Chapter 19

Momo and Awase were put on the same group for the bravery test, as much as Tenya wanted to go with her. She was having trouble keeping him off her ever since he learned she was a spy in the League of Villains. However, he kept his word. No-one else knew. Not a student nor a hero. Another silver lining is that he didn't suspect Denki at all. While his eyes were on her, Denki was free to move. His "nightly walks" were the perfect excuse to meet up with Izuku and report in before he slipped her a note whenever she berated him for taking too long on his return. Despite his astute nature, she still had the perfect cover as the second in command of the class to pull that trick.

When the flames and gas began, Momo was fast to let Awase step ahead of her, creating her bat and smashing the conscious out of him before creating her Villain Costume and slipping away. It wasn't long before she ran into a fellow masked figure passing through the forest. The two stopped, looking over each other. " A lovely choice for a mask. Do you also like the theater?"

" I enjoy plays. As long as their of good quality. There's nothing worse than idiots ruining something classic like Hamlet."

" Ah. I agree. I agree." The masked man nodded sadly. " I am Mister Compress. And you?"

" Momo Yaoyorozu. Code Name Forge."

" Ah. I thought as much. Slipped away in the chaos. I respect that." He nodded. " Are you aware of the plans?"

" That we're kidnapping Neito, Ragdoll and myself. Yes."

" Good. That saves time." Compress said happily. " I'm hunting for Ragdoll."

" She's further up in the forest. The idea was that she was handing out our class tags opposite where Mandalay and Tiger were sending them off. She should be north."

" Ah. So I'm going the wrong way. Such a travesty." Compress shook his head. " Well, I must thank you for your aid. May I request it further?"

" Mine and Blackout's roles are done now the attacks started. We're free to do what ever we want now. So I'm happy to help, Mister Compress."

" My thanks." Compress bowed. " Please. Lead the way." Momo nodded before the two became rushing through the forest. It was a shame. The Pussycats were good heroes. But certain things had to be done. And she would do them without hesitation. That was the descon she had made.

The heroes watched in horror as Pixie Bob was dragged away. Magne brought her magnet down, pressing it down on the heroes head. " I wouldn't make a wrong move unless you want to see this poor kitten's head pop." She warned. Tiger growled. The students looked on in horror.

" Tiger… won't you… help me?"

" Pixie. Don't wor-" Tiger suddenly froze up. Behind Magne, Hitoshi sighed, stepping into view.

" Tiger!" Mandalay exclaimed. She looked sharply back to the league, gasping as she saw Hitoshi. " You. The Mind Control Villain."

" Man. You people. Don't you pay attention?" The students gasped. Hitoshi guessed they must be scared. Four scary villains pinning a pro hero to the ground while the another pro hero just came under their control? They must be worried. Hitoshi chuckled. " Been a while, huh?"

Hitoshi had been put in charge of Team B. The group had split in three. Izuku had control over Team A, who were split and roaming the forest cleaning up the students and looking for their targets. Team B was meant to deal with the other members of the Pussycats and was lead by him. Team C was meant to deal with the group still at the heroes main base with Crucible in charge of that operation.

" W-What's the League doing here?" One of them, he recognized the kid with the tail from the USJ, asked.

" Why indeed." Hitoshi sneered.

" Are you going to be sour to them all the time, Brain?" Ochako asked, teasingly, before stepping forwards.

" Like they deserve less."

" I'll give you that one." Ochako shrugged. Pulling a bow she had been practicing with Compress, Ochako began addressing her crowd. " Greetings, oh noble heroes. My name is Singularity. This is Brainstorm, Magne and Spinner, my comrades in arms. We're here for a simple reason." Ochako let out an ominous laugh before activating her belt, causing various twigs and rocks to rise from the forest floor. " To crush you."

" Tiger. Pin Mandalay." Swiftly, the mind controlled hero did as commanded. The students didn't have time to assist however. Ochako and Spinner rushed in to combat them. Hitoshi hoped for their sake these kids were better trained than they were at USJ. Cause, for the sake of his friend, neither Hitoshi or Ochako were holding anything back.

Denki rocked in his chair. Outside, he already knew what was happening even before Mandalay's message entered his brain. Villains were attacking. Seems Hitoshi and his team had already made their move and were handling the cats quite nicely. After the they'd put him through over the last few days, he welcomed the news. Aizawa had rushed out to try and put a stop to what the League had planned. A loud explosion and the sent of smoke from the entrance signaled that didn't end like he wanted to. Vlad King rose to assist. However, before he could, the window of the make shift classroom exploded as a cascade of ice burst through it. " Sorry there, teach." Shoto said before stepping in through the window. " I'm a bit late to class."

" Crucible of the League of Villains?!" Vlad growled. " Everybody, get away from the windows." Kaminari backed away to the back of the class. As he did, he felt a small round device being pressed into his hand. Discretely, he used his powers, charging the device with electricity. He felt as Toru took it, swapping it for a pair of knives.

" Himiko is nearby. Pretend." Denki smirked. Pretend to be Himiko, she says. So act as crazy and flamboyant as possible. He could do that. Toru vanished from his field of view. He took a few careful steps forwards as the others were distracted by Vlad attacking Crucible, using his blood to counter Shoto's flames. As Vlad got in close, Shoto let Vlad grab him.

" Give up, Villain!" Vlad growled.

" Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you, Vladdy." Denki said. He'd been around Himiko enough by know to get a good handle of her antics. Giggling. Crazed glares. Creepy talking point. Now he just had to apply it. He wasn't an actor, but he guessed he didn't have to do this for long. So he could at least have fun with his role. He raised a knife to Sero's throat, holding his arms behind his back, making sure to shove Sero's shirt into his tape holders to block them.

" K-Kaminari…" Sero said, panicked. " W-What are you doing."

" Shut up for now. You're handsome. Probably better in my colors, but it's up to the count over there if you get to that point."

" You. You're Himiko Toga, aren't you."

" Give the man a prize." Denki did his best crazed grin. " Now, mind putting my buddy there down? I have more hostages than just tape guy."

" Where's the real Denki Kaminari?" Vlad asked. Man, he was actually buying the act? Denki let out a laugh, warping it into a manic giggle like Toga usually used.

" If I recall, he should be out cold somewhere in this forest. Well, that's before my pals dragged him off. Couldn't tell you where he is now. Of course, you might not find him one piece unless you stand down, hero. Or can you live with two kids lives on your conscience."

" Don't… do it Teach." Sero gasped. " Take that… bastard down."

" Sero…" Vlad grit his teeth.

" So what's the call, Vladdy?" Vlad remained silent. " Tick. Tick. Tick." Denki muttered. " Think I'm gonna be patient forever. If you don't chose now, I'll kill this guy. Then I'll move on to big lips. Then Blondie. And I'll go on until you have a room of corpses because you are so goddamn boring to work with."

" Damn you, Toga. I'm going to-" Vlad was cut off by the power shutting down.

" Looks like we've run out of time. Thanks for playing, Vladdy. You were an awesome guest." Shoto activated his quirk, pinning Vlad to the back wall with ice. At the same time, Denki brought the blunt end of his knife down hard on Sero's head, knocking him out. " Deal with the extras."

" On it." Another wave of ice smashed into the UA students, with one sole exception. Denki placed a hand on Monoma's back and gave him a short, high voltage jolt before catching him as he fell. With a short salute to the others still trapped, he left the room and ran into the tree line.

" Nice acting, Den." Himiko said, meeting him. Toru fizzled into existence next to her. " I almost thought you were actually me."

" You're easy to imitate. Just be as bat shit crazy as possible."

" You're too kind." Himiko giggled.

" The Shoto and Dabi clones should be able to hold off Aizawa and Vlad for a bit longer." Toru said. " We should get going." Toru handed Denki a duffel bag. " Ready to join the fun?"

" Dude, I've been ready for a long time. Let's get this party on the road."

Izuku sat watching the flames and gas rise across the horizon from his hiding spot, a small alcove that was close enough he could get involved if need be but enough out of the way no-one would find him. Or at least, he thought that would be the case. Apparently, he was just raiding someone else's hiding spot.

He was just a young boy but he held a sour enough expression he looked more world wizened that most people he knew. Izuku saw him, removed his mask and just sat down without saying a word. It took a few minutes before the kid came out from hiding. " So." Izuku said. " I assume you come here when you want to be alone."

" W-What?"

" I get it. Sometimes this crap hole of a world gets too much and you just need a way to clear your thoughts. Sometimes being alone is the best thing for you." Izuku nodded. " I went through that a lot growing up."

" Weren't you… lonely?"

" All the time. Everything in my life fell apart before I was your age. Everything else was just the fallout. Maybe, if I lived my life a bit differently… Heh. No time for regrets."

" You… aren't with the heroes are you?"

" No. I'm not." Izuku admitted. " I won't hurt you though. And I'll be out of your hair soon enough. You should stay here until it's over. It's the safest place for you."

" You sound sad."

" Huh?"

" Your voice. It's like… I dunno. You're trying to sound like you're not but you are." Izuku closed his eyes.

" I've done a lot of things I might have regretted once upon a time in the last year. But, in this society, what else can I do?"

" Did you lose people too?"

" Huh?"

" My mom and dad… Cause they were heroes, they…" The kid looked like he was about to cry.

" No. Well, maybe. I was hurt by this world in other ways." Izuku brought a hand to his burned shoulder. "Far more personal ways." He sighed. " I'm sorry, kid. No-one should have to lose parents as early as you have."

" It's not your fault." The kid admitted. " I don't think it's really the heroes either. Or the villains. I just think… I dunno."

" The rules of society need changed. The way it does things just doesn't work."

" Yeah."

" Never lose yourself, kid. Fight the good fight." Izuku smiled warmly at the boy. " It's Izuku by the way."

" Kota."

" Nice to meet you Kota." Izuku looked back out on the blue flames lighting up the night as Kota sat down next to him. It was a nice night all things considered. He knew that, soon, he'd receive news of something he'd have to take care of personally. But, right now, a silent moment with a like minded kid was just what he needed to clear his head. And for that, he was grateful

Mina laughed as she fired her acid forwards. Eijiro darted out of the way to avoid getting hit, resulting in another tree to fall in the forest. Mina had watched her old friend and his bastard, bully of a new one pass through the forest on their way to find the source of the quirk. The emergence of an out of control Dark Shadow had split the two up however. A perfect opportunity if she'd ever seen one. She started blocking his path by using her acid to topple trees, leading him out of the gas' effective radius. Then she struck. " Come on Eiji. Dance for me."

" Damn it Mina." Eijiro growled, wincing as some drops of acid splashed on his leg. " Stop this."

" No can do, Eiji." Mina said mockingly. " You chose your path and I chose mine. A few 'Don't do this' aren't gonna change that."

" Damn it." Eijiro burst forwards, punching forwards. Mina flipped out of the way. " You don't remember it do you?"

" Remember what?"

" It was back in Middle school. Our senior year." Eijiro said, dropping down to sweep Mina's legs. Mina tripped up slightly but was quick to regain her balance, kicking back towards Eijiro. " There was a Villain attack. I couldn't do a damn thing about it. But you? You saved people that day. It was a real manly thing you did. It made me want to try even harder. To become a hero." Eijiro blocked Mina's kick, the young villain using him as a spring board to get further away. " Seeing you like this? After what you did? I can't accept it."

" Yeah? And where did that get me?" Eijiro swung forwards. Mina created a barrier from her acid which Eijiro slammed his fist into, recoiling as the acid began eating away at his stone skin. " Saving a bunch of dumb asses did nothing to help me. They thanked me and we kissed my ass for about a week or two, sure. But they still avoided touching me in case they'd get hurt. They didn't trust me enough to control my powers. Just like you never did." Eijiro winced at this. Mina grinned wildly. " So what? You thought a full makeover and a more outgoing attitude would make yourself less weak or something? Your idol is dead and if you thought of me as some kind of icon, you can keep dreaming."

" Mina." Eijiro looked pained before letting out a long breath. He looked back up, more determined than ever. " Fine. If that's what you believe, then I'll stop you. I don't care what it takes. I'll bring you down and I'll bring you back."

" Eh? Bring me back? Man, you're as delusional as you are slow." Mina shook her head, dumbfounded. She began bouncing on her heels, snickering at the thought. She was actually happy that Eijiro had changed. It wasn't that he was a timid coward or anything before. He tried his best. He just was a bit quieter in the past. Now, he was loud and using his quirk to protect others the best he good. Mina smirked. The harder they fall the more satisfying the feel. " Come at me Eiji. I have all the time I need to beat you into the dirt. Don't die on me."

" Mina. Here I come." Eijiro got into a wide, imposing stance, activating his quirk all over his body. Mina smirked. He really was serious this time. Acid formed all across her arms as Eijiro began his assault. This was gonna be fun.

Ochako fired the debris as a barrage as Iida and Ojiro charged forwards. Unfortunately, someone knocked the Mind Control out of Tiger at some point in the fight but not before he choked the consciousness out of Mandalay. He and the remained UA students begun their assault on the Villains to rescue Pixie Bob. With his permission, Magne stepped into the fray, Hitoshi keeping a foot to Pixie Bob's neck to keep the pressure on the heroes, all while using his voice modulator to record the voices of the heroes from their shouts. Ochako knew she just needed to give him space and make her enemies more focused on her that they slip up when Hitoshi uses his quirk.

" I won't forgive you for using me as a weapon!" Tiger roared, slamming his fist into Magne's steel magnet.

" My. Aren't we hasty?" Magne said mockingly. Spinner spun in from behind at the hero.

" Die you fake hero!" He cried. However, his blade was knocked off course by Iida kicked it. The belt at the top of the conglomeration of blades came loose, sending some of the blades flying. Ochako took this opportunity to tap some, removing their gravitational pull and adding them to her orbit.

" Preciate it." Ochako chuckled. She darted around the clash in the middle, charging at one of the students at the side of the fight who seemed to be looking for a good time to strike. She grabbed two knives from her orbit and swung.

" Kuroiro. Look out." She was blocked by Ojiro smashing the ground between the two. As she was distracted, Kuroiro kicked at her. Ochako used the magnetism of her gauntlets to call some of the other knives up, forcing Kuroiro to a halt under risk of getting stabbed.

" You alright?"

" Yeah. Tha-" Kuroiro froze up. Ojiro slapped him immediately with his tail to snap him out of the mind control. " Damn it. Not again." Behind her, Ochako heard Hitoshi laugh. He was having a lot of fun with this. Suddenly, Ochako was lurched back. Where she was just standing, Tiger connected his fist with the ground.

" Be careful, dear." Magne told her as she came to a stop.

" Thanks, Magne. But a bit of warning next time. My quirk makes me sick enough."

" If there's time, I'll do so next time."

" What's the plan then?" Spinner asked.

" Hold out until the signal." Hitoshi told them. " I'll admit. I underestimated Tiger at least. The kids have also definitely gotten better."

" Well, in that case, it's simple." Ochako used her belt to stop her orbit, suspending the objects around her, allowing her to move them into lines. " We play hard to get." With a smirk behind her visor, she fired everything she had at high velocity. These people let Izuku down when he needed them the most. She wasn't going to hold back.

Aizawa was in hot pursuit as Himiko ran through the forest. After swiftly dispatching the Dabi clones and, with the help of a freed Vlad King, smashed the Shoto clone soon after, he begun his pursuit of the apparent infiltrator to the Hero Course while leaving Vlad to assist the others out in the forest. It wasn't long with his superior mobility that Aizawa was able to leap ahead of her Himiko as she broke into a clearing. " Toga. Stop. There's nowhere for you to go."

" Oh no. The big bad Eraserhead has stopped me in my tracks. Whatever will I do?" Himiko said mockingly, faking a swoon. She giggled, grinning wildly. " Have I been a bad girl? Are you gonna tie me up and punish me? Careful. I have a girlfriend."

" I assume Ashido is nearby as well." Aizawa said. His hair and capture weapon begun to flow wildly. Before he threw his weapon to apprehend Himiko however, there was a brief sparking noise before the ground beneath him exploded. Caught out, Aizawa was sent flying across the clearing. Looking back up, he was able to see a new figure in what looked to be red, black and yellow biker gear, bolts of lighting decorating it.

" Y'know, I don't know how anyone can be intimidated by a crappy ass hero with a stupid ass name." Denki asked, his voice masked by a robotic, auto-tuned voice modulator. " Just goes to show you. They'll let any idiot be a hero these days."

" Another one?"

" Nice to meetcha. No shit for me to hack this visit, so I'm on the field. Names Blackout." Denki announced. " And I'm here to fry you." He sent a spark of electricity through the ground. Himiko had been deliberate in her movements to bring the pro here. Aizawa was always a dangerous target. They needed a plan to deal with him. An open area with nothing to swing off of littered with electronically activated mines seemed like a good idea. " Miko. I'll deal with this guy."

" Thanks kindly, Out." Himiko kissed the side of his biker helmet before running on her way to meet up with the Nomu clone currently carrying Neito to Dabi for extraction. Assuming everything else was in order, that's when they'd get the signal. Til then, Denki was happy to have some fun with the man who'd made his life hell for a semester with his crappy stress tests and petty threats to keep him and the rest of the class in line. Seeing Aizawa start moving again, Denki set off some mines around him.

" Careful. If you keep moving, you might lose a leg."

" When did you people have time to set up a minefield?" Aizawa said through gritted teeth. Denki shrugged.

" Maybe that scanner of yours should've been checking the perimeter a bit more. Not that she'll get the chance anymore…"

" What did you say?"

" Oops. Cat's out of the bag." Denki smirked. " Or maybe I should say she's actually IN the bag? Ah ha ha ha."

" You were after Ragdoll? But why kidnap Kaminari and Monoma?"

" A strategist, I am not. But the four we came to pick up are pretty important to the bosses plans. That's all I can say."

" Four?"

" Man, I just need to stop talking, huh?" Denki laughed. " Or maybe, I'm saying this shit cause there ain't anything you can do to stop us."

" We will stop you." Aizawa's hair and capture weapon started to go wild. Denki felt his quirk cut off and internally began counting to twelve as the teacher began his assault. Aizawa barely made it part way before another mine went off. Denki smirked. He didn't have to win. Just buy time. But the more damage he could do, the better.

Dabi and Shoto watched as Compress and Momo returned. " Got her?" Dabi asked. Compress pulled a marble from his pocket.

" One collared cat. As requested." Compress told him. " Thank our traitorous friend for the assist. She has quite the batsman's arm."

" Not too good I hope. We need her alive."

" I'm not that careless, Dabi." Momo told him before taking a seat next to Shoto on a rock jutting out of the clearing. " So. What's everyone else up to?"

" Radio calls from Mustard says he's taken out a good portion of the hero students. He had some trouble with two of 1-B's kids so I had Twice clone me to help him retreat. Haven't heard from him since so it might have failed."

" Dabi thinks pretty fast. Slow poke. Slow poke. " Twice said, nodding.

" Toshi's team is having a bit of trouble with Tiger, though they managed to handle the other two pretty well. Some of the UA brats were there too. Guess we were a bit quick in our attack." Dabi shrugged. " Not that it matters. Toru's team managed to grab their target. Denki's keeping Aizawa busy for his grand debut as Blackout. Toru's with him just in case."

" And the others in the forest?"

" Dunno. That Nomu doesn't have a radio but I imagine it's running wild, last I heard from Mina she found that Kirishima kid and Izuku turned his comms off." Momo looked up at the last one. " He's not gone running off on his own. Don't worry. Kurogiri found him. He's just watching the chaos from a cliffside with some kid."

" Some kid?"

" Ask him, man. I'm not all knowing."

" Seems like everything is going smoothly." Compress said, elated. A slow thudding made the group look up. The Nomu, #207 codename Edge, entered the area, roughly tossing the unconscious body of Neito Monoma onto the forest floor. " And that makes two."

" Brother." Shoto looked up at Dabi's words before nodding. Both of Endeavours rebel children raised an arm into the air. Red and blue combined, sending a multi colored inferno shooting into the air. It was decided that, in order not to confuse the others, Dabi and Shoto's combined attack would be the calling sign for the League to regroup in case them or their clones came into combat separately. There were a number of others if one of both was taken out of commission, but this was the primarily agreed upon one. Mission complete. Time to regroup. Front row seats for a show none of the league wanted to miss.

The plume of flames rocketing in the air sent embers all over the forest, only adding to the overwhelming inferno. For Hitoshi's team, locked in battle with Tiger and the students, it was a welcome sign. " This gotten tiring." Hitoshi muttered. He played with his voice modulator. " Is everyone OK?" He called out in Aizawa's voice, redirecting his voice.

" Aizawa!" Iida called, turning only to freeze.

" Don't let anyone hit you. Push them back." Iida crouched down at Hitoshi's orders. As Tiger tried to grapple Magne, Magne activated her quirk. As Iida got between them, Tiger was repelled across the forest floor. Magne turned to leave, making sure to deactivate her quirk. Ochako kept Ojiro and Kuroiro at bay with a barrage of shrapnel before making her escape into the forest. Hitoshi and Spinner both quickly followed, Magne at their back.

" Think we did enough?" Spinner asked.

" I'd say it's likely" Hitoshi said. " After they deal with Iida and make sure Mandalay and Pixie Bob are still breathing, they'll be on our heels. We should be able to cover enough distance to make it back safely before then." Beside him, Ochako giggled.

" I can't wait for this. It's gonna be great."

" Aren't you guys taking a bit of a risk doing this though?" Spinner asked cautiously. " I mean, I get it. Bosses orders but…"

" He brought us together." Ochako said. " I trust him. And Sensei."

" Brave and bold." Magne chuckled. " It's not the worst idea in the world."

" It just seems too flashy is all. Not sure Stain would approve."

" I don't think Stain approved of a lot of things we do." Hitoshi snarked. Behind them, the faint sound of jets warming up echoed through the forest. " Enough talk. Let's get to the others. Seems Mustard's gas has stopped. We're probably late."

" Run fast and don't look back. My kind of plan." Magne said.

" This is why I like you, Magne. Straight and too the point. Not like the jokers I'm used to working with."

" I take offence to that." Ochako said jokingly. The group were almost there. One last push. They couldn't wait for what was awaiting them just pass the tree line.

Toru watched the flames explode from the horizon, hands in the invisible pocket of her jacket. After her complaints about the initial design, Giran had been nice enough to get the design changed. The cat suit was still there, but it was bulkier, warmer and less embarrassing to be seen wearing visibly now and mask that seemed to be inspired by some old pre-quirk era movie about insect based super heroes. She watched as Denki leapt backwards to a safe distance as Toru pressed a button, setting all of the mines off in a chain reaction, allowing Denki to reach her position in the resulting smoke screen.

" Catch me if you can. Y'know, assuming there's anything left of you." Denki sneered before the two took off into the forest. " So. How'd I do?"

" Your targeting could use some work." Toru admitted. " But your timing was on point."

" Twelve second. Ten seconds. Nine seconds. Seven seconds." Denki recited. " Thanks to the USJ, his timings really did go down from what Tomura counted before."

" That man is trouble. If there's a big brawl between us and them in the future, you can bet his annoying quirk is gonna cause us troubles." Toru sighed.

" Can't you do that too?"

" Yeah. If I touch people and activate Limiter. But then my cover would be blown."

" Yeah. True. Didn't think about that." Denki admitted. Behind them, they heard motion through the trees. " Man, he's a tough bastard."

" Less talking. More running. He needs to be there." Toru smiled. " Seeing such a man's broken face. I brought a camera for the occasion."

" What? Why?"

" He asked me too. Wanted to savour the occasion." Denki just laughed at that.

" Man. He's having too much with this."

Izuku watched the pillar of flames burst from the forest. With a sigh, he rose up. " Welp. I'm heading off. Look after yourself, Kota."

" Are you gonna get in trouble?"

" People call me a bad guy. In that respect, everything I do is trouble." Izuku judged.

" Will I ever see you again?"

" Maybe. Probably not. I might make the news at some point." Izuku smiled as he reactivated his mask, watching as the pieces sprung to life around him. " Don't follow my path, kid. Find a better one. For the both of us." Izuku gave the kid a back handed wave, meeting up with Kurogiri at the end of the path.

" Are you prepared for this, Izuku?"

" No going back now." Izuku replied. " Let's go say hi to the heroes, shall we?" Kurogiri nodded, opening the portal. Izuku pulled at his sleeves. It was finally time.

The Villains met up in the clearing at roughly the same time, dragging along a crowd of heroes and students who were hot on their heels. The Nomu blocked them from passing a certain point, becoming a buzzing barricade of blades between the League and the heroes. Aizawa, Vlad and Tiger stepped between the students who had gathered, Kendo, Tetsutetsu, Iida, Kirishima and Bakugo, to keep them from harm. " Stop!" Vlad shouted.

" We already did that, dumbass." Himiko jeered. " We're just waiting for our ride. Can you, like, wait a little bit. There's a good boy, Vladdy."

" Why you…"

" What's the matter?" Hitoshi asked. " We're done here. Think you running after us is gonna make us suddenly drop everything and fight or something?" Vlad opened his mouth to retort but Tiger and Aizawa quickly stopped him.

" Don't respond to that one."

" Keh. The brainwashing bastard." Vlad grit his teeth.

" Where are the students you took?" Aizawa shouted.

" Who could you be referring too?" Compress asked, taking four marbles from under his hat. " Could it be Neito Monoma? Or is it Denki Kaminari? Or perhaps Momo Yaoyarozu? Hmm. Questions. Questions."

" Neito?!" Tetsutetsu shouted. " What do you bastards want with Neito?!"

" Ah yes. Let us just to tell you our master plan." Mustard snorted, shaking his head. " Are all heroes this stupid?"

" In my experience, yes." Hitoshi nodded.

" Very much so." Mina agreed.

" Stupid, Naieve or both." Shoto said.

" And all of them Fake." Spinner added.

" So then, kids." Dabi asked. " Which one of you is gonna move first? We're right here. What's stopping you?"

" Landmines." Denki laughed. " Definitely landmines. Or maybe just fucking cowardice. I can't really tell."

" They won't dare move." Momo said in an analytical tone. " They have too much to lose. They'll wait until we reveal our hand. Then, I imagine we'll see Eraser's hair fly as they move to the offensive." She eyed Iida, taking note of his annoyed yet nervous expression, as if he was begging her not to do this.

" There are other heroes on the way." Tiger growled. " You won't get far."

" Who says we want to get far?" Magne asked. " This forest is awful anyway. I'd much rather take a shortcut."

" Shortcut?" As if to answer Kendo's query, black mist burst into the area behind the villains. The others started smirking as Izuku slowly stepped out, dressed in his full attire, coat hanging from his shoulders and red eyes of his mask glowing.

" You are much too loud." Izuku said playfully. The Heroes were immediately on edge. " Oh, don't be like that. You all look like you're going to pop a blood vessel. How's about you relax a little. We're not going to hurt you. Heh. Not physically anyway."

" You. Are you Tomura Shigaraki?" Aizawa asked.

" Tomura? Nah, he's back home with a glass of whiskey waiting for the good news." Izuku bowed dramatically. " My name is Usagi, the leagues chief strategist. Though, maybe you know me from somewhere else."

" How would we?" Bakugo asked angrily. " If I'd seen that ugly mask somewhere, I know I'd remember."

" Aw. So vulgar. As per usual." Izuku shook his head. " Come on. You really don't know? Aizawa? Nothing?" The group remained silent. " Man. You guys don't pay attention. Or did I just leave that little of an impression."

" W-Wait a minute." Kirishima said, skin paling. " T-That outfit…"

" Wow. I'm surprised it took the guy with rocks for brains to actually notice." Izuku said, elated. Aizawa's eyes widened.

" It can't be…"

" Oh. But it is." Izuku raised a hand slowly to his mask and pressed the necessary button to deactivated. The heroes looked on in horror as the mask slowly, piece by piece, undid itself, revealing the face of the person in side. Iida gasped.

" A-Akitani?!" He exclaimed. " B-But you-"

" Were in the hero course for all of one semester. You can't be a Villain." Izuku said in mock horror. " I'm honestly surprised you never noticed. Where do you think I went during the USJ? I just popped back in at the end. Ran into Kaminari. How many robots did you store down there? Doesn't UA have better storage rooms? Seriously."

" Akitani. You were the traitor to UA." Aizawa said, dark realization in his tone. Izuku flashed a smirk.

" So, I guess Nedzu thought up that little theory, did he?" Izuku chuckled. " Yup. Since day 1. It would have been longer, but explosions for brains decided I didn't need my lungs. And you just let him keep on going. Not gonna lie. That one hurt." Izuku feigned a look of betrayal. " By the way, I feel I should come clean about something else since I'm exposing all my lies here. See, my name is not Mikumo Akitani. There isn't a Mikumo Akitani actually. Never was. I mean, seeing as who I actually am, using my real name would've set off red flags immediately. I think I'm still on someones data base somewhere. Probably buried. No-one wants to search for Quirkless kids after all." Izuku dramatically posed. " Well, that one cop can stop searching now. Cause here I am. My real name is…" Then he paused. He looked through the crowd. Past Aizawa. Past the other heroes. Past the other students. They landed on the one frozen in fear, confusion, anger and so many other emotions he didn't know how to process at the same time. " Say my name, Bakugo." Everyone turned to look at him.

" No…"

" Come on. It's not hard. Say it."

" It… It can't be…"

" Everyone's waiting."

" I won't believe.

" Say. It."

" It can't be you."

" SAY IT!" Izuku shouted, anger seeping through his playful tone. Bakugo paused.

" Izuku Midoriya." He said quietly.

" Say it again." Izuku asked triumphantly. " Louder. So everyone can hear."

" Izuku. Midoriya." Bakugo spat.

" There we go." Izuku grinned. " There. We. Go. That's right. That's my name."

" Why?" Bakugo asked. Izuku stopped. His eye twitched in annoyance.

" Why? Are you actually asking me that question? You of all people?" Izuku laughed. Then he glared at Bakugo. " No." Izuku spat. " YOU don't get to asked me that question."

" Damn it. Just listen Dek-"

" MY NAME IS NOT DEKU!" Izuku shouted. " That is not my name. I am not called Deku. I have never been called Deku. You have no idea how much I despise the name Deku. And you. You have no right to label me with such a demeaning title!" Bakugo looked down, biting his lip. Izuku exhaled deeply to calm himself down.

" What do you want, Midoriya?" Aizawa asked.

" Me. Respect. A friend who didn't burn me three out of seven days a week. To feel wanted for once." Izuku said, counting with his fingers as he went. " But that WAS what I wanted. What I want now… well, we already took what I wanted. So, there's nothing you could offer me." Izuku slowly backed up. " If you want 'em, there's a warehouse in Kamino. You'll know which one. Around this time in three days, send All Might there. Alone. We'll give you your pet cat back. Maybe the students too." Izuku reactivated his helmet. "If you're lucky." He nodded to the others, who turned and began to leave. Like clockwork, there was a sudden rush forwards as Vlad, Aizawa and Tiger shot into action. " Nomu."

Edge roared. Blades shot from all over its body, creating a barrier of spikes to halt the heroes advances. Then it slowly became darker and darker, shuddering. Izuku gave the group a backhand wave before walking through the portal, other Villains following suit. Mina blew Kirishima a kiss. Compress bowed. Dabi gave them a middle finger as he walked off. Everyone else barely reacted before leaving. After they'd all left, the gate closed. Just in time to avoid any shrapnel from the Nomu exploding into a rain of blades and tools.