Chapter 2: The Board's Been Changed

After so many losses, the heroes are on the back foot, but they might of found the means to finally take the initiative and in an old place.

Okay, that last chapter was fun, and so was this one, seeing how different a world it is. But I do need to get back to regular programming. Besides, I have those WIPs to work on as well, which is why I paused uploads on Mondays and Fridays, so I would have a longer weekend for that.

Now, as for the chapter itself, it was more set up for things, but I tried my best to keep it organic, with lines explaining stuff split or cut to be as smooth as possible while also covering Izuku as a character who I bet you all picked up, is just as messed up as Path of Storms, seeing how he handled the fight, but like Path of Waves, isn't on the ran or anything, quite the opposite. For this, I aimed to introduce the others through POV characters.

Chapter 2: The Board's Been Changed

Rain clouds had been hanging overhead for days now, to be expected with it the time of year; the rain which had started that morning had turned into a relentless thunder shower that showed no signs of stopping, even as the time passed into late afternoon. Musutafu, once a small yet bustling and peaceful city, lay a rain-soaked ruin. While it had avoided the fate of many other cities that had seen untold levels of destruction, its empty streets and silent buildings only offered misery and cold.

The people who had once lived, labored and laughed in its boulevards, stores, and apartments were long gone, leaving only the barest amounts of stranglers. The heroes that once patrolled its streets, offering protection, weren't nearly as present. Those that remained carried out patrols vastly different to what they had once done, as in simpler times-betters, patrols were to be seen, to interact with the people and just help people most of the time.

Now, patrols were conducted as if this was a warzone, where heroes often didn't announce themselves and worked with a hair trigger, ready to attack or defend themselves immediately.

With them were police, though those who dared venture out often wore full tactical attire, armed with rifles and shotguns over the pistols and batons. These police squads operated with professional detachment, and conversations were sparse and related to their tasks. Nothing had happened for a while now, which only added to the growing anxiety, as many feared this was but the calm before the storm.

Overlooking all of this was U.A. High. It, too, had changed. Its once shining exterior, welcoming to all and a symbol of the next generation of heroes, couldn't be seen now, for the entire campus was surrounded by a giant, imposing wall just as tall as the ironic towers. All but one road leading up to the school closed, with check stations ensuring anyone who wished to enter was thoroughly checked.

Past those walls, the air was thick with exhaustion, tension, overrepresentation of frustration, and growing resignation. U.A., once seen as the best hero school in Japan, with only Shiketsu as its competition, had been transformed into a stronghold meant to serve as a temporary shelter for the citizens while the heroes and authorities retook control.

That had been back in March, and now it was September. Many, child or adult, staff or civilian, hero or student, felt hope for that essential breakthrough might not come that year.

Those same students who called U.A. their academy, once focused on studies and improving themselves, had all stepped up to help. With it being well past 4 p.m., most students were making their way back to their dorms, and the students of class B were no exception.

“You think that we can swing by the cafeteria and grab something to eat? I’m way too tired to make dinner.” Tetsutetsu asked as they walked along the path, most wearing raincoats over their hero costumes or holding umbrellas.

"You'll need to deal with a long line as it's early, but plenty of people like having dinner early." Honenuki reminded him that the older folk would probably already make their way over.

“Crap.” Tsunotori cursed, probably having had a similar idea.

Shiozaki heard that but was too tired to reprimand her.

"Perhaps we can work together and prepare an adequate meal." Monoma proposed, though his gaze looked over to the side where class A's dorms were.

"It would be a good use of our time, and cooking can be relaxing." Shishida pointed out, though, unlike the rest, he didn't wear his costume, his typical school uniform, and peaking out from his right sleeve were bandages, the beast of Class 1-B on medical leave after getting injured in a clash with villains a few days prior.

"As long as it's not curry…" Fukidashi uttered, his voice dripping with annoyance and pain, something the rest felt as the less they had to think about the summer camp, the better.

Kendo looked over to Tokage, who walked ahead with her dino-themed umbrella. "Do you have any ideas for something we can make?"

"…Just needs to be filling, but not too filling as some might go to head out for an extra shift," Tokage replied without replying, which got Kendo worried…well, more worried than was her usual mood these days when it came to the remaining classmates she had, but she didn't make a fuss about it. Tokage was acting better than normal, so she'll take what she can get.

They were about to enter their dorms when they all got an alert on their phones, a sound they had all come to recognize as important. Tsunotori, like the rest, pulled her phone out and saw, to her relief, that it wasn't a riot, a request for backup from behold the walls, or, God forbid, a breach.

It was a request to speak with the principal.

“Just to be sure.” Tetsutetsu started.

"Yes, Tetsutetsu, I'm also being summoned to meet with Principal Nezu." Honenuki sighed, pocketing his phone. He turned and walked towards the main buildings.

“Any idea what this could be?” Fukidashi’s speech bubble head shifted, showing a question mark.

"Maybe something came up, and he wants to fill us all in," Kendo suggested. Their principal might be eccentric, but he was often as busy, if not more so, than the rest of the staff. His time was precious, and he wouldn't waste it on frivolous stunts.

"It's bound to be dire news if that's the case, something that would require a mass effort if we're being summoned on mass," Kuroiro uttered, which, while negative and with a bitter undertone, was again unchallenged by the.

"I heard no such news while out on patrol earlier; perhaps it's not in our immediate area," Shiozaki replied, her face passive.

Line Break

"And here they come." Togata's declaration brought Bakugo's attention away from his conversation with Racoon's eyes and Shitty hair. Looking towards the door, he and the rest of Class A saw their sister class entering, some removing their rain hoodies while others whipping their umbrellas to remove the water.

Seeing both Tokage wearing her dull black eyepatch and the fact that there were only 11 of them, he quickly shifted his attention away, like Todoroki and Tokoyami.

“I'm guessing you all got the message as well," Ojiro questioned them, jumping past greetings as they were sure to be awkward.

"At the same time, but if you all presumable also got them, might I ask why you're here?" Shishida asked, Monoma and Tsunotori looking over their sister class in envy and irritation as they missed 3 while class B lost 9.

"That would be me." Attention shifted to Togata, their senior, who, unlike the other members of the Big 3, stuck to working around U.A. and was a big hit with kids. "I was told to wait to bring you all in."

"Why bother?" Monoma, perhaps rudely, asked, to which Togata's face fell, becoming more serious.

"Because we just got confirmation about something big." With that, he turned and led them through the school, the halls nearly empty. Many classrooms had been turned into works-shops, which the support students made full use of, at times long into the night. Today was no exception, as they could hear work being done every few minutes.

As they walked, Yaoyorozu slowed down to converse with Kendo. "I trust that things haven't been too much trouble." Yaoyorozu quietly spoke with her fellow class rep, trusting that only Jiro could hear and that she would keep her piece.

Kendo sighed. "It's the same as usual, but there's no arguing now." She replied, looking towards what remained of class B, of the people that called her big sis. "Is…is Todoroki handling things better?" She changed the subject from her feelings of failure, hoping for good news.

Yaoyorozu's smile was tight. "He converses with Tokoyami, Shoji, and even myself occasionally. He still avoids assignments that could put him close to class B, however." She pointed this out, as even now, the fire and ice user walked on the edge of the group, putting as many people between him and class B as possible.

"I want to say he's being too cautious, but it's not a matter of if one of us will attack or yell at him; he gets enough of that from the civilians," Kendo noted as she had her opinions on the guy which had changed as their time at U.A. went. He came off as arrogant, closed-off, and rudely blunt. Confrontational, even during training when anything related to his fire came up, caused more than a few arguments and only fed Monoma's delusion that Class A was somehow all like that.

Then the summer camp attack happened and…and she lost classmates. She recalled waking up in the hospital, as she and Tetsutetsu had passed out right after defeating the villain creating the gas, only to learn that Bondo, Kamakiri, and Komori had all…none had made it. Kamakiri, their lovable brawler who had a heart of gold, died fighting Dabi to lead her away from where others were still unconscious from the gas.

Awase had risked his life to save Yaoyorozu and nearly lost his arm for it. That had been enough for his parents to pull him from school.

Class B took the worst of it, made worse by the fact that they were the ones attacked by the League at the USJ, but it wasn't as if class A had come out untouched, and so, despite her grief, rage, and sorrow, she had worked to try and get closer to class A.

Lord knew they needed it. When classes finally started back up in the middle of their second semester, the hero course hadn’t been popular, and the failure of the culture festival thanks to Gentle only made it worse. He only did it because he thought U.A. shouldn't. Why? Because they couldn't protect their students, i.e., because the hero course couldn't keep them out of trouble.

At least, that was the view of many of their classmates.

Then Jaku happened, and with it, the world witnessed the reveal of so much, including Endeavour's misdeeds, which included all but turning his eldest daughter into Dabi. Dabi, who killed Kamakiri. Dabi, who played a role in Komori and Bondo's deaths. Dabi, who bragged about killing Hawks and had the twisted joy to show video of the number 2 going up in flames, but not before he killed Twice.

"It's just…complicated. A lot of things are complicated." Kendo quietly bemoaned as she believed in her classmates. She had to, but Monoma was right. They might not blame Todoroki for his family's crimes, but they couldn't see Endeavour or Dabi when he was around. They couldn't stop asking themselves if he had used his flames at the summer camp, if he had fought as hard as they all did…

“Anything to talk about in class A?” Kendo asked, trying to avoid thinking about all that had happened.

"Nothing too big, other than Ashido is trying to learn how to cook, and Bakugo is teaching her. Somehow, he roped in Sero and Kaminari." Yaoyorozu chuckled, as she had been worried when she heard Bakugo yelling like a maniac from the kitchen. She rushed over with her vice rep, Shoji, to break it up, only to stop when they found him grilling them over how to properly chop vegetables and stew beef.

That had to be the first time in a while that she had been able to let out a laugh.

Line Break

"Now, before we enter, you should try and keep your cool," Togata informed them, which seemed confusing to Tsunotori. Why wouldn't they be cool? They've met with Nezu a few times now, and he never gave them-

Togata opened the door, and she understood.

Nezu was at his desk, looking as prim and proper as ever. However, the desk was buried in files, reports, and paperwork he would probably be busy with long after it grew dark outside. Seated on the chair next to Nezu's desk was All Might, though the frail old man preferred to be referred to as Yagi-sensei since he retired. Not that any of them or the public could see him as anything less than their greatest hero.

His presence would never inspire anything but hope and positivity, as he had worked the hardest over these last few months to keep spirits up and tensions low. But it wasn't him whose presence Togata warned them about, as standing to the side with his back to the wall was their current number one 'hero', Endeavour.

Tsunotori blinked before she felt Tetsutetsu grab her arm so tight it nearly hurt. Looking at her, he gestured to her head with his eyes, where she had already detached her horns and was primed to fire. Kendo similarly locked down Kuroiro and Tokage, both having nearly jumped the man.

Class A and the rest of the room pretended they didn't see that; it wasn't as if Endeavour had many fans these days.

"Good afternoon, hero students. I apologize for drawing you away from your well-earned east.” Nezu greeted.

"Everyone is doing their part, sir. It wouldn't be right if we ignored your request." Yaoyorozu spoke for them, as it wasn't the hero course that helped with patrols in and out of the barrier and operations against villain groups.

Those generally filled in any tasks that were needed, such as moving equipment, making basic repairs, working in the kitchens, expanding the nurse's office, etc. The business course helped balance the books as supplies while stockpiling, and in many cases, thanks to her, they could restock; Yaoyorozu couldn't replace everything. If not that, then they helped the teachers create materials to keep spirits up, even if that just meant spinning minor clashes into bigger things or steps on their way to eventual victory.

Support did what they did best: maintaining equipment around campus and the items of the heroes and students. They also worked, under orders from the principal, on upgrading and reinforcing their defences for if the worst were to happen. They heard them doing just that in their many workshops.

"It's encouraging to see the younger generation rising up at this dire time, but sad that we, the older generation, failed to do so. It's miserable that you needed to rise so early. With how bad times have been, we haven't been able to hold a single-grade promotion," Nezu sighed, reaching for one of his cigarettes. By this point, he had dropped appearances with the students, and his open secret was now just a well-established fact.

Lighting it, he took a drag of it before letting out a puff with an encouraging, if tired, smoke. "Well, when things clear up, I'll speak with the education board to ensure everyone's records thoroughly explain why you were seemingly held back."

Monoma ignored the fact that he had to share a room with class A and Enji and tried to follow the principal's lead. "Yes, well, I imagine most students would have that issue. We have already missed the first semester and don't have time to study for those pesky mid-terms."

Ashido chuckled at that as if Aizawa was here…he would have found a way to get them to study while helping around, and Midnight would have found a way to make it fun…At least, she liked to think that.

She clenched her fist, fighting back the anger and grief she'd felt after she and the rest of the world watched the heroes lose, and only Present Mic returned. But she didn't dare voice it; none needed the reminder of how much had been lost.

Nezu smiled in a way that implied he figured out what was going through her head, but he also didn’t draw attention to it.

"Yes, well, we can discuss how much make-up work we'll need to have you do later. Right now, something of importance has come up." Nezu floor to Endeavour. The man spared his youngest a glance but not saying anything to him.

“2 days ago, there was a villain attack to the northeast of here. A small town by the name of Homori." Endeavour started. "Unlike many smaller settlements, it wasn't some random group of thugs but the PLF that attacked it."

"If the League leveled the place, why are we learning about this now?" Bakugo demanded as people rejected them; that was just how shit worked now-but. All Might wouldn't have stood aside and let them die, nor would he.

Having extinguished his flames when he arrived to move unseen, Endeavor responded to Bakugo's reasonable outage. "We didn't inform you of that because it didn't happen."

“Wait…some small town managed to fend them off? Are we sure it was the liberation front?” Ojiro asked, feeling a little bad about it, but the PLF were an entirely different breed of monster. Setting aside monsters like Shigaraki, Gigantomachia, and Dabi. They had plenty of powerful people besides them in their ranks. More than enough to overrun a small town, which, odds are, had no heroes.

"We were skeptical of it ourselves, but the information was solid. We know that Muscular was the one sent to attack it. We also know that he was bested and killed in his attempt." Endeavor revealed, which caught the students completely by surprise. There was no way; they all recalled what happened at the camp and how much destruction he alone brought. And how he was often one of the League-turned-PLF's strongest fighters.

“How was that possible?” Kendo asked.

"One of our former students, a first-year like you, moved there with their family when they decided that U.A. wasn't ideal for their child," Nezu started, pained by the fact that this hadn't been the only case of parents pulling their students. Among the 2 classes before him, 9 had been pulled from U.A.

"Someone in the town recorded the video, which was passed around, reaching them, who then sent a copy of it to their friend who's still a student in general studies. They reported this to us." Nezu pulled a remote out and pointed it at the wall-mounted TV. Turning it on, he quickly found the video and pressed play.

What greeted them was tragic but nothing new as they watched a shaky smartphone recording of people fleeing, the town looking…quaint, if Yaoyorozu to describe it. Or it would if the part they were seeing wasn't facing a serious threat like Muscular, who appeared on screen about to kill someone before, out of frame, another person appeared and knocked him back, an incredibly impressive feat.

They couldn’t hear what was said because the audio was too bad, nor could they see the face of the brave if foolish soul that challenged Muscular, but their clothing implied that they styled themselves as a shrine maiden, though one that took liberties with the design.

"What's gonna—" Kaminari's question was answered for them when they witnessed the unknown woman easily handle Muscular, evading his strikes and striking at him with a multitude of attacks: fire that seemed imbued with what looked like glass, silver, and gold and finally, health, incinerating the villain's arm clean off. Nezu paused it right before the shrine maiden dealt the finishing blow.

"As you can see, such a person is an abnormality," Endeavour noted, All Might, keeping silent.

"Who was that? And what kind of quirk was it like? It was like it could do so many things at once." Tsunotori asked.

"Is he one of All for One's turned rogue? That would explain why Muscular was sent to handle them." Todoroki asked another question; the group was scared that they could be another Kurogiri, the only one who, for whatever reason, was never sent after them.

"That isn't the case as far as we can tell as we managed to get a name and confirm that the person you saw was, in fact, not a product of All for One or Garaki's machinations," Nezu informed them.

“Then who was it? They handled Muscular like it was nothing. Were they one of the heroes that quit?” Sero asked.

“Midoriya Izuku,” Yagi-sensei spoke up, drawing attention to the man as he stood up and walked towards the window overlooking the campus. “His name is Midoriya Izuku. He’s around your age, actually.”

For most of them, the name itself meant little, and they focused on the fact there was someone out there with such a powerful quirk who decided to turn to serve a God over going into hero work. But for Bakugo, his heart skipped a beat in confusion, fear, and, in some ways, relief as he looked back at them, the still frame showing their back, as it had done for the entire fight.

But now that he was looking, he could see that hair, done up in a way that looked like what Auntie used to do when she was younger. And those flames had been bright emerald green, just like they had been that day. Was the steam they saw coming off him also a byproduct of his quirk? He was sure Dek-Midoriya also did that, though he had never seen him use it, always clamping down on it.

“I met him once, back before I began my first day at U.A. I happened to be in town and saw a crime take place and went on the pursuit of a villain whose quirk turned their body into a sludge-like substance,” Yagi-sensei started, his back still to the room.

"He managed to escape from me and captured young Bakugo," Kirishima's head jolted as he recalled hearing about that incident, but Bakugo never talked about it. "Before I could intervene, young Midoriya defeated the villain easily and saved young Bakugo's life."

“That…that sounds good,” Kaminari hesitantly raised his hand. “Right? He saved someone and took down a villain.”

“It’s not that simple. We don’t know the full details, but it’s fair to say his quirk has a similar effect on his reality as Toga’s. To him, fire and burning are as normal as hugs and smiles.” Endeavour pointed out, which got an immediate reaction out of Uraraka and Asui, who had been the ones who dealt with Toga at the summer camp, or more accurately, had been left for dead by her.

"When I approached, it was like he had a mental break over what he should do and what he thought he should, and fled the scene. He was seen again sometime later but escaped once again. Only recently did we learn he had taken refuge at Homori, running a local shrine?" Yagi-sensei replied, with Bakugo looking at his feet, recalling that day like it was yesterday, how he felt in the moment, what he thought when he first laid eyes on Midoriya, and how he's since changed what he believed about it.

Did Auntie know? Wait, no-of course not. He had vanished off the face of the earth, and for a time, he had feared he had been killed or, worse, captured by AFO and the League, his quirk stolen and his body disposed of.

“There was a report of a villain attack last December, but when the pros arrived, the villains had already been defeated, and despite all showing signs of burn marks, the townspeople refused to give any information on who apprehended them. We believe that this was Midoriya's work, and by that point, he had built enough trust from the locals that they covered for him." Nezu added, having asked their detective friend to look into things. "In return, he continued his role as their unofficial protector, which would explain why, as things grew tense… people flocked there."

"Sir, pardon me for asking, but why are we learning about this now? Iida asked; as for all that this was, it didn't help them much about their current situation. Yes, they had to bend the rules regarding allies these days, but was Midoriya that much of a game-changer?

"We decided to bring his information to the forefront for 2 reasons. The first and most obvious would be his strength. According to his quirk profile, his quirk essentially turns his body into a walking volcano, which, along with the pyromantic abilities that you saw, also gave him a byproduct ability akin to Shigaraki and the High-End Nomu's super regeneration, a necessity because his body isn’t like that of Endeavour’s and burns just as easily as you or I would.”

Endeavour, who already knew this, didn't react, but Shoto couldn't help but shiver as he took that in. Dabi…the failed successor whose body was built for ice and yet was born with flames hotter than Endeavour's. If she had passive regeneration, would things have been different? Would he have even been born? Probably not, but that was for later.

"Along with it was a transformed form, which was initially believed to be the extent of his abilities." Nezu changed it to show an image, one captured from the day Midoriya saved Bakugo, and put it next to the boy's last school picture. "However, from that skirmish, we can conclude that his abilities extend far beyond that. Much like a volcano, he can produce volcanic glass and ores like gold and silver."

"At this time, it's safe to assume that any attitude that can be associated with volcanic activity would be an ability his quirk grants, and considering the skill of which he handled Muscular, it's safe to assume that he's been training hard since he was last spotted," Nezu concluded things, which the students had to admit, marked him as a powerful fighter, something they sorely needed. Still, they were on the fence, considering how he had just killed Muscular.

“And the second reason?” Shoji asked.

"Muscular's presence in the town. It makes no sense." Nezu started, bringing up a map of Japan, focusing on their region. With the student ignoring how much of the map was villain-controlled, Nezu pointed out Homori's location.

“At first, we believed that All for One or Shigaraki believed they could recruit him or, failing that-eliminate him. However, as he's not moved from this position, that didn't quite fit." Nezu listed the reasons for this. "We also considered Homori's location, as it's right on our region's border and could host a staging post, but it's small, and we could and would take it out before they could use it."

Yaoyorozu could see the rationale, though she wasn’t a fan of how a town filled with people had to be seen as something as impersonal and unimportant as just a piece on the board.

"But All for One would know all that, and he wouldn't have sent Muscular for no reason; he's far too cautious for that. But there is another possibility for it, which is why he would send someone as capable as Muscular." Endeavour stated that it does not take long for the more perceptive students to catch on.

"There's something he wants, something important enough to warrant Muscular instead of some grunts being sent." Kaminari gasped, others following along.

"But that also means that with Muscular's failure, he won't stop." Honenuki frowned, as this was news, but if AFO was as much of a bastard as he thought he was, not even losing one of his most useful pawns would stop him. “But would could it be?”

"That…is something I have an idea on," Yagi-sensei spoke up, and this time, the students noticed that Togata also seemed a little unsure about things, uncomfortable even. “For as long as I and my predecessors have battled him, he’s only cared for 2 things. Control and stealing One for All.”

"He's making good progress with the first, and we still don't know where he or Shigaraki is, so it's not as if he's in any real hurry."

"Okay, but wasn't One for All destroyed during the raid on the Shie Hassaikai?" Monona asked, as by now, they had already been read in on the history of One for All, All for One, and how All Might passed the former to Togata.

They also knew that when he took the quirk delete for Eri, he lost both One for All and Permeation, which was why, unlike Nejire-Chan or Suneater, he had been staying around campus.

"True, but recall 2 things. The first is that while Overhaul initially got away from Nighteye and Lemillion," As Yai-sensei spoke, Togata's fist clenched as he bit back the bitter memory of watching her vanish along with that monster. "That the League attacked Overhaul shortly after, and while we recovered Chronostatis' remains and arrested Overhaul-Eri was nowhere to be found."

“The second thing to consider is what young Eri’s quirk is.” Yag-sensei finished, with Togata’s face going pale.

“Rewind.” He breathed out, dread pooling in his stomach like hot oil.

Nezu nodded, as that was quite the power. “The ability to reverse any biological matter to a previous state of being. It was the key to Overhaul’s research, and in theory, could reverse even Yagi’s injuries, returning him to a younger body.”

"But wouldn't that mean All for One could be using it right now?" Ashido asked as they all saw what the guy looked like at Kamino; the dude was seriously messed up by All Might the first time.

"We can thank Hawks that we know the answer to that is no," Endeavour replied, Tokoyami's gaze narrowing at the reminder of his mentor, which led to recalling how he was burned alive by Dabi. "We worried that she would have been being used to create more or that her quirk was stolen or copied by Garaki, but at no point during his undercover time did he hear a word about her."

"In fact, when we were able to investigate the remains of Garaki's lab, we found evidence that he had been using alternate means to recreate the quirk deleter, which matches with his testimony," Endeavour grunted, having listened to the police interrogate that pathetic villain.

“Why?” Bakugo kept it simple.

"Simply put, it was the only means they had as after they attacked Overhaul and mutilated him, the League captured Eri; however, according to what Hawks learned from Twice, they refused to abuse her the same way and had her moved far from both them and us.”

Asui croaked, shaking her head in disbelief. “No way, you’re not saying that…”

"Twice said they knew of a shrine whose maiden was both outside the law but powerful and could teach Eri how to use her quirk. They worked at a shrine to Kagutsuchi, and her flames were comparable to Dabi's." Endeavor made it clear as day.

"She's been there the entire time?" Bakugo asked as that seemed likely. He didn't know how and why Eri ended up in Midoriya's care, but he couldn't imagine him mistreating her. He would say he was a pretty damn good pick for her guardian, and if that fight was anything to go on, he either created his own or found someone to train him.

"And it seems that AFO wishes to take her back," Shiozaki noted.

Endeavour nodded. “That is the assumption, but considering he didn’t send someone who could have negotiated for her to be transferred to him, it’s fair to say that Midoriya will not willingly hand her over.”

"But if he knows she's there and what her quirk can do…" Fukidashi feared what would surely fall on that place, an assault comparable to what destroyed Tartarus.

Nezu agreed with him on that. "He'll stop at nothing to acquire it. Our worst-case estimate is that they'll use rewind to return AFO to his peak and then attempt to capture either Togata or All Might and do the same to them, attempting to rewind them to a point where they did have One for All before stealing it."

"This is something we can't allow, but we cannot contact Midoriya directly and convince him and his people to relocate here. Thus, we want to create a small team from your numbers to journey to Homori as our representatives." Nezu proposed as the students shared a look, understanding the weight of this mission as if they got Eri, and if she had learned how to use her quirk, then Lemillion and All Might could take to the field again.

“When do we leave?” Bakugo spoke up.

"Provided you decide on who will go tomorrow," Nezu replied.

Line break

The group spent some time picking out who would go. While they could all be sent, they still needed their help with security, especially as AFO could strike them should they send too much of their fighting strength somewhere else. It was as they left that Endeavour turned to Nezu. “There’s more to that, isn’t there?” He stated, “Something you’re not telling us.”

Feeling his fellow hero’s gaze on him, Yagi sighed, feeling every bit his age. "It's not that we don't trust you; it's just we can't prove it,"

“Still, you’ve both felt it…so it is possible that it…?” Nezu asked, holding out to some semblance of hope.

"We don't know; this has never happened before, and to be honest," All Might replied, as he had more experience with this than young Togata, but the fact his successor could feel the link, feint as it was. “I’m not sure which answer I think is worse.”

Line Break

The following morning, the selected group was up bright and early. They would need the time as they couldn't drive, and taking a chopper could draw attention, so they left as they always did, seemingly for an early morning patrol. Once they had hit the city, they said they were heading out. “Other than Midoriya and Eri, do we know anything else about this place?” Kendo asked; the group had left the city behind and was walking up a deserted country road with thick brush to both sides.

"Only what we could get online would be super out of date," Asui replied.

“If they have a protector that can choose to be lethal, I doubt they’ll put up much else, even if things were better.” Shiozaki frowned, recalling the sight of that massive green fireball and its results.

Tetsutetsu wasn’t nearly as worried about this. “Well, we just gotta find ‘em, right? No problem. We’ll just ask around for him.”

"I doubt they'll be so willing to speak with us. If they've chosen to stay put, they might not have a good view of heroes." Kendo sighed.

“It’s not that,” They turned to Bakugo, who had been silent until now. “I’m sure that heroes aren’t hated there.”

“(Kero) How would you know that? In fact, why were you so insistent on coming along?” Asui asked, as Bakugo had been nearly as belligerent as his first few months at U.A. when it came to the debate, they had been chosen because they either could afford to be spared or had advantageous quirks. Bakugo was none of those things. He was one of their best fighters, and while flames made him sweat more, what could he do against someone who could also control the earth and could regenerate?

“Because Midoriya loves heroes…he always loved them.” Bakugo kept it short, his attention elsewhere.

"You didn't answer the second question," Tetsutetsu called out to him.

"Leave him be; if he's going to be useful, then he can keep his secrets," Tokage said. The girl had sent an eye out to scout ahead, along with an eye because these roads might be on the edge of their territory, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be surprised. "Heads up!" Tokage spotted something.

“A villain?” Asui asked as Tokage focused on the figure jumping from branch to branch, hardly making a sound.

"I'm not sure; they're moving through the brush ahead of us." She replied.

“Description?” Kendo asked, guessing it could be highway robbers. It was an annoyance, but it was something they could handle.

"Hard to say. They're a woman with green hair, but they're wearing a green hooded cape and have a quiver." Tokage relayed as the target came to a stop, before without warning, drawing an arrow and, with their fingers into a bow, which she used to send the arrow flying, nearly pinning Tokage's eye to the tree. “Crap!”

Having already drawn another arrow, Fletcher eyed the direction where she felt the disturbance, one that years of training and experience told her wasn’t an animal. "I know you're there. Save us both the time and come out. You're about to enter Homori territory, and we won't allow you to bring harm to our people."

“Harm?” Tokage frowned, as that didn't sound like a villain. In fact, eying the arrow, she suspected that a shot that close to hitting its mark couldn't have been missed by chance. So, taking a risk, she combined her eye and ear, creating a larger portion of her head, and sent that into view of the woman.

“What the…? Just what sort of quirk is this?” Fletcher asked, as Tokage, who hadn't sent her mouth, just moved her pieces around to try and convey a response. She posed no threat, so Fletcher lowered her bow but didn't put the arrow away. "I see; you're just someone's eye and ear."

Tokage gestured towards the road, Fletcher following it and picking up quick. “All right, lead the way.” She followed it, breaking out of the treeline after a couple minutes, where she spotted a small traveling group. Different from the travelers she would expect, and definitely not being villains-not with those costumes.

"And who are you? You don't seem to be a hero," Asui asked, noticing that Fletcher, too, kept to her old clothing from her humanized days, which was the best she could get considering the situation.

“That’s because I never one was. I was Beros, an agent of Humanise,” She hardly cared about how they all instinctively got into a fighting stance, quirks at the ready. “But now I’m just Fletcher Cassandra. Member of Homori’s security forces.”

“No fucking way.” Tetsutetsu, covered head to toe in steel, shot back.

"Believe what you want. Why are you hero students even here? U.A.'s a long way away." Fletcher asked, putting her arrow away as her hand returned to normal. The students spotted bandages around her arms.

“Why should we believe a word you have to say?” Kendo asked, Bakugo already shifting his hand to unload AP shot should the need arise.

“This is why I hate border patrols,” Fletcher sighed. "I don't have any means for real motivation to prove that I'm not about to pull a trigger bomb on you, but seeing how you're all hero students, I can lead you back down and let someone else handle you." With that, she turned and started power walking back, though they didn’t follow her.

She didn’t stop and just called out over her shoulder. “If you’re so unsure about me, then have your explosive friend stand close and be ready to sear my flesh,” She reached for her right arm, the one covered in bandages. “Doubtful it has anything on the Guji’s flames.” She felt it, the pain from the burns as it was like fire continually feasted on her flesh, down to the bone.

“Do we have to follow?” Asui asked, nervous about this one after hearing about Hado's time in France along with Ryukyu.

"We were already making our way, and it's not like she can lead us into a trap by being a false guide," Shiozaki replied.

"Still, I thought Humanise didn't have any branches in Japan," Kendo asked, as the last thing they needed was a quirk-hating group as dangerous as Humanise setting up shop here.

“Even if they did, why come here? Why not go for U.A. or some other big city?” Bakugo asked what seemed to be the obvious question.

“You do you brats love wasting time or what?”

Line Break

The attendant knocked before opening the sliding bow, already bowing to their leader. The scent of burning wood and ash was strong and ever-present in the room. “Guji, pardon my intrusion.”

Midoriya, who sat in his office handling paperwork, didn’t break his stride as he read up on some maintenance. “What is it?”

"We are waiting for a message from the security force." The attendant didn’t see it, but he could feel Midoriya’s attention shifting to him and continued his report. “Fletcher came across some hero students—U.A. hero students trying to enter our territory."

“U.A.?” Midoriya asked. Koharu, who was resting at the side of the room, raised her head to better listen.

The attendant silently asked Midoriya for permission to approach, which He gave as he came closer and whispered, “Correct. One of them is Bakugo Katsuki, and they wish to speak with you."

Hearing that name made Midoriya snap his pen, but just as quickly, lighting his hand on fire to prevent ink from getting into the papers. Dousing the flames just as fast, Midoriya took a breath and let out a smoke cloud to calm himself.

"Well, it seems this week will be an eventual one." They were still rebuilding after Muscular, after all, but by the grace of the flames, nothing truly important had been lost. Graciously rising, he turned to his attendant. “Send a message that they are escorted here.”

As the servant went to handle that, Midoriya looked out the window towards the temple, seeing people going about their tasks or helping people through prayers and offerings. ‘Just what could U.A. want? Is it me…or is it?’ His eye landed on Eri, who was playing with some local children.

Shaking his head, he turned towards the door, Koharu falling with him. ‘Either way, this isn’t something that I can afford to mess up. For the sake of Homori and its continued peace.’

Line break

“So, this temple, is it any further?" Kendo, having taken the point, asked as two locals led them up a mountain road.

"It's not that far; we'll see its main gate soon enough, " the first one, an older man who ran the general store, replied. He had been the most welcoming of them, though like the rest, he still eyed them with suspicion.

"You ask plenty of questions, you know." A familiar force retorted, someone their age who worked at the general store. A former first-year from the general course and someone who had gotten into a pretty bad fight with Bakugo last year.

Tokage adjusted her eyepatch. "Can you blame us? All of this is just crazy," They hadn't been too surprised to see the town going through changes; having an explosion in population would require that. But what had been surprising was that Beros wasn't an outlier as they saw plenty of villains just…going about their day, including a couple who the Class B students recognized from the USJ.

Togeike, by this point, hardly even noticed it. It wasn't as if she had much to fear from them. "Yeah, it's a little crazy, but everything is crazy. At least here, we can trust that we're safe. And that any who would challenge that are dealt with."

“That much we know.” Bakugo looked away when Asui made that quip. But fortunately for them, when they turned the bend, they spotted the structure ahead. Waiting outside was a shrine maiden who didn't move but kept her eyes on them as they made their way up.

When they did so, her attention went to their guides as she bowed to them. "I thank you for helping our guests up. It would have been…problematic if they made the trek without help."

"Bah, I was already planning on visiting sooner or later. Might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?" the old man, Saitama, replied. The woman offered him a warm smile as she asked if he would need help finding his way around, but he waved it off, taking off with his part-time worker.

“Welcome to our humble shrine. I am Kodama. I was told you seek to speak with the Guji?” If Kendo noticed that Kodama didn’t bow to them, she didn’t show it.

“That’s right. There are some things that he might want to hear.” She replied, staying diplomatic.

“That remains to be seen, but that’s not my place to say. Please follow me.” Kodama turned and entered, the group following after her, and found that the place wasn't as 'humble' as she had implied. A courtyard greeted them, buildings to three of their sides, their lacquered beams gleaming beneath a jade-green roof. Workers moved back and forth with tasks. On either side of the stone-flagged path, meticulously pruned bonsai and moss-carpeted gardens alternate with solemn statues.

Stepping away from them, they entered the largest building and were immediately hit with a heat wave. It felt like here and here alone; the chill of fall didn't exist, and yet Kodama didn't react to it. She led them to a door, turning to them.

"Inside, you'll find the Guji. It's within your best interest to show the proper respect." Kodama turned and left without another word.

"Friendly," Asui noted.

"The fact that they didn't give us issues up until now was good news enough," Kendo replied as she took a breath, the scent of incense thick in the air. "Are you ready for this? " she asked before she opened the door.

The room that greeted that was much like the rest of the place, lavish and yet spartan at the same time. Befitting a place of worship and not a palace. The place was kept clean, with a table in the middle of the room; atop it was a boiling pot of tea, several cups, and a plate with snacks.

But it was the man—more boy—who waited for them that grabbed their attention. Midoriya sat in the same clothing they had seen him wear in the video, yet he carried himself with an exceptional level of poise, his back straight as an arrow. To his back rested the largest snake they had ever seen, curled up to act as a backrest for Midoriya.

Opening his eyes when they entered, Midoriya spoke. “Welcome, please have a seat. I’ve been told you have something to discuss with me?”

Line Break

Oh man, I wish this wasn't a 2-shot as that was getting good. I could have had Bakugo and Midoriya alone for a moment. Explain why Tokage, a fellow regenerator, is wearing an eyepatch and what happened to the missing students. Written on the confrontation between them when Midoriya guesses why they're there, even if not One for All itself, etc. But this chapter was long enough, and it's getting late, so I need to edit and post it and then relax before getting some other work done.