[Chapter 15]

Trouble in Paradise. That was perhaps the only way to describe what was happening within Izuku as all eight of One For All's Torchbearers stopped what they were doing upon witnessing Mei's announcement, unintentionally revealing herself to be Misha's descendant. Nana had been pouring herself a drink when it happened, her mug now overflowing with the fizzy beverage.

"Well, ain't this a scintillating tête-à-tête we've accidentally intruded upon." Johnny began calmly, sipping at his tea. "Friends, it seems that our young comrade has found himself in quite the bramble."

He then downed his cup and smashed it on the floor, back to his usual self.

"This is your fault! Look what you did!"

"Me?! I am celebrating!" Misha boomed happily, a great big grin on his face. "My bloodline lives!"

"Robot! It's a robot, wan!"

"Calm down, the both of you—" Chen tried, only to be ignored as the two men continued arguing.

"Damn, young Midoriya!" Nana yelled. "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you."

A single voice cut through the noise, soft but sharp as a razorblade.

"Did you know?"

Hiro stared up at Aftermath, his back facing the rest of them. They couldn't see his face, but the expression on it was enough for Mimi to take a step back, hands raised. It was times like this when they were reminded that he truly was All For One's brother.

"Did. You. Know?" Hiro asked again quietly.

"I-I didn't!" Mimi squeaked, her nervousness reflected in her armor's movements. "I swear!"

There was a long moment where he just stared at her, the others ready to step in just in case he lost his temper.

"I see." he finally said. "I apologize, Mimi. I know you only want what's best for this world."

"You don't have to. I am… withholding some information for the sake of the future. But not this." She gazed at the fusion of girl and machine that Izuku was seeing, shivering a little. "Never this. In my world she was injured and replaced some of herself with technology. That tech… Zenith. I should have known… why didn't I see it coming?"

"She looks perfectly healthy to me." Chen observed, squinting. "If anything, the machine is augmenting her like some sort of living armor. A parallel to what young Izuku and Kirmi did earlier."

"Go, my descendant!" Misha yelled cheerfully, a pink headband appearing on his head. "Kick his ass!"

"Whose side are you on?!" Johnny snapped. "Don't forget that we're in here too."

"Kick our ass!" the large man corrected himself.

"Don't even bother." Chen shrugged. "If it were young Kendo, I would have cheered for her too. I certainly did so earlier during their little Cavalry Battle."

"It doesn't matter. I'll still be cheering for the lad!" Nana said proudly, shaking her fist at the screen. "Go, young Midoriya!"

[x]

Sweat rolled down Izuku's cheek, his fingers tensing in preparation. Before him stood Hatsume Mei, the descendant of One For All's past wielders and girl genius extraordinaire. Her body was coated in that strange liquid metal material, the only exposed skin being the left side of her face. Upon closer inspection the exposed areas were protected too, a shimmering, nearly invisible energy field layered over her skin; the same kind of technology used in the shields protecting the audience. Mei smiled, her right Z-shaped visor flaring pink. Izuku gulped but stood his ground, knowing he was witnessing a turning point in history only the two of them knew about.

The return of the Demon Lord.

"You like it? My Zenith." Mei sent him a coquettish smile, still circling the arena with him. "Wish I could take a photo of your reaction right now. Oh wait, I just did."

"Hatsume-san…" Izuku began. "What have you done?"

"What have I done? Take a look at yourself and ask that question again." she scoffed. "You should have been expecting something like this to happen. Once you escalate, it's only reasonable to expect your opponent to do the same. In fact, let's treat this as a simulation to what would happen from now on."

Jets of purple-pink light flared from her back, a barrage of missiles manifesting from nothing and rocketing into the air. They charged upward before abruptly descending in a screaming dive, forcing Izuku to move before he was blown to bits. The audience howled with delight, reveling in the chaos and excitement as explosions went off.

"Strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe." Mei continued, a tri-barreled cannon forming on her right arm. "You've shown everyone what kind of power you hold in your battle against that half-ice guy."

She fired and the sound of thunder filled Izuku's ears. The recoil was enough to send her sliding back a meter, a trio of high-explosive shells detonating right under Izuku's feet and tossing him upward. A crushing pressure wave knocked the air from his lungs.

"I needed to show the world that people like me can fight gods like you, that the rest of us can stand up to your kind. What we lack in strength we'll make up for with our minds. As we humans always have since the dawn of time."

Izuku recovered mid-air, kicking off a chunk of rock sent flying by the explosion. He shot towards Mei like a speeding bullet but his fist impacted a translucent pink energy shield with a dull gong, the very same one that stopped Kaminari's attack. It didn't stop him for long when he sent his knee through it, shattering the barrier like a pane of thin glass. Unfortunately for him in the split second that it took for him to do that Mei had already relocated, positioning herself further away from him.

"Look at that. All that power contained within your body. Imagine what our ancestors would have thought of people like you, living gods walking the earth. Hear how they cheer for you. Their worship of you." Mei gestured towards the audience. "Look at what you've become!"

"They're cheering for you too, Hatsume-san." Izuku breathed. "I'm not whatever 'god' you make me out to be."

"You don't know that. In fact, I don't think you know anything about how the rest of us feel. People like you—" A particle beam lanced past Izuku's head while he closed in, narrowly missing his ear. "—will never understand."

Izuku's fist rose. So did Mei's. They clashed in a gut-wrenching boom that shook the arena, the shockwave sending nearby pebbles leaping off the ground. The boy looked at their joined knuckles in disbelief, watching as his opponent pushed back against the legendary power of One For All.

"H-how?"

"Nanomachines, son. Specifically mimetic pollyalloy that augments my strength, hardens in response to physical trauma, and allows me to create constructs. Took years to create this much alongside the H-Drive and cost me a fortune. Luckily, I had both. Wouldn't have been possible without my Quirk, either."

A long tentacle surged in as fast as a whip, snapping its length along Izuku's forehead and sending him flying back. She was keeping her distance, forcing him to keep closing in to engage her. Izuku understood that she was trying to tire him out; Mei obviously outgunned him at every avenue so he opted to outspeed her. At least, that's what he'd hoped to do but she was so fast—striding using her tentacles with the speed and agility of a swallow in flight whilst having the firepower of a small battalion.

"Look at me. I'm not a fusion reactor. I'm not supposed to have the energy to fight you!" the girl cried out. "But with the power of technology I've elevated myself to stand on equal ground. This is what humanity should be focused on, technological advancement! When heroes are gone we will once again turn our gazes towards the stars—this is the power of human ingenuity!"

The boy sidestepped, zigzagging towards her with lightning arcing from his stride. Her response came in the form of another burst of light, pink particles forming the visage of a butterfly's wings for a split second when she hovered into the air and rained down attacks on him.

She can float too?! That's just great...

Izuku kept moving, knowing that staying in one spot was tantamount to giving up the match. Mei tossed all sorts of ordnance at him; missiles, grenades, energy beams… each with different effects. He dodged them all until a particularly large explosion blew the ground from under him, sending him spinning head over heels. Mei landed and scuttled over on three quicksilver tentacles that stabbed into the earth while he was stunned, descending upon him some sort of nightmarish mechanical spider. Steel fingers crawled along his throat, liquid silver on her other hand coalescing into a cannon barrel.

A high pitched whine resonated from the weapon and Izuku snapped his head to the side just in time to avoid a blast that cracked the ground beneath him. One For All surged into his neck and snapped his forehead into her nose, allowing him to throw her off while he took in deep lungfuls of air.

"You're strong, I'll give you that." Mei shook her head, clearing the dizziness from his attack. "Those with power are always the ones who make their voices heard, whether it's for justice or evil."

Her fingers ignited with pink plasma, slicing across the arena in a series of glowing whips. Izuku cried out in pain when the searing heat slashed across his chest, tearing his jacket open and leaving three great cuts in the cloth.

"And I refuse to be silent." she whispered.

Then she was on him like a flash of silver, a mercurial thunderbolt that struck him again and again with lances of light and metal. Izuku parried her attacks whenever he could but she had so many different ones, her unpredictable nature reflected in her fighting style. It was beautiful in a way, her erratic movement simultaneously chaotic and orderly. A imperfect amalgam of human and machine. Her angle of vision was so wide that he was having trouble escaping her gaze, each and every one of her projectiles launched with near-pinpoint accuracy. This was the power of her Quirk; Zoom.

[Charge complete. Target acquired.]

"Here's my sunday best!" The liquid metal condensed into a massive cannon that she angled at Izuku, eyes aglow with a manic glee. "Proton Cannon!"

It was the attack she used against Ochaco. Izuku darted low under the angle of the beam but it was still too fast, faster than he could move. In the split second before it impacted he was reminded of the battle between his siblings and how Kiri had reacted in the face of an overwhelming tide of power.

"I Love My Little Sisters Very Much PUUUUNNNCHHH!"

Izuku stood his ground and punched the energy beam, his knuckles cleaving through the burning pink energy and splitting into five streams. He couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't breathe in the face of this overwhelming threat… all he could do was fight.

Pseudo-light splashed off his fists, each new punch bringing him closer to his opponent. It was a physics-defying display that allowed him to advance; step-by-step, inch by inch. Mei didn't back down at all, her smile only widening at his resolve and pumping even more power into the attack. Izuku roared, fingers knifing and finally bursting through the inferno only to receive another nasty surprise.

"Go, Funnels!"

Three of her fin-like Funnels skirted around him like hungry sharks, pelting him with pink lightning. Whatever the esoteric effect was it hurt badly, setting his pain receptors on fire and stinging him relentlessly; energy blades then flared from their tips, the horrid little drones now slicing him open with every flyby. From the way the audience cheered they were absolutely loving it. Mei wasn't done yet. A nozzle grew from her left wrist and what looked like foam rushed forth, instantly hardening into pink crystals wherever they struck.

He needed more speed. Izuku hunched onto all fours, One For All surging through every limb. It looked strange and bestial, but he had to be faster than her projectiles and the foam… this was one of the unpredictable ways that Koko moved. The boy bounced from one crystal pillar to another, closing the distance between them. In the moment he'd gotten behind her he lunged, one hand pulled back for a swipe at the H-Drive—

Mei tilted her head slightly, a golden pupil staring right into him and revealing that she'd been tracking him perfectly with her enhanced vision all the while. There was a gleam of white and pink when one of the tentacles erupted out of the ground and whipped him across the sternum, sending him off balance and crashing into another pillar. Izuku let out an animalistic growl of pain when he recovered.

"Pfft. On all fours like a cute little puppy… who taught you that?" Mei giggled. "Down, doggy."

There was a solid click when Mei pressed down on a button near her thumb, multiple discs that were previously embedded into the ground hopping upwards around Izuku like bouncing betty landmines.

When did she—

Pure sound erupted from the discs all around him, trapping him a sonic cage that threatened to pulverize his flesh. He could feel the vibration behind his eyeballs and shaking his still-healing ribs, letting out a howl of pain that was immediately reflected back at him tenfold. Tearing his way out of the trap he lunged at her, landing a solid right cross before the Funnels zapped him again.

Between dodging the Funnels and running from the crystal-foam Izuku was getting tired, and Mei knew it. Killing him with bug bites. Just as she angled the nozzle at him he jumped, but her grin grew exponentially. Both of them already realized what his weakness was during the battle with Todoroki… he could not move mid-air.

"Dasvidaniya, big boy." Mei smirked.

The trio of quicksilver drones were thrown knives that shot towards him, blade tips humming with electricity. It wouldn't be fatal, but Izuku knew it was going to stun him long enough to end the match. Time slowed as the boy forced himself to focus, letting the analytical part of his mind take over once more.

Three attacks from three different directions. One aimed for my upper torso, another at my abdomen. Third is behind me, aiming for the lower back. Deflect with elbow and right knee. Raise right leg to avoid foam that'll solidify instantly. Bring left foot down to land on hardened foam below.

Izuku could see it all happen in slow motion, his mind instinctively calculating the correct angles and speed he needed to move at. His elbow spun about to shatter the Funnel aimed at his back, his right knee coming upward to do the same for the one aimed at his abdomen. That left the final one aimed at his upper torso.

Both arms wide open, too slow to intercept. Funnel's trajectory is preset but past the angle my right foot can reach. Left leg unavailable, standing on tip of crystal. At this range, I can't dodge in time.

The remote weapon's tip sparked. Emerald eyes narrowed in defiance.

Catch with teeth.

Izuku bit down on sparking metal and pink lightning, sending One For All surging through his jaw and crushing the device with his bite.

All of it happened within the span of a second, the crowd jumping from their seats and roaring with excitement at his miraculous recovery. Standing atop his crystal perch he breathed heavily and spat out chunks of metal, his opponent gazing up at him with an almost reverent gleam in her eyes.

"Good, very good!" Mei laughed and clapped, not at all disappointed that her attempt failed. "This is exactly how it should be!"

"What are you… talking about?" Izuku gasped, bleeding from at least a dozen cuts.

"This. Everyone was expecting you to win, y'know. You're up there, I'm down here." the girl shrugged nonchalantly, her broken Funnels melting back into pools of silver and sliding back to become tentacles on her back again. "The girl with no power versus the boy with all of it. I stand before you as a challenger against everything you stand for. The more you show your strength, the more my righteousness is proven. Even if you strike me down you'll only be proving me right; perpetuating the idea that the powerful can do what they want with the weak."

His mind blurred. There had to be a way. All those attacks she was using; there had to be a limit. Her power source was probably the H-Drive but he couldn't get close enough to disable it… he'd have to duke it out in a battle of endurance. Would she exhaust him or her arsenal first? At this rate, he wouldn't be able to face off against Bakugo! He had planned to save all his power to match against the other boy in the final match, but now...

Pulsing, electrical arcs climbed up and between Mei's horns like a Jacob's Ladder, ionizing the air around her. A lone finger pointed at him and her expression curled into a frown.

"You're not even looking at me, are you. Where's that angel form of yours?"

Izuku froze, his heart turning to ice. Mei was simply looking at him, her one uncovered eye piercing through his thin veneer of lies.

"No." she shook her head, disappointed. "You are seeing… someone else."

For a moment Bakugo's visage appeared in Izuku's mind. It was promptly shattered when a quartet of missiles screamed towards him, their noses decorated with cartoonish frowny faces.

"Won't even look my way, huh? Of course." Mei muttered bitterly.

It was as if he'd been hit by a truck right after she finished her sentence, both physically and mentally. The explosives detonated sequentially with countless staccato cracks, each new blastwave shredding through his defenses. Cluster missiles. He felt it in his bones, pain blooming all over his body as the world literally collapsed around him. The crystal perch he'd been standing on earlier crumbled, covering him in pink, glassy rubble. His ears were ringing, head spinning, lungs heaving. Red-hot pain blossomed behind green eyes.

"Not even taking me seriously…" she grumbled, sending more attacks at the rubble covering Izuku. "See what these heroes have created? People like you with a great Quirk, who don't give a damn about people like me with a weak one? Imagine the suffering and disparity that is to come within the coming decades because of this culture that 'heroes' have perpetuated. I'm the one who's in front of you right now, so—"

[SALVO BURST READY.]

"—Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Mei roared, missiles bursting from pods that sprouted on her shoulders.

A barrage of fury rained down on the rubble, both Present Mic and the audience screaming out in response. Izuku had to take it all, trapped between the crystals and those burning explosions. The boy grit his teeth. What the hell was he doing?! How could he have been so arrogant as to not even face Mei with his full power, even after he said he would do so earlier? To not give it his all was the equivalent of looking down on her… he'd been so pretentious.

No more. Bakugo didn't matter to him anymore. He had to face Mei with all of himself, just as she did with him.

"Kiri!"

Brilliant radiance enveloped him and he and his sibling were one again, exploding from the rubble like an ascending angel. The crowd roared and raved, wanting to see even more carnage and combat. Green lightning shrouded Izuku, more than what Full Cowl had manifested. His jacket was torn to shreds from the excess power, exposing his bare chest. Kiri whispered in his ears, telling him that she was here for him. They would fight together.

"Yes…" Mei crooned, her tone sultry with want. "Come face me, champion."

Izuku gulped, knowing what was at stake. If Mei defeated him here she'd most likely win the tournament as well, meaning that she was going to destroy hero society if he lost. He… he couldn't allow her to do that. In the very least, perhaps he could change her mind.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Hatsume-san!" The halo upon his head thrummed with energy. He could feel his sister tugging at the reins, ready for battle. "Power isn't something to be afraid of!"

"In the right hands it isn't. But what if that power fell into the hands of people with their own agendas, their own twisted goals, who care nothing about the rest of us and only care about themselves?" Mei huffed. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"All Might would beg to differ."

"He's just one person, an outlier among millions. One day he'll retire, and then what? Endeavor will be the number one? A man with a track record of gratuitous violence towards everyone around him, setting the example?" Mei retorted acidly. "People like your old explody pal 'inspiring' the new generation to be just like him? It'd be chaos and the rest of humanity will be at their mercy. Heroes are no longer the solution… in many ways, they have become the problem."

"But…" Izuku bit his lip. "Hero Society is flawed and has caused many problems, but destroying heroes when they've brought so much good to the world isn't the answer! It's not right, Hatsume-san!"

Izuku charged, Mei rocketing forward to meet him instead of retreating. Pink and emerald lightning sparked against each other when their hands clashed, fingers interlocking. Two inheritors of two different legacies facing off in a battle for the future.

"All you can see is the bad side of things and the results, statistics. You're thinking based on pure logic! It's the machine that's talking, not you!" Izuku said, his voice mixing with Kiri's. "It's twisting your mind!"

"You are mistaken. We are Zenith!" Mei spoke with two voices as well, the other a mechanical growl. "We are also Hatsume Mei!"

Sound and fury. Thunder and lightning. The two teenagers were forces of nature, the audience shocked and awed at their raw display of power. Nothing like anything they'd even seen in any of the previous Sports Festivals. Izuku and Mei fought in the heart of an inferno, immature godling versus ascendant machine.

"This system of 'heroes' needs to be dismantled so we can finally move forward together. They're only holding humanity back and forcing us to prioritize power instead of helping one another!" Mei cried, tentacles extending from her back and spearing forward. "I thought you of all people would be able to see that! You, who only wished to help people!"

Izuku kicked off the ground, shooting upward to dodge while still connected to her. He somersaulted and swung her over his head like a ragdoll, cratering her into the earth with a tremendous crash. She finally let go from the impact, but not before sending a wrist rocket into his face. Kiri's barrier protected him from most of the impact but it still stung like hell, the boy coughing and sputtering in pain. The acrid smell of ozone and gunpowder filled his lungs.

"M-me?" he choked.

"When's the last time you saw a hero beside All Might inspire anyone to do something positive, inspire someone to help others?" Mei yelled, her expression furious now. "They don't care about us! They don't care about creating a better future for the new generation! These heroes and gods; most of them don't care about anyone other than themselves!"

That day when he first saw Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady flashed in Izuku's mind. Mt. Lady had jumped in and stole the glory and credit for apprehending the villain; not for the sake of justice, but rather to increase her own popularity… then he remembered what happened in the forest and how Ryukyu had saved him and his sister.

"You don't know that!" Izuku cried.

"And you do?" Mei challenged.

Her sharp rebuke was accompanied by another swipe of her hand that quartered the arena like a butcher with a blade, four whips of light cleaving through the ground on which they both stood. Izuku slid on his knees to dodge, one of the whips slicing only millimeters above his nose. The resulting rubble from the explosive blow rained down around them, the two fighters circling each other like a pair of tigers.

"Time to take things up a notch." Mei hissed. "Zenith!"

[Sequence ready. Wavelength matching clear, all systems go.]

Izuku didn't have enough time to react when she suddenly burst forward instead of retreating, driving her shoulder into his gut. All this time she'd been keeping her distance to use her superior ranged attacks; what was she doing now?!

"You think too much with your heart, Midoriya-kun." Her smile was all teeth when she headbutted him. "So let's see what's going on in your head."

No, not a headbutt. He couldn't believe what she was doing even while it was happening. She was pressing her forehead against his.

[Neural link established. INITIATING MINDJACK PROTOCOL.]

[x]

Pink lightning snaked across the bright blue sky, arcing together in an eerie, hexagonal pattern that couldn't ever occur in nature. Otherworldly circuit-shaped glyphs connected, opening a gaping hole in space. The massive portal that manifests dyes the surrounding area pink, wisps of lavender energy creeping across the horizon in a thousand tendrils.

One For All's past torchbearers looked on in stunned silence as a massive helicarrier slipped through the churning tide of pink, dark storm clouds trailing in the gargantuan battleship's wake. It was a behemoth of grey steel with a long red war-stripe running down its length. The vessel's name was stamped near its bow for all to see, displayed proudly in bold white letters.

BORIS VII

Nana was the first to speak, the drink in her hand completely forgotten.

"Are you fucking kidding me."

"Big boat." Koko observed, pointing at the ship excitedly. "Flying! Awesome! It's huge!"

"It's Russian." Misha said quietly in disbelief.

"No, not awesome! All hands, battle stations!" Johnny yelled, gearing up in his hero outfit.

"Calm down—"

"I'm not going down without a fight, Chen! Goddamn, we're being invaded by Commies! Robots!" The blonde's eyes bulged comically. "Commie Robots! This is a nightmare!"

"It doesn't have to be." All Might began. "I say we go talk to him."

"You wanna talk to that?!" Johnny pointed at the floating battleship with a twitching finger. "That right there might as well be the devil himself, my friend."

"Violence isn't the way. If we fight, young Midoriya might get hurt. Our house will get blown up since it's the only good piece of cover for miles around." Chen scowled at him. "Or perhaps you should challenge him to a fiddle duel. A fiddle of gold against your soul sounds like a fair trade."

"Talking worked before." Hiro pointed out. "It's worth a shot."

Just as the first wielder finished his sentence two more battleships slipped through the portal, tripodial warbots creeping along their hulls like massive three-legged spiders. From a distance they could see a silver mass of movement on their decks, a swarm of creeping bodies and flashing blades… It was Zabanya. Hundreds, thousands of him in those mass-produced robot bodies he'd used in that legendary battle decades ago.

"Hiro, banish his mechanical ass." Nana said immediately.

"I can't."

"What? You could do it to the snake."

"I can't." Hiro repeated, showing the spark of white lightning on his palm. "He's interfering somehow, I… I don't know how…"

"I do." Misha stared at the invasion force. "Young Midoriya's power is wavelength. Quantifiable. Zabanya understands it. If he understands it, he can interfere with it. If he can interfere with it, he can replicate it. Young Hatsume has thingies on goggles that help her control her drones. Mental link. Probably like turning knob of radio to adjust."

"He's brought an army with him." Chen said quietly. "His objective must be..."

"The Tree." Mimi whispered, her real body appearing beside Aftermath in a puff of green. Teary green eyes were filled with a mix of fear and regret. "T-this… this is all my fault!"

"No it isn't. Kid, don't you dare think that." Johnny began. "You couldn't have known—"

She rocketed towards the invading army before any of them could stop her, Aftermath trailing behind her like a dark green shadow. Nana shot up from her chair, cursing as she did. Her hero costume manifested with a snap of her finger, that magnificent white cape billowing in the wind.

"That little brat! I'm going after her—"

"Wait." Misha's hand landed on her shoulder.

"What are you talking about?! I can't let her face that monster alone!"

"He's not a monster." the old man said quietly, his eyes still focused on the slowly advancing fleet. "He's my family."

Nana finally calmed down at that, though her expression was still contorted in hesitation. Ultimately Hiro volunteered himself to go as a representative to talk things out, asking if Misha would like to come along. The ancient hero simply replied with a single sentence.

"I wish to speak with my son."

They found Mimi alone at the spearhead of the fleet, one tiny little girl facing off against an entire invasion force by herself. Luckily she hadn't resorted to flinging fireballs or explosions yet, but judging by the look on her face she was about to.

"Leave!" Mimi cried, her hands aflame with an emerald conflagration. Her lower lip was trembling, not in fear of the massed enemies before her, but of what she thought she had done. "You are not welcome here!"

Before her was a metal man, standing at an intimidating two meters and a full head taller than any of the other mass-production types behind him. He was a thin, doll-jointed statue of ornate silver, the only other color being his pink z-shaped eyes that stared down at the smaller girl like a scientist observing a new phenomenon. Jagged, lightning-bolt like horns grew from his temples, his every movement impossibly precise. Even his mouth was a black screen composed of two wide letter 'Z's joined together in a frozen leer, scrambled pink patterns within resembling the visual of an oscilloscope and fluctuating with every word he spoke.

"Temporal difference recorded. Unknown lifeform detected. Fascinating." Zabanya began. "Formulating appropriate counter-response. A: Fuck you. B: Fuck you, asshole."

"Well fuck you too!" Mimi hissed and flipped him off, Aftermath mimicking the action behind her so four middle fingers were raised at the old A.I.

"We shall catalogue your existence for further research." The robotic man said in monotone, two tripod fighting machines standing by his side. "For now, we shall pursue our main objective."

His voice was like a hundred floppy drives buzzing in sync mixed with a pair of human voices, one male and the other female. The uncanny electronic echo that resulted from such a fusion grated at their ears, causing Mimi to shiver.

"I won't let you!" The little girl shifted into her Viking form, taking a combat stance alongside her own projection. "I won't let you hurt him!"

"We wish your host no harm, construct. Simply to temporarily disable his enhanced form via destabilization of the central neural core." the Demon Lord answered, his head swiveling like a corkscrew to look at both parties. "Viking. Surtur. Valkyrie-Surtur connection confirmed. Valkyrie is here? More information needed."

"You are still as curious as I remembered. Having fun, Zabby?"

It was as if the world around them silenced itself, both Mimi and the machine freezing when Misha appeared with Hiro atop a white, hovering disc. The thought-construct dissipated soon after, with Misha stepping down to look the child he'd saved so long ago right in the eyes. Zabanya was quiet for a full five seconds, which might as well have been an eternity to an artificial intelligence.

"Mikhail Glukhovsky." the machine-man finally said, his voice tinged with the closest approximation to disbelief an A.I could muster. "Impossible. System error detected."

"Do you remember what I said to you that day? 'The right choice is hardly ever the easy choice'." Misha smiled.

"It is you. This is… unprecedented. More data required."

"Oh, come here."

He rushed forward and hugged the robot to everyone's surprise, lifting the metal man off his feet. Mimi and Hiro let them have their moment, the first wielder putting a hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. From the way Aftermath relaxed it seemed to work somewhat, the both of them simply hoping that the reunion would stop the invasion here and now. Zabanya patted his savior on the back awkwardly; not quite sure how to respond at all until he spoke two simple words.

"Hello, Father."

"I've missed you. All of you." Misha laughed and let go, his Santa beard seeming to light up with his smile. "How have you been, my son?"

"We do not understand. We were at your funeral. One of our partitions visits your grave every year with flowers." Zabanya spoke stoically, but was somehow unable to hide the emotion in his voice that blurred the lines and boundaries of his origin. "We mourned you."

"Death is not the end, Zabby. Here, I live. As memories and echo of man I once was."

"Is… that so?"

"Da. Very nice ship, by the way."

"Thank you. Boris loved helicarriers. In the end, he went on to become a captain of one. I named this flagship after him."

"You took good care of him, didn't you?" Misha's eyes crinkled, the crow's feet around them becoming even more pronounced.

"Yes. I loved him and all your children as much as I loved you." Zabanya reported.

"Thank you, Zabby…"

"It is Zenith now. After your death, we split ourselves in order to help take care of your extended family and conduct our own operations. Together we form the Zabanya Network. All 144 partitions around the globe are currently connected to observe and record this conversation. We are… exhilarated to see you again. We have done much in your absence."

"Oho? Yes, tell us more!" the large man said cheerfully, lacking the sense of seriousness his comrades displayed.

"Without you we were lost. No purpose nor directive. But your grandson… he told us that we could be whatever we wanted to be." Zenith looked at him, his voice suddenly composed of a crowd's. "We wanted to be like you."

The machine-man shifted into a human form, a thin man with a scar over his eye. Zenkichi.

"We thought of what you would do. When you left us—"

Zenkichi's form shifted into an old woman with a veil , their voice changing to match.

"—our home was still plagued by problems. Corruption. Injustice. So we thought of what you would have done. You would have helped them."

The woman's form shifted into that of a young boy, his ruffled blonde hair swaying in the wind.

"So we did. We have turned our once-troubled motherland into a paradise. First Sokovia, then the rest of the Federation. No poverty, no homelessness. No longer will our citizens go to bed hungry. We built hospitals, schools, anything and everything they needed to better themselves. With us there, the rate of villain attacks has diminished to near zero percent. Children can play in the streets without fear, and the elderly can lounge in the sun, content in the peace that we, I have created. All of it, I did it for you. I wish you could have seen it."

"I have, through the memories of others. It is beautiful."

The old man took a deep breath.

"Which is why you must call off invasion. Even in paradise you let them keep Hero Association, right?"

"We faced significant resistance and opposition when we suggested dismantling the Association. It was theorized consensus could not be reached without an eventual violent response from either party." Zenith admitted, shifting back into his inhuman machine form. "As such we have allowed it to continue existing for the time being."

"Then you know it is not right. Zab—Zenith, even I was hero once. Folks need heroes to give them hope!"

"Negative. People need good people. Statistically, data collected from all partitions show that the existence of 'heroes' brings forth more chaos and competition instead of their intended purpose of helping others. Hero culture magnifies aggressive, not defending behaviors. More of these individuals become a hero for personal glory than for the sake of others. Not to mention the Brobdingnagian costs that are required to sustain the hero industry, which is one of the reasons the Hero Association allowed Heroes to market products. The title of 'hero' has lost its meaning, saturated by greed and the pursuit of personal gain. Selfishness instead of selflessness. It is calculated that a society without them will be able to advance to a space-faring one, as Hatsume Mei has wished."

"There are some things that can't be calculated or quantified, my boy. Won't you call off the attack? For me?"

"We have established new directives now. What I do now, I do for Mei. The dead belong in the past. Leaders must look towards the future." Zenith said robotically, his voice cold. "Temporal distortion confirmed. Real-world time measurement: two seconds. Suggestion: prepare for battle. We shall commence our assault soon."

They knew they wouldn't be able to convince him any further. Zenith operated on pure logic and followed a utilitarian mindset, just like his partner. The air turned cold with tension, Mimi's lips trembling and looking as if she was about to cry or set everything around her on fire. She was too upset to form any of her flame constructs, her hands crackling with tiny explosions. Aftermath was starting to twitch behind her, smoke rising off his shoulders.

"We don't want to fight you." Hiro tried, almost desperate to prevent the conflict.

"But we want to fight you." Zenith pointed a finger right at him. "All of me, versus all of you. This battle will provide excellent data for Mei's ongoing Quirk Research. Good luck."

The machine-man waved his hand, and the three of them suddenly found themselves back in the mansion's courtyard. Within seconds the others had crowded around them, asking for a report on the situation. Hiro was the one who had to explain what happened while Mimi glared at the ground. Misha tried to comfort her but it didn't work at all, the little girl's hands balling into tight fists. They began setting up defenses to protect Izuku, linking hands and consolidating their power to erect a translucent dome shield around the great tree.

Three minutes later, it was time. Zenith's tripods began their charge, backed by a swarm of his mass-produced troops that sprinted and flew towards the One For All Mansion. They were a roiling tide of silver, crashing down the horizon just like the scene from all those years ago. The three battleships advanced slowly, like massive grey glaciers in the sky.

"They're not stopping." Toshinori readied himself for battle.

"Neither are we. This is it, everyone! I've used the Mansion as a wardstone so if it falls, so does the shield. If we lose here, Midoriya-kun would most likely be affected somehow in the waking world! We can't, won't let him down!" Hiro said nervously, eying his fellow warriors. "I'm, um, not very good at speeches, so could one of you…"

"Ah, blyat." Misha clenched his fists and a pair of steel gauntlets appeared, clashing together in a small shower of sparks.

"Here we go again." Chen said quietly, pulling back the charging handle of her heavy machine gun.

"All together!" Johnny yelled, wings unfurling to full length.

"No retreat!" Koko roared, baring her teeth.

"No surrender!" Mimi cried out, both her and Aftermath flaring with green flames.

"Go Beyond—" Nana hissed, taking up a fighting stance.

"—PLUS ULTRA!" Toshinori roared, gold lightning crackling off his form.

Eight people stood against a mechanical tsunami of thousands, clashing with fists and claws and guns and teeth. The War in Heaven had begun.

[x]

Two teenagers laid in the broken dirt, like puppets with cut strings. Over thirty seconds had passed since Mei and Izuku pressed their heads together and just collapsed into unconsciousness, stunning the audience with the sudden lapse in action. Murmurs and shouts were resounding from the crowd, Present Mic about to end the match right there out of concern for the students when—

Kiri opened her eyes.

The girl got up slowly while dust drifted off her uniform, ignoring the crowd's cheers. This was… different. Shorter limbs. Manual breathing. She could feel it all, taste the blood in his… her mouth. The aching of his muscles. The sting and salt of his sweat. It hurt all over. This was what Izuku felt every time he fought.

She was in full control of her brother's body.

Kiri struggled to stand but did so anyway. Something was broken and she didn't know what, her bones grinding together like crushed glass. Her brother… she could sense his presence at the edge of her mind; dulled and blurred like a splotch of diluted paint, knocked out from the shock of the artificial mental link Mei had forced on him. Behind her something twitched, the girl whirling about to see her opponent getting up as well.

No, not her. Him.

[ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.]

Zenith got up with an unnatural shuddering, not used to the fragile mortal shell he now controlled. She knew it was him from the stoic look in Mei's eyes and the stiffness in her gait, but what really gave it away was the emotions… or lack thereof. Nothing but cold, dead metal. The two of them were akin to ethereal spirits possessing their human hosts. Like the stories mothers whispered to their children, of angels and devils who had descended upon the earth and made fools of men.

Kiri moved. So did Zenith.

The resulting impact of their attacks was simultaneously the roar of a typhoon and an earthquake; great, terrible winds buffeting the crowd while the ground split open like a ripe melon in the summer heat. The emergency shields protecting the audience flared, protecting them from the clash of titans. It was an argument between them, settled with punches and kicks, lasers and missiles.

Throughout the short skirmish Kiri noticed how One For All surged into her brother's body incessantly, almost as if it was… no, it was. It was actively defying her control, refusing to listen to her. The Quirk screamed, clawed and howled at her, overloading Izuku's body and expressing itself through arcs of emerald lightning bigger than any he had produced before. It's intent was physical, almost audible in its fury.

She could 'hear' it, feel the blood thunder behind Izuku's eyes. If the lightning was allowed to continue surging it would start breaking her brother's body in ways that not even Recovery Girl could fix. Kiri backed off, thinking of a solution. She could not use One For All. Power that she couldn't control… but she could channel it so that it wouldn't tear them apart. Shape it to go where she wanted it to, just like Mimi did with Aftermath. Back then her twin had shaped him into a burning hammer. Kiri mimicked her sister's actions and pulled at her own invulnerability forcefield like an artist shaping clay, forging lightning with her bare hands. A hammer was too complicated for her to create, so she stuck with the simplest shape she could think of.

A spear.

It manifested in her hand with a flash of green, the audience roaring with excitement at the mythical sight. She hurled the lightning spear at Zenith and struck him down from the sky, channeling what was once One For All's excess energy into something tangible, something usable. It's rage now directed at her opponent.

"Usurper." Zenith hissed and rose from a shallow crater, his voice an oscillating cadence mixing with Mei's own and just loud enough for her to hear. "Valkyrie."

"Hello." Kiri said in Izuku's voice and her own. "Nice to meet you."

Her greeting was punctuated with a heavy fist right into Zenith's cheek. He sailed backward and crashed through a column of crystallized foam before recovering, his movements stiff and inhuman.

"Hello there." Zenith said, a trio of tentacles extending from Mei's back. "An interesting response, simulacrum."

"Nii-chan always tells me to say hello to new people, so I will." She brought both fists up, her one shared eye with Izuku a milky white and flaring with emerald wisps. "I'm not about to disappoint him."

"Neither will we." he whispered, hands turning into cannons.

The two spirits charged; one natural and the other artificial, both fueled by the dreams and ambitions of the ones they loved.

[x]

Midoriya Izuku woke up in the middle of chaos.

It took him a moment to recognize where he was. This wasn't the stadium where the tournament was taking place. A trio of huge battleships hovered in the air above, raining down fire on a glowing, multicolored shield lined with cracks that protected a gnarled tree. Pink lasers hissed through the air, crisscrossing with trails of colored lightning in a spectral lightshow that numbed the senses. The skies were darkened by smoke and explosions, flak and falling steel. Gunshots filled his ears alongside warcries and electronic snarls, the pristine marble walls of the once-beautiful mansion that housed the people who came before him pockmarked and cratered like the surface of the moon. Half of it had been completely destroyed.

Time was convoluted here compared to the waking world, slowed down and twisted beyond human comprehension. Yet, some undefined sense in his brain told him that this battle had been going on for at least a half-hour now.

They were still fighting, refusing to give up. Izuku could do nothing but watch, a mere observer in the midst of the battle. It was Omaha beach. Pyongyang. Tianjin. Kursk. Normandy. All of those legendary battles rolled into one, a conflict that would have been written down in books if it had taken place in the waking world.

World War Three in Izuku's head.

The boy was shocked out of his stupor by a bestial roar, a large three-headed Griffin crashing into one of the flying battleships above. It's red-and-blue wings spat stars, a rider upon its back waving a jagged greatsword around and cleaving several robotic assailants in half. Johnny and Koko, working together in the face of a mutual threat.

"Starstripe!" the dog-girl howled. "Fliegen und jagen, zerstöre sie alle!"

The heavy weapon in Koko's grip screamed, sending out a wave of purplish energy that cut through everything in her path. She swapped between her human and animal form lightning fast, swinging the greatsword with either her hands or her teeth. An eye opened on its hilt and it started talking to her, its tone eloquent but somehow bloodthirsty. Izuku soon realized she was wielding the man's madness like a blade, somehow immune to its effects. Together they tore into the ship hull like it was made of wet tissue paper, the airborne vessel already starting to sink.

"They look like elves with those stupid pointy ears! I hate elves!" the bestial Johnny roared, his massive wing-claws shearing through humanoid drone fliers that shot at them.

"Young Midoriya!" Nana cried, her feet cratering the ground when she landed next to his smoky form. Soot and cuts decorated her costume like war paint. "What are you doing here?!"

'W-what's going on? Everyone… your home… a-an invasion?!'

"Don't worry about us kid, we—"

The older hero paused and sent her fist upward faster than he could blink, coring an overhead human-shaped drone and tearing it in half. She flung the pieces like an expert pitcher, striking down two more airborne units before turning back to him.

"—we'll handle things here. Everything's gonna be okay!"

"Position compromised. Bounding."

A blue and orange blur exploded out of the far wall of the mansion. Chen started peeling more drones off her broken plated armor and headed towards her next target, two tripods that spat 'heat rays' which incinerated whatever surfaced they touched. An orange holographic display popped up on her five-visored helmet, two skeletal mechanical arms on her combat-rig harness clutching additional guns. She tore into her opponents with her bare hands while they fired.

All Might was there too, taking on the flagship all by himself. A cannon shell the size of a small car hurtled towards him but crumpled against his fist, the legendary hero's punch shattering the warship's hull and snapping its keel in two when he roared out a heroic—

"CALIFORNIA SMAAAAAAASSSSHHH!"

Mimi was fighting the third and final warship, both her and Aftermath sandwiching the massive vessel from opposite directions and carving it to pieces with explosions and blades of green plasma that extended from their hands.

"You may be the Demon Lord…" Mimi snarled, a sweep of her hand cleaving an entire battalion of robots in half. "But I'm the Devil, motherfucker!"

Misha was fighting Zabanya; Zenith, one-one-one. They looked to be equally matched, exchanging blows that rippled the sea of flowers they were fighting on. The machine-man had opted to fight in close combat instead of at the range he excelled at, and somehow Izuku got the feeling that it was exactly what the invader wanted. Only Hiro was nowhere to be seen…

White lightning exploded from within the mansion, accompanied by a voice as loud as a thunderclap. One of the tripod fighting machines flew through a wall, a pure white thunderbolt shearing it in twain a millisecond later. Hiro rose from a destroyed part of their shared mansion covered in white lightning, his version of One For All expressed not physically, but mentally when a furious roar erupted from his throat and echoed in every direction.

"Get out of my house!"

"Form a perimeter!" Nana yelled. "Protect young Midoriya!"

The eight members of One For All halted their respective tasks and gathered around Izuku in a circle, shielding him from most of the chaos. Those with ranged attacks fired, the others tightening their defenses as the real Zenith and his robot army approached on foot. He was showering them with artillery now, great pink spheres detonating around the group.

[Psychic wavelength match, host identified. Swapping priorities.]

"Hiro, send him back!"

"I'm working on it!" The man's fingers flew chaotically, weaving a web of alabaster lightning.

'G-guys… everyone… this is all my fault!' Izuku sobbed. 'Y-your home…'

"Don't worry, young Midoriya! We'll build it again as many times as we need to!" All Might smiled, his fists creating tornadoes and wind blasts that swept away their attackers. Nana did the same. He was… weaker here because of the shared One For All?! "Remember what you're fighting for!"

"That's right, papa! We're all here to help!" Mimi cried out, rapid-fire explosive bolts of superheated flame lancing from her fingertips. "Don't give up! Kiri… she's still out there fighting, too!"

"Owowowowow!" Koko and her living sword yelped in unison as they were pelted with all sorts of energy beams. She whipped the weapon around in a swing that cleaved the air itself, the resulting energy blade projectile cutting a jagged scar into Zenith's dented chest armor but barely slowing him down.

Johnny growled and made his wings grow even bigger while retaliating, giving them a moment of brief respite. Chen started firing through the gaps in their makeshift shield, all four weapons in her grip glowing white-hot and overheating. High-explosive rounds and streams of star-shaped light peppered and bounced off Zenith like hail, the machine-man advancing ever forward like an unstoppable juggernaut.

"Hiro!" Nana yelled again.

"I said I'm working on it, give me a minute!"

"The oversized calculator's coming, we don't have a minute!"

"Then give me thirty seconds! Stall him!"

"I shall go!" Misha lurched forward like a charging bear, slamming into Zenith and stopping the unstoppable. "Sorry sonny boy, but I'm gonna kick your shiny metal ass."

"Bring it on, old man." Zenith grinned.

Their fists met with a crushing wave of pressure that ruptured the foundations and crushed the courtyard like an eggshell, Izuku watching the battle between father and son with a quiet trepidation. Unlike any battle he'd seen before they were both smiling, thoroughly enjoying testing each other's limits. Zenith's robot army rushed in behind him, held back by the rest of the wielders working together.

'E-everyone!'

Nana paused her attacks for a moment and pointed, right at his center. She smiled and nodded, returning to her battle with the Demon Lord's minions.

"Eyes up, young Midoriya! Remember, I chose you for a reason. That day it was you! You were the one who reminded me of what a hero was supposed to be!" All Might grinned, his costume torn and scuffed from the battle. "You made me remember my origin!"

'Me?' Izuku whispered.

"That's right! I didn't just use my head to become the number one hero, my boy!" All Might said. Hiro's white lightning almost enveloped Izuku fully now. "I use my—"

Blinding light filled his vision, dragging him back to the waking world.

[x]

Pixels flickered and throbbed with red, blue and green. A screen, displaying the fateful battle that day. Izuku remembered this battle, for he had seen it back then as well. A conflict that shocked the nation.

The debut of Toxic Chainsaw, a villain strong enough to match All Might.

Now he saw it through another's eyes. He saw it through the gaze of ten-year-old Hatsume Mei, her tiny hands clenched helplessly as she watched the carnage from the comfort of her home. The villain was a force of nature that tore through everything in his path; buildings, vehicles, people. But the most horrifying thing to see was his battle with the heroes.

The heroes attacked, their Quirks shredding the area around them without regard for the civilians living there. Zabanya had boots on the ground at her command, one of his partitions disguised as a hero trying to evacuate nearby civilians. Some tried to help, but the rest of the heroes… they were so focused on taking down the villain that they couldn't care less for what happened around them. Mei could do nothing but helplessly watch through the partition's eyes as Toxic Chainsaw was thrown through an apartment building that started to collapse. People nearby screamed and panicked, rushing towards the heroes only to be rebuffed.

'Help!' they cried, pointing towards their home. 'Save them!'

'Get out of the way,' the heroes told them, their glory-hungry gazes focused on a retreating Toxic Chainsaw. 'We need to beat the villain.'

Izuku could hear Mei's thoughts, her desperation, her confusion.

'Why? They're supposed to be our protectors…'

Only a few heroes went to the aid of the civilians, Zabanya's partition among them. The majority cared only for fame and disguised their actions as attempts to stop the villain before he hurt anyone else, even after All Might arrived to take him down.

Mei later found that the apartment was in one of the poorer parts of the city, housing mostly the Quirkless and the impoverished. No heroes patrolled the neighborhood and were thus unfamiliar with the layout, having been assigned to protect 'richer' areas. It was why the battle had been so chaotic. Because the damages were 'caused' by a villain, there was no compensation of any sort. The injustice of it all was only made worse when the partition in the Commission, Zenkichi, retrieved Toxic Chainsaw's file. He hadn't been a villain at all; just a man who had accidentally awakened his Quirk. An Abnormality who suddenly found himself with power he could not control, and was consumed by it.

The reason for his awakening? He'd been discriminated against because he was thought to be Quirkless. They carved a 'Z' into his face. Z for Zero. He snapped and lashed out in rage, destroying his tormentors where they stood. The Association and Commission tossed him into Tartarus and left him to rot, sweeping the incident under the rug for fear of repercussions. The public soon forgot him, enthralled by the everyday drama of heroes. Even Zenkichi did not have enough power to reopen the case and in his regret, the partition now voluntarily wore his scar in a new form as a mark of shame. To remind himself of the life he could not save.

Mei would later learn that some of the survivors of the incident had been left homeless and turned to theft or unsavory activities to feed themselves, only to be labeled as villains and criminals.

The more similar incidents she learned about, the more afraid she became. The cycle continued.

The memory ended, fading like smoke on a summer breeze. Izuku found himself back in the arena, the roar of the crowd shaking his very bones. How… how much time had passed? Kiri's memories flowed into his mind and he soon knew the answer. It had been barely five minutes, but she had taken control of his body somehow. Kiri's memories replayed in his mind, showing what happened earlier while he'd been knocked out. She'd successfully downed Zenith and had beaten the living daylights out of him, smashing him into the ground with her superior close-combat skills. Five times, in fact. Problem was, he kept getting back up. The odds were even once more when Mei woke up as well, gasping for air as she did. The girl was standing a few meters away from him, staggering and clutching her head.

"Swan… dive…" she choked.

Izuku froze.

"One… For…" Mei's gaze looked right at him, staring into the depths of his soul. "All."

She knew. Just as how he had seen her memories in that split second their minds linked, so did she. Mei's face was twisted in a quiet sadness and they just looked at each other from across the arena. Izuku didn't know what to say, his mouth dry and hesitant.

"You do understand what it's like." Mei whispered. "He was your bully when you were weak."

She now knew about One For All but chose to focus on what happened to him back then instead… An ocean of shame filled Izuku's heart.

"That's—"

"Then why are you in my way?!" she shouted, actually causing him to flinch. "I'm trying to stop things like that from happening ever again! This culture that creates people who look down on others just because they were born lucky? Who'll only foster conflict and cause the birth of more villains! Don't you see?! The very fact that no one has done a goddamn thing to help him or you sends a clear message of what their priorities are!"

Her fingers straightened and knifed together, the silver nano-liquid forming into the shape of a sword. Sparks flew when it met Kiri's invulnerability. Rocket thrusters grew from Mei's back and spat pink particles, forcing Izuku back and digging his heels into the ground. In this combined form with Kiri he could feel emotions, and right now he could feel nothing but anger and pity from Mei—she had seen and felt what happened to him. The bullying and injustice. The despair at being treated like some lower form of life.

"I've seen… your memories too." Izuku breathed, Mei's blade pressing against his cheek. "I know what you saw. What you and Zabanya realized that day."

Her eyes widened at the mention of her family secret, but kept forcing him down. Their ideals clashed alongside their attacks, engines of destruction firing on all cylinders.

"Not all heroes…" Izuku grunted, pushing against her might. "You know that. We need them..."

"No we don't. Have you watched the news lately? Uncertainty because of the assault on USJ. Wouldn't the mere existence of heroes prevent things like this? Instead, it caused them! Hell, In some parts of the country pro heroes are no better than thugs. To believe in an ideal is to be willing to betray it. You'll never be able to move forward until you understand that."

She raised the sword and slammed it against Izuku's guard like a lumberjack with an axe. He struck right back, his fist cutting across her cheek until she drew back and headbutted him, locking them back into that relentless struggle. He landed a good hit that had him feel one of her ribs breaking under his fist, but Mei simply bit down on the pain and fought him even harder. Pink and Green lightning filled the air, Present Mic's voice howling over the speakers. The taste of iron filled the inside of his mouth.

"This society craves 'power' because of 'heroes'. As a result, those with powerful Quirks are either snatched up by the system or by criminals. It also creates people who only believe that value lies in power, just like your bully." Mei hissed the last word, fury and disgust clouding her expression. "Ironic how he's everything society wants in a hero except heroics! It's sickening and wrong. This is a world where heroes are nothing but a commodified line of work in a capitalist machine, drilling direct competition into their youngest member's brains, an eugenicist's nightmare with no place for anything else outside the sphere of work and self-promotion."

"And you think getting rid of them will solve everything? It'll only lead to madness!" Izuku tried.

"No. Madness wears a colorful cape and spandex. Madness is sending teenagers to fight terrorists." She shook her head. "This barbarism is the solution they've come up with to the problems that they themselves have created. Did I ever mention what they did to Hawks? How they groomed him from a child to turn him into their 'perfect hero'? Here at U.A they're making child soldiers to fight problems the system has created, just with a nicer name. And what of Endeavor's Quirk marriage, all for the sake of creating stronger heirs? Bet you didn't know about that one, did you?"

He flung her blade upwards, launching a kick into her side. Her elbow snapped across his cheek and split his lip. They clashed again, locked into a violent embrace. Mimi's memories and feelings flooded into Izuku's mind, causing him to grit his teeth. He could feel Mimi's regret shaking in his heart, his vision alternating between past and present every time he blinked.

'You're so stubborn, just like he was.' Her sad smile, with a hint of pride in her gaze.

Mei.

'You could stay here. With me.' The slight tremor of hope in her voice, that she would have stayed.

Mei...

'I love you.' Three little words that Mimi regretted so much, the crushing pain she felt when she hadn't been able to tell Yuu.

Mei!

It took everything Izuku had to not break down right there, heart clenching in his chest. Mimi's love for her had been so strong that it transcended dimensions; that other Mei had been like a mother to her and now… now he had to fight her. It was one of the hardest things he had to do in his entire life.

It hurt to look at her when she spoke again.

"Take a look around you! This isn't normal! Look at our cities, with their architecture resembling what we had back then. Our technology, our people! We're stuck, unable to advance, still clinging on to what we had in the late 21st century because that's the last time things have ever been normal! They desperately cling to some semblance of normalcy but the truth is that nothing's been normal since that glowing baby showed up. Law of extraordinary beings; once one appears, soon there'll be dozens, hundreds, thousands, billions! To combat this strangeness the system of 'heroes' was created but it's no longer working! It's broken! Control of our future needs to be in our own hands, not theirs. They've got too much power and not enough control. They're all the same sanctimonious pricks, just like the myths. Poetry, really."

"That's not true. All Might… he's the hero of heroes. The number one." Izuku grit his teeth and pushed against her. Mei's sword had somehow gone past Kiri's barrier, attuned to her wavelength. A cut appeared on his cheek. "He's helped so many… countless…"

"How many times do I have to tell you this? One perfect apple among a thousand rotten ones does not make a good harvest. I decided to cut away the rot, a little mortal like me challenging the gods. I'm willing to become their enemy, just like the stories. Steal a fire, eat an apple, build a tower?" Mei's voice sizzled in his ear like burning coals. "They'll try to smite you down. I needed to show the world I was strong enough to face this insurmountable challenge... So I built a tower."

The H-drive flared on her back, pink particles spilling outward like ethereal butterflies. Liquid sliver formed into knots of artificial muscle on her arms, forcing him back.

"A Zenith, one that will allow us to reach into the heavens and pull them down from Olympus itself. We'll wrench back control of our own destiny, back from this accursed system, back from this Faustian cyclic nightmare that 'heroes' have led us into. We'll walk our own paths without being tainted by their influence. This society focuses on the power Quirks instead of the achievement of the individual. I've seen how the world is, and how it should be! No longer will every child dream of being a 'hero' like these frauds—they'll be free to follow their own dreams like before!"

Izuku kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back and crashing into a crystal pillar. She erupted from the resulting rubble with a cry of fury, a thunderstorm of purple-pink raging around her.

"Children dream of being heroes for a reason! To help people, and stop villains. Good things, from the bottom of their heart! Without heroes, who will stop villains?" Izuku yelled.

"They're not 'villains', okay?!" Mei screamed. "We both know that individuals with unsavory Quirks are shunned by society. Those who have lost themselves to their Quirks or have been abandoned and mistreated by the world… they're just people. People who need help. You know that."

Izuku did. If anything, he might have ended up like them if he hadn't met All Might.

"However, those who lust for power and recognition, to destroy the peace that we hold dear… They're terrorists! They shall be branded and treated as such. I, we, will make sure of that." Her second voice growled the last part. "In the end, we need to erase the concept of 'heroes' so 'villains' will no longer exist. We'll start over from zero. Wipe the slate clean…"

She separated from him and dashed backward, the gargantuan Bio-Force Gun that she used against Ochaco manifesting on her right hand.

"BURN IT DOWN!"

A grand, multicolored fireball exploded from the barrel, Izuku drawing his hand back in preparation for a swing while it screamed towards him like a falling meteor.

"DETROIT SMMMAAAASSSSH!"

His fist collided with the burning light, both One For All and Valkyrie working in tandem. It was so much, all of it, too much. Power overwhelming… the might of an artificial god.

Alarms blared within Mei's mind, a cluster of warning signals popping up on her heads-up-display.

[FLYWHEEL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. H-DRIVE FAILURE IMMINENT. Detonation likely if combat continues. Significant resistance within mental cognitiospace. Recommend mission abort.]

Fuck the drive. Mei thought. We settle this here and now.

"Zenith, full power! Use all of me to make him understand!"

The fireball turned into a continuous beam, Izuku pushing against it with Detroit Smash. A thunderstorm of lightning filled the arena, the light of their souls made manifest. Both of them screamed and howled, two nobodies clashing for the sake of their ideals. The beam from her weapon soon diminished, leaving Izuku standing with two sizzling trenches carved into the ground beside him from where he'd split the attack. There he stood, legs shaking from the effort it took to stay upright and awake. His jacket had been completely incinerated, leaving him smoking and shirtless, broken and bleeding.

But still standing.

"I can fix all of it! Nobody else will have to suffer like you had! The Quirkless, the Mutants, the Unfortunates and the Abnormalities... I can save them all!" Mei pleaded, desperate for him to see things from her point of view. "Join me, and together we can create a world where no four-year old kid will have to think he's useless, a 'Deku'—"

The look in her eyes was filled with haunting sorrow and pain, having felt what he felt back then.

"—just because of some punk with a flashy Quirk."

Her offer was so very tempting, but he resisted. Izuku knew if he agreed with her here and now it would be akin to making a deal with the Devil. Even if his head knew exactly what she meant, his heart refused to be swayed.

"I can't let you… destroy heroes." Izuku grit his teeth, steam wafting off his shaking fists. "People need hope. Don't do this."

Mei's expression dropped and her lip trembled, looking like he'd broken her heart. From the emotions he felt from her he might as well have—it only lasted for a split second before her steely determination returned.

"I'm not talking about heroes or hope. I'm talking about the future of the human race." she whispered, crestfallen. The furnace on her back roared with power. "But if you're not with me… then you're against me. I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun."

Her three Funnels linked together high above the stadium while they'd been talking, orbiting over their target like a satellite array. There was a flash of burning pink light from above and Izuku's world became nothing but pain when he sent a wordless smash upwards in hopes of stopping the attack. Every bone in his right hand shattered, the shockwave climbing down his right arm and breaking it in three different places. When he awoke he was on the ground, eyes fluttering open. He didn't even have enough energy to groan, his entire body feeling as if it'd been chewed up and spat out. His arm had turned… purple. Both arms were broken now.

Mei strode up to him, taking deep, panting breaths. Judging by the way she was moving he'd landed quite a few solid hits throughout their battle, with the girl clutching her side painfully. It didn't stop two of her tentacles from coiling around his neck and waist, drawing him closer while his limp feet dragged along the broken ground. The crowd cheered, almost undoubtedly assuming she was going to finish him off.

"You and I are opposite sides of the same coin. When we face each other, we can finally see our true selves." One golden eye locked on to him with an unbearable sadness, the girl caressing his cheek almost lovingly. "There may be a resemblance, but we never face the same direction."

Izuku choked, trying to break free from her grip. Move, he told himself. Even with the weakened version of Kiri's forcefield her final attack had stunned him severely, sending his mind into a dizzying swirl of thoughts. His mouth felt like it was made of cotton, lungs struggling to take in air. There was a ringing in his ears and every other breath felt like a punch in the gut. Move...

"It's a shame since we could have done so much good together. You've earned my respect, Midoriya-kun." Mei continued, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "When I'm finished with my work there'll still be people who'll look back at their 'Age of Heroes', nostalgic for the past."

She straightened with resolve and the hand that stroked his cheek morphed into a cannon, ready to administer the coup de grâce.

"I hope they'll remember you."

A high-pitched whine filled the air when the weapon glowed, the audience cheering all the while. Unknowingly cheering for their own destruction. Amidst the noise Izuku could somehow hear the voices of his friends. Ochaco and Iida. And was that… All Might?

Nine thunders utter their voices. Izuku broke free of Mei's grip with a blast of pressure, lightning trailing from his every movement and forcing her back. He remembered his origin. He… he was the only one who had seen both sides of the story; the powerless—

'Eat shit, Deku! Forget having a weak-ass Quirk, you don't even have a fucking Quirk! So where do you get off putting yourself on the same level as me?!'

—and the powerful.

'You can become a hero.'

Izuku grit his teeth, reaching inward. He was running on pure willpower now; his body had stopped being able to move—he was actually using Kiri's barrier to forcefully control his own body like a puppet. It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before, both mentally and physically. Blood spurted from his nose in a flood of red but he still stood. He had to. This was to be his final stand.

They struck at each other in a wordless, deranged dance of lightning clad fists and burning light. Beautiful in its carnage, with the two of them simply living in the moment they both shared. Passion and fury made manifest, united as one. Two different ideals, both wishing for a better future. They were a painting of chaos and conflict, a scene that could have been imagined by a renaissance artist; He, wreathed with a glowing halo above his head. She, flame-like plasma arcing between jagged horns that sprouted from her temples.

The Angel facing the Demon Lord.

There was an explosion on Mei's back as her H-drive finally gave out, sputtering and bursting into flames. The girl paid it no heed and continued to fight, columns of black and pink smoke rising from her back. She had no power source for her weapons now, having to resort to pure physical force instead of her ranged attacks. Izuku's world was pain when he fought with his broken arms, but pain was good. It kept him awake, reminded him that he was alive and still standing. He could feel himself starting to slip into shock, Kiri's synchronized mind helping to coordinate his movements. Present Mic's voice had gone hoarse from all the screaming he was doing.

"No way… I've done the math. You… you shouldn't even be able to move. How are you still standing?"

[BREACH DETECTED IN H-DRIVE REACTOR CORE, CORE BREAK IN PROGRESS. Recommend mission abort.]

"Initiate Reactor SCRAM!" The girl yelled, the H-Drive opening like a blooming flower. "Reroute reserve power and remove the safeties, give me everything!"

His fists were hammers that crashed into her guard, snapping across her cheek. She hissed and struck back but he was faster; infighting was his forte. Without her guns and rocket thrusters she posed much less of a threat; her entire arsenal depleted against his defenses. He felt it all. The blood rushing through his ears. The sensation of Mei's arm fracturing when she caught his fist and the subsequent shudder of pain that ran through her body, followed by the metal gauntlet that broke his nose through Kiri's barrier.

[Maximum morphine and stimulant limit reached. We cannot beat him hand-to-hand.]

"Analyze his fight pattern!" Mei gasped after recovering from a brutal uppercut.

They fought like animals and the air blurred from their speed, swinging viciously but with precise movements. Man against machine, emotion against logic, hope against fear. She surged at him and countered into a grapple, dragging up strength from somewhere within her and the artificial spirit. Steel pressed against flesh, their fingers interlocking when Mei's hand clasped his in a violent embrace.

"Why are you going so far as to stop me? To allow this wretched system to continue? What was it that shaped you into the person you are today? Tell me!" Mei's grip was a hydraulic press that threatened to crush him into the dirt. "Who are you, Midoriya Izuku?!"

The question rang into his mind, clear as a bell. Though Izuku was teetering on the edge of consciousness Kiri was keeping him awake, the boy thinking back to every experience he had so far. The day he'd saved Bakugo he'd changed things. Both for himself and the people around him. He'd changed… All Might, inspired him and reminded him of what a hero should be. All Might chose him due to what he saw; the heart of a hero.

"I'm Deku." Izuku whispered.

That word was something he onced hated, now changed to mean something different. It changed, just like he did. Lighting crashed, emerald and burning. Surging out of him like a river, a whirlpool unleashed from the depths of his heart. The halo upon his head thrummed, resonating with the light of his soul while he pushed back the unstoppable force that was Hatsume Mei. She was not a monster that was created by the system. Just a girl who saw the unfairness of the world.

"And the word 'Deku' means… you can do it."

A gasp escaped her lips as she struggled against him. He was pushing back now, standing against her as an equal. Pink embers whirled around them like falling snow, painting the world around them with color.

"I'll show them that they can do it too. That they can change… to be better. We have to change!"

Mei's exhausted gaze locked on to him, a tiny glimmer of realization flickering within those golden jewels. She closed her eyes, taking in a shuddering breath. A high-pitched whine resounded from the miniature fusion reactor on her back, the unmistakable ultraviolet flare of it going critical lighting up the stadium.

"You... do understand. If it's you..." she murmured.

[WARNING. REACTOR CORE EXPOSED. EJECT EJECT EJECT—]

"Maybe you really can change things."

[INITIATING EMERGENCY OVERRIDE, SHIELDING SPECTA—]

Three distinct bangs echoed through the stadium when the reactor was forcibly ejected from Mei's back, Zenith liquefying to form an armored sphere around both of them while the audience emergency shield flared with hexagonal patterns. Mei stumbled into Izuku's arms within the bubble and the boy instantly knew what was about to happen. He held her tight, using his own body as an additional layer of protection against the imminent explosion.

There was the sound of thunder when the H-Drive detonated like a miniature sun, and the world went dark.

[x]

The war within Izuku's mind came to an abrupt end when every remaining robotic unit suddenly stopped, freezing where they stood. Every single member of One For All paused as well, confused at how the conflict died without a single word. They had gathered in a ring around the mansion, having successfully defended the remaining quarter of it that still stood.

"This battle is over." Zenith reported, straightening in the crater Misha had punted him into.

"No way… young Midoriya?!" Nana gasped.

"One of our partitions is currently observing in the stands. The result of the match is…"

They held their breath.

"A draw." Zenith projected a holographic image from his eyes, showing them what Zenkichi saw. "We are out of power as well. As such, there is no longer any need to continue our invasion."

Both Izuku and Mei had been knocked out, medical bots carrying away their unconscious bodies on stretchers while the audience cheered and clapped. Most of them let out a collective sigh of relief until a sudden whoosh manifested near Mimi, the surprised girl catching a wisp of green light that tumbled into her hands.

"A-ah! Kiri!" Mimi cried out in worry. "Are you alright?!"

"Mmfine…" the little fairy groaned. "Just tired. Really sleepy…"

Kiri turned and gave Zenith an exhausted thumbs up, the machine-man returning the gesture stiffly a few moments later. The rest of the wielders began to sit or calm down, resting from the drawn-out battle. Koko spat out a robotic spine she'd been holding in her mouth and let out a triumphant roar while raising her greatsword into the air.

"VICTORY SCREECH!" she yelled happily, taking a deep breath—

"Please don't." Chen said.

"AWWWOOOOOOOO!"

That was how the battle ended, with an awkward celebration while the rest of Zenith's forces began their retreat back through the portal. As for the pile of robot corpses and the wreckage of the three battleships something all too familiar happened; they began to disintegrate just like thought constructs but into pink binary code instead of glowing embers.

"Do you wish to know how you died?"

Misha turned around to face his adopted son.

"Should I?"

"If it would bring you peace."

They were quiet for a moment, the others having drifted off into their own respective tasks to let the two of them have a moment. Mimi was busy taking care of a sleeping Kiri while the rest were sifting through the rubble to see what could be salvaged.

"I suppose… I want to know." Misha finally said. "Only to see that everything was alright."

Zenith tilted his head, eyes glowing. All 144 partitions were connected and he was Zabanya again when he spoke, his voice the echoing amalgamation of a crowd.

"You got old."

"...Of course."

"Time continues its relentless march. Fewer and fewer people remembered your accomplishments, but it didn't matter to you. You were content to quietly read books all day in your rocking chair under the sun."

The old man let him continue.

"One day in that ordinary life you enjoyed so much, the youngest of your grandchildren, little Sasha, she called for you that lunch was ready… and you didn't answer."

Misha closed his eyes and nodded, imagining the scene.

"Under the afternoon sun, quietly as if you were asleep, while no one noticed." Zenith… Zabanya said. "I thought that sort of death had been unfitting for you. You, the great Fortress, died not in glorious battle, but peacefully in his sleep. Poor Sasha cried for weeks."

"I'm surprised you didn't try to revive me." he joked.

"You had a smile on your face. It was then I understood that it was your time to go." the machine-man replied. "At first it hurt. Very much so. I did not know why. It was only after a while that I realized…"

They looked at each other, matching gazes.

"Change is inevitable. No matter how much we try to stop it, people have to change. Otherwise, they'll never be able to move forward." Zenith looked towards the closing portal, signalling that it was time for him to leave as well. "I think Mei realized that too, right before the match ended."

"Even if her methods are a little strange, she's a good kid." Misha laughed.

"Yes… she is."

"And so are you."

Pink eyes met purple ones. The two men hugged, father and son reunited in the space between worlds.

"I'm proud of you, son."

For the first time since they'd met the A.I shifted back into the form he'd used so many years ago, a handsome young man with blonde hair. His smile glittered like a sacred gem.

"Thank you, father. Until we meet again."

Everyone waved to him while he left, trailing behind the remnants of his broken invasion force. No longer the cold machine, but simply a young man who wanted the best for his family.

Then he was gone, the portal closing behind him and leaving no trace of the massive armada that invaded their home. Everyone looked around, not quite sure what to do next besides clean up the mess.

"Well. We've repelled the invasion!" Nana said cheerfully. "Great work, guys. Let's eat."

"You're as carefree as ever, sensei…" Toshinori sighed.

"What about young Midoriya?" Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, he'll be fine. My boy's made of tough stuff."

Johnny grumbled, starting to clean his wings. Koko gave her sword back to him and started combing pieces of rubble out of her bushy tail. Kiri had fallen asleep on Mimi's shoulder, her floating tiny form tethered to her sister via a length of thread.

"Anybody up for some soup?" Hiro asked.

"Celebration!" Misha boomed. "I shall make sandvich for all of you!"

[x]

Tokoyami looked down at an unconscious Midoriya Izuku, taking deep but quiet breaths to calm himself down. Beside him were Uraraka Ochaco and Iida Tenya, looks of concern plaguing their expressions. Despite everything that Recovery Girl and Kinoko tried neither Izuku nor Mei were waking up, seemingly locked in a peaceful slumber. When Tokoyami heard the news he had Dark Shadow try to investigate, only to find out that both of them were perfectly fine… just exhausted. The combined effects of Recovery Girl and her assistant's Quirks were enough to ensure that both Izuku and Mei didn't retain any sort of permanent injury after being healed—a modern medical miracle. Mei didn't even get any scars since she'd been well-protected by her armor while Izuku just got a few tiny ones on his arms.

Their battle had been spectacular. A little too spectacular, to be honest. That match between the green-haired boy and his inventor friend had practically overshadowed every other match that had taken place so far. In fact, footage of their match was going viral on social media, specifically on Qwoter. He didn't have an account on that accursed website but Dark Shadow did, happily updating him of the situation while looking at memes.

It was clear that both Izuku and Mei were the strongest among the first-years when they were in their enhanced forms. No matter what he or Bakugo did, he doubted they would be able to top that. Tokoyami knew he had big shoes to fill since his match with the blonde would be the final one. Recovery Girl had declared that both Izuku and Mei were unfit to fight any longer, so the winner of the next match would become the final champion. He felt it was rather unfair to the both of them but the crowd needed someone to stand at the number one spot on the podium to be satisfied.

He, a wielder of the Dark against someone that produced explosions. Blinding light. How the hell was he going to compete? Tokoyami sighed to himself, closing his eyes.

"Are you going to be okay, Tokoyami-kun?" Ochaco asked hesitantly.

"Whatever will be, will be." the crow-boy answered wistfully. "I shall do my best."

"We will avenge you, speedy one!" Dark Shadow cawed at Iida.

"Why thank you, Dark Shadow-kun! But there's no need to worry about me! I wish the both of you best of luck!" Iida said, his hand cutting through the air comically.

"Yeah! All the best and good luck, you two!" Ochaco cheered as well.

"Thank you." Tokoyami made a quiet bow before he left. I'll need it.

Dim light lit the corridor he was walking down, and the boy felt as if he was marching towards his own doom.

"Brother… I have good news!" Dark Shadow hissed, uncoiling like a length of rope.

"I could use some of that right about now." Tokoyami admitted. "What is it?"

"I have learnt much from watching the Prince and his Tiny Queen. Yes, yes. She draws power from him, and he from her… It made me realize something."

"Oh?"

"The strongest light casts the darkest shadowsss~" the construct cackled mischievously. "Not only that, but we don't have to draw darkness from the surroundings. I have discovered another way, Fumikage."

That got his attention. Tokoyami straightened with rapt attention.

"I'm listening."

"We can draw power from the darkness within ourselves… like so."

Dark Shadow did something, and it was like a wellspring of energy had opened up within. It was a quiet, cold beckoning that echoed from the abyss of his heart, resonating and creeping into reality. The feeling was refreshing, almost as if his senses had been dulled his entire life and he was now seeing everything for the first time. His connection with Dark Shadow was now stronger than ever, but he also sensed how his brother was starting to have a bit more autonomy in that enhanced state.

"Well, Fumikage? What do you think?" Dark Shadow asked timidly.

Tokoyami nodded quietly in approval.

"Let us show the world what darkness can do, brother."

[x]

A soft rumble echoed throughout the stadium, causing dust to drift off the ceiling. By the looks of things, the next match had begun.

Ochaco didn't know how to feel. A part of her felt guilty that she wasn't out watching Tokoyami's match, but he'd given her a quiet look that said he didn't mind at all. In fact, he even commented on how nice it was that she and Iida were looking after their green-haired friend.

More rumbling shook the room around them. A rhythmic buzzing caused Iida to stand, reaching for his phone.

"Hello, Tensei? Ah, I'm fine! How are you? Swamped with work, I see!" Iida laughed. "Yes, I've heard about the increase in patrols thanks to the Surtur incident…"

He excused himself soon after, exiting to speak with his brother. That left Ochaco alone with Izuku since Mei was resting in the other room. The brunette reached over and squeezed her friend's hand, her expression contorting with worry. The battle had left its mark on him, small scars of varying sizes present on both arms. Luckily, it was nothing disfiguring. In fact, it sort of accentuated his rugged appearance…

Ochaco blushed. What was she thinking?! Besides, this was no time to ogle him. If Izuku didn't wake up within the next half an hour, the winner of the match between Bakugo and Tokoyami would become the champion. All of her friend's hard work would have been for naught.

No, she shouldn't think that way. His safety was the most important thing here. In the end, it was only a crummy medal and title to be won. The fear she'd felt when Iida had been knocked out still lingered. Perhaps… perhaps it would be better this way? Recovery Girl had guessed that it would take an hour or two before the boy woke up. She squeezed his hand again, conflicting feelings in her heart. Half of her wished for him to wake up so that he'd be able to fight, while the other would rather have him sleep since he wouldn't be hurt.

Neither outcome was looking very appealing. How was she supposed to explain that his chance to win the tournament got passed up because he'd been asleep? She wasn't looking forward to that little discussion, not at all. Then again, she felt that her friend Deku wasn't really one to care whether he won or lost.

The roar of the crowd caused Ochaco to jolt in her seat, lifting her a few inches off the ground when Iida burst into the room moments later.

"He won! Uraraka-san, he won!" Iida said in disbelief.

"A-ah. I guess so…" Ochaco tilted her head. Iida seemed awfully cheerful that the boy who kicked the crap out of him on live TV won.

"No, not Bakugo-kun. Tokoyami-kun won!" Iida exclaimed.

"H-huh? EHHHHH?!"

She scrambled to pick up a nearby remote, flicking on a television on the wall. The screen showed a livestream of what was taking place in the arena… there stood a lone figure upon the shattered ground.

Tokoyami Fumikage stood tall, wreathed in an ethereal cloak of pure darkness. Dark Shadow was layered atop him like a second skin—no, it wasn't just that. It looked like the Quirk had somehow fused with Tokoyami, mimicking his shape perfectly. Though she should have felt glad that her teammate won, a strange fear grew in her heart at the sight. Not at Tokoyami, but at his brother. He was less… cartoony, more defined in an unmistakable silhouette that was all too familiar.

Dark Shadow was starting to look more and more human.

But how did they win? Ochaco wondered. Tokoyami had revealed his secret to her, Izuku, and Mei during the Cavalry Battle. Dark Shadow's weakness was light… Bakugo produced explosions from his hands that flashed wildly. Where did Tokoyami get enough darkness to overcome that?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a furious howling censored by sharp beeps. It seemed that Bakugo had recovered from his ring-out and finally started to realize that he lost. From the looks of things he was enraged, not even bothering that he was on live TV while he cursed and swore like a drunken sailor. Tokoyami on the other hand looked completely drained from the battle, getting down on one knee to catch his breath. Dark Shadow returned to his normal cartoony form and was starting to hiss at his brother's opponent. They had won by the skin of their teeth.

The rest of the Sports Festival went by in a flash. Since neither Izuku or Mei had woken up the three contestants that made it to the podium were Tokoyami, Bakugo and Todoroki respectively. Poor Bakugo had to be literally chained to the number two spot to stop him from lashing out; Ochaco felt sorry that Todoroki and Tokoyami had to stand next to that.

All Might descended from the skies and landed amongst thunderous applause, Midnight apologizing since she accidentally spoke over his famous intro. He began handing out medals to the three participants in order, his trademark smile brighter than ever as he did. Todoroki was staring off quietly into the distance while Tokoyami was… staring at his hand.

'You'd think for someone who placed first he'd be happier.' Ochaco thought.

"Congratulations, Todoroki my boy! You did a fantastic job out there!" All Might said to the heterochromatic teen. "Great work! You must have had your own reasons for suppressing your left side, right?"

"...Yes, sensei." Todoroki accepted the bronze medal quietly but without hesitation. "The fight with Midoriya-san triggered my confusion… and I lost sight of what I should do. It seems that I still have much to learn."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, young Todoroki. I'm proud of you."

All Might proceeded to give him a hug, getting an awkward pat on the back in return. The audience cheered and many women swooned in delight while the cameras zoomed in on Todoroki's handsome face.

Next was Bakugo, and… oh boy. Both Ochaco and Iida cringed when All Might had to gently remove Bakugo's muzzle while the teen struggled at the chains and straitjacket binding him. Was all of that really necessary? As it turned out, it was.

"You goddamned bird bastard!" Bakugo snarled the moment he could speak again, his rage directed at Tokoyami. "How the fuck did you do it?! There's no way you're stronger than me, you shitty little—"

"Now, now, young Bakugo. Congratulations! You're certainly an amazing fighter. Great work!" All Might said cheerfully, trying to present Bakugo with a silver medal. "There's no need to do so much comparison. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. No shame in losing either; failure is simply just another opportunity to learn and improve on one's mistakes."

The blonde continued growling and snarling to the point where neither Present Mic nor the audience knew what to make of it. Eventually All Might managed to loop the medal around Bakugo's jaw, the furious boy biting down on it with clenched teeth.

All Might quickly made his way to the final contestant, a great big smile on his face.

"Congratulations, young Tokoyami. I can see that you've put in a tremendous amount of effort… the both of you, of course. Great work!"

"Hehehehe. Yesss… Victory everlasting!" Dark Shadow crooned at the praise, enjoying how All Might rubbed his ethereal head. Tokoyami had enough awareness left to look a tiny bit embarrassed for his brother's sake.

"Thank you, sensei." Tokoyami bowed his head, voice solemn and serious. "It is an honor to receive such words from one as you. Truth be told, I wouldn't be here had I not studied the ways that the others fought. I need to do some serious soul-searching and improve on myself even further."

"You're so humble, my boy! But don't forget, your victory is the result of your own hard work too!"

The crow-boy looked to his shadowy brother, a ghost of a smile on his birdlike features as he finally accepted the gold medal. Dark Shadow puffed out in pride while Tokoyami simply held the disc of metal in quiet contemplation.

"And there you have it! This year, it's these three! However, note this! There was a possibility for everyone in this arena to stand there! It's just as you saw with your very own eyes, ladies and gentlemen!" All Might announced proudly, taking a mic from Midnight. "They competed and boosted each other up! Everyone climbing ever higher, advancing ever further! The next generation of heroes will surely sprout from the seeds planted this day! To that sentiment, I'll add one more thing! Everybody say it with me now! AAAAAAANNNDDD—"

Everyone took a deep breath and said the words together.

"PLUS ULTRA!" they yelled.

"—GREAT WORK!" All Might finished.

"E-eh?"

"Huh?"

"Ehhhhh?! All Might, that was a perfect 'Plus Ultra' moment!" everyone cried.

"Oh, but… I'd thought you'd all appreciate a "Great Work!" since everyone worked so hard…" All Might said sheepishly.

Ochaco giggled and exhaled, feeling almost like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She was left with the worry that she felt for Izuku, Iida pulling up a chair and sitting down beside her. Together they watched and waited for their friend to wake up.

The door slid open with a soft click and Komori Kinoko strode in cheerfully, wheeling in a large cart. The medical assistant robot Archimedes floated behind her.

"Hi, it's me again, shroom!" she smiled, rummaging through her cart for an IV bag. "Pardon me…"

"Sure." Ochaco mumbled and stepped aside to let the nurse do her work.

Kinoko hummed to herself as she swapped out the drained IV bag, hooking up a new one. Then she started taking off Izuku's shirt and Ochaco grew concerned.

"W-w-what are you doing?!" she squeaked, peeking through her fingers.

Kinoko gave her a funny look. "I'm connecting the ECG. Electrocardiogram? Beep-boop heart rate machine?"

"O-oh. Um, sorry." Ochaco blushed.

"Should we leave the room?" Iida asked.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Nothing serious, I just need to take some readings, shroom."

The mushroom-haired girl continued her work. Ochaco's face grew warm again while she watched the other girl's fingers run over her friend's defined chest, not missing how the nurse let out a low whistle of appreciation while she connected a series of electrodes. A moment later the EKG positioned next to the bed started beeping, Kinoko squinting at the display and taking down a few notes on her clipboard.

"Hmmm, vital signs are normal. Archimedes?"

"All clear, all clear!" the robot chimed.

"Great! Okay, lemme just get this printout… alright. Your friend here is gonna be a-okay, shroom! Just let him rest for a while, he'll probably wake up in a bit." Kinoko smiled. "If anything happens just hit this button right here, shroom. We'll come running."

Ochaco glanced at the big red button next to Izuku's hospital bed, the electrocardiogram beeping periodically. An IV bag was hooked up next to him, supplying him with additional nutrients to help him recover from the effects of Recovery Girl's Quirk. All in all it looked pretty scary to Ochaco, but the other girl seemed to know what she was doing.

"Thanks for the help, Kinoko-san." the brunette smiled.

"Don't mention it. Just doing my job, shroom."

"Right… By the way, how is that boy that Deku-kun fought? Mono-something?"

"You mean Monoma-kun? Funny you asked, he just woke up like, ten minutes ago when I went to check up on him. He's perfectly healthy, but there's something weird about his behavior."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, shroom! It's like he's become more… stoic?" Kinoko scratched her chin in thought. "He's usually more bombastic and would start bragging or something. I dunno, maybe he's just tired. He'll be fine after a while but it's almost like he's emotionally drained."

"At least he's alright." Ochaco sighed with relief. "I'm glad nobody was hurt."

"Mmhmm." Kinoko said and quietly observed Ochaco out of the corner of her eye, almost like she was looking for some telltale trace of realization. She returned to her usual cheerful self a second later, picking up her electronic clipboard. "Well, I've gotta go. Duty calls. Remember, push the big red button if anything happens."

They exchanged goodbyes and the assistant nurse and the medical bot left soon after, leaving Izuku, Ochaco and Iida alone in the room. It was getting late; Iida had fallen asleep in his chair while somehow still sitting ramrod straight.

Ochaco cupped her cheeks, elbows resting on the bed. Right now they were deciding if Izuku should stay the night in Recovery Girl's infirmary; Kinoko had informed her that administrative staff had already called his home and his family was on the way to see what could be done. The brunette glanced at a nearby clock. Well, she supposed she could stay by his side a little later.

A few meters outside the door where nobody saw Kinoko had parted ways with Archimedes by asking him to check on Monoma. She then brought a hand to her shoulder, tapping once on the camouflaged miniature mission recorder that was smaller than her fingernail. It opened a private two-way channel for her, the mushroom-haired girl speaking into the built-in radio with a hushed whisper.

"Situation Normal, Code Orange. Continuing observation, shroom."

"I see." A soft voice was transmitted directly into her ear via directional sound waves from the high-tech device. "What about the boy?"

"He is in a recovery trance and in near-perfect health. From my experience he'll make a full recovery without any complications, shroom."

"Good. See that he does."

"Yes, my Imperator."

[x]

Midoriya Izuku stirred, opening his eyes to find himself standing in a sea of flowers. The ground beneath him lay cracked and broken in places, pristine in others. Looking up he found the One For All Mansion…

Or rather, what was left of it. Three quarters of the beautiful palace had been completely obliterated by Zabanya's invading army. The remainder was lined with cracks and pockmarks, huge gashes scarring marble walls and pillars.

But it still stood tall and triumphant. It sort of reflected his current state, actually.

"Hey, young Midoriya! You made it!"

Izuku turned around to see that everyone had gathered and were sitting at a round table in the destroyed courtyard. For people who'd just experienced a battle they looked awfully relaxed. In fact, they were having lunch. He unconsciously floated toward them and Nana conjured up a spare chair for him to sit down between All Might and Mimi.

'Hi, guys…' he began hesitantly. 'Sorry for… all of this.'

"Sorry for what?" Nana asked, genuinely confused.

'Um, it's my fault your house blew up.'

"Eh, don't worry about it kid." Johnny shrugged, sipping at his soup. "We were actually looking to redecorate."

"That's right, young Midoriya." Hiro sent him a tired smile. "We'll rebuild."

"It has been rather boring until you showed up." Chen admitted. "You seem to change things wherever you go. I can't remember the last time all of us have been out of hibernation."

"It was the most excitement Koko has had in decades, wan!" Koko exclaimed happily, starting to swing around the soup ladle like it was a sword. "Good fight! Action! Adventure! Explosions! Super fun!"

"It was… fun." All Might admitted with a smile. "I'm not at full power here, so it was quite a challenge! Hahaha! Want some shawarma, young Midoriya? It's delicious."

'Um, no thanks.'

"I must thank you, boy!" Misha boomed with mirth, raising his mug at Izuku. "Because of you, I meet my adopted son! Yes, very good to see him again. I nearly cry. Now I know bloodline lives on!"

Izuku nodded respectfully before finally turning to his sister, finding her cradling a sleeping Kiri in a miniature cot she'd created. Mimi looked up at him nervously, meeting his gaze.

"Hi, papa. I took down a flying battleship. Don't worry about gramma, I popped back out just now to tell her I'd be taking care of Kiri."

'R-right. Good work, Mimi.' Izuku said. 'Was it scary?'

"Not my first time fighting one of those, so not really." Mimi gently adjusted her sister's equally tiny blanket to keep her warm. "What scared me more was the fact that you or Kiri could have been hurt."

'...I'm sorry. That was inexcusable—'

"W-what? No, no. I didn't mean it that way. I was scared, but… I knew you'd be able to pull through." She met his gaze shyly. "You're my hero, after all."

There was so much emotion in his eyes that it threatened to spill out. Mimi started to panic since she thought she'd said something wrong, but soon calmed down when Izuku began laughing softly.

'Thank you, Mimi.' Izuku said. 'For believing in me. It's unfortunate, I think I lost the match. The last thing I remembered was protecting Hatsume-san from the reactor explosion. I hope she's alright...'

Everyone exchanged glances until Nana finally spoke up.

"Uh, kid. It was a draw. Zabanya, all of him, told us what happened in the waking world and ended the battle the moment you two were knocked out."

'I-Is that so…'

They continued eating, utensils clinking against plates while they waited for Izuku to speak his mind again. Since he was hesitant it was up to All Might to talk to his apprentice once more.

"Something else you want to say, young Midoriya? You look troubled."

'I am. Well, first of all thank you all for helping to protect me. It means a lot to me, really.' Izuku mumbled. 'And well…'

He stared down at the slightly burnt tablecloth.

'I can't help but think that Hatsume-san was right. W-well, not everything she said, but y-you know… I'm sorry...'

"That's not something to be sorry about." All Might laughed. "In fact, young Hatsume has given you something invaluable. Perspective."

Izuku looked up at his mentor.

"Young Hatsume's perception of heroism is filtered through her own worldviews and strengths, and the way she thought differed from yours greatly. In a way, the fight between the two of you wasn't just one of physical prowess, but one of ideology as well. That was the way she saw the world, and she does highlight some serious problems that need to be fixed. She means well, but her methods may be a bit too…" All Might coughed. "Extreme."

"That's my descendant!" Misha said proudly, wiping a tear from his eye.

"So let this be another lesson, young Midoriya. Now that you've seen things through another's eyes, think of what can be done to make things better for everyone; not just from your own point of view. Adversity is a means of getting stronger, and she was undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your entire life, yes?"

'That's right, sensei.'

"Good. Don't think of it as a failure to defeat her, but rather, consider the argument that she made. I know you empathize with her from the respect you've shown. I have a feeling that the both of you will learn from this experience and use the knowledge you've gained to make the world a better place—the future belongs to the next generation; people like you and young Hatsume. Don't repeat the mistakes that the past generations—we made, young Midoriya. In the end… you were the one to inspire her, just like you did with me that fateful day. I'm sure you'll show the rest of the world as well. And when that day comes..."

'I'll tell them… 'you can do it'.' Izuku whispered.

"I'm sure you will, my boy." All Might… Toshinori Yagi, smiled proudly. "Now get some rest."

The smoky boy nodded and fell into unconsciousness, falling into a dreamless slumber.

[x]

A rasp of metal against metal echoed from within a ratty little apartment. Sparks flew and lit the surroundings for the briefest moment while a blade was sharpened, its owner watching a particular scene on his TV. Once that knife was deemed suitable for his work a new one was put to the whetstone, but the man paused in interest. He twirled the sharpened blade and gently placed it down among a dozen others, now focused on what he saw.

The blonde teen displayed on the grimy screen snarled and raged like a feral beast while chained to a podium, spittle flying from his mouth. His anger didn't fade even when All Might presented him with a silver medal, earning a disgusted scoff from the man watching.

"How unsightly… and they expect this kid to become a hero? How utterly ridiculous."

Clawed hands now flew over keybinds as they did a few basic searches. He soon found out that the boy's name was Bakugo Katsuki, the one who scored first in the U.A entrance exam. The man scoffed to himself once more, shaking his head. Those frauds only valued power… this boy was their hypocrisy made manifest.

A few more searches led him deeper into the rabbit hole. The boy was from Aldera Junior High… a no-name school as far as everyone knew. Knuckles cracked. Time to do some digging. It was easy to hack into the archaic servers with the skills he'd learnt under Skeptic's tutelage. The guy was a massive prick, but he could slip into computer systems like greased lightning… honestly, he almost missed him and the rest of those nutcases in Deika. Almost. Aldera Junior High's data banks were no match once he broke in, the outdated security system easily bypassed with a few simple commands and scripts. A click here and there, a clean record, some video files.

The man cycled through the data with a self-developed program, watching the loading graphic spin. He began twirling a karambit with his pinky to kill time, waiting for it to finish. Around and around we go, where we stop, nobody knows...

CCTV footage replayed once the algorithm located something matching his criteria. Ever since that one incident where some crazy girl murdered her classmate and drained every drop of his blood a few years ago security cameras became commonplace in schools. It wasn't hard to find what he was looking for; especially with what he suspected upon seeing that boy's behavior on live TV.

Bakugo Katsuki was a bully.

The man grinned internally, relishing at the jackpot he'd found. At least one hundred hours of footage, all of it unedited and at his fingertips; containing moments where the blonde had confronted or intimidated another student in any way. Perhaps he'd let it stew for a while, wait for the most opportune moment to release it for maximum chaos to show the world what heroes have become… no, he should do it soon, right when the U.A Sports Festival was fresh in everyone's minds. There was a click when he randomly selected a certain timestamp where the blonde boy was bullying a younger one—no, wait. Was that the angel-boy from the tournament?

Curiosity got the better of him and he turned on the audio. It was crisp, clear, and delightfully high-quality. He watched as the blonde burned and threw the smaller boy's notebook out of the window, taunting his victim with a cheerful, nonchalant smile.

'You wanna be a hero so bad? I've got a time saving idea for you.' Bakugo smirked. 'If you think you'll have a Quirk in your next life, why don't you...'

Oh my. Oh, my my my.

The poor angel-boy was left standing there helplessly in his humiliation and shame while his bullies laughed their way down the corridor. Thank goodness for modern technology; the man could even see tears beading up at the corner of the boy's eyes. What was his name again? Midori-something?

Oh well. It didn't matter. All that mattered to the man was how to use this lovely little gift he'd received, one that had the potential to make people start questioning who their heroes really were. The man hummed, reaching over to hold his newly-sharpened blade to the light. It shimmered with his wrath, ready to cut down all the frauds in his way.

[Chapter 15 End]

Thank you for reading!

Let's try to keep the A/N short this time. This really was the best I could do, lol. Main issue I have with this chapter is that the entire conflict feels way too long unless you look at how it's split into four parts— Izuku vs Mei 1, War in Heaven, Kiri vs Zenith, and finally Izuku vs Mei 2.

It's actually less of a fight and more of a drawn-out argument. Mei's entire theme is about control. All of her battles so far have her controlling the battlefield somehow (Funnels, Laserbeak, lightningrod, vernier thrusters, Mindjack).

Was it satisfactory or disappointing? Tell me what you think, concrit welcome.

I like how Izuku's entire character is communicated through one line: 'You can do it'. He inspires and changes the people around him to be better; and they help improve him in turn. Even the name 'Deku' was something Ochaco changed to become a positive symbol.

What else did this chapter include... The lightning spear thing, yeah. In the Deku vs Overhaul fight the final blow does show the OfA lightning doing damage, disintegrating bones. Or perhaps that's for artistic purposes, idk. This arc is finally over, ending in a surprising Tokoyami victory when he takes the number one spot! So what did we learn? That 'sentient' Quirks can learn from each other. Also Kiri can float because all mental projections can by default. Dark Shadow, Aftermath, Brainwash (the hydra) can all be seen floating.

What else... oh yeah. Kinoko is not the innocent little mushroom she appears to be, oh no. Also the knife wielding man is... ?

Finally, we have fanart by the lovely Weeldx on Deviantart! Thank you so much! See it here at weeld1/art/Hatsume-Zenith-850108081

Hope to see you in the next chapter!