time was a pair of light construct walls that glowed with a faint blue outline, appearing holographic in nature. The walls each had points in the center and at the bottom that extended to his wrists and ankles. Each were bound in the same hard light construct material. Minoru was familiar with this. The man before him knew it as well.

"I'm pleased to see you awake, Minoru. And you appear to recognize my quirk as well."

"Hard Light, it allows you to make constructs out of light. Simple constructs like walls and basic weapons are easy, while forming larger structures or mimicking living creatures is more difficult. It even allows you to mirror the physical abilities of some quirks, which is the most complexity you can manage."

Minoru didn't lift his eyes to meet Katori's visor at any point, simply matching the man's monotone voice with one of this own. The fear and agony of his previous bout of consciousness still lingered in his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.

"Very good. I'm genuinely impressed that you're able to recall such detailed information about my quirk, considering your recent circumstances."

Perhaps Minoru was still out of it, but for the first time since knowing the other man, he could have sworn that he'd heard the tiniest bit of emotion in Katori's voice. And it had been positive emotion too. Katori Shibuya didn't offer praise often, and he never dealt in sarcasm. Minoru wasn't sure what to think about that. Fortunately, Katori didn't give him much time to dwell on his own confusing emotions.

"I understand that you didn't exactly take to your new body as well as I'd hoped."

"It's . . . it doesn't belong to me, it's not mine."

"You can control it, can you not?"

Minoru hesitated before nodding slowly. Katori, ever the patient man, waited for that nod before continuing.

"Your motor functions aren't impeded. You certainly aren't dreaming or experiencing any form of psychosis. This is the new you, Minoru."

As much as the boy wanted to scream and deny that Katori was wrong, he knew it was meaningless. Whether or not he believed that this body was right for him, whether he deserved it or not, didn't matter. What mattered was that he had it now, that he was stuck with it. He'd need to get used to that fact, and quickly. Minoru was no fool. He knew Madame President had reasons for all her requests and demands. He may be an upgraded pawn, but he was still a pawn at the end of the day. This body's purpose was to be used in her name. He needed to learn to use it if he hoped to survive.

"And you're here to help me learn how to use this new body? To train me?"

"That's right. Along with training your new and improved quirk as well."

When Minoru looked down as his hands and feet still bound by light, trying to make sense of his new world and stave off the tears threatening to fall from his eyes, Katori crouched down to appear less intimidating to the child while also lightening his voice somewhat.

"I thought you wanted a chance to prove your usefulness, Minoru."

When the boy looked into the visor, mouth slightly agape and eyes clearly wet with unshed tears, Katori placed a comforting hand on his knee, helping to ground the purple-haired teen before giving off the ghost of a smile.

"That's what we're here for."

"I- I d-don't-"

"We'll begin with a simple exercise. I'll be in the observation room overlooking the training arena."

Katori released his grip on Minoru's knee as he slowly began to walk towards a heavily reinforced metal door. The door opened when the security officer breached the proximity sensor, allowing him to freely step into the revealed hallway beyond the indoor training grounds.

"Please don't try anything-"

"Stupid?!"

Minoru couldn't help the venom filling his voice. He wasn't used to Katori being a comforting presence at his side, almost like a father or an uncle watching out for him. And while part of him liked the feeling of that strange warmth and care, yearned for it with all his heart, another part screamed inside that it was wrong. Some instinct within Minoru told him not to trust this man. He would only realize much, much later, that this was the heroic instinct his former homeroom teacher had been looking to cultivate at UA.

And a very small, ignored part of him recognized that Minoru wasn't entirely angry at Katori. Some of his anger was still directed at himself.

"All I do is stupid."

Katori turned around to face Minoru right before the doors shut once more, his face still hidden behind his visor, and his expression as neutral as ever despite the words of reassurance he spoke.

"No, Minoru. You're a survivor."

As the metal doors sealed Minoru in the training arena, the boy gasped in surprise when a moment later the hard light constructs restraining him suddenly vanished, leaving him free to move about as he pleased. He rubbed his wrists out of habit, despite there being no signs of abrasion on them from the constructs. Lights began to flicker on behind him, and Minoru slowly got up and turned around, the platform beneath him sinking back into the floor as he did so.

The space before him was massive. It resembled one of the mock cities UA employed for its entrance exam and hero training course. Massive TV monitors could be seen on the walls, each of which displayed numbers and statistics Minoru didn't currently know the context of. At the very apex of the ceiling, Minoru could see scaffolding and support beams running along the corners of the structure. Although he was still confused and afraid, Minoru couldn't help but be in awe at the scale of everything. Just because he grew up with the HPSC breathing down his neck, didn't mean he got to see its facilities very much. And he definitely hadn't seen anything like this before.

Slowly, Minoru began to walk forward, taking in the various mock buildings as he did. The cityscape looked dense, but undisturbed. Nothing appeared to have been destroyed, but it was empty of any commotion as well. A completely neutral scenario so far. Katori's voice over the intercom startled Minoru slightly.

"Everyone has a weakness. You just need to look for it."

Two hard light clones of Katori appeared before Minoru from below the platform he was currently on, each standing perfectly still, gazing into nothing. At first, the boy wasn't sure what he was meant to do, when suddenly he caught a glimpse of something. Narrowing his eyes, Minoru could see barely visible weak points in Katori's clones. 

Figuring that he was expected to strike those points, Minoru raised his hands up to where his palms were facing towards the two clones. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he decided that it was time to stop fighting against his new body and just follow his instincts for now. Pulling on the same feeling of using his quirk briefly brought out the horrifying memories of melting from before, but Minoru quickly stomped that out.

Breathing, he focused a portion of his body ooze to collect near the palms of his hands and harden. Remembering when Snipe had pulled him away from the Sports Festival, and the armed guards that had escorted him that same day, Minoru imagined firing his small collecting of condensed slime like a pair of bullets from his palms. In an instant, Minoru felt himself recoil violently as two tiny spheres of hardened purple slime shot from his hands. Each pellet struck true against the highlighted weak points of the two hard light clones, causing them to shatter. Katori's voice once again came over the intercom. 

"You'll have to work on acclimating yourself to the recoil of using ranged attacks like that in the future. Now, pull the ooze back towards yourself."

Closing his eyes, Minoru focused on the tiny balls of goo he'd shot out like bullets, feeling them embedded in the metal floor several meters away from him. Like using telekinesis, Minoru was able to summon the two bullets, morphing them back into a liquid state before they rejoined his body, melding into his flesh, as if they'd never left his body in the first place. Breathing from slight exertion, Minoru looked at his hands, turning them over one after the other.

"How about that, huh?"

"It's a start. But the world won't always wait for you, sometimes you need to act fast. Continue to follow your instincts, let them guide you."

Five new clones appeared to replace the two which had perished. Minoru observed that unlike the previous two who had the same weak point in the same spot, the center of the chest, these clones had weak points of difference sizes, located on different parts of their bodies, and some even possessed multiple weak points. Minoru gauged that he'd need to destroy all of them before Katori would be satisfied with his progress, and fast. Time was of the essence it seemed.

It took a little bit more time than before, and by the end Minoru was panting slightly, but eventually all five hard light clones had been destroyed. Minoru listened to Katori's voice as he began to reabsorb his quirk into himself once again.

"Not bad. Not great, but you just started. Perhaps you'd be better motivated by more . . . relatable targets?"

This time, three hard light constructs appeared. But right out of the gate, it was obvious that they weren't clones of Katori. There were two males and one female. The first male was of average build. He appeared to be wearing some sort of helmet that obscured the top part of his face, save for his eyes. His fingers each had gun barrels at their tips.

The other male was clearly someone with a mutation quirk. He was tall and rotund, with stiches around his entire body. He had a crown of three horns on his head, and his face was covered by some sort of gas mask. The woman was dressed in fairly normal attire, but her hair was made up of dreadlocks that each moved on their own, floating above her head like a crowd of snakes. 

"Impressive, aren't they? These hard light holograms look and feel as real as the people they're inspired from. Now please, kill them."

"Are you kidding me?! I mean . . . I know that they're just holograms, but that doesn't mean that I'm comfortable hurting something that looks and feels like another person!"

"You shouldn't think of them as people, Minoru. They're objects, tools for your betterment. Besides, they're villains."

Upon hearing this, Minoru became confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Look closely. I'm sure you remember, somewhere in there."

It took a good bit, but after wracking his brain trying to figure out where he'd seen these people before, it hit Minoru like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened as he instinctively backed away from the trio of hard light holograms.

"They . . . they were part of the villains who attacked us at the USJ. The guys that Shigaraki hired!"

"The Shooting Squad, the frontline of the assault if I'm not mistaken. They would have caused severe damage had Eraserhead not dealt with them first. Now, it's your turn."

"I don't understand! These guys are already behind bars, and nobody's gonna waste their breath to bust them out of prison. What's the point?"

"The point, is survival."

Before Minoru could question what Katori was on about, another hologram sprung to life a bit aways from where the three villains were standing. It didn't take long for Minoru to figure out who this hologram was meant to be. The odd camouflage and nice fur lining of the hero costume, the wild hair, the dark sclera, and the pair of horns adorning the head of the hologram all made it clear. Minoru barely heard Katori continue.

"Not just your own, but the survival of others to. I believe you're familiar with this particular individual, and she's clearly in distress. Go on, protect her."

Minoru had no time to react before the villain holograms began to shoot their quirks at Ashido without mercy. The hologram version of his former classmate was shielding her face with her arms, but the bullets began to tear right through her body, chipping away at her bit by bit. Minoru felt like vomiting.

"No, stop! Stop this now!"

"Only you have the power to stop this, Minoru. It's time to become a hero."

The distorted screams of agony coming from his holographic friend, and the laughter from the three villains, finally got Minoru to leave his fear and apprehension behind. The gears started turning, and without a second thought, Minoru raised his hands towards the three villains. In an instant, he fired off several ooze bullets, piercing their own bodies with ruthless efficiency until they had completely discorporated.

After reabsorbing his quirk once more, Minoru looked over to the hologram of his friend. She was hurt but still standing. Sighing in relief, Minoru ignored the exhaustion clinging to him, jumping from his platform to run up and hug Ashido. The girl saw him and began to meet him halfway.

"I am so sorry! I-!"

Just as he made contact with the hologram, it vanished before his eyes. Minoru had to force the gasp rising in his throat to die, even as he watched his now trembling hand. After a few seconds, the shock on his face died, and he was left with a cold feeling in his chest.

"Right, it wasn't real."

"No, it wasn't. But it's good that you believed it was."

Once again feeling some of that simmering anger bubble up in his chest, Minoru angrily turned to face the observation lounge above him. He couldn't see Katori behind the tinted glass, of course, but he knew the other man was watching him intently.

"Why would me thinking it's real ever be good?!"

"Because it shows that you understand the consequences of failure in the field. We can train you until you bleed from your pores, but it will all be worth nothing if you can't make the right judgement call in the real world."

"My friend was in danger, of course saving her was the right call!"

Minoru wasn't so sure about that though. Saving Ashido was right, but he should have found a way around having to kill the villains. If Eraserhead could do it, then that was proof enough Minoru could have found a way. He also wasn't sure it was right of him to call Ashido his friend after everything he'd done to her and the other girls of 1A. But she was someone he'd made a connection with nonetheless, and he knew the other girl was a good person. She didn't deserve to die.

"You made the right call, but you still hesitated. You doubted yourself, something which will get you and others killed in the real world. That is the purpose of your training: to hone your new abilities with and without your quirk, to improve your strength, speed, decision making and reaction times. To give you all the tools you need to combat villainy, to give you the confidence you need to surpass your doubt."

"Surpass . . . my doubt?"

Could he do that? All his life, Minoru had been scared of everything. Whether it was due to his diminutive stature, his pathetic quirk, the abuse he suffered that Madame President hid from the public eye, or any combination of the three, Minoru had been afraid of the world. That fear had left him doubting everything constantly. Doubting intentions, doubting if people would really stay true to their word . . . doubting himself.

"Today begins a new chapter in your life, Minoru. A clean slate to start anew."

Minoru could see his hands shaking once again as memories of all those troubling times in his life crashed down on him. The weight felt enormous, impossible to escape from. But then he thought of Ashido's hologram slowly falling to pieces before his eyes, and the fire in his chest when he'd stepped up to the plate to defend his friend, and suddenly the weight felt just a bit more manageable. Minoru stopped his hands from shaking by clenching them into fists, determination flooding his veins as he felt his quirk rippling just beneath the surface of his skin. Looking back up to the observation booth, Minoru addressed Katori once more.

"I'm ready."

Silently, outside of the range of the intercom, Katori allowed himself a rare smile upon seeing Minoru's spark of righteous fury take hold. Madame President's plans were going to work out just fine, Katori would make sure of it. Eyeing the boy from behind his visor, Katori could finally see the beginnings of a true hero emerging. Being sure to keep his voice away from the microphone, Katori whispered to himself.

"You will be . . . soon."

Chapter Text

The events of the previous night had been more harrowing than anything the three boys currently sitting together had ever experienced. No amount of bullying or abuse could ever hope to compare. Not even the USJ attack could dream of inspiring the level of fear that these three had experienced at the hands of Stain. Yet, morning had come, and each of the three hero students had survived to see the Sun rise. Oddly, Shoto found himself being the one to break the silence.

"Were you able to sleep, Midoriya?"

"No, not really."

"I didn't think so. Me neither."

"Thinking about it, we did something amazing, didn't we?"

That wasn't quite the word Shoto would use to describe their actions. Stupid, foolish, reckless, suicidal . . . those sounded more like it. He's sure their teachers would all agree with him. But Midoriya was also right. The fact that they'd managed to not only hold Stain off, but to actually incapacitate him as well? Shoto found himself slowly coming around to appreciating the feeling of success for once. 

"Yeah."

"Seeing an ending like that like that really makes you feel like it's a miracle we're alive."

Midoriya then looked down at his bandaged leg, a pensive look on his face. It was only then that Shoto was reminded just how outclassed the three of them had truly been. It didn't matter that they were the prodigies of some of the greatest heroes of their time, or that they'd displayed great power themselves back in the Sports Festival. Stain was on a completely different level. Even Pro Heroes had struggled and died to him. Shoto glanced at his arm, wondering just how much worse he'd be off if the hero killer hadn't been so soft on them. Would he have even survived?

"We were obviously left alive on purpose."

Shoto turned to face Iida, who hadn't spoken a word up to this point. It wasn't like the Class President to be so sullen and silent, but Shoto could understand. They'd all gone through hell, and Iida still had the fate of his brother lingering in his mind.

"You're amazing to have been able to face him, after all the murderous intent directed at you."

"No, that's not it. I . . ."

Before Iida could properly respond, the hospital door opened to reveal Manual and Gran Torino, each looking deathly serious. Gran Torino spoke up first.

"Oh, are you wounded kids awake?"

"Gran Torino!"

"Manual . . ."

Shoto idly noted the difference in Midoriya and Iida's reactions. While Midoriya showed nothing but excitement to see his internship mentor, Iida looked decidedly less hopeful. Still, Shoto couldn't blame Manual for being upset with Iida, as the engine boy had disobeyed a direct order, choosing to instead fight Stain. Shoto had done the same to his father of course, but he couldn't care less about how the flaming trash bag felt about it. Iida was saved for a moment as Gran Torino started walking up to Midoriya first.

"Kid, I've got a lot of complaints for you."

"S-s-s-sor-"

"But before that, you've got a visitor."

All eyes turned to the door as footsteps could be heard approaching. Pro Hero Manual had to look up to see the individual, which already made Shoto slightly nervous. Stepping into the room was a man with a dog's head. He was dressed in a nice black suit, and Gran Torino introduced him as Kenji Tsuragamae, Hosu's Chief of Police. Shoto and Iida both immediately stood at attention. Midoriya attempted to stand as well, but the chief quickly let him know that it wasn't necessary. He also made a woof sound at the end, which appeared to slightly shock his green-haired classmate.

"You must be the UA students who brought down the hero killer, right?"

"Yes."

Shoto's answer was quick and to the point, mostly to keep his friends from saying anything beyond what was required of them. He was already suspicious of why the chief of police was here, he didn't want his friends accidentally incriminating themselves.

"Regarding the hero killer we arrested . . . he had fairly serious injuries, with burns and broken bones, and is receiving treatment under strict guard, woof. Since you're UA Students, I'm sure you already know that when superpowers were still becoming the norm, the police attached high importance to leadership and standards, and made sure quirks were not used as weapons. And then, the profession of "hero" emerged to fill that gap, woof.

For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill others - actions that would normally be appropriate to denounce - to be accepted officially is thanks to early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof."

Shoto didn't need to have a telepath quirk to know where the chief was going with his little speech. He knew that the three of them had technically broken the law. But in his mind, they had done what was right, at least him and Midoriya had. Iida . . . was still a child, like them. He shouldn't have been in that position to begin with. Their homeroom teacher knew what Iida was going through. Aizawa shouldn't have approved of Iida's choice of internship at all. Principal Nedzu shouldn't have approved it either. In Shoto's mind, a mind brimming with anger given what he knew the chief was about to say, they had broken a law that itself was already broken if it couldn't discriminate dire circumstances from wanton rampage.

"Even against the hero killer, for uncertified individuals to cause injury with their quirks without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the law. The three of you, along with the heroes Endeavor, Manual, and Gran Torino must receive strict punishment."

"If Iida hadn't done anything, Native would have been killed. And if Midoriya hadn't come, they both would have been killed."

"Todoroki . . ."

At the edge of his vision, Shoto could see Iida looking at him as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, couldn't fathom that his classmate was actually defending his actions. But Shoto ignored Iida. For now, he kept his entire focus on the chief. He had to, otherwise his message wouldn't get through. And he needed it to get through.

"No one realized that the hero killer had appeared. Are you saying we should have followed the rules and watched innocent people die?"

While Midoriya turned to him, trying to diffuse the tension, the chief matched Shoto's gaze, clearly unimpressed. He answered Shoto's question with a question of his own, one that Shoto felt was a low blow and quite frankly, shallow.

"Are you saying that as long as it turns out all right, it's okay to bend the rules?"

"No, I'm saying that the rules themselves are far too rigid. It's a hero's job to save people. I know we aren't heroes yet, but we're training to become them. I've been trained nearly my entire life, and you can ask my old man if you don't believe me." 

Shoto wasn't too thrilled about pulling the 'do you know who my dad is' card, but it was the truth. Endeavor had trained Shoto ever since his quirk had come in, just over a decade ago. And Shoto knew his father. The man hadn't exactly tried to hide his prideful boasting to others, so no one could even deny that Shoto had been trained for a long time. They didn't know the nature of his training of course, but the insinuation was enough.   

"You're telling us it's perfectly okay to let innocent people die while we do nothing, just because a centuries old law says that's the expectation. But I wonder what the people would think if they heard you say that. What would the people think of that kind of precedent for future heroes?"

For the first time, Shoto saw the police chief's demeanor shift, a slight crack in his armor. The other heroes in the room felt it as well, both backing up from him, almost like they felt the heat he yearned to unleash with his quirk. Gran Torino quickly put up a hand.

"I know you're upset, sonny. But please, hear the chief out."

Reluctantly, Shoto closed his eyes and took in a calming breath of air, allowing the others in the room to regain some semblance of control.

"The police wish to see justice served to you three. However, I see two options for you boys. If you take credit for Stain's capture, the public will likely hail you as heroes, but you will be severely punished for breaking the law. On the other hand, there were few witnesses to the event of Stain's capture, and the burn scars could easily be said to have been caused by Endeavor. He would get all official credit for Stain's capture, leaving you three without any public recognition, but you would be spared any consequences as well. Which do you prefer?"

In the end, the three of them decided that they didn't need any recognition for the good deed they had done. Endeavor could have the attention if he wanted it, but the three students knew the truth. And they had plenty of time in the future to find their own notoriety. After Iida and Midoriya quickly apologized to their respective mentors, the chief thanked them all and took his leave with the pros. But Shoto could still see that the man was clearly shaken by his words. They both knew how fickle the people could be after all, and not all drama was centered solely on heroes.

It wasn't until the three teens were alone once more that Shoto truly relaxed. Well, not fully, but he allowed himself to lose some of the tension in his shoulders. Midoriya must have noticed how stressed he still was, the green-haired boy sitting next to him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Shoto grunted, but otherwise didn't reply. Nonetheless, Midoriya smiled.

"T-thank you for defending us, Todoroki."

"Yes, thank you. Although I do not deserve it, you've been such a wonderful friend to me. Both of you have."

"We have to stick up for one another, of course I'm going to help, whether it's here defending our actions, or back then when we had to take them. I don't care that I'm just a student. We're all training to be heroes, and I've been trained long before coming to UA. I have the power to save other people who don't have that training. If the police think they're going to intimidate me into not using my power to help save the innocent, they're sorely mistaken."

Midoriya and Iida both frowned at him, both sensing that something was eating away at him. It wasn't like Shoto to express himself so passionately, but this was important to him. And . . . he still had some underlying fears and questions. Midoriya motioned for Iida to come closer, and the Class President quickly took up a seat on Shoto's fire side while Midoriya kept him company on his ice side. Shoto knew his friends could read him a bit better than the rest of the class, but that was a double-edged sword. Thankfully, they didn't sit too close to him, leaving Shoto with enough room not to feel trapped. Still, it took him a bit to get his thoughts out right.

"The police chief already knew of our involvement with Stain. Our hero mentors knew as well. Who's to say that they won't report back to UA about it, or that Principal Nedzu doesn't already know himself? Is . . . is Aizawa Sensei going to expel us?"

His friends were quick to try and dissuade him of that idea, which he was grateful for, but it didn't help him calm down.

"T-todoroki, don't be ridiculous! You said it yourself, heroes are meant to save others, and that's exactly what we did!"

"I concur! Had you and Midoriya not acted when you did, Native and myself would not be here! You both did the right thing!"

"But we still disobeyed the orders of our superiors, and we broke the law. Remember Mineta?"

At the mention of the purple-haired slimeball, both Iida and Midoriya looked confused and slightly grossed out, which . . . understandable. It also didn't help that mention of their former classmate had seemingly come from nowhere. Nonetheless, Shoto continued. Expulsion wasn't the only worry he had on his mind, after all.

"I don't like what he was doing to the girls either, it was disgusting. And he was rightfully expelled for his actions. Still, I'm pretty sure that breaking hero laws on multiple counts is a much higher crime than peeping on girls and being a general nuisance. So, if Aizawa expelled Mineta . . . what chance do we have?"

Midoriya and Iida sank down, looking lost and dejected as Shoto's words finally set in for them. All of this was assuming Aizawa knew of their actions, but Shoto couldn't envision a world where their homeroom teacher was oblivious to them. Then again, he seemed oblivious to the fact that Bakugo had been Bullying Midoriya for over a decade, or that Kaminari had dyslexia and a seizure disorder because of his quirk, or that Uraraka came into homeroom ever day practically starving due to how little money her family had, so Shoto didn't know what to think. He and Midoriya were brought out of their thoughts when Iida chopped the air harshly.

"Your concerns are completely valid, Todoroki. I hadn't considered looking at things from that angle before. However, I believe based on our agreement with the police and our internship mentors, that all will turn out well, regardless of if Aizawa Sensei discovers our actions or not. Besides, I believe we can all agree that Mineta got exactly what he deserved. His behavior was shameful, and I for one am glad he was removed from our class."

"Iida's right, Todoroki. Mineta was a creep who didn't understand personal space and boundaries. He wasn't hero material. We don't need Aizawa to point out that he had no potential, I think we could all see that."

Perhaps his friends were right. They had brought up valid points. And Shoto wasn't keen on defending somebody as reprehensible as Mineta. But then he was reminded of the dark feeling he'd felt in his gut after the Sports Festival. The feeling of dread when he'd overheard Aizawa Sensei talking with Thirteen. Part of him felt he shouldn't talk about that with Midoriya and Iida. He shouldn't have heard the conversation in the first place, so it wasn't something he should go spreading around. But that gross feeling of tar clogging his lungs and swirling around his ribs wouldn't leave him alone. He had to tell someone. 

". . . I heard Sensei and Thirteen talking about his expulsion, the day after the Sports Festival. Thirteen said his parents never came to UA for a meeting, they didn't even bother responding to Principal Nedzu's emails."

"You- you think he's being, neglected?"

Shoto turned to stare into Midoriya's eyes. Eyes which shone with newfound concern. Because of course they did. It didn't matter how scummy Mineta had been, he was still a teen like them. And if he was in trouble, who other than Midoriya would feel concern for him? Shoto didn't want to admit that he was also concerned. If Mineta's parents were anything even remotely similar to Endeavor . . .

"I don't know, but I think Thirteen wants to find out."

Midoriya smiled again, tightening his grip on Shoto's shoulder.

"Then we can ask Thirteen when we get back to UA. For now, though, I think we've meddled enough for one night. It's time to have a little more faith in the pros again."

Faith. Shoto frowned as he looked away from his friends. Faith hadn't saved him from Endeavor's wrath. Faith had prevented his mother from being institutionalized. And faith wasn't going to help any of them now. Shoto just hoped that when he finally managed to talk to Thirteen, she'd have more than faith to go off of.

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Reiko knew that being a hero would involve putting herself in danger. She just hadn't figured it would happen so quickly. Yet her she was, three days into her internship with Fatgum, and already they'd encountered a trio of dangerous villains causing terror to the people of Osaka. The BMI Hero was dealing with the villain who seemed to be in charge, a man with a gravity quirk that seemingly allowed him to make himself and objects he touched as light or as heavy as he wanted them to be. The villain was currently using it to increase the mass of his punches against Fatgum, pushing the hero to his limits.

Unfortunately, the villain seemed to be able to concentrate on multiple targets at once, as evidenced by the predicament Reiko and Yaoyorozu now found themselves in. The two girls were back-to-back as the remaining pair of villains ran circles around them, their speed having been increased as a result of their leader's quirk. The pair's individual weights were now effectively a fraction of what they would normally be, just heavy enough to keep them tethered to the ground, but still absurdly fast.

"Any ideas, Creati?"

"It's a work in progress. Just keep concentrating on generating that debris field for now, Emily."

"Copy that."

Reiko was pushing her own limits with her quirk currently, keeping a rapidly spinning field of rubble circling around her and Yaoyorozu to deter either of their opponents from attacking. Poltergeist was strong enough to hold the weight, but the question was how long Reiko could keep concentrating. She hoped for both her and Yaoyorozu's sake, they wouldn't have to find out. While her intern partner got to work creating whatever tool she needed for her plan to work, Reiko started observing the villains, or what she could see of them through her field and their own afterimages. 

One of the villains clearly sounded like he had a chainsaw for a quirk. Perhaps even multiple chainsaws? There seemed to be at least two now that Reiko could focus, one for each arm. That didn't necessarily mean that the villain was limited to just those two, however. She'd need to be careful not to let him get close.

The same advice applied to the other villain as well. She was much easier to discern, a woman with a deadly panther mutation quirk, likely giving her the speed, agility, enhanced senses, and the natural weapons of a panther. Reiko was not eager to feel those claws and fangs sink into her flesh. Luckily, her telekinetic field of debris was still holding strong, keeping the two villains at bay. Labored breathing from her partner caught Reiko's attention, and she began to feel uncertainty build in her core.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Alright, take these and prepare to put them on."

Reiko looked down to see that Yaoyorozu was holding out a pair of earplugs. Reiko nearly sweat-dropped, imagining that the simple pair of earplugs was all Yaoyorozu had managed to create. However, looking beneath the girl, Reiko could spot that Yaoyorozu was using her body and her costume's cape to hide a very complicated looking piece of technology. The ghostly looking girl didn't have the slightest clue what it was meant to accomplish, but she hoped it would get them out of this dire situation. Nonetheless, Reiko put the earplugs in as she awaited the rest of Creati's plan.

"When I saw 'now', I want you to send out your debris field like grenade fragmentation and focus on grabbing the chainsaw villain with your quirk."

"What about the panther lady?"

"That's what this is for. Alright, get ready, we only have one shot at this."

Turning around, Reiko narrowed her eyes and did her best to focus on the sound of the chainsaw revving as it circled around her. Listening for the Doppler Effect, Reiko found the pattern in which the villain appeared right in front of her. After making sure that she was all set to go, Reiko tapped Yaoyorozu's hand from behind, signaling the other girl to start her plan.

"Three, two, one . . . NOW!"

In a flash, Reiko expelled all of the swirling rubble she'd gathered, flinging it away from her and Yaoyorozu and towards the two villains caging them in. The burst of objects caused the two sprinting villains to stagger somewhat. Reiko saw the moment the chainsaw villain wobbled on his legs, clearly disoriented. That was all the opportunity she needed as she quickly secured him in place with Poltergeist, locking his movements entirely. 

And then Reiko heard the sound of claws piercing metal, tearing it to shreds. The fear and panic caused Reiko to turn around, worried for her friend and ally, nearly causing her to lose control of her quirk. Thankfully she managed to hold onto her control, but by then it wasn't necessary. Yaoyorozu had created a Kevlar shield to protect her from the panther villain's assault long enough to activate her strange device.

Reiko was suddenly very grateful for the provided earplugs, as the device at her feet began emitting a high frequency noise that was starting to give her a headache. The chainsaw villain also looked to be in some pain from the noise, as did Fatgum and the gravity villain. But by far, the panther villain's reaction was the worst.

The woman had fallen to the ground immediately, reduced to agonized screaming as she desperately covered her ears to shield herself from the horrid noise. Reiko felt it might have been a bit of an overreaction at first, seeing as how no one else, not even nearby civilians who really should have fled to safety by now, were seen to be in nearly as much pain. But then Reiko put together that given how smart Yaoyorozu was, and the fact that she got into UA on recommendation, the girl had likely created her sound device with the panther mutation specifically in mind. Like a modified dog whistle. Suddenly, Reiko felt a bit bad for the panther woman writhing on the street, especially when she noticed the smallest amount of blood seeping through the villain's paws.

From there, the fight was essentially over. Yaoyorozu was quick to make a chemical sleeping agent similar to Midnight's quirk, and the villains were rendered unconscious and thus no longer an active threat. The citizens cheered for the three of them as police arrived on the scene to haul the villains away. Fatgum, despite his various bruises, smiled and waved to the crowd as if nothing was wrong. Beneath her mask, Reiko frowned slightly, partially because she was concerned for her mentor and her fellow student, partly because the civilians had still yet to evacuate.

Nonetheless, Reiko helped Yaoyorozu to her feet and the two of them made their way over to Fatgum, who started walking them back to his agency headquarters. The trio received many heartfelt thanks from the good people of Osaka as they journeyed back to the BMI hero's agency, but eventually they found themselves mostly alone on their leisurely walk. Reiko was only slightly shocked when Fatgum started talking out of nowhere.

"That was some excellent work tonight you two! I wasn't expecting such dangerous villains to be in the area, but I'm proud of how you both handled the situation."

"It was mostly Yaoyorozu's idea, I just bought us time while she came up with a plan of action."

"It may have been my plan that won the day, Yanagi, but you were still a crucial part to helping me pull that plan off. Had you not been with me, I wouldn't have been able to deal with both of those villains by myself."

Reiko hummed in response, still a woman of few words after all. Monoma may go on minute long rants about how Class 1A thought they were 'oh so superior to us in Class 1B', but Reiko and the rest of her classmates knew better. She knew Yaoyorozu wasn't trying to demean or pity her. The raven-haired genius was simply stating the facts as she saw them. Reiko appreciated the honesty.

"It was an excellent plan, and you both executed it flawlessly."

After a bit more silence, Fatgum asked the pair of students walking with him a question. It wasn't something he was burning to know, just a mild curiosity he ended up asking all his interns and work study partners. 

"So, why did you two choose to accept my offer of an internship? Not that I regret sending my name in, but it helps to know what you want to learn from me during this."

Reiko shared a look with Yaoyorozu, and the ghostly girl could see that her fellow student was nervous to answer. With a slight nod, Reiko silently let the other girl know that she would go first to give Yaoyorozu more time. After all, Reiko knew why she'd chosen Fatgum, and being blunt about her reasons would likely yield the best benefit. 

"I chose to learn from you because out of all the Pro Heros who I received offers from, you were the one that was the most unlike myself."

"Ha! Yeah, I certainly figured that much was true! Joking aside, that was a very wise choice."

Yaoyorozu looked confused, and she voiced as much.

"You purposefully chose to intern with Fatgum because he's your opposite? Wouldn't you want to work with someone that compliments your quirk and style of fighting?"

"Hypothetically, when I become a hero, working alongside someone or a group of people with similar abilities and fighting styles as myself would help us synergize better. However, that is exactly why I chose Fatgum for my choice of internship. His fighting style and quirk are so much different than my own, so it forces me to adapt and drift away from my comfort zone. The more confident I can become working alongside those with quirks or fighting styles that don't directly compliment my own, the better prepared I'll be when I'm a pro."

Yaoyorozu gained a look of understanding on her face.

"One of my classmates pointed out something similar during our battle trials. He said that Pro Heroes don't always get to choose their partners, so I can understand wanting to diversify your skill set in order to expand your perceived options on the battlefield no matter who stands with or against you."

Reiko hummed again in acknowledgement of Yaoyorozu's analysis. Though in the back of her mind, the girl questioned what Yaoyorozu was talking about regarding the so-called 'battle trials'. 1B had never been given any sort of lesson like that from Kan Sensei. She'd investigate that thought later, however. 

"I also chose to accept Fatgum's offer because of his personality. I've always been naturally quiet and reserved, but I know that I'll need to become somewhat more outgoing if I'm going to make it as a limelight hero. Fatgum just seems to . . . exude a happy, peaceful aura. I wish to emulate that feeling to help calm others in times of crisis."

"Aww! I'm glad you think so highly of me, Yanagi! And don't worry, you aren't the only student that's come to me for help with that sort of concern. I've been working with a Third-Year student named Amajiki who has a lot of confidence issues. We're still working on getting him to open up a bit more, but progress is still progress, no matter how slow it may be!"

Reiko noticed that Yaoyorozu's face was now split between the nervousness she'd been exuding originally, and a new curiosity at the mention of Amajiki. Reiko lightly knocked the girl's arm and urged her to speak up. Swallowing her fears, Yaoyorozu opened up about her reasons for interning with Fatgum. 

"I was also hoping to find help regaining my confidence under your tutelage, sir. Coming into UA, I was so sure of myself, especially after having passed the recommendation exam. However, a lot has happened between then and now, and I feel like I'm seeing the real world for the first time."

"Hero work certainly isn't all glory and glamour. I'm glad you're both coming to see that in as safe an environment that UA can provide. As for your confidence issues, we all heard about the USJ incident. Anyone would be shaken up by something like that. And I can tell you're still reeling from your loss against your classmate Tokoyami during the final round of the Sports Festival."

"It's- it wasn't just that. A lot of things were making me nervous that day. The fact that my parents were watching me compete in the most prestigious event of my life, not to mention the entire country. And . . . my results after the first round weren't what I'd hoped."

Reiko searched Yaoyorozu's face with narrowed eyes, not entirely convinced of her story. Fatgum's silence spoke for itself, the man clearly waiting for Yaoyorozu to elaborate, as if he already knew what she really wanted to say. Eventually, Reiko realized what was bugging the other girl.

"You were upset about your placement in the third round, but the first round was difficult for an entirely different reason. It wasn't your results from the race that you despised, but the circumstances that led to that outcome. The circumstances of your race, and your classmate who hitched a ride on you to pass as well."

Reiko had of course noticed how uncomfortable Yaoyorozu had been after she'd passed the finish line, with her an everyone else clearly seeing Mineta clinging to the girl's back. It was . . . an interesting tactic to be sure, though it was also clear it had upset Yaoyorozu greatly, not helped by Present Mic calling everyone's attention to it. Reiko's brows furrowed as she thought back to that moment.

Yaoyorozu's discomfort was clear as day, and even with Mineta disappearing before the start of the Cavalry Battle, her apprehension had not been abated. Yet Reiko could also distinctly remember Mineta wearing an expression of fear and dread himself, both from after he'd been carried across the finish line, and when Snipe had dragged him out of the arena. She didn't know why she was so curious about Mineta. He'd done horrible things, and he'd gotten punished for his actions, as far as Reiko knew anyway. Yaoyorozu confirmed her suspicions.

"He was expelled, and I for one am grateful that he no longer walks among us. Still, I'm not quite over what he did to me and my classmates. I dread to think what might have happened if the other girls and I had been tricked into wearing those cheerleading uniforms he'd ordered."

"It's okay, Yaoyorozu. You don't need to worry about facing him anymore. UA is strict with these sorts of things; he won't have a chance of returning to terrorize you or your classmates ever again. But if anyone else tries something like that, you should tell your teachers. That goes for you as well, Yanagi."

Fatgum's words helped steady the two students, though an air of unease lingered between them. For Yaoyorozu, she was still likely recounting all the times Mineta had made her uncomfortable, or violated the boundaries set by her and her friends. Reiko, on the other hand, was contemplating what had happened to Mineta himself. It struck her as odd that he would be taken out of the Sports Festival right in the middle of it.

She certainly appreciated the fact that UA wasn't oblivious to the boy's actions, but she would have thought they would either take him out before the festival began or wait until after it was over. Taking him out during the middle had only served to draw more attention to him, which seemed like the opposite result that they would want for a student expelled from the Hero Course. As much as Reiko wanted to let go of these invasive thoughts, something inside her refused to relinquish them.

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Thirteen could sense the unease emanating from Nedzu as she sat across from him, his signature smile having been replaced by a concerned frown. Already, the Space Hero was hearing alarm bells ring out inside their head at this unusual behavior from UA's principal. Thirteen had brought up their concerns about Mineta's expulsion, about how odd it was that his parents hadn't come in to discuss their son's complete removal from UA, not just it's Hero Course. No communication of any kind had even been attempted from them.

Nedzu simply maintained his grim look of confusion and concern while Thirteen voiced their opinions on the matter. She could tell that Nedzu knew something that was being kept from them, but the Space Hero had come for answers, and she'd be damned if she left empty-handed. 

"Alright, spill. Clearly, you're holding onto some critical information about this. There's no way Mineta's expulsion was normal."

"You would be correct in that assessment. The issue, is this."

Nedzu turned his computer monitor around for Thirteen to see. The tab was set to a list of student files from the Hero Course, Class 1A's roster at the forefront. Each student had a list of medical records, family relations, prior grades, quirk history, the works. Except for Mineta. Some other student entries looked mildly disjointed, like Midoriya's and Todoroki's. Hagakure's entry appeared to have been updated recently even. But Mineta's was completely barren. 

"No medical or behavioral incident history of any kind, two sentences about his quirk description, no grades, not even his birthday is listed. What kind of irresponsible parents does this kid have?"

"That's the problem. You see, I also began to question whether or not Mineta's parents were fit to care for him, based on his lackluster record and their silence on the matter of their son's expulsion. However, after hours of digging through hundreds of files scattered across several digital storage drives, I came to realize that Mineta's parents . . . aren't his parents."

Now Anan was officially confused. Mineta's caregivers weren't biologically related to him? Even if the boy was adopted or part of an orphanage, that still didn't make sense. Someone was in charge of caring for him, and it would be highly suspect for a guardian to not include critical information about their own charge. Especially when said charge was a Hero Course student. But Nedzu was implying that Mineta's file hadn't even been forged retroactively once he'd gotten into UA. Whoever was in charge of his file had left it blank when it had been created and gone through a lot of effort to keep it that way.

"So, he isn't biologically their child then? Either his guardians are neglectful idiots, or they have criminal intentions."

"Neither I'm afraid. Officially, the individuals listed as Mineta's caregivers don't exist, nor have they ever existed aside from names in his record."

That shocked Anan more than she wanted to admit. It also firmly put Mineta's true guardians into the criminal category in Anan's mind, whoever those individuals turned out to be.

"But someone must be caring for him, otherwise this record wouldn't even exist."

"Precisely. I aim to find out who created this record, and I assume you wish to join me in this investigation."

"Damn straight."

Nedzu merely chuckled, his signature smile finally returning as he handed Thirteen a copy of the data he'd managed to scrounge up thus far.

"Then let's get to work, we have much to do."

Chapter Text

"Two foes coming from the right."

Minoru rapidly turned and slashed out his arm, the hardened ooze sickle in his hand easily cutting through both holograms like butter. The villain recreations pathetically fell to the ground and shattered like glass before him, but the boy paid them no mind. He had to focus on his surroundings.

"Seven enemies remaining, and one hostage still unlocated. You don't have all day."

As he ran throughout the fake city, Minoru peeked into alleys and vacant stores that looked like they might be large enough to house eight people. No such luck. Cursing himself, Minoru charged his arms with his quirk, allowing them both to turn into slime. 

"Time to gain some elevation!"

Shooting his arms out like a slingshot, Minoru grabbed the roof of a nearby building and pulled himself through the air at rapid speeds. When he was about to reach the roof itself, he quickly detached his arms from the concrete and allowed his momentum to carry him even further. Time seemed to slow just for a moment while he was floating above the mock city. Long enough for him to quickly scan his surroundings and find the group of villains and the hostage they were guarding.

"Gotcha."

Meanwhile, up in the observation room, Hisoka Kaneko adjusted her glasses as she watched the battle simulation below alongside Katori. Like her Second in Command, her expression remained neutral, but internally she was impressed with the work her Security Officer had managed to accomplish. In less than one week, Minoru had been transformed from a weak, pathetic gremlin with a useless quirk, into the beginnings of a promising warrior. His quirk still wasn't ideal for public opinion, but its versatility far outweighed whatever the media would make of it.

"You've managed to deliver on your promises once again Katori."

"Of course, Madame President."

"And how has Minoru's combat training been progressing these past few days?"

Katori pulled out a tablet from his overcoat before passing it off to his superior. 

"As you can see, his combat efficiency rose drastically following the completion of the initial experiment. However, his growth as of recent has begun to plateau."

That was not promising news for Hisoka, not at all. Looking over the tablet in her hands, the woman briefly brought her eyes to the live video of her son dismembering Katori's holograms one by one. His attacks were precise, but slow. Minoru had always been smart, but never ruthless. He had the technical knowledge to know what needed to be done, but he lacked the instinct to accomplish his task with proper efficiency. That would be the next hurdle of cross then.

"He knows what to do, but he's taking too long to analyze the situation and get over his fear. What do you suggest we do to remedy this, Cylerium?"

The Security Officer pondered the question for a good while. Madame President often had little patience, but Katori knew that the woman genuinely valued his opinion and would thus give him proper time to formulate a detailed response. 

"I believe the problem is being caused by my quirk, Madame President."

"Elaborate."

"Minoru knows what to expect from these training simulations by now. No matter how the circumstances may be altered, the enemies and hostage objectives remain the same holograms that my quirk produces. I believe it is time to introduce Minoru to human adversaries that can think and adapt to his strategies. As President of the HPSC, you would be able to offer criminal offenders deals to shorten their sentences. Not that we'd ever actually honor such an agreement, of course. They would be fine test subjects for Minoru to overcome. You could think of it as his final exam. It is around that time for Hero Schools if I'm not mistaken."

Katori was of course correct, and Hisoka knew it. Now that official hero student internships were coming to a close, schools like UA and Shiketsu would be starting their final exams for the semester within the month, and Hisoka also knew that UA was planning on taking its Hero Course students for a weeklong training camp with The Wild, Wild Pussycats afterwards. It was time to bring Minoru to the next stage of his training. Hisoka was once again very glad to have Katori as an advisor.

"That sounds like a marvelous plan indeed."

"Thank you, Madame President. Twelve enemies, and two hostages. Tick tock, Minoru."

As both adults watched the teen move throughout the mock city once more in desperate search of his objectives, Hisoka used the tablet in her hands to pull up the latest in hero news.

"And what of Stain and the three nomu who recently assaulted Hosu? With the League of Villains coordinating their latest assault with Stain's next kill and surprising capture, it won't take much for people to connect the incidents. Some may believe that the vigilante turned villain may be endorsing the League and choose to join their ranks. Our enemies are starting to become a threat we might struggle to deal with if we don't take action soon."

"A concerning thought. What did you have in mind, Madame President?"

"I was thinking of calling Hawks in for an undercover assignment, have him infiltrate this League, pretending to be a turncoat, all the while giving us information to uncover the League's plans. I sense, however, that you have a different idea."

"Indeed. While the League of Villains will undoubtably grow in strength and numbers, I do not believe that they are a large enough threat at the moment to deploy Hawks or other top heroes. Doing so would only garner more suspicion from these villains."

That was a valid point. Hawks hadn't shown any signs of betraying hero society to the public, so the League would have no reason to believe his claims of joining them. Although Hisoka knew Hawks on a far more personal level, and she knew that the hero would heavily consider betraying the HPSC for real if she wasn't careful. Fortunately, she had enough blackmail to keep Hawks on a tight leash for now. 

"And what do you propose as an alternative, Katori?"

"After the final exams, and UA's summer training camp, students in their second and third year are expected to sign up for Work Studies with Pro Heroes. Although Minoru was a first-year student, there should be no way for the public to know his true age as long as he maintains his hero identity while working in the field. For additional security purposes, I believe having Hawks as his Work Study mentor is the only viable route. Any other Pro Hero would ask far too many questions, and your plan would come to light."

Hisoka didn't want that to happen, but again, she knew she had enough information on Hawks to keep him in line. And the man was Japan's third best hero for a reason. There was no doubt in her mind that he could train Minoru into a strong hero in his own right. 

"Very well, send for Hawks. Tomorrow, we'll give Minoru his final exam, and present Hawks with an ultimatum. Speaking of Minoru maintaining his hero identity in the field at all times, we'll need to come up with something for that soon."

"Leave that to me, Madame President."

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To say that Keigo was annoyed would be an understatement. He knew that brushing off the Commission was a no go, but it still gave him a headache every time they called. Yet this time was different, he was sure. Usually, some random Commission agent would deliver him his latest assignment from Madame President and leave him to it, but when Keigo heard the monotone voice of Katori Shibuya calmly ordering him to report to HPSC headquarters at 0500 for a special briefing, he was only mildly embarrassed to admit that he was nervous. 

It wasn't every day that Cylerium called in to deliver orders himself, which meant that whatever Keigo was being briefed on was something of extreme security, something even Keigo wouldn't normally have clearance to know. Landing on the roof of his boss's HQ, Keigo opted to take the emergency escape stairs disguised as a maintenance walkway, quietly observing agents of the HPSC going about their day, none the wiser to him as he made his way to the observation room Cylerium had designated as their meeting grounds. 

Another odd thing, Keigo noted to himself. Usually when he was called into HQ, it was for more training of his own, or to report directly to Madame President in her office. Not that the man minded this reprieve. But he had a bad feeling in his gut, nonetheless. Entering into the observation room, Keigo was surprised to find not only Cylerium, but Madame President as well, both waiting for him. 

"Welcome, Hawks. Please, take a seat."

Immediately, Keigo's feathers were bristling, which only made Madame President smile wider. It wasn't like this woman to act sweet around other people. She definitely had some sort of ulterior motive, but Keigo would have to play along if he wanted to learn what it was. Getting his feathers to cooperate with his plan was difficult, however. Especially with Madame President's nails glowing so bright. With no small amount of effort, the Winged Hero strolled into the room and stood before his employer. 

"A polite greeting from my boss? I'm flattered."

"You should be, Keigo."

Sighing to himself, Keigo forced his wings to settle down, pushing his agitation to the back of his mind.

"Enough with the pleasantries. Why am I here? My latest performances have been above and beyond the expectations laid out before me. You got some convicts that need a lesson in talking or what?"

"Not quite, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. I'd like you to observe today's training simulation. Our newest recruit is about to take his final exam for the semester, and we'd like your opinion on his performance."

That settled it, Keigo was officially unnerved. It had been quite a while since the Commission had taken in any new "recruits" for their program. Kaina and him had been the latest, and after the controversy of Lady Nagant's crimes nearly went public, Keigo figured that the Commission would play their cards closer to their chest from now on. Seems he was wrong. If they were back to recruiting innocent kids and torturing them under the guise of "training", Keigo wasn't having it.

"I thought you were done with taking random teens off the streets."

"We certainly are. This is a special case, however. And you would be wise to keep silent about it. Now, if you please?"

Madame President didn't wait for Keigo to respond before she and Cylerium were both turning to the pane of reinforced glass overlooking the mock city scape below. Reluctantly, Keigo stepped forward and began to observe with them.

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Minoru breathed in deeply as he walked down the reinforced corridor, doing his best to relax and untense his muscles as he made his way to the new training grounds. Katori had told him yesterday that his training would be accelerated going forward, which was both exciting and nerve wracking. Exciting because it meant Minoru was actually improving for once, proving that he could be useful. But it was nerve wracking because of all the expectations on his shoulders. 

Before, he'd always been expected to succeed, but those expectations had always had an asterisk next to them due to his physical stature and weak quirk. Biology had given him the short end of the stick, despite Madame President's sincerest efforts. So, there were certain things he would simply never be able to do, no matter how much pressure Madame President put on him. Now, things were different. For the first time in Minoru's life, he had the tools to succeed. But it was up to him to learn how to use them. 

It was like Katori said, that's why he was here. Sure, Madame President still hated his guts, was disgusted with his very existence. He agreed with her to a point. But at least this way he could be a valuable asset, he could provide for the woman who'd had to deal with him since day one. She may not have always provided him with everything he needed, but that was because he was undeserving. He'd make sure he was deserving now that he had this second chance.

The doors to the training simulation opened, and Minoru's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. Instead of the barren cityscape he'd been used to seeing, the town before him was flooded, and an artificial storm brewed overhead as thunder and lightning and rain wrought havoc on the crumbling buildings below. 

"W-what- what is t-this?"

"This is your final exam, Minoru."

Minoru found himself shocked as he looked up to the observation tower, not hearing the voice of Katori, but of Madame President. She still sounded cold and calculating, but there was less venom in her voice as she now spoke. It . . . it was strange. Minoru didn't know what to make of it. Did she see him as useful at last? He had no time to further ponder those thoughts, however, as Madame President's words finally set in.

"Final Exam?"

"Indeed. Were you still a student at UA, you would be preparing for your final exam alongside your classmates in 1A, set to occur roughly one month out from today. Their exams will involve two students fighting against one teacher. The students have thirty minutes to either subdue their opponent or escape the testing grounds. Your exam, however, will be of a much higher caliber, and you'll be taking it here, and now. Time waits for no one."

Minoru gulped as his nerves returned full force. Of course, Madame President would try to outdo UA at every turn, and she wanted results from him quickly. There was no room for him to fall behind his former classmates, which meant striding ahead and doing his best to exceed them. Do or die. In the back of his mind, Minoru was wondering who exactly had replaced his vacant seat in 1A. 

"As you can see, the city before you has suffered extreme damage. You will have fifteen minutes to find five hostages scattered throughout the rubble and safely bring them to the evacuation point at the apex of the arena."

Minoru watched as search lights suddenly converged onto a single spot near the top of the arena, illuminating the roof of a massive building with a helicopter landing pad. Doing some quick calculations in his head, Minoru realized he had about three minutes to find all five hostages and deliver them to the evac point. Seemed simple enough, which Minoru knew meant that there had to be additional conditions to the test.

"However, there will be complications for you to overcome."

Called it.

As the thought passed through his mind, Minoru heard several doors opening along the sides of the arena, and the rambunctious screams that followed as at least a dozen individuals ran into the arena. Each of them wore orange pants, while some wore orange shirts. Those without shirts had discarded them because of their quirks, but even so, Minoru gathered that these were prisoners.

"Cylerium noted that you responded best when faced with a more realistic scenario. Therefore, I've decided to up the stakes. These are real villains. They have one goal: to find and kill you. If they manage to do so, then their sentences will be decreased drastically."

Throughout the arena above the rumble of thunder, Minoru could hear the bloodthirsty cries of the villains, each of them tantalized by the idea of getting to kill a kid and have their sentences reduced. Minoru would facepalm if he weren't so afraid. It was painfully obvious that Madame President had lied to these scumbags, and they had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. Of course, so had he, but his situation was a bit different than theirs.

"Try not to kill the villains, but anything goes. As long as the hostages are reasonably unharmed and evacuated before time runs out, you pass."

Minoru's heartbeat grew faster and faster as his pupils dilated as the conditions of the test finally set in. He'd be up against real villains? Not holograms that Katori could control and restrain if things got out of control, but actual villains that wanted him dead? Flashes of the USJ assaulted his vision, Kurogiri teleporting him to the flood zone, Tsu barely saving him from becoming shark food, the terror of feeling the ship they'd been on actively sinking. All the water flooding the mock city below him didn't help with those memories, and Minoru dreaded to think if any of the villains he'd be facing today also had aquatic-based quirks.

Meanwhile, up in the observation tower, Keigo was doing his best impression of a statue. While Madame President went over the details of the exam, and Katori got to work releasing the villains and hostages into the arena, Keigo's mind was running a mile a minute ever since Madame President had announced the name of the Commission's new recruit. Minoru Mineta, a student that had been expelled from UA right in the middle of the Sports Festival. It hadn't made any big waves in the media, likely due to Commission interference now that Keigo thought about it, but he'd still heard a lot of people talk about it in passing.

Keigo knew of Mineta's infamous reputation of course, so he was confused as to why the HPSC wanted the perverted boy. Even more baffling, the teen down in the training simulation didn't look anything like the Minoru Mineta that Keigo had seen from the Sports Festival footage. Clearly, the Commission had performed some sort of experimental surgery on the teen without his consent, or his guardian's knowledge. UA most certainly didn't know, but they had expelled the teen, so he was out of their hands before this happened. Keigo had some strong opinions on that, but for now, he kept his mouth shut. The test had begun.

15 Minutes Remaining

Back down in the ruined city, Minoru was practically flying through the air as he launched himself from building to building with his ooze, imagining that it was like Tsu using her tongue to latch onto different structures. His parkour skills weren't great, but they were good enough to keep him moving without issue. Chaos brewed around Minoru as he struggled to think.

Alright, assuming that the villains started evenly spread out, and that they also don't know where the hostages are, I have roughly even odds of running into either friend or foe first, or at the same time. Hopefully these villains aren't good at working together like the ones from the USJ seemed to be, otherwise I'll find myself in trouble quick. 

14 minutes and 41 seconds remaining

As Minoru swung around a corner, a bolt of lightning struck in front of him, briefly illuminating the arena before his eyes. From the shadows of the storm, four villains with a combination of flight and wind quirks appeared, each of them gunning straight for him. His eyes widening, Minoru quickly turned and shot out his ooze with his left hand, latching onto a nearby car that was half submerged in the flood below. Using his right hand, Minoru shot out several ooze bullets at the assembled villains. Most of his ammunition was deflected by the strong wind current of the storm and the villains' quirks, but a few struck center mass and disoriented his pursuers. 

Swiftly gliding through the city on his ooze web, Minoru tried to take a breather when all of a sudden two more villains appeared above him running across the rooftops. One of the villains threw out a volley of knives at his ooze arms, trying to cut them apart. A couple blades managed to lodge themselves into the gooey substance while Minoru was swinging, and the boy cried out in pain as his nerves were lit on fire. 

14 minutes and 7 seconds remaining

Pulling himself as high as possible with his injured arms, Minoru used the elasticity of his ooze to launch the blades back towards the pair of villains chasing him. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air as blade volleys were traded back and forth, with Minoru making sure to increase the density of his ooze to better protect himself. One of the villain's knives came close to skewering him in the eye. Minoru barely dodged the blade, but as it passed him by, he saw another person's reflection in the blade for a brief moment. 

The individual appeared to be inside one of the lower levels of a building behind him. He had no details to go off of, he wasn't even sure if they were a hostage or another villain trying to trick him. But Minoru was running out of time. He had to take this chance. Minoru detached his ooze web from his own body, slinging the arm towards the pair of villains above him like a set of bolas. The two convicts found themselves wrapped in purple slime until their heads smacked into one another, knocking both out unconscious.

Minoru pulled himself through the broken window of the target building before he could hit the water, immediately calling forth a sickle in his left hand as he rapidly scanned the building's interior. Instead of a bloodthirsty villain, Minoru came face to face with a terrified looking civilian. The man appeared to be in his young twenties, brown hair, glasses, a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. 

"Where am I?! What the hell is going on here?!"

"Sir, are you okay?"

"S-stay away. Stay away from me!"

Minoru wished he knew how to calm this man down, but he could barely control his own panic attacks on a good day. This was not one of those days. Instead, Minoru decided to be bold and perhaps a bit stupid, but he was under an ungodly amount of stress, and he couldn't think of a better plan. Releasing some of his ooze, Minoru bound the man's hands in a hug like a strait jacket before grabbing onto the man with his right arm.

"Hey! Look at me! LOOK AT ME MAN!"

Slowly, the civilian started to move his eyes in Minoru's direction, and the teen did his best to give off a reassuring smile. He's certain that he failed in that regard, but he gave it his best shot.

"Listen, I'm gonna get you out of here. But I need you to stay as calm as you can. Just keep your head down out there and remember to breath."

Numbly, the man in his arms nodded, and Minoru knew that was the best he was gonna get right now. The wall next to the two of them shattered as a trio of villains with strength enhancement quirks barreled towards them. Wasting no more time, Minoru sprinted towards a window at the opposite end of the building, sending out a volley of slime bullets to break the glass before mentally commanding those bullets to fly behind him and form a malleable wall of ooze. As the villains tried to break through, their limbs got stuck or bounced off the slime, delaying their approach. 

12 minutes and 25 seconds remaining

Minoru jumped through the open window back into the wrath of the storm, his passenger screaming all the while. Luckily, they didn't encounter any further villains as Minoru ascended the evac tower, calmly placing his rescued civilian on the landing platform. Recalling his slime, Minoru released the man, who fell to his knees and began to profusely thank the teen.

"I am so fucking happy that you showed up man! Do you know where we are?"

"Uh, sort of. Look, I wish I could stay with you, but there are other people out there I have to find first. They could be in serious trouble."

"You . . . y-you're leaving me? What if those villains come back?!"

"Hey hey hey, it's okay! It's gonna be okay!"

Truthfully, Minoru didn't know if this man would be okay or not. He clearly wasn't part of the HPSC, otherwise he would know exactly where he was. And he also wasn't a villain, otherwise he would have attacked Minoru by now. That meant that the HPSC had essentially kidnapped this man to act as a hostage for this test. The other civilians were likely abducted too.

The villains only had something to gain by killing him, or so they'd been told, but who's to say they wouldn't hunt down the civilians and hurt them too just because? Minoru couldn't take that chance. But he also couldn't leave the evac point. The more people he brought here, the larger a target he painted on those civilian's backs. Even leaving the one man he'd managed to rescue was too much to sacrifice. Looking up, Minoru glanced at the clock.  

10 minutes and 56 seconds remaining

Nearly a third of his time had slipped away, and he only had one out of five hostages rescued. And no HPSC agents had come to take the civilians to safety, meaning that they were even more exposed here than wherever they were hidden. What was Minoru meant to do? 

"D-dude, are you okay? You're leaking slime all over the place."

True to the man's word, Minoru found his body dripping and leaking ooze across the entire roof, his nerves and the stress of this impossible situation finally sinking in for him. His body was beginning to fall apart, just like it had when he'd first woken up from being experimented on. Despite all of his efforts, he hadn't been able to get over his fear. He was the same old coward he'd always been, only this time no one else would be able to help. Tsu wasn't here to help him keep a level head. Midoriya wasn't here to come up with some crazy plan to defy the odds. His teachers weren't here to reassure him. No heroes would come to back him up. Minoru was all alone.

But . . . what if I don't have to be? I can still feel my arms, and my legs. I can still move. My body is fully intact. Now that I think about it, I think I can still feel the ooze I left behind when I fought all those villains from before, and I'm still generating more even now while not losing any body mass. I wonder . . .

Breathing out deeply, Minoru concentrated and hoped that his fledgling idea would pay off. Focusing his power deep into the core of his being, Minoru recalled all of his slime, forcing it to return to him in seconds. Once he was certain he had all of his body back, he exuded his slime into the dark pool that had been forming moments earlier, allowing it to fully encompass the rooftop he was standing on.

The man in front of him gasped as ooze perfectly moved around his shoes before continuing to coat the roof purple. Raising his hands into the air, Minoru let his consciousness drift, as if caught in a lucid dream. Like puppets rising with newly attached strings, the pool of slime spawned countless exact clones of Minoru, each drawing in the ooze surrounding them to become whole. Already, each clone began to metabolize and generate their own reservoir of ooze to call upon, increasing their collective power exponentially.  

The Minoru army smiled amongst themselves, all nodding in perfect synchronicity as 90% of them jumped from the roof of the tower spread out in all directions, each clone set to search a specific portion of the city. The remaining 10% stayed at the evac location to protect it from any villains dumb enough to approach. The civilian quietly stared at the small collection of clones surrounding him in a protective stance, his jaw unable to close.

"Just sit tight and keep calm."

"We've got this under control."

"You're gonna be okay."

8 minutes and 15 seconds remaining

Above in the observation tower, Keigo watched in awe as the teen who looked to be struggling with an existential crisis moments ago suddenly pulled a new technique out of his ass and seemed to formulate a decent plan to win the exercise. Katori hummed in approval next to him, while Madame President let the thinnest of smirks grace her lips. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was clear nonetheless that Madame President was happy with this new turn of events. Keigo would even dare to say she looked . . . proud? 

The rest of the exam concluded swiftly after that. Each of the clones that had been sent out to search for missing civilians either returned with said individuals to the evac tower or engaged and restrained roaming villains when they were encountered. By the time there was just over two minutes remaining, all of the minor villains had been subdued and detained, and four out of five hostages had been recovered. 

The hostages all huddled together, clearly out of their depth, and it was only then that Keigo also came to the realization that these were innocent people wrongfully taken from their civilian lives for the Commission's whims. Before he could protest, however, Katori was moving a tablet into his hands, the contents of which silenced all of Keigo's protests. It contained all of his dark deeds ordered from the Commission, and the deeds of his own mentor, Lady Nagant. 

"Speak anything about what you witnessed today, and she dies."

Keigo didn't want to admit it, but deep down he still valued Kaina, not just as a mentor, but as an older sister figure in his life. And while he could never condone her actions, he certainly understood them. Idly, Keigo wondered what she would think were she to see this now. 

"Cylerium, why has Minoru stopped?"

Both men turned their attention back to the training grounds, where Mineta was now looking up at them with a steely glare. Keigo found that he was mildly impressed with the grit this kid was showing, whether it was real or fake. Roughly one minute had passed by on the clock, however, and still no fifth hostage had been recovered. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Katori reenabled the PA system.

"You have one minute left on the clock, Minoru. Time is running out."

However, instead of rushing off to find the last civilian, Mineta just calmly walked towards the edge of the building closest to the observation tower before yelling out into the storm loud enough for the audio sensors to pick up his speech.

"There is no fifth hostage! I've scoured this entire arena, even the maintenance shafts! The premise of this exam was a trick!"

Keigo looked to Madame President as Katori handed her the controls to the PA system, silently taking position next to Keigo once more. The woman's smirk grew wider as she addressed the teen below.

"Very astute, Minoru. You've displayed quite a range of versatility with your quirk in this exercise, and you've even managed to create a new technique on the fly to surpass impossible odds. Congratulations on passing your final exam. Dismissed."

As Madame President shut the PA system down, she ordered HPSC agents to come collect the subdued villains and escort the civilians back into on-site protective custody. Keigo didn't know the precise location they were being herded to, but he had a rough idea. He would find and rescue those civilians at some point, once he had enough evidence and firepower to take his boss down. Another thing to add to his growing list of personal objectives.

"I believe he's finally ready, Madame President."

"No one is truly ready for everything, but this was a promising display. Hawks."

Keigo turned to face his boss as nonchalantly as possible, though inside he was brimming with rage. Rage at the fact that the HPSC was producing another child soldier. Rage at the fact that they were kidnapping the very civilians they promised to protect. Rage at his inability to do anything about it. Keigo buried that rage, held it close while he pretended that everything was fine. The time wasn't right.

"Yeah?"

"I plan on having Minoru work in the field as an underground pro in the near future, more time to get his feet wet while keeping him away from the public eye a bit longer."

"Kid looked like he knew his stuff back there, I'm sure he could handle it."

And Keigo did believe that Mineta could handle the physical aspects of hero work, based on what he'd just witnessed. It was the psychological aspects that had Keigo concerned. No child should ever be expected to carry the weight of the trauma adult Pro Heroes struggled with. But that wasn't up to Keigo to decide. 

"He has improved drastically from where he started, but we believe that under your direct tutelage, his skills would grow even further. Soon enough, he'll be working alone at night for his underground work, but with the Work Studies fast approaching, we'd also like you to take Minoru on as part of his training. You'll guide him both in the field and under our watch at this HPSC facility."

That wasn't an idea Keigo was opposed to. It would mean getting to talk to the kid one on one. The commission wouldn't be able to monitor either of them in the field either. Most Pro Heroes were required to have body cameras integrated into their costumes, same as the police. But the Commission didn't want to risk any chance of having Hawks doing their dirty work exposed, so he never had a body cam in his costume. Mineta would likely be given the same deal with his hero outfit. It also gave Keigo a chance to slip information back to UA about Mineta's situation. If Tokoyami accepted his offer for the upcoming Work Studies, then Keigo could send the kid to retrieve a dead drop containing everything UA would need to know. Or at least everything Keigo could dig up.

Of course, Keigo still didn't have nearly enough information to pass along yet, but that would take time to learn. One thought did stick out to the hero, however. Madame President had mentioned that Mineta was a special case, which likely meant that Madame President had some unidentified personal connection with the teen. Keigo dreaded to learn what that connection might be. With the threads of a plan forming in his head, Keigo let an easygoing smile return to his face as he stuffed his hands back into his coat pockets.

"Sure thing. I'm sure I can teach the kid a few new tricks in no time."

Chapter Text

"Now that internships are over, you all should be preparing for your final exam at the end of the semester in two weeks, both the written and practical portions. I expect that you'll help each other out with study groups as well as scheduling time to train with UA's various facilities. And I would greatly appreciate you including your new classmate so that he isn't left behind. Shinso has put in a lot of work to earn his spot in your class. Please help him feel welcomed. That's all for now, no one interrupt me from my nap."

As Class 1A watched their homeroom teacher collapse into his yellow sleeping bag, students started grouping up to study, or to talk about how their various internships went. Tsu decided to group up with Midoriya's friends, a group consisting of the green-haired teen himself, Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, and their new classmate Shinso. The brainwasher did not look happy to be among their company, but Midoriya's charms had him locked in place. Not that Midoriya even realized that he had that sort of effect on people, he was far too innocent to weaponize something like that. Probably.

As for their internships, all seemed mostly good.  Uraraka enthusiastically spoke about how much she'd learned from Gunhead, both in terms of his fighting techniques and about how bubbly of a person the hero turned out to be. Todoroki spoke little about Endeavour, saying that he'd learned enough from his old man to improve himself. Everyone could tell it was a sore subject and wisely moved on. Shinso hadn't technically been on an internship, only just now officially joining the Hero Course, but he had been training with Aizawa Sensei throughout the prior week and was able to shed some light on their homeroom teacher's training methods.

"He was pretty hands on when it came to fixing my combat stances and showing me how to parkour over terrain, but the capture weapon replica he gave me is a beast of its own. In his own words, 'I didn't have anyone to teach me, and I think you shouldn't rely on a crutch like that either. Experience and failure are the best teachers you can have for this.' So, I fumbled. Like, a lot."

"That sounds rough, Shinso. But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually!"

"Indeed! Practice makes perfect, as they say!"

Tsu decided to keep quiet, though inside her head she disagreed. Practice didn't make perfect, perfect practice made perfect. You could train all you wanted on something, but if you kept making the same mistakes without correcting your behavior, you were doomed to forever fail. A certain dwarf ex-classmate of hers came to mind as a prime example, and Tsu couldn't help but sigh.

She wasn't going to miss Mineta anytime soon, that was a fact she was fairly certain of. The midget had gotten his just desserts as far as Tsu was concerned. She could still feel his hand on her boob back when they had been attacked at the USJ. The girl couldn't wrap her head around how someone could be so immature, so juvenile, especially at a time as serious as that had been. Thankfully, he'd at least managed to carry his own weight when the time called for it, but it wasn't enough to erase the ill feeling from Tsu's mind for a long while. 

The fact that it took Yaoyorozu being molested on live TV for UA to finally get its head out of its ass and expel the grape boy irked Tsu as well. Part of her wondered if UA wouldn't have done anything had it been another girl, someone without access to Momo's family connections and fortunes. 

"Asui? Are you okay?"

Blinking in surprise, Tsu looked up to see all of her friends staring at her in concern. Even Shinso was looking at her with something that passed for worry. Doing her best to hide her emotions away, something she was particularly skilled at, Tsu put on her best neutral face and relaxed her body.

"I'm fine, Midoriya. And I told you to call me Tsu, remember?"

"R-right, sorry."

"It's okay, kero. What happened?"

"We were just wondering how your internship went!"

Uraraka had a smile plastered on her face, but Tsu could still see marks of concern in the slight wrinkles beneath her eyes. Iida and Midoriya both looked confused but waited patiently for their friend to talk. Shinso and Todoroki both looked indifferent, although Tsu could see gears turning in Todoroki's head. She could tell that like her, the half-and-half boy wasn't entirely present in the moment. 

"Well, working with Selkie and Sirius was good for the most part. It was a lot of manual labor at first, mostly keeping the ship up to code while doing some basic exercises. But we did get called in to help the Coast Guard on the second night. A group of smugglers had slipped their radar, and we were tasked with hunting them down and securing their cargo. It was tense, but I think I handled myself fairly well all things considered. Selkie seems to think I've got a promising future as an aquatic-based hero."

"That's awesome!"

"Truly a hero of great wisdom to recognize your accomplishments!"

"We're glad you didn't get hurt as well."

"You sound like you learned a lot!"

General praise and congratulations rained down on the frog-hero, which helped take her mind off of its previous topic of interest. But as the group studied and made plans to help train one another throughout the next two weeks, Tsu couldn't help but return to her ex-classmate. Most of her was glad he was gone, and she should just forget about him as it seemed the rest of Class 1A had. So why couldn't she?

Was it because she was training to be a hero, and that heroic instinct was telling her something wasn't right? Was it because she was an older sibling, and that compounded with her heroic mindset? Those two things probably contributed to it, but it was the look in Todoroki's eyes that really pushed Tsu to her limit. The days following Mineta's expulsion, Todoroki had come into class with a vacant look, as if he'd seen a ghost. And it hadn't gone away after the internships, increasing in frequency and duration if anything. Tsu had a feeling that the two events were not mutually exclusive.

When lunch finally came around, Tsu quickly pulled Todoroki away from the group and down a series of halls where they wouldn't be followed. The dual-haired teen stumbled but just went with it without objection. Tsu rolled her eyes when she overheard Ashido squeal and start to gossip about romance. No, she was not interested in Todoroki like that, and she never would be. Only when she was certain that they were alone did she turn to face the boy.

"There's something bugging you, and I have a feeling I know what it is."

"If it's about what Ashido was talking about, I'm afraid I don't reciprocate."

"I don't either, but that's not the point."

"Oh, okay."

Paranoid, Tsu looked around to make sure that no one was watching. She knew that Principal Nedzu would catch their conversation, of course. Nedzu saw everything that happened in UA, except for the bathrooms, and even then, Tsu was only mostly sure of that. But aside from him, no one else looked to be around.

"It's about Mineta's expulsion. Something about it is digging into you, and you can't let it go."

Tsu took the slight twitch in Todoroki's lip as a sign she was correct and waited for the boy to explain. 

"Before our internships . . . I overheard Aizawa and Thirteen talking about it. I didn't catch all the details, and a lot of it I don't feel like I deserve to tell anyway. But it sounded fishy. Mineta's parents didn't even bother to contact UA about his expulsion, and it sounded like Thirteen also found that suspicious."

Tsu could agree that those circumstances did seem a bit . . . strange. UA was the top hero academy in the country. If she was a parent, and her child were to get expelled from such a prestigious institution, she would be having words with all parties concerned to get to the bottom of things. To not even make an attempt? 

"As far as I know, Thirteen is working on something. Midoriya and Iida both think it's best that we leave this to the Pros."

"But . . . "

". . .  but I don't feel that way. I think something sinister is going on. I think . . . I think something or someone is putting Mineta in danger."

The tone of Todoroki's voice shocked Tsu mildly. Normally the boy was pretty stoic, like her. Showing this amount of emotion was rare for him. And that made Tsu all the more concerned.

"And you won't rest until you find out what or who it is."

"Would you?"

That was the million yen question. But no matter how much resentment Tsu had for Mineta's previous transgressions, she knew that she couldn't rest either. It was a hero's job to meddle where they weren't needed, because you might not know if you're needed until it's too late. Flashes of the USJ entered Tsu's mind of her, Mineta and Midoriya barely escaping the flood zone, watching the nomu pound Aizawa into the dirt, Shigaraki's hand inching closer to her face as she froze up in fear. Even now, Tsu could hear Mineta screaming as they flew over the flood zone, throwing his purple balls as rapidly as possible while bleeding everywhere. That settled things for her.

"Alright, I'll help you."

"An admirable notion!"

Both students startled as Principal Nedzu jumped down between them from the vents, Tsu clutching her chest to steady her beating heart. Walking around the corner, she could see Thirteen approaching them, Principal Nedzu carefully climbing on top of their shoulder. 

"However, what sort of principal would I be if I were to allow two of my most promising pupils to risk their lives and heroic careers without supervision?"

"Wanting to rescue others, even if you don't think they deserve it, is something I'm glad you kids are driven to do. But this situation is a lot more complex than you know. Even we don't have all the details yet. If you want to help your former classmate, you need to come with us and get brought up to speed."

Tsu shared a look with Todoroki, who just shrugged. 

"They're in the know, and they're offering to let us help. For once, things are actually going our way."

"Hm . . . a collective effort would be more effective than us pursuing this individually, and we have less chances of getting in academic or legal trouble with Principal Nedzu vouching for us, kero. Alright, I'm in."

"Excellent! Now, it's time to give you both a crash course on espionage, hacking, and the art of interrogation. There is much to uncover, many hidden secrets that we will work to expose!"

Tsu shuddered, wondering just what sort of rabbit hole she'd thrown herself into.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

The sounds of various pieces of gym equipment had filled the HPSC compound for weeks as dozens of Minoru's clones each operated a machine nonstop. Some clones stood by to spot others who were committed to riskier exercises. When one clone got tired, it would swap out for another from outside the gym, taking on its responsibilities for educational work. Several clones kept busy learning about various topics Minoru would need to know, not just for hero work but life in general.

History, mathematics, various languages including JSL, the law as it applied to citizens and public servants alike, environmental regulations, etc. More specific information was also absorbed, such as learning better communication skills for reassuring hostages better and to talk down potential villains without violence. Stealth and computer hacking was another set of skills the Minoru army was sure to add to their arsenal. 

With each new skill learned and then later refined, Minoru would evolve. Summoning the clones was easy but keeping them active for long periods of time was extremely taxing. The larger his army, the greater the strain on his mind and body. It served as excellent quirk and endurance training, however, and slowly Minoru was building up a tolerance to the pain. It molded him, as he molded his armada. They became better at serving him, and he them. It was a loop he was perfecting over the course of days, and he hoped Madame President would be able to recognize the effort he'd put into making himself useful to her.

Training with Cylerium had gone back to normal for a time, with Minoru destroying and rescuing more holograms in slightly altered scenarios each time. Sometimes there was a specific evacuation point he would have to escort civilians to (not real people thankfully), or he would have to infiltrate a military compound undetected to either steal sensitive data or eliminate a high value target. Other times, he would be tasked with something simpler, like defending a choke point from an onslaught of villains to buy civilians enough time to escape. Of course, those training exercises didn't end until he dropped, but each time his time standing against the horde increased, so he must be improving. 

Right?

Apparently not fast enough it would seem, as today Minoru had been informed that he would be receiving a new specialized instructor to help accelerate his progress. To say he was surprised when none other than THE HAWKS walked into the gym would be an understatement. The number 3 hero wasn't wearing his usual cocky smile, however. Instead, a grim expression sat on his face, and Minoru had an inkling as to why that was. Good to know that at least Hawks would enjoy this about as much as Minoru would. That is to say . . . not at all.

Hawks silently beckoned Minoru out of the gym towards one of the testing arenas, leading the way without much fanfare. Minoru was growing more confident in his personal abilities, something he would have laughed and cried at if you'd told that to him a month ago. But there was no way he'd be able to take on Hawks! The man was the number three hero for a reason. Madame President's voice came over the intercom as Hawks and Minoru reached their destination, a fifty-foot reinforced door leading to another arena.

"Hawks will be taking over your hero training for the foreseeable future. While our facilities are able to rival those of UA, your progress will remain deadlocked until you are able to gain experience in the field. Officially, you will be Hawks' intern, and you are to obey his every instruction while conducting hero work from now on."

Minoru nodded in response Madame President's instructions, and he could see some of Hawks' feathers ruffle. What did that mean? Minoru only knew Hawks because of his position in the hero ranks, and because the man worked for Madame President. But he knew nothing personal about Hawks. Did his feathers ruffling mean he was annoyed? Amused? Nervous? Minoru certainly felt nervous about this whole arrangement. 

"Hey, hey kid, wake up."

Minoru gasped, his eyes widening as Hawks casually snapped his fingers to get Minoru's attention. Mentally cursing himself for slipping so easily, Minoru did his best to focus on the man before him.

"Don't act so tense, it's a dead giveaway for your emotions. Not that you should be all laid back like me, but when you're in the field, you need to be able to conceal your intentions from villains and civilians alike. You don't want to expose yourself to criminals, but you also need to appear collected under pressure so that civilians don't worry. If they see you acting calm, they're more likely to calm down as well."

"Yes sir."

Minoru also filed away that Hawks' advice need not solely apply for dealing with villains or civilians. He suspected that the hero had practiced being nonchalant around Madame President plenty. Minoru's former teachers at UA had also seemed extremely good at hiding their true motives. Principal Nedzu leaned into his madness, or bored others to death with lectures and sophisticated words. Present Mic was flamboyant and animated. Midnight was elusive and flirtatious. Cementoss was stoic, Vlad King was gruff, Snipe was witty, Ectoplasm was insightful, Power Loader was inquisitive.

And then there were the two most prominent heroic teachers Minoru had witnessed. All Might, and Eraserhead. All Might was the definition of passion and devotion. The man was an icon for heroism, always extolling the virtues of doing the right thing not for any material gain, but for self-fulfillment and to lift up those around you. All Might hadn't ever been Minoru's favorite hero, but he was still very high on the list.

Eraserhead . . . was a nightmare. Even within the first minute of meeting the man, Minoru could feel something dark lingering on him. Not some sort of supernatural presence, though now the boy felt differently about that, but some deep seeded void that clung to the man from his past. It was clear Eraser was jaded about heroics, and his methods almost seemed to be engineered to actively push prospective students away from the profession. Perhaps he thought he was saving lives by preventing them from being risked in the first place? 

Minoru sort of understood that logic, but civilians would always be at risk regardless. Villains didn't care if there were heroes to stop them or not. It took a certain type of messed up mind to commit the crimes that villains did, why would they choose to discriminate between a regular person and someone who happened to be wearing a cape? People needed to learn how to better protect themselves, not be sheltered by heroes already in power. Eventually, they would fall, and then who would rise up to the challenge?

These two stood as the extremes of the spectrum for Minoru. One a beacon of light and hope, desperate to help others while shielding them from the dangers yet to come. The other a dark sentinel wielding the truth from the shadows, showing others a small glimpse of the madness behind the curtain so as to drive them away before they became consumed by the insanity.

Deep between these two figures, amidst the mass of heroes Minoru knew both from hero news and seeing them in person, an individual in a space suit stood alone. Minoru didn't know what to think about Thirteen. He liked them as a hero, and as a teacher, but neither of those two titles seemed to do them justice. The word hero had become too watered down, and anyone could teach if they knew how those they were teaching needed to learn. Thirteen was . . . something more. Minoru just didn't know what yet. Hawks' voice once again snapped him out of his trance.

"Not sure if you've kept up with the scheduled curriculum, but as of today schools like UA and Shiketsu are taking their final semester exams. I heard you already had something like that around a month ago. Today is the next step above that. Get through this test, and we'll see about moving you onto the real deal."

A simple nod, and Hawks was flying up to the top of an observation platform standing above the reinforced door that led to the testing grounds. Pulling out a mobile device of some sort, Hawks activated the communication link, allowing him to talk directly to Minoru.

"Alright kid, I'm with you every step of the way. I see what you see, hear what you hear. If something goes south, I'll come take care of it. You ready?"

Breathing deeply, Minoru shook out his arms and legs, preparing as much ooze as he could to send off his army when the time started. There was no telling what this test would be until it began, so Minoru had to be ready for anything. Any sort of terrain, any variety of enemies, any number of complications and objectives. An impossible task, but one Minoru was going to do his best to achieve regardless.

"I'm ready."

"Thirty minutes on the clock. Begin."

As the door opened, Minoru burst into the arena, anticipating a destroyed city, maybe flooded or suffering from an earthquake, perhaps even some fires. What laid before him instead caused the boy to halt in his tracks, taking in the scene with wide eyes and bated breath.

"T-this is . . . it can't be."

Standing before Minoru was an exact replica of the USJ, each of the different rescue zones down in the distance already swarming with villains. At the entrance before him sat several students, the ones that said they hadn't been warped away by Kurogiri. Thirteen's suit was smoking and completely torn in the back, their helmet cracked and steaming. Minoru could see the students trembling, uncertainty and fear gripping their hearts as Kurogiri loomed over them. 

And then, as if a switch had been flipped, Minoru no longer felt afraid. Channeling Hawks' advice, Minoru closed off his emotions, relaxed his body, and fell into his flow state. Every hero fell back onto something to keep cool. For the longest time, all Minoru had was his perverted tendencies and fear. Now? He relied on the feeling of his army's collective strength, and a wave of serenity washed over him. His classmates had held their own before, they could do it again. Besides, they would be okay . . . now that he was here.

Pushing his body to its limits and beyond, Minoru spawned fifty clones, immediately sending half of them to keep Kurogiri busy while he rushed to protect the students he could see and tend to Thirteen's injuries. The rest of the clones were mentally ordered to scour the entire plaza and rescue zones in search of the other missing students. Already Minoru could feel the strain piling up, but he kept himself composed. Minoru also observed that Aizawa Sensei was nowhere in sight. The teen surmised that he was meant to play the role Eraserhead had during the real USJ incident. Which meant that he would need to engage the villains in the main plaza soon. But first, Thirteen and the other nearby students needed his immediate help.

Setting Thirteen down gently, Minoru briefly wondered what they looked like beneath their helmet before turning his attention back to the battle at hand. Kurogiri was warbling all over the place, barely able to avoid the onslaught he was being put to siege with. Realizing that the horde of villains below wouldn't wait much longer, Minoru grabbed Iida and spun the Class President around.

"Get out of here and alert UA that villains have attacked the USJ! Don't stop for anything! GO!!!"

Thankfully, Iida was quick to sprint off, just barely sliding beneath the gate. With backup on its way, Minoru focused on the others.

"You all, create a perimeter around Thirteen and keep yourselves out of harm's way!"

Shoji and Uraraka both nodded, immediately moving to Thirteen's side. Ashido and Sero begin to create a defensive position surrounding the group, with webs of tape and an acid moat serving as primitive protection from any oncoming villains. Not that Minoru planned on giving the villains a chance at hurting his classmates. Remembering how the hologram of Ashido had been torn apart by some of those very criminals only pushed Minoru to focus harder on keeping up his army's assault. By now, Kurogiri had warped back to the man that nearly disintegrated Tsu's face off. That thought alone spurred a deep rage within Minoru the likes of which he didn't fully understand. Nonetheless, with Kurogiri gone, his clone army now had the chance to engage the fodder below.

"Hive Formation: Slime Swarm."

Minoru and the bulk of his army jumped down into the fray, ready to engage the villains below with extreme prejudice. Bullets were flung their way, with no one to erase the villains' quirks this time. However, it made no difference, as Minoru's slime easily absorbed and redirected the projectiles back towards the villains, incapacitating them with their own power.

From up on his perch, Keigo watched as his new intern went to work on the holographic villains below. They certainly looked like the real deal, down to the color and everything. Keigo didn't know much about Cylerium, but he knew the limits of the man's quirk, even that he could shade his holograms any color he wanted, not just the standard blue it defaulted to. Naturally, the HPSC couldn't go get the real people involved with the USJ incident for this test, but Minoru was certainly treating the exam as if these holograms really were his classmates.

In a certain sense, that was good. It meant the kid realized how serious the role of a Pro Hero was. But Keigo also found himself growing more and more concerned. A single teenager shouldn't have this much responsibility hoisted onto him like this. Keigo would know, he'd been in that position himself a decade ago. For now, he'd just have to keep a close eye on Mineta.

One by one, villains fell to the ground as Minoru's army grew. With each classmate rescued and escorted back to the exit, another clone was able to join the fray. Soon enough, all that remained was Kurogiri, the man covered in hands known as Shigaraki, and the muscular bird-like creature that had fought against All Might. Slowly, Shigaraki lifted his hand into the air and pointed at Minoru.

"Nomu, kill him."

Faster than he could see, the hulking beast had rushed towards Minoru, smashing into his clones and obliterating a majority of them in a matter of moments. The plaza was soon coated in a sheet of purple goo, and only a few Minoru clones remained standing, barely able to hold themselves together. Minoru could feel each of the clone's limbs growing heavier by the second, a couple even beginning to detach from the strain.

Hold it together, hold it together, hold it together . . .  

"Master Tomura, we should leave. All Might is not here, and one of the students has escaped to gather reinforcements."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Looks like it's game over. Although . . ."

Slowly, Shigaraki turned to face the cluster of three students Minoru had yet to rescue. His breath hitched as he saw himself along with Midoriya and Tsu, each of them looking like deer caught in the headlights. Shigaraki's smile grew sadistic as he eyed them up.

"I wonder if All Might will show up if I kill some kids?"

"NO!"

But before Minoru could move to intercept the man, the nomu was upon him, bashing his body into the ground so hard the concrete cracked under its force. Minoru could feel his strength fading as the pressure on his chest and skull grew unbearable, the creatures' hands squeezing the life out of him. Minoru began coughing up blood along with his slime, his actual organs starting to become damaged for the first time since he'd been experimented on. 

The overwhelming pain and fear creeping into Minoru's bones clouded his judgement. He didn't know whether to send his clones to stop Shigaraki or to attack the nomu currently crushing the life out of him. In the end, neither command got through, and the clones finally exhausted themselves, returning to formless sludge on the ground with the rest of their brethren. The nomu lifted Minoru's head off the ground, forcing him to watch as Shigaraki ran towards the group of three students who had still yet to move. 

Run! Don't just stand there, run away! Get out of the way!!! 

But it was no use. They hadn't run back then, and they wouldn't now. Minoru desperately clawed at the hand holding his head aloft, trying to do anything to stop what was about to come. The nomu just squeezed his skull with even greater force, and the cracking of bone nearly caused Minoru to vomit a mix of slime and blood. Closer and closer, time seemed to slow to a crawl as Shigaraki's hand inched forward towards Tsu's terrified face. Inches away, and then centimeters, until finally it connected with the soft flesh before it.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

"NO!!!"

Minoru felt a sickening mix of blood and purple ooze escape from his mouth between his teeth as Tsu screamed, writhing in pain as her face slowly started to melt and flake away, her head gradually crumbling into dust before Shigaraki. With a final clench of his hand, the villain crushed Tsu's skull in his fist, and the girl's body fell limp to the ground, unmoving. 

She was dead.

. . . 

. . .

. . .

. . .

Tsu was dead.

The pain Minoru once felt disappeared, banished to some distant part of his mind as he watched his friend be brutally murdered right before his eyes. The serenity he had felt before, the calmness he'd blanketed himself in, all of it was gone. Sorrow and horror engulfed the boy as he stared at Tsu's headless corpse, the flesh still decaying and drifting off into the wind as blood poured from her neck stump. Shigaraki's laughter echoed in his mind as the world seemed to fade away.

He'd failed. He had failed, and someone had died because of his . . . WEAKNESS.

"It's your fault."

Startled, Minoru looked up, seeing the specter of Eraserhead he'd witnessed during his forced transformation. The stoic reaper taking the visage of his homeroom teacher stared into his soul, capture weapon writhing around him as if it were a snake, waiting for permission to strike Minoru down. The specter's clothes undulated like black fog, not too dissimilar to Kurogiri, and several red eyes could be seen within the darkness, all staring at Minoru in judgement.

"She died because of you. Now you have to live with that."

Minoru grit his teeth together so hard one of them cracked, allowing more blood to pour forth. Not like it mattered; he'd be dead in a few moments anyways. Eraserhead turned away, walking towards the USJ exit as he spoke his last, the eyes in his cloak still watching their prey even as their master left.

"You have no potential, you never did. You're no hero."

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . you're right. I'm not a hero.

Minoru felt a single tear fall down his face as he finally admitted the truth to himself. He wasn't a hero. Not once had he ever displayed any sort of heroic traits. Not in his childhood, not while briefly attending UA, and certainly not here. Even those he was saving had all been fake, just light constructs used to make him think he was doing something, that his actions actually held weight.

Through the haze of despair, a small group of scared civilians came to mind. They had been the only real people he'd managed to help since he'd finally become useful. But even then, the entire event had been carefully orchestrated. If he'd failed, Minoru's certain that Madame President would have had agents intervene to truly save the civilians. Hawks would have been there to intervene. In the end, he was still useless. He was not a hero.

All he'd ever managed to be was a pervert and a disappointment. A lonely boy, who was so fucked in the head that he took out his frustrations with those who never deserved it. Everything he'd ever said to his former classmates, ALL OF THEM, not just the girls. Hell, he remembered touching Tsu's boobs at the real USJ not once, but TWICE. At least she'd lived to be angry with him back then though. Now she was gone . . . because of him.

Looking back towards Shigaraki as he prepared to subject Midoriya to Tsu's fate, Minoru felt the sorrow burn away from his chest, replaced by incandescent rage. A dark feeling swelled within him, something twisted and warped that yearned to rip the villain before him apart and watch the bloody chunks of his flesh get ground into paste and smeared across the floor. 

I'm not a hero . . . 

. . .

. . .

. . .

But I can still fight . . . 

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . and I can make them pay.

Gathering all the slime he'd exuded all across the USJ, Minoru reabsorbed everything he had and summoned every last shred of his strength, letting his wrath fuel him in ways he'd never let it before. Pushing his hands against the cracked concrete, Minoru began to lift himself up. The nomu tried slamming him back into the ground, but the teen resisted. Gritting his bloody, cracked teeth, Minoru screamed and unleashed a torrent of slime from his back, launching the nomu into the air behind him.

Startled, Shigaraki turned around about to scream out in rage and disbelief, only to be silenced as a slime tendril connected to Minoru's back moved at unmatched speeds and sliced straight through the villain's neck. Shigaraki fell to the ground and clung to his throat uselessly, slowly bleeding to death while Minoru turned his attention back to the nomu.

Without a master, the creature could no longer obey any new orders. It's only function now was to kill Minoru, the last instruction Shigaraki had provided it before his demise. Minoru had other plans. Four pulsating tendrils of black and purple slime sprouted from his back, each of them tipped with a sickle-like blade itching to slice and pierce the nomu's undead flesh. 

The clash lasted nearly an hour, far after the official test was meant to conclude. Keigo wanted to put a stop to this, but Madame President had ordered him not to intervene. The results she was seeing were extraordinary, according to her anyway. Personally, Keigo felt sick to his core. Despite his rocky start at being confronted with a familiar source of trauma, Mineta had taken good initiative and had been making great progress. 

Then the nomu entered the equation, and like Keigo predicted, everything immediately went to shit. This was something even All Might himself struggled with, what was Madame President think sending in a teenager to deal with that sort of monster?! But then Keigo witnessed Mineta fight back and become a monster of his own design. The boy had gained a second wind. His movements were faster, his attacks stronger and more precise, his reactions refined to a razor's edge. 

It was clear to Keigo that Mineta was pushing himself to his breaking point on purpose. The kid clearly knew that the nomu's brain was its weak point, but he deliberately didn't target it. Mineta didn't want to just kill this thing . . . he wanted to annihilate it. Grind it into oil and dust until nothing else remained. Keigo understood. His intern had just watched one of his former classmates die after all, even if it wasn't real. Still, seeing what the kid was truly capable of . . . it scared Keigo. Just a bit. 

Minoru had stabbed, gutted, slashed and bludgeoned the nomu in every way imaginable, and still it persisted. Despite all his rage, he was still mortal, and his exhaustion was making itself more known by the second. But damn, it felt good to finally let his aggression out on something that could both take it, and that deserved it. The boy didn't even notice the demonic grin that had made its way onto his face, or that his teeth had reformed into sharp fangs. All he knew was that watching the nomu be cut to ribbons was extremely satisfying. Still, Minoru knew he needed to wrap this battle up.

Time to end this.

With one final scream of rage, Minoru launched all four tendrils at the creature. Two of them pinned the beast in place, piercing through its kneecaps. The remaining two swept across in a wide swoop, slicing the creature's neck clean off of its body before embedding themselves into the nomu's shoulders. Lifting the abomination into the air above him, Minoru pulled his tendrils apart, forcing the limbs of the nomu to separate as the boy began to rip it into pieces. The muscles and tendons of the creature pulled apart like cloth as it dangled in the air, before finally Minoru tore it asunder, blood and gore raining down on the boy.

Minoru panted heavily as the tendrils in his back receded, melding into his flesh once more. The rage began to dissipate at last, though some of it still lingered, even as the sorrow returned. Slowly, Minoru began to walk towards the exit, crushing the nomu's exposed brain beneath his heel as he did so. 

Keigo watched from his perch as the teen marched out of the arena drenched in dark fluid, not all of it his own, and covered in bruises and tattered clothes.  

"Kid? You okay? Mineta?"

The boy gave no response, no acknowledgement, nothing. Just kept on walking with his head down, presumably to go get a shower and retire. Keigo wished he could do the same. Madame President's voice appeared over the comm link along with Cylerium.

"What do you think, Madame President?"

"These results are even more promising than I could have ever imagined. I believe phase 1 has been a complete success. It's time to move onto phase 2. Hawks, tomorrow night you'll take Minoru out for his first patrol. It's time for the world of villains to understand what they're reckoning with."

Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, Keigo took one last look down at the carnage below him, his eyes lingering on the fake corpse of Minoru's classmate before he glanced away. 

"Yes ma'am."

Chapter Text

The night after his simulated fight at the USJ Cylerium has recreated, Minoru couldn't get the gore out of his head, fresh memories of blood and ash clinging to him like parasites. The cracked and steaming suit of Thirteen as they lay on the ground, barely conscious and on the brink of death. The pain from having his body twisted and crushed by the hands of the nomu, forced to watch as his friends were doomed to die. The shrieks of pain and anguish Tsu had unleashed as Shigaraki decayed her face and head until nothing remained.

But worse than all of that, somehow, was the memory of what Minoru had become. That creature. The monster he'd become after the death of Tsu, his rage personified. Minoru couldn't recall all of it, only the most basic of details. His teeth sharpening to fangs, and his fingers similarly becoming claws, each of them serrated. The tendrils of slime from his back stood out most prominently, each moving with extreme fluidity under his command.

Minoru hadn't even had to work that hard to order them, the sickle-tipped tendrils moved on his instincts and impulse, silently obeying his desire to kill. And how horrifying was that? The fact that Minoru found himself enjoying watching those villains die. What did that say about him as a hero? As a human being? Was he even still human anymore?

The only thing Minoru knew for certain about the monster he'd come to unleash was that it hadn't been complete, and it was hungry for more carnage. Minoru was terrified of that, never wanting to unleash such an abomination again. But deep inside, he knew that there would most likely come a time when that level of power would be needed.

Despite his high focus on combat and physical prowess above all, at the insistence of Madame President, Cylerium, and himself, Minoru still kept up on his academics. More importantly, he kept up with the latest news. Idly, he'd caught some wind of his own expulsion circulating, but it was extremely minor and quickly glossed over. Probably for the best, he didn't want UA's reputation to sink with him after all.

No, what had Minoru concerned was the public's reaction and speculation about All Might's decreasing hero presence, along with the news of the USJ and Hosu incidents still circulating. It hadn't exactly been a secret that All Might was slowing down over the last few years, though almost no one knew why. And with the man becoming a teacher at UA, he'd been seen even less by the public as of late. That, combined with the recent attacks by Stain and the League, had people uneasy to say the least.

Minoru knew that All Might probably wouldn't last much longer. Sure, for a long time he'd tried holding onto some childish hope that the Symbol of Peace would remain to watch over them forever, always keeping them safe. But that was never going to happen. The reality was that All Might's days were numbered, and when they finally ran out, everyone would be in serious trouble.

So, Minoru did his best not to cower and cry at the memories of how he'd torn apart the nomu with such malice. He tried not to make a sound as he remembered slicing Shigaraki's throat with such ease, like cutting into soft butter. He tried not to vomit as he remembered how pleased Madame President looked in the background as Cylerium gave Minoru his final grade, commenting that he'd made an outstanding performance.

Instead, Minoru stood in the darkness of his room, his bare feet cold against the harsh concrete below them. Minoru stared into the mirror opposite his bed, his eyes wide and lips trembling slightly as he gazed into the abyss. The glass showed hundreds, possibly thousands of copies of himself, each one slightly deformed and melting, some of them missing limbs entirely, along with other body parts like jaws or eyes or with holes in their chests. Countless hands reached out for him, his fallen army yearning to grasp their leader, the one Minoru who was real.

"Y-you . . . you aren't r-real . . . you only exist in my m-mind."

The ocean of clones slowly began to coalesce into a singular being. The abomination was a hulking bipedal beast with double knee joints, a massive upper body, slits like gills in its elongated neck, and a freakishly large jaw. The purple slime and back tendrils gave it away, but there were other details that Minoru couldn't quite comprehend yet. The beast seemed to have no eyes, and it wore dark clothes Minoru had never seen before.

A purple leather jacket stretched to accommodate the increased muscle mass, a pair of asymmetrical arm gauntlets, and a yellow scarf that seemed to grow purple towards the ends as it flowed in an absent wind. Each end of the scarf almost looked like the purple balls of Minoru's former quirk, Pop Off. The last detail was the jaw, which Minoru finally realized was actually a metal mask that had broken into two separate pieces, the shards of which happened to look like jagged teeth. The mask appeared to have some sort of geometric pattern to it, two halves meeting in the center to shield the face from view entirely.

Slowly, the monster let slime consume its features, the two broken halves of the mask discarded as the creature began to shrink and slim down, before taking on Minoru's shape once more. This time, the boy was staring into a perfect reflection of himself. The person he'd been made into, wearing the exact costume as the beast. It looked a lot more natural on him this way.

"This power is yours now. Use it. Embrace it. Without it . . . you are lost."

His reflection smiled before picking up the pieces of the broken mask. Using his quirk, the reflection forced the pieces to rejoin as he affixed the mask to his face, hiding it behind a wall of metal geometry. Minoru's reflection nodded to him before turning around and walking into the void, pulling up the hood of his coat as he left.

Breathing in deeply, Minoru willed himself to calm down as his mind finally stopped playing tricks on him. He hoped. Regardless, the voice was right. That thing within him . . . he couldn't run scared from it. He had to learn how to tame and wield it, lest he let it wield him. Looking at the clock on his nightstand, Minoru saw that he had three hours before he had to get up for his daily routine. Today's training would probably be different, but that was irrelevant. Right now, he had important work to do, and time was slipping away.

Grabbing some loose papers from his desk and turning on his lamp, Minoru began to sketch out the costume elements he'd witnessed adorning the monster from his hallucination. It took many pieces of paper to get things right, with Minoru accidentally forgetting to remove the monstrous elements from the outfit more than a few times, having to actively focus on the normal image of his reflection. After two and a half hours, Minoru finally had a good blueprint of what the costume would look like with him wearing it transcribed onto paper.

Not that he had high hopes of Madame President approving such a thing, but it felt good to at least pretend he had a choice. Drawing it made the design feel more real at least, and Minoru would cherish that as much as he could.

Unbeknownst to the teen, Katori was taking great interest in Minoru's designs, observing his process through the camera feed. It was clear to the Security Officer that the boy was set on this outfit for some reason, as he'd put thorough detail into making sure it looked correct and suited for a pro hero. And indeed, Katori could see the appeal of the costume. It was the right blend of flashy and discrete, suitable for both underground and limelight heroics. Besides, Minoru would be able to create most of the attire with his quirk anyway, meaning he could change its flashiness on the go.

The only item that Minoru couldn't conceivably forge himself would be the mask, as that item would need to have some sort of tech interface to keep track of Minoru's vitals, digitally map his current environment, establish a communications link with allies, and keep track of said allies' positions along with those of enemies and civilians. Nothing Katori couldn't handle of course. It was just a shame that he wouldn't be able to add a body camera.

Keeping surveillance on what Minoru was doing in the field would be an invaluable asset to keep him in line, while also allowing Katori or Madame President to direct things personally from HPSC headquarters. Unfortunately, it posed the same risk as it did for Hawks: having the HPSC's less than legal activities exposed to the public, and more importantly, the United Nations. Regrettably, Katori knew he would not be able to add a body camera to Minoru's costume. Madame President's other threats, psychological and physical, would have to be enough to keep the boy on their side.

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The day had been spent getting in some more standard gym training as well as brushing up on the law and his underground heroic lessons, such as stealth and code decryption. Minoru still felt haunted by his actions in yesterday's exam, but he did his best to move past that event. Today was a new day, full of new opportunities. It was also the day he was to receive his Hero License, marking him as an official Pro Hero. There were multiple types of heroes, the most widely known being Limelight heroes like All Might, Endeavor, and Hawks, the latter of which happened to be walking right beside Minoru on his way to Madame President's office.

The HPSC agents that had once caused Minoru to cower in fear now seemed like ants as he strode past. Of course, they still spared him no attention, though Minoru could pick up slight trembles in their bodies and sweat dampening their suits somewhat as he and Hawks moved by each of them. They were nervous. Perhaps news of his most recent outburst had reached their ears. It didn't matter to him. All that mattered was gaining Madame President's approval and finally becoming a hero worthy of the title.

It was unlikely he would ever transition into the position of a Limelight hero. That would be asking Madame President to commit career suicide. Minoru knew he'd be starting as an Underground hero, which he was fine with. Maybe he'd even get to be a Twilight hero like Present Mic if he impressed Madame President enough. There was also the prospect of being a Rescue hero, but Madame President wouldn't stand for that. And yet Minoru found himself yearning to experience that kind of position. Even thinking about it caused a painful stab of guilt to form in his chest, memories of Thirteen's crumpled form fresh in his mind.

"So, you made it to the big leagues. You should feel proud kid."

Minoru grunted noncommittally. Hawks' compliment would've made Minoru feel better had the man not spoken it in such a dead tone. Still, it was par for the course with the Number Three Hero. He may not know all of Hawks' idiosyncrasies, but Minoru knew he was laid back in his hero-persona for the public. He also knew that Hawks wouldn't hurt him unless ordered to by Madame President, and that was unlikely to happen. The woman more than likely would reserve that pleasure for herself. That thought caused Minoru to shudder in fear, but he quickly steadied himself.

Never.

He never wanted to feel her quirk used on him again.

He had proven he was better now.

He was stronger. He was faster. He was better.

He was.

Now . . . he just had to keep on proving it.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Hawks clearly didn't believe him, but Minoru didn't give the pro a chance to press the issue, striding up to the reinforced doors. He didn't even bother to knock, knowing that Katori was already inside and would grant him access. Much as he'd predicted, the doors opened, allowing him and Hawks entry into Madame President's domain. Like every time before, the woman was cloaked in shadow, yet her finer features were just visible enough that she looked otherworldly. Of course, Minoru already knew them by heart. How could he forget?

"Minoru."

The teen stilled, an eerie calm settling in the air around him as he stood at attention. There was a sweetness in Madame President's tone that didn't sit right with Minoru. For all that he'd known her, she had never been kind. Perhaps to the cameras she'd played the part well, but behind closed doors and walls such as these, she was the mistress of cruelty and cunning. This tone of kindness and generosity was so unlike her.

He didn't trust it.

"You've met and exceeded my expectations. For once in your life, I can actually say I'm somewhat pleased with you. Today marks the day you take your first step into the role you were always destined to fulfill."

As she walked up to him, taking a plastic license from her coat pocket, Minoru only just realized how strange it felt that he was actually taller than her now. Before he'd been a measly 108 centimeters, just over 3'6. Now, he estimated that he was about as tall as Iida, maybe a bit shorter. He still wasn't as tall as Hawks or Cylerium, but they were adults. He still had room to grow more. Unless his quirk meant he was stuck at this new height forever. Best not to dwell on that for now.

Instead, Minoru opted to hold his hand out, allowing Madame President to place his new license into his open palm. Taking a look at it filled Minoru with disbelief that he carefully masked with indifference and apathy. To think that he'd actually managed to obtain a legal hero license in such a short time was astounding. Of course, the boy knew that nothing about his situation right now was legal, but it was still semi-official. And Minoru knew that he had the proper training now to be a pro regardless of this piece of plastic. But holding it in his hands helped solidify that he'd finally achieved his dream.

Looking down, the boy saw that below his government name there was a hero name already entered.

"Viscidity?"

"Madame President left the decision of your hero name up to me."

Minoru startled slightly, turning to Katori as the man approached him with a suitcase he hadn't noticed before.

"Given the new nature of your quirk, I felt it a fitting name. Though not the easiest to spell, it has a decent ring to it, and it describes what you are capable of in the vaguest sense, meaning villains won't automatically be able to get the upper hand against you."

Minoru . . . understood that logic. He didn't even dislike the name; it was sort of catchy in a strange way. Still, he felt disheartened that he hadn't gotten to choose his own hero name. The feeling lasted only a moment before Minoru silently scolded himself. These weren't things he was meant to choose. Madame President and Katori knew best, after all. It was his job to fight, to protect, to be a hero. More abstract things like names and costumes were far too important for someone like him to give input into. They would be how people would know of him, his brand. He couldn't be left in charge of that.

"As for your hero costume, I took the liberty of looking over your blueprints from last night while you were training."

That got an audible gasp from Minoru, his eyes widening at the realization that Katori knew about his drawings. Of course he would know, Katori saw everything in that went on in this building. Still, Minoru didn't understand what that had to do with current events.

"Your ideas were sound. You should have more confidence in yourself, young man. Don't sell your own abilities so short. With your quirk, you could feasibly create most of the outfit you designed, augmenting its durability on the fly. The only piece you would need custom built is the mask, which I happen to have for you right here."

Minoru watched as Katori opened the suitcase in front of him, the metal geometric mask from his hallucinations now a real, physical object. Minoru was slightly afraid to touch the thing, barely able to brush his fingers over the surface. Then the rest of Katori's words caught up with his mind.

"You- you think my costume design was . . . good?"

"Certainly. It was simple in appearance, but effective at both being recognizable and practical. Something I briefly considered during the end of your last exam was the ability of altering your slime's color, similar to how I can also alter the color of my holo-projections. You could even theoretically blend yourself in with the environment seamlessly. This color changing aspect of your quirk should let you raise or lower the hue of your costume as you wish, allowing you to switch from a limelight and underground stealth look to fit the situation you find yourself in. And the visuals are just intimidating enough to let villains know you're a threat, without terrifying civilians."

That was certainly a lot of information to take in, but Minoru understood it all the same. He wasn't sure where the idea for his costume had come from last night, didn't know why his reflection was wearing it. But it worked, and for a moment Minoru let a smile adorn his face alongside Katori. Even Hawks cracked a smirk, something that the pro hadn't had on his face at all while Minoru had seen him here.

"In any event."

The moment Madame President's voice was heard, Minoru's smile dropped, though his eyes widened a fraction for just a moment. He couldn't believe he'd slipped up! There was no room for error, no margin for mistakes, not around her. Hawks and Katori regained their composures as well, though they were both smoother about it. Katori didn't have to worry about his eyes giving him away either, thanks to his visor.

"I believe it's time to begin your official work as an Underground Hero. We'll have you get your feet wet in the worst the world of crime has to offer, put some fear into the villains who think they're safe behind their walls. When you've got some more experience dealing with actual crimes, we'll have you work on making more public appearances, moving into a Twilight Hero position similar to pros like Present Mic and Midnight."

The mention of two of Minoru's former UA teachers was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. UA had left him behind, rightfully so from their perspective, and he'd made peace with that. But amidst the haze of his training, Minoru had forgotten that his former teachers were also heroes themselves. Of course he'd probably see them again, it was inevitable that he'd cross paths with at least one of them, not to mention his former classmates. 

The likelihood of any one of them actually recognizing him was almost zero, but the chance was still there, and it terrified him. Midoriya would probably put the clues of Minoru's quirk together the fastest, but others like Shoji and Yaoyorozu and Jiro would probably clock him pretty quickly as well. 

What about Denki?

Minoru didn't want to think about that. Denki had been his only true friend, or at least the closest thing to one he'd ever known. Denki wasn't exceptionally smart, but he wasn't an idiot like a lot of people assumed either. And the two had grown somewhat close, even in the short time they knew one another. Would that be enough for the electric boy to recognize Minoru, even after all the changes? And would that be a good or bad thing? Minoru's gut twisted as he struggled to answer that question.

Worse, since he was starting out as an Underground Hero, he was more likely to run into Eraserhead, and that was a meeting he was certain would lead to no good for him. Even with Hawks watching over him, Minoru didn't feel good about this. What if Eraserhead convinced Hawks to turn on Minoru, bring him back to UA in chains?

No! No, Hawks wouldn't do that. Minoru had no doubt that Hawks knew who he was by now. Sure, the man didn't know his relation to Madame President, but almost no one did. Still, Hawks must know that Minoru had been expelled from UA, so logically Hawks had no personal reason to bring him back to the school. But could he stop Eraserhead? Would he?

The only thing Minoru knew for certain was that he'd eventually find out. He just hoped that tonight wasn't the night.

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It had been three weeks into their new routine, fighting crime on the streets of Japan. Keigo could really use a nap at this point, but he had to stay strong. His intern was counting on him. Working with Viscidity was an adjustment, especially considering the extremely unique circumstances of their partnership. For a kid, he sure knew his stuff. Keigo was already aware of this of course, having seen much of Viscidity's training. 

But seeing it pay off in the field was something different. Not that Keigo didn't worry. He might've done his best to keep a cool head and an easygoing smile on his face, but he knew that his partner wasn't fooled by it. Just like Kaina hadn't been able to fool him. It felt strange to be on the other end of that chain. 

Fortunately, Keigo's worrying wasn't needed for the most part. Viscidity was fiercely competent at hero work, especially of the underground variety. It made sense, given that the boy's training had mostly focused on defeating his opponents by any means necessary. Together, the pair of them had made quick work of the villains they'd been assigned to take care of. Keigo made sure to keep the kid as far away from the carnage as he could, and he absolutely made sure no blood ended up on the boy's hands, innocent or otherwise. Keigo would shoulder that burden for as long as he could.

Viscidity didn't seem to mind, and Keigo was also glad to see that the boy was able to keep his own head cool. He'd never spoken about it, but Keigo felt that they both dreaded the reappearance of that beast from the recreation of the USJ. So far Viscidity had managed to hold it back, but Keigo knew better than to think it would stay gone. He'd have to be ready when it emerged once again.

Still, the two had gained a sort of notoriety amongst the police and local gangs alike. More so Viscidity, given that he was new to the scene, but Keigo being with him helped back the other's credibility. A new hero, working with the legendary Hawks? That was sure to get the rumor mill spreading. Just like Madame President wanted. They'd helped the police in drug busts, home invasions, and missing persons reports, not to mention the work they accomplished on their own with dispelling gang meets, delivering medicine curtesy of the HPSC, and helping any civilians they happened to find in distress.

But tonight was different. For the past week, there had been reports of local power outages caused by violent bursts of electricity all across Musutafu. The news blamed it on a local storm front, but Cylerium had informed Keigo and his intern that he'd identified the cause as a man named Chiba Saburo. Saburo had been one of the many convicts used in Viscidity's first rescue exam, a man with a powerful quirk capable of harnessing electricity. 

Keigo guessed that he didn't like feeling cheated by Madame President. He shouldn't have been able to break free in the first place, but Cylerium was quick to remind Keigo just what was at stake should he and Viscidity fail to recapture Saburo . . . or end him. Keigo sat on the edge of a rooftop with Viscidity, both reviewing the information they knew and forming a plan of action.

"Alright, Saburo has struck three times to our knowledge. If we don't want tonight to be his fourth, we've gotta figure out his next move before he makes it. He's probably been using the storm as a cover to get away with his attacks, but so far, his targets haven't been consistent."

The locations of Saburo's assaults where damage had been inflicted in order were a small cafe, a homeless shelter, and a local middle school in the Aldera District. To Keigo, it didn't make sense, but he supposed that criminal minds often didn't go off of logic. Some people were just insane. His partner didn't seem to think so, however.

"These attacks have all been targeted, there's no doubt about it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm familiar with Saburo's file. He grew up in this area, and every single target was a place that he was connected to. That cafe, the Big Bean Bistro? It was known for charging triple prices for people with 'undesirable' quirks, and even downright refusing service to those born without any sort of quirk at all. Saburo had an uncle who lost his job there. The homeless shelter was likely attacked for the same reasons, given their own personal records, and Saburo had an older sister who worked there part time before being fired for 'unfitting conduct'. Both family members died roughly four years ago, after being fired."

Keigo hadn't been made privy to that sort of information, not from Cylerium nor from Madame President. Neither of them had produced any sort of file for him to read, not that Keigo doubted its existence. But it made him suspicious of how his intern already knew such things while Keigo was just finding them out now.

"As for Aldera Middle School . . . "

Keigo waited, and waited, but his partner seemed to be lost in thought, the silence stretching on and on until Viscidity's head shook to the side violently all of a sudden.

"S-sorry, just got a random chill all of a sudden, messed with my nerves. We should stay on mission."

"Kid, are you sure you're okay? The mission can wait if you aren't in a good headspace, there are other heroes in the area I can contact to help out tonight."

"Yeah, I'm good to go. Anyway, it's obvious that Saburo is targeting places that are connected to his past, and he seems to be escalating things with each attack. I have a feeling that tonight is gonna be a big one if we don't stop him."

Thunder rumbled overhead as lightning illuminated the sky. The storm was approaching, and Keigo knew that time was short. For now, he had to shelve his questions about his intern and focus on saving lives.

"Alright well, you're the one with all the information. What's your best guess on where he'll strike next?"

Viscidity didn't answer for a long while, gently pacing across the roof as lightning and thunder battled in the sky, rain blanketing the two of them in a gentle sweep. Keigo's feathers were starting to become damp and heavy, but he'd deal with it. His minor irritation was less important than the innocent people who might die tonight. Stopping in his tracks Viscidity's head shot up, and Keigo could almost hear the gasp through the mask on the kid's face as he turned around.

"We need to go, now!"

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He'll target Midoriya.

Minoru didn't wait for even a moment as he leapt into the air, creating slime ropes to swing across the city of Musutafu in search of Midoriya's apartment. Minoru didn't like discussing his childhood with anyone, and he certainly wasn't going to bring it up to Hawks. But before UA, he'd been enrolled in Aldera Middle School. Madame President demanded nothing but perfection from him, but she also didn't want anything to tie his existence back to her. Thus, Minoru had been allowed to attend public school with other kids his age.

He was still educated privately, of course, and had to deal with all the wonderful things that came with that sort of deal. But it helped him keep ahead of his peers, even today. People often underestimated just how intelligent he truly was, especially at Aldera.  And although he had been in a different homeroom class, he'd heard all about Midoriya and Bakugo's spouts, though they were really just Bakugo's at the end of the day. Everyone at that school had heard or seen something about it eventually.

Much like Bakugo, Minoru had been intensely surprised to find out that Midoriya had suddenly developed a quirk between Middle and High School, but he also knew what it was like to keep a secret. Whatever circumstances had led Midoriya to mysteriously gain a quirk when he previously had none, Minoru wouldn't pry. His only responsibility was pleasing Madame President, and she hadn't told Minoru to look into Midoriya at any point. 

It wasn't important right now either way. What was important was the fact that Chiba Saburo had been a teacher at Aldera Middle School before being arrested for attempted rape charges. Minoru had been somewhat responsible for that, leaving an anonymous tip to the police about it. That day had been a minor wakeup call for Minoru, a haunting look into what he might become if he wasn't careful. But he suspected Madame President had already been aware of the matter well before he'd alerted the authorities about Saburo and simply waited for the most opportune time to enact her punishment. Minoru couldn't help but fear that Saburo's punishment would be his own one day.

But that was then. Now that Saburo was free, it was likely he would target Midoriya out of some desire for vengeance. Knowledge of the Sports Festival had spread like wildfire, and the entire country had witnessed Midoriya breaking his bones over and over again against Todoroki. Minoru had seen the footage during one of his study periods, where he studied all of his former classmates and those in 1B. It made him sick, seeing his former classmate's discolored, crooked, bleeding fingers, and he hoped Midoriya had better control of his own quirk by now for his own sake. 

But Minoru had no doubt that Saburo had also somehow learned of Midoriya's quirk, and his placement in UA's Hero Course, given that the man taught both Midoriya and Bakugo back in Middle School during their second year. All of this spelled a recipe for disaster. Whether Midoriya had control of his quirk or not, one way or another, someone was going to get seriously hurt or even killed if Minoru and Hawks didn't intervene soon enough.

The storm continued to rage around him as Minoru swung his way through the city, desperate to beat the clock and arrive at Midoriya's apartment before Saburo did. Minoru began to realize that his swings weren't gaining him nearly enough distance despite the momentum he placed into them. Looking back, Minoru could see Hawks beginning to catch up, his face impassive and steely. 

Minoru was glad that the hero was willing to trust him, though he suspected that he'd be in for an earful later when the danger had passed. Looking closer, Minoru noticed how Hawks wasn't flapping his wings all that much, mostly keeping them extended to catch the wind currents beneath them. That gave Minoru an idea. At the apex of his next swing, the boy shot into the air and spread his arms and legs out into an x formation before commanding a layer of slime to grow from his body into a wingsuit.

Feeling himself glide forward at the same pace as Hawks, Minoru smiled to himself. He'd successfully mimicked the properties of a flying squirrel, gliding effortlessly across the wind, only occasionally having to sling himself back through the air to regain altitude. Now Minoru felt he was making quick time, but he refused to relax even for a moment. His former classmate could be in danger, his mother even more so, not to mention the other civilians in the apartment complex bound to get caught up in the crossfire if things escalated. 

As the building finally came into view, Minoru could see the outline of Saburo walking up the steps, lightning crackling in his palms as the storm enhanced his power. Narrowing his eyes and letting his anger mix together with the calm serenity he'd learned to cultivate, Minoru put aside his personal feelings, he let himself forget that his classmate was probably glad to see him expelled, and he focused on stopping Saburo from harming anyone else. He focused on becoming Viscidity.

"Wakey wakey you stupid null!"

Just as Saburo kicked the door to Midoriya's apartment down, electricity brimming in his palms, Viscidity aimed his feet at the man's back and drop kicked the villain in his spine, send the two of them tumbling into the living room of the small dwelling. Saburo cried out in pain, and voices of confusion and surprise echoed from the nearby dining room, but Viscidity paid no heed to either distraction as he scrambled to his feet and threw Saburo into a nearby wall, intending on immobilizing him. 

"What's going on?!"

"Mom?! Are you okay?!"

"Izu honey, stay back!!!"

Viscidity could feel shocks flood his body as Saburo unleashed electricity as random to free himself. Viscidity's nervous system burned and screamed as he struggled to stay in the fight, falling to his knees briefly, holding his hands up against the torrent of lightning arcing around him. The slime around Saburo weakened enough for the man to lunge at him, and Viscidity barely caught the villain's wrists before the electricity could burn into his mask. 

"You again?! I thought I'd seen the last of you during that little rescue stunt your-!"

Viscidity headbutt the man before he could utter another word, capitalizing on his opponent's moment of disorientation to alter the molecular structure of his slime to be resistant to the electrical shocks it was receiving, molding the outside to be like rubber. Now almost completely insulated from the electricity, Viscidity created a barrier of slime to shield both Midoriya's from any potential backlash. With them secure, he wasted no time punching and kicking at Saburo, backing the man into a corner before trapping him against the wall.

Saburo's screams of pain and frustration were cut off as Viscidity slapped a piece of slime over his mouth to silence him, before summoning a sickle in his left hand and placing it against the man's neck for good measure. Saburo's eyes widened, the man showing fear for the first time tonight as Viscidity waited for Hawks to arrive. 

"Chiba Saburo, you are under arrest for trespassing, destruction of private property, attempted assault, battery, and illegal quirk usage with the intent to kill. And that's just for tonight." 

Trusting that his bindings were enough to keep the man still and prevent him from activating his quirk, Viscidity turned his attention to the two scared individuals behind him: Inko Midoriya, and his former classmate, Izuku Midoriya. As predicted, Izuku had green lightning discharging off of him as he readied his own quirk, and it looked to Viscidity as if the boy had gained some actual control over it since last they saw one another. 

Thankfully the anger in Izuku's face wasn't directed at him for the most part, with the majority of it aimed in Saburo's direction. The man deserved as much, but Viscidity wouldn't comment on it. Though he kept his sickle pressed to the man's neck just in case. Inko was shaking horrendously, and Viscidity wasn't sure how to comfort her aside from continuing to keep the villain subdued. He'd gotten a little better at interacting with civilians while working with Hawks, but not by much. 

Speaking of Hawks, Viscidity breathed a sigh of relief when the man finally made his appearance, stepping through the balcony next to where he and Saburo were situated. Viscidity frowned upon seeing that easygoing smile back on Hawks' face, but if it helped the hero do his work, then so be it. At least now that his mentor had arrive, Viscidity felt that the situation was stable enough to recall his sickle into his body.

"Hey folks! Sorry about the intrusion, but my intern here had a feeling that something bad was about to happen, and fortunately we got here in time to prevent some serious damage. Kid's got a wicked sixth sense!"

And just like that, Viscidity was gone, leaving Minoru to pick up the pieces of the situation Hawks had just dumped him into. He knew he'd be safe from Madame President for the most part, since neither he nor Hawks were being recorded, but Hawks calling him kid was still dangerous around Izuku. Sure, lots of pros called their interns and sidekicks 'kid', just like older adults did for young adults or older teens. But would Izuku take Hawks' words to mean that? Or would he choose to dig deeper than surface level, to see the situation closer to what it really was?

"Well, this guy looks like he's done causing trouble. I'll take him to the station and get a debrief written up. See you there, partner."

Taking out a sleeping agent, Hawks waited for the pill to take effect and for Saburo to fall unconscious before escorting the villain out of the balcony and most likely towards an HPSC convoy. Minoru couldn't imagine Hawks just . . . carrying that guy through the rain all the way back to HQ. It would be ridiculous. And if Hawks hadn't been busy calling in a convoy while Minoru had been fighting to protect everyone, he'd be pissed.

But right now, he didn't have that luxury. Because right now, he had to face his former classmate and his panicking mother, all the while standing in the middle of their destroyed apartment. Destruction he'd caused, and that Madame President would likely have to pay for.

He was screwed.

Doing his best to keep his own panic down and bringing out his most calming voice, Minoru slowly let his arms fall into a passive gesture while keeping his palms facing outward. With his body's posture as relaxed as he could reasonably manage, Minoru attempted to sooth the two individuals before him. 

"I apologize for the destruction I've brought to your living room, but I hope that the two of you are okay. Rest assured, all of the damage will be paid for in full, and you will be compensated for everything that's happened tonight."

Both Midoriya's gazes bore into him, and Minoru almost broke. Inko looked devastated, the tears refusing to stop or even slow down as they fell from her face. Izuku meanwhile, had a fire in his eyes as he glared at Minoru, but also a sense of wonder and curiosity. Holding up his hands slowly, Minoru backed away from the mother and son duo.

"I know all about what that man has done, not just to you two. I'm sorry it came to this, but I had to make sure it wouldn't go any further."

". . . thank you. Thank you for protecting me and my son."

". . . Of course, ma'am. I will need to escort you both to the local police station so that you both can provide witness statements. And . . . some warm shelter and a good meal might do you both good."

Minoru felt like he was reading from a script as he listed off standard protocol, but it was all he had to rely on now. From there, Minoru began to escort the two Midoriya's to the station where Hawks had gone, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them. Izuku's protective rage made way for more wonder and muttering as Minoru created five clones of himself to form a circle around the boy and his mother.

". . . not a duplication quirk, since he created goo or slime-like structures, so it must be an alternate application of his base quirk. How much slime can he produce? Does each clone have their own pool of slime?"

"They do."

"Ah! S-sorry, I didn't mean to mumble so loudly, I'm just, um . . ."

"Stressed?"

As Izuku nodded, his lips set into a frown while his mother continued to check her son for injuries, Minoru let himself smile sadly beneath his mask. Part of him, a rather large part he'd buried deep down, wished he could have something like this in his life. But that wasn't going to happen. He just had to settle for being happy for his former classmate. Using his slime, Minoru created some overhead cover to keep mother and son dry. 

"It's completely understandable for you to be stressed right now. Your home was invaded and partially destroyed, your lives were in danger, and your future is uncertain. Hawks and I will do what we can, and I'm sure UA will help as well.

To answer your questions, I don't fully know how much slime I'm capable of producing, but so far, I haven't found a definitive limit yet. It does seem to be tied to how well I'm doing physically and mentally, however. The more physically fit I've become, and the more I mentally stimulate myself, the more slime I'm capable of producing at once. And my clones do generate their own slime over time, just like I do. They're extensions of me, so they follow the same rules I do. My greatest number is fifty clones at the moment, though I'm sure I could make more in an emergency."

As the police station finally came into sight, Minoru could see that Hawks was already waiting outside with a group of officers carrying blankets and food. Minoru sighed in relief that he hadn't accidentally made an empty promise to Izuku and his mom. Inko thanked both him and Hawks as she walked in, officer Sansa draping a blanket over her shoulders as he guided her through the station. 

"Good work out there you two. Tonight could have ended with dozens, maybe even hundreds of casualties if you hadn't taken that scum down when you did."

"Credit goes to my partner, here. He knew exactly where to go, and he out sped me by a landslide. Kid's got a good head on his shoulders."

"Well, I'll be. Good work out there Viscidity."

Minoru nodded before making his way to leave the station, knowing that Cylerium would already have his and Hawk's reports drafted up for the incident. He'd likely be scolded and perhaps even punished behind closed doors for his actions tonight, but he didn't regret them in the slightest. The only thing he was worried about was the look of burning curiosity he caught in Izuku's eye the moment the boy had heard Minoru's hero name. The one thing he'd hoped to protect was now one step closer to being uncovered. Time was slipping away.

Chapter Text

As Uraraka ran away with her hands covering her eyes, babbling incoherently as she vanished into the crowd at the mall, Izuku looked on, dejected and confused. No one else seemed to notice the odd display, just continuing about their business as if nothing were amiss. But Izuku couldn't help but worry that he'd done something wrong, that he'd upset his first true friend.

"Even though we all came together . . . I'm all alone."

Gripping the straps of his backpack tighter, Izuku forced the tears to go away. Uraraka probably wasn't mad at him. She just had to do a lot of shopping, that's all! It's why Class 1A had decided to come to Kiyashi Ward Mall in the first place! Resolving to talk with Uraraka later, Izuku decided that he should take care of his own shopping before it was time to leave.

He had mainly planned on getting some more tension bands and wrist weights to help with his training, but after last night, things had changed. With him and his mom now living on UA, they'd need some new amenities. Even if the apartment could be repaired, it simply wasn't safe for Izuku or his mother to stay there anymore. Flashes of electricity lighting up his apartment and purple slime engulfing the room rushed through his mind, even as Izuku tried to push the thoughts away. He didn't remember the exact details of the short but chaotic fight that had taken place in their living room, but he knew the voice of his former science teacher by heart.

Chiba Saburo was like most of the teachers at Aldera, quirkest and more than willing to stroke Kacchan's ego, which consequently meant demeaning Izuku by any means necessary. And science class had been a nightmare, particularly because Saburo taught biology. The man constantly pushed his agenda onto the students at Aldera, the same agenda that most of Japan subconsciously accepted as truth: that quirks not deemed heroic were to be despised, and that 'nulls' were a blight on society. That quirkless people should just disappear, since evolution was phasing them out anyway. 

Izuku had heard the news of Saburo being arrested for attempted rape of a minor, and he thought that would be the end of his interaction with the man. To hear Saburo's gleeful, vindictive voice ring out inside his own home? That scared Izuku to no end. Luckily Izuku didn't have to choose between using his quirk illegally or potentially letting himself and his mom get harmed by the criminal, as a hero had arrived to help.

A hero Izuku had never heard of in his life. Viscidity.

That was the name that the police officer had used to address the masked hero working alongside Hawks. The hero hadn't shown mercy to Saburo during their fight, and Izuku could admit that he was mildly afraid of the man when he created a purple sickle glowing with gold veins from the palm of his hand. But for all his intimidation, Viscidity had proven to be kind and compassionate as well. Izuku would even venture to say that the man was a bit nervous.

Not that it was any of Izuku's business. He himself still got nervous about a lot of things. He was just grateful that Viscidity had appeared when he did. Although, Hawks' comments about his partner having a 'wicked sixth sense' set alarms off in Izuku's head. It was extremely unlikely that Viscidity didn't have some sort of personal connection to Saburo's case if he knew exactly where the man would strike. And that meant he also likely knew things about Izuku too.

Izuku . . . didn't know how to feel about that. For all his life, he'd been the hero fanboy. He still was! Heroes and their quirks were so cool, how could he not be interested in them?! But to learn that there was a new hero on the scene, and that they were likely interested in him, a mere hero student? A formerly quirkless nobody? It was strange, and worrisome. 

Briefly, Izuku wondered if somehow Viscidity's interest was related to One For All, and if his interest was benign of malicious. All Might hadn't informed him of any other people who knew about One For All, but maybe he'd forgotten? Or had someone else from All Might's inner circle gotten Viscidity involved? Or maybe Izuku was overthinking things again.

"Oh, it's someone from UA! Cool."

Before Izuku could react, an arm was slung around his shoulders and a clammy hand was wrapped around his throat, one finger lifted above his neck. Izuku tensed as he took in the man wearing a black hoodie, pale blue hair falling from the hood as piercing red eyes glared down at him, accompanied by a manic smile.

"S-shigaraki."

"Hey there, hero. Why don't you and I sit down and have a chat? Like a pair of good pals, looking to catch up, huh?"

It didn't take long for Shigaraki to lead Izuku to a nearby bench with little traffic and no onlookers. Izuku was sweating bullets as he felt the panic inside build and build. Shigaraki's grip on his throat was constricting, and that last finger continued to brush ever closer to his skin as the two sat down.

"You remember how my quirk works, don't you? As soon as I let my last finger touch your neck, you'll start to wither away into nothing but dust."

"If you d-do that, in a place like this with so many witnesses . . . a hero will come to stop you in no time."

Despite Izuku's attempt at keeping his voice steady, Shigaraki didn't seem all that moved. In fact, the self-proclaimed leader of the League of Villains began to chuckle under his breath.

"Maybe you're right. But even so, do you think that they'd get here in time to save everyone?"

Izuku took in a sharp breath of air, feeling the pressure of Shigaraki's fingers over his neck as the cold realization set in for him.

"I could kill twenty, thirty, maybe even fifty people if I'm fast enough before even a single Pro Hero arrived on scene. Or . . . you can answer some of my questions, and that'll be that."

Breathing in ragged breathes, Izuku forced the fear and panic building inside him down so as not to draw any attention his way. 

"What do you want?"

For a minute, Shigaraki was silent, and Izuku dreaded each second that went by, thinking that the villain would decide to straight up murder him in front of this entire crowd. Shigaraki was chaotic and childish by nature, so Izuku's hopes of escaping unhurt were fleeting at best. 

"Look around you. Everyone is looking at The Hero Killer, it's all anyone's been talking about lately. No one is looking at me. Yet from my point of view, our actions are the same. We both fight for what we want, and we don't care who gets hurt in pursuit of our goals. So, why is it that people flock to Stain, but ignore me? What makes us different in their eyes? What do you think, Midoriya?"

Izuku's body shook with nervous energy as he fought with everything in his power to reign in One For All. He couldn't fight back, not really. The chances that he could overpower Shigaraki before the villain decayed him were astronomically low. And even if he somehow managed to free himself, there was no telling if Shigaraki was alone or not. For all Izuku knew, the villain had backup, just like he did at the USJ. It was a risk Izuku couldn't take, especially considering none of his classmates were nearby to help him, so he decided to answer Shigaraki's question as honestly as he could. 

"I don't understand you, or your goals. You're a villain, I don't agree with anything you do. But The Hero Killer and I do have something in common. We're both inspired by All Might. Stain's a maniac, but he doesn't destroy things just because it sounds fun. Even if the way he acted was wrong, he held true to his beliefs."

Izuku's jaw hurt from how hard he was clenching it, and his body felt completely locked up. Nonetheless, he managed to turn his head slightly, just enough to lock eyes with Shigaraki.

"That's the difference."

Shigaraki's impassive look quickly began to morph into that of deranged animal, and the cold dread Izuku felt magnified ten-fold. The fingers around his neck began to tighten ever more, and Izuku began struggling to breath. Vaguely he could hear Shigaraki spouting something about how All Might was the reason everything was so terrible, but it was lost to Izuku as black spots danced into his vision.

And then in the next moment, the pressure on his neck loosened slightly, and Shigaraki was silent. Izuku took the chance to breathe deeply, regaining his composure slightly. Just as quickly, Izuku internally chastised himself for allowing his attention to drift from the threat next to him. Only, when he looked to his side, he discovered that he and Shigaraki were no longer alone. 

Sitting right next to the villain was a boy that looked to be around Izuku's age. He was similar in height to Shigaraki. He wore an unzipped black leather jacket over a white shirt accompanied by dark blue jeans. His only accessory was a purple scarf with gold embroidery that flowed loosely from his neck and against the inner lining of his jacket. The stranger had purple eyes and matching hair that flowed like ocean waves despite how short it was. 

"Tomura Shigaraki. Fancy seeing you here. I'd love to chat, but me and my friend here have some important business to take care of. And I'm sure you're plenty busy yourself . . . or do I need to persuade you further?" 

A slight shift in the stranger's arm caused Shigaraki to grunt in pain, and Izuku took the chance to look down. A small purple spike was protruding from the boy's hand, piercing into Shigaraki's thigh and drawing blood. 

"Whoever you are, if you think I won't kill your friend, think again."

"I know you absolutely would. But are you willing to risk your own life just to kill one person? I cut a little to the left, and you'll lose your femoral artery. So, what's it going to be?"

As if to emphasize his point, the stranger moved his hand, digging the spike in deeper. But Izuku also noticed that the spike itself was moving in some sort of fluid fashion, changing its shape from a straight point into a hooked design beneath Shigaraki's flesh. It wasn't until the shape was complete that Izuku connected the dots. The boy sitting across from him and Shigaraki wasn't a stranger . . . this was the hero that had saved him and his mother. 

Viscidity.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Today was supposed to be a minor reprieve from last night's chaotic arrest. It had been determined by Madame President and Cylerium that Minoru had adequately proved his ability to perform the physical aspects of hero work in the field, especially given his quick and efficient apprehending of Chiba Saburo. Neither he nor Hawks had been asked just how they'd found the villain, which Minoru was extremely grateful for. 

Today's assignment was of a more subtle nature. With his combat prowess no longer in question, Minoru's next major hurdle was applying his knowledge of stealth and the ability to blend in with an urban, populated environment. He wasn't in his hero outfit, just wearing normal looking clothes he'd conjured using his quirk. It wasn't until Hawks had made a snide comment before Minoru headed to Kiyashi Ward Mall that the boy realized he'd technically been walking around naked the whole time, causing him to blush fiercely. But as long as he didn't look indecent, using his quirk in place of actual clothes would suffice. 

The mission, if you could even technically call it one, was simple: walk around the mall, keep an accurate internal record of which stores were visited most frequently and for what purpose, observe any suspicious characters, and report these findings when he returned to HQ. To anyone not in the know about his situation, Minoru just appeared to be another high school kid doing some shopping like everyone else. 

That mission plan dissolved almost immediately as he witnessed Izuku Midoriya struggling to breath next to a man in a black hoodie which Minoru quickly identified as Shigaraki. All the necessary signs were present: Shigaraki's pale blue hair, his cracked skin, the fact that all but one of his fingers was wrapped around Midoriya's neck. His former classmate was scared, and in serious danger. Minoru wanted to help him, like Viscidity had last night.

But Viscidity wasn't here this time, couldn't show up here. Not in this crowded mall, where Shigaraki could easily bolt away and hurt other people if he recognized the presence of a hero. Minoru had to rely on himself. Sure, he could probably stop Shigaraki, the memory of a serrated tendril slicing the villains' throat coming to his mind. But there was always the chance that things could go wrong. And Minoru couldn't use his quirk without revealing his hero identity if questioned, and that would expose his situation to people he didn't want to be discovered by. It would lead to more punishment.

So, Minoru decided to stick to the parameters of his original mission and approached the duo as subtly and naturally as possible, sitting down next to Shigaraki as if the villain really was just an old pal of his and not a psychopath who'd tried to kill him and nineteen other children. A flash of Shigaraki decaying Tsu's head off her body and turning to Midoriya for more nearly caused Minoru to lose his cool, but he managed to keep his own head on straight as he calmly sat down next to the villain and quietly plunged a slime spike into the man's thigh.

"Tomura Shigaraki. Fancy seeing you here. I'd love to chat, but me and my friend here have some important business to take care of. And I'm sure you're plenty busy yourself . . . or do I need to persuade you further?" 

Shigaraki looked into Minoru's eyes, clearly vexed far greater than he was in pain, but he remained silent, nonetheless. By now, Midoriya had noticed Minoru's presence, his mouth slightly agape at someone actually coming to help him. 

"Whoever you are, if you think I won't kill your friend, think again."

"I know you absolutely would. But are you willing to risk your own life just to kill one person? I cut a little to the left, and you'll lose your femoral artery. So, what's it going to be?"

Part of Minoru silently begged for Shigaraki to just give him a reason to end this, right here and now. Sure, it would jeopardize everything Minoru had been working towards, his entire career and probably his life would be gone. But at least the League of Villains would take a massive blow. Probably not enough to derail it completely, but it would still be enough to buy the heroes ample time to succeed. Plus, his former classmates might finally be safe, and he wouldn't have to be haunted by Tsu's screams of agony anymore.

"Deku? Who are your friends?"

All three of them looked up to see Uraraka glancing down at Midoriya in confusion. Her bewilderment was mirrored on Midoriya's face, though there was a veiled hint of gratitude as well. Shigaraki looked even more pissed off then before, grinding his teeth together harshly. Minoru didn't care what he looked like at the moment, nor that he was facing down another former classmate that he'd harassed at one point. He simply threw Uraraka a burner phone from his coat pocket, which the girl scrambled to catch.

"Call the police, immediately."

Minoru didn't wait for Uraraka to ask anything else before turning his attention back to Shigaraki.

"The way I see it Tomura, you have two options."

Uraraka gasped at the mention of Shigaraki's name but quickly resumed calling the authorities once she understood the seriousness of the situation. The sickle inside Shigaraki's leg grew barbs, cutting into even more flesh as Minoru curled it deeper around the muscle and bone in the man's leg. The villain locked his blood red eyes with Minoru's purple ones, neither of them seeming intent on backing down.

"And what would they be, hero?"

"Flee . . . or die."

Time seemed to crawl to a snail's pace around the four of them as Minoru had a standoff with the villain who'd tormented him and Class 1A since the beginning of the year. The air was tense, too tense to breathe, the only sound close to them being the ringing of the phone in Uraraka's hands. And then . . .

"Fine. You win this match, but the game will be mine, you'll see."

Shigaraki removed his hand from Midoriya's throat, and the boy coughed as he gasped for more air, Uraraka instantly rushing to his side while doing her best to answer the police operator's questions. Likewise, Minoru recalled his slime from Shigaraki's leg and moved to stand between the villain and his two former classmates. Shigaraki scowled at him one last time before turning around and walking through the crowd, a slight limp in his left leg all the while as it dripped blood in tiny splotches. 

Minoru made sure to keep an eye on Shigaraki as he walked away. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, letting the man go like that. But Minoru wasn't in his hero persona, he couldn't protect everyone without exposing himself. He could protect his former classmates, and he aimed to do just that. Besides, the police would be here soon to sort everything out. 

"Excuse me?"

That's when Minoru froze up, as everything hit him all at once. Now that the danger had passed, he realized that he'd have to confront his former classmates, and that the authorities were coming. And all of that was his fault. Welp, he dug this hole for himself, time to climb his way out of it.

Slowly, doing his best to keep his expression neutral, Minoru turned to face Midoriya and Uraraka, who were both looking at him intently. Uraraka, the one who'd spoken, looked sad and concerned, with a bit of confusion. Her body was shaking with nervousness, most likely still having been shaken by Shigaraki's presence. Midoriya was just regaining his bearings, rubbing his throat, but the look of amazement and appreciation on his face was fully transparent.

"Yes?"

"I- I just wanted to thank you for helping my friend, even if that was super dangerous. That guy you scared away was a villain that attacked us and our classmates awhile back. I'm glad neither you nor my friend here got hurt just now!"

"It's alright, I had the situation under control. I'm just glad you showed up when you did so that the police could be alerted."

Uraraka seemed taken aback by Minoru's statement. Well, to be fair, he was dressed like an ordinary civilian, so she had no reason to assume he had any sort of hero training. Midoriya on the other hand had experienced the entire thing, as unfortunate as it was for him. The boy went to express as much.

"It's true! You really helped me out there."

"He did?"

"Well, I'm glad the both of you aren't too hurt. You might want to get that bruise checked out after giving police statements. I have to go, but I'll be sure to leave a statement of my own."

And that should have been it. Minoru's job was officially complete. He'd observed the mall, and he'd definitely found a suspicious character. The most suspicious character he could possibly find. And now that his intervention was successful, he had no doubts that the police would shut down the entire mall to conduct an investigation. He calmly took back the burner phone he'd lent to Uraraka and started to walk away. There was nothing more for him to do. 

"Hey, wait!"

Curious, Minoru stopped in his tracks and turned around. Midoriya was running up to him, with Uraraka trailing behind, equally curious. Midoriya fished out a notebook from . . . somewhere, along with a pen and quickly flipped the book to a blank page.

"I recognized your quirk from last night, you're Viscidity, right? That new hero working with Hawks? I know I already thanked you for saving me and my mother, but I was hoping that I could get your signature!"

Minoru stopped breathing. Technically, he didn't need to breath at all anymore, but the action helped ground him. Now, he felt himself adrift, his eyes unfocused even as he stared right into Midoriya's pupils. He'd been stupid to think Midoriya of all people wouldn't recognize a quirk being used. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they'd last spoken. And now his former classmate was asking for his signature!

Okay, calm down. He still doesn't know your real identity, just your hero persona. Just sign your hero name and walk away.

"Sure."

But even as he took the pen in his fingers, Minoru began to grow paranoid. What if Midoriya recognized his penmanship? What if the police or Nedzu confiscated Midoriya's notebook as evidence and then it got recognized? And even if they didn't recognize his writing, would they still search up the name 'Viscidity' and be able to connect it to who he really was? Even without the notebook, Midoriya had spoken his name aloud, in front of dozens of mall security cameras. Oh god, this was the worst-case scenario.

The only thing keeping Minoru calm was the knowledge that not writing his signature down would be even more suspicious. That, and the fact that he didn't want to see his former classmates disappointed, didn't want to give them even more reasons to resent him. So, he did his best to write his hero name in a way that wasn't too close to how he typically wrote his real name. The letters were curvier, the lines more pronounced. Minoru hoped that Midoriya would simply take it as him wanting his hero name to have a special flourish and not that Minoru was trying to cover something up.

"You have a nice day now. When we meet again, hopefully it'll be under better circumstances."

Minoru didn't waste any more time, turning around to walk away for real. He knew he'd see Midoriya and Class 1A again. It was inevitable. Keeping his ruse alive was decidedly less so, but he'd protect himself as long as he could before the walls around him caved in. He could vaguely hear Uraraka question Midoriya about last night's events as he walked away from the two of them. Minoru thought they were a cute couple.

His heart burned. He refused to falter, no matter how much he wanted what they had, what every other person in Class 1A had. Not everyone was friends with everyone, but they all had someone. Even Aoyama was friends with Mina and Hakagure. But Minoru had started alone, and he was resolved to end alone. Even as Tsu's screams still haunted him every step of the way. Even if he felt the crimson eyes of Eraserhead watching him, judging his every move.

Even as he felt the phantom pain of Madame President's nails carving into his flesh.

Chapter Text

"Take this you isosceles motherfucker!" 

The thug swung a fiery fist in his direction, which Minoru barely dodged. As he did, he could feel his slime begin to bubble and boil from the intense heat of the flames inching close to his body. Minoru allowed himself to be put on the defensive as the brute threw sloppy punches left and right. The woman at the end of the alley who'd been assaulted by the drunken man was sobbing, her clothes soaking wet and smelling of alcohol mixed with blood.

Once Minoru was certain he had managed to draw the thug far enough away from the victim, he allowed a small pool of slime to seep onto the ground and collect beneath the criminal's feet. In an instant, the slime began to engulf the man before rapidly hardening into something akin to purple rock. The thug's movements ceased, and his flames died as his palms were encased. Only his head remained intact so he could breathe, and Minoru was tempted to unleash his rage and let this bastard suffer. 

But the cries of the woman behind the monster before him reminded Minoru of his purpose, his mission, and instead he simply called the authorities. Minoru was sure to advise them to bring some heavy lifting equipment and to prepare for flames. As for the woman, Minoru was quick to carry her to a clinic where she would be taken care of. 

Through heavy tears he learned roughly what he'd expected to hear; the woman was a recovering drug addict and a single mother, and she was struggling to maintain a job to take care of her children. Resorting to less than legal methods of securing money due to not being able to find a stable job, the woman had been using her body in night clubs. The man from before was apparently a "dissatisfied customer", who demanded his money be returned.

The clinic workers assured Minoru that they would help this woman properly get back on her feet, and that she was in good hands. Hearing that was all Minoru needed as he swung back into the sky looking for more trouble to fix. That woman's story had hit a little too close to home. Especially with what had happened the other night. Even now, Minoru still felt the burn against his face just thinking about it.

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(flashback)

"You allowed him to escape."

Minoru was kneeling in front of Madame President, his head down, refusing to speak. You did not speak to Madame President unless you were spoken to. It was a rule everyone part of the HPSC knew and obeyed without question. It was how Minoru lived and breathed. 

Unlike other times in recent memory, Hawks and Cylerium were nowhere to be found, although Minoru was currently chained to the floor with Cylerium's holographic light constructs. Idly, he wondered if he was strong enough to break out of them but knew better than to try. He'd already screwed up once today, best not to test his luck. The venom in Madame President's voice made that quite clear.

"Have you anything to say for yourself, Minoru?"

"I . . . followed the mission. I refused to engage while in civilian attire."

Madame President pressed a button on her remote, and several video screens lit up. Each screen showed the same thing, security footage from the mall where he'd encountered Shigaraki, timestamped to the exact moment when he'd threatened the villain. And then, clear as day, the cameras showed him signing his hero name into Midoriya's notebook.

"Our sources say that the notebook was indeed confiscated as evidence, though it was returned once your signature was photocopied into police records. As of now, the police aren't pressing charges against you. They're far more concerned about Shigaraki at the moment, as they should be."

At least Minoru could agree with that. Still, part of him wished that he'd ended the villain then and there. The world wouldn't magically be better for it, but a large threat would be eliminated. And yet Shigaraki had just waltzed out of the mall, because Minoru was too weak to stop him. Madame President seemed to think the same thing.

"Had you dealt Shigaraki the killing blow, you would have saved all of Musutafu and perhaps Japan a great deal of turmoil at the cost of only yourself. Now the League of Villains is once again out of our grasp, because of you!"

A harsh slash across his face had Minoru's head flailing to the side, and already he could feel the intense burn from the marks left by Madame President's glowing nails. Blood seeped down his chin as his face felt like it was being dipped in lava and torn to shreds by wolves. Minoru barely stifled a scream of anguish as his skull felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. 

"Look what you've made me do. You know how I detest getting my hands dirty with your filth."

But even as Madame President wiped her hands with an alcohol wipe to remove his blood from her skin, Minoru could hear the glee in her voice as he silently writhed in pain. She always did enjoy using her quirk to torment him. In her public file, her quirk was listed as Glimmer Glow, a mild aesthetic quirk that allowed her nails to shed bright pink light and glow in the dark. But Minoru had experienced Madame President's quirk up close and personal. He knew the truth.

Its name was Agony Matrix. Anyone struck with Madame President's nails while they were glowing was forced to feel intense pain the likes of which they'd never experienced before. And as far as Minoru could tell, the quirk scaled to suit the individual, meaning that it didn't matter how high your pain tolerance was, you'd still feel the burn all the same. 

Before all this, Madame President had to be extremely selective with where she injured him anytime he happened to fall short of her standards, and she'd always have him sent to a doctor with a healing quirk the moment punishment was over so that no scars would linger on his flesh. Now, things were different. His body was made of slime that could heal and mend itself, and he was bigger, which gave Madame President more room to work with. This was a dream come true for her, and it was Minoru's darkest fear.

A hand suddenly grabbed him by the chin, yanking his head up sharply, and the nails digging into his flesh from below made the pain increase even further as Minoru struggled to breathe. He could barely keep his eyes open at this rate.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you."

Releasing his chin to once again wipe her hand, Madame President glowered at Minoru as he did his best to keep the woman in his field of vision, blood pooling on the ground at his knees. After what felt like an eternity, Madame President sighed.

"I'm trying my best, Minoru. Really, I am. But you insist on making things so difficult. You're lucky that the public chose to focus on Shigaraki and not the fledgling hero who stood up to him. Imagine if people at UA discovered that you were illegally using your quirk, one that doesn't match the quirk they know. What would they think?"

Madame President began to saunter around him, moving to his back. Minoru delicately let his head fall, unable to keep Madame President in his view. What would UA think? Would they . . . even care? Would anyone care?

"They've abandoned you, spit in your face and told you that you're a lost cause. But despite all the pain you've brought to my door, I still believe in you, Minoru. I know you have what it takes to become a hero worthy of the title. Now, prove that my faith in you is not misplaced. Show UA, Japan, and the world, what it means to be a hero."

Minoru shuddered involuntarily as hands that had maimed his flesh softly caressed the sides of his head, and Madame President planted a gently kiss into the curls of his hair.

"Do not disappoint me . . . son."

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(present)

Minoru shook away that horrible memory, biting his lip and reminding himself to focus on the mission. People needed his help, and he couldn't very well provide it if he was wallowing in self-pity. Usually, he would be accompanied by Hawks on his patrols, but lately the winged hero had let him do his own thing.

By now, Hawks trusted Viscidity enough to work on his own, the two heroes splitting up to cover more ground. He'd said some bird metaphor about kicking hatchlings out of the nest to teach them to fly. Whatever. Viscidity had been ready to call it a night when he heard the sounds of struggling, angry voices, and flowing water coming from an alley across from the building he was currently perched atop. Wasting no time, the slime hero swung into action, effortlessly leaping the gap from his building to the next before dropping into the alleyway. 

Before him were two burly men in dark outfits that had were now soaked, each of them attempting to grab and silence a small child who appeared to be shooting water from his hands. The child had black hair, clothes that had were slightly ripped from the hands grabbing him, his mouth muffled even as he attempted to scream out. A discarded hat with two gold horns lay behind the assailants. It was small, likely the boy's hat, knocked away in the scuffle. 

Viscidity sped forward, the lower half of his body becoming pure slime as he glided towards the two criminals with virtually no friction to stop him. Before the two men could even question what was happening, Viscidity was slamming their heads into the concrete and restraining them in enough slime to restrict their movements almost entirely. The two even had trouble breathing with how tight the slime was coiled around their ribs. Served them right for messing with a kid.

"Hawks, this is Viscidity. I have two male suspects restrained and unarmed, along with a child in need of a medical examination. Send police to my coordinates to apprehend the suspects and have them check for any missing persons reports describing a young boy with short black hair, roughly 110cm, ages six through eight. Victim was also wearing a red hat with twin gold-colored horns."

"Solid copy, I'll send the alert out and keep you updated on what I find."

"Copy that. Be advised, I'm going to move the victim to Fuka Rose hospital until further notice."

"Understood. Hawks out."

Releasing his comm link, Viscidity made sure that the two criminals at his feet were unconscious before slowly moving towards the frightened child who was now cowering at the end of the alley. Kneeling on the ground, Viscidity made sure his hands were visible, and his palms were open in a relaxed manner. 

"Hey, it's okay. My name's Viscidity. I'm a Pro Hero, I'm not gonna hurt you."

For some reason, the kid's expression only became more guarded as his eyes narrowed, and Viscidity was worried he'd somehow said something offensive. His confusion was only compounded when the child responded.

"W-why should I trust you? You're just like the others! Heroes are worthless!"

Viscidity paused and did what he did best, outside of fighting anyway. He analyzed the situation. This child was hurt by these two men just now, but it's possible he was being hurt before by others. His guardians weren't around, which was concerning. He may not even have guardians. Japan wasn't known for being helpful to the homeless. And the boy didn't seem to like heroes, which suggested something in his past, long ago or recent, had made him view heroes as bad people. Had he been abused by heroes before?

It was a thought Viscidity didn't want to entertain, but he himself was in the prime position to know just how many horrible people could become heroes, seen as gods among men. Madame President, though not a Pro Hero herself, oversaw nearly all of them, and she had no qualms about keeping dark secrets locked away, secrets that if exposed would cause the people to revile many of the heroes they currently praised.

Still, all of that was irrelevant to the current situation. These theories were speculation at best, and none of them would help Viscidity calm this boy down. Viscidity came to the logical conclusion that this was something he couldn't accomplish. This wasn't the job of a hero.

"So, you don't like heroes then?"

"Of course I don't! I'll never like another hero ever!"

". . . okay."

His nonchalant response shocked the child in front of him, the previous rage making way for confusion as the boy's posture relaxed, his eyes going wide.

"Huh?"

Minoru took a breath and sat down on the cold concrete, crossing his legs and letting his arms support him from behind as he casually leaned backwards. 

"People are allowed to like whatever they want, to pursue whatever makes them happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else."

The hypocrisy burned on his tongue, both from remembering his own previous actions towards Class 1A and even before his time in UA, but also from how he'd been raised. The neglect, the pain, even his training from this past month was well beyond what any sane person would have been expected to endure, physically and psychologically. And last night . . .

But those were the cards he was born with, and he was fortunate enough to have been dealt a fresh hand. This kid in front of him still had a chance at something better. Minoru would make sure he got to keep that chance.

"Lots of kids love watching heroes, dreaming of becoming like their idols when they grow up. But that doesn't mean being a hero is meant for everyone, and you shouldn't let other people tell you what to be, even if it's another hero."

"Another . . . hero?"

"That's right. Heroes are still people too. We fight villains, we save civilian lives, but sometimes even we need help. Even people like us need to be saved too. So many people judge a hero for who they portray themselves as, that we often forget that there's a person behind the mask. And sometimes, we just want to be free to take the mask off, just for a little while.

So, if you don't want to be a hero, or you don't like heroes, it's not anyone's place to judge. I'm sure you have your reasons for why you don't like heroes, and I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong or stupid for believing what you do. I just want to be able to help you. Not cause I'm a hero, but because . . . I'm a human being, looking to do the right thing."

Minoru realized a bit too late that he'd sort of slipped into a minor tangent, using the kid in front of him to air some of his own grievances. But at the moment, he couldn't care less. It felt refreshing to just . . . talk aloud about what was bothering him. And the kid was still safe, so Minoru didn't see the harm in it. 

"What's your name?"

The boy was looking at Minoru curiously, no anger left in his expression, his head tilted slightly.

"I thought I told you already."

"No, not your hero name! You said heroes are people too! That means you have a real name."

Minoru chuckled to himself. The kid had a point. Well, at least he wasn't completely shutting down emotionally. Slowly, Minoru brought his right hand to his face and took off his mask before pulling the back of his hood down. The cool night air felt good on his face, a welcome reprieve from the sweaty interior his mask had been brewing up.

"You can call me Noru."

The boy smiled before shyly looking to his feet. Minoru decided to get up, slowly walking over to the boy before picking up the horned hat and gently placing it back on the kid's head. The boy adjusted it a bit to fit better, his hair sticking out of the back slightly. Minoru offered his hand to the child, which the boy slowly took.

"My name's Kota."

"It's nice to meet you, Kota. Now, let's get you to out of the cold."

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"Kota! Of thank goodness!"

By now Minoru had put his mask back on. It had been half an hour since he'd taken Kota into the hospital to get checked out for any injuries or trauma related symptoms. Aside from a few cuts and scrapes and some ripped clothes, the kid was okay. The nurses and doctors had confirmed his identity. Kota Izumi, son of the late Water Hose Duo, which explained his distaste for heroes with some more clarity. This kid was only six years old, and already his parents were dead. They'd been killed in the line of duty, but Kota didn't yet fully understand the sacrifices his parents had made. All he knew was that they'd left him alone.

Minoru could understand Kota's resentment. He'd been alone his whole life, though not in the exact way Kota was now. Luckily Kota had been taken in by his aunt, Shino Sosaki, aka Mandalay of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. They'd been out for dinner with the rest of the Pussycats when other patrons had come up to Kota to say how great his parent's had been, and how thankful everyone was for their sacrifice. It was a recurring thing, people giving thanks not realizing they were twisting the knife, causing Kota to spiral further and further. The boy himself admitted that he'd ran away due to being overwhelmed with anger and sorrow, not feeling like he could actually talk with anyone about the grief he was feeling, not even his aunt. The fact that she and her friends were also heroes had actually made it more difficult for Kota to open up to them. 

"But . . . now I know, heroes are just like us, just like me. They're people too. Noru taught me that."

He didn't give anything away, but Minoru could feel that Hawks was staring at him intently. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but it was too late to go back now. Noru was just a nickname he'd thought up on the spot, similar enough to his real name that he didn't need to worry about coming up with a complicated fake identity but not enough to reveal who he was. It's not like he was the only Minoru in the world after all. For now, he put the fear of being discovered out of his mind and focused on Mandalay.

"Thank you, Noru. I'm glad you were there to help my nephew."

He just nodded, not willing to disrespect the private moment between aunt and nephew any more than necessary. Hawks placed a comforting hand on Mandalay's shoulder. The man had a sad look in his eyes, not too dissimilar to the one he'd had when Minoru had first met him nearly a month ago. 

"I think you should consider scheduling your nephew with a therapist. Something like this doesn't just go away, and as genuine as those civilians most likely were with their gratitude, it's easy to understand how that message could be misinterpreted."

Mandalay nodded, wiping unshed tears from her eyes as she rubbed Kota's back.

"Of course. We're planning on bringing Kota with us to our mountain nature reserve for the summer in the meantime, to get him away from the cluttered city and into some clean nature where there's less people to bother him. I think the forest will be good for all of us."

There was a second of silence then, as everyone just breathed. Then, Minoru could see the slight upturn of Hawks' lips, and he knew his mentor and partner had just formed a terrible idea that would end up with the both of them in a lot of trouble. Mostly him.

"Hey, I heard you all were hosting UA's first year hero courses for the next week. Given the villain attacks UA has been dealing with recently, I'm sure the Commission wouldn't mind me and my partner coming along for the ride as some extra protection. What do you think Viscidity?"

Hawks had addressed the question to him, which he personally thought was cruel and unusual punishment. Logically, Minoru had no reason to refuse, because he knew neither Cylerium nor Madame President would refuse. It was the perfect message for the HPSC to show how 'weak' UA was that they required HPSC help, and it also served to make Minoru squirm for an entire week. And he would. Being around Class 1B and Vlad King, he could handle. Being around Class 1A would be a bit harder, especially those who he'd shared traumatic experiences with, but he could manage.

But being around Eraserhead for an entire week, day and night? Madame President might as well just kill him now. The last time Minoru had seen Eraserhead in person, he was covered head to toe in bandages, and somehow, he'd never looked more menacing than ever before . . . aside from the times Minoru had imagined him during training and while being experimented on. There was no way he'd be able to deal with that lingering fear, especially with the source within walking distance of him, for an entire week while stuck miles from civilization. 

But he still couldn't refuse. Refusing meant he would be disobeying an order, and disobedient childr- ASSETS! Assets. Disobedient assets would be punished. Minoru could see that Mandalay was looking at him with a neutral expression, tinted slightly with lingering sadness but also relief. Kota was also looking at him, and the boy's expression of hope was enough to crack Minoru's armor.

"I'm sure Madame President will approve, and in that event I'm more than willing to lend my services to protect students being targeted by villains. It's our job to help."

Kota's eyes looked a tiny bit brighter after Minoru had agreed to join them for the week. Minoru sighed to himself beneath his mask, mentally preparing himself for the absolute shitshow that was about to come his way. Hawks' wing wrapping him in a hug didn't feel nearly as comforting as the hero probably intended, likely because he was chuckling like a madman. Minoru had to suppress a flinch at the contact. He nearly shoved Hawks to the ground on instinct, just barely restraining himself to avoid frightening Kota. Mandalay just smiled at the man's antics, rubbing her head fondly.

"I'll talk to my team and Nedzu about the situation, see what they have to say. I hope I see you two soon."

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Three days had gone by, and it was officially the start of UA's summer training camp with the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Minoru was not amused. As he'd predicted, Madame President was all too happy to take the opportunity presented to her on a silver platter. Cylerium surprisingly had some doubts, but he only voiced them once, when explicitly prompted, and ultimately relinquished control to Madame President's decision. Hawks would be accompanying him of course and was responsible for Minoru's wellbeing in addition to protecting the UA students, though only the two of them knew that.

To everyone else, it would just look like the regular arrangement of Hawks and his intern partner, Viscidity. And technically that was the truth, so no one had any reason to question it further. Except . . . Midoriya and Uraraka did. They'd seen him beneath the mask, back at the mall. Kota has seen his face as well, but Minoru was fairly certain Kota didn't quite know his age. Midoriya and Uraraka would have been able to tell roughly how old he was, and rumors spread quickly between teenagers. So, suffice to say, Minoru was ninety-nine percent certain that pretty much all of Class 1A knew that he was a teen like them, and he was one hundred percent certain that an adult would try to question him on that once they overheard the students talking. 

Minoru was currently fifteen like most of his classmates, but he would turn sixteen four months from now, October 17th. Hawks was the youngest Pro Hero to start his own agency at eighteen years old, but he could have gone pro at sixteen due to the laws in Japan around heroes bending to Madame President's will. She was rather sneaky when she wanted to be, and that was often. On paper, even if the records weren't approved by the UN, Minoru was now the new youngest Pro Hero at just fifteen years old. But they kept the ruse of him being Hawks' intern to avoid suspicion. 

As if Nedzu would just brush something like that off. He may dislike me, but there's no way he'll roll over for the Commission. I'm so screwed.   

It was almost 9:30 am, and Minoru was currently sitting in the back of a black limo with the rest of the Pussycats. Hawks had gone ahead to the camp to make sure everything was ready for when Classes 1A and 1B arrived, and to do some more perimeter checks just to be safe. He said he needed to loosen the tension in his wings. He was also keeping an eye on Kota, who reasonably wanted to be alone for the most part right now. 

Minoru didn't understand why Hawks kept leaving him out to dry like this. First arriving late to help Midoriya and his mother leaving Minoru to face a villain by himself, then volunteering him to help at this camp without giving him a real choice and now leaving him to face all of 1A alone. Was this karma? Maybe. More likely Hawks was relishing in being a little shit while the HPSC couldn't bark at him.  

"There they are, there they are!"

"Alright, calm down. We'll get to strut our stuff in a moment."

Ragdoll's excitement was contrasted by the cold fear Minoru suddenly felt clog his chest and seep into his limbs. As the driver parked, Minoru could see them all. Each of his former classmates, plus another kid with purple hair he vaguely recognized from the Sports Festival. Shinso, right? The one who'd 'declared war' against 1A. Well, he seemed to be settling in nicely. Minoru was somewhat relieved to find Shinso had taken his spot. At least the insomniac had held true to his convictions.

Seeing the slim frame of Eraserhead caused that relief to instantly evaporate like mist in the Sahara. The man was healed, though he now bore a scar beneath his right eye. It must have been from when he'd gotten his face smashed in by the USJ nomu. Minoru rubbed the same spot beneath his own eye. He could sympathize with the injury, having faced a recreation of the same beast himself, and receiving just as much pain from it. 

But aside from that single scar, Eraserhead looked to be okay. Recovery Girl clearly knew her stuff. Seeing his former homeroom teacher so unharmed made his paranoia worse. The man had gone through hell, Minoru had seen the damage up close. But with only a single scar visible on Eraser's body, Minoru's fears that the man was truly some sort of higher being above physical pain grew by the second. It took Minoru several long moments to rid himself of the dark images trying to force their way into his mind.

By now, Eraserhead was making his way towards the car while the Pussycats emerged to make their dramatic reveal. Class 1A stared in confusion and amazement as the rescue heroes introduced themselves. Minoru debated if he should get out or not, but a comforting look from Mandalay into the car convinced him. Might as well confront his demons, even if only partially and from behind the anonymity of a mask.

"In addition to us, you'll also be accompanied by two guest heroes. We'll be hosting Hawks with us, who's already waiting at camp, along with his newest hero intern, Viscidity!"

As Minoru stepped out of the vehicle, fully decked out in his hero attire, slime scarf billowing in the nonexistent breeze, gasps of wonder emerged from the 1A students as most of them seemed to recognize his appearance. No doubt Midoriya had told them all what he looked like, a fact that was proven correct when they all looked to the boy who was whispering Minoru's hero title with awe. He couldn't blame his former classmate for gushing about the hero who saved him, but it still hurt. They didn't know who they were really talking about. If they did . . .

"These are the pro heroes you'll be working with at the summer training camp."

Eraserhead's voice snapped the students out of their stupor, all of them refocusing on their teacher and the Pussycats. Mandalay was quick to point out where the campgrounds were located, and Minoru could even see Hawks circling above in the distance. Understandably, the students began to question why they'd stopped so far away, and before long the truth of the situation began to sink in. 

"If you make it to camp by noon, you'll be in time for lunch. Late kitties don't get to eat, sorry."

A mad dash ensued.

"Quick, get to the bus!"

"Don't leave me behind!"

"Run, run!!!"

Eraserhead just sighed as Pixie Bob jumped in front of them all, a malicious grin on her face as she conjured up an earthy wave to send the students flying over the cliff edge.

"It's too late students. The training camp, has already begun."

Minoru cringed as he heard the screams of 1A being launched into the forest. Everyone else seemed content to just let the kids suffer, but Minoru was worried if any of them were seriously hurt. He knew firsthand how bad falling from heights could be. There had been times while patrolling with Hawks where he hadn't been prepared, and he'd broken some bones landing on a roof edge that hadn't been strong enough to support his impact. He'd managed to repair himself immediately, but that wasn't something he wanted to repeat. And almost none of these students had ways to protect their bodies like he did. Kirishima could handle the landing if something went wrong by hardening his skin, and Dark Shadow could cushion Tokoyami, but the others would have to be more creative to land safely.

"Well, that's gonna take them a good while! Especially with them having to get through my rock minions! how about we all pile in and head over?"

The Pussycats began to make their way back to the limo, but Minoru hesitated. He wasn't enthusiastic about being near 1A again, and he was confident that they could handle finding their way to camp themselves. Koda could have birds point them in the right direction, and plenty of 1A had strong quirks to fend off Pixie Bob's constructs. But . . . Minoru was worried. What if something went wrong? What if Kaminari had a seizure again, and no one knew how to help him? What if Midoriya broke another bone? What if someone hadn't taken the landing well? What if someone got distracted and was accidentally hurt by Pixie Bob's minions? What if the class got separated and someone became lost?

"So, you're Viscidity?"

A chill ran up Minoru's spine, and Eraserhead's words seemed to finally get the Pussycats to realize that he hadn't yet rejoined them. Minoru turned slowly to face his old teacher, who was looking at him with an intensity that wasn't present a minute ago, but that Minoru was all too familiar with. The two were only a few feet apart now, and Minoru struggled not to jump as far away as he could, firmly planting his feet into the road and standing his ground.

"That's right."

Eraserhead looked him up and down, the man's eyes scanning over his outfit, taking in every detail. Minoru felt like he was being dissected. His hands felt clammy, and his back itched. He could feel slime gather just beneath his clothes under his flesh, those vicious tendrils ready to spring out at a moment's notice. And then . . . Eraserhead bowed. Not a full bow, just a slight tilt of the head and chest, but the message was clear.

"I don't know you very well, which isn't surprising given how new you are to the scene. But you've saved two of my students, one of them twice. For that, I am grateful."

The praise was unexpected, and it caused Minoru to faulter. Even though Eraserhead was a hero, even though what he spoke of Minoru doing for his students was factually correct, even though the man had nearly died for him and everyone else at the USJ . . . Minoru still felt afraid. He couldn't explain it, couldn't rationalize his discomfort being around this person. All he knew was that every fiber of his being screamed that he was in danger. 

But he could do nothing. Nothing but nod and stuff his hands into his pockets before Eraserhead noticed them shaking. 

"It's no trouble. I just saw someone in danger and decided to help. Any other hero would have done the same in my shoes."

"Regardless, I'm thankful you did help in the end. UA is in your debt."

It was at that moment Minoru was extremely glad he didn't have a body camera in his hero costume. He'd been sure to check the mask vigorously after he'd gotten it, just to be absolutely certain that a camera hadn't been hidden somewhere. Because had Minoru possessed a body camera in that exact moment, Eraserhead would have just signed his own death warrant. If UA ever went into debt with the HPSC, they were done for. And Minoru was set on ending the HPSC's tyranny with him. 

Somewhere in the back of his head, Minoru wondered if Hawks ever made the same promise.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day had gone by without incident, which Minoru was grateful for. 1A eventually made it to camp, only to see that 1B had already arrived via bus. And while seeing his former classmates groan and complain about how unfair the treatment was made him chuckle slightly, Minoru didn't disagree with them. Eraserhead's unorthodox lesson of forcing his class to make it to the campgrounds on their own had its merits. With 1A already used to facing villains, they needed to increase the pressure if they were going to progress forward. Plus. their trek through the woods should have helped them get a better lay of the land in case of an emergency.

But on the other hand, the entire class was dazed and starving and tomorrow would only bring them even harder challenges. Having the right amount of pressure placed on someone was good motivation and a true driving force. But too much at once would have negative consequences. 1B was fresh and ready to go when morning rolled around the next day, whereas 1A, although putting up a strong front, wasn't so undaunted. Still, Minoru had faith in the will of 1A to pull forward together. Somehow, they always managed it.

As Monday arrived, the early hours of the morning were spent with each person going through a specialized training regime designed with their individual quirks in mind. Some overlapped, but the training was still different for each person. After lunch was a different story. Students from 1A and 1B were paired up to spar, fifteen minutes with their quirks, followed by fifteen minutes fighting quirkless, before each student switched to a different partner in a set rotation. Those with strong quirks like Todoroki, Bakugo, Yanagi, Tokoyami, Kendo, Shiozaki, and Sato, to name a few found good success. Others like Uraraka, Koda, and Honenuki were able to use their newly trained physical combat with their ability to alter the environment to their advantage, particularly in Uraraka's case. Unless you could fly, you didn't expect to suddenly start fighting while floating in the air.

Both Eraserhead and Vlad King were there to supervise the matches to make sure no one got seriously hurt. Minoru was also supervising, because Hawks still couldn't be bothered. Seriously, what was the guy even doing here? Deciding to take a moment to find out, Minoru casually walked around, pretending to observe the matches until he found Hawks talking with . . . Tokoyami?

Well, at least his mentor wasn't just sitting on his ass. Tokoyami seemed to be listening intently to Hawks' every word. The man was likely just giving his former classmate some advice. Or maybe they were bonding over being birds? Was there some sort of bird ritual going on here that Minoru wasn't aware of? Either way, his curiosity had been sated, so he started to return to his previous post. That's when things started to go wrong.

"Pathetic! Is everyone in 1A like this all the time. or are you a special sort of entitled?! Just use your quirk on me like you're supposed to!"

"I'm warning you man, I'm not feeling good! Somethings wrong, and I don't feel comfortable using my quirk right now!"

"Are you accusing me of being a weakling, not worthy of your full power?! I'LL SHOW YOU!!!"

Minoru was racing ahead full sprint, not caring who was watching him at the moment. Monoma was holding his hands out dramatically, a manic grin on his face as he taunted Kaminari, who was brimming with electricity that the other boy was barely containing. Kaminari's face was scrunched in pain, and Minoru could tell that his friend was close to letting go of his flimsy grip on controlling his quirk.

"Get back!"

By now Minoru was certain everyone was looking in their direction, but he paid them no heed. In an instant he was at Kaminari's side, engulfing the boy in a hug. Minoru recalled when he'd fought Chiba Saburo and reformed his slime into a rubbery texture while creating a wide dome around him and Kaminari before coating the earth in that same rubbery slime. Kaminari was erratically shooting out electricity and weakly pulling at Minoru's arms, sobbing all the while.

"No! No stop, stop you- you can't. You'll get hurt!"

"You're not gonna hurt me, Denki, I promise. You could never hurt me."

The struggling stopped, even as Kaminari's sobbing increased and the boy muttered incoherently, his voice raspy from how much electricity he was unleashing. The current was gradually slowing down, but it was out of Kaminari's control. Minoru hugged his friend tighter. All they could do was wait out the storm. Minoru could hear voices of concern outside his dome, and he had to hope that the adults were keeping the rest of the students at bay. He was confident in his ability to keep the electricity away from them, but a big crowd was the last thing Kaminari needed after something like this.

When it was finally over, all was dark, and Kaminari's breathing finally began to slow. Minoru turned his friend around so that they were facing one another. Kaminari's pupils were dilated, his lips were blue, and some drool was escaping them. Gently, Minoru lowered his friend to the ground, keeping Kaminari on his side. Kaminari's hands and legs were twitching slightly, but it couldn't be helped right now. Slowly, Minoru lowered his slime dome.

Eraserhead. Vlad King, and Mandalay all immediately came rushing to Minoru's side. Hawks and the rest of the Pussycats kept the students watching at bay. Minoru didn't wait for them, immediately knowing what needed to be done.

"How long were we in there for?"

"About two minutes."

"Keep track of the time, at five minutes we need to call paramedics and get him to a hospital."

Thankfully, Mandalay seemed to be keeping a close eye on her phone to watch the time go by. Eraserhead instinctively flared his quirk as he gently placed his hands on Kaminari, but it was pointless.

"What happened to my student?"

"Monoma was sparring with him last we saw, then you took Kaminari into that dome of yours."

"He's having a seizure. He lost control of his electricity; it must have disrupted the neurons in his brain. We can't do anything else for him right now, he just has to ride this out. If it goes more than five minutes, he'll need medicine to make it stop. Keep an eye on his mouth, make sure he doesn't bite his tongue."

By Minoru's internal clock, it had been about three minutes forty seconds when Kaminari finally stopped involuntarily twitching. As his friend regained his bearings and tried to get up, Minoru gently pushed him back down.

"Don't move, just lay down and rest. Your equilibrium is off, if you try to stand, you'll just fall again. Just stay here. We've got you."

Kaminari was breathing slow, heavy breaths, his eyes flicking open occasionally before sliding closed once more. Now that Kaminari was stable for the most part, Minoru finally began to realize that everyone else was silently staring at him. Not a word was spoken, no one even dared to let their breath be heard as they all watched him take control of the situation. Even the teachers seemed shocked.

"He's okay everyone! Crisis averted!"

Minoru did his best to give Kaminari shade to hide from the Sun, and the other boy seemed to find some comfort in that. Despite his insistence that everything was okay, nobody really seemed convinced, least of all Eraserhead.

"I didn't know Kaminari was prone to having seizures."

Minoru's eyes narrowed from beneath his mask. Eraserhead sounded like he was mostly talking to himself, but Minoru had heard him regardless. That sounded like a massive oversight for a teacher to make, especially a teacher who was also an Underground Pro Hero, not to mention that he was Kaminari's homeroom teacher, essentially his third parent. Minoru's distrust of Eraserhead continued to grow. But he still looked like he was worried about Kaminari, and angry that he wasn't able to do anything to help. So, Minoru decided to give him something to do.

"He's stable, but he needs water. His electrolytes are down, and it's messing with his brain. He needs rest, lots of rest. I would seriously consider having him sitting out of the rest of this training camp. It could do more harm than good if he kept pushing himself after this."

Narrowing his eyes, Eraserhead nodded before swiftly making his way to grab Kaminari some water. Vlad King and Mandalay stood by Minoru, unsure what to do. Minoru looked to Mandalay before motioning for her to take his place at Kaminari's side. The rescue hero did so, a pensive look on her face as she watched over the boy. Standing up and sparing one last glance at his friend, Minoru motioned for Vlad King to follow him as he made his way over to Monoma.

The cocky blond from 1B looked just as shocked as all the others, but as Minoru approached, he masked his concern with jaded indifference, glancing to the side and scoffing. Vlad was quick to scold him.

"We all heard that taunting, Monoma. I know I told you to rise up to 1A and surpass them, but this isn't the way."

"I didn't know he was going to lose control like that!"

Minoru stepped forward, not enough to invade Monoma's space, but it was a close thing.

"Maybe not, but you should have known something was wrong, you should have been aware enough to call out for help from your teachers. Everyone here is extremely lucky I recognized the signs, otherwise we might all be seriously injured."

Monoma crossed his arms and turned once again, mumbling to himself angrily. But beneath that anger, Minoru could see slight tremors in Monoma's arms, the way he locked them close to his body stop them from shaking. It was all too familiar to how Minoru held himself at certain times. Sighing, Minoru decided to make Monoma an offer.

"Look, I read your file. I know that you have a complex about being superior to 1A and all that. Personally, I think that's stupid. You're all training to be heroes, you're all on the same side, so this 'rivalry' is a waste of time in my opinion. But if you want to prove how strong 1B is . . . how capable you are, then how about you fight me?"

Once again, all of the students were watching Minoru, he could just feel it. Monoma was looking at him with wide eyes, his jaw slack.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Starting tomorrow after lunch, and every day after that at the same time, you and I will spar. I'll let you use whatever quirks your fellow students will let you borrow, from either class. I know I can take it. If you really think you've got something to prove, you can prove it against me. Deal?"

For a tense moment, all that was heard were the birds of the forest around them. Minoru extended his hand out to Monoma, the blond just staring at it as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening. And then, his eyes gained a fiery glint to them. Just as Vlad King was about to intervene, Monoma extended his own hand, clasping Minoru's as the two reached a compromise.

"I accept."

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As the Sun began to set, both classes finished up their respective dinners before preparing to get some much-needed rest. At least, those who had been fortunate enough to pass their final exams did. Students who hadn't passed were forced to stay up for make-up classes, those students being Ashido, Kirishima, Sato, Sero, and Monoma. Kaminari would have been forced to join them, but the adults had all taken Minoru's words seriously. Kaminari's records couldn't be accessed at the camp, but the signs all matched up with Kaminari suffering from a seizure. Eraserhead decided to keep Kaminari out of the rest of the camp, promising to come up with some makeup work for the boy to complete back at UA. 

Minoru thought that was for the best. He didn't want to see his friend pushed beyond his limits into dangerous territory. He'd just come back from delivering food to Kota when he saw Ashido, Kirishima, and Sero all around Kaminari, the trio laughing while Kaminari desperately reached his hands out for his phone, which the three were keeping from him.

"Seriously, Kami, since when do you get to play video games while the rest of us have to suffer?"

"Heaven's Hellfire? Haven't heard of that before."

"Me neither, but it sounds manly as hell! Er, no pun intended."

That brought memories back to Minoru, good memories. Heaven's Hellfire was a classic fantasy mmorpg, with multiple class options, raids, clans, monsters, everything one would expect from a game in its genre. It wasn't anything special or revolutionary, but it held a warm place in Minoru's heart. It's how he and Denki had met. The blond had a surprisingly good following in the game's servers, but he never had enough resources to level up at a reasonable pace. After he'd saved Minoru from permanently losing his character, the boy had helped Denki manage his resources and followers better, and the duo had been inseparable ever since, forming an unlikely alliance that had grown into a solid friendship.

When the two had met at UA for the entrance exam, Minoru had just happened to recognize Denki's voice, and the two had only grown closer from there. Everything had seemed perfect in that moment. Even if Minoru never got with a single girl in his life, at least he had someone he could call friend. And then he'd been expelled, and today he'd watched helplessly as said friend nearly died from his own power. Minoru counted his lucky stars that Denki had woken up on his own but worry for his friend ran deep still.

"Ragdoll said I could play since I have nothing else to do. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna play right now, I need sleep. I just wanted to get my daily login reward before it reset itself."

"Oh yeah? Well riddle me this . . . why do you have a female model as your character, huh?"

"I knew you were into some pervy stuff, but was Mineta really that much of an influence on you?"

That comment cut deep, but it wasn't undeserved. Besides, Minoru couldn't react. It would blow his cover.

"I just like the look of it! HER! I like how she looks!"

"You're not coming out to us, are you dude? Cause that's a totally manly thing to do, and we'd totally support you if you were!"

"Guys, maybe we should back off. Kami's right, he really needs to rest."

Ashido tried to backpedal and calm things down, finally seeing how distressed she and the others were making Denki feel. When it didn't look like Kirishima and Sero were quite catching her drift, Minoru decided to step in and reveal his presence. He effortlessly snatched the phone from Sero's grip and returned it to Denki's nightstand, having drawn gasps of surprise from everyone.

"You know, the fact that you didn't notice me is part of the reason why you're all taking these remedial courses. And as for your friend choosing to play as a female character, some video games that strive for realism actually make female hitboxes slightly smaller than male hitboxes."

What Minoru wasn't going to mention was that Denki's character looked an awful lot like Jiro, who Denki had a massive crush on. It was also pretty common for guys to make characters based off of how their girlfriend or spouse looked, and Denki hadn't been particularly subtle with his design choices at character creation. It was why Minoru had never made any comments at Jiro, he could see that Denki was attracted to her. And not in the weird way Minoru had always been around girls. No, Denki was truly in love, and Minoru refused to ruin his best friend's chances. But, Minoru didn't want to embarrass his friend or give Ashido any ammunition, so he maintained his silence on that subject.

"Not saying that's why your friend chose to play as a girl, but it's something a lot of gamers do. Now, your friend needs some shut eye, and you all have somewhere else to be right now."

Minoru pretended to look at a watch that wasn't on his wrist, and the other three students seemed to pick up what he was laying down, quickly grabbing their stuff and rushing out so that Eraserhead wouldn't punish them for being late. When he was certain that they were gone and he and Denki were alone, Minoru finally relaxed. 

"Thanks for that, I really was getting a bit dizzy there with all the commotion."

"It's fine. Here, drink some more water."

Denki gladly accepted the cup Minoru offered to him, sipping from it in short bursts and basking in the calm darkness of the cabin. Those who didn't have remedial courses were currently relaxing in nearby hot springs, leaving Minoru and Denki completely alone. 

"I didn't think I'd ever meet a Pro Hero who knew as much about video games as I do."

Minoru chuckled. Despite being so loopy, Denki was still his usual self. Maybe things would be okay after all.

"You'd be surprised what different people are interested in. Besides, you'll be that hero one day yourself, won't you?"

"Yeah . . . maybe. I'm not so sure about that anymore."

Minoru frowned beneath his mask, sitting down at the edge of Denki's bed and watching his friend. Denki was still super out of it, but Minoru felt like he was seeing a new side of his friend. A vulnerable side that wouldn't normally make an appearance out of fear. 

"What makes you say that?"

"Come on man, you can't be that dense! You saw how much I screwed up today! I couldn't control my quirk, I broke down crying in front of you and everyone else. What kind of hero does that? I totally sucked today, like a complete loser. What good am I as a hero if all my quirk does is cause collateral damage and turn me into an idiot?"

Minoru's heart clenched upon hearing how ill his friend thought of himself. It was true that Denki didn't have the best control of his own quirk, but to see the blond disparage himself so freely because of that was agonizing to watch. The fact that Denki seemed embarrassed about crying in front of him also made him feel sick. Minoru couldn't care less how weird or odd it may have looked to everyone watching when he'd comforted Denki . . . he wasn't about to abandon his only friend.

"You aren't a hero yet, you're still learning. And even if you were a pro, heroes are still people at the end of the day. We're all born with flaws, and those flaws give each of us unique challenges we need to overcome. But sometimes we can't overcome those trials alone. You have friends that care about you. When they saw you hurt today, they weren't mocking you. They were stricken with fear, because they cherish you and thought they were about to lose you forever."

I thought I'd lost you forever.

Minoru placed a comforting hand on Denki's shoulder, helping to ground his friend. The other's breathing had slowed somewhat, his sadness and panic making way for patience and wonder.

"Even heroes need help sometimes. Nobody's perfect. We all have different gifts. Just because you lack something important, doesn't mean that others won't help you find it. You aren't an idiot or a loser, okay? You have a medical condition, and you're lucky enough to know that you have it, so that you can do something about it. Living with that every single day, is a braver thing to do than a lot of people are willing to strive for on their own. Never forget that."

Denki looked awestruck at Minoru, not having anything to say in response. Slowly, Minoru got up and smoothed out Denki's hair, relishing in this warm moment where he could pretend that his friend actually missed him. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but Minoru was terrified of finding out the truth. So, he let himself believe the lie, just for a moment. But all too soon it was over, and Minoru was left with the cold reality that to Denki, he was nothing more than a stranger, a mysterious hero doing a hero's duty, who'd gone out of his way to help the blond. 

"Take care, Denki. Get some rest."

With that Minoru quietly walked out into the night, silently making his way back to the teacher cabins, hoping to be left alone for the night so that he could get some sleep of his own. Unbeknownst to him, Denki's eyes were wide as he stared at the front door, lips trembling. In the emptiness of the 1A boy's cabin, Denki uttered a single question that would contribute to unraveling everything.

"How did you know my name?"

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Tuesday rolled around in no time, and up until the end of lunch everything was uneventful. When everyone had finished their midday meals, however, Minoru could feel the excitement in the air from the students. Everyone was whispering in groups about the upcoming smackdown set to take place. Minoru versus Monoma. 

Viscidity versus Phantom Thief.

As agreed, the 1B student was gearing up for the bout of his life, generously plucking hair from his classmates in 1B to have easy access to their quirks in the middle of battle. His gym uniform had a belt added to it adorned with pouches for each set of hairs to stay in. It was a decent organization system all things considered. But like Minoru had predicted, Monoma had only taken hair from students in 1B, overlooking 1A entirely. A mistake that Minoru would be sure to point out to the cocky blond . . . the hard way.

As the teachers corralled the students, Minoru saw Kota walking up to him. The teen took a moment to walk over to the child and kneel before him.

"Are you and that blond kid really gonna fight?"

"Yep."

"But . . . why would heroes . . . fight each other?"

Minoru could still see that Kota was struggling with his grief and how he felt about heroes in general. He hadn't considered that when he'd made his offer to Monoma, and now he was really regretting not thinking that through. 

"Heroes are people, remember?"

Kota nodded, so Minoru continued.

"Well, sometimes people disagree with each other and have arguments. Me and Monoma are settling an argument. It's normally not okay to pick fights with people, but we're in a controlled environment, and I'm also offering to help Monoma train."

"So, if things go too far, the other pros will stop you guys from hurting each other?"

"Your aunt and the others will do their best to make sure we're both as safe as possible."

Kota sighed, clearly relieved, before he gained a shit eating grin to his face. Hawks was clearly having an influence on Kota's behavior, and Minoru wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. The boy leaned in close to Minoru as he quietly whispered.

"Then kick his ass, Noru."

Minoru smiled beneath his mask, glad to see that at least one person was rooting for him.

"Yes sir."

Turning around and stretching his limbs as he walked over to Monoma, Minoru allowed his mind to tune out his surroundings. He didn't focus on Eraserhead and Vlad King watching him with scrutiny, he didn't pay any mind to the Pussycats or Hawks keeping the other students out of bounds, and he especially didn't look at any familiar faces from 1A. Some were easier to ignore than others, and in the case of a certain frog girl, he could feel tears threaten to form. But he reminded himself that the fact she was standing there watching him meant that she was okay. They were all okay.

Minoru focused his entire body and mind onto Monoma, the cocky blond wearing a Cheshire grin as he grabbed a set of hairs from one of his pouches before sealing the compartment once again. The excited whispering had begun to die down now that the two combatants were facing off against one another.

"Are you certain that you don't want to rescind your offer? I assure you; I've come prepared, and I've more than enough versatility to counteract whatever 'golden' quirk you're packing."

Minoru wasn't moved. While the students of 1B did have impressive quirks, and Monoma did have a chance of defeating him with their quirks alone, Minoru had a point to prove. He wasn't about to be intimidated by some witty banter. Minoru slowly cracked his neck, eliciting some gasps of shock and cringe at the sound of his bones popping. It was mostly for dramatic effect of course. His skeleton was perfectly fine.

"You're a stubborn one, but I'll see what I can do to change that."

Without waiting for any sort of signal, Minoru charged forward with a sickle in each hand, making a mad dash towards Monoma. A trail of dust was kicked up from his charge, and the sound of blades clashing echoed throughout the forest.

Monoma had activated Razor Sharp, creating blades of his own that extended from his arms to shield himself from the oncoming assault. The two remained in the bind for a few seconds before Minoru hooked his foot behind Monoma's and swept it out from under him. With Monoma's stance disrupted, Minoru's strength won out, sending Monoma toppling to the ground. Minoru wasted no time in capitalizing on the opportunity and rushed to pin his opponent. Monoma was rolling left and right, barely able to avoid Minoru's punches, when all of a sudden, the blond smirked.

Minoru felt the ground beneath him begin to soften as he and Monoma began to sink into the earth. Realizing that Monoma had switched from using Razor Sharp to Softening, Minoru chanced a final, knockout punch to his opponent. Monoma's cocky smirk was the last thing he saw before the blond disappeared into the ground that was now swallowing Minoru whole, his punch having just missed its mark. 

I need to get him to switch quirks back into something that favors me. And I'll save this as some insurance for later.

Quickly, Minoru raised his palms into the sky and shot four slime pellets into the air at rapid speed. Those watching could barely comprehend what had just happened, all they knew was that something had been launched into the air and disappeared in a blur. With that secured for later, Minoru dove into the earth to pursue his target, splitting into three copies of himself as he swam in the mud.

After a couple minutes of searching, each of Minoru's clones felt a push of force from beneath them as they were all forced to exit the earth, the ground returning solid once again as it spat them out. As they struggled to regain their bearings, one of the clones was seized in a pinkish aura, it's movements completely restricted. Monoma grinned as he held the clone with Poltergeist. 

The other two clones rushed in and prepared to attack, sickles brandished menacingly. Monoma flung the clone he was currently restraining into one of the clones charging towards him, just barely managing to dodge and restrain the third clone. A deadly dance of telekinetic hot potato ensued for a short while, but Minoru could finally see Monoma growing tired. The quirks he'd chosen were decent, but they weren't enough on their own. It would have been a more effective strategy to have all of them be used simultaneously, something Monoma wasn't capable of.

Sensing that he was on the verge of defeat, Monoma switched to his final quirk, Solid Air, and formed a thick barrier surrounding his body in a tight sphere. The ball was so small that Monoma was forced to crouch. Regardless, Minoru didn't let up, all three of his clones attacking it with everything they had. Unsurprisingly, the sphere was difficult to damage due to the small size Monoma had conjured for it. The lower amount of surface area had allowed the sphere to become more durable. 

"Is this your plan? To just sit there? You know you can't win like this."

"Maybe not, but in the real world, I'd have called for backup by now. I'd just have to wait for help to arrive."

"Well, at least you aren't so arrogant that you'll refuse help. That's a start. But there's two problems with your plan." 

By now, Minoru had stopped attacking Monoma's sphere, although he and his clones still looked ready to strike at the opportune time. But in the moment, Minoru was just buying time for his insurance plan to pay off.

"And what would they be?"

"The first issue is that any competent villain isn't gonna waste their time fighting a brick wall like this. They would just move on. All the people around us? Pretend for a moment that they're harmless civilians. I could easily butcher them all while you're stuck hiding in your air cocoon."

Minoru made sure to keep his voice down so that only he and Monoma heard the exchange. He was trying to make a point to Monoma, not intimidate everyone around him needlessly. The blond looked mortified for a second, as if he thought Minoru might actually start hurting his friends and classmates. If everything went according to plan, Monoma would be the only one hurt here.

"As for problem number two . . . you're totally on the defensive. You have no method of counterattacking that doesn't leave you critically exposed. And no matter how strong your shield may be, enough force will break it down."

"Oh yeah? And where are you gonna get force like that?"

Minoru smirked beneath his mask and calmly pointed his thumb into the air, gesturing for Monoma to look up. As soon as the boy did, his eyes widened in pure horror. Everyone else followed his gaze and were astounded to see four rapidly approaching clones of Minoru diving straight at Monoma.

The slime bullets Minoru had shot into the air earlier had generated enough slime on their own to each form their own body. Minoru had mentally commanded them to form wingsuits and glide in the sky around his position, only now ordering them to return with prejudice. Monoma's Solid Air sphere was strong, but against a quadruple slime divebomb, its winds were overpowered. 

The earth shattered upon the impact of Minoru's air strike reaching ground zero, and everyone covered their eyes from the dust. Pixie Bob used her quirk to halt the spread of the expanding crater in the ground, and everyone held their breath as the dust began to settle. Minoru emerged from the pit, Monoma's arm slung over his shoulder as the blond struggled to breath. Vlad King was quick to come to his student's side and bring him into a bridal carry, Monoma insisting that he was fine all the while. 

"I think that we're done here. Good attempt though. I'll be seeing ya."

But before Minoru could get far, Monoma's hand gripped his arm weakly. Curious, Minoru turned to face his now defeated opponent. The blond looked like he ached all over, and the effort of lifting his arm must have nearly drained his remaining energy completely. Yet he persisted.

"H-how? How the h-hell did you do all that shit?"

"Same way everyone else here does what they do. I trained, I failed a lot, and I kept getting back up until it worked."

"That was . . . overwhelming. How was I supposed to win?"

"Maybe if you'd taken my advice and put your rivalry with Class 1A aside, you could have used some quirks that I would seriously struggle against. Like using Jiro's jacks to mess with my slime by destabilizing its molecules or using Todoroki's ice to freeze them to prevent me from easily transforming and making movement nearly impossible. There are things even I probably haven't considered. Think it over, and next time I hope you surprise me."

As Minoru walked away and allowed Vlad King to take Monoma to the camp's infirmary, he couldn't help looking at the members of Class 1A while he made his way back to his quarters. The more extroverted and energetic students were gossiping about the match and how 'epic' it had been, while the more reserved members quietly commented how they hoped Monoma would finally cut them a break with the whole rivalry thing. Bakugo was predictably boasting about how he'd 'blow that masked freak straight to hell', with Kirishima calming him down.

Some of the members of 1A were looking right at him, however. Some in silent awe, but some in calculating scrutiny. Jiro and Todoroki were glaring at him impassively. Jiro had likely heard Minoru mention her quirk. As for Todoroki, Minoru genuine had no clue what the other boy was thinking. Midoriya was muttering to Uraraka about the fight, clearly fanboying about it, and wondering what other quirk combinations Monoma might have been able to better utilize. Uraraka, saint that she was, didn't bat an eye and even encouraged her friend's though process. 

When Minoru caught sight of Tsu's face, the frog girl's tongue sticking out of her mouth as she made that adorable inquisitive face where she tilted her head, he had to turn away. Sounds and images assaulted his mind, and he'd rather the empty darkness consume his thoughts than all that blood. Especially when the gore and carnage was painted onto the most stunning canvas he'd ever known. 

If he hadn't looked away, Minoru might have noticed two particular pairs of eyes watching him in a mix of disbelief, concern, confusion, and resignation from within the crowd of 1A students. The two students locked eyes and nodded to one another, each intimately familiar with both the dark shadows of trauma and feelings of despair. They vowed to help Minoru free from his chains, whether he wished for their aid or not.

Chapter Text

Monoma had recovered from his injuries with minimal issues, he was mostly just sore and exhausted. Minoru was glad that the 1B student was okay. His intention had been to teach Monoma that the imposed rivalry between 1A and 1B was meaningless, but he never would have forgiven himself if he'd seriously hurt Monoma. Sure, Monoma had provoked Denki and put the two of them along with everyone else in danger, but Monoma didn't know about Denki's condition when the two had been sparring. Minoru could hardly fault the other boy, since the teachers seemed equally clueless at the time.

Which was just great for Minoru, a real treat. Ever since he'd realized how little the teachers of UA, or at least Eraserhead, knew about their own students, Minoru had been watching them all like a Hawk. If the teachers couldn't do their jobs, he'd have to step up to the plate. He kept an eye out to make sure Sato and Yaoyorozu were eating enough to keep up with their quirks' demands. He made sure Aoyama wasn't eating too much so that his stomach wouldn't expel its contents quite so often. He made sure Iida had access to plenty of orange juice in addition to water, which he also made sure to give to Denki regularly. The blond eyed him with a curious, inquisitiveness every time Minoru was there for him, but he did his best to hide it, and Minoru gave Denki the curtesy of pretending not to notice, even if it bugged him.

He made sure that Todoroki had ample ingredients to make his soba, and that Bakugo had enough spices to cook meals as explosive as his quirk. He made sure to give salves to Ashido when her acid started to wear on her skin too much, and he gave Koda noise cancelling headphones when he wanted to spend some time to himself. Minoru did his best to help these teens with whatever they needed, because he couldn't bear to watch any of them suffer. Tsu's screams of agony as she crumbled to ash, Midoriya's fear as he struggled to breathe in Shigaraki's grasp, Denki sobbing in his arms. He would do anything to make sure that something like that never happened again.

Tonight, however, Minoru would have to be extra vigilant. The Pussycats had announced that they were organizing a game that they called the test of courage. The rules seemed simple on the surface. Class 1B would have fifteen minutes to enter the forest along a designated path that the Pussycats would lay out, before Class 1A ventured into the forest in pairs. Each pair had to locate a piece of paper with their names on it, all while trying to avoid being scared by the students of 1B. After each pair secured their slip of paper or was scared out of the forest, the classes would switch places and the game would repeat. 

No one was allowed to physically touch or harm anyone, with or without their quirks, although general quirk usage was allowed in order to scare other students. Minoru personally wasn't impressed with the premise of the game. And that wasn't even considering that 1A had already encountered real villains. He just seriously doubted that any of these teens would actually get scared from something like this. Sure, some may get spooked from a jump scare if it was timed well enough, but there would be no real fear involved. 

At least, Minoru hoped so. Eraserhead had explained that they'd taken the minimum number of teachers from UA as possible so as not to attract too much attention. Ragdoll and Mandalay had further elaborated that they and Nedzu had decided against brining All Might to the camp, as Shigaraki had openly admitted to wanting to kill All Might specifically at the USJ. Minoru doubted Shigaraki would just let the past go, however. Even if All Might wasn't here, Shigaraki at least had his eye on Midoriya, given what happened at the mall. The villain also seemed to have an obsession with Eraserhead as well, which made it even more likely for Shigaraki to make an appearance.

All of this was to say that Minoru stood in the forest, hidden from 1A and 1B, with a terrible feeling in his chest. Call it intuition or paranoia. Hawks would say it's his sixth sense. Either way, Minoru felt something off tonight, a sense of foreboding permeating the air. It was all too convenient that the students and teachers were split apart in the dead of night in a dense forest miles away from civilization. Minoru had enough common sense and had seen enough horror films to know that splitting up was how people got picked off one by one by the bad guy. It's a good thing he had the ability to be everywhere at once. 

Already he was gathering slime in his body, ready to distribute it into an army of clones. Even if the camp was safe from villains, which was unlikely given Class 1A was involved, someone could still get hurt. It was better to be safe than be sorry. Closing his eyes beneath his mask, Minoru sighed to himself, bringing a hand up to his temple.

"Calm down. Nothing's gonna happen to them. No one's here to hurt them . . . or you. She can't hurt you here."

"Who can't hurt you?"

Lowering his hand, Minoru turned around to find he was being watched by two dark figures that he recognized. Shinso and Tokoyami were slowly walking up to him. Tokoyami had an intense look in his eyes, but when didn't he? It was the fact that Shinso seemed to mirror Tokoyami's expression that had Minoru on guard. From what little he'd seen of Shino before and during the Sports Festival, the purple-haired teen had been the pinnacle of relaxed and calm. Now, he still looked relaxed in his posture, but there was an underlying tenseness in his limbs, and his face was scrunched up slightly.

"You two realize you're off the path, right? The game's back that way."

"There is no point in trying to misdirect us. Our true purpose is here with you . . . Mineta."

All of the blood drained from Minoru's face, and his body suddenly felt cold. Tokoyami was looking right at him, his eyes somehow mentally peeling back Minoru's mask and hero costume, seeing Minoru for who he truly was. For who he'd been trying so hard to hide, to forget. His unanswered, unspoken question was confirmed when Minoru's legs started to subtly wobble as he stepped back. Tokoyami's eyes widened slightly, as did Shinso's. 

"I- I don't know what you're talking about. My name's Vi-"

"Viscidity, we know that already! Kinda weird, but unique, like you!"

Minoru turned around, sickle in hand as he felt Dark Shadow circling around him, talking in a far more upbeat tone than either of the Class 1A students were. The sentient quirk clearly didn't care to match the tone of the conversation, looking at Minoru gleefully.

"You really hit a growth spurt there man! I mean, what happened to the short kid with the grape mohawk? Now you're a boring, normal height. It's throwing me off, now that we know who you really are under that mask. That slime is pretty cool though. I like the scarf, and those sickles are wicked! Really sells the whole masked reaper look."

Minoru's breathing was becoming shallow as he tried and failed to remain calm. Eventually, Dark Shadow's words got to him, and he extended his hand out to grab the quirk before throwing it back to Tokoyami. Dark Shadow looked disgruntled, but Tokoyami reigned it in.

"Like I was saying, my name is Viscidity. I don't know you."

Tokoyami kept himself busy calming Dark Shadow down, the sentient quirk pouting and jabbing its fingers at Minoru even as it laughed, while Shinso sighed.

"Look man, you don't have to pretend around us, okay? Hawks told Tokoyami who you are, and he came to me. Neither of us have told anyone else, yet. We wanted to give you that chance. But if you aren't gonna comply, then we have to tell Aizawa so that he can get you help. You're not alone, I promise."

A soft breeze filtered through the trees as Shinso looked at Minoru, and Minoru couldn't help the chuckling that soon became small laughter. To the others, he probably looked insane, but he couldn't care less. The idea was just so amusing, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not alone? You know me, you've seen what I've done! I've always been alone! Always have . . . and always will be. It's just who I am. Oh, and as for Aizawa 'helping me'? I've already seen what kind of help he offers, and I think I'll be fine without it, if it's all the same to you."

"Well, unfortunately it's not. So, are you going to come with us on your own? Or are we gonna have to drag you there ourselves?"

"I said-"

But it was too late, and Minoru had fallen into Shinso's trap before he'd even recognized it. His eyes glassed over, and a fog clouded his mind. 

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Shinso sighed again, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he motioned for Fumikage and Dark Shadow to stop arguing. Seeing Mineta frozen, the two quit their bickering and focused on the task at hand. Without missing a beat, Dark Shadow reached out towards Mineta and began to pull away his mask and push down his hood.

Upon seeing his face, Shinso and Fumikage's eyes widened slightly. The boy's hair was no longer made of grapes, instead looking like true hair. His face was thin but not gaunt, his features angular and defined. He looked exactly as Midoriya and Uraraka had described him back when they'd seen him at the mall. And . . . he was crying.

Slow, soft trails of translucent tears were falling from his blank eyes as Mineta stared into nothing. Shinso and Fumikage looked at one another, unsure what could be causing that to happen. All Hawks had told Fumikage was that Viscidity was really his former classmate, Minoru Mineta, and that he'd been experimented on by the HPSC against his will and without his guardians' knowledge or consent. Hawks had expressed that he felt Mineta might feel more at ease if someone his age were to try and approach him with an offer for help, as adults were a touchy subject with the troubled teen.

Fumikage had enlisted Shinso's help for this exact reason, to brainwash Mineta in case things didn't go according to plan. Tokoyami knew he wasn't the greatest with social graces. Neither was Shinso to be fair, but they were both fairly calm people. Not calm enough apparently, but that's why Tokoyami invested in a plan B. Shinso's quirk should hold Mineta long enough for them to reach Aizawa, who would be able to handle the rest. 

And yet, the sight of Mineta's tears had the boys questioning their plan. Fumikage had seen Mineta cry, of course. Back at the USJ, he'd cried an awful lot out of fear, blubbering like a lost child rather than a hero student. Those tears were vastly different to the ones he was witnessing now. Then again, so was the individual they belonged to. Sure, this was supposedly Mineta, but Hawks had been clear that the boy 1A once knew was gone. Fumikage wasn't sure who he was looking at, but he yearned to find out.

"Ask him for his full name, just to be certain."

Knocked out of his stupor, Shinso repeated Fumikage's demand to Mineta, who confirmed that the name was his own in a detached tone of voice. It was unnerving, even to Fumikage, who was well versed in all things dark. Mineta looked like a doll on loose strings, barely able to hold himself aloft.

"What now?"

"Order him to follow us and keep asking him questions to confirm Hawks' information. By the time we reach Aizawa, we should have everything our teacher will need to help our classmate."

A short nod from Shinso later, and the trio plus Dark Shadow were walking back towards the main campgrounds, the test of courage all but forgotten. This was of far greater importance to Fumikage, and he's certain his peers and educators would agree. Fumikage had Dark Shadow scout for any students from 1B, making sure to keep them away from Mineta so that Shinso's brainwashing wouldn't be broken. Fumikage ran his fingers over Mineta's mask, catching each of the groves as he listened to the one-sided conversation between the other two boys.

"What caused your body to change form from how it used to look?"

"Forced genetic quirk mutation experiment."

"Who ran the experiment?"

"Cylerium."

"Who is Cylerium? Give me their name and physical description."

"Katori Shibuya, forty-seven years old, white hair, grey eyes."

"What is Katori Shibuya's position in the Hero Public Safety Commission?"

"Chief of Security, Head of Research & Development, and Second in Command to Madame President."

The edge of the camp was within sight, as were the Pussycats and a majority of the students from 1A. Aizawa wasn't anywhere to be seen, likely in one of the buildings teaching remedial courses. That was unfortunate, but not unexpected. By now, Fumikage was certain no 1B students were around, so he commanded Dark Shadow to encircle Mineta as a precaution against the boy escaping, and from 1A dogpiling him. Fumikage had no way of knowing how his classmates would react, but he suspected chaos would emerge regardless.

"Who is Madame President?"

"Hisoka Kaneko."

"And why is Hisoka Kaneko interested in you specifically?"

"She's my-"

But before Mineta could finish his statement, he and Shinso were slammed into by the flying form of Pixie Bob, who crashed into the ground not far from them. A blunt object made of metal slammed into Pixie Bob's face, and two menacing individuals stood over the pinned hero. The one restraining her was dressed in normal clothes, jeans and an orange jacket over a white shirt, wearing sunglasses. The other was a man with a lizard mutation who was dressed in honor of Stain and adorned with just as many weapons as the Hero Killer had been.

"Those pet cats are in the way. Guess we'll have to declaw them first."

Midoriya was running forward, but Tiger and Mandalay quickly blocked his path. Their classmate wasn't about to be held back though, as he suddenly looked to some part of the mountain, fear in his eyes. The other students of 1A backed away from the villains, terror just as clear on their own faces, but that terror battled with their worry for their friends still in the forest, and the students of 1B also stuck out there. 

Fumikage grabbed Shinso and started to back away from the group of villains, when the lizard mutation villain began to rapidly descend upon them. Fumikage could hear his friends calling out his and Shinso's names, and Dark Shadow was moving to intercept the blades that the villain was about to bring down upon them. 

And in the next moment, the villain was smashed into the ground, the earth cracking around his body as a purple fist pummeled him into the dirt without mercy. The other villain began to lift whatever object they were holding towards Mineta, freeing Pixie Bob in the process. Without so much as glancing at the villain, Mineta lashed out with a tendril of slime, ripping the blunt metal pole out of the villain's grasp before kicking them towards a nearby tree. As the villain slammed into the tree, Mineta used their companion in the dirt as a launching pad, jumping into the air before pitching the villain's weapon straight at them like he was throwing a spear.

The massive metal beam impaled itself through the villain and the tree, lodging itself into the earth below with a sickening crunch. To everyone's shock, instead of the expected crimson red of blood, the two villains began to dissolve entirely into an ugly brown mud-like substance, leaving nothing but sludge in their place. Fumikage didn't have time to react before a purple tendril of slime was swiping the mask from his grasp. Mineta affixed the mask back onto his face before turning his attention to the forest and rushing in without saying a word. 

As the rest of the Pussycats began to gather the students and relay the message through everyone's minds that villains were attacking, Fumikage found Shinso helping him to his feet and dragging him off. 

"We have to tell Aizawa what we know when this is over."

"Yes, we must."

Fumikage just hoped that everything would turn out okay. And that Mineta was of sound enough mind not to perform any more acts of brutality tonight. He'd been fortunate that the villain's he'd engaged were copies and not the originals, otherwise Mineta would have no doubt been charged with murder. But Fumikage had to remind himself that this wasn't the same Mineta he remembered. He wondered if murder charges even sounded like a threat to Mineta at this point.

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As he rushed through the forest, Minoru didn't waste any time in activating his slime swarm, spreading clones throughout the forest in groups of three. That way each group would have one clone per student to watch over them, plus an extra in case. It was the most Minoru felt he could spare as he rushed to stop this incursion of villains. Remnants of tears clouded his eyes even as he did his best to focus on helping the students lost in the forest. 

He'd been betrayed.

His trust and autonomy had been violated. He should have remembered Shinso's quirk. He had seen its effects when he'd rewatched the Sports Festival. But Minoru had been caught off guard when the two of them had declared that they knew his identity, realizing that Hawks had spilled Minoru's secrets to them, and by Dark Shadow's taunting. Now he truly was alone. 

But none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was that everyone got out of this alive. This wasn't one of Cylerium's tests, this was the real deal. Minoru refused to allow innocent blood to be spilled when he could prevent it. But in order to accomplish his task, he needed to take stock of who was in danger. 

The students he'd left with the Pussycats should be okay, as should the students with Eraserhead and Vlad King. Hawks could handle himself, wherever he was. Kota was probably hiding in his secret base near the top of the mountain. Hawks was likely keeping him safe, but Minoru sent one clone just to be sure. That left the students still stuck in the forest.

Todoroki, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Tsu were the only ones from Class 1A missing. Three clones each branched off to find the pairs of lost students respectively. Kendo, Honenuki, and Kodai were around nearby, Minoru could hear them. Three clones descended into the purple fog towards their location. The rest were a complete unknown. Minoru grit his teeth together. These villains had made a grave mistake targeting this camp for an attack.

If they wanted a fight, they'd get one that they'd never forget.

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Green lightning surged and pulsed off of Izuku's body as he sprinted up the mountain towards Kota's hideout. One For All flowed through his veins at a steady five percent. He felt the urge to push it further, knowing that every second wasted could be a second too late to save Kota. Izuku hadn't known the boy long, but he knew that Kota was uneasy around heroes. Izuku had tried to bridge the gap, especially after seeing how Kota was fine approaching Viscidity, unlike other heroes. 

Progress had been slow, but Kota trusted him a tiny bit, just enough to share some short conversations over dinner. Izuku found that bonding with Kota was helped by the fact that both of them could talk about the mysterious new hero, and how they'd both seen his face. It's how Izuku found out that Viscidity went by the name Noru. When he'd learned that, he couldn't stop his hands from jittering as he desperately wanted to write the information in his notebook, biding his time until the book in question was once again in sight. 

That was then. Now, his mind raced not with excitement but with nervousness as he imagined what might be happening to Kota. There was no telling how many villains were attacking the camp. Viscidity had managed to subdue two of them, only for said villains to become mud not completely unlike the hero's own slime. That meant one of the villains must have some sort of duplication quirk at their disposal. And not only could it copy people but allow those copies to use the quirk of the original, given how one of the clones had used some sort of telekinetic quirk alongside a support item. 

That was bad news. Izuku had no idea if the duplication villain was limited in scope of how many clones they could create at a time, nor did he know the quirks of the other villains. He'd have to play his cards carefully until he had more information, but he also couldn't risk waiting. Kota was in trouble, as were his friends still in the forest along with 1B.

Viscidity had run into the forest, and the hero had previously mentioned to Izuku that he could create at least fifty clones at a time, probably more. That meant that the forest should be covered for the time being, meaning Izuku shouldn't have to worry about his friends. Besides, they were strong and capable, they could handle themselves. As long as they followed Eraserhead's instructions that Mandalay had broadcast, everything should be fine.

It wasn't until Izuku finally reached Kota's hideout that he realized how much trouble they were all truly in. Kota was on the ground, trembling as he locked eyes with a tank of a man. The villain had spiky blond hair, dark jeans and a red tank top. One of the villain's eyes looked to be a prosthetic. Bulging muscles rippled from the villain, growing larger and larger as they wrapped around his body in a protective coat. 

Without missing a beat, Izuku launched himself at the villain, powering up to eight percent of One For All as he landed a punch to the villain's face. The resounding impact shook the side of the mountain and sent the villain skidding back several meters. Izuku took up a battle stance between the villain and Kota. 

"M-midoriya?"

"Listen to me, Kota. I'll distract this villain. When you see an opening, you run back to camp. Don't stop for anything, understand?"

Izuku didn't hear the boy reply, far too focused on the manic villain in front of him who was now laughing. Then man brought a hand up to his jaw and snapped his neck back into place, the crunch sending chills down Izuku's spine.

"So, you've come to issue a challenge little hero?"

Izuku grit his teeth together, lowering his stance and channeling One For All throughout his entire body. Eight percent didn't seem to be enough to put this guy down, but Izuku didn't know how much further he could risk before his own body would break under the strain. Tentatively, Izuku risked charging his body with ten percent. He could feel his muscle fibers straining, but pain was an old friend. He'd endure it once more if it meant Kota would survive.

"Well then, I am honored to fight someone with strength close to my own. Give me your blood!"

The villain leapt into the air, diving towards Izuku and Kota. Izuku turned and picked up the boy before leaping out of the way. Placing Kota near some trees, Izuku charged at the villain, throwing punches left and right as he did his best to weave out of the way of blows that would most certainly cave in his skull. The villain refused to let up, launching Izuku into the air with a nasty uppercut.

"I can't help but laugh at you kid! You really think you're a hero, don't you!"

Izuku saw stars as the villain slammed him back down to earth, his body painfully crunching as he made contact with the side of the mountain. Painfully, Izuku pulled himself out of the crater that his body had formed upon impact. Through the haze of confusion, Izuku felt a burning heat on the side of his face. When he reached a hand up to inspect it, it returned covered in blood.

"How can you call yourself a hero when you can't even save a single child!?"

The villain drove a knee into Izuku's stomach, pushing him back into the crater he'd crawled out of. The impact had so much force that cracks began to form in the mountain. Izuku coughed up blood and bile, struggling to breath. He could feel his ribs been cracked and broken, and even keeping his eyes open was a struggle, blood and sweat stinging them as it poured down his face. 

"Don't make promises you can't keep! Live up to your words or they mean nothing!"

The villain smiled as he began to drive his knee further into Izuku's guts, the splintered bones withing shifting and lodging themselves into muscles and tendons. The agonizing pressure caused Izuku to scream, the torture never ceasing even for a moment. But no matter the pain, Izuku fought. At least this way, Kota was safe. As long as the villain focused on Izuku, Kota would live. 

"The real travesty is promising to do something you aren't able to do." 

The villain lifted his knee off of Izuku, finally allowing the teen to suck in a painful gasp of air. Izuku couldn't stop shaking, his entire body lit up in pain, each of his nerve endings sparking from overstimulation. Izuku tried to hold onto One For All, but he couldn't manage to keep his quirk active any longer. 

"But that's how thing are I suppose. Heroes making promises they can't keep, giving false hope to those they're meant to protect. Sooner or later, it all ends the same."

As the villain casually started walking over to Kota, his muscle fibers wrapping around his body multiple times, Izuku desperately began crawling towards them. He couldn't let Kota come into harm's way, not while he still breathed. Even as blood clouded his vision and as bone shards scarred his body from the inside, Izuku refused to give in.

"Y-you killed my parents. Why?"

"Would you believe me if I said I killed them simply because I could? I have the power to do anything I want, to hurt anyone I want. But don't worry, I'll make sure you aren't away from your parents any longer."

Izuku's eyes widened, and he could do nothing but watch as the villain raised an oversized hand to crush Kota into a fine red paste on the ground. Kota looked up at the hulking villain with sorrow and resignation, seeming to accept his fate even as he seemed absolutely terrified of it. As the villain's fist descended, Izuku released a bloody scream that rippled across the valley.

But just before impact, a slew of bright red feathers swept Kota out of the way, pulling him into the waiting arms of Hawks. The villain turned to the number three hero, pulling his fist out of the ground with a dissatisfied look on his face. 

"Another useless hero, come to test my power?"

"Nah, you're not my type, big guy. I'm just here to get the kids to safety. My friend on the other hand . . ."

A monstrous roar shook the valley to its core following Hawks' statement. Izuku blearily looked up just in time to see a purple mass of undulating tendrils and muscles dive from the sky onto the villain, burying him into the ground. What followed was the sounds of a battle so fierce and bloody that it made Izuku's already injured stomach roil. The sounds of flesh ripping and tearing could be heard all around him. Or maybe his head was still spinning from the hit he'd taken earlier. He probably had a concussion.

"Come here, kid. Hold on tight and don't let go."

Izuku vaguely heard Hawks talking to him, doing his best to follow the hero's instructions. The number three hero had hooked Izuku up to some sort of harness. Izuku was dangling from Hawks' chest like a broken doll while the hero carried Kota in his arms. 

"Hang on, this is gonna be a bumpy ride."

As Hawks struggled to lift off into the air, Izuku could see the villain make a desperate jump towards them. By now his blond hair was soaked red, and his outer muscles were torn to shreds. The villain was missing a fair number of teeth, and his once manic grin was now a bloody scream of rage and terror. Just before the villain's hand could wrap around Hawks' leg, several purple tendrils with claws at the end encircled the villain and dragged him back down to earth. Through the blood on his face, Izuku could barely make out the eldritch horror of purple slime below fighting with razor sharp blades, claws and fangs. That monstrous cry of primal rage was the last thing Izuku heard before he blacked out. 

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Tsu did her best to stay calm, even as her heart was pounding in her chest. Ochako wasn't doing much better. In fact, the other girl looked even more frightened, given that their assailant had managed to strike a cut across Ochako's arm. The wound was shallow and small, but it was still a wound, nonetheless. After they heard Aizawa Sensei's warning in their head permitting them to use their quirks in self-defense, Tsu's fears had been confirmed. 

Villains were attacking the camp. The blond girl before them was most certainly one such villain, the teen gleefully eyeing the bloody dagger held delicately between her fingers, inspecting it like a cat. And she was just one. There was no telling how many other villains were out in the woods, or who else might be in danger. Right now though, Tsu had to focus on herself and her friend.

"Ochako, is your arm okay?"

"Y-yeah, it just grazed me."

Ochako didn't sound okay, but Tsu had to trust her friend would be able to fight. They were against an opponent neither of them knew anything about, but if they managed to utilize their number advantage to overpower this foe . . .

"Mmm . . . mmm . . . shallow . . . not much blood."

But Tsu knew that numbers alone wouldn't necessarily sway the outcome. This girl was clearly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and she knew how to use a knife to kill. Ochako's training with Gunhead may have helped her avoid a brutal strike, but she still got grazed. They were dealing with someone out of their depth. Tsu decided to stall to give Ochako time to recover, and time for them to form a plan or for help to arrive.

"That's mean, suddenly coming out and slashing at us! Who are you?!"

The blond girl responded in a jovial tone, pointing her dagger in their direction.

"I'm Toga! You two sure are cute. Uraraka and . . . Asui."

The air became tense as the two 1A students backed up slightly.

"She knows our names."

"Maybe from the Sports Festival? In any case, she knows who we are, which means we're at a disadvantage."

"There's not enough blood."

Tsu's eyes widened as Toga began to take out a massive syringe connected to a clear tube that ran into metal canisters around her neck.

"Normally, I'd suck it out directly from the cut to get more, but this machine will start sucking if I just stick it in, so my work will progress very quickly."

With a flick of her wrist, Toga extended a rather long needle from the syringe, aiming it directly at Ochako.

"I'm sticking it in."

Panic flooded Tsu's veins as Toga began to rush towards Ochako, murderous intent flowing off of the villainous teen in palpable waves. Reacting on instinct, Tsu wrapped her tongue around Ochako's waist and flung her backward on the path away from Toga, placing herself in the villain's path.

"Run back to camp, Ochako! Aizawa Sensei gave us permission to use our quirks to defend ourselves, I'll be fine!"

"Tsu!"

Tsu spun back around in time to see Toga now thrusting her dagger towards her face. The frog girl barely dodged out of the way, managing to avoid most of the damage. She could feel a slight burning sensation on her tongue as the cold steel of Toga's blade slashed through it. Rolling backwards into a combat stance, Tsu watched as Toga started laughing. Adrenaline pumped throughout her body as she braced herself for what her adversary would do next.

"Tsu . . . Tsu . . . Tsu!"

"Kero."

"What a cute nickname. I'm gonna call you that too."

"Don't. The only people I want calling me that are the ones I want to be friends with."

Tsu leapt into the air, aiming to gain distance from Toga, but the blond girl had anticipated her movements. Toga threw her syringe in Tsu's direction, managing to catch the girl and pin her to a nearby tree by her braid. Tsu began to struggle anxiously, desperate to free herself, all the while Toga was waving her arms around and celebrating.

"Yay, then I'm your friend too! All right!"

"Tsu!"

Tsu could see Ochako running back to help her, but the brunette was too far away to do anything. Tsu's heart started beating faster out of fear as Toga perched over her form, an insane grin spread over her face.

"You're bleeding, my friend, Tsu. You're so cute. I love blood."

Toga revealed her razor-sharp teeth, inching closer and closer to Tsu's neck. The frog girl found it difficult to breath, her eyes moving between Toga's teeth, ready to chomp into her flesh and suck out her blood like a vampire, and the bloody knife hovering just above her pounding heart. Ochako was getting closer, but Toga was just toying with them by now. All it would take is the blink of an eye and Tsu knew she'd be gone.

And then Toga was being shoved away from her further down the path, tumbling in a heap of dust as she struggled to regain her footing. The syringe holding Tsu aloft was destroyed, and strong hands caught her before she could faceplant into the dirt. Looking up, Tsu's eyes were met with the odd geometric mask of Viscidity, Hawks' newest intern. 

"You're okay, good."

The sounds of a scuffle could be heard, and Tsu turned to see two more clones of Viscidity brutally engaging Toga, the blond girl now firmly on the backfoot as the two clones ruthlessly swung at her with their sickles. Each of the strikes was coordinated and precise, leaving Toga with no room to breathe. Toga's path towards her and Ochako was blocked, leaving her with no choice but to retreat. The clone duo pursued her into the forest, refusing to let up in their assault.

As the sounds of battle began to dim, Tsu realized that the remaining clone of the hero was still holding onto her shoulders. Looking up in puzzlement, Tsu noticed that the hero was staring straight at her. Well, she couldn't see his eyes, but she could take an educated guess.

"You can let me go now, kero. I'm okay."

Despite her insistence that she was fine, it took a few more seconds before Viscidity released his grip on her shoulders, taking a few steps away in the process. He glanced over at Ochako for a moment, seeming to take in the cut on her arm. After a short pause, the hero sighed and let his head fall. With what seemed like heavy limbs, Viscidity pulled down his hood and took off his mask, both of which ended up dissolving into purple slime and melding back into his body anyway.  

Ochako and Izuku had described him to the class after the mall escapade of course, but this was the first time Tsu was seeing the hero with her own eyes. His face was pretty much exactly the way Ochako had made it out to be, but what stuck with Tsu was how . . . tired, the hero looked. His purple eyes looked dim and devoid of life, and his lips were pulled down into a sad frown.

But just as quickly the look was masked by indifference and determination, as if the hero had just remembered that he had a mission to complete. 

"The rest of the villains are scattering, no doubt regrouping somewhere else. Come, I'll lead you all back to camp."

Viscidity began walking back down the path towards where their fellow students and the other Pro Heroes would be waiting. Tsu looked to Ochako who just shrugged, and the two girls began to follow behind the mysterious hero. Not another word was spoken between the three of them. Tsu decided to busy herself making sure that her and Ochacko's wounds weren't too severe. But she couldn't help but feel confused about the hero ahead of them.

She stayed silent for his sake. He still had clones patrolling the forest, and he would need all his concentration to keep them fighting. But occasionally, she'd see a slight tremble in his hands, a twitching of the fingers, and the proverbial mask would start to slip before Viscidity noticed and corrected himself. She had to wonder why.

Why was Viscidity so calm facing off against villains, but so conflicted and concerned over her? Why did his hands tremble? Why had he lingered, looking her over for injuries even after she said she was okay? Why did she somehow know his eyes bore into her own from beneath that mask, as if looking for some answer Tsu couldn't begin to guess? And why did she care so much?

"Noru!"

Tsu was pulled out of her inner musings as Kota ran up to Viscidity, the hero kneeling down to embrace the boy into a tight hug before picking him up. Kota began crying into Viscidity's jacket, and the hero held the boy aloft, cradling him close and patting the back of his head and he gently rocked back and forth. Ochako gasped and ran forward past the two of them and straight towards Hawks, who was tending to an unconscious and hurt Izuku. 

The freckled boy looked terrible, his chest filled with purple bruises and covered in blood and vomit. His face was scrunched up in pain, even as he slept. But despite the extent of his injuries, Hawks promised that their classmate would be okay, and that the villain he'd been fighting was taken care of thanks to his partner. Tsu returned her gaze back to Viscidity, or Noru as Kota had called him. 

"That's the third time you've saved my friend, Kero."

". . . let's not make a habit out of it."

"Agreed. Still, you saved a lot of people tonight. Ochako, Izuku, Ragdoll, Pixie Bob, Tokoyami, Shinso . . . you might have saved everyone."

"No, not everyone."

"What do you-?"

Before she could finish her question, Todoroki and Shoji were running through the forest, regrouping with everyone else. Shoji's mask was torn at the edges along with the rest of his clothes, though it still covered his face. Todoroki's expression was much more visible, and Tsu could tell that her friend was shaken. Her other classmates seemed to notice, as they all began to bombard the duo with questions.

"Yo, are you two alright?!"

"We were worried when we didn't see you guys in the main group!"

"What happened to you?"

But neither of the boys seemed to be entirely present, both looking detached, especially Todoroki. His pupils were unfocused, and he was clenching his hand into a fist while staring at it intently. After a tense silence, the dual quirk user finally spoke, his voice low and broken.

"I- I had him, r-right in my hand. But t-then . . . then I slipped, and he was gone."

It was only after Todoroki had finished that Class 1A began to realize there was someone missing from their ranks. A certain loud, explosive blond who would normally be cursing top the heavens at this very moment. Horror dawned on everyone's faces, particularly the faces of Kirishima, Ashido, and Sero, as the whole class realized that Bakugo Katsuki was not among them.

"W-what happened to Bakubro?"

"Don't tell me that those villains-!"

"They took him. I nearly got him back, but I was too slow. They have him now."

A somber feeling overtook the class, as each of them processed Todoroki's words. The silence was only broken by the strangled plea from their injured classmate lying at Hawks' feet.

"Ka . . . K-kacchan."

Immediately Ochako was fusing over her friend, as was Todoroki and Iida. They tried to help Izuku up, but the boy's energy was wanning. No doubt pain was keeping a tight grip on him at the moment, and sleep likely still called to him. Tsu was about to go over and tell her friends to give Izuku space when Viscidity spoke.

"The League may have escaped with Bakugo, but they won't get far."

Most heads turned to look at the unmasked hero, who had walked over to Mandalay, handing her a now sleeping Kota. The boy didn't stir as he was handed off to his aunt, and Viscidity spared him one last mournful glance before walking over to Hawks and taking out a pen and paper slip from the pro's jacket.

"Hey, those are for autographs you know."

Hawks' sassy attempt to lighten the mood wasn't taken well, and Viscidity sent him one of the most wrathful glares Tsu had ever seen on someone's face. She swore she had even seen a ripple of slime on the hero's back for a moment, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. Viscidity quickly started writing on the paper before tearing it into four equal pieces, handing one each to the members of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Ragdoll eyes her piece of paper with wide eyes.

"These are-"

"Coordinates for the League of Villain's current location and base of operations. It's in a seedy bar located in the Kamino district. That's where Bakugo is being held right now."

Everyone looked at Viscidity, completely stunned in disbelief. Even Hawks had no words to say, and that set off alarm bells in Tsu's head. Viscidity was Hawks' intern. Sure, they were partners, but the partnership wasn't equal. It was Hawks' duty to lead and Viscidity's duty to follow. And yet it appeared that Hawks was as clueless as everyone else present, which meant Viscidity was now operating alone. Tsu decided to ignore that for now and ask the question on everyone's mind.

"How can you possibly know where the villains are?"

The hero turned to her, his eyes blazing with rage and regret. A small twitch crossed his face as he met her gaze, and for the life of her, Tsu still couldn't figure out what that meant. But those thoughts were all shoved aside when Viscidity answered her question.

"Because I'm right beside them."

Chapter Text

After the attack, the police had been called, and a massive sweep of the forest was conducted throughout the entire valley. Four hours later, and it was confirmed that no more villains were lingering on the Pussycats' land. The student body was safe and accounted for. Everyone except for Katsuki Bakugo that is. 

But the Pussycats were quick to bring the information Minoru had provided them to the other Pro Heroes and Detective Tsukauchi in order to formulate a plan. When Minoru informed the heroes and police how he knew where the League was, Detective Tsukauchi's quirk confirmed his story. Minoru could tell that the detective wanted to ask more questions, but time was short, and the sooner a plan was put into motion, the more likely Bakugo's chances of survival were. 

It was 2:45 in the morning, and the camp had been fully evacuated. Most students were sent to the nearest hospital for a professional evaluation, if not for any injuries than to treat them for shock. Parents had been called to come collect their children. The full details of the event were kept secret for now, but a publicly broadcast press conference would clear up the confusion. It would also act as a distraction while a team of trained heroes rapidly descended on the League's location in Kamino Ward. 

Minoru was currently standing outside Midoriya's hospital room, looking through the glass at the unconscious form of his former classmate while Uraraka sobbed beside him. Others had come and gone, not paying Minoru too much mind. It didn't matter. They were here to see Midoriya, and Minoru wouldn't deprive them of that. He just needed to see for himself. To witness the results of not being fast enough, not being strong enough, not being . . . enough.

Minoru had promised himself that no one else would get hurt under his watch, and already he'd broken his vow. Proof of his failure laid just twenty feet away, struggling to even breath properly. And even with all of his clones, he'd somehow missed his window to protect Bakugo and Todoroki. Sure, they were some of 1A's strongest students, but strength hadn't mattered in the end. Minoru just had to hope that his last-minute plan would pay off.

Finally, he turned to walk away, leaving Uraraka to grieve in peace. Midoriya would live, he would recover, especially when Recovery Girl showed up the next day to treat his wounds. But until then, the green-haired boy was down for the count. And without his determination, Class 1A was left with a gaping void that couldn't be patched. Not until Midoriya woke up.

Manipulating his slime, Minoru discarded his makeshift civilian attire and donned his hero outfit, his metal mask still dangling around his hip, affixed to his belt. He didn't feel like putting it on just yet. It felt claustrophobic, and he needed some fresh air before gearing up for his part in the rescue squad. It had been determined that he'd be joining All Might, Endeavor, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, an old hero named Gran Torino, and Detective Tsukauchi in rescuing Bakugo, since he could help coordinate things from the inside. Meanwhile, another group composed of Best Jeanist, Gang Orca, Mt. Lady, Tiger, and X-Less, would be infiltrating a nearby nomu factory Yaoyorozu had helped locate.

While all of this was being prepared, the press conference would be led by Eraserhead, Vlad King, and Nedzu. It was slightly amusing seeing Eraserhead cleanup for once, no longer appearing as a hobo and looking more like an actual teacher. But it also helped calm Minoru down whenever he caught a glimpse of the man out of the corner of his eye. The newer, cleaner appearance helped him separate the man who existed from the demon which did not.

But a new appearance wouldn't change anything about the man himself, and Minoru knew his hours were nearly up. Once the press conference was over and Bakugo was rescued, Tokoyami and Shinso would tell Eraserhead everything they knew. And the worst part was that Minoru couldn't even remember what he'd told the two boys. But he knew he'd told them things they weren't meant to know. They had no idea what they were stepping into.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Minoru recognized that voice. He didn't need to turn around to know Denki was running after him out of the hospital. Part of him wanted to run, to be the coward he'd always been told he was. But he wouldn't. Not because he was a hero, and heroes were brave. No, he owed Denki the truth, just enough of it. His assumptions were proven right when the blond stopped in front of him, a look of confusion, betrayal, and befuddled joy made its way onto his face.

"Tokoyami talked to me, about what happened in the forest. Is it . . . is it really you?"

"Look, Denki I-"

"Don't bullshit me man! I don't want any lies or, or cryptic bs. None of that. Okay?"

Minoru sighed as he ran his hand down his face, wondering just what his life had come to. Eventually, he managed to look Denki in the eye again. The blond was shifting from foot to foot, anxious energy rolling off of him.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Prove it. Prove. It."

"Alright, fine. We first saw each other face to face at UA's entrance exam when I recognized your voice from Heaven's Hellfire, the game where I first me you. Your gamertag is xX_LordInduction_Xx."

Minoru crossed his arms as he witnessed Denki's face drop. The blond covered his mouth with his hands as his eyes went wide. Denki began to pace around back and forth, mumbling to himself, trying to convince himself that he wasn't experiencing reality. But of course, he was, and Minoru waited for his friend to finally compose himself.

"Mineta? Minoru Mineta? GlobGuard69?"

Minoru sighed.

"Did you really have to say my gamertag too? I feel like that's just unnecessary."

"It is you!"

Denki's face lit up, a large smile overtaking his previous confusion. As the other boy started laughing, Minoru couldn't help but chuckle slightly himself at the absurdity of the situation. Two high school teens, standing outside a hospital in the middle of the night, laughing their asses off because of some stupid gamertags. 

After a couple minutes, the laughter finally died down, and Denki began wiping tears from his face.

"Man, I knew something was up when you said my name back at camp. But I never expected . . . this."

"That was sort of the point, Denki. Even Midoriya didn't seem to recognize me."

"Fair enough. But seriously, what the hell happened to you bro? Last I checked you were three feet tall and had grapes for hair. Now you're as tall as Iida, and you can do all sorts of badass shit. You took down those villains like it was a cakewalk."

Now that the attack was over, clarity had returned to Minoru. He's glad his friends were safe, but he could admit that he'd gone overboard on some of the villains. He was extremely lucky that the two he'd murdered weren't actually real. Not that Madame President would take issue with him had they been real, but he didn't want that to be his legacy.

"You and the others were in danger; I did what I had to do."

"I get that man, I do. And I know everyone's super grateful for it. Come on! Once we explain things to them, I'm sure they'll understand, and then we can all laugh about this back at UA."

Denki had started to walk away, but after a few paces he stopped when he realized Minoru wasn't following him. Minoru's smile faded, and Denki's morphed into a strained smirk, which then transformed into a frown.

"I'm not coming back, Denki. I can't."

"Hey man, I know you were expelled and all, but if it's true that you went through all that terrible crap, I'm sure Principal Nedzu would be willing to help you out."

"It's not that simple. There are things I need to do, responsibilities I need to uphold. And I can't do that while I'm at UA. Bedsides, the class has Shinso now. He earned his place in the Hero Course; I won't take that away from him."

Minoru began to walk away, no longer feeling happy being around Denki. It wasn't his friend's fault, but the conversation just brought up too many bad memories and awful emotions. Besides, Minoru had to focus on the upcoming mission. Priority number one was rescuing Bakugo. After that . . . after that . . .

"Look, Shinso's great, he really is. But so are you! And I don't care what the others say about you, no one deserves to feel the kind of pain you've been made to feel! Just please come with me, we can work this out!"

"NO."

In an instant, Minoru spun around, towering over Denki who by now had gotten within arm's reach. The blond backed up, not expecting Minoru to suddenly turn on him with such aggression and venom in his voice. Madame President's words echoed in his head, fueling his rage.

"I know what the others think of me, the old me."

The real you.

"They're disgusted and repulsed by me. They don't give a fuck about me, not a single one of them. Aside from you, no one in that class has ever once liked me. And it's not like I gave them a reason to change their minds! I earned my reputation, and now I have to drown in it!

They like Viscidity, the shiny, new, mysterious, Underground Hero. Hawks' newest partner against crime! But now they're about to find out who's really beneath that mask, and I'll bet you 3000 Yen that the moment they learn the truth they'll drag the name Viscidity through the mud till the cows come home!"

Denki looked horrified, stunned completely speechless as Minoru did his best to calm himself down. He turned his back on Denki again, the two of them beneath a dim streetlight. Tears began to collect in Minoru's eyes, and he didn't have the strength to will them away as he spoke.

"He brainwashed me, Denki. Shinso and Tokoyami, they stole my mind and my identity; they ripped control away from me and forced me to talk about all the horrific things done to me. Every dark secret from my past . . . they forced it out of me. I can't face them. I just can't. And the others? If people who were neutral to me were willing to violate me so much . . . what will the others do?" 

Minoru didn't wait for Denki to respond, wiping his tears away before grabbing the mask at his waist and quickly affixing it to his face. Minoru couldn't handle this situation any longer. It was time for Viscidity to take over. There was a job to do.

"Goodbye Denki."

And with that, Viscidity began walking into the night before swinging up onto the nearby buildings, leaving Denki alone under the streetlamp as he made his way to the rally point. The broadcast should be starting any minute, and the other Pro Heroes were already in place. Time to take the fight to the League.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

The cold metal of the arm bindings dug painfully into Katsuki's skin as he sat before the lousy pieces of shit that had attacked the camp and taken him hostage. He was pissed, and he could already imagine blowing their stupid faces off one by one. But Katsuki did his best reign in his anger. He was restrained, outnumbered, outgunned, and in uncharted territory. If he wanted to survive, he needed to be patient.

It certainly wasn't his strong suit, especially with Shigaraki spouting nonsense about hero society being corrupt, how the League wanted to wipe the slate clean and make a truly just world. What a load of bullshit. Because of course the first step to making a more peaceful world was to target a group of children repeatedly, marking them for death.

The other new members of the League that dust face had picked up weren't much better. The lizard guy kept spouting Stain propaganda, the magician fucker spoke like an 1800s conman, the one in the orange jacket was smiling at Katsuki is a creepy way he didn't appreciate, the schizophrenic was impossible to keep track of with how he constantly contradicted himself, and the asshole with the purple skin grafts was glaring daggers into him. The mist warper was quiet at least, just cleaning the same pristine glass over and over.

There was also the blond-haired girl with the plethora of knives dancing around the bar, giggling uncontrollably as she casually threatened her partners in crime. They made sure she kept her distance with the occasional warning, though she seemed she couldn't care less, moving on as if her life wasn't in danger. Weirdly, she hadn't come close to Katsuki himself waving that knife around. Maybe Shigaraki was keeping his lap dogs on a tight leash?

"Dabi, remove his restraints."

Speak of the devil . . .

"Huh? This guy's gonna fight you know."

"It's fine. We need to treat him like an equal, since we're scouting him."

That caught Katsuki's attention. He'd had his suspicions of course, but having direct confirmation from Shigaraki about why the League had kidnapped him specifically was good to know. Anything he could use to stall, to buy himself time to come up with an escape plan, he would take it. Of course, there was no way he'd ever consider Shigaraki's offer.

"Besides, you can tell whether you'll win or not if you fight in this situation, right, UA student?"

Katsuki stared into Shigaraki's one visible eye beneath that moldy hand on his face, crimson irises locking with one another. The villain Shigaraki addressed as Dabi turned to the man talking to himself.

"Twice, you do it."

"What, me? No way!"

"Do it."

"Man . . ."

Katsuki also made sure to keep track of their aliases. Not that he personally cared, but it would be useful later when he was free. The magician spoke as Twice approached him.

"I do apologize for using such forceful methods. But please understand that we are not just a mob trying to commit crimes. We didn't kidnap you by accident."

Katsuki had figured that much out, thank you. The League wanted him, they saw something in him. Whatever they wanted, he wouldn't give it to them, but for now he'd pretend to go along. If he bided his time, eventually one of them would slip up, and he'd take them down while he ran free. He just had to endure Shigaraki and his pack of lunatics a bit longer.

"Even though our situations differ, everyone here has been restricted and suffered because of people . . . rules . . . and heroes."

Katsuki took some time to rub his wrists, finally free from the metal shackles that had been chaffing into his skin for the last few hours. As Shigaraki got closer and closer, Katsuki seriously debated using his quirk right then and there to blow up the villain's face. Victory was right within his grasp, just a few more steps . . .

"-and given that this is the second major incident involving the League of Villains targeting UA, what measures is the school taking to improve its security and protect all its students, not just those in the Hero Course?"

Everyone stopped as the TV blared to life, and Katsuki saw what looked like an ocean of reporters standing before Vlad King, Principal Nedzu, and Aizawa Sensei. Katsuki almost didn't recognize the man now that he wasn't dressed like a hobo. But the scar beneath his right eye gave no room for doubt.

"We take the safety of our students extremely seriously and are planning on completely revamping our security protocols as wells as updating our internal software to prevent an attack of this magnitude from ever happening again. For obvious reasons, we can't give you the specifics of what these implementations will look like or how they will function."

Everyone in the bar was enthralled with the interview, and although Katsuki was slightly annoyed that he hadn't been able to attack Shigaraki, he did find it funny how his sensei was weaving circles around those idiot reporters.

"Back to the matter of Bakugo Katsuki. The League of Villains specifically kidnapped him, amongst all students present. One has to wonder if they were prompted to do so after his not so heroic display at the Sports Festival. Did they perhaps find his more . . . villainous tendencies, appealing to their designs? "

"Katsuki's chaotic and aggressive behavior was present before he arrived at UA, although I claim responsibility for not curbing that behavior sooner. But if the League of Villains believe that he will simply join them because they ask nicely, they're in for a rude awakening. Katsuki is among the most driven of his classmates, and while his drive has not always been motivated with the best of intentions, I believe he is firmly set on a future of heroics rather than villainy."

His sensei was right of course. These morons were kidding themselves if they really thought Katsuki would bend the knee and join their stupid murder club. He wanted to be a hero, someone like All Might who always emerged victorious. He was strong, he'd been gifted power, and he'd be damned if he didn't use it to become a hero. A tap on his shoulder had him spinning around, only to come face to face with the blond girl with all the knives.

But instead of the insane grin and laughter she usually had, the girl was looking at him in dead seriousness, covering his mouth and urging him to stay quiet. Slowly, she pulled him to his feet and began to walk him towards a window away from the rest of the villains. Katsuki was officially confused now. Not that he was complaining necessarily. If things went downhill, he at least had a hostage of his own. 

"Stay close to me and hold on tight."

Katsuki did a double take, too dumbfounded to even argue. That was not a girl's voice, it was way too fucking deep. What the hell was going on?!

"Still a badass, Eraserhead, even beneath the costume. Well, I'd say that despite your teacher's words, the public isn't on your said, Bakugo. My offer still stands-"

"Pizza Delivery!"

In an instant the blond girl(?) was grabbing him and rushing towards the window, a wave of purple slime crushing the glass in an instant as the two of them leapt to the street below. Not a moment too soon, as All Might and a bunch of other heroes began to flood the bar and restrain the villains. By the time Katsuki hit the ground, he realized what was going on. The press conference he'd just seen on TV was another one of Aizawa Sensei's logical ruses, only this time the villains had been played. 

"Can you walk?"

Looking up, the rest of Katsuki's suspicions were confirmed. Instead of the crazy blond girl, he was looking at the masked hero from the training camp, the one who'd helped dunce face and beaten Monoma into the dirt. Deciding now wasn't the time to start a fight, Katsuki accepted the hand that reached out to him. 

"Next time warn me you slime fucker."

"You're welcome. Now go get checked out by the paramedics a few blocks down and get back to UA."

From there, Katsuki was handed off to a few police officers who escorted him to a nearby ambulance. The sounds of violence echoed across the city as a clash of epic proportions tipped the scales of good and evil back and forth. And all the world watched with bated breath as the number one hero of Japan fought and won against the ultimate evil for the last time.

But to Katsuki, none of that registered. Not now, at least. It was all too unreal to ever imagine All Might being pushed so far, too far. Because of him . . .

Instead, Katsuki paid attention to his group of leaches (friends) as they blew up his phone with hundreds of messages per minute. Images of Deku in the hospital posted to the group chat, concerned texts asking if he was okay and if the villains had hurt him. Clearly the news hadn't wasted any time in posting the big scoop about his sudden rescue, and Katsuki found himself hating the media even more. If he wasn't so set on being the Number One Hero, he might actually consider working with his sensei next time internships came around.

But amidst the chaos of messages he was being bombarded with, Katsuki caught a lone message from Dunce Face that head a picture of the slime fucker who'd just dragged him out of a second story window now five minutes ago. It looked exactly like the guy, and Katsuki was about to text back asking why Kaminari was pointing out the obvious. Yes, the stupid goo hero had saved him, so fucking what?

It wasn't until Katsuki noticed that Dunce Face had attached an invite to another group chat along with the photo. Reluctantly, Katsuki accepted. As soon as he did, his eyes went wide, not just upon seeing exactly who else was in the group chat but finally gaining context for the picture of the slime hero, and the teen behind the mask.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

It was noon, the day after the press conference, and Shota was perhaps more exhausted than he'd ever been in his entire life. It was a close tie between that one time he and Hizashi had been forced to watch over Nemuri after she'd been dosed with Trigger, causing her quirk's sleeping gas to go wild, and right now. Principal Nedzu had called a meeting between all the available teachers of UA along with Katsuki Bakugo, Fumikage Tokoyami, Hitoshi Shinso, Denki Kaminari, Shoto Todoroki, Asui Tsuyu, and Hawks.

Detective Tsukauchi was also present to verify everything discussed for the ongoing official investigation Nedzu had been running alongside Thirteen and Shota's own students. It was a blow to learn that his students didn't trust him enough to come to him with something like this. But lately he was discovering that there was a lot he didn't know about his students. He hadn't read their files so as to not become biased, he barely knew anything about their likes and dislikes, their home lives, or what they got up to in their spare time, aside from going behind his back.

Most damning of all was the topic of conversation displayed before him and everyone else, a mysterious masked hero clad in dark purple and silver. But Hawks had erased all confusion about the mystery of who was behind that mask. Shota could barely begin to comprehend that he was looking at a student he'd just recently expelled and personally escorted out of UA. Minoru Mineta didn't look anything like this teenager being presented to Shota, and yet both Detective Tsukauchi and Nedzu confirmed Hawks' story. 

"Obviously he was experimented on, but what was the exact nature of the procedure?"

"Madame President considered that to be on a need-to-know basis, and I didn't. I just oversaw his training after a certain point, looking after him when we hit the streets for real."

"I see."

"Principal Nedzu, if I may?"

Nedzu nodded towards Shinso, who nervously looked to Tokoyami for confirmation. The other boy nodded before locking eyes with Shota, and the teacher narrowed his eyes. Tokoyami and Shinso had come to him after the press conference to let him in on what Hawks had divulged, and from there Nedzu had looped him in on the investigation. If the boys knew more, then he was willing to hear it. At this point, Shota needed all the information he could get if he wanted to be able to bring Mineta back to UA and get him far away from the people abusing him.

"I managed to catch Mineta in my quirk for a brief while. It was a last resort in case he was resistant to our pleas. I managed to get two names out of him on our way back to camp. Katori Shibuya, codename Cylerium, Second in Command of the HPSC, and Hisoka Kaneko, Madame President's name."

"I can confirm that intel" Hawks said.

"And can you detail the nature of Mineta's training under the guide of the HPSC, Hawks?"

"I can, though I'm not sure you want to know."

"I understand your apprehension, I can infer that dark things have happened to the boy during his time with the HPSC, and darker things may yet still await him. But the HPSC must be held accountable for their atrocities. Please, we must know the truth if we are to help."

With a heavy sigh, Hawks began delving into what portion of Mineta's training he'd observed. Surprisingly, a lot of it involved regular exercises and studies, not too different from UA's curriculum. The only difference was pace, given that Mineta's new abilities allowed him to train at multiple exercises and subjects at once, exponentially increasing his capabilities. It wasn't until Hawks got into the two 'exams' that people started to look ill.

"I was first brought in to observe what was supposed to be his final exam. The goal was to rescue trapped civilians while fighting off roaming villains. Except the civilians and villains were real, people that the HPSC had moved from Tartarus or kidnapped right off the streets. I still don't know where those four civilians are being held, or if they're even alive. One of the villains later escaped, but the kid took him down at the Midoriya apartment. I still don't know how he knew the guy was gonna be there."

"I do."

Everyone's heads turned to Kaminari, who shrunk in his seat. Thirteen pat him on the back, the Space Hero comforting the nervous student beside them. It seemed to do the trick, as Kaminari began to take deep, calming breaths as he steadied himself. Everyone waited patiently for the boy to speak.

"I-I knew him in middle school, through this online game we played. He mentioned that he went to Aldera Junior High. That's where you and Midobro went, right Bakugo? He- he talked about two other guys that were definitely you two, now that I look back on it."

Bakugo grunted, but didn't refute Kaminari's words. The message was clear: Mineta had gone to the same Middle School as Bakugo and Midoriya, and something had transpired there that Mineta had been able to know Midoriya was a likely target for the villain that had escaped HPSC custody. Shota would dig into that can of worms when this was taken care of. He was sure Nedzu was already on it anyway. 

"Anyway, I confronted him back at the hospital. We used each other's gamer tags to confirm who we were talking to. I was . . . I was so happy, I thought that I could convince him to come back with me to UA, to all of our friends. But he doesn't think we want him back. He . . . I think he's scared of coming back here. Scared of us."

"That is deeply concerning. No doubt Mineta is reflecting on his past actions that led to his expulsion in the first place, but psychological manipulation has clearly played a part in this as well. Thank you for your input, Kaminari. Hawks, if you would please continue."

The Number Three Hero looked like he'd rather jump out of the window in front of him and fly into the Sun. But he began recounting events, nonetheless.

"We were officially introduced when Mineta was being sent in for his real final exam. Madame President wanted to make him face a dire situation with seemingly no hope for victory. She also wanted it to feel real, like his previous exam. But she had something wicked in mind this time."

Hawks then went on to explain Mineta being put through a recreation of the USJ incident, only this time he was being forced into the position Shota had found himself in that day. Hawks' recounting of the test made Mineta seem quite talented, and Shota couldn't exactly disagree. Given what he'd seen of the teen during the summer training camp, he knew Mineta was now a force to be reckoned with. 

Of course, with the introduction of the hulking nomu, things had taken a turn for the worse, which Hawks had indicated was the HPSC's intention. Shota could understand the idea of a lesson where you forced your students to make an impossible choice, to get them thinking and gauge how they tried to solve problems. But this was taking that to the extreme. Shota especially found himself resonating with Mineta's experiences, given that they mirrored his own. 

When Hawks began describing Shigaraki descending upon Asui and Midoriya, Shota held his breath, his eyes widening as the instinct to activate his quirk gnawed at him. His students were okay now, of course. And they had only been fabrications in this test Mineta was going through. But Shota knew the exact point in the USJ that this took place, he knew what Shigaraki had almost done, and he remembered how he'd barely been able to muster up the energy to use Erasure on Shigaraki's quirk before he touched Asui's face.

Mineta didn't have access to Erasure.

The room went silent as Hawks described the brutal scene of Mineta being forced to watch as Asui screamed, Shigaraki decaying her face without remorse, laughing all the while. Shota could see tears seeping down the real Asui's face across the table from him, with Todoroki doing his best to comfort the girl as she processed what was being described. No doubt she was reliving memories and nightmares of her own.

"Cylerium was going to have Shigaraki move to decay Midoriya next, but something was happening with Mineta. I could see his mouth moving, muttering something to himself, like he was speaking to someone that wasn't there. And then the sorrow on his face melted away, replaced by incandescent rage. He turned into something primal, a monstrous creature I never could have predicted. He overpowered Shigaraki's nomu, and killed them both. Shigaraki's throat was sliced, and the nomu was ripped apart. 

After that . . . something in the kid flipped, and he hasn't been the same since. I did my best to have us stick to easier stuff in the streets, so that there was less odds of that beast needing to come out. I'd hoped that we wouldn't encounter someone so strong that Mineta would need to call upon that monster. But then Midoriya and Kota were placed in danger, and all it took was one look at that muscle villain, and I knew that the monster would be unleashed."

"It is fortunate for us that Mineta managed to defeat Muscular before he could hurt anyone else, and that Mineta had enough sense to not kill the villain this time. I presume that his state of emotions was off balance given that he knew his secret was about to be exposed. If he is as afraid of us as Kaminari suspects, which I am inclined to believe is true, then we must approach this carefully."

Nedzu met Hawks' gaze.

"While you claim that the HPSC doesn't have camera's in either your suit or Mineta's, I believe it is fair to say that they will learn about your treachery soon enough. For now, you have UA's support while this investigation progresses, and you may take asylum with us as you continue to provide help."

Hawks nodded, a grim look on his face as he contemplated thoughts Shota could only guess at. He was suffering intrusive thoughts of his own at the moment. Nedzu went on to discuss a plan of action for the teachers to execute. The students protested, but Shota was quick shut them down.

"I know you kids are worried, but this isn't something for you to be involved in. I've already had to watch you all be put in danger too many times; I won't risk you all again."

"But sensei-!"

"But nothing. Let us handle this. I promise, we'll get him back."

Shota rarely made promises. Promises were like glass; fragile and easily broken. And when the person you'd made your promise to looked so devasted, it felt like watching them be impaled by those glass shards you'd unintentionally created. But for his students depending on him, and for the one student he'd abandoned to this hell, he'd make this promise. The only question was how he would accomplish it.

"Now, as for a plan, I have an interesting idea."

The other occupants of the room listened to the principal's plan with rapt attention, not willing to miss a single detail. By the end, the room was filled with mixed feelings. Nedzu's plan wasn't flawless, but it was promising. Detective Tsukauchi piped up.

"So, just to clarify. You want to stage a villain attack to attract Mineta's attention, hoping that he'll respond. And if he does, you'll have a small, handpicked group of UA's teachers to talk him down and apprehend him if necessary?"

"That is correct."

"I'll have to clear that with the Chief, but disregarding that for a moment, don't you think this is part of the reason Mineta might not be so enthusiastic about coming back here? I mean, you're trying to trick him by playing on his emotions, that's not gonna earn you a lot of trust."

"Hound Dog will be available for counseling when all of this is over. For now, I am more concerned with simply getting Mineta into safe hands."

"But that's not how he'll see it. I mean, he clearly doesn't trust you."

Tsukauchi pointed at Shota, who glared but said nothing. The detective was right, after all. Mineta probably didn't trust him anymore, and Shota considered that as he went back through his interactions with the boy back at camp before his identity had been revealed. Still, that wouldn't deter Shota from his mission. It's like Nedzu said, Mineta's safety was more important than the boy liking them right now. Tsukauchi continued.

"And he probably doesn't trust you two either."

The detective pointed as Nedzu and Snipe, the other two adults who'd been present for Mineta's expulsion. Snipe crossed his arms and looked away, while Nedzu merely hummed and nodded, agreeing with Tsukauchi's point to an extent.

"I'll go."

Thirteen stood up, surprising everyone. But as the Space Hero looked in Shota's direction, he stood as well, recalling what he'd talked to them about.

"Before he was expelled, Mineta apologized for your injuries, out of nowhere."

"And Hawks said when the USJ recreation started, the first thing he did after sending clones to engage Kurogiri was to check on my body."

Slowly, the others in the room began to put the pieces together, that Mineta had some sort of soft spot for Thirteen. If any of the teachers had a chance of convincing Mineta to return to UA without force being involved, it was Thirteen. Nedzu nodded his assent.

"Very well. I believe that concludes our meeting for now. Detective Tsukauchi, please inform me when the Chief of Police approves of our plans, and we'll begin to set our team in motion."

"Of course."

Gradually, everyone dispersed, either returning to lunch or preparing for their next class. Shota stopped Thirteen on their way out, pulling them aside much like she'd pull him aside a month ago. Ironically, their topic of conversation was the same, even if the circumstances were much more dire than last time.

"I know you promised your students you'd bring him back, Shota. But you can't just go into this gung ho."

"He's my student, Anan. And I abandoned him. I let him down, and I won't do that again. Not to him, or any of them either."

". . . just, think carefully before you do something you'll regret. We may only have one shot at this."

One shot was all Shota needed. He just needed to wait and pick his moment carefully.

Chapter Text

The day after they'd had their meeting on Mineta, the teachers had gone around to all the parents of 1A and 1B in order to gain permission from them to have their children live in the newly constructed dorms within UA.  Principal Nedzu claimed he understood if parents would be opposed to the idea but made it clear that refusal would mean that their children would have to drop out of the Hero Course and move to General Education. Tsu's parents had been somewhat doubtful of UA's ability to keep her safe, but in the end Aizawa Sensei had managed to convince them. 

Tsu was grateful for that. As dangerous as her life had been lately, she knew she had it in her to become a great hero. Her sensei saw that potential in her as well, and it warmed Tsu's heart to see him fight to keep her in his classroom. It also helped that All Might, now known to the world as Toshinori Yagi, was there to argue for Tsu as well. He presumably was accompanying Aizawa to all of the 1A parents at least. Though he could be a hero no longer, the former Symbol of Peace still held a great deal of respect, especially in light of the public finding out just how much he'd sacrificed for them. His presence in the Asui household had definitely helped tip the scales in Tsu's favor.

From what she gathered, it seemed her other friends had had similar experiences from their visits, if the rapid text celebrations were anything to go by. But as heartwarming as it was to know that all her friends in UA would still be together in the Hero Course, it left a gaping wound inside at the reminder that one individual wasn't there anymore. Before the summer training camp, Tsu probably wouldn't have cared about this as much as she did now. Sure, she was worried if Mineta was okay and mildly concerned about Todoroki's fear about the teen being abused by his own family. But her worry over the short, perverted boy was no greater than her worry over any potential citizen in danger.

All of that had changed, drastically. Knowing what she knew now, that night in the forest where he'd held her shoulders, looking her over for injuries and making sure she was alright, seeing how he'd fought Toga with so much ferocity to protect her, it made infinitely more sense given the context. He'd been tortured, physically and mentally, changed into something and someone he wasn't meant to be and forced to adapt or die. He'd fought for his life, and his own memories and traumatic experiences had been weaponized against him in some sick goal of making him a stronger hero. 

The way he looked at your face, trying not to imagine it crumbling away . . .

Tsu shut her eyes, willing the voice in her head to disappear. Even now, she still had nightmares of Shigaraki reaching all five of his fingers out to her face, feeling the cold cloak of death looming ever nearer as that cracked hand moved to engulf her entirely. She hadn't gone to Hound Dog about it yet. With the dorms in place, she had more time to get help from someone who would understand. But the way Hawks had described Mineta seeing her actually dying in agony, being forced to watch as she fell to the ground, lifeless . . . the things it had undoubtably done to him.

As the hours rolled by into dinner, Tsu couldn't get the images and the words out of her head. Her mother was cooking dinner tonight since she was actually home for once. Her father was going through his email, clearly deep in thought as he read and typed out message after message, sending them off one by one. Tsu did her best to keep busy by cleaning her and her sibling's rooms, but eventually there was nothing left to do, and Tsu found herself standing in the middle of her empty bedroom. 

All of her prized possessions had been boxed up for her move into the dorms tomorrow morning. Ectoplasm Sensei would be waiting at the gate to take her stuff along with everyone else's, setting up the rooms while the students got to classes. Looking around now, Tsu felt strange standing amidst the blank walls. She still had her bed and writing desk. UA would be supplying those items for each student themselves, along with extra school uniforms. Tsu had packed away a cute lily pad rug, a quilt her late grandmother had sewn that depicted jumping frogs, an electric blanket just in case she got too cold, and all the school supplies she'd need. Her father had even gotten her a new laptop and helped her transfer everything over from her old device.

All of that was packed away, ready for tomorrow. Slowly, Tsu approached her bedroom window leading to a view of the street and the city beyond. The sun was setting, casting a red, purplish glow as it descended across the horizon. Even here, she couldn't escape her thoughts, the glow reminding her of the hero who'd saved her life because he'd watched her die. Somewhere out in that vast city or beyond, Mineta was saving lives at the cost of his own. Part of Tsu still doubted that the hero who'd protected her and her friends was the same pervert who'd groped her back at the USJ. 

But she couldn't deny the facts. Kaminari had spoken with him at the hospital, and both Shinso and Tokoyami had confirmed that Mineta had been with the HPSC. None of them had yet to figure out why the organization was so interested in Mineta specifically, not even Hawks knew. Shinso and Tokoyami might have figured it out had the League not attacked, but it was too late to worry over that outcome. 

That night, Tsu ate dinner in silence as she contemplated what was about to happen. In a few days' time, a small group of Pro Heroes from UA would be sent on a mission to retrieve Mineta. Not rescue, not in Tsu's mind at least, because from what she'd learned and observed, plus with the new context, she didn't think Mineta wanted to be rescued. But the Pros didn't seem to care about that . . . except for Thirteen. The Space Hero seemed to be the only teacher who realized that this wouldn't be solved with force alone. Tsu just hoped that the others realized the same thing and didn't jump the gun.

"Dear, is something bothering you?"

"I'm fine, mom. I'm just a little nervous about living away from you all for the first time. And I'm worried about my siblings."

Beru smiled at Tsu softly, while Ganma croaked as he set down his silverware.

"We were going to wait until tomorrow morning to talk about this, but I think it's important to address this now. Since you're moving into the dorms at UA, your mother and I have reworked out schedules. I've asked my supervisor to give me a recommendation to work in some higher clearance places, hopefully for more pay with longer hours. Your mother is going to be applying for her pension soon and staying at home to look after Samidare and Satsuki."

Tsu honestly couldn't say she was surprised. Her father was a man of action, and when he set himself a task there was little to deter him from his course. For a long time, it had fallen to her shoulders to look after her siblings while her parents were away at their jobs. But now that she was going to be living at UA mostly full time, Tsu knew something would have to budge. A sad smile made it to her lips as Tsu looked at her father.

"Thank you. For believing in me."

"Always."

"So, are you still going to be a janitor?"

"The fanciest janitor this side of Musutafu. You know how it is with heteromorph discrimination tadpole. That's why I'm so happy you're seeing your dream realized. I want you to have it better than I do, and I want you to inspire others like us, give them hope for their own futures. But this new deal isn't all so bad. Like I said earlier, I applied to some higher paying positions in some significantly higher places, and it looks like I'll be able to get a big bump in pay to support us all. You'll see."

At least one thing in her life was staying the same so to speak. But her father was right. No matter how happy he made it sound, the fact remained that people like her, and her family were discriminated against just because of their looks. And Tsu knew she wasn't alone. Ashido, Shoji, Tokoyami, all of them knew the same struggle she did. One day, when they were all heroes, Tsu knew that they would lead big changes wherever they could. But that was a long time away. Right now, she had to focus on learning all she could . . . and getting her friend home.

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Ever since the summer camp had ended three days ago, Minoru hadn't seen or heard from Hawks at all. That was fine by him. Minoru had suffered enough lies and betrayal for the time being. At least with Madame President, he knew how she really felt about him. She might sweeten her words or weave threats into her sentences, but at the end of the day their relationship was clear. She was in charge, and Minoru was her instrument, her tool to use how she saw fit. Her orders were concise and direct, even if they were also often vicious.

But everyone else he'd met in a position of power always tried to play mind games with him, twist and turn him around so that he could never know what they really wanted. Hawks pretended to be aloof and carefree, yet he always kept his eyes on Minoru, waiting for him to slip up. Minoru knew why, of course. After the USJ exam where he'd freaked out and became that unholy monstrosity, Hawks' reaction was a bit more understandable. It still hurt though, and the fact that he'd left Minoru out to dry on his own every chance the hero got was aggravating.

Principal Nedzu was a creature no one could hope to decipher. His mind was always at work, considering every angle. He put on a sweet veneer, but deep down the rodent held no qualms about saying whatever needed to be said in order to get his way. Eraserhead . . . well, the less said the better. He lived for logical ruses and rational deceptions, and Minoru would never be able to tell if the man was being sincere or not. He certainly couldn't tell back at the summer camp.

Almost no adult from UA that Minoru had interacted with at any point, pre-expulsion or post, had ever shown him a sliver of their true selves. They were all just wearing personas, masks to hide who they really were deep down. In a twisted way, he felt like he could relate. Now more than ever before, given what he'd since become. In the end that's all heroes were, just people hiding behind masks, doing their best to save people despite no one willing to save them.

I don't need saving. Not anymore.

Minoru was strong now, capable of taking care of himself. He'd been given orders, training, everything he needed to succeed. Failure was a blight that he would stop at nothing to crush underneath his boot. His failure to save Tsu, to stop Shigaraki, to keep Bakugo from being kidnapped. He would bleed himself dry to make those mistakes right. For the past three days he'd been hard at work, patrolling the streets nonstop, fighting crime wherever he went.

He hadn't slept so much as a wink in that timeframe. He didn't need to sleep, he needed to make the streets safer, needed to find the League and make them pay for all they'd done, all they would do. Besides, Madame President hadn't ordered him to return for a report, so she must be okay with Minoru continuing his work. By now his image was out of the Underground and into the Limelight. Pictures had been circulating across the internet of him and Bakugo jumping out of a window, and later him swinging off to confront the League.

All Might and the villain now known as All For One had taken up most of the attention as expected, and people were still in mourning for the Number One Hero. But with All Might's retirement, attention began to shift to new heroes, and Minoru found that Viscidity was among them. His role in the rescue operation was boosting his popularity dramatically, with people he'd previously saved coming out of the woodworks to praise his actions. 

It made him feel ill. He was a fraud hiding behind an image, a flawed casting from a perfect mold. Minoru had his doubts about UA spilling the truth now that they knew it was him behind the mask. People would surely question if he truly was Minoru Mineta, given how different he looked compared to back then. And even if they believed UA's claims, that would put scrutiny on UA for 'expelling such a promising hero hopeful'. Minoru could see Madame President writing the headline already.

"{All units, we have a 10-33. I repeat, we have a 10-33, Shinjuku District.}"

Viscidity leapt into action, swinging towards where the police message had alerted to. A nifty feature he'd discovered built into his mask was that it automatically tapped into police radio frequencies, that way he could stay updated with crimes in progress and move to intercept them accordingly. He wasn't too far from the Shinjuku District, but part of him wondered just what could be going on that warranted all hands-on deck.

The apartments in that area were downtrodden, worn from nearly a century of wear and tear. It was a haven for drug lords and prostitutes, but it wasn't a lucrative area for villains to steal from. Then again, the League had been hiding in Kamino of all places, so Viscidity couldn't really say with much certainty how serious this situation was. Best not to be complacent. Viscidity prepared for the worst.

As expected, dozens of police squad cars were parked outside of a specific apartment, sirens blaring. There was even a helicopter present, its spotlight shining on the fourteenth-floor balcony. Viscidity grunted to himself, not amused that the police had basically alerted whatever criminals were inside that they were waiting. Any criminal with two brain cells would know it was time to leave when a big spotlight lit up your room. Still, Viscidity could at least appreciate the easy entry point. Swinging off of an adjacent building, the hero flipped through the air before tucking himself into a ball as he broke through the glass on the balcony.

Shards of glass cracked around him as Viscidity rose into a fighting stance, ready to fling himself at whatever threat chose to strike first. Instead of seeing bloodthirsty villains or wannabe criminals, however, Viscidity found himself face to face with another hero he was all too familiar with. He remembered holding that puffy space suit during his USJ exam, remembered cradling a steaming, cracked helmet that now looked to be in pristine condition. 

"Mineta . . . we need to talk."

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Anan dared not to move, barely even letting herself breath, as she stood face to face with one of her former students. She hadn't seen Mineta in the flesh since the real USJ training exercise months ago. A lot of time had passed between then and now, and much had happened to the teen standing before her. Gone was the diminutive boy who'd openly admitted to being a coward and whose sole drive for being a hero was to get attention from the ladies. Now, Anan looked at a worn soldier, carrying a burden unseen by the rest of the world.

Mineta's body became tense, his fingers twitching, and Anan could see his limbs undulating slightly. The Space Hero had to remind herself that not only was the teen before her likely nervous due to figuring out the deception being played against him, but also that his entire body was now a lethal weapon. She could see slime building up on Mineta, moving towards his back. Hawks had informed them all of Mineta's preference for spawning tendrils behind him. Anan had no intention of finding out how dangerous those tendrils were. 

"There's no danger here."

"No. But we don't want to hurt you, Mineta. We want to help you."

Slowly, Anan reached up to her neck and pressed down on a release latch, allowing her helmet to slide up and reveal her face. 

"I want to help you."

For a moment, the apartment was filled with silence. Distant police sirens could still be heard, but in that moment, it was all white noise. After a short, tense period of waiting, Mineta reached up and pulled off his own mask, his hood melding back into the rest of his body. Anan noted that it seemed Mineta's mask wasn't made of slime. Hawks had told them that too, but had Mineta sent a clone, that mask would have melded into slime again. That meant odds were good that Anan was talking to the real Mineta right now.

". . . I believe you."

That took Anan off guard, and Mineta must have noticed the shift in their demeanor. Mineta's eyes darted around the apartment, suspicion clearly written all over his face.

"You're a rescue hero, one of the best at what you do. One of the most devoted, as well. You don't care about glory or wealth; you just want to help people. You're one of the good ones. I've always known that. You're . . . you're who I wish she was." 

Before Anan could even begin to question what Mineta was talking about exactly, the teen began to pace the living room, eyeing specific spots with scrutiny. He slowly approached one of them near a grandfather clock.

"But . . ."

Without missing a beat, Mineta extended his right arm into a slime spike that pierced straight through the clock. Anan flinched slightly at the sound, but it wasn't until Mineta pulled his hand back that the color drained from Anan's face. In the boy's palm sat a now destroyed recording device, which he easily crushed into debris.

"You're unique amongst your colleagues. The other heroes at UA? They don't care. I know they don't because if they did, they wouldn't have tried to set up this little snatch and grab. It isn't in the playbook to negotiate with your adversary in this type of situation, yet here you are. You wanted to have a genuine dialog. The others?"

This time, Mineta pierced a fake pear sitting on the living room coffee table, hidden amongst various other fruit props for decoration. Another recording device found and disposed of. Anan hadn't even been aware of their presence in the room. Nedzu must have had the entire place bugged without telling anyone.

"They just want to get the job done by the most efficient means and go home, even if it means causing unnecessary harm along the way. Hawks, I understand. I don't appreciate it, but I understand it. He was trained to be efficient, like me. We were given certain . . . incentives. But I thought UA teachers would follow a higher standard. Especially Eraserhead, who talks so much about being logical, yet seems to ignore logic the most whenever it suits him. Like right now, for example.

I mean, agreeing to force hundreds of people out of their homes just to catch one person who isn't even a wanted villain? That seems a bit over the top, don't you think? And I find it particularly amusing that he's going through all this effort now, when before he couldn't care less. Not just about me, but about nearly all of his students. He didn't even know Denki suffered from seizures because of his quirk! I wonder what else he still doesn't know. A logical teacher would have found out before the first day of class, and yet . . ."

A third recording device shattered. Anan had to wonder just how many there were in the room, but right now that wasn't a primary concern. Mineta had steered the conversation away from what Anan had wanted to talk about, and yet she couldn't find it within her to disagree completely. His points were solid. Even as someone who knew Shota Aizawa, Anan could see where Mineta was coming from. This was the consequences of constantly giving logical ruses left and right. Anan had no doubts Shota and the others were listening in through their comm link. She had to hope her colleague would actually take in what was being said.

"But none of that matters now. It's all just pointless details in the grand scheme of things. The main point is this: I do believe you, Thirteen. I know you're being sincere; you want to help me. And a large part of me wants to take your hand, to walk out of here and get the help I need. But I can't, because I know that you're alone in your beliefs. The others won't support your choice to help me, not really. Their version of "helping" me would be to lock me up and throw away the key, to make me someone else's problem."

"That's not true! Hawks told us everything-!"

"Oh, I'm sure he did. Tokoyami and Shinso too, right?"

"We know what you've suffered, what those people have done to you, what Madame President has done to you. That woman is manipulating you, Mineta! She's using you; you're just a pawn to her!"

"We're all pawns! At least I know it. Do you?"

Anan was losing hope, even as she saw tears begin to form in Mineta's eyes. The boy was at his emotional limit. Anan had no idea if her colleagues were coming or not, she put all her attention into the teen in front of her. The Space Hero truly wanted to end this without violence, but that was looking like a far-off dream. Still, she persisted. 

"You don't have to be. You don't need to be a hero, not yet. You're a child. You don't need to be a soldier, or a protector, or someone willing to carry the burdens of the world. You can just be . . . you."

Mineta looked down, seemingly contemplating Anan's words. For a moment, it seemed like the purple-haired teen might actually let Anan into his heart, to allow himself to be truly vulnerable with them. But just as Anan's hopes began to rise, rapid footsteps could be heard approaching the door. His gaze hardening once more, Mineta reaffixed his mask to his face before sending a wave of slime past Anan to the door, sealing it off."

"There's nothing left of me now. Only Viscidity remains."

Anan barely had a chance to raise her hand towards Mineta before he was sprinting towards the balcony, preparing to leap into the air as Present Mic screamed.

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The pain was immense, but Viscidity refused to let it hinder him as he made his way to the balcony. Credit where it was due, Principal Nedzu had gone the extra mile to ensure his little ruse would go off without a hitch. Ironically, if Thirteen hadn't been there to talk to him, Viscidity might have already been caught. The pain of Present Mic's scream against his slime barrier was nothing compared to what he felt leaving Thirteen behind, having rejected her olive branch. 

If it had just been them and them alone, Viscidity would have been sorely tempted. But Thirteen was with UA, and UA had made it very clear how they felt about him. No flowery words or empty promises would change their true views on him, Viscidity knew that for certain. Once again, betrayal had befallen him, and he had no choice but to save himself from those who would do him harm.

The door broke under Present Mics onslaught, and Eraserhead blitzed into the room, quirk already activated. Viscidity could feel his slime start to become more unstable as those crimson eyes bore into him, and he had to grit his teeth and fight to stay together. 

"Stop, please!"

Thirteen's cry of desperation went unheard as Viscidity leapt out of the balcony he'd entered through, Eraserhead hot on his tail. Spinning around, Viscidity could see the end of Eraser's capture weapon whipping through the air, beginning to coil around his left leg. Viscidity concentrated as hard as he could, condensing his slime down to a razor's edge and hardening it as much as he could manage. In one swift motion, Viscidity slashed a newly created sickle towards the capture weapon around his leg that had just grown taut. 

A loud snap reverberated throughout the air and the capture weapon was sliced in two. Time seemed to slow down as Viscidity locked eyes with his former homeroom teacher. The man was gritting his teeth and frowning. In that singular moment, the form of his teacher began to overlap with the visage of the demon he'd been haunted by. Both forms fought for dominance in Viscidity's mind, and the hero didn't wait to see which one came out victorious, turning away from the scene and sending out a rope of slime onto the police helicopter, swinging off of it before spreading out his slime into a wingsuit to glide away.

As he fled the apartment complex, no longer caught in UA's trap, Viscidity could eventually feel the full strength of his slime return to him. Eraserhead must have blinked, though by now Viscidity doubted the other hero could see him at all. None of the other heroes had been able to follow either. The police helicopter was trailing him, no doubt coordinating to the police and heroes alike Viscidity's position. Evading it would take some serious skill.

A sharp pain in his chest caused Viscidity to faulter in the air, but the hero quickly righted himself. Banking around a nearby building, Viscidity took a quick assessment of the damage. A red feather was lodged in his right side, piercing straight between the ribs. 

"Hawks."

Turning around, Viscidity could see the Number Three Hero trailing after him, more feathers being shot out, homing in on his position. The police helicopter's spotlight was focusing on Hawks, and Viscidity could see a live feed of the chase on a collection of wide screen monitors as he glided over a busy city square. Civilians were lined up, watching in awe as the chase continued to be broadcast, all of them seemingly cheering Hawks on.

Viscidity scowled beneath his mask, beyond irritated at what was happening. He may have understood Hawks wanting to get him away from the HPSC, but he was going about it in the worst possible manner. He'd sold Viscidity's secrets, left him to save people on his own when they should have been working together, and now he was actively attacking him. They were both heroes, and yet Hawks seemed perfectly fine treating Viscidity like another villain. That's what the people seemed to think too. 

"{Come on, partner. Let's not do this, okay? Just come back to UA. We can get this whole mess sorted out.}"

Of course, Hawks was still connected to his comm link. He hadn't gone back to HQ yet, meaning Cylerium hadn't been able to remove Hawks from his list of contacts despite no doubt knowing of the man's betrayal. Actually, now that Viscidity thought about it, he decided to contact Katori and Madame President.

"Viscidity, report. You have been rogue for three days."

Madame President's voice was like ice, and it would have made Minoru shiver with dread. But Viscidity had no time for such things. There was a job to do, and he needed orders.

"Hawks has informed UA about my identity."

"We are aware of Keigo's desertion."

"He coordinated with UA heroes to capture me. I've managed to shake the others for now, but Hawks is hot in pursuit."

"Understood. You are cleared to engage with lethal force, do whatever it takes to escape Hawks. Ground him if you must."

That was all Viscidity needed to hear. Retracting his slime wingsuit, Viscidity summersaulted downward through the air before launching into a wide arching swing through a busy street. He was only a few feet away from heavy traffic now, far too close to civilians for Hawks to risk shooting anymore feathers his direction.

"{Not cool, Mineta. These people don't have anything to do with this, leave them out of it.}"

"{I didn't bring them into this, you did. No one needs to get caught in the crossfire, just let me go.}"

"{You know I can't do that.}"

By now the chase had moved to an industrial zone, and Viscidity tried thinking of a way to either lose Hawks in the construction or use it to take the other hero down long enough to escape. The police helicopter was having no trouble keeping up, still lighting Hawks up with the spotlight for everyone to see.

"{You can't seem to do anything, except ruin my life that is. Don't make me return the favor.}"

As Viscidity started gliding towards a building that was midway through construction, more red feathers shot out and tried to pierce him. Viscidity managed to evade them by rolling and weaving midair, eventually making it to the side of the building before beginning his ascent. Hawks followed in his trail, as did the helicopter. It would be so easy to split into dozens of clones and swarm Hawks, but Viscidity resisted the temptation.

Hawks had seen his technique more than any other hero, and he no doubt had planned for it with countermeasures. Not only that, but Eraserhead was still likely on the way. His capture weapon may have torn slightly, but the Underground Pro still had plenty of length to work with. If Erasure caught him while his consciousness was split into several clones instead of one body, Viscidity would have a far more difficult time holding his molecular structure together. If he wanted to beat Hawks and escape UA here and now, he'd have to be decisive. 

Before his next slime rope could stick to the beam he'd been aiming at, a red feather knocked the beam out of the way causing Viscidity to miss. As he fell, Viscidity spun only to meet Hawks in a tackle as the other hero took him into the sky, the two of them crashing through the roof of the building and rolling to a stop as they broke apart.

"Last warning kid. Stand down."

Hawks brandished dual swords made of his own feathers, the light reflecting off of them briefly before clouds began to roll in. The helicopter's spotlight had settled onto the two of them now, giving everyone watching a perfect view of the fight to come. It also gave the heroes and police their exact location. Viscidity didn't give Hawks any more time to stall, shooting a barrage of slime bullets from his palms as he himself ran for cover. Hawks sliced the bullets and likewise return fire with some of his feathers as he slid behind some steel beams. 

The two of them traded shots for a short time, before Viscidity mentally pulled his slime back to him, hoping to catch Hawks from the back. He was mildly successful if the pained grunt was anything to go by. Vaulting over his large spool of industrial wire, Viscidity charged at Hawks, brandishing his sickles while Hawks lunged at him with a single sword. Viscidity reasoned that he must have ditched the second sword when his feathers started to run low. They'd come back, but it would take time for Hawks to recall them all. This was his only chance. 

Viscidity jumped to avoid a wing sweep from Hawks that would have taken out his legs, moving in to strike Hawks in the neck and the knee with his sickles. Hawks managed to block the blow to his neck and barely tucked his leg back to avoid the other strike. Using his wings to gain distance and an aerial advantage, Hawks began to launch a swarm of feathers in Viscidity's direction. The Slime Hero created a half-dome shield to block to block the assault, making his slime slippery and rubbery to deflect and hopefully rebound Hawks' own attack back at him.

Both heroes stopped in their tracks when the sound of shrieking metal assaulted their ears. Looking behind him, dropping his shield subconsciously, Viscidity watched as the police helicopter above him began to lose control, its tail rotor on fire from the rebounded impact of several of Hawks' feathers. Panic flooded his system. Madame President had given him permission to defeat Hawks by any means necessary, but he didn't want to kill innocent people, especially police officers just doing their jobs.

Without missing a beat, Viscidity charged up a plethora of slime in his right leg before twisting and making a kicking motion up towards Hawks, sending a wave of slime at the hero and trapping him in a gooey prison atop the roof for the time being. As the helicopter began to rapidly descend, Viscidity jumped over the side of the building after it, sending out two slime webs, one to a large crane above him, and the other to the side of the helicopter. 

"Argh!!!"

The tension was aggravating, pulling on his body and threatening to split him in two. Still, the slime ropes held, and he put all his focus into maintaining them. The doors to the helicopter finally opened, and Viscidity counted six faces including the pilot. All of them were looking at him with varying degrees of astoundment.

"Everybody out, now! Go, go!"  

The officers didn't need to be told twice, each of them piling out in an efficient manner. Their training was kicking in, though Viscidity was certain they'd never expected it to be needed like this. When the last officer was inside the building, Viscidity let his bond to the helicopter gradually weaken, the weight of the vehicle and gravity carrying it down slowly to the ground before he eventually let go entirely. Viscidity took a moment to breath, processing that innocent lives had almost been lost because of him.

No, not because of me. Because of him.

Viscidity could feel the slight change in air flow, could hear the sound of wings against the wind, could see a brown and red reflection in the helicopter below. Because just like Hawks had no doubt discovered all of Viscidity's tactics, Viscidity had read his mentor the same way. Just before Hawks could tackle him a second time, Viscidity cut his bond to the crane above him, allowing himself to drop, and grabbing onto Hawks' ankle as he did. Viscidity increased the density of his slime, and the two heroes began to sink. The weight was too much for Hawks to carry, especially given his wings weren't at full strength.

Viscidity held tight onto Hawks body to prevent him from escaping, with the Number Three Hero punching him in the mask and chest, cracking the metal near his left eye at one point. That eye bore into Hawks with so much stored hatred, it shook the Pro Hero slightly. Viscidity reared his head back and slammed it into Hawks' temple, disorienting the pro before maneuvering Hawks to take the brunt of the fall.

As the ground fast approached, Viscidity grabbed both of Hawks' wings with his hands and firmly planted one of his boots into the hero's back before pulling with all his might. Hawks' screams grated on Viscidity's ears, as did the tearing of his flesh and bones. With only a few feet left, Viscidity tore Hawks' wings free from his body, using them to gain a slight burst of flight into the air. As Hawk's impacted, Viscidity flipped before releasing Hawks' wings, recalling a sickle and placing to the hero's throat as he landed atop him. 

Blood pooled on the cracked ground around Hawks, and the man could barely open his eyes. Viscidity was amazed that the hero was even still conscious at the moment. The sickle in his hand felt strong, and the gold veins dancing through it grew brighter as it dug into Hawks' flesh.

I could end it, right here and now. All it would take is a single slash and-

No! No, I don't need to do this! There has to be another way besides killing.

How many times has he wronged me? How many times has he left me to do his job? He deserves death.

Maybe he wasn't the greatest mentor, but he did what he thought was right. He's still a hero.

Like the heroes of UA?! They would have all done the same, hell-! they worked with him to try and take me down, to hurt me!

Not all of them. Thirteen didn't. There are good heroes at UA. 

He betrayed me . . .

If I kill him, I'll be no better than the League, or Stain. Maybe he wronged us, and maybe he does deserve death. But it shouldn't be up to me to decide his fate.

 . . .

I've already taken his wings, that's penance enough. Let's just . . . go.

 . . . this isn't over .

Minoru blinked his eyes, the venom in his visible iris now filled with regret and pain. He stood up from Hawks, recalling his sickle and looking at his bloodstained hands in horror. Hawks coughed below him, still conscious. Minoru breathed a sigh of relief seeing that he hadn't actually killed the hero. Police sirens could once again be heard in the distance, and Minoru took that as his cue to flee. Even as he turned fully into slime and made his way into a nearby water drain, he couldn't erase the feeling of Hawks' blood on his hands. 

Chapter Text

After hours of crawling through sewage, looking over his back for anyone trailing him and doing his best to ignore the blood he was coated in, Minoru finally made it back to HPSC headquarters. Several agents were startled as he casually dropped from the maintenance shaft in the ceiling. Minoru paid them no heed, his mind elsewhere. With a vacant look in his eyes, the teen began to make his way towards Madame President's office to deliver the bad news. 

Any news from his mouth was always bad, no matter what it was actually about. Sure, he may have gotten permission to fight Hawks and even kill the other man, if necessary. But killing Hawks hadn't been necessary, and so Minoru hadn't. Would Madame President prefer he had finished the job, like she would have preferred when he dealt with Shigaraki at the mall? Hawks may have double crossed the HPSC, but he wasn't a villain by any means. 

So far, Minoru had managed to avoid having to take a life, innocent or guilty. There had been some close calls, and some instances where he got lucky on a technicality. But the longer he kept at being a hero, the closer he got to crossing that line. And when he did? Viscidity didn't have a problem with it, only Minoru did. Pretty soon, Minoru wouldn't exist anymore. 

He'd said it himself to Thirteen, back at the apartment. But despite how calm he'd forced himself to sound, that had been a heat of the moment choice of words. A last defense to fall back on when everything else was caging him in. Facing the world exposed as he was now, Minoru struggled to even breath sometimes. But behind that cold, blank mask, the mask everyone associated with a hero, Viscidity was cool and collected. He was in his element, even if that mask also suffocated him from time to time.

Of course, all of that was about to change. Now that the media had caught him fleeing from Hawks, there would no doubt be controversy surrounding him. He was fairly certain that the cameras hadn't caught him crippling Hawks in the moment, but no doubt that the man's injuries were documented soon after the altercation, and it didn't take a genius to link effect and cause together. So, would Viscidity still be a hero after today? Or would Minoru be truly alone?

"Oof!"

So caught up in his own head, Minoru had failed to notice the other individual who had collided into him. Well, they hit each other, but still. Minoru knew he should be more aware of his surroundings by now, given his training. He was just surprised that the other party hadn't steered clear of him like everyone else. After catching his balance, Minoru steadied himself as he looked up to the rather rotund figure he'd bumped into.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh, it's nothing to bother yourself with young man! We all lose focus sometimes."

The man croaked as he rubbed the back of his head, and Minoru only just realized that the man he'd bumped into was a heteromorph with an obvious frog/toad mutation. The man was adorned in a blue janitor uniform that was slightly stained, luckily not with any of the blood Minoru was still coated with. Cleaning supplies hung from the man's belt, and he was pulling along a cart with a mop and some cleaning chemicals which thankfully hadn't been spilled. 

"You okay there, son? That doesn't look too good . . ."

It took Minoru a minute to realize that the man was looking at his bloody hands, which by now had begun to crust over. Minoru frowned at it, clenching his hands into fists before letting them fall to his sides. 

"It's fine, things just got . . . complicated."

"If you're sure . . . I'd get that looked at personally, but if you insist."

There was something earnest about this man, causing Minoru to look at him with silent wonder. He was concerned; his brow creased in worry. It wasn't like someone who worked for the HPSC to show such emotion. Now that he thought about it, Minoru couldn't recall ever seeing this man before in all his years at the HPSC. Then again, he was just a janitor, not someone of particularly high value to Madame President. She probably went through dozens if not hundreds of cleaning employees every year. The odds that Minoru would know all of them were extremely slim. He wasn't even familiar with most of the security agents under Madame President's employ. Personal identity didn't matter to the HPSC, only what that person contributed. 

Minoru also realized far too late that if this really was just some random janitor, he probably should be talking about mission critical information with this man. Not that it particularly mattered. The media would probably have a story published within the next few hours, and Madame President was in all likelihood already concocting a cover story with the help of Cylerium and her PR team.

"S-sorry for taking up your time and bumping into you, but I have a meeting to get to." 

Minoru sped off before the other man could stop him, not wanting to risk keeping Madame President waiting any longer. So caught up in his haste, Minoru just missed the name of the man etched onto his nametag.

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Ganma Asui was a blunt man by nature, but that didn't mean he lacked kindness. If he saw something he didn't think was right, he did his best to fix it or help however he could. He's glad his eldest child inherited that mindset from him, and proud that she chose to bring that that attitude into her heroics. It pained Ganma to be away from his children for so many years, and he knew Beru felt the same. They were both extremely proud of their daughter Tsu stepping up to help her siblings at home. But now it was her time to pursue her own dreams, and that meant she couldn't be there for her brother and sister anymore. 

Ganma loved all three of his children, and he'd do anything to provide for them and help them achieve their dreams. Shifting his work schedule had been difficult, and he's lucky he got that letter of recommendation from his supervisor for this new position. The increased hours would mean even less time to spend with his family, but the pay was worth it to better provide for them and afford UA's tuition. And it wasn't like anyone could say they worked for the Hero Public Safety Commission! Even if he was still just a janitor, that spoke volumes. 

Most of the people he'd met had regarded him with the usual distaste he'd long grown accustomed to. Such was the life of an individual who possessed a mutation quirk, especially one as obvious as his. He knew his physical appearance wasn't conventional, but in this day and age nothing was anymore. He didn't much care for what his fellow employees thought of him, as long as the paychecks kept coming in. He had his lovely wife and three beautiful, stellar children, and that was all he needed.

But as Ganma watched that purple-haired teen walk away from him after a rushed and perhaps nervous apology, he couldn't help but develop a bad feeling in his gut. The boy was covered in dried blood and had deep eyebags. His hair had been disheveled, and he walked with a slight limp that he did his best to hide. None of this painted a pretty picture, not to mention Ganma had no idea what a teenager would be doing at the Hero Public Safety Commission to begin with. He hadn't been wearing a suit like everyone else Ganma had seen, instead decked out in some sort of purple leather jacket, dark jeans, and a yellow scarf that gradually turned purple as well. 

Perhaps the boy was some sort of hero student? Maybe an intern. Ganma had heard from his daughter that Hawks had taken on a student recently. Tsu had told him all about it over the phone, recounting how a teen that looked remarkably similar to the boy Ganma had just seen had saved her classmate at the mall. That same classmate, the Midoriya boy if Ganma remembered, had said the hero had rescued him and his mother the night prior. At the time, Ganma had simply humored his daughter, mostly glad that she hadn't been the one in that perilous situation.

Now, the man was recontextualizing that phone conversation. The teen he'd bumped into did look strikingly similar to the boy Tsu had described to him back then. Part of Ganma didn't want to consider the larger implications of what that meant, that a teenager, no older than his dear Tsu, was fighting villains and getting his hands bloodied. He was just a janitor after all, he just cleaned up the mess left behind. But his gut told him that he needed to investigate this particular mess, before it got out of control. 

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Why did that man seem so familiar?

Minoru couldn't help it as his thoughts briefly returned to the strangely kind janitor he'd bumped into. For a moment, the man had made him forget where he actually was. Nobody at the HPSC was kind. Cruel? Yes. Cunning? Often. Kind? Never. Even the civilians he'd rescued during his first exam hadn't been kind, far too afraid to express gratitude. Not that Minoru blamed them. Their lives had been on the line; fear was a completely natural and understandable reaction. But that janitor . . . he seemed happy, carefree, before he actually got a good look at the failed excuse of a hero Minoru was.

But his gaze held something different from all the others he'd seen. Madame President always looked at him with contempt, viewing him as a tool. Cylerium viewed him much the same, like Minoru was an evolving experiment the other man was keeping progress on. Eraserhead looked at him with a burning hatred Minoru couldn't seem to escape. Nedzu had looked at him in complete indifference, but Minoru suspected Nedzu looked like that towards everyone on purpose. Thirteen had gazed at him with sympathy and understanding, reaching a hand out to him that Minoru felt drifting ever further away.

But that janitor had looked at him with happiness written all over his face, as if nothing could dampen his day. He hadn't regarded Minoru as a respected hero, or a high school delinquent, or a sex offender as some of his previous schools had. He'd just looked at Minoru as if the teen was any random person passing him by. The blood had freaked the man out, but Minoru still found himself surprised that the man's first instinct wasn't to ask what he'd done, but to ask if he was okay. 

And that was the question, wasn't it? Was Minoru okay? He honestly didn't know anymore. Physically he was unharmed, though his body was on the verge of collapsing due to sleep deprivation. Mentally, he was at war with himself. Minoru knew deep down that he was still holding onto threads of safety that had long since frayed. Safety from UA, from Eraserhead, from his former classmates who were going to come after him. It wasn't a matter of if, but when, of that Minoru was certain. 

Emotionally, he was a ticking timebomb. Sooner or later, everything would collapse, and he'd be crushed. He didn't know if he'd be strong enough to hold himself together when that critical moment arrived. All he could do was hope and pray. As the doors to Madame President's office slide open, Minoru slowly approached her desk, stopping just before it as he waited for her instructions.

"The news caught you fleeing from Hawks, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Yes."

"I must say . . . I'm quite impressed with your performance under pressure."

That was unexpected. It always was with Madame President. This new development of her giving him actual praise unnerved him yet also made him feel vindicated. It made Minoru feel like he'd actually done something to prove his usefulness. To prove that he belonged.

"Although I would have preferred that you'd killed Hawks to simply be rid of him, letting him live does have the benefit of preserving your media image, something I will attend to personally. And should Hawks continue to help UA, I'll have no choice but to make good on my previous threats."

This was information Minoru hadn't been made privy to before. Of course, he could infer that Hawks had been blackmailed, that was simply how Madame President operated. But to hear it outright spoken wasn't something he'd expected to be present for. Madame President didn't elaborate on the specifics of what she planned to do regarding Hawks, and Minoru was absolutely fine with that. The fewer pieces he had to worry about, the better.

"I imagine that Hawks' injuries will make him sympathetic to the media, but hopefully by giving them just enough of the truth, they'll conveniently turn on him and UA. At the very least, more distrust will be sown. And with the media already scrutinizing UA due to the League of Villains' repeated attacks, UA will quickly be backed into a corner."

Minoru didn't know what to think about that. While it was true that he himself feared having to return to UA and face his demons, he also didn't want his former classmates to have their dreams crushed. Sure, they could all try applying to different Hero Schools, but the likelihood that they would all be accepted was slim. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu might have better odds being recommendation students, but the rest of the class would be in serious trouble. Not to mention Class 1B, and the Hero Course students in their second and third year. Would other courses also be affected? Would UA have to shut down entirely?

"For now, your orders are to continue working as a hero in a discrete capacity. You'll be handling underground work exclusively for the time being. Should an opportunity arise in the limelight to boost your popularity, I'll reconsider. But for now, it's best you stay out of the public eye."

"Understood."

Even though he'd trained himself to recite the response automatically, Minoru felt like he barely understood anything anymore. He didn't understand how to fix his problems. He didn't understand how to navigate Madame President's ever-changing requirements for success, no matter how much he strived to. He didn't understand why UA was so interested in him after they'd thrown him to the curb. He didn't understand his own conflicted feelings about his former classmates and teachers. But following orders was one thing Minoru did understand. So that's exactly what he did.

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Tsu and her five other classmates currently part of the investigation regarding Mineta and his recovery sat by with the rest of UA's staff and Detective Tsukauchi. Not a single occupant in the room dared to speak, every last one of them transfixed on the television at the end of the room displaying a live broadcast of a media interview. Dozens of journalists were clambering over one another, screaming out incoherent questions to woman standing before them, none other than Hisoka Kaneko, President of the Hero Public Safety Commission. 

"Madame President, could you please provide some clarity on yesterday's bloody confrontation between Japan's Number Three Pro Hero Hawks and Pro Hero Viscidity, recent to the scene and blowing up fast due to his crucial role in Bakugo Katsuki's rescue from the League of Villains? Two heroes fighting one another is completely unprecedented. And does All Might's retirement have anything to do with the recent surge in chaos?"

Across the room, Bakugo grunted. Tsu and the others looked at him with varying levels of disapproval. It was clear that the blond was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he'd 'allowed' himself to be kidnapped in the first place, not to mention contrasting that fact with the identity of the person who'd rescued him. Yagi sighed from the other end of the table.

"Even when I'm no longer in the limelight, the media can't seem to leave well enough alone. I'm starting to see the appeal of your sector of heroics, Aizawa."

Aizawa Sensei just grunted as he kept his eyes focused and narrowed on the tv screen. Tsu returned her own gaze to the broadcast as Madame President began responding to the posed questions.

"Now that All Might has been forced into retirement, we are indeed entering uncertain times. But rest assured, the HPSC will do everything in its power to maintain order and stability across all of Japan during this transitional stage. As for the recent altercation between Hawks and Viscidity, I would like to personally illuminate the situation and dispel any falsehoods regarding past events.

At the time of the incident, Viscidity was under strict orders to return to our headquarters and was given explicit permission to utilize whatever methods were available to ensure his success. It is also worth mentioning that at the time of this quarrel, Hawks' Hero License was officially suspended, pending investigation."

Immediately, the staff room divulged into muttering.

"The fuck? Investigation for what?"

"Language, Bakugo."

"Why would the HPSC investigate someone they directly employed?"

"It is likely that they have long expected his betrayal and are simply moving towards their planned contingencies. Whatever the case may be, we must all listen and plan accordingly."

Nedzu's words got the room back on task, as they all heard several reporters asking variations of their own questions, internal and external, which Madame President was quick to answer.

"While the League of Villains attacked UA students with the intention of kidnapping Bakugo Katsuki, likely from his violent display at this year's Sports Festival, the question of how the League knew where to find the boy in question was only recently answered. Our sources have uncovered a data breach in our internal servers. The virus has been eliminated, but we were able to deduce from security records that Hawks was the individual responsible for this incursion, and that he had likely been working with the League for some time now."

"Madame President, are you claiming that not only was Hawks acting as a Pro Hero illegally, but that he was also a villain in disguise?"

"Hawks' Hero License was legitimate, as he previously worked for us. We simply terminated it when his treachery was uncovered, and I personally gave Viscidity permission to terminate Hawks himself should it be necessary. Nonetheless, my agent has chosen to take the high road and allowed Hawks to live."

Everyone in the room grew angry. While it was true that Mineta had let Hawks live, he'd damaged the man's wings beyond healing. Hawks was still in surgery at this moment. He'd recover, but he was grounded for the foreseeable future. Tsu didn't know what to think about that. On the one hand, she'd been told how brutal Mineta could be now. Hell, she'd seen it herself back at the camp. That brutality scared her a fair bit.

But on the other hand, what scared her even more was the fact that Mineta felt the need to use such brutal fighting tactics. She had heard everything that had happened to him, the torture, the mental and emotional manipulation, the nightmares. Somehow, Tsu just knew that despite all of the hurt Mineta dished out, he never truly wanted to put villains down for good. He still couldn't bring himself to cross that line. That gave Tsu some hope. There was still time to bring him back before he went too far.

"And what about UA? They also appeared to be involved in the incident, accompanying Hawks at the origin site before the fight moved elsewhere."

"Indeed. Our top security officers concluded that UA coordinated the attack with Hawks. We currently don't know UA's motives in the situation, nor why they choose to harbor a known criminal associated with the League of Villains. Perhaps they were simply uninformed. If that is indeed the case, then I hope my words today inspire them to take the proper course of action."

The tv was turned off, and Nedzu clasped his paws together, deep in thought. When his eyes next opened, there was a fiery glint in them that made Tsu shiver slightly. Her classmates weren't much better, and even her teachers were somewhat unsettled. 

"That woman is certainly right about one thing. Her words have indeed inspired me to set the record straight. This Friday, we will announce our own meeting with the press to clear up any misunderstandings, and force Madame President into check."

"That's fine and all, but what about Mineta?"

Everyone turned to look at Detective Tsukauchi.

"This is becoming a war between UA and the HPSC, with the boy caught in the middle as a catalyst for both sides. I think we're losing focus on the fact that he's still in danger. Rescuing him should be our priority, not taking down the HPSC."

"I understand, detective. But the two are so intertwined, we cannot achieve one goal alone. We must prepare to accomplish both tasks, otherwise we will succeed in neither."

"Be that as it may, you need to prepare for the legal shitstorm that about to come your way, not just from today but from when this whole thing gets resolved. With the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if the United Nations got involved. 

And while UA and the HPSC are playing tug of war, Mineta's the rope. Personally, if you ask me, while the kid has done some messed up stuff, it's clear he's under duress. Even crippling Hawks, gruesome and messed up as it is, was just the kid following orders and defending himself. He also saved six of my men. I hope that the kid gets some real help. You all heard how he felt UA would be on that front. Was he wrong?"

Silence. Because while Mineta's words has come from a place of personal hatred and bias, he hadn't been completely wrong. UA had been neglecting its duties somewhat. Tsu knew that many of her classmates still had nightmares about the USJ like her, and now the training camp was increasing their mental issues. Thankfully, she'd managed to see Hound Dog, and her first counseling session had gone well. At least some teachers at UA took their role seriously. 

"I believe we should conclude this meeting now, before tensions get out of hand. Anan, Ryo, Chiyo, I'd like you all to help me compose our announcement for the public. We'll provide statements regarding Mineta's identity, our intentions to recover him, as well as statements on Hawks' injuries and his cooperation in our own investigation. Detective Tsukauchi, I will of course need you to be present to verify our statements."

"Of course."

"Everyone else, dismissed."

Tsu carefully got up and followed her classmates and Aizawa Sensei back to class. She wasn't happy with how things were progressing. All of their efforts were going nowhere, and with UA's decreased reputation, she had low hopes of the public taking their word over that of the HPSC. The detective would help their credibility, obviously, but would he be enough? 

"Before any of you say anything, you all know that you're strictly prohibited from involving any other students in this case. Do I make myself clear."

A chorus of 'yes sensei' was heard from the others, but Tsu couldn't make her lips form the words. Aizawa noticed, which is why he stopped and turned to face her. The look on his face wasn't one of anger like she'd half expected, but of understanding and patience.

"I know I broke my promise. I had him in my grasp, but he slipped away. But I don't want you to take my failings as a sign that you need to step up to the plate."

"He's, my friend."

Tsu felt her sensei's hand gently land on the top of her head.

"I know."

Kaminari raised his hand.

"Sensei? What if we find him while we're out on our work studies?"

That was a good question.

"My policy stands. Do not inform your other classmates or students who aren't already in the know. We have no way of knowing how they'll respond, and their actions could make things even worse than they already are. However, if you encounter Mineta in the field, you message the group chat Nedzu established. It'll automatically ping everyone else with your location. After that, just keep a close eye on things, and follow your mentor's instructions. Finally, listen to your gut, and do your best to stay safe."

Overall, Tsu thought that was pretty fair. She still would prefer to be able to take action herself, but there was no point arguing the matter. Besides, she already knew that direct action would have little to no effect. Thirteen had been successful with words, but then the rest of the heroes had rushed in and ruined the Space Hero's progress. 

Tsu vowed to do things differently. She'd talk some sense into Mineta next time she saw him, maybe even whip him with her tongue to knock his gears back into place. That last idea was a joke, but nonetheless she promised to help Mineta see clearly again, to see that she and the others really did care about him. But who knew when she'd next see him would be. The odds that he'd show up during her work studies were incredibly low.

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The moment Minoru caught sight of Tsu, her eyes widening as they locked gazes and recognition swept over her face, he knew he was done for. It was Wednesday night, on the first week of the Work Studies program. This year Madame President had extended the work studies to two weeks instead of one. She knew that Principal Nedzu would do his best to retaliate to her media interview with a press conference of his own, so she extended the time that his students would be away as an intimidation tactic, hoping that he'd be more concerned over their safety than the destruction of the HPSC. Minoru personally gave it an even fifty/fifty odds. 

But that did nothing to distract him from the fact that he was now once again face-to-face with . . . with his crush. Yes, he was ready to admit it, at least to himself. There was no way he'd say it out loud. Not only would it be entirely unprofessional to do so, but Minoru was also sure he'd die from embarrassment on the spot, not to mention that there was no way Tsu felt the same. There was also the very serious matter that if Madame President ever learned of his feelings for the girl, she would become a target as another way for the woman to control Minoru. He couldn't let that happen. It was fine if Madame President hurt him, but he wouldn't let her hurt his friends.

For now, he didn't need to worry about that situation coming into fruition. At the moment, he was walking up to a table, fully decked out in his hero attire, ready to review the plan being presented by Gang Orca and Ryukyu. Tsu was standing next to Ryukyu, alongside Uraraka and a blue-haired girl Minoru didn't recognize. Her costume's colors were blue, teal, and white, and she had some sort of teal cloth wrapped around her ankles and wrists. 

On Gang Orca's side stood Shoji and, surprisingly, Monoma. Everyone regarded Minoru as he walked up to the table. Gang Orca and Ryukyu looked at him warily, somewhat stepping between him and the students. Monoma looked conflicted on whether to scowl at Minoru or cower away. Shoji looked indifferent, which was more than Minoru could have hoped for from the other boy. The mystery student who must have been from a higher year looked at Minoru quizzically, while Uraraka fidgeted, not quite meeting his eyes.

Tsu was the only one to look at him without fear or curiosity. Instead, she wore an expression of mourning, but Minoru did his best to ignore it, instead focusing on the plan.

"I was ordered to assist with this mission. The HPSC suspects that this harbor warehouse is being used by the League as a safehouse, possibly smuggling in more of those nomu creatures. Point is, Madame President wants it off the map, and I've been sent to make sure that happens.

Now, I'm sure you all know who I am by now, and that you've seen the news regarding Hawks. I want to make it clear right now: I do not want to harm any of you. What happened with Hawks was built up over a long time, there was more animosity between us than the media story makes it out to be. I promise to have each of your backs when this kicks off, and I hope I can trust you to watch mine as well. Any questions?"

The unknown third-year student began to raise her hand, only for Ryukyu to calmly force it back down. The third-year student pouted slightly, and Minoru sweat dropped beneath his mask.

"Right. Well, let's get to work."

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Tsu was a blunt, pragmatic person. She didn't believe in superstitions, or mythical oddities. In today's age, those things could easily be explained away with quirks. But by now even she had to admit that fate or some higher power must be watching her and her classmates. Whether it was helping or hindering them was another matter she didn't want to guess at, but its presence couldn't be denied. 

Nor could the presence of Mineta just three feet away from her. Because of course he was. Never mind how low the odds had been. At this point Tsu doubted that the odds even existed. Regardless, her friend was right next to her. Well, nearly. Ryukyu had conveniently placed herself between Mineta and the students under her watch. Gang Orca had done the same. Not that Tsu could blame either hero. She completely understood their actions. She also understood the conflict Ochaco was clearly going through.

Tsu had kept her word to Aizawa for now, not telling another soul about Mineta being Viscidity. Ochaco wasn't aware of the connection, but she'd seen the news about Viscidity and Hawks, how the former had crippled the latter, and she'd heard about Hawks' emergency surgery at UA. Ochaco had also been present when Viscidity had saved Midoriya at the mall, and she'd seen him protect Tsu and herself from Toga at the training camp. All this was to say that Ochaco probably didn't know how to feel about the dark hero before her. 

But Tsu knew exactly how she felt, because she knew the rest of the story. She knew who was really behind that mask, and what kind of demons he was facing. Tsu knew that there was probably even more information that she didn't know; information that no one but Mineta knew for certain. But she knew enough, and one way or another, she was going to convince him that he was wanted. That he didn't need to stay shackled to the HPSC any longer. But first, they had a mission to get through.

The plan was simple. Gang Orca and Ryukyu would take their student groups and flank both exits to the warehouse, trapping any villains inside with no hope for escape. Viscidity had split himself into two copies, sending one with each group.  That way Viscidity could help them communicate if something caused their comms to go offline. It had happened at the USJ, it could happen here too.

Gang Orca's group was converging on the warehouse from a nearby sewer system. Ryukyu and Nejire provided overwatch from the skies, leaving Tsu, Ochaco and Viscidity on a nearby rooftop, the three of them keeping a lookout for patrols around the warehouse. Ryukyu hadn't been eager to leave the three of them alone, but Tsu had managed to convince her mentor by retelling how Viscidity had protected them at the training camp. Their group was given the callsign Venom.

Tsu and Ochaco were at the edge of the roof. Ochaco was busy looking out over the nearby bay, occasionally glancing at the warehouse, while Tsu observed Mineta. The boy had his full attention on the warehouse, his entire body like a statue with the exception of his billowing scarf of slime. Tsu's finger hovered over the send button on her comm link that would automatically send her coordinates into the group chat Nedzu had designed for them. 

But then she thought what would happen were she to do that. Aizawa Sensei would no doubt drop everything and come running. Tsu got the feeling that her homeroom teacher felt guilty about this whole thing, being somewhat responsible for Mineta's situation. But Tsu knew that haste would only cause things to grow worse. Actions were stronger than words alone, but Tsu needed to figure out which actions were the right actions to take. 

Thirteen had been close, and Tsu knew that Mineta would likely be more open to her than most people, just like he was with Thirteen and Kaminari. If Tsu had to guess, she'd bet that Thirteen, Kaminari, and herself were the most likely people Mineta would let his guard down around. That gave each of them a leg up, but it also meant that they had to be especially careful with how they chose to approach this. Tsu let her finger slide away. If things got dangerous in the warehouse, she'd contact her teachers then. But for now, she chose to trust in her own judgement. 

"Aren't you scared too?"

"Kero?"

Ochaco flushed.

"I mean, I'm still reeling after seeing what kind of damage he did to Hawks."

"He saved us. Not just you and me, but all our classmates. And the students in 1B."

"Yeah, but-"

"And Ragdoll, and Kota. He also saved Midoriya three times, not to mention his mom, Kero."

"I know!!! I know. I just . . ."

Ochaco didn't have to elaborate. Minoru had always been controversial since his introduction to 1A, and it seemed that he continued to be a point of controversy even after his expulsion. Tsu placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, and Ochaco seemed to calm down slightly.

"I trust him, he won't hurt us."

Tsu saw Minoru shift out of the corner of her eye. She knew he'd been listening; it wasn't as if Ochaco had been subtle. But Tsu hadn't been trying to be quiet either. This was part of her plan, after all. Minoru needed to know how she and the others felt about him without them directly confronting him about it all the time. He was smart enough to make his own observations. Tsu just hoped he wouldn't come to the wrong conclusions.

"Kraken is in position at the warehouse. Time to move in."

Tsu watched as Mineta stood up after giving the announcement over the shared comm link, slowly turning to the two of them on the roof. Ochaco quickly jolted upright, while Tsu did her best to stand up in a far calmer manner. 

"Uravity, link up with Team Kraken on the south side of the warehouse near the bay. Team Valkyrie will call out targets as they see them from above. Froppy, with me."

Mineta wrapped a rope of slime around the roof's railing before repelling down. Tsu shared a look with Ochaco, who nervously shrugged her shoulders.

"Good luck and be safe."

"You too, kero."

Tsu jumped over the railing and stuck herself to the brick wall, slowly climbing down. Above her, Tsu watched as Ochaco jumped off of the building while holding her fingers together, the gravity defying hero student gliding down at a steady pace. After a few more seconds of climbing, Tsu touched the ground next to Mineta, who motioned for her to follow him as he began stealthily making his way towards the warehouse.

"We're heading to the west side of the warehouse, to the loading bay for the trucks."

"Won't there be tons of people there?"

"It's likely only a few will actually be outside. The rest will either be inside with storage or at the docks. Besides, we won't be in the loading bay for long. It's just a means to an end. Kraken will handle the docks, and Valkyrie will pick off stragglers, so the inside storage room is our responsibility."

Mineta held up a hand as the two of them crouched behind a car parked in the lot across the street. After a few moments, he waved and the two of them quietly rushed forward into the warehouse lot, taking cover behind one of the semi-trucks. 

"{Valkyrie 0-2, this is Venom 0-1. Froppy and I are stationed in the loading docks, give us a sitrep, over.}"

"{Copy Venom 0-1, there are two individuals at the side entrance taking a smoke. You'll need to take care of them before moving any further. Valkyrie 0-2, out.}"

Mineta looked back at Tsu before motioning for her to move towards the left while he took the right. Nodding, the girl crept her way steadily towards the edge of the building, sticking to the shadows. Before long, she could see the two individuals standing by the door. Their appearances gave nothing away about their quirks, which was slightly unfortunate. From the other side, Tsu could see Mineta pop his head from the shadows.

"{On your go.}"

Tsu waited until the pair of guards weren't looking at one another before lashing her tongue out to pull the one closest to her. The man yelped in surprise, and before his partner could react Mineta was yanking him to his side. Tsu wasted no time at all planting her elbow into the villain's face to knock him out.

"{Valkyrie 0-2, both targets are neutralized. Be advised, we are hiding the bodies in the driver and passenger seats of the parked semi-truck, over.}"

"{Roger that Venom 0-1, we'll inform the police of their location, over.}"

After placing the bodies in the truck and making it look like the two men had simply fallen asleep on the job, Tsu swiped a key card from the man she'd taken down.

"This should give us a clean entrance, kero."

"{This is Venom 0-3, I've established a link with Team Kraken. We're heading to the docks now, over.}"

"{Roger. Kraken 0-1 be advised, you have multiple hostiles ahead, recommend you find a way to steer clear of them for now, over}."

"{Understood Valkyrie 0-2, over.}"

Tsu got a bad feeling in her chest upon hearing that. She trusted her friends could handle their own, they'd proven that over and over. And they had Gang Orca with them too! But every time they'd gotten involved with the League of Villains, things had always been extremely dire. All Tsu could do was hope that no actual League members were here tonight. Doing her best to banish the worry from her mind, Tsu joined Mineta at the door before swiping the key card she'd taken earlier and gently pushing her way into the warehouse. 

Everything inside was quiet in their immediate area, although Tsu could vaguely hear quiet mumbling down the corridor. Before she could take another step forward, however, Mineta's arm rushed out to block her. Looking at him in confusion, Mineta just pointed to the far-left corner, where a security camera was stationed.

"We got lucky, it's out of charge, but there could be more cameras farther ahead. We can use the ventilation to avoid being spotted."

The two of them made their way over to a spot in the corner where a vent sat above them. Extending his arms, Mineta managed to quietly cut the metal grate away from the vent before gently laying it on the floor. After that, he looked to Tsu, then back to the vent, then to Tsu again.

"Do ah . . . do you want to go first, or second."

Tsu tilted her head, placing her finger on her chin. Up to this point, Mineta's tone had been serious and unwavering, just like it had been back at the summer camp. Now, he seemed awkward and nervous, refusing to look in her direction. 

"What's the issue, kero?"

". . . The vents are only big enough for a single person. We'll have to go one at a time."

That's when it clicked in Tsu's head. Since they wouldn't be able to crawl beside one another, they would both be in a compromising position in the vents. Tsu felt a flurry of emotions at that. Happiness that part of the old Mineta she remembered was still alive in there. Anger at the perverted insinuation. And finally, gratitude that Mineta hadn't tried to trick her and had instead given her the choice in the matter.

"I'll go second; you can take the lead. I trust you."

That seemed to dissolve the tension in the air, as Mineta nodded and began to climb his way into the vent. When he was fully inside, Tsu began her ascent, grabbing Mineta's offered hand to help pull her the rest of the way in.

"This way."

Mineta morphed his body into a pool of slime in order to reorient himself in the opposite direction from Tsu. Carefully, the teen began crawling on his stomach, with Tsu matching, the two of them making their way through their air ducts towards the main storage area. The crawl was slow so as not to make too much noise. Tsu wanted to ask so many questions, especially now that they were alone. She might not get another chance. But she couldn't risk compromising the mission. 

"{All teams, this is Kraken 0-1. We have eyes on the docks just outside the warehouse. Be advised, the crew are mobilizing in preparation for a shipment arrival. Cargo is unknown at this time, over.}"

"{Copy that Kraken 0-1, we've got a view on the crew in front of your position. Eight foot mobiles, one of them appears to be giving instructions to the others. Wait . . .}"

Silence took over the comm link for a moment, and neither Mineta nor Tsu dared move an inch.

{"Venom Team, this is Valkyrie 0-2. Be advised, unidentified HVI is moving into the warehouse from the docks. Bag him if you can, over."}

"{Copy your last, over.} Let's move."

The pair found another vent to hope down from, quietly descending onto a catwalk surrounded by shipping crates and covered in loose tarps. True to Nejire's word, a man dressed in a black trench coat opened a nearby door, letting himself and another individual inside. Tsu and Mineta watched from the shadows as the two conversed, although they were too far away to properly hear. 

That's when Tsu noticed Mineta tinkering with the side of his mask as he watched, before turning to her and pulling out her comm link. She didn't protest, but she certainly gave him a withering glare. He steadily ignored it, continuing to tinker with his mask as well as her comm link before finally giving it back.

"I've hacked into their frequency and added you to the wavelength. We should have no problem hearing them now."

Curious, Tsu put her comm link back into her ear.

"{I assure you; production is underway for the new high end nomu as we speak. The Master will be very pleased. We just need to work out some of the final kinks in its design. In the meanwhile, the latest batch of his soldiers will arrive in the next few hours.}"

"{For your sake Goro, I should hope so. Your payment is contingent on your success.}"

"{You needn't worry so much, Kurogiri. I always deliver, don't I?}"

Both Tsu and Mineta gasped at the mention of the warp villain from the League. Kurogiri wasn't the strongest member of the League of Villains, but he was one of the most versatile members of the group and had been essential for the villains to stay hidden. 

"I thought the HPSC had him contained after the battle at Kamino Ward, kero."

"So did I. {All teams be advised, Kurogiri is at the warehouse, I repeat, Kurogiri is here, over.}"

"{Roger, police are enroute to the warehouse now. Subdue Kurogiri if possible but securing the HVI remains top priority. Valkyrie 0-2, out.}" 

Tsu decided it was finally time to activate the emergency transponder on her comm link. Checking her phone, she saw that her location had indeed been sent out to her teacher. Tsu typed out a quick message to Aizawa Sensei that Kurogiri had been spotted. When she saw him typing back, she knew he would be able to take care of it. As she put her phone away, she noticed Mineta watching her. 

"Eraserhead has the best chance of stopping Kurogiri from escaping again."

Mineta said nothing, choosing to return his gaze to Kurogiri and the other man below. Tsu sighed. She had suspected that Mineta wouldn't be happy about Aizawa Sensei making an appearance, but the situation was too dangerous to consider otherwise. Below them, Kurogiri input a code to unlock a metal shipping container, allowing the reinforced door to fall to the ground with a loud thud. 

Tsu's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest as her pupils widened. Taking slow, thudding steps out of the shipping container, the nomu from the USJ stepped out into the warehouse. 

"{It took the police a while to find it, and even longer for our contact inside the force to arrange for its escape. But now that it's back in our possession, it will serve as another indispensable asset in the ultimate destruction of hero society.}"

"{Master Tomura will be especially pleased to know that his favorite toy has been recovered.}"

"{Regrettably, Shigaraki is the only individual who can fully control the beast, though the doctor has programmed it to follow simple commands from myself.}"

Tsu shuddered to think what devastation that creature could cause if it got out to the public. All Might himself struggled to defeat it back at the USJ. And here it stood, looking no worse for wear. What chance did anyone else have if even the Symbol of Peace couldn't defeat it?

Just then, police sirens could be heard approaching in the distance, alerting heroes and villains alike. Kurogiri shared a nod with the scientist before him before creating two portals, one for himself, and another for the nomu and the scientist. Mineta's voice appeared on the comm link from Kraken Team.

"{We're compromised, go loud!}"

Explosions and scuffles could be heard outside the warehouse at the harbor, as well as energy beams from the sky curtesy of Nejire. Tsu found Mineta grabbing her and jumping off of the catwalk just as the back wall of the warehouse caved in from the impact of a forklift. Ochaco must have removed its gravity before someone launched it through the air. Tsu fell through the air in Mineta's arms, watching as the catwalk above where they stood seconds ago was torn apart by said forklift. 

The two of them hit the ground hard, though Mineta managed to use his slime to cushion some of the fall. As Tsu regained her bearings, she saw the scientist ordering the USJ nomu through Kurogiri's second warp gate. The warp villain himself was already gone, and Tsu could vaguely hear her allies talking about it over her comm link. 

"We can't let them escape! I'm going after the scientist!"

"Wait, kero!"

Mineta was rushing towards the rapidly closing portal, and Tsu was hot on his tail. She could tell Mineta was about to do something stupid, and she wasn't about to let him go alone to an unknown location where anything could happen. The other teen phased through the black rift, and Tsu dived right behind him before the portal could close for good.

A cold feeling washed over the girl, like she was jumping through a cloud in the sky. And then she saw a metal floor and smelled salt in the air. Quickly, Tsu planted her hands on the ground and kept her momentum as she rolled into a kneeling position. From a cursory glance, Tsu realized that they were now on a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean.

"Nomu, destroy these heroes at once!"

The hulking monster screeched as it charged in their direction. Mineta had already summoned twin sickles and was engaging the monster in battle, dodging and weaving around its attacks by contorting his body in a way only slime allowed. Occasionally he'd managed to slice the nomu, but the damage was almost instantly repaired thanks to its regeneration quirk. 

The scientist in the black trench coat was sprinting away towards the bridge of the ship. Tsu wasn't about to let that happen. Hopping across the front of the hull, Tsu jumped into the air and prepared to lash out her tongue to restrain the man. Her plans were cut short when she felt a crushing force around her left leg as the nomu snatched her out of the air. The creature's grip was so strong that he instantly snapped Tsu's tibia. 

The girl didn't even have a chance to cry out in pain before the monster threw her back towards the front of the hull. Tsu's body skidded and rolled across the ship, getting closer and closer to the edge. Just before she fell overboard, she managed to grab ahold of the netting at the front of the ship. Tsu watched through a white haze of pain as her left leg dangled uselessly below her knee. Grunting and fueled by adrenaline, Tsu managed to pull her torso onto the edge of the ship.

When she looked up, she was met with an indescribable horror. The nomu that had been fighting them before was now screaming out in abject pain as it was consumed and ripped apart by an eldritch abomination made of purple slime that had sharpened into spikes and claws. Blood poured across the front deck of the ship, and Tsu watched in silent shock as the nomu's head was flung into the air, passing by a few feet from her before splashing into the salty water below. 

The thrashing sounds ended, and Tsu watched as the purple slime coalesced back into Mineta, although now he was missing his mask and was also covered in blood. The boy was breathing hard, though whether from exhaustion or anger Tsu couldn't tell. Probably both, if she had to guess. Slowly, Mineta began walking towards her, and when he silently offered his hand, she slowly moved to accept. It wasn't until she tried to stand that she was abruptly reminded of the pain in her now broken leg. 

"Argh!!"

"Shit, that's bad. We can't stay here. Come on, I've got you."

Without warning, Tsu felt herself leave the ground as Mineta picked her up in a bridal carry. As he carried her, another clone spawned itself from his body, moving ahead to check for anyone looking for them. Once they knew they were safe, the duo kept moving forward in the direction of the bridge. 

"We need to figure out what we're dealing with."

"That scientist mentioned that they were shipping nomu to Japan. But how many?"

"We'll ask the bastard when we find him. Here, this should help a bit with your leg."

Tsu shuddered as cold, purple slime slithered over her leg from Mineta's chest. Before she could question what on earth he was doing, the slime began to take shape and harden slightly, taking on a different feel. When it stopped moving, Tsu looked in awe upon seeing that she was now wearing a dark purple leg brace. 

"It'll do for now, but we need to keep moving. My comm link it busted. Does yours still work?"

Tsu felt for the device in her ear, tapping into it to try and get ahold of any of their allies. Static greeted her.

"Nothing."

"I doubt that they had another villain with a quirk that can jam communication frequencies on hand . . . maybe it's a side effect of stepping through Kurogiri's portals? Well, at least I still have my clone back at the warehouse. While we get some info out of our HVI, I'll get the team back on land to send medical."

At last, they had reached the bridge. Mineta spawned a second clone. The first clone began climbing his way onto the roof of the bridge, while the second took up position at the door on the side they were on. Several voices could be heard inside the bridge, and the Mineta holding Tsu turned away and hardened his slime to form a barrier. Still, Tsu couldn't help but try to peek over his shoulder. Part of her knew he was humoring her, since he could just as well encapsulate her entirely if he wanted.

In one swift kick, the first clone sent the metal door flying into an armed thug, knocking him out cold. Two others raised guns at the first clone, ready to fire. They were stopped as the second clone swung down from the roof and burst through the glass at the front of the bridge, kicking one thug into the other and disorienting them both. From there, it took only a moment to knock the remaining thugs unconscious before both clones of Mineta turned to the HVI. One clone shoved him into the front console of the ship and held him there, while the second put a sickle to his throat.

"How many nomu are on this ship, and who's making them?!"

"Fuck you!"

One of the clones landed a punch on the scientist.

"Wrong answer. Wanna try again?"

"You think I'll break to you? It doesn't matter what I say, you are all dead, WE ARE DEAD!"

The clone slammed his fist into the scientist's face again. It then proceeded to extend its hand and shoot a small purple slime projectile from its palm. The slime bullet tore through the metal door on the opposite side of the bridge with ease. The clone proceeded to rest its hand on the scientist's head, its palm flush with the man's brow.

"Last chance, asshole."

As the seconds ticked by, Tsu could see terror form on the man's face as he stared into the cold eyes of the clone above him. Stammering, the scientist rapidly began to pat his right pocket in the trench coat. The clone removed his hand from the villain's forehead and tore open the pocket, revealing a cargo manifest as well as a USB stick that clattered to the floor. Picking both up, the clone stashed the USB while glancing over the manifest. Tsu didn't like the grim look that crossed the clone's face. 

"Right. Time to wrap things up."

The clone restraining the scientist removed the sickle it had been holding to the man's neck, before moving behind him and putting him in a choke hold. The man struggled, but eventually he ran out of air and was rendered unconscious. Mineta's clones began to spawn more clones, until he had at least a dozen identical clones of himself moving to carry the bodies of the unconscious crew. Meanwhile, other clones rushed down to the cargo hold. The Mineta carrying Tsu made his way towards the back of the ship where the emergency lifeboats were stored. 

Some clones began to get two lifeboats together, one for the unconscious crew and another presumably for Mineta and Tsu. One of the clones approached them and handed Tsu a flare gun with three rounds, as well as a compass, before moving back to getting the lifeboats ready.

"What's going on? I thought we were gonna report back to the others about the situation and wait until the ship docks for medical."

"The situation's changed. There are hundreds of nomu on board this ship in bio containers. There's no way we can let this ship reach Japan, so I'm scuttling it here and now." 

Tsu's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Your gonna blow up the ship?"

"Absolutely. No one else is onboard. The crew had quirks that helped them run the ship with smaller numbers than usually required of a traditional crew. It also helped minimize their profile and gave more room for nomu storage. Once we're in the lifeboats, I'll go with the rescue team to help them find us, since I can inherently sense where all my slime is at any given time. The flares are to help them locate us when they get close."

As Mineta stepped into the lifeboat, Tsu instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck for stability. Part of her was flustered at the contact, although for the most part she was doing her best to fight off the surging pain in her leg now that the adrenaline in her system had fully worn off. Mineta gently placed Tsu down on one side of the boat, which was more akin to a raft, and created a slime mound to sit her leg on. The glob of slime wasn't constructed into anything specific like her brace, just a lump of purple goo. Tsu gathered that it was meant to act as a pillow of sorts, while also keeping the limb from accidentally jostling around too much.

From there, the two boats were lowered, and once they hit the water and drifted away to a safe distance, the remaining clones of Mineta in the hull triggered something that began to sink the ship. The clones rejoined their host in the lifeboat, flowing through the air as pure slime without form. It looked a bit like telekinesis to Tsu, and she had to admit that seeing the slime swirl around Mineta before being reabsorbed was oddly satisfying. Before long, all of his clones had joined back into a singular being, and the cargo ship was joining the briny depths. 

"Ryukyu and Nejire are on their way with my other clone, along with a medical helicopter. That scientist said they were expecting the cargo to arrive in three hours, so we're probably gonna be alone for a little while out here. Hope you're comfy."

"I'll manage, kero."

An awkward silence descended over the two teenagers, neither of them quite able to meet the other's eyes. Tsu was debating on whether or not now was a good time to talk to Mineta about what was going on. Should she ask him the questions that burned on her mind? Should she plead with him to come back to UA? Thirteen and Kaminari had tried, both had failed. Would her luck be any better?

"Alright, talk."

"Kero?"

Mineta sighed and turned to face her.

"Look, at this point you obviously know who I am. You could have learned it from Shinso, Tokoyami, Denki, or Hawks. Everyone seemed to learn it from Hawks. Point is, UA already tried coming after me. I know that you and me and Uraraka working together is more coincidental, and I could have encountered anyone from Class 1A. But I encountered you two, and I can see that you want to talk about my . . . situation. So, have at it. Got nothing else to do."

Well, this was an interesting development. Tsu could see that Mineta really didn't seem enthusiastic about discussing this topic, but he had opened the door for her if she wanted to take that route. Part of her felt bad about it, but she quickly steeled her resolve. Sometimes, you just had to rip off the band aid and get things over with. No matter how difficult this conversation would be, Tsu had to try. Not just try to get Mineta to return with her to UA, but to understand why he was so averse to accepting help. 

"What happened to you?"

"Human experimentation. My genetics were fused with molecules from my quirk, making my entire body into slime, allowing me to explore several different applications of-"

Tus held up her hand to silence Mineta, not wanting to get into the Midoriya-level quirk explanation he was no doubt about to give. Not that she wouldn't mind hearing about it some other time, but right now she needed to stay focused on the task at hand.

"Maybe we can talk about that another time, but I meant what happened to your personality. The old Mineta we all used to know was cowardly, perverse, and generally had no manners. Now you're this stoic, intense, brooding teen. What did the Hero Commission do to you for that change to happen, and why were they interested in you in the first place?"

Mineta didn't answer for a bit, and Tsu watched as his brow creased. He was putting some thought into what his answer would be, and although Tsu could appreciate the fact that Mineta was taking this seriously, it also meant she wasn't likely to get much out of him. He was still so guarded. It would take the right questions and responses to help lower his walls. Tsu hoped she had the key somewhere inside her head.

"I've known the inner workings of the HPSC long before I even began attending UA. As for the exact nature of my connection to them, it's genuinely better if you don't know. I don't want you or anyone else from Class 1A to have the potential to be leverage against me. The further distanced we are, the better.

Madame President has great influence, but the power of her influence comes from manipulating a vast web of contacts. She offers help to others who can't refuse her offers, later making threats and forcing them to comply to 'repay their debts', which never end. I was in a position where I owed her a great deal, and part of our arrangement involved me attending UA for her benefit. Only, when I was expelled . . ."

"The staff had no idea that you were connected with such awful people."

Mineta forced out a laugh.

"No one did, that was the point. Anyway, I've always been this way for most of my life. The student you saw back at UA? He was a cloak, a disguise. I mean, some of it was real, like my love of gaming, and I really was friends with Denki. But the hero course wasn't really my cup of tea."

That shocked Tsu. She very vividly remembered Mineta stating that he had joined heroics to 'get with all the hot babes', for which she'd promptly tongue-slapped him for. 

"Most kids dream of becoming a hero, but for me? I knew what was behind the curtain, and it soured the idea for me. But I didn't have a choice in the matter. I had to repay a debt. Still do, which is why I'm here right now."

"What about your perverted acts? Or how you claimed to want to be drooled over by women, kero?"

Mineta dragged a hand down his face, tipping his head back as he sighed from what sounded like exasperation.

"Look, I know that stuff was wrong, and I regret going to the lengths I did. I was under a lot of pressure from the HPSC, and I'm a teenage boy dealing with stupid hormones. It's not an excuse, just an explanation. And for the record, I don't blame UA for expelling me. Principal Nedzu made the right call with the information he had. But . . . I never intended to actually do any harm to you or the other girls in 1A. I have . . . issues, lots of issues."

Tsu pondered what she'd been told. It was clear that Mineta was going through a lot more than any of them had thought. Her brain hurt from trying to piece together who Mineta really was, fragments of his past perverted behavior mixing with the stoic but awkward teen before her and the cutthroat hero she'd been saved by and fought alongside. Tsu wondered if Mineta even knew who he really was anymore. 

"I know you're tired of people trying to get you to return to UA, but you have to know that it's the best option."

Before he could refute her, Tsu held up a hand and politely silenced him. In the back of her mind, she found it strange that he was being so cooperative with her when he hadn't seemed to be that way with Either Thirteen or Kaminari. Maybe it was because they were literally stranded at sea awaiting rescue. But Tsu also thought back to when he'd looked at her in the forest, remembering Hawks describing Mineta having to watch her holographic double perish horribly. That, combined with how he tenderly carried her around the ship, made Tsu think that Mineta might see her as something more than just a friend like Kaminari.

"I know you weren't fond of Shinso and Tokoyami for tricking you, especially Shinso for brainwashing you. And I know you're less than thrilled about seeing Aizawa Sensei again."

This time, Tsu could see a slight tremor in Mineta's body at the mention of her homeroom teacher.  She paused, offering him the chance to interject. After a few moments, he spoke.

"I'm . . . afraid. The others don't like me, and that's fine, I know I deserve that. But Eraserhead . . . when I was experimented on, I saw him. It was some sort of, hallucination. He didn't look human; he didn't even look alive. And I just keep seeing that same hallucination, everywhere I go, of this dark phantom lurking behind me, watching me, biding its time. I can't go back to him."

That was deeply troubling, especially given how dedicated Aizawa Sensei was to undo his mistake. 

"You don't need to see him. The rest of us have started going to regular counselling sessions with Hound Dog. He could help you. And Vlad King would probably be able to fit you into a spot in 1B, or you could move to another course if you don't want to be a hero anymore. But the HPSC is using you, manipulating you to hurt other people for their own agenda. Hawks said he had to do some dark things for them too. He doesn't want to see you go down that road, none of us do."

"It's like talking with Thirteen all over again. Tsu, I believe that you mean every word you say. But just like before, it's the words of the few against that of the many."

"Forget the many!"

Mineta recoiled slightly, and Tsu composed herself. She didn't mean to get so worked up, but she needed Mineta to understand that people did care about him. 

"Forget them, kero. Right now, just focus on me. On us. If no one else was involved from UA, and the only person you had to worry about from the HPSC was the president lady, what then? Just forget the organizations, which group would you pick: Madame President, or Thirteen, Kaminari, and me?"

The air was silent, and Mineta dipped his head down, refusing to meet Tsu's pleading gaze. Eventually, the boy in front of her spoke in a soft, broken voice.

"You. I'd pick you in a heartbeat. Always."

"Then come back with me, please. Let me help you."

A tortured laugh erupted from Mineta's lips, scratchy and filled with pain. When he finally looked up at Tsu again, the girl slowly brought her hands to her face as tears spilled out of her eyes. She couldn't do anything but watch as Mineta stared at her, a smile on his face as tears of his own trailed down his cheeks.

"It's a lovely dream. But that's all it is . . . 

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . just a dream."

Chapter Text

Eventually, Ryukyu and the medical helicopter arrived. Mineta's clone riding next to Nejire rejoined with the one in the lifeboat next to Tsu, and the girl wasn't surprised when Mineta carried her into the helicopter. She was surprised that he didn't let her go, instead opting to take a seat and simply placing her in his lap, extending her broken leg out for the paramedics while doing his best not to jostle her. Despite his sincerest efforts, the subtle jostling of the helicopter did cause Tsu a not so insignificant amount of pain, and she inadvertently dug her nails into Mineta's body. The boy didn't seem to mind, just staring ahead as he vigilantly watched the doctors go to work.

Tsu watched through slightly bleary eyes as the purple leg brace was unstrapped from her leg and discarded on the seat next to her. One of the doctors' hands began to glow dark blue, and as he placed it over Tsu's injury, she felt her entire left leg become numb. Before she could panic, the man gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay. My quirk allows me to temporarily shut off nociceptors. We have some mild healing quirks among our staff, and once you see Recovery Girl, you should be good as new. But for now, you won't have to deal with the pain at least."

Tsu didn't trust herself to speak right now, so she just nodded, her brow still creased in worry and sorrow. While the rest of the doctors worked on cleaning her leg and foot of blood and grime, Tsu gently reached over to pick up the leg brace Mineta had made for her. Feeling it with her fingers, Tsu still felt amazed at how realistic it was. If she didn't know any better, she would 100% believe it was an actual medical product. Well, aside from the coloring, but Mineta could change his slime's color. He'd demonstrated that when he pretended to be Toga, they'd all seen that over social media.

Looking back at the boy himself, Mineta appeared to be doing his best not to look anyone directly in the eye, least of all her. But Tsu was persistent, and despite how defeated Mineta sounded earlier, Tsu knew she must be close to convincing him that he could come back to UA. Things wouldn't be the same as before, but maybe that was for the best. Tsu knew even if her classmates all agreed to help rescue Mineta, there would still be tension. But there were other options for her friend. Anything that wasn't the HPSC. Eventually, Mineta seemed to break, his stoic facade fading to a more real image. It wasn't the completely vulnerable side of him Tsu had seen earlier. More than anything, Mineta looked . . . tired.

"Do you want me to sit you down somewhere else?"

". . . No, kero. I feel comfy right where I am."

Mineta's eyes widened in confusion, followed by a slight flustering of his cheeks, before the boy managed to get himself somewhat back in control, swallowing heavily and clearing his throat.

". . . okay."

One of the paramedics chuckled, causing both Mineta and Tsu to look at her.

"You kids sure aren't being subtle about this at all. I'd tell you to get a room, but you're kinda starved of options."

This time, both of them began to grow hot in the face, their eyes widening as they frantically talked over one another.

"We aren't a thing, kero!"

"This is a misunderstanding."

"He's just a friend!"

"She's an acquaintance. I mean, I don't . . . I know it looks like we're together, but-"

"Not that that's bad, kero. It's just-"

Now the whole crew was laughing, and Tsu realized too late she had buried her head into Mineta's chest to avoid them, embarrassing herself further. This wasn't who she was! She was blunt and composed, like her father! And now all of a sudden, everything was moving too fast, and she felt like the world was tipping on its axis. Idly, Tsu realized that this is how Midoriya and Ochako probably felt around one another all the time. Well, most of the time. Did she really see Mineta the way Ochako saw Midoriya?

The paramedic that had teased them initially was crying from laughter. After wiping away her tears, the woman looked at both of them with a mirthful smile.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you! But you do look like a cute couple."

Tsu lowered her head, doing her best to shrink and disappear. Mineta just sighed, his body sagging slightly but never completely losing its tension or strength. He made sure to keep a tight grip on Tsu so that she wouldn't slip from his arms and hurt herself. That fact did not make their current predicament any easier to dismiss.

"It's a nice thought, but it'll never happen. The country knows what I did to Hawks. Even though Madame President spun it in her favor, that's not going to get rid of the image people saw. And don't tell me that it wasn't fucked up. I was there, hell, I bet some of you were even there to see it yourselves."

Mineta's words sucked the lighthearted atmosphere out of the helicopter, replacing it with a cold air of darkness. The smiles on the faces of the crew disappeared as somber expressions claimed them all. Tsu lifted her head, tightening her arms around Mineta's neck and nestling her head into his chest in an effort to comfort him. At this point, she didn't have any more words to convince him, so she hoped her actions would speak for themselves. Mineta let his chin rest on her head, bringing her in close and allowing himself this small chance to bask in the comforting embrace. The paramedic from before knelt down, a sad smile on her face.

"I was there, as a matter of fact. I saw the damage to Hawks, and it made me feel a bit sick, I won't lie. But thanks to us and our colleagues, he made it out of that wreck alive. And you? Kid, you did nothing wrong. We all watched as Hawks attacked you. You're a teenager, you were his intern, he was responsible for your wellbeing . . . and he attacked you."

". . . I- I put him in the hospital. I almost killed him."

"But you didn't. You defended yourself, and you walked away. You took the fight somewhere away from the public so that civilians wouldn't get hurt. And you saved six police officers who would have crashed and burned . . . my husband was in that chopper you know."

Mineta looked up, shock evident on his face. Tsu was equally shocked, but she focused on hugging her friend (not her boyfriend, not her boyfriend.). She rubbed soothing circles in his back where she could reach, and she vibrated her body at a low frequency like her parents had for her and her siblings when they were distressed. It seemed to work, as Mineta's breathing started to even out, and his heart began to slow.

"A lot of people have you to thank, kid. Don't sell yourself short."

Mineta just pursed his lips together and nodded, closing his eyes and allowing himself to fully relax for what must have been the first time in months. Neither he nor Tsu fell asleep, but the dull hum of the helicopter's blades helped them both relax, and the pair was left alone for the remaining three hours before they reached land.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

By the time the medical helicopter came into view, Shota was just about ready to throw out his capture weapon and wrangle it to the ground. Vlad King was checking on Monoma to make sure the blond boy was okay, and Shota had already spoken to Shoji and Uraraka. Gang Orca had also filled him in on the raid, which had apparently gone reasonably well. Mineta had split himself into two clones, and the clone that had accompanied Gang Orca had informed them of the nomu being delivered to the warehouse, and that he was going to take care of them for good.

While part of Shota thought it unwise to sink an entire cargo ship in the middle of the ocean, especially if it contained evidence pertaining to the League, he had to admit that the danger presented by all those nomu far outweighed any information they could have gained. Mineta had also informed Gang Orca that he'd disposed of the USJ nomu with prejudice, but that the League was apparently working on something even more powerful. Right now, Nedzu had sent out an alert to all hero agencies to be on the lookout for anything suspicions regarding suspected League activity, but hopefully the scientist Mineta had apprehended would help the heroes gain a leg up.

Of course, the boy himself had decided to join the paramedics to direct them to Asui, whom his other clone was with. Shota was going to have words with his student about that. He already had one reckless green-haired child in his class; he certainly didn't need another. But as the doors opened, Shota's reprimands died on his tongue as he watched Mineta, without his mask on, climb out of the helicopter carrying Asui in his arms. The moment the boy locked eyes with him, Shota saw Mineta lock up slightly, his face briefly lighting up with shock before settling over into indifference. 

The paramedics directed Mineta towards a waiting ambulance, with Chiyo already sat in the back preparing to use her quirk. Normally, she wouldn't leave UA to heal someone, but given the seriousness of the situation, and the other looming threat Shota had just been made privy to, it was imperative that his student get the best treatment available as quick as possible. And there was a chance that Chiyo could knock some sense into Mineta. She had a habit of doing that to people, whether they liked it or not. 

Shota watched as Mineta gently sat Asui down on the gurney, noticing that the girl clung to him for an extra second before letting go. As Asui was being loaded into the ambulance, Uraraka and Shoji came up to stand next to Shota, all three of them now observing Mineta. To their surprise, the boy let a small chuckle escape his lips.

"You're holding it like a teddy bear."

"It's a part of you, kero. I'm keeping it, that way I still have part of you with me."

Mineta nodded, while the rest of them looked confused. Shota looked down at his student, and he just barely caught sight of a purple leg brace clutched in Asui's arms before blankets were being pulled over her and the doors to the ambulance closed, the vehicle taking off to UA. 

"I'm gonna follow them, make sure she's got someone with her. She's still my intern after all. I'll see you tomorrow, Eraserhead."

"Of course. I trust you to take care of her, Ryukyu. I'll let Sir Nighteye know the details."

The dragon hero nodded and took off with Nejire, the two of them fading into the night after the ambulance with Asui and Chiyo. The police began rounding up the criminals from the warehouse and the crew from the cargo ship Mineta had tied up. As the convicts were driven off to prison, Detective Tsukauchi approached them all.

"That's all of them. Viscidity."

Mineta looked up to the detective, looking somewhat surprised that the man had addressed him by his hero title.

"On behalf of the entire police force, I want to personally extend our gratitude to you for saving six of our men. I understand that you situation is unique and that you'd rather not discuss it. I'm sure you know our stance, but regardless of all that, the force is grateful for your heroic actions."

"I, I did what I felt was right."

"That's all we can ask of you son."

Tsukauchi bowed, and Mineta tentatively followed suit. The detective then proceeded to look at Shota, who clearly was not hiding his emotions as well as he thought he was. Sighing, Shota urged his students to join Gang Orca and Tsukauchi to give a debrief of the mission. As they reluctantly walked away, Shota looked at Mineta and silently beckoned for the boy to follow him before walking to an open space in the docking back outside the warehouse. Tentatively, Mineta joined him, and Shota decided to sit down away from Mineta to give the boy room to decide the distance. 

Mineta decided to sit a good ten feet away from Shota, his back to the same wall as the two of them looked out over the now empty docking area. Shota allowed the silence to linger for a short while, seeing if Mineta would break it and open up to him. When that didn't seem like it would happen, Shota decided to take the initiative.

"I can't begin to imagine what's going through your head kid. After everything we learned, the things you had to experience, the pain you've had to bear . . . why do you choose to stay with the people who hurt you?"

Mineta's answer came without an ounce of hesitation, his voice laced with a level of hatred and despair that froze Shota's bones.

"Because they're the only people who chose to keep me. Everyone else has thrown me out. Everyone."

The implication was not lost on Shota, given that he'd been the one to expel Mineta from UA, thus throwing him out. Nedzu had been the one to actually issue the expulsion officially of course, but Shota had been the one to personally escort the boy off of UA property. He'd been filled with fury then and had been glad to be rid of what he saw as perverted filth that had no business being in his classroom. The teenager beside him was nothing like the cowardly boy he'd glared daggers at through his rotting bandages. 

It was still hard to comprehend that Mineta had undergone such a wild transformation, and it made Shota sick every time he thought about it. The horror, the pain, the loneliness, the subversion of one's own nature. Hawks hadn't been able to provide them with camera footage, but Nedzu had called in a favor from an associate to fix that problem.

Shota couldn't recall their name at the moment, but Nedzu's friend had an interesting quirk called Cerebral Cinema. It allowed the user to project the memories of others or themselves as a movie. That along with Detective Tsukauchi to back up everyone's testimonies would hopefully be enough to convince any court that Mineta wasn't safe with the HPSC. Shota didn't know if it would allow Mineta to return to UA, but he might honestly not have any other option. Not after the publicity he was getting lately. But none of that did anything to change how Mineta personally felt about UA, and his stance on that was clear to Shota by now.

He felt abandoned. And Shota could hardly blame the teen; they'd kicked him out after all. Their reasons had been legitimate, and there was no way of them knowing what sort of fate Mineta would find himself in afterwards. Mineta probably hadn't even known what would happen, not fully. But it had happened regardless, and now everyone was suffering the consequences.

"We didn't know you were connected to the HPSC. Nedzu said your parental records were falsified, not by you I presume."

Mineta didn't respond, and when Shota looked over to him, he saw the boy looking ahead into nothing, an expression of simmering anger resting on his face, even as his body trembled slightly. Shota also swore he saw a hint of something gold near Mineta's face, but he didn't have time to question that. Right now, he needed to get to the heart of the issue and hopefully convince Mineta to come back to them.

"Look, we tried to bring you back with force, that was our mistake. We were prioritizing your safety over your comfort. But that's not possible. So, now I'm going with the talking approach. I'm not really that good at it, as you can tell, but . . . kid, you gotta know that staying with your abusers isn't right, and it's sure as hell not sustainable. I know you probably don't like me-"

"I fear you."

Shota felt the breath leave his body upon hearing that. Looking back at the teen beside him, Shota could see that Mineta's expression of anger was slowly crumbling, and bleeding through the cracks was anxiety and terror.

"Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, every time I close my eyes . . . I see you. But it's not really you, it's a warped, twisted version of you. Always looming, watching, judging. Waiting for when I slip up, when my back is turned, when I drop my guard. It feels like . . . Death."

Mineta's voice was broken, timid, and it startled Shota to see this vulnerable side of his former student. A student whom he'd abandoned. A student who no longer trusted him. A student that feared him. Mineta viewed Shota as a Nightmare given physical form, and Shota was forced to live with that realization. It made his stomach churn as bile burned the back of his throat. 

"So no, I can't go back to UA. Because you're at UA, and so is Nedzu, and Snipe, and Midnight, and Jiro, and Yaoyorozu, and Tokoyami, and Shinso, and now Hawks apparently. I can't go back and be around all those people and just pretend like I didn't do anything wrong to them, or that they didn't do anything hurtful to me."

"But what about Thirteen, Kaminari, and Asui? What about Midoriya and Uraraka? Or Kota and Ragdoll? You've helped so many people, Mineta. You rose to the occasion; you stepped up to the plate and you were able to help every single one of them when they needed it."

"I shouldn't have had to!"

Now Mineta was standing, angrily glaring down at Shota, and despite Shota's instincts as a hero telling him to get up, that Mineta could bolt at any moment, his instincts as a teacher told him to remain seated. It was just like he'd said earlier, they had already tried the brute force approach. Mineta wasn't going to come back to UA unless it was on his terms. Shota was just gonna have to be patient until he found out what those terms were. He had a decent idea already, but if he acted too early his chance would forever be lost. 

"It should never have fallen to my shoulders! I shouldn't be the only person to know about my classmate's medical concerns, like Kaminari suffering from seizures, or that Uraraka is malnourished because she can barely afford food, or that Midoriya is a late bloomer who only got his quirk about a year ago! I shouldn't be forced to protect my friends from certain death at the cost of my own wellbeing! I shouldn't have to put myself on the line to do the adults' jobs for them, and yet, HERE WE ARE!!!"

Mineta was breathing heavily, visibly panting as he calmed down from his rant. As the seconds ticked by, Shota watched as Mineta's hateful expression devolved into a sad frown, and tears started streaming down his face silently while he wrapped his arms around his stomach and curled in on himself slightly. Shota dared not approach the teen, acutely aware of how unwelcome his company would be. But he did make some key observations.

First, he mentally catalogued all the information Mineta had told him. He now knew about Kaminari's epilepsy from the training camp of course, and he had suspected Uraraka was maybe having nutritional issues. But the part about Midoriya being a late bloomer, and to such an extreme extent, was horrifying news. That was something Shota would need to investigate immediately once internships were over. He'd be sure to send a scathing email to Nedzu about it, since the rat undoubtedly already knew the information Shota was looking for. 

The second observation Shota made was that despite having some mixed feelings for Class 1A, Mineta had still referred to them as his friends. That meant that there was still a sliver of hope that someone could still have a chance to reach Mineta and convince him to come back to UA. Shota had an inkling about that as well. So far, they'd had individual people talk to Mineta, whether it was on purpose or happenstance. But if Class 1A united in expressing their desire to see Mineta safely returned, that might finally tip the scales in their favor.

Of course, that would mean Shota would have to get the rest of his homeroom class involved, and there was also no telling what their real feelings would be on the matter. But even if some of his hellions still detested Mineta, he held hope that they would at least be able to put their personal feelings aside for the greater good. There was also the matter of Asui.

Shota wasn't blind, at least not in this case. He knew what he saw, and he knew that there was some sort of brewing attraction between his student and the distraught teen in front of him. Shota had made Asui promise not to tackle this herself, but now he was certain that he couldn't stop her at this point. If he didn't tell the rest of his class about Mineta's situation, she likely would. Asui may be acting reckless lately, but Shota knew she had a good head on her shoulders. Asui would get as many of her friends to help her as she could. Best to curb any vigilante activity now and just pull off the band aid himself. If they were going to all embark on this rescue mission, at least he could make it officially sanctioned.

"Anyway, if that's all, then I need to go. Here's a USB I found on the ship; it has the information regarding the high end nomu the League was talking about."

Mineta halfheartedly tossed Shota the USB in question before turning around to walk away. Shota slowly got to his feet, wincing as his knees cracked.

"Wait."

Mineta slowly came to a stop, turning around halfway and eyeing Shota with a mixture of suspicion and weariness. It struck Shota just how exhausted the kid looked, his eyebags worse that Shota's own at the moment. Not wanting to waste his chance, Shota flicked a business card at Mineta, who caught it with a small flick of slime.

"It's the address for Nighteye's Agency. There's a raid going on tomorrow, a rescue operation, against the yakuza. A lot of Class 1A will be there, along with some high-profile heroes. It's gonna be a big operation . . . we could use your help."

Mineta stared at the card, as if looking for the answers to the universe itself. His eyes flicked up to Uraraka and Shoji, before moving back to Shota. The man nodded, answering the unspoken question. They would be there as well. Mineta closed his eyes before slipping the card into a pouch on his belt.

"I'll be there."

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

"That was certainly quite the awful break, young lady. I hope for your sake you don't try a stunt like that in the future,"

Now back at UA, Tsu moaned tiredly as Recovery Girl's quirk went to work fixing her leg. Flexing the limb and putting pressure on it to test how it felt, Tsu was pleased to find that her leg was back in tip-top shape. Sheepishly, she nodded to Recovery Girl, gladly accepting the gummies the nurse offered to her.

"I didn't mean to let that thing grab me, kero. At least I had a friend to help me."

"Indeed. And you say he made this?"

Tsu watched as Recovery Girl pulled the leg brace Mineta had made on the fly for her. Even just looking at it brought back emotions that made Tsu's head spin and warm her cheeks. Her parents had always instilled the importance of independence in her and her siblings, knowing that they wouldn't be around to protect their children forever. And because Tsu had always had to look after her siblings at home, she was well versed in relying on just herself. But . . . it had felt nice, to have someone else looking after her for a change. 

"He did."

Recovery Girl sighed, and Tsu could see the age in the heroine as she did.

"It's annoying, and ironic. Mineta has changed so much, and even though he won't come back to UA, he still cares so much about you and the other kids from 1A. If only I could get any of you youngins to take care of yourselves, not just each other."

Tsu silently agreed. As much as she cared for her classmates, she recognized that her class had issues when it came to prioritizing themselves when they needed to. She'd seen it back when Bakugo had been kidnapped. Kirishima had gone around trying to recruit other students to embark on a rescue operation of their own. Thankfully that had been put to rest, and Mineta's intel was spot on about Bakugo and the League's location. Although . . .

Now that she thought of it, Class 1A's desire to go to extreme lengths in order to help others might come in handy here. While it was true that Mineta hadn't made the best mark in Class 1A while he was officially part of it, if her classmates learned what Mineta had done for them and many others since his expulsion, as well as the horror that he was living through, then perhaps Class 1A could be persuaded to work together and bring him home. 

Mineta had made it clear that he trusted her, Kaminari, and Thirteen. But he had also correctly stated that they were the minority, the few. If Tsu wanted to convince her friend that he was welcome at UA, she would need the voices of the many on her side. There was just one problem. She'd be breaking her promise to Aizawa Sensei. Was that a worthy trade? She might be jeopardizing her place in the Hero Course, in UA entirely.

("You. I'd pick you in a heartbeat. Always.")

Mineta's words rang in her ears. The memories of him carrying her, holding her close and secure, looking into her eyes, concern making way for relief, all piled into her head. There was no other way to interpret his words and actions. Whether or not he cared about UA, Mineta would always choose Tsu if it came down to the wire. That made her choice easy.

Just then, the door to the infirmary opened, and Aizawa Sensei walked in looking somewhat more disheveled than usual. 

"I spoke to Ryukyu and Sir Nighteye, they're both okay to still let you be part of the raid tomorrow against the Shie Hassaikai. If you feel up to it, that is."

Tsu gently plucked the leg brace from Recovery Girl's hands before walking to stand before her homeroom teacher, a defiant look in her eyes.

"You told him, didn't you?"

"I did. Out of everyone who's approached him, you've had the biggest impact. If you're on the raid tomorrow, there's no doubt in my mind he'll try to stay as close to you as possible."

"I don't want to abuse his trust, kero. We can't force him back here; it needs to be his choice. But we've tried talking to him on our own. He doesn't believe that the others will share our faith in him. I know I promised not to tell the others about this, but if we want to convince Mineta that he can belong here, they need to know, so that they can help."

Aizawa Sensei sighed, his eyebags becoming all the more pronounced. When he looked back at her, Tsu could see exhaustion mixed with an openness she hadn't ever seen before on her teacher's face.

"I know."

"Kero?"

"Tonight. We're going to tell all of them, right now. They all deserve the truth."

Chapter Text

As Tsu made her way back to the 1A dorms behind her homeroom teacher, they were quickly joined by Thirteen. The Space Hero had their visor down, and Tsu could see the sorrow in their eyes as the rescue instructor walked beside them. 

"Coming with us to help break the news?"

"More like making sure none of your students break out into a fight once you tell them. Vlad King and Midnight are talking to 1B about it right now as well, and Principal Nedzu is finalizing his public announcement to cast some light onto the HPSC."

"About time."

And indeed, it was about time, in more ways than one. It was time for everyone to learn the truth. Not just the rest of Tsu's classmates, not just Japan . . . but the world. At this point, the girl couldn't care less what her friends thought about the situation. Aizawa Sensei was banking on them being able to put past grievances aside for the sake of helping rescue Mineta, but Tsu needed no such motivation. Time and again Mineta had shown that he would put everything on the line for them. Now, she was ready to do the same for him.

Eventually, the three of them reached the 1A dorms, and when Tsu entered after her teachers, she could see everyone gathered in the common room. Todoroki and Bakugo stood at the front, most likely having been the ones to gather everyone together. The Dekusquad and Bakusquad sat next to Todoroki and Bakugo respectively, while the others milled about in the vacant spaces. Kaminari was off to the side, crying silently, while Shinso and Tokoyami did their best to give him support. 

Everyone's attention snapped to Aizawa, Thirteen, and finally Tsu herself, all three of them choosing to remain standing before everyone. Some of Tsu's classmates curiously eyed the purple leg brace in her hands. Nervously, in Ochaco's case, remembering how Tsu had been wearing that very leg brace less than an hour ago. Todoroki spoke from the head of the group, his eyes narrowed and defiant. 

"Sensei, I know what you had us promise, but that's not going to work anymore. They need to be told-"

"I know, Todoroki. I know. That's why I'm here."

Todoroki's gaze remained intense, but he didn't move to argue further. Those not in on the secret of course began to speak their mind, now curious beyond containment. 

"What do we need to be told, exactly?"

"Does it have to do with Denki crying?"

"Is it about Hawks?"

"Is no one gonna ask why Tsu is just carrying around a purple leg brace? Did you break your leg, girl?!"

Tsu looked over to Ashido, who had worry written all over her face. Reluctantly, Tsu nodded and watched as her pink friend recoiled as if she'd been physically struck. 

"But I'm okay now, kero."

Upon noticing that her legs were both in working order, many of her classmates relaxed slightly, though not enough to completely drain the tension in the room.

"That's great, but why is the brace purple?"

"She got it from that slime hero, the one from the training camp. He was with us during a raid at a League warehouse tonight."

"You mean the guy who crippled Hawks?! What the hell, Tsu, why would you trust that guy?!"

"Didn't he also save us from the League at the camp though?"

From there, everybody began talking and yelling over one another about all the things the controversial hero had done. How he'd saved them all, how he'd looked out for others, how he'd brutally attacked villains, and how he'd permanently injured Hawks. It seemed that Mineta was still just as divisive now as he'd been before all this madness. Eventually, Aizawa flared his quirk to silence the class, waiting for all of them to look at him before closing his eyes.

"Everything you all just said about the hero known to the public as Viscidity is correct. But there's more to the story than you currently know. For some time now, Principal Nedzu has been leading an official investigation, alongside the police, us UA staff, and six of you."

Upon stating this, Aizawa Sensei beckoned the other five students currently in on the investigation to join him next to Tsu. Kaminari stayed between Shinso and Tokoyami, snuggling into Dark Shadow to hide his tears. Bakugo crossed his arms and refused to look anyone in the eye. Todoroki stood beside Tsu, placing a hand on her shoulder and letting her lean into his warm side for comfort, something she greatly appreciated, even if it wasn't the source of warmth she really yearned for at that moment.

"We've received intel from Hawks, as well as personal statements from some of your classmates next to me, and they have all been verified by Detective Tsukauchi, who possesses a quirk called Lie Detector. The individual behind the mask of Viscidity, is none other than Minoru Mineta."

For a moment, stunned silence overtook the room as the remaining fourteen members of Class 1A bluescreened, struggling to compute the information that they'd just been given. Ashido, Kirishima, and Sero all looked to Bakugo and Kaminari for conformation. Bakugo bowed his head, a silent admission that indeed, their homeroom teacher was telling the truth. Kaminari cried louder.

"H-he was my friend. He was there for m-me, when I needed him most. And- and I . . . I c-couldn't save him. I couldn't save him from h-himself."

Tsu recalled the nervous energy she'd felt watching Kaminari convulse on the ground at the training camp as her teachers struggled to do anything. She remembered Mineta/Viscidity taking charge, knowing exactly what to do and staying calm as a cucumber, even though internally he must have been freaking out as much as they all had been. He knew exactly what to look out for. Midoriya suddenly shot up, shock written all over his face.

"He knew."

Confusion and caution spread throughout his nearby friends, but Midoriya just pointed a finger at Bakugo.

"That night, when Saburo Sensei broke into my apartment, he showed up just in time. I knew it couldn't be a coincidence, and this proves it! He was there, Kacchan! He knew Saburo Sensei would come after me because he was at Aldera like us! That's how he knew!"

Tsu watched as Bakugo's eyes widened a fraction, only now having connected the dots Midoriya had strung together. Aizawa Sensei raised his hand.

"You and I are gonna have a talk about this later, Problem Child."

Midoriya let out an eep before bowing his head.

"Yes, Sensei."

Aizawa Sensei sighed, and Tsu could tell that the conversation was already getting away from the direction he'd wished to take it. Thankfully, Thirteen chose that moment to take the reins.

"After All Might's retirement, Hawks briefed us on the situation, which we are now choosing to brief you all on. Some way or another, Mineta ended up in the clutches of the HPSC after his expulsion, and according to Hawks he was experimented on and vigorously trained and tortured by the organization, molding him into the individual he's since become. We at UA recently attempted to rescue him from the HPSC, but our mission ended in failure. We've since tried talking to him, trying to get Mineta to see reason. We've failed at every turn."

"Which is why I'm agreeing to a new strategy. As your homeroom teacher, I previously forbade the six students before you from speaking about this. I've since rescinded this order. I understand that you all may have certain opinions regarding your former classmate, and I encourage you to express those feelings in a moment to clear your system. But as burgeoning heroes, I am asking you to set whatever negative feelings you may have aside in order to help us save an abused child from his abusers."

Before the students could once again start yelling incoherently, Thirteen raised their hand and signaled for order. The Space Hero pointed one of her fingers into the crowd, and after some confusion, it was determined that they were pointing at Hakagure, the girl surprised that she had even been notice amidst the chaos. 

"We're going to be civilized about this. Each of you will speak one at a time, airing your thoughts before passing the right to speak to another classmate. Once everyone had said what they feel like they need to say, we'll brief you all on the plans for tomorrow's raid. Every one of your mentors has been pulled to assist in this matter, so you'll all need to be informed. Hakagure, you can start whenever you're ready."

The invisible girl shifted in her seat, clearly nervous about talking, but with the comfort of her friends beside her, she managed to muster up the courage. 

"Well, if we're allowed to speak our minds . . . I'm still super pissed about all the perverted shit he tried to do to us! It was disgusting and vile! None of us girls appreciated that, and when he was expelled, it felt like a weight lifted off of me, like I could finally breathe again. I mean, none of you girls can tell me that you didn't feel revolted when his eyes roamed your bodies. Especially you two, Momo and Tsu! He actually touched you both!"

While everyone watched Yaoyorozu involuntarily shudder and hold her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting, many surprised looks were shot Tsu's way as she absentmindedly shook her head. The small hand from the USJ that had squeezed her breast was a tiny afterthought by now. She remembered in far more clarity the strong hands that had held her shoulders steady in a dark forest, the same hands that had carried her and comforted her when everything seemed to be going wrong. She missed those hands, and the boy attached to them even more.

"But . . . if he's really being abused like you say he is . . . I don't want him to suffer that either. We saw what he did to Hawks. You don't just decide to hurt someone like that, not unless there's something wrong with you. If Mineta is in that much need of help, then I'll be there to help him."

Hakagure nudged Yaoyorozu, and the Class Vice President worked up the nerve to speak her mind.

"Sometimes, my mind takes me back to when he stuck himself onto my back at the Sports Festival, and I feel the urge to expel the contents of my stomach. I'm not sure I can ever forgive or forget that. But I also can't sit back, knowing all that he's suffered. If nothing else, I will help in order to subvert a corrupt organization that currently controls the career path we've all set ourselves on. The HPSC must be stopped."

Jiro grasped Yaoyorozu's hand in her own, and the other girl smiled at her friend.

"He tries anything perverted again, and I'll stab his other eye too, mark my words. But . . . sure, I'm in. It's like Momo said, we have to consider the bigger implications of letting the HPSC continuing as it is, which is bad news for every aspiring hero. I'll help, but I'm still wary."

Ashido rubbed the back of her head.

"Well . . . now that I think about it, aside from the peeping incident, Mineta didn't really do anything to me personally. And he was really cool back at the training camp. He helped us when it mattered most. I think it's only right to return the favor. I don't know what I would have said to him had I known it was him under that mask at the time, but I'm sure the right words will come to us when we need them!"

Ochaco's knuckles began to turn white as she clamped her hands over her knees, looking down at her feet before bravely meeting each of her classmate's eyes one by one.

"He saved us, despite knowing that we despised him. Someone close to me once said that it's a hero's job to meddle where they aren't needed."

The look Ochaco sent Midoriya's way was not lost on Tsu, and she began to recall the mall story as well. Midoriya still had Mineta's signature written down in his hero notebook. Tsu realized how awkward that must have been for the teen, to write down his hero name for classmates who no longer recognized him. It really struck Tsu how close Mineta had been for so long, right under their noses and yet always just out of reach. Hopefully, not for much longer. 

"He may not believe it, but right now, I think Mineta needs us."

Ashido shot to her feet, nearly smacking Ochaco in the face by accident.

"Wait, that's why he was so attached you back at the camp, Kaminari! You and him were best friends!"

Kaminari sunk further into Dark Shadow, and Ashido realized too late that she'd reminded the other boy of painful memories, especially with how she'd highlighted that Kaminari's friendship with Mineta was currently in the past tense. Kirishima and Sero stood and joined Ashido's explanation.

"Yeah, he was there, he watched us all teasing Kami before our remedial courses."

"I remember feeling super intimidated back then. He wasn't being very manly to us. Though . . . we weren't so manly ourselves. Sorry, Kami."

Kaminari just sniffled as he did his best to nod. Ashido suddenly piped up again.

"Wait, how exactly did you find out?"

"After the camp, I talked to him outside the hospital, and I asked him for his gamertag to prove that he was really Mineta beneath the mask. And we laughed about it. I thought . . . I hoped that things would actually be better after that. But then he said how afraid he was, said he felt violated after Shinso brainwashed him. He thought that if Shinso, someone neutral to him, would violate him like that, then he didn't want to think what we would do."

That sobered the room right up. For so long, the class, and many of the staff, had viewed Mineta as a parasite, something that would latch onto and infect them. And they had steered clear of him due to that perception. To learn that he was actually scared of them . . . nobody was sure what to make of that revelation. No one looked like they wanted to speak on it, although by now everyone looked like they were ready to devote themselves to the mission.

"He was the first stranger to compliment me, in his own, bizarre way."

Shoji crossed his arms and closed his eyes, remembering how Mineta had called his tentacles sexy. It wasn't sarcastic, it was straightforward. Certainly, it was a weird compliment, but it had been genuine nonetheless, and it had helped Shoji come out of his shell that day, allowing him to make friends with other Class 1A students. Koda added his input when no one else spoke.

"I don't approve of Mineta's past actions, but when we were in the training camp, the animals spoke to me about purple beasts battling the villains and protecting our friends. They described him like a mother bear fighting to protect her cubs from danger. And even before that night, he was always looking out for us, making sure we had what we needed most."

"Indeed. I always had ample access to orange juice to rejuvenate my leg engines thanks to Mineta's considerate actions!"

"He always had cold soba ready for me when I was hungry."

"Fucker at least knew what kind of spices I needed to give that bland ass food some actual taste."

"He gave me noise canceling headphones when the world got too loud."

"When my acid was getting out of control, he had salves at the ready!"

"He always had food prepared for me and Yaoyorozu when we were straining our quirks to their limits."

"He was a good sparring partner when I needed to practice fighting with and without my tail."

"Though not as bright as moi, his shinning splendor was magnifique."

"He always did his best to humor me when I asked him about his quirk. It was so interesting, I kept thinking of new applications of it for hours! Even now I think I could fill up an entire volume on him alone! And he was even kind enough to sign my notebook! Not many heroes have done that for me. And . . . he saved my mom."

None of them had forgotten that, of course. The first unofficial meeting between a member of Class 1A and the so called 'grapist' that had been banished from their found family. Many of the students had been over to visit the new Midoriya apartment on UA campus, and Inko Midoriya had endeared herself to them all with katsudon and Izuku's baby pictures. Izuku had been embarrassed at the time, but they could all tell that his embarrassment was far outweighed by the sheer gratitude that him and his mother were now safe. And to think that it was all because of the one person that Class 1A had despised the most, aside from actual villains.

The shattering of glass against the floor caught everyone by surprise. When the initial shock wore off, everyone turned to face the source of the noise. They were met with Shinso's distraught face shifting between horror and sickness. Already, Thirteen was moving to clean up the glass, while Kaminari and Tokoyami turned to their companion with outstretched arms, asking him if he was okay and trying to get his attention. When their efforts failed to yield anything, Aizawa Sensei stepped up to the trio and knelt before Shinso, gently gripping the boy's hands and holding them up to his chest.

"Follow my heartbeat, slow your breathing down to match my heartbeat Shinso. That's it. That's it."

Their classmate looked mildly more present than he had a moment before, but his pupils were still wavering as tears threatened to spill over the edges of his eyes. Shinso was mumbling incoherently, and so lowly that his words couldn't be deciphered like Midoriya's often could.

"Kid, I need you to try and calm down. What's on your mind?"

"His mom."

The class gained confused expressions, looking between one another to try and understand what the issue was. Inko Midoriya was a wonderful woman. Why would mention of her cause Shinso to become distressed? The class was almost ready to brush it off when Tokoyami suddenly went rigid along with Dark Shadow, the former doing his best to calm down the latter who seemed on the verge of causing vast amounts of destruction in a fit of rage. Aizawa Sensei chose to trust that Tokoyami could control the situation with his own quirk for the moment, focusing on understanding what Shinso was talking about.

"His mom?"

"When Tokoyami and I went to subdue Mineta in the forest, I had to brainwash him to get him to follow us. I asked him questions on the way back to camp, stuff about the HPSC, names and titles of people in charge. We got interrupted by the League before he could finish, but . . . when I asked him why the President of the HPSC was so interested in him, Mineta started to say . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . . 'She's my mom'."

The room froze, and it felt as if Shinso had somehow managed to brainwash every single one of them despite none of them being able to verbally respond to him even if they wanted to. Detective Tsukauchi wasn't here to verify the truth, but given Shinso, Tokoyami, and Dark Shadow's reactions, the evidence was quite clear. Tsu felt her skin grow clammy and cold, her body starting to tremble as she struggled to take in the horrifying knowledge she'd just been provided on a silver platter.

Mineta's mother is the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

His MOTHER.

The one person meant to take care of him, to love him more than anyone else, is willing to torture her own son.

Across the faces of everyone else, the same set of realizations began to sink in, digging their vicious, barbed claws into the souls of each and every one of them. Many people in 1A could point to difficulties and hardships from their pasts. Some of them had been lucky enough to have help, others had not. But to know that Mineta's own flesh and blood not only didn't care about him, but that she was willing to put him into harm's way at a moment's notice . . .

And for what?! For some twisted vision of her son becoming the greatest hero in history? To secure her own power and legacy? Or was she just so demented that she drew pleasure from her son's endless pain? Tsu didn't know the answer, but she sure as hell knew that she was going to help put a stop to that dark path right now. As she looked around at the faces of her classmates and teachers, she saw the same burning conviction present on their faces. Midoriya stood up, and he was quickly followed by everyone else. Aizawa looked at every one of his students, a dark look consuming his features, his eyes flaring red and dipping down from their usual crimson into a dark maroon.

"This is war."

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Ganma whistled to himself as he mopped the hallways around the lower sectors of the HPSC Headquarters. The man had a soft spot for old romance songs, and he was currently listening to a sweet tune by the name of 'I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire'. It was the first song he and Beru had slow danced to at their wedding. It was catchy, and it reminded Ganma about that lovely night when his life had changed forever. 

Though he did his best not to show it, Ganma deeply missed his family, and being away from them for so long was extremely taxing on his emotions. But his wife and children needed what he provided. His two youngest still had so much to learn and experience, and his eldest daughter was finally getting to live out her lifelong dream. Many children in this day and age desired to become heroes, but very few of them actually made it into the profession to begin with. And those who did make it still had to struggle to maintain relevance in the public eye, unless they went the underground route.

Tsu had mentioned to him that her homeroom teacher was a hero of the underground variety, and when Ganma and Beru had met the man, he indeed looked and sounded the part of an underground hero. Not that Ganma had personal experience, mind you, but he was an observant and patient man. The way Aizawa's eyes had scouted their house in less than five seconds, the way he always sat in such a way that he could spring into action at a moment's notice, those were details Ganma had caught from observing the man. That, along with the scar he'd acquire from defending his students at the USJ, helped make Ganma feel more at ease letting UA look after his daughter.

Still, the new arrangement meant that Ganma needed to start earning more money, since Tsu would no longer be at home to watch Samidare and Satsuki. Beru's savings could support the family for now, but Ganma didn't want his wife to have to keep digging for more money through loans. So, when he'd managed to get a job as a janitor for the HPSC, Ganma had been elated. Sure, being a janitor wasn't a glamorous job, but the HPSC paid him enough money that the daily toil was worth it. But despite the benefits and increased pay he was receiving, Ganma's thoughts always turned back to that one moment not too long ago, when he'd bumped into that boy from the news.

He'd gotten a chance to see the footage after the teen had excused himself, as well as the media conference about Hawks. While everyone else focused on either how injured the former Number Three Hero was or questioned if the teen responsible should truly be absolved of any wrongdoing as he had been, Ganma found himself worried. The look he'd seen in that boy's eyes when they'd first crossed paths was nothing short of dread and despair. No child should ever have to be burdened with such pain, such trauma, and they especially shouldn't be forced to bear it alone. Ganma had to wonder just what the HPSC was doing, employing a minor as a fully-fledged hero? Not a student, but a hero with an actual license, which is what Madame President had said. 

These thoughts had plagued Ganma day after day, but he'd always managed to push them to the side and get on with his job. He was just a janitor, after all. He didn't have any real power here. Today was going about the same as the other days, until the man heard the clatter of heavy metal, the crunching of concrete, and muffled shouts of rage from one of the nearby gyms. Against his better judgement, Ganma opened the door, gasping silently at the chaos he found.

All across the room, exercise machines were flipped over, cracked and broken. Weights had been flung around the room, some of them torn apart through sheer willpower, others thrown like frisbees and embedded into the walls. TV screens were cracked, and loose wires hung from the backs. Panting in the center of the room, standing amidst a crater in the floor, stood the boy Ganma had seen before. The teen had his back to the door, and Ganma could see purple tendrils tipped with barbed sickled writhing back and forth from the boy's back and shoulders. His fingers had sharpened into blackish purple claws with serrated edges, and the strained breathing coming from the teen was labored and sounded inhuman.

In one swift motion, the boy's head snapped around to face him, and Ganma briefly saw golden irises with no pupils in sight, the teen's face consumed by glowing yellow veins. But then the moment was over, and the teen suddenly seemed to come back to himself, sucking in a breath of air and shuddering. Slowly, the menacing tendrils on his back began to recede, and shame colored the boy's face.

"I-I'm sorry, I . . . I didn't know that you were-" 

"It's alright son, you're alright."

Being careful not to get cut on any debris or shock himself stray electrical cords, Ganma slowly made his way over to the troubled child. The man could see tears begin to form in the boy's eyes, and Ganma didn't hesitate to embrace the boy in a hug before they could fall. The child went still in his hug, arms hanging limp at his sides as he sobbed. 

"What's on your mind son?"

"It's . . . I just learned about something awful happening. A bunch of heroes are gathering to help save this little girl who's being abused. When I learned about it, something just . . . snapped."

A lot of information was being left out, likely due to confidentiality, but Ganma felt like he was able to read between the lines pretty well. If a sizable group of heroes were teaming up to rescue a young child, they were probably expecting heavy resistance. And given All Might had recently retired, crime was beginning to rise once again. But Ganma sensed that this wasn't what really had the teen in his arms upset. Images of the boy covered in blood that wasn't his own returned to Ganma's mind, as did the reports on Hawks and the surviving footage from the chase turned battle.

The boy had been startled back then, but not for long. In fairly short order, Ganma had witnessed the child shut himself off and return to business as usual. Ganma had a sick idea of what that business entailed, and he was starting to question the merits of his new job.

"This little girl . . . you feel like you resonate with her pain?"

The teen began to cry harder, and Ganma held him tightly, rocking back and forth.

"It's alright, I've got you son. I've got you."

After what felt like an eternity, the boy began to calm down slightly. When the boy spoke again, his voice was ragged and filled with grief he didn't seem to know where to place.

"What do I do? I want to help so bad, but every time I try, I end up being consumed by this, this rage. It blinds me, and people get hurt. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"It's not anger that's keeping you down son . . . it's fear."

The teen stepped away and looked up to Ganma, and the man did his best to smile.

"You're afraid of messing up, of letting others down. But it's not always gonna be something you can control. If we were all capable of doing everything, then no one would be able to accomplish anything, because we'd all be stepping on each other all the time. It's hard to do, but you need to let your fear of messing up drive you forward. Courage is what drives heroes to be great, to face impossible odds. You can't get rid of your fear; you need to use it. Be courageous despite how afraid you feel. And have faith in your allies, kid. They may be just as afraid as you, but if you have courage, they will too."

Ganma put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Just remember, it's not all on you. No one person can do everything, but it's important that we all do something."

Wiping away his tears, the boy steeled himself and nodded, a spark of determination returning to his eyes. This time, the two parted on slightly less awkward terms, with Ganma staying behind to clean up some of the mess in the destroyed room. He had quickly called in for a full maintenance team to fix the broken equipment and electrical circuits, but for now he could at least clear some of the loose debris. But the crying teen never left his mind. Ganma was beginning to believe that the boy was less of a hero and more of a child soldier, and the man was absolutely not about to let that stand. 

Sending a quick message to his daughter, Ganma had to hope that Tsu might have some way of helping the troubled teen from the outside. At the very least, she could alert her teachers, and they could handle it. But that boy was going to drive himself to the brink of death if someone didn't intervene soon.  

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Standing in the elevator at Sir Nighteye's agency, Minoru went over everything that he'd planned so far. After Madame President had looked over the brief Eraserhead had provided for the raid, Minoru knew what was coming. Madame President's evil smile was all the confirmation that he needed to confirm his theory. The target was a girl named Eri, with a quirk that allowed her to rewind things to a past point in time while remaining relative to the present. She'd accidentally erased her own parents out of existence with her quirk when it came in, and ever since she'd been living with her new legal guardian, Kai Chisaki.

The brief had disclosed just who this Kai Chisaki was, and what sort of twisted operation his yakuza ran. It made Minoru's slime boil from the inside, hearing how this innocent child was being treated. He also couldn't help but feel that his own experiences mirrored Eri's. Part of him said he didn't have a right to make that comparison, that her suffering was so much worse than his own. Another part screamed at him to open his fucking eyes for once.

Regardless, Minoru knew that Madame President was going to send him to help the heroes retrieve Eri from Overhaul's grasp, fully intending on having the girl and her quirk for the HPSC to use as Madame President saw fit. Minoru would be damned if he let that happen, but he also couldn't just leave the girl to her fate as Overhaul's puppet. It felt like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. It wasn't until Minoru had let off some aggression and talked with that kind janitor that he finally realized what he had to do.

For so long, Minoru had been forcing himself to hold the rock away from him, his back to the wall. But no matter what he tried to tell himself, no matter how much he denied it, Minoru knew he was close to punching in his ticket for the other side of the veil. Something had to give, and at last he knew that a choice had to be made. It was time to let go of the rock and walk away. Minoru knew that many people at UA probably still hated his guts, but as long as he had one person in his corner, he could live with that. 

But at the HPSC, he had no one. Hawks was out of commission, and firmly on UA's team now anyway. Cylerium had always been distant and professional. There was a time when Minoru thought the man might actually care about his wellbeing, but then he'd seen how much Thirteen, Denki, and Tsu cared for him. How much emotion they poured into their words and actions. That helped Minoru understand that no one would ever truly appreciate him here at the HPSC. Not even the woman who was supposed to love him more than anyone.

Which is why he didn't feel bad about downloading all of the HPSC's sensitive files onto an encrypted USB he'd created in his spare time in the field, away from Cylerium's prying eyes. All he had to do was find a way to get it into the hands of someone he trusted. That list was distressingly low, but Minoru would make it work somehow. After that . . . Minoru didn't know. He supposed he would go to UA, but not before confronting Madame President one last time. He wanted-no, he deserved answers. And Minoru would get them, even if he had to travel to Hell itself and pry them out of the woman's mouth when she was rotting in eternal damnation. 

But first, there was a mission to take care of, and a child to rescue. Luckily, Minoru had a plan for that as well. It would help the heroes win handily, it would protect the child from all possible danger, and heck, it would give the media all the spectacle they could ever want. Now he just had to execute it, and hope that his former classmates would be willing to cooperate. No pressure.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Dust and bloody mist settled in the air around Izuku as he knelt in a defensive position. The weight on his back helped ground him, and the tiny hands that squeezed his shoulders out of fear reminded him of what exactly was at stake. Izuku let a small field of lightning encase him as he powered up One For All as much as he dared to risk. Across from him, Overhaul stood looking ragged and angry. Around them, heroes and hero students alike battled villains, multiple individuals from either side unconscious and in need of help. So far, Mineta's ruse was working. 

As if sensing his cue, the teen in question emerged from cracks in the walls, purple slime coalescing into the visage of Viscidity before beginning to rapidly grow. Slime tendrils began to swirl around his body, and Izuku quickly jumped and hitched a ride on one of them before Mineta began to tunnel his way out of the yakuza complex. Izuku could hear Overhaul roar behind them, terraforming the ground and giving chase in a growing monstrous form of his own. As Izuku prepared himself for the final confrontation, he ran through the plan one more time in his head, reminding himself how things had gotten to this point.

(2 Hours Earlier)

Izuku had been basking in the comfort his senpai Mirio was more than willing to offer when the doors to the meeting room opened. Everyone's eyes turn to face the newcomer, and Izuku's breath caught when he saw that it was none other than Mineta. The rest of 1A seemed to have the same reaction, and some of the heroes began to grow nervous with the teen's presence. Mineta himself looked to be a mixture of tired and enraged, and honestly Izuku couldn't blame him for the latter reaction. If he knew what the rest of them did about Eri, then anger was to be expected. 

"Before anyone says anything, I've already been brought up to speed on the mission plan you all created. I think it's perfectly sound, and I don't intend on interfering with it. However, I think it was a mistake to let the girl go back when Deku and Lemillion originally encountered her. I'm going to help rectify that today, and if any of you try to stop me, you'll have to deal with the consequences."

Sir Nighteye sneered.

"And how exactly do you intend on rescuing the girl all alone?"

Mineta simply duplicated himself, before both clones proceeded to duplicate again, and again, and again, and again. By the time he was done, there must have been nearly thirty Mineta's in the room, all of them glaring at Sir Nighteye.

"I'm never alone."

The clones all spoke in perfect synchronicity, which caused some mild unease amidst the other occupants in the room, minus Izuku of course. He was absolutely fascinated seeing the phenomenon up close. The clones all allowed themselves to be reabsorbed into a singular being, and Izuku found himself surprised to find Mineta walking straight towards him.

"However, I won't be tackling this all by myself. I have plans of my own. You all can execute your strategies against Kai's henchmen as you please, and any help against Overhaul will be appreciated. But I've meticulously prepared for fighting against him, and I won't let you or anyone else stop me from putting him down. Midoriya, a quick word?"

Izuku looked around at his classmates. Many of them looked worried, and some of them shrugged. When Izuku looked to his homeroom teacher for confirmation, Aizawa Sensei nodded. Izuku took that as permission to talk with Mineta about whatever the other had planned. And who knows, maybe he might be able to convince the teen to come home, despite the others having failed before.

When the two finally found an empty conference room, Mineta encased them in a dome of slime before pulling out a flashlight to illuminate the space. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Izuku felt too awkward and nervous to break the tension, and Mineta looked disturbingly like Aizawa Sensei when the man was glaring at him and calling him a problem child. Eventually, Mineta broke the silence, sighing and letting his guard drop for a moment.

"Look, Izuku, I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm so tired of everything. I know I did some shitty things to a lot of people, and I've tried making up for all of it. I know that Tsu, Denki, and Thirteen Sensei want me to come back to UA, and I'm . . . I think I'm just about ready."

"You are?!"

Izuku covered his mouth, embarrassed at how loud he'd spoken. But he could hardly help it, this was great news! Except . . . Izuku could sense that there was a catch somewhere.

"There's still some things I need to take care of, some demons I have to see through to the end before I can come back and accept whatever UA gives me. But once I've taken care of the last of my affairs with the HPSC, I'll come back and deal with whatever consequences there may be."

"Mineta, you know we don't hate you, right? We all want to see you happy and healthy, away from that toxic environment. Away from your . . ."

"From my mom?"

Izuku couldn't meet Mineta in the eyes, instead opting to nod as he looked at his shoes. 

"I know my life is a fucked-up collage of trauma and twisted morals, but that doesn't mean you or the others are obligated to fix it. I made my choices, and I need to suffer the consequences."

"That's true, but I think you're overexaggerating what those consequences are. I think your frame of reference is . . . skewed, in that regard. I suppose you and I have that in common."

After all, Mineta had gone to Aldera Junior High with him and Kacchan. Everyone in that school knew what Izuku had to deal with, even if no one ever liked to talk about it. But suffice to say, punishment at Aldera was hardly ever fair and just. And although Izuku knew only the bare minimum about what Mineta had gone through at the HPSC, the broad strokes that he and the others had been told painted quite an ugly picture. Izuku was willing to bet that the two of them shared more than either could have ever known before now. Mineta chuckled sadly at the reminder.

"I suppose we do."

The two just looked at one another with sorrow in their eyes and smiles plastered on their faces. Izuku felt slightly strange looking at Mineta straight ahead, instead of having to angle his head down. It was another reminder that his former classmate had gone through something horrific that no one should have to experience. Hopefully, once they figured out how to get Mineta away from his mother's reach and keep him safe, they could make sure she couldn't do this to anyone else going forward.

"Now, you said you had a genius plan that would be sure to win us the day?"

"Absolutely. When I learned what that bastard was doing, I stayed awake all night planning just how I was gonna curb stomp him. But I won't risk the girl coming into harm's way. So, I need your help. Here's what we're gonna do."

(Present)

Izuku grit his teeth together as he rode the tendril, the glow of One For All helping him see amidst the darkness of the tunnel being dug through the earth. The crunching of dirt behind him signaled the rapidly approaching form of Overhaul in his new kaiju form, burrowing after them with intense speed. Eventually, Izuku felt Mineta surge upward before breaking through the crust of the earth, light finally meeting the teen's eyes once more as he emerged into a forest beside a mountain on the outskirts of the city. The ground shifted and split, new ridges forming as the earth was torn from Mineta and Overhaul's rampage. 

Izuku quickly hopped off of the tendril he'd been riding on, bouncing from pieces of rubble before landing on a rock platform suspended midair by a vortex of swirling purple slime. The massive form of Overhaul's kaiju slammed into the earth right in front of Izuku, the bird creature howling at Izuku as Overhaul stared at him from the kaiju's mouth. Izuku glared back defiantly at the villain, ready to face him head on.

A rumbling signaled the alert that everything was in position. Izuku looked behind him to see several massive tendrils of slime grapple around Overhaul's arms, restraining them as a massive slime kaiju pulled itself up from the other side of the platform. Standing just as tall as Overhaul's kaiju at over fifty meters in height, Mineta's new monstrous form was every bit the eldritch horror Izuku had thought he'd witnessed back at the summer training camp. The only difference between now and then was the sheer size Mineta was making himself. Idly, Izuku wondered if the teen had any sort of limit on his slime capacity, or if it was all just a mental block he had to overcome. 

A bestial scream was released from Mineta's maw, and the slime kaiju raised its arms to strike Overhaul, cracking the red stone and chipping away at the villain's armor. In response, Chisaki surged his various arms forward, hoping to obliterate Mineta with his quirk. The slime tendrils intercepted them, slicing the arms just as fast as they could reform. As the two titans battled above, Izuku ran forward and caught a ride on one of Mineta's tendrils, using it to scale all the way up to his partner's head. As another volley of arms surged forward, and slime tendrils met to intercept them, Izuku jumped with One For All, leaping from tendril to tendril before jumping one last time straight towards Overhaul's face. Using thirty percent of One For All, Izuku slammed his boot into the villain's chest before quickly leaping backwards to avoid the man's quirk destroying his body. 

Overhaul briefly collapsed to the ground in agony, his rib cage having been fractured slightly from the force of Izuku's flying kick, and Mineta seized the opportunity to pierce Overhaul's kaiju body with several slime sickles. Multiple arms were severed from the villain's kaiju at the base, and Overhaul struggled to regenerate them. Concentrating, Overhaul merged his various arms into two singular and much stronger arms. The bulky appendages began to assault Mineta, knocking the slime kaiju around and destroying the forest. Mineta responded in kind, swinging his own claws and throwing punches whenever he found an opening. By now, Izuku had returned to Mineta's head, and Overhaul screamed upon seeing him.

"I will never let you take Eri from me! She will be mine forever!!!"

Izuku just scowled, not trusting himself to speak right now. The girl on his back cowered away, tucking herself into his body to hide from the villain's sight. Internally, Izuku had to give his partner props. Mineta was good at multitasking, and his acting abilities were especially on point here. All they had to do was hold the ruse up for a little while longer, just long enough for them to make an opening and land the decisive blow.

Mineta sliced off Chisaki's left arm, watching as his kaiju briefly lost its balance. As he wound up his left fist for a massive punch, Overhaul screamed as his real body was completely consumed by his quirk. The villain pushed himself to his absolute limits, and his kaiju's right fist extended to intercept Mineta's punch. Mineta roared in agony as Overhaul's quirk began to try dismantling him, and Izuku moved faster than he'd ever moved before. Mineta had told him that this would likely happen, and had promised that he could take the pain, but that Izuku would have to act quickly. 

When sharp spikes made of rock were hurled his way, Mineta brought up one of his slime tendrils to shield Izuku's advance. Izuku dodged and weaved around Overhaul's attacks and barriers, jumping and diving his way towards Mineta's captured fist. Flying through the air towards his target, One For All's green lightning wreathed itself around Izuku as he twisted midair and delivered a powerful kick at forty-five percent, his current limit. 

The stone shattered in an instant, and Mineta instinctively put up a slime barrier to shield Izuku from the fragmentation, as well as to anchor him to the fist he'd landed on, at least for now. With Overhaul's kaiju now missing both of its arms, Mineta reeled his fist back once again and began to send it towards the villain, straight into the stone titan's chest. The impact created a sonic boom as the force caused the stone kaiju backwards and off its feet. As Mineta's fist fully connected, he removed his slime restraints from Izuku, and the other boy flew forward from the inertia of Mineta's punch straight towards Overhaul.

Time seemed to slow as Izuku approached the man, his body looking even more ragged than before and exhaustion clearly visible in his eyes. Still, Izuku wasn't about to underestimate his opponent, not at the finish line. Sending forty-five percent of One For All through his body, Izuku planted his right foot into the same grove he'd previously made in Overhaul's chest, this time kicking the man so hard that his body disconnected from the stone he'd encased himself in. The two of them flew through the back of the stone kaiju, which began to fall apart now that Chisaki was no longer able to pilot it. 

As Izuku grabbed a now unconscious Overhaul and parkoured his way to the ground using the falling debris, he could hear Mineta ensuring the other kaiju's destruction as he slammed its lifeless body into the nearby mountain, burying it for good. Soon enough, Izuku touched back down to earth, surrounded by trees and with an unconscious B-Class villain limp at his feet. Slime tendrils snaked their way through the sky towards them before landing in front of Izuku and taking the form of a regular sized Mineta. 

Well, the new regular, anyway. It was still weird to consider that Mineta was almost as tall as Iida now.  But at least the both of them were okay, that's what mattered most right now. Mineta, despite his emotions being all over the place, couldn't seem to help but crack a smile.

"I just love it when a plan comes together."

"Yeah, I hear that. Speaking of that by the way, Eri's still safe right?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine. Well, not fine, but physically unharmed at least. I should probably take that off your back now."

Much like how Bakugo had told them about Minoru impersonating Toga, the girl on Izuku's back likewise turned into slime and rejoined the rest of Mineta standing in front of him. Back at the Shie Hassaikai base roughly three kilometers away, another clone of Minoru calmly walked out of the rubble carrying the real in his arms, the girl's head tucked into his shoulder as she whimpered quietly. By now, all of the villains had been defeated and were now being rounded up, but that didn't quell Eri's fear. 

Minoru did his best to comfort the child while his thoughts ran wild. His plan had worked so far. Taking down Overhaul was only the first major obstacle. There was still the matter of the HPSC. And even though he knew it was foolish to go at something like this alone, he didn't want to endanger any of his friends. If they cared about him as much as they claimed, then they would understand that he wanted to protect them. And if they didn't care, then Minoru didn't need to worry about them coming after him anyway. Regardless, now that this was over, it was time to confront Madame President.

"W-where are you gonna take me, m-mister?"

But first, Eri needed to be brought to safety. And that meant getting her out of this horrific place and making sure she didn't end up in the hands of the HPSC no matter what. Putting on the most comforting face he could manage, Minoru smiled at the girl and brushed part of her hair behind her horn.

"I'm looking for someone who I know will take good care of you. A special hero who likes to help other people."

"Help?"

"That's right!"

"What if they're scary?"

"I promise they aren't scary. They're one of the nicest people I've ever met, and they look really cute and fluffy, and their voice is warm. Look, there they are!"

Minoru directed Eri's attention to where he could see Thirteen clearing away some debris and helping his classmates free themselves. Other heroes were also nearby, and Eraserhead looked like he was tending to Rock Lock's injuries. Having finally noticed the duo, Thirteen waved to them, and Minoru could help but wave back. He could see Denki and Kirishima supporting Sero, and Denki looked at him sadly. Minoru returned the sad look, but his smile remained intact, which caused Denki to gain some hope in his expression.

Tsu was helping apply salves to Ashido and Hakagure while Koda, Jiro, and Shoji continued to search the rubble with their quirks. Jiro and Shoji were listening for heartbeats and breathing, while Koda sent in insects to see if they could locate any of their classmates or other heroes. Internally, Minoru found himself proud of Koda for reaching this step in overcoming his phobia. Eri shuddering next to him brought his attention back to the child in his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"They all look so scary. What if they hurt me?"

"They wouldn't, I'd stake my life on it. Sometimes, people can look scary or intimidating without even meaning to. Sometimes, they choose to look fierce, because they're hiding how afraid they really feel."

Minoru let two tendrils form from his back, the ends turning into sickles with serrated blades. Eri shrunk away from them, as he predicted she would.

"But sometimes, what looks scary, or intimidating, is actually sweet and cheerful. It all depends on how we choose to perceive it."

Minoru willed his slime to change shape, and the two sickles at the ends of his tendrils morphed into the heads of snakes with wide eyes that were colored a bright pink to contrast with the dark purple of their bodies. The two slime snakes made their way towards Eri, who was now eyeing them with curiosity. One of the snakes began to inch close to the girl's face and Minoru had it close its eyes in a content expression as it flicked out a slime snake tongue and licked the girl on the tip of her nose.

Eri laughed, and Minoru saw the ghost of a smile appear on her face for a few moments. The second snake joined the first, and soon they were bombarding Eri with an onslaught of ticklish licks to the face. Eri laughed and squirmed uncontrollably, doing her best to gently swat the slime creatures away. Eventually, Minoru took mercy on her and recalled the tendrils back into his body, waiting for the girl to calm down.

It wasn't until Eri stopped laughing that Minoru realized how quiet it had gotten. Looking up, he found himself staring back into the eyes of all his friends and former teachers, as well as some other heroes like Rock Lock and Sir Nighteye. Sir Nighteye in particular looked bemused and slightly impressed for some reason. Eraserhead rolled his eyes and ducked his head down into his capture weapon. Thirteen had a fond look on her face, her eyes gleaming with warmth and pride. 

Doing his best to rid himself of the attention on him and the embarrassment he now felt, Minoru walked up to Thirteen and brought Eri up to the Space Hero's hands.

"Eri, this is the special hero I was telling you about. Their name is Thirteen, and they'll take good care of you."

Slowly, Eri climbed into Thirteen's hands, and the hero helped the girl settle into the folds of their costume, cradling Eri in a single arm before returning their gaze to Minoru. 

"I can't convince you to come with us, can I kid?"

Minoru smiled.

"You don't need to. I still have one more thing I need to do, but by tonight I'll be back at UA. Whatever happens after that, is for the whims of fate to decide."

Thirteen's eyes widened, but Minoru just wished them good luck and told them to keep Eri safe before heading over to his friends. Denki was the first to approach him, and the two stared at one another for a good few seconds before the electric boy was charging at him with tears in his eyes. Minoru found himself embraced in a hug, which he easily returned. Denki cried into his chest, and Minoru held him, just as he'd held the boy back at the training camp. 

"I thought we were gonna lose you man!"

"They'll have to try harder than that to get rid of me."

The two rocked back and forth several times as Denki cried his sorrows away, the others doing their best not to intrude on the moment. Eventually, Denki pulled away, a smile on his face, even as tears still poured down his cheeks. 

"So, you're really coming home this time? Pinky promise."

Minoru hooked his pinky finger around Denki's.

"Pinky promise. There's one last thing I need to take care of, but I'll be back home tonight."

"Good. I miss my gaming partner."

Minoru missed his gaming partner too. And who knows, maybe the two of them could get some more partners to join their clan when this was done. Another task for another day. Before he set off, Minoru made his way over to Tsu and the other girls present. Jiro, while still with Shoji and Koda and not exactly next to Minoru, shot him a pensive look. She made an 'I'm watching you' motion with her earjacks. Ashido looked at him with a small smile, a bit of tenuous hope on her face. Hakagure was a mystery as always. But Tsu had a smile on her face that spoke of gratitude and joy. Minoru motioned for her to join him a short way away from the others but made sure to keep them in sight of the group. He didn't want them to accuse him of anything later, but he needed this moment to be semi-private. 

"Your leg looks better."

"It feels better, kero. Recovery Girl is really good at her job. Are you feeling good?"

"As good as I can be. Hopefully better by tomorrow."

The two of them stood in the rubble, not quite able to look one another in the eye. Someone nearby coughed, and Sero was kind enough to slap some tape over their mouth before the moment could be ruined. Minoru would be sure to give the teen something special when he returned. Scratch that, everyone in Class 1A was getting an apology/thank you gift when this situation was resolved. Even though they hadn't been able to say it to his face, Izuku had shown him a video the class recorded the night before where each of them spoke about how much they valued him. Some tough things were said, which Minoru knew was to be expected. But the kind words they'd spoken as well . . .

"I don't know if I can ever be part of Class 1A again, but I'm glad to have meet you and the others anyway."

"Do you remember what you told me last night? When we were alone at sea?"

Minoru had said a lot of things that night, but he wasn't a fool. He knew where Tsu was leading him to.

"That'd I'd choose you in a heartbeat."

"Is that still true, kero?"

Minoru slowly raised his hands and gently cupped Tsu's cheeks with his hands, the frog girl's face feeling warm in his palms. Closing his eyes, Minoru moved towards Tsu and locked his lips with hers. The short girl had to stand on her tippy toes to reach him. Everyone watching either had their jaws go slack in disbelief, were silently squeeing (Ashido and Hakagure), or were simply looking on contently. Finally, Minoru broke away from the kiss, and a trail of saliva connected between their lips before falling to the ground. Tsu looked at him with a mixture of giddiness and befuddlement. Minoru smiled.

"I hope that answers your question."

Minoru brought Tsu into a tight hug, turning his back to the rest of the group. Lowering his voice to as low a whisper that he could manage, Minoru spoke close to Tsu's ear.

"Keep it safe. I'll see you soon."

Chapter Text

Having returned from the ruins of the battle against the Shie Hassaikai, all of 1A, under the supervision of their homeroom teacher, was celebrating by throwing a party. The room was filled with confetti, streamers, fruit punch, and of course cake, made by Satou naturally. Not only were the students glad to have won the day and rescued Eri from the vile clutches of the man who'd been torturing her, but they were preparing for the return of their former classmate. 

"I still can't believe it worked! He's actually coming home!"

"I wonder if he'll be transferred back into our class or 1B?"

"What if he gets moved to Gen Ed? We should take bets!"

There was no real exchange of money, of course. The students were just having some fun reveling in the moment. They hadn't gotten many of these happy reprieves lately, so they were determined to make the most out of it. Although there were definitely still some mixed feelings regarding Mineta, those who had seen him at the end of the raid found themselves pleasantly surprised at how professional their former classmate had held himself. They all also couldn't help but coo as they remembered him helping calm Eri down. And when Izuku regaled them with the details of his team up with Mineta against Overhaul in the forest, everyone agreed it was a fight of truly epic proportions.

Tsu sat on one of the couches next to Jiro, as her and many of the others just talked and decompressed. While the others were busy in their own conversations, Jiro leaned back and crossed her arms before talking to Tsu as casually as she could.

"So, he kissed you."

"He did, kero."

"And you . . . enjoyed it. At least that's what your heartbeat told me when I was listening."

A small blush crept its way onto Tsu's face. But there was no denying it, she had liked the kiss. It was the first time she'd ever had someone kiss her on the lips, and she'd venture it was Mineta's first time with that experience as well. For someone who had such a bad reputation with girls, the boy was now surprisingly suave. Maybe it had to do with the increase in his confidence from his enhanced physical prowess. That, and the fact that he now looked quite attractive. 

Though, Tsu would admit to herself that at times, she secretly missed how Mineta used to look. When he wasn't being creepy, the short boy had actually looked quite cute, like a plush toy that Tsu would own as a child. But Tsu also understood that Mineta might not want to consider changing back into that form. It certainly looked like it brought him a lot of insecurities and painful memories. Clearing her head of the thoughts, Tsu steered back to Jiro's inquiry.

"It was amazing. And strange."

"Because it was Mineta?"

"I guess? But mostly because of this, kero."

Tsu pulled out a USB drive from her pocket, which served only to confuse Jiro even more. 

"When we were kissing, I felt him move this into my mouth. He told me to keep it safe. So, I gave it to Principal Nedzu, figuring that if anyone could learn something from it, it would be him."

"Was that why he was cackling like a madman more than usual when you walked out of his office?"

Tsu would wager that Jiro's assumption was correct, but she didn't know, so she just shrugged. The USB obviously contained sensitive information on it, likely connected to the HPSC. Tsu didn't know what information it had stored, and she had the feeling that she didn't want to find out. But Principal Nedzu had thanked her profusely for the USB, and complimented Mineta's effective and unorthodox method of passing along the information in a way that fit his profile to a tee. 

"Everyone, stop what you're doing and turn on the TV! It's happening!"

"It's live right now!"

Kaminari and Ashido both screamed at everyone in the room to grab their attention, and Dark Shadow quickly shot forward to turn the television on. The screen shot to life, and 1A was immediately met with Principal Nedzu giving a live speech to the media in response to the HPSC's public conference not too long ago.

"-explain why UA chooses to give sanctuary to a known villain?"

"The accusation of Hawks working for the League of Villains, in any capacity, is simply untrue. But I do not expect you to take my word for it. I expect you to take the word of Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi."

The officer in question stepped forward, some of the students recognizing the man, while many of them did not. They all noticed, however, just how tired the man looked. He had eyebags to rival Aizawa Sensei's, and it looked like he hadn't had a chance to shave in quite a while.

"I've been in correspondence with UA for some time now, and I can confirm that although Hawks did turn his back on the Hero Commission, he is not a villain, nor has he engaged in villainous activity under his own free will."

That got people's attention, both the reporters live at the conference, and the students of 1A watching with bated breath. As far as they all knew, Hawks had been nothing but a hero. Even when fighting Mineta, he'd been doing so in an attempt to bring the boy back to UA, to get him away from the people at the HPSC abusing him. But the detective was implying that Hawks had committed villainous actions against his own choosing. Just how more corrupt could the HPSC possibly get. The students of 1A felt a collective shudder, knowing they were about to find out.

"Would you care to elaborate on what exactly you mean by Hawks not operating under his own free will?"

"Why certainly!"

Nobody liked the feral look in Principal Nedzu's eyes, even the students who logically knew he was on their side. The rat began typing away at his computer, and withing moments the large projector screen behind him was lighting up. Slide after slide went by, each detailing classified HPSC information regarding crimes Hawks had been forced to carry out, as well as the assassinations ordered by the HPSC that had been previously carried out by former hero Lady Nagant, who now rotted away in Tartarus. Many beloved Pro Hero names stood out in the slides, as well as infamous villains, all of whom had simply disappeared one day. Now, the public was learning how that had happened with their own eyes.

"Thanks to the courageous actions of Viscidity, we were able to gain access to the entire HPSC encrypted database. All of their secrets, their dirty laundry so to speak, is in my possession. I will of course be leaking this information to the general public at large, as well as all relevant authorities both here and abroad. You may be wondering why I am taking such a strong stance on this. The answer is simple.

We've recently learned that the Pro Hero known as Viscidity is none other than Minoru Mineta, a former student of UA who was expelled during the Sports Festival. His expulsion was just at the time; however, his student file was later discovered to be deliberately tampered with. Hawks informed us that the HPSC had experimented on the boy and was torturing and training him to become another one of their weapons. Thanks to Detective Tsukauchi, who's quirk allows him to tell when someone is lying, and our staff and students who all lent their efforts into the ongoing investigation, we have actionable intel to suggest that Minoru Mineta and President Hisoka Kaneko are genetically related to one another, thus why Minoru in particular was targeted."

The teens in Height's Alliance sucked in a breath. While most of them had known this to be true, it was still haunting to hear it be confirmed on live television. Tsu had to wonder just what Minoru was feeling about all this, hearing Principal Nedzu air his past to the world. It was bound to come out eventually, of course, and Tsu figured Minoru knew that. Still, he probably wasn't having a good time right now. 

Maybe I should call him, make sure he's okay.

Just then, as if sensing her intentions, Tsu's phone vibrated as she received a text message. Opening it as discretely as possible, Tsu breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it was just her father. But when she began to read the message he'd sent, Tsu's air of calmness began to break down. Her eyes widened as her breathing began to grow erratic. Idly, she could feel Jiro shaking her by the shoulders, the other girl trying to grab Tsu's attention, but she seemed so muffled and far away. Everything was out of focus as Tsu replayed the words in her head

{"Hey tadpole! Hope you're doing well with your classes! 

Listen, I've got a favor to ask. You know that hero from the news? The one that was involved in that fight with Hawks? I keep running into him at work, and he's not looking too good sweetie. He's just a kid. Listen, if you could let your teachers know, I think that boy could use some serious help. He's not safe here. Anyway, I love you, and I can't wait to see you and the others soon!

Ganma."}

When the world stopped spinning, and Tsu could clearly make out the faces of her friends again, tears began to cloud her eyes. By now, Jiro had seen the message on her phone and had made herself busy relaying the information to the rest of the class and Aizawa Sensei. The man in question was kneeling in front of her, doing his best to help keep Tsu grounded.

"Breath in, and breath out. Steady now, just stay with us. That's good."

"M-my dad is- he's working for the Hero C-commission kero. He's in danger Sensei!"

"We'll find him, and Mineta. I promise, we're going to get them both back, and all those other hostages Hawks told us about."

While everyone else started cheering, trying to lift the energy in the room, Tsu watched Midoriya mumble.

"-over a dozen possible locations they could be hiding Mineta, not to mention that Mineta and the hostages might not even be at the same location anymore. Asui's dad probably is, but it's still a gamble. We don't have enough time or people to search all the locations, and by the time we get to the first one the others will be alerted, so if we pick wrong then we're screwed and-"

"Shut the fuck up nerd! We're gonna find the purple bastard and frog face's dad, and that's that!"

"Language, Bakugo. But yes, that's the plan."

"Midoriya's right though, Sensei. The Hero Commission had multiple facilities, too many for us to attack all at once. If we want to have any chance of success, we need to concentrate all our efforts onto one facility."

Iida, ever the voice of reason, did his best to keep them all on track. He sent a sympathetic look Tsu's way, and the frog girl tried to find comfort in it. But the fact remained that there were just too many possible locations to track. Some of Tsu's classmates started firing off suggestions.

"We could try spying on some HPSC agents, see where the ones in charge of the hero program start reporting to."

"What about the files Nedzu released?! Shouldn't the information all be there?"

"Madame President is already likely changing her routine to subvert that information leak as best she can. We can't rely on it to find Mineta."

"Still, Principal Nedzu spoke about getting authorities from abroad involved. That can only mean the United Nations."

"But they're not gonna get here in time, we have to act now!"

As everyone began to talk over one another, desperate to find a solution to what seemed like an impossible problem, Tsu started to curl in on herself and cry. They'd been so close damn it! So close . . . and now all of their progress was potentially going to be lost forever. Madame President would likely kill Minoru now. Tsu should have fought harder to keep him from leaving. She should have stayed with him no matter what. A hand on her shoulder brought her attention back to Jiro, the punk girl looking into her eyes softly.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're Class 1A, we always figure out a way to come out on top."

"But what if we can't? What if we can't save him? What if we give everything we have, and it isn't enough, kero?"

"Asui."

The two girls jumped slightly as Aizawa Sensei looked towards them, still kneeling in front of Tsu. The look in his eyes was one of fire and blood, of cracked bones and broken spirits reforged. It was something ethereal, and it helped give Tsu some of her confidence back.

"Don't ask if you can or can't. Say you will."

Her sensei's words reminded Tsu of when she was a child, and her father had taken her to quirk counseling to see the general limitations of her quirk. She'd been climbing on a tree in the nearby park outside the clinic, too scared to jump down. When her father said he'd catch her, she timidly said she'd try, before her father laughed and quoted a prequirk movie in a strange voice.

("Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.")

It was a strange way of getting Tsu to learn that sometimes one just had to stop overthinking things and just dive into it, to take a leap of faith. Tsu had taken the leap that day, and her father had caught her. Back at the USJ, Aizawa Sensei had caught her. In the forest at the training camp, and on the cargo ship, Minoru had caught her. Now, it was her turn to catch him.

Nodding, Tsu steeled herself, her gaze sharpening as she willed the tears forming in her eyes to disappear. This wasn't about her. Right now, those hostages needed her. Her father needed her. Minoru needed her. Tsu didn't even question the fact that she was now referring to the boy by his first name. They'd shared a kiss, she felt like that put them on more intimate terms than just acquaintances or even good friends. When this was over, and this time she'd make sure it ended here . . . Tsu was going to confess. Suddenly, Jiro shot up from the couch, a look of shock on her face.

"Something just moved upstairs."

The room grew quiet as everyone strained to listen. Shoji extended his limbs, putting ears to the ceiling to detect the noise that Jiro had just heard. By the widening of his eyes, he'd apparently succeeded. 

"Tsu . . . it's coming from your room."

Tsu's eyes widened, and before anyone could react, the girl was speeding up the stairs towards her room. A moment later, everyone else sprinted after her, all of them curious what was going on, with only a few of them having the faintest idea what was really happening. Tsu didn't waste any time as she got to her door, using her tongue to throw it open and practically ripping the door off its hinges. The sight inside caused tears to form in her eyes once again, but this time they were mixed with sorrow and joy.

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The metal doors to Madame President's office began closing behind Minoru, the light disappearing and gradually bathing the room in darkness as the reinforced metal closed together. As the complex lock mechanism settled into place, silence descended upon the room, with Minoru and Madame President staring at one another. Minoru could feel his slime ripple and bulge, just itching to be unleashed in a rabid fury, but the teen restrained himself. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to follow the hero's calling or not, but he wasn't about to be labeled a villain. And no matter how much he despised the woman before him, he wouldn't kill her without due cause. Besides, he'd come for answers, and she was the only one who could give him any.

"You stole my files."

"You stole my life. Now, you're going to tell me why."

Minoru watched as Madame President pushed herself up from her chair and walked towards him, the toxic pink glow of her eyes and nails growing in intensity with each step she took in his direction. Without a single word of reply, Madame President grit her teeth and slashed Minoru across the face with the full force of her quirk. The woman's claws drew bloody lines across his face, but Minoru refused to flinch or show any signs of pain. Even as he felt the crushing of his skeleton from when the USJ nomu had flattened him into the ground. Now that he'd killed the real thing, it didn't seem quite so impressive.

"YOU STOLE MY FILES! RUINED MY ENTIRE LIFE'S WORK! DO YOU HAVE ANY NOTION OF HOW MUCH DAMAGE YOU'VE CAUSED, BOY?!"

Another slash, this time across the chest. Then, a piercing jab to the neck, before the finger swiped to the left and slit Minoru's throat. The pain would be unbelievable to nearly anyone else. Maybe Midoriya could relate, what with how much bullying he'd suffered in middle school, not to mention how much his own quirk damaged him before he learned better control. And now that the public had learned what All Might had been suffering through for the past six years, it was a fair assumption that The Symbol of Peace understood pain better than most. But as for Minoru, this was nothing.

It hurt like a bitch, don't get him wrong. But he'd gone through suffering punishments from Madame President's outbursts all his life. It was painful but expected. The fact that he knew he could also heal his injuries in a second gave him more confidence, though he held back on doing that for now. If Madame President wanted to kid herself, pretending that she was still in control of him, of anything, then Minoru would gladly let her maintain her delusion. As long as he got his answers, she could believe whatever she wanted to believe.

"None of it was ever your work to begin with. All your accomplishments, all your accolades, are taken from the backs and efforts of others. Lady Nagant, Hawks, Cylerium, even me. Now I want answers. If you're so disgusted with me, why did you bother investing so much into me? Why train and torture me so much when you can't even bear to hear me call you mother?"

Madame President screamed and slashed Minoru across the jaw so hard it actually dislocated. The woman grit her teeth together in pain and held her now throbbing hand. The strike had been more forceful than any of her previous hits, and her quirk was nearing its limit as well. Minoru narrowed his eyes as he turned back to face his mother, idly grabbing the lower half of his jaw and moving it back into place. His other injuries also began to heal themselves, closing over as if there had never been any marks in his flesh to begin with. 

"You're a failure. A stain on my legacy. I disavow you."

"I never needed you. It just took my real family to show me that. It was a mistake to think you'd ever change."

Minoru turned and began to walk away, anger stirring inside of his gut. The witch of a woman behind him had made her feelings on the matter clear, and just like always it was mutual. But Minoru didn't need her. His new family was waiting for him. Thirteen, the only teacher and adult he fully trusted. Denki, his best friend to whom he owed a massive apology. And Tsu, the girl that had somehow stolen his heart. Never before had he imagined he'd actually find someone to help him feel complete like she did, like they all did. But he had long stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. They were waiting for him, and he wasn't about to break his promise.

"Where are you going?"

Minoru kept walking.

"You can't just leave; you have a debt to pay! You owe me!"

Minoru owed a lot of people in his life, but the woman behind him wasn't one of them. Not anymore, and never again.

"If you think you can just leave me and go be with those classmates of yours, think again. You think I'll just let this go? I know each and every one of them!"

Minoru stopped. Fear began to bloom in his chest. While Madame President's days as head of the HPSC were numbered thanks to Nedzu's press conference, she still had some time with her authority in place. And by the crazed tone in her voice, Minoru was willing to bet that she would go scorched earth before she burnt out. The teen balled his hands into fists at his side. 

"UA may be able to keep its students safe, but their families are not so easily protected. And if you think I haven't been watching you through the media, you're sadly mistaken. I know you and that frog girl share something with one another. Of course, my stupid, repulsive offspring would find a dirty heteromorph attractive. Only a creature as slimy as yourself, right Minoru?!"

Minoru could feel his fingernails sharpen into claws, and the itching on his back increased as the tendrils he wielded with extreme precision yearned to emerge and gore themselves on Madame President's blood. The sound of the woman approaching him did his willpower no favors. 

"If threatening that grotesque abomination and her family is what I need to do in order to keep you in line, then so be it. I'll be sending agents to retrieve the mother and two siblings. As for the father, he made it easy on us. I believe you two have already met."

Minoru's eyes widened. The janitor. Minoru felt like slapping himself for not making the connection before now, it should have been obvious. But that shame was overridden by anger and fear. Fear for the kind man's life, and anger at his mother for daring to threaten it along with the rest of the man's family. Madame President was still striding towards him, her footsteps echoing loudly in the office far too large for one person. 

"So, if you have even an ounce of common sense left in your body boy . . . you'll do exactly as I say and-!"

As Madame President brushed her hand over his shoulder, ready to pull him around for another round of disciplinary punishment, Minoru spun out of her grip and seized her outstretched wrist in his own hand. A yelp of surprise and pain escaped Madame President's lips as she winced from the pressure. When she met his gaze once more, Minoru could see her pupils shrink and start to waver, and for the first time in his life, he saw his mother look at him with fear.

"You listen to me, wretch. Your time is over. The whole world knows what you've done to everyone else you've met, and soon enough they'll know what you'd done to me. I'll bear my scars with pride. But if you hurt my family, if you send your agents after them, if you so much as BLINK in their direction . . . I will end you."

Minoru didn't even realize he'd summoned his four back tendrils until he saw the sickles slowly encroaching on Madame President's face, the slime blades circling the woman's head and getting just inches away from her eyes. Madame President's wrist was bleeding from the cuts his claws had carved into her flesh, blood seeping through the gaps in his hand. And for just a second, a single moment in time, Minoru considered killing this woman. 

The woman who'd made his life a living hell since the moment he'd been born. The woman who used to give him scars for behavior that other kids got timeouts and stern warnings for. The woman who viewed him as nothing more than an asset, an experiment. The woman who held herself above all others. The woman who threatened his friends and their families. The room was only accessible by a select few people, less than a handful. And how many people who worked for the HPSC would really miss their president, especially after today? Not many, Minoru imagined. 

But then the moment was over, and Minoru's grip on Madame President went slack as he began to stagger, his limbs locking up against his will. His body began to spasm uncontrollably, and Minoru noted that his veins were lighting up in a golden hue. Minoru could feel a pounding pressure building inside his head, and the world around him began to grow darker. Blue chains made of light secured his body and limbs, restraining him completely. Only one man could be responsible for this.

"Cylerium."

"I will take care of this mess, Madame President. You need to focus on evacuating. You are no longer safe in Japan. Transport has been arranged. I will rejoin with you when I have dealt with Viscidity."

Minoru didn't want to consider what that would entail, but he could do precious little else. His body wasn't responding to his mental commands. Every time he tried to manipulate his slime, the golden light in his veins intensified, and a painful stabbing sensation overtook his mind. Soon enough, Minoru's vision went completely dark, and he had no ability to discern his surroundings. It was the strangest sensation he'd ever known.

He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't smell, couldn't taste, couldn't even feel anything touching him. His entire body and consciousness were numb, trapped in some sort of limbo. Yet he was still awake. He was thinking, after all, therefore he must be awake. It felt like how people described lucid dreaming, just without the dreaming part. It felt like being dead.

But that was impossible. Minoru couldn't be dead. At least, not yet. Katori was most likely going to have him vaporized fairly soon. Maybe Minoru would wake up to find himself being teleported into the Sun, or on the receiving end of a fire quirk. Either way, Minoru felt hopelessness swell in his chest. He was completely useless now. He'd broken his promise, and now his friends and family would never see him again. He should have just left the Hero Commission behind damn it! 

He'd already accepted that it was time to return to UA and fix what he'd broken, so why hadn't he just gone right away?! Madame President was right; he truly was stupid. If he'd been smart, like his test scores liked to make him out to be, he would have swept Tsu into his arms again and walked back to UA happy as could be. He would have talked things out with his former classmates back in the dorms of 1A and settled the past once and for all. He would have-

Wait . . . that's it!

Minoru mentally smiled to himself, a small spark of hope returning to illuminate his dark world. Tsu had kept the leg brace he'd made for her. That meant there was some part of him at UA already. Minoru wasn't sure what Katori had done to lock his body up like this, but it was likely some support item the man had invented. And although Katori was smart, he was still limited by the technology available to him. Whatever was causing Minoru's body to seize up likely had a range of effectiveness. With Katori right next to him, it made sense that Minoru wouldn't have a chance of moving.

But UA was almost certainly out of range of whatever device Katori was immobilizing him with. It would be extremely taxing, but if Minoru could mentally reconnect with that piece of himself at UA, then he could form a clone of himself to warn the others of Madame President's scheme. He could tell them where he was, where Tsu's father was, where the other hostages were. Concentrating as hard as he could, Mineta pushed his consciousness out as far as he could, like a wave washing over the city, searching for that missing piece of himself. 

Like creating a slime web to capture prey, Minoru searched and searched, spreading his mind thin, stretching to his limits. There was no telling how much time had passed as he swept through the city in a blind panic, but eventually Minoru latched onto that single piece he'd left behind. 

Now that he had it within his grasp, Minoru dove into the leg brace with every bit of his mind. When he opened his eyes, he was met with darkness, and at first panic once again began to consume him. It wasn't until Minoru discovered that he was sitting in a closet on top of an old frog themed quilt that he began to calm down somewhat. His plan had worked, and he appeared to be in Tsu's room. The thought of being in his crushes' room made him blush, but he quickly banished the emotion in favor of trying to get up. His attempt at standing resulted in him falling on his side and knocking the closet doors open from the impact. 

His body felt weak and fragile, and his head was spinning as he braced himself against the hardwood floor. Focusing on breathing, Minoru brought up his left hand to his stomach, only for his eyes to widen when he felt far less mass than he'd expected to find. Minoru cursed himself slightly. He only had the mass of the leg brace to use; it shouldn't have been surprising that his body wouldn't completely form. His breathing beginning to grow more and more strained, Minoru did his best to push himself to his feet. It didn't matter what shape his body was in. All that mattered was warning his friends.

As if to answer his desperate call, Minoru could hear the thudding of several dozens of footsteps growing louder and louder. Straining, Minoru stood tall before immediately falling forward. The teen had just barely managed to catch himself on a dresser when the door to Tsu's room was swung open with force. Looking up, Minoru could see the girl herself looking at him with a mixture of horror and relief. All he could do was smile before he lost his footing.

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Tsu's mind had to catch up to her body, barely perceiving that she was moving to catch Minoru before he crashed into the floor. Maneuvering the teen's left arm around her neck for more support, Tsu grimaced as she took in the withered form of the boy next to her. His skin was gaunt where it had formed on his face and limbs. His chest was completely torn open, purple ribs on display, cracked and straining. Slime was slowly dripping out onto the floor in viscous globs despite Minoru's best efforts at holding himself intact. The rest of Class 1A reacted in horror and disbelief.

"Holy shit!"

"Dude, are you okay?!"

"Does he look okay, dumbass?!"

"How are you here?!"

"Should we call Recovery Girl?!"

"SILENCE!!!"

Everyone stopped as Iida called the class's attention to himself, the Class President chopping his arms dramatically as he spoke.

"This is no time for questions, this is a time for action! I strongly urge everyone to give Mineta space while Aizawa Sensei handles the situation!"

Tsu could feel Minoru shudder next to her uncontrollably at the mention of their homeroom teacher's name. Before she could question just what that was supposed to mean, the man stepped into her room and knelt down in front of the two of them. Minoru wearily and warily looked into the man's eyes, dread and exhaustion present on his face as he struggled to breath.

"Kid, I know we have our differences, and I know I'm one of the last people you need right now, but I need you to follow my instructions, okay? You need help, but we can't come to help you unless you work with us."

After a few tense moments, Minoru nodded. The motion was jerky and disjointed, but it was a clear enough sign that Tsu let out a small sigh of relief. 

"Alright. Now, whatever's happening to you right now must be pretty bad, cause I've never seen you look this fucked up before."

"Not . . . enough . . . mass."

Minoru's breathes were labored, and the boy's words were barely discernable anymore. Despite Tsu and the rest of the class starting to devolve into a collective worried mess, Aizawa Sensei was able to maintain an air of calmness about the situation. 

"That tracks, given that you only had the leg brace you made for Asui to work with. Try morphing back into how you used to look before your expulsion, that way you aren't falling apart at the seams."

Tsu could see Minoru suck in a shocked breath as his pupils shrunk. She hugged the boy closer to her. When they locked eyes, Tsu could see sadness and doubt swirling in his gaze. Tsu smiled and did her best to look reassuring.

"I've got you this time. I promise, kero."

Minoru closed his eyes and released a deep sigh. In the next moment, the boy's flesh distorted into pure, purple slime, shrinking and condensing into a much smaller form than the one Tsu was just supporting. When the small frame of the old Minoru Mineta coalesced, Tsu was quick to pick him up and carry him in her arms, knowing full well that the boy's exhaustion was still afflicting him. Tired eyes gazed into hers, but at least Minoru no longer looked like a walking cadaver. 

"Where's Nedzu?"

While Aizawa put the principal on speaker phone in a secure conference room, everyone else watched with bated breath and jittery limbs as Minoru informed them of his exact coordinates. He explained that although he couldn't control the rest of his slime because of some support item restricting it, Minoru could still instinctively sense its distance from where he was at UA right now. Principal Nedzu was quick to use that information in order to pinpoint the exact HPSC facility Minoru was being held at. 

"I know Tsu's father was there last time I saw him too, but it's been so long since I've seen those other four civilians. They could be anywhere."

"If they aren't where you are, the UN will no doubt find them when this is all over."

No one wanted to point out that the civilians could very well be dead already. By this point, everyone was keeping themselves together by solely focusing on the approaching mission. Because Minoru, Tsu's dad, and those four hostages were in trouble. Rescuing them was all that mattered right now. 

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot. If I'd just come back with you all earlier, none of this would be happening."

"Don't trouble yourself with other scenarios, it's illogical. The only scenario that matters now is the one you're in, so focus on getting through it as best you can. Besides, without this we never would have found out where Madame President was hiding, and Asui's father might not have gotten aid."

". . . Right. Well, I guess this is it then. See you all on the other side?"

Minoru tentatively looked around the room at his former classmates, not sure whether or not to trust them. Tsu was pleased to find her friends all looking at the boy with comforting smiles, with some of them outright beaming at him. Despite the looks of reassurance from them all, Minoru still looked uncertain. It wasn't until Bakugo stepped forward, a scowl still present on his face. 

"You saved me from that dusty motherfucker and his boyband back at Kamino. You've done us all a lot of good behind that mask. You don't need to believe that we like you, and some of us definitely still have some things to work out between you and us. But we owe you for all you'd sacrificed. We're gonna get your ass out of there and bring you home, mark my words."

Despite Bakugo's blunt and aggressive words, the blond boy's tone was softer than normal. Still, the words seemed to be exactly what Minoru needed to hear. The boy smiled faintly, before his eyes shut and his veins started glowing golden. Tsu looked at him in worry, as did Aizawa Sensei, who seemed to recognize this phenomenon.

"Mineta, what's happening?"

"It's Katori's support technology. I don't know how he's doing it, but everything's going dark again. I can't . . . I . . ."

And then the boy went still in Tsu's arms, falling limp against her body as his continued to glow a bright gold. Minoru's body felt cold in Tsu's grasp, and for a moment she feared he might be dead. Aizawa's hand gently landed on her shoulder, bring the girl out of her downward spiral.

"He's not gone yet. We still have time."

Aizawa Sensei looked at the rest of Class 1A.

"Gear up. We head out in five. Class 1B and Vlad King will be right behind us."

"Sir."

Everyone turned, looks of shock and elation upon seeing Mirio, Nejire, and Amajiki, the Big Three themselves, standing in the door of the conference room already decked out in their hero gear. Mirio still had some blood on his costume from when he'd fought against Overhaul, but otherwise he looked no worse for wear and absolutely ready for the fight of his life.

"We're in."

" . . . So you are."

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"Prisoner H017, your lunch is being brought in. Do not make any sudden moves, or you will be fired upon."

Himiko sighed, her head falling to her knees as she slumped against the wall of her cell. Each wall was padded, as was the floor. The only unpadded section was the clear four-inch-thick pane of bullet resistant glass that acted as a door for those with security clearance. Beyond that, all the girl could see was the white tiled hall that led to the other cells adjacent to her own, and the cell directly opposite of hers. So far, Himiko had yet to make contact with her cell buddy. 

Whoever the other woman was, it was clear she didn't exactly seem like the kind of person to enjoy the company of others. Himiko could barely recall ever seeing the woman move let alone blink. It was like she was a statue, completely frozen in time and space, refusing to move for anyone or anything. Himiko wasn't so lucky.

She'd become restless during her confinement. Ever since joining up with the League of Villains and attacking Uraraka and Asui in the forest, Himiko had become a shell. Not that she'd been composed before then, but at least then she'd been free. She could still remember that night clear as ever, with that mysterious masked hero all but tackling her to the ground and binding her limbs together with practiced precision. 

Himiko herself wasn't that much of a hero nerd, but ever since becoming acquainted with the underground, she'd been sure to keep a list of contacts on both sides of the law. The hero who'd taken her down wasn't anyone she could recall, and that unnerved her slightly. She didn't like the feeling of not knowing something important, and whoever that hero was, Himiko knew he must be very important. 

But despite her restlessness, being in Tartarus wasn't all bad. Surprisingly enough, the facility's doctors were willing to accommodate the unique nutritional needs her quirk demanded from her. Within a few days of having a steady supply of blood, as well as decent sleep, Himiko began to feel the exhaustion melt away from her body. Her sanity, which before had been a fraying weave of thread, now felt more reinforced and stable. It also allowed her to feel the full weight of what she'd done.

Guilt had been swirling in the girl's stomach for weeks now. After her parents had forced her to suppress her own quirk just to fit in, the dark urges and instability in her mind only began to grow. And although the streets were filled with people who'd tried to take advantage of her, there had also been plenty of innocent people who'd had the misfortune of crossing Himiko's path. The girl had killed so many people, she couldn't exactly remember who had been bad . . . and who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But with each passing day, her memories and mental health began to clear up. She wasn't getting better; she was just trading one curse for a different one. Himiko looked up when a blood bag was dropped into her cell through a slot in the glass pane. The doctor outside gave her a sad smile, while the two guards flanking her looked on from behind their opaque visors, not a hint of emotion to detect in their postures. 

Slowly, Himiko crawled forward and plucked the blood bag from its tray, along with the other generic food each prisoner was afforded twice per day. There were no sharp objects among the items, in case any prisoner had thoughts of escaping . . . or ending their sentence voluntarily. The packaging was also created using some sort of creation quirk, which would automatically break down after a short period of time, leaving no waste whatsoever.

As the doctor and soldiers left, Himiko sipped on her bag of blood, and the memories of her fight in the forest came to the front of her mind. She could remember the sadistic glee flowing through her veins as she stared into Asui's eyes, the other girl trembling beneath her grasp. And then the ensuing battle with the masked hero, which had led to Himiko retreating. It was . . . a strange sensation. For so long, Himiko had been the predator, hunting others to sate her needs. She'd never been prey to such an extent in her life before that chase, but it wasn't unenjoyable.

It was actually thrilling in a weird way. Maybe it had been the adrenaline. Maybe it was because her opponent was someone who could match, and perhaps even exceed, her abilities. But Himiko also recalled how the hero had made sure Asui was okay, as if he'd been worried about her in particular. Himiko wondered if she'd perhaps struck a nerve. Either way, none of it mattered now. She wasn't sure if she wanted retribution or a chance to make amends, but neither option was possible anymore.

"A word of advice? Stop thinking aloud."

Himiko jolted, some of the blood she'd been sipping now spilled onto the padded floor of her cell. Looking through the pane of reinforced glass, Himiko watched the form of the woman opposite her. The lady was staring at her with great intensity, her jaw locked into a scowl, yet the woman's eyes bore a curiosity they hadn't before. 

"Y-you . . . heard me?"

"You talk loudly. And it's not like there's much else to hear around here, is there?"

No, Himiko supposed there wasn't. Aside from the doctors and accompanying guards that came through twice a day to deliver food and water, and the brief periods of time Himiko had been allowed out of her cell to use the bathroom, silence had dominated the halls of Tartarus where she'd been staying. Although perhaps the woman across from her had been forced to endure rambling from Himiko before, and she was only pointing out this fact now.

"You look young. Too young to be in a maximum-security prison. What'd you do?"

Himiko shrunk in on herself some, clutching her now empty blood bag close to her chest for some semblance of comfort. 

"Murder. There are other charges, but that's the big one. My quirk needs blood. Without it . . . I lose myself. I can't remember how many people I've killed."

"Do you regret it? Killing, that is."

"Some of them, yeah. Lots of them deserved it, but . . . others didn't. I couldn't tell the difference back then, and even now I can't remember."

Himiko wasn't sure she ever wanted to remember the gory details of her bloody escapades, slaughtering her way throughout Japan under the blanket of darkness. But it wasn't up to her to choose whether her memories returned in fully clarity or not. It would either happen, or it wouldn't. What Himiko could control was making sure she didn't descend into that mad fury ever again. No matter what, she promised she would never go back to that dark place.

"I can help you get justice for those you've wronged."

"Huh?"

"I used to be a hero, a long time ago, as well as a good investigator. You seem like a good kid who was dealt a shitty hand and got picked up in the wrong crowd. You need to pay for what you've done, make no mistake about that. But this place won't help you, not really. They like to keep people placated here, just dull and satisfied enough not to cause a ruckus. But when we get out of here, I'll help set you on the path to true redemption. You deserve a chance at least."

This woman was making Himiko confused. She was acting like judge and jury, with the threat of becoming an executioner at the end if things didn't turn out how she hoped. Himiko just didn't understand why this woman was so willing to help her. Heroes had never helped her. Not to mention, why would a former hero even be in Tartarus? But the woman spoke with such confidence and finality that Himiko didn't have it in her to question her words. 

"But how would we escape? Tartarus is the most secure prison in the country, maybe even the world. The Hero Commission wouldn't just let one of its biggest assets collapse."

The older lady idly began to twirl her fingers through her hair, spinning the purple strands around back and forth.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Himiko's eyes widened, and she slowly began scooching away in fear. There was a deadly aura to this prisoner, something ragged and deeply scarred. Himiko had no idea how this woman could so confidently state things as if they were absolute fact, but Himiko knew enough not to ask for clarification. She still somewhat valued her own life, and she knew this woman would take it from her just as easy as she claimed to want to save it. Shaking, Himiko whispered to herself:

"W-who are you?"

The woman smiled, her hand falling away from her purple locks of hair before she turned to face Himiko. The woman's face was partially shrouded in dark shadows, leaving only her purple eyes glowing amidst the darkness.

"You can call me Kaina."

Chapter Text

That's why darling, it's incredible! 

That someone so unforgettable.

Thinks that I am unforgettable, too.

Ganma absentmindedly whistled the old tune to himself as he recalled the lyrics in his mind with perfect clarity. He was a sucker for the classics and was a romantic at heart. Every time he thought of the music, it helped fill the void of him being away from his family. The songs helped him feel less lonely, as if his wife and children were with him in spirit.

It also just generally helped him pass the time at his job. Being a janitor wasn't particularly difficult work, just tedious. Well, it used to just be tedious. Lately, he'd been getting assigned far more work than he'd expected. And the man knew exactly why as well.

Unforgettable.

In every way.

And forevermore.

That's how you'll stay.

It was due to that boy he kept interacting with. Ganma was certain in his suspicions now, the stress that the HPSC was shouldering that child with was going to cause him to collapse soon if something didn't intervene. That's why he'd texted his daughter about the situation, figuring she might be able to talk to the right people in order to help.

Of course, Ganma hadn't expected his daughter to get directly involved herself, much less on live television. And when he saw his baby girl kissing the other teenager, part of him shut down for a second. After that, two warring instincts battled within the man. On the one hand, his instincts as a father immediately flared up in a protective fashion over his daughter. She'd never made mention of seeing a boy like that, and the fact that it was that boy in particular felt like dramatic irony if Ganma had ever known it.

But on the other hand, the two of them had looked so happy standing next to one another amidst the rubble in the aftermath of the battle. Ganma had seen his daughter smile before, but it had always been muted and passive. The smile she gave to the teen before her was wide and giddy, and likewise Ganma had never seen the other teen as happy as he looked then. Watching them, Ganma couldn't help but see himself and Beru in their places. 

That's why darling, it's incredible!

That someone so unforgettable.

Thinks that I am unforgettable, too.

But Ganma knew better than to act impulsively. He'd talk to Tsu again to get a clearer picture first before making any sort of judgment call. He'd also have to check with Beru to see if she'd caught the news as well. His wife would be able to give him an alternate perspective on the matter. Besides, it gave him another chance to talk with his wife and other two children, something Ganma valued more than anything.

All of those plans were thrown out the window almost immediately. As Ganma put his cleaning equipment away, changed out of his uniform and back into his business casual attire, and began making his way to the exit of the building to his hotel room across the street, two men in black suits roughly accosted him. 

"Where's the drive?! What information did Viscidity give you?!"

"What's going on?!"

"Don't play dumb you fucking freak! We know the boy hacked our systems! You and he have been close lately, he must have gotten you to help him somehow!"

"What are you-?!"

A punch to the gut had Ganma tumbling to the floor, and the man could do nothing but cover his head as more punches and kicks assaulted him. The two men over him were still shouting, making demands of him that Ganma couldn't even begin to decipher. Eventually a kick to the face had his vision spinning, and Ganma could see the swirling visages of the men pulling out handguns from their coats, aiming them at his crumpled form. 

"What a waste of time."

Ganma closed his eyes as he heard a loud noise go off and saw a bright yellow flash, followed by an even louder noise and even brighter flash. A dull pain made itself known in his right arm and blood poured out of the wound. The first flash and noise had come from the gun pointed at him, which had luckily missed his vitals. The second much louder noise and flash had come from the wall behind Ganma breaking down, followed by what looked like lightning shocking his two assailants. 

"Dad!"

Letting his eyes readjust for a moment, Ganma blinked in surprise to see his daughter standing before him, already wrapping some bandages around his still bleeding arm. Behind her, he could see two other teenagers. One had red spiked hair, gear-like pauldrons, and almost nothing covering his chest. The boy's skin looked as hard and sharp as rocks, especially around his arms. The other kid was the one who had unleashed the electricity. His hair was yellow with a black bolt streaking through it. He wore a black jacket and pants, and some sort of translucent visor along with a wrist device that had connected to the men who'd been assaulting Ganma previously.

"Dad, are you okay?!"

"I-I'm okay tadpole, I'm okay."

"{Base this is Chargebolt, we've secured callsign Toad. Froppy is escorting him to you now.} Tsuyu go, get your dad outta here. Red Riot and I will keep searching."

Ganma watched his daughter nod to the blond-haired teen before looping his uninjured arm over her shoulder. 

"Keep your location active, I'll meet up with you two ASAP, kero."

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Denki gave Tsuyu a grin and a thumbs up as he and Kirishima began to run through the facility, keeping their heads low and doing their best to stay away from the main battle. While Kirishima had initially complained that it wasn't manly to hide from the enemy and leave his friends to fight for themselves, Aizawa Sensei had pointed out that finding Mineta was top priority. Other groups had been dispatched to locate the boy, to cover every possible location in the fastest time possible. 

The Pro Heroes and the Big Three took on the bulk of the HPSC's forces. Most of 1A and 1B were running civilian watch, keeping the public out of danger and away from the carnage. But a select few members from either class were sent in as scouts alongside some Underground Heroes to search for Mineta. As the two boys ran, they caught snippets of the ongoing battle through their earpieces. 

"{We've got two more tangos coming from the end of the hallway.}"

"{Shit left side, left side!}"

The wall to the right of the boys broke apart as a hulking ram man was flung into the other side of the hallway. Another man with a similar ram mutation stumbled into the room after his partner, shaking and wobbling before falling on his face, Mirko jumping through the hole in the wall and landing on top of her opponent. 

"You chumps fought well, but I need more! Hey, you two get moving! Search the lower levels!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Denki and Kirishima sprinted down the corridor and began making their way to the stairs. They were interrupted as a collection of rubble and support beams began to fall on top of them. Denki dropped to his knees and covered his head, but thankfully the impact never arrived. Kirishima had hardened his entire body and caught the debris, though it was clear he was struggling to hold the weight.

"Go, Denki! I can handle this!"

"No way man, I'm not leaving you!"

Denki could see Kirishima's knees start to buckle, and the other boy was clearly straining hard. With his whole body hardened, Kirishima had been forced to stop his heart, meaning he didn't have much time. But Denki wasn't gonna leave him to be crushed! And yet what could he do? It's not like he could shock the debris away, and even if he could, he'd be rendering himself completely useless again.

Suddenly, a collection of vines and tape wrapped around the debris and support beams, pulling them off of Kirishima and letting the other boy relax. Looking up Denki saw Ibara from 1B, along with Sero. The two seemed to be straining to hold the weight off of Kirishima.

"Move, now!"

Without wasting another beat, Denki dragged Kirishima out of the way of the debris, and Ibara and Sero quickly dropped it before heading back to the fight on their floor. Kirishima managed to catch his breath after a few moments, nodding to Denki, who simply had to trust that his friend was okay. Eventually they reached the emergency exit that led to the lower levels, but no matter how hard Kirishima punched or kicked, the door wouldn't budge.

"Crap, there must be metric ton of rubble behind that door! We can't get through here."

"But how else are we gonna get to the lower levels?!"

Just then, the wall beside them fractured as Mina's body broke through the concrete, her back harshly hitting the adjacent wall and knocking the wind out of her. Charging through after her was a woman whose entire body was covered in rotating rings of water that lashed out and struck whatever was in their path. Moving quickly between Mina and her assailant, Denki fired off a controlled burst of electricity at the water covered enemy. The surprise attack caused her to violently convulse as she were indiscriminately shocked, the woman's invulnerable shield having been turned into an inescapable cage. Kirishima finished the job by fully hardening once again and slugging the agent in the face.

"Mina! You okay?"

"Ow. Yeah, I'm good. Bruised, but I'll make it."

"Any sign of Mineta?"

"Sorry Denki, no dice. I take it you guys aren't having any better luck?"

"We were gonna head through this door, but there's too much rubble to break it down."

"Hey, I've got an idea. You two stand together and hold on tight!"

Denki and Kirishima shared a worried glance before huddling close together. It wasn't that they didn't trust Mina, but she wasn't exactly one of the smartest students in their class. Then again, neither were either of them. When they saw Mina start to form an acid ring around them in a wide berth, the two boys pieced together her plan, and Denki clung to Kirishima who thankfully clung just as hard, bracing himself for the impact.

As the ring completed and a sizzling sound filled the air, the two boys instinctively screamed as the slab of concrete they were standing on dropped to the level below them. The feeling of weightlessness was quickly replaced by pain as the duo harshly landed on the slab of concrete they'd previously been standing on, now laying on their sides in a daze. Groaning, Denki felt Kirishima grab his arm and help him to his feet.

"You boys alright down there?!"

"Next time, let us jump in after you make the entrance instead of having us fall with it!"

"Well . . . you're still alive, so it worked out! Now find Mineta! I'll cover your backs!"

Shrugging and sighing to one another, the two boys persisted, with Denki gathering a small amount of electricity to light their way through the dark. The sounds of battle upstairs persisted but gradually began to grow more and more distant as the boys descended further into the facility. The further down the got, and with each new level checked, Denki began to lose more and more hope.

What if Mineta wasn't here? He wasn't about to doubt his friend's intelligence, or Nedzu's for that matter. The two had coordinated together to uncover this base after all. And they had found Tsuyu's father, so there was still a good chance Mineta was also here. But the eerie silence clawed at Denki, taunting him, whispering cold words of torment to his soul. Just as he felt he was about to crack and break down crying again, the two boys began to hear a slight thrashing sound, as well as the crackling of electricity. Kirishima looked at Denki worriedly. 

"That's not coming from you, right bro?"

"No . . . no it isn't."

The two boys started to move forward with more urgency than before, something telling them that they were close. When they came across another door, Kirishima prepared to kick down, getting a running start. The boy yelped and stumbled in surprise when the door opened seemingly on its own just before his foot made contact. Denki snorted a little, the action reminiscent of one accidentally skipping a stair on a staircase and nearly falling. Kirishima did not look amused, and Denki did his best to compose himself.

"S-sorry, it was just unexpected."

Kirishima's face turned from annoyed to suspicions.

"Yeah, it was. I would've thought the automated security systems would have wanted to keep us out, not let us in."

Denki's brows furrowed in concern.

"What are you saying? That we're . . . walking into a trap or something?"

"Maybe. Just keep an eye out . . . something doesn't feel right."

Gingerly, the two boys walked into the room. The space was bathed in darkness, save for the constant crackle of blue electricity arcing off of something in the center of the room on an elevated platform. The light from the electricity was enough to give the boys a general idea of how spacious the room was. And boy was it spacious. The ceiling was at least fifty meters high, maybe more, and the other end of the room was nowhere in sight beyond the shadows. 

"ARGG-!ah-aaaaaa-rhhghhhh!"

Denki had to cover his ears as the broken, almost digitized scream assaulted his eardrums. When he and Kirishima recovered from the vocal assault, they shared a concerned look before turning their gazes to the arcing electricity at the center of the room.

"You don't think that-"

"Better not to waste time and just find out."

Kirishima bounded forward, and Denki was quick to follow. His heart began to grow cold. The voice has sounded hauntingly like his friend, but Denki didn't want to entertain the possibility of what that would mean. As they approached the sides of the platform structures, Denki and Kirishima were puzzled to find that the structures looked like regular building exteriors. Almost like . . . like the fake cities UA employed for its training courses. 

With fear filling his bones, Denki quickly scaled the structure and helped Kirishima up, the two boys gradually making their way towards the arcing lightning and the broken screams that occasionally dipped into pained roars. As they scaled the final ledge, Denki felt his legs begin to wobble as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"{Base . . . this is Chargebolt and Red Riot. We've found him.}"

"{Chargebolt, send your coordinates immediately. We are sending all available units your way. Do you copy, over? Chargebolt?}"

Denki couldn't bring himself to respond, idly clicking the button on his transponder to give the team his coordinates but otherwise hypnotized by the horror before him. Writhing around in the tube in front of him was an ever-changing creature of slime, shifting and bouncing in time with the electrical shocks being aimed at it. The lightning was preventing the slime from taking a single form for more than a second at best, but that's all it took for Denki to see the face of his best friend, his expression warped into a monstrous snarl of agony before being ripped apart by more controlled shocks.

*CRACK*

Denki flinched, his gaze turning downward to the source of the noise. Kirishima had hardened his arms as much as he could and was working on breaking through the glass. The tube was clearly made to withstand some serious punishment, however, as only the faintest of fractures could be seen in the surface. That didn't deter Kirishima, but Denki knew it would take far too much time for that type of strategy to work. And the longer they took, the more pain Mineta would have to endure. 

Looking around, Denki managed to find a series of power cables towards the back of the tube that were brimming with electricity. Bingo. Hyping himself up, Denki poured electricity into his own hands, breathed in to calm himself, and latched onto the cables before pouring as much volts as he could without frying his own brain. 

Miraculously, Denki's plan worked, and his additional electricity overheated the circuits leading into the tube, thus shutting down the torture device entirely. That was the good news. The bad news was that there was no longer any light in the room, and Denki would need a few moments before he could produce more electricity to light the room himself.

"Did you do that?"

"Yeah! Yeah, this time it was me."

"Manly! So, what now?"

Before Denki could think of an answer, the glass tube shattered completely, shards whizzing past both of their heads and embedding into the walls several dozens of meters away. At least that provided some scale for the room. Between Denki and Kirishima, a gold light began to glow, soft at first, but then gradually getting brighter and brighter. Animalistic clicking sounds echoed throughout the chamber, and Denki began to sweat nervously as he heard and saw the gold light grow in size.

"Mineta? That you bro?"

"Talk to us man. We're here to get you out."

"{Gentlemen.}"

The boys both turned around in the darkness, the mysterious voice having come from all around them. Denki still felt a dull ache in his palms and decided to hold off on conjuring any more electricity for the time being. He heard Kirishima's arms harden once again. The gold light between them spread out further, and Denki struggled to tell just what it was forming while also listening to the ominous voice.

"{I must admit, your strategy, while rudimentary, is quite clever. It makes me wonder what other strategies you may be able to employ. And considering where we are, I do believe another field test is in order. Viscidity, eliminate them.}"

Without warning, the lights to the chamber all activated at once, and Denki made several realizations in a single moment. Firstly, the room they were in was some sort of training facility. This one was easy to guess, given all the context clues Denki had put together. The second realization was finding the source of the voice, which appeared to be coming from a man standing in an observation room at the top of the arena. The man had white hair, a purple overcoat and matching purple visor, and he was watching Denki and Kirishima with what looked like complete indifference.

The final realization was the gold light that had previously been illuminating the room between Denki and Kirishima. The good news was that it was indeed Mineta like they'd hoped! The bad news was that Mineta didn't seem to be completely present at the moment, and his body seemed to be moving against his will, puppeted by the gold light in his veins. Wherever the light glowed strongest, the boy's limbs would follow. Of course, this included the four additional limbs sprouting from the teen's back that had sickles adorned at the ends, each of which were focused on Denki and Kirishima with unwavering precision. 

"Run."

That was all the warning Mineta gave them before his body was lunging straight towards Denki, his tendrils splitting the air with a razor's edge as they sped towards the electric boy. Kirishima slammed Denki away and intercepted the barrage of slime, taking some surprisingly deep cuts while he did his best to push Mineta back.

"Dude, snap out of it!"

"I-I c-can't. Watch, y-your right!"

Kirishima grunted as he felt a stabbing sensation in his gut, and Denki gasped as he saw blood trickle down his friend's abdomen from where he'd been stabbed. Pouring electricity into his hands, Denki sent a wave of lightning towards his best friend, forcing Mineta to retract his tendrils into a defensive barrier and giving Kirishima time to recover.

"The heck is going on with him?!"

"{Your attempts to reason with the subject are admirable, but futile. Viscidity is our asset, to do with as we please. And such a powerful weapon like this would not be wise to create, if we could not control it. Observe.}"

The gold light in Mineta's veins glowed so bright and loud it almost sounded like it was burning him. Then his slime morphed and pulsed, and suddenly the defensive barrier he'd been forming lowered. Despite Denki still pouring on as much electricity as he could, it no longer seemed to be doing anything of consequence. His pupils widened, recognizing instantly what had happened. Just like back at the summer camp when Mineta had made his slime resistant to electricity to protect the others from Denki's seizure outburst, now he was shielding himself.

"He's made himself immune to my quirk!"

"{Precisely. Viscidity is the most adaptable weapon in the Hero Commission's arsenal. And with the nanites controlling his bodily functions, he now bends completely to my will. 98.14% of his form is under my total control. Frankly, I'm amazed he can even still talk. Now, finish them.}"

Mineta ducked and shot out a slime bola at Denki's feet so fast that it knocked Denki's legs out from under him and sent him back a good meter, nearly off of the platform. Kirishima rushed forward and prepared to brawl Mineta head on, only for the slime hero to deform the lower half of his body into pure slime, cutting his own height in half. Kirishima swung at nothing but air where Mineta's head used to be, and the other boy retaliated by uppercutting Red Riot in the chin. 

As Denki struggled to get the bola off of his legs, he watched as Kirishima began to trade blows with Mineta. At first, Denki thought Kirishima would clear the fight easily due to his now insane height advantage. But as the punches went back and forth Denki was awestruck to see Mineta overpowering Kirishima. The extra slime on the ground beneath Mineta was acting as a springboard of sorts, or like the ropes of a boxing ring. As Mineta landed one punch, his elbow hit the slime on the ground beneath him, which added even more force on the return trip. The velocity of his punches was increasing exponentially, and Kirishima was quickly finding himself overwhelmed in the onslaught. 

Eventually, Denki managed to free his legs from the slime bola restricting him and scrambled for an idea. Silently he also prayed that those damn reinforcements would get here soon. Seeing the cable he'd shocked previously, Denki got a stupid idea. Pulling with all his might, which admittedly wasn't a lot, he somehow managed to rip the massive three-inch-thick cable out of the tube it was connected to. Now he was holding what amounted to a massive industrial hose, except the hose spewed electricity instead of water. Yeah, this idea was massively stupid, but Denki was running on fumes. 

The blond boy ducked as Kirishima's battered body flew over his head, landing somewhere below the structure in a crumpled heap, unconscious and bruised, but hopefully alive. Turning his head around, Denki saw Mineta steadily approaching him, his face impassive and his eyes glowing gold, likely forced by the things in his body. What had that masked guy called them? Nano-something? Whatever. Denki had to hope that his suspicions about Mineta's quirk were correct.

"Sorry about this, we can hug it out later."

Just as Mineta was on about to grasp him, Denki whipped around, the cable in his hands turning with him. At the same time, Denki applied as much energy from his quirk as he could into the sparking cable, amplifying its output once again. It worked, and with no stable direction to flow, the electricity sought out the nearest conduit to lead it back to the ground. Luckily, it was passing right in front of a purple and gold slime humanoid. The electricity struck Mineta like a high-powered laser beam, cutting into his slime and cauterizing it, creating burning scars in the other boy's form both across and down his body. 

Mineta staggered back slightly, his legs, chest, arms and face crackling with burning residue. Denki smirked, glad that his batshit insane plan had actually worked, and that his guess about Mineta's quirk was correct. While he seemed to be able to mold his slime to adapt to any foreign attack, he could only adapt to a single form of force at a time. Although he'd previously made himself resistant to Denki's lightning, Mineta had been forced to change his slime's defensive properties to counter the force of Kirishima's blows and his rocky exterior. Meaning his resistance to electricity had been disregarded, and that Mineta hadn't thought to activate it again.

Although judging by what little he could see of his friend's face, it was also possible that Mineta had actively rejected making his slime resistant on purpose. It was obvious by now that the man in the observation room was piloting Mineta, but he didn't have 100% control of the boy. That meant Mineta was still resisting inside. Denki wouldn't waste his friend's help, even if it meant having to hurt him to ultimately save him. Dropping his right hand and forming a fist, Denki uppercut Mineta as he'd seen the other boy do to Kirishima earlier. 

As Mineta hit the edge of the platform, Denki began dragging the cable behind him, pulling it with him towards Mineta. The man in the observation booth was issuing more orders for Mineta to get up, and Denki could see that golden glow return as Mineta's slime began to reassemble itself. Mineta moved his arms underneath him and tried to push himself up from the ground. Denki gritted his teeth. Hurting his friend made him feel sick, but it was the only strategy he had left to stall for time. With bile swirling uncomfortably in his stomach, Denki raised the cable and poured his quirk into it once more before slashing the amplified electricity in a downward arc across his best friend's back, scarring him further.

Mineta's arms gave out beneath him, and the other boy fell back to the ground, twitching and convulsing. Denki panted, the exertion of pushing his quirk to its limits without going overboard was beginning to take its toll. In the back of his mind, he was actually quite impressed with his own progress. Maybe those grueling extra credit lessons were paying off after all. Mineta stirred beneath him, and Denki gazed down at his friend with a sorrowful expression.

"Come back to us . . . please."

"{Kill him, that is an order.}"

Denki shuddered upon hearing the venom in the stranger's voice. Looking up, Denki caught sight of the man staring down at them with an expression of annoyance and distaste. Denki felt much the same. This guy had been using his friend for his own personal gain, manipulating and torturing Mineta, molding him into something dark. No more.

"It's over! Now give me my friend back!"

"{Your friend no longer exists; there is only Viscidity now. But don't worry, he should be more than enough to satisfy you. Isn't that right?}"

Denki's brow furrowed, before he looked down upon hearing Mineta's slime begin to heal once again, coalescing into a full humanoid form. Sighing, Denki readied his cable a third time, but before he could even begin to raise it, Mineta's body had turned completely purple and amorphous, before regaining texture and definition. Only this time, Mineta was now facing Denki's direction instead of having his back turned. With a guttural scream, Mineta's slime on his back launched him forward, and both of Mineta's fists landed straight into Denki's chest, sending him to the other edge of the platform. 

The cable slipped from Denki's grasp, and Mineta made sure to kick it off the platform, letting it dangle uselessly off the side. Denki coughed, desperate to get air into his lungs as he frantically struggled to get back to his feet. He could definitely feel some of his ribs had been cracked, and breathing was a trial right now, as was keeping Mineta in focus. Denki's eyes were starting to blur, but he had to stay strong. Denki watched wearily as Mineta methodically approached him, the boy's eyes completely golden, his body rippling with slime. Clenching his right hand into a fist and summoning any electricity he could manage, Denki swung for Mineta's head.

The other boy effortlessly caught Denki's punch, having remolded his slime to be resistant to electricity once again. The return punch to Denki's face had his vision going dark at the edges, and he swung wildly in front of him, hitting nothing but air. When he looked around, he saw Mineta standing behind him, having used his slime to seamlessly glide around Denki into his blind spot, which earned the electric boy a second punch to the face. 

Denki spit out a glob of blood as he tried to center himself on his feet, only to immediately find himself being bombarded with wave after wave of slime layers buffeting his body. Through the haze of his vision, Denki could see Mineta sending layers of his body at Denki over and over, gradually moving himself piece by piece from one side of the electric boy to the other. As he did, Mineta began to move into a striking position, using the remaining layers of his body to perfectly line Denki up for the critical hit. 

When Denki had been fully turned around, he only got a chance to blink and gasp in disbelief before Mineta landed the crucial blow. Coughing up more blood, Denki helplessly grabbed at the slime spike that was impaling him through the chest near his right shoulder. Even as Mineta lifted him off the ground, Denki scrambled to do something, but it was hopeless. The last thing he saw before being flung to the ground and slipping into unconscious, was the teary face of his best friend, Mineta's eyes shifting back from golden to dark purple, having regained clarity of thought at the worst moment of his life.

━━━━━━━━◇◆◇━━━━━━━━

Minoru stood frozen, his breathing beginning to grow erratic as he watched the unconscious, steadily bleeding form of his best friend. The pool of crimson spreading out from Denki's shoulder was all Minoru could comprehend. Even as he felt his body start to move towards Denki without his input, the moment played back in his mind, over and over.

Stabbing his best friend without mercy. 

Watching as the electric boy squirmed in pain.

The sorrow and dread so easy to spot on his face, which Minoru knew Denki saw mirrored on his own before having his lights shut off.

"{As I thought. They put of a good fight, but their defeat was inevitable. Now, finish him Viscidity.}"

Minoru could feel the unbearable burning sensation light up inside of him once more as Katori took control of his body. The gold light flared in his veins, and Minoru whimpered as his right arm began to extend towards Denki, his palm aimed directly at his best friend's head. Already he could feel the slime inside his hand condensing, molding into a single sphere waiting to be shot. Deep in his subconscious, Minoru was laughing hysterically while his body cried. All of his training, his mindset of violence, his ability to defeat any opposition, had started by learning to shoot a single bullet made from his own quirk. And now . . . it was going to end the exact same way.

NO!!! I won't let them win! I refuse!

Gritting his teeth and using every ounce of his willpower, Minoru forced his arm away from Denki, shifting it to the right. The nanites controlling his body fought against him, but he fought just as hard in turn. Just as the bullet shot out, Minoru managed to swing his arm to the far right, safely out of range of either Denki or Kirishima. 

"{Impossible. You do not possess the motor functionality to resist my commands. Kill. Him.}"

"NEVER!!!"

Minoru glanced up at Katori with hatred brewing in his eyes. The other man visibly recoiled, briefly stunned by Minoru's savage display of defiance. Setting his face back into a scowl, Katori brought his hand up to a dial on the side of his visor and increased it to what must have been its maximum setting. Minoru didn't even try to hold in the scream of pain yearning to escape from his lips. His slime was starting to boil, and his physical form was actively melting. 

Watching as his body moved back towards Denki once more, taking slow, goopy steps that sizzled against the metal floor beneath him, Minoru cursed inside his head. He couldn't even cry about the situation anymore, the tears evaporating from his face before they even had a chance to fall. Minoru closed his eyes and flinched when he heard a second shot ring out. Opening his eyes, Minoru shuddered upon seeing a splatter of molten slime sizzling near Denki's head, having missed by just a few inches.

"{How are you able to fight against my commands?! DESTROY HIM!}"

Minoru was shocked. He'd never heard Katori lose his cool before. Ever. The man was known for being emotionless, a husk of a man who existed only to follow orders. But even he had a breaking point apparently. Minoru guessed he just had a thing for inadvertently pissing people off. In this instance, he felt that it was a good thing. The heat in his body stayed strong, but Katori took the time to properly reform his physical structure. 

I can't make him miss a third time.

Memories of Minoru and Denki flooded the former's mind in quick succession. The first time they met one another over Heaven's Hellfire, where Denki proclaimed Minoru to be his squire and strategist. 

("You're so smart dude! From now on, you're in charge of resources and our vault!"

"W-what? You . . . you're really trusting me with, something so important?"

"Of course, man! I know I can rely on you! We're bros! And bros look out for one another.")

The time when they eventually found each other at UA, happy and scared and confused from how chaotic that first homeroom class had been with Aizawa Sensei. 

("Thank god it was just a ruse. I can't believe Yaoyorozu would keep that information to herself!"

"I don't think it was a ruse."

"What? But Aizawa Sensei didn't expel anyone!"

"He also didn't score the tests fairly. Look, I don't know what his motivation was, but he seems like the kind of person to go through with his threats."

"Damn, he's even scarier than I thought. Well, I'm not too worried. With our powerful and versatile quirks, and your strategic genius, we should be just fine!")

How relieved they'd been to see each other okay after the USJ had concluded. 

("She just shoved you into the villains and basically went 'not my problem, good luck?' Denki's that's super messed up! And you like this girl?"

"I know Jiro could have done something better, but we were all stressed out! And it worked . . . mostly. Snipe and the other teachers came in clutch when we needed them. Seriously, I'm fine. What happened with you, Asui, and Midoriya?"

"I . . . I panicked too, okay? Asui almost didn't drag me out of the water, but she did. And watching that hand-villain guy come up to her was terrifying! But Midoriya was awesome! He's come a long way."

"His quirk still didn't look too stable back there."

"No . . . but his mind was sharp as ever. I just hope it doesn't take more villain attacks before he gains enough confidence to put that knowledge to use.")

And most damning of all, the Summer Training Camp.

("No! No stop, stop you- you can't. You'll get hurt!" 

"You're not gonna hurt me, Denki, I promise. You could never hurt me.")

Minoru felt his arm lock into position while the slime in his feet bolted him into the ground, digging through the metal and anchoring him in place. Through the gaps in his fingers, Minoru watched as Denki struggled to breath in his sleep. As the blood pooled around his friend's head and body, images of Hawks' bleeding out overlapped in Minoru's mind, and he felt himself waver, even as the nanites forced his body to stay upright. Closing his eyes for what he imagined would be the final time, Minoru mourned for his friend.

"Forgive me . . . Denki."

The recoil forced his body bending back slightly, the sheer force of the bullet being ejected from his arm. Everything seemed to slow down. Minoru could feel the slime sphere moving all the way from his shoulder, traveling straight down the path of his arm towards the narrow opening at the base of his palm. He wanted to scream. In agony, in anguish, in rage . . . Minoru wanted to scream until Death came to silence his cries forever. 

Instead of Death, however, Minoru felt the presence of an angel. The swift sailing of a body through the air behind him, surely ready to embrace his tortured form, to take him off this mortal coil and pass judgment on his soul. And this he felt something slimy on his wrist. Not his own slime, but a coiled appendage he was all too familiar with. Opening his eyes in awe, Minoru locked his gaze with the angel come to save him.

Flying through the air, Tsu was leaping in front of him, her tongue pulling his wrist away from Denki. The bullet from his palm fired into the air far away from any of his friends. As Tsu landed, Minoru heard a pained scream. Looking up behind him, the boy saw Katori Shibuya holding the left side of his face, blood seeping through his fingers. Part of Katori's mask had been broken as Minoru's bullet torn through the metal just as easily as it had the older man's eye. 

Minoru flexed his hands, testing his body's reactions. The gold that had been burning his veins from within was gone. His slime felt cool and free, no longer stiff and agitated. Minoru huffed out a laugh and a sigh, looking at Tsu with a measure of gratitude he'd never been able to muster up before. The girl smiled and closed her eyes, tilting her head at that cute angle while putting a finger on her chin.

"Looks like I made it just in time, kero."

"I'll say. I'm not being controlled anymore. It must have been Katori's mask. Nice shot."

"We can talk about it later, let's get Kaminari and Kirishima out of here."

"This . . . is . . . INCONCEIVABLE!!!" 

The two teens turned sharply, watching as Katori stepped out from the observation deck onto a platform made of blue holographic light. The man's fists were clenched together at his sides, and a steady stream of blood poured out of his left eye socket, staining his clothes and his teeth. Rasing his hands into the air, Katori summoned hard light projections of spinning rock spikes before firing them at Minoru and Tsu at high velocity. Tsu ran to grab Denki and prepared to jump, while Minoru began to conjure a wall of slime to cover their escape. He honestly wasn't sure if he could block Katori's assault, but he had to try.

That all changed when Katori's attack was blocked by a large glacial wall, the ice effortlessly halting the approaching holographic projectiles in their tracks. Minoru looked over to his right, expecting to see Todoroki. Instead, he found himself surprised to find not only Yaoyorozu running towards them, but Monoma, who had apparently been the one to create the glacier. The blond began creating a path of ice to surf on as he ascended towards Minoru and Tsu.

"I decided to take your advice to heart. Seems that Class 1A isn't entirely useless as I'd thought."

"Better late than never, kero."

"Hey-!"

Before Monoma could get into another rant, Minoru pulled him towards Denki.

"Take him to Creati and Red Riot! Give her cover while she patches them up!"

"What about you two?!"

Minoru looked to Tsu, who nodded with a smirk. Minoru returned the gesture before looking back at Monoma.

"We're finishing this."

"Figures. I still have access to Todoroki's quirk, plus a few extras. I'll give support where I can, you two morons just stay alive!"

With that, Monoma was hopping down to help Yaoyorozu tend to their wounded friends, and Minoru and Tsu focused all of their attention on the glacier that had now broken apart. Katori stood suspended midair inside a holographic beast that looked awfully similar to how Minoru tended to look when he raged out against villains. The form was bipedal, with two massive arms and legs tipped with claws, tentacles over the mouth like a beard, twin scythes on the back, and five eyes arcing around the face. Katori sat inside the creature's head, piloting it.

"Enough! If you cannot be bent, you shall be broken!"

"It'll take more than you."

Minoru allowed himself to transform. His back produced its four serrated sickles, his feet and hands becoming adorned with claws, his teeth sharpening, and his spine growing ridged spikes. Katori's left hand came down to crush them, and Tsu leapt out of the way, vanishing somewhere into the terrain. Minoru stood his ground and caught the massive hand, the structure beneath him crumpling somewhat from the force. Shoving with all his might, Minoru moved Katori's hand up before stabbing into it with his four sickles and slashing a jagged cut into the blue palm.

Minoru proceeded to shoot out a volley of slime bullets towards Katori's face, but the creature moved its scythes to block the barrage. Those very same scythes were then stabbing and sweeping at him. Despite their size, Minoru found it difficult to dodge them, being forced to jump, spin, and split his body just to avoid being sliced apart. He had to hope his allies were planning something. The least he could do was buy them time and get on Katori's nerves.

"What was that you said earlier, about being able to control me?! At least you got the weapon part right! Too bad it's coming back to bite you in the ass!"

"Wretched, insignificant scum!"

The creature's uninjured right hand formed into a fist and prepared to smash Minoru into paste. Just as Minoru moved to dodge, he saw the approaching fist briefly become engulfed in a pinkish purple aura, which he recognized from the Training Camp as Yanagi's quirk, Poltergeist. Seems Monoma refused to let go of 1B entirely. Yanagi's quirk was powerful though. Monoma was getting a better feel for which quirks to specialize in. 

The telekinetic force was just enough to force Katori's incoming fist to veer slightly off course of Minoru. The slime teen didn't waste the opportunity, side stepping the massive appendage and slicing through it as it sailed past him, leaving a massive cut along the holographic arm. By now, both of Katori's main arms were heavily wounded, barely able to be raised. 

"You are a failure, an abomination that must be eradicated!"

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, Dr. Frankenstein?!"

The twin scythes coiled in frustration behind Katori before both speeding towards Minoru with incredible speed. It would have been impressive, had Minoru not predicted the move. It was one of his very own design after all. Ducking low and spinning his own tendrils, Minoru wrapped his slimy appendages around Katori's holographic variants, pulling the hard light creature towards him in a game of tug of war. The creature dug its claws into the floor and began to pull back, but Minoru held strong, grunting and pulling as hard as he could.

The sound of electricity hummed through the air, and Minoru figured that Monoma had copied Denki's quirk. He was proven correct when not a moment later, a bolt of lightning hit Katori straight on through the protective holographic shield he'd covered himself in. The visor on the man's head blinked rapidly, overcharged and overheating from the energy poured into it, the lightning searing the inside of the man's exposed eye socket. 

That was all the distraction Minoru needed in order to pull upwards and rip Katori's scythes off of his construct's body. The twin scythes flew into the air before gently dissipating into harmless particles of light. The back of the construct slumped against the wall behind it, it's pilot clearly exhausted. 

"Don't let up, kero!"

"Let's end this!"

Minoru watched as Monoma sent a path of ice speeding across the floor towards Katori before raising it into a ramp that stabbed straight into the neck of Katori's construct. The beast thrashed around, gripping at the ice ramp with its hands to try and break it away. Minoru gritted his teeth and screamed, releasing dozens of slime tendrils from every part of his body to restrain the creature in front of him. The purple tentacles pulled Katori's arms away from the ice impaling his construct to the wall behind it, and the light beast roared in frustration. Minoru roared back in defiance.

"Now, kero!"

Minoru looked below and saw something truly bizarre and breathtaking. Yaoyorozu had created a pair of ice skates specifically designed for Tsu to wear, and the girl was skating over Monoma's ice ramp towards Katori at rapid speed. As she ran out of flat ice to skate on, Monoma switched back to using Poltergeist and gave Tsu a huge telekinetic push up the ramp, sending the frog girl flying up towards Katori's position.

The beast tried to grab the girl, but Minoru held its hands down firmly, pressing them into the wall and making indents into the metal with how much force he applied. Minoru couldn't see Tsu's face, only her body flying through the air straight towards the man who'd been responsible for all of his torment. But the look on that man's face as his jaw dropped, likely having never even considered this moment a possibility, that gave Minoru all the satisfaction he needed. 

The chamber echoed with a loud crunch of machine parts and bone as Tsu's fist connect with Katori's mask and completely shattered it to bits. As the shards of the visor flung in all directions, a blinding blue light engulfed the room caused by Katori's quirk, and everyone shielded their eyes. Everyone except Minoru, who let himself smile freely for the first time in what felt like forever. It seems an angel had come to save him after all.

Chapter Text

No one could have expected the sudden blackout across the complex. One moment, everything was fine, running perfectly as intended. The next . . . not so much. Himiko blinked and shuddered as the lights above her cut out completely, leaving her and the other prisoners shrouded in blackness. For a moment, silence reigned supreme as confusion spread throughout the ranks of the various cells. Then, all at once, roars and cheers erupted as one by one, the bullet resistant glass began to rise and give each prisoner an escape. 

Chaos descended, and soon guards were filing in with guns, batons, and flares, doing everything they could to cow the oncoming riot. It was all for naught, however, as now the criminals simply had a target to show their fury. Himiko pushed herself as far into the corner of her cell as she could manage, the carnage of prisoners fighting both the guards and even sometimes each other bringing back terrible memories from her childhood and time on the streets. 

Even now, not thirty seconds into the brawl, Himiko could smell the blood in the air, could practically taste it. For once in her life, it made her feel sick rather than content. The girl's pupils shook with nervous energy. Whether it had been on the streets, with the League, or even her time in Tartarus, Himiko's life had always had some sort of structure to it. She'd always been able to rely on herself to make sure things went according to plan. Here, there was no plan, no strategy, no hope. Just an ocean of bodies and blood, and the sounds of savage beasts masquerading as men and women tearing each other apart.

And then, the carnage was silenced in an instant as the sound of blades piercing skin and bone reverberated throughout the hall. Himiko could hear the strangled and gurgling protests of some of the prisoners, before eventually they too fell silent. A single set of footsteps was all the blond girl heard now, steadily approaching her cell. Himiko covered her mouth and did her best to keep silent and small, hoping that whoever it was would simply go on their way and not even notice her.

"Flesh."

Himiko shuddered when she heard that single word whispered in the dead silence. Her pupils shrank as none other than Moonfish came into view in front of her cell, casting a shadow over her as he was backlit from the now discarded flares the guards had brought in.  Even as the man's dead eyes stared into her own, his face expressionless and gaunt, Himiko could see the intent to kill written in his posture. The blades in his mouth were already drenched in the blood of what must have been dozens of prisoners/guards. Clearly, Moonfish hungered for more, and Himiko hadn't made things difficult for him. 

She didn't have any sort of weapon to defend herself with, nor was she fast enough to dodge Moonfish's quirk. She wasn't strong enough to overpower him either, not before he landed a critical blow on her. The man seemed to be fully aware of that, slowly encroaching on her quivering form as the blades in his mouth gradually began to extend longer and longer, inching closer to Himiko with each second. 

"Flesh!"

Himiko snapped her eyes closed and hugged herself tight, trying in vain to shield the vital spots on her body. She knew it was hopeless to defend herself; she was embarrassingly outmatched. But instincts were hard to shed, and if Himiko was going to die, she at least wanted to be spared having to watch it happen. The sounds of blades scraping through the air, getting closer to her body at a rapid pace, was suddenly overpowered by the deafening noise of a bullet ringing throughout the corridor. For a moment, Himiko continued to brace herself for the onslaught of pain no doubt still heading her way.

When it didn't arrive like she'd expected, the blond girl opened her eyes. Moonfish's blades were inches away from her curled up body, having stopped just before piercing her skin. Strangely, the blades seemed to be coated in more blood than they were before. Checking herself for wounds, Himiko found that she was still miraculously okay. Confused, the teen looked back up, and through the crimson haze and silver glint, Himiko saw a smoking hole burned through Moonfish's head, the man's body only now catching up to him as his arms went limp.

A hand grabbed Moonfish on his shoulder and practically flung him out of Himiko's cell. Moonfish's corpse fell lifelessly to the floor among the other dead prisoners and guards. Looking up, Himiko saw her apparent savior was none other than the woman who'd been sitting in the cell across from her own. Kaina's purple eyes bore down on Himiko as the woman took the shivering teen in. Himiko noticed that the woman's right arm now looked like some sort of rifle.

"I told you I'd help you. This is your only chance."

Himiko watched as Kaina extended her left arm out, the woman's hand open as she once again presented her offer. Himiko didn't understand much of what was going on right now. She didn't understand how Tartarus could have lost power like it had. She didn't understand why Moonfish chose to kill his would-be comrades instead of using them as cover to escape like others no doubt had. But Himiko did understand that she was being offered help from someone who had no obligation to help her. For once in her life, Himiko Toga was being shown kindness. Deciding that she had no better options, Himiko slowly raised her own hand, grasping Kaina's and pulling herself up.

"Thank you."

"Thank me when we get out of here."

"H-how did you know that . . . all of this would happen?"

Kaina smirked.

"Let's just say . . . the Hero Commission tends to overestimate itself. I know that firsthand."

As the two of them began making their way out of the facility, Kaina spared a thought to herself.

Looks like history is about to repeat itself . . . Madame President.

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Despite the blinding glare fully encompassing her and causing a mild headache, the feeling of the man's face crunching beneath her fist made it all worth it to Tsu. She was just glad that Yaoyorozu's plan had seemed to be right in the end. The creation girl had hypothesized that whoever the man was, his mask was likely in control of more than just Mineta's body. Mineta had said that the man, Katori, was a security officer, and the mask had been the only item of interest the man had interacted with. Thus, removing it was top priority for the team. 

While Mineta did an excellent job of fighting against Katori, and Tsu wagered that the teen relished in the chance to fight back against his tormentor, the group would need to work together to defeat Katori. While Yaoyorozu's stratagem had been crucial, everyone's ability to put it into action was just as important. Monoma had played his role of support perfectly, creating openings for Mineta to capitalize on, and striking at critical moments to tip the tides in their favor. In the end though, it all hinged on Tsu hitting her mark at exactly the right moment.

The ice skates had felt uncomfortable at first, given the unique nature of her frog feet, but they served their purpose well enough for Tsu and the team to claim victory. Light bathed across them all, even as Tsu felt the hot blood spew out of Katori's face onto her fist. But the moment was bittersweet. As the light began to die, darkness crept in to replace it, and a deep rumbling shook the building to its core. The walls and ceiling began to rapidly crumble away, falling down towards them at a rapid pace. 

Tsu tried to dodge and weave out of the way, but on her descent, she was unfortunately clipped in the back by a sharp piece of rubble. Hitting the floor was an unpleasant experience to say the least. Dust began to fill the air with each new slab of concrete making impact onto the floor, and it soon became hard to breathe. Idly, Tsu could hear Yaoyorozu shouting out to her amidst the chaos, but black spots began to dance at the edges of Tsu's vision, and the noise around her was growing fainter and fainter. 

Before she fell into unconsciousness, Tsu heard a guttural scream near her and saw an expanding purple web of slime stretch out in all directions above and around her. The tendrils snaked around the room at speeds Tsu could only imagine. As incoherent screams of rage and terror swirled around the girl and in her earpiece, Tsu felt her grip on the waking world slip away, falling into a slumber.

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Minoru sighed in both relief and exhaustion. Though he was ashamed to admit it, he wasn't sure he would have been able to defeat Katori on his own. Katori Shibuya was an extremely skilled opponent, and the battle reminded Minoru of when he'd teamed up with Izuku against Overhaul, a similarly tough and versatile adversary. The difference between then and now was that Minoru had been given time to prepare a plan against Overhaul, and he'd had Izuku to help refine it. 

He'd had no such preparation against Katori, and his slime's capacity had been severely limited in the fight. Minoru theorized that the reason Katori hadn't split him into multiple clones was because it would dilute and strain the nanites that had been controlling him. Still, there had been some advantages to the fight. For one, Minoru had three times the allies he'd had previously, and with Yaoyorozu being among them, her intelligence had more than made up for the lack of a plan on Minoru's end. 

The important part was that the fight was over. There was no use in debating what could have been had circumstances been different. Things happened how they happened, and fortunately the battle had ended in their triumph. It wasn't until the building started to shake that Minoru's heart sank. Minoru had always known Katori Shibuya to be an intelligent man. He was malicious, cruel, and devoid of emotion, but nonetheless intelligent. Yet as the power to the building was lost, and the structure began to crumble around them, Minoru was reminded that the one thing Katori had more of than intelligence . . . was hubris.

He knew the man relied on his visor to simplify his security access and protocols, and that the device had been controlling the nanites in Minoru's system. But never had Minoru thought the man would set the building's entire structure on the wellbeing of such a small piece of support equipment. Then, Minoru's eyes widened in fear. Because what if it hadn't been an oversight at all? What if it was by design?

Katori was strong, stronger than most Pro Heroes in Japan. The idea that he could suffer defeat was laughable. But Katori was also a man of contingencies. Should his position to serve as Security Officer ever come into danger from the enemy . . . perhaps this had been a failsafe to ensure no possible breaches in security could escape to see the light of day. Minoru snarled. Not only was that a far too drastic measure to take, but it also risked too many lives. It risked his friend's lives.

Minoru's pupils shrank, and he looked down in horror seeing Tsu helplessly try to claw her way forward on the ground, her back bleeding, her costume torn. Leaping down, Minoru began to make his way towards the girl, until Yaoyorozu's screams of terror echoed across the arena. Turning around, Minoru saw the other girl and Monoma desperately trying to shield Kirishima and Denki. Seeing his best friend's contorted face caused Minoru to faulter. He wanted to save Tsu. He wanted to save Denki and his other friends. But he couldn't do both.

Yes, you can. You can save them all. 

How?!

By making the ultimate sacrifice . . .

Already, Minoru could see rubble descending towards the others, all of them powerless to stop the debris from crushing them into fine paste on the floor. Minoru remembered having that happen to him, in this very chamber. Having to feel each of his clones torn apart by the USJ nomu, watching his friends cower and scream away from the villains, watching the love of his life bleed and unravel and decay while he could do nothing. 

Through the haze of dust and blood, Minoru saw a familiar, ghostly presence watching him from the shadows. The deformed and bandages form of Eraserhead glared at him from the outskirts, his blood red eyes boring into him, piercing Minoru's soul. It was as if the universe itself was testing him, waiting to see if he would crumble, or rise.  

Minoru gritted his teeth in rage and sorrow, before howling to the world and unleashing every last bit of his slime that he could. He wasn't helpless anymore. This time . . .  this time, he could act. As his slime tendrils created a web to catch and suspend all of the falling rubble, and as Minoru commanded his own unraveling body to hold the structure of the collapsing building together, the strain caused the boy to vomit blood and slime in equal measure. Yet he endured. He would always endure.

Slabs of concrete and metal slammed into the slime huts he'd conjured above his friend's bodies, shielding them from most of the pain. Their confused and scared voices still rang out, mixing with his memories and haunting him as the collapse continued. But Minoru refused to let his concentration waver, refused to let the pain overwhelm him and make him give in. The last thing Minoru felt before the light was consumed completely, was the impact of a particularly large slab of concrete impacting his back, and the feeling of being stabbed dozens of times. But he refused to surrender. Katori was wrong. 

No matter what, Minoru Mineta would not break.

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Pain. That was the first thing Tsu's mind registered as she blearily opened her eyes. Her muscles felt strained, overworked, and her entire body burned. Her back felt worst of all, but it was until Tsu noticed how sticky it felt and smelled something metallic in the air that she grew worried. She could feel the crimson liquid flow around her, pooling in the cracks and crevices below her. Her attempt to get up and assess the damage was met with resistance, both in the form of the rubble pinning her legs and back, and the slime between the concrete and her body. 

Straining to look, Tsu could see purple slime had shielded her from the worst of the impact. Tentatively, Tsu started to feel around in front of her body. She didn't get far before her arm gently made contact with a piece of rebar only a foot or so away from her face. The bar was impaled into the floor, far too close to her head for comfort. A sweep in front of her revealed that another piece of rebar was embedded into the floor on the other side of her head, both pieces having miraculously missed her.

"Is everyone okay?! Froppy?!"

Tsu perked up upon hearing Yaoyorozu's voice.

"*cough*, I'm here, kero. How about you guys?"

"I think we're all accounted for. Kirishima and Kaminari are still unconscious, but their wounds aren't getting worse. Monoma and I are good."

At least they had that much going for them. Tsu hadn't had much time to process either of her classmate's injuries amidst the battle, but Kirishima hadn't looked too worse for wear. A bit bruised, but he should be mostly okay. Kaminari had looked far worse, having lost quite a bit of blood. Still, he'd seemed stable last Tsu saw him, and if Yaoyorozu said he was still okay, the frog girl was inclined to believe her. And with both her and Monoma awake to keep the two boys from slipping further into dangerous territory, Tsu was confident they'd be alright. That only left one person. Tsu began to grow nervous when she didn't hear him.

"Minoru? Has anyone seen Minoru?!"

"He's not with us."

". . . right . . . h-here."

Tsu's relief upon hearing Minoru's voice was short lived. The strain and agony present in his broken words left her with a feeling of dread deep in the pit of her stomach. Before she could ask where he was or if he was okay, Tsu heard Minoru cough and retch, followed by the building creaking ever so slightly. Small bits of loose debris and dust shifted and fell, but nothing big dropped, and Tsu left out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding.

"That's didn't sound good. Do any of you 1A powerhouses have a plan?"

"This isn't the time, Monoma. But yes, one moment . . . there!"

Tsu blinked in surprise when Yaoyorozu suddenly turned on a flashlight, having just created it. As the light shone around the room, Tsu, Yaoyorozu and Monoma gasped at what they saw. Dozens if not hundreds of pieces of debris were suspended midair by an intricate web of purple slime, the sticky strands wrapping around each other and creating a net meant to catch and stop anything from getting through. A cursory pass of the walls showed that they too were covered in purple goo, filling in the cracks of the breaking structure and holding it together as a binding agent.

"It's like a living fractal or watching mold instinctively move its way through a maze."

"That doesn't look stable. Who knows how long it'll hold for."

A hacking cough made them all jump, and Yaoyorozu instinctively turned the flashlight towards the noise. Tsu saw the other girl's face light up in shock and horror. Yaoyorozu looked like she was going to be sick, and Monoma didn't seem to be faring much better honestly.

"What is it, kero?! Did you find Minoru?!"

"Tsuyu, please don't look at him. Trust me, you don't want to see him right now."

And Tsu did trust Yaoyorozu. She did. The creation teen was one of the smartest individuals in their classroom, maybe one of the smartest students currently enrolled at UA. But like Pandora, Tsu's curiosity burned inside, and her worry for Minoru burned stronger still. She had to know that the boy she'd come to rescue was okay, that he was alive and well. Straining her head as far as she could, Tsu looked to her left where Yaoyorozu was glancing. The sight made her face grow as green as her hair.

Standing with buckling legs, Minoru's entire body shook under the strain of holding the entire building together. A giant slab on concrete rested uncomfortably on his back, and several pieces of rebar from the slab were stabbed through him. The boy had rebar jutting through his legs, his arms, his chest, his neck, and worst of all, a single piece piercing straight through his right eye. Slime and blood coated the floor beneath him in a viscous glob, yet he still breathed.

Tsu would have thought him dead otherwise. The rebar was stabbing him through the brain! Not to mention several other vital organs! But due to the nature of his quirk, Minoru's body was almost always pure slime when he needed it to be. Still, he clearly felt the pain of being stabbed through the head and the rest of his body, not to mention the difficulty of holding up the entire structure around everyone. 

Tsu sucked in a breath when the full weight of Minoru's actions sunk in. He wasn't just protecting them; he was protecting everyone in the building. How far did he have to stretch his slime to hold up the entire foundation of the building? How was he even still able to keep himself together on top of something like this?

"Listen . . . carefully. Monoma . . . I need you . . . to freeze me."

"What? That's insane!"

"Kero?"

Minoru didn't pay any heed to Yaoyorozu or Tsu, looking straight into the blond boy's eyes with all the seriousness he could muster.

"I'm not gonna . . . hold out much longer. Freeze my slime. Buy yourselves . . . t-time."

Minoru had barely finished talking when he was overwhelmed by another fit of coughing. Everyone watched with bated breath as the network of slime shuddered with the boy, and more stray pieces of debris slipped through the gaps and crashed into the ground. Monoma's lips creased into a thin line as the boy nodded, grabbing the strands of Todoroki's hair from his belt pouch and producing a steady stream of ice across the slime covering him and the others. 

Tsu felt a shiver run up her spine as the slime over her grew cold in an instant, and the drastic drop in temperature started to make her sleepy. Looking at Minoru with tired eyes, Tsu saw him breath out carefully, aware of his own time limit as well. While the ice had reinforced Minoru's web of slime, meaning he didn't need to actively concentrate on holding it up, it also meant nearly his entire body was frozen. If someone didn't find them soon, he would succumb to hypothermia. 

"That should do it."

"It'll buy us time at least. Kaminari's coordinates should have given the Pro Heroes our location, but we may have been displaced in the shifting rubble. I've created a signal booster for our emergency transponders so that the Pros can home in on our signal."

While Monoma and Yaoyorozu got to work problem solving their predicament, Tsu felt tears rise to her face as she listened to Minoru's breathing growing shallower by the minute. Another occasional shift in the building would cause some cracks to form in the ice, which Monoma would reform as needed. On one such instance, Tsu heard a small piece of debris land somewhere near her, followed by Minoru cursing under his breath.

"Save your energy, kero."

"I'm fine . . . really."

"You don't have much time left."

"Heh . . . I always seem to be *COUGH, COUGH* . . . running out of time."

Tsu whined and croaked in desperation, the feeling of not being able to do anything gnawing away at her. But she couldn't break free from the rubble or the ice pinning her down. And even if she could, her body was drawing closer and closer to deep sleep as time went on. At least the blood pouring from her back wounds had frozen over for the most part, so she wouldn't bleed to death. She was still in deep danger, however, as were they all. 

"Hey . . . everything's gonna be . . . okay."

"How can you be so sure?"

Tsu strained to look at Minoru from her position once again, and despite how ragged and gaunt he now looked, there was a smile on his face. The sight of Minoru smiling while a piece of rebar stuck out of his face was deeply unsettling, but the hope present in his expression somehow gave Tsu a bit of hope as well.

"Because*COUGH* . . . you're . . .  h-here."

"Kero? Minoru? Minoru?!"

The other boy didn't respond, his breathing barely perceptible anymore. In its place, the crunching and destruction of rubble took hold. Tsu and the other braced themselves for more debris to fall and potentially crush them, and Tsu cried at imagining that her final hour was upon her. She didn't want to imagine the grief her friends would feel, the confusion and sorrow of her siblings too young to fully understand what had happened, or the pain of knowing her parents would have to bury their own child. 

But worst of all, she was about to die at the side of the first person she ever had romantic feelings for. Someone who she used to loath and despise, someone who had been an afterthought, someone who had come to her aid in her time of need over and over, someone who understood more than most the harsh realities of the world. Minoru had given everything, and Tsu had done her best to return the favor. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Tsu spotted the glinting piece of debris, her eyes widening when she saw it was in fact a frozen hand. Looking up, Tsu saw that the hand had been Minoru's. He'd been holding the last bit of rebar from piercing her skull. On instinct, Tsu began to reach for the hand, to reach for Minoru.

"There they are!"

"Get stretchers ready, we've got wounded! Shit . . . hang on kid, we're gonna get you outta there. One way or another."

Tsu's tears shifted from sorrow to relief upon hearing Thirteen's familiar voice cutting through the darkness. The rubble crunching hadn't been from the building continuing to collapse, it had been from Thirteen using their quirk to tunnel their way to Yaoyorozu's beacon. Tsu felt the tips of her fingers brush against Minoru's severed hand just as Thirteen pulled him out of his frozen prison. The Space Hero had been forced to sever the boy's legs at his knee joints in order to free him, and his left arm was completely gone. Only his right arm remained fully intact.

"Kero."

Tsu croaked weakly as she watched Thirteen carry Minoru away to a nearby ambulance. There was some arguing from the adults outside that Tsu couldn't quite hear, but soon enough Minoru was being loaded into an ambulance and being taken away to a nearby hospital for recovery. Hearing the crunching of footsteps through the rubble, Tsu looked up and saw the clearly worried and strained face of her homeroom teacher as he bent down and worked on removing the rubble from her body. 

"Come on, I've got you."

Gently hoisting her up, Aizawa Sensei picked Tsu up into his arms, careful to touch as little of her back as possible while he carried her to the emergency workers. As the man stepped into a hastily constructed medical tent for immediate treatment, Tsu found herself being laid facedown onto a cot so that doctors could work on cleaning her back and patching her up. Through the stinging pain and tears, Aizawa Sensei held her hand, letting himself be an anchor.

"Did we make it, kero?"

"You made it, kid. You made it. You and the others . . . you all were true heroes tonight."

Tsu let a small smile make its way onto her lips before the cold and exhaustion began to creep into her once more. As the last of the bandages wrapped around her frame, she felt the world grow dim. Aizawa Sensei brushed some hair out of her face and pat her on the head.

"Get some rest. You've earned it. All of you."

Tsu croaked contently at that, letting her eyes shut and her senses become dull to the world around her. The battle was finally, truly over. What happened next . . . who could say? But Tsu knew she'd need her energy back to face it. For now, though? For now, she'd trust her sensei to keep her safe. To keep them all safe.