Unlimited Power

(Central Tower...)

"Are you okay leaving your girlfriend behind like that?" Jiro asked Raku as they ran along the many catwalks of the plant factory's upper levels.

Raku took a quick glance at the fight going on below, "Chitoge's strong," he admitted reluctantly, "She'll be fine. Not like I care."

Melissa smiled at his tsundere attitude, "You guys must really trust each other."

Raku instantly got defensive, "Who would trust a violent gorilla maniac like her?"

They arrived at a door and Shu scanned it with his eyes, "Break this one down."

Iida and Izuku wasted no time in doing so.

They all ran into a large hallway, only to find another security gate blocking their path. A much stronger security gate they had no hope of breaking through.

Iida frowned, "It seems that this way is blocked as well."

"Damn it! What are we supposed to do?" Mineta complained, "We can't sit around like mice in a fancy cage!"

Kaminari furiously ran his fingers through his hair, sparking with frustrated static, "We need a plan."

Izuku stared up at the ceiling of the plant factory, his green eyes picking something out, "Hey, Melissa. Where does that little vent at the edge of the ceiling lead to?"

Melissa followed his finger as he pointed, and spotted the vent, "I think it runs under the sunlight room for the maintenance system."

Iida brightened, "There's probably an emergency ladder in the maintenance room, right?"

Melissa thought for a moment, "Well... yeah there is, but it's a manual release so someone would have to be inside to let it down for us."

Uraraka clenched her fists in disappointment, "Is this really as far as we go?"

Yaoyorozu stared hard at the vent, her mind running through multiple calculations, "No... there's still a possibility."

She held a hand to her chest, creating a star-shaped device before throwing it at the vent. The device stuck to the vent's surface before instantly exploding, destroying the hatch closing it off.

"If someone climbs into the vent from the exterior wall, they can get into the maintenance room," she explained.

Raku shoved his hands into his pocket, "Oh yeah, there has to be another vent leading inside. If they get in that way, then they can let the ladder down."

Izuku nodded in agreement, "Now we need someone who can go through a cramped space and climb the outer wall without falling."

Shu adjusted his glasses, causing them to glint menacingly, "And I think we all know who can do that."

Everyone looked at Mineta.

The tiny teenager took several steps away from his friends, breaking out in a cold sweat, "You can't be serious! No! I can't!"

"Please, you have to Mineta!" Uraraka pleaded, "You're the only one of us who can do it!"

Mineta waved his arms frantically, nearly on the verge of tears, "You idiots! Do you have any idea how high we are? We are at least eight times higher than guaranteed death if I fall!"

Izuku hesitated, unable to refute the fact.

Kaminari patted Izuku's shoulder, "Let me handle this," he whispered before kneeling at Mineta's height, "If you save everyone and become a celebrity, they'll interview you on tv and you'll popular with girls everywhere!"

Jiro and Uraraka noticed Mineta starting to cave and pressed the advantage, "Come on! Please!"

"Just imagine the harem!" Kaminari continued shamelessly, "Maybe even the Class Rep will tell you 'good job.' Think about it! The coolest guy in class calling you cool!"

Mineta finally gave, both out of peer pressure and out of the small chance Kaminari was telling the truth, "Okay! Fine! I'll do it! Whatever!"

Jiro pinched Kaminari's cheek, hard, "You'll owe him an apology after the bullshit you spouted."

Kaminari rubbed his cheek tenderly as he whined, "Ow~! Fine~!"

***

(A few minutes later...)

The ladder slid down, allowing the group to claim up.

"Come on, you guys!" Mineta called down to them smugly, "Time to show me some love! Let's have some kisses from the ladies please!"

Melissa, who was the last to climb up, beamed at the boy, "You were incredible, Mineta! As I'd expect from a student hero!"

Mineta felt like he had been blessed by the heavens, "All right! Let's get pumped up everyone!" he yelled, raising a fist, "Plus Ultra!"

Everyone followed his example, "Yeah!"

***

(Meanwhile...)

[Hey! 80th floor! You're letting those dumb kids get away! What's the problem?]

Daigo grit his teeth on hearing the reprimand through his earpiece, "We're working on it!"

In his opponent's moment of distraction, Katsuki managed to hit the villain with another direct blast.

The larger villain grunted as he tried closing the distance between himself and the ash-blond; but every single time Katsuki used his greater mobility to dodge and counterattack, slowly wearing the villain down.

Finally, with one especially large explosion, Katsuki slammed Daigo into the ruins of Todoroki's ice wall that remained from the start of the battle.

At the same time, Todoroki was using his refined skating skills to run circles around Nobu, getting himself in better positions to use his ice to trap the villain. This was proving to be difficult as Nobu used his webbed hands to scoop at the ice, displacing it into roughly shaped spheres.

The villain tried using his advanced mobility to get in close but was forced to retreat after nearly getting impaled by Todoroki's ice spikes.

Katsuki took a quick glance at his rival's battle but ignored it when he realized Daigo was getting up to fight again.

"Don't learn, do you?" the heat of his palms intensified as he blasted himself towards the villain, "Well I can't keep messing around forever. It's time to put an end to this!"

Chitoge appeared on the other side of the ice wall, already in a fighting stance, "Send him my way!"

Katsuki started using explosions to propel himself in a circular motion to create a tornado, "HOWITZER IMPACT!"

Daigo was blasted through the ice wall, and straight into Chitoge's range of attack.

Moving in a blur, she slammed a multitude of kicks into the villain's body, causing him to remain in the air from the repeated force of her attacks.

"Send him back! Boom boy!"

She smashed her foot into Daigo's stomach, causing him to fly in Katsuki's direction.

Katsuki popped a vein, swinging up an arm as he let off an explosion, "Don't tell me what to do!"

Daigo was hit by the explosion and sent back towards his doom

***

(A/N) "Chain Combo!"

***

Chitoge pivoted, swinging her leg around in a 180° roundhouse kick.

Daigo finally hit the ground, a broken and battered mess.

Nobu growled in anger at the fall of his partner and moved to attack Katsuki, "Damn you!"

"Bakugo!" Todoroki called out in warning.

Katsuki dodged, losing the sleeve of his dress shirt.

Nobu stared at his hand, trying to flick the strange caramel-scented liquid that ended up on his skin, "What the hell?"

A smirk grew on Katsuki's face, "That's the sweat from my palm," he called out loudly, causing Todoroki to perk up in realization, "It works like nitroglycerine."

Todoroki instantly stretched his left arm towards the villain, sending out a stream of red fire.

Nobu looked up, cursing as he moved to dodge, "Damn it!"

A large chunk of ice, hit him from behind, knocking him off balance.

Todoroki's fire hit the villain head-on, igniting into a large explosion.

Chitoge smirked in satisfaction, straightening up from her throw.

Nobu's unconscious body was quickly restrained in Todoroki's ice.

***

(A/N) "Triple Chain Combo!

***

The three instantly ran to where Kirishima had fallen earlier when he had been punched by Daigo.

"Kirishima!" Katsuki dropped the nicknames for a moment as he ran towards his spiky-haired friend.

Todoroki was close on his heels, "Are you okay?"

The redhead was carefully rubbing his forearms as he sat near a human-shaped dent on the wall, "I'm fine. Just a little shaken. Thought I was stuck for a moment until Kirisaki help me out."

The blonde, preened slightly at the acknowledgment, "Hmph! It was nothing."

"I'm glad to see you're not injured," Todoroki said, his dual-colored eyes warming slightly.

Kirishima grinned back at him, "Yeah, same to you guys."

Katsuki clicked his tongue, turning away from them, "Thank you..." he mumbled, his tsundere showing through as he tried to thank his savior.

Kirishima lit up light a new year's firework celebration, "Whoa! Where'd that come from? Don't worry about it!"

Katsuki, popped a vein, yelling at him angrily, "I'm not worried!"

Todoroki ran towards the place he had sent the others earlier, "Let's go."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Katsuki snapped.

Chitoge snorted, "Just shut up already, porcupine!"

"EH?"

***

Wolfram held a hand to his earpiece as he spoke to his subordinate on the other side, "What's the situation?"

[Boss, those are no ordinary kids in the tower. They're students from UA High's Hero Course. They're well trained.]

Wolfram frowned, "They're probably trying to restart the security system. Be on alert. Any news from our teams?"

[Daigo and Nobu aren't answering anymore. Moku and Acat just notified us saying they've just made contact. It seems our captive has beaten all four of the guards assigned to him and has barely broken a sweat.]

Wolfram clicked his tongue, "Tell them to recapture him quickly. I'm not here to babysit them for their boss," he paused to think for a moment, "Raise all barriers from floors one hundred to one hundred thirty and let the other kids pass freely."

[Boss?]

"Just do what I say. Release the drones."

***

Play: Naruto-Bad Situation

***

(Private hanger...)

A hushed whisper filled the hanger as large amounts of paper began to swirl around Haru's body.

The two villains, one large man covered in tattoos and another carrying a large ink brush, got on guard.

Haru glanced at the villains from over his shoulder, his amber eyes glinting through his hair, "...Yggdrasil..."

The floor shook, causing the villains to jump back as a wall of paper erupted from the floor, taking to form of a giant tree. Haru stood among the branches, his hand raised in a seal of confrontation.

The roots of the tree suddenly came alive, shooting forward to grab the two villains.

The tattoo's villain called out to his partner, "Moku!"

The other villain swept his ink brush in a circular motion, "Got it!"

A multicolor sphere of ink encased the two villains just in time to block Haru's attack, staining the origami in a rainbow of colors.

Haru jumped to a higher branch, avoiding a barrage of ink needles that swept through the space he had been standing before.

"Summoning: Combo Move: Sakura Song!"

The kanji for sound appeared on the tree as a cloud of sakura petals drifted from the tree branches towards the sphere. The seal glowed, releasing a steady heartbeat of soundwaves carrying the petals toward their target and pounding the ink with heavy vibrations.

Haru's hands formed the ram sign, "Katsu!"

The petals glowed and a series of explosions rang through the hanger, sending smoke everywhere.

A string of ink blades shot out of the smoke, causing Haru to jump to a lower branch. As he fell, he spun in place, shifting back into his full costume with Onikiri remaining strapped to the back of his belt under his open robe.

His sensory flickered and he tilted his head, avoiding the black spider that passed by his head. The arachnid clung to the tree trunk, leaving a thread of black silk in its wake.

Haru briefly eyed the silk, following it back to the tattooed villain.

"Interesting..." he raised a finger to pluck the thread, slicing it with a focused needle of wind chakra.

The tattoo villain smirked, "You've gotten stronger since we've last met... Uzumaki."

Haru's eyes hardened as he heightened his guard even further, "I don't recall meeting you before. Who are you?"

The villain chuckled menacingly, stretching out his arms as his tattoos came alive, "In the underworld, I'm known as Acat."

The villain flung his arms in Haru's direction, shooting a barrage of black spiders from the tattoos on his forearms.

Haru gripped the hilt of his sword, closing his eyes in concentration, "Shikigami Dance: Waltz of the Flowers..." he drew let out a slow breath as his sensory pinpointed each individual target, "Soresu!"

In a blur of parries, defensive slashes, and figure-eight spins, Haru's blade moved a deadly flow, slicing through everything sent its way.

"Paper Shuriken!"

Flicking the wrist of his free hand, Haru flung a pair of shuriken towards his opponents.

Acat deflected it, a shield tattoo on his hand growing in size to protect him.

The ink villain, Moku, collapsed in a puddle of ink as the ninja weapon flew through his shoulder.

Haru raised an arm, swinging it horizontally in front of him as he whirled around.

A blast of wind shot from his body and hit Moku head-on, knocking him against the tree trunk.

"Another clone, huh?" Haru snapped his fingers, creating spike branches that impaled the villain, splattering ink everywhere.

He watched as several humanoid creatures with large antlers, fangs, and blade-like claws appeared among the branches.

"The wendigo is a creature of legend that consumes human flesh in a ravenous frenzy..." Moku appeared at the top of the tree, resting his ink brush on his shoulder, "Aren't my art pieces beautiful?"

Haru glanced dismissively at the murky brown monsters and their bloodshot eyes, "Charming..." his tone held a heavy note of sarcasm.

Moku looked displeased at the answer, "What, you think you're an art critic too? Go to hell!"

Haru jumped from the tree, opened a pair of origami wings, and floated away as the villain sent his monsters to tear the boy apart.

"Shikigami Dance!" Haru moved his arms in a flowing movement, bending the tree to his will, "Zennyo Ryuo!"

The tree twisted on itself, morphing into a colossal oriental dragon.

Moku nearly lost his footing and quickly created a white ink cloud to float on, only to find the dragon towering over him, its maw open to swallow him whole. The wendigos weren't so lucky as they all fell to the floor, splatting into muddy-colored puddles.

The ink villain directed his transport out of the way just in time to avoid getting eaten.

Having missed his first target, Haru rotated his arm over his head and the dragon twisted away, aiming towards Acat.

Acat smirked, a dragon tattoo crawling up his back and solidifying, clashing with Haru's Jutsu. The hanger shook from the impact as Haru's dragon tore a piece from the tattoo dragon's body.

The damaged image roared before fading from existence but the origami dragon was frozen in place, as a black spear suddenly appeared between its eyes.

Haru stared down at the villain, his eyes impassive, "As I thought. You're far more dangerous," he snapped his fingers, scattering the Jutsu into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

The tattooed villain let out a chuckle, raising a hand in Haru's direction, "You've grown strong. I'm impressed."

An instant later, the clouds on Haru's robe glowed and detached themselves, growing in size and floating high in the air.

"Sorry, Moku. Looks like you won't be able to educate this boy today," Acat taunted as the cloud circled overhead

Moku grit his teeth, before clicking his tongue dismissively, already having written off the fight as finished.

Acat clenched his hands, "Thunder!"

With a roar, several bolts of lightning shot from the clouds, aiming directly at Haru.

Haru placed his hand in the bird sign, "Wind Style: Zephyr Shield!" a sphere of wind shimmered as the lightning strikes were sent bouncing back towards the clouds, making them vanish and reappear on his robes once again, "Paper Shower!"

Acat raised an eyebrow, lifting his arms again as black fire swirled around him, shielding him from the blades.

The sudden image of the flames, and the man standing in the center, causes a flicker in Haru's memory, something he had almost forgotten.

"Don't get too comfortable!" Moku screamed, sending a wave of gray ink swords in the spaced-out boy's direction.

Haru snapped back to reality, bringing up one of his wings to shield himself.

The ink weapons splattered against the steel-like strength of the origami creation, proving useless.

"If you plan a sneak attack, don't announce it," Haru stated blandly, slowly sinking to the floor. He pointed Onikiri towards Acat, "Somehow, I remember you from somewhere. How long ago was it?"

A feral grin appeared on Acat's face, "Oh? You don't remember what happened ten years ago?"

He held up his hand, revealing a tattoo on the back of his hand.

A stylized, golden phoenix...

The thundering sound of a heavy heartbeat and the rush of air flooded Haru's senses as his eyes widened, fear, guilt, rage, and despair written all over his face. His katana clattered to the floor and he fell to his knees, his head cradled in his hands.

***

(Play: Naruto-Girai/Pain's Theme Song)

***

(In a flicker of memory long past...)

Pain... Terror... Confusion... Darkness... Cold...

Several dark figures stood in a semicircle in a long-abandoned warehouse, waiting.

"We've brought the child exactly as you ordered."

Two dark silhouettes, both wearing dark hoods over their heads, turned to stare at the terrifying five-year-old cowering at their feet.

The child had distinct, crimson-colored hair and pale skin that made his amber-colored eyes stand out even more.

"Well done," the shorter one, a woman with raven-black hair, turned to speak to her partner, "This is the child you mentioned?" her murderous aura caused the child to flinch away in fear.

"Yes, there is no mistaking it" a deep baritone voice answered as the other figure knelt reaching a hand towards the child.

A strange symbol appeared on the child's forehead and the man pulled his hand away as if he had been burned.

"Take him to our hidden facility. We have much to do," the mysterious stranger turned one last malicious look at the little boy before standing up.

A tattooed man appeared in the child's vision, "So we were hired to catch this weakling?" he sneered, his face looking distorted.

The deep voice man didn't even look at the subordinate, "Do not underestimate the spawn of the Uzumaki Clan. They possess more power than you could ever dream of," he took a step into the shadows, fading from view, "And that power shall be ours."

A middle-aged man with a brown-haired man wearing a suit leaned in to speak to the cloaked female in a low voice, "Milady, are you sure we can trust this man? We have no guarantee of his loyalty."

"If you like, I can take care of him," a female villain with skull patterned face paint suggested, twisting her head unnaturally around until it was almost underside down, "I can squeeze his life out no problem."

"Unlikely," snorted another man whose body seemed to be composed completely by some clear plastic substance, "Even so. I'm sure we're all strong enough to deal with him."

The female leader sank down in one knee revealing a pair of amber-gold eyes that nearly matched the kidnapped child's as she stared at him like a serpentine predator eying its prey.

A bespectacled man with messy white hair tried to gain her attention, "Mistress?"

"If we dyed his hair black, do you think we can pass him off as a member of my family?" the leader suddenly asked, turning towards the brown-haired man who seemed to be the second in command.

The man stared down at the child thoughtfully, "I'm not sure if your father would allow it. Even if the child is strong, he does not possess your family's blood. Anyway, our... partner seems to have a personal vendetta against this boy."

The leader chuckled darkly, "But he's willing to give him to us. It seems his greed will make him honest."

"I don't understand, milady."

The woman stood up, still eying the child, "It means that he willingly gave us a form of leverage. He's proving his loyalty to our cause," she fondled a golden phoenix pendant hanging around her neck, "Now, didn't we have a traitor to deal with?"

The tattooed villain waved a signal and two thugs dragged forward a figure that seemed very familiar to the child and kicked him to the floor.

"I'm ashamed you refused to cooperate, doctor..." the leader stood over the battered form of the doctor the child recognized as the man who diagnosed his Quirk barely a few months before.

The doctor didn't say anything, keeping his head hung low.

"Loyalty is important within our organization. You just had to follow the plan, but you chose to oppose us to protect one insignificant child..." she kicked the man in the back, stepping on his neck, "Even though it turned out to be pointless in the end."

The doctor struggled weakly, too injured to escape the pressure on his neck. Trembling, he turned his head to look into the child frozen in fear only a short distance from him.

"R-run..."

The leader lifted her foot, waving a hand dismissively at her second in command, "Dispose of him."

The villain nodded at her before nodding at his subordinates.

. . .

Blood was splattered across the floor, drenching the concrete red. The heavy scent of copper made the air sickeningly pungent.

The child stared at the dead doctor's body with trembling eyes, oblivious to everything else including the blood splatter on his face. The screams of pain and the horrible sights he had just seen repeatedly burning in his mind.

The leader gave a sinister chuckle at the child's expression, reveling in his pain, "Feeling sick? No need to worry... You'll get used to it in your new home, my new little pawn."

Realization seemed to hit the child all at once as he tried to free his bound hands, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"MOM! DAD!"

The bespectacled villain gritted his teeth, aiming his hand in the child's direction, "Silence."

An invisible shockwave hit the child, sending his delicate frame slamming into a storage unit.

The child slumped, his body racked in pain exhausted from his traumatizing experience, "Help..."

A sudden explosion of flames blasted down the doors to the warehouse, causing the villains to raise their heads in alarm.

A dark silhouette ran through the wall of flames, snatching up the child in their arms. A gentle hand stroked the boy's head comfortingly as numerous villains surrounded them.

"It's alright..." a man's voice vibrated through the child's head, "You're safe now."

"Kill him," the leader commanded firmly, retreated from the fight with the intent of escaping before her identity was revealed, "Do not let him escape with the child."

. . .

Fire... blood... smoke... and death...

The child lay crying in the weakening arms of his would-be rescuer. The warehouse was in ruins; destroyed and burned in the battle. The bodies of many villains lay around them the rest having fled as the police sirens got closer.

"I'm sorry..." the child clung to the dying man's body unable to cry any more tears, "I'm sorry... Wake up... Please..."

He only received a weak whisper of an answer before the rescuer's body went limp forever, leaving him terrified and alone until help would arrive.

But it arrived too late to save a life.

***

Haru gasped, holding in the urge to retch.

Acat licked his lips at the boy's mental anguish, "Yes~ Don't you remember that night? You were so young and helpless. You were meant to be taken that night, but we were stopped by that man. Do you remember how he died, little pawn?" he said the hateful name in a mocking tone.

Haru's head snapped up his eyes burning with unrestrained wrath, "You..." he grabbed his sword, stabbing it into the ground as he rose to his feet, "You dare show your face again? In front of me?"

Acat smiled as if he had already won the battle, "I'm here to bring you back to where you belong. As a tool for our organization."

A visible aura of killing intent radiated off the crimson-haired boy as the ground cracked under the sudden pressure.

"How foolish," Haru slowly waved a hand in front of him, revealing a row of tags marked with the seals for tiger, snake, leopard, eagle, and bear, "You tried to kidnap a helpless five-year-old child and you think you can deal with them now? Alone?" tears of rage pricked at the corners of the redhead's eyes as suppressed memories ran unchecked through his mind, "Most of my memories of that night have remained suppressed since that day, but I still remember what it took from me... from us... from our family...!" the wave of killing intent withdrew, becoming embodies in his eyes, turning them almost red, "I will make you all pay."

Moku steered his cloud to the ground, creating a pack of manticores* around himself, "Don't even think of ignoring me!"

Haru didn't even glance at him, "Shikigami Dance: Carnival of the Animals."

The tags glowed as they rotated to form a floating circle behind Haru's back. Two large leopards appeared, turning their snarls in the artist's direction.

Acat's smug expression faded slightly, realizing his opponent wasn't attacking in a blind rage as he'd hoped. Instead, his angered opponent had become more calculative... and dangerous. The aura of the boy was one of a person not meant to be trifled with.

It was at that moment, he realized he may have messed up. He may have really messed up.

No. He'd just messed up.

Moku gritted his teeth, his anger at being ignored clouding his instincts as he waved his brush in a series of sweeping patterns, "You think your art can deal with mine? My art is superior to yours!"

A green feathered serpent came to life, opening its jaws to let out a blast of wind. Both Haru and Acat were forced to shield themselves from the indiscriminate attack. As wind blades gored countless slash marks on any surface they touched.

"Damn it, Moku!" Acat growled from behind his shield, "Are you trying to hit me too?"

Haru jumped from behind his makeshift paper wall, his hand moving in a blur.

'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!'

A medium-sized stream of fire pierced through the windstorm, increasing in size until it was a raging inferno.

Moku swept his brush in a wide arc, creating a blue tidal wave from his ink.

The flames went out with a hiss, leaving the faint, musky scent of water-based ink behind.

Haru made a mental note at this knowing that this meant he'd not likely need to worry about poisonous paint fumes killing them all as a side effect somewhere in the fight.

Moku pointed at Haru, issuing a command to the Quetzalcoatl lookalike, "Devour him!"

The winged serpent, opened its mouth, revealing a pair of yellow fangs as it closed the distance between itself and the redhead in the blink of an eye.

Haru motioned with his middle and index fingers, directing the bear tag into the air, "I know I'm a snack, but not for you."

The tag exploded in a cloud of smoke as a bloodcurdling bellow filled the hanger. Harlequin dropped from the ceiling, latching his jaws on the serpent's neck and bearing it down to the floor.

Moku gaped at the ease his masterpiece was destroyed. He was even more shocked when he saw the two leopards tearing through his manticores as if they were nothing.

Harlequin raised his head, green ink staining his jaws like discolored blood. Letting out a low rumble in his chest, he took a lumbering step towards the ink villain.

Moku took a fearful step back gripping his brush in a death grip as he prepared for a desperate fight.

Haru left the fight to his three animal clones, turning his entire focus on the tattooed villain in his vision.

Acat pulled out a notebook, flipping through its pages filled with countless images, "It seems you've gotten much stronger. I may have to get serious."

Haru raised a hand, summoning a host of paper blades to float behind him, "Your Quirk seems to allow you control pictures," his sensory readings on the villain told him that he had hit the nail on the head, "You placed tattoos on your body to have constant supply but it seems you have a limit to how many pictures you use and the time between use if a one under your control is destroyed. That's why you've not reused certain attacks despite them giving you a possible advantage against me."

The villain's feelings of unease increased but he smiled, "I know you only have a limited amount of energy in you. I only need to tire you out. After taking down the guards, you must be close to reaching your limits."

Haru tilted his head, "Did you read that a year ago?" his question caused the villain to stiffen, "My updated profile is under heavier security now but I'm sure you would be interested to know that at the start of the year..." a predatory look appeared in his eyes, "I was barely able to harness a tenth of my full power."

A look of disbelief appeared on Acat's face as a fiery wave of chakra burst from the boy's body with a hum of intense force.

***

(Play: Naruto-Turn Over)

***

(Central Tower...)

Kaminari shot a glance at the gates spaced throughout the vast hallways, "It seems we've been pretty lucky," he said, "The path has been clear since we've passed the 100th floor."

Uraraka followed his gaze at the motionless gates, "Yeah. Do you think we've lost them maybe?"

Jiro panted lightly as she caught up to them, "I doubt that's it..."

"It's quite possible they're leading us somewhere," Yaoyorozu added.

"Likely," Iida agreed.

"Even if that's the case..." Izuku stated, his eyes focused on the seemingly endless hallway, "We've almost made it to the top floor. We're so close to this being over."

Raku deadpanned, "Almost? We're barely three-fourths of the way there!"

Shu's pupils shrank as he activated his Analysis once again, "Guy's we're going to have some company in that lab up ahead!"

Kaminari's body emanated a dangerous buzz as yellow electricity covered his body, "It's about time I could actually use this in combat," the pupils of his eyes widened with intensity as his hair waved airily from the static, "Midoriya? Iida?"

His two classmates responded by activating their Quirks, "Right!"

Iida began to pick up speed, "Yaoyorozu! The door!"

The ravenette raised a hand towards the door, using her Quirk to extend a pole from her palm, "On it!"

The pole hit the button standing beside the door, revealing the interior to a dimly lit platform of a high-ceilinged lab.

Kaminari zipped through, sliding to a stop as over a dozen I-Island security bots turned their robotic red eyes in his direction.

"Stungun Mode: Blitz Stream!"

Emitting high voltage electricity from his body, Kaminari moved in a blur, slamming an elbow into a robot, knocking it off the edge of the platform. He used the impact to shoot himself in another trajectory, performing a slid kick to avoid the many capture cables being fired at him before slamming another pair of robots into the air.

Izuku watched in awe as Kaminari's figure zipped around the platform, reappearing only when he changed direction, "So this is Kaminari's new move? It's much stronger than at the Sports Festival."

Iida swung his leg, slamming a kick that knocked several robots off the platform, "Concentrate, Midoriya!"

Green lightning sparked from Izuku's eyes as a red bracelet on his right arm glowed and changed form into a full arm gauntlet. 'Full Cowling: 30%'

He raised his fist, throwing a punch towards a group of robots, "SMASH!"

A massive force shot from his fist, sending countless robots flying.

Raku spartan kicked a stray robot off the platform, a deadpan look on his face at the power the three heroes in training were showing, "Damn."

Shu's eyes flicked around, trying to track Kaminari's movements, in fascination "He's using his Quirk to speed up his movements but he doesn't have the perception speed to keep it up continuously. He makes up for that by moving in constant bursts of speed to rebound off of surfaces. An impressive move," he glanced around, staring pointedly at everybody's head, "But it seems to cause excessive static," he tried hard not to laugh on seeing their hair standing up on end.

Everyone deadpanned back at him.

The wave of robots finally stopped thanks to the fighting trio's efforts and a few smoke bombs, courtesy of Yaoyorozu, jamming their communications.

Iida looked over at Jiro, "Jiro! Do they have backup?"

Jiro stabbed her plugs into the floor, listening for movement, "Yeah! Coming from the left!"

Iida ran off towards the right and the other automatically followed, "Then we're heading off the opposite way!"

Uraraka turned an admiring gaze at Izuku's arm, "Deku, that glove! It's amazing!"

Izuku grunted happily in response, throwing a grateful look in Melissa's direction, "It worked perfectly, Melissa!"

The blonde girl smiled, happy that her gifted support item was working so well, "I'm glad you brought it!"

Izuku let out an embarrassed chuckle, "I actually didn't know how to get it off my arm..."

His response was met by some good-natured laughs from the rest of the group.

***

(137th Floor...)

Jiro listened intently through the walls, "I hear a lot of those security machines on the floor below us."

Kaminari was panting heavily, static sparking off his skin, "How about the upper floor?"

"No. It should be clear," Jiro pulled out her plugs, looking at her friend in concern, "You're overusing your Quirk. I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

The electric blonde sent her a lopsided grin, sending her a thumbs up, "No worries! I won't slow you guy's down."

Izuku patted his classmate's shoulder encouragingly, "Just don't overdo it."

***

(138th Floor... Server Room...)

They hurried through the countless rows of computer servers unobstructed. There wasn't a robot in sight.

Raku's head swiveled around, searching for the expected security, "Where are the robots?"

There was a dull buzz as the doors at the far end of the room slid open, revealing endless ranks of the security bots.

Shu frowned, smacking his friend upside the head, "You had to say it!"

Iida frowned as the machines turned on, revealing how Jiro hadn't noticed them before, "A trap?"

Izuku placed himself in front of his classmates, "Let's break through, guys!"

"Wait!" Melissa warned, "We can't damage these servers! It could affect the island's security system!"

Several more of the squat robots appeared from the upper levels of the room, jumping down to the main floor.

Mineta's eyes widened, "How many of these things are there?"

Shu attempted to scan the room but suddenly flinched back, snatching off his glasses and rubbing his eyes in pain.

Raku looked at his friend in concern, "How are your eyes, Shu?"

The sandy-haired teen gave them all a tired look, "I'll be better after a rest. I can only use my Quirk a single use before I temporarily go blind."

Yaoyorozu instantly took command, "Right. We can handle these machines while protecting the servers."

Iida sank into a running stance, preparing for another fight, "Midoriya, go. Take Melissa and find a different route.

Izuku nodded, turning to Melissa, "We'll leave it to them. Come on!"

The blonde grabbed Uraraka's arm, "Ochako, you should come with us too."

Uraraka hesitated, "But, the robots..."

"Do it," Shu told her, his darkened irises revealing he had used his Quirk, "They'll need you."

The bespectacled teen's eyes shifted to an obsidian black as he lost all sight and he knelt on one knee, cautiously touching the floor for support.

Raku reached out to help his friend, "Shu!"

Shu waved him off, "Turning his sightless eyes in what he assumed was Melissa's direction, "Turn left and head down the hall, there are some stairs leading out. It's up to you to figure out the rest."

Kaminari picked him up, leaning him behind one of the servers, "You know you're just talking to Mineta, right?"

Shu sweatdropped, "Hey! I just went blind!"

Kaminari grinned, giving Raku a nod, "Go with the others. I'll help out here."

Raku nodded and ran after Izuku's team as Kaminari cracked his knuckled, electricity running across his body.

"Hey Shu, are these rooms insulated?" he asked.

Shu leaned his head back, "To keep out sources of electricity from short-circuiting the servers, the rooms are made specially to keep outside electrical charges from spreading, why?"

"Stungun Mode: Depth Charge!" without even waiting, a streak of yellow lightning pushed past the remaining UA students, pushing through the robots into the other room.

A moment later a concentrated burst of electricity exploded at the entrance of the room, pushing the robots back and crowding them all together in a mixed-up pile of metal.

Everyone stood stunned as Kaminari crouched in the doorway, breathing heavily and clearly almost at his limit.

At that moment, Jiro spotted several reinforcement robots closing in from among the server and called out a warning, "Kaminari, behind you!"

Kaminari glanced behind, turned his attention to the newly arrived security bots, "Right..." he said breathlessly, activating his Quirk and zipping back to the safety of the group.

The robots recovered quickly and began to roll forward, unaffected by the electricity.

Iida's engines roared to life as he went into overdrive, "Recipro Burst!"

He swung a roundhouse kick, smacking multiple robots into the far walls, destroying them.

Yaoyorozu gasped as she finished creating a cannon, "Jiro, take over the gun. I'll make us some soft ammo."

"Roger that!" Jiro grabbed the gun, aiming it at the oncoming robots.

The cannon recoiled, firing balls of glue as fast as the two girls could provide and load.

Mineta kept on throwing his balls, trapping as many of the bots as he could hit, "I will not let you hurt my ladies!"

A robot dropped from the upper gallery, catching Jiro by surprise as it landed behind her.

The girl turned to face the threat but found the machine already smashed to the floor by Kaminari.

"Stay focused!"

She nodded, turning her attention back on the gun, "Thanks!"

"No problem!"

A slight look of remorse flickered across her face, "Sorry, this doesn't change anything."

Kaminari rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his head apologetically, "Hey, I'm not that kind of guy."

Jiro let out a fond sigh, "I know."

***

(Meanwhile...)

Izuku, Melissa, Uraraka, and Raku exited the door to an outside platform housing dozens of giant wind fans.

"What is this?" Izuku stared at the metal blades towering over their heads.

Melissa followed his gaze, "The wind power generator," she explained.

Raku ran a hand through his hair, looking around curiously, "So what are we doing here?"

"There are more robots in the tower," Melissa stated, "They're probably waiting there, just waiting to catch us," she pointed to a small door several flights up above the generator, "But if we climb to the top from here, we'll avoid them. There is an emergency exit we can enter."

Izuku scanned the distance with trepidation, "All the way up there?"

Raku let out a low whistle.

Melissa turned around to face them, "But we have Ochako," she gave the brunette a hopeful look, "Your Quirk makes anything you touch weightless, right? So, this should be easy."

The other three noticed the blonde girl's attempt to still her trembling hands, revealing her nervousness with the risky plan.

They also knew they had no other choice. They were the last of their rescue team. If they failed, then everything would have been for nothing.

Uraraka's face became determined, "Leave it to me. Melissa, hang on to Deku. I can only risk floating you two."

Raku let out an internal sigh of relief, secretly happy about not being sent on an unrestricted flying trip, "We'll catch up when we can. Just focus on fixing the security system."

Melissa climbed onto Izuku's back and Uraraka placed her hands on the pair, "Alright, go!" she tossed them upward directing their path towards the general direction of the emergency door.

The sound of the door to the platform sliding open and the muffled alarms of the security robots sent a sinking feeling in all of their stomachs.

Raku gritted his teeth, running towards the robots, "Keep going!"

Melissa called out in desperation to the grounded pair, "Both of you get out of here! Uraraka, release your Quirk!"

"I can't!" Uraraka braced herself, standing her ground as Raku tried to use his naturally resilient body as a living bludgeon against the bots to little avail, "If I do that, you might not make it to the top in time!"

Raku was quickly overpowered, the robots binding him with their cables. The remainder closed in on the helpless girl in their targets.

"Uraraka! Raku! No!"

A rumble filled the air as an ash-blond figure appeared, blasting the robots away with a loud explosion.

Izuku gasped, "Kacchan!"

The temperature dropped as a wave of ice encased another wave of the security drones.

Uraraka turned to see three more figures run onto the platform, "Todoroki! Kirishima! Kirisaki!"

Todoroki placed himself next to Uraraka, protecting her from further attack, "That was close. Are you okay?"

Uraraka gave them a brief rundown on the present plan.

Chitoge crouched, the ground cracking under her strength as she launched herself into the air with her fist raised, "SHANNARO!"

Raku's eyes bulged as he realized he was the target, "Wait, wait, wait! STOP!"

He vanished as the punch landed, scattering the robots.

Chitoge straightened up, ignoring the Raku-shaped imprint in the concrete, "Ah~! This makes me want to consider an heroing career!"

"You'd be kicked out for being a local terrorist..." Raku groaned from his position, "And don't stand like that, I can see your panties."

Chitoge gasped, stomping on her fake boyfriend until his face was nothing more than a censored mass of discolored pixels, "PERVERT!"

Raku reached a hand towards the heavens, uttering a heartfelt 'why?' over his fate.

Kirishima's eyebrow shot up as he smashed another robot, unsure if he should step in, "Umm... guys? That doesn't look very manly."

Katsuki blew up another robot, glancing at the couple, unfazed, "What. They seem fine to me."

Todoroki shifted his foot, freezing another wave of robots, "That just leaves another problem we should address."

"You trying to say something, Icy-Hot?"

Izuku and Melissa sweatdropped the chaotic mess happening below them. Their brief moment of joy was cut short when a heavy breeze began to pick up, beginning to push them away from the building.

Uraraka turned pale in fear, seeing them head out to the open sky, "Oh no!"

Todoroki flung off his coat, yelling at Katsuki, "Bakugo! Aim the propeller at Midoriya, quick!"

Katsuki blasted himself into the air aiming at one of the giant fans, "I told you not to give me orders!"

An explosion destroyed the fan's supports, causing it to tilt so that it faced towards the building.

Todoroki directed his hand towards it, releasing a powerful blast of flames towards the propeller. The heat created a powerful wind that hit Izuku and Melissa's bodies like a wall, pushing them back towards their destination.

Izuku sent his classmates a grateful wave.

"Deku! The wall!"

At Melissa's warning, Izuku turned to see that the both of them were heading for the wall.

'Melissa said the gauntlet could take 100% of All Might's power up to three times.' He clenched his fist, activating his Quirk. This is no time to hold back now! 'One for All: Full Cowling!'

"Hold on!" he warned.

Melissa tightened her grip, closing her eyes for the impact.

"DETRIOT SMASH!"

Izuku slammed his fist into the wall, smashing a massive while through it.

Uraraka shield her eyes with her hand as she saw the duo pull themselves inside, "Okay, they're inside the tower!" she pressed her fingers together, "Release!"

***

Wolfram jerked in surprise on receiving the latest update from his subordinates, "Send Swordkil in..." he snapped, "And the others. Contact Acat and Moku. Tell them to wrap things up and take care of those kids!"

The screens around the room turned red as an alert went off.

[Attention. Private Hanger B has been compromised. For the safety of the island and its citizens, we will be shutting down all airport access.]

Wolfram stopped in his tracks, not believing his ears, "What the hell? Who turned on that alarm."

The villain leader's com buzzed as the villain on the other end tried to make sense of the situation, [We're not familiar enough with the security system, boss. This looks like an automatic alert. Seems that there is some kind of damage is being done to the hanger we sent the kid. All-access to the airport has been closed off.]

Wolfram's eyes hardened, "Can you get it open again?"

[We might, but there's no guarantee. I'll have to override multiple protocols. We'll have to find another way off the island]

Wolfram stormed towards the main door, "Protect the control room until I can get there."

All Might watched the villain leave with a mixture of worry and pride. It seems our young heroes have lit quite the fire under the villain's feet. I just need to hold on a little while longer. He shot a glance at Mother Teresa.

The old woman hadn't moved the entire time, but All Might knew it was her Quirk keeping him from timing out.

Mother Teresa's Quirk: Grace. It allowed her to bestow the spontaneous gift of strength, whether mental, emotional, or physical. The full capabilities and power of the Quirk were unknown, but on record, it was instantly ranked S-class.

Ironic how such a tiny, humble woman had the strength to move mountains. Metaphorically speaking... or not... no one knew for sure.

***

(Play: Naruto-Konan Theme)

***

(Back in the hanger...)

Acat was in the middle of the battle for his life.

Small fires, slice marks, cracked surfaces, and damaged machinery littered the whole hanger, revealing the complete beatdown that he had just barely been avoiding.

It was a good thing that the villain could not read the teen's thoughts or the fact that Haru was mentally hoping that the place was well insured would have sent the man into a livid rage.

At first, the villain had tried to use his notebook. Then Haru had quickly snatched it away using his Kekkei Genkai, placing the fight in his favor.

By now, Haru had managed to burn off most of his rage.

After literally hurling both flame and the sword upon the enemy...

As for Moku, he was too busy dealing with origami clones of a Kodiak bear, two leopards, an adder the size of a python, and a Harpy eagle.

All the while he had quickly been on the mental decline over his art.

In desperation, the villain pulled out a knife, slicing his hand and staining his brush in his blood, "No! No! No! I will destroy you using my ultimate masterpiece!" he swung the tool over his head, summoning a massive amount of dark ink tinted with a deep red, "COME FORTH, CTHULHU!"

A dark giant with an octopus-like head and a scaly body, and narrow wings engulfed the villain, towering over the origami animals.

Haru looked up, mid-Paper Shower, to take in the art piece, "Well, would you look at that, it's Mark Zuckerberg."

All of Haru's animal clones stopped moving, scattering into hundreds of pieces of paper that moved to encase the monster.

Acat stepped forward, his tattoos shifting as he shot spears of some dark liquid from his fingers, "Moku!"

The attack had no effect as it just passed through Haru's body, revealing it to be transformed into paper.

Haru swung his arm, sending out a blast of wind that sent the villain flying off his feet, "You remind me of some acquaintances of my parents..." he lectured the trapped Moku as an implanted image of a blond bombardier and a red-haired puppeteer popped in his brain, "Trust me, their idea of art was even less conventional than yours, but one of them had a fun line, a chilly look flickered in his eyes a brief moment, "True art..." the paper bombs plastered across the ink monster surface glowed, "Is an explosion."

A deafening boom shook the entire airport, setting off countless alarms.

[Attention. Private Hanger B has been compromised. For the safety of the island and its citizens, we will be shutting down all airport access.]

Haru deadpanned, "Oops..."

He suddenly vanished, reappearing among the rafters of the room as multiple vector-shaped arrows shot through the spot he had been previously.

Acat flipped through the pages of his newly recovered notebook, hundreds of the ribbon-like weapons pouring out.

Haru placed a hand on the hilt of his katana, "Hinokami Kagura..." the seals carved into the hilt and blade glowed as the arrows closed in from all sides, "Devastation!"

He drew the sword, swinging the blade in a full circle as a slicing wave of fire burned the vector arrows to ash.

Acat turned to another page, "Field of Undead!"

A dark shadow grew from the man's feet as a horde of skeletons poured from the hidden depths.

Haru formed hand seals, creating waves of paper shuriken to rain down destruction on the new threat.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Haru clapped his hand together sending out a gust of wind, intensifying the speed and deadly velocity of the shuriken.

Despite losing the majority of their numbers, the remaining undead crawled over each other, using themselves as a living bridge as they climbed towards Haru's direction.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Haru opened his mouth, letting a stream of fire blast through the writhing mass, burning them all away along with their pit.

Acat's figure appeared through the flames, using a pair of wing tattoos to fly directly at Haru.

The two clashed, Onikiri grating against the villain's daggers with a shrill whining of steel.

The two opponents made eye contact, the elders full of uncontained rage while the younger full of frozen fire.

With a shriek of metal, they pulled apart, only to clash once against in a blur of movement.

Haru leaned back, avoiding a slice to the neck.

Acat kicked him in the stomach, sending him falling to the floor.

Haru lost his grip on his sword but managed to regain contact with his toe, using his chakra to latch onto it before spinning the blade in a deathly whirl on the sole of his boot. Performing a midair flip, he performed a bicycle kick to the handle, sending the katana hissing in Acat's direction, nearly removing the villain's eye.

Acat jerked his head away, losing balance for a moment.

And that moment was all it took.

In a flicker of movement, Haru appeared in the villain's vision. An instant later the redhead had slammed his foot into the villain's face, kicking him to the far side of the room.

Before the villain could hit the wall, Haru reappeared, slamming another bone-jarring kick into the man's body.

This process was repeated multiple times until one last kick sent the villain into the ceiling.

Haru appeared above Acat's head, raising his leg for an axe kick.

"DIE!"

With a sickening crunch, the heel of Haru's tabi smashed into the villain's body, smashing his ribs and sending him hurtling to the floor.

An instant before he hit the ground, the phoenix mark on Acat's hand glowed wreathing him in yellow flame.

The entire structure of the hanger shuddered under the impact. leaving a dead silence.

Haru's amber eyes stared down at the battered villain, noticing him still twitching as the protective burning aura slowly disappeared.

"Oh good, you survived."

For some reason, Acat began to laugh. He was so injured it was barely a gurgle, but it was still a laugh.

"You think this ends it? The rest will be coming for you soon! The game board has been set! You have no chance of winning!"

Haru's expression didn't waver as the villain kept on laughing.

The lack of reaction caused Acat to choke on his spit, his former confidence fading, "Didn't you hear me? The Order of the Golden Phoenix will rise from the ashes and consume the world! You can't stop it!"

Haru breathed out through his nose, closing his eyes tiredly as he worked to calm his conflicted emotions.

Acat's face darkened and he opened his mouth, revealing the last tattoo on his tongue, "GO TO HELL, YOU BASTARD! APOPHIS!"

A dark miasma covered the villain's body as a black worm with a maw studded with hooked teeth grew in size, threatening to consume everything in its path.

Haru formed both hands into the half ram signs, waving his arms counterclockwise, "Shikigami Dance!"

The air around him turned white as he dug into his chakra reserves summoning a multitude of origami blades.

Holding one hand horizontally to his chest he directed his other hand towards the worm overtaking his field of vision, "Hah!"

The blades pulled together into two streams shooting downward in a helix-shaped path.

Apophis groaned as the attack began shredding it apart, but proceeded to devour the blades

Sweat broke out on Haru's forehead as he focused harder.

At that moment a cross-shaped mark appeared on his forehead as golden light encased his body and flowed into his blades illuminating the darkening room.

On being touched by the light, Apophis faded away, scattering into nothing.

Acat's eyes were wide with disbelief, seeing his suicide attack fail. He had no time to react before Haru slammed down, placing a hand to the man's chest.

A hexagram for influence appeared on the villain's body, paralyzing him completely.

Haru placed a hand to his forehead, remembering how Mother Teresa had blessed him earlier with her Quirk, "I guess I have thanks in order."

He frowned, noting the amount of chakra he had used. Honestly, it was a good thing he had begun to seal away origami with portions of his chakra as of late or he'd have drained too much. At first, when fighting his original guards, he was hoping to keep the damage to a minimum. That changed upon the arrival of their reinforcements.

Speaking of...

Haru grabbed Acat by the shoulders, pulling him into a kneeling position. The villain was unable to resist, the seal on his chest too strong for him to break.

Haru stepped away, looming over the helpless man, his killing intent on full display.

"Tell me about the Order of the Golden Phoenix. Who are you people?"

Acat glared at him, but proceeded to respond, "We're the ones who will bring the world under our leader's total domination. We work in the shadows of the underworld to destroy all those who oppose us in the world of light. In order to achieve the perfect world, we must burn away the old to give birth to the new."

Haru grimaced in distaste, "Brilliant, another group of psychotic people. As if we don't have enough idiots in the world."

Acat tried to spit in his face, only for Haru to raise a hand, catching the spittle in midair.

"Don't you dare slander our leader! He's the superior being the world needs! A world where the strong shall rule!"

Haru narrowed his eyes, "Why are you here? What are you after?"

"Our master was one of the masterminds behind all this. He wants the trust in this island to fall."

Haru formed an origami Neko te over his hand, pointing the claws at Acat's face, "What's your objective!"

Acat smiled in satisfaction, "A Quirk enhancing device made by David Shield."

Haru schooled his feature to not react, but failed, "An enhancer? Exactly how much does it..." he stopped, almost afraid to know.

"If I had it, I could destroy a city easily," Acat let out a mocking laugh, "Even if you've beaten me. Wolfram more likely has gotten to it by now. You've lost."

Realizing that time was of the essence, Haru decided to rush the last part of his interrogation.

"Names. Who was there ten years ago!"

Acat scowled, "Even if I knew their real names, I wouldn't tell."

Moving in a blur, Haru grabbed a hold of Acat's face, "Tell me."

The lethality in his voice brooked no room for playing games. Acat's facade of confidence crumbled instantly.

"I really don't–"

"Burn to ash."

The hanger was suddenly illuminated with a fearsome light as the villain's bloodcurdling screams tore from his scorched body.

"Release."

Acat snapped back into reality, realizing he was unharmed.

"That Genjutsu was a warning," Haru leaned closer to the villain, his golden eyes gleaming dangerously, "Tell me."

His palm began radiating heat and Acat began screaming in fear, "I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Haru's killing intent died down, but he did not relinquish the pressure on the man's head, "A name."

Acat's lips formed the name, but it was almost as if sound refused to leave his throat.

Haru's eyes widened in horror, "That's impossible," he tightened his grip, "How do you even know that name?"

Acat whimpered in fear, cowering under the boy's wrath, "I swear it true! The name of the man who ordered us to perform the mission was what I just told you! Please don't make me say it again!"

Haru shoved the villain's face away in disgust, rising to his feet, "How are you alive to tell me this? After your failure, you would have been killed. Unless..." his eyes hardened, remembering the amber-eyed woman from his memories, "Someone else is involved. The woman from that night, tell me who she is."

Acat's pupils shrank in fear, "Please... She's merciless. If she finds out!"

Haru's hand was suddenly engulfed in flame, "Which terrifies you the most?"

"Compared to her, your fire would be merciful."

Haru snuffed out the flames, sighing, "I see..." he placed a finger to the villain's forehead, releasing a green chakra, "Rest."

Acat was forced into a deep sleep as Haru encased his body in a cocoon of paper.

Haru didn't wait to heal this time. His goal of drawing away some of the more powerful guards (plus causing chaos) had worked with a few unintended bonuses. Now he had to race against the clock to keep the villain world from getting a hold of another weapon of mass destruction.

"What a drag!"

***

(Central Tower... Top floor...0

Izuku and Melissa had managed to make it to the final floor, having beaten all the guards that had moved to capture them. Neither of them was unscathed, but it was a small sacrifice to make.

Izuku peered around another corner checking for villains before moving again, "Melissa, where is the control room located?"

"In front of the central elevator."

"Okay," he glanced down a branching hallway and stopped upon seeing the door to an important-looking vault was standing wide open, "Someone's in there," he whispered.

Melissa frowned, moving around the young hero so she could peek as well.

She let out a shocked gasp, "Papa!"

"Whoa, it is!" Izuku looked just as confused as Melissa, "What is he doing on the top floor? Maybe the villain's brought him here? They might need something from him."

Melissa gave Izuku a pleading look, "We have to help him."

"Right."

David Shield was completely fixated on the screen in front of him, typing in codes and checking through lists.

"I found it!" he let out a relieved laugh, turning to look at his work partner, Sam, "Block 1-1-4-7."

The portly assistant hurried to the space, joy written on his expression, "Wonderful!"

There was a sound of bolts coming undone as the storage unit unlocked, opening to reveal a metal briefcase.

"You did it, professor!" Sam happily opened the case, revealing a metallic headset, "Look, everything is here!"

Dave hung his head, his suppressed emotions overtaking him, "Finally... I've gotten it back," he clenched his fists in anger, "All my research, and they just took my device away from me... but now it's mine."

"Just like we planned," Sam agreed, shutting the case again, "And it looks like the villains are holding things down. Unless you count the airport alert... I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Dave reached out to reclaim his research, "Thank you. I couldn't do any of this without your help, Sam."

"...P-Papa...?"

The sound of his daughter's trembling voice caused Dave to whirl around in horror to see Melissa and Izuku staring at him in shock and disbelief.

"Melissa!"

Sam began to sweat uncomfortably, "Miss, what are you doing here?"

Melissa's blue eyes remained fixated on her father, pleading with him to say what she heard was all a misunderstanding, "What does he mean it was like you planned it? Don't tell me that... you're the one who planned this," hurt and betrayal were written all over her face on remembering the what everyone had been subjected to because of this attack, "This was all you? Just to steal something?" her voice broke, "No! I can't be true!"

Dave's expression wavered slightly, but he composed himself, deciding to be honest with his child, "Yes, it is."

Melissa and Izuku gasped on hearing the confirmation of guilt.

"Papa! How could you?" Melissa raised her voice, tears stinging her eyes.

"The professor was only trying to get back what was stolen," Sam tried to reason with her, "The invention inside this briefcase can amplify someone's Quirk!"

The depth of the information struck the two teens like a ton of bricks.

"Wait! Is that even possible?" Izuku questioned.

Sam nodded eagerly, "Yes! It's still being tested, of course, but unlike with drugs, this device can magnify a person's Quirk without doing any damage to their body or brain," his tone changed to a bitter one, "But despite that, our sponsors confiscated this prototype and our research data. Then they demanded that the project be abandoned. They worried that something like this would drastically change the structure of superhuman society. Fearing chaos, governments from different nations put pressure on your father you end it. That's when we did this."

"In order to get my research back, we decided to have someone steal it back for us," Dave continued to explain, "We'd hire people who'd pretend to be villains and 'force' us to break in and take it. Of course, we ordered them not to hurt anyone, and after it's over we'd continue our research somewhere else. We chose the day of the I-Expo's preopening when the tower closed. The time would be the reception when all the people involved would be in the same place. We would pull the strings in the background while the actors made it look like I-Island has been taken over by villains."

Melissa felt conflicted. Hearing her father's explanation and seeing what really happened was telling her something was off.

"I don't understand..." she took a step towards her father, "There's something I'm missing, right? You'd never do this!"

Dave hung his head, "I'm so sorry..."

Melissa dug her nails into her palms, nearly drawing blood, "This doesn't make any sense. The papa I know and love would never act like a villain no matter what!" she broke down into tears, "So why then? Why?

Dave clenched his teeth looking away, "I had to! For All Might!" Izuku and Melissa gasped as the scientist continued, "You two are probably not aware of this, but All Might's Quirk is disappearing. However, if he uses this device he'll be his old self. No... his abilities would be even stronger than they were. The number one hero, the Symbol of Peace, can get his strength and light back again," he began to tear up as his emotions got the better of him, "He can keep saving people, just like he always has!"

The new cause Izuku to flinch. 'The professor's upset because All Might Quirk is disappearing. It's all happening because he passed it on to me. He doesn't know...'

"Please," Dave desperately held the briefcase in his arms, "Please, just let me hand this to All Might! There's no time to remake it! When he's better, I don't care what kind of punishment I receive!"

Unable to believe the words coming from her father's mouth, Melissa snapped, "They risked their lives..." her voice rose in volume as frantic anger overcame her train of thought, "DEKU AND HIS CLASSMATES WENT THROUGH SO MUCH! DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THIS WAS? HOW HARD WE WERE TRYING TO SAVE EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND?"

Dave hesitated, for the first time noticing the battered state of the two teenagers before him. A look of confusion overshadowed his face.

"No... What do you mean? The villains are fake," he looked at Sam, realizing his assistant was beginning to look extremely uncomfortable, "It was all supposed to be an act!"

"Of course, it was a performance," everyone gasped, turning to see Wolfram step into the vault with a member of his gang, "But the real act was pretending that we weren't criminals."

Izuku's Quirk flared, shooting green lighting across his body as he prepared to attack, "You're the boss!"

Before he could move, the green-haired youth was hit by several metal bars that pinned him to the wall.

"Oh no! Deku!" Melissa ran towards her friend.

Izuku struggled against his restraints, realizing Wolfram's Quirk could control metal. Something the building had a lot of.

"You'd do well not to resist," Wolfram warned, turning his attention to a shell-shocked Dave, "Hand the device over."

Before Dave could recover, Sam snatched the briefcase away from his former boss, carrying it over to the villain.

"Sam?" in all his years, David Shield had never felt such betrayal, "This was your plan? You're going to hand our device over to a villain all along?"

"You were the one who tricked me, professor," Sam shot back bitterly, "I've been your assistant for all these years and you let them take our work. We could have had fame or fortune... but no... I deserve more. I need to be rewarded! Otherwise, my entire career was a complete waste of time."

Wolfram suddenly pulled out his gun, aiming it at the assistant, "Here's the payment I promised you."

The villain shot Sam in the arm, much to everyone else's astonishment, and the man fell to the floor.

"N-no... wait..." Sam clutched his arm in fear, his body having not registered the pain yet, "This wasn't part of the plan!"

Wolfram raised an eyebrow, "What? That's strange; because it was always a part of mine."

Another shot rang out.

"Professor!" Sam called out in shock as Dave fell to the floor, blood pouring from the bullet wound in his shoulder, "Why?"

Dave raised his head, gritting out his answer between his teeth, "Get. Out. Of. Here."

Scrambling in panic, Sam ran from the room, desperate to get away from danger.

Melissa ran to her father's side, "Papa!"

Wolfram swung the butt of his pistol, knocking her onto her back.

Izuku strained at his restraints even harder.

Wolfram stomped on Dave's body, "Trying to play the hero? Too late for that. No matter what your reasons were, you've dirtied your hands now. Whether we're real villains or not is irrelevant. You planned and committed an actual crime," a sinister grin twisted the villain boss's features, "You're the same as we are. You can no longer remain a respected scientist or continue your research without shame. Your life is forever tainted by the darkness of villainy," he let out a dark chuckle, lifting the scientist by the collar, "And if you want a future at all, you'll be a good scientist and mass produce this device so I can sell it," he slammed his gun against Dave's neck, knocking him out as he gave his subordinate instructions, "Take him to the roof."

"No..." Melissa raised her head, tears of desperation staining her cheeks, "Please no! Give him back!"

Wolfram aimed his pistol at the blonde, "This reminds me. This would be easier if I get rid of the professor's attachment."

The metal pipes holding Izuku to the wall snapped as he shot himself forward, aiming towards the villain, "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

Wolfram quickly dropped Dave, placing a hand on the ground and creating a wall of metal to defend himself.

Izuku punched the wall, only managing to dent it with his percentage of power.

"MELISSA! GO!"

The blonde girl, snapped out of her trance, pushing herself to her feet and rushing for the vault exit.

Wolfram glanced at his subordinate, "Don't let her escape!" he snapped.

The villain nodded, running in pursuit. A bullet struck the ground at his feet, causing him to stop.

"Run, miss!" Sam called out, his hands trembling as he aimed a newly retrieved pistol at the villains, "Stand down, or I shoot!"

Wolfram growled, using his Quick to send several metallic pillars shooting towards the scientist, "You should have run while you had the chance!"

Izuku jumped in the way of the attack, crossing his arms so that the gauntlet took the brunt of the force, "I won't let you pass!"

Sam's knuckles were white as he aimed over the young hero's shoulder, firing a shot that ricocheted off of Wolfram's steel headset by sheer luck.

The villain leader, glared at them in annoyance, hurling more iron pillars at them, pilling on more and more until the two were pushed out the door, their way blocked.

An alarm sounded, announcing that the security system was back online and returned to normal.

The pounding of metal stopped and Izuku realized that the villains were fleeing.

"Quick! Where's the fastest way to the top?"

Sam had fallen to his knees, his strength now left him, but he still managed to point, "T-that way..."

Izuku dashed down the hall, all thoughts of caution thrown to the wind.

***

(At that same moment...)

The restraining devices binding the pro heroes in the reception hall suddenly fell off, confusing the villains guarding them.

"What happened–GAH!" one of the rifle-bearing villains was knocked down by a pro.

Seeing his men getting taken down, the lieutenant in charge reached for his pistol, "Why you..." he froze, realizing his weapon was missing from its holster.

"I apologize, my child," Mother Teresa rose to her feet, pulling the weapon from her robe as the villain was knocked out, all the while making sure she held it by the barrel so it wouldn't go off, "But I could not allow you to harm anyone here."

She swayed and was supported by an oversized hand being placed on her back to steady her

"Thank you for your help, Mother," All Might nodded respectfully, stepping away to give her room, "I'd better find the children."

Mother Teresa motioned him closer and he leaned down so she could whisper in his ear.

"I don't know how you got that wound, my child, but you should beware the one who made it reemerging from the shadows. I fear things will be direr at your next meeting," she turned and moved to help a nearby couple who seemed traumatized, "Head towards the top of the tower. The children will need you soon."

***

(Uppermost level... Helicopter pad...)

"Boss, what about everyone else?"

Wolfram shrugged at the question, "We're going before the security system's back online."

Dave hung over the villain boss's shoulder, too weak to fight back from the loss of blood, "Kill me... just do it..."

"I'll add a few more sins to your heart first," Wolfram didn't bother glancing at his captive, "But then I'll make your wish come true."

The villain's helicopter's engine revved up as the rotor blades began moving. Wolfram dropped his captive inside the vehicle with the briefcase, preparing to climb in himself.

"Stop!"

Dave's eyes widened in wonder on seeing Izuku, battered and bruised, still trying to save him after all that happened.

Wolfram gave the young hero in training a scornful look, "I wonder... Are you so desperate to save this man so you can take him back and make him pay for his crimes?"

"Of course not," Izuku activated One for All running towards the helicopter, "I here to rescue David Shield from the likes of you!"

Wolfram slammed his hand to the ground, causing a metal pillar to extend horizontally from to platform, "Even though he's a criminal?"

Izuku dodged the attack, closing the distance between him and his target as he avoided all attempts to stop him, "No matter what, I'll save everyone! That included the professor!"

Wolfram created several more pillars, a confident grin on his face, "Doesn't sound like it to me!"

Izuku smashed a pillar to pieces with his gauntleted fist, "Shut! Up! This is what heroes do! They save people who are in trouble!"

Wolfram raised his gun, aiming at Dave, "How, exactly?"

Izuku hesitated, not wanting to endanger the scientist.

Dave lifted his head, calling out towards his would-be rescuer, "Save yourself! Run away!"

Izuku refused to listen, merely standing in place, his emerald orbs glaring at Wolfram with a deadly stare.

The villain boss laughed, "Geez! Being a hero seems really inconvenient. I didn't even use much of my power, yet you're helpless!"

A metal pillar slammed into Izuku's body, sending him tumbling back.

The green-haired boy dodged as two more sought to squash him into the ground, but was suddenly slammed into the air by a third. Before he could recover, he was smashed between two more pillars while another hit him from below.

"Being a hero doesn't sound like a smart way to live," Wolfram commented as he finished the one-sided beatdown, climbing into the helicopter, "Take off."

The flying vehicle rose into the air, quickly gaining altitude.

Izuku pushed himself to his feet, the green lighting from his body intensifying. 'If all that guy manipulates is metal... He ran forward, launching himself into the air. All he can touch in the helicopter!'

The helicopter lurched at the sudden weight as Izuku grabbed onto the landing gear, hauling himself up to the passenger compartment.

Down below, Melissa ran out onto the roof, looking up to see the struggling vehicle and a familiar figure clinging onto it, "Deku!"

Izuku grunted as he reached out towards Dave, "Grab my hand!"

Dave refused, already resigned to his fate in the midst of his despair, "Stop it... Let me go, Midoriya."

"Melissa is down there!" Izuku cried, "Your daughter is waiting for you!"

Dave suddenly felt guilt, realizing how selfish he was being, just allowing himself to run away and abandon his only remaining family when he should be fighting back.

"I'll give you this, you really do act like a hero," Wolfram interrupted, aiming his gun at Izuku's head, "But you're an idiot too!"

In the instant he was about to pull the trigger a tiny bird, no bigger than his fist flew into the helicopter, stabbing its long beak into the villain's hand.

"****!"

The pistol went off, zipping past Izuku's head and causing him to reflexively let go.

Izuku watched in despair as the helicopter began to fly off as he fell down, unable to stop his fall.

"NO!"

His body landed on something soft, but in mental anguish, he didn't notice, only finding the strength to call out desperately.

"Come back! You can't...!" he shot up, screaming after the departing helicopter at the top of his lungs, tears of rage squeezing from his tight-shut eyes "LET HIM GO! DON'T TAKE THE PROFESSOR!" a sob caught in his throat, "DAMN IT!"

"DON'T YOU DARE LOSE THAT SMILE, IZUKU!"

The familiar yell caused Izuku's eyes to snap open.

Inside the helicopter, the villain piloting it saw something appear in his vision, "Boss!"

Wolfram, still clutching his bleeding hand, looked around to see a floating figure standing in the path of the helicopter.

"What the..."

"Shikigami Dance!" Haru spread his arms unfolding six fully formed wings, "Wind Style: Sea Dragon!"

There was a rumble of thunder as dark storm clouds circled overhead.

Wolfram felt the air suddenly become still as if hushed by an outside force, "Damn it!"

A massive tornado descended from the sky, engulfing the helicopter within a vortex of wind.

Haru kept both hands directed at the vehicle, calling out to an approaching figure, "ALL MIGHT!"

A sudden shock wave traveled up the side of the tower, causing the outer surface to crumble under the pressure, "I HERE YOU LOUD AND CLEAR!" the hero swung a fist, creating a second wave of wind to slam down on the faltering helicopter, "EVERYTHING IS FINE NOW! WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!" the Symbol of Peace let himself fall, using Haru's tornado to propel himself forward, "I'LL HAVE YOU RETURN MY FRIEND, YOU FIENDS!"

The helicopter erupted into flames as the hero practically cut through it, emerging from the wreckage with the injured David Shield in his arms.

Haru jerked his hands apart, scattering the force of the explosion away from the building. In a flicker of movement, he appeared at Izuku's side.

"Heal!"

A pale light coated Izuku's body, quickly healing his minor injuries.

Having taken care of that, Haru hurried to All Might's side, "Put him down, quick!"

Melissa ran forward, falling to her knees at her father's side as All Might did as Haru told him.

"Papa!"

Haru adjust Dave's body so that the man's head was lying in his daughter's lap, "Brace yourselves!" he warned as he wove several hand signs, "There's a bullet still inside!"

Blue energy buzzed from his fingers as he cut away Dave's bloodstained clothing around the bullet wound.

"This is only temporary, but he'll lose too much blood if we wait," Haru explained, carefully using his chakra to clean the wound."

Dave grunted in slight discomfort, but Haru quickly changed his procedure to the Mystical Palm, gently pulling the bullet from the wound while performing basic healing to stop the bleeding.

"Will he be okay?" Melissa finally asked as Haru ended the treatment.

Haru held up the bullet, staring at it for a moment, "No signs of poison detected. He'll heal just fine after proper medical treatment."

A wave of joy and relief washed through the minds of the others as Haru sealed the bullet into a tag for further analysis later. Just in case.

Izuku rubbed the back of his hand across his cheek, smearing the blood from a now healed head wound unintentionally, a happy grin on his face, "We did it...!"

Now out of danger, Dave hung his head, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

All Might tilted his head, making an inquiring noise as Haru gave a nod, revealing he was aware... to an extent...

The moment was cut short as Haru's sensory flared up, "Dodge!" he placed a hand on both Melissa and Dave's shoulders, body-flickering them with him to the other end of the platform.

Reacting at lightning speed, All Might jumped away, avoiding the metal pillar that nearly knocked him down.

"All Might!" Izuku cried before being forced to dodge as well as a crawling mass of metal emerged from the burning wreckage of the fallen helicopter.

"I heard Sam," Wolfram's voice sound robotic as he stood among his new creation, the Quick enhancer now binding his brow, "All Might's Quirk of failing him! He doesn't have the same unstoppable power as he used to!" several coils of metal shot towards Haru and the Shield family, "I'll be wanting David Shield back, boy!"

Haru's hands blurred, ending in a tiger sign, "Go to hell!" he snapped as he inhaled, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"

A dragon-shaped stream of fire spewed from his mouth, the heat demolishing the metal as if it were matchwood.

Izuku gaped for a moment, the sight of his friend breathing fire stirring a flicker of memory as the picture of another person breathing flames tried to place itself over Haru's figure. The mossy-haired boy clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head. He reopened his eyes to see Haru return to his vision.

'What was that?'

Haru cut off the Jutsu, smoke leaving his mouth as his chest heaved lightly.

All Might appeared at his side, coughing, "Are you alright?"

Haru noticed blood on the back of the hero's hand, "Heal."

All Might's coughing fit stopped, but he still looked bad after holding his form for so long.

"My thanks," All Might muttered in gratitude before launching himself in Wolfram's direction, "TEXAS SMASH!"

Wolfram raised a hand, creating a metal cube that stopped the attack, much to everyone's disbelief.

"Is that all you've got?" the villain mocked, beginning to use his Quirk on a wider scale.

The tower shuddered, blue veins appeared through its structure as metal materials began tearing from their fixings and slowly adding to the giant mass growing at the top

"David Shield's genius lives up to his reputation!" Wolfram praised, raising his arms in the semblance of an almighty being, "I can this device filling me with power! UNLIMITED POWER!"

Haru turned his head away, not wanting to be seen laughing in such a serious situation. It was hard to take that last line seriously.

All Might had a grim expression on his face as he watched the villain's power increase on an exponential scale, "Dave... What the hell have you made?"

Izuku's eyes trembled as he beheld to newest and most dangerous threat, "This is..."

"A superweapon," Haru stated, "Like a regular weapon, but super."

Wolfram sighed in satisfaction, "Now... I know how to raise the price of this device. I can charge whatever I want if it was used to kill Japan's number one hero!"

At those words, over a dozen metal pillars shot from the ground, aiming at the Symbol of Peace.

All Might's body moved in a blur, barely keeping ahead of the continuous attacks as Wolfram's attack caused the upper surface to heave like a living thing.

Melissa let out a cry as the ground underneath her and her father cracked and threatened to swallow them up, causing them to fall in opposite directions.

A sudden rush of paper gathered them up, carrying them to more secure space.

"I always preferred to fight outdoors..." Haru spun a scroll in his hand before unfurling it, "It lets fight more freely!" a trio of seals bearing the kanji for dragon began to glow, " Heavenly Dragons Descent!"

With a low roar, three oriental dragons made from origami shot from the scroll, soaring into the sky.

Wolfram momentarily stopped his constant attack of All Might to take in this new threat.

"Pathetic!"

Three metal pillars shot from the ground, aiming to strike the creature down.

The dragons, changed trajectory, winding around the pillars as they made their descent, tearing through the structures with their claws.

Their path was halted quickly as dozens of giant metal spikes speared through them.

The dragons roared, suddenly glowing as they self-destructed.

Wolfram raised an arm to shield himself from the blast, just catching sight of All Might coming down on his from above.

"I don't think so!"

A metal limb swung out, slamming the hero into the ground.

Haru raised his hand to form hand signs but was forced to stop and take to the air to avoid the metal coils trying to grab him.

"Almost forgot about you!" Wolfram growled, "You've been quite annoying. This should teach you to not interfere!"

A stray coil grabbed Haru by the ankle, dragging him across the surface of the tower before swinging him through the air.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

Wolfram was forced to pull up several shields for himself as compressed wind bullets sliced through the air.

"What is this kid made of?"

Haru's crimson hair blew around his deadpan face as he was flung through the air, as he moved, several sheets of paper peeled off him, leafing a scattered path behind him.

Izuku shot off the ground, trying to reach his friend, "Haru-chan!"

A metal cube slammed down on him, pinning him to the ground.

All Might burst from the rubble, spitting blood as he tried to get close once again, destroying as many of the metal pillars that were sent his way.

Wolfram raised his arms darkening the sky as he created even more metal extensions, "Why don't you all just die already!"

The wave of metallic limbs shot down, prepared to crush everyone to death with sheer force.

A sudden chill swept through the air as half of the pillars were frozen in ice.

Wolfram paused in surprise, "Huh?"

Katsuki appeared from the air, aiming his palms in the villain's direction, "GO TO HELL!"

Wolfram pulled a wall of metal over himself, warding off the powerful explosion blasting towards him.

Katsuki's arms cramped as he began to reach his Quirk limit.

The elder Bakugo growled in frustration staring at All Might and the other two heroes-in-training from where they stood, or in Haru's case, hung, "Are you just going to let yourselves be beaten by such a lame final boss? Let's hurry and take him down already!"

"We'll do what we can to help you!" Todoroki called out.

Izuku's face lit up with hope, "Kacchan! Todoroki! Everyone!"

Haru smirked at his sibling from where he hung upside down "About time you showed up!" he turned his arms into paper, rotating them as several tags with the kanji for bird flew from his sleeves, "Fly, my pretties! Fly! Fly!"

With a series of chitters, a swarm of hummingbirds emerged from the tags, filling the air with a droning beat of their wings. Moving in a loose formation they dove towards the remaining metal structures. They exploded on contact, revealing themselves to be implanted with paper bombs.

With a groan, several of the metal pillars weakened and crumbled and the steel coil wrapped around Haru's leg loosened. He dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch.

A flicker of yellow electricity zipped past his vision before Kaminari appeared, smashing an electrically charged fist into one of the remaining pillars, causing the metal to fly apart.

"Where the hell have you been, Haru?"

The redhead flickered, smashing a kick through another pillar, "Oh, you know, committing arson, causing excessive structural damage, and physically assaulting villains, you?"

Kaminari chuckled, "I've been kicking robot butt down below. Sounds like you've been busy."

Haru's cheerful demeanor faded momentarily, but returned in the blink of an eye, "You could say that."

A lone hummingbird landed on his shoulder, cheeping at him for attention.

"Been a while, huh Filo?" Haru stroked the bird's head as he turned his attention to All Might, the Hero still being placed under heavy pressure by Wolfram's attacks, "Do you think we should...? Oh, wait, there he goes!"

The metal pillars pinning the number one hero to the ground buckled as All Might exerted adrenaline-enhanced strength into his punches, "With my students so motivated, how can I be held back by something as foolish as a limit!" the hero jumped into the air, sending a shockwave across the sky from the sheer force, "I'll go beyond... PLUS ULTRA!"

Dozens of metal pillars moved to intercept him, but All Might tore through them like butter, slowly closing the distance between him and the villain's boss.

Haru flickered to the main group, "Yaoyorozu, can you manage to erect some barriers?"

The vice representative nodded, "I can manage that."

Haru kept his eyes on the fight above as All Might, Katsuki, Todoroki, Kirishima, Iida, and Kaminari fought all worked together to bring Wolfram down, "The rest of you stay here. Keep each other safe."

His eyes turned to Jiro and he hesitated.

For a brief moment, they stared at each other, each asking the silent question if the other was alright.

"Stay safe. I'll be back," with his final reassurance directed primarily at Jiro, he prepared to run back towards the fight.

He halted in his tracks as a bright light flashed in the sky and All Might's yell echoed from the center of it.

"CAROLINA SMASH!" the entire tower shook under the impact as All Might caught sight of his target amidst the writhing mass of iron and steel, "Prepare yourself, villain!"

All of a sudden, hundreds of steel cables shot from the network of Wolfram's defense, wrapping around All Might's body and suspending him midair barely a meter from the villain.

The hero grunted in surprise, but did not let the action faze him, "Nice trick," he began to strain against the bindings, snapping several of them, "But I–"

He was cut off as Wolfram grabbed him by the throat. The villain's skin turned a glowing red as his muscles expanded.

"Prepare, myself?" Wolfram asked, "You should follow your own advice!" the villain smirked smugly, "You've underestimated me."

All Might coughed as his throat was squeezed tighter. 'Where is this strength coming from?'

Haru's face turn as white as a sheet as he sensed the new power inside the villain. 'No... It's...!' Memories of the Nomu nearly made him sick.

Wolfram deliberately reached for All Might's injured side, squeezing it viciously.

The Symbol of Peace gave a cry of pain but none of his students were able to help him as hundreds of steel cables appeared in the sky above them, prepared to rain down and pierce them through.

"You care for your students so much, All Might?" Wolfram snapped his fingers, "Then you can watch them all die a miserable death!"

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as everyone scattered across the tower tried to survive the next attack.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

All Might's scream of anguish was drowned out in the deafening roar of crumbling rubble as the countless metal coils speared downward.

A few moments later, all that remained were ruins and dust clouds billowing over the tower. The silence that followed was deafening.

Wolfram let out a malicious laugh, hidden relief pushing through his confident facade on eliminating the annoying threats to his mission.

All Might felt as if his soul had been torn to pieces, "You bastard!"

Wolfram grinned eerily at the Symbol of Peace, "I should thank the man that gave this extra Quirk. It came in handy."

All Might drew in a sharp breath in realization, "You mean...?"

Wolfram tightened his grip, choking the hero further, "Fascinating, isn't it? When we planned this mission, I received an intriguing phone call from a man representing two separate organizations. He said they wanted to work with me. When I asked why they'd bother, he happily explained. If All Might's friend wanted a hand in something evil, they would assist in any way they could. Not only would this event taint the image of the Symbol of Peace but it will also ruin the reputation of I-Island as a bastion against villains."

"All for One is behind this?" All Might felt rage boil in his veins. Rage towards his mortal enemy for targeting his friend, rage towards himself for failing to protect those left in his care, and most importantly, rage towards the man in front of him who triggered all of these events.

Wolfram tilted his head, "Among others... What's the matter? Looks like you've finally stopped smiling!" a metal pillar slammed into All Might's stomach, pushing him away from the villain, "Now die!" several compact metal cubes slammed into the Symbol of Peace, crushing him in until he could budge, "FAREWELL SYMBOL OF PEACE!" metal spike shot from the ground, stabbing through the compacted mass.

Wolfram let out a victorious laugh.

A bolt of green lightning shot from the rubble as a green-haired youth raised his fist, screaming at the top of his lungs, "DETROIT SMASH!"

Wolfram stopped mid-laugh as the metal shattered, freeing All Might from its center. The villain's smile faded as his eyes widened spotting an alarming sight from among the clearing dust, "Impossible!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" an enraged battle cry shattered the stillness of the night and All Might turned his head to look in the direction of the voice as a blinding flash of golden light burned through the dust. The ominous rattle of chains filled the air as a single stream of gold chakra shot through the sky, twisting around in a wide arc before slamming into Wolfram's side.

"GAH!" the villain coughed up blood as he was bodily ripped from his self-made throne on high.

Another pair of chains wrapped around All Might and Izuku's bodies, pulling them to safety.

The pro hero's eyes widened to see a network of chains forming the framework of a hastily erected barrier over the center of the tower roof.

And inside it, lay the forms of his students, injured but still alive. In the center, with several loose chains waving around him like the tails of enraged demon, sat Haru, cradling an unconscious Jiro in his arms.

Even if the secret technique of the Uzumaki Clan had undoubtedly saved everyone's lives, it did not mean everyone went unscathed.

"Release!"

The barrier faded as the chained rattled returning to Haru's body.

The redhead coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and he dropped to one knee.

"HARU!"

"YOUNG BAKUGO!"

Haru ignored All Might and Izuku's cries, his attention riveted on his girl's face as green chakra flowed from his body to hers.

"Jiro... JIRO!" the young boy's desperate cry cause the other unconscious students to groan string from their temporary sleep.

Katsuki lifted his head, groaning from the deep slash in his leg, "What the...?" he looked up to see his younger brother cradling Jiro's unmoving body, screaming desperately for her to wake up."

"KYOKA!"

Izuku ran forward, kneeling at his friend's side, and gasped as he saw a dark stain in the girl's dress, "Oh my..."

Katsuki, face darkened with rage, promising pain to the bastard responsible for causing his sibling to wear that expression of despair.

All Might clenched his jaw, turning to see Wolfram slowly get up, reforming his metallic fortress.

Haru suddenly let out a sigh, having finally detected a heartbeat. Despite her minor injuries, the sudden shock had sent the girl into cardiac arrest, stopping her heart for a brief moment.

The momentary scare, however, was enough to shatter Haru's resolve for a brief moment.

"Thank God, she's alive!"

His announcement made everyone who was awake give a silent sigh of relief.

Kaminari, now sporting a few neat cuts on his cheek and side, slid over, "How about you, man?"

Haru turned a deathly glare towards Wolfram, for the second time that night feeling the overwhelming urge to kill, "I'm almost out of chakra... but I'm not done..."

All Might grunted taking a few short steps in the recovering villain's direction, "It's time to finish this once and for all," he turned to Izuku, the last remaining student who was still standing, "Will you lend your aid, Young Midoriya?"

Izuku stood up, his eyes blazing, "Yes, sir!"

The two stood, side by side, power building up in their bodies.

"Let's go!"

"Yes, sir!"

In an instant, they were gone, racing towards the final boss with full intentions to put him down.

Wolfram groaned as he began using his muscle Quirk to brace himself while using his metal Quirk again to attack, "There's no way you can stop me, you insignificant BUGS!" dozens of metallic cubes formed in the air, before slinging them towards the duo, "AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN TO LAY DOWN AND DIE!"

Haru rested his hand on Kyoka's brow a soft expression on his face. He raised his head his amber-colored eyes burning.

Kaminari gently slid the sleeping girl from his friend's arms, "I got her, Haru..." the electronic blonde sent his crimson-haired friend a stern look, "Give him hell."

Haru leaned forward, placing a hand on the ground, "I won't give him the luxury of a quick escape in death..." a blinding golden light flashed from Haru's body as the rattle of chain filled the air with a deafening crash.

Wolfram's eyes widened his shock as multiple golden chains shattered his toughest attacks as if they were sunbaked clay.

"SECRET JUTSU: ADAMANTINE BURIAL GARDEN!"

A forest of chains shot from Haru's back, digging through the ground to reemerge in a different place or winding around to fly through the air.

As quickly as Wolfram created anything to counter, the adamantine chains shattered them. Face with a material stronger than diamonds, no metal on earth stood a chance.

"THIS IS OVER!" Wolfram stretched out an arm, causing a massive semicircular rift to form in the top of the tower, pulling even more metal from the structure.

All Might and Izuku's speed kept increasing as they ran, dodging or smashing any stray attack Haru's missed; which wasn't many.

Haru gasped for breath, the sudden drain on his chakra and the weight of the chains sapping him of his strength.

'So heavy...'

He felt a rough hand grip his shoulder, and he looked up to see Katsuki giving him a dark scowl.

"Is that all you got?"

The petty taunt did the trick as Haru's chakra reserves went into overdrive.

Haru straightened up raising his hand in a seal of confrontation, the faint outline of a long-broken seal appearing on his forehead, "You'd better catch me then..." he said before raising his voice, "THIS IS THE LAST OF MY POWER, ALL MIGHT! IZUKU! I'LL CLEAR A PATH!"

The multitude of chains gathered together in a wall of golden chakra increasing speed to move in sync alongside All Might and Izuku's running figures.

Everyone else watched on disbelieve on seeing the display of power.

"This is bad! He's pushing too hard!" Iida protested.

Mineta's arms were waving around frantically, his voice shrill with excitement, "Just shut up and watch the carnage!"

Wolfram growled, raising his arms over his head as he pulled together all the metal he could to create a massive, perfectly compact cube, capable of destroying the entire top of the tower.

Two blurred figures leaped from the ground, shooting towards the prismatic mass.

'To overcome the crisis in front of you!' All Might clenched his fist, preparing for one last punch.

Izuku charged 100% of his power into his gauntlet. 'By giving everything you've got!'

'And save people!'

'No matter the cost!'

'That's what makes someone...!'

'A HERO!'

Wolfram swung his arms down, sending the cube plummeting down, "I'LL DESTROY THIS WHOLE TOWER!"

The cube froze as it was stabbed through and through my numerous chains, the power controlling it suddenly fading.

Wolfram suddenly felt fear in the pit of his stomach, as gold veins appeared in his ultimate attack's surface, "NO!"

All Might raised his fist, "DOUBLE...!"

Izuku mirrored his mentor's action, "DETRIOT...!"

Both fists slammed into the cube, "SMASH!"

The metal crumbled under their overwhelming strength and shattered, revealing a writhing mass of adamantine chains.

The pair continued their path, allowing their obstacles to be dealt with as they focused on the villains.

Uraraka clenched her eyes, screaming encouragement, "DEKU!"

Everyone else joined in.

"STOP HIM, ALL MIGHT!"

"GO, MIDORIYA!"

"DESTROY THIS GUY!"

Izuku channeled all his power into his gauntlet, causing it to glow with a fierce light, "LET'S GO...!"

All Might gathered his remaining power into one last attack, "BEYOND!"

Wolfram gathered what metal he could, trying to place a wall between him and the heroes as they landed their final punch.

"PLUS ULTRA!"

A sonic boom, shot across the tower, shattering windows and crumbling the surface.

The metallic mass flew apart, revealing All Might and Izuku's figures, a smile on both their faces.

Everyone cheered in response, happy at their hard-earned victory.

Even Katsuki grinned momentarily; but after noticing Todoroki smiling at him, he quickly changed his expression to a scowl.

Haru's lips twitched slightly in a soft smile. 'I'm sure your dad would be proud, Izuku...' he thought before passing out.