Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

So many different paths exist, so many different beings all coexisting, intertwined and connecting. All seeming so insignificant to the big picture of the world and the infinite realms that exist.

For a being that represents and protects all of time it was hard to put any real focus on a singular individual.

Yet there is one being. A boy named Danny Fenton that had captured his attention and for good reason. For this young boy had unknowingly and unwillingly become the center point of both the end and possibly a new beginning of his and all of existence.

Clockwork had watched as this boy was changed, his very being ripped apart and put back together with the full power of the Ghost Zone. He had become something entirely new, the first and only of his kind.

For there may have been others who had been turned half ghost, half human but none had ever taken the full power of the Zone at once and continued to exist.

He was truly one of a kind, overflowing with energy with no real knowledge of what he had become.

He was told to intervene. To put an end to this boy before he could grow in strength and perhaps, he should have ended it then. But he knew he should continue to watch and see how things unfold, so that's what he did.

He watched.

Clockwork saw as this boy explored his new powers and made a choice that would’ve surprised him had he not been an omniscient being.

Instead of abusing his new abilities he used them to protect and save. Not only his own world but the Ghost Zone as well.

He took down the tyrant king and other forces within the Ghost Zone that abused their powers. He was even forced to fight his own corrupted older self in a valiant attempt to defy fate itself and to Clockwork’s delight he succeeded.

These heroic deeds captivated Clockwork. But he also saw how these events came at a steep cost to the young boy’s mental state. He had become isolated from his existence.

For he had the mentality of a human with the powers that could rival the strongest ghosts, and these powers were still growing.

His body even in human form had changed, his ears had become pointier. His teeth grew sharper, and his body was covered in scars. From the electricity and ecto-energy that had both killed him and brought him back to the land of the living.

The boy no longer needed what a human would need to survive. He no longer needed to eat or drink for his body to run. Now his body ran on pure ectoplasm that hummed throughout his body. His once beating heart had been replaced by his ghostly core.

Clockwork knew that these changes weighed heavily on Danny and even though he joked about everything that had happened to him with his friends. He knew that Danny was slowly unraveling.

Danny was having to come to terms with his own death.

It didn't help that the boy had to hide what he had become from his own parents. Afraid of what they would do to him if they ever found out. Even his friends and sister were left in the dark from the full extent of his changes.

It was clear that he was afraid of what he had become. Perhaps that's why he went out of his way to be a hero and to take upon the sole responsibility of protecting his world. As a way to counteract his inner belief and fear that he had become a monster, Clockwork pondered.

Also to help further convince himself that he did in fact belong in his world. In the town he grew up in. With the people who were still able to live a normal life.

But Clockwork knew that in order for the boy to reach his full potential and to not be corrupted by the weight of the infinite realms along the way. He would need people who could better understand him.

Of course, Clockwork saw within the infinite possibilities in which time could flow that there was a way to help the boy. All he had to do was wait for the right time and open the door.

Luckily that time was quickly nearing.

Line Break -

Danny was lost, stuck in a mental dilemma that had been ongoing since he was forced to come face to face with himself, literally. The fight with his evil older version was a brutal battle that changed many things and not for the better.

So here he was staring up at the stars on an empty rooftop of some building. He had nowhere to go. During the fight his biggest secret was revealed to his parents. They now knew that their very own son was a ghost.

Since the accident he had constantly been on high alert. To ensure that his ghost hating parents wouldn’t find out that their own son was now the very thing they sought to destroy. He had been scared of what they would do to him, the phrase ‘tear apart molecule by molecule’ still ringing in his head.

He had vowed to never tell them. Coming to terms that he would rather be left wondering what they would do than actually having to face the bitter reality that they may disown him. Or seek to destroy their own son simply because of what he had unwillingly become. A thought that always left him nauseous despite the lack of food in his stomach. So, he had to admit that it was truly ironic that his secret was revealed by himself or at least a version of himself.

Luckily, they hadn’t instantly directed their guns and shot at him during the battle, of course that could've been due to how chaotic and dangerous that fight had been.

It was only after he had finally managed to take down his evil self that he was truly able to take in his parents' faces. They looked at him with a mixture of so many damned emotions and none were what the most optimistic part of his subconscious had wanted. It was a look of fear, disgust, hate, and grief.

They didn’t say anything to him, and they even let him fly away. Which would’ve been a good sign had it not been for the fact that their guns remained locked on him until he was out of sight.

It hurt and no matter how he tried to spin it or joke about it he couldn’t help but want to cry. To cry for the home, he knew he wouldn’t be welcomed back to. To cry over the lost love of his parents even if their love had always been quite lacking. To cry for his future where he was seemingly destined to become a true monster.

But despite all that no tears fell, and his mind was instead focused on trying to pick out the various constellations from the night sky and trying to come up with a plan on what to do next.

A week had passed since the fight and during that time he had remained in his ghost form and hid in abandoned buildings and on rooftops. He had stopped going to school, he knew that he shouldn’t just give up. But what was the point of going to school if you wouldn’t ever go to college or have a job.

He truly did feel like a ghost. Like he was now invisible to the world which seemed to be doing just fine without him. Of course, half of that was brought on by himself; he had intentionally avoided everyone he knew for as long as possible, especially his sister Jazz.

He had talked to Sam and Tucker after the fight a few times. They even offered to let him stay with them, but he couldn’t.

He didn’t want to see them spending time with their loving parents in a warm and safe home. While he was homeless with parents who were disgusted by him.

He let out an unneeded breath. He knew that he needed to do something besides just sitting around avoiding the inevitable. The inevitable of having to decide whether to stay in this town or to finally leave.

Ever since the terrible accident that he didn’t like to even remember or think about there was always a very small part of his mind that thought about leaving, of just flying off. But he always stopped himself. He couldn't just leave his town to fight the various ghostly threats, and he couldn’t leave his sister and friends… could he? Besides where would he go?

But even with his rationalization. His desire to leave and maybe search for a place with people who would be better able to understand him always lingered.

Now after what happened it was at the forefront of his mind. I mean the more he thought about it the more plausible it actually was in fact it made sense. It was obvious that the only reason the ghost still attacked Amity Park was because he was here.

So, if he left, they would stop, and the town would be safer, and any lingering ghosts could be dealt with by Valerie or even his parents. The only threat that truly concerned him was Vlad.

As for his friends he already knew that although it would hurt to leave them it would be for the better. He had put them in danger so many times and it wasn’t only his grades that took a nosedive due to the continuous ghostly activities.

Without him they would be able to be normal teens. Without the risk of being killed and they could actually live up to their academic potential and go to college and have a normal life. But that thought did slightly hurt him, thinking about his friends who he’d known all his life living happily without him. But if he was fully honest with himself, he was jealous, but he quickly pushed that feeling down.

The last thing that kept him was his sister. He knew that she would also be safer without him around but how could he leave her. She had basically raised him since their parents had been too focused on ghosts. He didn't want to hurt her by just leaving.

After a long time of just staring off into the vast expansion of the night sky he finally came up with a solution. He would wait around until Jazz went off to college next year and then leave. Which would give him time to work out the kinks in his plan and to hopefully build up the courage to finally go. But until then he could just do what he’s been doing. Staying in abandoned buildings and fighting the occasional ghost that came after him.

He sat up with his sluggish body and did his best to put a smile on his face. While mentally telling himself that it would be okay and that he could do this, that it was for Jazz.

When the sun began to finally rise the tired boy finally fully got up.

He was going to find Jazz who he had been avoiding. During his talk with Sam and Tucker, they had told him that she was very worried about him. But had decided to give him some space which he was grateful for.

He had mainly stayed away because he needed time to think and because in order to talk to his sister, he would have to risk the possibility of coming face to face with his parents again. And he really didn’t want to see how they would react to him after having time to process their initial shock. But he would do it for Jazz so that she could worry less.

He could also ask Jazz what their parents had been doing since they found out. Because despite everything he still held out the smallest bit of hope that they would look past him being half ghost and instead focus on him being their son.

After invisibly flying around trying to find Jazz he let out a sigh. He didn’t spot her anywhere around the town. He let out another unneeded sigh because the only other place she would be was the last place he wanted to go. His home or at least his former home.

He thought about just waiting for his sister to come out, but he didn’t feel like waiting anymore. So, he turned himself intangible while continuing his invisibility and flew into the building that used to be his home.

He first flew into the kitchen and after a few minutes of listening while using his enhanced hearing he felt the tension in his shoulders lessen some. As it seemed that his parents weren’t home or at least in any of the rooms around him.

But he still knew that he needed to be quick and find Jazz before they got back, and he hoped that there wasn’t some new ghost detector that would announce his presence. So, he flew up through the floor and into the second floor. He could hear his sister in her room, it seemed like she was talking to someone.

He stopped to listen and after a second realized that she was on the phone.

“So, you haven’t talked to him?... I know… I just wish I could see him… and make sure he’s okay… I know he wouldn’t be, but I just wish I could do something…” he listened to her talk while pausing to listen to the other person. Who he guessed was Sam based on the female voice he could vaguely hear. He also guessed that they were talking about him, and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him at making his sister worry so much and for avoiding her for so long.

Eventually the phone call ended, and he finally decided to make his presence known.

After phasing through the door, he was shocked by his sister's appearance and felt the guilt continue to grow. She had eye bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and she looked worn out.

He’d never seen Jazz like this. She usually made a point to always look presentable but because of him that was no longer the case.

He felt awful that he caused his sister to worry so much. But his resolve to stay in Amity Park for her grew. Even if it did cause a lump to form in his throat at the thought of having to continue to stay in a place where he was both hunted and hated. But he would do it for her.

Jazz was sitting on her bed looking down at her phone that was turned off. It was clear that a rampage of thoughts was running through her head, but she was snapped out of her stupor when a voice that she instantly recognized said “Boo”.

Danny wanted to appear cheery to hopefully ease his sister's worry and his own at having to explain why he had disappeared for a week. And joking was one of his coping mechanisms he had learned. So, he thought the lighthearted joke would be good and he even managed to force a smile on his face as he became visible and stopped floating to land in front of his sister.

He didn’t know what he had expected but before he could say anything else Jazz stood up and hugged him. He was frozen for a second but quickly wrapped his arms around his sister. The dam of emotions he had been bottling up finally overflowed and he could feel tears overflow from his tired eyes.

“Oh, Danny I was so worried…” she mumbled and from her voice he could tell that she too was crying.

After a few moments he pulled away slightly and looked down so that his white hair would cover his now red, puffy eyes. Even though he liked the hug and probably needed it more then he would ever admit to himself he didn’t want to unravel too much. He needed to talk to her before their parents got back.

So, he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand and looked back up at his sister who still had a few tears going down her face. “It’s been a while huh… well it’s good to know that I’ve been missed,” he said in a poor attempt to be funny and ease the tension.

“Of course I missed you, you idiot… you just disappeared after the fight.” She said obviously not amused by his lame teasing, “If it weren’t for Sam and Tucker I wouldn’t even know if you were safe or hurt… I just wish you would have contacted me,” Her voice became slightly more wobbly at the end.

He could feel the guilt grow even more as he began to explain while finally losing the joking tone “I’m sorry, after the fight… After they found out I just needed time to think. I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I didn’t want to risk seeing them,” he couldn’t help but make his voice quieter at the end. He felt ashamed at admitting to not wanting to see their parents in front of his sister even if he had a valid reason.

She listened intently and let out a sigh to calm herself “I understand… I’m just happy to see you.”

He felt a genuine smile form on his face “I missed you too” but the smile quickly faded and was replaced by a more serious expression as he asked “What’s happened since they found out? They haven’t come after me so maybe they’ve accepted their putrid protoplasm of a son." He couldn’t help himself but joke a bit more as it helped him express his question and the little bit of hope he still had.

But he could quickly tell that his hope was misplaced as he watched his sister’s face become crestfallen as she looked at him and said in a quiet sad tone “No, they’ve basically locked themselves down in the lab. I’ve gone down a few times to try and talk to them, but they don’t listen and from what I could tell it seemed like they were making more ghost weapons,”

Deep down he knew that would be the case, but it still hurt to know that he had truly lost his parents' love, and it worried him that they might be preparing to come after him. He didn’t want to fight his parents.

“Danny, what's your plan?” Jazz asked.

Danny considered leaving out his plan of eventually leaving but after taking in his sister's genuine concern he decided to be honest and with how mentally drained he was he just didn’t have the energy to go around the truth.

“Honestly after everything I considered just leaving Amity…” He could see how Jazz’s face became more distressed even though she tried to hide it. He looked back down to the floor to avoid her gaze and quickly continued “But I’ve decided to stay in Amity… at least for now.”

The room was silent. Jazz was thinking over what her brother said and although the idea of her baby brother leaving and not being able to see him hurt, it did make sense. In fact, during the last week when she had been waiting for her brother to contact her, she even briefly considered that he already left.

She wanted to tell him that she was glad that he chose to stay but those words got caught in her throat. She just couldn’t say it because she knew her brother. That the only reason he was choosing to stay was for her own sake. She had watched him sacrifice his own happiness for others countless times in the past and she knew that that’s what he was currently doing and at the cost of his own future and she wouldn’t allow it, not again. Because even though she didn’t want to risk losing her brother it would be better than watching him slowly wither away while being stuck in this town that didn’t appreciate him.

So, she straightened up with a renewed vigor and said in a steadfast tone that caused Danny to look up in surprise, “Danny you can’t stay here.”

Danny didn’t understand why Jazz was saying that. He had figured that she would be happy that he was staying. His mind was now working overtime to try and figure out why she wanted him to leave and before he could stop himself, he began rambling. “What do you mean I can't stay?... Oh, If you're worried about them coming after me… or where I'll stay, I already have a plan…”

But before he could continue trying to reassure her that it was fine, she put a hand up to stop him. And with the same hand began pointing to the mirror that was on her dresser. “Danny, look at yourself, really look at yourself…” he did as he was told and looked at himself in the mirror that he just now noticed “You look terrible…”

‘Harsh’ he thought as he listened, but he had to admit that Jazz wasn’t wrong. He did look worn out. He was still in his ghost form. Since the fight with himself he hadn’t had a need or opportunity to turn back into his human self which meant that his hazmat suit was still torn up with burn marks. Because for some reason the suit only repaired itself after detransforming and then retransforming back, like a weird reset.

But it wasn’t his damaged suit that caught him off guard, it was his face or more specifically his eyes. They looked so lifeless as if he were truly a corpse, which was beyond disturbing. He even had eye bags which was a shock since his ghost form was extremely resilient and never really showed any physical changes in response to lack of sleep in fact, he no longer really needed much sleep to even survive.

But the more he thought about the last week and even before the big fight he recalled that he hadn’t really been able to get even a full hour’s worth of sleep. At least it made sense why he felt so crappy right now he thought and also briefly wondered just how terrible his human form looked if even his ghost form was being impacted.

After fully taking in his tired, worn-out self he looked away from his reflection. The sight of himself made him uncomfortable for reasons he didn’t really want to think about right now.

Instead, he turned back to Jazz who was still talking “Danny your eyes look so drained… you look so drained, and I know you are. You’ve been having to fight not just ghosts but this town’s sentiment towards you and now if you stay, you’ll be having to fight our parents. Except this time, you won't even have a place to go back to for rest. If you stay here, you’ll have to continue fighting alone and I know you’ll say you’re fine. But we both know you're not and you won't be unless you leave.”

Danny was fumbling with how to respond, it felt like he had been cornered so he did what he did best. He denied and tried to joke with a fake smile he forced himself to make, “Jazz, I’m fine and I can’t just leave. What about you? I mean I know I can be a bit annoying, but you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Of course, his poorly placed humor didn’t work or make the conversation change like he had hoped. In fact, Jazz only seemed to become more intense. As she clenched her fists and her gaze intensified as she said a bit too loudly, especially for his enhanced hearing. “Danny! Of course I’m going to miss you! I would never want to get rid of you!”

A few tears spilled from her angry eyes, but she quickly whipped them away and continued in a quieter voice “In fact I want to come with you… but I know that I would just hold you back…” Danny wanted to say something in response to his sister's self-criticism but before he could Jazz shook her head slightly to stop him and continued. “Danny ever since you got your powers… no, even before then. I’ve known you were meant for more and this is your opportunity to find what that is. You can’t waste it because of me or anyone else.”

Her sincere words struck a chord within him and so many different emotions that he had been keeping down exploded. He had wanted to hear her say that, to give him permission to leave but for some reason it made him angry. He initially thought that his anger was from being cast aside but he knew that was just him being childish. In actuality he was angry at himself for not being good enough and so before he could stop himself, he yelled “How can you say that!? How could I be meant for anything great!? I’ve put you and everybody else in so much danger! You could have died because of me… I’m no hero…”

At some point during his outburst, he had lowered his head and closed his eyes in order to try and prevent more tears from falling. At some point his body had begun to shake from all the emotions he was feeling. At some point his yells became quiet sobs until he mumbled “I’m a monster.” While staring down at his own white gloved hands.

He felt so drained after finally admitting to his own inner beliefs and he could feel his knees begin to grow weak but before they could finally buckle, he felt two arms wrap around him in a firm hug. It was like he was a little kid again, unable to stop crying. He hated it, he hated crying or being so vulnerable, but he was also so tired from keeping up an act that he let himself melt into his sister's hug again.

“Danny, you are not a monster. You are a hero. You’ve saved me, this town and even the world countless times,” After listening to his sister's words Danny finally got a hold of himself and the two pulled apart so that Jazz could look at him in his eyes “Now it’s time for you to save yourself.”

Danny knew that there was no arguing with his sister, and he no longer wanted to. In fact, he was going to listen to her, he was going to leave this town to find his own place in the world.

But before he could tell her anything the door suddenly burst open, and his parents stood there pointing large ecto-guns at him.

“Get away from our daughter, ghost!!!” his dad yelled.

He mentally cursed himself for not paying enough attention to whether or not his parents were back. He also took note of the fact that his parents no longer even addressed him as Danny or their son, which stung.

But what hurt him even more was that their fingers were resting on the triggers of their guns. He realized that they were fully ready and willing to shoot him and that's exactly what they did. His dad pulled the trigger, and a powerful green blast shot at him. He had to act quickly. It would have been easy to just dodge but the problem was that Jazz was also in the line of fire. He knew that almost all the weapons his parents made were only able to harm ghosts and not humans, but he wouldn’t take the chance of his sister getting hurt because of him. Meaning he had to get her out of the way.

In less than a second he was able to push Jazz out of the way but with his reaction time being slowed from lack of sleep he was only able to move enough to ensure the beam didn’t hit his chest. Instead, it hit his shoulder, and it burned. He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from screaming.

It had been a while since he had felt so much siring pain but there was no time for him to dwell on it. He needed to get out of here and so with a renewed sense of focus he flew to and used his intangibility to go through the window that was in the room.

He was flying away from the building and window but not fast enough. The pain was starting to override his already frazzled mind. So, when he heard glass break, he turned just in time to luckily dodge another green blast. His parents were now staring at him with murderous gazes through the now broken window.

He needed to do something. If he kept flying, he would just be a straight shot. His mind was quickly running through different plans and options.

He could maybe turn intangible, but he knew from experience that his parents could make weapons that still blasted ghosts who were intangible and based on their bloodthirsty, hate filled eyes he bet that those weapons would do the same.

He could put up an ecto-shield but with his energy drained and his lack of focus from the pain and shock it would be hard to keep it up if the blast was too powerful and he knew from his burning shoulder that it would be.

He was holding onto his damaged shoulder and briefly wondered what they did to make it slow down his healing factor but quickly went back to thinking up and discarding a few more plans. After a few seconds he was left with one. He would have to disarm his parents and quickly before the pain grew too much or they decided to just start shooting repeatedly.

But before he could try and destroy the guns without seriously hurting his parents. Although he didn’t even want to think of them as his parents anymore. The two were pushed out of the way of the shattered window and he could hear the guns fall to the floor. In their place now stood Jazz who yelled “Danny now’s your chance, go!”

He only paused for a second but quickly did as he was told and turned around and flew; he even turned himself invisible just in case his ex-parents got back up. The last thing he heard though before getting out of range was his sister yelling. “Danny, I'll always be here for you! Go be happy!” and despite the pain from his shoulder and from knowing his parents wanted him fully dead he smiled to himself.

After flying for a minute or so he flew into an abandoned building in order to get his bearings.

He collapsed against a wall; he was still clutching at his shoulder that was luckily starting to heal but it was still burning. After examining it, he had to admit that it looked just as awful as it felt even by his messed-up standards. The suit was completely burned away from the spot and his skin was charred and oozing his green ecto-blood. It looked like he got in an accident with nuclear waste.

But he knew he couldn’t sit around for too long admiring his wound. He knew how determined his parents were and that they would be coming after him.

The only question he had to answer now was where he would go. Maybe to Frostbite’s in the Ghost Zone but that would mean having to go through the ghost portal which would be too much work right now.

After a bit more thought he decided that he would first go say goodbye to Sam and Tucker since he didn’t want to leave without a word. Plus, it would give him a chance to take one of Tucker’s devices so that they could stay connected.

He also hoped they would have some supplies to patch him up quickly since it appeared that his shoulder would take longer than usual to heal. Then he would just pick a direction and fly for as long as he could and since he could understand and speak any language due to being half ghost he could even go to another country.

That thought got him excited and he was starting to get a bit giddy as he thought about seeing new places and at the prospect of hopefully getting some much-needed sleep. But that would have to wait for now as he looked at his shoulder one last time before getting up.

He was just about to fly through a window towards his friend's houses but of course nothing could ever be that easy, not with his terrible luck, he thought. As a green portal suddenly opened up right in front of him.

No matter how hard he tried to pull away he couldn’t do anything as he was forcefully sucked into the portal and before he knew what was happening, he was falling over what appeared to be a huge city.

Chapter Text

He was just about to fly through a window towards his friend's houses but of course nothing could ever be that easy, not with his terrible luck, he thought. As a green portal suddenly opened up right in front of him.

No matter how hard he tried to pull away he couldn’t do anything as he was forcefully sucked into the portal. And before he knew what was happening, he was falling over what appeared to be a huge city.

He could feel the wind rushing past him as he quickly fell to the city below. His eyes were wide open with confusion as he tried to take in what was happening.

One of the first things he realized after finally stopping his free fall by flying was that the portal he had just fallen out of was gone. The next thing he realized to his disbelief, was that he was most definitely not in Amity Park anymore. As he looked over the vast sea of lights that shined brightly in contrast to the dark night sky.

That was another thing that he took note of since just moments ago, before he was sent through a portal it was daytime.

But the night sky did give him a clue as to where he was or at least where he wasn’t. As it meant that he wasn’t in the Ghost Zone. Which he had initially thought since in his experience most portals led to the interdimensional green plane of existence but apparently not this time. Meaning that he was truly lost.

He was filled with confusion and anxiety as he continued to quickly scan the unfamiliar landscape below him. His mind was overloaded with the various thoughts and questions that were running through his fuzzy mind. I mean he was planning to leave Amity Park but not like this, he anxiously thought.

As he floated, he could feel a new wave of panic begin to set in as he took in lungfuls of air that he didn’t need. He was hyperventilating as he clutched at his chest with his hand. His other arm, with his still damaged stinging shoulder, dangled to the side.

He needed to calm down, he told himself over and over again. He couldn’t waste time freaking out. With that thought he tilted his head back and opened his eyes that had previously been closed tight to stare at the night sky.

It gave his mind something else to focus on. Something that he was familiar with. Something that he loved and even though he couldn’t really see any stars due to the light pollution that the unknown city below caused. The quiet endless void filled him with a sense of much needed peace and calmness.

Although the ball of nerves that sat in the pit of his stomach never dissipated. He was able to regain a form of clarity and focus. Although his mind was still fuzzy from lack of sleep, something he really really wanted at this point.

But he knew that sleep wouldn’t come anytime soon. At least not until he got some answers as to where he had been dumped out and maybe who opened the portal and why. But he figured that his first question was the most important.

So, he finally directed his eyes down at the buildings he was directly floating over. There seemed to be run down factories and warehouses. There also didn’t seem to be any people around which made him feel slightly at ease. But it quickly vanished as his ears picked up what sounded like voices coming from one of the big rundown warehouses.

He turned himself invisible and intangible and after a few moments of debate he decided to investigate. He hoped that whatever or whoever he found would have answers as to what happened to him.

What he found though after going through the walls into the big main room of the warehouse building was a bunch of people. All of them looked like the tough gangster type which didn’t surprise Danny. As who else would spend their nights in a run-down building.

What did surprise him though was a few of the people’s appearances. Almost all of them had colorful hair and a few had weird or mutated features. Honestly if it weren’t for his ghost sense not going off he would’ve thought they were ghosts.

From his place in the air above the crowd of rowdy people. He was quickly able to spot the man who seemed to be the boss as he stood in the forefront of the room.

The man in question looked to be made of orange rocks. He was also abnormally big and looked like he could pack a serious punch. There was also another man who was standing beside the walking boulder who had long green hair and appeared to have weird shiny spikes sticking out of his back like a porcupine.

At this point Danny was seriously beginning to question whether or not his ghost sense was broken. I mean he had never pushed his body and powers to such limits, having fought multiple battles without any real rest over the past weeks. He tried to reason as it was the simplest explanation to what he was seeing. But he doubted that was the case.

The other possibility was that he had somehow found himself a bunch of failed lab experiments. Which made him cringe as he thought of the Guys in White. Who he knew from his own personal experience would definitely do human and ghost experimentation.

Perhaps they were the ones who brought him here with that portal and that this was all some type of trap. He thought as he felt his body tense.

But if that were the case, he was sure that his presence would’ve already been detected by an ectoplasm radar. That the GiW had developed as a countermeasure to his invisibility.

Also, despite the people's strange appearances they really didn’t seem like much of a threat to him. Even in his weakened state he still felt like he could easily take them. In fact, they seemed to be very disorganized and chaotic which was very unlike the government organization.

Perhaps the GiW had nothing to do with this situation or the people below.

Because even with how foolish and arrogant the government organization was. They still had long since stopped underestimating him, he reasoned while clenching his fist.

So, unless there was something he and his enhanced senses were missing he was pretty sure that the GiW were not involved. Which made him feel slightly at ease, that he wasn’t dealing with the guys who had previously turned him into a lab rat.

But he was still going to air on the side of caution as he continued to observe from up above the crowd. He even made sure he was in the perfect range of who he had now dubbed Rock Man and Porcupine. Who he had evaluated to be the two main threats so that he could fire an ectoblast if he needed.

But for now, he just listened and watched as Rock Man put both of his arms up in a welcoming and triumphant manner and finally began to speak in a booming voice which finally made the noisy crowd of gangster's quiet down.

But he was quickly caught off guard when he couldn’t quite understand what the man was saying. It took his brain a second to realize that what he was listening to wasn’t English. In fact, it kind of sounded like Japanese or at least an Asian language.

After a few moments of focusing the words began to make sense. Until he was finally able to fully understand the living rock. He let out a silent sigh as he mentally thanked whatever deity was out there that one of his ghostly abilities was being able to understand and even speak any language with enough focus.

It was an ability that had come in handy many times in the past as it allowed him to communicate with ghosts who spoke all sorts of languages. His encounter with the prison escapee Wulf briefly coming to mind.

It also meant that he wouldn’t be stuck trying to understand the already confusing situation before him by only watching the people's facial expressions and gestures. Because he was way too tired for a game of charades.

Although he was wondering why these people were speaking what he believed was Japanese.

He was still in America… right?

He nervously questioned but figured that the quickest way to find out more was to focus back on Rock Man in all of his stony glory.

“I am glad to see so many fellow visionaries here tonight. For far too long we have been pushed down and ridiculed for trying to take our rightful places at the top of the food chain!” Danny crossed his arms as he watched the man close and hold up his rock fist while sneering. He was starting to get the idea that these people were a bunch of power-hungry lunatics. Which at this point in his not so long career of dealing with crazies he had sadly become very familiar with.

“Tonight, with the help of our new sponsors we will begin the first step towards demolishing the laws and restraints that keep us down!” The crowd began to cheer and devolve into chaotic chatter.

Which seemed to anger Rock Man as he was no longer the center of attention. Danny flew a bit closer to watch while remaining invisible and intangible. He saw Rock Man take a step towards the noisy crowd of fellow thugs while baring his teeth. But before he could go any further in what Danny assumed would be a violent way of getting the people to focus back on him. Porcupine who had been standing beside Rock Man held out his arm to stop him.

This seemed to only anger the living rock more as he glared down at the spiky man. Based on the tension and very visible anger that Rock Man was showing. Danny thought he was about to watch the two begin fighting. But to his surprise when Porcupine held up a small device that kind of looked like a walkie talkie or radio Rock Man backed down.

“This is no time to let your anger get the best of you, not when he’s listening.” Porcupine said in a sneering tone. Danny frowned as he stared at the two men and the device. Who was Porcupine referring to? Perhaps they were the one who brought him here, Danny wondered. But he couldn’t help but feel even more drained as his list of questions continued to grow.

Rock Man glared down at the man with shiny spikes on his back. It was clear that he was barely holding back his anger and the noise from the crowd of thugs wasn’t helping. Danny watched as he grits his teeth together. It looked like the man was about to erupt and he wasn’t wrong as he watched Rock Man take a few steps to the side and slam his sill clenched fist into the big cement pillar.

The impact caused cracks to form in the cement and the building shook. The sound of the impact and the vibrations that shot through the building finally made the noisy crowd quiet down and stare at Rock Man. Even Porcupine flinched back. Danny couldn’t help but cringe as he stared at the damaged support beam and at the specs of dust that slowly fell down from the ceiling that had finally stopped shaking.

He just hoped that the building wouldn’t collapse because he really didn’t want to become responsible for saving everyone. He thought as he gently held his shoulder that was still in aching pain. He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his eyes shut in frustration. Damn his parents, they just had to make a weapon that slowed his usually quick healing. He just hoped that if he did have to save these idiots that he would have enough strength and energy to do it without fully screwing himself over.

With that he opened his eyes and stared back down at Rock Man who didn’t seem bothered by the prospect of bringing the whole building down on himself. In fact, he was disturbingly smiling as he stared at the crowd of people. Who did seem to understand the danger of having a whole building fall on them as they were now all fully focused on Rock Man.

“Now that I have your attention! Let me get to the point. We all share one thing in common. All of us were taken down by All Might!” Rock Man shouted.

Danny watched as the crowd seemed to all react to that name… All Might. Whose All Might he wondered. Whoever they were he couldn’t help but pity them because based on the people’s negative reactions they were even more disliked than he was back in Amity Park. Of course, after thinking about, it, the fact that they were hated by what he assumed were criminals probably meant that All Might was a good guy, or at least he hoped. But after a moment of pondering about who All Might could be. He focused back on the people below.

“You are here tonight because you share in the desire to put an end to the supposed Symbol of Peace…” Symbol of Peace? Danny questioned “and the other so-called heroes. Well, we have been given the opportunity to make that desire a reality!” Rock Man suddenly turned slightly and gestured behind him to a bunch of crates that were littering the back wall.

Danny was beginning to get dizzy with the amount of different questions he had and at the situation before him. He could feel his frown grow as he looked at the crates that he had figured were just left from when this warehouse was active. But now he was concerned by what could be within the mysterious boxes.

But as he stared down at Rock Man, Porcupine and the other people his enhanced hearing suddenly picked up something. It sounded like whispers and light footsteps outside the main door to the room which was behind the crowd of people who were focused on Rock Man. He was about to go investigate the noise but to his surprise before he could start flying over the double door burst open.

Danny’s eyes widened as he watched the room get swarmed by what appeared to be a homeless guy, a dominatrix, ten or so police officers, and weird purple smoke.

Line Break -

Aizawa was having a rough couple of days. The investigation he was currently helping with was tiring to say the least. Over the last couple of weeks, the underground world had been unusually active. To the extent that the police department or more specifically Detective Tsukauchi had asked for his assistance.

The Detective and himself had intercepted communication between wanted black market dealers, criminals and individuals who often found themselves on the wrong side of the law. That tonight there would be a gathering within an abandoned warehouse within a restricted rundown area in Musutafu.

He had worked alongside the police department to narrow down the individuals involved and the exact location of the meet up.

Which is where he found himself now. Outside one of the entrances to a big rundown building that didn’t look too stable. He would’ve been more happy at the prospect of hopefully being able to get a full night's sleep after this mission. If it wasn’t for the feeling that something bigger was happening within the building, then he had initially thought.

From what he had gathered and from the information Detective Tsukauchi had given him, the people within were supposed to be low level criminals. But from what he had been able to hear, that information wasn’t completely accurate.

The earpiece he was wearing buzzed, signaling that someone was trying to contact him. He reached up and hit the button and the Detective’s voice came through.

“Eraser Head do you copy?” He waited a moment to respond as he stepped away from the building slightly and into the shadows. He couldn’t risk being overheard and discovered, “I’m here.” he said in a slightly annoyed and quiet whisper.

“Good, we're relocating to your location…” He frowned as he continued to listen, “There’s been a change of plans. Our forces will be entering alongside you and Midnight from your location. I’ve already informed Midnight; she’s heading to your position.”

The initial plan had been for him and his co-worker and fellow pro hero Midnight to enter the building from two different entrances in order to apprehend and take down the main targets. While the police intercepted anyone who tried to run from the building. But if the plan changed then the Detective must be having similar concerns, Aizawa thought. As he stared down the building as if it would give him answers if he intimidated it enough.

But he quickly ended his staring contest when he heard light footsteps. He readied himself just in case as he turned in the direction of the sound. After a moment he was greeted by the sight of pro hero Midnight. Who quickly noticed his presence and quietly walked to where he was located.

He could tell from her expression that she was also concerned and after a moment of quiet tension between the two. Midnight broke the silence “I don’t like this,” He nodded while turning to face the building once again “From where I was positioned, I could see through a window and there are way more targets than we previously expected.”

He had figured as much based on how many different voices he could hear. “Are you sure we should go through with this… we could wait for backup.” Aizawa could feel his colleagues gaze on him as she whispered her concerns, concerns that he shared.

Since he had been assigned this mission, he had been against how few heroes and police were assigned to assist with the take down. He had insisted on having more manpower. But due to how active criminals had been lately both pro heroes and the police had been stretched thin.

So instead of agreeing he lightly shook his head as he said in a steady, quiet voice “I already considered that but there's no one within the area who could assist,” he felt his jaw tighten as he furrowed his eyebrows more “and we can’t hold off on capturing the targets. We need information… and I have a feeling this meetup may have something to do with the rise in criminal activity lately.”

In the corner of his eye, he saw his coworker tense and silently nod in understanding. The two proceeded to wait in silence for Detective Tsukauchi and the other police officers to arrive. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long as the officers and detective who were dressed in kevlar silently arrived.

Detective Tsukauchi walked up to the two pro heroes, and Aizawa gave his longtime friend and colleague a nod in greeting. One that the detective reciprocated with a friendly small. But that smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a more serious expression.

“We need to act fast. I have two officers posted on the rooftop of that building,” Tsukauchi said while pointing to the worn-down warehouse adjacent from the main building, “They have a visual of the inside through the upper windows. Based on that information we’ve been able to identify most of the main targets…” He paused for a second while letting out a sigh that gave away just how stressed the overworked officer was. “But there’s two individuals we didn’t account for.”

Detective Tsukauchi pulled out a phone that showed a mugshot of a man made completely of orange rock. “The first person is him,” Aizawa frowned as he examined the picture. “He's named Ishikawa Ryousuke, but he goes by LandSlide. He’s currently on the run from the authorities for assault and battery and attempted murder of a pro hero.”

Midnight crossed her arms as the information made her uncomfortable. Aizawa shared a similar discomfort, even if he didn’t let it show.

But even with the tense situation Midnight quickly asked in a steady and professional tone “Do we know what his quirk is?”

Tsukauchi nodded “Yes, his quirk is called Rock Exoskeleton. Basically, he’s fully encased in a hard layer of rock as you can see. ” The two heroes nodded at the information. Both silently thinking up strategies as they continued to listen.

The detective swiped on the screen and a different image appeared of a man who had long green slimy hair covering most of his face and protruding from his back appeared to be spikes. “This is the other unexpected threat. His name is Barasawa Katarao and doesn’t seem to have an alias. From the information we’ve gathered he seems to be a bodyguard within the black-market. His quirk is called, Protruding Quills,” He put his phone away as he continued explaining “it gives him quills on his back that he’s able to shoot.”

“So, it gives him both a good defense and offense.” Midnight said, “These two could pose a serious threat if we're not careful.”

“That’s why we need a good plan.” Aizawa said in an even tone that masked his own concern. He knew his strengths and dealing with multiple dangerous combatants in a closed space was never a good situation to be in, especially when said closed space was a rundown warehouse on the brink of collapse, he thought to himself.

“Agreed,” Tsukauchi said while making eye contact with the Eraser hero “That's why we’ve regrouped. I believe the safest way to go about this is by using our collective force to take down as many targets as quickly as possible.”

He then turned to Midnight “As we enter Midnight, you’ll release your quirk in order to incapacitate as many targets as possible,”

Midnight quickly put her hand up to stop the detective while saying “That’s a good plan but if I release my sleep-inducing smoke in an enclosed space. It will not only affect the targets but also our own forces.”

Detective Tsukauchi gave a smile as he looked over to one of the other officers “Don’t worry we’ve thought about that,” The two heroes looked over at the officer as the detective quietly called him over “Tamagawa”

The cat-like officer turned and walked over to the three while carrying a duffle bag.

Once the bag was dropped off Officer Tamagawa resumed his position as a look out and the two heroes focused on the mysterious bag.

Detective Tsukauchi bent down and unzipped the bag and pulled out an oxygen mask that was designed to cover the lower half of the face while filtering out toxins from the air. “We’ll be wearing these as we enter, they're not the sturdiest or the most long lasting but they should do the trick.”

Midnight hummed in agreement. Aizawa momentarily thought about how the smoke could make it difficult to erase the main threats' quirks. But decided not to say anything as he trusted his colleague's ability to control her quirk.

“Alright now that that’s settled, after we enter you two will go ahead of us in order to take down the remaining forces, we’ll act as your reinforcements and backup. While also putting all the knocked-out targets in reinforcements and handcuffs to ensure they won't be able to get back up.”

Aizawa quickly spoke up “That means that the other exits will be open. Many of the targets will still have the opportunity to escape.”

“It does,” Tsukauchi sighed “But after reassessing the situation we don’t have enough manpower to ensure we capture everyone. Instead, I think you would agree that it’s best to put our focus on arresting the main threats and targets.”

Aizawa agreed with the man's argument, especially since the most important part of this mission is to gain information.

The detective went over the rest of the plan, which seemed simple. But all parties knew from experience that even if everything went smoothly this mission wouldn’t be a walk in the park. As they were nearing the end of their debriefing a loud rumble emanated from the warehouse.

Aizawa stared at the building and watched as it shook for a moment.

‘Not good’ he thought while grimacing but quickly turned to the detective who put his hand up to his ear to turn on his earpiece.

It was clear by the man’s expression that whatever information he was being told wasn’t good. But the two heroes waited patiently and after a moment the detective looked back up from where his gaze had been previously transfixed. “I just got word that that shaking was from the target known as LandSlide punching a support beam.”

Midnight looked slightly shocked and concerned “And why would anyone do that?!” She then looked over to the warehouse “Does he want the building to come down”

“I suppose if you're encased in rock that wouldn’t be much of a concern,” Aizawa quickly said while glaring at the building once again, “Either way we need to get moving,” he finished while turning back to Tsukauchi who nodded.

The two heroes and police put on their masks and quickly got in position while moving towards the door. Within moments the door was flung open as Midnight activated her quirk and a plume of purple smoke knocked out the closest criminals.

Aizawa was quick to take down as many targets as possible with his capture scarf and hand to hand combat. But before he could get too far a gruff and angry roar came from past the crowd of people. He had a guess as to who made that noise, and he quickly realized he was right as he watched the man made of rock begin to barrel towards him. But before LandSlide could cross the space in order to attack, Aizawa activated his quick erasure.

Line Break -

Danny watched from up in the air as the masked newcomers stormed the building. Everything happened so fast that the majority of the gangsters closest to the double door didn’t even have time to react before they were enveloped by a weird purple smoke.

He watched in confusion as the people all began to collapse and fall unconscious. He had expected the crowd to revolt and fight back but he quickly began to realize that the only ones fainting were the ones who breathed in the purple gas. That would also explain why these people are wearing masks, Danny thought to himself.

For once he felt lucky that he didn’t really need to breathe anymore. But as a precaution he still decided to fly slightly higher in case the gas worked on contact and not just by inhalation.

He continued to observe the conflict from up above. He wondered if he should interfere or help. Based on the uniforms and badges they appeared to be police officers but as he looked at the two people in front, he began to question that. As it appeared a very disheveled man dressed in black with a weird scarf and a dominatrix were leading the charge. So, he decided to hold off on interfering for now.

Just watching the odd situation below made him feel even more exhausted, if that was even possible. He was really beginning to question how he had gotten himself in this situation and how his life had come to watching weird stranger's fight. But the more he thought about it the more questions began to form. To the point that he could feel a headache beginning to form and he really didn’t need that right now. So instead of thinking more about the weirdness or his misfortune he put more focus on the individuals below.

Especially because he was starting to get concerned for who he had dubbed homeless guy. He seemed to be putting up a decent fight against the various gangsters as he was somehow using his scarf to capture and knock out his opponents. But Danny quickly looked over to Rock Man, who was on the other side of the building. It was clear from the man’s giant clenched fists and expression that the living rock was beyond furious at the interruption.

Danny really hoped these people knew what they were doing. Because he was a hundred percent sure that Rock Man would take out his renewed anger the same way he did with the pillar just moments ago.

That guess was quickly confirmed as Danny heard and watched as the man let out a gnarly yell as he began to charge at the homeless man. It was like watching a bull stampede and Danny felt his body begin to move as his subconscious urged him to save the homeless man before he got run over. He extended his good arm and hand and was moments away from creating an ecto-shield between the two. When suddenly the orange rock that covered the enraged man's body completely disappeared and a normal man was left in his place which made him stop in his tracks.

Before he could help it Danny let out an audible “What?!” before slapping a hand over his mouth. He blinked his eyes a few times as if to fix what he had just witnessed. But after a second it became clear that what he was seeing was right. It also seemed like he wasn’t the only one confused.

As Rock Man or who had been Rock Man stared down at his own body and hands in confusion for a few drawn out seconds.

Danny watched in anticipation, he thought the man would be more confused but to his surprise he seemed to quickly snap out of his stupor and look back up while yelling in the same enraged voice “You! I know you! You’re Eraser Head!” Danny quickly turned his head and to his surprise the homeless man now had beaming red eyes, and his long black hair was raised and somehow defying gravity.

‘Eraser Head?’ Danny questioned but didn’t have much time to think over this new confusing information as Rock Man continued to shout while beginning his charge once again.

“You think this will stop me!” Even without the rocks the running man was still abnormally large and muscular. He looked like he could eat the red eyed homeless man for breakfast.

Danny could still feel his body and subconscious once again urging him to help and prevent the strange man from being hurt or possibly killed. But this time he forced himself to remain still. He wanted to see what else the homeless man could do.

Again, the homeless man surprised Danny by quickly dodging Rock Man’s incoming fist while putting more distance between the two all while not blinking, Danny noticed.

Unconsciously Danny had been slowly floating closer to the fight as he watched the giant angry man haphazardly swing around his fist in an effort to hit the homeless man or Eraser Head. Who Danny was beginning to doubt was actually homeless from the way he almost effortlessly dodged and maneuvered.

It was clear that the black-haired man’s goal was to tire out the angry behemoth and it was seeming to work. As Danny watched Rock Man’s movements and swings become slower and less accurate. He couldn’t help but be impressed by the man’s endurance and skill. He watched as the man dodged and at some point, during the quick exchange the black-haired man’s face mask fell to hang loosely around his neck. Danny was fully focused on the two as they fought as if dancing.

Until he suddenly heard a shout, “Eraser Head watch out!” Danny reacted fast and turned to see a giant spike quickly flying towards the man. Too fast to be dodged by any normal human Danny realized. He needed to do something and so within less than a second as the spike flew past where Danny was floating just a meter off the ground he reached out while dropping his intangibility and grabbed.

Aizawa was focused on ensuring his quirk stayed active as he dodged the man’s big fists. He was able to put a decent amount of distance between himself and the man who was finally starting to slow down. When he heard Midnight yell for him to watch out. But it was already too late as he realized a giant spike was flying right towards him.

If he was lucky, it wouldn’t kill him, but he knew that even if he somehow survived the giant needle to the head. It would be very unlikely that he would make it out of this warehouse alive.

The only thing he could think of as he watched his impending doom fly closer as if in slow motion was that he wouldn’t be able to teach the next generation of heroes next month.

But to his disbelief the spike that was only about five meters away suddenly stopped midair and seemed to just float.

Danny was thankful for his enhanced reflexes as he looked at the long and deadly spike that he held in his hand. That was until he heard a disgruntled yell from where the spike had come from “How is that possible?!” he looked to see Porcupine staring at the spike in anger and disbelief.

That’s when he realized that he was still invisible and that the man and everyone else who was watching could only see the floating spike.

He briefly debated simply dropping the projectile and remaining invisible but when he noticed Porcupine preparing to launch more, he made up his mind.

As Aizawa stared at the floating spike and at the man who shot them his confusion dissipated as he realized the position he was in. Within moments he would have to be dodging both spikes and LandSlide who was luckily still catching his breath but had become encased in rock once again.

He needed backup but as he quickly took in where Midnight and the police were, and he realized that they were too preoccupied keeping the other criminals at bay to assist for the time being.

His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists and prepared himself, he would need to choose which quirk to erase while fighting the other’s attacks. Aizawa quickly made up his mind as he turned to the man who had launched the spike. He would need to cross the distance and take down the man so that he could focus on LandSlide. Of course, he knew how naive that plan was but it was the only solution he could think of and so he let out a breath and prepared himself.

As he was just about to activate his quirk before the spiked man could launch a barrage of deadly needles at him. Where the previous spike remained mysteriously stuck in midair suddenly a floating white-haired teen who looked pretty beat up appeared. Aizawa felt his eyes widen as he watched the boy drop the spike and turn to the villain who seemed just as shocked by the boy's sudden appearance, Aizawa noted.

“You know Porcupine it’s not very nice to try to impale people,” The white-haired teen said in an oddly lighthearted and joking manner.

Just who is this kid, Aizawa wondered.

“And who are you calling Porcupine, brat!” The green haired man said as his shock quickly wore off.

Danny watched as the frustrated man prepared to launch spikes at him, “What? Would you prefer Pin Cushion?” But as the clearly now enraged man tried to retaliate by sending out more spikes the man stopped dead in his tracks and looked confused.

The mischievous smile that Danny wore fell as he raised an eyebrow at the man who began looking past him and at something behind him. Danny quickly followed where the man was now looking and saw the black-haired man who he had just stopped from being impaled once again sporting bright red eyes and the same interesting hairstyle from earlier.

He looked menacing and goofy at the same time, Danny thought. As he quickly looked back and forth between the two men. He was starting to see a correlation between the man who he believed was called Eraser Head looking at someone and them losing their powers.

Danny couldn’t help but grimace at the dangerous power and at the idea of losing his own powers during a fight. But instead of showing this new fear he put on a smirk and looked at Eraser Head. Who wasn’t making direct eye contact with him but with Porcupine who was still trying to shoot spikes from his body.

“Kid, you shouldn’t be here.” Eraser Head said in a gruff tone that seemed to leave no room for argument.

But Danny wasn’t really the rule following type and besides it’s not like he wanted to be here, so he simply shrugged, “And yet here I am…”

He was about to say more when he noticed Rock Man quickly sneaking up behind the red eyed man. “Hey watch out!” He yelled as he held out his hand and quickly shot an ectoblast at Rock Man. Who was moments away from slamming both of his giant rock fists down on the man who had managed to turn his head slightly in time to see the fists in his peripheral view.

Aizawa watched as a green blast of energy shot from the boy's hand and flew past his head. He could've sworn he felt the heat of the neon green blast, but he didn’t react as he kept his eyes fixated on keeping the other threat at bay. From his peripheral he watched as the blast hit Land Slide on the side of his chest and the giant rock man got blasted back as if he weighed nothing. He heard as Land Slide grunted in pain and crashed into the ground somewhere behind him.

‘Just how powerful was that blast?’ Aizawa momentarily questioned. But this wasn’t his first time encountering powerful kids, hell it was his job, so he stayed focused on the task at hand. He ran forward a few feet in order to get in range and quickly used his capture scarf to ensnare the green haired man.

For a moment Danny thought the man was running at him but watched as the strange scarf flew past him and wrapped around Porcupine.

Now that the furious man was wrapped within the steel wire alloy capture weapon. Eraser Head was finally able to take his eyes off the man who wouldn’t be able to shoot spikes while trapped.
Aizawa first looked behind himself to see where Land Slide was and was surprised to see the man made of rock on the ground unconscious. With smoke rising from where Aizawa assumed the blast had hit him.

With the main two threats hopefully neutralized or at least immobilized Aizawa finally turned and made direct eye contact with the boy who had floated slightly higher.

He was finally able to fully take in the appearance of the mysterious teen who had managed to save him twice within the short span of time.

The boy looked awful, was Aizawa’s first thought. He was wearing what looked to be a torn up black and white suit that resembled a hazmat suit, it had missing pieces and seemed to be covered in what appeared to be burn marks. But the worst area was the boy's shoulder. The suit was almost completely burned away and a nasty wound that only looked semi-healed was visible and was oozing a strange neon green liquid the same ominous shade of green as the boy’s glowing eyes.

Not only did the boy’s suit and body look beat up but his seemingly glowing neon eyes looked drained of life as if the boy hadn’t slept in weeks. Even with the lighthearted expression the boy wore, as if being in a warehouse full of villains was just an everyday occurrence for him.

Honestly, the white-haired teens' expression and eyes strangely reminded Aizawa of the eyes of experienced heroes who had seen the worst disasters and who had fought the worst villains.

The boy looked like he had gone through Hell and back and seeing as he was here Aizawa didn’t doubt that that could be the case for this kid.

“Although I don’t know your reason for being here. This raid involves official pro hero business, comply and I won't have to apprehend you with force.” It sounded harsh but Aizawa was no fool. He knew that criminals and dangerous individuals came in all ages and based on what he had seen this kid do he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Even if he did feel bad for the white-haired boy who had saved him.

"Pro hero business?” Danny said more to himself than anyone else. From what he understood this man wanted to arrest or at least detain him which he really didn’t like the sound of.

Aizawa furrowed his brows at the boy's obvious confusion at the term ‘pro hero’ but continued. “Release your quirk and land on the ground.”

“Release my what?” Danny said with more confusion and frustration “Listen man, didn’t I just save your life. I mean I wasn’t expecting a ‘thank you’ or anything but can you at least drop the police act.”

Before Aizawa could respond to the teen who he could tell was starting to get agitated and whose words were strangely starting to echo. He heard footsteps behind him and quickly turned to see Midnight and Detective Tsukauchi who were no longer wearing their masks as the purple smoke had dissipated. He also took note of the criminals that were knocked out and handcuffed. It seemed like the main mission of capturing the targets was completed. The only problem now was this kid.

Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight both had their eyes fixated on the boy and on their colleague and had listened to their conversation so far. They had both watched as the boy suddenly appeared and throughout their own battles and or ensuring that the various criminals were detained had kept an eye on the new and potentially dangerous teen.

Danny watched as the dominatrix and the guy who looked more like a police officer approached Eraser Head. He also watched as the other officers gave him a wide berth around where he was currently floating. A few went to tie up Porcupine who was still mummified by the scarf thing. But he quickly realized that they were surrounding him.

He let out a frustrated sigh, this really wasn’t his day was it, he defeatedly thought to himself.

He debated on just flying away but he needed information, and his intuition was telling him that these were the good guys. Of course, he wouldn’t let them capture him, but it wouldn’t hurt to talk. He decided as he floated slightly lower to the ground until he was around two feet from the stone floor.

Detective Tsukauchi who was now standing beside Aizawa was the first to speak up in a calm and neutral tone. That Aizawa could tell was his attempt at diffusing the tense situation while hopefully stopping the kid from trying to run or fly away. “Can you tell us your name?”

Danny debated on lying but decided he had nothing to really loss by telling the man his first name “My names Danny,”

‘Half true’ the detective’s quirk registered, perhaps it was a nickname Tsukauchi suspected.

Although the obviously American name and the teen’s western features added to the detectives and two heroes list of questions as to who this boy was and why he was here.

But for now, the detective stayed on task and asked his next question, “Can you tell us why you were here tonight? Were you a part of the meet up planned for tonight?”

So that's what was happening Danny thought to himself as he casually answered, “I wasn’t a part of any meet up. As to how I got here, well that’s a bit more complicated.” He said while thinking back to the events of the last half hour.

The detective could tell the kid or Danny was telling the truth about not being involved with the meet up. But that only made this beat up teen being here even more strange.

He was about to ask for more details but before he could Eraser Head spoke up in an uncharacteristically calm and friendly voice “Kid you look pretty badly injured” Aizawa said while momentarily looking at the boy’s shoulder once again. “If you comply and come with us, we can help you."

“Eraser Head’s right, you need medical attention. Danny allow us to help you”, Midnight quickly added from where she had been quietly standing on the other side of the detective.

Tsukauchi nodded in agreement at the two heroes' statements. Besides, he couldn’t ignore that he was talking to someone who didn’t appear to be any older than fourteen.

Aizawa watched as the floating boy hummed and used his hand that was attached to his good shoulder to put his finger under his chin to make it look like he was thinking hard.

Before looking at the three and in a flat, tired voice said “No thanks, listen I appreciate the offer, but I’ve learned my lesson about trusting those who say they want to just ‘help’ me…” He then used his hand to gesture to his damaged shoulder while continuing “Besides I’ve had worse.”

Aizawa noticed how the boy's expression and smile that had been a constant throughout their whole conversation dropped for a split second as he finished declining their offer. But it only helped solidify his desire to ensure this kid got help. A sentiment that he knew Tsukauchi and Midnight would share.

While this conversation was happening though, behind the two heroes and detective. Land Slide who had been lying unconscious silently woke up.

Danny was getting tired of this back and forth and even though he didn’t want to admit it he was starting to reach his limits. He needed sleep, he was even beginning to be swayed by the people who stood before him. I mean would it really be that bad to just go with them. He could always escape, he reasoned. Before images of the GiW and being strapped to a table flashed in his mind.

The halfa was so preoccupied with making a pros and cons list that he didn’t notice as Land Slide quietly stood. The man managed to quietly walk to where the walkie talkie device that Porcupine had earlier was and grab it from where it laid on the floor. It was only then that Danny took note of the large man’s presence.

Aizawa watched as the boy seemed to think. He was about to say something to hopefully prevent having to use force against the boy. When he suddenly watched the boy's expression tensed as he looked past where he and his colleagues stood.

He wasn’t the only one to notice this sudden change in demeanor as Midnight and Detective Tsukauchi also quickly turned to where Danny was looking and saw Land Slide standing while disturbingly smiling at them.

Before they could react or try to take down the menacing and deranged looking man he shouted, “Enjoy being crushed, you worthless heroes!” With that the man turned and ran straight through the wall. What remained was a giant hole that quickly began to crumble.

The warehouse began to rumble and shake as large cracks began to form on the various support beams with the already damaged one breaking the fastest. It was clear to all parties that the building wouldn’t last long.

“We need to get out of here and fast!” Detective Tsukauchi yelled as he did his best to keep his balance as the whole building shook.

Midnight turned to the detective “We need to get these people out of here or they’ll get crushed,” she urgently said while gesturing to the knocked-out criminals.

Pieces of the roof began to fall “Damnit everyone grab as many of them as you can and move,” Aizawa yelled to the officers who quickly began following orders. He then turned to Danny “Kid you need to get out of here! Go!”

Aizawa could tell there wouldn’t be enough time to get everyone one. Hell, he didn’t even think there was enough time to reach the door themselves even without the extra weight.

Danny watched as the people below scrambled to grab as many of the past out gangsters as physically possible. He was astonished that they would spend the very little time they had trying to save the criminals instead of getting themselves to safety. Although based on how quickly the building was falling, he also thought it was a stupid decision. But he didn’t spend too long admiring their heroics and foolishness as large pieces of debris fell around him and two of the columns crumbled from the unbalanced weight. He needed to do something.

Aizawa had managed to grab two of the past out criminals while avoiding the pieces of roof that fell around him. He saw how Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight were beside him carrying more people.

“Shit, there’s not enough time,” Tsukauchi’s strained voice said.

Soon the lights that had been on the ceiling fully went out. Which only added to the difficulty of escaping as the only light that came through was from the broken windows and door that Aizawa knew was too far away. He grimaced, he hoped that kid somehow got out, he thought as he heard a loud crumbling sound that he assumed was the remaining support beams falling.

Aizawa heard the ceiling give out and shut his eyes as he braced himself. But after a moment of nothing slamming down onto him, he opened his eyes and looked up to see what appeared to be a glowing green shield holding the whole ceiling up. He could hear the surprised noises coming from his colleagues and the other officers. Who he could now see due to the green light the weird barrier created.

He stared for a moment before something clicked. He quickly turned around and stared at the boy who had both his arms held up towards the green ceiling that he was obviously responsible for. The teens' hands glowed the same burning green. Suddenly the boy opened his eyes that had been tightly shut and said in a slightly strained echoey voice “What are you waiting for! Get out of here!” his eyes glowing the same intense green.

Aizawa snapped out of his transfixed state and barked “Everyone move!”

That order seemed to do the trick as everyone who had also been watching the boy began to quickly move and evacuate the building with the remaining criminals.

Aizawa turned to look at the mysterious boy one last time before leaving the building himself. He was the last one out and after dropping the criminals away from the building. He turned to Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight who said, “We need to get that boy out of there,”

Detective Tsukauchi looked at Midnight and said in a defeated voice, "We can’t go back in there… even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to get the kid without the building coming down.”

Midnight’s face morphed into a sad and frustrated expression. No hero liked it when they couldn’t save someone, especially a kid. Aizawa was no exception as he stared at the building that was starting to shake again. He really hoped that the kid had a plan that wasn’t just sacrificing himself. But as he thought that he watched the building finally give way and fall.

The two heroes and Tsukauchi watched in horror as the building fell like a house of cards and became a giant pile of rubble. And there was no sign of the kid they all quickly noted.

Aizawa was the first to react as he commanded in an even tone that he had perfected over the years “We need to begin search and rescue”. But before the hero could begin following the procedure of looking for someone in unstable rubble. He heard “Don’t count me out just yet,”.

The three quickly turned and watched as the boy once again appeared out of nowhere.

Line Break -

As Danny invisibly floated above the giant pile of rubble that he had escaped from by using intangibility after he made sure everyone escaped. He had to admit that he was truly feeling worse for wear. But he knew that he still couldn’t relax just yet as he looked over to where the police and those three people were standing. He needed to decide what he would do now.

He could fly away and find someplace to recuperate his depleted energy and fully heal he wistfully thought. The idea of rest sounded great. Although he bet he wouldn’t be able to sleep in any sort of bed but at this point he wouldn’t be picky.

But the idea of just flying off and leaving felt wrong. There was a part of him that wanted to put some ounce of trust in the people he had just met. But he knew from experience that relying on unknown people for help was a risky gamble. One that he had always ended up losing.

Danny squeezed his fist and was just about to listen to the cautious and doubtful part of his consciousness. When he heard the man from earlier, Eraser Head, “We need to begin search and rescue”. Danny turned to look at the man who seemed to be about to begin the pointless search for him and after a moment he let out a defeated sigh.

He flew towards the people and landed slightly away from the three ‘I really hope I don’t regret this’ was his last thought before putting on a smile. “Don’t count me out just yet,” he joked while dropping his invisibility.

Chapter Text

He flew towards the people and landed slightly away from the three, ‘I really hope I don’t regret this’ was his last thought before putting on a smile. “Don’t count me out just yet,” he joked while dropping his invisibility.

Danny watched as the three people who stood before him stared at him with varying levels of surprise and perhaps concern. He waited for someone to say something or for them to begin the detaining process but instead he was met with awkward silence.

Eventually the odd and suspenseful quietness got to him, “Isn’t this the part where you arrest me?” He awkwardly said while holding up his hands to show off his wrists that lacked any form of restraint.

Aizawa, who had snapped out of his daze, waited for the detective to respond to the boy’s question. Even if he was surprisingly against the boy being restrained. After all this kid had just saved them and had chosen to stay instead of running. Although that could’ve been because the kid was too tired to run. Honestly Aizawa was shocked the boy hadn’t already collapsed from the feat he had just somehow pulled off.

But technically the detective had the right to detain the boy. Since he was a suspect for illegal activity. So Aizawa stayed silent, since it was Tsukauchi's call to make.

Detective Tsukauchi looked at the boy who he had thought would be under tons of rubble. But was instead casually standing in front of him and without any more damage than he previously had, the detective noted. It took him a moment to snap out of his frozen state and to truly process what the boy had said.

He let out a sigh after quickly coming to a decision on how to deal with the mysterious and injured teen, “No, we're not going to handcuff you. As long as you continue to comply, that is.”

Danny was surprised by the officer's response. He had expected them to be more on guard.

“Okay now that we have that out of the way,” Midnight said while turning to look at her colleagues “We need to get him medical treatment.”

Detective Tsukauchi nodded in agreement and turned to get Officer Tamagawa’s attention and began talking to the cat-like man.

“There’s really no need,” It was true that Danny wasn’t feeling good by any capacity of the phrase. But he wasn’t too fond of letting any sort of doctor examine him.

Even if he was choosing to go along with these people. He drew the line at hospitals and people analyzing his ghostly biology.

“Kid, you need medical assistance,” Aizawa sternly said.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows at the black-haired man.

“He’s right Danny, like we said earlier we want to help you and that means getting that wound treated” Midnight quickly added to try and reassure the boy who was clearly going on the defensive.

His frustration slightly dissipated but he didn’t take his eyes off the man “Listen I’m willing to go with you but no hospitals.”

Although Aizawa didn’t like the idea of not getting this banged up kid the serious medical attention he clearly needed. He knew that pushing wouldn’t help anyone. Besides, the kids' clear dislike for hospitals was concerning.

“Fine no hospital but that wound needs to be looked at.” He said while pointing to the white-haired boy’s shoulder.

Danny felt oddly victorious over winning against the stern black-haired man.

“Just give me a med kit and I can patch it up myself. But honestly even if it doesn’t get bandaged it’ll heal soon on its own.” Danny said. Only slightly downplaying how painful his shoulder hurt.

God what had this kid gone through, Aizawa wondered. “You look like you got hit by toxic waste,” the man tiredly said to the boy.

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s humorously dry statement “Well you're not entirely wrong,”.

Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad, Danny thought. But both of the heroes' concern for what the kid had previously been through only grew.

But before they could ask the boy any more questions Detective Tsukauchi who had been talking to Officer Tamagawa and someone via a radio only a few steps away. Turned around to face Danny and the two heroes.

“So, you're really not going to let us take you to a hospital first?” He asked although he already knew the boy's answer as he had heard the boy's refusal moments ago.

Danny looked at the officer and once again made his stance clear “Nope.” he said while popping the p.

“Alright then,” the detective sighed while briefly closing his eyes “I’ll be taking you to the police station. You’re still a part of this investigation and I have quite a few questions for you to answer” Quite a few was the understatement of the century. Tsukauchi had what felt like an endless list of questions for the white-haired teen but he didn’t want to scare the boy.

Although the idea of willingly going to a police station made Danny slightly anxious. He was more relieved at the idea of finally getting a chance to ask his own questions and to hopefully figure out where he was. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long as police cars began pulling up to the area.

After the detective was handed car keys by an officer. Danny was directed to wait in the back seat of one of the vehicles.

As he sat there looking out the window at the officer who he really needed to get the name of. He watched as the man walked around and talked to the various other police officers and eventually to the oddly dressed woman who he should also learn the name of and to Eraser Head, was that really his name Danny momentarily questioned.

He was once again grateful for his impeccable hearing as he listened in on the three's conversation.

“More officers are on their way to transport the targets to prison for questioning.” The detective said to the two heroes “I reported that Land Slide escaped. He should still be within the area. Luckily a few more heroes and agencies have agreed to help with the search.”

Danny frowned in confusion, what did he mean by ‘heroes'.

“In that case I’ll stay here to help and to ensure none of these bad boys get up,” the woman said in a strangely sexual tone as she gestured to the passed-out criminals.

“I think it would be best if I went with you to the station with the kid,” Eraser Head said.

Danny was slightly surprised to hear that the man planned to come along and apparently, he wasn’t the only one. As the officer made a surprised expression “Are you sure, it’s unlike you to volunteer for extra work.”

“You make it sound like I'm lazy,” came Eraser Head's dry response before he turned to look at the car and at Danny. Who quickly looked away to make it seem like he wasn’t watching. “You saw what that boy could do. It would be best to have me around in case he changes his mind about wanting to stay.”

Danny couldn’t help but frown for a moment. But he wasn’t too shocked that the serious man still saw him as a potential threat and in all honesty the possibility of him running wasn’t off the table yet.

Detective Tsukauchi nodded in agreement to the hero. It was true that the man made a fair point. It would be best to have him around to hopefully erase the boy’s quirk in case things went south. But he could tell that his usually more reserved friend was more concerned for the boy than at the idea of the boy putting up a fight. But he decided to keep that observation to himself.

With that the two heroes got in the car with Tsukauchi driving.

The drive was quiet and uneventful. With how tired Danny felt he initially thought he would fall asleep. But as he watched the streets, and various buildings go by he was once again struck with the reminder that he was no longer in Amity Park.

As he looked at the people on the streets as they drove into what seemed to be a more populated area of the city. He was shocked to see that the odd features and colorful hair that the criminals had seemed to extend to the rest of the population. Just where had that portal spat him out?

But he didn’t get much more time to think as the car pulled up to what appeared to be their destination.

“Alright Danny, we're here,” the officer said while parking the car.

As he followed the officer through the large police department, he couldn’t help but feel like a criminal being escorted. Even if he lacked handcuffs and was being spoken to with an unfamiliar kindness. It still felt like he had willingly allowed himself to be arrested and that feeling only worsened when he was brought into what appeared to be an interrogation room.

“Eraser Head can you watch him while I go grab my laptop and some files,” the officer quietly asked the man who had been quiet during the whole trip over. After receiving a nod, the officer left.

Danny decided to sit down on one side of the metal table that was in the middle of the room and watched as Eraser Head brought over what appeared to be a med kit. That Danny guessed he must've picked up along the way.

“Alright kid since you refused to let us take you to a hospital at least let me patch you up,”

‘Well, that's surprising’, Danny couldn’t help but think to himself. He had expected the gruff man to just hand him the kit and be done with it. But though the unexpected offer was endearing Danny still didn’t feel too comfortable allowing anyone to help him bandage his wound.

So, after a moment he sheepishly responded, “Thanks for the offer but I can handle it. Besides, my shoulder isn’t that bad anymore.” Danny said while showing off his shoulder.

Aizawa wasn’t surprised by the boy’s refusal to let him help. But as he was about to disagree with the boy about the severity of his shoulder. He stopped himself when he noticed that the shoulder that had looked gruesomely wounded did in fact look almost completely healed. Just what is this kid's quirk, he found himself wondering yet again.

After being silently handed the kit even though he had expected the man to put up a bit more of a fight. Danny quickly got to work wiping his shoulder with disinfectant cloth. To remove his dried ecto-blood from the healed skin. Then haphazardly wrapped it with bandages.

He had to admit it didn’t look the prettiest by any extent of the word and based off of Eraser Head’s disapproving gaze. He also found his medical skills quite lacking.

But to be fair he didn’t have a lot of practice doing it. Since his ghostly durability and other powers kept him from being hurt often and when he did get injured it usually only took a minute to heal. So there was never really a need or chance for him to perfect the skill.

Detective Tsukauchi quickly got back to the room with a laptop and a few files in hand and sat down on the other side of the boy with Eraser Head sitting beside him.

“Danny before we begin, I want to thank you for your actions at the warehouse and for complying,” Tsukauchi said honestly. “I also want you to understand that you are not under official arrest. Although you are a suspect for illegal activity. So please continue to comply and answer our questions truthfully and to the best of your ability.” The detective decided to leave out that his quirk allowed him to tell when someone was lying or telling the truth, for now. As he wanted to see whether or not the boy would truly be honest.

Danny didn’t like that he was a suspect. But decided to go with it and not try to argue. Since this guy was being pretty nice and he had learned that arguing with cops never ended well for him or his reputation.

He nodded in understanding “I’ll comply but before that what should I call you?” He then looked at the scarfed man, “I heard you be called Eraser Head but is that really your name?”

Aizawa and Tsukauchi weren’t too surprised to learn that the boy didn’t know who Eraser Head was as he was a more obscure, underground hero.

“I suppose I never told you my name, I'm Detective Tsukauchi,” Tsukauchi said while smiling. Then looked to the hero to allow him to answer the boy's other question as it regarded his own hero name.

Aizawa dryly answered, “Yes, Eraser Head is my hero name.” He expected that to be enough to satisfy the boy’s question, but the kid only looked more confused.

“Your ‘hero’ name?” Danny asked as he thought he must’ve somehow misheard the man.

“Yes, Eraser Head is my pro hero name. The alias I use when doing pro hero work,” Aizawa clarified. It was strange, it almost seemed like the teen didn’t know what he meant by hero.

Danny was lost. What did he mean by ‘hero’ and ‘pro hero’ in this context? It almost seemed like he was referring to the term hero as if it was a job title that he himself possessed. Maybe his ghostly ability to understand any language was mistranslating what the guy was saying. Of course, it had never failed him before, but stranger things have happened, he was an example of that.

“So does that mean you’re a ‘hero’?” He awkwardly asked.

“Yes, Eraser Head is a hero.” Tsukauchi answered, he was also finding the boy's confusion strange.

“Like a superhero from a comic book?”

Aizawa stared in disbelief at the confused kid. It was clear that he truly didn’t understand what they meant by ‘hero’. But how was that possible unless this kid had been living under a rock somewhere… or in captivity, he grimly thought.

Beside the man who was beginning to draw dark connections as to where the boy in front of him had come from. Detective Tsukauchi was also beginning to reach a similar dark conclusion. But neither wanted to jump to conclusions without further evidence.

“Kind of like in comic books,” Tsukauchi slowly answered, “But it’s a bit more professional with proper education and certifications required for a person to be a pro hero, like All Might for example.”

Since when had being a hero become an actual job, Danny wondered. As he tried to rack his brain on whether there was a place that existed that made heroing an actual profession. But no place came to mind. Besides, if there was a place like that, he would’ve made sure to visit.

As for who the detective just mentioned, Danny briefly recalled Rock Man saying that same name, but he had absolutely no idea who All Might was. “I have no idea who that is.” he deadpanned.

Tsukauchi could tell by using his quirk that Danny wasn’t lying. This boy had seriously never heard of All Might, the world's most popular hero. “Maybe it would be best to move on and come back to this subject after we get a bit more information about you Danny.” The detective finally said.

Danny quickly hummed in agreement while nodding because at this point, he wanted to get past this confusing conversation. Because currently he felt like he was taking a test he didn’t study for.

“Alright then let’s start out with your full name, age, and where you're from.” Detective Tsukauchi asked. As he prepared to type the boy’s answers into the database. To hopefully pull up information about who this teen was. Aizawa who had been silently studying the boy listened intently for the white-haired boy's answers.

Danny didn’t know if he wanted to give these people his full name, he had always kept his identity a secret especially from government agencies and the police. He could just lie or give his own alias. But for some reason after a bit of thought he decided to relinquish his most precious secret. Maybe it was because he didn’t have much to lose, he sadly thought for a moment. “My full name is Daniel Fenton, but I prefer Danny, I’m fourteen and I’m from America.”

‘True’ Tsukauchi’s quirk registered, as he began typing the information into the database. But after searching to his shock, he was unable to find any Daniel Fenton.

Aizawa looked at the detective's screen and saw the same lack of search results. His theory about this kid was starting to seem more realistic. But he didn’t want to show his growing concern, so he kept a neutral expression.

As did Tsukauchi who simply continued his line of questioning with a friendly smile, without pause for concern. “Where in America are you from, Danny?”

“I’m from Amity Park, Illinois,” came Danny’s simple reply.

Finally, Aizawa decided to speak up “You're pretty far from home kid. How’d you end up in Musutafu, Japan?”. The man watched as the boy's eyes grew large.

Before Danny could stop himself, he blurted out his surprise, “Wait this is actually Japan!?” He had briefly wondered if he was in Japan due to the language. But to be actually told he was so far away from his hometown was a shock that his sleep deprived brain wasn’t fully prepared for.

Aizawa and Tsukauchi were taken back by the kid’s sudden outburst of shock at learning about where he was.

“Wait kid you didn’t know you were in Japan?” Aizawa quickly asked with a raised brow.

Maybe it was because of the sudden surge of emotions but Danny couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows as he defensively answered “No, I didn’t know I was in Japan. It’s not like I have a GPS or map on me.”

Detective Tsukauchi wanted to sooth the irritated boy but the knowledge that he didn’t even know he was in another country raised even more red flags and questions. “Danny, do you recall how you got to Japan?”

“Well that’s kind of a confusing story” Danny said after doing his best to regain his composure.

“We have time,” Aizawa responded.

Danny stared at Eraser Head for a second before lightly sighing “Okay fine, well I kinda got sucked into a green portal. That suddenly appeared in front of me and well it spit me out over that warehouse which is also how I ended up there.” He expected the two men to give him a look of disbelief at the mention of a portal but surprisingly they didn’t seem too shocked by his explanation.

Aizawa and Tsukauchi stared at the boy. They could both tell that he was telling the truth even without the use of the detective's quirk.

“Danny, do you know who opened the portal? Are they the ones who did that?” Tsukauchi asked while pointing to Danny’s bandaged shoulder.

The halfa shook his head at the detective “I wish I knew who opened that portal. Then I could give them a piece of my mind. I mean I was this close to finally getting my life together,” he rambled while putting his fingers only a centimeter apart. “But of course with my luck it can never be that easy.” He let out a sigh as he finished. He had to admit it was nice to finally let out some of his pent up frustration at never being able to control his own life.

“As for my shoulder, let's just say my parents no longer considered me their son,” Danny bitterly joked while looking down at the table. He bet his parents were still trying to hunt him down back in Amity Park.

The halfa waited for one of the two adults to ask him another question. But after a few seconds of silence he looked up. To see that both of the men were staring at him with what appeared to be barely disguised anger and sadness. That's when it clicked that he just told a police officer and a guy who apparently is a ‘hero’ that his own parents shot him without any further context.

Aizawa felt his anger rise. It wasn’t his first time dealing with abuse cases or even child abuse. Given his line of work it probably wouldn’t be his last either. But the knowledge of a kid being subjected to pain and injured by their own parents always made his blood boil. He did his best to keep a well trained neutral face but he knew he was failing. As he recalled just how bad the kid's shoulder had looked.

“Danny, I'm sorry you had to go through that,” The detective tentatively said.

The halfa couldn’t help but feel flustered at the suddenly somber tone of the room. He was not use to having anyone, especially adults try and comfort him or get angry on his behalf. He had his sister and friends but this felt different somehow and he couldn’t tell if he liked it or not. On one hand it felt validating but he had always worked hard to ensure his inner feelings remained hidden. But now It felt like he was being examined like a bug under a microscope. So he did what he usually did when he became uncomfortable, he joked.

“Hey it’s fine, honestly my parents have always been trigger happy. Which sucks since they know how to make their own death rays.” Except with how off kilter he felt his attempt at diffusing the situation with humor only resulted in him rambling. “But I can’t really complain seeing as I got my powers due to their machines…”

Luckily his rambling was cut short when Eraser Head who had been intently listening spoke up “Are you saying a machine activated your quirk?”

Danny was happy that the conversation was finally going in another direction and away from his emotions. But once again he was left confused by the man’s wording. What was a ‘quirk’?

“Umm, well I got my powers like the ones you saw back in the warehouse from a machine” Danny slowly said while intentionally leaving out that it was a portal machine because that would get way too confusing. “But what’s a quirk, exactly?”

Once again the two adults were floored by the kids' genuine confusion at what a quirk was. First it was ‘heroes’ and now ‘quirks’. “Danny, do you truly not know what a quirk is?

Danny looked at the detective. Who once again was staring at him like he had grown a third head. He was really starting to question whether coming with these people was the right decision. “No, I don’t know what a quirk is.”

‘True’ his quirk registered. He sighed “Okay, well to put it simply, quirks are genetically mutated abilities that around eighty percent of the population process.”

As Danny listened to the man's explanation. He could feel the pit in his stomach drop. If what these men were saying was true and based on what he had seen at that warehouse and during the drive over, it was. Then he was a lot farther from his hometown than he initially thought, like another dimension far. Because there is no way he would’ve missed eighty percent of the population getting super powers even if his life was hectic.

The detective decided to further explain as he watched the boy’s expression change into one of shock. “Danny, I'm sure it’s a lot to process. But during your life I'm sure you’ve seen people with abnormal features or who could do unimaginable things, like being encased in rock. Well we call those abilities and features quirks.”

It was true that Danny had his fair share of experience in dealing with superpowers and the unimaginable but that only applied to ghosts not other people. So he simply shook his head in agreement. Because he didn't know why he had been sent to another dimension. But he knew that he probably shouldn't share that information. I mean who would believe that he was from another dimension. Even he was having a hard time believing it.

He knew that other dimensions existed. I mean the Ghost Zone was proof of that and from what he had been told the Ghost Zone was essentially the inbetween point for all other dimensions including his own.

The halfa even recalled a long and overly complicated conversation with Fright Night and Frostbit. Where they explained how he should never go through any of the doors that appeared within the green dimension. As they were doors to other dimensions and that once you go through you were basically stuck.

Although he had been very curious to see what other worlds could exist besides his own. He had decided not to gamble on what world he would get stuck in. Yet here he was sitting in another world’s Japan being told that heroes and superpowers were common. Okay so he had to admit it sounded pretty cool, but still why him.

Of course the white haired teen kept his thoughts and existential crisis to himself as he did his best poker face. As he decided to ask a question of his own “Okay, I think I get what a quirk is now. But what are your quirks?”

The detective was happy to see that his explanation seemed to be sufficient and that the boy no longer had the same shocked facial expression. In fact he now seemed to be overflowing with curiosity which actually made the boy look his age for once. So he decided to oblige and answer the boy's question “Well my quirk is called Polygraph, it allows me to tell when a person is being truthful or dishonest.”

Danny was suddenly grateful that he had decided to be honest during this investigation. Although it also meant he would have to be careful on how he words his answers going further.

“Wow, that must be super useful for your line of work.”

Tsukauchi was glad that the boy didn’t seem to be deceived by him not telling him sooner that he could tell when he was lying.

The halfa turned to look at the other man in anticipation for his own explanation of what his superpower or quirk was.

After a few long moments of silence Aizawa relented while giving a tired sigh “My quirk is called Erasure, it allows me to disable quirks.” He decided to forgo any more information about the activation or limitations of his quirk.

“Which is also why he’s called Eraser Head.” The detective quickly added on while smiling.

Danny felt his shoulders tense at the man’s explanation. He suddenly recalled what he had seen back at the warehouse. How the people just lost their powers due to this man. The fear of losing his own powers now at the forefront of his mind. Although realistically the man’s quirk shouldn’t work on him seeing as his own powers weren’t a quirk but because he was an actual ghost, or half ghost. But even with that rationalization he still felt a shiver run up his non-existent spine.

“That’s a really powerful ability,” the halfa responded in his usual laid back tone. Not wanting to show any of his own fear at the man’s quirk. Although he suspected the watchful man could tell.

“It is a really powerful ability,” The detective said “Now since we told you about our quirks. Could you tell us about your quirk?”

The two men had seen what the boy could do and were both very interested to hear what the boy would say.

Although Aizawa who had been mentally creating a list as to what the kids' quirk could be was probably the most interested. He had witnessed the boy display a multitude of different powers like flight, being able to appear and disappear, creating powerful green blasts of energy, and that giant green shield. Plus other abilities like the boy's healing and reflexes that were beyond superhuman. But no matter how he tried to put those abilities together it didn’t make sense for the boy to possess so many separate powers.

Danny needed to think of something that would work. He couldn’t just tell them that he had powers because he was actually a half ghost. But he also needed to be honest about what he could do. Both for convenience and to not be registered as lying by the detectives quirk. He needed something that would cover all his various powers and abilities and that's when it clicked. “Well I guess my quirk could be called, ‘Ghost’.”

Of all the names or explanations the two adults had expected ‘Ghost’ was not one of them. Which was apparent by how they both raised their eyebrows and the detective questionably said “‘Ghost’?” to hopefully get the boy to further explain.

The halfa noticed the detective’s and hero's questioning looks but he was already too far in. Besides the best lie is the one that's the closest to the truth, “Well basically my quirk allows me to manipulate and control ectoplasm and ecto-energy. Which gives me all the powers a ghost would have. So yes ‘Ghost’.”

“Kid, so you're saying all the different powers I saw boil down to ‘Ghost’?” Aizawa tiredly asked.

“Listen man. It's the best explanation I can give you. I literally do what a ghost can do.” Danny stated “If you think I'm lying ask the human lie-detector.” while pointing to the detective.

“He’s telling the truth,” The detective simply said as he began to type down the information.

“See told you,” Danny couldn’t help but triumphantly say to the serious man. Although he had been nervous. Because while he had technically told the truth it was not the full truth. But since he didn’t know how the detectives' quirk fully worked he had gambled and for once it paid off. ‘Hey, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket after this’ he joked to himself. But then quickly remembered that his luck also brought him to a random dimension so he quickly dismissed the thought.

The scarfed hero tiredly looked at the teen who looked a little too thrilled over being told he was right. He could already tell this kid was going to be a handful, especially if he went through with what he was planning.

Detective Tsukauchi finally got done typing and looked back up from his laptop “Alright Danny I want to thank you again for complying. I think we can call it a night here. Would you be willing to wait here while me and Eraser Head step out for a minute?” He said with a diplomatic smile.

Danny nodded and watched as the two men got up to leave. But before the detective left he turned around to ask “Oh, would you like some water or a snack while you wait? I'm sure you're thirsty.”

The halfa would usually just say yes in order to keep up appearances of being a normal human who needed food and water to survive. But since he was in another world and the man who asked would know if he lied if he said ‘yes’ he politely turned down the man's offer.

Aizawa followed the detective out of the room and only a few feet down the hallway. He decided to not wait and asked what he had been eager to know “Was the kid actually telling the truth about everything?”

The man smiled as he responded “He was, everything he answered and said was the truth.”

“So the boy was on the run from his parents. When he got teleported to Japan over a warehouse full of criminals, kids beyond unlucky.” Aizawa said.

The detective nodded in agreement “He is but,” his smile fell as the man took on a more serious expression “here's the thing I did some research. From what I could find neither he or his town exists.”

Aizawa’s eyes grew large as he stared at the man before him. “Are you saying Amity Park, Illinois doesn’t exist?” He had seen that the boy's name didn’t come up in the database. But how was it possible for his town to also not exist? “I thought you said the kid was telling the truth. In that case wouldn’t your quirk pick up that he gave us a fake town.”

“That’s the thing my quirk only picks up on whether a person truly believes what they are saying is the truth. Not if what they said is factorially the truth. In most cases what a person knows to be true and what is true are the same thing but in this case…”

Aizawa cut off the detective as he figured out what the man was getting at. “So you're saying the kid truly believes that he came from a place called Amity Park. Even though it doesn’t exist” he rubbed at his neck and closed his dry eyes as he continued “and I guess the same could go for his name as well.” This case was starting to get even more strange.

Tsukauchi nodded at the man’s analysis “The kid’s a ghost, it’s like he never existed.”

“How ironic,” Aizawa tiredly said. “So we have a kid with no records, dressed up in some type of hero costume. Who didn’t even know what a pro hero was or quirks. Yet possesses a quirk that makes little to no sense.” Not to mention all the other odd things Aizawa had noted. Like how the kid speaks fluent Japanese as if it was his native language yet apparently came from America.

The detective’s friendly smile returned “It seems so, I plan to do some more research and reach out to a few people I know in America who hopefully will be able to find something on the boy. Until then I don’t want to jump to any conclusions but honestly…” he looked towards the closed door of the interrogation room “That kid might be connected to something way bigger that we initially thought.”

Aizawa hummed in agreement before asking his next question “So what do you plan to do with him? We both know you could’ve arrested him already for vigilantism.”

Tsukauchi couldn’t help but lightly laugh as he looked back at his friend and colleague “I don’t plan to arrest him. Seeing as he didn’t know about pro heroes it’s fair to argue that he probably doesn’t know the laws of vigilantism or quirk usage either. Besides, he did save us all and chose to come with us willingly. From what I could tell he seems like a good kid who's been through things no kid should have to experience.”

Aizawa couldn’t help but agree with the detective which is why he was about to do something he never thought he would do.

“As for what I plan to do with him. I’m going to reach out to child protective services. It might be hard to find a place for him to stay on such short notice but I'm sure I can work something out.” The detective finished.

“What if the kid stayed with me?” Aizawa stated more than asked in his usual deadpan voice.

The detective stared at his long time hero friend. It was true that the man cared for kids more than his overly serious demeanor ever let on but this was unexpected. But Tsukauchi knew the man wouldn’t just ask without thoroughly thinking it through. So after a moment he sighed, “Aizawa if you're sure I’ll trust your judgment. But if you do this it will not only interfere with your private life and your hero work but also teaching. After all, isn't this year's entrance exam in two weeks. We don't know how long the boy would have to stay with you; it could overlap with your job.” He could've said more to deter his friend but he knew by how serious the hero was that his mind was already made up.

“You know I wouldn’t rush into a decision like this. I've thought it through and if it’s true that that kid is linked to something. Then by staying with me he’ll be both safe and monitored.” The scarfed hero then gave an uncharacteristic smile “As for my job I have an idea of what I’ll do.”

The detective quickly understood what the man meant and couldn’t help but laugh “He did show a lot of potential. Alright then I guess the kid will stay with you until I can get some more information. I guess we should go tell him and then I can give you two a ride back to your place.”

With that the two men walked back to the interrogation room.

Danny did his best to listen in on the two men’s private conversation. But he couldn’t help but get distracted from the information. That not only did Amity Park apparently not exist in this universe but also he didn’t exist either. The latter was probably a good thing since he really wouldn’t know how to deal with another alternate universe him, especially since the last one only further ruined his life.

But the knowledge that his home town didn’t exist stung. Everything he had fought for and everything that had shaped him for better or worse was just gone. He knew that it wasn’t truly gone and that it still existed in his universe and theoretically if he somehow found a portal to the Ghost Zone then he could go back but it still hurt.

Although if he was being completely honest with himself which he wouldn’t be. There was a not so small part of himself that was happy at being in this new world and that didn’t really want to go back. But he pushed those thoughts down.

The halfa only snapped out of his thoughts when the door opened up. He wanted to slap himself for not paying attention to the rest of their conversation. But instead put on his usual easy going smile as he leaned back in his chair “So will it be firing squad or burning at the stake?” he joked.

Yeah this kid was definitely going to be a handful. Aizawa thought before giving his own monotone response, “Neither kid, instead you’ll be coming to stay with me.”

Danny almost fell out of his chair. He really should’ve listened better.

He had thought he would be given a comfy prison cell at worst. Or if he was lucky put into some type of group home. Which would’ve been great since it would’ve given him more freedom and he would probably be able to finally detransform. But instead he would be going with the guy who could possibly erase his powers.

“Danny, Eraser Head has agreed to let you stay with him for the time being. Are you okay with that?” The cheery detective asked, completely ignoring the shocked expression of the boy.

The halfa could tell that despite it seeming like he had a choice in the matter he really didn’t. So he relented and decided to just go with it. “Yup, sounds just peachy.” Of course he didn’t need to sound happy about it.

“Alright then!” The detective clapped his hands together “I’ll be driving you both, I’ll explain more as we go, okay.”

Danny nodded and began following the two men.

Before he knew it he was once again enjoying the view of the city from the backseat of a car. Only this time the silence didn’t last as the detective spoke up.

“In a few days I'll be back to ask you some more questions. But if you need to talk to me before then you can either talk to Eraser Head who’ll convey your message or he can contact me and I’ll come over. But for the time being Eraser Head will act as your guardian.”

Danny hummed in acknowledgment which seemed to be enough of a response for the detective. Who fully focused back on driving and for the remainder of the ride was peacefully quiet.

When the three finally arrived at the hero's townhouse. Danny took his time examining what was apparently where he would be staying as he followed the two adults into the house. The front entrance way was nice with off white walls and an area to take off your shoes. Which is where the two adults stopped.

“Kid are you even able to take those things off?” Aizawa asked as he stared at the kids white boots that seemed to be attached to the kids' suit.

Before Danny could try to answer, the detective spoke up from where he stood by the door.

“That reminds me, Danny within this country, the act of vigilantism or using your quirk for combat or in a public area without a pro hero license is strictly against the law. So could you tell me if you were a vigilante and if that's why you're in that costume? Before you answer, I won't arrest you if you say ‘yes’.” The detective quickly reassured as he saw the boy tense.

Danny stared at the detective and at Eraser Head who were waiting for his response. He could easily just say ‘yes’ and be done with it. But after a bit of thought he decided that now would be the best time to detransform and explain how he had two forms. Without seeming like he was intentionally hiding the information.

He had originally planned to keep his other form a secret, but he didn’t have the energy to keep up the same secret that he had to keep back in his world. Besides, he wanted to be able to finally relax in his human form and these people already knew his real name. So what was the harm in telling them about yet another secret.

So with that thought he sighed as he began to explain “Alright so this suit is kinda a part of my quirk.”

“It’s a part of your quirk, how so?” The hero questioned.

“Maybe it’s best if I just show you,”

Aizawa didn’t know what to expect but before he could question the boy further, he was forced to squint. As two bright rings of light appeared around the boy's torso and quickly traveled up and down the boy's body.

When the light finally dissipated the previously white haired, green eyed boy in a black and white suit. Now had black hair with blue eyes and was wearing a white t-shirt with red on the sleeves and a pair of basic jeans and red sneakers.

Despite the scarfed hero’s initial shock he instantly noticed that the boy now looked strangely more human but also a lot worse for wear. Where previously the kid had only looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Now it looked as if he had never slept at all in his entire lifetime.

The detective who had also been momentarily blinded by the sudden light show startled in shock before pulling himself together, “Danny what just happened!?”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the question. Even though he now felt like he had been run over by a semi-truck multiple times. He hadn’t realized just how much the full access to his ecto-energy from his core while in his ghost form had prevented him from feeling every bad life decision he had made over the last few weeks.

Honestly, he felt like he could pass out at any moment. But instead of giving in to his desire to fall asleep on the wooden floor. Which at this point seemed pretty inviting, he forced himself to remain smiling as he began quickly explaining.

“Basically my quirk gives me another form that I can transform into. I call it my ghost form and the suit that I had on kinda just comes with the form.” He decided to leave out the part about how he’s in the suit because he technically died in it, “I can technically change what I wear when I transform if I focus hard enough. But I find it easier to just use the suit. Also to answer your first question I have been a vigilante or whatever you called it. But like you said you wouldn’t arrest me so no takesy backsies, okay”

If he still needed air the halfa was sure he would've been hyperventilating after his word vomit of an explanation. But at this point he just wanted to get this conversation over with.

Tsukauchi once again couldn’t help but stare at the boy as he digested what the boy said. While making a mental note to add this new information to the kids file. “Okay I have a lot more questions…”

But before the detective could continue, Aizawa spoke up “Questions that can wait. For now I think we should call it a night.”

The man’s tone left no room for debate and the detective who had been focused on getting more information. Quickly understood his friend's intentions as he fully took in how tired the boy looked.

“You're right it’s been a long night.” he sighed and continued while smiling ”Danny, I’m glad that we met even if the circumstances weren’t ideal. Going forward I hope to continue to work with you in order to further figure out your situation. But for now, get some sleep and although Eraser Head may seem cold he’s not so bad once you get to know him.” The lighthearted joke got him a small glare from the serious man. But as he finished his goodbye he quickly took his leave.

Danny waved goodbye to the detective and felt his shoulders relax as the possibility of finally getting some sleep was finally within reach.

“Alright kid, let me show you to your room.”

The halfa quickly followed after the man and was guided to what appeared to be a guest room with little to no decorations but it did have a bed. Which was all he needed at this point.

“It’s not much but we can get you better situated tomorrow…” Aizawa then looked at the boy who seemed to be transfixed on the bed and corrected himself ”or whenever you wake up. There should be some pajamas in that dresser and down there on the left is the bathroom and to the right is my room.” he said while pointing to the different doors down the hallway. “There’s extra toothbrushes and towels in the cabinet but if you need anything else just knock on my door, okay kid.”

Danny snapped out of his staring fit and looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.

“Kid, did you even get all that?”

The halfa furrowed his eyebrows “I heard you I was just um processing,” he said while snapping his fingers as he pieced together his tired response.

Aizawa sighed as he stared at the exhausted boy and decided not to further keep the boy from getting the sleep he very clearly needed. “Alright then have a good night”

Danny watched as the man began to walk away and his last brain cell kicked in as he spoke up “Eraser Head,” said man turned around to look at the halfa “um well thank you.”

The usually serious and grumpy man stared for a moment before smiling “Don’t worry about it kid.” With that he turned around and went to his own room.

Danny quickly followed suit and closed the door to his own room. He probably should shower or change his dirty clothes, he absently thought. But it felt like his body moved on its own and before he knew it he was on the bed not even under the covers.

Within seconds the half ghost was asleep.

Line Break -

Across the city from where the exhausted halfa slept peacefully. Land Slide angrily paced back and forth in an abandoned building.

He had been told through the walkie talkie that he had grabbed before making his destructive exit hours ago. To wait for who was apparently one of the leaders of their supposed sponsors to make contact.

The giant rock encased man was furious that his goal of finally destroying the heroes had been taken from him all because of some white haired brat. As he waited for what felt like hours, to the angry impatient criminal his fury only grew.

He had let that spiky bastard Barasawa Katarao handle the previous contact with their sponsor but now he was buried under tons of rubble. Along with the crates full of weapons and black market support gear. So now he would have to explain by himself that the entire operation was destroyed.

Just as the large man was about to smash his rock fist through yet another wall in anger a purple swirling portal appeared.

He watched as what looked to be yet another teenager who was covered in hands stepped out of the portal. Followed by what looked like a man made of the same purple smoke that the portal was made of. So these were the bastards he was supposed to be scared of, though Land Slide in anger.

“So you failed, you giant pile of rocks?!” The gray haired man with a hand over his face said with barely disguised frustration.

Before Land Slide could say anything the living portal dressed like a butler spoke up “Shigaraki this failure was already expected there is no need to be angry.”

“It was expected?!” Land Slide said as he balled his fists up.

Instead of answering the giant man's question Shigaraki only looked towards the portal man and huffed while clenching his own fists only he made sure to keep one finger pointed out.

Finally after a long moment of anger induced silence Shigaraki finally turned back to Land Slide but still did not answer his question. “You explain what happened” he said in a gravely voice as if he hadn’t had water in days.

Land Slide was barely suppressing his anger which was evident by the tone of his voice as he answered “We were ambushed by heroes.”

“And? I gave you those weapons because you said you could handle heroes!” Shigaraki yelled.

Land Slide felt the urge to punch something but instead grit out the rest of his explanation. “There weren't just heroes. Just when I was about to destroy them a kid appeared and saved them.”

Shigaraki seemed to freeze as he took in what the man said before saying in an eerily calm voice “So you weren’t taken down by heroes but by a kid? What kid?”

“I don't know who the brat was. He had white hair, green eyes and was dressed in a black and white costume. But he had multiple powers and when he blasted me my rock shell almost broke.” The man gestured to the side of shoulder, where he had taken the blast. A few cracks still visible.

Shigaraki then turned to the butler and asked, “Kurogiri do you know who this kid is?”

“No, I am unaware of any kid who fits that description.”

The man covered in hands only seemed to get more angry at the insufficient answer, “Damn it all! You're both useless!”

Land Slide had finally had enough of the kid's arrogance and slammed his fist into a wall which caused giant cracks to form. “You know I think I’ve had enough with kid’s thinking they are hot shit.”

“Good, I was hoping I would be able to destroy you!” Shigaraki said, completely unfazed by the sudden threat.

“Shigaraki the master does not want you putting yourself in harm's way.” Kurogiri said in a neutral voice.

“Please this pile of rocks isn’t a threat besides it’s clear that he is no longer useful for our cause.”

“Very well.” Kurogiri responded.

Within moments Land Slide began his charge towards the man. As he was about to slam down his giant rock fists and smash in the annoying brat's skull. The boy quickly moved out of the way of the impending impact.

Shigaraki placed his hand on the man as he dodged minus one finger that remained lifted off the rock. His hand landing right on the cracks, the weak point in the almost impenetrable man.

“Die” Shigaraki said, in his gravelly voice before placing down his last finger. Allowing Shigaraki's quirk to activate, decay quickly spreading both along the surface of the stone and seeping further in.

Land Slide screamed as he felt his body begin to break away. He could feel himself decay.

Shigaraki watched in glee as the man who had failed began to turn to ash. Without intervention the rot spreading without pause. Although his enjoyment didn't last long as he quickly grew bored. Turning to Kurogiri he spoke, “Let’s go, what happened tonight doesn’t change anything. I will still destroy this world and its precious symbol of peace.”

Kurogiri simply opened a portal as commanded and allowed the boy to walk through. But right before Shigaraki took his last step through the purple portal he turned “Oh, and find information on this kid. Whoever they are, I want them destroyed for interfering with my plan.”

With that the two vanished from the warehouse and the only thing that remained in the vacant building was a pile of ash.

Chapter Text

Danny groaned as he slowly came too. His mind was fuzzy from sleep, but he didn’t want to get up yet. He felt so comfy, and his mind was clear, he felt at peace as he let out a light sigh. But as he laid on his twin bed that had never seemed so soft or so big his mind slowly started to awaken. Despite how he tried to drift back into a nice dreamless slumber.

As he moved to his left side in order to hopefully find an even better position to continue his sleep. A beam of sunlight shone on his face. He squeezed his eyelids shut to block out the annoying ray of light but after a few moments the uncomfortable warm light only further served as a wake-up alarm.

But Danny was stubborn even when fighting to stay asleep. But it was a losing battle as he unconsciously started to focus on his acute senses. First his touch as he felt the soft sheet below his hand. It was weird no matter how much he stretched his arms he never reached the end of his small bed.

Next, his smell, he didn’t need to breathe exactly. But it would be a waste not to use his enhanced sense of smell. So, he took a deep breath through his nose. The first thing he noted was that instead of the usual medical and chemical scent he always got due to his house being one big laboratory. It instead smelled warm in an odd relaxing way. But yet again his mind pushed aside the oddness as he continued going through his senses.

His next sense was hearing, he focused on all the noises around him. The first thing he tried to pick out was the usual light hum that always came from the ghost portal two floors below his bedroom. But no matter how hard he listened there was no hum. ‘Maybe the ghost portal got shut off’, his sleepy mind thought. As he instead tried to discern what the other noises were. He could hear birds chirping and light footsteps. That sounded too big to be his sisters but too light to be his father's, so he guessed they were his mothers. But there seemed to be another set of footsteps that sounded just as light, maybe there's a guest he questioned before moving on.

Lastly as he moved to be laying on his back, he finally decided to open his eyes. What he expected to see was the small expanse off his bedroom ceiling which was filled with glow in the dark stars that Jazz had gotten him. But instead, as he looked up the only thing he saw was a normal white ceiling.

It took his brain a moment to put the pieces together before he quickly propped himself up and looked around the foreign space. There was a window to his left and on the other side a dresser. Then straight ahead was a closed door. ‘Where am I?’ he hastily questioned as he debated on transforming. But before he went through with his plan, he suddenly recalled the events of the last few weeks. More specifically what happened yesterday or what he hoped was yesterday.

He was in another dimension.

After the halfa calmed down enough from his initial realization at not being in his own bedroom. Then from remembering where he was instead. He slumped back down onto the mattress and pillow. As the adrenaline left him and his ghostly energy which felt completely replenished simmered down.

He once again stared up at the ceiling and asked out loud to himself “How long was I asleep?”

Of course, no answer came and after a few minutes of just laying down in contemplation he got up. He needed to determine his situation.

But before Danny walked to the door from where he stood at the end of the queen-sized bed. He decided to quickly check over his physical condition, mainly his shoulder which he now remembered was still sore when he went to bed. He looked at where the ghastly wound had previously been. He was glad to see that it was completely healed and that it didn’t leave another scar, because he already had enough of those, he bitterly thought.

Next, he looked down to the rest of his body which also seemed fine. Of course, he did notice that he was still in his dirty clothes. He really wished that the clothes he wore in his human form also got reset like his suit did when he transformed.

Lastly, he closed his eyes and focused on his core and the ectoplasm that coursed through his body instead of blood. He really did feel amazing; in fact he hadn't felt this good and so full of energy since he first got his powers. It was like he was overflowing with power. I guess that’s what happens when you actually sleep.

After checking over his condition he finally decided to open the door and look out to the hallway. He vaguely recalled the small tour Eraser Head gave him, but the layout of the two-story town house was still unfamiliar.

He briefly debated going invisible until he found out who was making the footsteps downstairs. Danny assumed that one of the people must be Eraser Head, but he wondered who the other person was. So, he decided to forgo his precautions as his curiosity got the best of him.

Of course, he still made sure to be quiet as he went down the stairs and to where he could hear the voices coming from which he believed was the living room. He stood outside the doorway and out of sight as he listened to who he could tell was Eraser Head from his tired voice.

As for the other person they seemed very energetic and loud. He was kinda surprised he hadn’t woken up because of the unknown man who seemed to not have an inside voice.

“Aizawa, just let me go peek. I want to see the little listener!”

“No, now be quiet or leave.” Eraser Head said in response.

Surprisingly the man didn’t seem deterred by the curt respond, “Come on it’s been days couldn’t I at least go make sure he’s still breathing!”

Danny felt his eyes widen. Just how long was he asleep? After a moment he decided that the quickest way to have his question answered was to ask.

Aizawa could feel a headache coming on. He was trying to read through the information for the upcoming UA entrance exam. But he was having trouble due to a certain loudmouth colleague who was also supposed to be doing work.

As he was about to answer the man’s question with yet another dry ‘no’. In the doorway the kid who was the reason for the man’s current obnoxious behavior suddenly appeared.

“How long was I asleep?” Danny asked after the two adults noticed his presence.

Aizawa quickly snapped out of his slight surprise at the kid’s sudden appearance, and he was glad to see Yamada not overcrowding the kid. “You were asleep for three days.”

‘Three days’, the halfa was a bit shocked. He had guessed that he had been asleep for longer than eight hours based on how much energy he had, but three days was a bit insane.

“I guessed that sleep was a recourse of you using your quirk so much. But it’s good to see you finally awake. Had it been any longer I probably would have taken you to the hospital, kid.”

“I already told you I’m not a fan of hospitals.” But Danny could tell the man dressed in black was only concerned in his own non-obvious way. “But I guess I must’ve been even more tired than I thought. I don’t usually need to sleep much to regain my strength because of my powers… or quirk.” he quickly corrected himself.

‘’Is that so” Aizawa responded.

Suddenly the man who had been unusually quiet finally burst out, “So this is the little listener. I’m glad to finally meet you. I heard about what you did at the warehouse. Super heroic of you.”

Danny looked at the overly excited man who was currently giving him a thumbs up. He kinda reminded him of a bird which almost made him laugh.

The man’s over-joyedness made him feel relaxed and in his usual element of jokes and humor. So, he couldn’t help but smile as he offered his own greeting. “It’s nice to meet you and what I did at the warehouse wasn’t that big of a deal but thanks.”

From what little he knew about the kid’s ominous background which he learned from Aizawa. Yamada had expected the kid to be more standoffish. But he was glad to be proven wrong. “Wow, I'm glad to see you haven't taken after Aizawa’s doom and gloom already. So little listener what do you want me to call you.”

“You can call me Danny. But who are you exactly?” Danny casually answered.

“He’s an annoyance” Aizawa said before Yamada could sulk from the kid not recognizing him.

“Don’t listen to him Danny. I’m Present Mike, the voice hero you might have heard of me from my radio show.” The hero could tell from the boy's face that he in fact had not heard of him but decided to just roll with it. “But you can call me Yamada.”

The erase hero stood up from where he was sitting on the couch and put all the papers back into their files. “Now that you two got introductions out of the way. I'm guessing your hungry kid.”

Danny decided to just be honest seeing as there wasn’t really any point of lying. “Actually, I’m fine.”

Aizawa stared at the boy before saying “Kid you’ve been asleep for more than seventy-two hours there's no way you're not hungry.”

“Yoo he’s right Danny, there’s no need to feign being fine.” Yamada basically yelled as a way to reassure the boy that it was fine to admit to being hungry.

“No seriously, I'm fine.” But Danny could tell that wouldn’t be enough to get them off his back, so he quickly thought of a way to explain. “It’s like I told you, Eraser Head, my quirk is ecto-energy and ectoplasm control. Well, my body both generates it and runs on the stuff. So, I don’t really need to eat or drink for that matter.”

Aizawa could tell by the kid's tone and serious face that he was in fact telling the truth. Which added to the list of things that his quirk did. He could also tell that the kid’s habit of always saying he was fine, and his stubbornness could be a problem. “Fine kid, then how about I take you shopping.”

“Shopping?” Danny hadn’t expected the overly serious man to make such an offer.

“Kid, it’s clear you need new clothes,” he said while looking at Danny’s dirty clothes that didn’t even look like they fit properly. “and other things like a phone.”

The idea of getting to see more of this new world and country excited Danny. So, after a moment he happily agreed to go shopping with the hero. Plus getting a phone and being able to access this world's media and internet would allow him to learn more.

But he kinda felt uncomfortable spending this guy’s money but decided to just go with it for now.

Yamada had glumly said that he wouldn’t be able to come along despite his clear desire to. As he apparently had a mission to go on. Which peaked Danny’s interests as he really wanted to learn more about the supposed ‘heroes’ of this world. But he wasn’t able to get any information from either of the adults.

So, the trip over to the giant shopping center was quiet. For even in the short time that Danny had known the hero dressed in black it was clear that he wasn’t much for casual conversation. Of course that didn’t stop him from asking the occasional question or cracking a lame joke.

But it didn’t take long before he was standing at the entrance to what appeared to be a giant mall where all the walking areas were outside.

Once again, he was taken back by the scale of everything within this foreign city. He had always thought that the mall within Amity Park was decently sized, but it didn’t even compare to this place.

Besides the scale of the mall there were two things that he instantly noticed. First the amount of people, a lot of which had odd features. Which was yet another reminder that he was not in his world. Secondly the amount of what seemed to be ‘hero’ merchandise. During the ride over he had already seen multiple billboards the displayed costumed people. But now as he looked into the different stories and at the various displays the pure quantity of hero-based items was shocking.

Amongst the various heroes the one he kept seeing the most was a guy with a big smile and bright yellow hair, Danny wondered who the man was.

He had previously thought that the heroes in this world would be treated like cops or firefighters but now it seemed like they were more like celebrities.

The halfa snapped out of his sightseeing when the man who he had been mindlessly following stopped and turned to him. “Alright kid, what store do you want to go to first?”

He didn’t really know how to answer. He wasn’t really familiar with any of the stores or brands he could see and in all honesty he had never really been all that interested in shopping. Since he had neither the time or money to ever really do it.

“I have no real preference for what store we go to and honestly I don’t really know these stores.” He said honestly.

The hero simply nodded as he responded, “I should have guessed as much. Alright then let’s start with a shoe store then we can get you a phone. If you see any place along the way we can go into it.”

The two proceeded to walk throughout the mall. Danny, despite his casual attitude, couldn't decide how to feel about what was happening. On one hand getting new things was nice but he also didn’t really know this man. So having him buy him things felt weird. Hell, even his own parents never really bought him anything.

After he reluctantly picked out a pair of new red sneakers. He followed along to the next destination. But as they approached what appeared to be the phone store he finally decided to speak up. “Hey Eraser Head, listen I appreciate what you're doing but you really don't have to buy me something so expensive.”

The man stopped. “First you can call me Aizawa. Eraser Head is only my hero name and I prefer it if people don’t recognize me.”

Danny nodded, the concept of having a secret identity and private life were nothing new to him. Plus, he was kinda getting tired of calling the guy Eraser Head. Which while catchy was also a hilarious name that he had to restrain himself from making jokes about.

“Also, while you were asleep Detective Tsukauchi got your identity registered and worked with child protective services to officially place you in my care. Which means that I get a subsidy check for you every month.”

“Wait so I now have an identity here?” Danny said, completely getting sidetracked from the original conversation.

Aizawa nodded, “Well not completely kid.”

The halfa raised an eyebrow as he waited for the man to continue but it was odd he seemed almost hesitant.

After a moment Aizawa sighed “Creating a full identity from nothing doesn’t just happen.” Surprisingly the boy didn’t seem shocked at all to learn that he had no previous identity like the man had thought. “Currently your quirk has been registered based on the information you gave us, and you have been put in the database. As for the other paperwork it will take time to process, and we need more information about you and your situation. Which is why the detective will be coming over to speak to you later.”

“So, what you're saying is I’ve basically been put in a criminal database. Well, that's just great” The halfa sighed but decided to move on. “Back to my original point, even with a check isn’t buying a new phone and a whole new wardrobe going to break the bank.”

“Don’t worry about that kid.” The man simply said as he began walking again.

‘Man, this guy was really short with words’ Danny thought as he proceeded to follow along.

After Danny picked out the least expensive phone which was a pretty basic model with a bright green case which he jokingly thought fit his brand. The two then went into a few other stores.

Overall, Danny despite his protest of not needing anything now had multiple bags on each arm as he walked behind the man.

In all, he now had multiple new shirts, pants, pajamas, and bedding that Aizawa had simply just got him without even saying anything.

Although Danny wasn’t physically tired by any means. But being around so many people and having to walk through the various crowds left him feeling drained. He was honestly surprised that Aizawa was putting up with it. Through the more he looked at the man who had half his face covered by the same gray scarf that he always seemed to be wearing. It was clear he was also struggling to put up with the continuous noise.

Which Danny thought was funny as he watched the crowds of people give the clearly annoyed man a wide berth. Luckily though they were now on their way out of the large mall.

But as they passed by the last few stores Danny stopped as he noticed a model rocket in the window of one of the shops. It wasn’t anything special but over the course of shopping he had noticed the lack of space themed things. In fact, it was the only space related item that he had seen. He suspected that this world wasn’t as interested in space like his own was.

“Do you want that?”

Danny snapped out of his staring fit with the rocket and looked at the man who was now standing beside him. “No, it’s fine, it just made me think. But we can get going now.”

The hero just hummed as he stared at the model for a second longer before turning to leave.

The trip back was quiet but as the halfa stared out the window he suddenly noticed a large glass building in the shape of an ‘H’ off in the distance. “Hey Aizawa, what's that place?”

Aizawa quickly glanced at what the boy was pointing at, “Ahh that’s UA it’s a hero academy.”

“A hero academy? Wait, so people actually go to school to learn to be a hero?”

“Yes, need I remind you that vigilantism is illegal.”

Danny laughed at the man’s short, dry response. It seemed like he wouldn’t be getting any more information out of the guy. But he could always look up the school and more about this hero-based world later now that he had a phone.

After Danny and Aizawa arrived back at the townhouse the halfa put his stuff away, but it didn’t take long before he heard a knock on the door and went to see Aizawa letting the detective in.

“Good to see you again Danny. You're looking much better.” The man wearing a trench coat said to the halfa.

‘’I feel a lot better and I'm glad to see you too.” Danny joked “I heard you're here to further interrogate me.”

“Well, I won't go that far but I am here to ask you a few more questions.” Tsukauchi laughed.

With that the three went to the kitchen table. The two adults sat on one side while Danny sat on the other.

“I figured you would be more comfortable to talk here then to have you come back to the police station.” He said while opening his laptop.

“So, I know it hasn’t been too long but how are you adjusting to living here?”

“Well, it’s different from what I’m used to but in a good way.” Danny knew that the detective probably wanted more. But in all honesty, he was still at a crossroads about whether he should actually stay here. He would feel bad about leaving, especially after Aizawa bought him all that stuff. But he would probably have more luck figuring out how and why he got here on his own.

“I’m glad to hear that and I heard you even went shopping today with Eraser Head. You know it’s quiet unlike him to go shopping or anywhere public for that matter.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh as the grumpy man side eyed the detective. “Ya I could tell. But it was nice. I even got to see some of the city.”

“That’s good.” The detective was glad to see that the teen was just as friendly and open as before. “Alright then Danny, Aizawa may have already told you, but I’ve been working on getting your information and identification figured out.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. I'm sure it's a lot of work.” Danny responded after nodding.

“Don’t worry about it. But it would be helpful if you could tell us more about yourself.”

‘Crap’ Danny thought. He should’ve prepared a plan for how to explain his past without seeming suspicious or giving away that he was from another dimension. “Ah well what exactly do you want to know?”

Aizawa finally spoke up “Tell us more about where you're from and your past.”

‘God this guy doesn’t mince words’ Danny thought.

The detective decided to add to the hero's blunt statement after a moment of silence. “Danny, we don't want to pressure you to talk about something you're uncomfortable with. But anything you are comfortable with sharing would be very helpful.”

Aizawa stared at the boy who seemed to be contemplating how to respond. He didn’t fully agree with taking such a roundabout method of getting more information about the teen. Who from what Tsukauchi had told him over the phone truly seemed to have just popped into existence. He just hoped that this chat could fill in more blanks about the kid. So that he could feel more confident about going through with his plan.

“Okay well I’ve already told you my parents were scientists and that they kicked me out of the house…”

Before the halfa could continue the detective spoke up “Danny could you tell us why they kicked you out?”

“Oh well” He wondered how he could explain without telling them he was a ghost. But then he got an idea. “When I got my quirk, I hid it because they’ve always strongly disliked anyone who had powers…”

‘Anyone’ being ghosts, he thought as he continued “So when they found out that I had my quirk, well you saw the aftermath” he finished while gesturing to his once injured shoulder.

Both adults grimaced; they were both very familiar with cases where parents neglected their child due to them being quirkless. So, the idea of it working the other way was a bit surprising. But they knew quirk discrimination worked both ways and that hate, and prejudice never really makes sense.

“Danny did your parents have quirks?” the Detective gently asked.

“No, they don’t have any quirks. I'm actually the only one who got one in my family.”

Aizawa frowned, “You told us before that a machine activated your quirk, can you explain that.”

Danny stared at the stern man. He wished that he would have forgotten that. Because while he didn’t fully know how quirks or superpowers worked in this universe, he got the impression that they weren’t caused by machines. But it was already too late to turn back.

“When one of my parents' big machines that worked with ectoplasm and ecto-energy didn’t work I went into it to investigate. Turns out it wasn’t working because it was turned off on the inside. But I only found that out when I accidentally hit the on button…”

He never liked thinking about the accident which had basically killed him. He already had the constant reminder of the ectoplasm humming throughout his body. “Once it was fully switched on, I was blasted with the ecto-energy which basically acted like electricity. Luckily my quirk which allows me to use ecto-energy activated and I survived.” he finished while leaving out a lot of the ghostly details.

The two adults were once again taken back by the kids retelling.

“Danny I’m sorry you had to go through that.” The detective said in a comforting tone.

Danny waved a hand and gave his best smile as he responded “It’s fine besides I got my powers thanks to it. Besides, it's more ironic what happened.”

“How so?” Aizawa asked in a neutral tone as he looked at the boy who was clearly not fine.

“Well, my parents' machines always had a habit of not working. So, it’s kinda funny that the one time they actually worked was when I was inside one.” He finished while momentarily looking down at the table as he reminisced.

Aizawa sighed, it was clear that they had only just scratched the surface about the Hell this kid had experienced. Yet he was still smiling and doing his best to seem fine. It reminded the serious man of another hero who always smiled. “Kid, did you attend school?”

Danny looked up and snapped out of his thoughts at the man’s sudden question. “Uhm yeah, I went to school. I wouldn't say I ever did that good but why do you ask?” he asked while raising an eyebrow.

Tsukauchi looked at his friend and colleague who despite his neutral unreadable face was making his intentions clear. At least to the detective who couldn’t help but lightly smile at the man’s uncharacteristic intentions.

“Since you'll be staying here in Japan you’ll need to attend school.” Aizawa said.

Danny’s eyes widened “What?! I've only been here for like four days and aren’t I apart of your investigation. Why do I need to go to school?” In all honesty Danny didn’t actually hate school or learning. Despite what his past experiences and his low grades might indicate. But he knew that going to one in this world would only further trap him here.

“Danny as a minor it’s expected that you receive some type of schooling.” The detective added.

Before Danny could protest more the man dressed in black cut in “I'm not expecting you to start all over again in your schooling. Instead, I want you to try for UA hero academy.”

“Wait, isn't that the place I saw earlier? Aren’t I a bit young to go to a school that teaches ‘heroing’ or whatever?”

"Your fourteen, correct?“ Aizawa asked. To which Danny simply nodded in confirmation “Then you're at the expected age for first years at UA.”

The halfa didn’t know what to think about that information. When he had learned about UA and hero schools, he had expected it to be more like a college and for young adults not teens. He knew it was hypocritical but the idea of putting teenagers in a position where they were expected to be heroes felt wrong. He knew first hand what that pressure could do to a person.

Aizawa decided to continue when it seemed like the black-haired boy was lost in thought. “In a week and a half UA will hold its entrance exam. Which consists of a written and physical test. The physical is for those wanting to go into the hero course at the school.”

“Okay so you want me to go to this school, why?” Danny gave the man his own serious look.

Aizawa who previously had a serious expression now looked less intense. “Kid, I won’t glorify your abilities or your quirk.”

Danny looked at the man in disbelief and the detective sighed at the man’s blunt statement.

“But from what I’ve seen you do have potential.” Aizawa finished.

The detective decided to continue where the man left off to hopefully further convince the boy who didn’t seem convinced by the hero's lackluster statement. Of course, Tsukauchi knew the man well enough to know that ‘potential’ was high praise. “Danny, we won’t force you to try for UA, but you will need to go to some school. So at least at UA you'll be able to use your quirk and within time you could even get a hero license.”

Danny thought over what the two men had said and after a moment he reluctantly made up his mind. “Alright if I have to go to school then I suppose a hero school would at least be interesting.”

The detective smiled “Great!”

“But there is one problem,” Danny said before the detective could continue. “Like I said before I never really had good grades. Plus, with my vigilantism I kinda missed a lot of school back at my old school. So, while I can pass the physical exam. I don’t know how I’ll do on the written portion.”

Danny watched as the scarfed man suddenly smiled and said in an ominous tone “Don’t worry about that kid I’ve already thought that through.”

As the halfa processed what the man meant he knew that it wouldn’t be fun. A part of himself even wanted to go back on his word and say no to trying for UA. But he knew that he wouldn’t. Not when he was already imagining himself going to a school for heroes. The concept of being around other people who were more like him made him genuinely excited.

After all it was what he planned to look for after leaving Amity Park. So, he never would have imagined that that dream would find him or at least suck him into a portal and spit him out in another universe that was straight out of a comic book. Maybe he wasn’t as unlucky as he initially thought.

The next week and a half were worse than Danny had expected. After the conversation with Aizawa and Tsukauchi the stern hero almost instantly put him to work. He had given him multiple giant textbooks on all the subjects he would need to understand in order to pass the written exam.

But it didn’t stop there; the man had personally ensured that each subject was thoroughly drilled into his skull by giving him lectures and tests on each subject. It almost seemed like the guy was an actual teacher Danny thought as he worked to finish the last test the man had prepared for him.

It was now the day before the entrance exam and instead of relaxing like the halfa wanted to. He was instead at the dining table being forced to finish a Japanese history test which was by far his worst subject. He debated on just looking up the answers since Aizawa was currently out but quickly threw away the idea. Ever since he said yes to going to UA his desire to pass and succeed at getting into the apparently top-notch academy only grew.

And he knew that would only be possible if he put all his efforts into the last bit of studying, he had to do. Overall, he felt pretty confident that he would be able to get above a passing grade on the written exam. As for the physical exam he didn’t know what to fully expect since Aizawa had refused to tell him any information about the exam.

In fact, the only thing the man had told him was that he shouldn’t overestimate his abilities. But he knew what he was capable of and ever since he first became half ghost he had learned to trust in his powers. So, he felt pretty sure that he could handle whatever the exam had in store.

With that boost of confidence, the halfa focused back on the test and quickly finished it to the best of his abilities.

After Aizawa arrived back at the town house he quickly graded the test.

“Kid, you barely scored a seventy-six.” The man said as he held the packet of papers. While giving his usual glare that Danny had gotten used to at this point.

Danny simply shrugged as he responded, “I mean at least it’s passing now.”

After a moment of the hero giving the boy an unamused look he continued “I'm doing good in all the other subjects. You can't seriously expect me to memorize and understand another country's history in a week.” Not to mention that it was another universes version of Japan’s history, Danny grumpily thought.

That seemed to be enough of a defense for the scarfed man to relent with a sigh “I guess this will have to do but don’t think your lessons will end after your exam. There's much you're still behind on.”

Danny decided to not further press the issue even though he wanted to. As he had learned that the hero could be even more vindictive than even, he could be. “Fine, but I have a question now that you're back.”

The man simply stared as a way to get the boy to just ask.

“Where exactly have you been going these last few days?” Over the course of the week Aizawa had been following a strict schedule of giving Danny a lesson then giving him a test to complete while he’s gone. Which made Danny’s curiosity about where the man was going continuously grow.

Aizawa hummed before saying “You’ll find out soon enough”. With that he began walking to the kitchen and away from where the boy was staring in disbelief.

“Seriously that's all? How nice and cryptic.” Danny said just loud enough to make sure the hero heard.

Danny decided to give up on the pointless effort of trying to get information out of his supposed guardian and instead went to his room to finally relax.

As he closed the door to his room, he took a moment to make sure no one was around before going intangible and flying through the roof of the building.

The halfa had spent most of his down time before bed in the skies of the strange city. The open air allowed him to think clearly and funnily enough it grounded him and his rampaging thoughts.

Because as he floated miles above the active city, he could feel the cool wind against his human skin. As if the very sky was hugging him in a light embrace. He let out a breath of air as he closed his eyes and focused.

He could hear the never-ending city traffic and the sound of car engines and the bullet train running at high speeds. If he listened really closely, he could even hear the sound of people talking. Of course, he couldn’t make out what anyone was saying but all the noise blended together to create soothing white noise. It allowed his stress and worries to seem far away.

He opened his eyes after a moment and looked down. The view of the city below left him speechless even though he had seen it multiple times over the past few nights. The endless sea of lights was captivating.

Finally, he looked up at the endless void of the night sky. He wished that he could see the stars but the lights that he had just admired made it almost impossible. But even without the stars he still felt relaxed as he looked up.

But the stillness in the halfa’s mind didn’t last long as the picturesque scenery reminded him of the night he first arrived in this new world. Over the past week he had been stuck between his excitement at being in a world with actual superheroes and at the prospect of going to a school for heroes.

While the other half of his mind was still stuck on the reality of his situation and the fact that he didn’t belong here. That no matter how interesting and thrilling this world seemed to be it was still not his world. He was lost, more so than he had ever been before and that thought scared him.

He knew that it was silly to be so distraught about a situation that he had previously dreamed about. That whether he had fallen through that portal or not he still would have left Amity Park. But even though he had always wanted to leave his hometown to find his own place in the world he still wanted to be able to go back and visit his sister and friends. But now he didn’t even know where to begin with trying to get back home.

Since he arrived, he hadn’t picked up on any ectoplasm or ecto-energy. It felt like this world was completely disconnected from the Ghost Zone. Which made sense as he already knew that only his world had ever breached an unnatural hole into the interdimensional plane or existence.

Which meant that the only ways to get to the Ghost Zone and back to his own world were to somehow locate a natural spawning ghost zone portal. But he knew that they were both extremely rare and only lasted for a miniscule amount of time.

Another option he had would be to somehow make his own portal which he could do by building a machine like his parents did. But he quickly crossed off the idea of creating a ghost portal machine. As it would be both too complicated and he didn’t want to introduce this world to the threats and power of the Ghost Zone. Especially if he planned to leave it defenseless by going back to his world.

The other way would be by creating a portal using his powers. He looked down at his hands as he pondered whether it would even be possible. Theoretically he should be able to do it since other ghosts could. Like Wulf and even Skulker of course he used his suit to do it. But still, he should be able to also make a portal somehow.

He clenched his fists as he focused on the ectoplasm and enormous amount of ecto-energy that had built up within his core. After a moment he extended his hands and tried to channel the energy to create a portal. But after a moment of tensing his hands and focusing nothing happened like he had expected.

He would’ve been more disappointed, but he knew that it was a half hearted attempt. Hell, he hadn’t even transformed into his ghost form to attempt creating his first portal. Because in all honesty he wasn't fully sure he wanted to succeed, at least not yet. Not when his exam that he had been working hard for was tomorrow and not when he still wanted to learn more about this strange world and why and how he came here.

So, with that he let out a sigh and decided to finally call it a night and promised himself to continue trying to create a portal in his free time.

Line Break -

Within the Ghost Zone, Clock Work floated within his giant clocktower. His form and age continuously changed every few moments as he watched all of reality and the stream of time flow.

But his attention stayed mainly transfixed on the young lost halfa who slept. The boy despite his confusion and apprehension had not disappointed the guardian of time. As he had watched the halfa start to mesh with his new strange reality.

The forceful transition that had been forced on the ghostly teen was not completely seamless and far from over. As there were still many hurdles the boy had to face. Both mental and physical threats and challenges lurched on the horizon. Gnawing at the bone to rear their ugly heads against the halfa.

Clock Work despite himself and his position as an omniscient being watched in anticipation. For while he saw the paths time could take, the different ways that the branch could grow. It was still yet to be determined which was the ultimate future. And currently its fate rested squarely on Danny Fenton's shoulders. A burden that sadly could not be removed or transferred but at least it had been lessened.

Although more specifically postponed, Clock Work thought. But Clock Work knew he was limited in how he could interfere. That ultimately, he could not stop the inevitable. That he would have to remain as yet another on looker to see if his belief and gamble that the boy would be the savior rather than the realms destroyer truly came to fruition.

But the guardian knew that the scales were now at least tipped more in favor of the teen. Which was sadly the best the ghost could offer, and he just hoped it would be enough.

Chapter Text

The night went by quickly and before the halfa knew it the sun was already out. He had spent most of the night trying to sleep but failing. As he had both too much energy and too much excitement and even a little anxiety about the exam.

But now as he stood at the entryway of the town house, he felt more than ready to take on any challenge.

Aizawa had left earlier in the morning saying that he would be going to work. Which Danny had questioned since the man typically did his hero work later in the day. But the scarfed man had just avoided the questions like he typically did.

The hero had previously offered to take Danny to the UA campus. But the halfa had turned down the offer by saying that he wanted to go himself. The man had questioned him and had said that he was still unfamiliar with the city and would get lost. But Danny had just laughed him off by saying he would rely on his phone to give him directions. That it wouldn’t be that difficult to find the school that was relatively close by.

The participants of the exam were expected to wear their middle school uniform. But since he didn't have a uniform, he had decided to wear a white hoodie with a pair of nice jeans and just hoped that no one would question him or his laid-back fashion choice. So, with that he walked out of the town house with a black backpack full of what he would need for the exam and began what he thought would be an easy and quick journey to the UA campus.

But after ten minutes of walking, he was starting to think that he may have taken a wrong turn at some point. He stopped and looked around at all the big buildings that all looked very similar.

During his walk he had continuously been distracted by the foreign environment and by the people which only made it harder to stay focused on going the right direction through the various streets and side roads.

Another thing he noticed was that he wasn’t really seeing any other students or teenagers. He had expected to see others on their way to the hero academy for the exam. But he was mainly seeing adults as he walked further and further in the direction, he believed was right.

Finally, as he walked through an alleyway that he was pretty sure he had already been down. He decided to just pull out his phone and look at its GPS map. But as he examined the overly complicated map his confusion only grew. In all honesty the half ghost had never really used a GPS before since he never got lost in Amity Park. But now it seemed like he had somehow gotten farther from the school then closer.

He looked at the clock on his phone and tensed as he realized that he was running out of time and that he would miss the check in for the exam. After a moment of debate Danny looked around him to make sure he was alone in the alleyway and went invisible.

Danny quickly took off into the sky and high above the buildings. Once high enough in the air he scanned the city below for the giant ‘H’ shaped building. Luckily, he quickly spotted it and hit himself in the head as he realized just how far he was from it. If Aizawa ever found out he was sure the man would give him another glare of disbelief.

With that though he quickly took off at high speeds and in less than a minute he was about half a block away from the entrance. He landed in another alleyway and dropped his invisibility and walked the rest of the distance to the school.

As he approached the entrance his expectation for how many other applicants there would be was severely blown out of the water. It seemed like every kid in Japan was here.

‘Just how popular is this school?’ he asked himself as he walked through the big archways to the main glass building. That he did admit was quite the sight to behold and nothing like any other high school he had seen before.

But just as he was a few meters away from the steps that led to the main door. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as a green hair kid tripped. He instinctively reached out to hopefully catch the poor kid before his face kissed the walkway. But before he could, a brown-haired girl who had been behind the boy touched the boy’s backpack.

Danny watched in amazement as the once falling boy began to float. ‘What a cool power’ he thought and watched for a few more moments. Before deciding he had stared for probably too long and turned to walk the rest of the distance.

After checking in he was directed to a classroom where he would take the written exam.

The written exam lasted two hours and afterwards Danny felt pretty good about how he did. The endless studying that Aizawa forced him to do actually paid off. As he was able to understand and answer almost every question. The only section he struggled on was the Japanese and quirk history sections, but he knew he at least passed. Which was good enough for him.

Now the only thing that was left was the physical exam. He was excited to finally see how this school was going to test a person's ability to be a hero.

He was directed along with all the other applicants to a large auditorium. He quickly sat down in the middle seating section only one row down from the top. He watched as the various students filled in. Some of them had more interesting features like bat wings or extra arms but at this point he had gotten fairly used to the strange people he kept seeing. So, after a moment he instead directed his attention to the empty stage.

It didn’t take long for the numerous applicants to sit down and for the lights around the stage to come on. Danny watched in anticipation but what he saw was unexpected.

‘Is that Yamada?’ Danny thought as he stared at the man at the center of the stage. But he didn’t get long to contemplate why the man was here. As the yellow haired hero began loudly talking in an energetic voice to the crowd while rock music played in the background.

“What’s up, UA candidates! Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ.” The man then raised his arms to the crowd while yelling. “C’mon. And lemme hear ya!”

Danny had expected some response but couldn’t help but cringe as the entire crowd remained silent. ‘Poor Yamada’ he thought.

But the man didn’t seem deterred by the unresponsive crowd of teenagers as he continued without pause ‘Keeping it mellow well that’s fine, I’ll skip straight to the main show. Let’s talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, Okay.“

Danny watched as the man suddenly pointed to the crowd while yelling “Are you ready?!” Once again, the crowd remained silent. Except for a teen who was sitting in front of him. Danny looked at the boy who seemed to be geeking out and quickly realized that it was the same guy from earlier.

The halfa couldn’t help but listen to the green haired boy as he began quickly mumbling in a not so quiet voice.

“Oh, my goodness, it’s the Voice Hero, Present Mic. So cool! I listen to his radio show every day of the week.”

So, the guy actually does have a popular radio show, Danny thought as he looked at the boy who sounded like he could faint from excitement.

“It's so nuts that all the UA teachers are pro heroes.”

Danny was kinda surprised by that information. Heroes were the teachers; it did make sense why Yamada was here then. Since the loud man was apparently a hero from what he had been told. Also, who better to teach aspiring heroes than actual heroes, the half ghost thought.

He wondered why Aizawa never told him this before. ‘Unless… no that can’t be’ he quickly stopped his train of thought and instead focused back to the stage.

“Like your application said, today you rocking boys and girls will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles. In super hip urban settings. Gird your loins, my friends. After I drop the mic here, you’ll head to your specified battle center, sound good!?”

Danny watched as the screen behind the yellow haired hero changed to what seemed to be a map showing where the different ‘battle zones’ A-G were located. He looked down at the card he was given when he first signed in and quickly noticed that his card had the letter ‘D’ on it.

“Okay, okay, let’s check out your targets. There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. You’ll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely”

The halfa watched as the screen showed a small picture of a city and then three silhouettes of what looked like robots with different point values ranging from one-three underneath them. Danny was happy to hear that he wouldn’t be fighting people.

“Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo. But check it” The yellow haired man proceeded to point at the audience once again. “Make sure you’re keeping things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya dig?”

Danny was starting to get more excited as he watched the screen basically show a video game version of defeating one of the robot silhouettes. But suddenly before the hero could continue a person in one of the front rows suddenly stood up while raising his hand.

“Excuse me, sir, but I have a question.”

Danny was taken back by the tall blue-haired guys forwardness. The idea of standing up in front of such a huge crowd being the last thing he would want to do.

Present Mic energetically pointed to the boy “Hit me!”

A spotlight suddenly shined on the guy as he began to talk. “On the printout, you’ve listed four types of villains. Not three…”

‘There was a printout?’ Danny quickly thought to himself as he continued to listen to the guy apparently complain.

“With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan’s most notable school. A mistake such as this won’t do.”

‘Wow’ was all Danny could think as he hoped that he would never have to talk to the uptight guy. But to his surprise the guy suddenly turned around and pointed in his direction. Danny began to question what he did to make the guy want to single him out. Before quickly noticing that the man’s finger was actually directed at the green haired guy below him.

“Additionally, you with the unkempt hair. You’ve been muttering this entire time. Stop that, if you can’t be bothered to take this seriously, leave. You’re distracting the rest of us.”

Danny couldn’t help but feel bad for the boy who had just been called out. While the muttering had been slightly annoying there was no reason to call him out and embarrass him like that.

With that the halfa’s desire to avoid the pompous guy grew.

Luckily though, Present Mic quickly got the crowd's attention back as he began answering the blue haired boy's question. “Alright, all right. Examinee number 7-1-1-1. Thanks for calling in with your request.”

The screen then changed to show another larger silhouette of a robot. “The fourth villain type is worth zero points. That guy’s just an obstacle we’ll be throwing in your way. There’s one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try and avoid. It’s not that it can’t be beaten, but there’s kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts.”

Danny watched as the blue haired boy bowed while saying “Thank you very much. Please, continue.” to the hero.

“That’s all I got for you today. I’ll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down. ‘A true hero is one who overcomes life’s misfortunes’ Mhm now that’s a tasty soundbite. Now you ready to go beyond? Let’s hear a Plus Ultra!”

This time Danny was amazed as the previously silent crowd shouted the phrase “Plus Ultra” back at the hero. He briefly wondered why everyone seemed to be so enthusiastic about the phase.

But he quickly moved on as he followed the crowd of candidates who were quickly directed to changing rooms where they were to change into active wear. Danny quickly followed suit and changed into a pair of white sweatpants with a black line going down the sides of each pant leg. As for the top he wore a matching white sweatshirt that also had a black strip going up the sides.

Once changed Danny followed the crowd of people who were also assigned to his battle ground and got on a bus. ‘Just how big is this school?’ he wondered as they passed by what appeared to be multiple different training grounds and large buildings.

Finally, after a few minutes Danny found himself staring at his designated training ground. The closed gate was large, and the tall walls seemed to go on for longer than they reasonably should. He was starting to understand why this school was so desirable, but he was really wondering where they got the money for all this.

After momentarily admiring the ridiculous scale of the school's facilities he quickly looked around at his fellow examinees. A few appeared nervous but surprisingly the majority of them looked pretty confident. He knew that they weren’t exactly normal teens like he was used to and that they all had their own superpowers or quirks. But he still expected them to seem a bit more nervous. But he was at least glad to see that the blue haired guy from earlier wasn’t in his group.

Danny quickly shrugged off his inner monologue about the other teens and instead focused on himself and the challenge before him.

He was questioning whether or not he should transform. On one hand he was pretty sure even without the full access to his stored up ecto-energy. That he would still be able to easily take down the robots that he had been shown. Since he didn’t think, he would need to use his high energy abilities like his ghost ice or god forbid his ghostly wail.

In fact, his initial plan going into this exam was to stay in his human form but that was before finding out that he wasn’t facing other people. Because although he had plenty of control over his powers. The idea of using his power on someone who wasn’t as durable as a ghost. Just didn’t sit well with him even if the people had superpowers. But since his opponents would be robots, he felt more comfortable allowing himself to have fun and more access to his core’s unbridled energy.

With that thought he decided that he would transform when the exam began. Which happened with little to no warning as suddenly Present Mic shouted from a tower. “Right, let’s start!” with that the giant door quickly opened. But the crowd of contestants seemed to be frozen by the sudden unexpected start.

On the other hand, Danny quickly took action and allowed the energy that was humming throughout his body to surge. Bright white rings appeared around his torso and moved up and down his body. Almost all the people who had been looking up at the yellow haired hero turned to look at the unexpected flash of light.

Within a moment the light dissipated, and Danny smiled as he quickly looked down at himself. He was glad to see his idea had worked.

Before transforming he had focused his energy to not transform him into his usual black and white suit. Since he didn’t want people to see his hero costume and assume he was some vigilante even if he technically was. Instead, he managed to remain in his jumpsuit. The only difference being that the colors had been inverted. With the white turning to black and the previously black strip turning white.

The white-haired ghost boy quickly took to the sky and flew into the battle zone. Just as Present Mic shouted again to the still frozen crowd of teens. “Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles. Run, run, run, listeners!”

Just as Danny flew past the open entryway and into the city, he could finally hear the multiple footsteps of the people stampeding into the testing ground. But he didn’t bother to look back. Instead, he focused on the task at hand.

He looked down at the ground and already saw a few one pointer’s. But since he had the advantage of speed, he decided to ignore the first few robots. As he wanted to get away from the ensuing crowd. So, he quickly flew further into the fake city to where he believed more robots would be.

He didn’t have to fly long before he came across a swarm of three pointers. They kinda reminded him of something Technus or Skulker would create. So, he decided to do what he normally would with their robotic creations.

As he floated above, he extended his arm and channeled the same amount of power he would normally use to his hand. Which glowed an intense toxic green as the energy built up to the level he normally used and shot a single ecto-blast at the walking tank. Before it even had time to lock onto him with its two-giant gun-like weapons that were mounted to its shoulders.

What he hadn’t expected though was for the robot that was bigger than a truck to instantly be incinerated and destroyed. Along with all the ground around where the robot had previously stood.

He stared down at the crater his single ecto-blast had created and frowned. He hadn’t expected the robot to be so breakable. But then again, they were designed to be destroyed by teenagers and not imbued with ectoplasm or controlled by a ghost.

He ridiculed himself for not thinking before acting and for causing so much property damage even if it was unintentionally caused. Because even if this was a fake city he had long since learned that no one appreciated having to repair stuff just because he couldn’t control his abilities. In fact, that was one of the first reasons why the people of Amity Park wrote him off as a monster.

So he quickly came up with a less destructive and honestly quicker way of dealing with the robots.

The halfa turned himself intangible and flew directly into one robot after another and pulled out various important wires as he went. For once he was glad for his basic understanding of robotics and machinery which he had gotten from his parents. As he watched and heard the robots shut off and simple slump over without any further damage to the street.

He continued on his intangible rampage and quickly shut down multiple robots of various point values. Eventually after taking down the last robot within his area, he looked around and couldn’t help but admire his work. What appeared to be a whole army of robots were now sitting lifelessly on the streets below.

He didn’t stay long though as he quickly flew off in search of more robots. But as he flew around to find more robots it seemed that the others were already being destroyed by his fellow contestants. And he didn’t really want to steal the points even if it was in the spirit of the exam.

So instead, he decided to watch for a moment since he was pretty sure only four minutes had gone by and he was really curious to see quirks in action.

He was honestly pretty impressed by the variety of powers he was seeing. Although he had to admit that the people were being rather destructive. But he couldn’t really judge seeing as he was responsible for creating what looked like a meteor crater just minutes ago.

After a moment of observing he began to hear the various people shouting out and saying the number of points they had collected. The majority of the scores were within the thirties, that's when he realized that he hadn’t really been keeping track. He wanted to hit himself for not thinking about keeping count, but he had to have at least thirty with how many robots he had taken down.

But instead of trying to figure out what his score was he decided that he should just get more points to hopefully boost whatever he currently had. So, he quickly flew away from the crowd and up the main street of the fake city. But no matter where he flew it seemed like all the robots had already been destroyed.

‘Crap I’m too late’ he thought as he looked down to the ruble below him. That’s when he noticed a guy with yellow hair standing on the street. With what appeared to be a bunch of fried robots around him.

He was about to fly off in search of more bots. When he noticed a two pointer quickly sneaking up on the guy who seemed completely oblivious to the impending danger.

“Hey, watch out!” he yelled as he quickly crossed the small distance right as the robot was about to crush the guy who had a weird look on his face. As he touched the man, he turned them both intangible. The robot went right through the two of them and due to its momentum away from them.

Danny stopped his intangibility and took a step back from the guy and sighed out “That was a close one. Are you okay?”

“Ddduuuhh…”

Was all he got back in response along with a weird smile, a double thumbs up, and ‘is he drooling?’ Danny questioned.

“Okay dude I think you might have head trauma.” The halfa slowly said in a lower voice. Once again, he got no intelligible response which made him sigh again.

He really didn’t want to have to babysit this guy. But he knew his conscience wouldn’t let him just leave a person in an active battle zone who clearly couldn’t put up a fight.

But before he could do anything else he heard a shout from behind him “Hey man watch out!”

He quickly turned his head to see the same two pointer coming at him. He quickly held up his hand in the shape of a gun. “Bang” he said mostly for his own amusement while from his pointer finger a small ecto-laser shot out. The neon green beam went right through the speeding robot's metal head which instantly killed the thing.

“Wow man, that was incredible!”

Danny turned around to see the man who had given him the warning. “Thanks for giving me the heads up,” he said while smiling.

The man with bright red spiky hair smiled back while walking over “No problem, man but hey is he okay?” He asked while pointing to the yellow haired guy who was still giving them double thumbs up with drool coming from his mouth.

“I got here a moment before you. So, I didn’t see what happened, but I think he got hit on the head or something.” Danny said while crossing his arms as he further examined the guy before turning back to the red-haired newcomer.

“That’s not good, hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

Danny nodded, “Yeah, well I'm gonna stay here with him to make sure another robot doesn’t try to make the damage more serious. Then I can get him help once the exam ends.”

“Really man that’s like super manly of you!”

Danny was surprised by the guy's sudden burst of excitement “Oh it’s nothing really” he casually said while smiling “But you should probably go get more points.”

“Nah man if you're gonna sacrifice your time to make sure he’s okay. Then it wouldn’t be very heroic of me to just leave you!”

“You really don’t have too,” but he could tell by the man’s determined face that he had already made up his mind. “But if you want to, the company would be more than appreciated.”

“Alright then” the guy gave a toothy grin “In that case I guess I should introduce myself I'm Eijiro Kirishima.”

Danny briefly remembered what Aizawa had told him about last names being used instead of first names in Japan. Before he quickly responded with his own introduction “Nice to meet ya Kirishima. I'm Danny Fenton.”

“Yeah, you're the guy who transformed at the start. It totally took me by surprise.”

Danny couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. “Sorry about that, I really wish my transformation was a little less flashy.”

“No man, it was super cool and it will totally help you stand out.” Kirishima responded.

Before Danny could respond the ground began to shake. Danny turned his head, and his eyes widened as he saw a giant robot emerge from a building.

“Holy crap! Is that the zero pointer?! Isn’t that a little overkill! That thing could actually kill someone!”

Danny didn’t bother to respond as he stared at the massive machine that was already beginning to smash its way up the street.

The two boys watched as a bunch of the teens who were around where the robot emerged. Began to run away from the ginormous robot who had begun to march forwards while destroying everything in its path.

That’s when Danny noticed that many of the contestants had not been so lucky and had been trapped by debris.

“All those people are gonna get crushed!” Kirishima yelled in horror.

Danny knew he had to go stop that thing before it killed someone and so he turned to Kirishima and quickly said. “Can you protect him,” while gesturing to the yellow haired boy “I have to go stop that thing!”

Kirishima instantly nodded while saying “Of course, I was made to be a shield. But how are you going to stop that thing?”

Danny didn’t bother to respond as he quickly flew off as fast as he could to where the zero pointer was about to put its foot down on four examinees. But even with how fast he was going he knew he wouldn’t have enough time to move all of them out of the way. So, he quickly extended his hand and created a giant ecto-shield around them. Just as the giant robot put its foot down.

The halfa could feel the enormous weight pressing down on the green shield. He clenched his teeth together as he focused on keeping the shield up. Until the foot which now had a crater in it finally lifted.

Danny landed in front of the people and faced the robot that had luckily stopped in its rampage. As it seemed to be processing what had caused a massive crater at the bottom of its foot.

He quickly turned to look at the four people who were behind him. He was relieved to see that all of the teens appeared to be relatively fine and only had a limb stuck under some pieces of rubble. Although they did all look terrified but that was understandable, the halfa thought.

Danny extended his hand which began to glow its usual ectoplasm green. He focused on the different pieces of debris which began to glow the same toxic color. He lifted his hand and at the same time the pieces of rubble lifted off the people who appeared to be stunned.

After setting the debris off to the side Danny turned back to face the threat as he said in a loud voice. “If you are able to move then run away but don’t worry if you can’t. I won’t let this tin-can take another step.” He hoped that sounded reassuring enough to hopefully prevent the people from panicking.

But he didn’t bother to look back and gauge their responses as he glared at the robot that no longer seemed to be processing.

The giant machine’s large metal head looked down at Danny. It raised its arm and appeared to be about to slam down its hand on top of the halfa.

But Danny had other ideas as he quickly put his hands out in front of himself, pointed right at the robot’s big head. He felt his energy course through him and to his two outstretched hands. Which once again began to glow an intense toxic green.

Then as his energy finally built up to the proper amount, he released it, and a giant green beam shot through the air. It went straight through the zero pointer's head and into the sky which seemed to darken in contrast to the sudden bright, burning green light.

Various contestants within the different battle zones looked up in surprise as they watched the sky dim from the sudden bright green laser. Present Mic who was still standing on the tower watched with his eyes and mouth wide open. As his sunglasses slid down his nose as the intense beam shot through the sky.

Danny watched as the blast left a giant hole through the building sized head. Once again, he appeared to have miscalculated the amount of energy to use. But it was better safe than sorry, he thought.

Of course, he didn’t think his plan fully through as he watched the gigantic lifeless robot begin to fall backwards.

“Crap” he said to himself.

He couldn’t let that thing fall and cause another tsunami wave of debris. Especially when there were so many people behind him.

Danny channeled more energy into his hands and focused on the falling robot. He once again used his telekinesis to stop the giant's rapid descent as it began to glow green.

Once again Danny clenched his jaw as his ghostly telekinesis required a lot of concentration. Plus, he had never had to use it on such a large, heavy object. But he concentrated on gently putting down the robotic carcass.

After finally stopping his telekinesis once the robot was laying relatively safely on the street. Danny took a step back and couldn't help but smile as he admired his work.

As he stood there triumphantly, he remembered that he hadn’t gotten any more points in the last like five minutes and he began to mentality freak out. But before he could fly off to search for any remaining points a sudden buzzer went off and Present Mic’s voice could be heard “And that's it! Time’s Up!”

Danny froze and then let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped ‘Well I guess that’s it,’ he thought to himself. He just hoped he had managed to get enough points at the beginning.

With that he de-transformed and turned around to begin walking towards where he had left Kirishima and the yellow haired guy. He could’ve flown which would've been quicker. But he didn’t know if he was allowed to since the test was now over.

But he didn’t make it far when after a few steps he felt like he was being watched. He looked up and was surprised to see that the people he had saved, and countless other contestants were all staring at him.

He awkwardly staree before deciding to just continue walking. As he did his best to try and ignore the odd stares.

Danny quickly walked up the street and saw Kirishima. Who was walking towards him with the yellow haired guy’s arm around his shoulder. When the red-haired guy noticed him, he gave him the same look as all the other people.

“Holy crap, Fenton?! I saw what you did, how are you still standing!?”

Danny raised an eyebrow as he casually responded “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be standing?”

But his response only seemed to make Kirishima even more surprised. “Because you just took down that giant robot. I expected you to be passed out after using your quirk so much. Or at least have some recoil.”

Danny was starting to understand. It seemed that quirks had way more limits than his ghost powers did.

‘No wonder those people were staring at me like I had three heads’ Danny thought.

“Don’t worry I’m a lot tougher than I look. Besides, that tin-can was made of the same metal as the little ones. So it wasn’t that hard to destroy.” He casually tried to explain. Because he couldn't think of anything better to try and make his show of strength seem less odd.

“Wow, that's such a manly response!” Kirishima said while clenching his free hand into a fist while closing his eyes.

“Thanks, I think,” Danny said but decided to just move past the guy's continuous use of the word ‘man’. “But now that the test is over, we should probably get that guy to a hospital or something.”

Kirishima snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Danny “Oh yeah I was planning to take him to Recovery Girl.”

“Whose Recovery Girl?” Danny asked.

“What you don’t know? She’s the school nurse here but she’s also a hero. Her quirk lets her heal people. She’s the reason UA’s able to hold such dangerous tests.” Kirishima enthusiastically responded.

“Huh that’s cool” Danny said. Although he had mixed feelings about the school actively putting people in serious danger just because they could later heal the physical wounds.

“I guess we should get this guy to Recovery Girl then,” he quickly added.

Kirishima nodded in agreement, “That’s probably a good idea.”

Danny and Kirishima turned and began to walk towards the exit with the still drooling yellow haired guy being supported by Kirishima.

“If you want, I can support him.” Danny offered.

“Nah It’s fine,” Kirishima said while smiling. “Besides, even though you said you were okay you still must be tired. I mean you destroyed the zero pointer and created that huge laser. I mean that thing was huge.”

Danny just laughed and decided to try and change the topic by asking his own question. “Kirishima, do you know how many points you got?”

“Oh well I think I got around seventy. Why, how many did you get? I imagine it must be more than me with all the super manly stuff you can do.”

Danny sighed “Well the thing is I kind of didn’t keep track. I did destroy a lot of robots at the beginning. But it's kinda a blur on how many I actually took down. So honestly, I’m not too sure how I actually did. Especially since I wasn’t able to really get any more points at the end.”

Kirishima suddenly stopped walking which made Danny turn to look at the guy.

“Fenton, I may not know you very well. But from what I saw you do. I don’t think there’s anybody here who's better suited to go to UA.”

Danny was taken back by the man’s genuine words.

“I mean you managed to save all those people so that must count for something.”

After a moment the halfa smiled “Thanks that means a lot. Maybe we’ll end up in the same class.”

Kirishima laughed, “That would be amazing man.”

After that it didn’t take long for the three boys to reach the giant door that they came through.

Luckily the nurse was there and quickly came over and proceeded to kiss the yellow haired boy on the cheek.

Danny watched in amazement and surprise as the previously drooling boy glowed a light green for a moment. Before standing up from where he had been sat down.

He appeared completely healed as he looked around confused.

“What happened? Oh, wait crap is the exam over?” the yellow haired boy asked while turning towards Danny and Kirishima.

Before either of them could respond though the old lady lightly smacked the frazzled boy in the back. With her walking cane that looked like a giant syringe. “Calm down sonny. Honestly if you were so worried about the exam. Then you shouldn’t have used your quirk to the point where it left you out of commission.”

Danny had to restrain from laughing at the old lady's unexpected sassiness. After a moment of watching the lady further berate the now healed guy, he decided that he should get going. But before he could even turn to say goodbye to Kirishima the old lady turned to look at him. “Now hold on young man.”

Danny stared at the woman and blinked in confusion as he watched her walk towards him.

“I saw that stunt you pulled off. I was planning to tell you off for using so much of your quirk, but it appears you're fine. But tell me do you need a kiss too?”

“Oh, no thank you, I'm fine, really” he quickly answered while awkwardly smiling down at the woman.

She gave a light huff before responding “Alright then here you go sonny” she then held out a lollipop for him to take.

He decided to just go along with it and took the piece of candy, “Thank you.”

With that Recovery Girl walked away to the other injured people.

Danny quickly said his goodbyes to Kirishima and wished him luck on getting in before leaving.

The walk back home was uneventful except for the fact that he kept getting lost but after finally asking for directions he managed to get to the residential district and to the town house.

After looking around the house for the grumpy hero Danny was surprised to find the man still gone. So, he decided that he would just head to bed early.

The following day Danny finally saw his supposed guardian when he woke up and went downstairs. Before he could say anything though the usually quiet man spoke first. “How’d your entrance exam go?”

In all honesty Aizawa had already seen what the kid did throughout the ten-minute physical exam. As he had been in the teacher's observation room during the whole test. But he wanted to see what the boy would say.

Danny took a moment to process the question before responding “Well I don’t think I did bad. But I don’t think I got a lot of points. So, I’m not sure if I actually passed.”

The man continued to stare at him which made Danny sigh. As he had learned that it was the hero's way of telling him to continue.

“Honestly the test was strange.”

“How so?” Aizawa finally spoke up.

Danny wasn’t sure if he should share his honest opinions with the man, but he decided it was already too late to back out now. “Well, when you told me that the UA physical exam was to assess applicants ‘heroing’ ability. I kind of expected a more well-rounded test.”

“So, the test didn’t live up to your standards?” Aizawa asked as he tried to gauge whether the boy was being overconfident. Or if he was actually pointing out the flaws of the one-dimensional test.

“I wouldn’t say that” Danny quickly responded. “It’s just that simply destroying robots doesn’t really equate to a person’s ability to be a hero, at least in my opinion. I mean testing for manpower is fine.” Especially since it worked in his favor, he thought.

“But I feel like strength or having a powerful quirk is only one aspect of being a hero. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m surprised. That the test didn’t have other ways for people to earn points.” Danny finally finished.

Aizawa hummed as he took in the boy’s analysis. He was surprised by the kid. As it seemed like the boy actually understood the realities of being a ‘hero’. At least more than most people in this hero obsessed society did. That raw strength does not equate to being a good hero.

But the man decided to leave out that the test actually did have a hidden element. That made the test slightly more balanced.

“You certainly do have an interesting way of looking at things.” The hero decided to simply say in a neutral tone that didn’t give away his own thoughts on the matter.

Danny didn’t even blink at the man’s simple, monotone response as he had gotten used to them. Instead, he sighed as he moved on. “I was told I should receive an envelope in the coming weeks that will tell me if I made the cut or not.” He then stretched his arms in a relaxed motion “So until then I guess I’ll finally get to chillax.”

As he turned to quickly walk away before the man could deny him his well-deserved laziness. The man’s odd gray scarf weapon thing wrapped around his torso. If he really wanted to he could’ve escaped but he let himself be captured as the man said in a scary tone “Not a chance kid”.

With that a week and a half not so quickly passed. As each day that went by only made Danny more nervous about whether or not he had truly managed to mess up getting into UA.
It also didn’t help that Aizawa didn’t lighten up on the excessive studying and tests. In fact, if Danny didn’t know better it almost seemed like the man was giving him extra work because of the joke he had previously made about spending all his time relaxing.

But one saving grace was that the grumpy hero spent most of his time out of the town house. Doing what Danny guessed was hero work as the man refused to tell him. But that time allowed him to have some much needed downtime. Which he used very wisely to learn more about this new world. Starting with this world's phone games.

He always made sure to finish the work assigned to him before Aizawa typically got home late at night. So, the hero was none the wiser.

Except today his luck finally decided to run out.

As he was laying on the couch in the living room playing on his phone. While completely ignoring the textbooks and papers that were scattered on the coffee table. He suddenly heard the front door open.

He quickly sat up ‘crap’ was all he was able to think. Before the man who he had honestly hoped would be a burglar instead stood in the doorway.

“Kid…”

Before the man could continue Danny quickly stood up while cutting off what he assumed would be some lecture. “Okay listen I know what it looks like but it’s not.”

“Kid…”

“Okay so maybe it is what it looks like. But I mean, is it really that bad if I relax a little bit.”

“Kid…”

“Actually, don't answer that. But come on, I am still a kid. Plus, what does it matter if the work gets done now or later. It still gets done in the end.” Danny finally finished.

“Kid, are you done?”

“Uhh time is relative.” Danny quickly added on but honestly, he felt like he was digging his own grave. But as he finally took in the man’s expression he didn’t appear as mad as he had expected. Although it was hard to tell sometimes.

Aizawa sighed as it seemed that the kid’s excessive tangent was finally over. “Kid, you got a letter.” He finally calmly said while offering the sealed envelope to the boy.

Danny stared at the piece of mail that was being held out to him. ‘Who would send me a letter?’ But then it clicked as his eyes widened. He finally took the letter from the man who had been holding out his arm for probably too long.

“It’s finally here?” he said with excitement and nervousness that he tried to push down. But now that he was holding it his anxiety began to truly spike at the prospect that he in fact did not get in.

He looked up at the man who had crossed his arms. Danny didn’t want to seem rude by asking to open the letter in private, but it seemed that the hero understood.

“Kid it’s fine you can open it in your room.” Aizawa said while stepping out of the doorway to allow the kid to go. Besides, the hero already knew what the letter said.

Danny smiled “Thank you,” but just as he was about to leave, he turned back and gave a sheepish smile to the man. “Also, I really will get that done, promise” he said while pointing to the scattered assignments.

“Sure, kid now go. You look like you're about to explode from excitement.”

Danny did as he was told and quickly went to his room. After closing the door, he stood in the center of his room staring down at the closed envelope that had a red UA seal on it.

After a moment he decided that it was best to just get it over with and so he carefully opened the envelope. But to his surprise the first thing he pulled out was a weird metal disk.

He examined the disk for a moment but suddenly a small blue light on the top of the strange device activated and started blinking. On instinct Danny tossed the disk on top of his mattress and turned intangible.

But instead of exploding like most devices he handled did. A holographic screen that showed a close up of a man’s smiling face suddenly appeared.

“Booya! I am here as a projection now!” the man said in a loud booming voice as he finally backed up from the camera.

Danny stopped his intangibility as he looked at the holographic man who was now better in frame. He had bright blonde hair that had two pieces sticking up in front, a thousand-watt smile, and was wearing a yellow suit the same color as his hair.

It took Danny a moment before he realized it was the same guy who he had seen at the mall. On all the posters and different hero-based items.

“Sorry for the delay in receiving your UA entrance exam score. But with great power comes a great amount of paperwork!”

‘Wow this guy is enthusiastic’ Danny thought.

“The truth is, I didn’t come to this city just to fight villains. You’re looking at the newest UA faculty member.”

Danny blinked at the information. He guessed that this man must be a pretty famous hero. But to the halfa he was just another guy. So, the information that he would be at UA didn’t really matter to him. Although the man’s big smile was strangely encouraging.

“With that out of the way young Danny Fenton I am excited to tell you that you have passed the written exam with a score of eighty-six!” The man loudly said while giving a thumbs up.

“As for the practical exam…”

If it was possible for Danny to sweat, he was sure he would be. As he clenched both his jaw and fists in anticipation.

“I am delighted to say that you, Danny Fenton went above and beyond all expectations!”

The tension in Danny’s shoulders lessened as he took in what the man said. ‘I passed’ he thought in relief and with more happiness than he thought he would feel at the news.

Danny watched as a screen behind the smiling man switched from showing a UA symbol to showing what appeared to be footage of him during the physical exam.

“You managed to both quickly and safely disarm the villains in a way that ensured both efficiency and reduced property damage.” The screen showed him going through a robot and going out the other end with wires in his hand.

“So, I am glad to say that you rightfully earned 81 combat points!”

Danny tilted his head to the side. The score sounded good and from how the hero was acting it seemed like it was pretty high. Although without anything to compare it to he didn’t fully know what to think of the score.

Either way though he was just relieved that it wasn’t in the thirties like he thought it would be. Although the more he thought about it, thirty didn’t really make sense when he thought back to all the robots he killed during the start of the exam.

But the hero's wording did catch him off guard “What did he mean by ‘combat’ points?” he questioned. But just as he asked himself that question the man continued.

“But combat was not the only aspect we at UA examined. You see, the practical exam was not graded on combat alone. You were also graded on your ability to save others, in other words rescue points! You see a panel of judges watch and reward points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains.”

Danny was surprised that the test did in fact have a hidden element that made the exam more well-rounded. He wondered how many points he would be given for saving those people from the zero-pointer.

“Danny Fenton, you have been awarded twenty rescue points for saving Denki Kaminari.”

‘So that’s the kids name’ Danny thought as he saw the screen change to show him saving that yellow haired kid. He was surprised with how many points he had been given. Especially since it meant his score was now 101.

“But that is not all…” The screen changed again to show Danny putting up his ecto-shield to protect the trapped contestants and then destroying the zero-pointer. “For your acts of heroism in defeating the zero-pointer and saving you fellow applicants. You have also been awarded 55 more rescue points!”

‘Fifty-five more!?’ Danny thought as his eyes widened even more.

“That means with a score of 81 combat points plus 75 rescue points you have a total of 155 points! Congratulations on placing first!” The smiling man once again gave a thumbs up and an even more blinding smile.

Danny watched as the screen beside the man changed to show a leaderboard with his name and score right at the top. At this point the halfa had his mouth open as he stared in disbelief. At not only placing first but also at the ridiculously large margin that he and second place had.

“Welcome Danny Fenton to your hero academy!” With that the hologram changed from showing the smiling man to only showing the leaderboard.

It took Danny a few moments of just staring before he was finally able to snap out of his stupor.

He let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes which had been wide open for the last few minutes in disbelief and surprise. Because while being first did stroke his ego. He already knew that the huge margin could cause problems or even raise even more questions about him. He honestly wished he could go back and reduce his score to make it seem a little less ridiculous.

But with all his powers, time travel was definitely not one of them. So instead, he decided that he would just have to live with being first place.

He started to examine the rest of the leaderboard and was glad to see that Kirishima also passed and in third place no less. Danny hoped that the friendly red head would be in the same class as him.

As for the rest of the names he of course didn’t recognize them. Although as he went down the list, he was surprised to read Kaminari in twentieth place. But he shrugged it off and eventually decided to stop in his analysis of the list and the different scores.

After figuring out how to shut the device off he went downstairs to tell his guardian the news.

“Hey Aizawa,” Danny said to the man who was sitting at the dining table looking at some papers.

“Yes kid?” The man responded while not even looking up.

“Well just thought you would be relieved to know that I passed both the written and practical exam.” Danny decided to forgo telling the man of his placement or his outrageous score.

Aizawa finally put down his paper and stared at the smiling boy. He had expected the kid to instantly tell him about his record-breaking score. “Good job kid. I guess that means you do have potential.”

Of course, Aizawa knew that ‘potential’ was a severe understatement now that he had seen more of what this kid was capable of. But he would be the last person to glorify a person simply because their quirk was strong.

Danny laughed at the man’s typical dry response “I guess it does. But it sucks that the first day is a month away” he sighed. He couldn’t believe that he actually wanted to go to school. ‘If only Jazz was here, I’m sure she would be thrilled’, he thought.

“That means you have plenty of time to prepare,” Aizawa said as he stood up and walked over and grabbed a paper bag. “But before that I got you something.”

Danny blinked as he took in what the man said “You got me something? Wait, is it another textbook because if it is, no thank you.”

Aizawa didn’t respond to the boy as he simply held out the mysterious bag for the boy to take.

Danny took the bag as his curiosity got the best of him. He looked in the bag and his eyes widened “Wait is this that model rocket I saw?” Of course, he already knew the answer as he pulled out the box that had a picture of the finished product.

“Think of it as a gift for passing the exam and it will give you something to do besides play on your phone.” Aizawa dryly responded.

Danny couldn’t help but smile as he examined the box and already started to read the instructions on how to put together the rocket. He would typically make some joke about the guy being more caring than he lets on. But he honestly felt more emotional than he should as he stared at the gift.

“Thank you, Aizawa really.”

Aizawa couldn’t help but lightly smile “No problem kid.”

With that Danny went back to his room and quickly got to work building the model rocket all while genuinely smiling to himself.

Chapter Text

The month went by quicker than Danny had expected. He had spent most of his time building the model rocket which now sat proudly on his dresser. While the rest of his time was spent being forced to further study and complete assignments that his guardian made for him. But even though he didn’t like it he begrudgingly did it.

Now as he walked to the UA campus for his very first day at the hero academy. He felt more prepared than ever.

Along the way he got a bit lost, but he eventually managed to make it to the entrance of the giant school.

As he passed through the gate he stopped and looked at the large glass building. It now looked more inviting then when he had first seen it during the entrance exam. He let out a breath as he adjusted his messily done tie once again.

He had to admit that when Aizawa had given him the uniform a week ago and had told him it was a school requirement. He had almost wanted to back out at going to the elite school. But here he was in the tight, uncomfortable uniform which was basically a brightly colored suit.

After sulking for a moment at the prospect of not being able to wear his usual loose fitting t-shirts and comfy hoodies he started walking again.

As he walked into the school and through the halls. He couldn’t help but notice the lack of people. He now knew that UA’s acceptance rate was extremely low but as he walked through the empty halls to his classroom that fact only became more apparent.

Finally, after navigating through the different levels of the school, he finally managed to see his classroom, class 1A. As he got closer to the large door, he saw a boy who he vaguely recognized standing in the doorway. He had green hair and a bright yellow backpack.

When Danny stopped just outside the door the boy who was talking to someone in the classroom stopped and turned around “Oh, I’m in your way sorry.” he frantically said.

“Don’t worry about it” Danny easily said as he looked at the nervous boy's appearance. He could’ve sworn that he had seen the kid before, but he just couldn’t place it.

That was until he looked past the boy and into the classroom where he saw a tall blue haired teen with glasses. Instantly it clicked as he remembered the stuck-up boy from the introduction assembly and the mumbling green haired boy who he had called out.

Danny must’ve stared for too long as the blue haired boy proceeded to stiffly walk closer and began talking to the halfa. “Welcome I am Tenya Iida, I am glad to see that you have located the classroom before the bell. Please feel free to introduce yourself.”

Danny put on a casual smile as he decided to go along with the guy’s very forward introduction. “I’m Danny Fenton, nice to meet ya Iida.”

He was expecting the boy to continue on the conversation or something but instead Iida seemed to lock up and freeze at his introduction. Not just that but the green haired boy who stood in between the two also seemed shocked by his very plain introduction. Also, he could’ve sworn he even heard gasps from inside the classroom.

After a few too many seconds of awkward silence Danny raised an eyebrow as he decided to speak up once again, “Uhm, is there a problem? You two look like I’ve grown another head.”

That seemed to snap Iida out of his statue-like state of shock as he finally responded “My apologies Fenton. I was just surprised to finally put a face to the name.”

Now Danny was even more confused. “Wait, have we met before, why would you know my name?”

This time the green haired boy spoke up in an excited voice. “That’s because you placed first in the entrance exam. Not only that but you set a new record, even beating All Might’s score.”

‘Oh, so that’s why,’ Danny thought as he looked at the boy you seemed to be fanboying. Over the last month he had kinda forgotten about his outrageous score. But before he could respond the boy seemed to become embarrassed by his outburst.

“Oh, I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to be rude. Uhm I’m Izuku Midoriya and I’m really excited to meet you Fenton.”

“Yes, Midoriya is correct. I believe we are all very thrilled to meet the person who performed so well on the practical exam. It is truly an honor. For it is clear that as a student you’re far superior.”

Danny was really starting to regret doing so well on the exam. If only he could’ve just destroyed a few robots and been done with it. Then he wouldn’t be having this awkward conversation. He thought, as he awkwardly laughed, as he tried to diffuse the situation. “Ha ha I wouldn’t go that far, I merely did what I could. Besides we're all here for the same reason so there's no reason for you to consider me superior.”

“That sentiment is very honorable, Fenton you are indeed very wise.” Iida responded.

Before Danny could say anything further though another voice spoke up. “Hey, I recognize that messed-up hair! Falling boy!”

Danny turned to look at the brown-haired girl who seemed to be addressing Midoriya who proceeded to blush. The halfa had to restraint from laughing at the name. To distract himself he looked into the classroom and was delighted to see Kirishima sitting down in one of the desks.

The red-haired boy waved to him, and he quickly smiled back in response. He then looked at the rest of the classroom. It seemed like the whole class was already there except for four empty seats.

As he continued to look around the room and at the interesting individuals. Including a guy with a bird head and a girl who was pink. He also noticed the yellow haired guy who he had saved during the exam.

Lastly, he noticed a blond-haired guy who had his feet on his desk and was intensely glaring at him. When he made eye contact the guy’s hate filled stare only intensified. But Danny decided that that was a problem for later. As he zoned back into the conversation that the new girl was having with Midoriya.

“Hey, so uhh I should probably be thanking you for going in and talking to him.” Midoriya mumbled as he madly blushed at the girl.

“Oh, how’d ya know about that?”

“Oh well I was told in my acceptance video… ha ha” Midoriya awkwardly said in return. Which made Danny feel bad for the guy. Who very obviously couldn’t seem to restrain his nervousness or bright pink blush.

The brown-haired girl must’ve accepted that as an adequate explanation as she started talking about something else. “What do you think we’re doing today besides orientation? I wonder what our teachers are like. I can’t wait to meet everybody!”

As Danny listened, he was about to finally try to make it to his own seat so he could relax. But before he could even try getting past the blushing green haired boy. A very familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

“If you’re just here to make friends then you can pack up your stuff now.”

Danny quickly turned to look to hopefully prove himself wrong. But to his dread on the ground Aizawa’s gruff face was poking out of a giant yellow sleeping bag.

“Welcome to UA’s hero course” With that the man who looked like a giant yellow caterpillar stood up and unzipped and got out of the sleeping bag.

If it wasn’t for Danny’s shock and dismay at the prospect of having the strict man as his teacher. He was sure he would’ve been laughing at the scarfed man. Who truly looked like an angry, tired homeless man.

Aizawa spared a glance at Danny which made the halfa silently sigh in defeat before continuing “It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That’s not gonna work. Time is precious, rational students would understand that.”

‘What an introduction’ Danny sarcastically thought. As he looked over to his classmates who were all staring at the worn-out man in confusion and surprise.

The man finally turned to look at the rest of the class “Hello, I’m Shota Aizawa. Your teacher.”

Danny's shoulders slumped and although the class's surprised reactions were both funny and fitting. Which made the halfa feel slightly better. The teen's inner optimism about how the school year would go was already diminishing by the second. As he already knew the hell that he and his unsuspecting classmates were in for.

“Right, let’s get to it,” Aizawa said, as he pulled out a colorful gym uniform from his sleeping bag. “Put these on and head outside.”

Danny silently followed along as he and his new confused classmates quickly changed into their gym uniforms. Before going outside to were Aizawa was already waiting for them

“What? A quirk assessment test?” Almost the whole class said in response to the scarfed man, who hadn't even wasted a second before speaking to the group of teens. Danny on the other hand stood amongst his peers in confusion about what a quirk assessment test even was. But he was at least glad to be out of his uncomfortable uniform.

Before Aizawa could explain or say anything to the surprised students, the brown-haired girl who Danny was standing beside spoke up. “But orientation! We’re gonna miss it!”

“If you really wanna make the big leagues you can’t waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at UA we’re not tethered to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit.” Aizawa responded.

Danny crossed his arms as he stared at his guardian who really was not making a good first impression. Based on his classmates' gasps and worried faces. Although he didn’t expect anything else from the gruff and over serious man.

At least Danny knew that this year wouldn’t be boring. As he was kinda looking forward to other people having to experience the man’s teaching style.

“You’ve been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country’s still trying to pretend we’re all created equal by not letting those with the most powers excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn.”

Danny started to zone out at the man’s over-explanation when suddenly the man turned and looked at him.

“Fenton, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball?”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows and felt a wave of nerves by being suddenly put on the spot. ‘Heck if I know’, he thought.

But after a few long seconds of his guardian and the rest of the class staring at him he came up with something that kinda made sense. “Uhm, I think it was fifty-one meters.” His answer for some reason made the blond angry kid from before snicker, which slightly annoyed the halfa.

Aizawa stared at Danny for a few more seconds before sighing as if he didn’t fully believe his answer. Which further ticked him off seeing as he was the one who put him on the spot.

“Right. Try doing it with your quirk.” With that the man threw Danny a high-tech looking softball which he easily caught. Danny stared down at the ball for a moment before looking back up at the man.

“Wait, right now?” he questioned, in an almost pleading voice. But he already knew the answer.

“Yes, go stand in that circle and throw the ball. Anything goes, just stay in the circle.“ Aizawa responded, as he pointed to an outlined circle.

Danny briefly debated refusing the man but he wouldn’t put it past the guy to expel him if he did. So with a sigh he walked to the circle.

Once standing within the outlined circle Danny stared down at the ball. As he debated on whether he should transform but he quickly decided to not. As he knew that even without the full access to his power he would still be able to throw the ball plenty far. Plus, he really didn't want to make himself stickout anymore than he already had.

“Wait, he's not gonna transform?” Kirishima quietly whispered to himself.

But Midoriya who was standing beside the red head leaned over and asked, “What do you mean transform?”

But before Kirishima could respond Aizawa spoke up to Danny who was still just standing. “Go on. You’re wasting our time.”

Danny momentarily glared at the man before turning and deciding to just get it over with. He channeled ecto-energy into his muscles and hand. Which began to glow its usual toxic green along with the ball.

The halfa than pulled his arm back and threw the intensely glowing ball. The force of the throw sending the ball quickly soaring out of sight, as what sounded like a whip cracking could be heard. As a massive air current was created.

A few of the students covered their ears at the loud, unexpected sound and were forced to momentarily close their eyes from the sudden gush of wind.

Midoriya stared in disbelief at his classmates' blatant show of strength and power. He wasn’t the only one as all of the students including the angry blond were at a loss for words. As the halfa turned his head like nothing happened and looked to the teacher.

A few of the students who were looking more closely. Could’ve even sworn that the black-haired boy’s once blue eyes were glowing green for a moment.

Eventually though the silence broke as Kaminari loudly spoke up, “Holy crap, you gotta be kidding me!”

Many other students quickly followed suit.

“Oh my goodness.” a ponytailed girl said, as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“That was amazing!” The brown-haired girl said, as she pumped her fists up and down in excitement.

The blond tsked and turned away. “Please that was nothing I could do way better.” he angrily said, although it almost sounded like he was trying to reassure himself.

“Enough, be quiet” Aizawa finally said to the boisterous class. Although he was also stunned by the kids show. Partially, because his belief that the kid could only use his powers while in his white-haired form had been severely proven wrong.

After a moment the reading eventually stopped and Aizawa said in a neutral tone, “All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It’s the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero.” He then turned the phone around to show the still gawking class the final reading.

Danny watched as his classmates' faces seemed to become even more shocked by the reading that he couldn’t even see from where he was still standing. He hadn’t necessarily meant to throw the ball so hard. But it was always difficult to judge the power of something when he imbued his ecto-energy into it.

“Whoa, 987 meters, are you kidding me?” Kaminari breathed out in disbelief.

Suddenly though the class’s shock turned into excitement. As the pink girl put her hands together and said “I wanna go! That looks like fun!”

“This is what I’m talkin’ about, using our quirks as much as we want!” A black-haired boy with weird looking arms said. To which many of the other students nodded along.

Danny watched as many of his classmates began to eagerly smile. But as he looked at the hero who still had his back to him. He could’ve sworn he could see a menacing aura coming off the guy. ‘This isn’t gonna be good’ he thought to himself.

“So, this looks fun, huh? You have three years here to become a hero. You think it’s gonna be games and play time? Idiots.”

Danny sighed to himself, as he hoped that whatever the vengeful man did next wouldn’t be too extreme.

“Today you’ll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none and will be expelled immediately.”

Danny watched as his classmates began to freak out as their looks became filled with dread. Some more than others Danny noticed. With Midoriya looking the most terrified, the halfa thought. As he began to walk back to the crowd.

“Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand? If that’s a problem, you can head home right now.” Aizawa menacingly finished.

Danny who had managed to walk to where he could finally see the man’s face grimaced as he noticed the guy's eerie smile.

“You can’t send one of us home! I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn’t the first day, that isn’t fair!”

Danny stared at the brown-haired girl and before he could help himself, spoke up. “Being a hero isn’t really fair either.”

The whole class turned to look at him and he instantly regretted not just keeping his mouth shut. Luckily, he didn’t have to explain himself as Aizawa spoke up. “Your classmates' right. Being a hero isn’t fair. Tell me do you think natural disasters are fair? Or power hungry villains? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities?”

That seemed to make the class pause and look down as they took in the hero's words.

“No, the world is full of unfairness. It’s a hero’s job to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you’re gonna have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you.” The man then looked around at all the students and stopped to make eye contact with Danny. “So, go beyond. Plus Ultra style”.

Danny didn’t shrink back from the man’s intense gaze as he clenched his fists.

“Show me it’s no mistake that you’re here.” Aizawa finally finished and turned away.

Aizawa’s words struck a chord in Danny but instead of making him feel pumped up. It made him question whether he should actually be here. But he quickly pushed those thoughts down as he looked to his classmates who did in fact look inspired by the man’s speech.

After a moment of silence Aizawa began to walk away. “Now we’re just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin.”

With that Danny and his classmates followed after their instructor to their first test. Which Danny learned was a fifty-meter dash.

Along the way Kirishima came up to him, “Hey dude your throw was incredible. Although I expected as much after I saw what you could do during the entrance exam”

Danny sheepishly smiled at the red head, “Ya I didn’t mean to throw it that hard.”

Kirishima laughed, “You make it sound like you were holding back.”

“I didn’t mean it like that but usually I have more control over my power” Danny quickly responded to hopefully seem like he wasn’t trying to brag.

“It’s cool dude besides I could already tell you held back seeing as you didn’t transform.”

“Yeah, I’m not really used to transforming in front of people. So, when I don’t have to, I typically hold off on doing it” he explained.

“That makes sense, and it makes you more mysterious which is super manly.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh.

Unbeknownst to the two boys though, the angry blond who was walking in front of them. Had listened to their conversation and was even more pissed off. From learning that the guy who had beat him in the entrance exam had held back on his throw. Which far surpassed his expectations of what these extras could do. And possible what he thought he could do.

The class got to the next area which had two fifty-meter lanes marked out with chalk and a camera robot at the end.

Aizawa turned around and began to explain, “Two of you will go at a time and your times will be said once you cross the finish lines. You are allowed to use your quirks however you see fit. Alright, the first two are Iida and Fenton.”

Danny once again glared at the tired hero as he was starting to think the guy was intentionally calling him first.

Of course, the man paid the boy no mind although his selection was on purpose. He wanted to see how the teen who kept surpassing his expectations would fare against his classmate who was built for speed. He hoped that by losing against the boy that the kid would stop holding back. Which was already starting to get on the serious man’s nerves because while the boy’s restraint was admirable. It was also foolish in this situation and was a mockery to his classmates who would give it their all.

Danny began to walk over towards the starting line. But before he could get far Iida the boy he was basically against came up to him.

“Fenton, I am excited that you will be my opponent.” Iida said with determination.

“You are?” The halfa questioned.

“Yes,” Iida nodded “When I first met you, I told you that you were far superior to me and now that I have seen what you can do that fact has become even more apparent.”

Danny held off on responding as it seemed like the guy wasn’t finished.

After a moment Iida looked up from where his eyes had been momentarily transfixed on the ground. “But that doesn’t mean I will give up. You see I was made for speed. So, while you may be stronger, I will prove that I am faster.”

Danny stared at the guy’s determined face and finally came to the conclusion that his initial impression of the blue haired teen being an uptight jerk wasn’t completely accurate. In fact, Danny was starting to like the guy, even if he was a bit odd in his straight forwardness.

But he wouldn’t take the guy's blatant challenge lying down. As he began to smirk and allowed his eyes to flash toxic green as he replied. “Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll just have to give it my all too.”

Iida slightly flinched back as he watched the resident number one student’s eyes change color for a moment. But before he could say anything Aizawa spoke up.

“You two are wasting our time, hurry up and get into position.”

“Ah apologies sir!” Iida quickly said to the teacher before sparing one last glance at his mysterious classmate before going to the starting line.

Danny followed suit and went to stand beside the boy who proceeded to get into a running position.

Even though he had promised to give it his all he still decided to not transform. As he concluded that the fastest way for him to cross the finish line. Would be by flying which he could do in his human form. He also knew that he could get up to breakneck speeds while flying as he recalled being able to cross all of Amity Park in only a few minutes.

From the side lines Aizawa frowned as he saw the black-haired boy get ready. The hero had listened in on the teen's conversation with his classmate and had hoped that the challenge he had reserved. Would be enough of an incentive to not hold back. But It was clear that the kid still had no plans of transforming.

Midoriya from where he stood in the crowd of onlookers eagerly awaited his classmates' race. He wished he had his notebook so that he could write down notes about both Iida’s and especially Fenton’s quirks. Instead, he couldn’t help but start mumbling about what he suspected Fenton’s quirk to be.

“You really like quirks huh?” Uraraka suddenly asked the mumbling boy who slightly jumped from surprise from the sudden question.

“Oh, ah ya I do it’s just Iida’s quirk is so cool and perfectly suited for this test. On the other hand, Fenton is a complete mystery. His amazing power that he used to throw the ball was incredible, but I wonder how he can apply that weird green energy and strength to this test seeing as it’s a race. But he did place first in the entrance exam so I’m sure he’ll think of something.” Midoriya slowly got more loud and excited as he talked.

“Quiet nerd!” The angry blond suddenly yelled at the green haired boy who instantly put his hands over his mouth in embarrassment.

“Sorry Kacchan,” he whispered, before looking back at the nice girl who was still smiling at him despite his excessive rambling. “Sorry about that.” he sheepishly said.

“It’s fine I think it’s cool that you like quirks so much.” Uraraka happily responded before looking back to the starting line to watch.

Midoriya blushed at how nice the girl was before also focusing back on the matchup. As the robot camera spoke up “Runners on your marks. Ready…” than a gun noise fired off.

Midoriya and the rest of class 1A watched as in a blur of color Fenton took off into the air and quickly flew the fifty meters in an instant. Iida also took off in a blur as smoke came from his calves. But the blue haired boy's speed didn’t even come close to Fenton’s. As the robot seemed to not even have time to properly register the speed as it sputtered out a moment later “0.78 seconds”.

A few seconds later Iida also passed the finished line, and the robot quickly read out “3.2 seconds”

Iida panted as he looked up in disbelief as he finally registered what happened.

Every person stared up at Danny who was casually floating a few meters off the ground as if he didn’t just almost break the sound barrier.

Finally, the silence broke as once again Kaminari loudly spouted out in disbelief “He can fly to?!”

“Oh my gosh he’s fast,” Uraraka said but then quickly added, “They are both so fast, incredible!”

“Wow” Midoriya breathed out in shock as he stared at the floating boy. But after a moment his shock only helped to further fuel his mind. As he further wondered what the boy’s quirk could be to allow him both incredible strength and the ability to fly.

The angry blond basically growled as he grinded his teeth together as he stared up at the teen. Who he had now dubbed his number one enemy.

Danny looked to the teen below him and after a moment flew down and landed. “Good job man, you weren’t kidding when you said you were built for speed.” He genuinely said while smiling. He truly hadn’t expected the guy to run so fast. Or for smoke to come from his calves but now that he looked there appeared to be engine pipes sticking out of his legs.

Instead of a response Iida only stared at the boy as he still worked to process what just happened.

After a moment Danny frowned “Hey, are you okay?” But as he looked at the boy's distraught face, he begun to feel bad about flying instead of running. And for ruining the guy's moment, so he quickly added “Listen sorry. If it makes you feel better, I’m only that fast while flying. When it comes to an actual leg race I would say you're way faster.”

After another few moments Iida looked to the ground. “Thank you for saying that. But I see now the true gap in our abilities. It was foolish of me to challenge you. I will continue to work towards improving.” With that Iida turned and walked back to the crowd with his head down. Before the halfa could even give a response which made Danny feel even worse.

Aizawa who had also been taken back by the kid's speed. Kept a well-trained neutral face as he finally spoke up, “Alright next, Bakugo and Midoriya.”

Midoriya’s excitement at seeing such an amazing display of power instantly vanished as he heard his name get called. But he nervously began walking to the starting line as he began debating on whether he should use One For All or not.

As Danny silently walked back to the group the boy who he guessed was Bakugo passed him and bumped shoulders with him. He turned around to look at the blond boy who just kept walking. Danny could tell that it was intentional as the guy had been continuously glaring at him. But once again decided to not start something, especially since he didn’t know the guy and he honestly didn’t want to be the center of attention anymore.

But that desire did not come to fruition as once he got closer to his crowd of classmates the various people came up to him.

“That was amazing dude! How many different powers do you have?” Kaminari asked.

“You were so cool!” The pink girl loudly said.

“Ya man you were so manly!” Kirishima said while patting Danny on the shoulder. Which made the halfa smile.

“You really are fast if you don’t mind me asking what’s your quirk?” A green haired girl asked with a finger to her mouth.

Danny looked at the girl who he didn’t know the name of. But before he could respond Aizawa spoke up. “I understand that you all are excited, but I would advise you to pay attention instead of fraternizing.”

Danny looked away as he could tell the man’s glare was mainly directed at him. But he was actually glad for the hero's comment as it got the people's attention off of him. And he was able to finally relax a bit as he watched the next race.

The match up was interesting, Danny thought. As he was excited to see what the two boy’s quirks were. Although the green haired boy looked extremely anxious. That’s when he noticed the brown-haired girl a few steps away from him who looked both eager and nervous.

Danny decided to move closer and asked in a quiet whisper, “Hey uhm if you don’t mind me asking but do you know what Midoriya’s quirk is?”

The girl looked at him and lightly frowned. “Well, I don't know what his quirk is exactly. But from what I’ve seen it makes him really strong. But the last time he used it he got really hurt.”

“I see.” Danny said, as he stared at the boy who was still shaking. Now it made sense why the guy had seemed so anxious before and now. Since if he wasn’t able to use his quirk freely then he was at a severe disadvantage.

Once again, the robot counted off before the gunshot sounded to signal the start.

Danny watched in slight amazement as large explosions seemed to be created by the angry blond's hands. Who quickly shot off into the sky as the blasts propelled him.

As for Midoriya, Danny watched as the boy simply ran to the finish line.

Bakugo finished with a time of 5.13 seconds. While Midoriya finished a few seconds later with a time of 7.02 seconds. Which Danny didn’t think was that bad. Although he was taken back by both the blond's very explosive quirk and because once he crossed the finish line. The guy turned and glared at him again while his hands smoked.

“Alright, the next pair is Uraraka and Ojiro.” Aizawa said.

Uraraka took a step towards the starting line but before she could go any farther Danny said while smiling “Good luck” Which made the girl smile and nod before turning to walk towards the starting line to begin her preparations.

Danny watched as Midoriya and Bakugo walked back to the crowd and as they got closer, he smirked. As he thought of something to say to the angry guy he had been previously choosing to ignore.

“Good job Bakugo you really ‘blew’ me away,” he joked, while smiling at the guy who was only a few feet away. But it was clear that the already glaring blond didn’t like his poor attempt at humor as he basically yelled “I didn’t ask you! You damn extra!” Before stomping off.

“Wow that guy has some anger issues,” Danny said mostly to himself. But Kirishima who was beside him laughed.

“Well, it was a bad joke. But I really don't think that guy likes you!” Kirishima said.

Danny looked at the red head before sighing “Ya no kidding. If looks could kill I would already be dead.” Or more dead, he thought.

Danny then turned to look at Midoriya who had also walked over. "Midoriya, you did really good." He said with a smile, which made the boy look embarrassed.

“Oh, thank you Fenton, but I didn’t do anything special.” Midoriya sheepishly said “Oh but that reminds me, your round was amazing. I have so many questions about your super cool quirk!”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the guy’s sudden 180 switch from being meek to looking at him with stars in his eyes. “Okay how about I tell you more about my quirk later.” Danny happily said, too which the boy eagerly nodded back.

With that they both focused on the next pair. Danny watched as Uraraka touched both her shoes. Which seemed to glow a light pink color for a second. He turned to Midoriya, “You two were in the same battle zone during the entrance exam right, do you know why she’s doing that?”

“Oh, that’s because her quirk allows her to make items float by touching them. She must be planning on reducing the weight of her shoes and clothes in order to make herself faster!” Midoriya eagerly explained.

Danny suddenly recalled watching the girl save the green haired boy from falling by making him float. “Wow that’s such a cool power I mean quirk.”

“Yeah, it is. She’s amazing!”

Danny lightly snickered at the boy who very clearly had a crush on the girl. But he decided to not comment on it.

Danny watched as the tail guy who he believed was named Ojiro got 5.49 seconds. While Uraraka got 7.15 seconds which he thought were both good scores.

The rest of the tests were also interesting as Danny kept being surprised by his new classmates' varying abilities. He was still unused to seeing other people besides ghosts have powers.

A few of the people who really caught his attention were. A rather talkative blond-haired kid who was named Aoyama who created a giant laser from his stomach. The pink girl who was named Ashido who slid on some type of slime substance that she created from her hands.

And lastly the guy named Todoroki who had half white hair, half red hair and a rather nasty looking scar around his one eye, who hadn’t spoken at all. Danny was surprised to see the guy create ice which he used to quickly slide to the finish line.

Which after a second made the halfa smirk as he thought about how fun it would be to have another person around who could use ice powers. But based on how standoffish the guy seemed Danny decided to not approach him yet.

The next test was grip strength which the class went to an indoor gym to test.

Once there each kid was given a grip strength device. Of course, many of the kids proceeded to make the test a competition as people gathered around each other to watch.

Danny followed along as he and Kirishima stood around the guy named Shoji who had multiple arms.

“Wow you hit 540 kilograms, you're such a beast!” Sero said!

“Yeah, like a muscley octopus.” A short guy with weird purple ball-like hair said. Danny tried to remember the guy's name but just shrugged it off as he turned to look at Kirishima.

“I guess it’s your turn dude. I noticed you didn’t use your quirk during the last test. Will you use it now? I’m really curious to see what it is.”

Kirishima smiled “Oh well my quirk is not all that flashy but for this test It’s perfect.”

“Oh, come on, show us!” Ashido joyfully urged.

“Ya dude, you did place third so it must be something cool!” Kaminari said.

Which made Danny momentarily look at the guy who apparently had zero memory of being saved by him and Kirishima during the entrance exam.

“All right then here I go!”

With that Danny watched as Kirishima’s hand and arm became more rigid almost like the skin had become hard like rock.

“Wow, that's amazing!” Danny said as he watched the score on the machine go up.

“Ha ha you think?” Kirishima said as he strained to further increase the score.

“I mean look at your score. There’s no doubt that you're strong, it’s very manly.” Danny said while coining the red heads' own usual word choice.

The red-haired boy's smile grew as he looked at the halfa.

Midoriya, who had also been watching his classmates' shows of strength joined in on the conversation. “Kirishima, does your quirk give you super strength?”

“No, my quirk is called ‘Hardening' it lets me harden parts of my body.” Kirishima easily explained as his score finally stopped increasing and he lessened his grip.

“Oh, I see that’s such a cool quirk and would be perfect for rescuing people and fighting villains!” Midoriya said with stars in his eyes.

Danny couldn’t help but snicker at the guys' perpetual fanboying any time someone talked about their quirk. Although it did kinda concern him as he hoped the boy wouldn’t over analyze his powers. He just hoped that his explanation of ‘Ghost’ and having the powers of a ghost would hold up.

“Hey Midoriya, what was your score?” Danny asked after a moment.

The green haired boy seemed to deflate from the question, “Oh well I got 56 kilograms” the boy meekly said.

Danny frowned as he looked at the teen who suddenly looked like he was in turmoil. He felt bad that the boy couldn’t use his powers without hurting himself. He just hoped that the guy wouldn’t be the one going home. In fact, if Danny had to choose, he would pick the purple haired guy who kept making gross sexual jokes about the girls.

“What about you Fenton you haven't gone yet right?” Midoriya added.

“Ya man, you haven’t gone. Come on, don't leave us guessing.” Kirishima said while smiling.

“Oh ya, I wanna see!” Kaminari added.

Danny looked at Midoriya and Kirishima and then to the rest of the class who were now watching and had come closer at the mention of his turn. Including Aizawa who had been going around the room marking down peoples scores stared at him.

He let out a sigh as he held up his own grip strength machine. “Alright here goes nothing.” He sheepishly said as he channeled a bit of ecto-energy into his hand.

The class watched with varying levels of interest as the number one student easily squeezed down on the machine. Until two screws popped out of the machine as the metal began to create a straining noise.

Midoriya watched in shock as his new cheerful classmate who continuously surpassed his expectations stopped when it seemed like the machine would fully break apart. He looked down at the screen and his mouth fell open as he read the score.

“Holy Crap dude 999 kilograms that’s insane! Just what is your quirk!?” Kaminari loudly said in disbelief.

“That’s so manly!” Kirishima said in awe.

Aizawa frowned as he stared at the machine and at the boy. It was clear that the teen was stronger as the machine simply couldn’t go any higher. He was truly starting to question the boy.

Danny sheepishly looked at the machine which he didn’t think would break so easily. “Ha ha I don’t have to pay for this right? Cause I think I broke it.” He awkwardly asked.

He looked up after getting no response and after taking in his classmates' expressions for a moment. Once again felt like he should’ve just held back more.

And after a moment Aizawa just sighed at the boy's casual expression and joking question. As if he hadn’t just proven he could hit like a truck. “Alright let’s move on to the next test we're wasting time.” With that the man turned and walked away without further acknowledging the teen.

Many of the students snapped out of their surprised states and followed suit after a moment. As did Danny who lightly put down the slightly broken machine and began walking after his classmates.

The last few students Bakugo, Todoroki, Iida, and Midoriya were the last to move. As they watched their freakishly strong classmate walk away with a light smile on his face.

The next test was the long jump. Which went by rather quickly. Danny simply flew over the whole sand pit to the other side. As did Bakugo with his explosions who once finished once again turned to glare at the halfa who was minding his own business. Although the blond's attitude was starting to annoy Danny. Who continued to do his best to simply ignore the guy who seemed to want to fight him.

As for the rest of the class they all got varying scores. But Danny continued to enjoy watching his classmates' interesting abilities. But he was sad to see that once again Midoriya got a pretty low score. As he still did not use his quirk.

Which Danny was starting to get even more curious about. As over the course of the tests he had learned that the boy had apparently also took down a zero pointer and with only one punch.

Test four was repeated side steps. Which Danny thought was fairly boring. He still managed to get the highest score as both his body’s agility and reflexes were beyond superhuman. Plus, not having to breath and not having your muscles tire out was a great advantage for any physical activity.

The only real surprise during the test was when Danny watched the little purple haired guy. Who he had recalled was named Mineta used his purple balls to bounce back and forth rapidly. Until the little guy got sick and had to take five minutes before he could walk in a straight line.

The next test though Danny was super excited for. Mainly because he didn’t have to participate, as he had already done it. He could just sit back and relax and watch his classmates use their quirks to throw the ball.

The first up was the angry blond.

As Danny stood there waiting the guy once again bumped into his shoulder as he walked by. “Watch it extra.” he said in a murderous voice.

Danny was really starting to reach his limit with that guy. Who continuously kept trying to provoke him.

“God what is that guy's deal?” Kirishima said from Danny’s other side.

The halfa watched as the angry blond stood in the circle and pulled his arm back.

“DIE!” Bakugo yelled as he created a giant explosion that launched the soft ball.

Danny had to admit that even though he didn’t like the guy his quirk was both powerful and dangerous. Which Danny thought was ironic that the most hot-headed guy had the most explosive quirk.

After a moment Aizawa turned his phone around while reading off the score “705.2 meters”

Danny lightly whistled as he stared at the impressive score. But as he looked at the blond it appeared he was about to literally and figuratively explode with anger. But to Danny’s surprise after a moment the guy simply clenched his fists and began to stomp back.

But as the guy was just about to pass him, he finally decided to let his petty side get the best of him. “Hey, that's a pretty good score. Guess that makes you second place.” He said with a cheery smile that he knew would tick off the blond.

“What did you say to me you damn extra!” Bakugo yelled as he turned to look at the smiling halfa.

Danny watched and heard as some of his classmates backed up as the explosive guy walked closer to him. But he simply stood still and didn’t act fazed by the guy’s threatening demeanor.

“Nothing, I'm just saying that your quirk’s amazing. Hey if you want, I could even give you some pointers.” He happily said back while not taking his eyes off the guy who was now only about a foot away.

He prepared himself to go intangible as the guy whose eyes were blazing with fury and hate seemed to be about to fight him. But before either of them could move or say anything else Aizawa spoke up.

“That’s enough you two you’re both wasting time.” Aizawa sternly said, as he prepared himself to step in if his warning didn’t work.

Danny was surprised when the guy who was quite literally growling in anger turned and walked away to the back of the crowd. He had thought the guy would at least grab at his shirt. But he was glad to see that the angry guy at least had some common sense to not fight in front of Aizawa.

Danny turned to look at the teacher who clearly was looking at him with a disappointed, disapproving glare. He knew that what he just did was petty, but the guy had it coming.

“Dude, that guy really hates you.” Kaminari whispered while emphasizing the 'really'.

“Ya, I don’t think egging him on was that smart man.” Kirishima added.

Danny simply shrugged in response as he continued to exude an air of relaxed calmness.

Midoriya who had shrunk back watched Fenton in amazement. He had never seen a person stand up to Kacchan like that. But with how strong Fenton was. Midoriya supposed he had a right to be calm even against his former bully. ‘Unlike me’ he thought in frustration as he stared down at his hands.

The next few throws happened pretty uneventfully as the various students all got decent scores. The only one that surprised Danny was when the girl who he had learned was named Yaoyorozu created a literal ball launcher from her own body.

The next person up was Uraraka. Danny watched as the girl walked up to the circle as he had a guess as to what the bubbly girl's score would be.

And he was not disappointed as he watched the ball go continuously up after being thrown. After a few moments Aizawa turned the screen to show the score.

“Infinity!” Almost the entire class said in unison. Danny smiled as he looked at the score. Although that now technically meant he was in second place for this test. But he wasn’t bothered by that fact as he was glad to see the nice girl get a chance to show off her gravity-defining quirk.

After Uraraka walked back while some of her classmates further owed and awed at her score.

Danny turned to look at Midoriya. Who was the next person to throw. The halfa looked at the teen who had been very quiet throughout the test. Even though Danny had thought the boy would be gushing over the cool quirks on display. But it made sense that the teen would be nervous.

But as Danny watched the shaking boy slowly walk into the circle. He thought that if the teen’s quirk had something to do with strength, then this would be the best test to finally use his quirk on. Although he hoped that the friendly guy wouldn’t get too hurt if he did choose to use his powers now.

As Midoriya stared down at the high-tech softball. He knew that he finally needed to use One For All. To hopefully get himself out of last place and to save himself from being the one sent home. ‘This is my best chance to use One For All.’ He told himself although the idea of causing himself so much pain again frightened him. But he knew he couldn’t let All Might down.

In the crowd Iida who had been relatively silent since the fifty-meter dash finally spoke up to Uraraka. “If Midoriya doesn’t shape up soon, he’s the one going home.”

Danny looked over at the tall guy and at Uraraka who looked nervous for her fellow classmate.

Suddenly Bakugo, who had calmed down slightly since his heated exchange with Danny, loudly spoke up. “Of course he’s the one going home! He’s a quirkless loser!”

Danny glared at the guy who once again was getting on his nerves. He looked at Midoriya who had clearly heard the guy's comment. As he now looked even more distressed. After a moment of looking at the boy though Danny decided to also chime in. “You can do this Midoriya!” He said, loud enough to get his classmates. Mainly the blond jerk who once again glared at him, to shut up and to hopefully encourage Midoriya.

The green haired boy turned to look at Fenton who was smiling and giving him a thumbs up. As if the teen had no doubt that Midoriya could do this. And after a moment Midoriya pulled himself together and nodded before turning back to prepare for his throw.

Aizawa looked at the green haired boy who seemed to have finally calmed down thanks to Fenton’s comment. ‘Here it come’s' he thought as he readied himself.

Midoriya finally prepared himself for the ensuing pain as he pulled back his arm and focused on channeling One For All into his throw. ‘I won't let them down!’ he thought. But as he threw the ball to his dismay instead of being launched by one hundred percent of his new quirk it barely went far. As if he had thrown it normally without the use of the quirk.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the ball only go about fifty meters. Perhaps the boy had once again decided to for-go using his quirk, he momentarily thought. But as he looked at the boy's devastated expression it was clear that something else had happened.

“What gives? I was trying to use it just now.” Midoriya whispered to himself as he looked down at his own hand.

Of course, Danny heard what the boy had said and suddenly it clicked as to what had occured. He quickly looked over to the scarfed hero and just like he had suspected. The man’s tired eyes were glowing a bright red color as both his scarf and hair ominously floated.

“I erased your quirk.” Aizawa said as he walked up to the boy who still looked confused and now terrified by the teacher. Danny clenched his fists as he looked at the man. But he knew that the overly serious hero must have a reason for his actions. So, for now he stayed silent and watched.

“The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school.”

“Wait, you did what to my…” suddenly the boy gasped as he seemed to come to a realization. “Those goggles. I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure hero. Eraser Head!”

The class all had varying reactions to what Midoriya said. But Danny only further glared at the man who was going too far.

Unbeknownst to Danny though who was too focused on the confrontation. All Might also watched from behind a corner. ‘Aizawa’s one of those guys who doesn’t like the media. Because he thinks they interfere with our work. And he judges celebrity heroes like me because I look good in the spotlight.’ The smiling man thought as he continued to watch his pupil.

“You’re not ready. You don’t have any control over your quirk. Tell me, were you planning to break your bones again? Counting on someone else to save your useless body?” Aizawa asked.

“No! That’s not what I was trying to do!” Midoriya began to try and explain but before he could continue the man used his floating scarf to grab him and bring him closer.

Danny watched as his classmate was ensnared in the capture weapon. He had to hold off on stepping in as he told himself repeatedly that Aizawa, the man he had lived with for over a month, wouldn't do something without a reason. He just hoped it was a damn good reason.

“No matter what your intentions are, you would be nothing more than a liability in battle. You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know. One who saved over a thousand people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive, you’re worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down. Sorry Midoriya with your power, there’s no way you can become a hero.”

The halfa looked down as he listened in on the private conversation thanks to his enhanced hearing.

Although what the man said was harsh. More so than what the half ghost thought necessary. There was a large part of him that agreed with the hero’s words. He knew from experience that lack of ability and or control could be fatal in a battle. And not just for the person with powers but also for every other person.

But on the other hand, was it not this whole school’s purpose? To teach kids how to control their quirks and abilities, Danny thought as he looked back up. And at the boy who he hoped would not be too distraught by the man’s harsh lecture.

“I’ve returned your impractical quirk. Take your final throw. Hurry and get it over with.” With that the man released the boy who was looking down at the ground and walked back over to the side lines.

Danny made sure to give the man a glare. Before going back to watching the poor boy. Who seemed to be whispering to himself as he readied to throw once again.

“I’ve only got one shot at nailing this, so what am I gonna do?” Midoriya whispered, as he looked at his slightly trembling hand. But he suddenly got an idea and looked up with a newfound determination.

Danny listened to the boy, and he wished there was some way to help the guy. But he knew that doing so wouldn’t benefit the green haired teen in the long run. So, he just hoped that the teen would think of something. And based on his expression it looked like he did in fact have an idea.

To Danny’s, Aizawa’s, and All Might’s surprise Midoriya threw the ball and at the very last second seemed to use his finger to send the ball quirky hurdling in the air.

The whole class watched in amazement and shock as the ball quickly flew away with incredible force as a gust of wind was created.

Midoriya clenched his teeth as he watched the ball fly away. ‘It hurts but not as bad as before.’ he thought.

Danny looked at his classmate and couldn’t help but smile at the timid teen's amazing quirk. Although the guy's purple, bent finger was cause for concern.

Although his joy at seeing the boy finally succeed didn’t stop. As he watched him turn to Aizawa and clench his fist including his obviously broken finger and say in a determined voice, “You see? I’m still standing.”

The halfa watched as the hero seemed to smile at the boy’s resilience. Danny was happy that the green haired boy proved the skeptic man wrong. He just hoped that his show of strength and determination would be enough to get him out of last place.

All Might felt relieved as he watched his pupil.

‘I was worried about you young man. But you’re doing a great job. You knew you had to use One For All, but not at full power or else you’d be KO’d. So you propelled the ball at the last possible point of contact, by sending the power of your quirk through your fingertip. Which minimized the injury to your body while maximizing the throw. What the heck young Midoriya, when did you get so cool?’ All Might thought.

Although Danny was happy for the guy. As he looked at the boy's forced smile and at the tears he was holding back he couldn’t help but begin to frown.

“Wow, he threw it over 700 meters!” Kaminari said.

“Nice, he’s finally showing us his true power!” Uraraka celebrated next to Iida.

Who also looked impressed but also seemed concerned. As he too took in the boy’s shaking form as he said, “But his finger appears to be broken now. Just like in the exam. His quirk is very odd.”

Danny looked over at his classmates who were all making their own observations about the throw and at the boy’s self-destructive quirk.

That's when he noticed the shocked and infuriated expression of a certain blond. But that wasn’t all. Danny's eyes widened as he watched Bakugo light small explosions from his hands. It was clear from the guy's body language that he was about to attack the already injured Midoriya.

And that's just what Bakugo did as he yelled, “HEY DEKU!”. As he started to charge at the injured boy.

But the halfa didn’t let the angry and hostile guy get very far. As he quickly channeled ecto-energy into his now outstretched hand. He focused on holding the guy in place by using his telekinesis.

Bakugo who had his sights set on the damn nerd. Couldn’t help but let out a confused and enraged yelp. As after only a few steps his whole body suddenly felt trapped. He quickly looked down and saw that his body was encased in a weird glowing energy. He turned his head and to his fury. That damn extra had his hand and eyes glowing the same ominous toxic green.

The whole class watched in shock as the blond was suspended slightly above the ground by their fellow classmate. Who suddenly looked a lot more intimidating. As the usually smiling and friendly guy, now had an uncharacteristically serious expression. And as his eyes glowed a radioactive color at the blond.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, you raging stick of dynamite.” Danny said in an echoing voice as ectoplasm seeped into his larynx. He didn’t take his eyes off the guy who was staring at him with what looked to be rage, confusion, and perhaps fear?

“You bastard let me down!” Bakugo yelled, as he tried to get out of the green energy by moving and even trying to let off explosions via his hands. But no matter how much he tried to resist, nothing worked.

Midoriya had his eyes wide open as he stared at his former bully. Who he had thought just moments ago would attack him but was now completely trapped. And at Fenton whose sudden intimidating aura was honestly kinda scary.

“That’s enough Fenton!” Aizawa yelled.

Danny after a moment finally took his eyes off the struggling blond. And over to Aizawa and to his shock was surprised to see the man’s eyes glowing red. He instantly released his hold on the blond who only slightly stumbled as he fell after being released. Danny thought the guy would continue in his pursuit of either him or Midoriya. But the teen who still seemed angry only continued to stare at him.

After a moment of tense silence Aizawa continued without taking his eyes off Fenton. Although he had stopped the clearly pointless effort of trying to erase the boy’s quirk. “Fenton do not interfere when your teacher is perfectly capable of handling a situation. You should be lucky I’m not expelling you.”

Danny wanted to argue. But after a moment he forced his posture to relax as he replied while looking down at the ground “Yes sir”.

Aizawa stared at the boy for a moment longer before turning to look at Bakugo. “As for you, attacking another student is strictly prohibited. I could also expel you. So stand down.”

Bakugo although he was still furious. More so even at being so easily stopped by that damn freak. Backed down and went back to the other students who had all tensed from the intense situation. Although as the blond went back, he spared one last glance at the damn nerd who he would question later before continuing to glare at the extra as he went.

With that Aizawa continued to the whole class, “You're all wasting my time now. Whoever's next can step up and throw.” he said in a reknewed monotone voice. Although his mind was not as relaxed as he suddenly seemed.

Because while it wasn’t his first time having his quirk fail. As it didn’t work on heteromorphic quirks. By all logic it should’ve worked on Fenton’s, but he supposed there were still many mysteries regarding the boy’s powers. Questions that he would find out one way or another.

Even though the class was told to carry on with the test the tense air still lingered. As they watched the hero who looked completely calm stand on the side lines. The various students kept glancing at their powerful and mysterious classmate whose expression was oddly neutral.

Midoriya though after a moment walked back to the crowd and went to stand beside the silent halfa.

“Thank you, Fenton.” Midoriya finally said, as he broke the tense silence.

Many of the students silently watched Fenton to see how he would respond. But to some of their surprise the teen simply smiled at Midoriya. Although the smile didn't quiet seem to reach his eyes.

“Don’t mention it. But are you okay, your finger looks pretty messed up?” Danny said in a lighthearted tone.

Midoriya blinked but then gave his own strained smile, “Well it hurts I won’t lie but I can keep going. I won't give up.” He said while unconsciously clenching his hands into a fist. Which caused another wave of pain to course through his body which made him further grimace.

Danny looked at the boy who had just caused himself more pain and couldn’t help but lightly laugh. At the guy's continuous determination and stubbornness. Which strangely reminded the halfa of himself.

“You know your quirk is really cool.” he lightly added.

Midoriya raised an eyebrow as he looked back at his finger. “You think? I can’t even use my quirk without breaking myself. Even now I might be still standing. But in a real battle I would be useless.”

Danny put a light hand on the self-doubting boy’s shoulder. Which made him look back at him “You know when I got my pow- I mean quirk I also kept getting hurt and or getting into accidents. There was even a time when I fell through a building…” He ignored the boy's sudden concerned and slightly confused expression as he continued.

“But with time I got the hang of my quirk, and you will too. Besides, what better place to learn than a place designed to teach people how to use their quirks.” he finished.

Midoriya was wide eyed as he took in the teen’s genuine words.

The various other students who had listened in on the conversation also thought about what Fenton said.

And after a moment Iida stepped towards the pair. “Fenton is right, Midoriya. You have a lot of potential. I saw what you did during the entrance exam. And I have no doubt that you have what it takes to be a hero and an excellent student.”

“That’s right you're amazing Midoriya!” Uraraka added as she also walked towards them.

“Oh, and what you did Fenton was so cool!” she added, as she stopped next to the boys.

Kirishima also finally spoke up, “Ya, dude what you did was super manly!”

“You were also kinda scary dude. I mean why do your eye’s change color?” Kaminari asked.

“Honestly, I thought it was super cool. How you just stopped Bakugo!” Ashido said while smiling.

“Ya, remind me never to tick you off dude.” Kaminari added.

Danny looked at his various classmates who were now smiling and happily talking again. He felt his still tense shoulders finally actually relax as his smile became more genuine.

All Might, who was still hiding, watched Fenton talk amongst his peers. He had previously read the report for the boy. And had watched the video of young Fenton’s entrance exam.

But what he had just seen was certainly interesting to the Symbol of Peace and honestly slightly concerning. As the boy’s power and strength were truly undeniable.

After a few more moments though the hero finally turned to leave. As he was at least glad to see that the unknown boy. Seemed to be a formidable ally rather than an enemy to his young protégé. He just hoped that it would stay that way.

The next few tests went by rather quickly. The first being sit ups which Danny easily did without any difficulty. As once again he neither needed to breath or really rest.

Next was sit and reach or toe-touch and once again he got the highest score. As his body was not exactly limited to a human's normal range of motions. In fact, in his ghost form he could even stretch out and distort his varying limbs or back. As he lacked a spine, and his physical form could be changed. But he stuck with just reaching way past his feet until Aizawa gave him an unamused look and told him he was done.

The last test was the distance run. He could’ve easily flown but decided that wouldn’t really be fair. Plus, he wanted to allow Iida who he still felt bad for to have a victory. Which he easily achieved as the guy had literal engines in his legs. And was able to quickly surpass everyone and reached the end of the kilometer run.

As for Danny, he managed to come in third as Todoroki. The guy who had still yet to say anything took second place. By once again sliding on a trail of ice that he created.

Danny considered following the guy’s example. But he felt like he had shown off enough of his powers for one day. Besides, even without flying or any other tricks he was still inhumanly fast. Thanks to the dangerous and powerful energy that coursed through his veins and fueled him.

Although throughout the last three tests. Danny had made sure to keep an eye on Midoriya who was obviously in a lot of pain. But the halfa was glad to see the boy push through. But even though the guy was determined his performances and scores were still not great.

Danny truly hoped that Midoriya’s amazing throw would be enough. Although, if the green haired boy did end up being last. The halfa was ready to pitch a case to Aizawa. Even though he was already on thin ice with the tired hero.

Which was another thing that the halfa couldn’t stop thinking about. The man had tried to erase his powers. He tried to think about it logically and that it was the man’s way of diffusing the situation.

But the thought of the guy who he lived with. And who he had slowly grown to trust. Had thought that he was a threat and had tried to take his powers. Seriously rubbed him the wrong way.

Although he was glad to learn that the guy’s ability didn’t work on him. And that he was safe from losing his ghostly powers which were essentially just a part of him.

Hell, he imagined that if the hero’s quirk had worked. Then he would’ve been reduced to a screaming pile of agony. As his body tried to reject the energy that had literally fused with his DNA. Maybe his core would’ve even exploded, Danny gruesomely thought. Before shaking away the thought of somehow becoming double dead.

After the tests the class gathered in front of the teacher as many of them worried over their final results.

“Alright time to give you your results. I’ve ranked you all from best to worst. Although you should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I’ll just pull up the whole list. It’s not worth going over each individual’s score.”

With that a hologram projection of the rankings appeared from Aizawa’s phone.

Danny quickly saw that his name was number one which made him happy. Mainly because he hoped it further annoyed Bakugo who got second. But the halfa’s own joy at succeeding quickly vanished as he saw Midoriya’s name in the very last spot.

He looked over to the boy and frowned as he saw his expression that was full of dread.

Danny was about to speak up in defense of the boy. But before he could, Aizawa casually spoke up again as he stopped the hologram projection.

“Oh, and I was lying, no one’s going home.”

The whole class gawked at the man. Even Danny who sighed to himself in relief.
After a few moments of silent disbelief amongst the students. Aizawa continued with a eerie smile “That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it you're all in the tests.”

Finally, many of the kid’s including Midoriya began to freak out.

“I’m surprised the rest of you didn’t figure that out. I’m sorry, I guess I probably should have said something.” Yaoyorozu casually said.

Danny looked at the ponytailed girl and at his classmates who stared at her in disbelief. But as Danny looked back at the scarfed man. He knew that the deadly serious hero had truly planned to send someone home. Which meant that the hero must’ve changed his mind.

He looked back at Midoriya who looked like he had just gone through shock and smiled. As it seemed Aizawa also saw the potential in the nervous green haired boy.

Chapter Text

But as Danny looked at the scarfed man. He knew that the deadly serious hero had truly planned to send someone home. Which meant that the hero must’ve changed his mind.

He looked back at Midoriya who looked like he had just gone through shock and smiled. As it seemed Aizawa also saw the potential in the nervous green haired boy.

With that thought Aizawa spoke up once again “That’s it, we're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning.”

Before the man left, he walked over to Midoriya.

“Midoriya,” Aizawa then held out a piece of paper for the boy to take. “Take this and go have the old lady fix you up.”

The green haired boy quickly took the paper from the man. Who turned as if to walk away. But before doing so he continued. “Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins.” He then turned back to make eye contact with the rest of the class before stopping at Danny.

Danny who was watching the exchange slightly tensed as the guy looked at him as he finished speaking. “Make sure you're prepared.”

With that the hero walked away without another word. Danny furrowed his eyebrows for a second as he took in the man’s words that also once again seemed to be directed at him. But he didn’t dwell long on it and instead walked over to the green haired boy.

“Hey Midoriya.”

“Oh, yes?” Midoriya said as he seemed to snap out of his own thoughts.

“I can take you to the nurses office if you want.” Danny usually wasn’t the type to willingly offer to go to a medical facility even a school nurse. But he wanted to make sure the guy got the medical attention he and his purple finger seriously needed.

After a moment Midoriya smiled as he shook his head. “Thank you, but I can go by myself. Besides, you've already done more than enough for me.”

Danny considered pressing the matter but decided to relent. “Alright then. Well, see you later.” With that Danny also began to walk away. As did many of the other tired students who began to leave.

The halfa quickly picked up his syllabus from the classroom and waved goodbye to his various classmates. He had wanted to walk home with Kirishima. But the friendly red head sadly lived in the opposite direction. So, Danny didn’t waste time and began the short journey to Aizawa’s house.

Once there he wasn’t surprised to learn that the hero was not home yet. Which honestly made Danny sigh in relief. As he didn’t want to deal with the man anymore today.

So, the halfa went to his room and laid down. His mind was racing with various thoughts and conundrums as he thought back to the events of the afternoon.

He considered taking his turbulent thoughts to the skies above. But he didn’t even feel like doing that much as his body melded with the comfy mattress below.

As he stared up at the empty white ceiling. He frowned as he completely let his relaxed and smiling demeanor drop. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy. In fact, he was almost bubbling over with excitement. As the small glimpse of the superhero world. Had truly sparked his desire to further learn and experience what the world and UA had to offer.

But throughout the day and now as he laid undisturbed. Without any other distractions he couldn’t help but think back to Amity Park. To his friends, his sister and even his parents. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t belong here.

To be fair he didn’t really belong in his world either, he tried to reason. But when he had first learned that this world was full of super powered individuals like him. Who also used their skills to fight for the greater good.

He had hoped that he would feel more comfortable in this world. Like he would finally feel like he belonged. That the lingering feeling of feeling displaced that always existed inside him would finally disappear. Honestly that’s why he had continued to remain here under the guardianship of Aizawa.

But that feeling hadn’t gone away. It did lessen but it was still there. In the pit of his stomach and in his throat. Because even though the people of this dimension had powers or quirks. They weren’t exactly like him or his powers. That fact only kept seeming more apparent. As he watched his new classmates struggle and have limits to their abilities.

While he didn’t really have limits. I mean sure even he had a breaking point. But it wasn’t even in the same realm as the people he had met today. It once again made him feel out of place just like he did back in Amity Park and in the Ghost Zone.

That thought made him squeeze his eyes shut as he turned over to his side and huddled in on himself. After a few minutes of trying to push away his thoughts that he would never truly find a place where he fully felt ‘normal’. He finally opened his eyes once again.

The first thing he saw was the model rocket which sat on his dresser. He stared at it for a moment and after a few minutes the halfa finally let out a sigh. As he finally felt his mind relax along with his body.

After that it didn’t take long for the halfa to drift into a dreamless slumber. That didn’t feel all that relaxing. But the halfa would take anything.

The next day came quickly as Danny woke up and quickly got ready. Before heading out the door and to his second day at UA.

As he finally walked into the classroom he was greeted with many smiling faces.

“Hey Fenton, are you ready for our second day at UA?" Kirishima asked while walking up to Danny who smiled back in return.

“You know it,” The halfa joked in response “What about you?”

“Oh man I could barely sleep last night because of how excited I was. But it really sucks that we have to wait until the afternoon for hero stuff.”

The large sliding door to the classroom opened again and Danny turned to see which one of his classmates it would be. To his delight the green haired boy walked through the door.

“Hey Midoriya,” Danny said as he waved to the boy who seemed to always look nervous.

“Oh, hey Fenton” Midoriya awkwardly responded.

“Hey Midoriya, what do you think our hero lesson will be today?” Kirishima loudly asked.

Danny watched as the boy seemed to think about the unexpected question. He was about to speak up and save the boy from having to answer when suddenly the green haired guy began to quickly mumble.

“Well, it’s likely that we will be taught by mister Aizawa. Who will most likely work with us regarding our performances yesterday. Although I hope if that’s the case then he won't threaten to send one of us home again. But of course, since it’s UA we could have another pro hero give us a lesson. Oh, like Present Mike or Midnight which would be so cool…”

After a moment of listening to the boy quickly ramble and fanboy over the various heroes. Danny put a light hand on his shoulder which seemed to snap him out of his excessive thoughts as he quickly put his hands over his mouth while his face turned a light pink.

“I’m sorry,” he meekly said through his hands.

Both Kirishima and Danny couldn’t help but laugh at the boy who definitely loved heroes. But Danny quickly reassured him. “It’s fine, don't worry about it. Honestly, your ability to analyze things is impressive.”

“Really you think?” Midoriya asked as if he didn’t believe the halfa.

“Of course it is dude! It’s super manly!” Kirishima added while giving a thumbs up.

“Yeah, and it’ll be handy in training or in actual hero work.” Danny said.

Midoriya raised an eyebrow “You think?”.

“Oh ya, being able to think on your feet can honestly be what saves you in a fight.” Danny said.

Midoriya took in his classmates' words before speaking. “I guess you’re right Fenton being able to think fast is a good trait to have as a hero.”

Danny was glad to give his classmate some encouragement and thought that would be where the conversation ended. But to his surprise the boy's happy demeanor quickly turned into a questioning one as he continued to speak.

“You know Fenton I’ve been thinking and you kinda sound and act like you have experience in fighting actual villains.”

Danny’s eyes widened. As Kirishima also joined in on the observation. “You know Midoriya’s kinda right. I mean yesterday when you stopped Bakugo and in the entrance exam. You really do seem like an experienced pro sometimes.”

The halfa’s mind quickly began to think of ways of getting around the two’s observations. But luckily before he could even try Iida stood up from his seat.

“Everyone, class is about to begin, please make your way to your seat.”

Danny didn’t think he would ever feel so grateful for being ordered to do something. But he quickly gave his two classmates a smile and went to sit down in his seat.

Of course, his luck was awful, so his seat was right next to the angry blond's. As he sat down, he did his best to ignore Bakugo who continuously glared at him. But after a few minutes he got fed up with it and gave the guy his own glare.

But before the blond could try and fight him. The door opened up and their classes started.

Danny had to admit that the various classes were beyond boring. As he never really did well with just sitting around. But he was glad that he at least understood each subject thanks to his months’ worth of studying he was forced to do.

After the normal classes the students breaked for lunch. Although Danny didn’t need to eat, he decided to go along with Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and Kirishima to the large cafeteria.

As the five got to the building. Danny was surprised at how packed it was.

“Wow there’s so many students,” Uraraka commented as she looked at the crowds of fellow students eating.

“Yes, that is because the cafeteria at UA is shared. Between the hero course, general studies, business course, and support course students.” Iida quickly explained

Danny looked at the tall blue haired guy “Wow you really know your stuff about UA” he casually remarked.

“Why of course. It is important for a student to be familiar with all aspects of one's school.” Iida responded.

Danny turned his head to hide his small snicker at the serious guy's almost robotic movements.

“Wow man you're super manly!” Kirishima said.

“Why thank you, I think?” Iida said, although he was sorta confused about the guy's wording.

Suddenly though Midoriya squealed “Oh my gosh, that's Lunch Rush the Cook Hero!”

The four students looked to where Midoriya was staring and Uraraka smiled “Oh your right that’s so cool Deku!”

Danny stopped in his staring at the chef-based hero. To turn to look at the bubbly girl and the green haired boy. “Deku?” he questioned, as he had only heard the angry blond call Midoriya that name. So, he had assumed it was some type of insult.

“Oh, yesterday when we walked home, I told her it was okay to call me that.” Midoriya said while slightly blushing.

“I see…” he said as he could tell the boy was really crushing hard on the brown-haired girl.

“What does it even mean though?” Kirishima asked.

Midoriya looked down at the ground as he answered. “Well, it’s kinda a nickname Kacchan gave me when we were kids. It used to be an insult.”

The boy then looked back up while smiling. “But now I like it.”

Danny couldn’t help but smile at the guy. Although what he had just said had confirmed his suspicion that Bakugo and Midoriya knew each other.

With that the five hero course students quickly found a table and the four went to get food. Danny decided to just get a glass of water as he really didn’t want to start up the facade of having to need food again.

Because although the food did smell good anytime he ate he always felt sick afterwards. Because the ectoplasm in his body rejected all organic matter. So, it always felt like there was a war waging in his stomach after eating. So, he just stuck with a glass of water that he didn’t really plan to touch either, but it at least made him seem a little less odd.

Although it didn’t take long for his new classmates to get back and raise questions about his lack of food.

“Fenton, are you not planning to eat?” Midoriya questioned while looking concerned.

Danny merely raised a hand as he said “Oh I’m good. I'm not really hungry.”

“That is a very unwise decision. Food is fuel for the body and as hero course students it is important to eat to keep our strength up.” Iida sternly said.

“Plus, the food is really good!” Uraraka added as she stared at her plate of curry.

“Come on man it’s not every day you get to eat food made by Lunch Rush!” Kirishima remarked from beside Danny.

Danny let out a sigh as it seemed he would have to explain in order to get out of this. “Well, I don’t actually have to eat.”

The four students that sat around the halfa looked at him questioningly. Before Midoriya spoke up “Does it have something to do with your quirk?”

Danny looked at the boy who sat beside him before nodding. “Ya you see my quirk literally generates energy which my body also runs on. So I don’t actually need food.” he hoped that was a sufficient explanation.

“Wow man, that's such a cool power!” Kirishima said as he processed the information.

“Wait, so does that mean you could just go forever without getting hungry or stopping?” Uraraka questioned.

“Well yes and no. While I don’t need food or even water really...” he motioned to the glass in front of him.
He saw as his friend’s eyes widened even more in surprise but just continued without pause. “I do need sleep. Less sleep, technically but I need it nonetheless.”

The four teens all seemed to be stuck processing the facts about the halfa’s unusual biology.

Danny was really starting to regret choosing to come to the cafeteria with his new friends.

Eventually though Iida broke the silence “Fenton if you don’t mind me asking. What exactly is your quirk?”

“Ya man I mean you can create shields, fly, transform, create green blasts, and generate energy? Just what the heck is your quirk?!” Kirishima added to emphasis Iida’s question.

Danny sheepishly laughed as he officially regretted coming along instead of just finding a corner to wait in.

But he decided he was already too far in and that he would need to explain his ‘quirk’ eventually anyway. “Well, my quirk is called ‘Ghost’.” he said while giving his best smile to hopefully seem confident and convincing.

“Your quirk is ‘Ghost’?” Midoriya questioned as he put a finger to his chin and looked down as he started to think about what ‘ghost’ implied.

Danny nodded “Yes ‘Ghost’ it basically allows me to do everything a ghost can do.”

“But ghosts aren’t real?” Uraraka said.

‘If only you knew’ Danny thought as he continued. “Well, ya but my body generates and manipulates ectoplasm which allows me to do what ghosts do.”

“I see, that is a very interesting quirk.” Iida said as he too worked to process the blue-eyed boy’s explanation.

“Wait so does that means you can do more stuff?” Kirishima loudly asked as he thought about the various movies, he had seen that depicted ghosts.

Danny looked at the red-haired boy and at his other friends who were looking at him expectantly. And after a moment he decided to have a little fun. He gave a vaguely menacing smile as he said in a slightly echoing voice “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

The four teens leaned back as they took in their friend’s sudden change. But just as quickly did the menacing aura arrive did it leave. As the boy smiled again and leaned his head back and laughed.

The rest of the lunch went by pretty uneventfully. With Danny’s classmates still trying to ask him more questions about his quirk. But he managed to dodge the questions and eventually the lunch period was over. And they walked back to their classroom.

As all the students of class 1A sat waiting for their hero lesson to begin. Many of them jumped in surprise as the door suddenly slid open and a large smiling man burst into the classroom.

“I am here!” he loudly said.

Danny looked at the man who he instantly recognized from his acceptance video. The smiling man was dressed in a red and white spandex suit with a blue cape. That seemed to perfectly waft in the wind even though there was no wind.

The halfa watched and listened as many of his classmates began freaking out at the guy’s sudden appearance.

“I can’t believe it’s really All Might!” Kaminari said.

“So, he is a teacher! This year is gonna be totally awesome!” Kirishima added while smiling.

“Hey look, is he wearing his silver age costume?” Asui asked while she put a finger to her chin.

“Oh my gosh this is so cool!” Jiro said from the back of the classroom.

Many other students continued to gawk as the hero marched to stand behind the podium at the front of the class.

‘So, this is All Might? Wait so this is the man all those criminals hated!’ Danny thought as he stared at the man.

“Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High. Think of it as ‘hero-ing’ 101. Here you will learn the basics of being a pro. And what it means to fight in the name of good!” All Might then did a hero pose which showed off his cape and back muscles. “Let’s get into it!”

He then turned around and showed the class a card that read ‘BATTLE’. All while saying in a booming voice. “Today’s lesson will pull no punches!”

Some of the students smiled and hummed in glee while others looked more put off at the prospect of having to fight one another. Danny was caught between feeling both ways. On one hand it sounded fun. But once again the prospect of using his powers on a human, especially a classmate didn’t sit well with him.

“But one of the keys of being a hero is looking good!” With that All Might heroically pointed to the wall of the classroom.

Danny’s eyes widened as he watched shelves come out of the wall with different numbered cases.

“These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started!”

The various students squealed in glee as they looked at the various cases which held their hero costumes.

“All right get yourself suited up and then meet me at Training Ground Beta!” All Might finished.

With that the class all quickly followed the man's instructions and grabbed their cases to get changed.

All Might stood tall as he waited in the training ground for the various students to walk in through the entrance to meet him.

“They say the clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are proof!” All Might said. As the class of heroically dressed students began to walk out of the dimly lit entrance tunnel.

As Danny walked alongside his classmates, he couldn’t help but feel underdressed. He looked at his classmates who all looked rather cool aside from a few. He then looked down at himself and couldn't help but sigh.

A week before the first day of class he had been given a form from Aizawa. Where he was supposed to design his hero costume so that it could be created by the school. But he wasn’t able to think of anything. Plus, he already had a suit that he could transform into at will.

So, he had decided to forgo the extra costume. But now as he looked down at his UA gym uniform, he sorta regretted not thinking of something. Perhaps he could get a suit that looks like his ghost suit to wear while in his human form, he thought.

“This is getting me all revved up! You all look so cool! Now, shall we get started, you bunch or newbies?” All Might said as he looked at the students who finally stood in front of him.

As Danny stood at the back of the class, he turned to see Midoriya. Who was the last person they were waiting for to come out of the tunnel and join the class. What he saw though made him have to put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

He didn’t want to be mean regarding any of his classmates' costumes. Especially when he was simply in his gym clothes. But the green haired boy looked like a giant green rabbit. With green fabric pieces that resembled bunny ears. After a moment he pulled himself together and walked towards the boy and Uraraka who had started talking to him.

“Hey Midoriya, you look cool.” he said as he chose to forgo his actual thoughts.

The boy turned, “Thanks Fenton, wait where's your costume?” Midoriya quickly asked as he looked the halfa up and down.

“Oh well I kinda didn’t order one. Let’s just say I have something that will work.”

“You have something that will work? Oh wait, you mean when you transform?” Midoriya questioned as he remembered how Kirishima said Danny could transform. Although he didn’t really understand how his mysterious classmate would change.

Danny nodded, “Ya something like that. Don’t worry you’ll see eventually.”

Midoriya hummed in agreement before responding “I can't wait!”

“Me too, I'm super excited to see you in action, Fenton.” Uraraka happily added as she had been listening to the two’s exchange.

Danny laughed at the girl's excitement and nodded. “Ya I’m excited to see you guy’s use your quirks too. Let’s just hope we're not fighting each other though.”

Suddenly the two’s looks of excitement changed into one of fear and worry.

“You're right, we might have to fight each other.” Midoriya said, as he began to worry more about the upcoming training.

From afar All Might watched his pupil and also had to restrain himself from laughing. As he took in the boy's appearance. As it was clear where the costume's inspiration had come from, the hero thought.

After a moment of looking at Young Midoriya though he turned his attention to his other interest. Young Fenton, after yesterday All Might had done some further research and was surprised to learn that the teen was currently living with Aizawa as his guardian. Because he apparently had no family records or history.

Honestly from what All Might could gather the boy was a true mystery. An unknown, which All Might wasn’t a fan of. But he knew better than to cast judgment before learning more. So, as he looked at the boy who didn’t even have a costume on. He hoped that today’s exercise would further shine light on the boy’s intentions.

With that thought the hero loudly spoke up to gather all the students' attentions. “Now that you’re all ready, it’s time for combat training!”

But before the hero could continue Iida, who was dressed in a suit of armor, spoke up while raising his hand. “Sir, this is one of the fake cities from our entrance exam. Does that mean we’ll be conducting urban battles again?”

“Not quite,” All Might said as he held out two fingers. “I’m gonna move you two steps ahead.”

That peaked Danny’s interest as he wasn’t really excited to have to fight more robots. Even though it did allow him to fight with less restraint.

“Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it, backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you’ll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys. And fight two on two indoor battles.”

Danny’s thoughts were already racing as he thought about how he would play this. But shook away his rampaging thoughts for now as he continued to listen.

“Isn’t this a little advanced?” Asui suddenly asked. Which made Danny turn to look at the girl who was dressed in a green, frog like costume.

“The best training is what you get on the battlefield!” The smiling man answers while clenching his fist heroically. “But remember, you can’t just punch a robot this time. You’re dealing with actual people now.”

“Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?” Yaoyorozu politely asked while raising her hand.

“How much can we hurt the other team?” Bakugo asked. Which made Danny glare at the guy who really just seemed constantly out for blood.

“Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like yesterday?” Uraraka worriedly questioned.

“Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?” Iida asked.

“Isn’t this cape tres-chic?” Aoyama asked as he showed off his cape.

Danny momentarily closed his eyes and sighed as he listened to his classmate's bombardment of questions. And as he looked at All Might he kinda felt bad, as the hero also seemed overwhelmed.

But to the halfa’s surprise after a moment the hero pulled out what appeared to be a script. Which made Danny almost start laughing again at the humorous scene.

“Listen up,” All Might said, which made the various students finally stop talking. “The situation is this. The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes.”

Danny smiled to himself as he thought that the situation kinda sounded like something out of a comic book.

“Time’s limited, and we’ll choose teams by drawing lots!” With that the hero held up a box.

Of course, just before the hero could continue Iida spoke up once again. Which made Danny sigh as he just wanted to find out who his teammate would be.

“Sir, isn’t there a better way?” Iida asked.

But Midoriya who was standing beside the armored teen quickly answered “Think about it. Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot. So maybe that’s the reason we’re getting teamed up randomly.”

“Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events,” With that Iida bowed to All Might “Excuse my rudeness please continue.”

Danny was glad that they got that out of the way. As he looked at the hero who gave a thumbs up in response.

“Alright let’s draw lots!” All Might loudly said.

The teams ended up being. Team A with Uraraka and Midoriya. Team B with Todoroki and Ojiro. Team C with Yaoyorozu and Mineta. Team D with Bakugo and Iida. Team E with Ashido and Aoyama. Team F with Shoji and Sato. Team G with Jiro and Kaminari. Team H with Asui and Tokoyami. Team I with Hagakure and Sero. And finally, team J with Fenton and Kirishima.

Danny was thrilled that he was teamed with someone he knew. As he walked up to the smiling red head.

“This is gonna be amazing man. I'm glad I got teamed with you!” Kirishima said.

Danny nodded in agreement. Not only did this team up mean he wouldn’t have to explain his quirk again. But it also meant that he could also hopefully enact his plans more freely. As he knew Kirishima wouldn’t be opposed to his suggestions.

“All right now that the teams are decided. I will choose who the first hero and villain team will be.” With that the hero reached into two more boxes and pulled out two balls. From the hero box team A was selected and from the villain box team D was pulled.

Danny’s eyes widened as he registered who were on the two teams. He looked over and could see that the costumed Midoriya was already worrying. As he too realized that he would be facing off against his former high school bully.

The halfa felt bad for the nervous boy as he looked over to Bakugo. Who already had his sights set on Midoriya.

He clenched his fists as he hoped the angry blond wouldn’t go too far. But after a moment Danny relaxed as he figured All Might would stop the fight. If the blond bully truly did cross a line.

“All right team A you will be the heroes. Team D you will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch!”

Danny hesitated for a moment longer as the rest of the class began walking away. In order to spare one last glance at Bakugo and Midoriya. Before turning and heading towards the monitoring room. He was glad that he would at least be able to watch the match.

Midoriya stared at the ground as his classmates left. After a moment though he steeled his nerves and looked over to where his opponent would be. But flinched as he saw Kacchan already glaring at him.

He could already feel his hands beginning to shake. But he wouldn’t let Kacchan scare him anymore. So, after a moment he clenched his hands into fists and stared back at Kacchan. Who seemed taken back by his sudden change in demeanor. Although his surprise didn’t last long as it was soon replaced with anger.

“Bad guys, you can go on in and get set up. In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose, and the battle will start!” All Might said. To which Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya all gave a resounding “Yes sir.”

As Bakugo and Iida were about to walk through the door and into the building. All Might gave the two one last piece of advice. “Young Iida, Young Bakugo. The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer. But if things go too far, I’ll step in.”

“Got it. Understood.” Iida responded and proceeded to walk into the building. While Bakugo only glared down at the ground as he followed suit.

Once the two ‘villains’ got up to the top floor. Iida spoke up to his teammate. “Even though this is training, It pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior.”

As he stopped in front of the giant fake nuclear missile he continued, “So this is the weapon we must protect. Fake of course.”

But before Iida could continue with his observations. Bakugo finally spoke up. “Hey”

Iida paused and turned around.

“Do you really think Deku has a quirk?”

Iida was confused by his teammate's question as he quickly answered. “You saw how he threw that ball. Although his powers do seem to hurt his body.”

Bakugo clenched his fists and tensed as his anger continued to grow. As he thought about the damn nerd.

Down below Uraraka and Midoriya were waiting for the training to start by looking over a map of the building's layout.

“Do you think they expect us to mesmerize this building’s floor plan?” Uraraka asked as she looked down at her map. “I mean it’s so big.”

“You know All Might’s just as cool in person as he is on television. I’m glad he’s not threatening us with some type of punishment like Mr. Aizawa.” She cheerfully continued as she got no remark to her previous statement.

But as she turned to look at her silent teammate. She was surprised to see how nervous he looked. “Ah! You’re sweating through your costume!”

After a moment Midoriya began to mutter out a response. “Uh well, it’s just because we’re up against Kacchan. Plus, there’s Iida, too. We should be on our guard, who knows what they’ll pull.”

“Oh, right Bakugo. It must be nerve racking to go up against him.” She lightly said to hopefully not make her teammate and friend more nervous.

“Ya, he’s amazing. I mean he can be a real pain, sure. But his strength, confidence and his ambition. Not to mention his quirk. They’re all so much greater than mine. Unlike Fenton I’m not even close to his equal.” Midoriya said.

Uraraka frowned as she looked at the sulking boy. But before she could say anything to try and comfort him. Midoriya looked up.

“But that just means I have to do better. I refuse to lose today.” Midoriya said with confidence.

Uraraka smiled as she nodded in agreement.

Soon the time passed, and the training began. As All Might’s voice came through the speaker’s “All right! Let’s begin the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!”

From the observation room Danny stood alongside All Might and his classmates as they watched the hero team quickly move into the building.

“Pay attention kids, think about what you would do.” All Might said to the class.

Danny frowned as he watched the various screens. And saw Bakugo quickly take off when the time started. Logically speaking the person who should be going off should’ve been Iida seeing as he’s faster. But Danny knew that if Bakugo was going then he would be heading straight for Midoriya.

And that's exactly what happened. Danny clenched his fists as he watched the angry blond quickly go around a corner in order to attack the two surprised heroes. Although it was more fair to say he was solely aiming for Midoriya. Who luckily dodges by pushing himself and Uraraka to the ground and away from the blast.

But the green haired boy was not completely unharmed as half his mask was destroyed. Danny could already tell that this fight would be ruthless and hard to watch. As his conscience and core both urged him to go help.

“What’s the matter, Deku?” Bakugo menacingly said as the smoke cleared and he stood only a few feet from Midoriya and Uraraka who were still on the ground. “Afraid to stand up and fight me?”

“I knew you’d come at me first. I figured you’d try to catch me by surprise.” Midoriya said as he finally stood up.

In the observation room Danny really wished he could hear what the two were saying. As he watched the two talk.

“He almost got the jump on them.” Mineta said.

“Sneak attack, Bakugo? What kinda man pulls cheap crap like that?” Kirishima angrily said.

Danny looked at his friend and teammate and was about to comment. About how the element of surprise was both a good and effective strategy. That even he himself regularly employed.

But before he could say anything All Might spoke up. “It’s a viable strategy. He’s playing the part acting how a true villain would.”

Danny looked at the man who had basically said what he was thinking. Although he didn’t really agree with the man’s belief of it being villainous.

In a real battle Danny had learned that anything that gives you the upper hand. And ensured your victory and that you would get to live another day. Wasn’t something that should be frowned upon. But he chose to keep those apparently unpopular thoughts to himself as he continued to watch.

“I won’t hurt you so bad that they’ll have to stop the fight. Just close!” Bakugo shouted as he ran at Midoriya.

But to Danny’s and Bakugo’s surprise the green haired boy helped to quickly close the distance. And grabbed the blond’s outstretched arm.

Danny smiled as he watched the boy flip the explosive bully and slam him down onto his back.

“Kacchan, you always use a big right hook to start a fight. I know because I’ve watched you for years.” Midoriya said as he watched Kacchan slowly get up. “I analyzed every amazing hero, even you. I wanted to learn everything I could about them. It was all in the notebook you burned and threw away.”

Bakugo grunted as he watched Midoriya look up from the ground and make eye contact with him.

“You can call me Deku, but I’m not the same helpless, defenseless kid anymore!” Midoriya closed his fists as he continued despite his fears. “You hear me? I’ve changed! From now on Deku is the name of a hero!”

As Danny watched Midoriya’s mouth rapidly move and his determined face. He knew that the nervous boy wouldn’t go down without a fight. But he could also tell that whatever the boy was saying was making the explosive bully even more angry. As Danny watched the guy threateningly lift his hand which started to create small explosions and smoke.

“You’re shaking in your boots, you’re so scared. But you want to fight me anyway.” Bakugo said before yelling “That’s why I hate you!”

Of course, while this was happening Iida who had remained with the weapon. After Bakugo took off, was continuously trying to get in contact with his teammate via an earpiece. But all he got back in response was a very angry “Just shut up and defend the weapon. I’ve got more important things to worry about.”

“Have you forgotten what our mission is?” Iida questioned back but to his surprise and confusion the line went dead. After a moment he sighed as he decided to focus on his part. As he began doing his best to act like a villain as he stood in front of the fake weapon.

In the observation room Kirishima asked “Hey, who is Bakugo talking to? I’m not hearing anything.”

“He probably has an earpiece on that lets him talk to Iida.” Danny quickly reasoned.

All Might looked at Fenton for a moment before nodding to Kirishima “Young Fenton is correct. Young Bakugo has a radio in his ear so that he can talk to his partner. I gave it to them before the match started. Along with a map of the building. Also, this.”

The hero then held up a roll of white tape. “A roll of capture tape. Wrapping this around your opponent means you’ve apprehended them, and they are out for the rest of the game.” All Might finished.

“So, there’s a fifteen-minute time limit, and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear weapon is on?” Ashido questioned.

“Correct” All Might quickly responded.

“Then the heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here.” Ashido continued.

“Real Pros have to outwit villains on a daily basis. That’s life. Even when the odds aren’t in our favor, we fight!”

Danny, who was listening to the conversation, didn't fully agree. Since in his opinion trying to capture two super powered individuals. Seemed way harder than merely finding and touching a large weapon.

If it was real life, then he supposed it would be harder for the heroes. As they would have to safely capture the weapon and get it away from the villains. But in this training scenario where all the hero’s had to do was merely touch the fake bomb. He honestly thought the villains were at a huge disadvantage.

Since they would either have to divide and conquer which would be risky since it would be two against one. Or they would have to both wait next to the bomb for the heroes to arrive. But by doing so it would be hard to keep the heroes from simply touching the weapon during a chaotic fight.

But once again he kept his thoughts to himself. As he didn’t think telling the hero that the villains were worse off would be a welcomed sentiment.

“Now all together” The smiling hero said while raising his fist to the sky.

“Plus Ultra!” the entire class said except Danny. Who raised his fist a few seconds after to not seem like the odd one out.

After the odd display though Danny focused back on the screen as he noticed Bakugo moving.

All Might and the other students also all turned to watch. As Bakugo put one of his hands behind him. And created a huge explosion that sent him propelling towards Midoriya.

As Midoriya watched Kacchan quickly fly towards him he yelled. “Uraraka Go!” to which the girl quickly turned and began running.

“Ballsy move.” Bakugo said as he tried to kick Midoriya in the head. But ended up kicking him in the arms as the green haired boy reacted quick enough to block. “You think you can take me alone?”

Danny was impressed as he saw Midoriya perfectly block the kick in order to save his face. While positioning his arms in order to begin trying to use the capture tape to wrap around Bakugo’s leg.

But of course, the angry blond also realized what the boy was trying to do. And lunged forward using the same momentum and tried to blast Midoriya with yet another explosion.

But once again Midoriya knew what his long-time bully would do. So, he quickly moved out of the way of the incoming blast.

‘He really does think fast on his feet.’ Danny thought. But he could tell that it was going to be an uphill battle for his friend. As it was clear that the boy was getting more tired and out of breath by the second. While Bakugo seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

‘Maybe his anger acts as fuel’ Danny jokingly thought.

Just as Bakugo was about to blast towards Midoriya once again. The green haired boy turned and ran away.

“Get back here Deku!” Bakugo yelled furiously as he began going after the nerd.

Midoriya quickly ran through the labyrinth of a building in order to create distance. And to hopefully lose Kacchan for long enough to think of a plan.

As the angry blond angrily walked after Deku he began yelling “Damn it Deku! You were tricking me for years by acting weak! Bet you've been laughing behind my back, huh?”

Midoriya, who was still running away, frowned as he listened to the bullies' words.

“So, where's that flashy power now! Let’s see how it compares to mine. Because quirk or no, you’ll never beat me, Deku!”

All Might who was able to listen in to the one-sided conversation via his own earpiece, internally frowned. As he watched his protege run from the blond who kept lighting off explosions. ‘Midoriya told me that Young Bakugo thinks very highly of himself. But this level of pride is something else. It may end up being his demise.’

Danny closely watched the screen as the tired out Midoriya finally stopped running and hid behind a corner. But he couldn’t help but feel anxious as he knew Bakugo was quickly getting closer.

As Midoriya worked to try and catch his breath he thought ‘Good he’s completely forgotten about my partner. Just like I thought. I bet Kacchan’s gone rogue. Which means that the two probably aren’t working together as a team or communicating. I can’t go after the weapon right now or Kacchan will follow me. And if me and Uraraka both tried to take him down we’d probably run out of time. So we’ll stay split up for now. I have to trust Uraraka. She’ll find the weapon and Iida then I’ll try to join her for a two on one fight. I just have to somehow capture Kacchan on my own. I can do it’

Midoriya closed his fist as he steeled his nerves. As he fully thought out what he had to somehow do.

Up above Uraraka had finally located the room that had both the weapon and Iida in it. She watched from around the corner and couldn’t help but laugh. As she listened to Iida do his best villain impression.

“Uraraka, is that you?” Iida asked as he heard her faint laugh.

Uraraka awkwardly stepped out from behind the corner as her cover was blown.

“I knew you would come here alone the instant that Bakugo ran off by himself and engaged with Midoriya.” Iida said in a cheesy villainous tone while pointing at Uraraka.

“Your quirk allows you to float anything that you touch, but I’ve prepared for that. By hiding every object in this room. So, you have nothing to use against me, do-goodier. My dastardly tricks have rendered you helpless! You’ve blundered, hero! Mwahahaha” Iida flamboyantly said.

Uraraka watched as her classmate began doing a cheesy evil laugh. “Wow he really is playing the part.”

Down below the tension between the two rivals only grew as with each step Bakugo got closer to where Midoriya was hidden.

But as Midoriya did his best to listen out for the explosive teen, Uraraka spoke to him via the earpiece.

“Uhm Deku?”

“I’m here. How’s it going?” Midoriya responded back in a low whisper.

“Iida knows that I’m here, sorry. Right now, he’s monologuing.” Uraraka said back.

“Where are you right now?”

“Near the middle of the fifth floor.” She answered.

“That’s right above me.” Midoriya realized as he looked up and began thinking of new plans.

From the observation room Danny felt like he was watching a horror movie. As Bakugo had finally found Midoriya’s hiding spot. And was now standing menacingly only a few feet away from his intended target. Who had luckily noticed his opponent's presence.

“I’m all loaded up.” Bakugo said as he raised one of his grenade looking gauntlets while glaring at Deku.

“What does that mean?” Midoriya nervously asked as he prepared himself for whatever the blond would do next.

But Bakugo completely ignored his question as he continued with his own. “Why aren’t you using your fancy quirk? Don’t tell me you’re underestimating me, Deku. Get over here and show me what you’re really made of.”

“Kacchan. I’m not scared of you anymore.” Midoriya said as he held the capture tap. Although he couldn’t stop his body from shaking, nonetheless he wouldn’t back down.

But that only made Bakugo angrier as after a moment the blond menacingly smiled. “Heh since you’re such a stalker, by now you probably know how my quirk 'Explosion' works. I secrete nitroglycerin-like sweat from my hands and make it blow up. Imagine what I could do if I had a lot of it.”

Although Danny couldn’t hear what the blond was saying. As he watched the enraged bully use his other hand to reach for what looked like a trigger on the gauntlet. That was on his outstretched hand he knew whatever happened next wouldn’t be good. As he had to forcefully stop himself from flying off to save the green haired boy who was being directly aimed at.

“That’s right these gauntlets aren’t just for show! They’ve been storing up my sweat inside for one monster blast!” Bakugo said with a crazed look.

“All Might you need to stop him!” Danny urgently said as he looked at the guy's murderous expression.

All Might nodded as he quickly brought a mic up to his mouth. “Young Bakugo! Don’t do it! You’ll kill him!”

“He’ll be fine as long as he dodges!” Bakugo yelled in response to All Might right as he finally pulled the trigger.

Danny listened to what All Might had said. But it was clear the blond had no intention of stopping. He felt his core almost jump out of his chest. As he realized he wouldn’t have enough time to get to the battle. So, he was forced to watch as an inferno shot from the gauntlet and straight at Midoriya.

The whole building shook from the shock wave of the blast. Even from the observation room Danny and the class felt it. Danny stared at the various screens as he hoped to see the green costumed boy still alive and hopefully not burnt to a crisp.

“Come in? Midoriya, are you there?” All Might repeatedly asked through the microphone.

Finally, though after a few moments the smoke began to clear. As it went out the now gaping hole in the side of the building. And Danny was able to see Midoriya through the camera footage.

He sighed in relief as the boy appeared fairly unharmed considering the blast he had just survived. His costume which was now badly torn up and even had scorch marks was proof of the monstrous explosion.

But as Danny watched he felt his knuckles go white as he squeezed his fists even more. As from the smoke emerged Bakugo. Who still had a crazed, psychopathic look that had no remorse for almost burning his classmate alive.

“All Might you need to stop this fight now!” Danny said in a deadly serious tone.

All Might looked at the boy for a moment before answering. “Not yet Midoriya can still fight.”

Danny stared at the hero and could feel his anger rise. “You said you would stop the fight if it went too far, well it’s officially gone too far. Bakugo could’ve killed him!”

All Might didn’t respond to Fenton as he mentally debated on what he should do.

After getting no response from the hero. Danny glared as he turned back to watch what was unfolding.

Midoriya was on the ground and looked terrified as Bakugo slowly approached him.

“Go ahead. Use your stupid quirk on me, Deku. Even if you give me everything you’ve got, you’ll never beat me.”

Up above Iida and Uraraka were having their own fight as Uraraka tried to get close enough to the weapon. But continuously had no luck as Iida kept preventing her from touching the weapon since he kept moving the weapon away from her.

As Midoriya watched Bakugo get closer he put his hand up to his earpiece and spoke to Uraraka. “Come in, what's the situation?”

“It’s not good” came Uraraka’s response.

But Bakugo only got angrier as he watched the nerd not fully focus on him.

“Are you ignoring me again? I’ll get your attention.” Bakugo said while raising his hand to light off a few more small explosions as a warning.

Fenton turned to the hero again. “All Might you need to stop this now!”

The various classmates were taken back by the halfa’s outbursts towards the number one hero.

But Kirishima quickly shook off his surprise as he too joined in. Only a bit more politely. “Sir, Fenton’s right, isn’t this getting out of hand?”

All Might looked at the two. Mainly at Fenton who was glaring at the hero. “It’ll be fine. While Young Bakugo’s actions are extreme. He's not actually trying to kill Young Midoriya.”

Danny was officially pissed as he looked at the smiling hero. “So, you’re saying that just because we won’t be holding a funeral that what’s happening is okay? All Might! Midoriya is going to get seriously injured and just because he can get magically healed doesn’t make it okay!”

All Might looked down at the boy who was unashamedly glaring at him in anger. “Young Fenton, while it’s clear you care deeply for your classmates. I will not strip Young Midoriya or your other classmates of an opportunity to learn and grow.” All Might sternly said.

‘Or an opportunity to get burned alive’ Danny angrily thought.

But he did reach down and grab his microphone one more time in order to speak to Bakugo. “Bakugo. Use that stored-up power again and I’ll stop the fight. Your team will lose.”

Danny was glad that the inactive hero was at least doing something. But he truly didn’t understand why the man was letting it go this far. But it was clear that pressing the issue wouldn’t make the surprisingly stubborn hero do anything. As it was clear that he was fully going to let the fight play out to its bitter, brutal end.

Danny hated how useless he felt. He wished he could somehow secretly create a duplicate to go monitor the fight and secretly step in when needed. But he would need to be transformed which he couldn’t do now as it would seem too odd. So, he resolved to continue to watch the brutal fight. And just hoped that either Bakugo finally came to his senses or that Midoriya would have a plan.

“The pillar by the window” Midoriya quickly said to Uraraka. But he couldn’t say anything else as Bakugo, who was even more pissed off from being told off by All Might. Quickly propelled himself at the green haired boy by creating even more explosions behind him.

“Come here nerd. If I can’t blow you up, then we’ll fight hand to hand!” Bakugo yelled as he flew through the air.

Midoriya tried to prepare himself for the incoming attack by once again dodging. But as he moved his foot he began to slip on the loose rubble beneath his feet. The green haired boy watched as if in slow motion. As he realized he wouldn’t be able to dodge or move out of the way in time.

He was left with one option as he quickly clenched his fist and prepared to punch the incoming threat.

Danny couldn’t help but be amazed as he watched Bakugo who was midair created an explosion in order to change his trajectory. Which propelled him above Midoriya and to his backside. The blond then sent an explosion straight into the green haired boy’s back.

The halfa hated to admit it but the literal embodiment of a bomb that he was watching was on all accounts amazing. His quick reflexes, movements, and ferocious determination made him an extremely impressive fighter. Danny was beginning to understand why the guy was so cocky. As it was clear that the teen had never fought someone who was better. But Danny pledged that he would change that if he ever got a chance to fight the guy.

Midoriya shouted in pain as the explosion shot him in the back. But he wasn’t given any time to dwell on his pain. As Bakugo, who was now behind him, quickly ran at him again.

“Here it comes nerd! The famous right hook you were whining about!” Bakugo yelled as he slammed his giant gauntlet into the nerd's forearm.

Midoriya screamed again but as he was about to go flying from the sheer force of the hit to his arm. Said arm was then grabbed by Bakugo who used multiple small explosions to quickly move around the green haired boy. All in the effort to create momentum so that Bakugo could hurdle Midoriya over him and slam him down onto his back.

Danny who watched the impressive quick movement couldn’t help but cringe in empathy. As he watched Midoriya’s body basically bounce from being slammed to the ground so hard.

After a moment though the halfa forced his body to relax as he spoke in a steady neutral tone. Without even turning to face the hero. “All Might when this does go too far for you. It’s going to be too late.”

All Might who was stuck between stopping the excessive cruelty. Or letting the match play out so that his protege may have a shot of realizing his potential. Paused as he turned to listen to Fenton.

What the teen said struck a chord in the hero. But between the boy’s eerie, reserved tone and his demeanor. The teen almost reminded the pro of a person who had witnessed their fair share of tragedies. A person who had learned to accept the brutal inevitable realities of a hopeless situation.

But the hero didn’t dwell long on the boy as he silently turned back without giving a response. Because in all honesty the hero knew the boy was right. That he needed to stop this now. To put an end to the fight before it was too late. But he didn’t want to, at least not yet, he told himself as he watched his protege begin to run away.

The other students in class 1A also watched with worry as their hurt classmate ran away. They too had listened to what Fenton had to say and couldn’t help but be taken back by their classmates' words.

As Midoriya did his best to run away. He had to fight through the pain as every part of his body screamed in pain. But he couldn’t give up. It wasn’t even an option. So, he resolved to follow through with his plan, accepting the inevitable consciences that it may have on him.

Once the green haired boy had gotten to the other end of the room. He couldn’t go any farther as he had come to a wall. But he was exactly where he needed to be. So, he quickly turned to face Kacchan who was steadily walking after him.

“Why won’t you use your damn quirk against me? You still think you can stop me without it?” Bakugo gruffly yelled as he came closer and closer to the boy who was now facing him.

“That’s not it,” Midoriya responded.

“You’ve been hiding your true power for years. What’s the deal, Deku? Did you think you were better than me this entire time?”

“That’s what you think? You idiot. You’ve always been stronger, Kacchan. I know that you’re better than me.” Midoriya couldn’t help the angry, sad tears that began to form in his eyes. “Can’t you see? That’s why I wanna beat you! Because you’re amazing!” he finally yelled out.

“You’re even more of an idiot than I realized. Come at me!” Bakugo yelled as he clenched his fists in anger.

At that moment Danny watched in defeat as the two ran at each other. From his peripheral vision he saw that All Might had finally decided that it was time to put an end to this as he was about to speak into the microphone. But like the halfa had feared it was already too late.

Midoriya pulled back his arm and channeled One For All into it as he prepared to punch.

Bakugo also prepared himself as he extended his arm and hand. Which had already begun to smoke and light up in lieu of the explosion he was about to create.

Right as the two were about to make contact Midoriya shouted “Uraraka Now!”

“Right” Uraraka responded as up above she grabbed onto a pillar.

Danny watched as Midoriya got blasted in his side. At the same time the boy set out his punch only instead of hitting his opponent he sent his punch to the ceiling above.

All Might and Class 1A watched as the force of the punch traveled up through the building and destroyed everything in its path. A huge hole was created through the building by the injured boy’s single punch.

Up above Uraraka shouted, “Sorry Iida, Improvised special move, the Comet Home Run!” As she used the now weightless, dislodged pillar as a bat. To send multiple projectiles of debris and rubble flying towards the confused armored boy.

“In the name of villainy! I demand that you stop this!” Iida shouted, as he covered his face with his arms in order to protect against the incoming rumble.

But Uraraka used that moment to make herself weightless and jumped towards the weapon which was now unguarded. Within a moment Uraraka was hugging the weapon in glee. Much to Iida’s surprise and dismay.

Almost everyone in class 1A began to cheer or look in awe at the screens. Which showed not only the magnitude of damage Midoriya’s punch had created. But also, that the hero team had won.

On the other hand, Danny didn’t pay much attention to the underdog victory or the impressive show of power. As he was locked in onto another outcome of the fight. Which was Midoriya. For as the smoke around the boy cleared. It was clear that the halfa’s premonition about the fight had sadly come true.

Because while Midoriya was still standing it was clear that he was anything but fine. As his arm, which was still raised up, was purple and clearly broken. And the other side of the teen's body was charred and scorched. As his costume had been burned away and what was left was burnt, smoking skin. Luckily the boy had seemed to have blocked most of the blast with his arm. But that didn't change the fact that he was now left shaking. As his body slowly came down from the adrenaline rush and pain flooded his system.

Danny stared impassively at the screen which showed the boy who had been pushed to his absolute limits. And for what? A stupid victory in training? The halfa bitterly thought as he looked over to the hero.

He expected to see remorse on the hero’s face for having not stopped the match. But to Danny’s surprise the man was still smiling and looked happy. As he said through the microphone. “You did it… the hero team wins!”

Danny was floored. How could the man think that what just happened was good. Sure, Midoriya may have won but at what cost?

He was really starting to question the ethics of the man and of this whole hero-based society. The fact that they were glorifying pushing a kid to their absolute limits made Danny feel sick. But he kept those thoughts to himself. As he turned back and watched Midoriya finally collapse. After saying something to Bakugo who was left standing in what looked like shocked silence.

Chapter Text

“What a weird way for this to end.” Kaminari remarked as the class looked at Midoriya’s fallen form. And Uraraka who was now on the ground trying to hold back from being sick.

“I know the losers are practically untouched and the winners are both on the ground.” Kirishima added.

Tokoyami nodded, “They may have lost the battle, but they won the war.”

“This class is intense.” Asui commented.

Danny listened to his classmates in silence as he watched via the screens. As Midoriya got brought away on a robotic stretcher.

All Might had left shortly after the match ended to go check on Midoriya and to bring the others back, in order to have a debrief on the round. Everyone else had been told to just wait and remain in the observation room.

Which is what Danny currently found himself doing. Silently waiting as his mind ran rampant with thoughts. As he thought back to the violent training match. And to the hero’s odd inaction and behavior.

It was strange the way All Might had continuously kept the fighting going and how he had reacted to Midoriya’s surprising victory. Almost made Danny think that the constantly smiling man had not only been rooting for the green haired boy. But also kept the round going solely because it was Midoriya fighting.

But Danny was brought out of his silent contemplation as Kirishima spoke to him. “Hey dude you doing okay? You were kinda intense during the round.”

He smiled as he turned to look at his teammate and friend. “I’m fine, thanks. I’m just worried about Midoriya. He looks really messed up.” he finished while turning back to the screen.

“Ya man, I feel ya. I was pretty worried too. That Bakugo went way too far.” Kirishima said, before smiling as he continued in a happier tone. “But don’t worry Midoriya will be fixed up in no time thanks to Recovery Girl.”

Danny couldn’t help but sigh from his friend's attempt at comforting him. “That’s the thing. Just because Midoriya can get his physical injuries healed. Doesn’t mean he’s going to be mentally fine after that.”

“What do you mean ‘mentally fine’?” Kirishima asked after a few seconds.

Danny couldn’t help but look down as he answered in a somber tone. “A person can’t just get pushed to their absolute limits and be the same after. It changes them, the way they think, the way they act.”

“I didn’t think of it like that,” Kirishima said as he took in his classmates' words. “You sound like you’ve experienced that.” he proceeded to tentatively add. As he hoped he wasn’t crossing a boundary.

Danny’s shoulders tensed for a mere moment before he forced himself to relax and looked back up at his friend with a tired smile. “It’s a long story.” was all he said.

Kirishima furrowed his eyebrows as he gave Danny a small smile. To silently convey his understanding and support.

Which Danny appreciated. As he silently went back to watching the screen.

After that it didn’t take long for All Might, Iida, Uraraka, and a very quiet Bakugo to arrive back at the observation room.

When Danny watched Bakugo walk into the room, he couldn’t help but glare at the guy. He hoped that in doing so the bully would try and attack him. So that he could then have an excuse to punch the bastard. But to his surprise the guy almost seemed docile.

If Danny didn’t know better, he would've thought the guy was feeling remorseful for his ruthless actions. But the halfa still remembered how the guy looked after almost killing Midoriya. A look that Danny had seen on vengeful spirits that were Hell-bent on causing chaos and destruction.

So, he knew better than to mistake the blond's silence for regret. Rather the half ghost bet the guy was only regretting not winning.

“Well despite the results, the MVP of this exercise is Young Iida.” All Might said as he stood at the front of the room.

Many students gasped in surprise at the hero's words. Including Iida who looked at the man in shocked, confusion.

“Huh?” Iida said.

“Shouldn’t it be one of the heroes instead, since they’re the winners?” Asui asked.

All Might hummed in response, “Mm! Valid question. Why didn’t I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?”

Danny had a hunch as to the man’s reasoning but chose to stay silent.
“Sir, I can tell you why.” Yaoyorozu said with confidence as she raised her hand. Danny looked at the ponytailed girl as he waited for her explanation.

“Iida embraced this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role. I’ll explain. Bakugo’s judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. Plus launching a large-scale attack indoors was a foolish move. It could’ve been disastrous.”

Danny was impressed with the girl's reasoning skills and her very correct judgment of the hot-tempered blond. Who the halfa still kept glaring at.

“Similarly, Midoriya’s plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage that he received. He rendered himself helpless. As for Uraraka she let her guard down mid-battle, and her final attack was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she’d treated the fake weapon as though it was real. She never would’ve risked using such an imprecise move. Iida on the other hand was fully prepared for his opponent’s arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission. To protect the dummy weapon. Even if he was foiled in the end.”

Danny was blown away by his classmates' very thorough and lengthy explanation. And he couldn’t help but smile as he watched Iida who had been sulking smile at the praise.

“Technically, the hero team won, yes. But they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn’t respect the spirit of the trial.” Yaoyorozu finally finished.

All Might was taken back by her explanation as he proceeded to stumble out his own minor addition to the explanation. “Yes, well, you overlooked a few things. Young Iida could have relaxed a little bit in the exercise. But otherwise, you nailed it!” He said as he gave a thumbs up.

“All right time to blow this joint and move to another location as this one’s too damaged. But before that let’s see who our next heroes and villains will be.” The hero boisterously said as he grabbed the two selection boxes and put them in front of him.

He proceeded to slowly reach down into the hero box, in order to build suspense. Before pulling out a ball that had the letter ‘B’ on it.

“All right for round two our heroes are none other than Young Todoroki and Young Ojiro! Now let’s see who the evil-doers will be!” He said while pulling out another ball from the villain's box.

Danny calmly watched as the hero showed off the next ball. But couldn’t help but have his smile grow as he read the villain ball.

“...It appears our next villains are Young Fenton and Young Kirishima!” All Might said with only a slight hesitation. That only Danny noticed but didn’t think much of.

All Might looked at the boy who was smiling. The hero remembered how he had acted during the first round, but quickly put those thoughts aside. As he heroically continued, “Alright let’s do this thing!”

Danny, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Ojiro were quickly taken to the new location and were given the same five-minute time to prepare.

As Danny and Kirishima stood together next to the fake weapon they began to plan.

“Alright so how should we play this?” Kirishima asked as he looked around the big room they were located in. “I suppose one of us should stay with the weapon while the other person goes to do recon. With your flying you would probably be faster. But then again since it’ll be a closed space you might not be able to move around so freely. And since we're up against Todoroki who seems like a powerhouse, maybe we should both stay here.”

Danny closely listened to the teen’s contemplation before he decided to finally speak up while smiling. “Hmm, that is an option but I have another idea.”

Kirishima looked at his teammate who seemed both calm and excited. And couldn't help but smile after a moment. “Alright let’s hear it, don't keep a man hanging.”

Danny smirked as he decided to demonstrate something he had yet to show the red head. He walked a few feet over to the fake weapon and proceeded to reach out to touch it. But right as his hand was about to make contact, he turned his hand intangible.

Kirishima curiously watched as Fenton proceeded to seemingly put his hand through the giant weapon.

“What?” Kirishima loudly said in surprise. As he quickly walked over to examine what was happening. “Wait can you go through objects?” he asked as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Danny pulled his hand out and showed his semi-translucent hand to Kirishima as he began to explain. “Uh huh I can turn myself intangible. Pretty neat huh?”

“Ya it is… wait so that means…”

“Yup that means I can simply fly through the floors to find our dastardly heroes.” Danny joked as he finished the guy's thought.

Kirishima looked at his friend in awe. “Wow man, that's so manly! Wait, so does that mean you’ll also be resistant to attacks?”

“It does,” Danny answered but then continued. “So, I think I should be the one to go greet the heroes. And stop them before they can even make it up here.”

“I know your strong man, but do you really think you can stop both of them? Todoroki did get in on recommendation so he might be hard to fight alone. Plus, Ojiro, he also seems pretty dang strong.” Kirishima asked.

Danny made eye contact with Kirishima as he menacingly said while making his eyes glow green. “Oh, trust me they won't even know what hit them.”

Kirishima looked at his friend who once again seemed rather frightening as the guy’s voice began to echo in a rather ominous way. But before Kirishima could respond a bright light suddenly came from the teen. He was forced to squint as he watched two bright rings go up and down his teammate's body.

From the observation room the class and All Might watched in surprise as Fenton changed from the white rings. The boy’s black hair was now white and his eyes glowed a burning green. And the gym uniform he was once wearing had become a black suit that had white boots, gloves, belt, and neck area. Honestly the boy appeared to be ominously glowing.

“So, he can transform.” Iida said as he recalled what Kirishima once said.

“Wait but how?” Kaminari loudly asked.

“Oh my gosh! He looks so cool now! No wonder he didn’t have a costume, he already had one, amazing!” Ashido squealed.

“I wonder if this means he plans to go all out?” Yaoyorozu analytically wondered.

All Might also wondered that as he closely watched the screen which showed the mysterious teen.

From the back of the room Bakugo who was still angry over the previous match. And from what that damn nerd did was also locked onto the screen. As he intensely watched the other person who had helped fuel his anger.

Once transformed Danny looked at Kirishima and couldn’t help but snicker as the guy had his mouth open in surprise.

“Dude, you look so cool. That suit looks so manly!” Kirishima quickly said as his surprise turned to excitement. “So does this mean you plan to go all out?”

Danny looked down at his now gloved hands as he answered. “Not exactly but I have a surprise for Todoroki, and this was the best way for me to give it to him. Plus, I felt rather underdressed.”

In all honesty Danny wasn’t planning to transform for this training exercise. But when he had learned that his opponent would be the ice wielder. He thought it would only be fitting to trap him in his own element.

And while he could technically use his ice while in his human form. It was one of his powers which required more energy and concentration to use safely. So, he decided to just use his ghost form which would allow him better control over the power. Because even though he wanted to play the role of a villain. He didn’t want to accidently seriously hurt his opponents either.

“You have a surprise for Todoroki?” Kirishima asked in utter confusion.

Danny decided to forgo answering the guy's question as he asked his own, “So are you alright staying up here to guard the weapon? You may not get a lot of action if my plan goes accordingly.”

Although the halfa had a plan for how he wanted to play this. He would feel bad for striping his teammate of an opportunity to fight and show off his abilities.

Kirishima just smiled and gave a thumbs up as he answered, “Don’t worry about me dude. I’ll act as the last line of defense. But if you can really make sure they don’t even get up here. Then that’s fine by me!”

Danny smiled as he nodded. Then turned as he was pretty sure the five minutes were about to be over.

Down below and outside the building Ojiro and Todoroki stood in silence.

Eventually though Ojiro broke the awkward quietness, “So I suppose we should both go in together and try and locate the weapon quickly?”

Todoroki only slightly looked at him before turning back to look at the building. The silence lasted for a bit too long before the boy finally spoke up. “I plan to get this over with quickly.”

“You do?” Ojiro awkwardly asked his rather reserved teammate.

Todoroki lifted up his right hand and looked at it as he answered, “Yes, when the round starts I’ll use my ice to freeze the whole building. Then we can just find the weapon.”

Ojiro was taken back by the man who was half covered in ice with a red eye. “You plan to cover the whole building?”

After getting no response he sighed as he just continued. “Alright I guess that will work. But Fenton might be an issue. He seems like kinda a wild card.”

Todoroki had similar thoughts about the current number one student. But he didn’t worry much as he clenched his fist. And vowed to get victory by only using his ice.

Suddenly over the loudspeakers All Might's voice came through as the five minutes came to an end. “Alright! Look alive kids! Show us you’re the embodiment of good. Let’s Go!”

‘Isn’t that kinda biased?’ Danny thought as he listened to a horn sound off to signal the start of the round.

Down below Todoroki slowly walked into the building with Ojiro behind him. Once in the doorway the boy put his right hand against the wall as he said to his teammate who was right outside the open door. “For your own safety stay outside.”

With that ice shot out from where his hand and foot were touching the building and ice quickly spread, rapidly shooting through the whole building. Within moments the whole building and everything that was in it was completely frozen.

From the observation room class 1A were once again left in shock by the incredible display of power.

“Holy crap! Did they already win?” Kaminari asked.

Bakugo was also shocked as he realized just how strong the icy bastard was.

“I wouldn’t count Fenton out just yet, look.” Yaoyorozu said as she pointed to the screen that showed where the ‘villains’ were.

The class and All Might looked and saw that both Fenton and Kirishima were completely covered in ice and stuck. Even Kirishima couldn’t seem to break away from his icy prison.

“What do you mean they look pretty frozen to me?” Mineta said.

But just as the little purple haired guy said that Fenton seemed to just go right through the ice that was keeping him frozen in place. Which made many of the less observant students have their mouths fall open in surprise.

From within the frozen room. Danny activated his intangibility and easily stepped out of the ice that had encased his body.

“Wow, that guy really didn’t pull any punches.” Danny casually said as he looked around the room which had basically been turned into one giant freezer. That’s when he heard shivering and quickly turned to see Kirishima who was still stuck in layers of thick ice.

“Oh crap, sorry. Let me get you out.” Danny quickly said as he walked over to the teen.

“Please, I’m freezing.” Kirishima shivered out.

Danny wanted to turn his friend intangible, but he would need to touch the guy in order to do so. So, after a moment of thought he used his gloved hand and gave the ice that encased the teen’s hand a flick. Which caused the ice to crack and easily break away from his hand and fall to the floor.

“Man, how strong are you?” Kirishima asked through gritted teeth as the cold was starting to sting.

Danny simply laughed a little bit as he grabbed the man’s now exposed hand and turned him intangible.

It was strange one moment Kirishima felt the biting cold and another he didn’t. In fact, his whole body suddenly felt tingly. Not only that he now felt free as if the ice was no longer even touching him.

“You can step out of the ice now.” Danny said after a few seconds as it seemed like Kirishima hadn’t fully realized that he was now intangible.

Kirishima blinked and did what he was told and easily stepped out of the ice.

Once the red head was out Danny let go of the man’s hand as he happily said, “Told ya.”

Kirishima nodded as he looked at his own body which no longer felt tingly. And was once again being hit by the cold temperature of the room.

Danny looked at his still shivering teammate and felt bad. As he himself was perfectly fine in the low temperature. Then he got an idea that would help his cold friend out.

He lifted up a hand and channeled ecto-energy into it. Creating a glowing green ball of burning fiery ectoplasm that levitated just above his palm.

Kirishima looked at the ominous glowing green ball that acted as a light source in the now dimly lit room. As the lights had been covered by ice. He could feel the intense heat that radiated from the fiery ball.

“Wow thanks dude.” Kirishima said after a moment as he lifted his hands to the ominous green fire, as if it were a campfire.

“Don’t mention it. But I suppose being basically shirtless isn’t that great for keeping warm?” Danny jokingly said as a way to comment on the guy’s rather exposed costume.

“Haha I guess not,” Kirishima laughed back in response. But as he let the warmth wash over him. He finally remembered where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. “Hold on shouldn’t you be going?” the red head urgently asked.

Danny shrugged “I figured we have enough time to keep you from freezing to death. Besides, we're on the top floor and this building's layout is like a maze. Plus, after that large scale attack I’m guessing that our heroes. Probably think we're down for the count. Which's means they're probably not rushing to get here.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Kirishima responded as he thought about the white-haired boy’s reasoning.

Danny then smiled as his tone changed from lighthearted to intentionally scary. “And the longer I wait the more they’ll be surprised to find out that their victory is far from guaranteed.”

“You know man you can be quite scary,” Kirishima said, as he looked at his teammate's expression. Which was ominously being illuminated in green light. Which only further emphasized the guy's intensely glowing eyes.

From the observation room All Might listened in on the two ‘villains’ conversation via the earpiece. And couldn’t help but think the same as he looked at the boy who was casually holding what looked to be a ball of death.

“Fenton usually acts so nice but he’s honestly kinda scary.” The invisible Hagakure said to which many of her classmates hummed in agreement.

After a minute or so of allowing Kirishima to warm up and for the room's temperature to begin to rise. Danny spoke up, “Alright I should probably get going. It would be rude to keep all our classmates waiting for action.”

Kirishima raised an eyebrow “You make it sound like you plan to put on a show.”

“Of course I am. After all, if I'm going to play a villain. I'm gonna at least make it entertaining.” With that said Danny absorbed the ball of ectoplasm back into his body and took a few steps backwards which seemed to confuse his teammate.

“All right see ya on the flip side!” Danny said with a smile as he jumped into the air while making it look like he was doing a cannonball into a swimming pool. He even went so far as to use his hand to plug his nose as he used his intangibility to go right through the floor.

Within a moment Kirishima was left alone. Staring down at the ground his teammate had literally jumped into. Although at this point he wasn’t even surprised by his friends actions as he simply sighed.

On the other hand class 1A were left floored by what they had just witnessed.

“What was that? He just cannonballed through the floor!” Kaminari yelled.

Asui hummed as she tilted her head. “Well, he did seem to phase both himself and Kirishima out of the ice. Perhaps his quirk lets him go through objects?”

“Yes, I believe that is the case.” Yaoyorozu calmly stated.

Iida, who was also shocked by the cartoonish exist. Began to rapidly look at the various screens before asking a question that many of the students were beginning to think. “But where is he now?”

All Might leaned forwards as he did his best to try and find the black and white dressed teen. But no matter where he looked it almost seemed like the boy had just vanished. After a moment though he turned his attention to the hero team.

Todoroki and Ojiro were both steadily making their way through the icy building. They had managed to make it to the second floor without any interference or trouble. So, the two assumed that the ice attack had left their opponents immobile and stuck.

But as they walked through a hallway to what looked like the entrance to the stairway to the next floor. The already cold temperature seemed to be rapidly dropping as the ice that covered the hallway seemed to even be growing.

Ojiro shivered as he wrapped his arms around his torso. He looked towards his very silent teammate who was in front of him and finally decided to speak after a few moments. “Uhm Todoroki, don’t you think it’s cold enough, already?”

The boy in question abruptly came to a stop as he began to look around at the hallway. Before slowly speaking. “That’s not me.”

Ojiro, who had also stopped walking, stared in confusion at his teammate. As his shivering grew more intense by the second. “What do you mean it’s not you?”

“I mean I’m not using my quirk,” Todoroki then turned to look at his teammate. “I’m not the one making it colder.”

That seemed to snap the tailed man out of his confusion as he went on high alert. But at that moment the cold which had been steadily dropping. Plummeted as icicles quickly formed on the ceiling.

But that wasn’t all. As Todoroki watched as within seconds ice quickly grew. To block both the way they came from and the entrance into the stairway.

From the observation room the students watched as the ice formed to block the hero's path.

“Why is Todoroki making more ice?” Ashido asked in confusion.

“He’s basically encased them both in ice. Did he perhaps lose control of his quirk?” Kaminari questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Even Yaoyorozu watched in confusion as she tried to understand what was happening to her classmates.

All Might finally spoke up, “It would seem that that ice is not Young Todoroki’s doing.” He said as he had listened to what the teen had said just moments ago.

But that clarification only made Class 1A more confused.

“Wait, so if Todoroki’s not the one making the ice than who is?” Uraraka nervously asked.

After the two teens had watched their way out and up become closed off. Todoroki had quickly walked over to the wall of ice. That now blocked him in and frowned as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Ojiro, who felt close to getting hypothermia, quickly walked over to his teammate to stand beside him.

“What’s happening, who else could be making ice?” Ojiro asked again as he wrapped his tail around his body in an attempt to keep warm.

Before Todoroki could respond he tensed and looked around. As a malicious laugh could be heard from what seems to be all around the two as it echoed around the enclosed space.

The smiling hero lightly gasped as through the earpiece he too heard the rather creepy laugh. ‘Just what is happening?’ All Might question.

Danny was having the time of his life as he invisibly watched his two classmates look around in hopes of finding him. It was clear that they were both worried about the unknown threat. And the confusing and threatening situation that the halfa had trapped them in.

Although he made sure to not drop the temperature anymore as it seemed like Ojiro was about to faint from the low temperature. Even Todoroki, who was literally encased in ice on his right side, seemed to be feeling the effects of his ice core.

After a moment he finally decided to add on to the scare factor. As he spoke in an echoey, creepy voice “Not so fun when you're the ones trapped in ice, huh?”

No matter where Todoroki looked, he couldn’t find where the disembodied voice had come from. But he did recognize who’s voice it was as he spoke, “Fenton.”

Danny laughed more “It seems the jigs up.”

With that he finally let down his invisibility and watched in delight. As the two turned to finally face him. As he floated down the hallway from where the two ‘heroes’ stood.

”But I wonder, heroes? Will you really be able to stop me, now that you can see me?” Danny asked.

The students watched as Fenton suddenly appeared in the enclosed hallway. Not only was the suddenly visible boy wearing a smile that showed off his sharp teeth. But his eyes glowed an even more radioactive green.

“Wait, so he can make ice too!?” Kaminari squawked. “How is that fair?”

“Or possible?” Yaoyorozu asked as she put her hand to her chin to think.

All Might stayed silent as he too was rather surprised by the unexpected turn of events. He had researched what the boy’s quirk was and had read its rather vague description. But nowhere did it indicate or mention the boy also having the ability to create ice.

Todoroki didn’t hesitate to launch an attack as he slammed his foot to the ground. Which caused large deadly ice spikes to form and shoot out from the ground. All the way to where Fenton floated. But to the boy’s surprise his opponent simply watched with a calm face as the ice stalagmites came right at him.

Todoroki huffed as he hadn’t fully thought through his attack. As he had now lost visibility of Fenton. Who hadn’t tried to dodge like the icy teen had expected. He momentarily hoped that the spikes hadn’t impaled his enemy. But he didn’t dwell long on that fact as he yelled to Ojiro. “Ojiro! Break the ice with your tail!”

He didn’t get a chance to hear his teammates' response though as he heard a noise and saw a green light shining through the thick ice spikes. A mere moment later the icicles exploded away. Todoroki used his arms to shield himself as small pieces of ice flew at him from the explosion.

Danny used an ectoblast to get rid of the large spikes that had literally gone through his intangible body.

But he hadn’t cared much about his impalement. As the ice was quickly destroyed and he once again had visibility of his two classmates.

Todoroki glared at his floating enemy who had easily destroyed his ice and was still simply floating in the same spot with a casual almost bored smile. Only now the boy’s one gloved hand which was being held out was ominously smoking.

“You know it’s probably not a good idea to create more ice.”

Todoroki scowled, “What?”

Danny tilted his head slightly as he answered while holding up his index finger. “I'm just saying it’s not very wise to make the temperature drop even more.” He then used his raised finger to casually point.

“At least not when your teammate isn’t looking so ‘hot’.” The halfa jokingly finished.

Todoroki turned to look where his opponent was pointing and lightly gasped. As he saw that his teammate looked to be on the verge of fainting from the cold. As extreme shivers racked his body. He cursed himself as he hadn’t even taken his teammates safety or condition into consideration before launching his icy cold barrage.

“Not very heroic of you hero,” Danny added in a mocking tone.

Todoroki’s scowl grew as he listened to the enemies' taunts. But he ignored it as he turned to speak to his teammate. “Ojiro are you okay?”

Danny simply watched as the boy seemed to take his attention off of him. ‘Not very smart’ he thought to himself. Had this been a real fight, the guy would be leaving himself wide open.

It was clear to the halfa that the half red head was not used to working on a team. But Danny couldn’t really criticize the guy as he was also not much of a team player. So he decided to just watch as the two conversed instead of attacking. Since he didn’t want to stop them just yet anyways.

From the observation room All Might spoke up to the class. “Students, can anyone tell me what Young Todoroki is doing wrong?”

Yaoyorozu quickly raised her hand before speaking. “Sir, he is leaving himself vulnerable to attack as he has diverted his attention away from the threat. Additionally, his actions in launching a large-scale ice attack. While it did have merit. It both caused his teammate harm and further trapped him as the path out is now further covered in ice. In other words, Todoroki did not pay attention to his surroundings or his teammate. Which can be fatal when acting as a hero.”

‘Wow this girl really knows her stuff.’ All Might thought as he awkwardly coughed into his hand before speaking. “Yes, good job. Excellent work analyzing.” He boisterously said as he gave a thumbs up.

“Class it is important to note that hero-ing is not always a solo act. This training is meant to teach you that the best way to victory is through collaboration and teamwork.” he loudly finished.

Uraraka then raised her hand. “Sir, then why isn't Fenton attacking?”

All Might hummed as he thought about the girl's question. “Well, it seems that Young Fenton intends to draw out this battle. But let’s continue to watch and see what both our ‘villain’ and ‘heroes’ do next!”

As the class and hero turned to focus back on the match. All Might hummed as he thought of the white-haired teen’s actions. It was clear that the boy was not taking this training seriously. In fact, throughout the whole round his actions while effective had been both lazy and overconfident.

“I’m going to be okay… it’s just really cold.” Ojiro shivered out as a response to his concerned teammate.

Todoroki clenched his teeth together as he looked down. He could use his fire and get both himself and his teammate out of this. But after only a moment he shook that thought away as he balled his hands into fists. ‘I won’t use his quirk’ he bitterly thought as he looked back up.

“Ojiro, do you think you can break that ice?” he asked.

After a moment Ojiro gave a curt nod as he forced himself to stop shaking and unwrapped his tail from his body. To begin hitting the layers of ice that trapped them.

Todoroki watched his teammate hit the ice that luckily began to crack. Before quickly turning back to face Fenton who was still simply smiling. As he continued to float casually in the same spot.

‘I need to keep him preoccupied but I can’t attack with more ice with Ojiro around.’ Todoroki quickly thought. But after a moment he came up with another strategy. As he began talking to the floating boy to hopefully distract him for long enough for the ice to break.

“So, you also use ice?” Todoroki gruffly asked.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the boy who was surprisingly trying to start a conversation with him. He could tell that he was just trying to buy his teammate time.

But he decided to just play along with it. As he was honestly more interested in having a conversation with his usually quiet classmate. Rather than attacking.

“Yeah, pretty coincidental that we both have ice powers, huh? Only mine is a little different I think.”

“How do you figure?” Todoroki asked.

It was honestly kinda funny how the boy continuously tensed at every movement the halfa made. But once again he ignored it. As he crossed his arms and began casually explaining. “Well, it seems you have to touch the thing you want to ice. While I simply need to focus on the object or surface for ice to form. Pretty convenient, huh?”

“I see, that is pretty convenient. And you have other powers. Like that green blast you used. Or your ability to suddenly appear.” Todoroki said as he did his best to appear calm. Although the tension in his shoulders and face never lessened.

“Wow, you’ve really been paying attention.” Danny mused as he noticed that the ice wall was moments away from breaking. He couldn’t help but smile as very soon he would be on to stage two of his plan which he had given the code name ‘lights out’.

Todoroki quickly turned as he heard the ice shatter. “Go!” he yelled, as Ojiro took off and he followed after. But after running through the now open entryway, turned around and slammed his right foot down. Allowing a new thick layer of ice to quickly grow and cover the entryway once again.

He then turned to run after his teammate who was already halfway up the flight of stairs.

Danny watched with his arms crossed as his classmates made their daring exit. He tsked lightly before speaking to himself. “Well that just won't do.” With that he smiled as he floated up through the floor.

“We should have some time. I trapped him in the hallway!” Todoroki yelled as he ran behind Ojiro. Who luckily seemed to be doing better as the temperature was slightly higher.

“I don’t know, I don't think some ice is going to hold him for long. We need to hurry and get to the next floor.” Ojiro said as he went down yet another hallway. The building they were in was like a maze with each staircase to the next level being in another spot.

Todoroki was frustrated as he followed closely behind. Frustrated that his plan to get this training over with failed so quickly. But he wouldn’t falter, no matter what Fenton or anyone else threw at him he refused to use his father's quirk. He would rather lose, he bitterly thought.

After Danny had flown up to the next level, he had quickly caught up with his two runaway classmates. Although they were none the wiser as he remained invisible as he followed behind them.

That was until he decided to make his presence known once again. And what better way than to use a cheesy horror movie cliché of the lights suddenly going out, he thought.

So, with that thought the halfa stopped flying and put his hand against the wall. He never liked using his ecto-based electricity. Even though his own electricity couldn’t hurt him. But the slight tingly feeling it gave him and the idea of it was still nerve racking. But he put his own feelings and slight queasiness to the side. As he sent his electricity coursing through the walls which quickly shorted out the lights.

As the two ‘heroes’ ran down yet another corridor the overhead lights suddenly went out. They both stopped as they quickly looked around. Luckily there was still a little bit of light from a singular small window that was down the hallway in front of them. But the light that came through was miniscule and the two teens could barely see anything.

“Why did the lights go out?” Ojiro asked wildly as the boys' usually steady nerves began to falter.

Before Todoroki could even begin to try and respond though. Once again, a very familiar echoing laugh could be heard from behind them.

They both turned and they couldn’t help the chill that went down their spines. As Fenton with intense glowing green eyes stood staring at the two with a truly menacing smile.

He had a glowing green hand pressed up against the wall. The boy’s face and body were illuminated solely from the radioactive light that surrounded his two hands. Which had become the dark hallway's primary light source.

“Did you really think I would let you just escape? You pathetic heroes.” Danny said, as he did his best to truly play the part of a villain.

The sight was straight out of a horror movie and the people who watched from the safety of the observation room. Also, couldn’t help but feel the tension through the screen.

“He really looks like a villain.” Uraraka said, as her whole body tensed. To which many of the classmates nervously hummed in agreement.

Even All Might, who remained silent couldn’t help but be taken back by the boy's truly threatening and villainous appearance and tone.

Todoroki and Ojiro froze as they listened. The two’s fight or flight instincts began to kick in. As Fenton slowly took a step forward and began walking towards them.

“What? Not even going to fight back or attack? Come on, give me your best shot!” Danny growled out as his voice dripped with venom. That he had heard so many of his former foes use. Honestly, he thought his acting skills were quite good.

Todoroki finally broke out of his frozen state as he moved in front of Ojiro and shouted. “Go! Find the weapon! I’ll stay and hold him off!”

Ojiro only hesitated for a moment as he watched Fenton finally stop walking. But he soon gathered his frayed nerves and turned around to run through the dark hallway. To where he would hopefully find the stairs up.

“Bold move, but do you really think you, can stop me?” Danny tauntingly asked, while making sure to emphasize the 'you' to further taunt the guy.

Todoroki didn’t respond as he released another barrage of ice spikes that once again shot out from the ground. He was glad that Ojiro was gone so that he could now attack with less restraints.

But to Todoroki’s surprise Fenton simply walked out from the spikes that had been meant to imprison him.

“So, you really can go through things.” Todoroki said, as he had had a hunch that his opponent possessed yet another ability. Based on what he had previously witnessed.

Danny stopped walking as he was now only a few meters away from the ‘hero’. “You really are observant. But that won't save you. Because now it’s my turn.”

Todoroki watched as Fenton’s glowing green eyes and hands changed to a glowing intense blue. And within an instant he could feel how drastically the temperature changed. As the cold that he was accustomed to plummeted to a depth that made even his exposed skin sting and go numb. He could feel his whole body shake from the glacier temperatures.

“Stop” he eventually bit out as he sent out more ice. But once again Fenton just walked through it. Todoroki could feel frost forming on his body. As he looked down he realized that there was only one way out of this. But he wouldn’t do it. He refused.

Danny curiously stared at the boy who had suddenly seemed to lose all fight in him. As he now stared down at the ground. Although the halfa supposed the sub zero temperatures could be partially to blame. But he had truly expected the guy to be more resistant to the cold. Nonetheless Danny decided to finally wrap this up. As he still needed to catch up with Ojiro and take him down.

Todoroki silently watched as Fenton lifted up his glowing blue hand and within a moment his whole lower body was encased in ice.

Danny smiled as he looked at his work. Although he sorta felt bad for playing around so much. He quickly walked over to the wall and once again put his hand on it and sent ecto-electricity through the walls.

Todoroki numbly watched as the lights came back on and Fenton casually walked over to him. His hands were no longer glowing, and his once malicious smile now seemed friendly. Although Todoroki paid it no mind as he was too focused on his own frustration and mental turmoil.

“Listen uhh sorry about this and for before. I didn’t mean what I said… Oh and here” Danny grabbed the capture tape from where he had stuffed it in his belt. And did his best to just drape it over the guy's shoulders. As he couldn’t really wrap it around the icy cocoon he was in.

Danny then looked up to the ceiling as he spoke up. “Hey All Might I hope this counts.”

From the observation room All Might and the students watched the odd scene. As the previously scary white-haired teen now was jokingly smiling up at the ceiling.

After getting no response like the halfa had expected he gave one more apologetic smile to Todoroki. Who was just staring down at the ground before flying up through the ceiling. Luckily it didn’t take halfa long before he found his tailed classmate running around the fourth floor.

Danny was glad he didn’t draw out the fight with Todoroki. As the boy who was wearing a martial arts uniform was now only a flight of stairs away from the weapon and Kirishima.

And although it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he let Ojiro face off against his teammate. As the halfa was sure Kirishima would come out on top. He had promised to take care of the 'heroes' before they could even get up to the top floor. And he was a man or ghost of his word.

So, with that he flew down the hallway that Ojiro was currently running down and turned himself visible once again.

Ojiro almost jumped out of his skin as suddenly at the end of the hallway Fenton once again appeared out of nowhere. He froze as he looked at his enemy and quickly realized that if he was here then that could only mean one thing.

“Did you really take down Todoroki?” he asked, as he found it hard to believe that his powerhouse of a teammate would be taken down so quickly. Although he supposed Fenton was also in a league of his own.

“I did and sadly I now need to take you down. But no hard feelings, right?” Danny casually asked. Although he didn’t wait for a response as he extended his hand.

Ojiro wanted to dodge or do something, but he didn’t even have a chance to move. Before his whole body was encased in a glowing green energy. He looked up and saw that Fenton’s hand was also glowing.

The tailed boy recalled how his classmate had used the same move on Bakugo the day prior. And how the explosive teen was unable to get out of the strange hold. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

He did his best to try and break free, but it was all in vain as he couldn’t even move an inch.

Danny walked over while keeping up his telekinesis and with one hand awkwardly wrapped the tape around the guy's shoulders.

After a moment he stepped back and looked up to the ceiling as he awaited the announcement of his victory.

From within the observation room the students of class 1A watched in amazement as Fenton easily finished capturing the second ‘hero’.

“Wow he’s really in a whole other league. He managed to capture both Todoroki and Ojiro in only a few minutes.” Kaminari said as he looked at the screen.

“He truly is a formidable ally and a fearsome opponent.” Iida added while closing his eyes to process what he had just watched.

“I would say ‘fearsomes’ kinda an understatement. I mean he was terrifying. For a moment I thought I was actually watching an actual villain.” Hagakure said.

“He did play his part very well. I would say he gave a splendid performance.” Yaoyorozu calmly stated.

While the various students chimed up though. At the back of the room Bakugo watched the screen in shocked silence. As a feeling of unfamiliar self-doubt flooded his mind. As he questioned if he would be able to beat the white-haired teen or even the other icy bastard. ‘Just how weak am I?’ he questioned in despair while tightening his fists.

A few moments after Danny had captured Ojiro a horn sounded as All Might’s voice came over the loudspeakers.

“Uh the villain team wins!”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows as he sighed. As it was clear from the hero’s slight hesitation that the ‘villains’ victory was not as welcomed as a ‘heroic’ one. But he paid it no mind as he turned to face his classmate while finally stopping his telekinesis.

“Hey sorry about everything I said earlier. And I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly with the cold.” Danny sheepishly apologizes to the boy.

Ojiro stared wide eyed at his classmate who now seemed both welcoming and genuinely sorry. And after a moment blinked as he finally spoke up as he scratched behind his head. “Oh it’s cool. But honestly you were amazing. Your quirk is really strong.”

Danny widely smiled at the guy who was thankfully being amiably about his loss. “Thanks dude. Your quirk’s really amazing too. I mean your tail is really strong.”

Suddenly the two could hear footsteps coming from down the hallway and they both turned to see Kirishima.

“There you guys are, I heard the announcement! I can’t believe you actually took down both of them, Fenton.” Kirishima said as he stopped a few feet away from Danny and Ojiro.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t leave you any action.” Danny said as he still felt bad for just abandoning his teammate and leaving him waiting.

“Nah man, like I said before it’s cool. Besides, I'm really excited to hear about what happened in your fight.” Kirishima then paused, “Wait where's Todoroki?”

“Danny defeated him downstairs.” Ojiro answered.

“Oh crap, I should probably go free him.” Danny said as he had sorta forgotten about his currently iced classmate.

Before either Ojiro or Kirishima could say anything. They watched as Fenton fell through the floor.

After a moment Ojiro looked up at Kirishima as he asked, “Okay so like what is his quirk? Because I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

Kirishima just sighed as he responded “Honestly neither can I. But it is super manly.” he finished with a smile.

Down below Danny quickly flew to where he had left his classmate cocooned in ice. But to Danny’s surprise as he got to the hallway. Instead of seeing Todoroki still trapped. The boy had somehow gotten free and was standing looking down at the ground. Although that wasn’t the only thing Danny noticed as the previously ice cold room now had steam in it.

“You got free,” Danny said in slight surprise. As a way to finally get the guy’s attention who seemed to be in his own world.

Todoroki looked up at Danny. But didn’t say anything as after a moment began to walk past where Danny stood and left without a word.

Perhaps Danny should’ve gone after the guy to further apologize. But even he knew when not to push it. As he didn’t want to further rub salt into his classmates' wound.

But as he looked back up at the steam that floated near the ceiling. He truly began to wonder about the elusive teen.

With that Danny de-transformed and also made his way out of the building. Where he was greeted by All Might who as always was smiling. Although strangely enough Danny thought that the hero's smile looked rather forced. As the man’s crow's feet and sharp blue eyes fixated on the halfa. As if the hero had momentarily considered him a threat.

But Danny kept his casual, relaxed smile and demeanor perfectly in place. As he walked up to the man. “Hey All Might, are we still waiting for Kirishima and Ojiro?” he asked as he noticed Todoroki already here, standing off in the distance.

“Yes, but not to worry! For once they arrive, we will swiftly make our ways back to the observation room. So that we can discuss your performances!” All Might loudly stated. To which Danny simply nodded back.

It didn’t take long for the other two to arrive and for them all to make it back to the observation room.

Which is where Danny was now. Standing beside Kirishima and the members of the hero team on one side of the room. While the rest of the class stood on the opposite side. With All Might at the forefront of the room right in front of the big screen. That now displayed the classic UA symbol.

“Alrighty let's begin!” All Might clapped.

“This was certainly an exciting round! With many lessons which can be taken away from your classmates' performances. Can anyone guess what they may be?”

Danny expected Yaoyorozu to answer. But to his surprise Iida beat the girl to the punch. As he quickly raised his hand.

“Sir, I believe a main take away from this battle. Would be that one should never underestimate one’s opponent.”

“Ahh a fine observation Young Iida. Please explain.” All Might said while giving yet another thumbs up.

“Yes, thank you sir.” Iida quickly said while smiling before continuing. “My point is that the hero team severely underestimated their opponents. And subsequently left themselves vulnerable to surprise attacks.”

“That’s true but who would’ve expected Fenton to be able to suddenly appear out of nowhere.” Kaminari added.

Danny looked to the side as he felt almost all his classmates' eyes on him.

“Honestly, before we continue you should explain how you were doing all that.” Mineta said to the halfa. To which many of the classmates hummed in agreement.

Danny looked over at All Might as he hoped the man would try and get the conversation back on track. But to the halfa’s surprise the hero was also looking at him as if he too wanted an explanation.

So, he sighed as he began explaining. “My quirk ‘Ghost’ simply allows me to do everything a ghost can. Like invisibility, intangibility, flight and my ecto-blasts.” Along with many other things, the halfa thought, but he decided not to go over his full list of powers.

All Might stared at the teen in astonishment. His multiple powers were truly terrifying, and it seemed the boy had more he was simply not saying. It almost reminded All Might of ‘One For All’ or even… No. The hero refused to let his mind go there.

The hero quickly reasoned with himself that a quirk that contains multiple different elements or factors was always possible and not uncommon. Although the hero had truly never heard of one that contained so many powerful abilities besides from the two exceptions.

“What a powerful combination of powers.” Yaoyorozu finally said, which broke the silence that had washed over many of the students.

“Wait, what about the ice? Or those white rings? Or how they gave you white hair? How is any of that related to a ghost?” Kaminari wildly asked.

Danny shrugged as he replied. “I mean haven’t you ever seen a ghost movie. They always show ghosts having a cold aura. And my other form that you all saw was simply my ghost form.”

But as the silence stretched on Danny began to worry that both his classmates and All Might weren’t buying his explanations.

That was until Asui finally spoke up “In a way it’s like my quirk.”

The class all turned to look at the girl who had a finger to her lip. And proceeded to stare as a way to indicate they wanted the girl to further elaborate.

“Well my quirks ‘Frog’, it gives me all the abilities of a frog. So in a way Fenton’s quirk is the same.” The green haired girl finished.

Danny stared at the girl with vaguely disguised relief and appreciation. As he was thrilled that she had basically saved him from seeming even more suspicious with his odd ‘quirk’.

“I guess that makes sense then”. Ashido slowly said after a moment of contemplation.

Finally though All Might clapped his hands once again. Which made the class who were all beginning to murmur about the halfa’s quirk stop and turned to look at the hero. “All right class now that we got that out of the way. Let’s continue our observations about round two.”

Internally All Might was also still working to make sense of the boy’s quirk. But he pulled himself together as he put his thoughts and speculations to the side. Inorder to get the class back on track. “So like Young Iida said heroes must never underestimate an opponent. Because as you’ve seen it is always possible for a villain to have some dastardly scheme up their sleeve.”

All Might then turned to look at the four students of round two. “Take this match and learn from it. Grow, you four are all exceptional students who have shown incredible potential today. And while you all have areas you need to improve on and even if you didn’t win. Or you feel disappointed with how you performed today. Take pride in what you did do because there is just as much a hero can learn from their failings as there is in their success.”

The four students of round two all nodded at the encouraging hero. Danny was honestly surprised by the man’s profound speech. And although he still had mixed feelings about the hero, he too felt rather uplifted by the man.

All Might’s already blinding smile grew as he proceeded to heroically pose. As he grabbed the hero and villain boxes for the next selection.

Danny silently watched the hero proceed to move on. He had expected the man to say more about his match. But he supposed it was better for the class to move on and not focus on his performance anymore. So, with that Danny walked to the back of the class to finally relax and be out of the spotlight.

But as the halfa leaned up against the wall as he half-heartedly listened to the teacher and his energetic classmates. He looked to the side and raised his eyebrows. As he saw Bakugo glaring at him.

Although he didn’t hesitate to glare back after a moment. As he was far from forgiving the bully for his actions. And he would be damned if he let the guy think for even a second that he was scared of him.

Luckily his retaliation managed to get the blond to surprisingly back off and look forward and away from the halfa. Danny silently huffed in irritation and victory as he went back to watching.

Although the bully had reminded Danny of the other thing that had been worrying him. Which was Midoriya, he truly hoped that the injured teen was getting better and receiving proper treatment.

The rest of the training and different rounds went off without a hitch. And Danny enjoyed watching his classmates' performances. As it was almost like watching a bunch of action movies.

In round three team C with Yaoyorozu and Mineta faced off against team I with Hagakure and Sero as the 'villains'. Danny thought that the round went rather smoothly as Yaoyorozu was very clearly a gifted strategist. Even with the apparent burden of her team mate who seemed to be more focused on being a pervert than actually winning. Which made Danny question how the little guy even got into UA. But the pony-tailed girl easily pulled off a victory by exploiting her opponent's weaknesses.

Next in round four, team E with Ashido and Aoyama were cast as the ‘villains’. While team G with Kaminari and Jiro were the 'heroes'. Once again the heroes managed to squeak out a victory. As Danny was surprised to learn that the guy he had previously saved in the entrance exam actually had a pretty powerful quirk. As the guy’s ability to create electricity quickly put down the two ‘villains’, who didn’t seem to have a lot of teamwork.

Although once again the yellow haired guy ended up in a weird drooling state after using his quirk. It was almost like the guy was frying his own brain, Danny jokingly thought. But the prospect that his classmate could potentially zap him made Danny's skin crawl. But he doubted the airhead of a guy would ever be able to get the drop on him.

The fifth and final round between team F with Shoji and Sato as the ‘villains’. Against team H with Asui the frog based student and Tokoyami the man with a literally bird head, as the 'hero' team. Peeked Danny’s interest the most as it turned out that the rather edgy Tokoyami had a quirk that reminded Danny of one of his past enemies, Johnny 13. As the man’s quirk was also a sentient shadow.

Although during the match Danny’s ghost sense didn’t go off which meant that the bird like shadow monster was in fact not a ghost. But Danny was still curious about his classmate and wondered if Johnny’s shadows' weakness to light. Also applied to Tokoyami’s shadow. But he quickly put his speculations to the side as the round wrapped up as the two ‘villains’ were no match for the shadow and Asui who was both quick and smart when it came to fighting.

Within no time the whole class and All Might left the observation room and went to the exit of Training Ground Beta. As after the final debrief the training came to an end.

“Alright class! That’s a wrap, super work! You all really stepped up to the plate. And, we didn’t have any major injuries, except for Midoriya. You should be proud. Excellent first day of training, all around!” All Might loudly said to the class.

“It’s nice to hear some encouraging words after yesterday. Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill.” Asui said while raising her hand slightly.

Danny couldn’t help but find his classmates' opinions about Aizawa hilarious. As he watched, almost everyone nod in agreement to Asui’s statement.

All Might heroically stretched out his arms as he shouted, “I’m happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater!” The smiling man then turned and waved “That’s all for now folks. I should go and check on Young Midoriya’s progress. Now, watch how a pro exits. Like he’s got somewhere to be!”

Danny squirted his eyes as a blast of wind from the hero’s incredibly swift exit hit him. He had to admit that the guy was truly a force to be reckoned with. But that wasn’t all the halfa thought of the pro hero. But he kept those thoughts to himself as he smiled and turned to his classmates. Who were almost all smiling in excitement from what they had just seen.

Although their excitement didn’t last long as they remembered they still had more normal classes to sit through. Even Danny, who wasn’t physically exhausted sighed as he walked alongside his classmates to go back to class.

Throughout the remainder of the day Danny barely paid attention as he sat mindlessly staring at the board. As his thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn’t stop thinking about the injured Midoriya and the events of the first round.

The halfa had attempted to go to the nurse's office to check on Midoriya after the training when the rest of the class was changing. But he was turned away by the old lady who said that Midoriya was sleeping and shouldn’t be disturbed.

Danny had reluctantly left after being told by the old nurse that Midoriya would be released after he woke up. But now as the final bell had rung and many of his classmates left to go home. Danny frowned as the green haired teen was still absent.

“Hey man you okay?” Kirishima asked his friend who seemed to be in his own world.

Danny didn’t even realize he was being talked to until a hand was lightly placed on his shoulder. He jolted out of his frozen state as he quickly turned to see Kirishima. Who had pulled his hand back and was now holding up his hands as if he were surrendering.

“Sorry man I didn’t mean to scare you.” Kirishima reassuringly said as he hadn’t expected Fenton’s surprised reaction.

After a second Danny smiled as he finally stood up. “Don’t worry about it, I was just lost in thought. But I guess I should get going.”

“Are you sure you're okay?”

Danny nodded, “Ya, I’m just worried about Midoriya. I thought he would be back by now, but I guess his injuries were really bad.”

Right as Kirishima was about to respond though Danny watched as behind the redhead the classroom door slid open.

The two looked and were both surprised to see the very person they were talking about. Danny blinked as he looked at the boy who was still wearing his damaged hero costume. Only now his broken arm was in a sling and his other arm which had been burned was wrapped up in bandages.

“Hey, Midoriya, good to see ya back!” Kirishima said after a moment.

Midoriya looked up in surprise as he watched some of his classmates walk up to him. Including Fenton who was looking at him with concern.

“I’m glad to see you're still in the land of the living, Midoriya. Although you don’t look completely healed, I thought the old lady had a healing quirk?” Danny asked after he stopped in front of the boy.

“Oh well she couldn’t heal me completely because of my stamina.” Midoriya mumbled out as he was taken back by suddenly being the center of attention. As even more of his classmates came up to him

“You know Midoriya I don’t know what you were saying during your match. But you were all fired up, huh?” Kirishima said.

Sero then spoke up. “I can’t believe you held your own against Bakugo. He’s super strong!”

“You did a great job dodging!” Ashido happily added.

Danny was slightly annoyed at not being able to get a word in. In order to further ask Midoriya questions in regard to his recovery. But he was at least glad to see that everyone was being super nice and encouraging to the green haired boy. Although it was clear that Midoriya was having a hard time being the center of attention. But Danny just smiled as he watched.

“It’s sad that you couldn’t see the rest of the matches, Midoriya. Because after yours we all were super fired up.” Sato said while holding up his fist.

“Oh, ya you should’ve seen Fenton! He was against Todoroki and Ojiro, and he completely won. It was super epic and scary to watch!” Ashido added as she seemed to be bubbling over with excitement.

“In fact, Fenton and Kirishima were the only villain team who won.” Asui suddenly added from where she had been quietly standing.

Danny gave a light awkward laugh as the conversation suddenly turned to him.

Midoriya began to smile as he listened to his classmates recite what must’ve been an epic round. He was honestly sad that he missed getting to finally see his top classmate and mysterious friend in action. As well as Todoroki who Midoriya had also been excited to watch.

But just as Midoriya was about to ask more questions about the matchup. Something finally dawned on the green haired boy.

Danny watched as Midoriyia’s expression of nervous excitement fell as he watched the boy look around the classroom. The green haired teen then turned to him, “Um, Fenton, where's Kacchan?”

The halfa was surprised by Midoriya’s question as he thought the injured teen would not want to see his attacker so soon. But as Midoriya looked at him expectantly, Danny didn’t answer as he hadn’t really paid much attention to where or when the bully had left.

Luckily though, Kirishima answered for him. “Bakugo already left a little bit ago. We tried to stop him. But that guy doesn’t really listen.”

At that moment the other door at the back of the classroom slid open and Uraraka and Kaminari came in while holding some papers. Danny watched as the girl instantly ran over smiling to Midoriya who seemed lost in thought.

“Hey Deku! I’m glad to see your back!”

Danny had thought that the green haired boy would be thrilled by the girl's joyful greeting. But to the halfa’s surprise, instead of Midoriya becoming a blushing mess. He looked down and began to turn as he quickly said.

“Sorry Uraraka and everyone but I have to go find Kacchan!”

Danny and the rest of the students watched as the boy ran off with a sudden bout of determination that was rather unexpected.

“I wonder why he wants to see Bakugo?” Uraraka questioned.

Kirishima nodded in agreement to the brown-haired girl's question. “Ya, that is strange. But hopefully Midoriya can catch up to him.”

Danny who quietly listened to the two quickly made up his mind. As he turned and grabbed his bag from his desk. Before also taking off after giving his own quick and half hearted explanation about his sudden departure.

He quickly followed after Midoriya to the entrance of the school. He knew that he shouldn’t snoop or eavesdrop on his friends' conversation. But after seeing how brutal Bakugo could be. He didn’t want to chance the blond attacking the already injured Midoriya. So, he made sure to stay out of sight as he watched from around a corner as Midoriya finally caught up to Bakugo.

“Kacchan! Wait up!” Midoriya yelled in order to get the blond boy’s attention.

Bakugo stopped in his tracks and only slightly turned his head as he gave a gruff response. “What?”

Danny was honestly surprised that the guy stopped at all. But it was clear by Bakugo’s tone and by the fact that he didn’t even have the courtesy to fully turn to face the green haired boy. That he wasn’t exactly happy that Midoryia was approaching him. Although then again when was the guy ever happy, Danny questioned.

After a few drawn out seconds the clearly nervous Midoriya finally spoke up. “I haven’t told anyone this secret. Not even my mom. But I have to tell you something.”

As the halfa listened he was starting to feel even more conflicted about listening in on what was clearly a private conversation. But before he could leave or get out of earshot Midoriya continued.

“Maybe then, you’ll understand what’s been going on.” Midoriya hesitated for a split second before rapidly continuing.

”I wasn’t hiding my quirk from you. It was given to me by someone else recently. But I can’t tell you who I got it from, so don’t ask. I know it sounds crazy. It’s like something out of a comic book. Only it’s real. And I don’t really have any control over this power yet. I haven’t figured out how to make it my own. That’s why… I didn’t want to use it against you in the exercise. But in the end, it was the only way that I had a chance of winning. I’ve still got a lot to learn. I know that.”

Midoriya’s voice finally evened out, “That’s why I’m here. You’ll see. I’ll work until I have full control of this borrowed quirk. And I’ll finally beat you with my own power!”

After Midoriya’s long winded explanation Danny didn’t even know what to think. Although he didn’t have much time to process what he had just overheard. As he watched Bakugo who appeared to be shaking in what the halfa guessed was anger finally fully turn to face the boy.

“How dumb do you think I am? 'Borrowed power'? Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot. You already made a fool out of me in that damn training exercise. So, did you come to rub it in? I lost. And to make matters worse, it was to you. Hell! I didn’t even come in first in the entrance exam due to that damn extra!”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows at suddenly being mentioned. Although he didn’t take his eyes off the blond whose yelling was only getting louder by the second.

“I’m supposed to be the best! But even that icy bastard was better! Damn it! I couldn’t beat either of those extras in a head to head fight!”

Midoriya took a step back as Bakugo frustration was clearly reaching its breaking point. Although the guy’s anger surprisingly seemed to be more directed at himself than at the green haired boy.

“Crap! My attacks were so stupid! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!” Bakugo who had been staring down at the ground as he yelled. Looked back up as he scrunched up his fists even tighter. “You better enjoy that win, Deku. You won’t get another one! Because I’m just getting started! Got that?!”

Danny was stunned as he realized that the angry bully was actually crying as he finished his declaration of war.

“I’m gonna end up the number one hero, no matter what! You, or that ice bastard, and especially that damn freak will never beat me again!” Bakugo finally finished and after a few moments of very intense eye contact with Midoriya. Who surprisingly didn’t shrink back from the gaze. Bakugo turned back around without another word and continued walking away.

Danny also turned to no longer watch as he stared down at the ground, silently letting out a sigh. He put a light hand over where his core hummed within his chest as he started to try and think over everything that he probably shouldn’t have heard.

But just as he was about to silently leave. He suddenly heard a familiar loud voice shout. And he once again looked around the corner to where Midoriya still stood and at Bakugo who was still walking away. And saw as All Might quickly whizzed past the green haired boy and too Bakugo while shouting. “Bakugo! I found you!”

Danny watched as the large, costumed man stopped the blond in his tracks.

“Young Bakugo just so you know, pride is an important attribute to have. But while you certainly have the abilities to become a pro hero. There’s still plenty you have to learn!” All Might said as he stood behind the boy and placed both his hands on the blond's shoulders in a comforting way.

“Let go of me, All Might. Right now.” Bakugo hissed.

All Might hummed in confusion. Which made Bakugo turn his head to finally look at the pro with a fierce glare. “Save your speeches. I’ll be more famous than you, and I’ll do it without your help.”

Danny watched as All Might awkwardly lifted his hands away from Bakugo. Who very clearly didn’t appreciate the hero's words or encouragement.

“Uh… right.” All Might said as Bakugo continued to stomp away and leave the school grounds.

Danny felt even more awkward and intrusive as his spying seemed to escalate. From listening to a private conversation between his classmates. To what seemed to be an even more private conversation between All Might and Midoriya. As once the blond fully left the hero turned to the green haired teen.

“Young Midoriya, what were you saying to Bakugo before I arrived so heroically?” All Might asked in a no longer booming voice.

Midoriya looked down as he suddenly realized what he just did. “Well I… I’m sorry All Might but I sorta told him about my borrowed quirk. But I didn’t tell him any details but I’m… I'm really sorry.” Midoriya guiltily said as he squeezed his eyes shut. As he waited for the hero to get mad at him.

All Might’s smile almost felt as he listened to the boy’s confession. But after a moment he sighed as he placed a light hand on the clearly nervous boy's shoulder. “I see, well I’m sure you had your reasons. But let’s take this conversation elsewhere alright.”

Midoriya felt the tension in his shoulders slightly lessened at the hero’s calm, understanding voice. He looked up and gave his best smile as he nodded.

Danny momentarily freaked out as he watched the two start walking back to the school and to where he was hiding. But he quickly pulled himself together as he turned himself both invisible and intangible. And after a very tense moment of being completely still and silent the two walked past him and further into the school.

He finally allowed himself to relax a little bit but decided to not chance anything. As he remained invisible and took to the skies once he walked a few steps outside the building.

Once high above the school and the city below he didn’t dottle as he quickly flew to the town house and directly into his room. Where he finally let down his invisibility and fell onto his mattress as he once again allowed himself to breathe and let out a very long sigh.

‘What the hell did I just hear?’ Danny thought as he placed an arm over his eyes. As he began trying to unravel all the information he had just unintentionally learned.

‘So Midoriya was given his quirk?’ Danny thought in contemplation. From what the halfa understood about quirks they were purely hereditary and not something that could be given.

But then again, his knowledge about quirks was fairly limited. And he supposed that in a world full of physics defying superpowers. A quirk that could be passed from one person to another wasn’t exactly that strange sounding.

He had certainly heard of stranger things. After all he was in another dimension and was a literal walking corpse, he joked as he sat back up and pulled himself together.

“Alright so Midoriya’s quirk was given to him, but from who… wait did All Might give him a quirk?” Danny quickly reasoned to himself. As he thought back to how All Might clearly already knew the boy’s secret. Plus, that would sorta explain why the hero had a weird favoritism with the boy.

After a few long minutes of Danny trying his best to piece together the puzzle that was his new classmate and teacher. He eventually relented as he once again laid back down on top of his mattress. As he tiredly came to the conclusion that his already complicated situation was somehow getting even more confusing.

With that thought Danny turned to his side and pulled out his phone as he began searching for more information about the number one hero.

Chapter Text

The night passed by rather quickly for the halfa. Who spent it doing something he thought he would never willingly do, research.

But as the sun rose and Danny began getting ready to walk to UA for his now third day of high school in this new dimension. He felt slightly more confident in his knowledge of this hero-based society.

The main thing that he had focused on trying to understand and learn about was All Might. Japan’s number one hero and one of his teachers.

And the halfa had to admit that his initial belief that the guy was simply a celebrity hero who was fairly popular. Was completely dwarfed by the full extent of the hero’s popularity. As the large, smiling pro was literally called the ‘Symbol of Peace’, a living deterrent for evil. He was seen and treated as a hero among heroes.

And for a fairly good reason as Danny had watched many videos of the guy stopping villains and rescuing hundreds of people from disaster. Thanks to this information he now understood why his classmates were so astonished by having the guy teach them. And why they seemed so taken back by him being confrontational to the hero during the training exercise.

But even though the halfa now had a better understanding of who the guy was. Danny still didn’t regret what he said during the first match yesterday or how he acted. And he still had very mixed feelings about the overly joyous man. As he had long since learned to not be fooled by a person's smile.

With that being said though. He didn’t think All Might was a bad guy or some villain in disguise at the very least.

But Danny definitely knew the guy had his fair share of skeletons in the closet. With one big secret somehow being related to his classmate, Midoriya. Which was what concerned the halfa the most.

As Danny had surmised from what he had not so unintentionally overheard. Was that the hero had somehow given Midoriya a quirk and a powerful, dangerous, unstable one at that.

Of course he didn’t know the specifics of the exchange. But Danny had learned the hard way that most people don’t just give power away without expecting something in return.

And sadly, he thinks he knows exactly what All Might wants from the green haired boy.

For him to live up to the hero's image. Whether it be to fully take on the role of Symbol of Peace for the aging man or to simply become yet another idolized deterrent. Either way though it was clear from how the hero treated Midoriya during the training. That he expects an ungodly amount from the teen.

Which at face value seems fine. Especially when Midoriya seems to desperately want to be a hero. But from what Danny had seen, the lengths All Might allowed Midoriya to push himself. To a point past breaking, which left him with nothing but broken bones and sobs.

And then how the hero celebrated the pyrrhic victory instead of showing true concern for the broken, mangled state that the boy was forced to endure. Just didn’t bode well for Midoriya’s future and it honestly made Danny nauseous and not so fond of the shining pro.

Of course, Danny didn’t want to jump to the conclusion that the hero forced this responsibility on the green haired boy.

Because it was clear that Midoriya was intelligent enough to not be tricked into some underhanded deal. In fact, from what little he knew of the boy. Danny guessed that Midoriya probably willingly volunteered to take the quirk. And the burden of living up to the hero's expectations. Because who wouldn’t want to become the hero that’s meant to save the world.

In fact, two years ago Danny probably would’ve taken that deal with stars in his eyes as well.

Only now did he know that no one person could truly bare the weight of the world. Because no matter how strong someone may be. Something is bound to give eventually, to crack under the pressure.

But while that thought makes him dislike All Might. Since the man had allowed Midoriya to take on that impossible challenge. It was also why Danny sorta admired the hero. Or at least made him feel sympathetic for the man.

Since All Might was currently the one being expected to bare that weight, the responsibility of protecting everyone with a smile. And from what Danny could tell the man was doing a great job at it. Or at least better than how he did in his own dimension, he thought.

So, for now Danny planned to play dumb and simply watch both his classmate and All Might closely. To hopefully ensure that Midoriya doesn’t get metaphorically pushed into the deep end. Or pushed past the breaking point again. So that he could instead slowly learn to use his new quirk and grow into the role of being a hero.

And if needs be Danny was prepared to step in. Even if it meant challenging All Might’s authority once again.

Although the halfa honestly wanted to also give the large constantly smiling hero support as well. To maybe relieve the guy of his burden, even just a little bit. And to show the man that he shouldn’t be solely pushing the world’s responsibilities onto Midoriya’s shoulders.

Although currently Danny was in no position to do so. Since this world was rather strict about crime fighting without a license. But Danny would make sure to remedy that problem in no time.

And even though Danny didn’t like to admit it. He wasn’t exactly against breaking laws to do what he believed was right. Even if it made people despise him yet again.

Also, the idea of helping his friend and classmate and providing him the support. That he himself desperately needed and wanted when he first got his powers and even now. Made Danny feel good in a way.

Plus, he had a feeling that this conspiracy that he had learned about could be connected to why he was brought to this world. Although it could also just be a coincidence or completely unrelated, but it was currently the only thing that truly stood out to Danny. Besides what those thugs said back at the warehouse months ago.

But from what Aizawa had told him, everything about that night turned out to be a dead end. As they never caught Land Slide and everything got destroyed. But Danny suspected that his guardian could just be withholding information, but for now he decided to hold off on pressing for information from the man.

But before Danny knew it, he had almost fully completed the walk to UA. He probably would’ve continued paying more attention to his inner turmoil then to getting to his destination. But he was forced to snap out of his thoughts. As he both heard and saw a massive crowd in front of the school's entrance way and gate.

He stopped across the street as he quickly realized that these people appeared to be reporters from various news stations. He watched as multiple students including a few of his classmates were stopped and or struggled to get into the school. Due to the insistent crowd of people who seemed more like vultures than anything.

Danny was about to simply turn himself intangible and invisible in order to get into the school without any difficulty. Or without having to deal with the media circus.

But just as he was about to activate his powers, he saw a very familiar green head of hair amongst the crowd. Midoriya, one of the two people he had been continuously thinking about for the last ten or so hours.

Midoriya didn’t know what to do as a microphone was shoved in his face before he could even attempt getting through the large crowd of people who stood between him and the gate. He felt his nerves rise up as multiple cameras pointed in his direction.

“Hey, you! Can you tell us what it’s like to work so closely with All Might?” A very assertive female reporter asked.

Midoriya’s mind felt like it was frozen as he rambled out, “Uh, um, well I.. I don’t…”

“Come on kid tell us something.” The lady insisted as she shoved the microphone even closer.

“I umhm.. I don’t think I…”

The crowd had completely blocked off the way into the school. As they further encircled and got closer to Midoriya who could barely get a word out over the insisting crowd.

Suddenly though as Midoriya was about to try and make some excuse about having to go to the nurse. That wasn’t really an excuse since he actually did need to visit the nurses before class.

He suddenly felt a hand get placed on his shoulder which made his nerves rise and he quickly turned his head.

But to his relief and slight surprise. Instead of the hand belonging to another reporter it was his new powerful and mysterious classmate and friend, Fenton. Who quickly gave him a reassuring smile before turning to look at the reporter lady.

Midoriya watched as the crowd of people and the main reporter who had been asking him questions about All Might. Froze in their encroaching, demanding pursuit of getting answers. As they watched Fenton who had seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Went from looking friendly to rather stern as he glared.

“Are you people really so desperate for information about All Might; that you're willing to prevent students from getting to school on time?” Fenton asked in a deadly serious, accusing tone.

The high energy that the reporters had. Seemed to die down as they all took in the black-haired boys accusing question.

But not everyone was deterred as the reporter lady began to move the microphone towards the blue eyed newcomer. But Danny put his hand up to stop the microphone from getting any closer. As he further furrowed his eyebrows at the woman who didn’t seem to be backing down.

“We have no obligation to say anything to any of you. Besides unless your plan is to threaten us into getting information about All Might just so he has to come out here and stop you. There is nothing you will learn from any of us that All Might and UA haven't already told you.”

Despite what the halfa said which luckily seemed to turn a few more reporters away. The lady still persisted.

“So, are you saying that All Might is currently in UA?” The lady loudly asked.

Danny could feel his eye twitch. He was really starting to feel bad for All Might if these were the type of people he had to deal with.

The spiteful part of the halfa wanted to further call the lady out. But after a split second of debate Danny decided that it would be best to simply get both himself and Midoriya out of here. So, he turned to look at Midoriya once again.

“Sorry, this might feel funny.”

Midoriya gave Fenton a confused look. But before he could ask his classmate what he meant. He felt a strange tingly sensation quickly spread from his shoulder where Fenton had been touching to the rest of his body.

But that wasn’t the only thing that caught Midoriya off guard. Because as he listened to the reporters all gasp and saw their expressions change to looks of utter confusion. He quickly understood why as he looked to where Fenton had been standing beside him. But to his shock the boy had completely disappeared. And what was even worse was that when he looked down to his own tingling body it too had vanished.

But strangely enough even though Fenton had disappeared Midoriya could still feel the weight of his hand on his shoulder. In fact, after a second the hand seemed to move from on top of his shoulder to holding his upper arm.

He didn’t get a lot of time to process what was happening to him and his body though. As in a split second he was being hoisted to the sky. He watched helplessly as his invisible feet came off the ground and above the reporters who seemed just as confused.

Midoriya watched as he quickly flew through the gate of UA and after getting down the walkway and closer to the entrance of the school. He watched as he landed and felt his feet touch the ground below.

Then after a moment as he stared down. He watched his legs and feet once again appear as his body lost the tingly feeling as the grip on his arm disappeared.

Midoriya quickly looked to his side and once again saw Fenton. Who was looking at him with an amused, apologetic expression.

“What just happened?” Midoriya asked in bewilderment as he could feel his eyes on the verge of popping out from what just happened.

Danny had to restrain from laughing at the guy's expression as he answered. “Yeah, sorry about that. I thought it would be best to get out of there. So, I turned both of us invisible and flew us here. But I should’ve asked before, sorry.”

Midoriya’s frazzled look didn’t lessen much but he did seem to look more excited as he wildly said. “Wait so that was your quirk? That's so cool! I didn’t know you could turn invisible. Although you did say your quirk gives you the powers of a ghost. So, I guess invisibility only makes sense. Wait with invisibility plus your other powers your quirk is so versatile…”

Danny stared at the excited boy who was starting to quickly ramble about the applications of his quirk. He sorta forgot that the green haired boy hadn’t seen him use his powers yesterday. Since he was passed out in the nurse's office. Which reminded Danny that the boy was still injured as he looked down to the boy's one arm that was still wrapped in bandages.

“Hey Midoriya, don’t you need to go to the nurses before class?” He asked which finally made Midoriya stop in his mumbling.

“Oh! You're right, I need to go get my injuries fully healed!”

Danny watched as Midoriya quickly looked at his phone to check the time which seemed to make the boy even more panicked. As the halfa guessed they were both running out of time. But this time Danny couldn’t hold back his laughter at the amusing guy.

Midoriya despite his sudden bout of nerves at having to hurry up in order to not be late for class. Looked up at his classmate who had started laughing. And after a second he too couldn’t help but also smile. As the guy’s strange calm and casual aura seemed to be infectious.

After a few moments though Danny pulled himself together, “We both should probably get going then. Cause I really don’t want to see what Aizawa would do to us if we were late.”

Midoriya rapidly agreed as he began to turn to quickly leave for the nurse’s which was slightly out of the way of their classroom. “Right! I’m gonna go. You should go straight to the classroom.”

Danny nodded in agreement.

“Oh also, thank you! You really saved me.” Midoriya quickly added with a large smile, before finally quickly going off.

Danny stood there for a moment longer as he watched Midoriya fully walk away. He let out a sigh as he looked up at the bright blue sky. As he finally fully pushed aside his mingling feelings and protruding thoughts of the uncertain. And after a moment he finally started walking once again.

It didn’t take Danny long to make it to the classroom. Where he opened the big sliding door and walked into the already full classroom.

He gave a warm smile to Kirishima who was sitting down, before walking to his seat. Of course, as he got to his desk, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as once again he was the target of Bakugo’s glare.

But at this point he barely paid it any mind. Although he did give the guy a once over. As after yesterday where he saw the guy cry and yell in frustration. Danny couldn’t help but be both delighted at being one of the causes of the bullies' continuous reasons to be angry at the world. And sorta curious to learn more about the guy who actually seemed more complex than the halfa originally thought.

But as he finally was about to sit down, he looked up once again to the back of the class as he felt more eyes on him. And to his slight surprise Bakugo didn’t seem to be the only one glaring at him this morning. As Todoroki was also giving him a rather hard expression. And even when he met the boy's eyes the guy didn’t falter.

Danny slightly scrunched up his eyebrows but after a moment he decided to also not pay the guy much attention as he finally sat down. As Danny leaned back in his chair, he did his best to block out the various gazes which were fixated on him. He had to admit though he really did have a talent for making enemies, he tiredly thought.

After a minute or so Midoriya, who was the last student, finally arrived and sat down. And only a few seconds after Aizawa tiredly came through the door and the class finally started.

“Decent work on yesterday’s combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team’s results.” Aizawa said as he stood at the podium at the front of the class.

Danny was honestly surprised that the guy was giving praise. But he was happy to see that the continuously serious hero could be somewhat uplifting. Although he might’ve spoken too soon as he listened to the hero continue as he turned to slightly look at Bakugo who sat beside him.

“Bakugo, you’re talented. So don’t sulk like a child about your loss, okay?”

Bakugo lightly scoffed as he replied, “Yeah, whatever”.

Danny once again rolled his eyes at the pompous guy.

“And Midoriya,” Aizawa continued, which made the green haired boy tense and look down at his desk. “I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don’t give me the excuse that you don’t have control over your quirk. That lines already getting old. You can’t keep breaking your body while training here.”

Midoriya felt his heart sink as he continued to look down at his desk. But before he could apologize to the hero the man continued.

“But your quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it. So, show a little urgency.” Aizawa finished. Which caused Midoriya to finally look up in surprise and vaguely disguised joy at receiving encouragement from the always stern hero.

Danny thought that the guy's criticism was pretty fair and a good reality check. Even if it was slightly harsh but the halfa was at least glad to not be the one called out. But once again he couldn’t have been more wrong as Aizawa’s gaze turned to him. Which also made him slightly tense and straighten up as he met the guy's tired eyes.

“And lastly,” Aizawa's previously monotone tone turned slightly harsher as he spoke. “Fenton, are you truly serious about being a UA student?”

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, “I am.” He stated in an even tone as he ignored all the eyes that had turned to him.

“Then act like it. I’ve seen what you can do.”

Danny scrunched up his fists which were resting on his desk as he listened.

“Your classmates are giving it their all. They are pushing themselves past their limits. Yet so far all I’ve seen you do is joke around.” Aizawa's menacing gaze continued to harden. “You may think that you're doing us a service by holding back. But it’s simply insulting. So, if you want to continue here at UA then show me what you're capable of.”

The tension in the classroom was palpable as Danny stared down Aizawa. He had a multitude of things to say to the man all of which were snarky and or would sound too egotistical. Like how he was holding back not as a joke but for everyone's safety. But begrudgingly Danny knew better.

Midoriya watched in worry as his classmate and teacher had an intense staring match. He was surprised by what the hero had said. Because even though Midoriya hadn’t seen yesterday’s match. He had heard from Uraraka and his other classmates that it was a landslide victory for Fenton. Plus, his classmate had placed first in the entrance exam and in the physical test. So, it was hard to believe that he had been holding back at all.

But Midoriya’s nerves continued to rise as did the majority of class 1A. Who all expectantly watched their gruff teacher and Fenton. Who surprisingly was holding the man’s intimidating gaze.

Finally, after the tension had truly grown. And a few of the students thought that Fenton would at least try and give a defense that he was trying his best. The boy's shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh and nodded as he finally replied, “Yes sir.”

The class was taken back by the response. As it seemed that their classmate who was no doubt powerful was in fact agreeing that he had been holding back.

Bakugo could feel his anger rise as he stared at the guy beside him. And in the back of the classroom Todoroki couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows. As he thought about how the teacher's words also applied to him.

Aizawa looked at the black-haired boy who had begun to look down at his desk for a few moments longer before quietly sighing. As he too was slightly surprised by the passive and agreeable response. As he had expected the boy who he had known for over a month now to not back down.

The scarfed man knew that what he said was harsh. But he would be the last person to just let the kid continue giving the bare minimum of effort. Even if that bare minimum was beyond what he had ever seen.

Because he knew that the boy had potential. More so than Aizawa would admit, as to not give the kid a big head. But if Aizawa was going to foster the boy into a hero he needed to see what the boy could truly do. So, if that meant calling out the teen then so be it.

After the tension finally settled down. Aizawa didn’t hesitate long before moving on and speaking to the class who all still seemed to be looking at the quiet boy.

“Now then let’s get down to business.”

Danny was glad that his classmates' attentions dissipated. As he too silently listened. But he had to admit, his excitement for the day had greatly dissipated. Thanks to his supposed guardian’s reprimanding but at least his time in the spotlight seemed to be finally over.

“Our first task will decide your future.” Aizawa said, which truly made the remaining wandering eyes look at him as some students began to worry. “You all need to pick a class representative.”

The classroom's atmosphere instantly improved as many of the students relaxed as they were glad that it was just normal school stuff.

Danny instantly crossed off the idea of volunteering or raising his hand to be a candidate. As he didn’t want whatever responsibility came with the role. So he leaned back as he silently watched. As to his surprise many of the students already were making their desire to be picked known.

“Pick me, guys! I wanna be class rep!” Kirishima loudly stated, with both his hands raised.

“I’ll take it!” Kaminari said while also raising his hand.

Jiro followed shortly after as she also spoke up while raising her hand. “Yeah, you’re gonna need me.”

“Someone with style would be best.” Aoyama glamorously stated. But was cut off by Ashido who began waving both her arms around excitedly while saying. “I’m totally the right pick”

Danny watched as almost everyone began volunteering, even Mineta the weird little purple guy. He honestly couldn’t believe that so many of his classmates, especially the ones who seemed like slackers, were eagerly volunteering for the role. Even Bakugo very angrily and loudly declared that he deserved to be the rep.

Honestly as Danny listened, he was beginning to think that being a student representative at UA. Was probably different than at his old high school as it would probably be more glamorous.

But that didn’t get him to change his mind as he sighed to himself. As he could feel a headache coming on from all the yelling.

Luckily though before the yelling could escalate Iida very loudly spoke up while standing. “Silence, everyone please!” Which made everyone stop and turn to look at the guy including the halfa.

“The class representative’s duty is to lead others. That’s not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader!”

Danny stared at the studious guy who was holding his hand high above his head. It was clear to the halfa and everyone else that the blue haired boy very badly wanted the position and for everyone to vote for him. Personally, Danny thought the guy was a shoe in for the position. Since the boy was the definition of rule follower. Plus, Danny knew the guy was not afraid to call people out or order them around.

“Is this really the best idea?” Kaminari asked.

“We’ve only known each other a few days, how do we know who we can trust?” Asui said while putting her finger to her cheek.

“Besides, everyone’ll just vote for themselves.” Kirishima pointed out.

Danny looked at the red head and at his other classmates. And despite himself, before he could stop himself, spoke up. “We could just make it a rule that you can’t vote for yourself.”

Iida looked at the halfa before nodding, “Yes that’s a good idea. Alright since we are all hero course students I believe we can all be trusted to not lie and break the rules. So, if everyone is in agreement let us hold the election. If you permit us sir?” He finished while looking towards Aizawa.

“Do what you want, just decide before my nap’s over.” Aizawa plainly stated while zipping up his yellow sleeping bag.

Danny stared at the man cocooned on the floor, ‘And I’m the one who needs to take things more seriously?’ he thought. Before turning back to his classmates.

“Thank you for your trust!” Iida proudly finished.

Iida and Yaoyorozu quickly worked to pass out pieces of paper and then collected them after everyone cast their votes. The two then proceeded to very quickly go through the votes and tallied the scores on the board.

Danny mostly spaced out during the whole event after casting his own vote for Iida. But when he came to after the two students stepped aside after jotting down the last vote. He couldn’t help but stare in disbelief as his mouth fell open as he looked at the board.

Or more specifically the fact that across from his name stood a whopping nine votes. Which made him first.

But Danny wasn’t the only one shocked by the outcome. Midoriya was also shaking with nerves as he looked at his own name. Which had the second most amount of votes of five. The green haired boy had wanted to be chosen but he never thought he would actually be voted for.

After a few moments of disbelief though Danny finally snapped out of his stupor. “How do I have nine votes!?” he loudly asked.

But before any answer came Bakugo angrily stood up as he also loudly spoke up. “Okay, you idiots who voted for them?” The blond asked as he was enraged that not only the freak got first. But Deku got second, all while he ended up with zero votes.

“What, did you honestly think anyone was gonna vote for you?” Sero asked which only served to further piss off the blond.

All while Bakugo yelled at the tape-based boy who simply shrugged off the guy. Danny slumped as he put his head in his hands. He could already feel the pit in his stomach grow as he tried to think of ways to get out of this.

On the other hand, Iida who had gone back to his desk shook as he spoke to himself in disarray. “Only two votes… I feared this might happen, but I can’t argue with the system I chose.”

Through the chaos and multiple students' dismay, Aizawa finally got up even though he hadn’t truly been sleeping and tiredly spoke. “All right, the class rep is Fenton, and our deputy is Midoriya. You two come up.”

Midoriya nervously moved to the front of the class. But after he took his position, paused as he looked at Fenton who had yet to get up.

The whole class looked at the boy. And after a moment Danny finally stood up and turned to face the class as he once again wildly asked. “Okay why did any of you choose me?”

The students stared at the halfa for a moment before Kirishima finally happily spoke up. “Well dude you are kinda the best fit for the position.”

Danny turned to look at his friend in disbelief, “And what made you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, you did place first in the entrance exam and you're clearly very strong.” Asui said while tilting her head.

“Ya, plus you're easy to talk to.” Ashido bubbly added.

“Except when we're fighting you at least.” Ojiro said as he slightly shook as he recalled the events of the day before.

Danny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. At the start of the class, he was called out by the teacher in front of everyone. And now they were saying he was best suited for a leadership position. How does that work? He questioned.

Iida once again stood up which made Danny look at the teen. “Fenton, while I must admit I am envious of your position. I fully agree that you are superior to me and are deserving of being the class representative. For you have continuously shown all of us that you have both the fortitude and the demeanor of a true leader. I don’t believe there is anyone better suited for the position.”

After Iida’s very profound speech which many of the students hummed in agreement to. The halfa stared at the boy who looked to be fighting back tears from his own loss. And despite himself had to admit that this situation was pretty hilarious. And that if he wasn’t the one being affected, he would surely be laughing.

But since he was the one being affected all he could do was sigh in defeat. As he realized that after everything that was said and his classmates' touching sentiments. He couldn’t just turn them down without either making this even more awkward. Or without seeming rude and ungrateful.

So, after a moment he turned and took a few steps to stand at the front of the class beside Midoriya who was looking at him worriedly.

“Alright then I guess I’m your representative.” He finally said as he put his hand on the backside of his neck and awkwardly looked at his classmates.

“Ah yes and I’m uh your deputy… if it’s not a mistake… thank you.” Midoriya nervously added from beside the halfa. Who could already tell this was a mistake. But he supposed he would just have to go along with it.

Besides he was sure it wouldn’t take long for his classmates to realize he wasn’t rep material and would choose someone else.

After the morning classes which thankfully went by smoothly for Danny. After of course being unexpectedly put in the spotlight multiple times. But now as he relaxed in the cafeteria he finally was starting to once again feel pretty optimistic about the day.

Beside him sat Midoriya who was happily enjoying a bowl of Katsudon. While Iida sat in front of him and Uraraka in front of Midoriya. Kirishima had decided to sit by Ashido and Kaminari today somewhere else in the overcrowded cafeteria.

Danny had debated on not coming as he had already experienced the place the day before. Which always seemed to be crowded which he wasn’t a huge fan of. Plus, it wasn’t like he would be getting any food. But he had decided to once again tag along as he didn’t really want to be alone for the hour.

So instead of eating like his classmates. He took the opportunity to relax and let his mind settle. As he listened to the consent murmur from the various students.

“Mmh this rice is delicious!” Uraraka happily stated as she ate a mouth full of fluffy white rice.

Danny didn’t pay much attention as he half-heartedly listened with his eyes closed. But in between the talks of food Midoriya’s worried voice spoke up. “You know, I’m kinda worried about being the deputy rep. I don’t really think I’m qualified.”

Danny opened his eyes to look at the fretting boy who sat beside him. He considered giving the boy some words of encouragement, but he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. As he was in a similar position.

Luckily though Uraraka the friendly girl provided the much needed encouragement. “Sure, you are” she simply said while still eating.

Danny couldn’t help but smile at how nice and encouraging she was to the boy.

“Yes, you both will be great.” Iida added.

‘But will I though?’ Danny couldn’t help but sarcastically think as he looked at the blue haired boy. Who still seemed somewhat sour at his loss. Which Danny really couldn’t blame the guy for, especially when he thought the guy was the logical choice.

“You really think so? I mean I agree that Fenton makes sense as a rep, but me?” Midoriya said as he continued to doubt himself.

Danny looked at the boy. As he questioned where his classmates had gotten such a high opinion of him from.

“Yes, your courage and quick thinking under stress will help make you a worthy leader. That goes for you to Fenton. Not to mention your guy's strength. You both are plenty fit for the positions. At least those are the reasons I voted for you, Midoriya. And why so many voted for you, Fenton.” Iida calmly stated.

Danny watched the interaction and finally decided to also add something despite his own sulking. “Midoriya,”

The green haired boy looked to his side at his previously quiet classmate and friend.

“Iida and Uraraka are right. You're going to do great.”

Midoriya couldn’t help but smile slightly at his friend's sentiment although he still had doubts.

Danny was going to leave it at that. But he could tell that the boy was still questioning, which was honestly fair. But he decided to add a joke as he very lightly nudged the boy's arm with his elbow. “Besides, if I ‘m somehow qualified then you definitely are. So don’t sweat it.”

After a moment Midoriya happily nodded as his confidence grew more.

The calm silence between the four returned for a few moments. While Danny further relaxed back into his seat. Before Midoriya once again spoke up while looking at the blue haired boy. “Thank you, you guys. I feel way more confident. But you know I honestly thought you would get the role of deputy rep.”

“You do look the part, Iida. Cause of the glasses.” Uraraka joyfully added between bites.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the girl’s reasoning.

“Wanting a job and being suited to it are quite different things. Observing the Iida family’s hero agency taught me that much.”

The guy's calm reasoning was interesting to Danny as he thought the guy would be more distraught over his loss being brought up.

The other two though focused on another aspect of the guy's speech. As they both asked at the same time “Agency?”

“Hold on, what does your family do?” Midoriya questioned.

Danny watched as Iida seemed to be slightly apprehensive about answering as he momentarily tripped over his own words. “Uh oh, it’s nothing.”

“You know, I’ve been wondering something about you.” Uraraka said while she slightly leaned into the boy’s space. “Admit it, you’re filthy rich!” she finished while looking excited.

Danny blinked at the situation and at the boy who seemed to be taken back by the sudden interrogation. But he had to admit now even he was wondering about the righteous guy’s background.

After a moment of pause and slight stuttering Iida responded. “I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family.”

It seemed like the boy would stop there but due to the intense stares from Midoriya, Uraraka, and even Danny now he reluctantly continued with a sigh. “You see, the Iida’s have been pro heroes for generations. It runs in our blood.”

‘Literally’ Danny jokingly thought to himself.

“That’s awesome!” Uraraka said.

“Are the three of you familiar with the Turbo hero, Ingenium?”

Danny watched as the two eagerly shook their heads. And after a split second he followed suit as he lightly nodded even though he didn’t know who Ingenium was.

But luckily his bluff was easily looked over as Midoriya started eagerly talking. “I know all about him! He’s a super popular pro with 65 sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!” The green haired boy’s excitement from talking about heroes slightly changed as a realization suddenly dawned on him. “Wait… don’t tell me”

But the boy was cut off as Iida proudly answered the unspoken question. “Yup, he’s my elder brother!”

“Oh my gosh! Your family’s famous!” Uraraka said.

“I can’t believe it”

Danny smiled at the two who were between fanboying and freaking out and at Iida who was widely smiling as he talked about his brother. He had to admit that even though the information he was just told wasn’t all that revolutionary to him. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the lighthearted conversation. Or the warm fuzzy feeling that grew in his chest. Honestly, he felt like he had gone back in time. Before he got his powers. Before things had gotten complicated, it reminded Danny of Sam and Tucker. Of goofing off and being a teenager amongst friends.

But before he continued with his idle thoughts and trip down memory lane, he quickly pushed aside his reminiscing. As he continued to listen with a light smile on his face.

“Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him.” Iida proudly said as he too reminisced about his elder brother who he idolized. “However, I think it might be a bit soon for me to be in a real leadership role.”

Danny was blown away by the guy’s maturity. It took a lot to realize and admit to one's own shortcomings. But it was because of that, that Danny thought Iida was even better suited to be a representative. ‘Perhaps I could give him my position as rep’ he proceeded to think.

But suddenly as the four hero course students sat smiling an alarm suddenly blared.

“Warning. Level Three security breach. All students please evacuate the building. In an orderly fashion…” An announcement said and proceeded to repeat the instructions over the continuous alarm.

Danny who had been just moments ago relaxing instantly went on high alert. As he quickly stood up and looked around at the crowd of students who were all in a state of shock.

Iida turned to one of the students who was sitting by him and asked, “What’s a ‘Level Three security breach’?”

“It means someone’s managed to get past the school’s barriers! This hasn’t happened in my three years here. We have to get going!” With that the boy got up and started to run towards the exit along with many other students who had snapped out of their initial shock.

Danny watched as all the students rushed past him towards the singular exit. The chaos was growing by the second as he listened to the yelling from the frightened student body.

Before he knew it, he felt himself get pushed a few times as kids urgently ran past him towards the exit which had quickly become overcrowded. He needed to do something, he thought as he clenched his jaw and turned himself intangible to prevent any more people from knocking into him or being swept away by the crowd.

He closed his eyes for a second as he tried to get his bearings. The noise was making it hard to focus. But he needed to remain calm, he told himself as he opened his eyes once he finished prioritizing.

Despite his desire to go find the threat he knew that he couldn’t just leave the students, especially his classmates. So instead, he turned to where his friends had previously been. But to his frustration Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida had vanished. Most likely swept away, he reasoned.

He didn’t hesitate long before he pushed off the ground and into the air above the crowd. From up above he watched, trying to find his friends or his other classmates. But it was all just a blur. “Damn it” he said out loud to himself. As he turned to where the crowded exit was and quickly flew towards it, scanning the mosh pit below as he went.

People were trampling each other. The entire room and hallway leading out of the building had become a frenzy of scared, confused, panicked kids.

Luckily as he went, he managed to pick out a very familiar voice amongst the constant yelling. He looked in the direction and was relieved to see Iida. Although the boy was not looking so good as he was pressed up against the glass of a window. He looked like he was seconds away from being smushed.

Iida could barely think as he let out a pained yelp as he felt multiple bodies squeeze against him and trap him in place. It was to the point that his glasses were halfway knocked off his face as his cheek pressed up against the window.

‘Who in the world could’ve trespassed onto campus grounds?’ he questioned as he looked out the window he was against. But to his surprise instead of seeing a villain he saw a swarm of reporters. The same ones who had stopped him this morning. Along with the reporters he saw Mr. Aizawa and other faculty members talking to them. Preventing them from further trespassing.

‘So, it’s the press!’ His mind screamed. Now that he knew that it was a false alarm, he needed to do something. He needed to stop this mob, but he could barely even move let alone give an announcement that everyone would hear.

But suddenly as he felt his knuckles go white from squeezing them in frustration, he felt hands grab onto the back of his uniform. Before he knew what was happening, he was hoisted up above the crowd. He started to freak out once again and quickly looked up. But to his surprise the one who had grabbed him was none other than Fenton.

“Iida are you okay?!” Danny loudly said over the roar of the crowd below as he looked down at the boy who he was currently holding by the back of his blazer.

“Ah yes I’m fine but we have to do something!“ Iida responded after a moment of his brain registering the odd position he was in.

Danny nodded, he agreed something had to be done. But what? How could he get the crowd to stop? Especially now that he had Iida in tow.

“This was a false alarm; there's no real villain. I looked outside and it’s just the press!” Iida continued as he too rapidly went over plans in his head of what he could do. Although now that he was up in the air, he got an idea as he looked towards the exit sign that hung over the way out.

Danny was relieved to hear that this was just a false alarm and that there wasn’t an actual villain to also worry about. The only problem now was getting everybody else to realize that and clam down.

“Fenton, can you fly me to the exit sign?!”

The halfa looked down at the boy and raised an eyebrow at the unexpected request. But as he looked at the guy's determined face he quickly nodded.

Danny quickly flew over and allowed Iida to step and balance on the sign that slightly protruded from the wall. Although it was an odd position the boy had to go in to stay put as he almost took on a running man pose. In better circumstances Danny would have found it funny but for now he floated slightly away as he watched to see what the guy would do.

Midoriya was at a loss for what to do as he was continuously pushed and shoved. But amidst the chaos that he was stuck in. He watched in shock as he realized that Iida had somehow ended up on top of the doorways sign. But it didn’t take long to figure out how his classmate had managed to get up there when he realized that Fenton was also there. Floating just off to the side of the awkwardly posed boy.

But he couldn’t take in the strange sight long as he both heard and saw Iida turn his head and began to confidently yell.

“Listen up, everything is okay!”

Danny watched in slight relief as a large majority of the crowd turned and finally stopped in their pursuit to flee to listen.

“It’s just the media outside. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything’s fine! We’re UA students. We need to remain calm and prove that we’re the best of the best.” Iida finished.

Midoriya felt a wave of awe and relief as he continued to look at Iida who had managed to calm the mob. But sadly, he might have spoken too soon as he felt more people knock into his back which almost made him fall. He turned and clenched his jaw as he saw that one person was being bumped into after the other.

Iida furrowed his brow as he watched the mass of people suffer from a domino effect as it was clear that even though his announcement had been loud. People in the very far back still did not know that they were safe. He needed to be louder, but the noise was once again surmounting as the people below yelled in pain as they were pushed and jostled.

Danny could feel a serious headache coming on as he watched. But through his renewed frustration he decided he had had enough of being a spectator.

Iida was about to yell again to hopefully further spread the information and to hopefully prevent further injuries from ensuing. But before he could his eyes widened as he watched a very familiar glowing green energy quickly spread across the crowd all the way into the way back.

He turned his head slightly and felt his breath stutter as he saw Fenton with his hand outstretched to the crowd below glowing the same green. A green that also now matched his eye color. He turned back as he realized the boy was managing to hold every student in place. Which luckily stopped the domino effect and quieted the surprised crowd.

Danny could feel the strain from using his telekinesis so widely on multiple previously moving targets. But he simply furrowed his brows as he fought through the now blaring headache from the excessive power usage while in his human form. And instead focused on the task at hand as he channeled more ecto-energy into his larynx.

“Everyone, everything is okay!” The effect was very effective as his voice came out booming if not slightly echoey but that was simply an unavoidable by-product.

After a moment Danny decided to relinquish his hold on the crowd as he dropped his telekinesis and his outstretched hand to the side. And as he scanned the now free crowd who were all still staring at him. Which he really wasn’t a big fan of but what could he expect after forcefully using his powers on everyone. Although the result was worth it as everyone had finally gotten the memo that they didn’t have to freak out.

Iida couldn’t believe what he had just seen. Although after a moment he supposed he shouldn’t expect anything less from the student representative, he thought.

“All right, need help getting down?” Danny asked Iida who had yet to say anything since his big speech. Luckily the crowd had finally started to neatly file out of the hallway and cafeteria. As the streak of chaos was luckily finally over as he could even hear police sirens finally arrive to probably escort the media off the campus.

It took Iida a moment before he answered the sudden question as he had honestly forgotten his odd position after the remarkable and stressful events of the past few minutes. “Oh, ah yes please. Thank you.”

With that Danny made easy work of grabbing ahold of the boy and lowering him to the ground where he too landed.

From there the rest of the day was a blur for the halfa. As he still helped follow the rest of the evacuation procedures. Until they were told to go back to class for the remainder of the day. And besides from the occasional stares he got from the various students. And a second reprimanding about using his quirk on others which he apologized for even though he thought his actions were justified. The day's events finally went back to normal, he even managed to have his headache go down.

So now as he sat in his last class period he promptly stood up as he was once again forced to go stand at the front of the class. As he was told he needed to direct the class alongside Midoriya into figuring out who the other class officers would be. He really just wanted to stay seated, but he reluctantly relented without complaint.

“Alright so I guess we need to figure out the other class officers” He awkwardly said. But before he could continue Midoriya who nervously stood beside him unexpectedly spoke up.

“Uhm ah actually if it’s alright I was hoping to say something before we start.”

Danny raised an eyebrow slightly before smiling and nodded at the boy to encourage him to do whatever it was, he wanted to do.

Once he got permission Midoriya who was nervously looking down spoke. “So, I've thought a lot about this. And I think that Tenya Iida should be our deputy class rep!”

Iida who had been studiously listening couldn't help but lightly gasp at the unexpected declaration.

But after a moment Midoriya continued as his voice evened out and he looked up to the class in order to further convey what he was saying. “He was able to capture everyone’s attention and helped to get us in line earlier. So, I believe that he should be the one helping to lead our class from now on.” Midoriya finished while widely smiling at the blue haired boy who was clearly taken back by the praise.

“Wait but I wasn’t even the one who actually calmed everyone down in the end.” Iida said while looking down at his desk.

“What do you mean you totally were.” Danny happily spoke up which caused Iida to look back up and make eye contact with him. “Without you I wouldn’t have done anything. You're the one who inspired me to act.”

Iida couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But before he could even think about further dismissing the idea of him getting Midoriya’s position others spoke up.

“Ya, you know what if Midoriya and Fenton vouch for him, I’m good. Plus, he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge.” Kirishima said. Many students hummed in agreement and also began complementing and sharing their approval of the decision.

Danny smiled to himself as he watched Midoriya nod at Iida who had looked at him for reassurance. He was happy to see Iida getting the recognition he deserved. Although he did also feel like smacking himself at not also taking the opportunity to give his own position to Iida. But he supposed he was also happy with this outcome.

But the friendly atmosphere that Danny was watching came to a screeching halt as Aizawa who had been once again resting in his sleeping bag sat up and glared at him and Midoriya. “This is a waste of time. I don’t care who the deputy rep is, just hurry up.”

Midoriya got frazzled by the man while Danny just sighed to himself as he looked at the grumpy old caterpillar of a hero.

“If Midoriya and Fenton are nominating me for this job then I humbly accept.” Iida who had been basking in his classmates' words finally said while proudly standing up.

“I pledge to carry out the duties of deputy class rep to the best of my abilities!” He finally finished as his voice got louder and he even shot his fist up to the sky.

If Danny didn’t know better, he would say the guy was even holding back tears. But he kept that observation to himself and simply leaned back against the board. As he continued to peacefully watch his classmates. As that same warm fuzzy feeling once again returned.

The remainder of the class went by smoothly. As Danny was delighted to see Iida instantly take to his new role and helped to greatly speed up the duties of a rep. And before he knew it the final bell rang, and he was able to pack up and after saying his goodbyes he promptly took his leave.

On his way out of the school he watched the sunset and the orange sky as he thought of the hectic day and unexpected events that occured. Though as he neared the gate he came to a sudden halt as he stared down at what was once the metal entrance way for the elite academy. But now it was but a pile of rubble that had been swept up, off to the side and taped off.

“Reporters did this?” he couldn’t help but say to himself in disbelief. As he unconsciously clenched his fists, and that previous feeling of ease vanished. And was replaced by a sinking feeling, one that he had grown all too familiar with.

He could tell something big was happening, something bad. The only problem was that he had no idea what that something could even be. He just hoped that no matter whatever or whoever it was that he would be enough.

Chapter Text

All Might the symbol of peace and justice heroically jumped from one building to another as he made his way to UA. The smiling man dressed in a professional but on brand yellow suit was thrilled that he would be one of the teachers for today’s hero training. Although his thrill was greatly drowned out as he could feel his body already beginning to protest.

Beneath his clothes the badly healed wound on his abdomen sent pain shooting through his body. It had become a constant reminder of his time limit. Not only in the short term as he was unable to hold his muscular heroic form for long. But as the symbol of peace, he knew he didn’t have long before his time in the spotlight, of being able to fight came to an abrupt end.

The once roaring fire that was One For All was now but a small flame within him. But All Might couldn’t stop now, he refused to slow down, not when the world needed him. Not when his protege needed him.

So when he heard a cry for help he didn’t hesitate to change his trajectory. He leaped and soared through the sky before striking down the villain who had been holding a family of three hostage.

Within moments the fight that had been ongoing and had left the other heroes at the scene tired, gasping for breath was resolved.

The crowds of onlookers cheered as he struck another heroic pose as his iconic smile grew. “Never fear, dear citizens! I’m here to keep you safe. Even on my morning commute!”

But before All Might could continue on his way. Over the chants and cheers of the crowd he heard yet another cry for help off in the distance.

‘I shouldn’t be late for school’ he told himself. But he refused to ignore someone in need. So once again he took yet another detour from his original path as he once again leaped in the direction of the scream.

Line Break -

“Today’s training will be a little different. You’ll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you.” Aizawa monotonously stated to the class as he stood in front of the podium.

The various students lightly mumbled at the information regarding their upcoming training. Danny, who was relaxing back in his seat as he listened, lightly frowned to himself. As he suspected the extra instructors could have something to do with yesterday’s events.

As after yesterday afternoon he had been unable to shake the sinking feeling of the uncertain. The feeling that something bad was lurking just on the horizon.

But he was at least glad to see that the school also recognized the potential threat. But the halfa snapped out of his speculations as Sero raised his hand and spoke.

“Sir, what kinda training is this?”

Aizawa in a fluid motion raised up a card towards the class. That in big bold letters had the word ‘RESCUE’ on it.

“Today you’ll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that.” Aizawa easily explained.

The energy in the room rose as the excitement and anticipation seemed to flow from each student. Even Danny was not immune as he couldn’t help but feel the buzz at the prospect of rescue training.

“Disasters, huh?” Kaminari said amongst the light mumbling of the other excited students. “Sounds like we’re in for a big workout.” he finished while looking over at the smiling Ashido.

“Totally!” The pink girl loudly agreed.

Kirishima slightly leaned forward on his desk as he happily joined in on the conversation. “Real hero stuff. This is what separates the men from the boys.” He looked down at his clenched fists “I’m shaking with excitement.”

Danny looked back at the red head who was raring to go and couldn’t help but smile.

But after a moment the halfa turned his head from watching and listening to his various conversing classmates. As he heard the tired voice of Aizawa who was obviously annoyed from the interruptions.

“Guys, I’m not finished.”

Of course the man’s intimidating aura was almost instantly effective as the whole class simmered down.

And after a moment Aizawa continued “What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you’re excited about costumes…” The hero proceeded to press a button on a small remote which seamlessly activated the wall's storage contaminants. That held the different numbered cases for each student.

“But keep in mind that you haven’t gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training’s at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That’s all, start getting ready.” Aizawa finally finished before taking his leave without sparing a single glance back.

As the students all got up to grab their suitcases to go and change. As it seemed that they all were making the choice to use their costumes. Danny on the other hand remained seated as he rested his head in his hand and closed his eyes momentarily.

He still didn’t have a costume so the choice of what he would be wearing for the upcoming training was already decided. And his gym uniform was a lot easier to change into than the various multi-piece costumes, so he had time to spare.

Which he was beyond grateful for. As recently any moment of mental relaxation was greatly appreciated. Because, while his new environment, as a student at UA in this dimension did allow him the space to physically relax. As he was no longer having to constantly fight ghosts that came after him. Which he was honestly still getting used to. He now felt like he was struggling on another front.

As over the last few days and since he fell through that portal one mental hurdle after another had been thrown at him. He felt like someone had given him a puzzle with half the pieces missing and expected him to solve it.

But after one last final exhale he opened his eyes and stretched as he finally got up. He looked around at the now empty, quiet classroom. The slightly pushed back chairs and still atmosphere was peacefully somber. A complete contrast to the previously boisterous ambience that came from having the classroom filled with his classmates.

Perhaps he would’ve remained longer to take in the unusual scene. But sadly for the young halfa the peaceful quietness and the faint mumbling of students in the other classrooms and down the halls. After some time only served to quicken his rampaging thoughts and worries. So without further hesitation he turned and left the stillness to follow after his classmates to change and head to the bus.

Changing didn’t take long and before Danny knew it he was outside in his gym uniform. His various classmates were scattered around, some chatting amongst themselves. While others stood peacefully waiting to be told they could board the bus.

As Danny scanned the crowd he was happy to see that everyone was accounted for. But as he looked around he couldn’t help but stop. As he noticed Midoriya who surprisingly was also sporting his gym uniform. Although he did have gloves and braces on, which made the brightly colored workout attire slightly more fitting for the challenge ahead.

After a moment of thought the halfa figured the boy's green costume must still be damaged from their previous combat training. As he remembered just how badly it had been scorched. And his speculation was proven correct as he watched Uraraka go up to the boy.

“Deku? Why are you wearing your gym clothes? Where’s your costume at?”

Midoriya who had been silently thinking about the task that lay ahead, his next step to becoming the kind of hero All Might was. Was jostled out of his thoughts as he turned to look at the brown haired girl who had suddenly struck up a conversation with him.

“Oh well, you saw it after the combat training. It was kinda trashed. I’m still waiting on the support company to fix it up.” he nervously explained.

“I see. Well at least you're not the only one without a costume.” Uraraka said after a moment as she pointed towards Danny who quickly looked away to make it seem like he hadn’t been snooping.

Midoriya looked towards the direction Uraraka had pointed and saw Fenton also in his gym uniform. The green haired boy was only slightly surprised though since he quickly recalled his past conversation with the teen about his lack of gear.

“Although I suppose with his other form he’ll be fine.” Uraraka proceeded to add. Which made Midoriya quickly turn to look at her.

“Wait, you saw his transformation?” he asked.

Uraraka slightly raised her eyebrow before remembering that Midoriya hadn’t seen their classmates' previous battle. “Oh, right you weren’t there. During the combat training he transformed. It was really cool there was this bright light and rings and after he had white hair and this really cool costume. Ah, I wish you could’ve seen it, you would have loved it!” She finished excitedly as she recalled the epic battle while pumping her fist up and down.

Midoriya could feel his regret growing even more from further learning about how he had missed seeing his top classmates' mysterious quirk in action. “That does sound so cool.” He said with barely disguised disappointment.

Uraraka suddenly frowned as she realized she was rubbing salt in the wound of her quirk loving friend. “Hey but I’m sure we’ll get to see his quirk again. In fact there's probably a good chance we’ll see it today.” She said in an attempt to uplift the disappointed green haired boy who after a moment smiled as he eagerly nodded.

From afar Danny who had still been listening wanted to bury his head in his hands. As he felt his embarrassment rise from hearing other people talk about his powers. But suddenly amidst his distraction and hoping that nobody noticed his slightly flustered state. He felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Fenton, can I have a moment of your time?” Iida asked as he tapped the halfa’s shoulder in order to get the boy's attention.

Although to his surprise, Fenton seemed to slightly startle as he quickly whipped around in surprise.

“Oh Iida!” Danny quickly said as his brain processed what just happened as he looked over the boy who was wearing his shiny armor excluding the helmet.

“Ah ha sorry about that I was sorta lost in thought.” He awkwardly said after a moment. He hadn’t realized how jumpy he had become since yesterday. He just hoped that the cool blush he was now feeling on the back of his neck wasn’t visible.

Iida nodded as he replied, “I apologize I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.”

At this point Danny wanted to just smack himself but instead simply smiled as he lightly shook his head. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Now what’s up?” he said, in the hope of quickly getting his previous embarrassing reaction overlooked.

Luckily it worked as Iida quickly continued, “Well as class rep I was hoping to get your permission. If you allow me, I would be honored to direct our classmates.” He studiously said while suddenly pulling out a whistle.

Danny couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the guy and at the small dangling metal instrument. “Is that a whistle?” he couldn’t help but rhetorically ask.

But Iida did not seem to pick up on the halfa’s astonishment as he proudly nodded. “Yes, you see after yesterday. I realized how important it is to have a way of getting everyone’s attention.”

The halfa instantly began running through many different ways to respond. But as he looked at the blue haired boy's determined face and proud smile he decided to just roll with it. “Alright then, you have my permission, go nuts.”

Iida’s smile grew tenfold as he eagerly nodded “Thank you! You won’t regret putting your trust in me!”

Danny slightly nodded as his own smile also grew. “I don’t doubt it.” he said mainly to himself. As the blue haired boy had already turned and begun proudly blowing his whistle. Which effectively drew every student's attention.

“Gather around, Class 1A! Using your student numbers form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently.”

Danny lightly laughed as he watched the humorous scene and the rather priceless expressions. Of his classmates who also seemed just as surprised by Iida’s sudden instructions.

From there the class quickly boarded the bus but to Iida’s dismay his well thought out plan to lead the class turned out to be a flop. As the rather spacious bus had an open lay out. With half the seats being up against the opposing walls rather than in rows. It was only at the back of the bus that there was actual row seating. Which meant that in the end his instructions were scrapped as the class took it upon themselves to simply find their own seats.

So as Iida sat sulking at his failure, Danny looked at the boy who had his head in his hands.

“The bus’s open layout ruined my boarding strategy.” Iida said in frustration.

Danny was really having a hard time taking the guy seriously. But he managed to keep himself mostly together as he lightly patted the guy on the shoulder to hopefully provide some level of support. But he did have to turn his head slightly as he couldn’t fully stop his amused smile from growing.

But not everyone was as subtle about their opinions on the boys' exasperated reactions as Ashido spoke up. “Iida, you really need to chill.” Which made many of the other students lightly laugh in agreement.

But after the laughter quickly died down another decided to speak up.

“You know if we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I wanna say.” Asui suddenly added before turning to look at Midoriya who sat beside her. “About you Midoriya, actually.”

Danny perked up at the sudden conversation turn as he watched Midoriya turn to look at the frog like girl.

“About me? What is it, Asui?” Midoriya nervously asked.

“You know you can call me Tsu. But that power of yours. Isn’t it a lot like All Might’s?” The girl questioned as she slightly tilted her head.

Danny’s eyes widened, his previous amusements halted as he looked at the girl and at Midoriya who seemed to be just as shocked. The halfa instantly wondered how the boy would play off the question. But to his dismay it was like watching a guilty criminal rat himself out. As the green haired boy became extremely frazzled as he looked off to the side while quickly rambling off.

“What? Really? You think so, huh? I-uh never really thought about that but uh…” he then proceeded to start nervously laughing as he frantically moved his hands around. As it was clear he was trying to think of what to say.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, he needed to think of a way to turn the conversation away from the boy’s secret. “I don’t know, I think their two quirks are pretty different.” He finally said after a moment. Which effectively made the various students turn from looking at the mumbling mess of a boy and to him.

“I mean if you really think about it, any strength based quirk could be comparable to All Might’s. But seeing as he doesn’t hurt himself when he uses his quirk. I would say they're not all that similar.” He knew that his logic wasn’t completely sound but he hoped it would at least do the trick.

After a moment of thought amongst the students Kaminari luckily broke the silent contemplation. “I guess you're right. But if we're talking about quirks then shouldn’t we bring up yours.”

“Mine?” He questioned in between a now rather forced smile. As he could already tell this conversation was now heading in an even worse direction.

“I mean your quirk is like a cheat code. It’s totally unfair!” Kaminari loudly complained.

“I say it’s totally pro hero material though.” Kirishima added with a wide smile.

Asui nodded before speaking up. “It definitely is but I’ve been wondering something, Fenton. You’re American right?”

Danny was honestly slightly surprised by the question but simply nodded. Cause despite himself he was honestly curious to see where the very observant girl was going with this train of questioning.

“Your Japanese is really good, did you perhaps come to Japan when you were young?”

‘Crap’ he thought, as he realized that if this conversation continued and if certain questions were asked then he would have to explain how his quirk also allowed him to speak the language. As he wouldn’t be able to lie with Aizawa at the front of the bus.

“Actually, I kinda only came to Japan recently.” he eventually said, as his eyebrows slightly knit together. As he really hoped that would be enough and that his classmates would instead talk about something else.

Midoriya who had breathed a sigh of relief at no longer being the center of attention and that his secret was no longer at risk. Couldn’t help but speak up as he slightly leaned forward while staring at the boy across from him. “Wow Fenton! How’d you learn Japanese so well? I honestly thought it was your first language!”

Danny couldn’t stop himself as he very lightly glared at the green haired teen. As the boy who he had just saved was now basically helping to only further interrogate him.

At the front of the bus Aizawa also listened in while not turning around. Because the question of how the foreign boy fluently spoke Japanese had been a question he himself had been wondering.

After a moment Danny couldn’t help but sigh as he decided to just be honest and hope that his explanation wouldn’t make his powers seem even more odd and raise even more questions. “Well actually it’s sorta a part of my quirk.”

“It’s a part of your quirk?” Many of the students all said in unison at the unexpected reply.

“Wait, are you saying your quirk also lets you also speak Japanese?!” Kaminari wildly asked.

Danny awkwardly laughed as he further explained. “Yea it actually lets me speak and understand any language. Pretty convenient huh? ”

The halfa watched as many of his classmates looked at him with wide eyes and a few even had their mouths slightly open in surprise.

“What an amazing ability!” Midoriya finally breathed out with his wide eyes still locked on the halfa. But after a few more moments of thought spoke up once again as he tilted his head. “Wait but how does that apply to your quirk ‘Ghost’?”

‘Ding, ding, ding’ Danny thought in tired exaggeration. As the question he was most worried about was asked. Because in all honesty he was at a complete loss for how to answer that question in a way that would actually make sense. Without actually giving away the secret of his ghostly biology. But surprisingly he was saved by the last person he would’ve expected.

As Bakugo, who had been silent throughout the whole trip finally gruffly spoke up while still staring out a window. “What does it matter what the freaks' powers are? He’s still just a worthless extra!”

Danny and the other students looked at the loud, angry blond and the halfa couldn’t believe how grateful he felt from hearing the guy's insults. Which thankfully seemed to turn the attention away from.

“You know you also definitely have a pro hero quirk Bakugo.” Kirishima said to the boy who finally turned from looking out the window.

“Ya, but Bakugo’s always angry, so he’ll never be popular.” Asui casually added, which seemed to further piss off the blond. Who had already been in a bad mood from having to listen to everyone gawk over the damn nerds and freaks' quirks.

“What’d you say! I’ll kick your ass!” Bakugo yelled as it looked like he was about to jump the green haired girl. Who surprisingly didn’t look that concerned about making an enemy out of the explosive teen.

Kaminari also decided to join in with a smirk. “Y’know, we basically just met you. So it’s kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage.”

“You’re gonna regret the day you applied to this school you loser! I’ll kill you!” Bakugo aggressively yelled.

Danny who had quietly sighed to himself in relief while finally relaxing his previously tense shoulders. Mused at the now comedic, well deserved antagonizing. He would’ve also joined in but decided to play it safe and stay quiet. In fear that his classmates who fully seemed to have looked over his previous lack of an answer. Would once again zero in on his not so well constructed quirk explanation.

Plus he already felt drained as he closed his eyes and relaxed back as he hoped the rest of the day would go smoothly.

But at the front of the bus Aizawa who was still passively listening to the back and forth conversations as he watched out the window as he could see their destination getting closer. Unlike the various rowdy and easily distracted teens. Didn’t move past Fenton’s explanation or lack of one. As he mentally added yet another seemingly nonsensical addition to the already long list of powers for the boy.

But the hero couldn’t think much further on the matter as the bus came to a stop. And after a moment he finally turned around to face his still chattering students.

“We’re here, stop messing around.”

In response to the blunt statement almost all the students gave a resounding “Yes sir”. As they all momentarily quieted down inorder to file out of the bus after their instructor.

As Danny stepped off the bus and joined his group of classmates. His eyebrows raised as he instantly spotted a person dressed in what almost looked to be a space suit.

“Hello everyone, I’ve been waiting for you!” the unknown person happily said with a wave.

Danny watched as his classmates and especially Midoriya, who he now stood beside gasped in amazement at the person who Danny guessed was a hero.

But the halfa didn’t even have to ask the boy who the hero was before the green haired teen quickly began rambling. Something that was honestly becoming very handy as it meant Danny never really had to seem even more strange for not knowing certain things.

“Oh my gosh, it’s the Space hero, Thirteen! The chivalrous pro who’s rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!”

“Woo hoo Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!” Uraraka added with a squeal. A sentiment that was reciprocated amongst the various eager students.

‘Space hero?’ the halfa thought as he couldn’t stop his own sudden excitement from growing at the mention of space. As he already began trying to think about what the hero’s hopefully space themed quirk could be. But that wasn’t the only thing the halfa focused on. As he finally looked past the pro and to the giant dome shaped building behind her. Its pure scale was honestly ridiculous in his opinion as he once again questioned where UA got the funding to build such huge training grounds.

“I can’t wait to show you what’s inside!” Thirteen said while gesturing to the facility behind her.

The excited class then followed after the Space hero as they were led into the dome.

During which Danny couldn’t stop his eyes from growing big and darting from one thing to the next as he looked around the wide open place once he was in the imposing structure.

There seemed to be multiple different sectioned off zones, he noticed. With what appeared to be a mountain range, a collapsed city, a body of water which even had a ship in it, and two other smaller domes one that was red which appeared to have a flames pattern on it and one that was blue. And straight ahead on the walkway they were on, down a bunch of stairs was a fountain.

“Wow this place is incredible” he couldn’t stop himself from uttering out as he tried to take in everything.

Kirishima who stood beside him nodded. As he too was captivated by the training ground. “No kidding this place looks like some kind of amusement park!”

Thirteen who stood before the stunned class stretched out her arms as she proudly spoke. “A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, et cetera! I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But you can call it, USJ!”

Aizawa, who had followed behind the class, walked up to his colleague as he asked in a low voice. “Hey, shouldn’t All Might be here already? Lemme guess, he booked an interview instead.”

The previously boisterous Thirteen took a step closer to the tired man as she too lowered her voice, “Actually, it’s something else. Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power. He’s resting in the teacher’s lounge.”

Danny, who had easily heard the quiet conversation, frowned. But quickly reasoned that even without the smiling hero here that everything should be just fine.

Aizawa also came to the same conclusion as he sighed out, “That man is the height of irresponsibility.” Before turning back to the class while slightly raising his voice. “All right the clock’s ticking. We should get started.” With that the scarfed hero walked to the side as a signal for Thirteen to once again take over.

“Excellent. Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five…”

“We get it” almost the whole class eventually said in unison to the hero. Which quickly snapped Thirteen out of her rambling as she lifted her hand and truly began explaining.

“Listen carefully. I’m sure you’re all aware that I have a powerful quirk…”

‘No, not really’, Danny momentarily thought but kept his inner monologue to himself.

“It’s called ‘Black Hole’. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust.” Thirteen proceeded to explain.

Danny’s eyes slightly widened at the explanation. As he thought about just how dangerous that quirk sounded.

“Yeah, you’ve used ‘Black Hole’ to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven’t you?” Midoriya happily asked with glee as he was still fanboying from being in the presence of such a cool hero and at being able to learn more about their quirk.

“That’s true. But my quirk could also very easily be used to kill.”

The hero's reply instantly brought an unsettling air to the previously joyful and excited students. As many of the once smiling teens including Midoriya, lightly gasped.

“Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. You see In our superhuman society all quirks are certified and strictly regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don’t forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move your powers can be deadly.”

Danny looked at his classmates' somber expressions. The hero's speech seemed to be a wake up call for many of them. A harsh reality check that was hard to come to terms with. That being a hero was not some glamorous, easy walk in the park.

But he couldn’t fault any of them for seeming so shocked. He too had had to learn the hard way that at the end of the day people's lives were on the line every time you fought. That just as easily as you could make a situation better, you could also make it worse.

The halfa looked down at the ground and at his own hands as he thought of his own past experiences and countless mistakes. But he lightly shook his head as he looked back up to the still speaking hero.

“Thanks to Aizawa’s fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your quirk’s potential. And because of All Might’s combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Because today, you’re going to learn how to use your quirks to save people’s lives. You won’t be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that’s what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others.” With that the hero bowed, “That’s all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening.”

Danny smiled to himself as he listened to the pro and to his classmates. Whose nerves seem to have dissipated as once again their excitement returned as they lightly cheered for the bowing hero.

“Right. Now that that’s over…” Aizawa began to say. But before he could continue, almost the whole class gasped as they watched the lights around the dome flicker. And Danny furrowed his brows as he momentarily noticed the water from the fountain down below sputtered for a few seconds.

He tensed and instinctively went on high alert. But as he narrowed his eyes he instantly felt the pit in his stomach drop. As he felt and watched as an all too familiar yet somehow foreign waft of cold air left his mouth. He could feel every nerve in his body flare as he gasped from the unexpected warning.

Midoriya and the other students of class 1A watched in confusion as the overhead lights flickered. Although none of them thought much of it. But just as Midoriya was about to ask if this was a part of the training. He heard a gasp to his side and was shocked to see Fenton’s expression.

His normally relaxed classmate looked tense. His eyes were sharp and focused and every line in the boy's body looked rigid. But before he could say anything to his classmate the teen moved. Midoriya’s eyes quickly followed as Fenton unexpectedly sped past Aizawa and Thirteen. Who also followed the boy’s sudden movement.

But when the class and instructors finally looked past where the black haired boy now stood staring off towards the fountain. They all saw what had seemingly caused the teen's sudden reaction. As a strange dark purple swirling void had appeared and begun quickly growing. Aizawa’s breath left his lungs as from the void a man stepped out.

Chapter Text

Just as Aizawa was about to shout orders as he quickly came to the realization that they were under attack. A bright light came from where Fenton stood, his back facing the hero and the still confused class.

They all squinted as the bright rings traveled along the boy’s body and within moments the teen's hair and clothes had changed. He was no longer wearing the UA gym uniform. Instead it was now the black and white fitted suit.

From behind the halfa he could hear the light gasping of his classmates who must’ve been surprised by his sudden show of power. But he paid it no mind as he tried to pinpoint what he was feeling. His ghost sense had gone off and he could feel the ectoplasm radiate from down below. But it wasn’t what he was used to. In fact if he didn’t know better it almost felt like the same feeling he got when around another half ghost but even that wasn’t right.

But before he could do anything, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and momentarily took his eyes off the threats to look at Aizawa.

“Fenton get back!”, the man commanded, as he took a step past Danny who remained locked in place despite what he had just been told.

“All of you stay together and don’t move! Thirteen, protect the students and Fenton…” The man turned his head slightly to make eye contact with the halfa. “Don’t do anything rash! Stay with the class.”

With that the pro pulled out his yellow armored goggles from under his scarf like capture weapon and put them on.

Danny could feel his knuckles go white as he realized the man planned to go down there by himself. But the already high stakes situation proceeded to quickly escalate even more. As Aizawa and Fenton watched as multiple people began coming out of the now enlarged void.

But that wasn’t all as Danny felt yet another surge in his ghost sense. As what the halfa could only describe to be a very large, mutated beast with half its brain exposed stepped out of the portal. To stand behind the hand-covered man who appeared to be the leader.

‘Shit’ Aizawa thought to himself.

Within the confused crowd of students they too watched in slight worry. But none of them truly seemed to understand the severity of the situation that was unraveling before them. As Kirishima finally spoke up, “Woah who are those people? I thought we were rescuing people today? Has the training already started?”

“No, this is real. Those are villains.” The scarfed man bit out.

That seemed to do the trick as the majority of the students gasped as their confusion quickly turned into fear. Midoriya could already feel his hands begin to shake as his nerves shot through the roof as he could tell this wasn't a joke.

From down below Shigaraki menacingly stood as he watched his armada of villains spread out. And behind him the Nomu now stood waiting for his command. The villain could already feel his simmering joy rise as he watched his plan start to perfectly unfold. But there was one thing that he quickly realized as he spoke up in a grading voice. “Kurogiri, where's All Might? I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who are so eager to meet him. So where is he?”

“The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraser Head. Perplexing, according to the schedule we retrieved from UA, All Might should be here as well.” The swirling void replied.

From where the halfa stood, not having taken his eyes off the growing threat for more than a second. Further grimaced as his enhanced hearing picked up what the apparently sentient portal said. ‘So they’re after All Might?’ he questioned.

From slightly in front of and to the side of the halfa, Aizawa spoke up to himself in a low rasp. “So these scumbags are the ones who snuck onto campus.”

The man’s hypothesis made sense to the halfa but he didn’t dwell long on the how. As he further did his best to listen to the dry, crackling voice of the man covered in wrinkled hands.

“So he’s not here. Well that’s too bad but maybe if I kill a few kids, he’ll come out to play.” Shigaraki said, as he subconsciously began using four fingers to scratch at his neck.

Danny could feel his anger rise as he listened to the man’s sickening statement. But he couldn’t think much on his various emotions as he heard Kaminari speak up.

“What real villains!? No way. How could so many of them get into a UA facility this secure?”

“Yeah, Thirteen, why aren’t the alarms going off?” Yaoyorozu further pressed, but before the hero could respond another spoke.

“Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this their only target?” Todoroki said, as he took a step forward as the usually quiet boy analyzed the threat down below. “Either way, if the alarms aren’t being triggered, then one of these villains must have a quirk that’s masking their presence here. But seeing as they choose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. It’s clear that they’ve thought this out. Whatever their plan is, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?”

“They're here for All Might.” Danny answered in a low voice as he finally took his eyes off the threat to turn and face his classmates.

The students' eyes widened as they looked at their class rep and took in the teens’s jarring statement.

From behind the white haired boy Aizawa paused as he too took in the alarming information. Briefly wondering how the boy knew it, but he didn’t have time to fully question it as he needed to stay on track. “Thirteen, get them out of here and alert the main campus. Actually if they're blocking our sensors they might be jamming our regular communication, too. Kaminari…”

The yellow haired teen looked to the hero from where his eyes had still been locked onto Fenton.

“Try using your quirk and gear to contact the school.” The boy nodded after a moment as he began fiddling with his head set.

“Aizawa you can’t fight this alone! Let me help you.”

Aizawa who was just about to finally move and leap towards the villains down below paused as he met the teen’s unyielding gaze through his eye wear.

The boy's voice no longer had its usual joking underlying tone and his body language reminded the tired man of when they first met. Of when he couldn’t help but think the boy, despite his age resembled a pro. But even with those observations the hero already knew his answer, but before he could reply another spoke up.

“Sir, Fenton’s right! There’s too many of them. Even if you nullify their quirks, your fighting style is not suited for this!” Midoriya added, despite his own growing fears at learning about the villain's objective.

“No. All of you need to leave!” The scarfed hero didn’t hesitate to answer the two, in a tone that left no room for debate. “Besides, you can’t be a pro if you only have one trick.”

That statement seemed to ease the worry amongst many of the students. Even for Midoriya who finally exhaled the breath he had unconsciously been holding. As the tension in his shoulders ever so slightly lessened. It felt as if nothing would stop the man, a silent pledge that everything would be alright.

But Danny only further scowled as he looked at the pro’s side profile. He was no fool, he knew the man was smart enough to realize that he had no hope of fighting off such large forces single handedly, even with his quirk. That it would be a losing battle for the pro, no matter how skilled he was. That despite his air of confidence and calm nature, the man’s true goal was to simply buy the class time to escape.

But the halfa was unable to further press the issue and argue with the man about how stupid a sacrificing play would be, even if it was heroic. That the hero knew perfectly damn well that he could help.

As the man beat him to it as he gave one last final yell, “Thirteen I leave it to you!” Before leaping off the ledge of the stairs and into the crowd of villains below.

‘Damn it!’ the halfa almost screamed out in frustration as he felt his fists and jaw only further tighten. It felt like with every passing second a new challenge was added to the situation. But as he watched the now ensuing fight down below he was momentarily relieved as he saw the skilled man quickly take down the first wave of villains. But how long would that last? He questioned, as he looked back to the main threats. Two of which who had somehow activated his ghost sense.

“Alright class, there's no time to waste!” Thirteen yelled, as she quickly began herding the students to the exit.

Danny took one last moment of consideration before he reluctantly turned. He knew that he needed to stay with his classmates for now and make sure that they got to safety. Before he could go aid in the battle.

As he turned to leave to follow after the class he noticed Midoriya. Who was still locked on to the fight down below.

“Midoriya, we have to move! Let’s go!”

The green haired boy who had been captivated by Eraser Head’s fighting style snapped out of his trance. As he turned to his class rep whose intense burning eyes instantly got him in gear as he stiffly nodded and began running with Fenton following closely behind.

But, as the two quickly caught up to the class. As if in slow motion the halfa felt as one of the radiating sources of ecto-energy moved from being behind him to somehow being in front of him and his classmates.

“Everyone stop!”

The crowd of fleeing students and Thirteen all halted at the sudden echoey shout. And not a moment later, before anyone could even turn to question the sudden command. On the ground a few yards away a dark, menacing, swirling void appeared.

And after a few seconds the familiar looking void grew as its mass rose off the ground and almost completely blocked their path forward.

Danny readied himself and didn’t hesitate to move through the crowd of his now frozen peers to stand beside the Space hero.

“There is no escape for you,” The oddly smooth and polite male voice came from the mass of dark purple smog which now had yellow gleaming eyes. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it’s rather impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello…”

But before the now talking void could continue in its introduction. Danny spoke up, “League of Villains? Ha, how original. Listen here Smokey, I don’t give a damn who you or your band of crazies are. Cause there’s no way I’m letting any of your plans succeed!”

So perhaps he did care who they were, a lot actually. Especially this thing and the giant beast which was currently where Aizawa was fighting. Because there was no mistaking it, they both had trances of ectoplasm even if it did feel strange. But it was almost second nature for him to retort back when facing an enemy.

“How impolite, it is very rude to interrupt,” Came the void’s reply before the entity seemed to lightly sigh before continuing. “Although I suppose I should expect nothing less from children.”

Danny kept himself still, posed and ready to fight. As the yellow gleaming eyes seemed to finally lock on to him. It was clear he was being examined. And after a moment the purple smoke continued in an almost inquisitive tone.

“Hmm, how interesting…” The smoke seemed to think, about to add to its thought as it further glared down at the white haired boy. Who honestly wanted to hear what the thing would say. But instead of getting what he wanted the yellow eyes moved after a moment. As it appeared to move past analyzing him and instead to looking at the whole class and Thirteen. Which honestly pissed him off, as it seemed it didn’t consider him a threat.

“Ah, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Besides, I still have a role to play.”

Danny further prepared himself as he watched the smog further stretch out. As arm-like masses from the main body of dark smoke spread up and out like wings. To his side he could tell Thirteen also readied herself as in his peripheral he saw as she held out her hand and a small cap on one of her fingers clicked off.

But just as the mass of smoke was about to advance towards them. To Danny’s and Thirteen’s surprise from the crowd of students behind where the two stood, two yells were heard.

The halfa’s scrunched up eyebrows raised in disbelief as his mouth slightly fell open. As both Bakugo and Kirishima quickly rushed past where he and Thirteen had positioned themselves as a wall against the threat.

“Wait you two!” Thirteen yelled out.

“You gotta be kidding me.” The halfa breathed out in frayed frustration.

As at the same time as the two willingly rushed towards the danger he began automatically raising his hand and focusing on his ecto-energy. In an effort to create an ecto-shield between his two classmates and the void which had also begun moving to meet the two in the middle.

But just as Danny was mere moments away from having the shield expand as his hand already began to glow. The blond created a giant explosion behind himself which sent him propelling even faster and past the place Danny was about to make the wall.

This change would’ve been fine as he could’ve simply made the shield further in front of the explosive teen. But from the explosion a large plume of gray smoke erupted out.

Danny couldn’t believe it, as within less then a few moments the control he had over this already crappy situation disappeared. Just like his vision of his two classmates and the threat in front of him as smoke clouded around him.

He could hear his other classmates who were still thankfully behind him gasp and even a few coughs.

But he didn’t spare a single thought to that. As he squinted in order to both limit the smoke from getting in his eyes and in frustration. As he instantly ditched his previous plan as his foot quickly pushed off the ground as he began to run after both his classmates. In order to hopefully catch up before the enemies previous threats of killing a couple of students came to pass. Because he would sooner let himself become a full ghost then allow that to happen.

But as he bolted through the cloud of smoke which was beginning to disperse he heard Kirishima’s voice and yet another explosion.

“What, you think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?”

By the time Kirishima finished his rhetorical question. Danny was able to finally get through the second wave of soot and finally reach the two. Who appeared to be standing before the villain only four or five meters aways, which was too close for comfort in the halfa’s opinion.

But it was hard to fully tell the distance as the void of a man was almost fully clouded over. Which the halfa assumed meant that the previous explosion was from Bakugo attempting to attack it.

“Are you two crazy!” He basically yelled as he finally stood beside the two. Sparing a momentary glare to check both of them over to ensure that they weren’t hurt and was relieved to see that they both looked physically fine. As for their heads, Danny was starting to think they had even worse survival instincts then he did.

But before he could say anything more to alleviate his stress. Neither he nor Bakugo, who also looked to be about to give his own probably angry reply back, were not given the chance.

As from the gray smoke came the villain's menacing voice. “You certainly live up to your school's reputation…”

Soon after in a wisp Danny, Kirishima, and Bakugo, as well as the rest of the distraught class and Thirteen. Who were behind the three watched and felt as the smoke was wafted away enough to finally reveal the dark purple incorporeal man who appeared unharmed as the void which made up its body began to slightly change shape.

From the halfa’s peripheral view and the light, almost inaudible gasps that came from the two teens who stood to his side. He could tell that they were both shocked that their attempts at attacking and challenging the villain had failed. But Danny expected nothing less.

“But you should be more careful, children. Otherwise someone might get hurt.” As it finished it’s clear threat. Danny watched as the now visible yellow gleaming eyes once again appeared from the void which was now slightly more head shaped and resembled a flame dancing.

But Fenton wasn’t the only one who took in the villain's slightly altered form. As Midoriya, who couldn’t help but cough a few times to clear his lungs, looked through his arms. Which he had raised to shield his face just moments ago. And through his squinted eyes stared in fear laced amazement at his three classmates' backs and at the villain who towered in front of them.

But the green haired boy’s observations came to a screeching halt as the void began rapidly expanding out towards the three. “Now I’ll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades and your deaths!”

“You three get out of the way right now!” Thirteen yelled.

As if in slow motion while Danny’s breath left his lungs he turned his head as his attention split. Watching as on one side the dark abyss expanded closer, a fraction of a second away from enveloping him, Kirishima, and Bakugo who were both still turning in response to the hero.

On the other side the halfa quickly understood why the hero had shouted her command. As it was clear from her outstretched hand and the finger which had previously lost its covering. That the pro wanted to use her quirk.

From where Midoryia stood frozen, his eyes taking in everything faster than his brain could truly register. He watched as just as his three classmates were about to vanish within the tendrils of dark purple, the void reaching out towards them. Fenton moved, his body going at lightning speed. As in one fluid motion he turned and lunged while stretching out his arms towards Kacchan and Kirishima. Bodying them out of the way.

The three hit the ground hard, as the halfa was unable to fully modulate his strength in such a short amount of time. But they were out of the way, far to the side of where they had previously been.

Danny landed on his stomach, his face momentarily kissing the walkway as his body skidded to a harsh stop. But just as quickly as he landed did he press his gloved hands to the ground as he looked back up, his chin just a few centimeters from the floor.

From slightly behind the teen he could hear the agitated groans and the sucking in of air from Kirishima and Bakugo. Who definitely had gotten their breaths knocked out of them from hitting and subsequently rolling on impact. But the halfa didn’t spare a single glance, there was no time.

Because the void spreading out towards the class hadn’t stopped. Only now Danny was no longer in a position to actively act as a wall of defense for his classmates. But to his core's slight relief Thirteen’s previous actions allowed her to instantly activate her own quirk with a shout, “Black Hole!”.

The students of class 1A, whether behind the hero or on the ground watched in amazement. As large quantities of the dark purple void got sucked into the pro’s suit via the stretched out finger.

But the extremely momentary relief quickly began to dull as many of the students. Especially the halfa who had managed to raise himself further off the ground and onto his hands and knees. Could tell that despite Thirteen’s quirk, there was just no end to the continuous purple smog. In fact its quantity flowing out from its source seemed to be both never ending and even increasing by the millisecond.

And within no time it was simply too much. As large portions got past the defense and like water rushing was just about to surround the class. Whose fear stricken faces as they watched what could very well be their doom get closer and closer, made Danny feel sick to his stomach.

But the same saving grace which had just allowed him to save Bakugo and Kirishima just moments ago. His beyond superior reaction time and reflexes which were now only further heightened from his adrenaline and fear once again took hold. Allowing him to not simply be subjected to watch in horror. As he instead reached out his hand which instantly became enveloped in burning green as he shouted, “No!”.

From within the group of terrified teens, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Aoyama stood with quaking hands and panic-stricken eyes. Todoroki, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Sero, and Asui doing their best to stand their ground. Jiro, Mineta, Kaminari, and Ashido turning and scrunching up their eyes to brace for impact. Sato, Ojiro, and Shoji looking towards their fellow classmates in fear. Thirteen who had been forced to stop her quirk stood in horror.

And finally Iida who despite lacking heightened reflexes had his body and brain seemingly become one as his quirk began to automatically activate. In a reflexive attempt to beat the clock. But the blue haired boy knew there wouldn’t be enough time.

But in an instant just as the void was about to hit the first few students and Thirteen. A bright burning dome enveloped and surrounded the class.

It was as if a firework exploded to Iida as all previous thoughts and actions halted as his mouth fell open in a breath. As he stared at the glowing dome that was now all around him.

“Oh my… this is…” the quiet whisper of half spoken astonishment was made to Iida’s side. And without turning as his eyes felt completely transfixed to the green glow. His brain supplemented that it was Uraraka’s voice.

Midoriya on the other hand did turn to look from where he stood stunned, having taken a stumbling step back. He looked around first to Uraraka whose open mouth was being slightly covered by her hands, her eyes looking up reflecting the neon green. Then to his other classmates who were all being illuminated by the light. He could tell that they were all sharing in the intensity of experiencing so many emotions in rapid succession, from having their fear so quickly washed over.

But their fear wasn’t truly gone, far from it. Simply masked over and strangled but after a few passing moments of deafening silence a new brand of worry began to rise. As their strange new enclosure did not seem to be going down.

Outside the burning green dome of ecto-energy the dark smog rapidly streamed past as instead of meeting its intended targets it rippled off and around the newly formed glowing surface.

“What an interesting quirk,” Kurogiri's smooth voice echoed out.

Danny with his arm stretched out, eyes burning finally got to his feet as he diverted his attention back to the main mass of smog.

“But while it’s certainly a valiant attempt at saving your classmates it is ultimately futile. Especially when you should be more focused on saving yourself!”

The wisps that circulated around the dome attempting to penetrate through disappeared. But just as quickly as they vanished did he understand what the villain meant as the void once again shot out towards him instead.

The halfa’s raised glowing hand quickly moved from being solely directed at keeping the dome in place to the incoming threat. As the flow of energy that clung to his fingertips changed as the icy energy that was harbored within his chest shot forth. Changing the green of his eyes and hand to a stinging glacier blue.

Ice shot from the ground in an attempt to once again block the incoming tendrils. But at this point despite how fraid the halfa’s mind was from having things get so out of hand so quickly he didn’t simply stop at defense. As deadly stalagmites made of ice came from the ground past where the initial ice wall formed.

But the almost reflexive attack did not give the white haired teen the sense of control that he was desperately trying to get back. As the wall of ice only served to block his vision of the villain. While not even stopping the dark wave for more than a few moments.

It was hollowing for the halfa, a vice to his senses as he watched the darkness rush closer. Had he failed? Was this really it?

But just as he was about to finally be enveloped in the voids ensuing wave he heard Kirishima shout and an explosion.

“Wait Bakugo!” and not a moment later a hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Move it extra!”

Danny’s eyes widened as in slow motion he felt himself start to get pulled back as Bakugo, who was supposed to be behind him, started to rocket past him. All while having his teeth bared, red eyes locked on the void.

As the halfa watched the blond fly further and further away, centimeter by centimeter. While he began to fall back as the hand that had been the cause of his sudden loss of balance finally left his shoulder. His body almost instantly reacted as he stretched out his arm as far as it would go, his hand reaching out, in an attempt to grab his classmate's wrist and pull him back.

But his attempt failed, so close yet so far it seemed. And just like that the halfa watched as the blond met what was supposed to be his fate.

Bakugo let out an explosion right as his other hand was about to finally make contact with the void. An attempt to attack the incoming threat. But it was no use as even the explosion was enveloped without pause. And within a moment the blond was gone and once again despite having taken a stumbling step back, given a few extra milliseconds of time by none other than Bakugo. Danny was back to where he was a moment ago.

Watching as the dark void came closer and closer about to do whatever it had just done to Bakugo to him. Only now the question of if he had failed was answered. But the emotions which caught in his throat sobered his mind as he clenched his teeth. Enough to do what his previously grasping, frayed thoughts had overlooked. As he activated his intangibility. Because this wasn’t it, he told himself, he wouldn’t let it be.

His vision darkened as the void finally passed over him, but the buzz under his skin from his ecto-energy remained. As he could feel his powers working without fault, even if divided. But he couldn’t tell if his intangibility had truly saved him.

But before the worry that his last ditch effort was worthless or the fear that it wouldn’t work at all against this somehow ghostly threat even had a chance to grow. He heard a disgruntled gasp from behind him, ‘Kirishima!’ his mind screamed in recognition as he quickly pivoted on his foot. Turning behind him, to where the voice had come from. But he couldn’t see anything and just as quickly as he heard his friend's voice did it abruptly cut off.

He kept himself from calling out to Kirishima as despite what he wanted to believe he already knew what had happened to the red head. A thought that only further twisted his gut.

But once again the halfa was given no time to truly think. As the rapid flow of dark purple began to quickly lesson until the tendrils that remained simply disappeared.

Once freed, his vision restored, Danny didn’t hesitate long before shooting off the ground. High enough to finally meet the villain's large gleaming eyes once again.

“Aah, It seems you are more persistent than I gave you credit for…”

In the halfa’s peripheral vision as he listened to the smooth voice he quickly took in the ecto-dome which still stood, encasing his classmates and instructor. And although he knew it would be, as he had continuously allowed the flow of energy to leave him over the past minute or so, it was still a relief to see.

A reminder that he still had some level of control over the situation, that not everything was lost. Something that he forced himself to focus on. Rather than the fact that he had allowed two of his classmates to be taken, all because he got overwhelmed. A mistake he thought he had left far in the past.

“Although it seems your classmates were not so lucky.” the void of a man continued in an almost taunting tone.

Danny didn’t reply, no quip, no snarky retort, nothing. Instead his response came from grinding his teeth together as his eyes burned with the anger that began to course through his veins. An anger that quickly traveled to his hands and before the villain could say anything else the halfa sent out a burning green blast.

But despite the relatively unrestrained power put behind the fury fueled shot the wisps that made up the incorporeal man a moment before impact easily moved. As the main mass gilded back and the parts that did get hit only sputtered for a second.

As it fully seemed that to the same extent that Danny was immune to all physical attacks while intangible, this entity which seemed to lack any physical body was also immune to all damage. But what wasn’t immune was the pathway which caved in and broke apart on impact.

Danny stared down at the smoking crater, the only real thing to come out of his rage filled assault.

“Tell me, do you still believe you have the ability to stop us? To stop me?”

“Shut it!” the halfa barked out in an echoing voice. His fists that were now to his side clenching to a whitening grip as ecto-energy continued to pool around them.

“Why? Because you have no argument, no defense? You are just a child after all. Nothing but a lamb to the slaughter. Caught up in the world of heroes and false ideals. Trying to play the part of savior in the face of your instructor's incompetence. A true waste of potential. But perhaps there is a way for you to live to see tomorrow.”

Danny was sick and tired of listening to him speak, mocking him. A conversation he’s heard time and time again, back in his own dimension. Only this time it stung more than usual. But it was because of his experiences, that strange sense of familiarity that the villain's degrading words brought, that he didn’t hesitate to respond without skipping a beat. “‘Caught up in a world of heroes and false ideals’? Ha, what a load of crap. Especially coming from the guy whose only way of getting his message across is by attacking a bunch of kids. So I would say you and your group of crazies are the last people I should listen to.”

“Very well, you’ve made your choice. Now live with the consequences!” With that the void that comprised the villain quickly swirled in on itself, completely vanishing before Danny’s eyes.

Danny turned in the air, head and eyes quickly scanning over everything. Trying to think of where the villain had gone. But not only did he quickly realize where it had disappeared to but he could feel it, the pull of that strange ecto-energy. As his eyes locked onto the dome still protecting his classmates.

“No!” the halfa shouted as with a swipe of his hand the dome went down. Showing both his classmates and the villain before them.

Chapter Text

Within the dome of ecto-energy, the initial stunned silence that the students of class 1A shared quickly diminished as their encasement became prolonged.

“Students, is everyone okay?” Thirteen asked, as she scanned over everyone. Many of which nodded in response.

“I'm okay, but what's happening?” Ashido asked, worry lacing her voice.

“Yeah I thought that villain was going to get us,” Hagakure added.

“I’m not completely sure but I’m glad to see everyone’s alright,” Thirteen replied.

Yaoyorozu from where she stood analyzing the dome, turned to the hero. “Thirteen, I believe this is Fenton’s power.”

“You're right, this is no doubt Fenton’s doing,” Iida added, trying his best to not let the adrenaline that still coursed through his veins leak into his voice. As he took a few steps and put his hand against the glowing surface. “He must’ve put this up to save us.”

An air of momentary silence passed over the teens as they looked to their deputy class rep. Taking in what he had said, the knowledge that they had been saved by Fenton. Before Jiro spoke up, her eyebrows knitted together in thought, “Yeah I think I heard him shout before it happened.”

“But then why hasn’t he put it down yet?! Do you think he's planning to keep us in here?” Mineta said, as he began to freak out.

“No, I'm sure there's a reason he hasn’t taken it down yet,” Thirteen calmly said to reassure the purple haired boy and the other teens. “From the report I read your class rep is clear headed and knows how to use his quirk efficiently. But we do need to know what’s happening out there, Jiro, Shoji. Could you two use your quirks to tell me what's happening out there?”

The two called upon students nodded after a moment before moving, Jiro crouching down closer to the ground. As her earphone jacks stuck into the walkway. While Shoji walked to stand beside Iida, close to the wall as he allowed his quirk to further manifest, as multiple ears grew out from his many limbs.

“I’m not getting much,” Shoji admitted in defeat after a few drawn out moments.

“He’s right, I’m not hearing much either. Not even footsteps.” Jiro added.

“Fenton must be flying then,” Yaoyorozu reasoned with a hand to her chin.

“But what about Bakugo and Kirashima? They are also out there.” Uraraka wondered as she began to worry for her classmates.

“I don’t know, I’m not hearing them,” Jiro strained, doing her best to focus.

“They could be standing still,” Ashido said, trying to ignore the other possibilities.

“I don’t know, Bakugo’s not really the type who would just stay still,” Kaminari slowly said in response to the pink girl.

“You can't possibly be suggesting that the villain got them!” Ashido nearly shouted, her fists clenching in anger.

Kaminari brought his hands up as if surrendering, “Hey I’m just saying. You saw how he and Kirishima rushed towards the villain.”

“So what? They’re both super strong… plus Fenton's out there.” She further pressed, not relenting even if her voice slowly got quieter as she went. As if she was trying to reassure herself more than anything.

“I know that but-”

“Guys enough!” Iida finally snapped before he could fully restrain himself, cutting off Kaminari. Effectively shutting down the two’s bickering. But just as quickly as his frustration got the best of him. Did he let out a sigh as he did his best to collect himself again, “We're getting off track. We need to stay focused.”

But the tension in the air was only increasing, quickly rising, and threatening to spread to the other students. But before it could truly escalate the sound of two hands clapping together brought the light buzz that hung heavy in the air and in each teens body to a stand still as they all looked towards the hero.

“Iida’s right,” Thirteen said in a steady tone. “In high tense situations it’s easy to get side tracked and have your emotions get the best of you. It’s important to remain calm and clear headed, especially since we don’t have all the information. Now Jiro, can you hear anything else?”

Jiro, who had been momentarily focused on the back and forth, squeezed her eyelids shut as she strained her quirk. Focusing on every minute vibration, mapping out the world around just by sound. But as she listened, trying to find anything of significance a load boom vibrated through the ground and straight into her head.

“Ahh!” she screamed out in pain as she instinctively pulled her head back, her earphone jacks clicking off from the ground as she quickly stood. As her hands shot up to cover her ears and to hold her head.

“Jiro, are you okay?” Asui quickly asked, as she moved over to her side before putting a light, supporting hand on Jiro’s shoulder.

“What was that just now? The ground shook?” Mineta trembled out, visibly shaking with fear once again.

But despite the questions asked Jiro only continued to hold her head in her hands. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

“I think I know,” The masked Shoji said after a second, making the class and hero look to him instead. “I think an explosion happened, even I could hear it.”

“Then Bakugo is fine?” Tokoyami questioned with slight relief in his stoic voice.

But before Shoji could reply Jiro finally opened her eyes as she shook her head, “I don’t think it was Bakugo,” Effectively drawing the class's attention, “It didn’t sound like one of his explosions.”

“Then what did it sound like?” Asui asked as she slightly tilted her head.

“It’s hard to describe… but it was like a blast hitting the ground. It sounded pretty big too.”

“A blast? Then it was probably Fenton.” Todoroki, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up as he recalled his fight with the class rep. Remembering how he had blasted away his ice.

“I see, then that probably means that he’s fighting…” The pro said, doing her best to keep her own growing worries out of her voice. As she knew she needed to stay clear headed for the class's sake. Hoping that the report she read on the boy was truly accurate. “If that’s the case then we’ll have to wait and trust in him.”

As the hero and various students continued to talk, discussing their situation. Uraraka couldn't help but look around after some time, a way to keep herself focused.

But as she went, looking from the dome to one classmate after another. She stopped as her gaze fell to Midoriya. As she not only realized how quiet the boy had been throughout the discussion but as she took in his expression. He looked distraught, an expression that at face value matched almost everyone else’s but there was something more to it. From the way he stared down at his own hands, brows crinkled in frustration, she just couldn't help but have her worries grow for her friend.

After a moment of consideration she decided to investigate but instead of going straight to the green haired teen who seemed to almost be in his own world. She instead began to walk towards Iida. Hoping that the teen who always seemed to have a good understanding of things could aid her in possibly comforting Midoriya.

But just as she got to his side after only a few steps she was unable to say anything. As to her and the whole class's horror the swirling void once again appeared and quickly grew. Across the dome from where Uraraka and Iida stood. Only now they knew what it meant, that the villain was once again attacking. Except now they had nowhere to run.

But as the villain began to take shape from the initial dark menacing swirl. To the class's relief the dome that had quickly become their prison went down all around them. Allowing them to once again see the world around them, to take in what had happened in the last few minutes. But even though they could, they weren’t given the chance.

The void shot out at the class and hero, there was truly no time to react for the teens closest. As Ojiro, Sero, and Tokoyami were engulfed. Then Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Kaminari disappeared as they too were overtaken by the smog. Todoroki followed shortly after. Before Aoyama, Sato, Asui, and Mineta were enveloped.

But not everyone suffered the same fate. Amidst the fear and chaos Iida turned away from the ensuing wave as once again his engines began to activate. He reached out, grabbing hold of the two people who stood closest to him.

As Uraraka watched the first few wisps begin surrounding and passing over her. Her eyes once again caught onto Midoriya only to quickly lose vision of the teen. As he too was lost to the darkness. But not even a moment later, so quick that she couldn’t even look down. She felt something wrap around her abdomen. Before everything around her moved, the villain's main mass getting farther and farther away in an instant. Until the void which had blocked out most of the light mere moments ago was meters away.

It was only after she felt her whole body come to a sudden stop that she was truly able to start piecing together what happened. As she looked to the side and saw both Iida who after letting go didn’t waste a second before turning around. Directing his attention back to the villain that was now a viewing distance away. Then to Shoji who seemed to also be trying to make sense of his situation. As it seemed he too had been saved by the blue haired teen.

But the three students were not the only ones pardoned.

Back when the dome had initially gone down the halfa also did not stay still within the air. He too had reacted, flying at a breakneck speed towards the first people he had locked onto. Not even truly taking in who they were. Managing to only make it in time to turn himself and the two who he had barely managed to touch by his fingertips intangible. Just before once again watching as everything went dark as once again the dark void went over him.

But this time he didn’t stop to wait to regain his vision, as he kept moving. As his initial touch turned into him grabbing hold of the two arms with either hand, until he had two firm grips that promised those he had grabbed security.

Before he pushed off the ground, flying up, bringing the two with him. During which he could hear a disgruntled yelp but ignored it. As he rose higher until he finally broke free from the void. Rising above the darkness.

Once free, able to see once again he looked down first to those he had managed to save. Taking in both the slightly translucent appearance of Thirteen, who had her head tilted up. Then to Ashido who, unlike the hero, was not seemingly looking up at him. Instead her head was hung low and he was unable to truly take in the girl's expression. But he didn’t need to see her face to know she was scared.

But he couldn’t dwell on either one's actions. As he began to scan around, turning his head to look past where the villain had stopped expanding.

He needed to find a safe place to land, to put the two down. The only two who he had not failed yet.

But as he quickly looked around to his shock his eyes landed on Uraraka, Iida, and Shoji all standing together back down the pathway, a ways away.

‘How?’ he questioned, as he felt the smallest bit of relief leave him in a breath. But it didn’t take the halfa long to piece together what had happened. As he quickly noticed the smoke coming from Iida’s calves.

Once his initial shocked questioning vanished he didn’t hesitate to fly to the three. Halfway there he watched as the blue haired teen followed by Shoji and lastly Uraraka also finally seemed to notice him. As the same emotions that had just passed through him seemed to pass over them.

“Fenton!” Iida urgently said, taking a step forward as he watched the white haired teen get closer. He was beyond relieved to not only see his class rep but also Thirteen and Ashido.

Danny gave the boy and the others a small strained smile that hopefully looked somewhat reassuring. As he finally set Ashido and Thirteen down. Only letting go when he knew the two were steady enough on their feet before also landing.

“Are you guys okay?” He asked all four of his classmates. He knew it was a cheap question given the circumstances. One that he already knew the answer to. How could any of them be truly okay after watching everyone else be taken by the villain, or having to save themselves due to his mistakes, he thought. But he didn’t know where else to begin, maybe an apology? The cruel part of his brain answered before he swallowed it down.

“I'm okay, all things considered, but… everyone else… they…” The blue haired boy's voice slightly choked up. It was clear that his attempt at maintaining his composer was beginning to finally falter. Furthering the sting the halfa felt as he couldn’t help but look down in shame, as his fists to his side clenched.

But luckily neither the two boys or the other fretting teenagers were left to sit in silence for long. As Thirteen took a step and put a light hand on the halfa’s shoulder and the other on Iida’s. As the pro took on the burden of continuing the conversation.

“It’s okay you two, you’ve both done amazing,” This reassurance made both the teens look up to the hero from where their gazes had fallen. “All of you have, and what’s important is that you're safe.”

The pro’s words felt bitter sweet to Danny. On one hand he knew what the hero was trying to get at, that she was trying to comfort them. Doing her job as both their instructor and as a hero even during this little bit of time. But so what if he was safe? What did it matter?

“But Thirteen, what about everyone else?” the previously quiet Ashido asked.

“Yeah, the villain got them… what if… they are…” Uraraka, who was looking to the ground, began to say her voice dropping lower with each word.

But she wasn’t given the chance to finish her thought as Shoji spoke, “I don’t think they are.”

That got everyone, even those who had been struggling to hold themselves together to quickly look at the masked teen. Especially the halfa whose eyes silently conveyed his desire for the teen to further elaborate.

“I can hear them. They’re scattered around but from what I can tell they're all still within the USJ” As Shoji explained, Danny took in multiple ears that had sprouted from the teen’s arms.

“So he really did mean it when he said he’d scatter us,” Uraraka nearly whispered to herself in contemplation as she recalled the villain's past threat.

Thirteen though who had let her arms fall to her side continued on with another point. “That’s a relief to hear. And it only adds to what I’m about to say…” The hero turned towards the villain who was beginning to once again collapse in on itself and would no doubt be a problem again in just a matter of moments. “As the ones who still have a chance of getting help and contacting the outside. We have a responsibility to your classmates, Eraser Head, and to ourselves. So we can’t give up, so please help me ensure everyone’s safety.”

Her words were a wake up call for the halfa, like being doused in cold water. A reminder that this wasn’t the time or place to let himself be controlled by his emotions. No more rage filled assaults that landed him nowhere, no more split second decisions, and no more self pity party. Not now, not when people were still counting on him. Instead he needed to stay calm and collected, he needed a plan.

And as he stared down the incorporeal enemy who was once again together in a single main mass of flickering dark smog. Large yellow eyes once again appearing to look at them, an idea began to form.

“What is this? A final volley? How touching and I see you have still managed to evade me, how impressive.” The villain's eyes once again locked onto Danny who met the gaze without fault. “But by now I am sure your classmates who were not so lucky are already being introduced to their dooms. Although I’m sure the first two you failed to protect have already succumbed to their fates.”

Danny could tell he was trying to get under his skin again. To rile him back up and it annoyed him that it was so close to working. But he wouldn’t let it happen, not again. Instead he let out a breath as he forced his body to relax, his fists unclenching.

But even with the halfa’s new level of control it didn’t fully stop the weight of the villain's words from bearing down on him.

“Class rep,” Thirteen unexpectedly said before the void of a man could continue. Causing the halfa to briefly glance at the hero. “I have a job for you. Fly to the main campus and get help. From what I know you're fast and you seem to be unaffected by the villain. So go, use your quirk to save others while we hold him off.”

Danny was momentarily stuck with what to stay. How to respond to the hero's sudden command.

“Yeah! Go get the other heroes. You can do it,” Uraraka added, doing her best to sound encouraging

“Yes, do what we can’t Fenton.” Iida further urged, masking his own disappointment from not being the one called upon. But he wouldn’t let it get to him, not when he also knew Fenton was the smarter choice.

“And if possible try to get All Might… okay?” Ashido said, her voice still riddled with the worry she couldn’t hide.

Danny’s eyebrows knit together, teeth grinding in thought. But he didn’t need even a second before replying, his voice steady, “No. I can’t be the one who goes.”

“What?! What do you mean you can’t be the one to go?” Uraraka hurriedly asked, voicing the confusion all five of them shared.

“Fenton, I understand you might be apprehensive but you're the only one who can do this.” Thirteen pressed.

“No, no I’m not.”

This time at the boy’s continued refusal Thirteen and the four teens couldn’t help but look at him. But he didn’t wait for the ensuing questions.

“Iida,” he turned to meet his classmate's eyeline. Whose eyes widened in response. “You, need to be the one to go.”

“What?! But… but I can’t…”

“Yes you can. I know you can.”

“Fenton,” Thirteen called, cutting what he was going to say to Iida short.

The halfa looked to the pro, “Thirteen, it’s like you said I’m the only one unaffected. Meaning I’m the only one who stands a chance against this guy. So I need to stay here.”

The hero seemed to contemplate the teens words for a moment. But whether it was his rather short reasoning or the fact that she could tell he wouldn’t bend on his resolve after less than a second she reluctantly nodded.

Even though the momentary debate seemed to be over between the two. Iida couldn’t help but fumble as he rapidly looked from his class rep to the hero and then back again. Trying to understand what just happened. But before he could even try saying anything, to perhaps protest or at the very least question the logic behind the decision. The group's limited time came to an end. As the villain's smooth, menacing voice once again sounded out.

“How amusing. But is it really such a good idea to share your plans right in front of your enemy?” The incorporeal man who had been watching the quick exchange in idle intrigue rhetorically asked.

“Oh, trust me that won't matter,” Danny retorted back, gaining back his usual humor as he stared down the villain, which blended smoothly with the bite that still held strong.

“Ah how auspicious, but tell me how will he get past?” The gleaming eyes momentarily locking onto Iida. “Perhaps you could get him to the door. But I assure you that I will not miss everyone else again.”

“Don’t worry you’ll understand in a sec,” Was all the halfa gave as a response. Before directing what he was saying back without taking his eyes off the void. “Iida on my signal go, okay?”

“Signal?!” Iida loudly questioned. His eyes locked onto the white haired teen who was facing away.

But the boy seemed to decide to forgo providing the answer Iida desperately wanted. Instead, the teen's voice dropped an octave as he carried on in a different direction, “Iida…”

“Yes?” The teen in question automatically fumbled out.

Danny turned as his eyes met his classmate’s with a steady gaze. The previous rush in his voice slowing down, “Remember you were made for speed. You can do this.”

The sudden and unexpected encouragement caught the blue haired boy by complete surprise, as his already widened eyelids somehow further opened. As he worked to process Fenton’s words and tone which seemed to leave no room for doubt. His previous train of thought came to a screeching halt. As his multitude of questions and concerns, his own turbulent thoughts froze.

But even if he did manage to formulate something to say in response. The time to do so vanished in an instant as just as quickly as the halfa had directed his attention back to Iida did he turn back.

As Danny looked back to the mass of darkness. Haven given what he hoped was reassurance to Iida. The same variety that had helped fuel his own new found composer. He didn’t hesitate as he took his first step forward. Within three quick steps his walk became a determined sprint.

“Wait Fenton, what's your plan?!” Thirteen hurried out, as the pro also took a step forward as she watched the teen willingly rush towards the villain. Before she could stop him.

“Well, while this thing might not have a body!...” He yelled, as he stopped at the halfway point. Not needing to take another step as the villain had also taken the initiative to quickly come at him, seeming determined to take him down. And just as the large wave of darkness that made up the villain's body was once again going to crash into him. He focused on the ecto-energy that loudly hummed just beneath his skin, the green glow of his eyes intensifying, “It definitely has a mind.”

The three students and Thirteen watched Fenton disappear, the teens' words being lost on each of them.

Iida’s eyes were wide, his mouth open as he tried to process what just happened, was that supposed to be the signal? He questioned, in disbelief as he stared at the villain as yellow eyes returned to look at them.

“What a spectacular plan. But there is no such thing as a noble sacrifi-” The smooth voice unexpectedly cut off. The void of a man suddenly going dead silent.

“What’s happening?” Uraraka almost whispered to herself.

“I don’t know but I don’t like it,” Ashido replied.

After a few more seconds of eerie silence, Thirteen spoke, “Shoji, tell me do you hear Fenton anywhere?”

But before the masked boy could answer the steady flowing wisps changed. Becoming more agitated and erratic, shooting off in different directions. Almost as if the villain was fighting itself. But just as suddenly as the outburst hard started did it abruptly stop. As if nothing had even happened. Only now there was one very apparent and clear difference.

“They’re… green,” Iida breathed out in disbelief, as he stared at the incorporeal man’s eyes.

Danny felt strange, to be fair he always did when it came to using overshadowing. Like playing the strangest game of tug of war. With the added bonus of having to quickly adapt to the body he was taking over, like learning the controls of a new video game.

In the past, the few times when he had resorted to using the ability it had always been fairly easy to overcome the mind he was forcefully pushing back. Besides the notable exception of his father, of course. But considering his lack of practice with the power, with his ghostly wail being the only less used ability in his arsenal. He thought he was fairly good at it.

But this, this felt different.

Not only was the silent fight more intense and persistent. With the expected surrender after the initial and quick push back never happening. It was almost as if the strange entity's mind was trying to consume him, drown him out. To take over his mind just like he was trying to take its body.

But he didn’t let it, between his still relatively vast pool of energy and his own mind. He didn’t let himself slip, to be dragged into the unknown of this creature's mind. As he finally, successfully gained a semblance of control.

Allowing him to feel through it, even if he wasn’t so sure it counted as feeling per say. With the wisps not acting as extra appendages or skin and instead simply existing all around him, making him up. But he also couldn’t say he felt nothing, at least not to the same extent as when he went intangible. For as he focused he could’ve sworn he felt something around where he presumed the villain's neck would be.

But he didn’t have any time to think about the odd sensations, not when every second counted. So he instead focused on his newly acquired sight.

With the first thing he locked onto being Thirteen, Ashido, Shoji, Uraraka and lastly Iida. They were staring at him. Varying levels of confusion and fear mixing on his classmates' faces.

But he needed to get the blue haired boy going, before he lost his grip on his already slipping control. So in a voice that wasn’t his own, quickly spoke.

“Iida! Now's your chance. Go!”

Iida blinked, his brows furrowing. Not only did the villain just say his name. But he was also telling him to go?

But between the villain’s now rather familiar looking green eyes and the sudden change in speech pattern. Something began to click, even if it only made him more confused.

“Fenton, is that you?!” he yelled. The question alone sounding out of this world and utterly crazy, even to his ears.

“Yes!... Now… GO!” There was a certain strain to the voice. That wasn’t even there a second ago. Which along with the pure, intense command got the teen to finally react. His engines finally revving to life. But he still hesitated to take off.

“Iida,” Uraraka’s voice unexpectedly sounded out from behind the teen. Causing him to look at her. She had an awkward, obviously forced smile on her face. “Listen to him. We’ll be okay, so go.”

“She’s right, now's your chance. Be a hero,” Thirteen added.

He glanced at his other classmates, but to his surprise. Shoji gave him a reassuring nod. While Ashido also did her best to give him a confident smile, even if he could tell that they too were still scared. But if they had the strength to fight through their fear to show their belief in him. Then he too could fight through his own paralyzing emotions and do this. Not just as their deputy class rep, but as a hero. Just like his brother.

So without further hesitation he turned. Smoke rapidly pouring out from each of his engines and not even a second later he took off at a blazing speed.

Covering the distance between the group's position and the villain’s or rather Fenton’s, in a moment. Passing around the still mound of dark smog, not even taking a second to look back as his eyes remained locked on the door. Even if it felt wrong to turn his back to the threat. But he trusted his class rep.

He avoided the massive crater that was to one side of the pathway. And before he knew it he finally managed to get to the door, not having faced any more resistance along the way. He considered turning one last time to look at his classmates. But he stopped himself, forcing himself to stay focused as he finally left, determination coursing through his veins.

Danny watched as Iida made his escape. Relieved to see something finally work out right. But it didn't last long, for since he had told the teen to leave and had him run past. The fight to keep control and not be overtaken by the villain’s mind had only intensified. To the point where he could feel its raw desire to stop Iida, like a snarling animal trying to break out of its cage.

And before the halfa knew it his control, his mental supremacy ceased to exist all at once. As his mind was finally dragged down into the depths of the entity's mind before he could stop it.

It was like falling into deep, dark water. Never ending it seemed as he kept being pulled further and further away from the surface. His senses becoming muddled and blurry as he went. Before his very sense of self began to almost fade and he could feel a will that wasn’t his own. Like the strange desire to obey.

What was it trying to do to him? He frantically thought, as he tried to pull away. But the answer to that question quickly became more apparent, it was trying to make him a part of itself.

But how was that possible? He’d never experienced anything like this before. Every other time he’d ever used overshadowing he simply took control of the beings body, that’s it. It never came with the added risk of being conjoined to the one he was taking over, or even the ability to feel its emotions, its mind.

It felt awful. Invading in the worst ways and it left him terrified.

But he wouldn’t let himself be overtaken, not when he still had the ability to fight it. So with every bit of resistance he could muster he pulled himself back up.

But not before he felt something, someone. The instant before he reached the point of no return. It was almost as if the singular gnawing, all consuming mind became two. And while he could still feel that strange need to obey, to follow the command of an unknown man from the first. The second was completely different. It felt like a husk with the entrails of so many different emotions, from hope to dread, joy to fear, and most notably the desire to resist.

But it was only for a microscopic amount of time he felt it, saw it, was it. Before he finally freed himself.

Danny landed on his butt as he fell away from the void. Finally just himself again. He looked up at it as it towered right in front of him, casting a large shadow over him from his new place on the ground.

His eyes were wide open, mouth open, his core felt like it was in his throat. And as he once again looked into the gleaming eyes he couldn’t stop himself as he bit out, in a whisper the question that now consumed his every thought.

“What are you?”

But to his surprise no response came. Nor did it try to attack him in his frazzled, rather defenseless state. As in an instant it vanished before him. But even after it had disappeared he didn’t move, only now looking down to the ground. As he finally let out a few rapid breaths as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

He tried to think, but there was just too much. And before he knew it he heard Thirteen shout from behind him and quick footsteps getting closer.

“Fenton! Are you okay?”

But it took a few extra seconds before he forced himself to snap out of his stupor. With a small shake of his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, he could think about everything else later, he told himself. Right now he still had people he needed to protect.

So by the time he could tell the hero and his three classmates were now standing behind him. He forced the plague of emotions to finally leave his face and body, as his shoulders relaxed. And he turned his head to look at them, ensuring that he conveyed none of the terror and confusion he’d just experienced.

The halfa nodded with a small smile, “I’m okay, just got the wind knocked out of my sail is all.”

“I see, I’m glad you’re alright but I have quite a few questions for you,” The hero paused for a moment before sighing, “But I suppose they’ll have to wait.”

“Wait what? We're just gonna move past what just happened!?” Ashido loudly questioned, from beside the hero. Before the pro could continue.

“Yeah, I think we need some sort of explanation.” Uraraka added.

Danny watched the exchange from his place still on the ground. But while the hero put her gloved hands up to try and ease the tension so she could respond. Shoji walked around the halfa, who quickly followed his movements. Once the masked teen stood in front of him he extended his conjoined arm offering his first hand.

Danny blinked before wordlessly taking the silent offer as he allowed his classmate to pull him up, finally getting back on his feet.

“Listen, we can’t spend time interrogating each other. Not when our classmates are still out there. There'll be a time to ask questions and for Fenton to explain what just happened, but not right now.” Shoji calmly said, as he released his grip once the white haired teen was fully up.

Ashido and Uraraka seemed to process the teens' words before nodding. Danny let out a silent breath at being spared from having to fully explain himself for now, something he honestly didn’t have the mental capacity to do right now. Beyond grateful to Shoji.

“You're right. But even if we wanted to, how can we help everyone else? Iida already left, and the villain disappeared.” Uraraka asked.

“Honestly, not much,” Thirteen said, “But remember what I told you before, we can’t let our emotions get the best of us. Let’s stay clear headed and think of what we can do for now.”

It was clear that the hero was simply trying to keep them distracted in a way. Keep them focused, instead of letting them spiral with thinking about the Mount Everest sized challenges that still existed. But Danny didn’t need it, not when he already knew what his next move needed to be. Even if it did sound daunting, even in his mind.

“I’m going to go make sure they're safe and help Aizawa,” He didn’t hesitate to say.

The four turned to look at him again, his classmates eyebrows lowered with surprise.

“What?! What do you mean you’re going to go?” Uraraka said.

“And how are you going to make sure they're safe and help Aizawa?” Shoji couldn’t help but add.

But before he could respond Thirteen spoke, “Fenton…”

Causing him to meet the white eyes from within the hero's suit.

“At this point, I don’t doubt that you have a plan. But remember what Aizawa told you, and right now the best thing you can do is stay here where it’s safe.”

The halfa didn’t waver as his voice took on a more somber tone, “Thirteen, I’m the reason they're out there right now and I have the power to help. I know I do. So tell me, should I really just stay here and wait?”

Thirteen took a moment, perhaps evaluating him. But just like before when he refused to be the one to go get help, after a moment she reluctantly sighed. “Alright, you can go. But be careful.”

Danny nodded, he hadn't fully expected the hero to agree. Not planning to of listened had she said no. But hearing her put her faith in him felt nice.

“Aren’t I always?” He joked, with a renewed smile. But he didn’t wait for a response as he rose off his feet, floating just a few centimeters off the ground and a bit away from the hero and his classmates. As he focused on his ecto-energy once again, dividing it in half.

The students' mouths fell open as in an instant their class rep literally split in two, doubling from one to two.

The two Danny’s spared a glance to them. Visibly seeing even more questions grace their faces. Like how was he able to make a copy of himself? Or even perhaps wondering why he hadn't done this sooner, but there was a reason he had waited.

For duplication while it had its time and place. It also wasn’t a power he could get carried away with. For every time he made a copy his energy became divided between them. Subsequently limiting his other powers, but that explanation just like all the rest had to wait.

As he didn’t have anymore time to waste as without further hesitation both halfa’s took off. One towards where he knew both Aizawa, the lead villain and the two major concerns he could still feel were. And the other to the closest training area in search of his missing classmates.

Line Break -

Back at UA’s campus, in the teachers lounge All Might sat in defeat. Hands balled into fists as he stared down at himself. His yellow suit loosely hung from his frail body instead of fitting how it should.

‘I shouldn’t be here’, he told himself repeatedly. His only way to truly vent, a way of reprimanding himself for making such a rookie mistake of over using his quirk. That even if he had the excuse of not being used to having such a smaller threshold for what he could do in one sitting he still should've known better. That he should’ve kept his priorities straight no matter how much he wanted to help. But instead here he was, sitting on his butt instead of fulfilling his new responsibilities.

Finally though after some time the man let out a sigh, breaking the silence and after a moment pulled his phone out. Quickly dialing Aizawa, but the automatic ring he expected never came. As it instead went straight to voicemail.

But the man didn’t think much of it as he simply went back to his contacts until he saw Thirteen’s number. Once again hitting the call button with anticipation of hearing the dial up sound followed by his co-workers voice. But no such thing happened as yet again the call went directly to voicemail.

‘Strange’ he thought, as he unconsciously clenched his hands ever so slightly tighter as his brows wrinkled together in thought.

He knew that he was just being paranoid, that his two currently working colleagues not answering was not strange or unexpected. That logically speaking it only made sense that they would have their phones turned off while teaching.

But he couldn’t help it, something just felt off to the pro. As if there were little voices in the back of his head urging him to investigate. And after so long in the field of learning to trust his gut he easily made up his mind. As he decided to air on the side of caution.

He stood up, ignoring the pain that shot through his body as he transformed in a poof of steam, back into his muscular form.

He would go to the USJ and make an appearance, inspiring the students while subsequently checking to make sure everything was okay, a win win for everyone.

Yet even with that goal in mind it didn’t even take his body a full ten seconds before he began to taste blood in his mouth.

But he swallowed it back down, he could… no would do this, he told himself. But before he could follow through the door suddenly slid open as a chipper voice sounded out, “Hold your horses.”

“Oh uh, hello Nezu, sir!”, the man couldn’t help but slightly stumble over his own words. As he almost felt like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Which may or may not be the case, a small part of his mind that he chose to actively ignore said.

“That’s me!” The furry white animal of a man said with a smile as he shut the door behind himself.

After a moment, All Might despite the sweat that was beginning to form on his brow decided to completely forgo mentioning what he was doing. As he took another approach to the sudden conversation. “Your fur looks especially well groomed and glossy today, sir.”

“The secret is keratin. I’m not sure that humans can get this kind of lustrous shine. But we can talk about grooming later. As I believe we should instead talk about the news.”

At that All Might’s smile almost unnoticeable faltered. As he already knew where the conversation was heading and that he was in no position to stop it.

“From what I saw it said you resolved three incidents in just one hour?” Although phrased like a question no real answer was actually needed. Not when the principal got all the information he needed from the hero's body language.

Nezu sighed, “Not to fret. The fault mainly belongs to the ruffians who are still causing trouble in this city despite you being here. But you also need to learn not to react every time you hear of an incident. I did agree to hire you as an instructor because of your unique circumstances.”

The smiling, fluffy man turned as he began walking to the couch. “With your injury you simply must trust that the other capable pros will handle things in your stead.”

As All Might listened, his grip on maintaining his heroic form began to slip, just like the steam that began to rapidly leave his body.

“Oh dear, you're smoking that can’t be good.” The principal said, cutting his lecture short as before he had even begun climbing onto the couch he watched as in a plume of smoke All Might deflated.

Once changed the last bit of the man’s facade came down as he let out a deep sigh, “Ya, I know you're right,” He looked down at his own now shriveled body “It’s just hard for me to sit back now.”

“You have always been proactive,” Nezu agreed, as he finally crawled up onto the couch and sat, patting the spot beside him.

All Might wordlessly took the offer as he went to sit beside the small principal.

“The burden you bare has always been quite the feat. From being the number one hero to taking on the role of Symbol of Peace. You have been expected to do and be quiet alot. You have helped to truly foster a new age of peace and even now with your injury you stand as the focal point of all hero society.”

“Thank you sir, but I don’t really get the point you're trying to make?” All Might questioned after a moment of thought. Because although the praise was nice, he just didn't understand the point the highly intelligent animal like man was trying to make.

The furry smiling man finally turned his head to look at the hero to his side, “I’m saying would it truly be so bad to fully take a step back? Now that there is peace and allow others to carry on your mantle. Especially now as you train One for All’s successor. ”

“Sir…” All Might looked down to his hands, purposefully avoiding the man's gaze. This wasn't his first time having this type of conversation, regarding his retirement. But it always felt uncomfortable, perhaps because so few knew his most closely guarded secret, his weakness.

“I don’t mean permanently but I really do wish you'd prioritize the students. They deserve it after all.”

All Might nodded at that as he let out a sigh. “I know they do and I know you’re right… it's just…” He stumbled slightly as he tried to figure out how to properly convey what he wanted to say.

But he didn't need to as the principal picked up where he left off. “It's just you're not so sure peace is actually here?”

All Might quickly looked to the animal man who perfectly completed his thoughts.

Nezu sighed, “I understand what you're worried about. I too share similar concerns.”

All Might was about to say something but before he could Nezu continued.

“But we shouldn't let that purely dictate our decisions. Peace will never truly be here if we don't allow it to be.”

The hero took it the man's words, the truth behind them. As he went back to looking down at his lap. But it felt bitter sweet, was the peace he's spent his whole life fighting for truly here? He wasn't so sure anymore.

And although he would never admit it, not even to himself he was scared. Scared of a future he wouldn’t have the power to protect. Scared of the burden he was leaving in the hands of Young Midoriya. And worst of all, scared of who he would be if not the Symbol of Peace.

“Maybe you’re right Nezu sir… maybe I should take a step back, for now at least.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, now since it’s clear you’re in no condition to go anywhere, stay in the lounge and relax a little while longer. The other teachers will understand.”

All Might nodded, only slightly hesitant as the worry for the class from earlier still lingered. But he pushed it down, shushing all the little voices.

The principal who always seemed somewhat chipper perked up even more at his reply, “Excellent! Now then, how should we pass the time? Perhaps I should go over combat pedagogy as viewed through the lens of ethical quirk use?”.

All Might's head shot up at the man’s offer, he had kinda thought the man would take his leave now. Rather than start up on another kind of lecture that he knew would take a long time to end. “Oh there's really no need sir. I’m sure you’re really busy.” He hurriedly said as he lifted his hand, hoping to stop him before it was too late

“Nonsense, it is rather important to stay up to date on these things after all,” The animal like man happily said, his usual perspective nature seeming to vanish.

The hero was fumbling with what to say. He needed to say something that would at least keep the seemingly inevitable conversation in a slightly more interesting direction. So without a second thought he said the first thing that came to mind, “Sir! Can I ask you something?”

“Certainly,” Nezu cheerfully answered.

Of course now the hero actually had to ask something. But there was something that had been on his mind for the past few days. Something besides his retirement, his responsibilities, and his protege that he had been unable to shake, although it did strangely relate to those three things or at least the last one.

“It regards one of the first year students…”

“Really? Which one?” Nezu asked, his fuzzy head tilting ever so slightly.

“Young Fenton,”

“Ah yes, the top scorer on the entrance exam, what about him?”

He contemplated how best to word what he wanted to say for a moment, “During my lesson the other day his quirk was rather… interesting. He seemed to have multiple different abilities that didn’t really correlate and the way he acted,” The image of the boy unapologetically staring him down in anger during the first match and of his rather frightening appearance during the second briefly flashing in his mind. Causing him to further clench his fists that were locked together in his lap. “It just didn’t add up.”

The hero knew what he just said wasn’t exactly a question but rather a poorly worded string of thoughts. But he also knew from experience that the animal like man didn’t need much to understand what he was trying to get at.

Nezu hummed for a second, “Well his quirk is no doubt powerful. But from what I’ve gathered he also seems to be quite the leader. Who has a rather advanced understanding of the tribulations behind being a hero. Although to that same extent I’m sure he also has plenty of room to grow.”

All Might couldn’t help but feel rather exasperated by the man’s response. Which once again seemed to no doubt intentionally go around providing the answers and information he actually wanted.

“Sir, that's pretty vague don’t you think?” The hero couldn’t help but tiredly say.

The principal's smile seemed to grow slightly, “Sadly, I don’t think I’m the one who can truly provide you the answers you're looking for.” Nezu put his paw on the hero’s shoulder. ”But he’s certainly a very promising young student with a bright future ahead of him, wouldn’t you say? And while there are quite a few mysteries surrounding his past and his quirk. I don’t believe we should hold that against him, not when we have no cause to suspect anything. But do know I'm not trying to disregard your concerns. I will keep what you’ve said in mind.”

All Might nodded, he could tell he wouldn’t get anything else out of his furry boss. Even if he could tell the man was holding out on the full extent of his knowledge regarding the teen. But Nezu was right, he shouldn’t presume anything so cynical about the boy, especially as one of his teachers. And if he really did want to learn more about him than he should take another approach. Like actually making sure he can participate and spectate on the hero lessons, instead of sitting around waiting to recuperate like today.

“Alright, now that we got that out of the way shall we get back to discussing combat pedagogy?”

That got All Might to snap out of his thoughts regarding the mysterious teen as he quickly looked to Nezu. Who didn’t wait for an answer before beginning on what would no doubt be a very long and very educational lecture.

Chapter Text

Midoriya tightly closed his eyes as the darkness that made up the villain came at him. His body going rigid as his arms flew up to protect his face on impulse, as he awaited the impact.

But instead, the ground beneath his feet felt like it disappeared. As the unmistakable feeling of falling passed over him, the pit of his stomach dropping. Causing him to quickly reopen his eyes.

The first thing he saw was water, a large pool of it. That he was quickly hurdling head first towards. Without any way of stopping himself, or at least not one that came to him in time.

As before he knew it he hit the water's surface. Finally experiencing the impact he had previously been expecting. Even if the water’s embrace wasn’t exactly what he had had in mind.

But, the sudden, all encompassing coolness was, a wake up call to his senses and logical thinking. Or at the very least his survival instincts, as he righted himself in the water without hesitation, no longer upside down. Before he wildly looked around, trying to make some sense of his new environment.

But he couldn’t truly let his mind go to work on understanding the previous and rapid events of the past few minutes. Not when there was now a new issue to focus on. One that was quickly topping the charts if his aching lungs were anything to go off of.

He needed air.

But before he could begin swimming up. A bit of movement in the watery depths caught his attention. His eyes locking onto a moving form, the one break in the constant dark blue below.

The little speck getting bigger by the millisecond. Until the unrecognizable, slightly blurry shape became a person. Who he could instantly tell was a foe rather than a friend.

The wide eyed teen kicked his feet rapidly. Quickly flapping his arms as he tried to swim up faster. Away from the ensuing threat. But he wasn’t going fast enough, the villain's swimming speed far surpassing his own.

He let out a silent scream. The little bit of air in his lungs came out in rapid bubbles. As the villain opened its mouth. Sharp, shark like teeth now visible.

But before he could get bitten or possibly use the power that had started to funnel to his limbs in an effort to possibly defend himself. A green blur slammed into the villain’s side, knocking the shark-like man away.

Midoriya stared at his supposed savior but his nerves didn’t die down until he recognized who it actually was. As a pair of familiar eyes met his.

‘Asui?!’ passed through his mind, as his already large eyes somehow grew even bigger.

Although he wasn’t given much time to take in his classmates' sudden appearance. As the girl didn’t stay stationary for long. Beginning to rapidly swim towards him. Gaining speed with each motion, clearly a natural in the watery environment.

But as she swam up towards him, Midoriya’s eyebrows scrunched together as his classmate opened her mouth before her tongue shot out towards him, quickly wrapping around his abdomen.

As she swam past in a blur, he went with.

Water rushed past him as he forced his eyes to stay open against the current now hitting his face. At least enough to see the light above getting closer.

Until he finally breached the water's surface, instantly sucking in a large gulp of air. As he now watched through a singular squinted eye as Asui landed on the side of a boat. Sticking to the surface and climbing up with him in tow.

And not a moment later after following the girl over the boat's railing did he get set down and released.

Once freed his hand went to his throat as he couldn’t keep from coughing, clearing his lungs to make way for more air.

But after getting his bearings he lifted his head slightly to finally get a true look at his surroundings. First going to Asui, his green haired classmate standing a meter or so away. Watching him with both an analytical and concerned gaze.

“Midoriya, are you okay?”

He lightly nodded before giving a no doubt wobbly smile. But as he did so he heard a noise that almost resembled a whimper to his side. And to his slight surprise as he turned his head he found yet another one of his classmates.

“Mineta,” was all he could say in a low, still rough voice. As he looked at the shorter, mostly purple boy who looked just as soaked as he felt. Most certainly having also previously been in the water and saved by Asui, he guessed.

But he didn’t quite get the response he was expecting even if he wasn’t necessarily expecting anything. As the boy's eyes met his and almost instantly began to water more.

“Ohhh Midoriya! We're all gonna die here!”, Mineta cried out.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear what Fenton said! These villains are here to kill All Might and if they’re here for him then we have no chance of fighting back! And look…” It was clear that the purple haired boy was starting to spiral as he gestured to the environment around. “Now we're alone surrounded by villains…”

Midoriya did as he was told and looked over the side of the boat. Into the water and just like his classmate was frantically saying they were indeed surrounded. From the villain Asui just saved him from. To countless other villains who were all just watching from the water below.

“Mineta, you really need to calm down,” Asui said in her usual somewhat flat tone, “Remember what Thirteen said, we can’t let our emotions get the best of us.”

But despite Asui’s words the shorter teen only began to rapidly suck in air. As snot began to drip from his nose. Before continuing, “Yeah but that was before, now there’s no hope of making it out of here!”

Midoriya was having a hard time as he watched his classmates quickly unravel. But what should he say? What could he say? He didn’t know how to make this better. Especially when he was having similar thoughts.

But after a second of looking down he forced himself to not get weighed down by his own self-doubt and disappointment. Disappointment in himself, that despite getting a quirk, of coming to UA, to having none other than All Might himself take on the burden of being his mentor he was still useless.

But that same thought forced him to look back up. As he forced what could barely be counted as a smile. Let alone a reassuring one to form on his face.

“Asui, Mineta,” The two looked to him, “we can’t give up yet. Not when All Might wouldn’t. Or our other classmates…” The image of Fenton, Kacchan, Kirishima and his other classmates flashed in his mind. “We need to find a way to get out of here and back to the exit.”

“But we're not All Might. How can we do anything?” Mineta asked, luckily seeming to have calmed down ever so slightly.

“Mineta has a point, we’re in a pretty bad position. Plus these villains clearly have a plan and if they’re here to take down All Might they must have a way to do it.”

Midoriya listened to what Asui said and once again found himself at a loss for how to respond. But there was one thing that just didn’t make sense to him. So after a moment of thought he tentatively continued, “Asui…”

“I told you to call me Tsu.”

“Ah right Tsu.. well uh you’re right. These villains clearly have a plan, but I don’t think they thought through everything.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Mineta quickly urged.

“Well it’s just that they sent you to the water zone,” the green haired teen said, as he made eye contact with Asui. “Wouldn’t it have made more sense to send you somewhere else?”

“You’re right,” the frog-like girl easily agreed, “It would’ve been smarter to send me to the fire zone.”

“So, what does that matter?”

Midoriya looked at the shorter teen, “I think these villains don’t know what our quirks are. Which is why they scattered us randomly instead of based on our quirks. That’s also probably why they aren't boarding the ship.”

The two looked and both saw what the teen was saying. None of the numerous villains below were even trying to get on the boat to attack them. They were all just waiting.

“You make a good point. They don’t know what we're capable of so they're being cautious. That could give us an advantage but there are still so many of them. We would need a plan in order to get out of here and even then, it’ll be hard to get back to the exit.”

Midoriya really had to admit that his classmate was very much a realist when it came to thinking. And she was right, just the idea of getting out of here and back to where hopefully someone from their class would still be, felt close to impossible. But he had to take one thing at a time, he told himself. After all he only got this far by acting and thinking like All Might would by trying to stay calm and collected.

So he had to come up with something.

‘What would Fenton do?’ echoed in his mind repeatedly before an idea suddenly clicked.

He looked up from where his gaze had momentarily fallen. As he did his best to try and exude that same air of confidence and certainty that his class rep had almost always had.

Asui and Mineta who had been watching their classmate clearly ponder what to do. Saw as something within the boy's gaze hardened as it seemed he had thought of something.

In an instant the teens body language changed. His posture straightened while it seemed like he forced his shoulders to relax.

He went from awkwardly, off-balanced to strangely confident looking. Although the wobbly smile he still wore didn’t really help with the sudden change. But they both couldn’t deny the strange yet subtle difference. Even the less observant Mineta was far from oblivious to it.

“Alright I have an idea. But I’m gonna need both of your help to pull it off. We have to work together and stop these villains and ensure All Might’s safety. No one at UA knows what's happening, this is up to us. Let’s be heros.”

His voice rang with a surprisingly steady, even tone. The usual wobble and hesitation only slightly still clung to his words.

And the usual questioning that often came after the teen’s words also disappeared. As Asui and Mineta both looked at each other. Before looking back to Midoriya and nodding.

Line Break -

His mind, body, and energy split, becoming two and these two Danny’s didn’t wait. Hesitation far from either of them. As they both quickly flew off with determination coursing through their veins.

And while one went to the middle, towards the main threats. The other went to the left, towards the very first zone he could see, which appeared to be a dilapidated city.

But as the one halfa quickly flew over the large zone it was almost as if he had actually been teleported into a real run down city. With collapsed skyscrapers and various buildings all around. Debris crowding the streets and most notable almost as many people one would expect for a city block.

Only these people were far from the friendliest looking bunch, clearly even more bad guys. The half ghost quickly concluded at a glance.

Luckily they didn’t seem all that troublesome, at least not compared to the villain he had just previously faced and had almost been absorbed into. But while their individual strengths didn’t seem any greater than a common street thug's, their numbers were definitely cause for concern.

A fact that made the pit in his stomach grow with worry and regret. As the possibility that he was already too late began to momentarily creep into his mind. But he instantly swallowed it back down, he wouldn’t lose hope, he couldn’t… not yet.

So instead he went to work, having turned himself invisible. The numerous bad guys that he flew over didn’t even have a chance to dodge before finding themselves encased in ice. A fact that brought some small bit of satisfaction to the halfa.

But not enough, because no matter how much he looked or used his other enhanced senses he had still not come across a single one of his classmates. Making his worry only continue to grow. That was until he heard an all too familiar angry, yelling voice.

“I’m always calm and rational, you red-haired loser!”

The halfa whipped his head towards the direction he heard the recognizable voice before quickly flying to it. Every part of his body locked into getting there as fast as possible to confirm what he hoped would be true.

And within a few seconds he flew to the window of one of the many buildings around. Where he could still hear voices within and didn’t hesitate to fly in. Although he kept his invisibility active just in case as he scanned the room.

But the tension and doubt that he held in his shoulders lessened as he looked through the doorway into the next room. Where his two classmates stood. The first two he had failed.

“I don’t know man. I would say you believe in our classmates more than you let on.”

“Shut it! No one asked you.”

As Danny listened to the two squabble he couldn’t help but notice the multiple villains passed out around the room. A few even were smoking, from what the halfa guessed was a not so nice fight with the loud blond.

“Alright dude, but if you're planning to go fight, then so am I. Even if I still think it’s a bad idea.”

That got the halfa to snap out of simply observing the two. But right as he was about to finally let down his invisibility. In one of the upper corners of the room, behind where Bakugo stood, the halfa noticed the smallest bit of movement and the glint of mental.

On instinct the half ghost raised his hand which momentarily became surrounded by burning green. But before he released the glowing energy that clung to his gloved hand. At the now visible chameleon looking villain who had begun diving towards the explosive teen with a knife.

Bakugo fluidly turned and grabbed hold of the villain's head and released a small explosion, knocking the bad guy out seamlessly.

“Holy crap! That reaction time was insane.” Kirishima mused.

The halfa whose eyebrows had risen from also being subtly impressed waited for the blond's response. Seemingly caught up in viewing once again. But to his surprise instead of saying anything to the red head. Bakugo’s sharp gaze turned to where the halfa floated. Almost perfectly locking onto him.

“You. What are you doing here?” Bakugo growled out.

Danny was honestly caught off guard, ‘Aren’t I still invisible?’ he questioned. Not realizing that the miniscule amount of time he had charged up his ectoblast. Was enough for the quick-thinking blond to realize he was there.

“You shouldn’t be here. You should’ve gone to the central plaza.” The fiery teen continued, as he took a few steps forward. Not caring that Kirishima was trying to figure out what had suddenly come over him.

“Hey Bakugo, who are you talking to?”

Of course he didn’t point or say anything in response, but the teens gaze was enough. He really was talking about and to the halfa.

“Are you not listening, you damn Palette Swapping Freak. Answer me!” Bakugo further pressed, gruff voice only getting louder. As he got closer and closer with each determined step.

It was at that point that the halfa's own previous sense of relief at seeing Bakugo alive and uninjured. As well as his sudden bout of confusion and even all the other emotions which had been weighing down the teens mind. Got pushed back as the half ghost fired out his own response to the blond. As he finally let down his invisibility.

“What do you mean, why am I here!? I’m here to make sure you're not dead!”

“What the…!” Kirishima jumped, as he quickly looked at the white haired teen who had suddenly appeared. “Fenton?” But neither acknowledged the teen, already caught up in their own sudden argument.

“What are we a bunch of preschoolers? You think you need to come and save us, is that it? Well news flash we got it handled. You should’ve just gone after that damn warping bastard instead."

Danny couldn’t believe it, to think he had actually considered thanking this guy for saving him earlier. “Are you serious? I think you're the only person who would ridicule the guy trying to rescue you.”

“Yea, well I didn’t ask to be rescued. Especially not by you.”

At this point they were only a few feet away from each other. Eyes leveled as at some point the halfa had stopped floating to stand. Fists clenched to his side, matching the blond's minus the giant gauntlets.

But luckily, before either could continue on with only further escalating their bickering match. A voice of reason sounded out.

“Okay hold on. Let’s just calm down for a second.” Kirishima said, as he moved between the two.

And after a tense moment Danny finally let out a breath as he closed his eyes, finally breaking the staring match. As he forced his shoulders to relax. Before looking to his friend. “You're right we don’t have time for this. I need to get both of you back to the entrance.”

But of course Bakugo wouldn’t make it that easy for the halfa, “And who says I’m going? You think I’m just gonna hide while those villains are still out there?”

Danny could feel his eye beginning to twitch as he looked back at the blond. Trying his best to not once again get caught up in arguing. Which seemed way too easy to do with the explosive teen. Luckily Kirishima took the initiative to respond before he could.

“Hey Bakugo, maybe we should just go. Make sure we don’t get in the way and everything.”

But there wasn’t even a split second pause before Bakugo answered in a dead serious tone. “No. I’m not just gonna sit back while a bunch of wanna be villains are wreaking havoc. If you want to, be my guest. But not me, not when I can stop them.”

“Ah well still we should…”, Kirishima begun to try and reason with the blond.

“Fine.”

The two quickly looked at him, both clearly surprised even if one barely showed it. And in all honesty the halfa was also taken back by his own quick reply. But he kept going after a second, “If you want to go, fine. I won't stop you.”

Bakugo’s red eyes stared into the halfa’s burning green, without the same fury that their previous staring match had. Instead he almost seemed to be evaluating the white haired teen. But after some time, enough to almost make the red headed onlooker slightly uncomfortable. Bakugo chuffed, “Huh, as if I needed your permission.”, as he looked off to the side.

Of course the sudden awkwardness that mainly Kirishima felt didn’t instantly go away. But the friendly red head took to remedying the situation with a clap of his hands. Which effectively drew both teens' attention. And with a bright smile as he put his hands on his hips spoke, “Alright, so I guess since that's decided. Let’s go kick some butt.”

But all he got back was stares and a slightly raised eyebrow from the halfa. But that didn’t stop him. “What you really thought I was gonna let you guys have all the fun after all that. No way. If you guys are choosing to fight than so am I. After all, I wouldn't be much of a man if I turned tail and ran now, would I?”

Danny momentarily considered once again putting up a fight about the boisterous teen also going. But quickly stopped himself, knowing that he couldn’t just give his permission to one and not the other. Even if the idea of letting both his classmates willingly walk into the line of fire felt more than wrong. But instead, he said nothing as he let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes, silently hoping he wasn’t making another mistake. And all because of the blond's strangely familiar words which had caught him off guard.

But with that the three quickly headed out the building and onto the broken streets. But right as Danny was about to part ways and head in the direction of the next zone. Kirishima stopped him.

“Fenton, where are you going? The central plaza’s this way.” Kirishima said as he pointed to the direction both he and Bakugo had begun walking.

But the halfa only shook his head, “I’m going to the next zone. I still have to find our classmates and make sure they're okay.”, ‘Afterall I’m the reason they're out there’.

But Danny’s reply only seemed to confuse the red head.

“Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, it’s just, wouldn't it be better for you to come with us to fight the main villains?” Although realizing how that might sound Kirishima quickly continued as he waved his palms. “Although don’t get me wrong. I also want to make sure everyone's alright… It’s just with how strong you are… ”

“Please we don’t need his help.” Bakugo added, from where he stood, not having turned around like Kirishima had.

It was at that moment the halfa realized that he had yet to tell them that his duplicate was already in the middle, most likely fighting. And while he didn’t necessarily know what his duplicate was currently doing. He certainly felt his copies existence at the back of his mind. Like a distant, foggy consciousness that he couldn’t quite understand.

But he didn’t really have time to get into all that right now, he quickly decided. Already knowing the monsoon of questions the two, or at least Kirishima would have if he started talking about his power of duplication.

So he decided to keep it short, with a light smile, “Oh don’t worry about that, I already thought about that and have it covered.”

“What do you mean ‘have it covered?’”

But as Danny began to float higher and higher before taking off he cracked a smile. “Oh you’ll see, just don’t act too surprised.” With that he was about to go. But before he did one last thing popped into his mind as he looked back at Bakugo who had only turned his head. “And don’t do anything crazy. Got it.”

Of course that only got the blond to angrily chuff. But Danny couldn’t stick around any longer to bicker, he had already wasted enough time. So he took off without any further hesitation. Off towards the next zone. His mind already going back to thinking about what his untrained classmates could be facing.

Pushing back the other worry, which was his ecto-energy and growing fatigue. Because even though he didn’t want to admit it. After already being in one taxing fight and even having to use overshadowing. Which resulted in him experiencing the strangest, most uncomfortable game of tug of war in his life and afterlife. The energy he had was already lower than usual. And now with that power divided he was far weaker than normal.

A fact that didn’t bode well for him. But he just hoped that whatever his counterpart was facing wouldn’t be too much. Although at the back of his mind he had a terrible feeling that he couldn’t be more wrong.

Line Break -

Their discussion was quick, Midoriya seemingly having gained the two’s confidence. To a point where they both only asked a few minor questions.

But within a few minutes the three teens were as ready as they would ever be.

Midoriya sucked in a breath of air, he knew what he had to do. He just had to do it now, he told himself repeatedly as he tried to steel his nerves. But right as he was about to finally go something stopped him.

As his continuous effort to act like Fenton came to a halt. The limited times he had seen his new friend in action creating a blank in his mind.

But he couldn’t stay still long as he clenched his jaw and mentally pivoted to the very first person he could think of when it came to fighting.

With that he jumped off the boat with a yell. “Ahhhh! Take this!...”, mustering all the false-persona and confidence he could. As the mental image of his former childhood friend and bully flashed through his mind.

All the villains watched as one of their targets, with a mean expression came hurtling towards them with his arm outstretched while being supported by the other.

“Delware Smash!” with that Midoriya channeled One For All into his thumb and middle finger and flicked it towards the water below.

The force of the flick was tremendous, causing all the water to disperse before rapidly coming back towards where the flick had been aimed.

As that was happening Asui grabbed hold of Mineta who while still shaking began to do what he was supposed to. As he quickly began ripping off and throwing his purple, sticky balls into the moving water below. And even as she used her powerful legs to jump high in the air did the small teen not quit.

The various villains were unable to save themselves from being caught up in the whirlpool’s pull. But even the few who did seem to be relatively unaffected by the sloshing, rushing water. ultimately became stuck together from all the sticky balls littering the water.

But the villains were not the only ones having a tough time. Midoriya was falling, as after having been launched up by his own attempt at a smash. An attempt that once again did not fully work as intended. He was having to once again fight through the searing pain from his now visible, purple, bent fingers.

His attempt at properly using his quirk resulted in his one glove being torn away.

But as he fell Asui shot out her tongue which once again wrapped around the boy's torso. Bringing him along in the trajectory the girl had leapt towards. Away from the shipwreck zone and closer to the middle of the USJ.

The three landed within the unaffected shallow waters. Away from danger for now at the very least. And able to evaluate their next move.

“Are you okay? Your fingers look pretty bad.” Asui asked, as she looked at the green haired teen and his now gloveless hand.

He quickly covered his fingers with his other hand as he nodded, “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” He said, with a shaky breath, “It’s just that, that attack took everything I had. Honestly I’m surprised it worked so well. But let’s make getting help our top priority.”

Asui hummed slightly, “Hmm, if you say so. But how are we gonna get to the exit?”

Midoriya considered for a second before pointing with his good hand, “If we follow the shore to the exit. Then we can avoid the central plaza entirely.”

“Good idea, that way we don’t run into any of the villains Mr. Aizawa’s facing off with over there.” The frog-like girl said, as she looked off towards the center of the USJ. Where she could see the continuous fights that were still going on.

Midoriya also watched, being able to make out Aizawa’s form amongst the moving crowds. His teacher still seemingly holding his own, a true testament to the hero’s skills.

But how much longer would that last? How long could he possibly hold out against such a large group all by himself? The teen thought, and within moments of watching his inner-confliction won over as he spoke up in a low voice, “If he doesn’t get some back up then he’s just gonna overexert himself, he’s gonna end up defeated by the villains at this rate. And all because he was trying to save us.”

The two teens looked at their classmate, his somber words being enough to indicate what the boy was trying to suggest.

“Wait, you can’t be serious. Don’t tell me you want us to help.” Mineta cried out, but to the boy’s dismay Midoriya only slightly nodded. “Are you trying to get us killed or something? There’s no way we could help. We should just go while we have the chance!”

“Listen, I’m not saying we should jump into the middle of a battle. But, maybe we can find a way to take a few of those guys down, to lighten his load… Besides as far as we know we’re the only ones who can.” His voice got even quieter as he looked down, his one fist clenching, “We can’t just wait for someone else to step in anymore. It’s up to us now.”

Just like before the two seemed to think over what the green haired boy had said, considering the truth behind his words. They were hero courses students afterall, they both relatively thought.

So after a very long, heavy moment of silence the two agreed. Mineta more reluctantly than Asui but in the end the collective decision was made. And the three began the slow tread away from the exit, and instead to where the pool's edge was closest to the fountain in the middle, and the villains.

Once there they crouched down low, the edge of the pool hiding their lower bodies. Hopefully out of sight of all the villains. Who they could now see and hear more clearly and the three began to watch, focusing on their instructor.

Aizawa controlled his breathing as he leaped, his eyes darting from one threat to the next. As he used his capture weapon to enhance his movements and agility. All while taking down the impeded, quirkless villains.

It looked close to effortless, like an Olympic gymnast scoring a perfect ten. To both the three teens and to Shigaraki. Who had been silently evaluating the hero, sizing him up, looking for the man's weak point.

“Ha, you really are something Eraser Head, so cool…” Shigaraki’s dry, cracking voice slithered out.

“But your little tricks won’t work forever. Not when I just figured out your little trick.” The man seemed to be about to rush towards where Aizawa was. But just as he took a step forward to his side a darkness suddenly began to appear.

Midoriya instantly recognized what or rather who it was as his worries grew ten-fold.

Shigaraki stopped and turned to watch Kurogiri take shape into a man sized mass. His previous amusements at the prospect of attacking Eraser Head left his voice as he spoke. “Kurogiri, what are you doing here? Did you manage to kill Thirteen?”

No answer came for a few to many seconds. Longer than expected it seemed as the man’s hands began twitching more in what Midoriya could only guess was agitation.

But soon enough the voice Midoriya and the other two teens expected sounded out from the void. Although it seemed to strangely lack the same level of elegance it previously had, almost anxious sounding.

“My apologies… but.. I was unable to take the rescue hero out of commission…” The void’s voice momentarily stalled before smoothly continuing. “There were also students that I was unable to disperse and… one managed to escape.”

“What?! you fool, explain now.” Shigaraki demanded but before an answer could be given he continued, as he seemed to forcefully swallow down some of his anger. “Actually, save it. I’ll listen to your excuses later. All I want now is to put down as many of these little pests as I can. Create a nice welcome gift for all the heroes that are on their way.”

“Tomura Shigaraki, it would be wise to retreat now. To ensure our escape.” The portal seemed to try and reason but a single look from the gray haired man silenced the void.

“Oh we’ll leave, this is far from game over for us. But first let's make sure the symbol of peace is left broken forever.” Shigaraki’s gaze then shifted to look back towards where the now panting Eraser Head stood, having just taken down yet another set of bad guys. “Starting with you, Eraser Head. Let's see just how cool you are against my Nomu.”

‘Nomu?’ Midoriya questioned, as his brows knit together. But his question was quickly answered as in a blink of an eye the large mutated villain that had stood like a statue since coming through the portal finally moved. At a speed that allowed it to get right behind Aizawa in a moment. Its giant arms raised up, above the man who hadn’t even had enough time to full turn.

The three watched in sickening horror as the beast's arms began to swing down.

Aizawa had listened to the villain's taunts, and had watched as a large shadow was suddenly cast over him. So as the corner of his vision met the creature’s he already knew his fate.

But a millisecond before the two giant, fast fists could meet the pros' skull. Another's fist was faster.

Midoriya couldn’t believe it, no one could. As in a blur of black, white, and most noticeable neon green. Did something or rather someone hit the Nomu in the side of the head. Sending the seemingly immovable beast flying.

It was only a few seconds after that any of their brains, including the villains. Could truly take in the figure that now floated in place of the Nomu. With burning eyes, a slightly raised fist enveloped in that same fiery glow, bared teeth, and eyes still trained on where the Nomu had flown.

“Fenton?” Midoriya breathed out in slight disbelief. At the same time Aizawa who had finally turned his head gave his own unconscious half whisper or recognition, “Kid.”

At that the white haired teen finally turned his head. Only he didn’t meet the hero’s eyeline instead looking past him and to the other spectators.

Exclusively Shigaraki who eagerly met the fierce, green gaze.

“And just who are you?”

The halfa’s expression hardened as he spoke, “I’m the one who’s gonna beat you.” Fury lacing his echoing voice.

“Shigaraki Tomura…” Kurogiri tried to cut in.

“Quiet!” Shigaraki yelled before going back to directing his attention to the newcomer. “Is that so? Cause to me, you just seem like yet another annoying bug that needs to be squashed!”

But the void of a man wasn’t the only one to try and say something. As Aizawa urgently barked out, “Kid, you need to get out of here. Now.”

Danny spared a look down at the man in front of him. But before he could say anything to the hero. Who he couldn’t believe was honestly still trying to get him to leave. In the corner of his vision a sudden large dark object suddenly appeared. And as if in slow motion watched as it came closer as his eyes widened. Unable to even fully register what it even was, before he felt it.

A large fist met the half ghost's cheek and his whole body went flying. Colliding with the ground, breaking it apart as he went, before coming to a dead stop.

The three teens gasped as they looked to where their classmate had gone. Midoriya felt frozen in place, as his eyes went wide. Fixated on the large plume of dust that obscured where Fenton had no doubt landed.

Was his friend okay? How could he be after that? What if he’s…? So many questions raced through Midoriya's mind. As he waited, hoping to see his friend somehow come out of the dust.

But one long second turned into two and then three and so on. Not much time at all but to everyone else it felt like an eternity. Especially for Aizawa who had watched up close, saw everything in perfect detail.

But the clock didn’t stop just because the hero felt the horrid prospect that he might've just lost a student. No, the Nomu was once again back, towering behind the man. And just like before he had no hope of moving out of the way fast enough. Completely subject to the unrelenting fist of the monstrous villain as it came crashing down.

“Ha, not so cool now. Are you Eraser Head?” Shigaraki's dry, manic laugh sounded out as he watched the hero collapse underneath the Nomu's sheer strength. Blood already streaming down the man’s face as it was lifted up, off the breaking pathway by the Nomu.

But even as Aizawa's head was forcefully held up he still tried to fight back. As he used all his strength to turn his head enough to look into the Nomu's eyes and activated his quirk. But it was no use.

The creature's monstrous strength didn’t go away as it slammed the hero's head back down into the path. While stepping on the hero’s arm which gave out without resistance, blood splattering out from it.

‘He’s breaking my bones like they’re twigs. I’m positive I erased his quirk. That means he’s super strong even without powers.’ Aizawa’s mind groaned, as he felt one bone after another snap. ‘I think he might be stronger than All Might.’

He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to stay conscious. The pain quickly becoming an all consuming white, burning rush. That would no doubt make his mind go blank soon. But as his head was lifted up again he forced his eyes open, just enough to see as he clenched his teeth. As he once again looked to where the kid had gone.

‘I need to make sure he’s okay.’ His mind slowly rasped, the one thing still tethering him to awakeness. But as he managed to look all he could see was the dust beginning to settle and a small limp body, just barely visible. Before his head was once again slammed back down.

“No… I can’t watch this… Mr. Aizawa…” Mineta trembled out. His words matching how Midoriya and Asui felt. As they too watched helplessly as their instructor took one hit after another. All while their classmate laid facedown, not moving.

‘I have to do something. I have to save them…’ The shaking green haired teen thought, as he looked down at his own hands. Trying to push through the fear holding his body in place. ‘But I can barely move. At this rate Mr. Aizawa’s gonna… die.’

Danny groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. “Huugh, where am I?” His thoughts becoming words without him even realizing. But even as his eyes focused his situation didn’t become any clearer. His mind felt heavy and his face hurt?

The halfa slowly moved his hand to the side of his face. The one not currently laying flat on the ground. But the contact only made him wince as he let out a light hiss. It wasn’t the worst pain he had ever felt, far from it. But why did the side of his face even hurt? Why was he even laying on the ground? Ground that looked really broken now that he looked closer.

But as he focused on the various pieces of rumble and the now dimming ache he felt. In an instant as his eyes widened everything came back to him.

From splitting into two. Too flying towards the middle in an effort to join in the battle. Only to see his guardian about to get pummeled by that giant, somehow ectoplasm infused villain. Too flying at breakneck speed, as fast as he could go, and making it just in time to punch it with as much strength as his depleted core could muster. But it wasn’t enough and now he’s here… and Aizawa’s…

He was up, body moving before his mind even completed its full thought. Hands pushing his body up, eyes going to where Aizawa should be, still standing, still fine.

But what he saw made him feel like throwing up.

Chapter Text

Throughout the various zones the different class 1A students fought. Facing off against the numerous thugs and low level villains just like the halfa had feared. But they were far from helpless or at the very least unwilling to give up.

At the far end of the fake mountain range Todoroki froze any and all villains who so much as dared to come close.

With a determined look the teen walked. Fixated on two things; getting information and getting to the central plaza. He already had some understanding of what was happening. Fenton’s words repeatedly running through his head. But he needed more and he wouldn’t stop till he got it.

So as yet another thug tried to lunge at him. In an instant the man was locked in place, covered in a thick layer of ice. But Todoroki didn’t just stop as he let out a frosty breath. His gaze unwavering from the villains.

“You know,” he said evenly, “if you stay like this, your cells will die. Frostbite, hypothermia… a slow end. But I want to be a hero, so I’d rather avoid any unnecessary cruelty.”

His words were calm, but his actions betrayed the clear threat. Todoroki raised a hand, the chill radiating just inches from the man’s exposed skin.

The villain’s eyes went wide. Visibly quivering before rushing to answer. “I..I don’t know much! Nobody told me the details, but… I heard something. Something about a living weapon.”

“A living weapon?” Todoroki repeated to himself, eyes narrowing.

“Yes! They said it has the power to take down All Might. But that’s all I know, I swear!”

For a long moment, Todoroki studied him, testing for any hint of deceit. Calculating, threatening to see if there was anything more.

“P..please,” The thug whimpered, on the verge of tears.

So, seemingly satisfied, the teen made quick work of freeing the villain. Who fell to the ground. Not evening daring to try and attack. Even as the icy teen turned without a second glance and began once again steadily walking down the mountain.

Directly towards where he knew the main villains and this supposed ‘living weapon’ would be.

Line Break -

“Well isn’t this just fun? Tell me. How do you like my Nomu, Eraser Head? Assuming you’re still alive!” Shigaraki’s laugh rasped through his throat, muffled behind the gray, wrinkled hand covering his face. But the malice in his voice was unmistakable.

Luckily the Nomu had finally stopped in its repeated and seamlessly endless torture of the now bloody, unresponsive hero beneath. A fact that silently brought some sense of false hope to Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta who watched from the pool’s edge. But of course nothing could last forever. Not even a few sickening seconds of relief.

“But, just to be safe,” Shigaraki said darkly, “let’s make sure you can’t restart this level.”

At the unspoken command the Nomu raised up its arms higher than ever before, fists curled. A killing blow with no possible way of surviving.

“A true game over for a false hero.”

Midoriya’s body screamed at him to move. The terror that had locked his limbs in place, finally being overshadowed. As the Nomu’s fists began to fall. One for All finally surging through him, sparking along his arms and legs.

‘I have to save him!’

But before the green haired teen’s energy could even fully build up. So he could leap forward, out of the water. To somehow try and beat every single odd, that he knew was stacked against him.

The Nomu froze. Neon green energy erupting over its massive body. Locking it in place.

“What?!” Shigaraki snapped.

Midoriya halted mid-motion. Instantly recognizing that glow. They all did. As they slowly looked to where their class rep’s unconscious body had previously laid.

Only there was no longer just the small, limp body of their classmate on the broken ground. Instead he now stood. One arm raised. Hand set a blaze with green energy. Eyes burning into the Nomu.

“Thank God… he’s okay,” Mineta whimpered.

Relief was flooding all three of their minds. But their fear was far from washed over. Because even at a glance all of them could tell that Fenton wasn’t looking so good. From his stance, to his tousled white hair, and the dirt that clung to his previously pristine costume. He almost looked like the only thing holding him up was his own willpower.

Yet strangely he somehow didn’t seem hurt. At least not as much as he reasonably should be, the analytical part of Midoriya’s mind thought. Even the teens' face lacked any sort of mark or bruising that definitely should’ve been there.

“Aah! You again!” Shigaraki yelled, hands twitching. As if they wanted to close around something. “You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves!”

“...Really?” The halfa’s response was slightly delayed and strained. “Cause I could say the same exact thing.” But it didn’t lack its usual attitude even if it held more bite than humor.

But between the white haired teens' response and the fact that he didn’t even spare a glance at the already outraged villain. Seemed to finally make the hand-covered man fully snap. Like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

“That’s it! You want to play hero? Fine. Nomu, kill him!”

At the command the encased Nomu who had been still trying to complete its previous order. Changed in its single minded pursuit. From still attempting to swing down its fists to instead using its whole body to try and break free. Its head now turned towards where the half ghost stood.

“Oh no,” Mineta whimpered. “That things’ going after him again.”

“But that move. Don’t you remember him using it before? He’s holding that villain in place.” Asui said, seemingly trying to reassure the shorter boy.

But Midoriya saw the strain etched into his friend’s face, the slight tremble in his arm. “Yeah… but how long can he keep that up?”

Danny’s hand shook violently, his teeth grinding together. The pressure was quickly becoming unbearable. As the Nomu pushed harder and harder. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer. Even a few more seconds felt close to impossible against the overwhelming strength. The mutated villain clearly a match for him in his current state.

Still, he held on, because that was the point. The Nomu’s eyes were locked on him now, and not on Aizawa. He was now its sole target.

The image of his guardian's bloodied body still seared into the back of his mind. But he forced himself not to focus on it. Actively restraining himself from completely looking down, to look for signs of life. But even with his willpower, he couldn’t fully stop himself from glancing. Even if each time only made him feel worse, but it also fueled him.

As he let his eyes instead flicker across the battlefield. To where he could see masses of lesser villains still moving around. The ones Aizawa hadn’t been able to get to.

They didn’t even look close to troublesome. But he couldn’t risk them getting caught up in what was about to happen. Even if they were bad guys.

So, without a word, he used his free hand. And in a single swipe a wave of frost burst across the plaza, precisely racing towards the stragglers on the outskirts of the plaza. In seconds, the villains’ feet were locked in place, ice spreading up their ankles.

“He… he just froze all of them,” Mineta quietly squawked.

Midoriya didn’t answer. His heart thudded once, hard. In a single move, Fenton had neutralized every last one of them. All while still holding the Nomu back.

But unlike the three teens the halfa didn’t spare another thought to the frozen villains. His focus snapping back to the monster in front of him.

He drew in one shaking breath, brows lowering and let go.

In an instant the Nomu lunged like a living missile, the air splitting around it.

‘Fenton’s quirk… it’s not enough!’ Midoriya thought in panic.

But instead of watching the Nomu once again land a devastating hit, like he’d expected. The villain instead went right through the suddenly translucent teen. Yet it didn’t go far before stopping itself. Tearing up the ground with its heels until it slowed to a dead stop.

Only this time when the beastly villain turned to no doubt launch another attack. The halfa who had followed after the Nomu, beat it to the punch. Hitting the large creature with all the strength he had, straight into the side of its jaw. Its head turning on impact.

The halfa silently thankful that his ghostly strength was not purely reliant on his core like his other powers.

So when he hit, he hit hard.

But before the Nomu could go flying. In a split second the ice harbored within the halfa shot forth. The lower half of the giant mutated body became encased, its arms frozen to its side. Successfully keeping the villain right where he wanted it. Without a way to instantly attack.

So that Danny could hit it again, and again, and again… Right into its exposed upper chest.

But he was only able to get a few punches in before the close to unbreakable ecto-infused ice shattered. As the Nomu’s arms quickly flew up, wrapping around the halfa with a crushing force.

The teen let out a pained groan. Before activating his intangibility a moment after feeling the restricting squeeze.

But he didn’t spare a moment's thought to his body. Already feeling the sharp ache leave his ribs. As he quickly flew a step back. To look where he had been hitting, as the Nomu opened its arms. But all he saw was slightly pinkened skin. That faded away almost as soon as he saw it.

‘It heals fast too? You’ve got to be kidding me!’ Danny exhaustingly thought, as his brows wrinkled together. He needed to find its weakness, a way of bringing it down for good. But without the luxury of time to fully think, let alone analyze. He would just have to stick to brute-forcing his way to victory.

Trusting that the energy he still had was enough. That as long as things kept going at this rate, he would come out on top.

So he joined his hands together. Energy rapidly coursing into his palms. Before he realised it.

A deafening green blast surged forwards, nearly engulfing the Nomu's torso. As the monster was sent staggering back, heels digging into the ground even more.

When the light finally faded, smoke poured from the Nomu’s chest. Its flesh blackened and split open in a wound that would've been lethal to almost anybody else.

But Danny didn’t let up. No celebration. No pause. As he launched himself forward. Once again rocketing himself at the undeterred enemy with his fist raised and ready.

“Wow, he’s amazing.” Asui murmured.

A statement that Midoriya couldn’t not agree with. His eyes desperately trying to follow his classmates' every movement. As the white-haired teen went toe to toe with the villain. Trading one blow after another, each strike creating an impact that shook the plaza.

He almost felt like a kid again, watching old videos of All Might take down the worst, most unstoppable villains. All with that strange, almost mesmerizing air of undefeatable confidence.

‘I wouldn’t even be able to keep up,’ he thought. Shame twisting his gut. Before he swallowed it back down. He couldn’t let himself get disheartened now. Not when Fenton was giving everything he had to be a hero.

Yet Midoriya and the two students weren’t the only ones captivated by the intense, ongoing fight.

Shigaraki also found himself almost completely transfixed on the Nomu and that kid. ‘That nobody!’ his thoughts hissed, ‘He’s holding his own against my Nomu. How?!’

But after a moment he clicked his tongue as he watched the teen dodge yet another hit and delivered his own. “Tch… slippery little pest. Too fast to grab, too stubborn to crush.” His fingers twitched, “How annoying.”

“Tomura Shigaraki,” Kurogiri’s smooth, steady but strangely urging voice cut in. “I believe it would be best to depart now.”

“No! Not yet!” Shigaraki snapped, his shoulders hunching, head lowering as he muttered, “Not until I get my hands on that brat.”

‘But how?’

His gaze narrowed, as the teen phased through another blow. He was quick and his little trick of somehow becoming untouchable was beyond irritating. He honestly didn’t know what he hated more. The fact that most of the Nomu’s punches didn’t land or that the few that did barely did a thing.

But as the villain watched, he began to notice something. The boy’s gaze kept flickering to the side. Darting again and again, towards the bloody heap of clothes and dark hair on the ground.

And after a moment a slow grin curled beneath the hand covering the man’s face, ‘Ah, so that's it. That’s your weakness.’

“I understand, but you cannot forget our true objective.” Kurogiri reminded calmly.

Shigaraki didn’t even look at him at first. His mind was already moving. As an all too perfect plan twisted in his mind. After all, he didn't need to catch the boy outright. Not if he could make the boy come to him. And the last thing he needed was already right behind him, a warp.

His eyes slid back to Eraser Head’s broken body, and the grin stretched wider. “Heh. How fitting.” His voice rasped low, savoring it.

Before finally turning, to address the void with a predator’s certainty. “Now, Kurogiri, here’s what you’re going to do. And you’d better not screw it up this time.”

The orders were given quickly. Nothing phrased like a request, only demands that Kurogiri would wordlessly obey without question. So once done Shigaraki didn’t even bother to wait as he began to move. His eyes going back to Eraser Head.

“It’s time to finally put down that damn brat.” He said to himself, self-satisfaction oozing from him as he walked.

Midoriya flinched as another one of Fenton's punches sent the Nomu crashing through the plaza stones. Scattering debris with a shockwave. That whole side of the central plaza was looking more like a demolition site than a walkway, by the second.

But in the corner of his vision something caught his attention.

He turned, but what he saw only made his eyes widen. That villain, the one who seemed almost as dangerous in his own right. As the one Fenton was currently facing off against was walking towards Mr. Aizawa.

“Guy’s, look,” Midoriya whispered, just enough to catch his two classmates' attention.

“What is… oh no,” Mineta’s voice died out before he even fully asked his question. As he too quickly noticed what Midoriya was trying to point out.

“That can’t be good.” Asui croaked.

“Yeah he’s going for Mr. Aizawa, again. We have to do something.”

“I agree, but...” Asui’s eyes lowered, her tone heavy. “I don't think we should.”

“What! How can you say that?” Mineta shot out. As he whipped his head to look at the girl. But the rest of his outrage evaporated. As he looked at Asui’s unusually troubled expression.

“We're just too far away. We would have to fight that villain. But we don’t even know what his quirk is. And If we do step in, they’ll notice us. It could just make everything worse.”

Her words stung, as if static was buzzing in Midoriya’s ears. Every step the villain took making his nerves spike, as he held his breath. But Asui was right. They couldn’t just rush in. He’d have to use One for All just to reach Mr. Aizawa in time. But then what? What would he do? He had no plan and could he really rely on his quirk?

Still, he couldn’t just do nothing. Someone needed to save Mr. Aizawa.

So after a moment, he clenched his fists as he forced his body to finally stop shaking. As he stood, no longer using the pool's edge to hide. As he drew in all the air his lungs could hold.

“Fenton!” Midoriya’s sharp cry carried across the plaza.

Danny’s head snapped toward the voice, startled. ‘Midoriya!?’ he wildly questioned. But to his dismay the green-haired teen wasn’t the only one. Mineta and Asui were crouched on either side of the teen, looking up at Midoriya in surprise.

‘No. Not them. Not now.’ he thought. Dread tightening his chest, before Midoryia’s hand shot out, pointing.

“Look!”

Danny wordlessly followed the finger, brows lowering in question. But what he saw only made his face fall. That villain, that hand-covered, deranged lunatic was walking towards Aizawa.

“No,” he mouthed, icy dread surging with the ectoplasm that roared through his veins.

“Fenton! Look out!”

The warning snapped him back just in time. As the Nomu’s shadow fell over him again. Both of its arms swiftly coming down towards him.

But Danny moved, instinct faster than his thoughts. As he caught them. His teeth grinding together, as his muscles strained against the crushing weight. The ground shuddering beneath their locked struggle.

‘Damnit! I need to get to Aizawa, but this thing won’t let up.’

But after a long moment of Danny and the Nomu seemingly tying each other in strength. The halfa reopened his previously closed eyes. Desperate frustration surging through him. Adrenaline allowing him to fight through his limits. As he began forcing the arms back.

“I… don’t.. have time for this!” he cried, each word louder than the last. As two green beams shot out from his eyes. Blasting the Nomu in its now exposed face, sending it flying across the plaza.

The half ghost staggered, as the tremendous strain put on him vanished. But only for a fraction of a second. Before his gaze snapped back to Aizawa. To see that villain now standing over him. Hand lowering slowly, tauntingly. As if daring someone to stop him.

Danny shot off, without any second-guessing. Fear driving him forward.

Unknowingly playing right into the villain's plan. As Shigaraki’s hidden, toothy smile widened as he purposely stopped moving his hand any lower, instead waiting. As a swirling void ripped open directly in the halfa’s path.

Danny’s breath caught, suddenly going too fast for his own good. As before he could stop himself, he flew right into the darkness.

But just as quickly as the halfa got swallowed by one. Did he get spit out by another. One perfectly placed right to Shigaraki’s side. So that when he flew out he was right beneath the villain's hand.

With ease the man closed the centimeter wide gap as his hand landed on the halfa’s shoulder blade.

“Got you,” the halfa heard. As he flew, now like an out of control bullet. Not even truly registering the hand now touching him.

Shigaraki didn’t need to move, letting the boy’s own speed drag the decaying touch across his back. Fingers scraping down from shoulder blade to spine, spreading the contact before the teen was quickly out of reach in a blur.

Only then, moments before colliding with the ground did Danny’s mind start to catch up with his body. As he almost completely flipped himself in the air. Feet connecting with the ground, knees bending as he slid to a harsh stop. Once again facing the villain.

But the instant he finally stopped, right as he was about to blast off again. Now even more frustrated. Did a blinding, unbearable pain shoot through him. Making his legs give out before he could even try and stop them, his body fully collapsing in on itself. As he let out a raw groan. Forehead hitting the ground.

The world around swam, blurring. Pain almost fully consuming his every sense. It felt like he was being torn apart, molecule by molecule.

He clenched his teeth, holding his breath as if sheer will could smother the sensation.

It didn’t.

But with effort that made his chest quake, Danny forced his eyes open. Lifting his head just enough to glare up at the villain through his hair. His voice cracking through the haze.

“…What did you do to me?”

“Hahaha. What!? Does it hurt? Well too bad. Cause very soon you’ll be nothing but dust!” Shigaraki's laugh cut short. His visible red eye gleaming with intent, through gray strands and crooked fingers. “Game over.”

Sinking. He was sinking. The nausea hollowing him out, as indescribable dread gnawed deeper than the pain itself. His eyes were burning, tears slipping their way free as he refused to let them shut.

Not for his own sake. But for theirs. Aizawa and his classmates still needed him. But he could barely even think clearly.

Seconds dragged, as he helplessly waited for the man’s words to come true. But then, the agony, the tearing heat along his back began to almost dull.

His body was fighting, rapidly piecing itself back together. He could feel it. Every scrap of energy that he still had was being used to keep himself whole.

He wasn’t dust. Not yet.

But the black spots creeping at the edges of his vision were only growing larger with each passing second, thoughts almost completely hazing over. Saved in one way, damned in another. Because it didn’t take long before an all too familiar flash of light to appear, threatening to travel over his body. He was de-transforming.

He tried to fight it. To pull at some untouched shred of strength, but he had nothing. It was inevitable. He was out of energy and out of luck.

So before he knew it, the white strands falling into his eyes turned black. While the pain that had momentarily lessened, surged again. His now human body having to bear the remaining damage. He was done. All he could do now was watch.

Shigaraki stilled, taking in the impossible. His quirk hadn’t worked.

“How?” he quietly seethed to himself. “You should be nothing but a pile of dust. How are you still alive?”

Sure, his hand had only grazed the teen's spine for a few seconds. But that should’ve been enough.

But no answer came to the villain's genuine question. And after too many seconds Shigaraki seemed to forcefully collect himself as he reeled back, “Tch, either way you're not getting up anytime soon. And you know what? Now you’ll get to watch.” The fraying man looked down, “Let’s see if Eraser Head can survive, too.”

Without waiting the villain crouched down, hand inching tauntingly towards the hero's head. As if needing to test his quirk to reassure himself.

“No. Please… no.” Danny whispered, forcing himself off the ground. His limbs shaking, mind swimming as he ignored the burning pain. And his own ectoplasm dripping onto the ground from his back. The substance silently hissing and smoking against the stone.

But even as he managed to just barely get to his knees. He knew it wasn’t enough. He wasn’t enough.

But right as the hand was about to finally make contact, an all too familiar voice sounded out.

“You get away from him!”

In a blur, Midoriya appeared. Fist raised, energy crackling all around him. As he hurled towards Shigaraki, “Smash!”

Danny squinted, head lowering against the shockwave, as a massive gust of wind tore past him. The ground rumbling beneath him, as the smallest bit of hope blossomed.

But when the dust cleared, it wasn’t the sight he’d expected, or wanted. The gray-haired villain was still untouched. And instead the mutated beast, seeming to have intercepted the punch, as it now stood in between the two. Now loomed over Midoriya. The teens fist uselessly resting against the villains abdomen.

Midoriya breathed heavily, staring down at his own arm. Silently taking in the fact that it wasn’t broken. But the small victory didn’t last long as his gaze slid upwards, past his fist, to the dark skin and muscles beneath. Until he met the hulking villain’s unblinking eyes.

‘Wait… where’d he come from?’

Shigaraki stood up, thankfully abandoning his previous actions. As he stepped to the side, to barely look at the teen, “A smash? You say? You know, I was planning to deal with you later. But it seems you just couldn’t wait your turn.”

Midoriya staggered back as his arm dropped to his side, eyes widening.

Danny’s breath hitched as the Nomu raised its fist. The world slowing around him. Every fiber of his being screaming at him to move, to fight, to do something. And against all odds, the unimaginable began to happen. His depleted core began to claw outwards, desperate, searching for energy. Latching onto and absorbing any it could reach, even what wasn’t his.

Danny gasped, clutching at his chest. The energy flooding him felt so wrong, familiar, but wrong. But there was no time to question it, and honestly he didn’t have it in him to care anymore.

So he thrust out a hand, focusing with everything he had on forming an ecto-shield in the now falling fist’s path.

But no shield appeared.

Instead, to his disbelief the foreign energy that his core had stolen twisted into something else entirely. A portal. A small swirling area of recognizable void. Only it wasn’t a dark, ominous purple. But a burning, volatile green.

In an instant, the Nomu’s fist disappeared into it.

“What?!” Shigaraki barked, stumbling back a step as his gaze snapped to the green warp gate. Before quickly turning to Kurogiri, on instinct. But when his head whipped around to his disbelief the dark, misty figure wasn’t watching the portal at all.

No. Kurogiri’s glowing eyes were locked onto something else.

Shigaraki followed the line of sight and there he was. That brat. That same damn brat! His hand outstretched, burning that same god forsaken color.

“Are you kidding me?” The villain quietly rasped to himself.

Midoriya’s jaw dropped as he took in the green tear in space beside him, exactly where the Nomu’s fist should have struck. His breath caught, mind scrambling to piece together what just happened.

But unlike the teen, the mindless beast didn’t hesitate. As it yanked its arm free from the portal after a moment. To swing again, eyes still solely locked on its target.

“Midoriya! Move!”

Panic surged. As the massive fist blurred toward him again, and though his mind screamed to dodge, his body refused to answer, completely lagging to respond.

But before he could get hit, something familiar wrapped tightly around his torso. And a single brutal tug wrenched him backwards, air leaving his lungs as he went. As the Nomu’s knuckles sliced through the space where his face had just been, missing by a hair’s length.

Soon after, his body jolted to a stop.

“Asui?” he forced out, clutching at his now freed, aching stomach as he turned to the girl. Her tongue sliding back into her mouth.

But she didn’t answer. Instead, another beat her to it.

“What were you thinking?!” Mineta shouted, still half-submerged and cowering behind the pool’s edge. Unlike Asui, who he had gotten out.

Midoriya almost unnoticeably recoiled, “I don’t know. My body… it just moved.” He whispered, looking down at his hands. Just now noticing them trembling.

A heavy silence followed the teens' words. But it didn’t last long.

“It’s just one thing after another, with you, isn’t it?” Shigaraki said, tone stripped of all amusement.

The three teens stiffened, eyes snapping back to the villain. But his words weren’t directed to them. No, his attention was solely on their classmate.

Fenton.

Midoriya, Asui, and Mineta, wordlessly realized after following the man’s gaze. To a sight that made the blood in their veins run cold.

Their classmate was no longer in his other form and was sitting back on his own legs. With strange green, opaque liquid pooled around him. His UA gym uniform almost completely soaked through. His hand hovered weakly in the air, but the green glow they were accustomed to seeing was long gone.

“Tell me, do you have any more tricks?”

The villain waited for a reply. While the three teens stood frozen, hearts pounding. But instead of an answer, after a moment the boy's already unfocused eyes lost what little light they had left, glazing over as his head lulled forward. And just like that his body fell. Gravity taking hold as he hit the ground with a damning thud. The sound echoing in the silence.

Consequences of the impossible finally catching up to the halfa.

Midoriya’s injured hand covered his mouth. His mind was finally still, for once he couldn’t think of anything. But as he swallowed the massive lump stuck in his throat. His body started to move again, every part of him once again wanting to race ahead to his friend. But a firm grip grabbed his arm, keeping him in place. He turned, startled. To see Asui holding him back. Her eyes wide, showing the horror he felt. As she slowly shook her head.

But before he could even think of something to say, a wheezy laugh cut through the air. Dry, ragged, and terrible.

Making every nerve in his body spike, the hairs on his arms standing straight.

“Hhhha… hahhahhh… hhhaa…” Shigaraki’s arms wrapped around his torso. His previous childish delight returning, with each short inhale, “Look at him. For a moment, I actually thought he was something. Hell he even reminded me of All Might. But now…” He drew in a longer, steadier breath, straightening, his head tilting with lazy malice. “He's just another useless, pathetic–”

Suddenly, a loud eruption traveled through the plaza. The sound of doors blasting open drowning out the villain’s final words.

They all turned towards the source of the interruption. The entrance. But all they could see was a large plume of dust just starting to rise high enough for them to see.

But to Midoriya it was like he could feel something in the air, in himself even. Something that indescribable made him feel safe. And to his disbelief after a moment he knew what that something was, or rather who it was.

“All Might,” Midoriya exhaled, just barely audible even to himself.

The large blonde hero stood at the top of the staircase, hands clenched into fists, his yellow blazer being held tightly in one. While his white undershirt and tie tightly clung to his muscles, fitting perfectly against his broad frame.

But there was something off about the pro’s appearance.

He wasn’t smiling.

His teeth were still visible, but the usual, ever-present, blinding smile was gone. And In its place a harsh grimace. That made the lines on the hero's face look more intense. It was something Midoriya had never seen before, even in all the hundreds of hours of footage he’d watched.

“After all this waiting and having to put up with a bunch of brats. The heroic piece of trash finally shows up.” Shigaraki mused.

But neither the teens nor the villains had time to truly study the hero. Because in the next instant, All Might moved. Throwing down his blazer, before taking off in a blur of motion.

In a heartbeat, he was beside Aizawa, faster than Shigaraki could even turn. Lifting him with care before flashing across the plaza again. One by one, he moved both his fallen colleague and the three students, setting them near the motionless form of Fenton.

‘Young Fenton… oh god,’ The thought struck hard and cold, as he looked over the teen. Shame twisting beneath the grim resolve that now replaced his usual light. His jaw set as he turned, facing the villain once more.

In a dizzying blink of an eye, Midoriya found himself no longer by the water’s edge but standing behind his idol. After a moment, he quickly glanced to his side and was relieved to see both Asui and Mineta. But his gaze faltered as his eyes fell to Mr. Aizawa and Fenton, now lying side by side.

“Have no fear students,” All Might said quietly, voice holding an unusual heaviness. “I am here.”

“Oh, All Might, I can't believe you're here. I thought we were gonna die!” Mineta cried, full dam of emotions finally falling free.

But the hero didn’t respond to Mineta’s outburst. As his gaze remained fixed on the hand-covered villain before him, the faint dust of his earlier movements still settling in the air.

“Oh, don’t look so serious, oh great Symbol of Peace,” Shigaraki sneered, voice dripping with mock sympathy. “You’re supposed to smile, remember? That’s what they love about you after all, that empty grin.” He tilted his head, his fingers twitching against his neck. “What happened? Lose it along with your touch as a teacher?”

All Might’s expression didn’t waver, but the muscle in his jaw tightened.

Shigaraki continued, gesturing lazily toward the unconscious half-ghost lying a few feet away. “That one there, he’s one of your students, isn’t he? And look at him now. Broken and bleeding, all because he tried to do your job.” His voice turned sharp. “You can’t even protect a single child, yet you pretend to protect the world.”

Midoriya felt something in his chest twist. He wanted to yell, to say something, anything. But no words came.

All Might finally spoke, his tone steady but cold. “You’ve already said enough.”

The weight in his voice made even Shigaraki hesitate for a heartbeat.

All Might took one measured step forward. “Young Midoriya,” he said without looking back, “take Aizawa and Fenton and get them to the entrance. That’s an order.”

Midoriya’s breath caught. “B-but All Might, I can—”

“You must. For them.”

Midoriya froze, as he took in his idol's words. It wasn’t the booming call of the smiling hero, but a desperate command of a man shouldering the world.

The green-haired teen swallowed hard and nodded. “Y-yes, sir.”

He turned quickly, kneeling beside Fenton while Asui and Mineta began working together to lift Aizawa.

“Careful,” Asui said to Mineta, looping one of Aizawa’s arms over her shoulder. “He’s still bleeding.”

Midoriya reached out to do the same with Fenton, but the moment his ungloved hand brushed against the boy’s soaked jacket, a searing pain shot up his fingers. “Ah!” he yelped, pulling back instinctively. The skin on his palm was red, faintly smoking.

“Midoriya! What’s wrong?” Mineta squeaked, struggling to keep his balance under Aizawa’s weight.

“It’s… ah whatever he’s covered in… it burns,” Midoriya hissed. The greenish liquid almost glowed faintly across Fenton’s clothes.

Asui glanced over. “Then don’t touch that part. Use your jacket.”

Midoriya nodded quickly, stripping off his outer gym uniform and wrapped it around his hands before trying again. This time, the fabric shielded him from the sting, though he could still feel a slight cold burn but he fought through it.

‘What is this stuff…?’ he thought, uneasy, as he adjusted his grip under Fenton’s arms. But pushed it aside after a moment, “Come on,” he said, voice shaking slightly. “We have to move.”

The three of them started toward the entrance, walking around the still frozen villains. Every step echoing louder than it should have. As the sound of battle rumbled behind them like a storm they were walking away from.

But as they went, Midoriya couldn’t help looking back.

All Might stood alone, the air around him trembling with restrained power… and for the first time, Midoriya didn’t see the world’s greatest hero.

He saw a man about to break.

Chapter Text

“Carolina Smash!”

The words thundered through the ruined plaza as All Might dove for the hand-covered man, arm cocked back, power focused into a single, decisive blow. Just enough to take down the villain without killing him.

But the fist never met its target. As a massive shadow moved between them.

All Might’s sharp gaze snapped up to the large, mutated figure that had taken the blow head-on. The ground splitting beneath their feet, cracks spidering out in every direction. Yet the monster didn’t so much as flinch, while its chest remained unscathed.

Then the creature lunged, its arm hurtling forward like a battering ram towards the hero’s side.

But All Might was faster, dodging the fist as wind from the strike toppled broken slabs of displaced concrete and blasted away debris.

The hero was quick to counter, one, two, three crushing blows to its gut. But they might as well have been light taps for all the reaction he got. Even the final blow to its jaw barely caused its head to turn.

But the same couldn’t be said for him, as pain exploded through his side before he even registered the swing. Right where his badly healed wound sat.

He coughed, air leaving his lungs. The pain cut deep, white, hot and almost all consuming and for the first time in a very long time his footing faltered.

Shigaraki tilted his head, voice dripping with venom. “You’re slowing down. What’s wrong? Didn’t you promise to smile through everything? Guess that’s harder when you're losing, huh?”

All Might’s jaw tightened. ‘Ignore him. Focus.’

He bit down on his tongue, the energy coursing through his limbs increasing as he pushed dangerously close to his limits. Any more, and he would risk lasting damage. But if things kept going at this rate, he'd have no choice.

He struck again. Fists hammering into the villain's chest, each impact breaking the ground beneath them even more.

Until finally, the villain staggered, but it didn’t last. All Might watched, grimly, as its ribs knit themselves back together.

‘My moves have no effect…’

He leapt back, distancing himself to catch his breath, “Doesn’t matter where I hit you, does it?” he muttered, swallowing the iron taste that just kept building up in his mouth.

From the sidelines, Shiagarki’s laughter cut through the haze. “That’s because Nomu here has shock absorption, All Might. Meaning the only way you’re going to hurt him is if you gouge out his flesh. Of course, I don’t think he’ll let you. But please, do try!”

All Might forced a grin, though his eyes hardened. “Ha! Thanks for the tip.”

In a blur, he moved. Reappearing behind the Nomu as his arms locked around its torso, muscles bulging. And with all the practiced grace of a wrestler bent backwards, flipping the beast with him. Slamming its head towards the ground.

The plaza shook. Dust erupting out in a deafening boom.

Up near the stairs, Midoriya and the other teens froze at the sound. Turning back with worried curiosity.

But when the dust cleared, what they saw made their blood run cold.

For a dark swirling, all too familiar portal had opened. Exactly where the Nomu’s head should’ve hit. While another portal opened beneath the hero’s arched back, spewing out the beast’s head and arms.

With ease the mutated villain reached up, large hands grabbing hold of the hero’s sides. Its grip mercilessly unrelenting.

Blood seeped through All Might’s white shirt in an instant.

“You were trying to bury him, weren’t you? How cute.” Shigaraki sneered, stepping closer, voice laced with mock sympathy. “Your student also tried keeping it in place. But sadly, it worked about as well as it did for you. After all, that Nomu’s stronger than you were in your prime.”

All Might strained, trapped in the grotesque inversion, his body twisted backwards. As the villain's iron-like grip only continued to tear into his sides.

‘Young Fenton… fought this thing?’ his mind bit out, tension creasing his face. But he couldn’t dwell on that heavy thought for long. His already dire situation only worsening by the second. As the dark smog beneath him began to rise, curling upwards, threatening to envelop him.

He needed to free himself, now. Before it was too late.

But as he went to try and free himself. The temperature plunged, as frost raced across the ground, up the Nomu’s leg and encased its arms in a prison of ice. The creature freezing mid-squeeze.

All Might’s eyes widened. ‘Ice?’ he questioned, only two names coming to mind.

‘No… it can’t be him. Which means—’

He turned his head, eyes following the trail of ice back. And there within a cold, white fog, Todoroki stood, expression cool, eyes locked on the Nomu.

The sight of another one of his students sparked something deep within the hero. Without wasting the sliver of opportunity. He reached down, wrenching the villain's grip out of his own flesh. Just enough to free himself.

All Might landed hard beside the icy teen. One hand pressed to his aching, bloody side. “Young Todoroki, it isn't safe here. Get to the entrance.”

Shigaraki tilted his head, cutting off the hero, “What’s this? Another kid stepping in to do your job? All Might you really have stooped so low, haven’t you?”

As the villain mocked, the dark warp gates swallowed the Nomu whole and freed it, to be once again standing. The ice breaking away with ease.

But before the void of a man, now all together again behind the mutated creature could move again, a loud boom tore through the plaza.

“Got you, you warping bastard!” Bakugo yelled, rocketing forward before slamming into Kurogiri’s form. Crackling hands aimed directly for something hidden within the dark smog.

A metal collar.

But the explosive teen wasn’t alone. Kirashima, with a body hardened like stone, quickly helped to further pin the villain down.

And for the first time since All Might’s arrival, the battlefield finally seemed to tilt in the heroes’ favor.

‘But how long would that last?’ Midoriya wondered, frozen only a few steps up. The weight of both his unconscious classmate and the knowledge that All Might wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer anchoring him in place.

Line Break -

“Ahhh, these dudes are terrifying!” Kaminari yelled, barely ducking under a villain’s wild swing. His breathing was ragged, eyes darting everywhere. “I swear my whole life keeps flashing before my eyes. I think I even saw the Grim Reaper back there!”

“Could you maybe take it down a few notches and fight!” Jiro snapped, swinging the metal bat Yaoyorozu had made for her.

The three class 1A students had been fighting for what felt like forever. Ever since the black smog had swallowed them, they’d been stranded on a rocky hill swarming with villains.

They were holding out, somehow, but exhaustion was quickly setting in. Every hit, every dodge feeling heavier than the last.

“No, this can’t go on,” Yaoyorozu said between strikes, using a staff she’d created to block another attack. “At this rate, they’ll overpower us. We need to find a way to retreat.”

“Alright then, what’s your plan?” Kaminari shot back.

“You’re the one with the electricity. Just zap them so we can run!” Jiro countered.

“What? Were you not paying attention during combat training? Some partner you are!” he protested, as he ran behind his two armed classmates. “I can cover my body in electricity, but if I let it out, it’ll fry everyone, including you two! Unless you’re asking for shock therapy!”

“Gosh, you really are a damsel in distress,” Jiro jabbed, but before Kaminari could respond, she grabbed his jacket. “New idea, you’re my human stun gun!”

“Wait… what!?”

With a shove, she sent him stumbling into a charging villain. Luckily instinct kicked in as lightning erupted from his body, and with how tightly packed the swarm of villains were. The electricity easily traveled from one to another.

In seconds, almost ten of them dropped, smoking and twitching on the ground.

Kaminari blinked, swaying slightly. “Hey… that actually worked,” he said, grinning. “But how could you just throw your own classmate at a villain!?”

“We’re lucky that worked at all,” Yaoyorozu sighed, already preparing another weapon.

“I’m sorry, guess I’ll just wait to save us next time,” Jiro shot back.

For a moment, it felt like they might have actually turned the tide. Managing to finally make a dent in the forces around, at least until the air behind Kaminari shifted as the boy was grabbed.

A sharp edge pressed against his throat, “Pretty light show you got there,” a low voice sneered near his ear. “Let’s see how much juice you’ve got left.”

Kaminari froze, his electricity sputtering out as the others spun around, just in time to see the glint of a knife pressed against their captured classmate’s throat.

“Kaminari!” Yaoyorozu yelled, already moving.

“Hey, not so fast!” the villain barked. “Any more movement, and your friend gets it. Oh, and don’t even think about trying to zap me, kid. Cause let’s just say it won’t do much good.”

As if to demonstrate, along the man’s body blue lightning momentarily danced.

“Crap,” Jiro hissed, her shoulders tensing. “This guy’s got an electric quirk too.”

Fear rooted the two in place, their eyes locked on Kaminari, desperately trying to think of a way to save him. But the stalemate left them with little to no option other than complying, as every second stretched too long.

But unknown to any of them, another pair of eyes was now watching from above.

Danny hovered silently, gaze fixed on the chaos below. ‘Finally,’ he thought, relief flooding him. Only for it to drain away as he took in what was actually happening. Kaminari was being held captive, a knife’s edge hovering only a breath away from his throat, while the others were surrounded on all sides.

His fists clenched, but after a second he let out a quiet sigh. “Okay… let’s make this quick,” he muttered, before quickly flying down to stand behind the now monologuing thug.

“See? That’s better. Nice and quiet,” the villain rambled, pressing the blade just a bit closer, “You kids really have no idea who you’re messing with, do ya? If I wanted to, I could—”

“Could what?”

The man froze, confusion flashing across his face as a cold hand landed on his shoulder. “What the—”

Before he could even turn, his body began to feel… wrong. Tingly. Weightless.

Jiro and Yaoyorozu stared in disbelief as the man’s body turned slightly transparent. While Kaminari watched the same thing happen to the knife.

Panic filled the villains eyes. But, just as quickly, he was yanked backwards. The knife somehow safely passing through the teens neck. As the guy was thrown unceremoniously, his butt hitting the rocky ground with a pained grunt.

He blinked up, dazed, to see a white-haired teen, whose fierce gaze he could almost feel burn through him.

“Well?” the boy repeated, one eyebrow raised. “You could what?”

The villain sputtered for a moment before pulling himself together. As he swung out his hand, sparks already moving along his arm. But in an instant, before any electricity could so much as fly, ice shot up from beneath him, encasing the man in an instant.

But the icy show wasn’t limited to the single thug. No, every single other villain within the area, who had watched the exchange, reserved the same frosty treatment. Rock solid ice going up to their knees, locking them in place.

Danny couldn’t help the small, satisfied smile that tugged at his mouth. Until a familiar voice snapped him out of his own mild amusement.

“Fenton?!”

The halfa turned, meeting Kaminari’s wide eyed stare. For a second, all he got was a few blinks before all the tension seemed to drain out of the teens shoulders.

“Holy crap! Am I glad to see you, man.” Kaminari pressed a shaky hand to his neck, letting out a breathless laugh. “I really thought I was a goner for a sec.”

Danny chuckled softly. “Yeah, glad to see you too, dude.”

“Guess that’s one way to make an entrance,” Jiro muttered, lowering her makeshift bat.

“More like a rescue,” Yaoyorozu added, scanning the frozen villains warily. “But we shouldn’t stay here. More of them will definitely show up soon.”

Danny nodded, his expression sobering. “You’re right. You guys have done enough. I’ll take you back to the entrance, it’s safer there.”

Kaminari blinked, surprise flickering again. “Wait, are you planning on carrying us?”

Danny gave him a flat look. “Uh… no.”

“Yeah, why would you even think that,” Jiro added, with a smirk.

“Hey! You don’t have to be so mean about it. Besides, you’ve seen what he can do! Would it really be that weird if he did carry us?”

Jiro paused, clearly conceding the point, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

Danny shook his head at the two of them. Still, he had to admit it would be faster if he could just fly them all. He could possibly use his telekinesis, but it would take more energy than he wanted to spend. Especially when something at the back of his mind told him he would need it. And dropping someone midair? Yeah, that wouldn’t exactly help his guilt.

“I think I have something that could work,” Yaoyorozu said suddenly.

The other three turned towards her. The halfa’s brows raising.

“...But it might take me a second,” she added, sounding uncertain.

“Hey, whatever you’ve got planned is probably better than anything we’ve got. Or at least better than Kaminari’s ideas,” Jiro said with a grin.

“Hey!”

“So don’t sweat it,” she finished, giving a thumbs up.

Yaoyorozu smiled as she gave a curt nod before focusing.

Danny watched, tempted to add something encouraging. But it didn’t seem like she needed it. Honestly, he was thankful for that.

Yaoyorozu inhaled deeply, her eyes closing as the telltale glow of her quirk flared. Light spread across her arms and up her back, shining through her costume until the red fabric split open. As smooth sheets of reinforced nylon material burst into creation.

Kaminari blinked. “Wait… are you making that?”

“Just focus on keeping me covered,” she managed, voice strained. The glowing material kept pouring out of her. Until rope, thin metal rods, and a small basket, followed.

Jiro’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me. Is that—?”

“A compact hot air balloon," Yaoyorozu said between breaths, sweat collecting on her forehead. “The materials are heat resistant enough to last… but we’ll need something to heat it.”

She turned to Fenton, eyes silently conveying the request.

Without hesitation, Danny nodded, “Yeah, I’ve got it.”

The halfa walked over, lifting his hand as the ghostly fire burst to life within his palm. The bright green flame lighting the burner with ease. With a fire that the teen could control.

Warm air began to fill the balloon. The fabric trembled as it began to slowly expand, finally taking shape.

Kaminari’s jaw dropped. “Okay… that’s actually the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You can geek out later,” Jiro said, stepping carefully into the basket. “Right now, we need to move.”

Yaoyorozu nodded, following Jiro’s lead, with Kaminari close behind as the balloon began to lift off.

Danny hovered beside it, watching it rise higher and higher. He wasn’t entirely convinced it was all that safe, but Kaminari was right. It was beyond cool.

“Hey, aren’t we a bit of a target in this thing? Also, how do we steer?” Kaminari asked, nervously peering over the edge.

Danny grinned faintly. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you guys safe. As for the steering, well…” He placed both hands on the basket and began to push.

And with ease they were off, gliding just high enough to be safe from most attacks but low enough to stay out of sight from the central chaos. Below them the USJ sprawled in fractured landscapes. The air felt heavy, a strange mix of tension and eerie quietness.

“Kinda peaceful from up here,” Kaminari muttered, almost to himself.

“Don’t jinx it,” Jiro warned.

And, of course, that’s when Kaminari looked over the edge. “Uh… guys? Is that—?”

Danny followed the boy’s gaze down. To where a lone figure stood in a clearing, blond hair sticking out like a sore thumb.

“Wait, is that Aoyama?” Jiro finished, leaning over the side of the basket.

“Looks like it,” Danny said. “And with no villains around him.”

“Maybe he blasted them all away?” Kaminari offered.

“Or maybe he’s just lucky,” Yaoyorozu said softly, a tiny note of envy in her voice.

Danny hesitated, taking in the scene below. But he easily shook it off, “Either way, we can’t leave him.”

The halfa made the flame smaller as he guided the balloon downwards. About halfway down, Aoyama finally looked up. His eyes widened, mouth falling open in a silent gasp.

“Dude, check out our ride! Isn't it sweet?” Kaminari said as they touched down, grinning wide.

Aoyama didn’t respond at first, just blinked, his face frozen somewhere between awe and disbelief. But that didn’t stop Kaminari.

“Come on, hop in before more of those creeps show up.”

Aoyama hesitated for half a heartbeat, then smiled. “But of course,” he said, finally stepping forward.

Kaminari squinted. “Dude… did you just, like, walk through the apocalypse and come out photo ready?”

Yaoyorozu hushed him, but the words lingered.

Danny caught a flicker of unease across the boy’s face as he helped him aboard. But thought nothing of it. After all, there wasn’t time to dwell on such little things.

After that it was back to smooth sailing. Only the rush of wind and the creak of the balloon’s frame filled the air. No more villains, no more chaos. Just the steady rhythm of movement, a fragile calm that none of them trusted.

But as the main plaza finally came into view, the silence broke in Danny’s chest. A low hum pulsing beneath his ribs. His eyes locking onto the center of the USJ.

Even from this distance, All Might was unmistakable. He could even make out a few of his classmates. But that wasn’t what made Danny’s core skip. It was what wasn’t there.

The other him was gone.

The hum under his skin turned to a buzz, a cold burn, that made his instincts scream.

“Fenton?” Jiro asked, noticing the sudden tension in his shoulders.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned forward, pushing the balloon faster, his hands glowing faintly where they touched the frame.

“Danny, what’s wrong?” Yaoyorozu pressed, gripping the basket’s edge as the wind whipped harder around them.

He didn’t respond, he couldn’t. His gaze stayed fixed on the distant fight.

Below, the USJ’s entrance grew closer. Thirteen, Uraraka, Shoji, and Ashido stood waiting, their attention on the chaos in the middle. But when their faces turned upward, their eyes widened in shock as the balloon descended.

“Is that…?” Thirteen’s said, from below.

But Danny didn’t hear it. Not over the roar of energy in his ears.

The instant the basket hit the ground, he was ready to move. Because whatever was happening in the central plaza, whatever had taken down his duplicate, whatever All Might and his classmates were facing. It wasn’t good.

He had to get there.

But before he could fly off, a hand caught his arm.

Danny whirled around, eyes flashing with startled energy before he caught himself. “Thirteen?”

“Fenton, wait,” she said, her tone calm but firm. “You shouldn’t just rush in there.”

He opened his mouth to argue, to say he needed to. But the words died in his throat when he met the dark visor of the hero’s helmet. His own reflection staring back at him.

And in a moment, he knew she was right.

Danny let out an unneeded breath, forcing the energy humming through him to settle. Before giving a short, sharp nod, signaling her to continue.

Without missing a beat, the hero spoke, as if sensing that the teen had steadied himself. “All Might arrived just a little while ago. And you can see things are getting out of control…”

The halfa followed her gaze toward the plaza and he couldn’t disagree. The more he looked, the more destruction he saw. From shattered concrete, to the frozen ground, to craters of damage. And the chaos seemed to be only growing.

But he already knew that much. What he needed to know was something else.

“Thirteen,” he said, voice low and tight, “what happened to my duplicate?”

The hero studied him for a long moment, then silently began to walk toward the edge of the staircase, before looking down. Danny’s brows knit together, but he quickly followed.

And once beside her, his question was answered.

For a second, he didn’t even know what he was feeling. It was all too much.

Because down below, only a few steps up. Midoriya stood, arms shaking as he carried what looked like another fallen student.

Then Danny saw the black hair, and the faint glow of burning ectoplasm. His ectoplasm.

His stomach twisted. A chill spread through his chest, colder than the ice he could summon. Seeing his duplicate, himself. So still, so broken… felt wrong in a way that went deeper than pain. Like seeing a piece of himself dying all over again.

He took a step forward, balancing right on the edge. Before another sight froze him in place.

Not far away, Asui and Mineta struggled under Aizawa’s weight. The man’s scarf hung in tatters, his face bloodied and pale. His body unmoving.

And suddenly, the sickness crawling up his throat from seeing his own self felt so small. So insignificant.

“No…” he whispered, the word almost lost even to himself.

Thirteen said nothing. For a long moment, she simply stood beside him. Even as she began to feel a strange hum, as if the air itself was silently shaking.

But the boy didn’t move. His eyes locked on the scene below, expression tight with grief and fury. And in that silence, the hero saw it clearly. The way his hands trembled, just barely. The way his breathing had all but stopped.

Thirteen wanted to say something, to tell him it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have done more. To remind him he was still just a student. But before she could find the words, he swallowed hard and straightened.

And in an instant, the boy beside her changed.

The tension in his shoulders settled, his breathing returned. The wild, heavy thrum in the air around him stilled into something controlled, something focused. And when he looked back towards the battlefield, his eyes no longer held the uncertainty of a teenager, but the cold resolve of someone who understood exactly what was at stake.

For a heartbeat, Thirteen could almost believe she was standing beside a seasoned pro.

“Alright” the halfa said quietly, steadily. “I know what I have to do.”

And this time, she didn’t stop him.

Line Break -

Midoriya couldn’t help but follow every strike, every shockwave, every movement of his hero. The man who had once seemed untouchable.

As he was once again fighting, the brief lull that had come from his classmates’ arrival already long gone. As the Nomu was now trying to get to where Kacchan and Kirashima had the warping villain pinned down.

The man’s movements were still fierce, each punch a force of nature. But he could tell they were slower now. As if every swing was taking more from him than he could afford to give. While the blood seeping from his sides, staining his shirt was only getting bigger.

‘All Might… at this rate, he’s going to wear himself out,’ Midoriya thought, dread seeping through his limbs. ‘If he keeps going like this, he’ll—’

“Midoriya.”

The sound of his name made his heart stutter. That voice… it couldn’t be.

He turned sharply, nearly losing his balance.

But there, just a few steps up, looking down at him, stood Fenton. Perfectly fine and once again in his white haired form.

‘But how?!’

The teen’s eyes darted to his shoulder to confirm the weight he still felt. Then back as if trying to see if all of his senses were somehow playing a trick on him. But after a few too many times there was simply no denying it.

‘Fenton?.. Bu… But how!?’ he stammered, thoughts spewing into words.

The sound drew Asui and Mineta’s attention. As both turned until their eyes went wide.

“Wait, what?!” Mineta yelped. “How… how are there two of you?! I thought—”

But the teen didn’t answer. His eyes never leaving Midoriya’s, calm and steady despite their glow.

“Midoriya,” he quietly repeated, “give me… myself.”

The boy in question blinked, mind blank. But something in Fenton’s tone, steady and firm yet somehow almost sounding like a plea. Made his body move before his brain could fully catch up, as he nodded.

Without hesitation, Fenton stepped down the few remaining stairs. Before reaching out and taking the weight that had been draped over Midoriya, lifting himself effortlessly.

And the sight they, or rather he made was beyond strange.

But that strangeness wasn’t limited to them. No. The halfa felt it too. As his arms tightened around his other self. The faint warmth of ectoplasm seeping through his gloves. It felt wrong to feel his own weight like this. To hold himself.

Still, he didn’t stall, even if a part of him really wanted to. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on his energy, his core. Preparing himself.

Then the world held still.

Until a faint light, green and fierce began to leak from his limp self.

Gasps echoed around him. From Midoriya, Asui, Mineta… even from above, the onlookers froze as the glow intensified. It wasn’t violent, wasn’t explosive, nor nearly as blinding as the teens' transformations. But it flowed, wrapping around the teen.

The fallen form in his arms shimmered, edges blurring, as if it were dissolving into light. And slowly, impossibly, that light began to sink into him.

For a moment, two silhouettes overlapped. Then there was only one.

Danny opened his eyes.

The green glow behind them burning brighter than before. Then, all at once, everything hit him.

The memories. The villains. The fight. The portal. The hand. The pain… so much pain.

His hands flew up to his forehead, eyes squeezing shut. It seemed as if the teen would fall.

Midoriya reached out, stepping forward to catch him. His hands grabbing Fenton’s arms.

But the instant he made contact. The teen’s eyes snapped open, blazing. As his whole body jerked away, falling back onto the steps behind him.

“Don’t touch me!” he shouted, the words sharp, echoing, pleading. And for a split second, they carried something inhuman.

Midoriya pulled his hands back, palms raised in surrender.

No one moved. As they watched the collapsed teen draw in ragged inhales. His chest heaving in short, uneven gasps. Until finally his head lowered, hair falling over glassy eyes.

“Sorry…” The word barely even a whisper, “I don’t… I don’t…” His voice kept faltering, somehow getting impossible smaller. “...Sorry. Just give me a second… please.”

Midoriya almost didn’t recognize the boy in front of him. Fenton looked the same, but he suddenly seemed so much smaller. Vulnerable, in a way that felt different from when he’d been passed out and injured.

It was almost hard to believe this was the same person who’d fought those villains like it was nothing, who’d thrown himself into danger without hesitation. Who’d saved him.

“Hey,” he finally managed, voice soft and uncertain. “Are you… okay?”

Even before he asked it, he knew how stupid it sounded. But to his disbelief, the teen after a tense moment where Midoriya thought he wouldn’t answer pushed himself back up.

And although he didn’t make direct eye contact, Midoriya caught a glimpse at how wet they seemed.

Fenton drew in one last, shaky breath before finally speaking, despite how rough he now sounded, “Help Asui and Mineta get Aizawa up the stairs. Thirteen’s just above, she can start first aid.”

The words came fast, focused. As if nothing had just happened. As if he hadn’t just nearly fallen apart.

Midoriya blinked, startled by how quickly he’d shifted gears. “Wait, what about you?”

“I’m going back down there.”

“What?!” Mineta squeaked, “All Might’s there now! You don’t have to—”

Asui’s cut through the shorter teens ramble, quiet but firm. “You can barely stand, Fenton,” she said, eyes narrowing in that straightforward way of hers. “If you push yourself now, you’ll just make things worse.”

Danny finally fully lifted his head.

And for a heartbeat, the three of them froze yet again. Because he was smiling. Not a confident grin or a cocky smirk… just a small, weary smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Eyes that, Midoriya realized, looked so very tired.

“I know,” Danny said softly. “But I’m not letting him fight alone.”

The words landed heavier than they should have. But Midoriya felt them, understood them. In a way that cut deep and left him speechless.

Then the white-haired teen blinked, seeming to catch himself. As he rubbed the back of his neck, forcing his crooked grin to grow. “Don’t look at me like that. I always get back up. You’ll see.”

It was meant to sound light. Joking. But the way his voice wavered at the end made Midoriya question just how much worth the teen had for his own survival.

And in the end he didn’t answer, not even a nod.

Though maybe that was for the best. After all, Midoriya was in a simpler boat, with what he planned to do.

But by the time he thought of what to say, Fenton was already moving again, lifting off the ground in a slow, steady rise. Until he vanished.

Danny’s focus sharpened as he flew closer to the middle. He’d turned himself invisible, both out of habit and necessity. The last thing he needed was to draw more attention before he even figured out his plan of attack.

And though he was technically whole again, it didn’t feel like it. If anything, it felt like the opposite. Merging with his duplicate was well taxing, to say the least. But he got what he wanted, information. He now knew what had happened to himself and what he was facing.

And that was what mattered right now.

So all the rest he could easily push to the side. As he watched.

Below, the plaza was a warzone. All Might and the Nomu still locked in brutal combat. With the hero driving forward with one crushing blow after another as he fought to keep the monster at bay and away from Bakugo and Kirishima.

Farther off, Todoroki stood tense, ice beneath his feet and across the fractured ground. He looked like he wanted to move, to jump in and help, but there was simply no room for him in the back and forth.

Then lastly, there was him.

That gray-haired, hand covered villain. Watching the fight with a kind of sick glee. Even with his face mostly hidden, Danny could picture the smile that had to be there.

The halfa’s fists clenched at his sides as he stared at the man who had caused Aizawa and his classmates so much pain. Pain he could still feel beneath his freshly patched suit and skin.

‘If only I could punch that damn smile right off his… wait…’ Without him even realizing it, an actual smirk began to tug at his mouth.

He knew exactly what he was going to do.

Line Break -

“All Might!” Kirishima shouted, as his hardened arms pressed down on the warping villain’s collar, trying to keep him pinned.

But the Symbol of Peace barely heard him over the wind roaring past his ears, his focus fixed on dodging the Nomu’s relentless assault.

“Young Bakugo, Kirashima!” All Might barked, slamming an uppercut that sent the creature staggering backwards, only for it to lunge forward again, unphased. “You need to go!”

“Hell no!” Bakugo snarled, sparks flashing around his hand, daring the villain to try and move. “Not when we’ve got this bastard! He’s their way out!”

“I said go!” All Might pressed through gritted teeth. Spinning on his heels as a massive fist barely missed his head, ‘I can’t keep this up and protect you.’

The Nomu’s next swing clipped his shoulder, forcing him down to one knee. Every muscle screaming. But still he pushed himself back up, forcing his arms to lift.

He would end this. Limits be damned.

But even if he managed to take this one down, who’d deal with him.

“Look at you…” Shigaraki drawled, “The great All Might, falling apart in front of his students. It’s almost poetic, isn’t it?”

All Might straightened, jaw clenching. “Poetry’s not over yet.” Hitting the Nomu with now eighty-five percent of power. The force tore through its flesh exposing its pink muscles but it quickly knit back together.

Shigaraki only laughed, slow and soft like a child savoring every second of what was happening. “No… you’re right. It’s not.”

He tilted his head slightly, red eyes going to the struggling warp gate.

“Now, Kurogiri—” But before he could finish with his command. He was cut off by a shout.

“Tomura Shigaraki, move!”

But not even half a second later a glowing fist collided with the villain's face.

The impact rang out across the plaza. The villain’s body whipped back, slamming into the ground. The wrinkled, gray hand that had clung to his face flew loose, before clattering uselessly across the stone.

All Might’s eyes widened. Bakugo’s explosions stuttered out mid-blast. Kirishima froze, while Todoroki’s concentration broke for half a second.

And Shigaraki—

Now laid sprawled across the shattered tiles, mind blank for a moment as he tried to process what had just happened. The left side of his face only just starting to register the throbbing pain.

He reached up and touched his cheek with three fingers, then froze. Realizing what was missing. The gray, wrinkled hand that had always covered him was lying several feet away, broken like dry plaster.

Shigaraki’s breaths came sharp and shallow as his vision refocused, the world spinning around him, closing in. As his gaze slowly lifted.

“You…” he hissed, voice scraping low and venomous through his teeth. “How are you back?”

“What? Haven’t you ever played a video game before? cause this is round two.”

For a second, no one moved. Even the Nomu seemed to pause. Until all hell broke loose.

Kurogiri’s mist surged outward. Dark smog spilling from his frame, fighting to push itself up.

“Shitty Hair, hold him!” Bakugo shouted, sparks flaring to life under his palms.

“I’m trying!” the Kirashima grunted, skin rock hard as the warp villain’s form twisted beneath him. But it was no use, Kurogiri broke free, as he forced the two off and without hesitation began to collapse in on itself threatening to warp away.

“Damn it!” Bakugo roared, launching a blast at the villain. But the swirling void snapped shut in an instant. Only to reappear elsewhere.

But that wasn’t all as another warp gate opened beneath where Shigaraki was still sprawled out. And before the halfa could stop him he sunk into it to be spat out back on his feet in front of the living portal.

“Master,” Kurogiri rasped, stabilizing the villain. Who paid him no mind as he quickly grabbed one of the other dried hands stuck to his arm and placed it on his face. Once again concealing his face from the world.

While that was happening the Nomu, changing objectives spun and rocketed straight for the half ghost.

“Fenton!” All Might shouted. Lunging forward, directly into the creature’s path. As he grabbed hold of the villain’s upper arms. In an attempt to hold it at bay.

But the Nomu lifted its hand and delivered a devastating side chop directly into the hero’s side.

All Might coughed up blood as he was sent flying, crashing through the plaza. The sound of the impact echoing as dust and debris exploded outward from where he hit.

“All Might!” Kirishima shouted, but the Nomu was already moving, faster than before.

Danny barely had time to phase as the monster’s fist tore through where his ribs were. But the eyewide surprise wore off in an instant as he twisted on his feet, his arm reeling back as he kicked off into the air. As his hand turned tangible just in time to slam into the Nomu’s face.

The impact cracked through the air like thunder. The creature’s head snapped sideways, farther than it should have. Its neck twisting with a sickening crunch.

Danny exhaled as he watched the creature, ignoring the ache he now felt in his own fist. And for that moment the downed villain was actually still.

Then the Nomu’s body jerked violently. Bones and spine resetting with a grotesque pop, its head snapping back into place. Until its pupils constricted, focus purely locking onto him with an eerie stillness.

Danny sagged. “Oh, great,” he muttered, “now it’s got tunnel vision.” He barely had time to say before it lunged again.

In a split second the halfa threw up an ecto-shield. But the Nomu’s fist hit it like a freight train, shattering it with ease and going directly into the teen.

He hit the ground hard, rolling on impact before he forced himself out of the crater his body had made, chest heaving. “Okay,” he muttered under his breath, “I’m definitely not built for round three.”

“FENTON!”

The voice boomed. Causing Danny to look up just in time to see a blur of blue and gold slam into the Nomu’s side, knocking it off-balance.

All Might landed, wiping a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth as his eyes were blazed. “You’re not alone, young man!” he shouted, grabbing the creature’s arm as he turned with it, building momentum before releasing, sending the villain away directly for the fountain.

Danny blinked, then forced himself to smirk. “Guess we really are doing this together then.”

“Indeed!” All Might bellowed as the Nomu burst free of the rubble it had landed in, water spurting from the ruined fountain.

But as the Nomu began to leap back, the halfa wasted no time, flying forward. To match the hero’s action of pulling back his arm.

And together they hit the beast.

For a moment, they matched pace, hero and halfa moving like a single force, trading strikes in perfect sync.

But even as the Nomu staggered, the two finally winning in a small way. Its skin was still healing. The burns, the bruises, the broken bone, all of it simply reforming.

Danny frowned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me—”

But somewhere from behind them, Bakugo shouted, “Like hell I’m just gonna stand here!”

Before either could stop him, explosions erupted through the air as Bakugo rocketed forward. “We’re ending this now!”

But the explosive teen wasn’t alone. As Kirishima hardened his arms, charging alongside him, while Todoroki’s ice swept across the ground, freezing over the Nomu’s feet as he joined in from the flank.

The battlefield erupted in all senses of the word. Fire, ice, green light, and impacts that shook the air in overlapping bursts of color and sound.

And through it all, Shigaraki laughed from the edge of the plaza, a sort of manic tone lacing his voice. “Look at you all!” he yelled. “Scrambling around like ants… thinking you can’t win! But since you’re so eager to draw this out let me prove you can’t...”

Danny’s gaze flicked toward him for only a second. But just long enough for the Nomu to seize the opening.

As a massive hand slammed into his side, throwing him through the air like a ragdoll.

A massive hand slammed into his ribs, sending him flying like a ragdoll. The air rushed past him in a blur before he turned himself intangible. Righting himself in the air, as his gaze snapped back to the Nomu still barreling after him.

He prepared himself to meet it again. Until that damn hand-covered villain's voice rang out once again.

“Nomu kill that one.”

Danny looked up, expecting a finger to be aimed at him… but it wasn’t.

Shigaraki’s crooked hand was pointed elsewhere.

His stomach dropped, “Bakugo.”

The blond froze, realization flashing across his face as the Nomu without thought barreled toward him.

The blond froze. Realization flashing across his face, just as the Nomu’s hulking frame turned.

“Move!” Danny shouted, already going, green energy burning around his fists. But the creature was too close, too fast.

Bakugo barely had time to brace, jaw clenching.

Across the plaza, All Might turned, “Bakugo!” His voice thundered over the chaos as he too lunged forward, muscles coiling.

But the distance was too much. Even for him, the gap simply too wide and the moment simply too short.

Both the All Might and Danny watched as the creature’s arm began to swing. Both knowing they wouldn’t reach the boy in time.

The halfa, with his mind going a mile a moment, tried to think of something and despite everything a little voice at the back of his mind whispered, ‘What if I make another warp gate.’

But before the Nomu could crash into the teen. Before Danny could try to somehow do the impossible yet again. A strained, desperate voice tore through the air.

“Kacchan!”

A streak of green light slammed into Bakugo, knocking them both aside an instant before the Nomu’s fist crushed the ground where he stood. The shockwave rippled outward, shattering stone and swallowing the plaza in silence for half a heartbeat.

The halfa stopped midair, knowing exactly who had shouted. And as the smoke cleared, he was correct.

“Young Midoriya!” All Might’s voice strained, finally reaching the crater’s edge where two figures lay sprawled among the rubble.

Around the teen green light flickered weakly. While Bakugo seemed caught in a breathless trance, staring at his supposed savior.

Then Midoriya lifted his head, wide, worried eyes locking onto the blond. “Kacchan, are you okay?”

That broke the spell. Bakugo’s silence snapping into fury as he shoved the boy away. “What the hell! Get away from me, Deku!”

Midoriya’s mouth opened, maybe to explain, maybe to apologize, but the words never came. Because the ground beneath them shuddered.

From the haze, the Nomu’s hulking silhouette appeared, stepping forward.

All Might’s head whipped towards it, instincts snapping back into place. He went to move.

But before he could, a streak of neon green light slammed into the creature like a comet crashing down.

From the burst emerged Fenton, fist blazing as he fired a blast straight into the Nomu’s chest. Burning away its flesh as it staggered back.

But even wounded, the monster’s hand shot out, clamping around the teen’s ankle and dragging him down with terrifying strength.

The two became locked in a brutal struggle, neither allowing the other to go anywhere.

All Might froze, but from the hero's peripheral he could see both Midoriya’s and Bakugo’s expressions warp as they too watched the clash, eyes wide. Perhaps realizing what that kind of power meant. Or even, maybe that neither would be able to survive that.

Yet somehow Fenton wasn’t slowing.

“All Might!” Danny shouted, raising his arm to the side of his head just in time to block a swing. The Nomu’s lower arm trembled against his, both straining under the pressure. “Get them out of here!”

The Symbol of Peace’s jaw tightened. He didn’t need to be told twice.

Turning sharply, he scooped both teens into his arms ignoring the yelps or outrage and surprise as he launched away, to relative safety.

Only stopping as he reached the far side of the plaza, where Todoroki and Kirishima were regrouped.

“All Might!” Kirishima said, as the hero set the two teens down as gently as he could.

But Todoroki’s gaze remained fixated past the Symbol of Peace. “Fenton’s still fighting that thing.” His tone was even, but his shoulders were tense.

“Yeah,” Kirishima breathed, already half-rising. “We gotta go help—”

“Stay put.” The words were sharp. All Might didn’t raise his voice, but he didn’t need to.

As both teens froze.

All Might, still kneeling, turned to Midoriya, his expression darkening as he took in the sight before him. The boy’s face was pale, sweat beading across his temple. His right leg was now bare, costume completely torn away. It laid at an unnatural angle, the skin an ugly shade of purple.

“Young Midoriya,” All Might said. just loud enough for the boy to hear. Guilt breaking through his composure. “You pushed yourself too far again…”

Midoriya winced, “I… I had to. Kacchan—”

“I know,” All Might said, cutting him off softly as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “You acted like a true hero.”

In an instant the boy's eyes water instantly.

But to his side Bakugo’s jaw clenched. Having heard the hero’s final words, he turned his head away, fists trembling against his knees. “Tch! I didn’t need saving,” he muttered, voice low and uneven.

Kirishima swallowed, eyes darting between the blond and the battlefield beyond. “Man… look at that,” he muttered, “That thing’s not even slowing down.”

“All Might.”

The hero looked up, meeting Todoroki’s steady gaze.

“That creature, it was made to kill you.”

It was hard to read the teens expression, but it was clear what he was getting at. As the hero let out a heavy sigh looking back to the battle, to Fenton taking yet another blow. Before delivering his own with nothing but a small grimace.

“Yes,” he said finally. “It was.”

Danny's arms burned. In a strange yet all too familiar way. Every movement becoming a test of endurance.

The Nomu swung again, wild and devastating. Danny phased through the first blow, his outline flickering in transparency. But the second hit grazed him hard, he forced himself to stay in place, not allowing himself to go flying. As frost trailed off his fingers.

As the fight wore on it was getting harder for him to distinguish between powers. Everything moving at blazing speeds, that took most of his efforts just to keep up with. All while his energy only continued to dwindle.

He needed a plan. Something, anything.

But before a thought could form. The Nomu’s massive hand shot forward, closing around his neck in an instant.

Danny's breath caught, eyes going wide as he lost control of his body. As he was slammed down with a brutal force. The sound of the impact erupting through the plaza, dust and debris bursting upwards.

“Fenton!” All Might yelled.

Next to him, the teens’ eyes were locked on the scene. Kirishima looking on in fear. While Midoriya’s trembling hand hovered over his ruined leg, desperate and helpless. Bakugo’s expression twisted, fury and something else burning behind gritted teeth. Todoroki’s fists clenched, his breath uncharacteristically catching.

The hero’s legs bent, readying himself to launch forward.

But before he could, a blinding glacier-blue light erupted from where Fenton’s hand had clawed around the Nomu’s wrist.

Forcing the onlookers to turn away and shut their eyes. The only expedition was All Might who forced his squinted eyes to remain locked on where his student was, even if he couldn’t see anything.

But went the light vanished, disappearing almost as quickly as it came.

All Might felt what had happened before he saw it. The air suddenly an icy burning temperature that stung his lungs, frosting his breath.

But the drastic change couldn’t fully prepare him for what he actually saw, his eyes widening.

For the Nomu’s arm, the one that had been holding the boy down was now covered in massive ice spikes. The creature’s entire left side, including half its head, was now completely and utterly engulfed in a jagged formation that climbed high into the air like a miniature iceberg.

For a moment there was nothing but silence. Even from the villain's end, Shigaraki said nothing.

And then, movement.

From the ground, Fenton phased out, his transparency flickering in and out until he stumbled free, collapsing onto his knees a few meters away.

His breath came out in harsh, visible bursts. But he forced himself to stop, pushing up. One unsteady step after another until he got his bearings back. As he turned to the Nomu.

Danny’s eyes scaled up his own creation as his hand unconsciously grabbed hold of his costume. Palm placed directly over his core. As he thought back to what just happened.

How on instinct he had ended up releasing as much icy ecto-energy his core and the limited time would allow. A direct blast, something he hadn’t done in a very long time. Not since he first discovered the power.

Mainly because of how dangerous the unrestrained energy was. Although, he supposed in this circumstance, it actually worked out. Even if he now felt even more drained.

But it was worth it. The monstrous creature finally seemed stuck, unable to break its side free from the ice made from such concentrated power.

“Finally…” he muttered, voice hoarse.

But yet again, nothing could last forever… not even a few sickening seconds of relief.

Laughter cut through the brief lull. Low at first, then building, sharp and grating as it echoed across the frosty plaza.

Danny’s head snapped toward the sound, towards the gray-haired man still standing at the edge of the plaza, his posture loose and unbothered.

“You think you won?” the villain wheezed between fits of laughter. “You actually think you won?!”

Danny didn’t like where this was going. Fuzzy mind racing to think of what the man could be planning.

Shigaraki reached up carefully, grabbing the new hand that covered his face, lowering it just enough for his crimson eyes to gleam. “Nomu.”

The single visible pupil in the monster’s eye twitched in response.

“Rip yourself in half.”

Danny’s brows furrowed. “Wait—”

The command barely left Shigaraki’s mouth before the Nomu moved.

Its free arm plunging deep into its own abdomen, right where flesh met ice. The sound was wet, tearing. The creature pulled, muscles straining against itself as its innards became visible. It pushed, wrenched, tore. Until, with a sickening rip, the Nomu split itself apart.

Danny staggered back, horror flashing in his eyes as half the Nomu fell onto the ground. Already moving, regenerating even as it dragged itself toward him.

Behind All Might the students' reactions mimicked Fenton's.

“Oh my god…” Kirishima’s voice broke the silence, barely above a whisper. His hands hovered uselessly in front of him, as if he couldn’t decide whether to cover his mouth or his eyes.

Midoriya’s face had gone pale. His shaking fingers clutched at the ground beside him, nails digging into the ground. “He… he made it do that,”

Bakugo didn’t speak. His eyes were wide, jaw tight, the usual anger on his face replaced by something closer to shock.

Todoroki’s brows furrowed, his gaze locked on the regenerating creature. That thug’s words echoing in his mind ‘a living weapon’.

The only one not shaken was the hero himself. All Might didn't reel back, no. He’d seen plenty of gruesome horrors in the past, too many.

But his eyes weren’t on the creature anymore. They were on the villains.

Shigaraki’s grin was wide, unrestrained. His fingers twitching from the veil of satisfaction he got from looking at that damn teens expression.

All Might’s hand pressed instinctively to his side. He could feel it, every part of his body protesting. His time limit was almost done.

His jaw tightened. He couldn’t just stand here and watch. No, he couldn’t keep relying on him.

Gaze shifting back to the white-haired teen. Who still stood between the monster and everyone else, including himself.

All Might drew in a breath. “Enough,” he murmured, shame twisting in his booming, steady voice.

And before Danny could fully react, a rush of air blasted past him.

In the blink of an eye, the Symbol of Peace collided with the once again whole Nomu, his hand clamping down on the creature’s shoulder, the other driving a devastating blow into its chest. “Young Fenton!” A sharp blue eye looked back meeting the teens eyeline, “I’ll take it from here.”

Each impact sent out a shockwave.

Danny stepped back, squinting through the blasts, brain finally catching up to him. As he took in All Might moving fast, faster than before, his hits like cannon fire, each blow accompanied by a thunderous boom.

Every time the hero took a hit, Danny winced. Knowing first hand that pain. And when the Nomu’s fist caught All Might across the ribs, he felt the crack even from here. Another slam into his gut, but the hero barely faltered.

And then one clean hit to the face. All Might’s head snapped to the side, blood splattering the frozen ground.

‘He’s not going to be able to stop it.’ The realization was bitter, but deep down he knew he couldn’t either, not in the state he was in. There was simply no denying it, even if he wanted to.

“See it yet?”

Danny looked to the side, meeting the villain whose words were purely aimed at him.

“Unless you can figure out how to destroy my little pet faster than it can heal, your precious Symbol of Peace will be nothing more than a bloody sack of flesh, in no time. Just like your other teacher.”

The halfa’s stomach twisted even more, his defense caught somewhere between his chest and throat.

Afterall, ‘How do I take down something that heals as fast as me?’

His gaze flicked from the villain to the warped, misty figure behind him. The dark smog swirling like smoke around his frame.

Danny’s mind raced. Flashing from thought to thought, memory to memory. Briefly, painfully recalling how he’d almost been destroyed.

Then his breathing stopped, his eyes widening. As he instinctively moved, reaching across his body, fingers brushing the spot between his shoulder blades.

He knew how to destroy the Nomu.

All Might’s focus was absolute now, every movement, every breath sharp. The world had narrowed to the monster in front of him. Each blow, each dodge all that mattered. But over the rush of blood in his own ears he heard Fenton call to him.

“All Might!”

The hero didn’t turn, but he caught it instantly. Fenton’s voice cutting clean through the chaos.

“When I call your name,” Danny shouted, an unusual steadiness, “I need you to get behind it and grab hold of its arms, okay? Keep it in place!”

All Might ducked under a punch that would’ve crushed his jaw, muscles coiling. His brows lowered in question. ‘Grab it?’

But there was something in the boy’s tone that stopped him from asking for an explanation. A certainty.

So he nodded once, barely perceptible, but he knew that teen would catch it as he kept fighting.

Danny didn’t waste a second on the fact that All Might had so quickly agreed. His eyes going back to Shigaraki, core humming. ‘All right,’ he thought grimly, ‘time to do what I do best, make people angry.’

That… and somehow do that again.

He glanced briefly at his slightly shaking hands, the faintest trace of green lingering between his fingers. He swallowed hard, forcing a cocky grin onto his face as he looked back up

“You know, for someone who won’t shut up about power and winning,” Danny called out, voice carrying over the relatively short distance, “you sure rely on everyone else to do your dirty work.”

Shigaraki’s head twitched, lowering between his shoulders.

“Nomu this, Kurogiri that. You’ve got a whole entourage just to prove you can play villain. Hell, you couldn’t even take me down yourself. And it’s like you said, right? I’m just a brat.”

From the sidelines, Midoriya’s jaw dropped. ‘Why is he provoking him?!’

But it worked.

Shigaraki froze for a split second and then began to tremble.

“You—” His voice cracked into a snarl. “You dare—?!”

The atmosphere around him dropped with killing intent, “Let’s see you survive again!”

He lunged forward, hand outstretched, fingers twitching in anticipation.

Danny didn’t move. He stood his ground, smirk sharp and daring, chest squared like a target.
From behind the chaos, Kurogiri’s voice rose in alarm. “Tomura, wait—”

But the villain wasn’t listening.

Danny’s core buzzed. ‘Now!’

He drew in a breath, and just as Shigaraki’s decaying hand was about to touch his chest, he yelled, “ALL MIGHT!”

In an instant, the hero vanished from his spot, reappearing behind the Nomu in a flash of wind and debris. His arms hooking over the creature’s, locking him in place.

At that exact moment, Danny’s hands ignited. Green energy flared, wild and bright, as a burning warp tore open in front of him. Shigaraki’s hand plunged straight into it, his eyes widening in sudden, shocked horror.

“Wha—?!”

Behind him, Kurogiri reacted too late. His form flickered, trying to intercept, but the rift was already connected.

Another portal burst open in front of the Nomu.

And before anyone could process what was happening, Shigaraki’s arm shot out of it. His decaying hand collided with the Nomu’s chest.

Shigaraki quickly wrenched his hand back out of the portal, eyes wild as he looked at the teen’s face still smiling, even as sweat traced down his temple.

“I think you missed.”

The villain’s head whipped, looking to the Nomu.

Shigaraki’s face fell, “No… no, no, no, no, no…”

All Might released the Nomu, its massive frame falling forward. A low crackling sound coming from it.

Flesh and muscle turned gray, curling and flaking as decay crawled up its body, from its chest. But even as it lay on the ground motionless. Its regeneration fought back, tendons reknitting, flesh reforming only to rot away again. The cycle fed on itself, violent and seemingly endless.

But one thing was clear, it wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

All Might took a step back, his chest rising and falling heavily. Smoke beginning to slowly rise from his body, but suddenly that didn’t matter so much as he looked back to Fenton.

‘He just used a warp gate… just like—’

Before the thought could finish though the sharp, piercing sound of a whistle cut through the silence.

All Might’s head snapped toward the sound just as Danny’s and everyone else's did.

From the entrance of the plaza, at the very edge of the staircase. Stood multiple figures, a collection of UA heroes. And right in the center of them, blowing his whistle for all he was worth, was Iida.

The repeated and continuous sound was so utterly Iida that Danny actually let out a weak laugh. Relief spread through his chest as his shoulders sagged, exhaustion taking over.

He took a stumbling step back, body almost giving out under his weight. But the smile on his face was genuine. “Took you long enough,” he muttered under his breath, voice barely above a rasp.

But before relief could fully set in, from the corner of his eye the halfa caught dark movement. And sure enough as he looked Kurogiri had warped to be behind the villain.

“Shigaraki Tomura,” Kurogiri said, his normally calm tone edged with urgency. “It’s time to depart.”

Shigaraki didn’t move at first. His head still turned, gaze remaining fixed on the still decaying and regenerating form of the Nomu. His breathing shallow and erratic.

Then, slowly, he nodded.

Danny’s entire body tensed. “No,” he rasped, forcing his legs to move. “You’re not going anywhere—”

But before he could even take a second step, the warp gate expanded, swallowing both villains in its swirling mist.

But right as Shigaraki’s head was about to disappear within the void, the man lifted it, eyes locking not on All Might, but directly on Danny.

“This isn’t over,” he hissed, voice low but carrying across the small distance. “I’ll be back… and I’ll stop at nothing to destroy everything you care about.”

The words lingered in the air as the warp closed in an instant. Leaving nothing but silence and the faint rumble of rubble settling in place.

Danny stood frozen, breathing having stopped. His exhausted now at the back of his mind as he thought over the villain’s promise.

All Might despite the smoke that rolled off his body in large wisps moved, walking forward, his expression shadowed. Until he was beside the teen.

“Fenton.”

The teen turned to him, half-expecting a reprimand, half-expecting something else.

But All Might only looked at him with an unreadable, steady gaze, one that weighed and measured him, yet held a level of understanding he’d never quite seen before.