Sensei quietly opened the door to the apartment he had rented out. His eyes slowly scanned the immediate vicinity, looking for any kind of damage incurred over the past few weeks. It came as little surprise to him that it looked largely the same as when he acquired it in the first place- the only difference being the thin mattress and blanket he brought in, as well as a cheap wooden desk that he had an associate order for him. Atop the cheap particle board was a haphazard pile of dismembered hands, exquisitely preserved and modified with metal sleeves to control their grip. He picked one up, tracing the knuckles and palm with his thumbs. He felt his lips pull back, exposing his teeth and gums in a cruel grin.

He reached into his pocket with his left hand, fishing out his smartphone. With a few taps, he watched as a video feed pulled up onto his screen. It was the security camera feed for his bar- well, operated by his subordinate Kurogiri, but his nonetheless. Said bartender was behind the counter, arranging his glasses into a neat line as he leaned over them, peering into them with a muted sense of wonder. The building had been under construction for quite some time, but with the final renovations finally completed, he was able to fully furnish the bar and complete its transformation.

The villain mastermind chuckled. He knew Kurogiri tried to reserve his emotions as much as possible, but he finally got his biggest wish - an establishment of his own. He considered letting the man steep a little more in his elation, but he really was pressed for time at this point. There were other, more pressing engagements, but before that...

He closed the video feed, opening the phone app and dialing the number to Kurogiri's cell phone. After precisely two rings, the new bartender picked up.

"Ah, Sensei." He monotonously greeted. "Is there something you need?"

"There is, in fact." The holder of All for One confirmed, tracing his finger along the dust caked desk next to him. "I believe now is the time to have a certain discussion with our young little prodigy. Is he still out?"

"Yes, though he should be returning shortly."

"Playing with his new friend?"

A painfully long silence followed the question. Sensei could almost envision the other villain clutching the end of the countertop.

"...Yes. He is off with Midoriya."

"I take it he's not aware that I saw them?"

"...Not that I know of. He hasn't acted any differently."

"And what about his itching?"

"What makes you ask that, Sensei?"

The villain mastermind chuckled, sitting down on the bed. "Oh, just my sense of curiosity, that is all."

"Come to think of it... I don't recall seeing him scratch himself once during this entire month. His neck didn't have any rashes or cuts, so I don't think he's been doing it when he's out of my sight, either."

"Now that's an interesting development. I wonder..." He trailed off.

Kurogiri didn't respond.

"I may have to get more involved with our boy's development. I had planned to take a more hands-off approach, but... well, I think pulling a few strings here and there will be beneficial for everyone."

"...Sensei... what are you planning to do with Midoriya?"

"Nothing at the moment. I see potential in him as a good lap-dog for our rising star, but I will wait for Shigaraki's opinion before I do anything." He paused, before a hefty chuckle gushed from his mouth. "I must say he's quite the conundrum, though. I wouldn't expect someone who knowingly clings to a villain to have every square inch of his room covered in All Might memorabilia."

"You went into his room?" Kurogiri immediately responded, clearly struggling to hide his shock.

"Well of course I did!" Sensei laughed. "He's won my heir's good graces, what kind of mentor would I be if I didn't make sure they would be a good fit?"

"...And if he wasn't?"

"Then I would have simply killed the poor boy." He answered with no hesitation, his voice as cold and confident as ever.

"...I see."

"Oh, don't give me that, Kurogiri. It's not as if it wouldn't be necessary. If I just altered his memories, then Shigaraki might have an unreasonable reaction. If I altered both of theirs, then I would just be recreating the circumstances that caused them to meet in the first place. Though... he is one of Doctor Tsubasa's day patients. I've seen his file... quirkless, constant injuries consistent with bullying... perhaps he would serve a better purpose in life if I simply have the good doctor abduct him and create a new Noumu. I could make him a personal servant for our young boy... and he would finally have his own quirk."

"...Shigaraki is coming through the front door." The bartender replied, completely ignoring the mastermind's sentiments. "I will send him to you momentarily. Is that all?"

Sensei tilted his head, resting his cheek lightly on the back of his palm. "Yes, that's all. Enjoy your new establishment. I hope the renovations are to your liking."

All for One heard nothing else but the click of the phone line getting cut off, and the subsequent dial tone. He ended the call, then proceeded to open up a voice memo app. He started recording and slipped the device back into his pocket.

True to his word, Kurogiri opened up a portal in the middle of the small bedroom, depositing a blue-haired teenager in front of the older man. He stood still, staring silently at his mentor. His eyes looked as dead as always, but behind that exterior, there was something... he wasn't sure what it was, some kind of sentiment that felt almost beyond his own personal understanding. He felt his fingertips twitch as he observed his underling.

"Welcome back, Shigaraki." Sensei greeted, leaning ever so slightly forward. "How have you been feeling?"

"...I'm fine." The boy muttered, looking intently at the wall behind his mentor.

"My, my. That's good to hear." He clasped his hands, lowering his head further to look at Shigaraki from eye-level. "Kurogiri tells me you've been out more and more recently... looking for more potential targets? It's been a while since you've scratched that itch."

"...Yeah." He responded, shifting his gaze onto the man in front of him. "No good encounters."

"Really? I've heard the opposite."

The child's eyes widened, his visage flashing to a sort of naive guilt that Sensei was not expecting. It was almost as if the boy was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Shigaraki, I'm very surprised by this new information. You should have told me earlier that you've made a friend!" He smiled wide, arms stretched out to his sides. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The boy's flickering fear was quickly snuffed out, his countenance changing to one of almost genuine confusion. "I... I don't... know."

Sensei paused for a moment, focusing as he activated his mind-reading quirk. He peered into Shigaraki's mind, looking for the answer that the boy seemed so protective over...

"...You really don't know, do you?" The older man concluded, his voice carrying just the slightest sense of bewilderment. His quirk... returned with nothing. That couldn't be right, unless... unless it was something that the boy had suppressed.

Sensei balanced his index finger between his lips, feeling his smile slightly widen at the revelation. "How about this, then... you told him not too long ago that you pitied him because you were in a similar situation. You've never pitied those in your position before. Why is he different?"

"I..." Shigaraki trailed off. The boy felt his palms slightly jerk around as he thought, unable to come up with a satisfying answer. "I don't... know, either."

"And what about the incident with his bully, Bakugou?" He pressed further. "You beat the boy with a baseball bat to take revenge against him. I'm sure you saw the marks that kid left behind on Midoriya. Is there any particular reason you didn't just kill him?"

The boy didn't bother with attempting an answer. He gritted his teeth, bringing his hand to his neck to dig his fingernails into the rough skin. He looked away, staring at the wall to his right.

"These questions are stupid." He bit out, frustration evident in his voice. "When did you find out about him?"

"When you brought him into the bar a few months ago. I was watching the camera feed when it happened. I wondered what you were doing, dragging a soaked child with you." Sensei began tapping his feet on the ground, creating a slow beat that accentuated his words. "I knew what had happened just by seeing it. How old is he?"

"...He's ten now." The teen muttered.

"You're only four years older than him." He shook his head, smirking. "I'm very surprised that you managed to make friends with someone in your age group, much less one who clings to your every word. I cannot express just how overjoyed that makes me, watching you cultivate your followers before you've even reached adulthood."

Shigaraki snapped his head back at his mentor. "What are you going to do with him?"

"For the time being, nothing." He brought his hands together, a single clap echoing across the walls of the confined space. "I think you've done an exceptional job with him so far... even if it has caused you to change, somewhat. Our bright, young Midoriya, do you think he would be interested in having a quirk?"

The child prodigy opened his mouth, pausing before making his response. "I... he says he hates them all the time, but... I think he still wishes he had better stats. Maybe."

"Perhaps that would make a good gift for him, when the time is right."

Shigaraki's eyes widened at the suggestion, but he found himself unable to determine whether or not it was a good idea.

Sensei continued. "Well, we will discuss this in more detail once I get back. I do need to leave. It took me a long time to convince Toxic Chainsaw to go after All Might. I've arranged to meet with the hero right after he's worn down from the battle."

The teen villain watched as his mentor got up from the bed, dusting himself off before walking over to the door. Just as the older man opened the door, he turned around to utter one last statement:

"Kurogiri and I will help you train him. A follower as dependent and committed as he is... well, they aren't rare, but to have one find you so soon into your career is an opportunity that we cannot overlook. You've done a marvelous job, Shigaraki, and I'll make sure to form him into the perfect subordinate for you... Someone who will follow you into the depths of hell and ask for nothing in return... or break their own body as many times as you ask. I'll see to it that he'll sacrifice everything he cherishes for you and you alone."

The child said nothing, staring blankly as he was prone to do. His scratching halted, fingernails still embedded into the skin. The emotions he was experiencing... it was clear he didn't understand them enough to convey them to his mentor.

Sensei passed through the doorway, slowly closing the door behind him. Just before the final sliver of air was closed off, he called through the crack in the frame.

"And Shigaraki? ...I'm very proud of you."

The door clicked itself into place as he stood there. He pressed his forehead into the wood, closing his eyes as he paused, listening intently.

It wasn't long before he got the answer he was looking for- there were no cries, sobs, or sniveling. The young villain responded the only way he knew how; by shrieking loudly, wildly throwing furniture and objects around as he stomped through the small living quarters. Sensei felt a thud against the door as something heavy was thrown at it. The object slid down, cracking harshly against the ground. The stomps came closer, the wild yells intensifying. Sensei opened his eyes and saw an ashen, decayed material slowly wisp its way under the door, settling against his shoes.

All for One clenched his fists as his grin widened, to the point that it almost felt painful. He honestly couldn't remember a time that he ever felt this joyous over one of his creations.

He pulled back from the door, turning around and adjusting his tie as he stepped away from the apartment and the hysterical child inside it. He made a note to replace any of his prodigy's broken furniture once he returned- after he dealt with All Might.

Izuku quietly sat on top of his desk as he gazed towards the two police officers in front of him. The air was thick with tension, stagnating and reluctant to move as the three conscious inhabitants of the office struggled to breathe properly. Toga and Dabi were still knocked out and handcuffed to an errant radiator, their presence forgotten by everyone else.

The villain's legs swayed ever so slightly underneath the thick wood paneling. He leaned slightly back, placing his hand between the expended apple juice box and the unopened box of cigarettes resting on its surface.

Bakugou and Toshinori remained unmoving, backs to the door as the disgraced police chief kept his firearm on the successor to his mortal enemy. His finger was resting on the trigger to the gun, legs placed one in front of the other to brace for any potential recoil. The younger officer was curiously donned in a grown-up version of his previous hero costume, hands splayed to his sides, ready to launch a volley of blasts.

None of them could tell how long they had spent just... staring at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Izuku gave in, breaking the silence.

"I... do you really expect that gun to do anything?" He tilted his head, asking in an almost genuine sense of confusion.

Toshinori didn't answer, his grimace hardening as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Bakugou placed a gloved hand to his earpiece, activating it.

"Uraraka, we found him-"

"Bakugou, don't." The former pro hero barked, his tone unnaturally firm.

The other police officer was clearly offset by the harsh reaction. "Wha- The hell is your problem? She needs to be here!"

His superior didn't answer, gaze unwaveringly focused on his adversary.

"Oh, is Uraraka here as well?" Izuku asked, his unnaturally peaceful expression unchanged.

The young officer didn't answer immediately, shaking his head. "She's not responding. I take it that's your doing?"

"She's probably fighting Hagakure, right about now." He nonchalantly answered.

Toshinori almost felt his heart fall from his chest as he heard her name. "You... Hagakure?! She all but disappeared after she graduated... What did you do to her?!"

He shrugged. "Nothing. She was always working with Sensei... long before I met him, at least."

The police chief's grip on the trigger tightened. "You lie."

"I'm not. She was his spy for as long as I remember. Not as part of the league though..." He shrugged. "More like a private assistant, I guess. I doubt that's her real name though. Her whole life was a forgery... no actual parents, all her internships were faked, too. It was her job to go to Yuuei and spy on the staff there."

The police chief felt the color drain from his skin as he listened to his former student. He shook his head. "So... that's another... I see."

"They're pretty evenly matched, but I don't believe Hagakure will let her win." The villain paused, staring blankly back at his former teacher. "So why didn't you want her to know I'm here?"

Bakugou watched as his superior clenched his teeth, forcing the answer to stay locked within him.

"And for that matter... why haven't you told anyone one else that I'm here? Aren't you going to arrest me? I doubt you'll be able to do that with what you brought with you. Even with..." He trailed off, gesturing at Bakugou's new outfit.

Said police officer didn't even register the observation, his thoughts locked on his superior. Something was wrong, but the pieces we're connecting as quickly as he'd like...

Luckily, the villain seemed much more adept at these things. "I recognize that look in your eyes. You were never going to let me walk out of here, were you-"

His accusation was cut off as Toshinori fired his gun. Bakugou reared back in shock, watching as the police chief unloaded the rest of his magazine into the villain. With each shot, he was knocked back, eyes wide in shock as he fell back, toppling over the edge and falling to a limp heap behind the desk.

The younger policeman grabbed the gun, ripping it from the former hero's grasp and throwing it to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He grabbed his superior's shoulder, yanking the man around to face him. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?!"

His angry shouts were halted when he saw the former hero's face. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, tears freely flowing as he tried to keep his shaky wheezes from becoming too loud.

"I'm sorry, young Bakugou... and to Midoriya as well. I failed you both."

He slumped to his knees, fists clenched as he placed them against his chest.

"I... I watched All for One kill my mentor. I promised myself that... I'd see that justice would be carried out. I fought so hard to bring him in, it destroyed both of our bodies. I wanted nothing more than to see him in Tartarus, rotting away as the world moved on without him. So... why..." He hunched over, clenching his teeth as he felt himself lose control over his own emotions. "Why is it that when I see him in that cell... it feels like he won?! I wasted my life bringing him down and it didn't change a single thing!"

Bakugou remained standing, his stomach twisting around in knots as he watched his childhood hero cry at his feet. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how he felt, his fingers twitching as he felt frozen in place. He just watched as Toshinori tried his best to fight the sobs wracking his body.

"I spent so many years chasing him down... I don't know if it was because I felt responsible for him, or if I thought he could just be saved if I did the right thing... I can't tell anymore. But... if I just repeat the same steps then... I don't know if it would just end in failure again. I... I-I c-can't..."

The older policeman looked up, staring directly at Bakugou with almost an entire decade of repressed pain on display. He knew, he knew that this was going on in his boss' head, regardless of how well it was initially hidden. He gulped, feeling his heart drop as his brain rattled itself, screaming at him that he could have said something at any time, that-

His breath hitched as he felt the skeleton-like hands of his boss grab his own, clutching to them tightly as he stared up at the younger police officer.

"You understand, don't you?" He asked, voice shaking with an almost desperate need for validation. "You said it yourself... that you'd put him under. You understand that it had to be done-"

"Stop it!" Bakugou shouted, surprising himself as he yanked his hand from the former hero, stumbling back. "Don't... stop it. I don't need you to lump me into this."

He clutched his stomach, crumpling his shirt as he curled his fingers into the fabric. It was then he realized that... despite the anger, bitter, burning hatred he had for Izuku and everything he did-

He didn't really want to kill anyone. He couldn't.

"If we leave it alone, he'll just spread his-"

"I know, Toshinori." He choked out, looking away. "I know."

"Then why-"

"It's none of your fucking business!" He shouted back. "You were the one who fucking shot him, why do you look like you want to apologize for it- You do, don't you?!"

The former hero looked away, all but confirming what he was accused of. Bakugou spat in annoyance, sauntering back to his former mentor, rage boiling in his chest.

"Don't give me your fucking pity party." He spat. "I don't care if it's justified or not, you made your choice. You're going to have to live with it every day of your life now. So stop trying to get me to feel sorry for you."

"Well said, Bakugou." A voice from behind the desk grunted, causing both of them to whip their heads towards the source in shock. "I didn't expect any less from you."

The policemen watched in horror as Izuku rose from behind his desk. He had a small trail of blood leaking from his mouth, and his clothes were dotted with holes where he had been shot.

"How did you..." Toshinori trailed off, hand moving to cover his mouth.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting those to pack that big of a punch. Those weren't normal armor piercing rounds, were they?"

Neither of the others answered.

"Well," the villain continued, "whatever they were, they broke through my hardening. If it weren't for my healing quirks, I'd be a lot worse off... I guess I should be grateful I got rid of that quirk erasing drug before you were able to figure out how it was made."

Images of one of their fights flashed in the back of Bakugou's head. He spent months tracking down one of the last sets of quirk erasing bullets made by the Eight Precepts, and most of his savings to get them in his possession. He had kept it a secret from everyone else, but the only thing that came out of it was a handful of wasted shells... after he revealed what they were, he noticed a sizeable deposit was anonymously wired to his account, which he couldn't return. He could only guess who left him that money, but the only thing it did was twist the knife further into his gut; both his regret for not telling the others, and for his own failure, which had come at the cost of someone else's money.

He crouched into a pouncing position, gritting his teeth as he felt an angry hum escape his throat. The young officer jumped forward, screaming as he held his hands out, fingers clawed forward. He swung into a left hook, twitching his fingertips to trigger an explosion, just like how he would when he had his quirk. The ensuing reaction caused a blue blast to rush forward, causing him to spin back from the recoil as the room filled with flames and smoke. He clutched his shoulder with his free hand, the joint screaming from the blowback of the attack he hadn't used in so many years.

When the smoke cleared, Izuku remained standing. His calm facade was betrayed by his right eye, ever so slightly twitching in annoyance. The other half of his face was covered by his arm; under the fringed sleeve the blonde could make out the hardened skin he had used to defend himself.

"You bastard..." Bakugou shook with a righteous fury. "You don't have the right to use that quirk!"

"I'll use whatever I need to." The villain quipped back. "If he didn't want it stolen then he shouldn't have fought me."

"He can't even write anymore..." He could almost feel his clenched teeth cracking as he said that aloud. "That dumbass can't even live a normal life because of you!"

"I wasn't the one trying to continue the fight!" Izuku barked back, anger seeping into his features. "He's the one who doesn't know when to quit! You should have done something more to stop him!"

"Don't you dare blame me!" The officer screamed, their argument reaching new heights of rage. He reared his other hand back, launching another blast at the new mastermind. He was prepared for the impact this time, bracing himself for another blast. He had no idea whether or not this would even hurt Izuku, let alone subdue him... but he was well beyond that point.

Before he could launch another attack, a hand reached forth from the smoke, covering his vision as the rough, calloused fingertips of the villain brushed his face. Before he could even react, he felt an electric jolt rushing through his body, causing his muscles to stiffen as he fell backwards. The hand followed him, and as his vision cleared, he could just barely make out Izuku's face as he placed his other hand on the officer's face.

He would never erase that sight from his mind. Through the haze, he could see the villain's expression. He wasn't angry anymore, or even annoyed. His lips were slightly tilted upwards, a small sympathetic smile staring back at him.

When he was a small child, he always assumed that Izuku- no, Deku thought he was better than himself. Every small slip up or mistake was always followed by that worried voice, and this small quirkless brat acting like a nosy mother. Like it was some sort of cruel joke to make him feel bad.

It was at that moment, staring at his nemesis, that he truly was being stared down by someone magnitudes stronger than him. And that disgusting expression, that smile that looked like he was trying to understand his pain and help... it was nothing like what he got as a child, and it felt so much worse to be greeted with the reality of what he hated, deep down.

The electric jolts grew in intensity, his body growing numb as his vision faded out.

Once the smoke cleared the entire room, Toshinori was treated to a truly disturbing sight- Izuku was kneeling on top of the young officer, his skin rippling with electricity as small bolts of lightning raced down his arm and dissipated into Bakugou's face.

The older chief felt his breath leaving his lungs, seemingly unable to return. Despite that, he still managed to choke out a few words.

"Don't tell me... you're... you're going to kill him doing that!"

"If you have some kind of trump card, please wait before you use it." Izuku replied, not bothering to look at his former mentor. "This is a really delicate process, if you actually try to keep the person alive. Sensei just never bothered with making it safe. To him... if you couldn't adapt to him roughly shoving a quirk in you, you deserved to die."

"You're... what are you putting in him?!"

The villain shrugged, digging his fingers deeper into Bakugou's skin as the electric bolts intensified. The ground around the pair began to crack just from the air pressure, with bits of debris and dirt blowing away from them.

"What does it look like? I'm giving him back his old quirk."

"Alright, rise and shine, kid." The sludge villain grunted. "We're here."

Kouta snapped to attention, the defensive fog in his brain clearing away as he was dragged back into reality. Before him stood an imposing concrete and steel door, bolted into the thick walls. A heavy steel lever sat in the center of the ingress, holding the locking rods in place.

"I don't think I'm gonna need your help for this one, looks simple enough."

The young adult watched as the formless man pushed up against the wall, distending his entire body over its surface as he sunk into the crevices. A few moments later, the lever snapped back with a sharp clang, the bolts retracting as the large metal slab creaked on its hinges, revealing a consuming darkness on the other side.

Kouta slowly stumbled forward, hands reaching out as he forced himself into the pitch-black room. He felt along the wall, searching for anything discernable. His fingers came across a small bump, something circular that just slightly stuck out of the concrete. He moved the tip of his index finger over it, pressing down on the object as it slid back with a solid clunk.

The hum of electricity echoed through the room, a set of incandescent lights slowly flickering on over him, illuminating the room with a dim yellow glow. A number of filing cabinets and cork boards dotted the walls, though clearly nothing had been used in a very long time. The cork was crumbling from dry rot, and everything else had a layer of dust so thick that it fell off the furnishings like old linen sheets.

Beyond that was a massive console, the likes of which Kouta had only seen in movies. It was massive, the dark green metallic structure built into the wall. It jutted out, the horizontal surface covered in a number of measuring instruments, levers, switches and buttons. Above it was some kind of concrete shielding, a small set of viewing windows at eye level.

The young man slowly scanned the room in a dumb stupor as he tried to figure out what to do. A sigh from the villain next to him caused him to flinch slightly.

"Look kid, you're gonna have to find the manual to operate that... whatever that thing is over there." He shrugged, a tendril reaching out to roughly push him forward. "If I touch any of this shit, it's gonna disintegrate. Try the filing cabinets over there."

Kouta nodded, clutching his forearms as he moved to the pale tan cabinets. He slid them open, finding an astounding number of different reports and records from when this section of the nuclear plant was in operation.

"These are... over a hundred years old." He muttered, his stomach dropping further as he combed through the papers.

"And no one's been here since. One of the country's best kept secrets." The slime villain snorted, sliding back to lean against the wall behind him.

It didn't take long for Kouta to find the papers he needed. In the third drawer down was a triplet of massive binders, each containing their own list of possible scenarios and set of instructions.

"I... don't think I can read this all in time." He felt his arms tremble, just realizing what he was holding in his own hands.

"You're not gonna be a fucking missile expert by the end of this, kid." The slime villain bit back, growing impatient. "Just read how to turn the damn thing on and how to launch the missile. You read the project file, you should know what we're doing."

"What is with you?!" Kouta snapped, throwing the binders down to the floor. "Why are you even doing this? You've got everything to lose by going through with Chicxulub. You don't even look like you care about any of this!"

"Watch it-"

"No!" The young adult yelled over the villain. "I've had it! You're almost the exact opposite of Izuku! You just fucking murdered a support hero! They were probably just seeing if the plant was alright-"

Before he could yell any further, the slime monster rushed forward, a nodule of fluid shooting from his main body to cover his partner's mouth, clamping it shut. He graciously left the nostrils unobstructed, allowing Kouta to breathe.

"They were looking for you, dumbass." He leaned in close to the young college student, his eyes almost touching the younger man's as he kept him pinned there. "What do you think was going to happen if he found you, huh? Were you gonna start a fireside chat and convince him to join us? There wasn't any other way it was going to go down. All I did was save time."

Kouta was practically trembling in fear, eyes wide as he pressed his back into the wall behind him as hard as possible. The slime villain took the opportunity to continue.

"And you know what? You're right." He released his grip on his reluctant partner, allowing him to roughly slump to the ground. "I'm nothing like Izuku. That's why he keeps me around. Sometimes you just gotta take someone out, and unlike him I don't have a problem with that. Not that his hands are clean, either. Did he tell you about his kill count? He even killed another kid right before he met you."

"Liar." Kouta spat out, rubbing the edge of his jaw.

"Nope. Orchestrated the whole thing, poisoned his senior and watched the poor bastard's slow and painful death." He tilted his head to the side, a small chuckle coming from his disembodied mouth. "He didn't tell you about that, did he?"

The college student glared back at him, not saying a word.

"Well, you're always free to ask him yourself. But we're not going anywhere until the mission is over. So start fucking reading."

The young adult's gaze faltered, shoulders slumping as he grabbed the binder that lay next to him. He skimmed through the table of contents, finding the sections he needed. He quickly flipped through the pages, tearing out the ones he needed. By the end, he only had about 5 sheets in his hand; he read through each of them carefully.

"We need three keys." He muttered aloud, not looking at his partner. "One for ignition and the other two for detonation."

The villain's immediate response was to throw a small bag at his feet, the sound of something metallic jingling within as it slid across the floor. Kouta pulled at the drawstring holding the bag shut- inside were three keys, which he assumed were the ones he just mentioned.

"How did you..." He trailed off.

"Apparently one of the workers here wasn't happy with it being abandoned- quirkless sap secretly made impressions of the keys 'just in case.' Took 'em home on the last day this place was running." The villain moved back to the console, staring at the different labels and mechanisms on the complex structure. "Left them in the family, all of 'em quirkless. His grandson is like... maybe 9 or so, bullied in school since he ain't got a power. Izuku met him, asked him for the keys and told him he'd make the bullies stop. Kid gave over the keys the same day."

Kouta's eyes widened at the story, a small pain building in his chest as a sour nostalgia began to build itself in the back of his mind.

"What... happened to the kid?"

"Hell if I know. Last I checked the bullies got their memories altered and are nice to him. He and Izuku haven't met since. I don't think the kid ever knew it was him."

"...Oh, okay." He did his best to hide the somewhat selfish relief that tugged some of the tension off his mind.

"Anyway." The villain nodded, jerking his head in the direction of the console next to him. "You figure out how to turn this thing on or not?"

"R-right." He slowly pushed himself to his feet, moving to the console. He slid a key into a lock on the top corner of the dashboard, gulping as he slowly turned it. It twisted at a ninety-degree angle, the motion stopping with a solid ka-thunk. Suddenly, the lights on the machine lit up, blinking rapidly as all the systems started warming up.

A low electric hum began to echo from the other side of the slabs of concrete shielding. Kouta quickly found the switch keeping them lowered, flipping it to the opposite setting. The large sheets of concrete began to slide upwards, revealing a larger viewport behind them.

The windows showed a massive cylindrical chamber, its walls dotted with circular walkways and doors leading in and out of the different floors. Standing ominously in the middle of everything was this massive metal structure, painted black and white and poised straight up to the sky. Emblazoned on the side was the American flag, half-chipped away and the remaining half clearly washed out from age.

It was a missile, the kind only seen in historical documents. It was supposed to get launched far into the stratosphere so it could land anywhere on the globe. Kouta looked back at the cylinder inside the slime villain's body, as they wondered if something that large was needed to carry a package that small.

"Well, looks like you finally did it." The older partner half-sarcastically congratulated, staring out the window. "Now comes the real fun."

Kouta didn't respond, his breath robbed from his chest as he stared down at the ominous weapon.

"Come on," He gleefully chided, lightly pushing the young adult's shoulder. "You're gonna launch your first ICBM! Ain't that something worth getting happy over?"

Uraraka stared in disbelief at the knife floating just a few feet in front of her, waving ever so slightly back and forth. She couldn't see the one holding it, but the voice that the invisible figure had was more than enough to identify itself.

"Really now," Hagakure chided, sighing in an eerily casual manner, "you act so surprised, did you really think I just disappeared? It really makes me wonder what you guys even did after I left. I thought we were friends enough for you to, like... I dunno, do something."

The pro hero tightened her fists, sliding a foot behind her to steady her stance.

"W-we reported it to the police, and they said they'd take it from there." She gulped, trying hard not to show how badly she was shaking from this unpleasant reunion.

"And what, you just believed them?" She chastised, though Uraraka couldn't tell whether she was joking or genuinely upset. "Come on, Izuku gets a whole platoon of heroes and his fellow students to come after him, and all I get is a measly bit of paperwork on my absence. Not like it would have done anything, they never bothered looking for me."

"What are you-" She cut herself off, putting the pieces together in her mind. "They were... the ones handling your case knew you were a villain the whole time, didn't they?"

"Yup! It'd be weird if they didn't, considering they were pretty regularly keeping me informed on things around the station- your little merry band included."

The pro hero felt her fingers go numb as her blood turned cold. She didn't want to believe what she was being told, but... it wasn't surprising at all that there would be spies watching over them. It was especially frustrating that Hagakure's aloof confidence made it impossible to tell her lies from the truth.

"...Why are you telling me all this?"

The floating knife flipped around, moving up and down, as if the wielder was shrugging their shoulders.

"Why not? Isn't the big bad villain supposed to start revealing everything at the end? I think it's kind of fun."

The pro hero looked genuinely bewildered at the response, the kind of lackadaisical responses just like how she remembered- though not from an aspiring hero this time.

"Is this just a joke to you?"

"I mean... kind of. I really don't know what else you expected." She tapped the edge of the blade against the metal grating of one of the server racks next to her, the machines coldly humming away as they worked diligently on some unknown process. "I'm sure you're dying to find out what all this stuff is for. You brought that one girl along, right? The super tiny one with the crush on the not-villain?"

Uraraka didn't respond. She knew exactly where this conversation was heading.

"...Listen sweetie, you're so not the strong silent type." The blade moved downward, placed against the area where Hagakure's hip would be. "Give me something good here! Think of it as a favor for an old friend."

"We're not friends." Uraraka gritted, grinding the sole of her boot into the dusty floor. "I don't know anything about you, not anymore. You're just stalling for time."

The invisible woman sighed, the knife in her grip spinning in circles, guided by an expert hand twirling it in the air. "I mean, like... not really? Look, honestly, I just didn't really want to fight you. I do like you, you know. But if you're really looking for a fight-"

She cut herself off, knife sinking low to the ground as it rushed towards the pro hero. Uraraka steeled herself, fists uncurling into clawed hands as her mind raced to ascertain the location of the invisible enemy. The blade was an obvious hint enough, but even from their brief skirmish before, she knew nothing would be as it seems-

Her conscious thought tuned to a primal silence as the small pattering transformed into metallic clanging, the server racks to her right rattling as some force pressed against them, rapidly approaching her. She twisted her hip to her right, bringing her arms up as the blade suddenly shot up, slicing through the air where her neck had been. From the corner of her eye she saw her own knife twist menacingly in the air; she dove forward, her armored back just barely scraping against the weapon as she deftly avoided a follow-up stab.

Uraraka quickly tucked into a roll, swiftly landing on her feet as she turned around to face her assailant. Almost immediately, she saw a nasty glint in the darkness rocket towards her, the knife aimed squarely at her chest. She quickly dropped to her knees, watching as the weapon zoomed past her head, clattering to the ground some distance behind her.

Before she could react, she felt a solid kick collide with her temple, flinging her head back as she was sent sprawling to the floor. Something metallic began to creak right next to her- she didn't even bother to look as she rolled away, a massive server rack crunching into the ground where she had just been.

Her lungs burned as they begged for reprieve, but Hagakure provided no opportunity to recover. Not even five seconds had passed before the invisible woman continued her assault, rushing her with the knife she had reclaimed. Her panting turned into desperate grunts as she did her best to dodge and deflect the rapid stabs aimed at her stomach.

The pro hero scrambled to come up with some kind of counterattack- anything to stop this nonstop blitz that was quickly draining her of energy. It wasn't going to be long before-

She watched as the knife reared back, only to feel a strong invisible force sweep at her legs. Unable to anticipate it, she was wholly unprepared and could only watch in horror as her feet left the ground, the rest of her body toppling over in response. The blade swung forward in a vicious downward thrust, sinking into her light armor, almost effortlessly breaking through the skin right below her collarbone. Uraraka could do nothing to stop the shrill scream that erupted from her lips, until the wind was knocked out of her as she was slammed into the floor.

She could feel her upper torso grow warm and damp; blood was gushing from the wound and it was rapidly seeping into her armor. Her heart felt as if it would break free of her chest, and adrenaline coursed through her as she desperately looked for a way to escape her current situation.

The pro hero quickly realized that Hagakure was not holding onto the blade, but that wouldn't remain the case for long. Her hand raced to grab the hilt of the knife lodged in her upper torso, as she arched her back and kicked her legs out in front of her. She felt her feet crash into the invisible woman, catching her off guard as she was sent falling backwards with a pained "Grrk!" She quickly took advantage of the opening she made, activating her quick and pushing herself off the ground and into the air to escape her assailant. She clumsily collided into the ceiling, suppressing another wail as the metallic surface knocked against the knife, still planted deep inside her shoulder. It didn't stop her though, as she twisted her body around to face a nearby rafter. She lifted her feet up, kicking off the metal support strut and sailing towards the other end of the room.

"Admit it," Hagakure jokingly chided, sounding more like she was gossiping than accusing, "you completely forgot about me after I left, didn't you?"

Uraraka initially didn't respond as she moved across the room, putting her hands out in front of her to brace against the quickly approaching concrete wall. She flipped around, wedging herself up into the ceiling structure, hoping that the relatively safe position would buy her enough time to mount a counterattack.

The eerily cheerful jeer caused her to wince. She knew her adversary wasn't entirely wrong- how much time had she spent off the clock chasing down Izuku, when there was someone else who she didn't even think was a villain that she could have been looking for?

"Well... I did." She shook her head, scanning the dim ground below her for some sign of the invisible woman. "But it's going to be hard for someone to remember you when you act all aloof all the time! You never went out with anyone, and when you did, you'd just leave us without saying anything!"

"...That's the best you can come up with?" She sighed.

The pro hero grimaced, her mind devoid of any real rebuttal. She honestly wasn't sure why she added that part in, trying to defend herself when there really wasn't any need to.

The silence between the two didn't last long, with the invisible villain picking up the slack.

"Don't tell me you're actually torn up over this!" She laughed, giggles bouncing around the concrete room like strikes on a warped bell. "Jeez, why does everyone get so distraught over a little bit of teasing? I was just kidding, Uraraka! If you forgot about me once I left, I was doing my job."

"...and what exactly is your job?" Uraraka called out, floating to a different rafter to get a better vantage point.

"Whatever I'm told to, really." She immediately replied, nonchalantly. "Maybe not in the way they wanted, but a girl's gotta find some way to have fun."

"And who exactly is 'they'... Izuku?"

"Only because Sensei told me to follow his orders. Well, you'd know him as All for One."

The casual name-drop of one of the most wretched and longest-lasting villains in the history of Japan caused her to pause, though it didn't come across as a huge surprise with recent events.

She clutched the metal pipe connecting the strut she stood on to the ceiling, gripping it tightly as she steeled her voice. "So... you were one of his followers. For how long?"

"Oh, that's a tough one. I lost count a long time ago." She huffed, the sound of a foot loudly tapping the ground cascading through the massive network of computers on the ground. "Well, I guess to put it into perspective, it'd probably be as long as you've been alive... and maybe a few years more than that."

"But then-"

"Ah ah ah!" Hagakure cut her off with a sing-song tone, "Let's not dive into that subject matter right now, I don't think that's something you should be asking a woman."

The color drained from Uraraka's face as her stomach churned. If this villain was telling the truth, then pretty much everything she thought she knew was a lie. She didn't want to believe it, but...

"...Why are you doing all this?"

"Because I was told to. Nothing more, nothing less." She replied. "I could ask you the same thing; why are you still chasing after Izuku? You can't possibly believe that he's being forced to do this, and you don't seem like the vengeful type."

"I..." She trailed off, "I don't know."

"Sure you do. Come on, I promise I won't attack you; we can continue the fight after this chat."

She didn't trust the words coming from the villain's mouth, but it was still a better alternative than jumping back into the fray with just a half-baked plan. She took a second to collect her thoughts.

"I... I know it sounds strange, but... I really don't know what to make of it all." She looked to her side, pushing herself away from the pole she had used as a handgrip. "I listened to Iida as he was bleeding out... and yet... he asked me not to blame Izuku. I just... what in the world did he see in him? He asked me to forgive his own murderer! I don't understand it."

"So you want to know more about him?"

"No." She replied firmly, leaving no room for interpretation. "I don't want to dredge up these painful memories any more. I want to respect Iida's wishes, but... I can't bring myself to do it. I'm not fighting for justice, I honestly can't say I've ever done that. I just want him locked away in Tartarus so I can move on with my life and put this all behind me."

As soon as she finished, peals of a maliciously innocuous laughter bounced around the building, accompanied by the sound of the villain applauding her like she was an audience member of a stage play. The pro hero grimaced, gloved hands clenched into fists by her side.

"You- that's really- WOW!" She choked out between gasps of strained giggles. "Usually when someone is that selfish, they're doing it for money or fame! Come on- wanting to put something behind you by spending every waking moment of your life ruminating on it- please tell me I'm not the only one who sees the irony in that!"

Uraraka remained silent, her face morphing into a glower as she went back to scanning the ground for her adversary. She slammed her eyes shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose- there was basically no way for her to see Hagakure, and she was an expert in concealing anything else that could give her away. The knife embedded in her didn't help, either; the pain was somewhat manageable, and it shouldn't have struck any major artery, but it wasn't going to come out any time soon. Hagakure probably wouldn't be able to create the force necessary to pull it out of her shoulder, but that wouldn't stop her from pushing it in deeper- and it was already limiting her mobility.

The invisible woman continued. "I've gotta say, you're giving Izuku a run for his money on cognitive dissonance. I swear, that boy can reason himself into doing anything."

The pro hero shook her head, waving away the insult. She knew it was just meant to get under her skin. She clenched her eyes harder, trying to focus in on her thoughts as she tried to get a bearing on the situation. There had to be something she could-

Her thoughts were yet again cut short as the sound of a drop of water hitting the surface next to her shot through her head. Her eyes snapped open, focusing in on the origin of the noise with laser precision. She glanced around the room, but her plans were quickly shot down as she realized there was no sprinkler system to set off. She cursed internally, until an epiphany struck.

It may not have been the easy solution she was hoping for, but it was the best shot she had.

Uraraka reached up to her collar, pressing a small button hidden in the light armor. Her suit whirred to life, metal pieces extending upwards and encapsulating her head into a fitted helmet, complete with a transparent shield over her face. She deactivated her quirk, feeling her weight return to her as she slowly stepped off of the rafter, descending toward the concrete below her. She bent into the fall, absorbing the impact and quickly getting back to her feet.

She pressed her hand to the side of her helmet, sliding her finger down and watching as the visor began to tint progressively darker. It was a safety feature meant to let her block out blinding sun rays if she flew too high, but she was going to use it for a different purpose. She slid her finger all the way down, making the glassy surface opaque and cutting off her vision entirely.

"I'm done talking, Hagakure." She called out. "Let's finish this."

The pro hero wasn't surprised by the villain's lack of response; as much of a chatterbox that she is, it would just give her position away now that they were fighting again. Uraraka stood stone still, not even daring to breathe as she waited for the barrage of attacks the invisible woman would launch-

There it was. Uraraka spun around and swiped her hand out in a single motion, fingers splayed as wide as possible-

The hero heard an audible gasp from someone else as her hand wrapped around something solid- whether it was an ankle or wrist, it didn't matter. She had to suppress a rush of adrenaline as she realized she could win . She felt a sigh of relief flow out of her mouth as she activated her quirk- causing the villain to lose their weight as she yanked them around, building up an incredible amount of speed in a very short time. Before Hagakure could even adjust to the change in gravity, Uraraka quickly deactivated her ability, restoring her weight and building an incredible amount of force with the momentum she just built up.

She smiled triumphantly as she heard Hagakure crash into a nearby server rack, the force of the throw so strong that the large cabinet of computers was sent flying back, causing the unit behind it to topple as well.

She could hear the villain gasp for air, struggling to breathe as she rolled off the pile of metal wreckage she left behind.

She tried to speak but was cut off by her own strained coughing. "How- did y-you-"

Uraraka sauntered over, not letting her finish as she reached down and grabbed her by the jaw. She activated her anti-gravity quirk again, throwing her helplessly up into the air as she lowered her other hand, doing her best to approximate the shape of Hagakure's body. She swiped her hand again, wrapping her hand around what felt like the villain's ankle. She yanked downwards, deactivating her quirk again, this time keeping a hold of her as the invisible woman impacted the surface so hard that she bounced back into the air.

The pro hero grasped the other ankle, screaming as she continued her process of slamming her adversary into as many objects as possible. She could feel the bile rising up her throat from overusing her abilities, and the knife sent constant jabs of pain through her upper torso; she clenched her teeth and weathered it out. She had victory in sight, and there was no way that she was going to stop until Hagakure was completely unable to fight.

It wasn't long before she decided to end it all in one massive strike- her iron grip still on the villain's ankles, she swung the woman up over her head as quickly as she could. She winced as the knife lodged in her shoulder sent jabs of pain throughout her body, but with one final yell she dispelled her own gravity, sending the two of them up into the air at a great speed. The pro hero used the upwards momentum to flip the two of them around, completely inverted as Uraraka flew feet first towards the ceiling. As her feet struck the rafters, she bent her legs as far as she could before taking in a deep breath and jumping as hard as she could muster, sending them both hurtling towards the ground.

"Meteorite Slam! Release!" She screamed, feeling their weight return as the concrete floor rapidly approached.

Uraraka heard the ground literally crunch once the two of them impacted the floor. Hagakure was strategically placed between the pro hero and the ground, breaking her fall.

She wasted no time in securing the utterly defeated villain, producing two sets of handcuffs to bind both her ankles and wrists. She straddled the invisible woman's back, pinning her to the ground as she deactivated the opaque filter on the visor.

The two of them were at the epicenter of a large crater, at least five feet in diameter and just as deep. On both sides were the rows of server racks, precariously balanced on the edge and in danger of toppling in. The victor grabbed the barely conscious villain by the wrist cuffs, deactivating gravity and gently floating the both of them back to solid ground.

"C-cutting off your vision t-to improve y-your hearing, h-h-huh? Y-you p-pack... quite a p-punch." Hagakure coughed out, struggling to form the proper words. "Where'd... you... l-learn those m-moves?"

"I didn't. I created it all on my own." She bluntly replied. As the adrenaline of the fight started to wear off, she felt the pains of fighting set in; it felt like her arms were about to fall off. She sheepishly chuckled. "I think I may have overdone it, though."

"Y-you... think?" The other woman bit back, her sarcasm still present despite her sorry physical state. "Y-you're not exactly... M-Muscular."

"Are you talking about the villain, or my body?"

"B-Both." She hoarsely chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to refine it further after we capture Izuku." She smiled triumphantly. "But for now, I'm taking you into custody."

As soon as she mentioned that, Hagakure began weakly wriggling around, seemingly trying to adjust her body as she lay on the floor. The hero quickly put an end to it, slamming her hand down between the woman's shoulder blades, forcing her to stop.

"Don't get any funny ideas." She commanded. "Those cuffs are magnetically sealed, so you won't be able to pick the lock."

"I... wasn't... t-trying to." The villain eked out, her voice completely calm despite her current situation. "I was... just..."

"Just what?" Uraraka echoed.

"...Winning."

A wave of confusion washed over the pro hero. She had to be joking, right? There's no way she could-

"You... put up a good fight." Hagakure continued, her voice steeling as she actively resisted the urge to cough and sputter her words. "But this little sparring match... doesn't matter. They... never do."

The villain arched her back, body slightly convulsing as she began to gag and retch. Within seconds a disgusting noise came from the invisible woman as a visible pool of bile began to spread from the area her mouth should be.

Uraraka quickly got off her adversary, rolling her over as her mind raced in confusion. "What are you-?!"

She froze as she saw something come out of the villain's mouth. Large, metallic... boxy. There was a spring-loaded button on the side, with a wire coming out the top that curled back into Hagakure's mouth and disappeared. She watched as the invisible edges of the woman's lips pressed down on the sides, pressing the button with a sharp click and a shrill beeping sound.

The hero backed up, immediately recognizing it for what it was.

It was a detonator, with a dead man's switch that Hagakure just activated.

Time slowed to a crawl as she processed the situation. It was too late to wrest it free from the villain, and no time was allowed to determine if it was a real threat. With no other option, she dove backwards, throwing her body into the crater she just created. She heard the click of the switch being released, and almost immediately she could feel a wave of heat wash over her, singeing her armor as she slammed into the floor, hammering the knife further into her.

The world around her rocked about, the noise so loud that it completely deafened her. She rolled onto her back, just in time to see a ball of flames engulf the room above her, burning everything in sight and filling her nose with a terrible burnt rubber stench. She felt as if she was being roasted alive in her own suit, but she was unable to leave. She retained enough sense to hold her breath, hoping the blast would end quickly and the air would cool down enough to keep her lungs from searing.

Her head snapped to its side as she just barely heard the sound of something large and metallic groan. She watched, unable to move as one of the teetering server racks finally gave in, toppling over and falling right into the chamber. The sight of it coming straight for her head was the last thing she saw before her world went dark.

Sensei resisted the urge to tear his own neck out, hard as it was. It never mattered the time of day or the position he sat in- he could still feel the tubes in his neck stretching the skin and muscle fibers well beyond their normal capacity, to keep his body from becoming even more horrendous to maintain. He hadn't eaten in years, the nutritive slurry keeping his body healthy forced down his throat via the largest of the blasted things.

Still, he had images to maintain. Discomfort was weakness, and weakness inspired undesirable things like courage and insubordination. And until he allowed himself to take a backseat to his own machinations, he would maintain the mantle of a monolith.

He tapped his fingers against the armrest of the wheelchair he bound himself to, sitting in front of his specialized computer monitors that shifted its output from the visible color spectrum to infrared. Things had been going more slowly than he anticipated. It never weighed on him as it heavily as it did now, in this centuries-long game of chess. He had previously thought he was approaching the climax of his plans, the moment where all the pieces fit into place- but it wasn't meant to be. At least, not without some additional stimuli to shift his perspective; sure, he was still progressing towards that goal, but there were paths he had not considered. There were alternative paths to the same conclusion, but the one he was on was neither the quickest, nor was it the most impactful.

That wouldn't do. That would not do at all.

He didn't bother looking at the camera feed of the bar; Kurogiri remained as obsessed as ever with the establishment, refusing to leave unless he absolutely needed to. It was as endearing as it was pathetic. He knew Kurogiri craved clientele- but he knew he could not have any. Thus, he clung to his hollow dream, compulsively polishing his glasses for patrons who would never arrive.

The villain mastermind clicked a button on the side of the wheelchair's armrest, activating an audio transmission feed to the main room of the bar.

"Has Shigaraki returned from his mission?" He asked.

"Yes, he has." Kurogiri immediately responded, clearly used to his Sensei's constant intrusions. "He is resting in the attic. Shall I procure him for you?"

"Please do. I have an important matter to discuss with him."

There was a silence that followed, as if the bartender was expecting some sort of elaboration. When it was clear that it would be the only information he would receive, he responded with a brief "Understood."

Sensei cut the audio feed, turning to face the center of the room. He slipped one hand into his pocket, grasping the slim profile of a digital audio recorder and pressing the record button. He returned his arms back to their resting positions.

It was only a few seconds later, a misty portal opened in the middle of the room, stepping out of it the lanky and grimy figure that was his current protege.

"I was told you returned from your latest... 'quest,' as you would put it." He began, the tone of his voice slightly more disinterested than usual. "How did you fare?"

The seventeen-year-old shrugged, scanning his eyes across the dusty floor as he kicked at nothing in particular.

"Nothing worth talking about." He muttered. "Just gathering more recruits. We keep inviting people into the clan but... they all look under leveled."

"Well, with the numbers you are producing, perhaps they will simply overwhelm the enemies." The villain mastermind leaned his head on his knuckles, lightly and wistfully sighing. "I'm reminded of a certain battle in ancient times. There was an occupied city in the middle of a winter war, and the force taking it back came up with a rather... simplistic plan. They threw as many low-ranking soldiers as possible into the fray, hoping their sheer numbers would dominate their invaders. They lost over a million people in a single battle over a single city... and yet they still won. Perhaps that is the strategy you will employ?"

"Get to the point, Sensei." Shigaraki grunted, tapping his foot angrily as he scratched his neck. "You didn't bring me over to talk about how to place my units on the board."

"No, of course I wouldn't." Sensei's slight smirk had flattened out into a straight line. "Tell me, I've heard some recent developments regarding Midoriya- or, rather, Rogue. Quite the apt name."

A small smile creeped onto the teen's features, a mixture of equal parts malice and pride.

Before his subordinate could get too excited, the older villain immediately added:

"I'm surprised you didn't call him 'Mon.'"

Shigaraki's body jolted still, as if he was frozen solid in that instant.

"...What did you just say?" He whispered, raspy voice oozing some kind of buried hatred.

"Well, he is your loyal dog, isn't he?" The older villain prodded, smile returning. "Why not complete the picture?"

"He's... don't you dare bring that name up-"

"Shigaraki. Calm down." Sensei commanded, his steely voice immediately halting the budding frustration threatening to boil over. "You are being unreasonable. Do you think I'm saying this as a joke?"

The other villain didn't respond, opting to delve his fingernails into the patchy skin on his neck, furiously scraping at the bits of skin not already raw with abuse.

"You are taking this very personally. I had no idea it would rouse this kind of response in you." He chided, despite his slight smile never leaving his face. "There's no need to act this way. Let's move on from this pointless discussion."

"Fine." The younger of the two bit back, gritting his teeth. "Tell me what you're going to do with Rogue."

"Oh, well that's rather simple." The man nonchalantly informed, "I intend to train him to be proficient with his new powers, then enroll him into Yuuei."

"WHAT?!"

"But of course. He will be a much better asset to you if he can access the location that All Might will preside within." He explained, his free hand slowly tapping the side of his armrest. "I should think you would be pleased with this development."

"And why would I?! You're taking my second in command from me!"

"Does this mean that you are abandoning your objective to destroy All Might?"

"No!" He yelled back, fists curled so tight the knuckles threatened to break the skin. "There must be a simpler way of handling it- without sacrificing my allies. Don't you have anyone else that can fit the prerequisites?"

The mastermind shook his head, laughing only slightly through his nose. "Not a single one. He is the ideal candidate. You know this."

"He belongs with me." Shigaraki reaffirmed. "You said so yourself, didn't you? That I'd have the perfect right hand man? Why are you doing this?"

"Have you no trust in me?" Sensei asked, his tone inquisitive with a lace of venom. "When have I led you astray? I've given you so much, with very little in return. We've made such progress- are you beginning to doubt our plans? Or is it that you don't have faith that my work in molding Midoriya is adequate enough?"

"No, I don't-" The villain cut himself off, grunting in clear frustration at the options he was given. He shook his head, unable to think of any effective response.

"If neither are the case, then what is preventing you from trusting me?"

"Stop it." Shigaraki growled, shaking visibly from the conversation. "Stop saying that. I trust you."

"Then let me do what's best for you." He responded simply.

The late teenager sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "Alright, fine. Do whatever you need to. How long until he leaves?"

"There's still some time before he gets in, a few months. It will be more than enough time for the training regimen I've devised for him. He'll be a crusading hero in no time." Sensei smiled. "I would advise that you distance yourself slightly from him. You two will be spending less time together because of how much time he will have to devote to his new school, so it would be best to prepare for that eventuality."

"Whatever." Shigaraki bit his cheek, the force of his anger threatening to break the skin. "Just take me back to the bar."

"Of course, Shigaraki." The man waved his hand, watching as his prodigy struggled to remain unfazed as the black ooze of the mastermind's quirk engulfed him and sent him back to the bar.

He sighed, shaking his head as he rested his forehead on his index finger and thumb.

"You can come out, Hagakure." He called out to the darkness.

"Wow." The familiar, cheery voice of the invisible woman called out, footsteps padding from one end of the room to the vacant chair in his desk. "It's rare to see you get worked up to the point that you gaslight your own followers."

"He has the drive and the anger to upend this entire society." He echoed, his smile quickly fading from his face. "But he refuses to willingly participate in anything else. He is still suitable for my end goals, but as reliable a teacher that failure is- it takes far too long for my liking. He resists my molding now, and I am not enjoying the prospect of starting over from scratch."

"Is that why you're sending Izuku to Yuuei?"

"Not quite. It does provide him with a closer vantage point to observe All Might, but more importantly they'll provide him with additional training most schools would not." He leaned back, reaching into his pocket and stopping the audio recording. "They are essentially selling the rope that they'll hang themselves with."

"How poetic." The female villain complimented, twirling around the room in circles as she spoke. "So why didn't you tell him about me? I'm going to Yuuei too, you basically lied to him."

"I'm not giving him an excuse to fight back." He replied firmly. "And furthermore, I believe it would be best that the two of you never formally meet."

"What, you think he'll get jealous of me?" She laughed, almost incredulously. "I'm not going to compete with him on best leader-in-training. I'm perfectly fine exactly where I am."

"Of course you are, that's exactly what I've ever wanted of you." He replied matter-of-factly. "But without that affiliation, it means you won't be tied down by the League's trifles. I have more pressing plans for you."

"Like what?"

"Midoriya, primarily." He replied, bringing up a number of images of the young teen on a monitor embedded into the wall of his hideout. "He shows a great deal of potential in areas that Shigaraki simply does not excel at. I'd like to do an audit of sorts, regarding his loyalties and drive. Just from my own observations, there's a wide variability in outcomes. Nothing could change- or everything could. I think this is exactly the kind of shakeup the League needs."

"So, what exactly do you want me to do?" She asked, her dancing stopping as she stared back at her Sensei.

"You'll be the administrator, of sorts- throw a wrench in when things get too quiet, exacerbate his mental state when he's at his weakest, be the knock from below when he hits rock bottom." He smiled. "Essentially, what you've always excelled in doing."

"Well," she began, walking back to All for One's desk. "It's been a while since you've let me play around with someone like that. What do you expect to happen?"

"The possibilities are staggering." He began, lips curling up as his imagination ran wild. "None detrimental to the League. On one extreme, Izuku could become a fine, upstanding hero that would fuel Shigaraki's ideals further than before. On the other end of the spectrum..."

"You'll break him entirely." Hagakure finished for him.

"To put it simply, yes." The villain mastermind nodded. "He'd become completely dependent on Shigaraki's will. Being emotionally attached is not enough- I want Midoriya to feel as if he'd die without our young protege."

"Are you trying to give the doctor a run for his money?" She laughed. "It sounds like you're making a Noumu of your own."

"If I were to be completely honest, he already is a Noumu of sorts." He settled back into his chair, smiling.

"Wait, really?" Hagakure asked incredulously.

"How else would we be able to fit more than one quirk into him?" Sensei's smile widened. "Quirks are bound to one's DNA, one quirk per person... that is, unless you have more than one set of DNA within you."

"Was that why Tsubasa was present?"

"Indeed. Though it took some convincing on his part to show restraint. He wanted to completely convert the boy... Shigaraki would never abide by that, though."

"...I'm assuming you didn't tell either of them, then." She spun around, meandering around her boss' desk. "My, my... you're quite the secret-keeper."

"It's not something they need to know. Kurogiri has suspicions, especially since he witnessed the boy's... 'spontaneous reaction' to All Might's name. But he is too weak willed to act on it." He noted. "I trust you will maintain your discrepancy around them."

"As always!" She chirped, doing an invisible salute to her boss. "My lips are sealed."

"Good. Now, I have some other matters to attend to." He gestured towards the door leading out of his underground base. "Enjoy your first year at Yuuei. I look forward to seeing what the two of you will accomplish there."

The last time Bakugou had felt the effects of All for One, it was when he had his quirk violently ripped out of him. It was as if every nerve in his body had lit up, overloading his senses to the point that his brain shut down before he could do anything about it. He didn't even have the chance to scream.

That's not what happened when Izuku laid his hands on the young officer's face- it felt sharp, but... somehow gentle. It was almost like a wave of TV static had just washed over him, numbing his senses and slowly dimming his mind. He didn't immediately pass out; he watched as the oddly serene villain smiled calmly at him, his gaze holding until he could no longer stay awake.

The next thing he knew, he could practically feel his body coming back to life, neurons firing one-by-one until he was cognizant enough to remember the situation he was in. He didn't have to open his eyes, they weren't closed to begin with. It wasn't long before his brain began to accept the visual stimuli, restoring his sight.

Izuku was still there, his smile slowly fading as he held onto his former classmate. The blonde officer found himself stunned, unable to do so much as twitch while he stared blankly upwards. The villain eventually let go, taking a step back; the moment he did, it was as if Bakugou's muscles sprang to life, free of the invisible shackles that had bound them.

The first thing he did was scramble back, panting as he stared back at his nemesis. Something was wrong, he felt good- too good. The dread and the adrenaline began to mingle in his system, causing him to shake uncontrollably.

"What- what did you do to me?!" He yelled, voice cracking from his near-hysterical outburst.

Izuku shrugged, staring back at the young officer.

"I gave you your quirk back." He held his hand out in front of him, fingers clawed upwards like Bakugou used to do. "Go ahead, try it out."

The blonde officer slowly pushed himself to his feet, slowly extending his hand to mimic the villain mastermind's pose. He gulped, staring quietly at his twitching fingertips. He felt a sense of apprehension loom over him, as he furrowed his eyebrows. Calling a quirk was like using a muscle, but... he hadn't used this one in years. He didn't know if he was actually going to be able to-

His own internal uncertainty was cut short as he saw the bright sparks jump off his hand, crackling and puffing smoke as they spattered about. His eyes widened, and he could practically feel the blood rush out of his face as he smelled the familiar sweet and burnt scent of glycerin.

"He really did..." Toshinori whispered in shock, staring at his underling in awe.

The young officer's shocked expression quickly morphed into a glare as his gaze focused back onto Izuku.

"Why did you give it back to me?"

"I was curious, honestly." He shrugged, looking back at the restrained villains behind him. "We've been fighting for... I don't know how long, really. And you've been doing it while severely stunted. Why shouldn't I give it back to you? Are you afraid of something?"

Bakugou clenched his fist, lowering it to his side as he growled back. "Don't try to beat around the question! Why did you-"

He wasn't given the chance to finish the sentence as the floor began to buckle beneath him. A shockwave of energy caused the whole building to rumble, sending the surprised occupants of the room to their knees.

The young officer quickly scrambled to his feet, turning around to run out of the room. He was stopped by his chief, who grabbed his forearm and held him in place.

"What are you doing?! Uraraka is down there!"

"I'm not going to be able to do anything to keep him here." Toshinori shook his head, his gaze solely trained on the third occupant of the room.

Bakugou looked back at his nemesis, only to find that the villain's face was contorted into an expression of horrid realization. It wasn't long before he closed his eyes, relaxing his features to one of a tired resignation.

"...I see." He sighed. "Of course she did."

"...What are you talking about?"

"...Hagakure." Izuku walked back to the desk, placing both hands onto it as he leaned forward, staring at the empty floor behind it. "I'm almost certain that explosion was Hagakure's doing."

"But that was massive!" Toshinori grunted. "How is she going to-"

"She didn't." The villain cut him off, shaking his head as he sighed. "She never intended to."

Bakugou hissed through his teeth, body shaking as he stared balefully at his nemesis. "People don't just... What did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything-"

"Don't bullshit me!" He yelled, his actions only causing the mastermind's head to sink lower. "That's not normal! No one in their right mind is going to do that!"

"She wasn't normal!" Izuku protested, back to the police officers. "She... There's nothing I could have done. I told her not to, but... I don't think it would have changed anything, no matter what I did."

Toshinori's gaze fell to the floor, mouth contorting into a pained grimace as he stumbled forward, grabbing Bakugou's shoulder for support.

"...Why?" He weakly muttered. "Why is it that all of you are so ready to throw it all away? Every time I meet someone All for One took in... it's like you speak another language. Why don't you value anything about yourselves?"

It took a moment for the new mastermind to respond. "That's the thing, All Might. You couldn't understand."

"Then make me understand!" He shook his head, pained frustration welling in his voice. "You're saying she wanted to do this, to... take her own life. You know she had a reason for it, why don't you just tell me?!"

Izuku leaned back up, turning around to face the two police officers. His eyes were cold, a dull green that seemed to freeze everything he looked at. There was no intimidation, or any kind of anger in his expression- just that of a forcefully repressed emotional outburst.

"All for One gives each child a purpose to cling to, something they can be good at. To someone who has nothing, it's nothing short of salvation to them." His gaze shifted to the older of the policemen. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"

The chief's eyes widened, staring back in shock as his mind flashed back to the conversation he had with All for One in Tartarus. "...How did you know?"

"I didn't. But Sensei isn't the type to keep quiet. He must have told you at some point."

He paused, eyes lowering. The thought of someone knowing the old mastermind so well that he could predict their conversations... it troubled him to no end. "So... what was Hagakure's purpose?"

"She never had any particular ideals or goals... or if they were, Sensei must have snuffed them out." He muttered, fingers slowly scratching the surface of the desk as he looked up at the ceiling. "Sensei molded her to take orders. That's all she ever wanted to do."

Bakugou stepped forward, fingers shooting sparks liberally as he listened in on the conversation. "So then you ordered her to."

"No. This is the one time she went against anything she was told to do." He sighed, eyes shifting back to the younger officer as his head lulled to one side. "I think it's because... I made her obsolete. I think she knew things weren't going to be the same and wanted out before that happened."

"Obsolete?" Toshinori echoed, equal parts confusion and horror spreading across his face. "Izuku... what are you going to do?"

"Well... what I was doing here got destroyed in the blast." He shrugged. Before anything else could be said, his head snapped downwards, brows furrowing as it looked as if he was staring past the floor. "Uraraka survived the explosion, it seems. She won't last long if she stays where she is, though."

Toshinori pulled away from his underling, backing up towards the door.

"I'm going to go after Uraraka. Please... don't do anything rash."

Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking away as the former hero bolted towards the lower levels. He looked back at Izuku, who was just as cold as he normally presented himself as. Neither of them moved, the silence weighing heavily between them.

"I hope you realize that I don't intend to be arrested."

"You sound like that fucking butler of yours." The blonde officer spat, his disdain plainly evident.

"Shut up." Izuku grimaced, his reaction catching Bakugou slightly off-guard.

"Tell me why you gave me my quirk back."

The villain stared blankly at the police officer, shrugging. "...Because I felt like it."

"That's not an answer!" Bakugou yelled, sauntering towards his enemy. He grabbed the young mastermind by the collar, slamming him back against the wall. He leaned in close, red eyes fiercely piercing Izuku's dull green irises. "You can't fool me. You've spent your entire life planning things out, and you just 'decide' to do something like... like this?! Don't give me that bullshit! Now answer my question!"

"There it is." Izuku grunted, an uncharacteristically aggressive tone invading his voice. Bakugou's fearsome expression faltered at the sudden change, as his enemy's gaze hardened further. "I've been waiting for you to bring out your old self."

"What-"

"I hate you. I hate everything about you, I hate what you've been... I hate what you could have been." His glare hardened as he reached up, grabbing Bakugou's face before he could react. He squeezed down, the force exerted so strong that it caused the police offer to let go and drop to his knees. "I can't remember a single time that you didn't cause me pain and suffering. You want to know why I gave you your quirk back?"

An explosion rocked the space between the two young adults. Bakugou was sent flying backwards, rolling across the tile floor until he slammed into the wall behind him.

The police officer looked up, eyes widening as Izuku seemed to take on an entirely new visage- his teeth were bared, fingers scratching his neck roughly as he walked towards his childhood companion. His eyes always had a set of bags beneath them, but even now it was almost as if they had sunk in further. He quickly pushed himself to his feet, sparks flying off his fingers as his instincts screamed at him to attack.

"I gave your quirk back because this is how it was always going to end. And there's no point to fighting someone who can't fight back."

Bakugou felt his arms shake in rage as he forced them to clench shut. He ground his teeth together, feeling his blood rush to his head.

"You..." he growled. "You bastard! You have the fucking gall- I don't need your damn pity!"

The police officer crouched to the ground, pulling his hands behind him as he activated his quirk. With a massive explosion, he rocketed himself forward, flying straight towards the villain. As they collided, the force of the move sent both of them crashing through the wall, falling down from the third floor to the ground. Izuku smacked the concrete hard enough to bounce, the sound of his hardened skin skidding the ground as they slid across the urban terrain.

Bakugou had him pinned down, hands around his enemy's neck as they stared balefully at each other.

"You're not even a villain. You're just a pathetic leech that saps the life of everyone around you!" He pulled one hand back, clenching his fist as he slammed it down towards the new mastermind.

Izuku's hand snapped upwards, catching Bakugou's attack before it could hit home. He hardened his neck, turning soft skin into a hard set of spikes that dug into the policeman's hand. He pulled Bakugou's arm down, causing him to lose his balance as Izuku headbutted him mid-descent. There was a sickening thud from the move, before the villain used another air mine to send the blonde man flying back.

Bakugou recovered just in time to see Izuku flying through the air, spinning with the aid of his own explosions, fist pulled back to make a devastating punch. The former Yuuei student rolled out of the way, watching as a small crater deformed the ground where he had laid. He stretched his hands out towards the green-haired mastermind, brows furrowed as he called forth as much explosive power as he could. The ensuing blast consumed Izuku, the force sending Bakugou skidding back along the concrete. He quickly got back to his feet, fists pulled up to his face, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to finish off the current holder of All for One.

It didn't take long for his intuition to prove itself correct, as the flames almost instantly subsided, almost collapsing in on themselves as a large air mine was formed. Izuku looked none worse for the wear, as he triggered the charge that sent him rushing towards his enemy. Without thinking, Bakugou spun around, using his quirk to propel himself into a roundhouse kick that connected with the villain's shoulder. The blow was enough to deflect the onslaught, but it wasn't without consequences. Bakugou hissed as he put his foot back on the ground; his ankle was throbbing, and he could feel the joint press angrily against the boot it was inside.

Before Izuku could launch his next offensive, Bakugou jumped into the air; he kept his hands splayed below him, using explosions to propel himself further in the air. He was shaky at first, but he was quickly able to relearn how to keep himself stable while flying.

The sounds of implosions beneath him made him aware that the new mastermind was not far behind. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as a shadow passed over him. He looked up to see Izuku just above him, fingers interlocked as he sent both fists crashing into Bakugou's head like a club. He could feel his neck strain from the force as his velocity was instantly reversed, shooting back to the ground like a meteor. He quickly recovered, swooping back towards the sky just before he hit the ground. Instead of engaging with his nemesis, he raced away, going deeper into the warehouse district. He looked behind him; Izuku was not giving up his pursuit.

Bakugou quickly lowered his altitude, threading himself between the grid like alleys between the abandoned buildings. Turning corners felt like he was going to lose his stomach, with it flipping about from all the sudden changes in direction. He looked back to see Izuku hot on his tail- he was practically flinging himself through the air, it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash.

The policeman eventually found the opportunity he was looking for- as he moved between junctions, he turned to the right only to find a dead end. He spun his body around, slamming feet first into the wall. He suppressed a yelp as his ankle screamed at him. He blasted himself off the wall, rocketing back towards the entrance just as Izuku turned the corner.

The villain was clearly taken by surprise and had no time to react- Bakugou sent a massive dropkick straight into his chest, the two of them propelled through multiple metal and concrete walls throughout the district. They eventually landed inside an old cannery, Izuku slamming into the side of some of the machinery as the thick metal let out a screech as it deformed from the impact. He slumped to the ground.

Bakugou didn't give him any time to rest, skidding to a stop right in front of him. He pulled him up by the collar, landing a solid right hook into the villain's jaw and sending him back to the ground.

"I don't care what you think we are anymore." The policeman grunted, sending a solid kick into the prone mastermind's stomach. "You hear me?! I'm done! I'm sick of you! You've done nothing but ruin the lives of everyone who cared for you! You can't put that on anyone but yourself!"

Izuku remained silent, not bothering to look at the hero as he spat a thick splatter of blood onto the floor.

"Say something, you fucking bastard!" He yelled, pulling the villain back up only to send a blast-enhanced uppercut straight into the mastermind's jaw.

Bakugou screamed as his fist collided with what seemed like an immovable object- the force alone made a nasty crack echo through the empty warehouse. He backed up, clutching his fist as he looked at Izuku's hardened face.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you." The villain curtly replied, using his sleeve to wipe his face. "What, you think I'm just going to scream 'You're wrong!' and try to justify myself to you?"

Izuku rushed forward, grabbing Bakugou's face. Another set of implosions sent the two of them flying towards the wall- The villain broke their movement by slamming the policeman's skull into the concrete surface. The green-haired mastermind held him up in the air, feet dangling as he glared at his nemesis.

"You're right, you know. All I do is destroy."

He leaned in, pressing Bakugou's head further into the concrete wall. He pulled his hand back, only to slam it back down on the policeman's neck.

"But you know what?" He hissed, a sorrowful malice bubbling to the surface. "I don't care anymore. This is all I have left, and you are not going to stop me."

Uraraka felt nothing as she slowly roused. Her eyes felt like they were caked with dirt, and opening her eyes only proved that they were. She cringed, slamming them back shut as they stung from the irritating debris. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision as she tried to assess the situation.

The heat felt overwhelming, but there was almost no light to speak of. She felt something incredibly heavy pressing down on her chest. It took all of her willpower just to remain calm and make the most of her breath. The ringing in her ears definitely didn't help, and to be quite honest she couldn't even tell if she was laying with her back to the ground.

It took a few moments, but she was able to just barely make out what was around her. There were two server racks piled on top of her; it looked as if they had caught each other mid-descent, pinning her down but thankfully not crushing her with their full weight. Beyond that... there was nothing but concrete rubble, creating a small dome over the crater she was knocked into. Most of it had piled onto the metal cages, creating a dangerous single point of failure that was certain not to hold for very long.

Her right arm was completely immobile, but with a little bit of wiggling she was able to pull her left just out from the pile of metal. She shakily reached up, fingertips brushing the side of one of the servers... she didn't know when help was arriving, but there was no way she could stay here. All she had to do was just slightly lift it up, giving her the leeway to slide herself out of this mess and regroup-

The instant she tried to raise the server, she was immediately overcome with a sense of nausea. She threw her head to the side, body convulsing as she vomited into the cracks in the ground next to her. The pro hero shakily drew in as much air as she could, but it did little to help. Trying a second time only ended with the same results- her body was not cooperating with her, the strain of the explosion causing too much physical trauma.

"Uraraka! Where are you?!"

Her eyes widened as a voice managed to break through the tinny ring in her ears.

"I'm-" She began, her voice immediately cut off by a fit of rough wheezing and hacking. "I'm here! Toshinori!"

She winced as a sudden beam of light broke through the rubble ceiling above her; the police chieftain had grabbed one of the large chunks of concrete, lifting it up with little effort and throwing it to the side.

"Woah... Momo really packed a lot of power into this exoskeleton- There you are!" He sighed, relieved to see that the hero was still alive.

It was only a matter of minutes that enough of the concrete slabs were cleared enough to allow him to jump into the crater. He placed his feet firmly on either side of Uraraka's body, grabbing the pile of servers and debris with both hands.

"I'm going to lift this up a little, I need you to slide yourself out. Can you do that for me?"

A determined look settled on her face as she nodded. "Do it."

Toshinori grunted, a cloud of dust forming as he pulled up on the rubble. The moment she felt the pressure on her chest clear, she began wiggling back, using her feet to push and propel herself out from under the pile of rock and metal. She felt her armor skid along the ground as she moved, eventually stopping once her feet were clear of the hole that she was trapped in.

The older man gasped, letting go and watching as the detritus slammed back into place. Both of them breathed heavily, staring at each other with immensely worried gazes.

"Can you move?" He asked, eyes darting towards the exit.

"Yeah, I just need a second..." She gulped, her vision solely trained on the policeman in front of her. "Toshinori, I... I can't feel my right arm. I can't move it, either. I don't want to look... i-is it...?"

He froze, gulping nervously as he looked down at her limb.

"It's there, but..." He trailed off. "...I think it's best you don't look if you can. We'll get it patched up at the hospital."

She broke out into a relieved laughter, much to the former hero's shock. "I thought it was ripped off! Oh, I'm so glad that didn't happen."

Uraraka grunted, using her relatively uninjured arm to slowly push herself up into a sitting position. Toshinori walked around her, climbing out of the crater and turning to give her a hand. She gladly took it, letting go once she was back on solid ground. There was a little instability in her steps, but she was more than fine to walk on her own.

The two of them froze as the sounds of explosions rebounded through the destroyed room. Toshinori clenched his fist.

"That... No..." He trailed off, voice trembling in anger as the violent noises continued.

"What's going on?"

The hero was taken aback as the police officer punched the side of a still-standing server rack, leaving an indent in the side of the container. He sighed, his tone becoming more distraught and defeated as he leaned his head into the metal container. "I failed, again. That's... the sounds of Bakugou fighting Izuku."

"Izuku is here?!" She exclaimed, the rush of adrenaline adding a much-needed dose of strength to her wracked body. "How many heroes are en route?"

"...None. We haven't reported it yet."

"Did he disable your comms? Hagakure cut my wire-"

"It's not important anymore." He talked over her, walking back to the door without facing her. "Let's evacuate to a safe place first- then we'll bring in the cavalry."

His uncharacteristically firm tone threw her off. Something was clearly amiss, but she wasn't going to get answers out of him like this. She walked with him along with wall, towards a door on the opposite side of the building where the fighting had broken out.

The police chief opened the door- only to have it push back against him. It flung inwards, a small figure rushing past them as they raced towards the server farm.

"A-Aiba?! What are you doing here?!" Toshinori spun around, watching as the woman dumped a laptop onto the ground, with a handful of other tech gadgets.

"Waiting for an opening!" She called back, tapping furiously at the computer. "I was listening in on the comms the whole time."

"Then..." The older man somberly trailed off. "Then you-"

"I put an alert on the hero network that we confirmed his presence. Right now, the police are clearing the area, but we're still in the middle of a crimewave and the heroes who would be able to help are busy at the moment. About the other thing... we can talk about it later." She quipped back. "The important thing is that we got to their secret base of operations, and there's no one here protecting it anymore!"

"Aiba, this place isn't safe-"

"I don't care if it's not safe!" She yelled back. "We're not going to get another chance at this again! If we can figure out what they're doing, we can actually win this! Don't either of you want that?!"

Toshinori gulped, eyes wide as he found himself short of words. He watched as Uraraka limped forward, moving towards the small hacker in front of them.

"Alright then. Just hurry up, okay?"

The former criminal laughed, getting back to her feet and turning to the rack next to her. She flung the cabinet door open, pulling one of the machines from the many shelves inside. "Don't you worry about that, I'll crack this system quicker than... what?"

The look of confidence quickly shifted to one of confusion.

"Manami... is everything okay?"

"Well... I wasn't expecting them to look like this. Hold on..." She pressed a latch on the front of the machine, the lid on the top flipping open to expose the contents inside. "I don't understand..."

"What's wrong?"

She slammed the machine closed, pulling another one from the shelf. She repeated the process over and over, moving from rack to rack down the aisle she was in. "They're... I don't get it, they're not actual servers. There's no CPU or RAM or... anything really. It's just grids of chips."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know. They're... they look familiar, but I don't know from what."

Uraraka pulled open a cage herself, using her good hand to open some of the metallic boxes inside. True to the hacker's description, they just looked like rows and rows of black square chips on a green board. "Can you, like... plug into one and find out?"

The policewoman pulled out one of the boxes, looking at the back. "Ethernet port in the front... nothing on the back. Weird. I'll see what I can get off of it."

Aiba ran back to her laptop, returning with a cable in tow so she could plug into one of the machines. She sat back on the ground, back leaning against the metal cage as she began typing furiously on her keyboard.

"Let's see, just what do you do, exactly?" She muttered, eyes scanning rapidly over the text popping up on her screen. "Got it- Machine Name... No, no... nonononono..."

The pro hero could only helplessly watch as the other woman's typing grew faster, her eyes widening as more information popped up on the screen. "What's... what going on?"

"These aren't computers! They're ASIC Miners!" She shook her head, fingers clutching at the sides of the laptop screen in a death grip. "But... they're not sending their results anywhere. They're just doing empty operations nonstop."

"Please just say something that makes sense."

"It's... not..." She grunted in frustration, roughly sliding her laptop away. She reached up to her earpiece, pressing down as she yelled. "Bakugou?! Can you hear me? Listen, this entire thing is just a set-up!"

"WHAT?!" Uraraka and Toshinori cried out in unison.

"This was planned out!" She yelled back, grabbing her laptop and placing it back in front of her. "This entire building was set up to draw us here."

"But how-"

"Remember how I found out? The bank account."

Toshinori felt as if the floor was going to fall out from under him. He leaned back on one of the server cages for support. "Didn't you crack the security?"

"I didn't." She corrected. "I just had it set to try random letters and numbers, because... I couldn't figure out how to break into it yet. But to have a random jumble of characters like that work... it's next to impossible."

Uraraka shook her head, looking worriedly down at the hacker. "But... it worked, didn't it?"

Aiba responded by swiping her full palm across the keyboard, before slamming the enter key. As a chime echoed from her computer, she gasped, covering her face as she closed her eyes.

"I just... cracked the account again." She opened her eyes, pressing another random assortment of keys in different orders. Again and again, the chime echoed from her computer, letting them know that she had successfully broken into the account multiple times. "It's... It's accepting anything I put into it."

"Then..."

She sighed, a pained smirk forming on the corner of her lips. "Those bastards. They had some kind of switch in the system to let us break into it whenever they wanted. And we played right into their hands."

The pro hero gulped, sliding down and roughly collapsing into a seated position. "So... what do we do, then?"

"Well... we're not at square one. And we're not without clues either." Aiba ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head vigorously as if to clear her thoughts. "We may have fallen into their trap, but we may be able to piece together what's happening. There's something else going on here."

"I think I get what you mean." Toshinori added, covering his mouth with his fist as he pensively looked at the concrete floor. "They set this elaborate building up, complete with all this junk machinery to lure us here. And on top of that... Izuku himself is here. He isn't the type to fight unless it was absolutely necessary. If he is..."

"He's looking to divert our attention away from something else." Aiba finished, scrolling through the list of records from the bank account. "This isn't a trap, it's a decoy. And on top of that, he offered himself up as the bait- it must be something really big if he's going that far."

"Then..." Uraraka trailed off, looking at the two policemen with dread in her eyes. "Whatever he's doing... it's probably his endgame."

"I agree." The hacker curtly nodded, her eyes glued to her screen. "What he left us is probably our best bet to finding what he's really after."

"But it's what he designed as a lure." Toshinori rebutted, shaking his head. "There's no reason to think he wouldn't scrub that out from the records."

"Exactly." Aiba replied. "That's why I'm not looking for extra entries. I already verified everything on the list here- all these transactions are real and valid. He wanted to give us the perfect bait, so he couldn't risk faking a single entry here."

"What are you going to do then?" The police chief asked, genuinely confused.

"I'm going to look for what isn't there." She tapped away at the keyboard, filtering the list of transactions. "There's countless different records of money being wired to and from different accounts, but we'll set those aside for now. They're mostly anonymous so it wouldn't help us. That leaves things like building and utility payments, donations... it's astounding how he can give away this much money and still be this obscenely rich. He's making more on the bank interest than he's spending."

"Aiba, focus."

She shook her head. "Right. Sorry. I'll filter out the bills and real estate- he's got tons of shell accounts, and I've already tried to see if there's anything else under the names he puts his properties under- nothing so far. All that leaves are the donations."

Both Uraraka and Toshinori shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the last category. It understandably didn't sit well with either of them just how much he contributed to many of the various noble causes- education, poverty, homelessness, crisis management, orphanages... they had long since found out that if there was a charity, he probably put money in it already.

"Let's see..." The hacker continued. "I'm going to cross-reference the list of charities listed in the account compared to the list of registered non-profits in Japan... nothing... he's got a hand in all of them."

"What about scholarships?" Uraraka proposed. "My mom got one through a private trust."

"Hmm..." She typed away, altering the parameters for her search. There was another chime from her computer, and her eyes lit up. "We got one! The Bright Future Sciences grant... approved by MEXT... managed by the Atsuhiko family. The only one he hasn't donated to."

"I hope it's not a coincidence..." Toshinori trailed off.

"Don't. Jinx. This." Aiba bit back. "We're going to find something. Alright, it looks like they only award one a year. Let's look at their recipients in the past few years... Iroha Sasaki, Akira Nakamura, Kouta Izumi-"

"That's-!" Uraraka's eyes widened in shock as she covered her mouth with her hand. "No..."

"You know him?"

The pro hero didn't answer, her gaze falling despondent as the pieces began to slide into place.

The older policeman filled in the gaps. "He... he was a kid that was with them at the time of the summer camp incident- the one that ended with Izuku supposedly kidnapped. He... went through a lot there."

"I watched it on the news, but I didn't hear about him."

"We kept his involvement a secret to keep the press from coming after him... He was the one that put Muscular in a vegetative state- it wasn't intentional... well, that's what he said."

"Toshinori, he was nine years old-"

"I know, Uraraka... I know. I just... don't know what to think about it anymore." He sighed, shaking his head. "He said he watched from the bushes as Izuku was captured and taken away. He didn't provide a lot of details... we just chalked it up as trauma at the time. But... this is too much of a coincidence if it isn't."

"He turned a child into an accomplice." She echoed, shaking her head. "That's... that's so cruel."

"Can you see what he's doing now?" The policeman asked his subordinate.

"Looks like he's attending college at a place a few prefectures away... registered as a major in Nuclear Sciences. Let me check their syllabus." She typed rapidly on her keyboard, watching as a new document appeared on the screen. "They're scheduled for a study trip to... Fugujisa... wait a second... Wasn't this on the hero network already?"

The other two in the room looked up in shock as she pulled up the webpage.

"Yeah... it was reported an hour and a half ago. There was a power failure that caused a system wide shutdown for a minute. When it recovered, there was a person reported missing."

Uraraka scooted over, looking at the hacker's screen. Toshinori followed suit.

"That's very barebones info." She noted. "Any updates since then?"

"Backdraft was sent to investigate... hasn't reported back in an hour."

"That's not like him." The former hero insisted. "He always made sure to keep someone up to date."

"If we go... we'll be leaving Bakugou behind." Uraraka noted.

Toshinori shook his head. "We wouldn't even make it in time if we did go... and it sounds like their battle moved elsewhere."

The room grew silent as everyone listened in. True to his word, the sounds of explosions were still present, but far quieter than what it originally was.

"Is there anyone else they can send out?" Aiba looked towards the two other heroes.

"I've never seen the activity meter this active in years." The current hero remarked. "This... the number of reports so far today are double the number of crimes in the past week. You don't think...?"

The policeman shook his head. "It won't help even if we had that answer. Aiba, give me your laptop."

"Wha- why?!" She seemed taken aback, clutching the device close to her chest. "What are you going to do?"

Despite her defensiveness, she let go of it without resistance when her boss grabbed it and pulled it from her grasp. She watched as he logged her out from the hero network, only to sign in with a different set of credentials.

"Even if you update your own post, there may be people who come here simply to cash in on grabbing the new holder of All for One. The police might have my head for this, but..." He sighed, slowly typing out a message to post on the board. "A lot of these people still look to me as the Pillar of Hope. A priority alert from me... well... I think that will turn a lot more heads."

With equal amounts nervousness and trepidation, he pressed the enter key, blasting his message to every hero in Japan. He heard Uraraka's phone vibrate in her pocket, which gave him a small bit of relief knowing that the message went through.

"What do we do now?" Aiba asked, anxiously rubbing her thumb and index finger together.

Toshinori sighed, shoulders slumping. "No one here is in any shape to fight. The only thing we can do is wait for the medical team... and hope Bakugou manages to win his fight."

Sensei tapped his fingers languidly against the armrest of his wheelchair, his head leaning on the palm of his other hand as he pondered his thoughts. Something weighed heavily on his mind for quite some time now, which wasn't terribly uncommon. But this one... it didn't see fit to just linger, it had only grown in intensity, impatiently banging on the door to the front of his thoughts. It would consistently pop into his head, throwing his plotting into disarray as it demanded his attention.

As with all other muses, he was gracious enough to lend it his ear... what he received in return was incredibly alluring. It whispered promises of untold turmoil, strife... a pit of despair so deep that its effects would span generations of people.

And all it wanted in return was the simple act of All for One pulling the rug out of all of his plans.

He had normally shunned similar thoughts. But this one... no matter how many times he turned it away, it would always return, savagely ripping his focus from his work and towards its own demands. Perhaps it was because of the method needed to realize the plot it proposed- he didn't need to start from scratch, it was more akin to a shift in perspective... the exact same thing he said Shigaraki needed to realize his potential.

The realization itself brought new clarity to the villain mastermind; this wasn't a change of plans, it was an evolution of the one he had embarked on long ago! It was a solution to his own dissatisfaction with the status quo- one he now knew was desperately needed.

He sequestered himself away for an unknown amount of time, reformulating his schemes to fit with this new paradigm. He was surprised by his own fervency and speed- it was as if this idea had breathed new life into him, fueling him with an inspiration he hadn't felt in years. It was only a matter of days before the stage was fully reset, waiting for its new star to take their place at the center of it all.

He pulled out his phone, dialing Kurogiri's number as he excitedly brought the speaker up to his ear. It didn't take long for the other villain to pick up.

"Ah, Sensei." The bartender politely greeted. "Is there anything you need?"

"Yes, actually." He smiled. "I need to have a brief conversation with Shigaraki. I assume he's there with you?"

"He is in the attic, playing a game with Midoriya. When would you like me to send him over?"

"Immediately."

The other villain paused for a moment, a small disappointed sigh wisping through the earpiece. "...Understood. I'll fetch him right now."

Sensei didn't bother to respond as he ended the call. He glanced at the back corner of his desk- his audio recorder was still there, its infrared light at the top blinking steadily, letting him know it was capturing anything it received.

It was only a moment before his blue haired protege unceremoniously stepped back into his den, clearly annoyed as his fingertips roughly scraped the underside of his jaw.

"Yes, Sensei?" He curtly hissed, foot insistently tapping.

"Shigaraki, how have you been doing as of late? It appears much has happened since Stain's apprehension."

"Same as usual. We're getting new recruits." He ground his heel into the dusty floor. "Whatever drops Giran give us... and whatever Dabi doesn't incinerate."

"Ah, yes... He seems to be quite a trigger-happy fellow, despite his aloof appearance."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" The young adult sighed, partially gloved hands slipping into his hoodie's pockets. "You don't send for me over status updates. You've been silent these past few days, too."

"What about Midoriya?" Sensei leaned to the side, ignoring the other villain's question. "What do you think of his development?"

Shigaraki paused for a moment, his body growing stiff as he was taken aback by the question. "He's... well he's certainly gotten a few buffs. Not like he couldn't get them here."

"So you still disapprove of his excursion."

"Of course I do!" He protested, hands balling into fists inside his hoodie. "He's MY second in command, he should be by MY side. Now he won't even look at me sometimes. He's ashamed of playing a hero."

"And yet his presence there has been nothing short of invaluable. He saved you during the USJ incident, and just recently he helped spark interest in the League by coercing that hero killer into his little 'outburst.'" He tapped the side of his armrest again, the tempo languid and uneven. "But perhaps he will soon outgrow his usefulness. The reason why I called you here is because I had an... epiphany regarding our young Midoriya."

The young adult's anger froze in his throat as he was taken aback by Sensei's words. His hands shifted around as they instinctively tried to clutch his stomach, but he refused to overtly show any reaction to his elder. "...What are you planning?"

"I realized that the path we were treading on was... less than ideal. But the only solution that could prove to be worthwhile requires substantial changes to the status quo." He paused, letting the vague introduction seep its way into his protege's mind. "Because of this, I decided that it would be best for you to make that decision."

"Get to the point, Sensei."

"After the USJ incident, Midoriya requested to speak with me-"

"What did he want to talk with you about?" Shigaraki cut him off, his surprise clearly denoting his lack of knowledge about the meeting.

"The subject of the meeting doesn't matter. What followed it was more intriguing." He felt his lips curl up as the memories unfolded in his mind. "I peered into his mind, Shigaraki. I asked him to envision his ideal future- to see what kind of form he wanted the world around him to take. Do you know what I saw?"

The young adult kept his jaw stoically locked as he swallowed thickly. He refused to answer the question.

"I have never seen a picture made so clear in someone's mind, Shigaraki. He wants nothing more than to make a world that would make you happy, but that place... it comes at the cost of everything else. I have not seen a place with such unbridled despair or turmoil- a place that strips you down to your core and threatens to suffocate what is left of you." He covered his mouth with his fingers, half-hiding the Cheshire grin that grew on his face as shivers flew up his spine. "But he wanted all of it because you were happy. He was willing to crush the lives of everyone around him, all for you, Shigaraki."

"I... I don't understand where you're going with this." The villain replied, the tone in his voice stunted.

"...Yes, you do. That boy has something that's always been a consistent struggle for you- inspiration, drive, passion- whatever name you put on it, he will inevitably destroy everything in this world. In a way, you are a god to him, Shigaraki. And that kind of person needs every resource he can get in order to realize his goals."

"I... You-"

"I want him to inherit all I own, Tomura." He concluded, his hand tightly gripping his armrest. "It is my opinion that he should become the next inheritor of All for One."

There was a tense moment of silence as the two villains stared at each other. Shigaraki's head hung to the ground, his hair obscuring his face. Sensei stared at him expectantly, the corners of his grin twitching as they were stretched to their absolute limit.

"...Is this a joke?" The younger one gritted his teeth, hands flying up to his neck to dig into the scarred flesh. "You... want him to replace me? After everything I've worked towards, you're going to just kick me out of the party?"

"Don't misunderstand me, Tomura." He chided, his tone resembling a father disciplining an unruly child. "This isn't because I wish to see you out of the picture. There are just simply too many benefits to overlook. Don't you see what this means?"

"Enlighten me." He hissed, shaking in rage.

"Your goals, to destroy All Might and the rest of the heroes, are perfectly in line with his plan- a sub-point, to be precise. But he wants so much more for you- don't you see how happy this would make him as well?"

"You don't care about making him happy."

"No, I don't... but I still thought it to be something you should know." Sensei shook his head slightly. "Even someone like you should be able to see how ecstatic he would be to actually be given a chance to achieve his goals. It would be undoubtedly the happiest he would ever be. Can you honestly tell me that you would deny him that opportunity?"

Shigaraki paused, head still downcast as he looked away. He refused to say anything further to the mastermind next to him. He had long stopped clawing at his own neck, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

"Tomura... I do not wish for you to make a decision on the spot. I am simply proposing something that could benefit everyone. I will send you back to the bar, please take time to seriously consider what that boy could do with the right tools." He waved his hands through the air, a black ichor slowly engulfing the younger villain as he was whisked away.

Just before he was completely out of the mastermind's layer, Sensei leaned forward, grinning as he added one last request.

"I trust you'll make the right decision, but please... do try not take this out on Midoriya. He's just a pawn, after all."

"So... have you figured out how to open the silo doors or what?" The slime villain impatiently paced the back wall of the room. "I need to get moving soon."

"Why do you want the doors open now?" Kouta shook his head, sitting cross-legged and flipping rapidly through the tome of instructions sprawled out in front of him. "All we did was program in the flight path- we're nowhere near ready to launch, it'll just end up giving us away."

"Because if the heroes come in and destroy the doors then it doesn't matter what we do- we won't be able to launch the fucking missile." He snidely quipped back. "I don't think there's gonna be a single person aside from our 'friends' in the plant who know there's even one here. And when they do, I doubt there's going to be anyone dumb enough to cause a huge shake-up next to a possible nuke. Now how long is it going to take to get it open?"

"Alright, alright!" Kouta yelled, voice shaking slightly as he finally reached the right page. "There. I just have to... got it."

The young adult stood up, kicking the binder of procedures towards the console as he moved towards it. His fingers traced along the rows and rows of buttons and switches, eventually finding the right one. He quickly flicked the metal knob upwards, and almost immediately the machinery around him roared to life. The concrete slabs above the missile chamber groaned as alarms blared, red rotating lights dancing across the walls as the roof slowly receded, giving way to clear skies. The rays of the sun pierced through the stagnant underground air, glittering menacingly off the pitch-black cap on top of the warhead.

"What now?" Kouta clutched the edge of the console, the sharp metal edges cutting into his fingertips.

"Now... you wait." The villain sighed in relief. "I've gotta refuel the machine, then put in the payload."

The college student glanced down at the metal and glass canister that sloshed around the innards of his partner, the bright pink liquid shining through the pallid green of the villain's slime.

"How did he even..." Kouta trailed off.

"What, how did he come across this stuff? He made it- well, I guess harvested... manufactured? I dunno." The slime creature mused to himself. "Look, it doesn't matter how he got his hands on it- this shit works, and he's got enough of it. All we gotta do is put it in."

"Okay." The teen looked away, grimacing.

More questions without answers. He wondered what Izuku would say if- when he asked him directly about it.

He was quickly snapped out of his ruminations when the villain spat something at his feet- he winced in disgust, but quickly realized what it was. A transparent, sealed bag with a kind of earpiece inside. He slowly reached down, trying not to hurl as his hand brushed the tacky ooze coating the container. He broke open the seal, quickly shoving the device into his ear.

"We can use this to keep in touch while I'm out there- I've got a special one of them floating around in me to record my voice. All you have to do it start the refueling pumps when I ask and start the launch sequence when we're done. Got that?"

Kouta jumped slightly at the sharp sound of the villain directly bouncing around his head, but he quickly recovered and nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

The villain slumped his way over to the only door, opening it slightly as he squeezed himself through the crack.

"Eyes up, kid! This is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

The student's head snapped to the metal opening, only to watch it slam shut behind the slime creature. He found himself unable to move, eyelids twitching as he felt the parting words sink into him.

He did want this- he knew he did. He spent years lambasting the hero-villain system that dominated the world for so long; for so long the only things that kept him going were promises of Izuku's return and the rants he haphazardly posted onto his forums... but now that spark of his had become little more than a smoldering ember.

Izuku did come back, but only for a brief moment, just to direct his life into a new direction yet again. And he did his job faithfully; he got straight A's every year since then, consistently ranking top in his entire school just for the chance to get onto the path he felt was going to bring him closure.

Kouta clenched his fists as his memories trailed back further- beyond even the training camp incident, the one that introduced him to the boy who would eventually replace the most sinister villain of them all. He was reminded of his parents, the duo known as Water Horse, who were brutally mauled by the villain Muscular. He remembered the live newsfeed that broadcasted their death to millions of watchers. He remembered seeing their bodies through the window of the morgue where his aunt identified them. He remembered being told by that same aunt that he should be happy that they lost their lives like this and that he's just too young to understand-

He slammed his fist on the metal console, teeth clenched so hard that he could almost feel them cracking under the pressure. This rage, it's what drove him on for so long. He held it inside him, grasping his emotions with an iron grip and refusing to let them fade back into obscurity. He needed this feeling- he needed something to continue to push him forward, because he was too far down this path now. There was literally nothing else in his life but this.

He scrambled to pick the instructions up, rapidly flying through the table of contents. Once he found the two procedures he needed, he tore their pages from the binder and tossed the rest of them aside- this was all he needed from now on.

"Alright kid, I'm connecting the hoses to the fuel chamber now." The villain called into his ear, causing the young adult's heart to jump.

"I'm ready to start the pumps when you're done." He barked back.

"I- uh..." The older man stuttered, taken aback by the change of tone. "You sure about that? Need time to find out how?"

"I said I got it." He insisted, tapping his foot impatiently.

"...Right." He muttered. The sound of metal clanging around echoed through the launch chamber, lasting for a few minutes until the villain continued. "Okay, it's all plugged in. Let's go!"

Kouta's hands raced across the array of mechanical devices, flipping switches in an almost random order. The sound of heavy machinery whirred to life, bouncing around the concrete and metal, making their way into the control room.

"It's working." The student noted, glancing at a number of gauges showing the fuel tank capacities. "Should be done in a few minutes."

"Good. I'm going to start crawling up the missile to put in the payload." He paused. "If you try to launch this thing with me still on it, I'll break through that glass and incinerate us both."

"Just hurry up." The young adult clicked his tongue.

"...Whatever."

Kouta peered through the glass, looking down to see the warhead that sat on top of the rest of the missile thrusters. He watched as a dull green mass slowly inched its way to the apex, popping open a hatch on the side and slipping in.

The college student was getting increasingly uneasy with the relative silence at this point, pacing around as he waited for the process to finish. His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest, exacerbating his anger further. He didn't dare calm himself down- not now. There was too much riding on this now-

He froze as a new sound bounced down from the surface, piercing his ears and shattering the concentration he had, throwing everything into disarray. He recognized the noise... a kind of loud popping that raced around, in bursts of threes from multiple sources.

"...Gunfire?" He whispered incredulously.

"What?!" The slime villain shrieked, causing the younger adult to jump in surprise. "Are you sure about that?"

"...I think so."

"Then they found us. Shit!" He grunted, his anger clearly evident in his voice. "There shouldn't have been someone sent for another half hour! Did they find us out already?"

"What do we do?" Kouta shook his head, hands starting to tremble.

"The same thing as always, we just pick up the pace." He quipped back. "What do the fuel gauges look like?"

Kouta refocused his gaze from the open silo doors to the gauges.

"They're about half empty-" His eyes were torn away from the devices as something flew in front of him, falling limply down the main shaft of the silo. Time seemed to slow as Kouta stared at the object, watching as it roughly crashed into the warhead, sliding further down as it left a sizeable dent at the top of the missile.

"Son of a bitch!" The villain yelled in equal parts shock and fear. "What the hell was that?!"

"That was..." The student weakly trailed off, swallowing thickly. "I don't know. It looked like a tree."

"...They really are sending the vets, then." He quietly noted.

"H-hey..." The young adult's voice cracked as he stammered out. "Who's shooting?"

"Who do you think?" The villain flippantly answered. "The nuclear plant staff."

"...Why?"

"You really haven't pieced it together, have you?" The slime creature sighed, continuing as he tinkered with the electronics inside the warhead. "Almost all of the people here are quirkless saps who bought wholeheartedly into what Izuku is selling. Are you really surprised that they're going this far? It's not like you have any leg to stand on- I know what happened with Muscular."

"That was different-"

"That's what everyone says, kid." The villain cut him off. "It doesn't matter how you think it happened, at the end of the day there's a guy who has to live having food spoon-fed to him while his diapers get changed. And he can't say jack shit about it. It's time to grow up and be responsible for what you did."

"...What about you, then?" Kouta insisted, stomping his foot in anger. The constant barrage of gunfire only exacerbated his emotions. "Why are you even helping Izuku? We both know it's not going to benefit you at all!"

"My reasons are my own, and they'll stay that way." He replied curtly. "No amount of whining from you is going to change that."

Before Kouta could protest, his thoughts were yet again derailed as the ground began to shake, causing the century of dust buildup to shiver and tumble as it cascaded down the silo shaft. The student pressed his face against the glass as he looked up, watching as the rays of light slowly wiped away to a shadow towering over the opening. A giant purple-gloved hand reached inside, clutching the rim of the door. He could only watch in horror as it pulled back, ripping out a large chunk of the top floor, almost casually tossing it aside. The widened opening allowed just enough light through to allow him to see who exactly it was.

"Mount... M-Mount Lady is here." He whispered, fear wracking his voice. "How-"

His question was answered long before he could finish asking it. Amid the gunfire, a volley of rockets came from somewhere on the surface, striking the side of her head as she fell over. Her screams of pain sent shivers up Kouta's spine as he watched her immediately shrink, falling into the hole she created. She slammed into the catwalk in front of him, her body practically mangled from the impact.

The sight alone caused Kouta to clutch his stomach as he turned away. His body wouldn't even allow him to get to a trash can as he emptied the contents of his stomach on the spot.

"What's going on out there?!" The slime villain yelled. "You okay, kid?!"

The young adult fell to his knees, body shivering as he clutched the control panel with a death grip. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his free arm as he tried his best to quell his dry heaving.

"No." He whimpered out, his mouth barely able to form the word.

"...Hold on." He paused, his voice oddly devoid of any snark or annoyance. It wasn't long before he heard something shift around on the other side of the window. There was the sound of metal scraping against... something. Eventually the sound was replaced with another clanging noise that progressively went lower and lower down the shaft. "...There. Can you go to the window now?"

Kouta slowly pushed himself to his feet, turning slowly to peer through the reinforced glass pane. Rather than the gruesome sight he saw before, the slime villain was there, peering at him with blank eyes.

"We're almost done here. How are the fuel tanks?"

Kouta looked down, doing his best to get his eyes to focus on the gauges in front of him. "They're empty... All the fuel is in the missile now."

"Good." He replied, nodded. "Now, I need you to keep watch, okay? It's just a little bit longer-"

His reassurance was cut off by a scream as a wall of flame erupted behind him, the sudden light blinding the student as a wave of heat washed over his face. The villain slumped over, his body spreading out across the catwalk as a new figure descended down the shaft, this one completely unscathed.

Twin jets of flame slowly lowered him down towards the control room, blazing red flames bursting through accents in his midnight blue jumpsuit and engulfing his face, giving him the impression of a fiery beard and mask. He landed on the metal walkway, his fires sizzling the parts of the slime villain directly next to him. He stepped forward, pressing his hand to the glass as he glared straight into Kouta's eyes.

The young adult immediately recognized him for who he was- Endeavor, the Flame Hero, had arrived to save the day.

"...Kouta Izumi, I presume?" He gruffly asked, his question nearly stopping the student's heart in its tracks.

"I... I'm... I- uh..." He stammered, clutching his chest as he resisted the urge to run to the other side of the room.

"I thought as much. Don't bother running- we've sealed off the exits and there's a team who'll be arriving in just a moment through that door." His glare intensified. "Your parents were close colleagues of mine... we're going to have a very long talk about this at the station."

Kouta felt tears begin to well up in his eyes, slamming them shut as he wordlessly shook his head. He crouched to his knees, burying his face into his pants as he curled up underneath the control panel.

It wasn't long before the sounds of gunfire ceased outside, and with the fuel pumps shut down, the only noise was the low hum of the electricity coursing through the walls.

He felt a wail build up in his chest, begging to be released. But despite the agony, he couldn't bear to make any noise, opting to make small sniffles as he tried to keep the snot from running out of his nose.

"-Grrk!"

The noise caught the young adult off guard, unsure of what it was. He flinched as something dully banged against the glass pane repeatedly, getting weaker with each successive impact.

Kouta held his breath, slowly unfurling his body as he peered over the edge of the control panel, to see what was happening on the other side.

His eyes widened at what he saw- the slime villain had completely covered the man's face, its liquid innards bubbling as it shoved itself down the many orifices that the hero had. Endeavor clawed at the ooze to no avail, its viscous matter slipping through his fingers. He banged his fists on the window, eyes wide as the last of the sludge disappeared through his nose.

The pro hero clutched at his neck, a weak gurgling noise struggling to escape as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He collapsed onto the catwalk, his limbs twitching as a trail of froth leaked from his lips.

To his horror, Kouta watched as Endeavor rose yet again, eyes bloodshot as he wiped the excess fluids off of his now flameless face.

"You ahlright, kid?"

The voice was clearly Endeavor's, but... the tone was definitely someone much more sinisterly familiar.

"Wha- y-you-"

The pro hero grinned widely, thumb pointing proudly at his chest. "Yup! It'sh been a while since I've... done this kinda thing b'fore... Had to wait 'til it was the right time, though..."

"And he's..."

"Dead'r than a doornail." He shrugged. "Not much you c'n do about it now."

"Are you... okay?"

"...Later. I'm almost done with th' warhead, hol' on." Endeavor's body spasmed as he clutched the catwalk railing, his mouth and eyes leaking a green, viscous fluid. It wasn't long before the rest of the slime villain's internal organs came out as well.

Kouta's eyes widened as he looked at the floating tissue that was inside the villain- the solid bits that made up his body were significantly darker than what the young adult remembered. Some of them were pitch black, even. It didn't take long for him to fit the pieces together.

He silently watched as the slime creature dripped its way down, settling on the top of the warhead. The villain slipped its way inside, the sound of something being slowly tinkered with echoing through Kouta's earpiece. After a few quiet minutes, he heard a heavy sigh from the older man.

"Alright... 's done." He paused. "...You can start the launch now."

The admission snapped the young adult back to attention. "What? No! You're still down there!"

"Kid... my lungs're toast." He slurred, voice progressively getting quieter and quieter. "My body's all cloudy... I don't have long an'way."

"I won't!" He screamed, banging his hand on the console. "I'm not going to be the one to kill you!"

"They're not gon' wait for you to hold a funeral!" He yelled back. "Start the fucking launch!"

Kouta paused, shaking his head as his legs trembled. He locked his elbows, leaning his entire weight onto the device.

"...Tell me why you're helping Izuku." He whispered, staring down at the glowing red button meant to start the launch sequence. "Tell me that... and I'll finish the job."

There was a moment of tense silence that pressed down on the college student's shoulders, only broken by an eventual hearty chuckle that came from his earpiece.

"...Fine. I'll tell you." He paused, taking a deep breath in. "I tried to kill Izuku when he was a brat. Turnsh out... he was in good with th' League. I didn't actually do it... obv'sly. He decided to let me live, so they put me to work doin' odd jobs. Mostly helpin' the kid."

The slime villain grew quiet again, prompting Kouta to respond. "That's it?"

"No, I just... fuck... hard to think." He murmured, his tone growing flatter. "I tried to get on his good side 'n all. Give him some extra cash I netted, mention some of his hobbies... stuff like that. I could'n give two shits about him."

"What changed?"

"...I'm at his houshe one night, droppin' his allow'nce... kid's crying his eyes out. I ask him what's up... he does'n know. He asks me why he's cryin' for no good reason. Says he knows he's shupposed t'be happy, but he never is." The slime villain let out a small chuckle. "He starts askin' if there's something wrong with'im."

The dying creature fell quiet again, but Kouta couldn't work up the nerve to say anything. He quietly waited for the villain to finish his story.

"I... now I know I can't do anythin' to solve his problem, but... least I could do was take his mind off it. So, I grabbed him an' we broke into an arcade that night. Got to play ev'ry game for free. Never seen 'im laugh so much. Little bastard grew on me since then." He sighed. "He's been workin' his ass off for the lasht decade jus' for this. And t'be honest... I'd like to see him smile for real for once."

Kouta closed his eyes, swallowing thickly as he listened. He wasn't sure how to feel anymore. He just felt cold... empty inside.

"I think... you're kinda like that too, kid." He whispered. "I've been watchin' him reach f'r the stars so long... and he's just about to get one. Would'n you giv'm a little push, too?"

The college student turned his head away. His lips trembled furiously as they couldn't decide what shape they wanted to take.

He placed his finger lightly over the launch button, its somber red glow sinking into the skin on his hand. He exhaled, pressing down and watching the button sink in with a solid ka-thunk.

Sirens blared across the chamber, thick plumes of black smoke pooling at the bottom of the chamber. Slabs of concrete slid over the glass pane, providing an extra layer of protection for the occupants of the control room.

"Did you do it?" The villain weakly asked

"...Yeah." He replied, just as quietly.

"You did good, kid." He reassured the student, a small laugh sneaking in while he took a second to breathe. "I slipped a beac'n into your pocket when I got you in th' vents. Jus' press the button... a portal'll take you to safety."

Kouta slipped his hand into his jeans, and just as the slime creature said there was a thin metallic cylinder. He stared down at it, slowly pressing down on the red button at its top. He watched as small droplets of water slowly dripped onto his wrist. It wasn't long before a black warp gate appeared in front of him, beckoning him to cross its borders.

"Hey, kid." The villain coughed out, just barely audible over the cacophony of the missile's thrusters. "They're gonna put us in the history books f'r this. Make sure they put my name in there too, yeah?"

The college student covered his mouth, unsure about whether he should laugh or cry.

"...What's your name?"

He waited for an answer, but the only sound coming through the earpiece was the sound of the propulsion engines. He didn't bother asking again- he knew he wasn't going to get anything back.

Just as Kouta put his first foot in the warp gate, the door leading into the control room blew open, allowing a flood of heroes and police officers to make their way inside. He ignored the commands they barked out; he refused to turn around as he left the nuclear plant behind, the warp gate closing the moment he fully crossed its threshold.

Bakugou winced as his mind scrambled to regain its bearings. A sharp, high pitched whine rang in his ears as he felt himself gurgle, his hands instinctively at his neck as he weakly tried to free himself from the grip keeping him held up. He braced his feet against the wall, doing his best to push himself forwards. It had almost no effect; the only thing it really did was cause more pain as the back of his bruised skull scraped the rough concrete wall behind him.

He could just barely make out any details from his blurry, rapidly dimming vision- a mass of green in front of him, as still as a monolith and just as immovable. He gritted his teeth, letting go with one hand as he slowly and shakily extended his palm towards the villain in front of him- only for said villain to use their free hand to clutch his wrist and force his arm up against the wall, its weak explosions sputtering uselessly into the air.

He closed his eyes, opening his mouth to scream; nothing came out. He mustered the last of his strength, trying as hard as he could to force some kind of air past the hand around his neck...

It was useless. He felt his eyes burn as the feeling in his limbs grew numb. He opened his eyes again, but even then he might as well have kept them shut. He could barely make out any light, and what little he could looked like he was viewing a stained-glass panel from a mile away.

Then, just as the last speck of light threatened to fade away, he felt the pressure on his neck release, oxygen rushing to his brain as he slumped to the ground. His hands flew to his neck, eyes wide as he rubbed the sore skin. He let out a hoarse cough, his lungs working against him as he forced as much air as he could into them.

His vision slowly returned, the blurriness receding as he was once again able to see the myriad cracks in the concrete as a result of their battle. He looked up, only to find an empty space in front of him. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, taking a second to steady his balance as the sensation in his legs returned to him.

He scanned the area, finding the person he was looking for- Izuku was on the other end of the warehouse, leaning back against the wall. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoodie as he coldly stared at the policeman.

Bakugou sauntered forward, fists clenching and unclenching as he picked up his pace.

"What? You get cold feet?" He taunted, eyes trained on the villain.

"No." He shrugged, unmoving. "I never intended to kill you."

"What kind of half-assed excuse is that?" He gritted his teeth, grunting in frustration. "It's always the same with you! You're just so wishy-washy, like you don't even want to be here! Where was that anger you showed just now?!"

The mastermind pursed his lips, looking away.

"Don't ignore me!" He barked. "What's with you?! Are you just too afraid to actually care about anything? Do you think if you just phone it in, you can forget about all the people you trampled on to get here?"

"It doesn't matter-"

"It fucking does!" The blonde cut him off. "Aren't you tired of this?! We've done nothing but yell, and argue, and fight- I'm fucking sick of it! I can't feel anything about this- about us anymore- And I'm tired of having to pretend that I do, especially when you can't feel a goddamn thing!"

"Bakugou?! Can you hear me?" Aiba's tinny voice shouted through the earpiece in Bakugou's ear. "Listen, this entire thing is just a set-up!"

"WHAT?!" He shouted, pressing his finger to the device. "What do you mean?!"

The only response he received was radio static.

"Stupid... fucking... grahh!" He tore the device from his ear, throwing it to the side in frustration. "What do they mean this was a set-up?!"

Izuku's expression remained static as he pushed himself off the wall. "Sounds like they figured out that there wasn't anything here."

Bakugou's eyes widened, his stride brought to an abrupt halt as he tried to process what he just learned.

"You... you're just a decoy." He muttered, his glare intensifying. "You brought us here just so I could fight you?!"

"More or less." The villain shrugged. "The heroes were already going to be stretched thin. Best case scenario, the few who don't have their hands full come here, but if they do figure out where the real plan is going down, then I at least bought some time."

"Then..." Bakugou gritted his teeth, his voice turning to a hiss as his anger began to wash over him. "Hagakure died for nothing."

"She was going to die anyway. She didn't intend on living for much longer after this-"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" The policeman screamed. "You probably didn't even bother trying to change her mind, did you?!"

"There's nothing I could have done to-"

"There it is again!" Bakugou threw his hands up in exasperation. "Can't you just once take responsibility for yourself?! You're always the victim in your own story! I don't understand why you can't just try to care!"

"You don't understand! You possibly couldn't understand! You don't know her, Bakugou!" Izuku yelled back, anger hitching in his voice. "And you of all people don't get to lecture me on taking responsibility!"

"I know what I fucking did!" Bakugou screamed, his knuckles cracking from how hard he was clenching his fists. "There's not a single day that goes by that I don't think about everything I put you through! But that doesn't excuse you for anything!"

The villain mastermind shook his head, his hands coming out of his hoodie to scratch as his throat. "I've put too much into this- you're not going to talk me into submission."

"I can't talk you out of anything you deluded yourself into-" The policeman threw his arms behind him, hands sparking large explosions that propelled him forward. "But I can put you in a place where you won't hurt anyone else!"

Bakugou felt a shockwave rip through his body as an air mine exploded directly in front of him. However, it did almost nothing to stop him. He screamed in rage, his explosions intensifying as he powered through the defenses the villain had set up. He moved his hands in front of him, dive bombing the place Izuku stood.

The villain quickly jumped up, watching as the policeman let loose a torrent of flames and smoke where he had been. Almost immediately, the blonde curled his body around, throwing his hands up as he sent a massive pillar of explosions through the air. The force of the blast carried Izuku up, crashing through the roof and tumbling into the sky. He steadied himself with his air blasts, watching as Bakugou rocketed after him, homing in on his location like a jet missile.

The mastermind gritted his teeth as he brought his hands up to his face, blocking a fist that was aimed for his head. Bakugou quickly grabbed the villain's wrists, tearing his defensive stance down as his free hand grabbed Izuku's face. Bakugou screamed as he leaned forward, pulling the pin out of his glove to release the reserve of sweat he had been building up. The explosion engulfed the entire area, the blast so large it could be heard for miles away.

Before he could do anything further, he watched as a pair of red shoes emerged from the smoke, flying through the air, one after the other in a staggered arc. The first one landed directly into the policeman's gut, the raw strength of the blow causing him to bend over in pain. The second kick quickly followed, sailing directly into his nose as he recoiled in pain. He felt his face grow cold as the taste of iron flooded the back of his throat. He clutched his face, feeling the thick mixture of snot and blood seep through his fingers.

Bakugou shook his head, pulling back to regain his composure. He flew in a small circle, refocusing his gaze back onto the villain. He watched as Izuku spat out blood, wiping away some of the blood that seeped out of his nose. The entire left side of his face was covered in a massive welt, no doubt from the recent attack.

The policeman's eyes widened as he realized what it meant- Izuku was no longer healing himself. Maybe that particular quirk had a cooldown on it? His glare on the villain intensified, his determination strengthening as he began to quickly cobble together a plan in his head. He didn't know how long it would take before his recovery ability came back... so he'd have to deal as much damage as he could, as quickly as he could.

Bakugou furrowed his brow, fingers twitching as he willed himself to move faster towards the villain. Izuku remained still in the air, his controlled implosions keeping him perfectly balanced without any kind of footing.

The policeman focused on the villain, his brow furrowing as he tried to predict what Izuku would do- his eyes widened as he rapidly changed directions, corkscrewing through the air. His instincts were well rewarded; the villain had created some air mines through the air. While he managed to dodge the brunt of their blasts, he felt the ensuing shockwaves pummel his arms and legs. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth, sailing through the air as he felt the blood rush out of his nose.

Just before he collided with Izuku, he threw his hands under himself, causing a massive blast that sent him flying up, just barely brushing the top of the mastermind's head. The villain craned his neck as he tried to follow the policeman, watching as their gloved hands hovered right over his face. He braced for another massive explosion-

Only to be greeted with a massive plume of foul-smelling smoke. It enveloped the area, obscuring everything from view.

Izuku quickly spun around, brow furrowed as he tried to predict where the former Yuuei student would come from. He caused a number of small air mines to implode around him, dispersing the smoke and clearing his vision-

"Grrk!"

The villain's eyes widened in shock as he felt something hit the side of his neck, bending as it wrapped itself fully around his throat. He felt a pair of feet crash into his back, pushing him forward and tightening the stranglehold on him.

He looked down, only to see a belt with a number of silvery-blue canisters greet him. He vaguely recognized them... they were strapped to Bakugou's belt when he arrived at the decoy server farm. They were initially connected to the costumed policeman's gloves, and they shared the same color as the blast he caused before Izuku gave his quirk back to him-

He didn't know exactly what was in them, or where they came from, but he could already guess what they were.

Bakugou pulled on the edges of the belt, pushing down on Izuku's back as hard as he could. He leaned forward, grabbing one of the canisters with his hand. He squeezed it as hard as he could, watching as the glass cracked and gave way, the volatile blue liquid spilling out and coating both his hand and the villain's clothes.

"Got you."

The ensuing explosion was like nothing anyone had ever seen before- its eerie purple light was so intense that it nearly overpowered the sun, casting a strange color onto all the surrounding buildings. Just when it seemed to die out, the rest of the canisters shattered and ignited, causing a secondary blast far more destructive than the first. The force of the massive fireball physically pushed the surrounding clouds away; the ground didn't fare much better, with thin metal exhaust pipes bending from the heat and air pressure- windows shattered and fell apart one after the other.

Eventually, the purple and blue flames subsided, leaving only a funnel of tar-black smoke. A pair of objects fell out of the bottom of the plumes, their descent leaving dark wispy trails as they both plummeted towards a nearby roof.

Bakugou was just barely able to retain his consciousness, using his blasts to slow his descent. He roughly skidded to a stop, falling to his hands and knees as he could do nothing but huff and pant.

Izuku fared significantly worse, limply crashing into the flat surface, bouncing in the air as he rolled and tumbled. His movement was only stopped when he collided with a ventilation duct on the edge of the roof. His chest was slowly moving up and down, the sight of which caused the policeman to sigh in relief as he hung his head.

They both stayed like that, alternating between wheezing and heaving, doing their best to muster the strength to get back up.

The policeman's ears perked as he heard the sound of something scraping against the concrete- his head snapped up to see what it was. He watched as the villain mastermind he had spent so long chasing was clutching at the ground, using one hand to slowly pull himself forward. He grabbed the top of the parapet, staring at Bakugou as he pulled himself onto the edge.

Neither of them made any indication that they would move further; they silently stared at each other. It was clear that the fight was over at this point. The blonde shifted backwards, landing roughly onto his behind as he crossed his legs. His limbs screamed at him, his muscles so expended that he felt even the slightest of movements would snap the fibers in half.

Izuku's gaze snapped away from his former opponent, his mouth dropping just the tiniest bit open as he focused on something in the distant sky. Bakugou craned his neck to see what was happening behind him- he could feel his pupils shrink to the size of pinholes as his eyes widened. He couldn't even bring himself to gasp, it was as if his ability to breath had just been ripped from his body.

A large missile flew through the sky, leaving a single trail of white vapors behind as it raced up into the stratosphere. It flew higher and higher still, until it was just a speck of white in their vision. A distant bang fluttered past their ears, and the two watched as the sky itself changed color- the bright blues turned to a pale pink, spreading from the blast point outwards in a rapidly growing circle. It wasn't long before it engulfed the entire sky, the hues of sunlight growing slightly warmer from the tainted atmosphere.

"I called it Project Chicxulub." Izuku languidly explained, eyes trained on the clouds. "The crater where an asteroid crashed into the planet, covering the entire planet with a dust cloud that wiped out the dinosaurs. Not that I intend to kill anyone."

Bakugou's head snapped back to the villain, only to find that he was crouching right in front of him. There was no time to react as the mastermind's hand shot forward, landing softly on the side of his face. Almost immediately, a wave of relaxation and calmness washed over him, stunting the flow of adrenaline in his veins as he felt his limbs grow limp. His pains began to fade away, and he watched as the bruises on his enemy's face returned to their pale complexion.

Izuku looked down at the policeman, his smile weakening as he continued. "That chemical is something I derived from a girl that I rescued from the Eight Precepts of Death. She had a quirk that could devolve people- and they used it to erase people's quirks. I rescued her, gave her a better life... and with her blood the scientists working for me were able to refine the process enough to make it mass-producible."

Through the sedative effects of the healing quirk the villain was using on him, he could make out the shape of a second missile sailing upwards, its payload detonating just on the cusp of the horizon as it deepened the new color of the sky. The twitching of Izuku's smile made it clear the villain didn't have to turn around to know what was happening.

"There's no way one missile would be enough. But luckily for me, there are plenty of these lying around, all across the globe. And they're all launching right now." He pulled out his phone, flipping to the preloaded news app. He flipped to the global news section, scrolling through the articles. "Russia, United States, Mexico, Argentina... Peru, Germany... South Africa... Mali... Enough of them have been launched already to saturate the atmosphere, and then some. It won't be immediate, but... based on the data, the last quirks will probably die out a year from now, mine included. And once it's in your system, you won't be able to pass along the genes that enable quirks. It'll literally be edited out of everyone's bodies."

Bakugou felt the tips of his fingers twitch- but that was just about the only thing he could do. He couldn't even furrow his brow. It was as if he had been locked into place, unable to even think of doing anything aggressive. He wanted to scream, to rage against the tranquil cretin in front of him... But he couldn't.

Izuku shook his head, gaze shifting to the blank eyes of the officer in front of him. "This whole fight... it was rather pointless, wasn't it? I don't think you even went in thinking you would win, but... there you were, giving it your all. I think that's one of your biggest strengths- no matter what happens, or how weak you feel... you're always resilient. I don't think I could break that out of you, even if I tried. At first, I was just buying time, but even after the charade was up, we were still trading blows."

"You know..." He trailed off, sighing. "I lied, about hating you. I can't honestly say I ever hated you, or anyone else for that matter. I definitely didn't like you, though. But there was always a part of me that still respected you to some degree. Admired, even. I just... I think we're just too different. There was rarely a time we were part of the same world, and I think it just got to the point that we became unable to even understand each other. But... I doubt it would have changed any of this anyways."

Bakugou felt the twitching in his hands stop, his digits relaxing until they were flush with the ground. His eyes burned, gaze involuntarily fixed on the villain's Zen-like expression. He watched it falter as Izuku turned slightly away, staring at the concrete ground next to him.

"I... You were wondering why I look like I don't want to be here." He muttered. "I wonder that myself sometimes. I just... I don't know. Even now that I technically did it, without a single hitch... it doesn't feel like I've won anything. I remember Stain saying something about that a few years ago. He said I didn't deserve to be happy, and it haunted me for the longest time. But looking back on it, I think I was worried about the wrong thing. It's not that I don't deserve to be happy... I just think I'm not the type of person who can be happy with anything."

A pained chuckle shook itself out of his chest. "Maybe that's why Sensei took a shine to me so much- I'm not satisfied with anything. I didn't even do this for myself; I did it because I thought it would make the world a place my brother could be happy in... A place where he wouldn't be abandoned because of a power he couldn't control, and where he wouldn't be neglected because people were too complacent to do anything themselves. It was never for me, it was all for him- of course it wouldn't make me happy. I spent over a decade meticulously planning a massive conspiracy, all for someone who... someone who probably doesn't like me anymore. But... it's all I had. I burned every other bridge I built. It's the only thing I could do. And now..."

Izuku pulled his hand back, ending its healing and paralyzing effect on the policeman. He stood back up, pulling at the collar of his hoodie as he idly scratched his neck.

"You'll regain control of your body in a few seconds." He sighed, staring idly down at his former nemesis. "This is going to be the last time we meet, Katsuki. I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted."

And just like that, the villain snapped his fingers, calling forth a warp gate. He gave one final sympathetic glance to the officer, before turning his back and crossing over. The gate closed behind him, leaving only empty space.

It was only a few moments before the numbness had completely subsided. Bakugou remained still, staring up at the harsh pink sky. He felt his breathing become ragged, his fists clenched tightly. His eyes burned as tears began to well up within them, causing his vision to grow blurry.

He rolled over getting up on his palms and knees as he stared at the ground beneath him. The policeman brought his fist up to his face, watching as he shakily curled and unfurled his fingers.

"Damnit!" He screamed, punching the ground. "Damnit! Damnit! DAMNIT!"

He continued his assault on the concrete, his fists creating explosions that only grew in intensity as his hysteria grew. His curses turned to screams and wails as he cried, shrouding the entire area with a thin smoke.

Even as the roof cracked and buckled, he refused to stop. It eventually collapsed, but all it meant for Bakugou was that he had a new surface to take his emotions out on. All of his senses blurred together and faded away as he continued beating his fists into the ground, alone in the abandoned warehouse, the red rays of the sun shining on him like a stage spotlight.

He was eventually found a few hours later by a group of triage heroes, curled up in a ball at the bottom of a massive crater, sobbing while clutching his bloodied hands.

The moment Izuku stepped out of the warp gate, he felt the cold bite of the frigid air of the underground bunker seep through the holes in his tattered hoodie. He folded his arms, shivering slightly as he walked down the sterile white hallway, his shoes clacking against the tile floor and echoing throughout the entire facility.

He shook his head, his thoughts foggy as he tried to remember where exactly he was supposed to go. So much had happened... he felt his body grow numb as his brain demanded to rest.

But there was still more work to do. Kouta and the slime villain had to have returned from their mission... he needed to speak with them. He just couldn't remember where in this facility he was supposed to go.

He turned the corner, the familiar hazy profile of a man sending a slight pang of relief through his body.

"Kurogiri." He quietly greeted, a small smile growing on his face. "I... I did it."

The bartender nodded, hands clasped in front of his torso. "I've been reading the news. Congratulations, Midoriya."

The low, monotone rumble of his former mentor felt almost nostalgic to the younger man, despite the fact that it had only been a few hours since he heard it last. He crossed the hallway, closing his eyes as he pulled the older villain into a tight embrace. He buried his face into the surprised man's chest, enduring the ever-present smell of formaldehyde as he felt the static in his mind subside.

"Do you think Shigaraki will like it?" He asked, voice slightly muddled.

Kurogiri's posture stiffened, pausing for a moment as he placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "...I think he would. Kouta is waiting for you, shall we go?"

The green haired adult pulled back, nodding as he wiped his nose. "...Yeah. Let's go."

He followed the bartender down the hall, barely conscious of his movements as he walked down the various winding corridors, turning down countless junctions until they reached their destination. He immediately recognized where he was at- the rendezvous point was the neighboring room where they kept his comatose brother. Kurogiri stood by the closed door, gesturing for him to go in first.

Izuku brushed his fingertips against the freezing door handle. He paused, staring blankly as he felt his stomach churn. He bit his tongue, closing his eyes as he shook his head. His former mentor quietly watched as he steeled himself, taking a deep breath in as he pushed down on the handle and stepped inside.

True to Kurogiri's word, Kouta was sitting in a barely cushioned chair, body stiff and straight, with his hands clenched in his lap. His head snapped up as the door opened, eyes widening as he recognized his villainous role model. He scrambled from the chair, crashing head first into his benefactor's gut as he pulled him into a desperate hug. The mastermind struggled to stay upright, taking a few strained steps back to retain his balance.

Izuku was initially unsure of what he should do. He just stared, surprised as he felt the arms around his abdomen pull tighter, constricting like a hungry snake. It was then he felt a different sensation- his shirt was slightly damp. He watched as Kouta quietly trembled, his sobs wracking his body.

Kurogiri watched from the doorway as the other villain slowly placed his hand on the young adult's head, slowly rubbing in circles; it was exactly what he used to do for Izuku when he couldn't stop crying.

"I..." Kouta cried, pulling back as he repeatedly wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeves. "I-I did it. Th-the missile... b-but there w-were heroes a-a-and... the other guy... he... he d-didn't..."

Izuku's eyes widened as he put the pieces together. He covered his mouth, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "He... I had no idea... Are you okay?"

"No!" He yelled, voice cracking. "No, I'm not okay! I c-can't... stop seeing all th-their f-faces! Backdraft, M-Mount Lady, End... Endeavor... It was all so sudden... Th-they j-just... How am I supposed to...?"

The college student collapsed, burying his face into his hands as he began incoherently sobbing. Izuku could do nothing but silently stare down at him, his own heart aching as he tried to find the right words to say. He reached out, hand hovering just over Kouta's shoulder. He felt his fingers twitch as he paused, sighing as he pulled back and clenched his fists.

"I..." The villain trailed off, eyes drifting away from the college student. "I can't help you. It's something only you'll know how to deal with. I'd say it's something you'd have to get used to, but... you of all people shouldn't have to become accustomed to seeing death."

"That guy... h-he told me you've killed. A lot."

Izuku closed his eyes, his stomach dropping as he slowly inhaled through his nose.

Kouta took the silence for what it was, a tacit admission. "Y-you did, then."

"Yes." He whispered. "More than I care to remember."

"How many?"

"I didn't keep count."

"...Heroes?"

"Some. Most were other villains."

"How many were kids?" The younger man quickly followed up.

The immediacy of the question caused the mastermind to slightly recoil, a small scoff escaping his throat.

"Two." He whispered. "Two teens."

The college student's voice hitched, his sobs freezing into a whine that stuck in his throat. He shook his head, wiping his eyes as a small peal of strained laughter eked its way out.

"I see." He sighed, pushing himself back up as he wiped his eyes for the last time. "It's fine. I... I don't think I really care. As long as you're here, it'll be fine."

Izuku visibly gulped, biting his cheek as he quietly waited for his own subordinate to continue.

"So... what now?" He asked, a small faux smile slowly etching into his features. "We did it, right? What will we do while we wait?"

"...Did you like your college classes?" The villain asked, unwilling to look directly at the younger adult.

"-Uh... Yeah, I did, actually." He sheepishly answered, nervously scratching the back of his head. "It was challenging... but it was neat learning how the world is powered. It would have been a nice job to have, too."

"Would you like to keep pursuing that career?"

"...What?"

"I knew if we were successful, you probably wouldn't have a lot of opportunities here in Japan. So... I spent the past few years building a fake identity for you." He explained. "You'd have a different name, of course... but it would just take a little practice to get used to it. You'd be attending college in Hawaii, there's a very prestigious university there with one of the best Nuclear Engineering programs. You'd basically be able to continue where you left off. Everything's all taken care of... a good house, finances, transportation. Plus, with it being Hawaii you can get by using Japanese, but with your English skills I don't think that'll be an issue-"

"Wait, wait. Hold on-" Kouta took a step back, interrupting Izuku's mumbling. "This is too much to take in all at once. I can't just- What if people recognize me?"

"I have a contact there who can alter your appearance. Like I said, it's all taken care of."

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, a sense of unease building in his chest. He could tell something was wrong with what Izuku was proposing, but he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Because it's much better than staying here." The villain shrugged. "There's nothing but suffering here- I knew for a while you wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm giving you the chance to live a life you'd be happy in. It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, you shouldn't have to subject yourself to that."

"But- you..." His brow furrowed in confusion, fists clenching as he tried to make sense of it all "You were the one who wanted me to go to the plant in the first place! Why would you do that if you didn't think I could handle it?!"

"...Because you wouldn't believe me if I just told you." He bluntly stated. He snapped his blank gaze back to Kouta. "I made sure you were safe the entire time- the one I sent with you was the only one putting his life on the line. But I figured if something did happen... you'd see just how bad it really was. Kouta... you won't be happy as a villain. Barely anyone is."

Kouta flinched at the response, folding his arms as he looked down at the ground. He idly dug his heel into the tile, grinding the sole of his shoe against the polished, cold surface.

"You're not happy either... but-" He gasped, his blood running cold as he realized what made him so uneasy with Izuku's plan for him. He stared back at the villain, eyes wide and pupils practically shaking in shock. "You... you don't plan on coming with me... do you? You don't plan on ever seeing me again!"

"I..." He trailed off, words caught in his throat. He shook his head, but Kouta refused to accept his silence. He wrung his hands together, swallowing thickly as he eventually gave in. "I... I can't. I'm not... I'm not the kind of person who you should be around."

"No. No, no, no!" He yelled, frustration mounting in his voice. "You can't do this! I've done everything you wanted me to! I believed in you- I still do! Now you just want to throw me away?!"

"It's not like that-"

"Then tell me!" He screamed, sauntering over as he landed a weak punch in Izuku's chest. "All you've ever done is tell me to wait for you! I waited, and waited, and waited... all because I just wanted to finally be next to you!"

"That's exactly why!" The villain yelled back, slapping the student's fist off his chest. "It won't make you happy! I can't... I can't keep doing this. This cycle... it has to stop somehow. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did the same to you."

He snapped his fingers, opening a warp gate a few feet behind Kouta.

"Listen to me, please. This... it's not going to make you happy. I'm trying to give you a chance to live for yourself-" He begged the younger man. "Please try to understand what I'm saying... I wish I could stay with you, but... I can't bear the thought of what it would turn you into!"

"Stop it!" The college student screamed, clutching his ears as he shook his head. "Just stop talking! I don't care! I gave up so much just for this- don't do this to me!"

Kouta's hands shot forward, causing Izuku to flinch in preparation for another punch. He gasped in surprise as the younger man pulled him into a tight hug, arms wrapped around the villain's chest as he sobbed onto his shoulder.

"Please... just let me stay. I know you don't want this either." He cried, shakily gasping between words. "We can build a new life... all of us. Just don't leave me, please."

Izuku felt his own eyes sting, chest aching as he stiffly stood in the young adult's desperate, pleading grip. It felt all too familiar, being in Kouta's shoes when he was much younger. He remembered how he languished in the forest creek, pleading with Kurogiri and Shigaraki to let him stay. He thought his heart would simply stop beating if they rejected his pleas and left him stranded.

But... they didn't. Kurogiri took him in, and what followed were some of the best times of his life, before he began his training as a fully-fledged member of the League. But now... the League was gone, and soon enough the threat of villainy would be extinct as well. Perhaps, then...

He felt his arms slowly move up, moving back to return the embrace-

A scream escaped Kouta's mouth as a warp gate opened beneath him, ripping him from Izuku as he fell into its gaping maw. A second warp gate quickly opened up behind the first, practically spitting the student back out. He stumbled backwards, directly into the portal Izuku had opened up.

The villain mastermind could only watch in shock as the tear stained face of Kouta Izuku silently faded into the oblivion of the hazy black mist, his outstretched hand following soon after.

Izuku remained frozen in place, watching as all but the one warp gate he opened fizzled out of existence. He jumped as he felt a firm hand lay itself on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Kurogiri stand next to him, silently staring back at him.

"Midoriya... please close the portal. Before he decides to return."

He turned back towards the warp gate, clenching his teeth as he harshly snapped his fingers. The final portal began to dissipate, its wispy tendrils evaporating into nothingness as it closed.

"Thank you..." He felt his lips twitching, a sense of loathing building in his stomach as he clenched his fists. "I almost gave in."

"I know." The bartender responded, giving the mastermind's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's be better this way."

A small sob clawed its way out of his throat. He clutched his chest, shaking his head as he tried to clear his mind.

"I should have just altered his memories like I did with Eri, huh?"

The older villain shook his head. "Not for him. He may not like it, but... deep down he knows you're right. Otherwise, he would have jumped back through the warp gate the moment he came out on the other side."

"I guess..."

Kurogiri watched as he stumbled back, his body listing like a ship as he turned and staggered out into the hallway. He traced his hand along the wall, leaning on it for support as he pushed open the door into Shigaraki's quarters. He grimaced as he saw the painfully familiar sight of the comatose villain lying in his bed, with no sign of him ever waking up.

He took a deep breath as he walked in, fists clenched as he stopped at the edge of the bed. It was like his older brother was frozen in time, only ever moving when Kurogiri needed to shift his body in a different position.

"I'm such a hypocrite." He whispered, shaking his head.

"Everyone is a hypocrite." Kurogiri corrected, closing the door behind him as he entered the room. "We'd all like for others to be better people, even if we're not able to improve ourselves. You made the right choice, Midoriya."

"Did I?" He spun around, his voice taking on a pained, accusatory tone. "Did I really do the right thing? Because it really doesn't feel like I did. I've dedicated every fiber of my being to this, just so I could do something for someone who probably won't ever wake up- who spent their last waking moments hating me-"

"That's not true."

"It is!" Izuku screamed, his fist slamming on the footboard of his brother's hospital bed. "Why wouldn't he?! I took everything from him! Everything I had was supposed to be his, until Sensei decided to rip it from him! He was always so... so hostile because he knew I was going to destroy what he built- He despised me!"

"Midoriya, I..." He trailed off, his glowing eyes thinning as he seemed conflicted. Eventually, he sighed, reaching into his vest and pulling out a very old looking smartphone from an inner hidden pocket. "...There's something you need to hear."

The younger villain looked confused, brow furrowing as he stared at the device from the other side of the room.

"That's not your phone... what are you doing?"

"This is Sensei's old phone." He quietly explained, pressing the power button and watching as the dim screen reluctantly sprang to life. "He entrusted this to me a few days before he passed All for One onto you. He used to compulsively record his conversations, I presume as a form of insurance. He left a few of them on here and told me to only show you if you ever began to lose faith in yourself. Since that never happened... it remained with me."

He quickly scrolled through the phone's menus, pulling open the voice memos app as he scrolled through the entries listed within. He scrolled all the way to the bottom, finger hovering over the play button for the final recording on the device.

"This... was taken just a couple of days before we pulled you out of the training camp. It's a conversation between Sensei and Shigaraki." He explained.

He paused for just a moment before hitting the button, letting the recorded voices speak for themselves.

Sensei waited patiently at his desk, his foot idly tapping the stirrup that kept his legs firmly seated into the wheelchair. Kurogiri had notified him moments ago that Shigaraki wanted to speak with him. He didn't bother asking the specifics- there was only one thing they needed to discuss.

It wasn't long before a warp gate opened within the hideout, depositing his current protege in front of him. He couldn't see what he looked like, but the vague hints his infrared senses told him left him enough pieces to fit together; his body temperature was colder than normal, with erratic movements that suggested he looked far more disheveled than he normally did. He felt the corners of his lips twist up slightly as he opened his mouth.

"Tomura... I see you are faring well. It's been almost an entire month since we last spoke. I assume you've come up with your answer?"

The twenty-year-old villain grimaced, glaring at his mentor. His lips remained staunchly sealed.

"Building suspense, are we?" The mastermind jokingly chided, a low rumble resembling a laugh dragging itself from his punctured throat. "Don't keep me waiting, out with it."

"Fine. I'll do it." Shigaraki bit out, fingers twitching as he bit his tongue. "I'll let Izuku become your successor."

Silence fell over the two of them. Sensei remained pleasantly frozen in place, fingers interlocked in front of his mouth as he let his former protege wallow in his choices.

It seemed like an eternity before the villain mastermind continued the conversation. "Brilliant. Words cannot express how overjoyed I am, now that we've started this new chapter in our lives. Please entertain me for a moment, but would you tell me why you chose this path?"

"...No." He stated plainly, hissing through his gritted teeth.

"Ah, well... No matter, your reasons are your own." He sighed, resting his chin on the back of his hand. "That being said... you know what this means, right?"

Sensei could feel the frustrated gaze of the young adult burning into his scarred forehead. Shigaraki refused to say anything further, but there was little reason to think he hadn't put the pieces together himself.

"Tomura, there can only be one leader. Anyone who becomes a contender for the throne is a potential threat, regardless of any intent to rule over the others." He paused, tilting his head in an uncannily sympathetic eyeless gaze. "The perception of absolute power is as important as its actual presence. Because of that... even if you were to step down as a leader and let him take your place, you would still become a liability for him."

Shigaraki clicked his tongue, shifting his glare from Sensei to the wall to his left. He still didn't say anything, his fingers clawing lightly at his neck.

"Now... that doesn't mean you need to immediately disappear, but you cannot stay where you are. At the very least, you need to create an exit with no contest." He advised, his free hand rhythmically tapping against his knees. "An incompetent leader, perhaps."

"So... you want me to basically be a feeder." The leader of the League finished the thought. "Sabotage myself so it can benefit him."

"Ostensibly, yes." Sensei grinned. "You needn't do anything drastic, like harm yourself. Just... bring the League of Villain's status down enough to cause unrest. Then create a scenario that requires you to exit stage right. Midoriya will have no problem filling in the void that you leave behind."

"Then I can support him from the shadows." He finished.

"No." Sensei firmly reprimanded, shaking his head. "No, you will not. This is Midoriya's story from now on, and working from the shadows will make you exactly what we're trying to avoid- a threat to his actual power. You would undermine him."

"What do you expect me to do, then?!" He grunted in exasperation, his fists pressing into his neck. "Just wait around and act like I don't exist?"

"That's exactly what you should be doing." Sensei replied, repeatedly tapping his desk firmly with his finger for emphasis. "As you would put it, you're no longer a 'player' and he's no longer a part of your 'party.' If you truly wish to see Midoriya succeed, you must learn to move on."

Shigaraki's hands grew still, falling to his sides as he sighed. "...Okay."

"That includes interactions with him- you cannot be a friend or mentor to him any longer. Do you understand?"

"I get it." He quietly affirmed.

"I've been keeping an eye on the two of you, by the way." Sensei casually noted. "You two have become more and more strained, even before I gave you my offer. You're frustrated, aren't you?"

"...What's it to you?" He batted back, annoyance clearly evident in his voice.

"Something has been on my mind about that. You don't play any games with him anymore." He tilted his head inquisitively. "Why is that?"

"...He's not fun to play with anymore." He shook his head, scowling. "Too scared that he'll beat me. It's annoying?"

"And why is it annoying?" The mastermind prodded further.

"...I dunno, it just is." He shrugged, his frown deepening.

"Is it because you hate not being challenged?"

Shigaraki felt his fingers twitch, his heart beating slightly erratically as he returned no answer.

"...Or is it that you're frustrated that he's limiting his own potential because of you?"

The young adult's head snapped back to his mentor, eyes wide as the words registered in his mind.

"...I said I don't know." He bluntly replied.

The smirk on Sensei's face widened, exposing his pristine teeth to his former protege.

"Well, not that it matters. The decision was already made, so now all that's left is to set it in motion. Izuku just recently left for a vacation of sorts- we can use that as an opportunity to bring him back here."

"...We don't know where he is, though."

"I supplied him with a tracking beacon." Sensei effortlessly lied. "We'll find him. Don't worry yourself over telling him, I'll handle it myself. The only thing you need to do is work on separating yourself from him- it'll be the most important quest of your life now, understand?"

"Yeah." He quietly responded, his voice almost completely monotone.

"Excellent. It won't be long until we both remove ourselves from this play. I'll alert Kurogiri to bring you to the bar- I'll let you take care of the preparations for the assault on the camp. If you need anything, let me know."

The young adult quietly watched as Sensei sent a quick message to the bartender. Within the minute a portal had opened directly behind Shigaraki, who turned to step through it.

Just before he passed through the threshold, the villainous mastermind called out once more, his mouth twisted into a twitching grin as his fingers excitedly gripped the rim of one of the wheels on his seat.

"Tomura, I truly believe you made the best possible choice on this matter. I look forward to seeing the form our Midoriya will take when he's given the chance to fully blossom- I hope you feel the same."

The young adult didn't bother to turn to face him, pausing just long enough to let the old man speak his mind. The moment his mouth closed, the leader of the League strode through the warp gate, ending the last genuine conversation the two of them would ever have.

As the portal closed, Sensei leaned forward, pulling out his phone and ending the recording. He pinched the brow of his nose, his almost numb fingertips brushing against the almost plastic-feeling skin grafts that covered the upper section of his face.

A small chuckle escaped him; then another, and another, welling up within him like a festering blister. The snickering morphed into a sinister, throaty laugh, hoarse and scratchy as it pulled on his throat. It wasn't long before the irritation overwhelmed his outburst, causing him to clutch his neck as he began to wheeze and hack, as he balled his free hand into a fist and banged on the desk.

He held his breath, waiting for his raspy coughing to subside as he smiled even wider. He softly wheezed, reveling in the elation that coursed through his body.

It was all so wonderful... just... simply wonderful.

Izuku stood frozen next to the hospital bed, his mouth agape as his eyes twitched with a sense of shock and confusion. He clutched the footboard, his grip causing the cheap plastic to groan under his white knuckles. He didn't know what to say, or what he was even supposed to think.

"He..." Kurogiri trailed off, slipping the device back into his vest. "Shigaraki was willing to let you have it all, Midoriya... Even if things didn't turn out as intended."

The younger villain turned his head slowly, his empty, wide eyed stare silently refocusing on the comatose adult next to him.

"He was eventually going to recede and allow you to take his place... just not like this. Still, it allowed you to carry on like he wanted." The bartender quietly explained, his half-reassuring tone doing little to actually console his former charge.

"...He left me the League." The words quietly tumbled from his lips. "The first thing I did was throw it away."

The older man shook his head. "It would have held you back. You made the right decision."

"All this time, he..." Izuku's voice hitched, his hand slowly covering his mouth as he held back a whine. "H-he..."

"Even if he wasn't forbidden from telling you, Shigaraki was never... capable of understanding empathy as well as others. You've seen it yourself." Kurogiri sighed, resigning himself as he kept his hands neatly clasped in front of his chest. "He had his own way of expressing his feelings, but even so... he truly wanted the best for you."

The mastermind scoffed, shaking his head as the corners of his lips just slightly twitched between a grimace and a smirk.

"I wish you told me that sooner." He lightly chided, a faint chuckle echoing from his chest.

"My apologies, Midoriya. You were already so committed to your project that... I simply didn't think it was needed."

Izuku only responded by closing his eyes and shaking his head. He knew Kurogiri was right on some level... but he still would have liked to know.

"I guess I didn't understand him as well as I had thought..." He turned around, flicking his deadened pupils back to his last remaining ally. "So... when he wakes up, do you think he'll actually enjoy what I made for him?"

"...Would you be able to tell the difference?"

The mastermind huffed, his smirk ever so slightly growing. "...No. I don't think I could. Even if it was what he wanted, I know how he'd act."

"Then let's not worry about that." He concluded. "If he's willing to let you be the one to do it... I'm sure he'll be fine with what you created."

"Yeah." The younger villain weakly replied, his eyes still transfixed on his older brother.

The two of them stood in contemplative silence, neither one of them sure what to say next. The bartender reached forward, placing his hand as lightly as he could on Izuku's shoulder. He glanced between the Shigaraki and the one who replaced him, before eventually looking away as he turned around.

"You must be hungry." Kurogiri eventually spoke up, looking back at the younger man next to him. "Come, let me make you something to eat."

"...Actually, if you don't mind... can I stay here for just a moment?"

"...Yes. We can wait as long as you like."

"Well..." Izuku trailed off, gaze diverting away from Kurogiri. "I meant alone."

"Why would you want that?" The bartender immediately asked, causing the other villain to cast a confused glance at him. He immediately recoiled, sighing as he shook his head and walked away. "Forgive me, that was a strange thing to ask. I'll go make us something to eat, please don't wait too long."

Izuku turned back to face Shigaraki, completely still as he waited for Kurogiri to walk out of the room. The moment he heard the door close, his legs gave out from under him; he crashed to his knees, arms outstretched as his hands still firmly clutched the footboard. He pressed his forehead against the cold, dim grey plastic as he whimpered, tears falling through his closed eyelids. He gasped repeatedly, his aching lungs refusing to take in any more air.

It took him a while before he was able to stand up once more. He sluggishly dragged himself to the side of the bed, grabbing Shigaraki's cool and limp hand as he pressed it against his forehead, his shaky breathing only worsening.

He had sacrificed all of his power, all for him. Some helpless, quirkless child who could barely function without someone else to leech off of.

Kurogiri's words hung in his head as he quietly cried. He was never really able to understand anyone, let alone his brother- it was like their minds were fundamentally different, unable to really comprehend the other.

His thoughts eventually shifted to one of his own quirks- the ability to peer into someone else's mind, to not only see their true self... but also to pick it apart by asking it questions- Sensei never told him the name of this quirk, but nevertheless he used it constantly. Izuku refrained from using it, save for a scant handful of times; it felt strange to be connected to someone on such a base level... it made him feel like he would cease to exist if he peered into someone's head for too long. But now...

He froze, Shigaraki's hand sliding out of his grasp, landing palm-up without so much as a bounce. Izuku's eyes traced over to his brother's unmoving face, staring silently as he began to seriously consider his options.

It was true that he would instantly be able to assuage his anxieties... and even possibly find out if the older villain could truly be happy in the landscape he built for him. But he knew that what awaited him would be much worse- there was always the chance he would find something he wouldn't be able to unsee; the thought of finding out what Shigaraki truly thought of him filled his chest with dread.

He vigorously shook his head, guts churning as he considered what he was about to do- it wouldn't just be digging skeletons out of a comatose villain, he would literally invade the most personal space his brother ever had. It wasn't just a gross violation of privacy, it was tantamount to a betrayal of trust.

Izuku stood up, hanging his head as he stepped away. He slowly stumbled to the door, hand grasping the doorknob, ready to walk out and move on.

But... he didn't.

He clenched his eyes shut, letting go of the door as he faced his brother yet again.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, brows furrowing as he called forth the quirk that let him find the answers he needed.

It was a rather simple quirk to utilize- if he were to describe it, it was as if he grew an invisible hand from his head, that slowly moved across the room as it approached its intended target. The appendage seeped into Shigaraki's head, its fingers shifting into tiny tendrils as it clutched at his neurons and slowly extended itself further, connecting their minds-

Izuku clutched at his head, a loud, anguished screech escaping his throat as he collapsed to the floor. A harsh static invaded his mind, sticking what felt like millions of hot pins into his brain as he rolled around in agony. He felt his consciousness fading into nothing, the toxic connection threatening to destroy his very being-

With a strained gasp, he collected just enough of his remaining will to sever the connection, ending the torturous process that nearly killed him. He curled into a ball, shivering wildly as he pulled at his hair.

His mind flew into a frenzy, his pupils shaking as he desperately tried to figure out what just happened. He knew what peering into someone's head looked like, but something clearly was wrong with the process. He winced, recalling the notes Sensei left for him on his quirks- he was very clear that it would work with no issues on someone who wasn't conscious. Was it a defense mechanism? Maybe being comatose was different than being knocked out? It was like his brain was flooded with television static, as if Izuku's brain had flipped to an empty channel-

The villain mastermind froze, eyes wide as he shakily got to his feet. He felt cold, completely numb. There was no anger or frustration, not even sorrow; he was just... empty.

With every step he took towards Shigaraki's bedside, his mind's eye was ablaze; it showed him images he had overlooked and forgotten- or... perhaps he had subconsciously ignored them to keep sane.

He never stayed near Shigaraki's bed for long... whenever he was given the chance to stay for an extended time, he always passed the opportunity by.

He was cool to the touch. He held Shigaraki's hands, and they were always cool no matter what.

The bedsheets were never changed. Dusted often, but the ones on the bed had been there as long as he could remember.

The chemical smell that permeated the facility was familiar to him, even if he refused to identify it- it was formaldehyde, the same scent that saturated Kurogiri's clothes.

Izuku moved past the side of the bed, all the way up to the headboard, staring at his brother from an angle he never saw before. He gulped, hands shaking as he slowly cupped his palms over Shigaraki's mouth and nose, closing his eyes as he desperately waited, hoping for some kind of sign...

But none ever came.

His heart jumped in his chest as the door to the room opened, Kurogiri solemnly standing in the doorway.

"I heard a noise. Are you alright-" The bartender froze, his fog-laden body flaring as he saw what Izuku was doing.

The villain mastermind quietly returned his hands to his sides, turning to face the older man with a blank stare.

"...How long?" He asked, his voice weak and distraught.

"...I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Kurogiri, don't." His breath hitched. "When did it happen?"

The bartender remained as still as a statue for the longest time. Izuku's gaze held him transfixed, unable to do anything but submit to his wishes. Eventually, he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he spoke.

"It... It wasn't long after the fight with Iida." He turned his head, staring down at the cold tile floor. "...I'm sorry."

"...So he's been dead for years now." The young adult concluded, his tone growing bitter.

"...Yes."

Izuku's eyes traced over Shigaraki's body once more. While there was definitely some muscle loss, it didn't look too terrible- his skin was still a pale peach as well.

"...You used the same contact that I used for Kouta, to keep him looking like he was alive?"

"...Yes-"

"You hid it from me." He immediately cut the older man off, fists clenching as he felt his chest tremble.

"...Midoriya, I didn't-"

"No." He snapped, gritting his teeth. "Don't you dare. You lied to me for almost a decade-"

"Please listen to me-"

"You kept stringing me along-"

"Midoriya, please stop-"

"You told me he was going to wake up-"

"I was just-"

"I put everything I had into this- into him!" Izuku screamed, pointing back at the preserved corpse of his brother. "And now, at the end of it all, I find out you let me believe I could save him-"

"Because you needed it!" Kurogiri yelled back, frustration pouring over as years of repressed emotions ran wild.

"Why would I need it?!" He screamed, voice cracking as tears streamed down his face. "Why do I need you to lie to me?!"

"Everything you ever had hinged on Shigaraki!" The bartender shook his head, his anger giving way to a pained sorrow. "He's all you ever believed in, and without him... you..."

He choked on his own breath, his shaky breath slowing as he tried to calm himself down.

"We both know what would happen if you had lost him." He continued, pointing an accusatory finger at the younger villain. "I couldn't bear the thought of that, and so... I lied. I kept your hope alive so I didn't have to worry that you wouldn't... you wouldn't return."

Kurogiri took a step forward, a latent and subtle determination building in his voice. "I don't regret what I did. If I could go back, I would do it all again, and again, and again, so I could keep the faintest spark of hope alive in you- So I could keep you safe from yourself."

Izuku sauntered over, his glare intensifying as he stood directly in front of the older villain. He pulled his hand back, flinging it forward to land a solid blow against Kurogiri's neck brace, sending him flying back into the hallway.

The bartender groaned, but otherwise did nothing. He was resigned to his fate, slumped against the wall as he stared up at his former student.

"You... you bastard." Izuku quietly whimpered, standing solemnly in the doorway. "You took me in, made me feel welcome... then destroyed my life just like brother's. I hate you. I hate you."

"...I know." Kurogiri sighed, hanging his head in shame. "I deserve it."

The young villain slowly stepped forward, staring down at the defeated bartender. He glared down with an intensity he had never quite reached before.

Then, just like that, he collapsed in front of Kurogiri, as if he had all of his strings cut from his limbs. The sound of sniffling caught the bartender's ears, and he looked up to see the villainous mastermind hunched over, rubbing his eyes insistently as he bawled his eyes out.

"I-" He choked out, his voice just barely audible. "I-I can't..."

The older villain gasped as he felt Izuku dive into his arms, clutching his vest as he continued sobbing.

"M-Midoriya..."

The bartender eventually brought his hands up to the younger villain's back, rubbing small circles into the muscles, just like he had when Izuku was just a child. They remained like that for a long time, until the green haired man's eyes finally dried out.

Izuku eventually pulled himself back, freeing himself from the Kurogiri's embrace as he glowered at him.

"Midoriya, you have... you have every right to despise me." He looked away, eyes focusing on the bed containing Shigaraki's body. "If you wish it-"

"No." The other villain cut him off, his glare intensifying as he continued. "No, I don't. You... I can't go back anymore, and neither do you. You ruined me. You don't get to walk away."

"I... I understand." Kurogiri sighed, returning his gaze back to the young adult in front of him. "If that's what I deserve, then so be it. What will you have me do?"

"...I want to leave." He stated bluntly, his demeanor taking on an almost child-like quality. "Somewhere. Anywhere. Not here."

The bartender paused for a moment, his eyes darting between Izuku and Shigaraki's bed. Eventually, his gaze returned to the green haired villain.

"...Alright, then." He resigned himself, closing his eyes. "Let's go."

Kurogiri grabbed Izuku by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug as his mist began to swell, expanding and encompassing them.

When the mist dissipated, there was nothing left of the two villains. The underground bunker fell silent once more, the only inhabitant left being the long dead body of the infamous leader of the League of Villains. It remained empty for months, its once clean and sterile surfaces gathering dust as the only person who cleaned them remained derelict. The only sign of life that remained was the mold that grew on the half-washed dishes that were abandoned in the kitchen sink.

Eventually, the two villains would return to collect Shigaraki's preserved body. They gave him a proper cremation, burying the urn that contained his ashes next to the Shimura family grave. After that, they were never seen again.

Musutafu was quiet. The once bustling city streets seemed almost abandoned, the illusion only broken by the occasional passing vehicle or pedestrian. The only places that weren't like that were the many parks that were dotted throughout the cityscape- children could neither understand or empathize with recent events, and thus weren't able to carry the same somber look of their parents. Instead, they would continue their daily outings to the playgrounds, play-fighting and giggling as they chased each other around.

Bakugou sat quietly on a park bench, watching this unfold as he observed the group of children skittering around the monkey bars and slides. It had changed very little from when he was a kid; even the equipment looked the exact same. He used to think of it as his territory, a place ruled by him and his two inferior minions.

The former policeman stared at his hand, brow furrowing in intense concentration as he strained the muscles in his fingers. The tiniest of sparks began to crackle upwards, fizzling out before they could even produce the smallest of smoke wisps. It took so much effort to even use his quirk now, and he couldn't even light a cigarette with what he could produce.

He sighed, leaning against the wood and metal back as he stared at the sky. It had been months since the sky was permanently dyed a different color- and its effects were already starting to take hold on everyone around him. To heroes, it meant an early retirement; as their quirks gradually weakened, it became clear they wouldn't be able to do the job they spent their lives training for. For villains, it meant that they had to do as much as they could- their livelihood was now on a timer, and few of them would be able to reintegrate into society, not with the infamy their villainy garnered in the first place. It led to an explosive situation, where desperate and violent individuals were attacking places where there simply weren't enough heroes to stop them. The police were trying to take care of this as best as possible, but after relying on heroism for so long, it became clear that they were ill-equipped to handle the increase in criminal acts.

Bakugou himself was effectively no longer part of the police force; "Indefinite Administrative Leave," as they called it. To the surprise of no one, Aiba's efforts to uncover the truth revealed a great deal of Izuku's agents inside their ranks- almost all of them quirkless. Most notably, Commissioner General Arai had been implicated; the same hostile leader who had starved them of resources and manpower. He was swiftly captured and publicly tried, sentenced to life behind bars. The rest of the upper ranks were purged in a similar fashion. However, it was little more than a hollow victory. Despite their superiors being replaced with more sympathetic people, the damage was already done- The Specialized Investigations and Operations Unit's presence was a black mark on their history and public perception. Everyone who was on that team was asked to leave the force, getting a hefty pension in return.

The former policeman shook his head, hands clasped in his lap as he returned his gaze back to the playground. He bit the inside of his cheek, brooding quietly as his glare shifted between weakening and intensifying.

His ears perked up as he heard a set of somewhat heavy footsteps approaching him from his side, though he didn't bother to turn his head to see who it was. Unwilling to go ignored, the person sat next to him and threw an arm around his shoulder, much to his surprise.

"Figured I'd find you here!" Kirishima cheerfully greeted, the sudden loudness causing Bakugou to slightly recoil and wince. "How's it going?"

Almost immediately, the blonde pushed him back, sending him sliding back far enough to break out of the unwelcome hug.

"It's none of your business." He spat back, bitterly looking away. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Nope!" He shook his head, smiling wide. "I took the day off."

"Well I didn't ask you to do that for me." Bakugou scowled, tapping his foot angrily. "Learn to take a hint."

"What, can't I check in and see how my friend is doing?"

"We're not friends." He insisted.

"Of course we are! That's why I'm here." Kirishima quickly rebutted, grabbing the blonde in another vigorous side-embrace.

Bakugou sighed, shoulders slumping as he gave up, letting the red-haired man do what he wanted.

"...Whatever. I'm fine. What do you want?"

"Like I said, I wanted to talk with you."

"What do you want to talk about, then?"

"About anything really."

"I'm not in the mood to play games, shitty-hair." He bit back, frustration clearly mounting in his voice. "Just pick something to fucking talk about."

"Let's see..." He looked up, humming as he tried to think of something. "Uraraka bought out her parent's construction company. Last I heard she's investing heavily in new construction equipment since... well the workers'll need it. Aiba's back with Gentle, of course. They've gotten pretty popular, too. All M- I mean, Toshinori... He's still holed up in his apartment. I try to visit as often as possible, to deliver groceries and chat with him. He asks about you a lot, you know. Every time I go there, he asks how you're doing."

The former policeman huffed, his head dipping slightly. "I'll give him a call later, I guess."

"Awesome! Well..." The other Yuuei student swayed his head back and forth, clicking his tongue as he thought of something else to say. "Oh yeah, there's that. Leadership has been freaking out since yesterday. I overheard while serving one of the superintendents their breakfast... apparently, All for One is dead."

Bakugou felt his blood run cold, forcing his hands to refrain from shaking as he tried to maintain his composure. "Dead? Was it-"

"Suicide." Kirishima finished for him, shaking his head. "Totally un-manly way to go. From what I gathered, once he figured out what was happening on the outside world, he started acting weird. Then one day, he just... tore the tubes from his neck. Died grinning from ear to ear, too."

"...Fucking coward." Bakugou choked out, unable to say anything else.

"Other than that, it's mostly just us chasing after villains."

The former policeman shifted uncomfortably in his seat, leaning forward as he clicked his tongue. "...Any signs of him?"

The other man shook his head. "No. Nothing I've heard of. No traces of where he went. Where do you think he is now?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Wherever he is, I don't think we'll be seeing him again."

"What makes you think that?"

"That bastard has no motivation for himself. He got what he wanted, but I don't think he'll be able to do anything else unless he absolutely has to." Bakugou muttered, his gaze softening as he covered his mouth with his fist.

Kirishima paused, looking aside for a moment as he continued. "...What do you think of him?"

"...He's a fucking brat." The blonde spat out, fingertips twitching. "All he ever wanted was someone to take care of his problems for him. He knew he could fix things if he wanted to, but he never wanted to acknowledge it. He was given so much power and money... he could've done anything he wanted. Instead he just sniveled and sobbed about being forced to do it. It was like watching a five-year-old break his toys then cry about it. Fucking pathetic."

"Man," Kirishima laughed, "you really get talkative when it comes to him."

Bakugou reeled back, glaring daggers at his former classmate. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It's just, I dunno... You really need to get passionate about something else. Brooding over someone like that isn't very manly."

The former policeman turned away, his expression faltering as he tried to find something else to stare at.

"I don't need something like that coming from an oblivious idiot." He spat.

"Come on, don't be like that-"

"Just stop." Bakugou interrupted, shaking his head in defeat. "I don't get what you think you're doing. You just act like everything is okay when it clearly isn't! It's like you don't even understand what's going on around you! It's fucking annoying!"

"...Would you prefer this, then?"

Bakugou had never heard Kirishima say anything in such a deadened tone. He quickly turned to face his former classmate, a stunned look on his face as what he saw rocked him to his very core.

Kirishima's cheerful demeanor had completely vanished. His fiery eyes looked sunken in, their bright color replaced with something that broached a dull reddish-grey. His mouth was neither a grin or a scowl, just a thin flat line that seemed devoid of any real underlying emotion.

The former policeman had never seen someone who looked so utterly defeated. It was like the other man could simply just chose to stop breathing at any time, with nothing else but pure obligation keeping him alive. Izuku's own resignation... it paled in comparison to what Kirishima looked like.

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, his expression reverted back to its normal form, grinning wide as he showed off his pristine row of sharp teeth to Bakugou.

"If I can't put a smile on someone else's face if I can't smile myself!" He laughed, placing a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Wouldn't you agree?"

It took a moment for Bakugou to work up the nerve to respond.

"...Yeah."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little bored here." Kirishima stretched his arms above his head. "It must get boring for you, since you're not working. I found a cool rec center in downtown Hosu, they've got a bunch of sports you might like. Wanna go check it out?"

The suggestion caught the former policeman off guard- but the intention behind it was clear enough.

"I... Sure, let's go."

The two got up, the blonde following his former classmate as they made their way out of the park and towards the train station. Kirishima was far from silent, chatting happily about anything from the weather to some of the funny stories he collected at the police station. Bakugou found himself slowly participating more in the conversations, asking small questions or adding his own experiences in.

Bakugou always knew that Kirishima was trying to be supportive of him, even if it made him completely insufferable to be around. In his own way, he was just trying to bring out the best in those around him. Of course, the spiky haired idiot was right, too. Even though he didn't like him, on some level he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay as he was. Spending his days ruminating on the past was not going to be sustainable, he just... didn't want to change. It felt like he was running from his guilt.

His thoughts shifted back onto the man walking next to him. He wondered if he felt the same way. He worked so hard to achieve his dreams, only to have them ripped away as quickly as he got them- and unlike Bakugou, he was injured to the point where he couldn't even join the police as an officer. But here he was, still trying to put on a brave face and help those around him. It was... kind of admirable.

It still left him deeply unsettled, seeing what Kirishima really looked like. He was clearly fighting a losing battle. The kind of improvement he was trying so hard to pull out of Bakugou was the same thing that he needed for himself.

Perhaps... perhaps they'd both be able to help each other out.

"Hey, you got quiet there." Kirishima smiled, waving his hand in front of Bakugou's glazed over expression. "You good?"

The blonde jolted back to reality, quickly shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"Yeah..." He trailed off, his tone just ever so subtly lighter than before. "Yeah. I think I'll be okay."

A/N: ...Did you finally make it down here? I commend you for reading a thirty-seven thousand word chapter to completion. Remind me to never write one again.

I'm so happy that this story can finally reach its conclusion, despite the effort it took to get there. I've rewrote this chapter numerous times trying to get everything right, and I finally managed to settle on something I found to my liking. I considered splitting the chapter at some point, but honestly I couldn't think of a good stopping point so I just decided to keep going until I couldn't write any more. Looks like I finished the story before that happened.

Again, I cannot express how grateful I am to everyone who stuck with me and read the story- I love the feedback everyone has given me, and I hope that down the line I'll be able to create more stories for you to enjoy!

Speaking of which... I already have! My next major project, "Dial Tone" will be releasing its first chapter alongside this finale! Once you're finished here, feel free to check it out! I'm very excited to see what you all think of it.

If you loved this story, please don't forget to leave a comment, and drop me a line on social media! You can find me on both Twitter and Tumblr as well!