BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. DON'T TRY TO GET POWERS THROUGH RADIATION, KIDS. IT'S NOT WORTH THE HOSPITAL BILL.

It's the main event, folks! Let's get to it!

My Alien Academia

Chapter 24

Invitations

Inko hummed to herself as she gathered the ingredients for dinner. It was a little early, but she got off work early that day, and had nothing else to distract her. Izuku had told her that today was the practical exam for midterms, and he was nervous about it. Inko was optimistic about her son's chances—after all, he was a good student, and he was getting the hang of his aliens' powers.

"Then again, he still sometimes lets his nerves get the better of him," Inko said to herself. "Oh, I hope his friends keep him from going down that path before it's too late… but what if they suddenly decide to sabotage him to boost their own scores? What if…"

For several minutes, Inko spiraled deeper into her own fears for her son, until she reached one fact that she couldn't deny.

"No matter what happens, Ben will be there for him," she said. "And he's brought out the best in Izuku. I'm sure they'll both be fine."

Satisfied, Inko was about to get back to making dinner when her phone rang. It was across the room, and rather than put down the measuring cup she was using, she simply summoned the phone to her hand with her Quirk. Distracted as she was, she didn't see the caller ID when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Inko."

The voice of Midoriya Hisashi nearly made her drop the phone. It had been almost two weeks since she'd heard from her husband; absence made the heart grow fonder, it was said, and Inko felt butterflies in her stomach at the sound of his voice, just like every time.

"Hisashi!" Inko put away everything else and focused entirely on the phone. "I wasn't expecting your call until next week! Is everything all right?"

Hisashi laughed. "Everything is fine, Inko—better than fine, actually."

"Really? That's good." Inko glanced at the time. "Izuku isn't home right now, though; he's taking his midterm practical exam today."

"I can call again later today, but I wanted to talk to you first." Inko was surprised; Hisashi loved his family, and called as often as work allowed, but she couldn't remember the last time he called more than once in a day.

"Well, I'm here."

She could almost hear his loving smile as he spoke. "How would you like to go on a little vacation?"

…

"This better fucking work, Deku."

Midoriya glanced uneasily at his partner, then went back to cycling through his aliens. "If it doesn't, you'll have every right to be mad at me."

"I'm always mad at you, moron."

"B-but then you'll have a g-good reason."

Bakugo scoffed, then glanced at the Ultimatrix. "Just pick one already, damn it."

Midoriya flinched, and then turned into Shocksquatch. "Okay, we should still hurry for the exit, eh? It'll make things easier if we have to go with Plan B."

Bakugo grumbled wordlessly, and then stomped off; he didn't get far before a living meteor crashed down from the sky, breaking apart the street and nearly knocking both students over.

"Who cares if I destroy this place?" All Might cried, falling into the role of the Villain. "The real question is, can you two weaklings stop me!?"

For the first time since the exam began, Bakugo's signature wild grin appeared; tiny explosions erupted from his hands. "I guess we'll find out, huh?"

…

Back in the observation room, even Uraraka looked nervous, despite her earlier conviction. "Um, Recovery Girl?"

The nurse glanced at her. "Yes, dearie?"

"All Might-sensei knows not to hurt them, right?"

Recovery Girl sighed. "Intellectually, yes, but if he gets too excited, he may overdo it… which means I may have my work cut out for me by the time this is done."

More than one student winced; you would have to be living under a rock to not have ever seen a video of All Might pummeling a Villain, and they were always hauled away by an ambulance.

Asui patted Uraraka's shoulder. "They'll be fine, ribbit; we were all joking with those bets, right, everyone?"

The other students hastily agreed with her, though most privately thought that even giving Bakugo and Midoriya five minutes was generous. This was, after all, the man who could change the weather by moving too fast on a Sunday stroll.

Uraraka clasped her hands together as she watched her boyfriend get ready for his fight. Please be careful, Deku-kun!

…

"Your job is simple, All Might," Aizawa told him. "You need to show Bakugo and Midoriya the gap between good students, and the very best of the best. Bakugo still has that pride of his, and Midoriya hasn't really lost yet; both of them need to have some humility beaten into them."

"I understand," All Might said. "I still need to give them a chance, right?"

"A chance to escape," Aizawa amended. "Don't let them win in a straight fight. If they can't figure out that there are some opponents they can't beat, then they'll have to rethink their choice of careers."

All Might couldn't blame him. After all, if he had faced All For One with backup, he might not have been crippled. Far better for the boys to learn that lesson in a safe environment, and still have lives to look forward to.

…

Surprising exactly no one, Bakugo made the first move, blasting forward with one hand and aiming the other at All Might.

"Die!"

The explosion that ripped through the street was powerful enough to shatter more than a few windows. Had All Might been anyone else, that one attack would have certainly left them reeling, and probably in need of a doctor. However, when the smoke cleared, All Might was completely unhurt; in fact, he just threw his head back and laughed.

"HAHAHA!" All Might put his hands on his hips. "If that's the best you've got, young Bakugo, I'm afraid you have a long way to—grk!"

Shocksquatch had taken the opportunity to fire a bolt of lightning from his mouth, which struck All Might square-on. Like Bakugo's explosion, it didn't hurt the man, but the electricity did cause his muscles to lock up for a second. That second was all Bakugo needed to get in close and unleash a barrage of smaller explosions.

"Just fall down, dammit!"

All Might did take a single step back, but only so that he could deliver a stinging backhand to Bakugo's face that sent him hurtling into a parked car.

"If you're trying to wear me down with little attacks like that, I'm afraid you picked the wrong opponent." All Might turned when he saw a flash of green light. "Don't think I forgot about you, young Midoriya."

"Rath didn't think you did!" Rath's fist was headed for All Might's face, but the Symbol of Peace caught it in one muscular hand. "No fair! Rath is the strong one!"

"Are you sure about that?" All Might cocked back his free hand. "TEXAS SMASH!"

It was hard to tell what actually sent Rath flying clear through a house—the punch that hit him in the gut, or the tornado said punch produced.

All Might laughed again, and was about to follow after him, only for Bakugo to leap onto his back and put both hands on his head. The following point-blank explosion sent Bakugo flying back, and for All Might to stagger forward. He had taken much worse in his career, but that was certainly unpleasant, and he was distracted enough to not be ready for Rath to come barreling out of the dust and clock him across the jaw.

"Now, Deku!" Bakugo shouted as he bombarded All Might again.

"Don't tell Rath what to do!" Rath shouted back, even as he jumped away and slapped the dial on his belt. "GHOSTFREAK!"

All Might knew what the boys were planning; the problem was, he had no idea how to counter a body-snatcher who could become immune to physical attacks. All he could do was brace himself as Ghostfreak flew straight into him, and everything went dark.

…

"I guess it's over," Sero commented. "We all forgot he could do that. All Izuku has to do is keep All Might in place, and Bakugo can put the cuffs on him."

"I'm not sure, ribbit." Asui pointed. "What's going on down there?"

…

Everything was dark. Midoriya could barely see as he trudged through the snow; the only thing that illuminated the darkness was a distant fire.

"How did I get here?" he asked himself. "I was Ghostfreak, and I was fighting All Might, and now I'm in this place. What's going on?"

It took what felt like ages, but he found his way to the fire. It could have been his imagination, but he thought it was shrinking, ever so slowly.

"You are not supposed to be here."

Seven voices all spoke as one, and they chilled Midoriya more than the snow ever could. Seven shadowy figures appeared all around him, and all pointed at him.

"You are no successor," they said. "You have no power here. Leave! You will not control him. We will always fight you!"

Midoriya felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he'd been punched, and then a tugging sensation—

…

—and Ghostfreak tumbled out of All Might with a gasp.

"What? How did—"

"Deku! Get your head in the fucking game!" Bakugo growled like a rabid animal as he blasted at All Might again. "Plan A didn't fucking work!"

"R-right, try for Plan B!" Ghostfreak slapped the dial on his chest, and vanished in a flash of green light. "ECHO ECHO!"

This new form was far from intimidating; in fact, it was almost cute. It looked like a small child in a white onesie, only its head was too large, and it had a glowing green mouth and eyes. It also had what looked like headphones as part of its body, and the Ultimatrix dial on its chest.

All Might gave his signature booming laugh; he seemed genuinely amused by Midoriya's choice of transformation, but nobody fooled themselves into thinking he was overconfident. In this day and age, anyone could be hiding a deadly power behind a cute façade.

"Hey, All Might!" Bakugo landed next to Echo Echo and pointed one gauntlet at the Hero; his other hand reached for the pin on that gauntlet. "I never got a chance to show this off before. These gauntlets aren't for show; they store up my sweat for really powerful explosions, and they just got topped off!" He pulled the pin, and the hole on the front of the gauntlet glowed like the sun. "DIE!"

The explosion that followed rocked the entire street; even the students watching the fight felt a slight rumble as the shockwave hit them. When the smoke faded, All Might was still standing, but he'd been pushed back a good ten feet, and he looked a little scorched.

"Okay, that was impressive, young Bakugo," All Might admitted behind the arms that crossed protectively over his face. "It's a good thing no one actually lives here, or there'd be an uptick in tinnitus cases."

"Big deal," Bakugo scoffed. "I've had tinnitus for years."

Echo Echo took his chance; All Might had blocked his line of sight, but it would only last a moment. As he ran forward, copies of him split off, until eight of him jumped onto All Might, grabbing onto his arms and legs.

"Sorry. About this. All Might!" One Echo Echo said in a robotic voice, and then all of them took a deep breath.

The sonic scream that came out was devastating at point-blank range. Any windows still intact after Bakugo's attack couldn't withstand the sound, and even All Might let out a brief yell of pain.

…

Jiro might have still been deaf, but she could figure out what Midoriya was doing, and she threw up her hands. "Okay, I give up. We should just assume he can do everything we can."

Nobody noticed how Midoriya's friends all shared a quick smile; Jiro was more correct than she realized.

…

All Might clenched his jaw and powered through the pain. If Midoriya had thought his attack would defeat him, he was sorely mistaken, and he had just placed himself in a bad position.

"OKLAHOMA SMASH!" All Might twisted around at incredible speeds, briefly creating a tornado around himself that sent Echo Echo and his copies flying through the air. Bakugo tried to rush in with another point-blank explosion, but All Might was quite finished with those; a swift uppercut sent the boy tumbling end over end.

Midoriya was in the middle of transforming again, but with the green light all around, All Might couldn't tell what he was turning into. As he drew back his fist, he hoped it was something durable.

There was a sickening crunch.

…

Uraraka muffled a scream when she saw All Might's arm impale her boyfriend through the chest.

…

"I am so glad I turned into this one," Swampfire said as he looked down; that kind of injury would have killed him as all but a few of his aliens.

"So am I, young Midoriya," All Might admitted. "I'm going to pull my arm free now; that smell is awful."

"Actually, it's not just a bad smell." Swampfire wrapped one arm around All Might's, while green gas poured from his body. "It's methane."

All Might had exactly one second to realize what that meant, and then Swampfire snapped his fingers, creating a single spark.

…

For a moment, the students could only gape as Swampfire blew himself up in a massive explosion.

"I'm going to kill him," Uraraka growled.

"Who?" Ashido asked as they watched Swampfire regenerate from scraps. "All Might, or Midori?"

"Yes."

…

"Deku, this isn't working," Bakugo spat as he limped over to Swampfire. "He just tanks everything we throw at him!"

"I know," Swampfire said as they warily backed down another street. "I think it's time for the backup plan."

"Shit, I didn't want to use that one." Bakugo looked at his hands; one gauntlet was cracked, and he didn't want to risk using a super-blast with that hand. "We'll get one chance; close your eyes when I reach back."

"Got it."

"You boys are persistent," All Might said as he stalked towards them. His costume had a few tears, but the only sign of injury was a trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth. "But I think I'm done playing around. It's a good thing Recovery Girl is here!"

All Might moved; one second, he was half a block away, and the next, he was right in front of Swampfire. A palm-strike sent him flying into an overturned car with such speed that the vehicle resembled a rough U-shape.

"And now for you, young—" All Might grimaced when he saw the glowing hand in his face. "Oh, not again!"

"STUN GRENADE!"

There was no damage from this move; Bakugo had created it to generate as much light as possible in one big flash. All Might covered his eyes with one hand, even as he used the other to create a gust of wind that sent Bakugo flying through the window of an office building.

Blinded as he was, All Might didn't see the other flash of light. As his vision returned, however, he did see the enormous foot as it connected with him.

…

In the observation room, most of the class was completely awestruck. Only Uraraka had gotten a good look at Way Big; everyone else in their part of the entrance exam had been too busy running from the giant robot.

"Holy…" Sero began.

"Crap," Ashido finished.

"Ribbit," Asui added.

…

"That won't stop him for long," Way Big said as he watched All Might rocket into the distance. "We've got one shot at passing now."

Bakugo staggered out of the half-demolished building. "Yeah, yeah; just get it over with, Deku."

Way Big couldn't deny that a small part of him enjoyed picking up Bakugo and hurling him at the exit like he was a baseball. That enjoyment ended when he heard a sonic boom behind him. He had about two seconds to process what was happening.

First, All Might was returning from wherever Way Big had kicked him to. Second, he was flying very, very fast. Third, he wasn't aiming at Way Big, but Bakugo; he was trying to intercept him!

Way Big moved without thinking; he couldn't afford to fail this test, so he placed himself between All Might and Bakugo, who was already using explosions to slow his speed and land safely. Way Big tried to block All Might with his arms, but the Symbol of Peace moved too fast, and slipped through his guard.

"DETROIT…"

This is going to hurt, Way Big thought.

"SMASH!"

Incredible force was delivered to Way Big's jaw. He felt the beginnings of pain, and then everything went black.

…

All Might knew he'd messed up, even before throwing that last punch. The weights he wore might have slowed him down, but he could overcome them with enough effort, and that was what happened. Without consciously thinking about it, he had stopped holding back, at least a little.

It was his own fault, and he knew it. Despite everything he'd told himself, that Midoriya was nothing like All For One, he'd somehow confused the two in his mind. It had started after the boy had tried to possess him as Ghostfreak; after that, the remnants of One For All, which had been reduced to mere whispers after passing it on to Mirio, had suddenly screamed at him to destroy this threat. He had done his best to tune the voices out, but after getting kicked halfway across the testing grounds by Way Big, his concentration had fallen apart, and he had unleashed hell.

Time seemed to move in slow motion; All Might watched, helpless, as Way Big spun around in midair twice, and then transformed back to normal an instant before he crashed into the street. Even before All Might landed on the ground, he could see the blood pooling around the boy's head. Then time resumed its normal pace, and All Might moved in a blur, scooping up the boy and rushing him to Recovery Girl's office.

He heard the automated voice announce the students' victory, and while he knew he'd feel proud for them later, he was much more concerned with the here and now.

Recovery Girl and Nezu were going to give him hell for this, he just knew it.

…

Recovery Girl was heading for the door, but she noticed that seven students had already beaten her to it. She was touched by the care they had for their friend, and she would tell them as much… after walloping All Might with her cane, that is.

…

As much as Uraraka wanted to be in the nurse's office to check on Midoriya, Recovery Girl had firmly told them all to wait outside until she had finished working on the boy. Only All Might was allowed to come in, but only because Recovery Girl was absolutely livid, and was explaining to a man who could kill her with his pinkie finger exactly why.

Uraraka respected All Might as much as anyone, but she took a sick delight in listening to him getting chewed out.

"A broken jaw, fractured skull, moderate concussion, strained tendons across his entire body—you've hit Villains with less, you numbskull!"

Though hearing how badly her boyfriend was hurt did little to settle Uraraka's nerves.

"I understand, but—ow! Obviously, I went a little overboard—ouch!"

"I'm not finished, you big lummox! I'm still not sure how his Quirk affects his body, but those rapid-fire transformations exhausted him! I can't even heal him completely, because he doesn't have the energy for it! I could barely stabilize him, and now I have to wait for him to wake up and use Swampfire to do the rest of the work! And that smell is going to last for days!"

"And I will buy you as many air fresheners as you want," All Might promised. "Just please stop hitting me!"

"One more, and then I'm done." There was a loud thwack, which had the Rising Stars collectively wince. "Okay, now you can go. And tell the kids outside that they can come in, as long as they're quiet."

Uraraka leaned away from the door as it opened, and a sheepish All Might stepped into the hallway. Uraraka wasn't sure just what look she was giving him, but it made him take a step back with his hands raised in surrender.

"Young Midoriya will be okay," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "All he has to do is—"

"With all due respect, Sensei, but we heard," Yaoyorozu cut in. "May we go in to see him now?"

All Might stepped aside to let the students hurry in, and then swiftly left. To anyone else, it appeared that he moved so fast because he feared Recovery Girl's wrath, and while that was true, he was also running out of the time he could spend in his muscle form that day. Running from Recovery Girl was just a convenient excuse—or maybe his time limit was an excuse to get away from Recovery Girl. Not even he knew.

In the infirmary, the conscious students all winced when they saw Midoriya's condition. He looked terrible; he was covered in bruises and scrapes, while the left half of his face was horribly swollen. He hardly looked like he'd just passed the exam; then again…

"Midori got knocked out before the test ended," Ashido said worriedly. "Does that mean that he failed?"

"I suppose that it is up to the teachers," Iida offered. "We all saw the fight itself, and the teamwork Izuku and Bakugo showed was impressive. It's possible that Izuku earned enough points to pass."

"And Bakugo only reached the exit because Izuku threw him there," Todoroki pointed out. "That has to count for something."

"Speaking of which, where is that jerk?" Ashido asked. "He got smacked around by All Might pretty bad."

"He's resting in the other infirmary," Recovery Girl said. "I had to focus on Midoriya, and Bakugo's injuries weren't as bad as they appeared. Aside from a dislocated arm, which I already healed, he just needs to rest for a few days."

"Ugh…" Everyone turned back to Midoriya as he stirred and slowly sat up. "Ow…"

"Izuku!" Uraraka hugged him tightly. "I saw your fight, and if you ever scare me like that again, I'll… I'll…"

"Kiss him silly, ribbit?" Asui somehow managed to look teasing without changing her expression at all.

Midoriya was too out of it to be embarrassed; he started to lean onto Uraraka's shoulder, but he did so with the injured half of his face. He jolted back, hand going to the bandages.

"Try not to do that," Recovery Girl scolded. "If you've got the energy, turn into Swampfire and save yourself some exhaustion from my Quirk."

"Okay," Midoriya muttered, mouth hurting too much to say more. He activated the Ultimatrix, and everyone stepped back to avoid the inevitable stink.

It took almost a full minute of regenerating for Midoriya to heal, but when he turned back to normal, everyone was relieved to see him recovered. Uraraka in particular was happy she could hug him without causing pain.

"So… did we pass?" Midoriya asked.

"Your team did," Recovery Girl said. "However, since you were knocked out before the end, it's possible you may not have. You'll find out before you're excused for the day." She turned to the other students. "Now, does anyone else need my help? If not, you should all clear out, since Class 1-B will be starting their exam soon, and I'm sure they'll need me before too long."

As the Rising Stars headed back to the locker rooms to change out of their costumes, Asui and Todoroki looked more and more upset. Midoriya couldn't blame them; they'd all been looking forward to going to the summer camp together. It didn't help his nerves to think that he might not be going, either.

The first thing that happened was that the written exams were handed back, graded and with feedback. To everyone's relief, the entire class had at least passed the written portion. Midoriya was more than happy with his ninety-one percent score, but Ashido had been absolutely ecstatic; not only had she passed, she had gotten more than the bare minimum required.

"All right," Aizawa said as the students gathered around, after comparing scores. "Obviously, some of you failed the practical exam. You'll get notes on what you should have done differently, but the fact remains that you failed. Midoriya." The boy in question jumped a little when Aizawa's gaze landed on him. "You were defeated by your opponent, but your actions caused your partner to escape and pass. That netted you just enough points to pass as well, but you'll have to work hard to prove you won't make the same mistakes twice."

Midoriya nodded automatically, and it took him a moment to realize that he had passed the test! He almost beamed, until he remembered that nearly a third of his class—including two of his friends—weren't so lucky. He settled for accepting Uraraka's hand when she slipped it into his.

"Now, for those of you who failed…" Aizawa swept his gaze over the six students in question. "You're still going to the summer camp."

There was a long pause, and then the entire class, even Todoroki and Bakugo, reacted as one.

"WHAT!?"

Aizawa gave them his familiar sadistic grin. "You should have expected that by now. It was another logical deception, one meant to bring out your best. Even though you failed, you'll still be coming along." His smile grew wider, and a little scarier. "But you'll be taking extra lessons to catch up with the rest of your class. It will push your bodies and minds to the breaking point, and beyond—in short, it'll be hell on Earth."

Some of the students who failed hesitated, but only for a moment. This was their chance to not only go to the summer camp, but also redeem themselves, in their eyes, if no one else's.

"All right, you can all go home," Aizawa said. "Get some rest, because you'll need it for what's coming."

As soon as the teachers walked off, Ashido tackled Todoroki in a hug. "You're going to camp with us!" She snagged Asui into the hug a moment later. "We're all going together!"

"I can't believe we fell for another of Aizawa-sensei's deceptions," Yaoyorozu said, though she was unable to keep the smile off her face. "You'd think we'd learn by now."

The rest of their friends joined in on the group hug. "This is going to be so awesome!" Sero shouted. "Even if it's going to be a lot of work, at least you two can still have fun."

Todoroki and Asui shared a determined nod. "We'll work hard, and we won't fail again," Todoroki promised.

Todoroki's stoic image was a little ruined by Ashido hugging him and squishing her cheek against his, but the point stood.

After a few minutes of celebrating, everyone was just about done with class for the day. Midoriya was about to go with his friends to visit Eri before heading home, but someone caught his eye.

"Hey, guys? You go on ahead, there's something I need to do first."

Yaoyorozu frowned. "If you're sure, Izuku. Come on, everyone."

Midoriya waited until they were gone, and then he followed after his teammate. "Bakugo, w-wait up!"

Bakugo looked over his shoulder and glared at him. "What do you want, Deku?"

Midoriya paused; what did he want?

"I g-guess I just wanted to th-thank you for following the plan," he said.

Bakugo scoffed. "It wasn't a shitty plan, and I got to blow up All Might. Doesn't mean we're friends now, moron."

For some reason, all the anxiety Midoriya felt at talking to his former tormentor vanished with those words, and a simple truth clicked in his mind. "I know that. I'm not even going to try, because even if you worked with me today, you don't deserve it."

Now it was Bakugo's turn to pause. "The hell does that mean?"

Midoriya frowned. "You don't remember, do you? What you said to me, during our last year in middle school."

"I said a lot of stuff, nerd, I'm not gonna remember every little—"

"You told me to kill myself." Those six words made even Bakugo's eyes widen in surprise; he clearly didn't remember. "You told me that if I wanted a Quirk so bad, I should take a swan dive off the roof and hope I get a Quirk in my next life."

Bakugo said nothing, though it looked like he was trying to find the words.

"Friends don't say that," Midoriya continued. "And it took finding real friends to realize just how horrible you were to me. You and I are never going to be friends, and I think I can live with that, but at least now I can be in the same room with you and not be afraid. So, thanks, I guess; at least you taught me not to be scared of you anymore."

Finally, Bakugo scoffed again and turned around. "Whatever. At least you grew a spine, nerd. And I don't need to be your friend, like those worthless extras you hang out with; we're here to be Heroes, not get all buddy-buddy."

"I don't see why we can't have both," Midoriya said, and walked away. "See you at the summer camp. And thanks again."

Bakugo waited until Midoriya was out of earshot before saying anything. "Yeah. You too."

…

Eri didn't really understand what the exams were, or how important they were to the teenagers, but there were two things she did understand. First, everyone was excited to go to this 'summer camp', even if two of them had failed the test. Second, it meant that two weeks would go by before she would see her favorite people.

"C-can I go with you?" she asked pitifully as she sat in Uraraka's lap.

Uraraka felt her heart clench, and she hugged Eri tightly. "I'm sorry, Eri-chan, we'd take you if we could, but…" She looked at her friends helplessly, silently asking for their help.

Thankfully, Yaoyorozu came to the rescue; she sat next to Uraraka and gently ran her fingers through Eri's hair. "Eri-chan, the police and the Heroes still don't know enough about the bad people. For now, you should stay here, where it's safe."

At the mention of the 'bad people', Eri buried her face in Uraraka's shoulder. On her other side, Midoriya took the little girl's hand.

"Don't worry, we'll come back," he promised. "The day we get back from camp, you'll be the first person we see."

Eri blinked away tears and nodded. "Okay."

Ashido smiled widely at her. "And we can always talk to you on the phone, horn-buddy!"

As always, Eri glanced up at her own horn, and then at Ashido's, before nodding. This time, though, the students all swore they saw the corner of Eri's mouth twitch upwards.

"Was that a smile, Eri-chan?" Midoriya asked. "Ochako, do you think that was a smile?"

"I think it was, Deku-kun," Uraraka said teasingly. "Come on, Eri-chan, I'm sure you've got an adorable smile, just waiting to come out!"

Eri's mouth wobbled, and almost became that same nervous smile that Midoriya often had, but it fell short at the last moment.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I just can't do it."

"That's okay," Midoriya said. "You'll smile when you're ready. When you are, save a smile for us, all right?"

Eri nodded. "Okay." She looked up at them. "Will you really call me when you're gone?"

"Of course!" Uraraka hugged her again. "As many times as you want."

That seemed to settle Eri's nerves, and she slid off Uraraka's lap, but only so she could squeeze between her rescuers. "Thank you."

Midoriya and Uraraka looked down at the girl, and then at each other and blushed. They were aware of just how intimate this was, but they didn't dare protest. Eri needed the comfort and security they provided, and they would give it.

They did wish their friends would stop taking pictures, though.

…

Inko had been over the moon upon learning that her son had passed the exam, and dinner was almost like a small party. She had bought some extra dessert earlier, either as congratulations or a consolation, but she was glad to know it would be used for the former.

"I'm so proud of you," she said for the tenth time that night. "And I'm sure you'll have a fun time at summer camp."

"It's not just for fun, Mom," Izuku said. "We're going to train really hard."

"I know, but don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself." Inko paused. "Speaking of which, I have a surprise for you."

Ben, who had been enjoying the atmosphere, if not the food, raised an eyebrow. "Did you get him a car? Because I think Yaoyorozu wants to have everyone driven around in a limo."

"Ben!"

"What?" Ben grinned at Izuku. "You know she's got, like, six. And they're all in different colors!"

"No, it's not a car," Inko cut in as she pulled her phone into her hand from across the room, dialed a number, and then set it to speaker mode. "Hold on a second."

The phone rang twice, and then a familiar voice spoke. "Hello?"

Izuku's eyes went wide. "D-Dad?"

"Hey there, kiddo." Hisashi's voice was a little uncertain, as he always was around the son he barely saw, but it was warm. "I heard you had a big exam today. How did you do?"

"I passed!" Izuku normally didn't boast, but he wanted to share as much as possible with his father. "I had to fight All Might during the practical exam, but I still passed!"

"You had to fight All Might!?" Hisashi now sounded on the verge of a panic attack. "Are you okay?"

"W-well, I got knocked out at the end," Izuku admitted, "and I took a few bad hits, but after I woke up, I turned into Swampfire and I was fine."

Izuku and Inko had explained the Ultimatrix to the Midoriya patriarch not long after getting the watch, and Ben had even chimed in a few times. Hisashi had been amazed, and though he had seen some of his son's transformations during the Sports Festival, he had said more than once that he wanted to see them in person.

"That's good to hear," Hisashi said. "I respect All Might as much as anyone else, so I'd hate to yell at him for hurting my son."

"Dad!"

"Hisashi," Inko said calmly, "wasn't there something you wanted to say to your son?"

"Oh, right!" Hisashi chuckled nervously, and Izuku could almost see him scratch the back of his head, something Inko often said he'd passed on to his son. "Izuku, how would you and your mother like to see me in person?"

Izuku jumped to his feet. "You're coming home!?"

"No, sorry, I still don't know when I'll be back. Tell me, do you know what I-Island is?"

"Of course," Izuku said, though he couldn't help but feel disappointed that his father would still be out of the country. "It's an artificial island that creates some of the most cutting-edge technology on the planet! They mainly focus on Support Items for Heroes, but the founding members are the reason why climate change was fixed, and why even third-world countries have energy reserves. The island's security is supposedly as good as Tartarus Prison, and there's never been a crime committed."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I should have known you'd know that. Anyway, I-Island holds an expo every year to showcase new stuff, introduce upcoming inventors, that sort of thing. They also have a lot of Heroes visit, either because they're interested, or as guest speakers." Izuku knew this, but he wondered where Hisashi was going with this. "But there's also a preview of the expo the day before; it's usually for VIPs and celebrities. The reason I'm telling you this is because I won a contest at work, and I got three tickets to the preview, and the expo. I was… I was hoping you two would like to spend the weekend with me on I-Island."

Izuku glanced at his mother; Inko was waiting for his response, but it was clear that she wanted to go.

"I'm definitely going," Izuku said. "I can't wait to see you, Dad!"

Izuku could almost hear Hisashi's smile. "That's… that's great to hear. Oh! Before I forget, there's this cool law on the island—people can use their Quirks, and Heroes can wear their costumes, even though they're not on duty. You could talk to your school and see if you could bring your costume with you. I'd… I'd love to see my son as the Hero he's turning into."

"S-sure, Dad!" Izuku tried and failed to stop the tears from falling.

"We'll see you next week," a teary Inko added. "We love you, Hisashi."

"I love you both," Hisashi replied. "See you soon."

After a brief, awkward pause, the call ended.

"So… we're going on vacation?" Izuku asked.

Inko smiled. "Yes, sweetie; we're going to see your father!"

"And all the cool things at I-Island!" Izuku grinned. "I can't believe we'll see all the new releases before even the press! I wonder if any Heroes I know will be there, or if…"

As Izuku fell into a storm of mumbles, Ben grinned; his young friend had come a long way since first receiving the Ultimatrix, and it looked like he'd be going even farther.

…

The next day was an easy day for Class 1-A, mainly focusing on reviewing the written portion of the exam. Some of the students, like Kaminari and Aoyama, had barely scraped by; in particular, the former's failure during the practical exam meant that he was now firmly at the bottom of the class. He had practically begged Bakugo of all people to tutor him—he explained that he needed someone who wouldn't pull any punches. To the surprise of everyone, Bakugo accepted, on the condition that Kaminari understand that he would, as Bakugo put it, 'beat the shit out of him' during training if he complained.

After school, Yaoyorozu pulled the other Rising Stars aside to talk about something; whatever it was had clearly left her conflicted, and that had everyone else worried.

"Everyone, have you heard of the I-Island Expo?" Only Uraraka hadn't, but Midoriya quickly filled her in, and then Yaoyorozu continued. "Well, my family owns a great deal of stock in several companies there, so we get tickets to the expo, including the early preview. I wanted to invite all of you with me, but I could only get five tickets to the preview itself." She smiled weakly. "I was still able to get eight tickets to the expo itself! It includes plane and hotel tickets, so none of you would have to worry about much."

Midoriya was very careful not to jump when Ben appeared in front of him—and only him, since no one else reacted to his presence. "Dude, please mess with them. It'll be hilarious!"

Midoriya wasn't one for pranks, but in this case, he thought he'd go along with it.

"I don't need one," Todoroki said suddenly. "Endeavor always gets a couple of tickets to the preview, but he never goes. I can bring a guest with me."

He decided not to mention how upset Endeavor was with him that he'd failed the practical exam, but Todoroki had managed to get the tickets because there were rumors flying around that All Might was going to the expo this year. All Might didn't leave Japan very often anymore, which had Endeavor suspicious; his son was given the tickets, in exchange for telling his father if he found out anything. He had no real intention of following through on that task; he'd just say that All Might evaded him, just like he got away from anyone he didn't want to speak to.

Ashido jumped well into his personal space, bouncing up and down. "Me! Me! I wanna go!"

Todoroki looked her dead in the eye. "Okay, sure. It's a date."

Everyone froze and stared at him; Ashido, normally unruffled by anything, turned an interesting shade of lilac, and one could almost see smoke tricking from her ears.

"Date? What? Huh? What?" Her head tilted from side to side, as if trying to physically force Todoroki's words through her brain.

Finally, Todoroki smirked. "It is fun to mess with you."

Ashido scowled and smacked his arm. "Not cool!"

Todoroki shrugged. "I mean, if you want it to be a date…"

Ashido hesitated for half a second, and then smiled. "Sure, why not? It could be fun." She then looped an arm through his and grinned at the other girls. "I just scored the hottest boy in class!"

"I'd argue with that," Uraraka said, "but half of Shoto's Quirk is fire…"

Midoriya raised a hand in halfhearted protest, but then accepted Uraraka's joke. It was made easier when she gave him a quick hug.

"We should still check in with our families to see if we can go," Iida reminded them all. "But I do not think I will have a problem getting permission."

"Yeah, my parents are pretty chill about stuff, so I think I can go," Sero said.

"Ribbit, my brother and sister are going to be jealous." Asui smirked in a way that only teasing siblings could. "That's their problem."

"As long as it's safe, I think my parents will give me the okay." Uraraka didn't mention that, since Yaoyorozu was providing the tickets, it would be easy on her finances.

"Well, that still leaves someone as the odd one out," Yaoyorozu said. "What about you, Izuku?"

"Actually, you don't have to worry about me," Midoriya said, channeling as much sadness as he could into his voice, hinting that he couldn't go at all.

The others all drooped. "Oh, Deku-kun…"

Midoriya shrugged. "I mean, I'm already going."

Seven pairs of eyes stared at him, and seven voices spoke as one. "Wait, what!?"

Midoriya explained the conversation he'd had with his father the night before, as well as how he rarely saw the man in person. After he was done, he and his friends finally realized that they would basically all be going on vacation together.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Sero elbowed Iida. "I can't wait to see all that awesome stuff on I-Island!"

"Indeed," Iida said. "Some of the most cutting-edge technology is developed there, and we will be among the first to see the latest work!" He bowed to Yaoyorozu. "Thank you for this opportunity, Momo!"

Yaoyorozu blushed. "It's nothing, really; I'm just glad that I'll be able to spend time with you all."

"Well, most of us, ribbit," Asui said. "If Izuku isn't with his dad, he'll probably be with Ochako."

Uraraka blinked at her. "Wait, what?"

Ashido rolled her eyes. "Girl, you two are gonna be in a beautiful island resort! If you don't have some romantic dinner or something, I'm gonna be so disappointed!"

Now the couple blushed; it hadn't occurred to them that a three-day weekend might be a chance for them to do anything romantic. Now that it had, thoughts rushed through their minds, and they found it difficult to look at the other.

Sero chuckled and fist-bumped Ashido. "Too easy."

"And it never gets old!"

Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes, though she couldn't deny that watching Midoriya and Uraraka get teased was still funny. "Well, now that that's settled, the plane takes off next Friday morning. Oh! Speaking of trips, we should all make sure that we have everything we need for the summer camp—outdoor clothing, insect repellant, that kind of thing."

Ashido's eyes sparkled. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"I think it does, ribbit." Asui smiled. "I think it means we're going shopping."

The boys of the Rising Stars suddenly felt nervous.

"Should we be worried?" Sero whispered to Todoroki.

"Probably," the other boy said, "but it's too late for Izuku and I."

Sure enough, Ashido still had her arm around his, and Uraraka had a firm hold of her boyfriend.

"Save yourselves!" Ben cried dramatically from inside the Ultimatrix. "Before it's too late!"

It was too late.

…

"Sir, the latest reports you requested."

"Thank you, Doctor; that will be all for today."

All For One waited until his oldest ally left the room before perusing the papers in his hand. Shigaraki would be making contact with the first of—hopefully—many subordinates over the next few days. All For One was content to let his successor do as he pleased, for now; he would only step in if the young man was about to make a terrible mistake.

Seeing as how that appeared unnecessary at the moment, he turned to his own projects. Wolfram had confirmed that his operation would be going underway in a week; All For One wouldn't be upset if the man's admittedly ambitions plan failed, but if it worked, it would certainly brighten his day. There were other, minor updates—Gigantomachia had gone into another brief hibernation, but his location was secure, and those subservient to All For One were still paying their tribute to the ruler of the criminal underworld. In terms of business, all was going well.

That left his personal project. He had little hope of anything changing, but it was something he did almost every day, and watching the UA Sports Festival had renewed his enthusiasm.

Rather than waste precious energy walking, All For One rolled his wheelchair into the elevator and went down to the basement. Technically, the actual basement of the building was where he conducted his Nomu experiments, but he'd had the second basement built long ago. No one, not Kurogiri or Shigaraki, not even the Doctor, knew about this secret.

"The boy has to be connected to you," he said to himself as he wheeled into the small laboratory. "I was almost positive when I saw his different powers, but the symbol on his watch confirms it."

Sitting in a mechanical cradle on the other side of the room was a large machine. It looked like a sphere inside the corners of a box; the angular parts were a dull silver, while the sphere was a dark green. Once, the machine had been completely unblemished, but decades of tinkering, of disassembly and reassembly, had left it covered in welds, scuffs and dents. Several sections remained open, with long cables connecting the innards to banks of computers. Like always, the technology All For One had at his disposal was still insufficient to understanding this mystery.

"You've finally made your move, have you?" he asked, staring intently at the symbol on the front of the sphere. It was a black circle, with a white hourglass shape over it.

"Have you found a new champion, Azmuth?"

So, life decided to kick me when I was down. My aunt passed away very suddenly a few days before I posted this chapter. This year cannot end fast enough. Sorry about throwing this here at the beginning, but I'm kind of sad.

Moving on to the chapter itself.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuun!

What does All For One know about Azmuth? What does this mean for the MHA world, for Ben Tennyson, or for Midoriya? Who knows? Well, I do, but those are cards I'm keeping close to my chest. You'll just have to be patient.

Speaking of being patient… I know, I know, Midoriya didn't go Ultimate in his fight with All Might. It's coming soon, I promise! Still, I hope you enjoyed the fight, because I enjoyed writing it.

Now, some of you may be a little (or a lot) confused by what happened when Midoriya tried to possess All Might. First of all, something similar happened in canon when Midoriya was brainwashed by Shinso, so why not do something like that here? Second, if I hadn't, that would have made for a really fast, and boring, fight. Also, the plan was always for Midoriya to lose; he has to every once in a while, and losing to All Might just feels right, since he doesn't have that bond like in canon.

And some character growth for both Bakugo and Midoriya! One is willing to work with others (a little, and not graciously), and the other is well on the road to moving past his issues with his former bully.

Also, this means that we're headed for the movie next! The first one, anyway. I like that movie. Expect some more divergences from canon that will affect the wider story! And it gives me the chance to introduce Izuku's dad, though he won't be showing up often.

Yes, I hinted at AshidoXTodoroki. I like it, so there.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon as an eBook or physical copy. If you like space, science fiction, and lots of action, I think you'll enjoy it!

If you want to support me without buying my book, consider supporting me on P-atreon (link in my profile). Heck, if you go to the top tier, you'll get a PDF of the book anyway! It's a win for everyone!

And now, I'd like to thank my patrons, who make me feel like a winner:

Serious Muffins: SpaceEmperorSpar, Nimrod009, Anders Lyngbye, Matthias Matanovic, ChaosSpartan575, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, Shaolin Khalil, killroy225

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, michaelb958, Crazyman844

Ultra Muffins: Adam Costello, Matthew Bunting, RangersRoll

Next Chapter: Midoriya travels to I-Island to meet with family, spends time with old friends, and makes new friends, but shadowy forces get ready to strike…

Stay safe out there!

Plus Muffin!