Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Quirks.

Ever since that first miraculous child was born nearly two-hundred years ago, people throughout the world have developed incredible powers and abilities once only seen in fairy tales and comic books. Such abilities, called Quirks, are developed around the age of four. Most are rather passive, but a lucky few are gifted with a Quirk of incredible power. From manipulating the elements, to overwhelming strength, to affecting the minds of those near; the possibilities are literally endless.

And when they appear, it can be quite a shock for an unexpecting child. Even more so as they first learn how to use it.

Izuku Midoriya is one such child.

It was a peaceful morning in the Midoriya household. Inko Midoriya was washing dishes in the kitchen of her modest apartment. It was small, but homey, the walls covered in pictures of her and her son Izuku.

Every few seconds, Inko would look over her shoulder, keeping an eye on Izuku as he played in the living room. He was in the middle of his Saturday morning cartoons, reenacting the colorful action on screen with his favorite toy, an action figure of the hero All Might. Inko smiled to herself as he laughed and played, hopping around in his footy pajamas styled to look like the number one hero, his green hair curling out of the hoody.

"Never fear, citizens! This villain shall threaten you no more! Why? Because I am here!"

Inko chuckled to herself as Izuku started chanting 'All Might! All Might' under his breath, a childish recreation of a cheering crowd.

Yes, a normal peaceful morning, unlike any other.

Then… it happened.

Inko saw a brief flash of green light out the corner of her eye. She turned her head in surprise, looking for the source, but all she saw was Izuku facing the TV, coming to a stop as something drew his attention. Thinking the flash had just been from the TV, Inko went back to scrubbing their breakfast plates-

"MOMMY!"

Inko's heart leapt into her throat as Izuku let out a panicked wail. She whirled around, only to find Izuku running towards her as he clutched at his right hand against his chest. She knelt down to him instantly, completely forgetting her sopping hands as she put them on his shoulders. "Izuku! Izuku, what's wrong, sweetie?"

Izuku stared up at her, his panicked green eyes brimming with tears. "My hand ate All Might!"

...

Inko blinked at him, taking a moment to register what he'd said. "W-What?" She asked haltingly, a slight laugh of bemusement escaping her.

Izuku just sniffed, then showed her his hand. "Look!"

Inko couldn't help but let out a sharp gasp as she saw her son's hand. His entire hand had turned a collage of reds, blues, and yellows, all swirling together across his skin. She gently held his hand in her own, flinching slightly as she felt hard plastic rather than flesh, the light reflecting off the glossy material. She squeezed his palm gently, but there was no give. It was as if his whole hand had turned into plastic.

"Izuku…" She murmured, both in fear and in wonder. "What happened?"

Izuku's tears had finally started to fall as he gasped between sobs. "I-I was just p-playing with All M-Might, and then-and then my hand got all t-tingly, and -th-there was a l-light, and now All Might's goonnnne!"

Inko pulled Izuku into a hug as his crying grew worse, forcing down her own panic as realization slowly started to form in her mind. "Izuku… Izuku, it's okay, sweetheart." She rubbed comforting circles on his back as he held onto her, sobbing into her chest. "Please calm down, Izuku. I think I know what happened."

Izuku pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "Y-You do?" he hiccuped.

Inko smiled gently as she sat down on the kitchen floor, Izuku instantly clambering into her lap. "I think so, sweetie. Now, does your hand hurt? Can you move it at all?"

Izuku sniffed some more, but looked down at his miscolored hand. He flexed his fingers hesitantly, causing a small clacking sound as the plastic rubbed against itself. "I-It doesn't hurt." He murmured.

Inko let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Good. That's good. Okay… Izuku?" She waited for him to look up at her before smiling brightly. "Sweetie, I think you just got your Quirk."

Just as she'd been hoping, Izuku's eyes grew incredibly wide, his little mouth popping open. "I...I did?"

Inko chuckled at his starstruck look. "I think so. You said you felt a tingling feeling in your hand?"

Izuku nodded slowly, his tears lessening. "Y-Yeah. Like, when I sleep on it? All numb and needley? It was like that, but… different."

Inko nodded with him, humming. "Okay… can you try this for me? Think really, really hard about that feeling. Try to make it happen again."

Izuku frowned slightly, but gave her another nod. "Okay, Mommy." He then stared very intently at his plastic hand, his brow pinching together as he brought up all the focus a four-year-old could muster.

Inko watched with bated breath, hoping Izuku could figure out just a little of his Quirk before they had to seek out professional help. She clasped her hands behind his back, holding him as he focused.

After a few minutes, Izuku let out a little groan of discontent. "I can feel something, but nothing's happening!"

Inko gave him a gentle smile. "It's okay, Izu. Don't feel you have to force it, sweetie. Maybe the doctor can help when they confirm you have a Quirk."

Izuku just pouted stubbornly. "But I can do it!" He shouted. "I just have to try harder and not give up. Like All Might!" He closed his eyes, focusing hard.

Inko sighed at his stubbornness. "Izuku, you…" She trailed off, her eyes widening as there was another flash. She looked down sharply, just in time to see Izuku's hand glow with green light. It seemed to bend and twist as the light grew brighter, until she could make out a familiar shape.

The light died down in under a second, and Izuku's eyes popped open in surprise. He grinned brightly. "Mommy, look! All Might's back!"

Inko nodded faintly. Yes, the All Might action figure had indeed returned, clutched tightly in the once-again-flesh hand of her son. She shook her shock off quickly, hugging Izuku tightly. "Good job, Izuku!" Still holding him proudly in her arms, Inko stood up and quickly snatched her phone off the countertop. It was already ringing as she squeezed Izuku into a crushing hug, making him giggle.

With a click, someone picked up. Inko briefly heard the indignant squeak of an upset child, before a woman's voice came on the line. "Hey, just a second, brat, someone's calling me… Hello? Inko, that you?"

"Mitsuki!" Inko answered back, grinning like no tomorrow. "Mitsuki, you won't believe what just happened!"

Three hours and one doctor's visit later found the Midoriya's in the home of the Bakugo family. The door had just barely opened before Izuku, now clad in blue shorts and his favorite yellow All-Might t-shirt, gave a hurried hello to 'Auntie Mitsi' and rushed down the hall toward his best friend's room, their mothers' laughter following him the whole way. He started beating on the door like his life depended on it.

"Kacchan! Kacchan! Lemme in lemme in lemme in!"

The door swung open without warning, causing Izuku to fall flat on his face with a yelp. A bark of laughter made him look up, seeing his friend Katsuki smirking at him with his hand still on the doorknob, dressed in long pants and a black sleeveless shirt.

Izuku pouted up at him. "Kacchan, that's not nice!"

Katsuki, or Kacchan, as Izuku chose to call him, just snorted. "Deal with it, Deku."

Izuku's pout deepened at the nickname, but was quickly wiped away as he jumped to his feet. "Kacchan! Guess what, Guess what!"

Katsuki crossed his arms, pretending to look thoughtful. "Hmm, I guess…" He then gave Izuku a flat stare. "You got your Quirk?"

Izuku stopped bouncing in place, his face going slack. "Wha-? How did-?"

"My mom already told me," Katsuki stated with a smug grin.

Izuku slumped heavily, his enthusiasm replaced with disappointment. "Aww… I wanted to surprise you…"

Katsuki snickered at Izuku's downtrodden expression. "Tough." His grin turned less smug as he looked Izuku up and down, a little thoughtful. "So…" He drawled, trying to sound like he wasn't interested. "What is it?"

Izuku's eyes sparkled in an instant. "You really want to know?"

Katsuki fixed him with a flat stare. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, Deku. I mean, obviously, it can't be as awesome as my Quirk…" As if to prove his words, Katsuki held up his palm, a series of crackles and pops flickering across his palm, making Izuku go starry-eyed as always. Katsuki smirked. "But-"

"Brat, you better not be blowing stuff up in the house again!"

Both boys jumped at the sudden shout. Katsuki scowled as he marched to the door, sticking his head out into the hall as he shouted, "I'm not, Mom!"He slammed the door shut, muffling whatever his mother yelled back. He turned back to Izuku, carrying on like nothing happened. "So, yeah, it can't be as awesome as my Quirk, but… is it at least kinda cool?"

Izuku's whole face lit up. "It's so cool! I can combine with stuff!"

Katsuki blinked at him, tilting his head. "Combine? The heck does that mean?"

Izuku just kept smiling, undeterred. "Watch!" Reaching into his back pocket, Izuku pulled out his All Might action figure. Katsuki watched, curious, as Izuku's face scrunched up as he stared intently at the toy. There were a few seconds of nothing, making Katsuki impatient. But right when he was about to yell at Izuku to do something, Katsuki flinched back as Izuku's hand started glowing with green light.

Katsuki watched, mesmerized, as the glow encompassed the action figure. Once the toy and Izuku's arm seemed to glow equally as bright, the toy seemed to sink into Izuku's hand, the two merging. Once the glow died down, Izuku's hand had turned the same melted colors the action figure had once been, stopping just below his wrist.

"Whoa…" Katsuki couldn't help but utter.

Izuku took his friend's apparent amazement as a cue to begin bouncing in place again. "See? I told you! Cool!"

Katsuki nodded dimly, staring as Izuku flexed his hand. "Okay… yeah, it is." He then looked back up to meet Izuku's eyes. "But wasn't that your favorite toy?"

"Oh, I can bring it back. See?" Sure enough, with just another green glow, Izuku's arm was back to normal and the All Might action figure was right back where it had been, good as new.

Katsuki let out a small laugh. "Cool… can you only do it with plastic?"

Izuku blinked at him, so wrapped up in the excitement of having finally gotten his quirk that he hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Um… I don't know," He admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

Katsuki hummed a little, then started looking around his room. He zeroed in on his toy chest quickly running over and digging through it. Izuku followed him, looking over his shoulder to try and see what Katsuki was looking for.

His answer came when Katsuki pulled out a deflated basketball, grinning widely. "Want to find out?"

As it turned out, Izuku's quirk was not limited to plastic. Actually, it didn't seem like there was any limit to what he could combine with. Over and over, Katsuki handed over more and more items from around his room for Izuku to try combining with, both of them growing more and more excited with every success. The basketball, a bedside lamp, more action figures, Katsuki's pillow; Izuku could merge with all of them, his arms becoming whatever material he absorbed.

Slowly, the two worked out a bit more about how Izuku's Quirk worked as they sat in the middle of the room experimenting. If he merged with something for more than a few minutes, he started to get a headache. He could merge with more than one thing at a time, but the headache grew worse faster when he did. The bigger something was, the farther up his arms he could change (absorbing the basketball had stretched rubber nearly up to his elbow, while the jacks Katsuki had pulled out of his pocket had barely covered his palm). Whatever part of Izuku's body was merged was harder for him to feel, as he learned when Katsuki tapped on his rubber arm and he found he couldn't feel it.

Then, as he tapped the knuckles of his bouncy-ball infused knuckles together, Izuku had a thought. "Oh! What if I merged with something metal? I bet I could punch really hard then. Like All Might!"

Katsuki, who had been having a surprising amount of fun watching his friend combine with his toys and bring them back unscathed, gave a fearsome grin. "Now you're thinking like a hero!" He ran back to his toy chest, pulling out an aluminum baseball bat. He ran back to Izuku, excited. "Give this a tr-whoa!"

Izuku looked up as he started bringing the bouncy balls out of his skin. Katsuki had stepped on one of the baseballs they had left lying around and tripped. Izuku threw his hands out reflexively to catch him. "Kacchan! I got-"

Izuku didn't notice that his hands were still glowing as he grabbed Katsuki by the arm. Not until a bright green flash filled the entire room.

Red eyes blinked open as he fell onto the carpet, the green glow fading around him.

What… just happened?

He pushed himself, looking around the room in confusion.

Where… where did Kacchan go? What the heck happened to Deku?

He looked down at his hands, turning them face up. Something felt… off.

I was falling. But I caught him? But then… where…?

He stood up on shaky legs, still looking around the room as if his missing friends would just appear. He frowned.

But… I'm not missing. I'm standing right here.

He started walking towards the door. Maybe one of his moms would know what was going on.

Wait… moms? I only have one mom!

...don't I?

Out the corner of his eye, something moved. He turned sharply to face… Katsuki's mirror.

He stared at his reflection for a moment, blinking in confusion. Then his eyes widened. He suddenly realized what felt off.

"Oh… oops…"

"Yeah, I remember when Katsuki first used his Quirk. Poor brat was so sad that he blew up his favorite blanket."

Inko covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Oh, dear. I'm glad Izuku was able to bring his toy back out. I don't even want to think about the fit he'd of had."

Mitsuki snorted as she pulled a bucket of ice cream out of the freezer. "Couldn't have been any worse than my brat. The windows were rattling with how much he bawled."

Inko rolled her eyes at her friend's flippant words. "Mitsu…" She scolded lightly.

Mitsuki waved her off. "Oh, the brat can survive a little embarrassment. Are we all ready here?"

Inko nodded as she looked over the living room, setting down a few plates around the freshly baked cake, the words 'Congrats Izuku!' written across the top in chocolate icing. "I think so. Oh, thank you for helping me with this, Mitsuki."

"Oh, don't even," Mitsuki laughed. "Kid gets his Quirk, he deserves a party. You finish setting up, I'll go get the brats."

Mitsuke smirked lightly when she heard Inko's exasperated sigh. She loved her childhood friend, but Inko was just too easy to rile up sometimes.

She made her way down the hall, knocking on Katsuki's door. "Boys? Cake's ready."

The lack of an immediate excited shout was an instant red flag.

Mitsuki frowned as she knocked again. "Izuku? Katsuki? What, you two fall asleep?" With a further lack of response, Mitsuki's mind went to the most reasonable explanation. Gritting her teeth, she yelled as she shoved open the door. "Okay, Katsuki, what did you break this-"

Her words died in her throat as she looked down at the boy in front of her. The only boy in front of her.

"...Mom?"

Mitsuki's mouth hung open, her eyes blowing wide.

"Mom? I think I did something wrong."

She worked her mouth, her attempts at speech coming out as little more than weak gasps.

"Mom… are you okay? You look freaked."

She finally managed to find her voice, though her first word sounded suspiciously like a squeak. "I'm… fine… k-kiddo. Just, uh… One second?" She held up a single finger in question, before turning back down the hall and shouted. "Inko?! I think we have a problem!"

The boy flinched at her sudden yell, and Mitsuki would worry about feeling bad just as soon as she stopped freaking out!

"Mitsuki?" Inko came rushing down the hall, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

Mitsuki just opened the door wider, pointing at the boy without looking. Inko looked in, clasping her hands over her mouth as she gasped. Mitsuki couldn't help but agree.

The boy before them had large red eyes flecked with green and green spiky hair, spots of blonde peppered throughout as it curled at the side. He had faint freckles running along his smooth cheeks, his eyebrows sharp. The questions the two mother's had for where he came from were slowly answered when they noticed that he wore Izuku's shorts over Katsuki's pants, and Katsuki's sleeveless shirt over Izuku's All-Might tee.

The boy seemed to shrink into himself as the women just stared at him. "Am I in trouble?"

Inko sucked in a harsh breath. Her lingering doubts were wiped away by the boy's voice… or rather, his voices. When the boy spoke, it was as if Izuku and Katsuki were speaking in tandem. She turned to Mitsuki, seeing the same realization in the blonde's eyes.

"I thought Izuku's Quirk just let him combine with objects?" Mitsuki asked quietly.

"I thought that's all it was," Inko breathed. She swallowed as she looked back down at the boy. "I-Izuku?" She asked hesitantly.

The boy cringed slightly under her gaze, but managed a small smile as he waved. "H-Hi, Mommy."

"Katsuki?" Mitsuki then asked, her voice a little stronger.

The boy cringed again, even harder, but managed a slightly bigger smile. "H-Hey, Mom."

Out the corner of her eye, Mitsuki saw Inko wobble. Her head snapped to the side in an instant. "Inko, don't you dare faint on me!"

Inko stiffened, but still looked woozy. "Trying not to, Mitsu." She slowly sunk to the ground, her eyes never leaving the boy… her son.

Mitsuki huffed, but followed Inko to the ground. Apparently, she'd have to take the reigns here. She sat haphazardly on the carpet, just now noticing her son's toys scattered all around the room, mostly around the boy in question. "Okay, kiddo. Or, uh… kiddos?" She gave her head a small shake, plowing ahead. "What happened? What did you… two… do?"

"Um…" The boy looked between the two women, wringing his hands together. "Izuku and Katsuki were testing out Izuku's Quirk, when Katsuki tripped. Izuku caught him, there was a flash, and then…" The boy shrugged helplessly. "I was here."

Mitsuki frowned. "You were here? Aren't you Katsuki and Izuku?"

The boy's brow furrowed. "Um… kinda? I'm them, but I'm also me. I'm… both?"

"Your name…"

Both Mitsuki and the boy turned at the sound of Inko's faint voice. She faltered slightly under their attention, but then bit her lip. "If you're both of them… what do we call you?"

The boy blinked. "Huh… I didn't think about that." He rubbed the back of his head as he thought. "I'm made of Izuku and Katsuki. So… maybe if I put both names together? Like… Izuki?" He frowned, then shook his head. "No, that sounds like a girl's name. Maybe… Kat...zuku?" He thought for a moment, then a wide grin spread over his lips. "Yeah… yeah! I'm Katzuku!" The newly dubbed Katzuku crossed his arms proudly, giving a toothy grin.

Inko and Mitsuki shared a look. "Well… apparently our kids just… fused themselves together. Did you think this was how your day was gonna go?" Mitsuki asked with a weak grin.

Inko glowered at her friend's attempt at a joke. "Mitsu, could you please not?"

Mitsuki rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine. Okay… Katzuku."

Katzuku turned to her with a smile. "Yeah, Mom?"

Mitsuki tilted her head slightly. Now that she'd calmed down, she couldn't decide which was weirder: hearing Izuku's voice call her 'Mom', or hearing Katsuki's voice sounding polite. "Just… Do you feel… okay?"

Katzuku frowned at her. "Um… yeah?" He looked down at himself in question. "Nothing hurts, if that's what you mean."

Mitsuki nodded, and Inko let out a breath of relief. "'Kay… good. Now… uh… don't take this the wrong way, kiddo… But do you think you could… y'know…" She pointed both her index fingers at him, then moved them apart. "Split?"

Katzuku blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Um… I think so." He looked between the two women. "Do you want me to?"

Inko and Mitsuki shared another look. Inko bit her lip, but then gave Katzuku a warm smile. "If you could. I'm sorry, Katzuku, but… this is a bit much. I think we need to speak to our boys… separate… before moving forward. Is that okay?"

In an instant, Katzuku gave them both a beaming smile. "Yeah, It's okay! This is weird for me too!" He giggled, making Inko and Mitsuki smile. Then he looked thoughtful. "Can I do just two things first?"

Another look was shared between the mothers. "What do you want to do?"

Katzuku grinned, and Mitsuki went on edge due to how much of Katsuki she saw in that smile. "Well, first I want to see if I can still do this." Before either mother could stop him, Katzuku held his palms up and focused on them. A familiar crackling and popping sound filled the air as tiny firecracker sized explosions sprung up across his palms. Though, rather then the simple lights Katsuki's explosions made, Katzuku's all flashed green. "Cool…" He muttered to himself.

Mitsuki felt her eye twitch a little. "Katsuki…" She growled warningly.

Despite the slip of the wrong name, Katzuku looked up to meet her gaze. He smiled sheepishly. "Right… No explosions in the house. Sorry, Mom."

Mitsuki let out a small breath, letting it go on the sheer fact she got an actual apology for once. Inko giggled lightly at her clear annoyance, before turning back to Katzuku. "And… the other thing, sweetie?"

Katzuku blinked, then smiled. "Oh, right!" Without warning, he suddenly jumped into Inko's lap.

Inko squeaked in surprise, only to freeze when she felt his small, surprisingly strong arms wrap around her.

"Bye, Mommy."

Inko sucked in a small breath. "G-Goodbye, Katzuku" She murmured into his air, hugging him back.

Before she could say anything else, Katzuku had already launched himself at Mitsuki, wrapping his arms around her neck. "See you, Mom."

Mitsuki had the same dazed look Inko was sure she had, but managed a small grin as she squeezed him. "See ya later, squirt."

Katzuku backed up a step, giving them both one last smile. Then he closed his eyes, focusing.

Inko and Mitsuki watched as Katzuku started to glow. There was little to no build up, his whole body being engulfed in a bright green light, so intense that the two mothers had to squint in order to still see him. For one brief moment, they could see his body split right down the middle, half of the light turning orange…

And then the light was gone, and Izuku and Katsuki were falling away from each other, yelping in surprise. Izuku's body kept glowing for a few seconds before fading back to normal.

The two boys slowly sat up, blinking at each other.

"...That was… weird." Katsuki finally said.

"Really weird." Izuku nodded in agreement. Then he gave Katsuki a concerned look "Are you okay, Kacchan?"

Katsuki scowled at him. "Of course I'm okay, Deku! You really think you could hurt-ugh!"

His would-be insult was cut short when the little blond found himself pulled into a bone-breaking hug by his mother.

"Brat, you ever scare me like that again, I'm going to ground you for life, you hear me!?" Mitsuki near yelled as she crushed her son against her chest.

"Mom, get off me! It was all Deku's… urk!... Mom… Mom, you're squishing me…"

Izuku wasn't much better off, his own mother holding him in a death grip as she took deep ragged breaths.

"Mommy?" He asked softly, trying to wriggle his way out enough to see her face. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Inko had to take a few more deep breaths before she was able to speak. "Izuku…" Her voice was low and scratchy, heavy with emotion. "Izuku, sweetie, you have no idea how much you just scared me." She carefully pulled away from him so he could see her stern gaze. "Promise me that you'll never do that again."

Izuku's face fell, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "Never?"

Inko held her stern face for a moment, before Izuku's broken-hearted look made her relent, if only slightly. "Just… at least not unless I'm there to watch you. Okay?"

Izuku sniffed, but gave a firm nod. "Okay."

Inko smiled at him. She kissed his forehead, then pulled him in for another hug.

"That goes double for you, Katsuki!" Mitsuki said as she continued to squeeze her son. "I don't care how 'cool' you think it is, I better not hear about you making Izuku use his Quirk like that without your Auntie Inko's say so. Got it, brat!?"

"I...I got it!" Katsuki growled back, though it sounded more like a whimper as he struggled against his mother's ironclad hug. "Just… lemme go already!"

Inko chuckled slightly at her unofficial sister and nephew, just enjoying the fact that her son was back in her arms, safe and okay.

"...Hey, Mommy?"

Inko looked down slightly at the sound of her son's voice. "What is it Izuku?"

"I think I know what I want to name my Quirk now."

Inko pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. "Oh? And what's that?"

The smile Izuku gave her was so bright it would warm her heart for years to come. "I'm going to call it… Fusion!"

Chapter Text

Ten Years Later

"She obviously has increased strength and durability in her larger form. She's got to be athletic to kick downward from that height. I wonder if she can decide her size, or can only change to one size? Her metabolism must be through the roof to compensate for the change in mass. Otherwise, she'd pass out the moment she got bigger. I wonder how she-"

Smack!

Izuku jumped as someone's palm slammed down in front of him, right over his notebook. He looked up in surprise to find Katsuki sitting at the desk in front of him, giving him an annoyed glare.

"You're mumbling again, Deku," Katsuki grumbled, mindful of the mindless chatter going on around them. "Keep it quiet before someone else calls you on it." He sent a harsh look at a boy a few seats over, unfortunate enough to had met his gaze.

Izuku felt his cheeks warm as the boy quickly looked away. Doing a quick scan of the classroom, he saw several other students giving him sidelong glances, a few with unkind smiles on their lips. He shrank a little in his seat, quickly turning his eyes back to his desktop. "Sorry, Kacchan," he muttered under his breath.

Katsuki gave him a flat stare. "Stupid Deku, don't-" He cut himself off with a roll of his eyes, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He looked down at Izuku's notebook, raising a brow at the full-size sketch taking up one page. "That who you're mumbling about?"

Izuku perked up a little. "Y-Yeah. She's one of the new Pro Heros, Mt. Lady. She was part of a villain fight I saw on my way here today."

Katsuki growled under his breath, smacking Izuku's desk in frustration. "Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have left early today! I could have seen it in person."

Izuku gave him a sympathetic smile. "I made notes about the whole fight. Do you want to see them?"

Katsuki was already reaching for the offered notebook when the classroom door clicked open. Katsuki spun back around in his seat as their teacher walked in, muttering a quick "Later," to Izuku.

Izuku's smile widened just a bit.

For most of the day, class proceeded as normal, crawling by at a snail's pace. But just before they left for the day, their teacher had an announcement, picking up the stack of papers he'd arrived with.

"As you're all now third-years, it's time to start seriously thinking about your futures. Now, I've got printouts for various high schools and their requirements to hand out…" The teacher then smirked. "But I think I already know which ones you all want to see. You're all aiming to be heroes, right?"

The entire class erupted into cheers, several of them firing off their various Quirks in their excitement. The only ones not joining in the fun were Katsuki, who rolled his eyes at his classmates, and Izuku, who just shrunk into his chair.

"All of you, settle down! No Quirk usage while in class." There were murmurs of discontent, but everyone slowly calmed down and fell back into their seats.

Katsuki scoffed under his breath. "Bunch of extras," he muttered rather loudly, drawing dark looks from the students around him.

Izuku frowned at him, quietly warning, "Kacchan…"

Katsuki glanced back at him but was interrupted by the teacher. "What was that, Bakugo?" He called, giving the blonde a sharp look. "Do you have something to say to the class?"

Izuku stiffened, giving Katsuki a pleading look. Katsuki held his gaze for a moment, then smirked. Izuku's shoulders slumped, looking up at the ceiling in despair as Katsuki kicked his feet up on his desk, his smirk turning feral. "Just that you shouldn't go lumping us all together like that. This bunch of extras is gonna need more than their weak-ass Quirks if they want to be real heroes."

The class erupted again, this time in rage at the condescending blonde. Katsuki just barked a laugh at them. "You can all whine all you want. You all know you have no chance at being a hero. Not when you're competing with a real future hero, like me!"

That earned him some more grumbling, but seemed to draw the teacher's attention to one of the papers he was holding. His eyes darted across it for a few seconds, before his brow raised. "That's right! You're aiming to get into UA, right Bakugo?"

Katsuki's smirk grew even wider. "Damn straight! One day, I'm going to be standing up top with All Might, looking down on all these could-have-beens."

As Katsuki continued to draw the ire of the entire class, Izuku could only watch on in exasperation. It would forever baffle him how his friend remained the most popular kid in school when he was constantly pushing the buttons of everyone within it, student and teacher alike. He was partly impressed that Katsuki could stare down so much constant anger and scorn with a smile… if you could count Katsuki's feral, sometimes manic grin as a smile.

"It looks like Midoriya is aiming for UA as well."

In an instant, Izuku's entire body froze up. He stared at the teacher in horror, as if the man had just announced his coming execution. Katsuki stiffened out of his relaxed posture, then leveled the teacher with a fierce glare.

The class fell silent almost instantly, nearly everyone looking at Izuku either in bafflement or disbelief. The silence held for a few moments.

Then the whispers started.

"Midoriya? At UA?"

"Does he actually think he can make it?"

"With such a weird Quirk?"

"He can't do anything without… fusing. He'd need someone's help in every fight."

"He's useless on his own."

With every muttered word, Izuku shrank further and further into his seat. At the same time, Katsuki's face grew darker and darker. It didn't help that their teacher just looked around at the class in confusion, oblivious to why they had all suddenly quieted.

Izuku just stared down at his desk, growing more uncomfortable by the second as everyone kept acting like they thought he couldn't hear them, either not knowing or not caring.

"Seriously, that Quirk is creepy."

"Could he even be a hero like that?"

"What a freak."

BOOM!

The buzz of hushed gossip ended rather suddenly as Katsuki, with little warning, lifted his palm over his head and let loose a window-shaking explosion. Yelps of fright drowned out the (comparatively) feeble explosion as everyone turned to face the now standing blonde, them all flinching away from his murderous glare, teacher included.

"Aw, go to hell, the lot of you! I bet none of you morons would know a real hero if they punched you in the face!"

The resulting angered chaos was only broken when the principal burst in the door, demanding to know what the source of all the noise was. His question was answered when he caught sight of the blackened ceiling above Katsuki's head, the culprit looking wholly unapologetic.

"...You shouldn't have done that."

Katsuki looked at Izuku out the corner of his eye, then scoffed as he looked ahead. The two were a block away from their middle school, taking the long way back to their part of the city. If asked, Katsuki would say it was so he could get some more exercise.

Izuku knew it was because no one was ever on this stretch of road this time of day, so they wouldn't run into any other students taking this route.

"Give me one good reason why not," Katsuki said without looking at him.

"Kacchan, you got a week's detention."

"Ain't the first time."

"It's the second week of the year! ...won't your mom be mad?"

Katsuki gave Izuku a flat stare. "When I tell her why I got it, how do you think the old hag will react?"

At that, Izuku couldn't help but sigh. When 'Aunt' Mitsuki heard exactly why Katsuki had nearly blown a hole through the school ceiling, Izuku wouldn't be surprised if she gave the principal an enraged phone call on both their behalves. Especially if told through Katsuki's …blunt point of view.

"...it's not like they were wrong."

Katsuki turned to Izuku in surprise, then scowled as he whacked him lightly in the back of the head. "Deku, shut up. Your Quirk is a hundred times better than anything those extras have, and those idiots are brain-dead for not seeing it."

Izuku just rubbed the back of his head, not meeting Katsuki's eyes. "Not everyone sees it like you do."

Katsuki scoffed again, louder. "Like I said. Idiots."

His flippant words managed to coax a small smile out of Izuku, though nothing else. Seeing how his friend at apparently dropped the conversation, Katsuki shook his head with a light growl, the two continuing on in silence.

While Katsuki's words did cheer him up a little, Izuku couldn't help but dwell on his fellow student's reactions. He shouldn't have been all that blindsided, really. Those whispers had been the status-quo since grade school ended.

It had been different when they were younger. The first time Izuku had shown off his Quirk in kindergarten, no one had batted an eye. The other kids thought that him merging with the various materials around the classroom was cool, if maybe not as much as Katsuki's. And when he had shown off his Human Fusion Technique, as he'd named it, with Katsuki a few years later (it took that long for their mothers to let them fuse without supervision, just in case Izuku's Quirk had some drawback that wasn't immediately apparent), their grade had been absolutely smitten with Katzuku, especially when the Fusion showed off how he could make green explosions even bigger then Katsuki's.

It wasn't until middle school that their views started changing. The older their class got, the less enthusiastic they seemed to be with Izuku's Quirk. It didn't take long for Izuku to notice the odd looks the kids gave each other whenever he'd mention Fusing. Soon, people started to distance themselves from him, until it seemed Katsuki was the only one who actually cared for his company.

And once they became teenagers, the cruder of their classmates took the concept of Izuku and Katsuki fusing, and started taking it in a… different context. And whether out of ignorance or malice, no amount of Izuku's explaining or Katsuki's growling could convince them otherwise… or stop them from spreading rumors.

It was to the point that Izuku wondered if they even remembered that Human Fusion was just one part of his Quirk, instead of the whole thing.

Izuku was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize Katsuki was talking to him until he felt the blonde's knuckles rapping on his head. "Hey! Earth to Deku!"

Izuku blinked himself out of his daze, looking up to meet his friend's eyes. "Oh… did you say something, Kacchan?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Uh, yeah. While you were off in la-la land, I asked if we could head over to the beach to train together a bit."

Izuku perked up a little. "Oh! Uh… sure, I guess. My mom probably won't care. What do you want to work on?"

"My control," Katsuki said bluntly, looking at his open palm in annoyance as he let loose a few sparks. "I was hoping you had some ideas in that big nerd brain of yours on how I can decide the size of my blasts. Right now, my choices are either firecracker or dynamite. I've got nothing in between."

Izuku frowned as the two students continued down the empty street, entering the shade of an underpass. "Hmm… that might be tricky." He cupped his chin, bowing his head in thought. "The size of your explosions are based on how much sweat you have to ignite, but once you trigger the blast, it all burns up at once. Maybe with certain hand movements, you could control…"

Katsuki nodded along as Izuku spoke, his blank face making it hard to see just how much of Izuku's mumbling he was actually considering. He did keep flexing his hand, making more sparks as they walked.

Neither noticed the manhole cover they'd just stepped over shudder slightly. Nor the mass of thick, green sludge that seemed to seep out from beneath it, quickly gathering behind the two boys.

"That sounds like some Quirk, kid."

Izuku and Katsuki whirled around at the sudden voice. Their jaws dropped as they craned their necks, staring up at the shifting monstrosity of green sludge, bulging eyes, and giant teeth.

"What the hell!?" Katsuki yelled.

"A...a villain?" Izuku gaped in horror.

The shifting maw of teeth seemed to smile darkly. "In fact… I think I'll take it!"

Before either boy could react, the entire mass of sludge surged towards Katsuki, a tendril of it smacking Izuku away in the process. Katsuki tried to throw his arm up to blast the villain, but was enveloped before he could.

Izuku yelped as his head slammed into the pavement. He instinctively threw a hand over his forehead, already feeling the wetness of blood just above his eye.

"Hhmmm!"

Izuku looked up sharply at the muffled yell. His stomach dropped.

Katsuki screamed as the sludge encased his's mouth and nose, forcing its way down his throat. The bottom portion of the sludge mass bulged and was blasted out, and Izuku briefly saw Katsuki's sparking palm through the muk before it was swallowed again.

The villain laughed darkly. "Nice try. Struggle all you like, kid. In another thirty seconds, it'll all be over."

Katsuki tried to move anyway, bending and twisting in the villains hold, but it was useless.

He locked eyes with Izuku, panicked red meeting terrified green.

Before Izuku even knew what he was doing, his hands glowed green as he pressed his palms flat against the pavement.

The villain halted his laughter as the street beneath him lit up with a green light. The pavement seemed to be sucked out from under his form, rushing away. The villain's bulbous eyes swiveled through the sludge, following the glow in confusion…

When a stone fist hit him straight in the eye.

"Gah!" The villain screeched as he flinched back in pain, his grip on Katsuki loosening just enough for the boy to take a breath. The villain reared back, ready to retaliate, only to suddenly look down as he felt something clawing through his sludge.

"Let him go!"

It was Izuku, the boy's entire body, clothes, hair, and all, turned as black and solid as the tarmac now missing beneath his feet. The boy was digging desperately through the muk, throwing chunks of it aside as he tried to reach his friend.

The villain instinctively lashed out, a burst of sludge throwing Izuku back into the concrete wall of the underpass. Izuku cried out as he hit the wall with a sickening thud, leaving a large spider-crack as he slumped to the ground. He tried to push himself up, gasping in pain as he did. His body flickered green, shards of tarmac seeping out of his skin as he lost his hold over the material. He felt more blood drip down his face.

"Dek-gah!" Katsuki tried to yell to him, only to get cut off by more sludge.

"Grr… little punk." The villain growled as he focused on the prone Izuku, the mass of sludge shifting closer to him, dragging Katsuki along with it. A massive glob of sludge lifted off the ground, looking vaguely like a fist. "Just for that, I think I'll take you out first!"

Izuku lifted his head, but instead of the villain, his eyes immediately locked with Katsuki. His friend stared back as he sunk further into the sludge, only part of his face still visible. For just a single moment, Izuku was frozen by what he saw in his oldest friend's eyes.

Fear.

There was no thought, no warning. Without even realizing it, Izuku launched himself forward, right into the path of the villain's massive blow, his arm outstretched towards Katsuki.

He was so focused on reaching Katsuki, he almost missed the voice that suddenly boomed throughout the underpass.

"Your criminal ways end here, villain! For I-"

Izuku had only a second to recognize the booming voice behind him, his eyes widening and his face going slack.

Was that-?

Then his fingertips grazed Katsuki's forehead, and green light flooded the alleyway.

When Yagi Toshinori - better known throughout the world as Japan's number one hero All Might - got up that day, he had been prepared for a number of things. The horrendous traffic of mid-day Musutafu. The excited shouts of any fans who caught sight of him. The phantom rumblings of a stomach he no longer had.

And of course, stopping whatever villainy he happened upon in its tracks.

The last one was simply to be expected. Even if he had somewhere to be (such as right now. He'd most definitely owed Nighteye an apology later), he just could not stand by and allow a crime to happen. Not when he was fully capable of preventing it.

So when All Might saw the sludge villain flee across the street from him, he didn't hesitate to follow him. When the mass of slime tried to escape by throwing itself down a sewer grate, he was quick to follow. When he got turned around in the vast network of subterranean tunnels, he persevered until he got back on the villain's trail, clambering up the manhole exit after him.

...even if it meant his already limited time was getting a little low now...

What All Might was not prepared for, was the sight he found once he reached open air.

Once All Might had jumped out of the sewers, he called out the villain, ready to give him a good-old Texas Smash and add yet another victory to the legend of the number one hero.

Instead, he found the sludge villain looming over the battered body of a green-haired teenage boy. Chunks of what looked like black rock crumbled away from the boy's body, letting All Might piece together that the young man had foolishly tried to fight the villain and lost. The boy stared up at the villain in abject fear as it reared back what looked to be a fist.

All Might sucked in a deep breath, and readied to make the villain pay for hurting an innocent boy.

What happened next stopped his heart cold.

The boy… this beaten, bloodied, toothpick of a boy… raised himself up and lept right back at the villain, right in the path of what would no doubt be a killing blow. With no thought, no visibly active Quirk, and judging from the blatant fear on his face, not so much as a shred of a plan, the boy leapt straight into the jaws certain death, arm outstretched…

… towards the frightened face of another boy All Might hadn't noticed, helpless in the clutches of the sludge villain.

All Might instantly reared back his fist, ready to blow the villain to kingdom come before the worst could happen…

Then the world went green.

The sudden flash made All Might instinctively shield his eyes. He heard the sludge villain yell out in surprise and shock.

When All Might looked back, the green-haired boy was gone. Even stranger, the other boy had apparently worked his way partly out of the sludge during the flash of light, making his head of lighter green, blonde-flecked hair visible.

The villain shook off his surprise quickly, growling when he saw the other boy trying to escape. "Oh, no you don't!" He yelled, crashing himself down over the boy's head.

All Might, pushing his confusion aside, went to throw out his Texas Smash before the other boy got hurt, when-

"Get… OFF!"

All Might wasn't fully sure what happened next. What sounded like two different boys yelled at the same time, and the entire mass of sludge bulged and bubbled. The villain had a split-second to cry out in confusion, before promptly exploding.

With a sound like a cannon-blast, the villain was splattered apart in a massive green explosion, sending sludge raining up and down the street and splattering every square inch of the underpass, which cracked and groaned from the impact. All Might had to plant his feet so as not to be pushed back by the shockwave. Smoke filled the tunnel.

All Might let out a few deep breaths, looking around at the devastation as he tried to get his bearings. Remembering the boys he'd seen, he took a few steps further into the tunnel, waving apart the smoke.

He didn't have to go far, as he could see the young man standing right where the sludge villain had been holding him, arms outstretched and, strangely enough, suddenly shirtless.

Before All Might could say anything, the boy took a shaky step forward, stumbling into him, coughing and hacking as he waded through the sludge.

"Whoa! Easy there, my boy!" All Might said as softly as his booming voice allowed, holding him by the shoulder to keep him steady as he led him back into the sunlight.

The boy coughed a few more times, and All Might was concerned to see bits of villain sludge come up with every hack. After the boy was able to take a few normal breaths, he tilted his head up, his green-flecked red eyes squinting at first, before widening in shock. "A-All Might?"

The man in question tilted his head slightly at the boy's voice- er, voices. It was a tad strange, but he'd seen and heard Quirks do far weirder in his experience. He flashed the boy a beaming smile. "In the flesh, my boy! I was following that villain in the hopes of catching him, but it appears that you already had the situation handled!"

The boy blinked at him, then flashed a smile. "Yeah, uh… you're a bit late." The boy said hesitantly, like he was trying to joke but not wanting to overstep his bounds.

All Might just shook his head. "So it would seem. Still, it is my job to protect citizens such as yourself so that you need not resort to such means of self-defense. It would appear that I have failed in my mission today, and for that, you have my sincerest apologies." He gave the boy a deep bow, inwardly cursing himself for how true his words were. If the kid hadn't used his Quirk… if he'd been just a few seconds slower...

The boy looked at the Pro Hero like he'd grown a second head, waving his arms frantically. "H-Hey! You don't got to do that! You're the number one Hero! You had it handled."

Oh, the simple beliefs of a child, All Might thought to himself with a smile. How could a hero ever lose? Out loud, he said. "All the same, you have my apology regardless. Though, if you don't mind me asking, young man, how did you end up in this situation in the first place?"

The boy's face darkened considerably, gritting his teeth. He looked down at a heap of sludge by his feet, giving it a sharp kick. "This… bastard tried to kill Katsuki!"

All Might nodded, making sure to keep watch on the villain just in case he tried to pull himself together. "Oh! So you were defending a friend of yours? A noble endeavor, my boy!" All Might then grimaced as a glob of sludge dripped down from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder, one of the villain's eyeballs within it looking around frantically. All Might brushed it off his shoulder. "Though perhaps with a tad too much enthusiasm."

The boy watched as the eyeball bounced across the pavement, then glanced around at the muk-covered underpass. "Eh… maybe just a bit," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

All Might let out a deep laugh. "Do not feel too bad, young man. To leap into the fray in the defense of others is the best quality a hero could have." He then looked around, his brows lifting in question even as his grin never wavered. "Though I must ask, where is this young Katsuki? I think I lost sight of him in that flash of light. Did he panic and run off?"

Katzuku blinked up at the Pro Hero, then, strangely, looked suddenly indignant. He raised his arm high, his mouth opening wide like he was about to start yelling when he suddenly paused. He brought his hand down, looking at it as he flexed his fingers.

"Oh. Right. Fused." He let out of sheepish chuckle, even as All Might gave him an odd look. "Uh… well, you see, sir…" He paused, his brow furrowed as he thought. In the end, he just shook his head and sighed. "Eh, screw it. It'll be easier just to show you."

All Might put his hands on his hips, his ever-present smile lessening to appear thoughtful. "Show me? Show me what, my boy?"

"My Quirk. First though, uh… my name's Katzuku. It's... really awesome to meet you, All Might."

"It's a pleasure, Young Katzuku!"

The boy, Katzuku, beamed up at him. "Yeah, so… I just wanted to say hi. And, uh… bye."

The Pro Hero blinked. "Bye? But I thought you wanted to-"

All Might's question was cut off as Katzuku, who gave him a quick wave and a bright smile, was enveloped in another bright green and orange light. Surprised, All Might instinctively threw up an arm up in defense…

... Only to blink in bafflement as the boy in front of him split right down the middle, and the two halves inexplicably became two completely different teenagers, one of which briefly kept glowing for a few seconds.

"Ugh…" The blonde one groaned, pressing a hand to his head. "Fusion never gave me that much of a headache before."

The green-haired one (who All Might dimly recognized as the first boy he had seen) was bent over at the stomach, his hands on his knees as he gasped for air, sporting a cut above his right eye. "Katzuku's… never... let off a blast... that big before…"

"Umm…" All Might looked between the two boys, his bright smile betrayed by the sweatdrop running down the side of his face. "What… just… happened?"

The two boys looked up, each having a different reaction. The blonde with red eyes just kind of blinked at him, as if just remembering he was there. The green-haired boy, however...

"A-A-Al-All M-M-M-M-Mi-Mi-Mi…" The boy's stutter seemed endless as he worked his mouth pointlessly, his eyes shrunken down to pinpricks and his whole body shaking.

Before the Pro could really start to wonder if the poor boy had gone a little too long without air, the blonde rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath. "And the Fanboying begins…"

Oh, All Might thought with a blink. A fanboy. That's easy enough to deal with.

Putting his hands firmly on his hips and puffing up his (aching) chest, All Might gave the boy a blinding smile. "Indeed, young man. It is I, All Might! The number one hero!" His little bit of pomp out of the way, he let his shoulders slump. "Now that that's cleared up… could one of you please tell me how the boy I was just speaking to somehow turned into you two?"

The green-haired boy stiffened at the question, ducking his head. "U-Umm...

The blonde, however, just jabbed his thumb towards the other boy without care. "It's his Quirk."

The green-haired boy's head snapped towards his friend, aghast. "Kacchan!"

Kacchan (All Might was going to assume that was a nickname of some sort) stared at him flatly. "Deku, it's All Might. Not just a real Pro Hero, the Pro Hero. If anyone ain't going to care, it's him."

The apparently-named Deku glanced apprehensively at All Might, his eyes darting between the Pro and his friend. Then he looked away, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

Kacchan clicked his tongue, but then looked back up at the Pro. "His Quirk lets him fuse together with things. If it's just random stuff, like rocks and crap, he turns into it. But if he uses it on a person, they fuse together into a single person."

All Might's eyes widened. "Truly?"

The blonde chuckled a bit. "The really cool part is the boost it gives people's Quirks." At All Might's questioning look, he let out a few sparks across his palm. "My Quirk lets me sweat nitroglycerin from my palms. But when we fuse, it lets our Fusion sweat nitroglycerin from anywhere, and the blasts pack more of a punch."

All Might blinked a few times. That would explain that massive explosion and where their shirts went. "That's… unique. So the boy I spoke to, Katzuku…"

The Deku boy bit his lip, finally speaking up. "He's me and Kacchan's- I mean, Katsuki's Fusion."

All Might folded his arms, absorbing the information. "I must admit, I'm a bit impressed, my boy. I've never encountered a Quirk such as yours." At the boy's surprised look, he let out a hearty laugh. "You have a great potential to do some real good in this world!"

To the Pro's surprise, the boy flinched back, disbelief plain on his face. "R-Really?"

All Might raised a brow at him, chuckling. "Of course, young man! With such a versatile Quirk, I'm sure you would have no problem achieving whatever goals you set. Why, I would even wager you could work your way into my old high school!"

The boy's eyes widened, his mouth working soundlessly. To All Might's worry, his whole body started trembling. "UA? Y-You… you think I could be a h-hero?"

All Might barked out a laugh. "Is that what you're worried about? My boy, from what I've seen today, there's no 'could' about it." He pointed right at the boy, giving his brightest smile. "Mark my words, young man! If you apply yourself correctly, I have no doubt that you will be a hero!"

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, his breathing growing choppy. For a moment, All Might worried that he'd sent the boy into some kind of emotional breakdown. Thankfully, his friend gave him a hard thump on the back before he could grow worse. The boy shakily turned to the blonde, looking startled.

The blonde (Katsuki, he'd been called) chuckled, grinning. "Told you, Deku."

The boy took a few trembling breaths, before giving the blonde a hesitant smile. "Y-Yeah… I guess you did." He looked back up at All Might, then bowed deeply. "T-Thank you for the vote of confidence, sir."

All Might grinned. "It is well earned, my boy! Now, as enjoyable as our meeting has been, I believe you both should continue on your way. I need to contain this villain before he can cause any more trouble." As if to prove his point, he lifted his foot and stamped on a bit of sludge trying to slither away from him.

The boy nodded again. "Of course, sir. Right away, sir." Katsuki rolled his eyes as he handed the boy a backpack that he had dug out of the sludge, already holding a similar looking one. To All Might's surprise, they both pulled out clean t-shirts from the bags and slipped them on.

Well... when you have a destructive Quirk, I suppose you learn to be prepared, All Might mused to himself.

Before they left, however, the green-haired boy paused, looking down at his bag. "Um… All Might, sir? Can I ask you just one last thing?"

All Might grinned at him. "Certainly, my boy."

The boy blushed as he pulled a notebook out of his backpack. "C-Could I get an autograph?"

All Might couldn't help but laugh.

After finding an empty spot in the boy's notebook (which was filled with some rather impressive self-made hero bios that he could see) and splashing his signature across two full pages, All Might sent the boys on their way. He turned his attention back to the villain, who had managed to pull himself about halfway together in the meantime. All Might scattered him again with just the flick of his finger.

"All right, now to get you all cleaned up. But how to… ah, perfect! These bottles will work nicely."

As he set to work gathering up the sludge, he could hear the boys talking behind him as they walked.

"Man, not even in high school yet, and we already kicked a villain's ass!"

"Technically, Katzuku did it, Kacchan."

"He's us, it still counts! Though, you probably should have gone for forming Katzuku first, instead of just punching the creep. Seriously, that was a stupid move, Deku. He could have killed you, you dope!"

"I-It seemed like a good idea…"

"And then, you just jump right in front of the asshole without fusing with anything! Seriously, what the hell were you thinking, doing that?"

"Honestly, Kacchan… I wasn't."

All Might paused.

"… you were in trouble, and… my body just… moved."

Slowly, the Pro Hero turned around, looking back at the boys.

After a moment, Katsuki scoffed softly. "...you dumbass. You're gonna get yourself killed if you ever jump in like that again."

"Well, I had to do something to get you out! You were trapped and… you looked scared."

"Wha-hey, nonononono, I was not scared, okay? I had everything handled, just fine!"

"Uh huh… suuure..."

"What was that!?"

"Nothing, Kacchan."

All Might watched as they moved further down the road, something clicking in his mind. Before he fully processed what he was doing, he called out, "Young man!"

The two spun around, surprised. " Yes, Mr. All Might ...sir?"

All Might just stopped from laughing at the boy's nervousness. " I didn't catch your name."

The boy blinked that him, then gave him a wide smile. "Oh! It's, um, Izuku Midoriya, sir."

All Might nodded, humming to himself. "Hmm… well, It was a pleasure to meet you, young Midoriya! I'll be keeping my eye out for you in the future."

Midoriya's eyes widened, his mouth falling open. He managed to shake it off before his friend forced him to, giving a sharp nod and bright smile. "It was nice to meet you too, sir. I won't let you down."

All Might smiled as the two walked away and out of sight, before continuing to collect the splattered villain.

No, this was not how All Might expected his day to go. But… perhaps that just made it all the more significant.

If he hurried, he could still meet his old sidekick and not be too terribly late. That was good. He could use someone to talk to right now, to help him think.

And there was now a lot for him to think about.

One Month Later

"Okay, now try the pickup truck."

Izuku groaned under his breath as he released the cinder block from his arm, wiping the sweat from his brow. He shot Katsuki a slight glare, which the blonde returned with a flat stare, watching Izuku from his perch on a broken refrigerator. Izuku rolled his eyes at the lack of reaction, before placing his palms on the hood of the broken-down truck.

The two had stumbled across Dagobah beach a few years back, claiming it as their unofficial training ground. Izuku had thought it a shame that what had once been a beautiful beach had been reduced to little more than a junkyard, but it gave him access to plenty of materials to test his Quirk on.

Once his arms and upper torso were completely converted into the solid steel of the truck hood, Izuku walked over to where Katsuki was sitting. The blonde leapt off the fridge, gesturing for Izuku to move forward.

Having been given the go-ahead, Izuku set his feet and launched a stiff punch at the freezer door. The clang! of metal on metal sounded throughout the beach, and the freezer door completely buckled inward. Izuku continued with his strikes, not stopping until the refrigerator was so dented that it buckled at the middle and collapsed in on itself.

Izuku stared at his handy work, panting lightly.

Beside him, Katsuki huffed a laugh, slapping him on the back. "Standing to scrap in under a minute. We keep working like this for the next nine months, and UA will be a shoo-in."

Izuku smiled at his kind words, a rarity from his eternally angered comrade.

"I can't help but agree!"

Both boys looked up in surprise, towards the stairs leading off the beach. They were shocked to see the familiar muscle-bound Pro watching them in a simple tracksuit, hands on his hips.

"A-A-All Might!" Izuku gasped, a quick elbow from Katsuki halting his stuttering. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to speak to you both, my boys! And young Midoriya's mother was kind enough to point me your way. "

Izuku briefly wondered how his poor mother reacted when she answered the door to find All Might of all people standing there. He hoped she hadn't freaked out too badly… or fainted.

The Pro Hero chuckled as he approached. "I'm sorry it took me so long to return to you, but I had a lot of thoughts to sort through and soul-searching to do before reaching my decision."

"Decision?" Izuku shared a quick look with Katsuki, both of them curious about what the Pro was talking about.

All Might smiled at them, though this one seemed different from what they always saw on TV. It was subdued, with a hint of melancholy, yet still bright and cheerful. "There is a choice I have to make in a short time. I needed to sort through all my options before taking the proper course of action. And… I believe I have found it." He walked up to the two, putting his large hand on Izuku's shoulder, grin widening at his awestruck expression.

"Young Midoriya… if you'd accept… I want you to be my successor."

Chapter Text

The next nine months were both the worst and best of Izuku's life.

They were the absolute worse due to the intense, borderline insane training regiment All Might had given him, planning every second of his day meticulously with strength training, endurance runs, cleaning the seemingly endless length of Dagobah Beach; even his sleep was scheduled!

The result was that there was not a moment Izuku's body was not aching, and not a single second that he didn't feel dead on his feet. There were times he was fairly certain he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open, given how hours seemed to disappear with a mere blink.

But on the other hand, for the first time in his life, Izuku felt like his dream of being a hero was actually… possible. That, as his runs grew easier and the aches grew duller, he was actually working towards an actual goal, instead of a misguided wish. That by the end of it… he would be a hero.

Not that it all went smoothly. The first hurdle had been Katsuki, who had been… less than pleased with All Might's choice of successor. Namely, the fact it hadn't been him.

Luckily, and to Izuku's great relief, All Might had an answer for him.

"You're not wrong," The skeletal true form of All Might said softly as Katsuki glared up at him, Izuku watching the two in worry. "With your Quirk and spirit, young Bakugo, you're already on the fast track to becoming a great hero. And I have no doubt that you could do great things with One For All."

Katsuki's glare lessened by the barest fraction. "Then why-?"

"Because it's not a matter of worth or strength. It's intent. The kind of hero you wish to be. I did my research before meeting you here today. Bakugo, you wish to prove yourself as the strongest hero, correct? To be the person everyone looks up to, wishes to be?"

Katsuki gave a sharp nod. "Yeah. Damn straight."

All Might nodded in return. "It's a fair goal, one many heroes use as motivation." He then looked over Katsuki's head at Izuku. "Is that why you want to be a hero, Midoriya? To prove yourself?"

Izuku hesitated, flinching slightly when Katsuki looked his way. He could see the look in his friend's eyes, not angry, but smoldering, ready to be set off in an instant. He swallowed thickly, but met All Might's gaze, answering honestly. "Honestly… no, sir. I… I just want to help people. Keep them safe and… make them feel safe, just by being there. Like…"

"Like me?" All Might finished with a knowing smile. At Izuku's embarrassed look and Katsuki rolling his eyes, the Pro chuckled. "You two are aiming to be very different heroes. Neither is better or worse, just different. The simple fact is, I've been searching for someone who wants to be a hero, not to prove something, but merely for the sake of it."

At that, Katsuki blinked in confusion. "The heck does that mean?"

All Might heaved a sigh. "Young Bakugo, there have been eight people total who have held One For All. Do you know how many of them even broke into the top ten rankings, let alone Number One?"

The two boys looked to each other, Katsuki shrugging his shoulders. They turned back to All Might questioningly.

All Might's grin widened. "One. Me." He chuckled at their surprised looks. "What you both need to understand is, having One For All and being the Number One Hero are not exclusive. My predecessor had just as much strength and power as I do, and she never even cracked the top one-hundred. She had no need to. She was her own hero, and spread hope in her own way. I'm the exception, not the rule."

He gave them both a long look, before sighing. "The fact is, I'm not looking for someone to replace me as Number One. I want someone I know will use One For All to inspire others, to keep hope alive and strong when I can't. And I truly believe Midoriya is that person." He gave Katsuki a searching, almost pleading look. "Does that make sense to you, young Bakugo?"

Katsuki crossed his arms, glaring down at the dirty sand. He grit his teeth, growling slightly under his breath. He stayed like that for a solid minute, long enough to make Izuku worry about an impending tirade, before the blonde let out a sharp huff.

"... you're right." Katsuki spit the words out like they left a bad taste in his mouth. "If that's the kind of hero you want to have your power, that's not me. Give it to the nerd." He then gave All Might a sharp look. "Not that it'll matter. I'm still going to be the Number One Hero… and I don't need you to give me your power to do it."

All Might let out a deep laugh, sounding like his old self for just a moment. "Hah! I like your spunk, young Bakugo. I look forward to seeing you rise."

It still took Izuku by surprise that Katsuki had accepted All Might's words so easily. When he asked him about it later, Katsuki's answer was simple:

"The stronger a hero you are, the more impressive it'll be when I'm ahead of you."

Not exactly words of confidence, but Izuku was more then willing to be a bar for Katsuki if it kept their friendship intact. And having someone by his side through All Might's hellish training made it all slightly more bearable.

Slightly.

Because that was Katsuki's only caveat. That whatever training All Might gave Izuku, he give it to him as well. As he put it:

"A chance to be trained by the Number One Hero and potentially see Deku grow a spine? I'm in."

Again, not exactly encouraging, but having Katsuki huffing and puffing next to him as they neared the end of their ten-mile morning run made things infinitely more bearable then if he'd been stuck powering through on his own.

And the results spoke for themselves. While they had both tried to stay in shape before (rather, Katsuki tried to keep them both up to 'future-hero-standards'), now Izuku truly looked, and felt, like he could become a hero.

They had both done so well, in fact, that despite All Might's goal of having Izuku bulk up by the end of nine months, All Might felt he was ready after only eight. He'd offered to give Izuku the power right then after their final workout.

Which lead to the other hiccup.

"I can't believe you actually ate his hair."

Izuku grimaced as he and Katsuki made their way down the street, the streetlamps just beginning to power on. "You heard All Might," he said quietly, just in case someone would overhear him. "One For All is passed on by ingesting DNA. It was gross, but it had to be done."

Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, but… hair? You couldn't have just swallowed, I don't know, a drop of his blood or sweat? Why his hair?"

Izuku paused, realizing that he had no real explanation. "I'm… sure there was a good reason for it."

"Mm-hmm," Katsuki hummed, unconvinced.

They made it to the now spotless shore of Dagobah Beach shortly, and Izuku couldn't help but feel proud at the sight. It had been a long, long road, but it was nice to visibly have something to show for all his work.

They found All Might's skinny form right where they'd left him just a few hours before, sitting on the beach and watching the sun sink beneath the waves. He looked up as they approached, giving them a smile.

"Young Midoriya, young Bakugo. Right on time," He said as he stood up, dusting off his baggy jeans.

Izuku tilted his head a bit. "Did you stay here the whole time we were getting cleaned up, All Might?"

The Pro chuckled. "In my line of work, it's rare I get some time to just relax." He looked out over the horizon as the last bits of sunlight faded. "I've learned to take it when I can." He then perked up, smiling widely. "Enough about me. How do you feel, my boy? Do you think One For All has settled yet?"

Izuku frowned, looking down at himself. "I'm not sure. I don't really feel any different."

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't until you actually called on the power." In the blink of an eye, All Might's body bulked up into his Hero Form, giving them both a blinding smile. "That is what I want you to attempt now!"

Izuku swallowed nervously. Despite knowing what he was meeting All Might for ahead of time, the idea that he actually had the same power All Might was famed for, that he was about to try and use such power…

Frankly, he was still waiting to wake up and stop dreaming.

A hard thump on the back from Katsuki snapped him out of his thoughts, the blonde practically pushing him as they followed All Might to the water's edge.

"C'mon, Deku! We went through absolute hell just for this. Don't wimp out now!"

The Pro just gave him that ever-present grin as he took his place next to the Pro, both of them facing the ocean.

"Now, I remember that bringing out the power the very first time can be tricky. My mentor described it like this: The power is a part of you, no different than your arms and legs. Just as you don't need to think to move your arm, you don't need to force One For All to work. Just focus on your goal, and the power will come naturally." He looked down at Izuku, his smile lessening just a bit. "Did… that make sense?"

Izuku flexed his hands a few times, mulling the words over. "I… think so."

All Might gave a sharp nod. "Well then, let's put it to the test. We'll start simple. Plant your feet, my boy."

All Might got into a fighting stance, and Izuku was quick to mirror him. Katsuki, fully aware of what All Might was capable of, wisely took a few steps back, crossing his arms as he watched.

"Okay, my boy. Pull back your arm, clench your buttcheeks…"

"...wait, what?"

"...focus on that horizon... and… SMASH!"

Izuku watched as the sea itself split apart, the cannon blast of a punch sending water flying up into the air as the shockwave traveled out towards the horizon. Before he could fully process seeing the power of the Pro in person, All Might turned to him.

"Ready to try?"

Izuku swallowed, glancing back at Katsuki. The blonde just gave him a flat stare, waving his hand as if to say 'well… get on with it.'

Izuku sighed, then gave a firm nod. He looked out over the horizon.

Okay… okay, I can do this. Plant my feet… arm back… clench… and…

For just a moment, Izuku felt something like lightning shoot through him. His body tensed, his eyes narrowed, and he roared. "SMASH!"

Izuku's vision wavered as his whole body shook, but he kept his eyes forward and watched as the ocean tore in two, just like it did with All Might.

"Holy crap!" Katsuki shouted, nearly falling over from the resulting shockwave.

All Might let out a booming laugh, watching as the shockwave ebbed and the ocean water began crashing back into place. "That was perfect, my boy! Well, a tad unfocused, but impressive nonetheless. A true Texas Smash! Well done!"

Izuku stared out at the rushing water in disbelief. Slowly, a grin spread over his face, growing wider and wider until it hurt.

I… I did it. I did it! I actually-

"Uh, Deku? I think we have a problem."

Izuku turned to his friend, his grin slipping slightly as he saw something close to nervousness on Katsuki's face. "What, Kacchan?"

Katsuki raised a brow, then pointed at him. "You don't feel that?"

Confused, Izuku followed his gaze…

To find his arm hanging limply at his side, turned a horrific shade of purple.

Oh. Well, now he did.

Izuku let out a strangled cry, falling to his knees as he cradled his destroyed arm, regretting it instantly as the pain doubled.

Through gritted teeth, he looked up at his now-pale mentor. "A-All Might? I… I think my arm's broken."

All Might blinked back at him, his sunken eyes so wide Izuku could just make out the whites of them. "Uh… that was not supposed to happen."

For one of the only times Izuku could remember, Katsuki looked unabashedly afraid. "Crap… Auntie Inko's gonna kill us."

Thus, Izuku's current dilemma.

For the next month, he'd been stuck with his arm in a cast. All Might had tried to get the help of someone who he said could fix his arm instantly, but whoever it was refused. Something about it not being her jurisdiction and being overworked as it was. So, Izuku was left at the mercy of his local doctor, who's mild healing Quirk was able to cut his recovery time in half… which was still three weeks. So when the cast finally came off, Izuku had a grand total of three days before the exam.

With only a few days left to prepare, there was no time to practice with One For All. Knowing that he couldn't use All Might's power without breaking himself made Izuku's hopes plummet. How was he going to pass the exam?

Katsuki had a quick answer for him… along with a sharp slap upside the head.

"Deku, you dumbass! You don't need One For All for the stupid exam! Just use Fusion, you moron. That was the plan before."

He was right, Izuku had to admit. Had it not been for their chance meeting with All Might, Izuku would have gone into the exam with only his born Quirk to rely on. And… there was a good chance it would be enough. It would make him fairly strong on its own, and a whole lot tougher. Actually, depending on what materials he could get his hands on, Fusion could make him nearly indestructible, right down to his bones-

...Oh.

Izuku didn't know whether to feel incredibly smart or insanely stupid when the thought struck him.

Maybe a bit of both.

Exam Day

Izuku took a deep breath as he looked at the examinees around him, trying to will his nerves away as he waited for the exam to start.

After tripping over his own feet on the way in (which Katsuki laughed at), talking to the pretty girl whose Zero-gravity Quirk stopped his fall (where he couldn't actually say anything), getting chewed out by another examinee for his distractive mumbling (he didn't think he was that loud), and finding out he and Katsuki would be separated during the practical exam, meaning he was all on his own.

Needless to say, Izuku was feeling very off-put and very overwhelmed.

He took a few deep breaths, trying to ease his nerves. All in all, he didn't really have that much to worry about. The entire practical exam was about destroying training robots for points while ignoring the single Zero-pointer. It was the exact kind of thing he and Katsuki had spent their time on Dagobah Beach training for. Even without One For All, he should be able to get enough points to pass.

And if his idea worked… well, even better.

So… yeah. Izuku had nothing to worry about.

…

...so why did he still feel like he was about to pass out?

Izuku took several more shuddering breaths. He glanced around at the other examinees gathered in the fake city, trying to focus on anything but the coming test. He noticed a boy with bright yellow hair talking to an annoyed girl with ear jacks coming out of her earlobes. A large boy with half his face masked and multiple limbs standing quietly at the back of the group, next to a girl with vines for hair who had her eyes closed. A boy with a massive tail talking to… a floating jacket and a pair of shorts.

The list went on as Izuku looked around, slowly calming down as he fell back on the familiar territory of Quirk analysis. He made mental notes on everyone he saw, making rough estimates on the extent of their powers, when he saw a familiar face in the crowd.

It was the girl he'd (not) talked to earlier, her head focused on the ground as she seemed to be pumping herself up.

Feeling a little better about his chances, Izuku decided to thank her for helping him earlier… assuming he could actually talk this time. He swallowed down his newfound nerves, taking a few steps in her direction…

Only to feel a hand plant itself on his shoulder.

He whirled around, having to look up at the boy from before, the one who called him out for his mumbling, staring down at him with a stern expression.

"That girl is trying to focus," he said severely, the sunlight glinting off his glasses. "You're the same boy who was being a distraction during Present Mic's speech. Is it your goal to interfere with everyone else before the exam starts?"

Izuku's eyes widened, and he waved his hands up in defense. "Wha-no! No, no, I just… see, she helped earlier with… I just wanted to say…"

… and now everyone else is whispering. Izuku thought in resignation as he tried to explain, well aware of the many eyes now turned towards him, talking about their assumptions of him.

They already think I have no chance. Oh, man… can't the exam just start already?

"Okay, start!"

Everyone tensed as Present Mic's booming voice echoed throughout the fake cityscape. As one, they all looked up, finding the bombastic hero standing on a podium just above the entrance gate.

"What?" He called down to them, grinning wildly. "There's no countdown during a disaster! Go, go, go!"

Before Izuku even realized it, he'd been left behind, as every other examinee had rushed through the gate and out into the streets. Letting out a groan, he tore after them. Seeing how everyone was grouping up further down the main road, he made a sharp turn down an alleyway, his head snapping this way and that as he searched for a target.

Okay… okay, I can do this. I just need to find something solid. Can't use stone, to breakable. Something metal. Uh… the road signs? No, too small. Maybe-

His thoughts were interrupted when the front of a nearby building exploded outward. Izuku stumbled as he came to a halt, staring at the sudden explosion in shock.

A shining red optic cut through the dust and debris, instantly focusing on him.

"Target acquired." Came the mechanized monotone of a One-pointer robot, rolling its way out of the wreckage. "Prepare to die."

For a moment, Izuku felt a jolt of fear run down his spine at the sight of the very large, very armed robot bearing down on him.

Then he blinked, and his face broke out in a terrified grin.

That's perfect!

In a move that would normally leave him questioning his own sanity, Izuku ran headlong at the robot as it pulled back its fist. He dropped to the ground as it threw a punch, then reached out and pressed both palms against its metal torso. Before it could advance, Izuku's form lit up green.

Something Izuku hadn't realized until well into middle school was that the Material Fusion part of his Quirk actually had two different parts to it. Depending on how much material he had to work with, he could do one of two things: one was that he could take a small amount of material and infuse only his skin with it, essentially making his own skin into armor. It was the easier of the two and the one he used most.

The other, however, he admittedly found much more impressive. If he could find enough material to match his own bodyweight, he could make the infusion go far further then just skin deep. His muscles, his bones, even his internal organs could be infused with whatever material he wished, assuming he had enough of it to work with.

And luckily for him, the One-pointer most definitely applied.

Within seconds, the green glow of Izuku's Quirk had enveloped both him and the One-pointer entirely. The body of the One-pointer seemed to soften at the edges, then rushed at Izuku as if made of light, leaving a tangled mess of electronics and leftover metal to fall bonelessly to the ground.

The glow around Izuku's body kept up for a few moments longer, then faded just as quickly as it had started, revealing Izuku's entire body converted to the dark green armor of the One-pointer.

Izuku flexed his hands, testing his arms as he lifted them up and down.

A little stiff, but I can move fine. Everything feels… okay, I can't feel anything, but that's fine. I kind of expected that. But the big question…

Izuku took off in a run, his footsteps making loud thuds as he went up the street. He could hear the sounds of battle just up ahead, and he hoped he'd come across some more bots before the other examinees took them all out.

His hopes were answered as he turned a corner, and nearly crashed into a Three-pointer

Izuku jumped back in surprise as he almost collided with the robot, but his clanking feet had been enough to draw the bot's attention, it whirled around with surprising speed, optics blazing.

"Target identified. Die, hero."

Izuku yelped as the bot moved with deceptive speed, swiping its arm to backhand him away. Izuku instinctively threw up his arms across his body, clenching his eyes shut.

There was a loud crash of metal on metal, and Izuku felt his body be nudged slightly to the side. When nothing else happened, he cracked open an eye. Then stared up in open-mouthed shock.

The robot's arm had been broken clean in half- right at the point where it had hit him. Izuku looked down at himself but found nothing more than a slight scratch across the finish of his arm. He hadn't even felt it.

The robot stared dumbly at the stump of its arm, tilting its head comically. Realizing he didn't have long, Izuku pulled back his arm, just as he had back on the beach a month ago.

Pleasework,pleasework,pleasework,pleasework!

"Steel Smash!"

Izuku could feel it, the burning, sparking power of One For All traveling up his arm as his fist hit the Three-pointer right in the chest. The bot's body crumpled like tinfoil, leaving the ground and soaring across the street, crashing into the third story of a nearby building.

Izuku looked at his handiwork for a moment, then nervously looked down at his arm. The green metal on his knuckles was scraped from the impact, but… it wasn't dented. It wasn't broken. He lifted his arm, flexed his fingers, but felt no change from before.

A disbelieving laugh escaped his lips. I-It worked. It's weaker then it's supposed to be, but, considering… My body can't handle One For All normally, but fused like this…

"Ten minutes remaining, listeners!"

Izuku jumped as Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the city streets. His eyes widened.

Ten minutes! But I only have four points! Izuku shook his head, ready to run towards the sounds of battle just a couple streets over. I need to-

He thoughts paused as he heard metallic clanking and groaning growing closer.

His defeat of the Three-pointer had not gone unnoticed. Several bots that had been moving towards the main battle had been drawn in by the nearby destruction and had turned their attention towards the nearest culprit. Namely, Izuku.

Izuku looked around as several robots came out of the alleyways, all looking towards him. Two Two-pointers, another Three-pointer, some One-pointers…

He took a steadying breath. Okay… ten minutes left of the exam. And… He winced as he felt a dull pain at the back of his skull. Based on how intense it was, he tried to estimate how long he had. And...about eight before I can't hold my fusion. Cutting it a bit close, but...

He glanced back up at the smoking corpse of the Three-pointer. Then he faced the coming robots, squaring himself up.

I can do this. I can do this!

Up in the faculty booth, All Might had to stop himself from jumping for joy.

He had been so worried when Recovery Girl had refused to heal Midoriya's arm, on the grounds of Midoriya having his own medical care available through his mother and as a lesson to All Might on having to be more careful regarding his successor. He was scared that Midoriya wouldn't heal before the exam, or that he would, but then be too frightened of hurting himself again to call upon One For All.

He was afraid he might have scared the young man away from heroics for good.

Instead, not only had Midoriya tried to call upon his new power, he found a way to do so safely with his original Quirk, using them both together to devastating effect.

He allowed himself to look away from Midoriya crumpling in the chest of a Two-pointer and to a different monitor. Young Bakugo was quickly laying waste to another group of One-pointers, a manic grin on his face as he cut loose. The blonde seemed to be in his own chaotic world, blasting bot after bot with reckless abandon, his score having already outpaced the competition by a wide margin.

All Might's grin widened with pride.

These two are going to be great heroes one day.

He heard the other faculty whisper among themselves, each having their own little comments on the future students.

Then he heard Vlad King say something about giving the students a real test, then press a big red button on one of the consoles.

All Might's grin lessened, but never left.

All right, boys. Let's see how you handle a force of true danger.

Izuku breathed heavily as a One-pointer fell to the ground, it's head missing. He looked about the street, taking stock of the carnage he'd caused.

Nineteen, twenty-two… twenty-five. He chuckled giddily as he drew closer to the main action. Twenty-five points. That… that can't be too bad, right?

He winced as a sharp pain went through his head, a slight buzzing feeling forming under his steel skin.

...It better be enough… I'm at my limit."

He managed to pass through a few more streets, before the pain became too much. He stumbled to his knees, feeling like his head was about to split apart.

"D...Darn it…" he gritted out through clenched teeth, holding a hand to his head. "That's it…"

He held his palm out in front of him, closing his eyes. The glow of his quirk lit up the alleyway and the empty husk of the One-pointer quickly formed in front of him, mostly intact as it slumped to the ground.

Izuku gasped for breath when he was done, the pressure behind his eyes finally abating. He took a moment to take stock of himself, relieved to find that he had no injuries, just pure exhaustion. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, having to lean against the alley wall to stand on his shaky legs. He trudged further up the alleyway, the numbness in his legs slowly fading with each step.

When he reached the main street, he was met with mechanical carnage. Training bots littered the ground, examinees taking them down by the second. He could see the glasses boy from before annihilating a couple One-pointers with some rapid kicks, while a few Two-pointers rained down around the nice girl from before.

Izuku watched them go for a few seconds as his legs started to feel right again. Then he heard the two call out their own point totals.

Twenty-eight… fifty-two!? Had he not been so exhausted, he would have freaked out. As it was, he could only slump against the wall, groaning.

Okay… relax, Izuku… you're only a few points behind the nice girl, and there's no way she's not going to pass, so… darn it...

"Three minutes remaining!"

Izuku sighed, ready to turn around and start searching again. If he could find just one or two more bots, maybe he could at least feel better about his chances.

And then the street exploded.

Izuku was thrown to the ground by the sudden tremor, falling out into the street. He looked up as a massive shadow fell over the battlefield.

Th-That's the Zero-pointer!?

The robot was so massive that it towered over most of the buildings. With a massive punch, the street in front of it was obliterated, sending dirt and debris flying into the air.

The other examinees panicked, rushing away from the massive mech as fast as they could. They didn't pay Izuku a bit of attention, save the glasses-boy, but he kept going after a momentary glance.

Izuku scrambled back, ready to tear back down the alleyway as soon as he got his feet under him-

"Oww..."

Izuku froze. He looked back down the street, towards the approaching Zero-pointer. In the rubble at its feet, he could see someone pinned under the debris, struggling to get out.

It was the nice girl. The one who had stopped him falling.

Izuku finally got his feet under him. He started running.

Ochako Uraraka thought her day had been going pretty well so far.

She'd gotten a hug and 'good-luck' from her parents when she left the hotel, prevented someone from getting hurt, and felt that her run in the exam wasn't going half bad. She knew there were people doing better than her, but she was doing her best and she felt it showed.

Then the Zero-pointer appeared.

In a matter of seconds, Ochako had been blasted off her feet and found herself trapped in the middle of the street, her legs pinned by debris. Her head was pounding, and everything hurt.

She tried to push herself up, her arms shaking.

Above her, the Zero-pointer loomed.

C'mon… she begged her battered body. I need to get up. If I can just… reach behind me…

"Can I use my Quirk on you?"

Ochako's head snapped up at the sudden voice.

It was the boy she'd helped earlier, kneeling next to her and looking absolutely terrified.

"Wh… what?" She tried to speak ask, blindsided by the boy's sudden appearance.

The boy's face went slack for a moment, seemingly shocked by his own words. He quickly looked away from her, then up as the Zero-pointer groaned. Then he nodded to himself. When he looked back at her, Ochako was surprised by how intent they were.

"Can I use my Quirk on you?" The boy repeated, his voice stronger. The boy's face was pale and… were his hands shaking? But he was fiercely determined as he said, "I can get you out, but I'd have to use my Quirk on you to do it. Can I?"

Ochako blinked up at him, a little stunned. "Uh… sure?"

The boy smiled at her, but his clear stress made it look more like a grimace. "Okay… okay! Uh… this is going to feel really weird. Sorry!"

Before Ochako could question him further, the boy grasped her forearm, and everything went green.

The first thing she did was fall on her rear.

She hissed as she hit the ground. Her entire body felt like one gigantic bruise, each of her limbs feeling like they were made of lead. Her clothes were too tight, and she felt exhausted enough for two people.

…

Oh, she thought with a blink. That makes sense, actually.

In front of her, the rubble Ochako had been trapped under collapsed. Then a shadow passed over her.

She looked up and saw the massive fist of the Zero-pointer hanging above her.

"Yikes!" She yelped. She slapped her shoulder instinctually, her gut twisting as she felt her weight disappear. She kicked hard against the ground, sending herself floating back and up as the Zero-pointer annihilating the spot where she'd been sitting.

She had no time to relax, as the bot then turned its arm, and swiped upward. She threw her hands up as the massive limb collided with her, knocking the air from her lungs.

Her stomach protested greatly when her fingertips made contact.

The new fusion screamed as she found herself soaring through the air, climbing higher and higher above the cityscape.

Stop, stop, stop! She thought desperately.

Then, to her amazement, she stopped.

The fusion blinked in surprise as she hung in the air upside down. She looked down… er, up at the street, finding the Zero-pointer floating just above the street below her, spinning helplessly from the momentum of its swing.

She laughed lightly to herself. "Not too bad for my debut." Then she blinked her light-green eyes, realizing something. "Wait… who am I?" She crossed her arms in thought, glancing up to look at the two-toned green and brown hair hanging over her face "Ochako and Izuku fused to make me, so… Ocha… zuku? No, no, that's too much like Katzuku's name. Maybe the other way? Izu...chako… hmm… yeah!" She let out a small laugh, pumping her fist. "I'm Izuchako, the Super-strong Fused Master of Gravity!"

Her joy of self-discovery was interrupted by the sounds of buildings being knocked to the ground.

Izuchako's head snapped down, her eyes widening as debris was thrown up towards her. She flinched away and suddenly found herself flying backward out of its path. Blinking in surprise, she leaned a bit to the right. Sure enough, she started drifting that way. She turned her eyes upwards, and she started floating up.

"Huh. That's… pretty cool. Fusion mutates Katsuki's Quirk so that Katzuku can make more powerful explosions. So… since you can't really improve zero-gravity, maybe my mutation lets me control what I float?" She gave her head a shake, getting herself back on task. "Izuku can figure that out later. Now, why the heck-"

The answer was pretty easy to find.

In its confusion at suddenly being weightless, the Zero-pointer was waving its arms wildly, smashing the surrounding buildings and making it drift further up the street.

"Oh, man, someone's going to get hurt if this thing keeps flailing around. But what do I do about it? I can't absorb enough of that thing to do any damage. And I can't just punch it with One For All. The exam's still going on; if I break my arm, Izuku and Ochako will…"

Izuchako blinked.

"Wait… what would happen to them if I broke my arm? Will both their arms be broken when they unfuse? Will it not affect them? If they fused back into me, will my arm still be broken? What if-"

Her thoughts were broken when Present Mic's voice rang out. "One minute remaining, Listeners!"

Izuchako wobbled in surprise, her eyes bugged out. "One minute?! That's no time at all!"

A foreboding rumble below her drew her attention. The Zero-pointer had apparently gotten over its surprise, rearing back it's titanic fist, It's burning red optics focused down the road. Izuchako followed it's gaze, seeing the crowd of examinees gathered in the street, frozen as they gawked up at the floating titan.

Izuchako looked frantically between the bystanders and the Zero-pointer, quickly realizing that, despite what Present Mic said, she was out of time. "I… You...Ugh! Fine!" She righted herself in the air, glaring down at the robot even as it began its punch. "If they can't get any more points, I can at least make sure you don't hurt anyone else!"

With a mere thought, Izuchako launched herself forward, soaring through the air with her arms at her side. Green lightning sparked across her arm as she flew, and the Zero-pointer changed it's target right at the last second, aiming right for her.

Izuchako's eyes widened for a split-second, before narrowing. She twisted her body, arching her back as she changed course. The metal fist missed her by mere inches, sailing past her and into the open air. Izuchako skimmed down its arm, picking up speed as she neared its head. She pulled back her arm…

And felt a shift in the air. Pink sparks joined the green lightning, and she felt a strong pull in her gut, like her stomach was trying to turn itself inside out. She grit her teeth, powering through the uncomfortable sensation as she flew right at the glowing red optic.

"Take this!" She shouted, her right arm rippling with power, tearing her jackets' sleeves to shreds. "Gravity… SMASH!"

For a moment, time froze. When her fist impacted the bot's optic, she briefly felt the glass and metal shatter beneath her blow. The entire face of the Zero-pointer buckled in, as if it had been hit by a fist the size of its own.

Then, with an ungodly screech of metal on metal, the neck of the Zero-pointer was sheared completely in half. It's massive head, crumpled into nearly half of its original size, tore completely off the main body, and was sent flying off into the distance, over and clear out of the cityscape.

Izuchako hung in the air, panting as she watched the mangled head soar away. A mournful creak made her dip her head as the headless corpse of the Zero-pointer started spinning wildly in the air. She brought her hands up in front of her, pressing her fingertips together as she murmured, "Release."

Up in the faculty box, all the teachers were staring at the screen in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Did.. did those two examinees just… fuse into one person to beat the Zero-pointer?" Ectoplasm questioned hesitantly.

Midnight tilted her head, not quite sure what to say. "It certainly looks that way."

At the far side of the room, All Might stared at the screen, not sure whether to be worried or laugh. At the very back, the ever stoic Erasurehead lifted a brow at the figure hovering above the city.

Power Loader looked down at his display screen, scratching the side of his head. "Any idea how we score that?"

The wrecked mech fell back, collapsing under its own weight as explosions began darting its surface. Izuchako tore her gaze away from the carnage to look behind her, seeing the other examinees right where they'd last been. A few had fallen over in their shock, including the glasses boy, but were otherwise okay.

Izuchako let out a sigh of relief. "Man, that could have gone wor-"

Her words cut off as her stomach seemed to leap towards her throat, making her slap her hand over her mouth.

"Oh, no…"

And then she felt the blinding, mind-numbing pain as she looked down, and found her other arm a collage of deep reds and purples, completely unresponsive.

"Oh… man…"

Then came the headache, and her exhaustion hit her tenfold.

"No… no, not yet," Izuchako muttered as she tried to keep down her breakfasts, starting to panic. She angled herself down, trying to reach the ground before-

Her form flickered green.

No...dang it! Izuku, Ochako, I'm sorry, but I… I-I can't-

There was a burst of green light, and Ochako was falling.

A scream of fear tore from her throat as she saw the pavement far below rushing at her way to fast.

A million and one questions burst through her mind, most of which revolving around the fact that she had memories of being herself but not herself, and, of course, why was the ground getting so close?!

"'Gah!"

The strangled cry cut through both her thoughts and the wind whistling past her ears. She looked over, finding the green-haired boy from before falling right beside her, holding his arm close to his chest. Then the boy grit his teeth, squinted at the approaching ground, and started to pull back his working arm.

Recognizing the motion from what she knew was not supposed to be her memory, Ochako reached out without thinking, hoping to hit the boy… Izuku… with her quirk before hitting the ground.

She managed to… by slapping him across the face.

Oops.

Still, she couldn't argue with the result. The boy stopped falling instantly, and a panicked slap to her thigh did the same to herself, hovering them just above the tarmac.

She took a few panicked breaths, before bringing her fingers together. "R-Release."

They fell to the ground with a yelp. As Ochako pushed herself up, she was surprised by how little nausea her Quirk left her with. After all… that… she thought she'd be puking her guts out…

Kind of like Izuku currently was.

Ochako's eyes widened as Izuku heaved, trying to prop himself up with his unbroken arm.

Then she realized. His arm...

Ochako brought her right arm up in front of her face. It seemed fine… nothing hurt… but her jacket sleeve was completely shredded, just like Izuku's was. Just like it had been when they… when Izuchako...

Before she could process what she was doing, she reached over and started rubbing small circles on Izuku's back.

"Hey… are you okay?"

Izuku glanced up in surprise, only to have his stomach act up again. Once he could take a breath, he tried to smile at her. "I...I think so…" He then grimaced when he saw the state of her jacket. "S...Sorry…"

Ochako tilted her head. "What for?"

Izuku gave her an odd look, then glanced at the destroyed Zero-pointer. "For… that."

Ochako followed his gaze, then felt her cheeks warm. "Oh… yeah. What… exactly was that?"

Izuku flinched, quickly looking away. "My Quirk," he muttered, not meeting her eyes. "I… I call it Fusion."

Ochako looked back up at the Zero-pointer, remembering… something. "Yeah… I guess that fits." Then she smiled at him. "That's pretty cool!"

Izuku's head snapped back to her, eyes widening in surprise. "R-Really?"

Ochako blinked at his odd response but gave him a wide grin. "Yeah! Did you see us? I mean, it wasn't technically us, but still, it was kind of us! We were flying! And then we zoomed down at the Zero-pointer and gave it that big finishing move! Gravity Smash!" She laughed as she threw out her arm in a mock punch. "It was awesome!"

Slowly, Izuku's disbelief melted into a sort of awe. "You… you really think so?" He asked faintly.

Ochako frowned at him, at the… hope in his voice. "Well… yeah! Why wouldn't I-"

"Aaaand, that's it, Listeners! The UA Practical Exam is officially OVER!"

The two looked up in surprise. Then Ochako let out a small laugh. "Is it weird I kind of forgot about the exam for a second?"

Izuku grinned slightly, though it seemed more like he was gritting his teeth as he moved his broken arm.

"Oh, goodness! You're own Quirk did this to you, young man?" They both looked up, seeing the kindly smile of the elderly Recovery Girl approaching them.

As Ochako helped Izuku sit up for Recovery Girl to heal his arm, she couldn't help but flex the fingers of her own, as if to make sure that her arm really was okay. The fact that… Izuchako had most definitely broken hers, yet Izuku was the only one bare the injury... it didn't sit right with her.

She didn't voice her concern, however. As the group went back to the main school to take their written exam, and she and Izuku were herded into different rooms, her mind was buzzing with all the new information she had. Information she had a sinking feeling she shouldn't know, and she had so, so many questions for Izuku.

Namely… how did she know Izuku's name? Why did she know the angry blond boy she'd seen him with was named Katsuki, but Izuku had called him 'Kacchan' since they were two? How did she know their fusion's name was Katzuku?

There were many questions she had to set aside as she focused on the written exam. But as she rode the train back to her parent's hotel, there were two major ones that stood out:

Did Izuku know things about her now?

And more importantly…

Should she tell him that she knows the truth about All Might? About... One For All?

Chapter Text

"Wait… you turned into a girl?"

Izuku groaned as Katsuki's mother smirked at him, his cheeks reddening. It had been a few hours since the exam ended, and he and Katsuki decided to game a little at Katsuki's house to unwind. Well, Izuku needed to unwind. Katsuki was in a perpetual good mood after Present Mic had not-so-subtly implied he'd gotten the highest score as they were leaving UA.

Unfortunately, Mitsuki had wanted all the details of both of their exams, sitting on the couch behind them as the boys sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to one-up each other in a racing game. And naturally, once Izuku got to the highlight of his exam...

"No, Aunt Mitsi!" Izuku borderline whined, pleading for her to just drop the subject. "I just… I fused with a girl, and somehow, our Fusion was… female."

Mitsuki just raised a brow at him, her smirk widening. "So... you were half a girl."

Katsuki snorted lightly next to him, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Izuku's blush deepened. " I… you… Aunt Mitsi, please just leave it!"

Mitsuki giggled at his embarrassment. "Okay, okay. I've had my fun. I need to head down to the store anyway." She got off the couch to leave, but first leaned down to ruffle Izuku's hair. "Seriously though, Izu, it sounds like you cleaned house. Good job."

Izuku ducked his head a little, smiling as his cheeks slowly cooled. "Thanks..."

Mitsuki chuckled at him, going to collect her keys. "Just don't stay too long, kiddo. Inko's probably planning some big 'You Did It!' dinner back at your place." She paused in the doorway before leaving, suddenly yelling. "You hear that brat!? You better not still be keeping Izu here when I get back!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you! Ya old bat." Katsuki grumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" She yelled back, slamming the door behind her.

"You were supposed too!" Katsuki called after, eyes glued to the TV screen.

Izuku sweatdropped at the interaction. I'll never get how these two work.

A few minutes passed as the two kept playing, the only sounds in the house being the revving engines and squealing tires from the game they were playing. Izuku's brow furrowed as he focused on the game, trying harder than usual to win. Maybe if he just kept his mind on the game...

"So…" Katsuki suddenly said as his thumbs flew across his controller. "You gonna tell me why you keep zoning out today?"

Izuku froze, his car on screen literally crashing and burning. By the time he was able to speak, Katsuki had won the race. "W-Wh- What do you mean?" He stuttered, failing to sound nonchalant.

Katsuki took a deep, obviously exasperated breath, then set down his controller. He fixed Izuku with a hard stare, crossing his arms. "Deku, ever since we left the exam, you keep staring off into space, then freaking blushing. It's getting creepy. What the hell?"

Izuku grimaced, hanging his head. He really didn't want to talk about this. Wringing his hands nervously, he decided to start with a question that had been bothering him. "Kacchan… when we turn into Katzuku and then unfuse… do you ever… remember things?"

Katsuki blinked, not having expected the question. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What kind of things?"

Izuku winced, not meeting Katsuki's eyes. "Like… stuff you didn't know… about me… before we fused?"

Katsuki gave him a weird look. "Uhh, nooo…" Then he paused, looking thoughtful. "Well… I guess once or twice, I knew what you had for breakfast that morning."

Izuku's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Really!?"

Katsuki leaned back in surprise at Izuku's shout. "Ah! Damn it, Deku, back up!" He physically shoved Izuku out of his face when the boy got too close.

Izuku chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his nose. "S-Sorry…"

"Seriously, what the hell? I remembered what you ate, what's the big…" He trailed off as Izuku shrunk into himself, the way he always did when he was nervous… or embarrassed. A thought struck him. "Wait… is this about that chick you fused with?"

Izuku whimpered a little, hanging his head. "Yeah…" He droned, running a hand through his hair. "I… I think when we unfused… she left some things behind."

Katsuki blinked, then looked Izuku up and down. "Uhh…"

"I remember stuff," Izuku clarified before his friend could make any kind of assumption. "Stuff that… I shouldn't know."

"Such as…?"

"...I knew Ochako's name before she told me."

Katsuki blinked slowly. "You're kidding." He held up a hand before Izuku could speak, scowling. "What am I talking about, it's you. You're not kidding. Okay, explain. What the hell do you know about her?"

"Not a lot! Just... some basic stuff." Izuku did his best to look unbothered.

Katsuki wasn't buying it. "Such as…?"

Izuku swallowed thickly, not meeting Katsuki's eyes. "Like… her name. Her parents' names. Her Quirk." He blushed. "Where she lives." He was mumbling now. "Her phone number."

"...Deku, that is fucking creepy."

"I know!" Izuku wailed, burying his blushing face in his hands. "But I can't help it! After we unfused, it was all just… there." He tapped the side of his head, whimpering.

Katsuki stared at his friend in blatant disbelief. Then he shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "I swear, man… only you. How the heck does that even work?"

Izuku just groaned, pressing his face harder.

Katsuki could only laugh at his friend's misfortune. Then he stopped short, having a thought. "Wait… Deku, if you know stuff about her… do you think she knows stuff about you?"

Izuku blinked, having not thought of that. "Uh… I guess?" He considered for a moment, then tilt his head up, grimacing. "Actually… I bet she does. She didn't really freak out when we unfused, and she didn't have that many questions. She remembered what Izuchako did, so…" he trailed off when he caught Katsuki giving him an intense look. "What?"

"Deku…" Katsuki started lowly. "Didn't you say you knew about her Quirk?"

"Uh… yeah?" He answered, not getting why his friend was asking.

Katsuki's look shifted to a glare, filled with annoyance and… something else. "Does that mean she knows about your Quirk?"

Izuku blinked. "I… I guess, but…" Then it clicked. His eyes blew wide as his face paled. "One For All."

Katsuki gave a slow nod. "Yeah. You're Fusion used it during the exam, right?"

Izuku paled further. "And thought about it by name." He squeaked, his hands starting to tremble.

Katsuki cursed under his breath. "This could be bad. If she knows about One For All-"

"-she might know about All Might." Izuku finished, feeling like he was about to faint.

Katsuki flicked him hard on the forehead before he did, just out of habit. "Yeah. And if she blabs… well, we're screwed." He growled under his breath, trying to think. "You said you know her phone number?"

"Y-Yeah…?"

"Call her. We need to find this chick, find out what she knows, and find a way to keep her quiet if she does."

"W-What!?" Izuku yelped. "Kacchan, I-I can't just call some girl I don't know!"

Katsuki was undeterred, giving Izuku a malice-filled smile. "Well then, good news, Deku! You do know her, dumbass! More than you should. And that's the whole freaking problem! Call her, now."

Izuku squirmed under Katsuki's blazing gaze, before pulling his phone out with a whimper. He started typing out the number he should not know…

When his phone started ringing.

Izuku yelped in surprise, fumbling with his phone. He shot Katsuki a freaked out look, his friend looking only mildly surprised. With a healthy dose of dread, he looked down at his phone… and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh," He breathed with a chuckle. "It's just my mom." Katsuki rolled his eyes as Izuku answered. "Hello? Mom?"

"Hi, Izuku sweetie." Izuku frowned when he heard the nervous edge in his mother's voice. "Um… I'm sorry to bother you while you're with Katsuki, but… I need you to come home right away."

Izuku's frown deepened. "Is something wrong?" He shot Katsuki a look, and the blonde leaned in so he could hear himself.

"Well…" Inko's voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm not sure. There's a girl at the door asking for you."

Izuku's heart stopped. He looked to Katsuki in horror, his friend's face going slack.

"A girl?" He asked faintly.

"Yes, um… She says her name is Uraraka Ochako? That you two met during the exam? She said… she wanted to talk to you about… All Might."

Izuku's brain stopped working. Katsuki slapped his hand over his face.

"Izuku… sweetie, are you there?"

She received no answer. Izuku and Katsuki were already scrambling out the door.

Ochako twiddled her thumbs nervously from her place on the Midoriya's couch.

What am I doing here? She wondered for the umpteenth time.

It was a pointless question, and she knew it. The longer she sat in her hotel room with her parents, listening to them congratulate her exam run and pretending that everything was alright, the more all these new, unwanted memories ate away at her.

She'd left out the whole Fusion thing. She had a feeling her parents may take things a bit out of context and… yeah, best to avoid that.

So when the afternoon started to wind down, she managed to convince them to let her roam around on her own for a bit, 'experience the city' before they left for home. She'd wandered around aimlessly, trying to sort out everything she'd seen… what she'd remembered.

Izuku, worried about what she thought of his Quirk, recalling the reactions of everyone else who knew about his Fusions.

Katsuki, bopping Izuku on the head when he started doubting himself, yelling words that sounded as much like insults as they were encouragement.

All Might… the invincible, unbeatable, Number One Hero All Might… thin and frail, showing the poorly-healed remains of a gaping wound.

Izuku, working himself to the bone, so he would be able to pick up wherever All Might eventually left off.

Ochako had drifted through the city on autopilot, no real destination in mind as she lost herself to... everything.

Then she'd found herself at the train station, her feet having taken her there as if by instinct. She'd spent about a minute just looking around, considering her options, before looking for a route-map in search of Musutafu.

"Here you are, dear."

Ochako blinked startled out of her thoughts as a mug of green tea was held out in front of her.

"Oh!" Her cheeks tinted as she took the mug, giving a small smile to her unexpecting host. "Thank you, Ma'am."

Inko smiled in return, taking a seat beside the girl on the couch. "It's no problem… Uraraka, right?"

Ochako nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Yes, Ma'am. Again, I am so sorry for just showing up so unexpected."

Inko waved her off. "Think nothing of it. It was a bit of a surprise, but… you said you had something important to tell my son?"

Ochako ducked her head. "Very, ma'am. Something… er… happened during the exam, and…" She trailed off, her face reddening the more she talked. "I should really wait until I can talk to him."

Inko gave her an odd look but pushed onward. "Well, you shouldn't have long to wait. Knowing you were here must have lit a fire under him, from what I could hear of their rushing." A sudden beeping sound came from the kitchen, making Inko rush off the couch. "Oh, that'll be the oven. Excuse me a moment, dear."

"Oh, it's no trouble!" Ochako called after her as the petite woman moved into the kitchen. She let out a sigh, looking around the apartment. It gave her the strangest feeling, being there. She was in a stranger's home, yet… it felt so familiar… which just made things all the stranger.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open, making Ochako jump, scrambling off the couch to face it. A now-familiar boy with a head of green hair stood bent over in the doorway, panting for breath.

"Mom!" He gasped. "I'm here! Where's-" His voice died as he looked up, mouth hanging open as he saw who was in front of him.

Ochako offered him an awkward wave and a smile. "Hey, Izuku…"

Izuku worked his mouth a few times, before squeaking out, "...hi."

"Goddamnit, Deku!" A voice called out through the open door, the sound of pounding footsteps fast approaching. "We had the same damn training, how are you faster than-" Katsuki fell silent as he rounded the door, blinking at her in surprise.

Ochako smiled at him as well. "Oh, hi, Kacchan." Katsuki's eyes bulged, and Ochako's face reddened a moment later. "Er, I mean, Katsuki. Ah! Bakugo!" She slapped both hands over her mouth before she could embarrass herself further, her eyes wide and her face inflamed.

Katsuki's eye twitched as he took in the blushing, round-faced girl in front of him. He slowly turned his head towards Izuku, who could only look back in horror.

"Deku," Katsuki started, his voice distressingly calm. "All Might is going to kill you. He's going to find you, he's going to throttle you... and I am going to help."

For his part, Izuku could only squeak in fear.

"Come on, All Might, pick up the phone!"

Ochako watched as Izuku paced around the living room, pressing his phone against his ear with both hands, getting more and more desperate with every failed call. Katsuki sat next to her on the couch, arms crossed as his eyes followed Izuku's path.

Inko watched the three from the kitchen, a concerned frown on her face as she went about preparing more food, ever the gracious host.

After the tenth unsuccessful call, Ochako tried to break the tenseness of the room. "So…" She started, turning towards Katsuki. "You and Izuku Fuse into… Katzuku?"

Katsuki let out an exasperated breath, not looking at her. "Yep."

Ochako nodded awkwardly. "So… what's he like?"

Katsuki glanced at her, then folded his arms behind his head. "You know what I'm like through Deku's memories?"

Ochako blushed at the blunt reminder of why she was here. "Um… a bit," she admitted.

Katsuki grunted in acknowledgment. "Well, take that, and put it through a Deku filter. That's about as good an explanation as I can give ya." He then looked at her out the side of his eye, ignoring Izuku's wail at yet another failed call. "What about yours? Izu… chaka, right?"

Ochako couldn't help but pout a bit. "Izuchako, actually. And… I don't know. I… I guess she acted kind of like me. Except… " "Her brows pinched together. "She talked out loud…. a lot."

Katsuki snorted. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you speak your mind a lot?"

Ochako frowned. "Not… that much."

Another snort. "No, but…" He gave her a hard look. "Outgoing speaker…" He bobbed his head towards the panicking Izuku. "...plus compulsive mumbler."

Ochako blinked. "Oh! … is that how it works for all his Fusions? Just… mashing personality points together like that?"

The blonde gave a noncommittal shrug. "Considering he's only ever made two of them… I have no freaking idea."

Ochako looked startled. "Wait... only two… so…"

"Yep… just us." Katsuki chuckled under his breath, sending an unkind smirk her way. "Welcome to the weirdo club."

"But… his Quirk is so cool!" She didn't notice Izuku blush as he continued his pacing. "Why wouldn't he-?"

"Because we go to school with idiots."

The way Katsuki's voice darkened made Ochako drop the subject, sensing a touchy subject. She gave Izuku a curious look, but he strangely wouldn't meet her eyes as he once again tried to call All Might. She thought for a moment, only to have her eyes widen when she recalled the harsh whispers and taunts from one of her accidentally-gained memories. She looked back at Izuku in sympathy, but he was still ignoring them both.

As they listened to Izuku groan for the umpteenth time, Katsuki let out a growl. "Okay, screw this." He hopped off the couch when Izuku next drew near, yanking the phone away from him.

"Kacchan, what-?" Katsuki cut him off by shoving his hand in Izuku's face, tapping on the phone screen with one hand. Izuku tried to reach for his phone, but Katsuki held him back at arm's length.

"What are you doing?" Ochako asked, looking between the two as she tried not to laugh.

With one final tap, Katsuki pushed Izuku back with a little more force, then tossed him back his phone. "Texting All Might," he explained gruffly, gritting his teeth.

Izuku fumbled with his phone, then screeched when he looked at it. "Kacchan!" Izuku cried in panic, looking scandalized. "You can't just say that to All Might!"

"I just freaking did," Katsuki gave a feral smirk. "Let's see him ignore that."

In a barren office in UA's Hero Department, Toshinori Yagi grimaced as his eyes darted across what felt like the thousandth document he had pulled from a seemingly endless pile. He signed his name, set it on top of the most recent pile, then turned his eyes on the gigantic stacks littered messily across the desk.

He let out a heavy sigh. "When I said I'd teach at UA, no one mentioned there'd be this much paperwork." With a resigned grunt, he picked up the next page.

His eyes darted up briefly when he heard a door open. He straightened up a little in his chair when he saw who it was.

"Principle Nezu, sir," the Pro said in greeting.

The mouse-dog-bear gave Toshinori his usual bright smile, holding two mugs in his paws. "Hello, Yagi. I thought you might appreciate a bit of a pick-me-up."

Toshinori took the mug he held out to him with a grateful smile. "Thank you, sir. This has... been a bit draining so far."

Nezu chuckled to himself, hopping up on a stool next to the Number One Hero. He scanned the desk, humming. "Well, it seems you've been making some decent headway."

Toshinori scoffed good-naturedly. "Wish it felt like it. I swear these papers multiply every time I look away." He shook his head, before flashing the principle a grin. "I appreciate you taking the time to walk me through this, sir. I'm afraid I'd be rather lost without your help."

Nezu nodded. "Most likely," he agreed.

Toshinori blinked at Nezu's bluntness, then chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

As the two silently worked through a few more pages, a slight buzzing noise sounded from beneath the mess of paperwork. Toshinori looked towards the noise briefly, before ignoring it.

Nezu gave him an odd look, before digging through the pile himself to find the culprit. He found it to be a vibrating smartphone, which ceased it's buzzing right after he picked it up. He tilted his head at the now silent device, before looking up at Toshinori in question. "It's not like you to ignore a phone call," he said slowly, his tone leaning more towards curiosity then reprimand.

Toshinori let out a deep sigh. "It's probably Midoriya again."

Nezu's ears perked up at the name, understanding on his face. "Your successor."

Toshinori nodded, signing off on another document. "He's been calling me on and off all day, and non-stop in the last fifteen minutes. I wish I could answer him, but even if I wasn't swamped with all this paperwork, he probably just wants my opinion on his exam run."

The principal nodded slowly. "Which you can't talk to him about without it looking biased as a teacher."

Toshinori huffed. "I'll owe him an explanation after he gets his acceptance letter. Until then, I'm afraid I have to just let him stew." He grinned a little in thought. "I'll have plenty to say to him though."

Nezu smiled with him. "Indeed. His exam performance left quite an impression on the staff. Even if his Quirk made attributing he and Miss Uraraka's Rescue Points… problematic."

Toshinori barked out a laugh at that. That had been an amusing thing to see, watching from the sidelines as all the staff tried to work out how many points each potential student should have received for their Fusion's actions. Seeing them get a taste of the headache teaching Midoriya could give a person was oddly hilarious.

As he read through a new document (yet another one of him acknowledging his responsibility for letting nearly two-dozen teenagers use their Quirks freely against one another), Toshinori's phone buzzed again in the principal's paws. Nezu glanced down as the screen flashed on, only to do a double-take, his beady eyes widening.

"Um… Yagi," Nezu started, and the slight lowering of his usual light tone made the Number One Hero instantly look to him. Nezu met his gaze with a diminished smile, holding out the phone. "I believe I can make an exception for you to respond to this one."

Toshinori frowned at the principle as he took his phone, swiping his thumb across the screen, seeing that he'd received a text message from Midoriya's number. Upon reading it, he let out a strangled yelp that made him cough up blood.

Young Midoriya: THE GIRL DEKU FUSED WITH KNOWS YOUR SECRET, SKEL MIGHT! ANSWER, DAMN IT!

"...crap."

Twenty Minutes Later

"Deku cleaned up this entire beach!?"

Izuku felt his cheeks warm, both at her awe and use of his nickname, as he watched Ochako looked up and down the length of Dagobah beach, stars in her eyes like she'd just witnessed a miracle. The three of them stood at the end of the nearby pier, overlooking the entirety of the shoreline as they waited from All Might to arrive.

His response to Katsuki's text had been all of nine words:

Number One: Bring her to Dagobah beach. Wait for me there.

How either of the other teens were not shaking with fear like he was, Izuku had no idea.

Katsuki scoffed, crossing his arms. "Don't give the nerd all the credit. He just dragged all the crap up off the beach. I was the one who had to haul it all down the block to All Might's truck."

"Still, that's… nuts! I don't know how you two pulled it off." She shook her head in disbelief, looking out into the ocean waves, sparkling in the sunset light. "I don't think I'd be able to do it."

Katsuki snorted, jabbing his thumb towards Izuku. "Wasn't much of a choice. Deku had to do it or risk his arms popping off after his first punch. And like hell was I gonna let him leave me in the dust."

To Katsuki's surprise, Ochoko's eyes widened at his words. "Popped off?" She looked down at her right arm, then Izuku's. "You mean… One For All could have actually hurt Deku worse than it did today?"

Katsuki gave her a funny look, then narrowed his eyes at Izuku, who paled under his gaze. "Yeah… All Might said that without the proper build, Deku's limbs could have actually exploded instead of just breaking. That said…" He then gave Ochako a look so intense, she nearly flinched back. "I was under the impression that your Fusion blew her arm all to hell."

Ochako wilted under his stare, but then had her attention drawn to Izuku, who seemed to have broken out in a cold sweat. His eyes pleaded with her, but Ochako couldn't really tell what he was pleading for. "That's right. When she punched the Zero-pointer."

Katsuki nodded his head mechanically. "Okay… then, why did you make it sound like Deku was the only one who had a broken arm when you unfused?"

Again, Izuku's desperate look caught her eye, coupled with him crossing his arms repeatedly, mouthing the word 'No!'. A backward glance from Katsuki made him stop mid-motion, and his increasingly dark look made Ochako respond, albeit hesitantly. "Because… he was?" She instantly felt bad when she saw Izuku hang his head, letting out a low moan.

Katsuki's eyes narrowed further. "Your arm wasn't broken afterward?"

"N-No…?" Ochako flinched when she heard Katsuki's palms spark. "S-Should it have been?"

Rather than answer her, Katsuki rounded on Izuku, his eye twitching slightly. "You left out that little detail, Deku," he said, his voice much too quiet for the poorly-contained anger on his face.

Izuku swallowed thickly, trying and failing to smile the problem away. "I, uh… didn't think it was important?" He tried weakly.

Katsuki's deepening scowl made clear that he was not impressed. Sensing a brewing conflict, Ochako tried to insert herself back in the conversation. "W-What am I missing here? Why is it weird that Izuku's arm was broken, but mine wasn't?"

Katsuki kept up his glare on Izuku, but spared her a momentary glance before crossing his arms. "Because that's not how his fusions work. At least, they never have before." At her questioning look, Katsuki elaborated with a growl. "A few months back, Deku and me got jumped by this sludge villain. That's actually how we first met All Might. The freak put the squeeze on me, and then on Katzuku once we managed to fuse, hard enough to bruise." His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked back at Izuku, who looked about ready to leap the railing and start running up the beach. "Later on, we were both covered in bruises. The same bruises, in the exact same spots. Thing was, though, they were already half-healed."

Ochako's eyes widened as the implications sank in. "Then… shouldn't my arm have been broken when we unfused?

Katsuki growled under his breath. "Yeah, it should have! Whatever damage Izuchako had, should have been split between you both the instant she unfused. That's what always happened before!"

Ochako slowly turned to look at Izuku, her brows coming together when he wouldn't meet her eyes. "But… Izuchako didn't know what would happen if she broke her arm."

"She probably didn't know because you didn't know," Katsuki snarled lowly. "And as for the other part of her… I think that was because Deku was trying something he didn't know would work." He stomped right in front of Izuku, leaning threateningly over him. "Well, Deku?"

Izuku swallowed nervously, grinning in fear. "Umm… well…"

His hesitation seemed to be all the affirmation the blond needed, his palms sparking as he grasped Izuku by the front of his shirt, pulling him so they were nose-to-nose. "You idiot! You tried the force all your fusion's damage onto yourself, didn't you?!"

"I-I didn't actually try!" Izuku tried to defend as Katsuki started shaking him. "I-I didn't even really think about it! I just… she didn't know what my Quirk could do to her! I...didn't want her to get hurt…"

If anything, this just seemed to make Katsuki angrier. "Dumbass, you don't have to think about it! It's you. You are obsessed with helping people, even if you wreck yourself to do it! Keeping people from getting hurt? It's probably ingrained so far into your brain you don't even know it!"

As much as Ochako didn't approve of Katsuki man-handling Izuku, she couldn't help but agree with his words. "Deku…" She said softly, drawing their attention. "You shouldn't have done that."

Izuku blinked at her in shock. "But… Ochako, you're arm would have been broken!"

Ochako frowned at him. "Yeah, but… it wasn't just my arm. You took my Quirk's nausea, too. That's... not fair to you."

Katsuki snarled, taking Ochako's words a bit differently then she'd intended. "What!? Deku, what the hell? What's the point in you protecting anyone if you just ruin yourself in the process? What kind of Hero's that stupid!?"

Izuku floundered for a response, blind-sighted by having both teens team up against him.

"I'd have to agree."

All three teens looked up in surprise at the low, deep voice that sounded behind them. They whipped their heads to the side, surprised to find a tall, lanky figure standing in the shadow of the nearby pavilion, it's sunken blue eyes focused wholly on Izuku as it approached.

When Ochako laid eyes on All Might's true form, her eyes widened in stunned awe. "All Might?" She couldn't help but whisper in disbelief.

All Might gave her a long look, before giving her his best attempt at a reassuring smile. "I'm afraid so, young lady. I'm sorry you have to see me this way."

Ochako blinked in surprise, her cheeks reddening as she realized he'd heard her. "Oh! Oh, no no no, sir! It's okay!" She tried to dissuade his apology, her eyes a little sad as she looked him up and down. "It's... not like you can help it."

All Might's smile widened just a little. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Uraraka." The smile slipped from his face as he turned back to Izuku, who Katsuki had quickly stepped away from, scowling against the railing with his arms crossed.

Izuku gulped as he tried to explain. "A-All Might-"

"Young Midoriya." Izuku flinched at the calm tone All Might spoke in. Looking up at the Pro in worry.

All Might heaved a heavy, calming sigh. "Young Midoriya… there is nothing nobler then self-sacrifice. But allowing yourself to be harmed to the point of debilitating yourself is unacceptable." He put his hand on Izuku's shoulder, making sure the boy met his eyes. "I understand that you'd rather take on other people's pain then let them suffer it themselves. In fact… I'd say I understand it more than most. But consider this, my boy: how can you protect anyone… if you can't even protect yourself?"

Izuku tensed up, looking as stunned as a man slapped by his best friend.

"Consider this," All Might went on. "By taking on all of your Fusion's damage, you were practically immobilized, correct?" Izuku only answered with a cowed nod. "Now… imagine that when you unfused like that, it was not at the end of the exam… but during an actual fight. One where both of your lives were on the line. Yes, Young Uraraka would be unharmed… but she would be left on her own." Izuku paled under his words, but All Might continued. "Worse… with you indisposed, she'd have to spend time and energy defending you as opposed to ending the conflict."

Izuku flinched at the unspoken implications.

All Might then held up his hand, flipping over his palm. "On the other hand, had you done as Bakugo stated is the norm and split the damage between you both? Ochako would be harmed, yes… But as I understand it, the injuries you both would share would be much less severe. Tell me, which is the smarter option: Leaving one uninjured hero to defend a downed hero on their own? Or having two injured heroes support each other, watching each other's back?"

Izuku, unable to keep eye contact with the Pro, looked down despondent, clenching his fists at his side. "I… didn't think about that," he quietly admitted.

All Might continued to give Izuku a hard look. Then, he closed his eyes, sighing. A smile broke out on his face. "Don't feel too bad. You, all of you, have only just begun to discover what being a Pro Hero is really like." He gave Izuku's shoulder a comforting squeeze, making the boy look back up in surprise. "It's a delicate balance, protecting others whilst keeping yourself in fighting shape. You'll learn, my boy." He chuckled softly to himself. "Hell, it's a lesson I still have trouble keeping in mind myself."

Izuku looked up at the Number One Hero, obviously conflicted. With a defeated sigh, he gave a quick nod. "I… I'll try, All Might."

The Pro Hero slapped him lightly on the back, still grinning. "It's something we can work on in the future." He suddenly buffed up to his full size, making Ochako squeak in surprise. He looked down at Izuku with his usual heroic grin. "You have a hero's spirit, young Midoriya. You just have to learn to temper it with some common sense."

Izuku smiled a little in return. Ochako beamed at the interaction, while Katsuki let out a small breath, his relief hidden behind a cool mask of annoyed indifference.

All Might then turned to face the group as a whole, and his smile instantly lessened. "As glad as I am to have that settled, it's not what actually brought me out here." His eyes zeroed in on Ochako. "Miss Uraraka."

Ochako stiffened as the intimidating Number One Hero gave her his full attention, his sunken blue eyes seeming to glow in the fading sunlight. "Y...Yes, sir?"

All might gave her a long look. "It goes without saying that you know about my injury… and that my days as a hero are numbered."

Ochako looked down, both out of guilt and the sheer idea of All Might retiring. Izuku and Katsuki shifted uncomfortably at the side, well aware of All Might's predicament, but not liking to think about it. "Yes, sir." She confirmed quietly. "I'm... sorry."

"Do not apologize, " All Might said instantly, making Ochako look up in surprise. "I doubt you set out to uncover me like this, and I know Izuku would not have told you if he could help it."

He heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "This is usually something I have time to deliberate on… but I don't have that luxury at the moment. I have no choice but to trust you with my greatest secret, young lady. But I want you to understand, I've spent nearly a year with these two, and I know they are trustworthy. I'm afraid I've only just met you, so I can not yet extend you the same luxury."

Ochako gulped a little under his intense gaze. "I-I understand, sir."

A quick smile from the Pro Hero eased her worries, if only slightly. "Don't worry too much, my girl. You don't strike me as the kind to gossip, not with something so important is this." He then raised a brow at her, his smile turning a tad sly. "Though, if I suddenly hear the evening news talking about my sudden weight loss, I suppose I'll know who to look for!"

"T-That won't happen, sir!" Ochako was quick to say while waving her hands, not quite sure whether the pro was joking or not. "No one will hear about this from me."

All Might chuckled lightly, letting the poor girl relax. "I'll hold you to that. In the meantime, though…" He turned back to Izuku. "There's the reason this happened in the first place."

Izuku let out a deep breath, trying desperately to keep a lid on his fraying nerves. "All Might, I swear I didn't know my Quirk shares information like that. This… this has never happened before." Izuku then grimaced slightly, scratching the side of his head. "At least… I don't think it has…"

"Actually, I think I figured that out."

Everyone turned to face Katsuki, who was still leaning lazily against the railing. Izuku gave him a curious look. "Kacchan?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue before saying, "I think this is how Deku's Quirk has worked since day one." He shrugged. "We just never noticed before."

Izuku frowned at him, confused. "But… how could-?"

"Deku," Katsuki cut him off, looking annoyed. "You've been glued to my hip since we were two. I don't think there's ever been a damn thing one of us knew that the other didn't. And since you've only ever fused with me-"

"I had no way to know my Quirk works like this." Izuku finished, his eyes widening. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "That makes too much sense. Oh, this is such a mess! All Might, I-"

"There's no need for apologies, my boy," All Might was quick to assure him. "Everyone's Quirks have little nuances they don't know about until they reveal themselves. You are no different." He put his hand to his chin, thinking hard. "This does complicate things, however. I know I'll have to tell the public about my condition one day, but I was hoping for a little more time than this..."

Izuku wrung his hands together anxiously. "Well… I could just not use Human Fusion from now on…"

"Absolutely not!"

"Deku, no!"

"Don't even think about it, Deku!"

Izuku nearly tumbled over the railing and onto the beach as he was suddenly yelled at from all sides. His stared back with wide eyes as All Might, Ochako, and Katsuki gave him hard looks filled with varying degrees of determination and certainty. "But…"

"No 'buts', Deku!" Katsuki yelled as he walked up and bopped Izuku over the head. "You're Quirk is too damn useful and too damn awesome for you to just let it go to waste!"

"Kacchan's right, Deku," Ochako affirmed, either ignoring or not noticing Katsuki's sharp glare at the use of his nickname. "I'd have been crushed today if not your Quirk! You can't just… ignore it."

"I have to agree, my boy." All Might put a hand on Izuku's head, ruffling his hair with a smile. "You can do so much good with your Quirk, even beyond that of One For All. You can't cripple your heroic potential before you even get started."

"But…" He looked between them all in desperation, as if unable to comprehend their belief in him. He finally looked up at All Might, pleading with his eyes. "How can I Fuse with other people without exposing your secret?"

All Might hummed to himself. "There may be a way around it. I've heard of heroes being able to counteract villains with mind-reading Quirks solely with mental preparation. So, maybe…" He looked back down at Izuku with a reassuring grin. "I'll start asking around. I know a few people who might be able to offer us their assistance. In fact…" He snapped his fingers, his smile widening. "I actually know one hero with a mind-reading Quirk. Maybe she can help you create a mental-block or the like.

"In the meantime, don't be afraid to use your Quirk. The only people you'll probably be fusing with are either the UA Faculty or your fellow students. Worst-case scenario, we have a talk just like this one with whoever you fuse with." He ruffled Izuku's hair again, smiling. "It'll be okay, my boy."

Izuku didn't look totally convinced, but gave All Might a weak grin anyway. "All right, All Might. If you're sure."

All Might gave a firm nod. "I am. And you will be too, once you start your training proper."

Izuku's smile widened a little. Then, suddenly, he tensed. "Wait… 'my training proper'?" Izuku looked up at the Pro with wide eyes. "All Might, do… do you know if I passed the exam?"

Something fizzed in the back of All Might's mind, a feeling of dread worming its way into his non-existent stomach. "Um… I… I, uh…"

His stuttering only seemed to fuel Izuku's hopes. "You do, don't you!? Did I pass?"

All Might could feel the sweat trickling down his neck as he floundered. "W-Well, my boy... you see…"

The lack of a proper response brought Izuku's hopes crashing down. "Then… I didn't?"

The way Izuku's face instantly crumbled sent a pain right through the Pro's heart. "No!" All Might immediately threw up his hands in panic when he saw tears in the corner of Izuku's eyes. "I mean… I… I can neither confirm… nor deny?" He tried weakly.

Behind him, Katsuki snorted, fighting a smile. "Translation: yes, but you're not supposed to know yet, dumbass."

All Might winced.

Izuku blinked at his friend, before looking up at All Might hopefully, his eyes still watering. "All Might?"

All Might held his stare as long as he could, but he could only stare into Izuku's wide-puppy-dog eyes for so long. With a groan, he shrunk down to his true size, looking up at the evening sky. "Oh, Nezu's gonna have my hide for this…" With a sigh, he gave Izuku a small smile. "Yes, Midoriya, you passed. Good job, kid."

Izuku stared dumbly for a moment, before slowly smiling back. "I passed…" Then his eyes blew wide. "Wait! Ochako!"

Ochako winced as Izuku suddenly rounded on her. "Huh?"

"You had more points than me! If I passed, you passed!"

Her head pulled back slightly as she took in Izuku's beaming face. "I… I guess I did." Her face then went slack for a moment, as if she just heard the very words she said. Then, a wide grin broke out over her face. "I passed…"

Izuku nodded, grinning like a fool. "You passed."

"We passed." Ochako corrected, her voice growing louder.

"We're going to UA."

"We're going to be heroes."

All Might couldn't help but chuckle as the two grew more and more excited. Katsuki just put a hand over his face, letting out a beleaguered sigh. "Fan-freaking-tastic, now there's another one..."

Izuku let out a disbelieving laugh. "We did it." He said quietly.

Ochako was much louder. "We did it!" Then she surprised Izuku by jumping forward pulling him into an excited hug.

Izuku stiffened instantly, his face going beet red as Ochako squeezed him. Then he felt a familiar tingle dance under his skin.

"Uh oh."

All Might and Katsuki, both seeing what was happening a full second too late, had just enough time to widen their eyes, before nearly being blinded by the sudden green and pink flash. Once they'd blinked the stars from their eyes, they could only stare in stunned awe at the sight before them.

The girl's face was shaped remarkably like Ochako's, her rounded cheeks dotted with Izuku's faint freckles. She had Izuku's nose and chin, but Ochako's thin eyebrows and large eyes. Her most striking feature was her hair, starting as Izuku's deep green at the roots, before softly fading to Ochako's light brown as it touched her shoulders.

Izuchako blinked her bright green, brown-flecked eyes. She looked around in confusion, just as surprised by her sudden appearance as All Might and Katsuki were. She looked down at her hands, flexing them. "Huh. I'm back." She gave All Might and Katsuki a small shrug and an embarrassed smile. "Uh… whoops?"

Katsuki blinked at the sudden appearance of the Fusion. He looked her up and down, taking her in, before scowling. "Hey, I thought Deku had a handle on the 'accidental Fusion' thing! That hasn't happened since we were ten!"

Izuchako let out a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of her head. "Hehe… I guess he was just really excited?"

Katsuki let out a loud groan. "Deku's always excited! Damn it, now we have to figure this crap out all over again!"

All Might could only scratch the side of his head, watching as the female Fusion pouted at Katsuki's annoyed grumbling with a bewildered look. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Chapter Text

The next few weeks passed in a blur. Ochako and Izuku had officially traded numbers, along with Ochako giving Katsuki her number so they could all stay in contact. That became a bit of a moot point after Ochako revealed she was looking for an apartment to rent closer to UA, and Inko had informed them she and Izuku's building actually had an opening on the floor below them.

They had officially received their UA acceptance letters one week after their meeting with All Might, with Izuku and Ochako discovering that they had each earned an extra 50 Rescue Points on top of their original scores, putting Izuku at third overall at 75 points and Ochako at number one with 78. This not only completely gobsmacked Ochako, but angered Katsuki to no end upon finding out that she'd edged him out for first, landing himself at 2nd with just his 76 villain points. This had dubbed her an official rival in his eyes, much to Ochako's confusion and Izuku's exasperation.

Then came Izuku and Katsuki's last week of middle school. Their classmates had been completely blindsided upon learning that Izuku had not only made it into UA, but was third in the exam. While Izuku did his best to stay out of sight and out of mind for the last week, Katsuki seemed to thrive in the fact that the 'jackasses' that had derided his friend for so long now had undeniable proof that they were wrong, and had no problem saying so at every opportunity. He'd even flipped off the class as a whole as he left on the final day of school, laughing as he dragged a mortified Izuku back to his apartment to celebrate.

Once Ochako had officially moved in, Izuku's routine had changed a bit. As Inko wasn't entirely comfortable with the girl living all by herself, she'd extended a permanent offer for Ochako to join her and Izuku for breakfast and dinners, something Ochako eventually had no issue accepting once Inko convinced her it was no trouble.

Ochako integrated herself pretty well with Izuku and Katsuki, finding herself roped into their hero discussions rather often. As the first day of UA rapidly approached, the three would find themselves huddled around the Midoriya's coffee table, going over costume ideas and different ways to use their Quirks. It surprised Ochako to no end when Izuku revealed his vast library of Hero notebooks and managed to break her Quirk down in ways she'd never even considered.

She and Katsuki had an… interesting dynamic. Calling them friends was a bit of a stretch, at least if Katsuki was asked, but Izuku couldn't think of them as anything else. Katsuki at least tolerated Ochako's presence far more than anyone from their middle school, and Izuku had a sneaking suspicion that his blonde friend was more impressed by her then he'd ever admit. The fact that she never seemed intimidated by him in the slightest, no matter how surly Katsuki got, probably had something to do with it.

And they both had one major common goal that quickly got them working together more often than not: breaking Izuku of his self-sacrificing habits.

Easier said than done.

Before they even knew it, the first day of UA was upon them. After a large breakfast and teary farewell with his mother, Izuku and Ochako met up with Katsuki and made their way to the train station. And the whole ride there, Izuku just could not calm down.

"Seriously, Deku, freaking relax already," Katsuki growled irritably, slinging his backpack over one shoulder as they made their way up the street.

Izuku hung his head, well aware of how his whole body wouldn't stop shaking. "I can't…" he whimpered.

Ochako stifled a giggle. "Could you at least try? You're going to vibrate out of your shoes at this rate."

Izuku just moaned mournfully, prompting Ochako to give him a small pat on the back… and stifle more laughter.

They finally reached the school, and Izuku couldn't help but look around at all the other students milling around the grounds. He had a mini-freakout everytime he recognized an upperclassman from the previous year's Sport's Festival, but Katsuki was quick to pull him along before he could gawk for too long. After searching around the surprisingly large campus for a bit, they managed to find their homeroom with a few minutes to spare.

All three of them took a moment to tilt their head at Class 1-A's surprisingly huge door.

"That's a little… excessive…" Ochako finally said.

Izuku scratched his head as he looked up at the nearly twenty-foot high door. "Maybe it's for giant students who can't turn off their Quirk?"

Katsuki just gave a slight hum, before pushing the door open without another thought, Izuku and Ochako hurrying in behind him.

They were apparently the last students to arrive, given that all but three of the twenty desks in the room had somebody sitting in or standing next to them.

Or, in the case of one grinning boy with bright blonde, black-striped hair, on it.

"Dude," he said with a laugh. "You seriously need to chill."

The boy looming over him huffed. "I will not 'chill' until you return to your seat like a respectful member of the UA student body. You are disrespecting our predecessors who sat in those very seats!"

Izuku couldn't help but slump a little in resignation. It was the glasses-wearing kid from the exam, the one that had accused him of trying to sabotage the other examinees. He'd been hoping they'd be in different classes.

No such luck, I guess, Izuku thought in resignation.

The blonde boy snorted back a laugh. "You're a bit uptight, ain't ya?"

Before the glasses boy could give his irate-yet-respectful reply, the girl in the next seat over rolled her eyes, twirling her long earlobes with a finger. "Kaminari, stop egging him on and just sit down."

Kaminari, as he was apparently named, just rolled his eyes in kind, plopping into his seat with a thud. "Jeez, Jiro, take all my fun away…"

Izuku tried to slip past the bickering trio without being noticed, making a beeline for an empty desk on the other side of the room. Katsuki had already taken up residence in the desk just in front of it and-

Izuku felt his stomach sink when he saw his friend looking towards the annoyed glasses-boy. He raised his brow at the conversation, before looking towards Izuku. The green-haired boy was quickly reminded of how he had mentioned his encounter with the glasses-boy once during the previous weeks of preparation.

Izuku knew that look in Katsuki's eye. It was the one that meant the blonde was about to cause trouble. He pleaded with Katsuki with his eyes, begging him not to do whatever he was about to do.

Katsuki met Izuku's gaze evenly. He gave him a slow nod.

Then he smirked.

Izuku groaned as Katsuki kicked his legs up on the desk in front of him (the same one Ochako had been about to sit in), slamming his feet down hard enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room.

Izuku leveled Katsuki with his best 'why-am-I-friends-with-you' glare, hearing Ochako let out a resigned sigh behind him. Katsuki's smirk just grew wider.

Of course, the sudden clatter instantly drew the attention of the glasses boy, who could only stare at Katsuki with wide eyes, as if unbelieving of his audacity.

Katsuki just grinned at him, getting comfy in his seat. "What?"

From the indignant look on the glasses-boy's face, Izuku thought he was about to actually start yelling as he stomped over to them. The boy had already had his arm up to begin his tirade anew, when he suddenly paused, his mouth clicking shut. His eyes trailed from Katsuki to Izuku and Ochako, narrowing slightly.

"I recognize you," he said slowly.

Izuku stiffened under his scrutiny, unsure what the boy was about to say. Ochako tilted her head a little in confusion, Katsuki's look darkening.

Then, to the surprise of all, the boy bent at the waist and gave Izuku a deep bow. "I owe you my deepest apology!"

Izuku blinked dumbly at him, Katsuki and Ochako doing the same. "Uh… what?"

The boy straightened up, standing at attention. "My name is Tenya Iida. During the entrance exam, I gave you harsh criticism that I now see was unwarranted. You clearly had a much better grasp then I on the lesson our examiners meant to teach us."

"...lesson?" Izuku questioned, completely lost.

Katsuki gave Iida an annoyed glare, just as confused. "The hell ya talking about, four-eyes?"

Iida looked baffled in turn at their puzzlement but went unnoticed as Ochako drew the friends' attention away, clapping her hands together. "Oh! Maybe he's talking about the Rescue Points?"

A look of understanding came over Izuku's face, but Katsuki just scoffed darkly. "Oh. Yeah. Those."

Izuku let out a long-suffering sigh. "Kacchan, please don't start again."

Katsuki shot him a dark look. "Start what again? Oh, yeah! The fact Round Face beat me out for number one thanks to a whole different point system, that no one freaking told me about!"

Iida blinked at the three, wondering if he had somehow been forgotten by the trio. "But… that was the exact point I was talking about…"

No one heard him due to Ochako letting out a tired groan, not so gently picking Katsuki's leg up by the ankle to get it off her seat. "It's not like I meant to, Kacchan."

Katsuki growled, yanking his legs out of her grasp as he hunched over his desk. "Like that makes it better…" He muttered irritably. "And stop calling me Kacchan!"

Izuku rubbed at his brow as his friends started to bicker. "Guys, come on…" He then sent an exasperated look towards his friends, the two oblivious as Ochako puffed her cheeks out in annoyance as she glared at the growling Katsuki.

Iida gave the two an odd look, before choosing to ignore them for the time being. He instead gave Izuku his full attention. "I am sorry for not asking earlier, but could you please tell me your name?"

Izuku perked up a little, not expecting the boy to keep talking to him. "Oh! Sorry. My name is Izuku Midoriya."

Iida nodded in acknowledgment. "Then, Midoriya, I'd ask that you please answer a question of mine."

"Um… sure?" Izuku said hesitantly.

"During the Exam, I saw you and that girl fall after taking defeating the Zero-pointer together. Yet…" Iida gave him a searching look, as if trying to decide how to word his question. If he noticed Izuku's suddenly nervous expression, he made no comment. "Yet, I could only see one of you in the air just beforehand. What exactly did you two do to take down the Zero-pointer?"

Izuku could feel sweat start to trick down the back of his neck as he tried to think up a response. He shot a pleading look towards his friends, who had finally taken notice of his predicament. Ochako could only give him a concerned look, while Katsuki looked on expectantly, his eyes sharpening as they flicked towards Iida.

Izuku gulped. He really didn't want to do this right now. "Um…" He tried, thinking frantically for something to say. "W-Well…"

"Quiet down, all of you."

Izuku and Iida quickly looked towards the door at the sound of a low, tired voice, all chatter in the room ceasing as everyone else did the same. In the doorway stood a long-haired, disheveled man with a massive scarf around his neck, folding what looked to be a garish yellow sleeping bag over his arm. He scanned the room for a moment, seeming to lock eyes with every student. Izuku couldn't help but feel that his gaze lingered on him a little longer than everyone else.

Seemingly satisfied with the quiet, the man said, "My name is Shota Aizawa. I'm your homeroom teacher."

Given the bag's under the man's eyes and his rather unimpressive appearance, Izuku was rather relieved when he saw the dubious looks on Ochako and Katsuki's faces, proving that he wasn't the only one who felt a little disbelief that this man was a teacher.

Aizawa apparently didn't care about his students' reactions, merely continuing on. "Change into your PE clothes and meet me at the training fields in ten minutes." Without another word, the man turned around and shambled off down the hall, leaving twenty baffled teenagers in his wake.

Izuku stared dumbly after his apparent-teacher for a moment, before looking to his side. Iida was gaping at the doorway, seemingly in shock at Aizawa's complete lack of professionalism and blatant disregard of his students. Izuku saw that everyone else in the classroom were all in various levels of bemusement, and decided to take his chance.

"Um…" He couldn't help but vocalize, putting himself in a near-panic when he inadvertently drew Iida's attention again. Thinking fast, he quickly shouted, "Well, you heard the man! Let's go!" He practically ran out of the room, everyone else watching him go in clear bewilderment.

Katsuki took all of a second to look surprised by Izuku's quick departure, before letting out a growl. "Damn it, Deku." He shoved himself away from his desk, stomping after his friend in quick, heavy strides. "We don't even know where the training grounds are yet, dumbass…" he grumbled under his breath. Ochako was quick on his heels, flashing Iida an apologetic smile on her way out.

As the classroom slowly emptied, Iida remained where he stood, the blatant nervousness on Izuku's face replaying in his mind. As he made to follow his fellow students, he couldn't help but wonder just what caused Izuku to become so anxious.

Ten minutes later

Now clad in their P.E. clothes, class 1-A stood assembled in front of the sprawling training grounds, a large field just outside the main building covered in exercise equipment.

Now out from under the scrutiny of Iida, Izuku could actually take a moment to look around at his other classmates. He vaguely recognized a few of them from the exam (Kaminari, Jiro, the boy with a massive tail, the invisible girl, and the multi-limbed boy), but a few other's caught his curiosity. A girl who stood slightly hunched over, her forearms slightly oversized, making soft 'ribbit' noises under her breath. A boy with a bird's head. A girl with pink skin and horns. A boy whose hair-color split right down the middle, some kind of scar covering his left eye.

He didn't have very long to gawk before Aizawa drew their attention, explaining the reason for their being out there.

"Quirk Appreciation Test?" Izuku couldn't help but repeat, a feeling of dread worming its way into his stomach.

He flinched when Aizawa's eyes zeroed in on him. The teacher seemed to wait until Izuku had gone sheet white under his gaze before continuing. "In middle school, you all had to do a series of physical education tests. Uraraka."

The girl in question straightened her back when she was called, looking a little nervous. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"You scored number one in the entrance exam." Izuku had to elbow Katsuki gently in the side to make him stop growling. "What was your best score on the softball pitch at your old middle School?

Ochako had to think for a moment. "About thirty-eight meters, sir."

Aizawa nodded, then tossed her a softball. "I want you to go ahead and do it again, except this time, use your Quirk."

Ochako looked a little surprised, but stepped up to the circle painted at Aizawa's feet. She gave the ball a long look, then turned to Aizawa. "Are you sure?" She couldn't help but question, albeit hesitantly.

Aizawa just gave her another stiff nod. "Use your Quirk however you see fit, just so long as you do not leave the circle."

Ochako gave him a dubious look, then shrugged. She palmed the softball, touching all five of her fingertips to it. She pulled back her arm and threw the ball as hard as she could.

Everyone watched as the softball traveled a few feet forward, then suddenly arced upward. Katsuki barked a laugh as it went higher and higher, Izuku unable to stifle his smile at the baffled looks from their classmates all around them. They all craned their necks, eventually having to physically lean back to keep their eye on the ball.

Aizawa followed the tiny dot as it vanished up into the sky, staring after it until his eyes started to water. He slowly looked back at Ochako, raising a brow. "That's not coming back down, is it?"

Ochako pushed her pointer fingers together, her cheeks tinting as she gave the teacher a sheepish smile. "Well… I could let it down..."

"...okay… perhaps a bit extreme for an example," Aizawa admitted, and Izuku thought he could make out the beginnings of a smile under his massive scarf. "But my point stands. The Quirk-free standards the country's school curriculum currently has does not reflect your actual skill sets. Today, I want you to use your Quirks during each test and show what you're really capable of."

While everyone around him seemed to get excited at the chance to show off their power, Izuku's dread just continued to rise. He looked around the grounds frantically, trying to find something suitable for his Quirk, but he found distressingly little to work with.

Aizawa's addendum that the lowest scoring student would be expelled on the spot did not help matters.

His panic did not go unnoticed by his friends. "What's wrong Deku?" Ochako asked softly as she walked back to him and Katsuki.

"I can't use my strength unless I absorb something." He said quickly, still turning his head back and forth as he looked for something, anything he could use. "But there's nothing here for me to fuse with."

Ochako's head lifting and understanding, and she quickly joined him in his search as the other students started moving towards their first test.

"You could just suck up a wall from the school," Katsuki offered, eyeing the other students as they started lining up for the sprint.

Izuku turn to him, aghast. "Kacchan, I can't just put a hole in the school on my first day!" He crossed his arm and worried, mumbling to himself. "Besides, I move better with metal than I do with stone…"

"Excuse me."

The three looked over in surprise, finding a tall girl with a rather impressive ponytail walking up to them. She gave Izuku curious look. "I'm sorry to intrude, but you sounded distressed. Are you looking for something?"

Izuku's cheeks started to tint as he looked up at the rather pretty girl, but a practiced thump to the head from Katsuki brought him back to his senses. "U-Um… kind of…" he mumbled awkwardly.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at his friends stuttering. "The dope can't use his Quirk unless he can absorb something made of metal. And… were fresh out."

The girl tips her head up a bit, letting out a small sound of understanding. "How much do you need?" she then asked, looking at Izuku.

Izuku blinked in surprise, not expecting the question. "Um… it depends. I can only absorb as much as I weigh, but I could make do with about twenty kilos of something."

The girl hummed thoughtfully, then nodded to herself. "That shouldn't be too hard." Without another word, she pulled up her shirt, exposing her flat stomach.

Izuku and Ochako's faces caught fire immediately, their eyes bugging out, while Katsuki's eyebrows raced towards his hairline. "Wh-Wh-What are you…!?" Izuku stuttered frantically, inadvertently drawing the attention of the students around them. In particular, a short boy with purple orbs for hair, a trail of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth at the sight of the girl's bare stomach.

Izuku's flustering ceased when, after the girl concentrated for a moment, her belly started to glow with red light. Before Izuku question her further, a perfect cube of shiny silver metal seemed to just fall out of her skin, crashing to the ground with a mighty thud, digging itself into the dirt.

Izuku stared dumbly at the block of metal, before slowly lifting his gaze to meet the girl's eyes. "How...?"

The girl let out a deep breath, before giving him a kind smile. "My Quirk lets me create anything from my body, so long as I know its exact atomic makeup. Metals are some of the easiest things I can make." She looked down at the block she'd created, eyeing it curiously. "Will that be enough for you?"

Izuku could only stare at the girl with a sort of awe, before he managed to shake himself back to his senses. He beamed at her. "Yes! Yes, it's perfect!" He bent down, pressing his fingers against the warm metal and activating his Quirk.

The girl, along with everyone else looking their way, shielded their eyes from the green glare coming off of Izuku. Katsuki and Ochako got away with just squinting their eyes, used to the light show by now.

When the light died down and they were able to see him again, they found Izuku looking down as he flexed his fingers, grinning like a fool and covered head-to-toe in solid metal.

Izuku tapped his knuckles together, letting out a small laugh at the metallic clanging sound they made. "Perfect!" He looked back up at the girl with a steel-plated grin. "Thank you, um…" he trailed off awkwardly when he realized he didn't know her name.

The girl, shaking off her surprise at his sudden transformation, smiled back at him. "Momo Yaoyorozu. And you're welcome."

"Aw, dude!"

Izuku jumped as someone shouted right in his ear. A boy with pointed red hair had pushed his way through the crowd and was now giving him a shark-toothed grin.

"You can turn yourself into armor like me!" To emphasize his words, the boy's skin suddenly seemed to harden like stone, forming stiff edges along his arms and face.

Izuku's eyes blew wide. "That's so cool!" His face quickly fell after a moment's thought, however. "But… it's not exactly the same. I need to find something to fuse with to make armor. You can just… do it."

The boy just chuckled. "Yeah, but this is all I can do. You at least got options. My name's Eijiro Kirishima, by the way."

Izuku smiled again taking the boys offered hand. "Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to-"

"You can socialize after class," Aizawa's voice sounded out over the field, startling most of the students. Izuku found that the teacher's gaze was mostly focused on him, much to his dismay. "Let's focus on getting this test over with first."

"Is that allowed, though?" The frog-like girl suddenly asked, looking between Izuku and Momo. Her tone didn't seem accusatory, just curious. "Isn't her helping him outside interference or something?"

Aizawa nodded to the girl, conceding the point, before explaining. "Normally, yes. But, in the hopes of preventing property damage on your first day, I will allow outside help for Quirk preparation only." He then raised his voice to address the whole class. "Does anyone else need any sort of assistance to bring out the full potential of your Quirk?"

When all he received were negatives, Aizawa started grouping everyone up for the 50-Meter Dash race.

"Hey," Katsuki said quietly as he bumped shoulders with Izuku. "Think you'll be able to hold onto all that metal through the test?"

Izuku hummed in thought, rubbing the back of his head. He drew a few annoyed looks at the screeching metal-on-metal sound the movement produced. "I think so. So long as I don't do anything too strenuous."

"What's your limit up to, Deku?" Ochako asked behind him.

"About an hour if I move normally. But if I do anything… extreme…" The others easily translated that to 'If I use One For All'. "That time's going to go down fast."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Then don't screw it up and overdo it, Deku."

"I know, I know," Izuku sighed, grinning slightly when Ochako giggled behind them.

The tests went better them Izuku thought they would. Most of them didn't really offer anything for his Quirk to help him with (The Toe-Touch, The Side-Steps), so he did mostly middle of the road with them, unfusing with the cube of steel whenever it was unneeded (and inadvertently providing Aizawa with somewhere to sit while he watched the tests). He was pleasantly surprised to find he did better than some of the rest of the class on them just due to his regular training. He and Katsuki topped the endurance races easily, no Quirks necessary, save Momo. Much to Izuku's amazement and Katsuki's annoyance, she showed off just how skilled she was with her Quirk by creating an entire scooter from her body, and just rode it around the track until Aizawa told her to stop.

The only real exceptions were the 50-Meter Dash, Ball Throw, and Grip Test. The Dash was simple enough; a quick burst of One For All to his steel-infused legs put him just behind Iida, Katsuki grumbling at having lost to him by just a fraction of a second. He came in third at the Ball Throw, barely losing with his 851.9 Meters to Katsuki's 859.4.

There was no topping Ochako's score, unfortunately. Kind of impossible when the teacher just shrugged and said she got an infinity for her score.

But then… there was the Grip Test…

Izuku felt his cheeks flame as every single person looked to him in varying degrees of shock. The fact that Katsuki was doubled over laughing while Ochako giggled behind her hand did not help matters.

Across the room, Mezo Shoji, a boy with multiple limbs, glanced down at the grip tester he grasped with several hands. Its screen flashed with a result of 540.0 kg for his score. An impressive score…

But not quite as impressive as the smoking, sparking piece of scrap metal Izuku had clutched in his steel-coated fist.

"Umm…" He looked up, ducking his head when he saw Aizawa just staring at him intently. "Sorry?"

Aizawa put a hand over his face, pinching his nose as he muttered something about 'problem children.'

When they received their final scores, Izuku was able to breathe a sigh of relief. By some miracle, he'd landed himself at fifth place, just behind Iida. He stood at the back of the group, watching his classmates discuss their scores. He smiled lightly when he watched Ochako awkwardly pat Katsuki's back, trying (and failing) to calm the fuming boy after he found out he'd only placed third behind Momo and the boy with the scar, who Izuku now knew to be named Shoto Todoroki.

There was a brief moment of outrage from the class as a whole when Aizawa revealed that he'd been lying about expelling the worst performing student (much to the bawling Minoru Mineta's relief). But… Izuku wasn't so sure. There was something about the way Aizawa had smiled when telling them that made him think the was something more going on.

But as they started to file back into the school, Izuku was stopped when Aizawa placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Midoriya," the teacher said quietly. "I want you, Bakugo, and Uraraka to stay behind for the moment. There's something we need to clear up regarding your Quirk."

Izuku blinked up in surprise at him, Ochako and Katsuki sharing a wary/worried glance between them. They received a few odd looks as their class moved away, mostly from Momo and Kirishima, but no one said anything.

Once the field was clear, save for the four of them, Aizawa fixed Izuku with a hard look. "You held back during the test," he said frankly, his tone sharp.

Izuku jerked back in surprise, giving the teacher a baffled look. "S-Sir? I'm sorry, but I don't-"

"Yes, you do," Aizawa cut him off, making Izuku flinch under his heavy gaze. "I know that combining with materials is not your only power. You can Fuse with people as well."

Despite already assuming that the faculty would know about his Quirk ahead of time, Izuku couldn't help but pale. "Y… Yes…?"

"Why didn't you during the test?" His eyes darted between Katsuki and Ochako, making each of them stiffen slightly. "Your Fusions are clearly stronger than you are normally, and I know that your friends here have fused with you before. Had you done so now, I have little doubt you wouldn't have had the top score today." His eyes narrowed, his mouth hidden behind his scarf. "So why didn't you?"

Izuku bit his lip, unsure what to say. He glanced behind him, looking to his friends for support. Ochako ducked her head, not having an answer for him, while Katsuki could only shrug. Letting out a distressed breath through his nose, Izuku gave the best answer he could.

"Sir… Human Fusion is kind of my last resort." His words started hesitantly, but gained confidence when Aizawa didn't stop him. "My Fusions are a lot stronger than me, but… They're kind of their own people, so they're a little unpredictable. I... don't really know how effective they'll be in combat right now, so I'm trying not to depend on them unless it's absolutely necessary."

Aizawa kept up his silent staring, his black eyes boring into Izuku's. The boy started to fidget under his gaze, feeling his palms start to turn clammy. He ducked his head, waiting for what would surely be a reprimand.

"...good answer."

Izuku blinked in surprise, looking back up. To his complete shock, Aizawa actually had a small grin on his face. "Sir?"

"I saw what you and Miss Uraraka did during the entrance exam. Fusing with another person gives you great potential for heroics… but it could also lead to your downfall." When all he received were confused looks, Aizawa heaved a beleaguered sigh. "Look… I've seen a lot of heroes who were one-trick ponies. They could use their Quirks in one particular way, and use it well… but were unable to move beyond it, growing dependent on what, to them, was the only way to achieve victory. And when their sole means of fighting was unavailable or simply did not work, they had nothing to fall back on." His expression darkened, his gaze intensifying. "You can guess how such a hero's career usually ends."

Izuku swallowed thickly. "You… thought I'd be like them?"

Aizawa gave a slow nod. "You have a powerful, unique Quirk at your disposal, one with a vast amount of possibilities. My worry was that you would favor Human Fusion over any other alternative, given that it's the more powerful option. Such a habit would be a detrimental crutch, leaving you defenseless the moment you were left on your own."

Izuku nodded with him, slowly understanding. "Then… what would have happened if I had fused with someone?" He asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"That depends," Aizawa answered. "Had you done so part way through the test after being bested by someone else, I would have deactivated your Quirk and given you this same talk, only not so kindly."

Izuku gulped at his wording, then blinked. "Wait… deactivate my Quirk?"

In answer, Aizawa's eyes turned red, his long hair lifting from his head a little. "My Quirk lets me nullify other people's Quirks. It's part of what makes me so effective as a teacher."

Izuku looked at Aizawa with wide, awestruck eyes."You… You're the Underground Hero Eraserhead!" A large smile spread over Izuku's lips. "You-"

Katsuki suddenly thumped him on the back of the head, giving him an annoyed glare. "Deku, geek later, focus now."

Ochako giggled lightly as Izuku pouted at Katsuki, rubbing the back of his head. Out of curiosity, she asked Aizawa, "What would you have done if Deku had fused with us right off the bat?"

The teacher shrugged, giving them an unsettling smile as he applied some eye drops. "Expel him on the spot, along with whichever of you decided to enable him."

All three students paled, Izuku letting out a small squeak of fear. "O-Oh…" Ochako replied weakly.

A moment of awkward silence passed, before Aizawa moved on like nothing happened. "That being said, Human Fusion is a part of your arsenal, and I'd be remiss not to acknowledge it." He held up the softball. "Now that I have a baseline for where you are on your own, I want to see how one of your Fusions scores in the Ball Throw for comparison. It's your choice which Fusion you want to use."

It took a moment for Izuku to fully process what Aizawa was asking for. After a moment of surprised silence, he hesitantly turned to his friends. "Um… would you guys be okay with…?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes, snorting. "Like you got to ask, dumbass."

Ochako just smiled kindly. "It's fine, Deku. Although…" She rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed. "Izuchako would probably just get the same result I did."

Izuku nodded in agreement, chuckling a little. "Probably. Then… Kacchan?"

Katsuki smirked at him, then held his arm up, palm open. "Let's do it."

Izuku returned the grin, then mirrored Katsuki, grasping his hand.

Aizawa squinted against the green and orange flash of light his students disappeared into, looking over the Fusion that took their place. The Fusion shook his head of blonde-flecked green hair, his red eyes darting around with an excited energy. Oddly, Aizawa noted, the boy seemed to be wearing only a single set of P.E. clothes, but they seemed thicker then what the individual boys had had on. He filed that detail away for later.

"Hey, Ochako!" Katzuku greeted her in his double-voice, grinning widely. "What's up?"

"Hi, Katzuku," Ochako returned, her smile only slightly awkward. She'd met Katzuku a few times over the past few weeks, but still wasn't quite used to being around what was essentially both of her friends smooshed together. "You know what's up?"

"Yep!" Katzuku spun around to face Aizawa, making a show of rolling his shoulders. "Teach wants to see how far I can throw compared to Izuku." He flashed Aizawa a grin. "I'll try not to disappoint."

Aizawa raised a brow at his apparent attitude, then tossed him the ball. Katzuku stepped into the circle and palmed the ball a bit.

"Okay…" He muttered to himself. "Explosion already has a bit of a boost, but strength wise… can't completely bust myself or Izuku and Katsuki'll be busted…" He hummed a little under his breath. Then he perked up, his eyes widening. "Got it!"

With an almost manic grin, Katzuku pulled back his arm. "You might want to cover your ears!" He called out.

Ochako, having learned the hard way to listen to Katzuku's warnings, instantly clasped her hands over her ears. After a moment of eyeing her, Aizawa slowly did the same.

Katzuku's grin seemed to widen as he felt the heat in his palms, the sparking just under his skin. "Smash…"

He threw.

"BLAST!"

A concussive blast shook the windows of UA as the softball sored high into the sky, trailing smoke and green flames. Katzuku put a hand up to shield his eyes, watching proudly as the ball disappeared out of sight, letting out a small laugh.

With the threat of hearing-loss over, Aizawa uncovered his ears and pulled out his phone. He watched as the distance the ball's sensors recorded climbed and climbed, quickly beating the best scores of the day by a wide margin. When they finally stopped, he couldn't help raise his brows, slightly impressed. "2277.0 meters. More than your individual scores combined."

Rather than the whoop of satisfaction he expected to hear, Katzuku let out a hiss of pain. He looked up to find Katzuku cradling his hand, scowling.

"Dammit…" He grumbled under his breath.

Ochako took in a concerned breath when she saw that his index finger was swollen and purple. "Katzuku, are you okay?"

Katzuku scoffed. "Yeah," He said, giving his hand a good shake, wincing. "I'm good. I think I broke my finger, though. Still," He eventually said with a grin. "It hurts like hell, but I didn't break the whole arm this time. So, progress!" He then turned back towards their teacher. "So, how'd I do?"

Aizawa stared at Katzuku's broken finger for a moment, before giving the Fusion a small grin. He held up his phone, letting them see the final score.

Katzuku let out a crow of victory, pumping his other arm in the air. "Sweet! Fusions for the win!" After chuckling to himself, Katzuku looked to Aizawa expectantly. "That all you needed from me, sir?"

Aizawa shook his head. "Actually, there's just one last thing I want to check."

"Oh? And what's-"

Midword, Katzuku flashed with green light, suddenly splitting back into Izuku and Katsuki. The two fell to the ground with a startled yelp, each instinctively holding their bruised, yet less-swollen fingers. Katsuki let out a stream of colorful curses as Izuku just blinked up at the sky, baffled by their sudden reappearance. Ochako rushed forward in a panic, trying to help the confused boys up.

Aizawa seemed completely unphased by what had just happened as his eyes faded back to black, merely raising a brow at the boys sprawled on the ground. "Huh. So that's what happens."

Chapter Text

The next day, Izuku came to a rather odd realization. Despite being the number one most prestigious hero school in the country, UA was remarkably… normal. Just like in middle school, they had the standard classes of Math, History, English, etc. The only exciting bit was that they were all taught by Pro Heroes, but even a fanboy like Izuku couldn't really keep his excitement up listening to Ectoplasm drone on about derivatives.

But then came the class they had all been waiting for: Hero Class.

When All Might arrived for class (clad in his Silver Age costume for some reason) and opened the compartments for their costumes, Izuku couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He, Katsuki, and Ochako had spent days after the exam going over their ideas for costumes, each of them having several ideas, both good and bad. Izuku had fretted over his own extensively, trying to come up with a design that would cover all his necessary bases. He finally decided on one to send for UA to make, but he was worried that they wouldn't be able to craft it exactly how he'd drafted it, given it's… unconventional design.

As he stared up at the suitcase that held his costume, he couldn't help but swallow slightly. He reached out, grabbed it by the handle, lifted…

...and nearly had the case drag him to the floor, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

The noise drew the attention of most of the class, gaining him startled looks. "Woah, dude," Said Sero, the boy with the Tape Quirk, looking between Izuku and the case. "You okay?"

Izuku took a moment to blink down at his case. He tugged at it slightly, measuring the weight of it. Then a wide grin spread out over his face. "Yeah," he replied with a disbelieving laugh. "Yeah, I'm great." With a bit of a heave, he lifted the case off the ground. Now aware of just how heavy it was, he could lift it with little issue.

Sero gave him and the case a dubious look, then just shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."

Izuku nodded for him, then made to follow All Might down to the bus.

Once they reached Ground Beta, the same fake city that the Entrance Exam had been held at, All Might herded the students into a set of locker rooms to change into their hero gear. Once Izuku had opened his case, he couldn't help but just stare at his costume for a moment. If it hadn't been for Katsuki yelling at him to hurry up, he might have just sat there in the locker room for the rest of the day in a stunned stupor.

At first glance, the suit wasn't all that impressive. On the surface, it looked like a simple jumpsuit, mostly a light green broken up by solid bands of silver running along his forearms, around his waist, and up the middle of his chest, all the way to his neck. There was a pair of red boots with a matching utility belt, and a pair of thick, fingerless white gloves.

(Katsuki had nixed the hood design and mouthguard he'd wanted, on the grounds that it made him look like a 'bootleg All Might plushie'. Izuku tried to defend his design, but when Ochako voiced her apologetic agreement with Katsuki, the dejected fanboy gave up on the idea.)

Pretty basic looking, honestly. But there was a reason for its simplicity.

Decked out in his new hero suit, Izuku flicked a finger against the silver band running up his chest. He beamed when it made a sharp metallic ting!-ing sound, betraying its true nature beneath the clothlike appearance.

His appraisal of his suit made him the last one to exit the locker room, finding the entire class gathered in front of All Might at the entrance to the fake-city. He couldn't help but gawk a bit at everyone else's costumes, his mind already trying to work out the purpose and advantages of all the bright colors and intricate designs.

He briefly made eye-contact with All Might. The Number One quickly looked him up and down, giving him a subtle nod as his ever-present smile grew wider. Izuku felt his cheeks warm a little at the praise.

"Deku! Over here!"

… then felt that warmth turn to fire as he turned to see Ochako in her skintight bodysuit.

Trying valiantly to fight down his blush, Izuku met her smile with his own. "Wow, Ochako! Your suit turned out great!"

Ochako giggled slightly, her cheeks tinging as she looked down at herself. "Thanks. I still kind of wish I had a puffier suit, though. Like Thirteen's."

Izuku nodded, well aware of her wish to emulate her favorite hero. "I know, but this suit gives you more mobility. Thirteen's Quirk forces them to usually stay pretty stationary when they're on the job. But your Quirk lets you be more mobile, and a big suit like Thirteen's might restrict your movement-"

"Zip it, Deku," Katsuki cut him off, rolling his eyes as he approached with his arms crossed. "We already agreed with the changes you made. You can stop patting yourself on the back now."

Izuku ducked his head a little, frowning. "Do… you not like how yours turned out?" He asked hesitantly, eyeing Katsuki's costume for any notable flaws.

Katsuki huffed under his breath, lifting one of his gauntlets up to eye level. He made a show of spinning it back and forth, his eyes trailing over the four separate barrels ringing around his wrist. Izuku cringed a little, remembering the fuss Katsuki had made when he suggested halving the size of his gauntlets and installing four smaller collection tanks, rather than one massive one.

After Izuku had started to physically squirm under the silence, Katsuki smirked, re-crossing his arms. "They'll do."

Izuku let out a sigh, visibly sagging in relief. Ochako patted him sympathetically on the back, giving Katsuki an annoyed glare. He irritation just made him grin more.

Ochako rolled her eyes away from the blonde bomber, then gave Izuku a curious look. "So… did your costume turn out like you hoped?"

Instantly, Izuku's grin returned. "Yep!" He said with a disbelieving chuckle. "It's exactly how I wanted it!"

Ochako nodded slowly, looking him over. "It looks good. But… are you sure it's not too heavy?" She poked the silver part on his forearm curiously.

Izuku just grinned, making a show of rolling his shoulders. "Not really. It's a little bit of an adjustment, but I think I can get used to it." As if to prove his point, he raised his left arm high above his head, inadvertently making the silver parts of his outfit gleam in the sunlight.

Ochako still looked a little unsure, humming lightly. "If you say so…"

"Aw, just drop it, Round Face," Katsuki butted in, waving the conversation off dismissively. "Deku's not that dumb. He knows what he's doing."

Izuku blinked, then smile. "Oh! Thanks, Kacchan!"

"...probably."

"...oh. Thanks, Kacchan." Izuku gave his smugly-grinning friend a deadpan look, causing Ochako to let out a small giggle.

"All right, everyone," All Might's voice suddenly boomed, drawing the attention of all. "Gather 'round! Today we start you on the path to becoming true heroes!"

From there, All Might explained the objective: an indoor battle between Heroes and Villains, with the Heroes trying to capture a bomb that the Villains had to defend. It seemed relatively straightforward, and Izuku felt that he had a fairly decent chance of winning for either side, so long as he was allowed to team up with Katsuki or Ochako.

Then All Might announced that the teams would be chosen randomly. And before he could even cross his fingers to be paired with one of his friends…

"To start us off, Team A is: Ochako Uraraka and Katsuki Bakugo!"

...of course.

After that, Izuku was in full-on panic mode, dreading whoever he would get paired with. Nothing against his new classmates… but that was just the thing. He didn't know any of them that well yet. He didn't know how all their Quirks worked, their mindsets, their personalities; he didn't know how well he could work with any of them. Or if they'd even want to work with him.

Plus, there was the complication of his Quirk. All Might had made it very clear that he didn't want Izuku to hold himself back. So, if the situation arose, he might have to fuse with whoever his teammate was. And that thought came with its own set of worries, chief among them making sure that All Might's secret didn't bleed over into their minds the moment they unfused. Luckily, he'd been working on dealing with that.

He remembered the day a few weeks back when, out of the blue, he received an e-mail from All Might, forwarding him a personal message from the Pro hero Mandalay. Once he'd gotten over his fanboying at having one of the Wild, Wild Pussycat's contacting him, he found that she had compiled a list of tips for how to guard his thoughts and form mental blocks. She'd noted that the information mostly came from her experience with villains doing such things to block her own Quirk, Telepath, but she felt confident that it would help him with his 'situation'.

Izuku had yet to ask All Might if Mandalay knew the full extent of his 'situation', but he accepted the information gratefully and started going through the mental exercises she had provided.

Honestly, he was more concerned about how his teammate, heck, how his whole class, would react to Human Fusion. He could already hear the whispers and jeers he might soon be receiving.

So, all he could do was fret and sweat where he stood and wait for his name to be called. He was dimly aware of Katsuki and Ochako standing on either side of him, Ochako eyeing him with concern, while Katsuki just focused on All Might, ignoring that he was practically shoulder-to-shoulder with his panicking friend.

Team B, Shoji and Mineta. Team C, Sato and Koda. Team D, Iida and Todoroki. Team E, Aoyama and Ashido. Team F…

"Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu!"

All the breath in Izuku's lungs fled in an instant, a near silent wheeze passing his lips. He slowly looked through the crowd to find the Creation girl. She was already looking to him, his brows lifted a little in surprise. He swallowed nervously when she gave him a kind smile and a little wave, feeling his face heat up again.

Beside him, Katsuki snorted. "So, think you'll be able to strategize without stuttering?" His chuckling was cut off by a sharp elbow to the side.

Izuku didn't feel too bad about the glare he received.

He did feel his stomach drop once All Might announced the first matchup.

"First up is… Hero Team F verses… Villain Team D!"

It took a moment for Izuku to remember who Team D was. When he did (and his heart restarted), he dimly turned his head until he found the people in question.

Iida, clad in a full suit of intimidating armor that made it completely impossible to tell what he was thinking. And Todoroki, whose expression was so blank and unfeeling he might as well have been wearing a mask himself.

...I'm so dead.

Ten minutes later

Izuku stared up at the 'Villain Headquarters', clenching his hands in fists in the hope to stop their shaking. In just a few minutes, he was going to have to charge into the building and be expected to beat two people in a straight-up fight.

Part of him (a rather loud part that sounded suspiciously like Katsuki) wondered why he felt so nervous. This was the exact kind of thing that they'd been training for since they were kids. To protect people, beat the bad guys and save the day.

The rest of him couldn't help but remember that the only real fight he'd ever been in was against that Sludge Villain… and that he'd been taken down with one hit. If he hadn't have been able to fuse with Katsuki…

"Midoriya? Is something wrong?"

Momo's voice pulled Izuku out of his musings, startling him a little. He smiled nervously up at her, doing his best to look at her face and not her… rather minimal costume. Knowing about her Quirk, he couldn't deny it was a functionable, effective design. It just didn't really help his already limited ability to talk with girls.

"S-Sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous. I've… never really been in a real fight before," He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

To his relief, Momo merely nodded. "Understandable. Honestly, I'm a little concerned myself. I had expected us to receive some type of training before being put in open combat with each other. But, I suppose UA is known for its unconventional teaching."

Even as he nodded in agreement, Izuku couldn't help but remember the few times he'd caught All Might skimming through a copy of 'The Dummy's Teaching Guide' in the months he'd been training him and Katsuki.

"Still," Momo continued. "I believe we can succeed if we do our best. Don't you?"

Izuku smiled at her confidence, shrugging. "I hope so."

Momo hummed to herself, looking up at the building. "So, how do you think we should go about this?"

After getting over the shock of her actually asking his opinion, Izuku put a hand to his chin, thinking. "I'm not sure. I can think of a few basic plans to search for the bomb, but without knowing the full extent of Iida and Todoroki's Quirks, I don't know how effective they'll be."

Momo nodded. "Well, we can expect Todoroki to try and freeze the whole building." At Izuku's startled look, she explained. "We both got into UA on recommendations, so we took our entrance exams together. From what I saw, he seems to stay mostly stationary and let his ice overwhelm his opponents."

Izuku nodded, going back to his thoughts. "Then he'll likely stay close to the bomb and attack from a distance. Coupled with Iida's speed…"

He muttered lightly under his breath for a minute-or-so, long enough that Momo started giving him an odd look. "Midoriya?"

Izuku blinked, his cheeks tinting a little. "Sorry. Lost myself for a second. But I think I had a few ideas."

Momo's eyes lit up a little, giving Izuku a wide smile. "That's great! But, um, before I forget..."

"Yes?" Izuku asked, wary of Momo's sudden hesitance.

"Sorry, but I just realized…" Momo looked Izuku up and down briefly, unknowingly making the boy blush harder. "Do you need me to make anything for your Quirk? I doubt I'll have time to do so once the battle starts."

To her surprise, Izuku beamed at her. "Oh! Thanks, but you don't have to. I already have that covered."

Momo's brow raised in surprise, her giving the boy another look over. "You do?"

Izuku's grin widened as he tapped his knuckles against the silver stripe running up his chest, Momo just then noticing how it gleamed in the sunlight. "Yep!"

His smile dimmed as a thought struck him, one that he'd been battling against since the teams were announced. As much as he worried (dreaded, feared, was-practically-immobilized-by-thinking) about how Momo would react to it, he really needed to tell her about the full extent of his Quirk, on the not-so-slim chance that they needed to fuse.

Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly looked up into Momo's eyes. "Yaoyorozu?"

Momo blinked at the sudden seriousness in his tone. "Something wrong?"

"Um…" Izuku scratched the side of his head nervously. "Not exactly, but… there's something about my Quirk that you should-"

"All right!"

On the top floor of the building, Team D was having a similar discussion.

"Forgive me, Todoroki, but I see a rather glaring flaw in your plan."

Todoroki looked up at the armored Iida cooly, his face not betraying any emotion. "And what's that?

Idia's expression couldn't be seen behind his helmet, but his tone carried an unmistakable level of uncertainty. "If you freeze the entire building, I will be greatly hampered in my ability to support you. I… have not had the best of experiences running on ice."

Todoroki grunted in acknowledgment, but then just faced forward towards the open doorway at the far end of the room. "Don't worry about it. Once they're caught in my ice, the battle will be over. You won't have to do a thing."

"That's… not quite the point I was getting at." Iida gave Todoroki a long look, trying to tell if the half-iced-over boy was being purposefully dismissive of him or not. "What if-"

"All right!" All Might's voice suddenly boomed throughout the building, making both boys look up. "It's time for the first combat match of the year! Hero Team F vs Villain Team D! Begin!"

Before Iida could say anything more, Todoroki's single visible eye narrowed. The temperature of the room dropped in seconds as ice spread out from around his feet, racing across the floor and up the walls, encasing the fake bomb behind them in a thick cocoon of ice.

As the ice reached the doorway and spread out down the halls, Iida couldn't help but huff slightly under his breath. Now seeing the full extent of Todoroki's power, he couldn't deny the logic behind his teammate's plan. While Midoriya and Yaoyorozu each had impressive Quirks, he found it unlikely that either of them could escape the frozen prison Todoroki was fashioning around them.

It didn't stop him from feeling a bit disappointed, though, despite how unprofessional it was. He'd been hoping to show off his abilities, to prove, in front of All Might no less, that he could match up to his brother.

I supposed I'll just have to wait until next class to prove myself, Iida thought, crossing his arms as he waited for All Might to call the match.

…

…

Nothing happened.

Iida looked around the frozen room, a bit perplexed. "Does it usually take this long to freeze a whole building?"

When he looked to Todoroki, he found the boy looking just as confused. "I finished freezing it thirty seconds ago."

It took another ten seconds of silent staring at each other for them both to fully process what that meant.

"... I don't suppose you thought of a back-up plan?"

Across Ground Beta, All Might and the rest of Class 1-A stood in the viewing room, watching the battle from the numerous monitors filling up one wall.

"Yeesh," Sero said as he looked at the building, encased in several layers of solid ice. "Todoroki's Quirk is on a whole nother level. I'm glad we didn't end up against him."

Tokoyami nodded slowly at the sight. "Indeed. Such overwhelming power casts quite a shadow on the rest of us."

Tsuyu put a finger to her chin as she looked over the screens. "I feel kind of bad for Iida. It'll be hard to run on all that ice."

Mina let out a bright cheer. "It doesn't seem to be slowing the other's down, though. Go, Yaoyorozu!"

Kirishima was cheering right along with her, his massive grin showing off his shark-like teeth. "Look at Midoriya move! Keep going, man!"

As All Might watched Team F move through the facility, he couldn't help but feel a bit of exasperated humor behind his perpetual grin. When Izuku had asked his opinion on his planned hero costume, the Pro had noticed one minor detail that could cause his successor problems. He'd been tempted to point it out, but given that the flaw was merely cosmetic and left his student in no danger, he decided to let Izuku find out his mistake on his own. He was here to learn, after all, and the most effective lessons were learned through experience.

Across the room, Ochako leaned over to whisper to Katsuki. "Did Deku plan on showing that much skin?"

Katsuki snorted loudly, a manic smirk on his lips. "The way his mind works? He probably didn't even think about it."

Ochako looked back at the screen, feeling her cheeks warm a little. "Well, judging from the look on his face, he's definitely thinking about it now."

As the frozen hallways passed by in a blur, Momo couldn't keep the small smile tugging at her lips off her face. The worry she had felt seeing the approaching ice had fled within seconds once she and Izuku started moving. Izuku's solution to the ice had been so simple, she was almost embarrassed she hadn't thought of it herself.

Seriously, how had she not considered making ice-skates?

Years of figure skating lessons were being put to incredible use as she skated up the icy passageways, the only thing slowing her down being the occasional set of stairs. At the rate she was moving, she would find the bomb in no time.

But more impressive to her was the figure keeping pace right behind her. She spared a glance behind herself as she raced down a third-floor corridor, taking in Izuku's less graceful, but more mightful path through the ice.

Whereas Momo skated atop the ice, Izuku just ran right through it, his metal-infused body smashing through the ice like it wasn't even there. It baffled her a bit how simply combining himself with metal allowed him such strength and speed, but she could not argue with the results.

His attitude, on the other hand…

"Midoriya!" She called back to him. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" Came the stammering reply. If she already didn't know better, she would assume the cold was making him stutter. "Let's just… keep moving."

Momo giggled lightly as she saw his cheeks warm under all that metal. Honestly! she thought to herself. His costume isn't even that revealing.

She had to say, the idea behind his costume was quite clever. All the silver areas of his suit had been made from metallic fiber, woven together so tight and fine that it gave the appearance of cloth. Tantalum-tungsten alloy, he said it was, one of the strongest metals ever made. The costume contained enough metal that Izuku could fuse it throughout his body, always available to him at a moment's notice.

It was a brilliant idea… in theory. But Momo had a sneaking suspicion that, once Izuku had hit upon the idea, he put all his focus into figuring out the function of the suit and not so much the aesthetics of it. Because once he absorbed all the metal in his costume, what he was left with was… lacking.

The result left him in little more than knee-high shorts and a loose cropped jacket that ended at his elbows, which billowed behind him like a cape as he ran. Frankly, looked to Momo like a green, male version of her own costume, save his boots and gloves.

It did have an appealing contrast against his silvery metal skin, she had to admit. But unlike herself, who had spent quite a lot of time getting over her Quirk's need for exposed skin, Izuku didn't seem to have considered the need for such conditioning, given his visible embarrassment just before the match started.

"All right. If you're sure." Momo grunted slightly as she leapt over a particularly jagged block of ice, hearing it shatter seconds later as Izuku barreled through it. "How long do you think we have until we run into Iida?"

"Not much," Izuku called back. "Once they realize we weren't frozen, Todoroki will likely start melting the ice. Then there'll be nothing to slow Iida down."

Almost as if on cue, a blast of hot air billowed out from the nearby stairwell. Momo skidded to a stop, bracing herself against the resulting wind. Izuku merely stood beside her, unaffected by the rushing air. She and Izuku watched as the ice around them quickly started to melt, leaving a then standing in ankle-deep water as more flooded down from the floors above.

"Well," Momo said as she quickly ripped off her skates, reforming her usual boots. "I think they've realized."

To compound their situation, they could hear the revving of engines echoing from the stairwell, growing louder by the second. Izuku hunkered into a fighting stance, while Momo summoned a bo staff and did the same. They faced the stairwell and waited.

They didn't wait long.

Iida's armored form came flying out of the stairwell feet first, aiming a jump kick right at Izuku's head. Izuku flinched, crossing his arms in front of him, Iida's blow barely making him move.

Undeterred, the engines in Iida's calves lit up as he rocketed a kick towards Momo. She ducked out of the way, swinging her bo staff to block his follow-up kick. Iida pushed off against her swing, backflipping until he was back in front of the stairwell.

Izuku and Momo readied themselves for his next attack.

What they weren't ready for was for Iida to start laughing.

Loudly.

"Haha! As to be expected from a pair of true heroes. But! It matters not! I shall not allow you to interfere in our nefarious plans!"

Momo and Izuku blinked at him in confusion, before glancing at each other.

"... I guess he's really into character?" Momo offered. Izuku shrugged in response, and the two faced forward again.

Iida put his hands on his hips, drawing himself up to his full height. "If you think you stand a chance, then by all means, hit me with your best shot!"

Iida launched himself forward again, engines roaring as he sent another kick towards Momo's head. She ducked out of the way, Iida's boot swiping past her ponytail. In the brief moment when Iida skidded to a stop through the water, she and Izuku locked eyes.

They nodded to each other.

Then Momo lept towards Iida, at the same time Izuku took off running for the stairwell.

Momo dug her bo staff against the floor, using it to propel herself forward for a kick, Iida ducked under her, then twisted his body to throw her further down the hallway. He whirled around, shouting out to the retreating Izuku.

"Nice try, hero, but I will not allow you to advance!"

He bent down to launch himself after Izuku, his engines revving up...

Suddenly, pain.

Iida's entire body shuddered as he was wracked with intense pain from everywhere at once. His muscles locked up, causing him to fall forward. He let out a strangled yell as he crashed to his knees

Just as soon as it had appeared, the pain vanished, making Iida gasp in relief. Gritting his teeth against the intense aching in his muscles, Iida managed to force his head to the side enough to look back. His eyes widened.

There Momo stood, grinning as she held her bo staff just above the water's surface, the end of it split apart to reveal a sparking taser within. When Iida's eyes drifted down to her feet in confusion, Momo cheerfully explained, "Rubber boots!" She then looked up, shouting down the hall. "Keep going, Midoriya!"

Izuku looked behind himself briefly, flashing Momo a nervous grin with a shaky thumbs up, then disappeared into the stairwell.

Iida could only stare in surprise and shock for a moment, before quickly putting a hand to his earpiece. "T-Todo… Todoroki…" He wheezed out, hoping his partner could hear him. "Midoriya… he's..."

"I can handle him." Todoroki's voice was cool and collected, as if he already knew the situation and wasn't concerned in the slightest. "Just take care of Yaoyorozu."

While Iida was a bit miffed at apparently being dismissed, he had no time to voice his complaints. The sloshing of water behind him made him look back, seeing Momo approaching with the capture tape.

Fighting against the sharp stinging still coursing through his body, Iida fired his left engine up to full power, spinning him into a sudden roundhouse kick. Momo leaned back from the blow, blocking it with her bo staff and bring the taser end to bear. Undeterred, Iida then revved his right engine, reversing his momentum and catching the bo staff under his right foot, ripping it out of Momo's grasp. The staff clattered against the wall, it's taser sparking out, before falling into the water below, out of sight.

Momo gasped as her weapon was torn away from her, then yelled as Iida took advantage of her surprise to kick her in her midsection, sending her sprawling to the floor. Momo quickly pushed herself to her feet, finding Iida squaring up for a fight.

"Well, then! As my nefarious cohort has your partner handled, that just leaves me to subdue you, my lady!"

Despite the pain in her ribs, Momo couldn't help but grin at Iida's hokey acting. After focusing for just a moment, her forearms lit up with red light, two steel tonfas bursting from her skin. She caught them, getting into a fighting stance of her own.

"Not if I beat you first, Iida!"

Izuku practically flew up the stairwell and through the fourth floor, his every step producing a heavy impact as he ran. He checked every room he passed in case Todoroki had moved at the same time Iida had. He was ninety-percent sure that the half-hot, half-cold user was on the top floor, given how he and Momo had watched the building freeze from the very top down.

Their plan was simple. Once the Villain team split up, Momo would keep Iida distracted while Izuku hunted down Todoroki. Knowing that the ice user would likely stay close to the bomb and freeze it and himself inside the room, Izuku would simply punch through the ice and, while Todoroki was stunned from the shockwave, leap across the room and touch the bomb, ending the match.

Momo had voiced her concern with whether or not Izuku was strong enough to break through Todoroki's ice. But once they started moving through the building and she saw him just run right through the ice without slowing, she accepted the plan with no issue.

Izuku wasn't too worried, for once. Yes, Todoroki's power was impressive, almost overwhelming. The ease off which he'd completely frozen the building within seconds was intimidating, no doubt. But Izuku had seen All Might's feats of strength a million times, even once seen him shatter a glacier during a natural disaster. He now had that same power inside him, and was ready to he could use it.

As he reached the fifth floor, the sudden drop in temperature told him that his chance had come. Halfway down the hall, one of the open doorways was completely iced over. He approached it slowly, just in case Todoroki had some way of retaliating. When nothing happened, he stood in front of the ice wall, taking it in.

It looked like a solid sheet of ice, trails of steam lifting from its surface as it touched the relatively warmer air. Izuku couldn't see through it, implying that it was likely several feet thick.

Not a problem, Izuku thought as he lowered into his standard punching stance, tensing his legs for the coming run. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his arm back, feeling the now-familiar rush of One For All rushing just below his metallic skin.

"Steel Smash!"

The sharp crack of breaking ice echoed throughout the hallway. Izuku grinned widely as his arm blasted right through the wall of ice…

Then stopped.

Izuku blinked in surprise, his smile fading fast. His eyes darted between his metal arm and the wall of ice, which remained standing with only a small ring of spider web cracks surrounding where his arm pierced through. With a sharp yank, he pulled his arm free of the wall. A quick look showed that he hadn't even reached the other side of it.

"What?" he said softly in confusion. After looking at his arm for a moment, his brow furrowed. Pulling back his other arm, he fired off another punch. "Steel Smash!"

Another impact echoed throughout the hall… but was met with a similar result, just a few cracks showing his efforts.

"Steel Smash!" Bang! "Smash!" Bang! "Smash!" Bang!

Nothing. Izuku's panted as he stepped away from the ice wall, the scattered cracks along its surface mocking him.

It didn't make any sense! He remembered that day on the beach, when he had tapped into One For All for the first time. The overwhelming, awe-inspiring power that let him split the sea with a single punch. He could feel it right now with every punch, it was nearly identical!

...nearly.

Izuku's eyes shot wide, cold dread building in his stomach.

He stared down at his metal arms in disbelief. Clenching his teeth in desperation and denial, he pulled back his arm. He focused on the blazing feeling of One For All coursing through his muscles, putting all his weight into the blow as he screamed.

"SMAAASH!"

With a thunderous blow that shook the building, Izuku's arm crashed through the wall of ice, creating a cracking crater six feet across. Concrete and ice rained down from the ceiling, broken by the meer shockwave of the impact, the floor cracking under Izuku's feet. The concrete walls on either side of the doorway were blasted apart, crumbling to rubble.

But the ice wall still stood.

Izuku pulled his arm back slowly, a feeling of numbness coursing through him that had nothing to do with the cold. He stared at the crater he'd made in mounting horror.

I… I put everything I had into that punch. If I hadn't been fused, I would have broken every bone in my arm. But…

He looked up and down the hall incredulously. The concrete walls in front of him had crumbled away, revealing the layers of ice hidden just behind them. It stretched the entire length of the revealed section, and the part of Izuku that was still coherent bet that it stretched all the way around the room Todoroki was holed up in. Likely the ceiling and floor as well, if he was a smart as Momo said.

Izuku then turned back to the hole he'd made in the ice wall. It sank a few feet into the wall, but didn't seem anywhere close to breaking through to the other side. He'd barely made a dent in it. Just how thick had Todoroki made it…?

Izuku couldn't focus on that question, however. He was slowly realizing just what had happened… and what it meant.

One for All doesn't work right when I'm fused.

He recalled during the entrance exam, how his punches had been far weaker against the test robots then what he knew All Might was capable of. But, he'd just chalked that up to nerves, inexperience. Maybe some instinctual desire not to cause the devastation he knew One for All was capable of. He'd thought… he'd assumed that, when the situation called for it, he'd be able to tap into the greater power within him.

I… I don't get it. Do… I just not have the right mindset? Or… maybe it's a biological thing? Does One For All just not work right with metal muscles? Do I have to be flesh and bone like All Might to use it correctly?

As Izuku tried to understand what he had done wrong, and panicked over the ramifications of what it meant, he didn't notice that the hole he'd made in the ice was quickly starting to fill back in. He was so engrossed with his musings that he didn't realize until a five-foot ice spike nailed him in the chest.

Izuku gasped as the ice shattered against his silvery skin, more from surprise than pain. Still, the force of the blow made him skid back a few inches. He looked back up at the wall, yelping in fear as more ice started shooting out of the ice wall.

He jumped back out of the way of another spike, only to slam to the floor as his feet slipped out from under him. Looking around in confusion, he found that more ice was starting to spread out from the wall, washing across the walls and floor like a wave. Izuku scrambled to his feet. After one look at the incoming ice, he took off running down a random hallway.

Dang it! If I get caught in that ice, I might not be able to break free. Izuku felt his eyes water as he turned a corner, the ice right on his heels. Not that it really matters, because I'm not strong enough to get through that ice wall anyway!

He let out a loud groan, racking his brain as he tried to think of a solution. Unfortunately, there was only one that he thought had even a chance of working.

If she'll even go for it. His reservations were quickly forced down when he caught sight of another wave of ice surging towards him from the front. He ducked into a side hallway, the two ice waves crashing into each other with a thunderous impact. He put his hand to his earpiece. "Yaoyorozu!"

If Momo was asked to sum up her fighting prowess in one word after battling with Iida, that word would definitely be lacking.

Prior to UA, she had been content with her training in basic martial arts and weapon use, expecting that it would give her a decent edge against her fellow students. Her assumption had been that they would all be coming in with from rather equal skill sets in terms of combat, given that they were all civilians.

But in the case of Tenya Iida, she had been never been so monumentally wrong.

Momo knew how to spar.

Iida could fight.

She had never quite understood the difference between the two terms until she found Iida leaping and dodging over her every attack, while somehow knowing exactly how and where to hit her to cause the most damage.

Already her ribs ached from the numerous kicks she'd received, her left arm almost numb from a particularly hard hit that nearly cracked one of her tonfas in half. The fact she was somehow still fighting was something of a miracle to her.

She ducked under another spin kick aimed at her head, barely blocking the following blow with her right arm. Momo took a little satisfaction in that Iida had ceased his 'Villain voice' for the time being, having to put his focus towards fighting in order to keep the upper hand. But there was no escaping the fact that she was tiring, having been on the defensive for nearly the entire fight.

The tipping point finally came when Iida landed a solid blow to her left arm. The kick shattered her tonfa, digging shards of metal into her skin along with the bone-shaking strike. She let out a yelp of pain, before being struck hard in the chest by Iida's follow-up kick, sending her sprawling across the damp ground, all the water from before having drained away to the floors below.

As she pushed herself up to her elbows, Iida straightened out of his fighting stance. "Well," he said, a little out of breath. "It was an impressive bout, Hero… but in the end, the forces of evil have won out!"

Momo took ragged breaths as she tried to force down the pain. She felt a shot of dread run through her when she saw Iida pull out his capture tape.

No! I can't be stopped now!

Gritting her teeth, she tried to push herself to her feet…

"Yaoyorozu!"

A small gasp escaped her as Midoriya's voice yelled through her earpiece, sounding panicked. She glanced up at Iida as he approached. An idea hit her. She focused.

When Iida was nearly at her, a few light clatters sounded through the hall, like something metal hitting the ground. He looked down, finding two small round canisters just in front of Momo, the girl's eyes clenched shut.

"Wha-?"

A blinding light went off right in front of him, making Iida yell out in surprise. He stumbled back, pressing his gloved hands to his face. Once he'd finally blinked the stars out of his eyes, he found Momo nowhere to be seen, her flashbangs still smoking at his feet.

"Hmm…" He looked up and down the hall, trying to gauge which way she might have gone. "Clever." Making a decision, he fired up his engines and tore off down the hall.

From the opposite end of the hallway, Momo slowly peaked around the corner. She waited until Iida's engines faded into the distance, before letting out a sigh of relief. She placed a hand to her earpiece. "Midoriya?"

"Yaoyorozu!" The relief in Izuku's voice was overwhelmed by the desperation it held. "Yaoyorozu, I couldn't get to Todoroki. I… I'm not strong enough."

Momo winced, both at what he was saying and the utter despair in his voice. "I… understand. Iida's too powerful for me as well. I…" She sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know what to do."

The line was silent for a moment, broken only by Izuku's tired panting and the ominous creaking of approaching ice.

"I… I think I do." Izuku eventually admitted, hesitancy plain. "It… it's kind of my last resort, but… there's something I can do with my Quirk that I think we can use to win."

Momo perked up in an instant, feeling a spark of hope bloom in her chest. "Really? What?"

"I could fuse with you."

Momo's eyes widened. She rapidly blinked a few times, before furrowing her brow incredulously. "Ex...Excuse me?"

Izuku let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. "My Quirk doesn't just let me fuse with objects. I can fuse with people too. And my Fusions are always way more powerful than me and whoever I fuse with. I'm not strong enough to get to Todoroki, but I bet… I know our Fusion would be."

Momo opened her mouth to… well, she wasn't quite sure what. Get more information? Call him crazy? Ask why he hadn't told her about this before?

"Midoriya…" She said slowly, hesitating. "I-"

"I know!" Izuku cut her off with a high shout, bringing her up short. There was… pain in his voice that hadn't been there before. "I know it's really weird and creepy and I completely understand if you won't even consider it, but-gah!" The sharp ringing sound of cracking ice drowned out Izuku's voice for a moment before he spoke again, breathless. "I can't get through Todoroki's ice and he's starting to freeze over the building again." He took a shuddering breath, and Momo couldn't tell if it was from exhaustion or desperation. "I've tried everything else. This is all I have left."

Momo fell silent as she absorbed his words, her eyes darting back and forth across the ground and she tried to grasp what Izuku was asking. Fusing together… into a single person? Is that even possible?

"You've… done this before?" She eventually asked, hesitance clear in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Izuku's answer was quick, almost distracted, as he likely kept dodging Todoroki's onslaught. "Loads of times with my friend Kacchan, er, Katsuki. And a few times with Ochako too!"

Momo's mind went to Izuku's two friends, the explosive blonde and cheerful gravity-defier. They both seemed like okay people, if a little irritable on Katsuki's part. Still…

"And… it's safe?"

"What? *Ugh!* Y-Yeah, it's safe. Nothing's ever gone wrong before, at least!"

...not perfectly encouraging, but better than outright agreement. Momo gripped her sore arm tightly, mulling over her options. Finally, aware of the dwindling time in the match and despite all her doubts, it all came down to just one question.

"Midoriya…" She swallowed down her nerves and sudden awkwardness. "If we… fuse… do you really think we could win?"

Her earpiece buzzed with static for a moment, intercut with the sounds of desperate dodging and cracking ice. When Izuku finally answered, his tone was both tired and firm.

"Honestly, Yaoyorozu? Right now… I think it's the only way we can win."

Momo swallowed nervously. Frankly, she had no idea how to feel about what Izuku was proposing. But, she had to face the facts. She could think of no real way to incapacitate Iida. He was just too fast and too strong. And even if she did, there was nothing she could do against Todoroki. Any idea she had for getting through his ice would take too much time, time the ice user would use to freeze both her and Izuku. They were going to lose, unless…

Taking a deep breath, Momo steeled herself. "What do you need me to do?"

There was a beat of dead silence from the other end, before Izuku's voice came back, breathless but strong. "Do you think you can make it to the ground floor?"

Momo blinked, as she knew Izuku was on the upper floors, but chose not to question him. She peeked around the corner again. She knew that the stairwell was just around the far end of the hall, but she could still hear the sound of revving engines going up and down the halls near it. "Iida's guarding the stairs. I don't know if I can get past him."

"What about the windows?"

She looked around. She could see light farther down the hallway, away from the stairs. With one last glance behind her, she took off running. She found a wall of glassless windows just around the corner, facing the street below. "I'm there."

"Can you make it to the ground?"

Momo looked around briefly, judging the distance between each window. With a nod, she unbuckled the front of her jacket, focusing on her Quirk on creating a spool of rappelling rope. "I think so," She said as she started securing the rope between two windows.

"Great! I'll meet you down there in… oh, shoot!" Izuku's voice cut off in a sharp burst of static, making Momo wince.

"Midoriya? Midoriya, what happened?" When all she received only more static, all Momo could do was take a nervous breath, slipping on the harness she had created. Fastening the rope to her harness, she crawled out onto the windowsill.

"There you are!"

Momo looked up sharply. Iida stood posed at the end of the hallway, the lenses of his helmet gleaming in the sunlight. His engines fired as he ran forward, arm outstretched.

Letting out a surprised squeak, Momo lept backward out of his grasp and into the open air. Iida's arm missed her by mere inches as she quickly scaled down the side of the building, heart hammering in her chest.

"Darn it!" Iida growled, smacking the window frame in frustration.

Momo's feet hit the ground within seconds. "Midoriya!" She called into her earpiece as she pulled herself out of her rappelling harness. "I'm outside. Where-?"

Crash!

Momo and Iida both looked up in shock as part of the building's top floor suddenly exploded outwards. Something small and silvery hurtled out of the debris, followed by a wave of ice that reached out towards it, before quickly folded back over the hole and outside wall.

As the glinting object neared the ground, the two students soon realized what it was once they heard it screaming.

"AAAhhh!" Izuku yelled in fright as he flailed through the air, rushing towards the ground at high speed.

"Midoriya!" Momo called out in fright. Even Iida watched him fall with open eyes, bracing his arms against the window sill as if to jump out after the falling metal-man.

Before either could do anything, Izuku crashed into the middle of the street headfirst, sending up a plume of dirt and debris that hid him from view.

Momo gasped, covering her mouth with both hands before rushing forwards. "Midoriya!" She ran through the cloud of debris, finding that Izuku's impact had created a small crater in the street. Miraculously, she found the boy already pushing himself up to his knees, looking none the worse for wear save for him holding a hand to his head. He looked up as she approached.

"What do you need me to-"

Her breath caught in her throat when Izuku suddenly thrust his metal arm forward, holding his hand out to her, panic clear on his face. "Just trust me."

Momo froze, realizing from Izuku's earlier words what he was asking. Her mouth parted slightly, a question on her lips, but… then she caught the look in his eyes. Fear, worry, desperation. But also… resolve.

Swallowing down the last of her nerves, Momo gently reached forward, a nervous smile on her lips. "Ok."

For a brief moment, Izuku looked completely shocked by her acception. Then he smiled brightly, his grin larger then any she'd seen from him before. He leaned forward, meeting her half-way.

The two grasped hands.

And disappeared in a flash of green light.

Chapter Text

In the viewing room, Class 1-A were trapped in a stunned stupor, only broken by bouts of quiet muttering.

"Hehe…" Kaminari chuckled lightly, though it sounded forced. "They're all really going all out, aren't they?"

"They're crazy, is what they are!" Mineta suddenly shouted, staring at the hole Izuku had made in the fifth floor of the building in fear. "Midoriya just took a swan dive off the roof!"

"I know, right!" Kirishima pumped his arms excitedly, giving a shark-toothed grin. "So manly!"

Aoyama hummed as he watched a replay of Izuku's fall. "Hmm. I'm afraid he fell rather gracelessly to consider that a swan dive. Regardless, the way his skin sparkled in the sunlight… quite éblouissante, is it not?"

"I'm more concerned with Todoroki, to be honest," Ojiro admitted, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He looked at the only working camera left in Todoroki's room, showing the ice-user standing in the middle of his frozen creation, the open space around himself being barely half the size the room originally was, the bomb behind him encased in an icy cocoon. "He's being a little excessive, don't you think?"

"The mission is just to protect the bomb and stop the heroes, ribbit," Tsuyu said plainly. "He can do both just by standing there."

Sato crossed his arms, frowning. "Man, he's barely even moved. Is he even trying?"

At the front of the room, All Might watched the proceedings silently. He already had a list of mental notes he would have to go over with Izuku later, not the least of which being his troubles with One for All. He couldn't fault the boy, for he hadn't seen the issue of his Quirks interacting in such a way either, but he could already see the problems it was going to cause moving forward.

For the moment, he was more concerned with what he and Momo were about to do, and the reactions of his students when they saw.

At the back of the room, Katsuki and Ochako kept their eyes trained on the smokescreen in the middle of the road. Ochako kept a fist to her mouth, biting her knuckles softly in worry, while Katsuki just watched stoically, waiting.

"Hey, what was that?"

All the chatter in the room ceased at Toru's exclamation, one of the invisible girl's disembodied gloves pointing at the central monitor. Everyone turned, most just catching the tail end of a bright green flash from within the smoke.

"Here we go…" Ochako said aloud, drawing the attention of everyone around her. The class watched curiously as the smoke cloud slowly dissipated.

Then…

"What the hell!?"

"Who the heck is that?"

"Where'd she come from!?"

"What happened to Midoriya and Yaoyorozu?"

"Is she wearing their clothes?"

"Where'd they go!?"

"That's them."

Everyone turned as Katsuki's voice rose above the baffled cacophony, finding him staring intently at the center screen."

"Uh…" Kirishima glanced between Katsuki and the screen warily. "What do you mean, bro?"

Katsuki spared him a quick glance, before pointing to the person on screen. "That chick is Deku and Ponytail."

Kirishima blinked. "Uh… what?"

"It's Deku's Quirk," Ochako said, looking at the new Fusion with a soft smile, drawing even more bewildered looks. "It's his trump card. Human Fusion."

Stunned silence and wide-eyed looks were all they received, before everyone slowly turned back to the main screen.

"That's… them?" Jiro asked, her mouth hanging open a little in shock.

"Yep," Katsuki answered bluntly. Then a wide, manic grin formed on his face. "And this is when things get wild."

Iida wasn't quite sure what was happening as he quickly raced down to the ground floor. Part of him was impressed by Izuku's resolve and bravery for making such a bold maneuver to escape his partner.

The other part questioned the boy's sanity for diving headfirst off a five-story building to the street below, regardless of what his Quirk was. There was no way that was a practiced move, given Izuku's panicked screaming.

His thoughts were broken as he neared the ground floor exit. Smoke still filled the street, obscuring his view, when a green light flashed from within the smoke. From what little he knew about his opponents, he gathered that the light meant Izuku had just fused with something, but he couldn't fathom what. There was nothing around but concrete and tarmac.

"Iida." Todoroki's voice suddenly came from his earpiece. "I heard a crash. What's happening?"

Iida's response was brief. "Midoriya just jumped from the fifth floor and crashed headfirst into the pavement."

"...oh." Todoroki was quiet for a moment. "Is he alright?"

"There's debris blocking my view, but as All Might has not yet called the match, I would assume…" He trailed off as the smoke finally started to clear. His brow furrowed in confusion. "What the…?"

The smoke parted, revealing a single person standing in a small crater. They appeared female, given their figure, but… what Iida was seeing made no sense.

He at first thought she was Yaoyorozu, but a second look showed that he was clearly mistaken. The girl in front of him was slightly taller than Yaoyorozu, her muscles much more defined. She had her forest-green hair put up in the same ponytail as Yaoyorozu, but it was longer and thicker, curling into a near-spiral. Her gray eyes held flecks of green in them, faint freckles dotting her cheeks.

But what most struck Iida was her attire. Specifically, the fact that she seemed to be wearing both Momo and Izuku's outfits, with Izuku's shorts under Momo's skirt, and his open cropped jacket over her vest. The girl also wore Izuku's fingerless gloves, and what seemed to be a high-heeled version of Izuku's boots.

Iida stared at the mysterious girl for a stunned moment, before quickly looking up and down the street in search of Midoriya and Yaoyorozu. But… there was no sign of them.

"Hmm. Interesting."

Iida's head snapped back to the mysterious girl, finding her looking at her hands as she flexed her fingers. Her voice… she sounded like… but that was impossible.

"Who… are you?" He didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until he heard his own words.

The girl looked up, seeming surprised to see him in front of her. One side of her bangs curled over her right eye, but she seemed unbothered by the obstructed view, looking back at her hands.

"That's... a good question." Iida flinched at the sound of her voice, a double tone that sounded suspiciously familiar. The girl didn't seem to notice, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "Let's see... Momo and Izuku... I suppose the most efficient name would be… Moku." Her brow furrowed, then she nodded slowly to herself. "Hmm… short, concise, easy to remember…" A small smile appeared on the her lips. "I like it."

Iida opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to voice his thoughts as the girl apparently named herself. There was an idea brewing in his mind, but it was so outlandish… so insane that he couldn't seriously consider it. "W-Where did you come from?" He then straightened up, a much more (comparably) logical and obvious explanation striking him. "If you are attempting to interfere with our class, you should be aware that the Number One Hero All Might is monitoring this match at this very moment!"

The girl… Moku… blinked at him in surprise. Then her eyes seemed to light up, a small smile on her lips. "Oh. My apologies, Iida. I suppose I should explain."

Iida's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Explain what?"

"Who I am. What I am." The girl's smile grew as she gave him a polite bow in greeting. "I am Moku, the Fusion of Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu. A pleasure to meet you."

…

"...Fusion?" Iida echoed back faintly.

Moku nodded cheerfully. "I am an example of Izuku's Quirk taken to its maximum potential. Human Fusion."

Iida could only stare as he absorbed what she was telling him. Then, realization lit up in his eyes. "The Exam." His eyes narrowed again. "That's how Midoriya and Uraraka defeated the Zero-pointer. They... fused!"

Moku nodded again, her smile widening. "Indeed," she answered, and Iida could no longer deny that her voice sounded exactly like Izuku and Momo speaking in tandem. "Izuku's Fusions are capable of much stronger abilities and strength then he is on his own, myself included." She then flexed her hands again, contemplating. "Though, as I only just came into existence, I am unsure what abilities I have myself."

Iida tilted his head slightly, baffled. "How can you not…?"

"Attention, students!"

Iida and Moku looked up in surprise as All Might's voice boomed across the cityscape.

"There are only seven minutes left before the match is over. So get moving… um..."

The Fusion looked around for a moment, before smiling at a camera positioned on one of the light poles. "My name is Moku, sir."

"... Young Moku, then! Seven minutes!"

Moku nodded, then looked back to Iida. The engine-user was taken aback by the intensity now in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Iida, but your questions will have to wait until after the match. First, though…" She went back to looking at her hands, turning them over and back again. "Hmm… not sure where Izuku's metal went. Internally fused, maybe? Regardless, I need-"

Just as Iida was about to launch himself forward (Regardless of his bafflement with the situation, he could not allow this Fusion to somehow get the upper hand when they were so close to victory), Moku's arm glowed with the red light of Momo's Quirk. The surprised look on Moku's face made him pause, as it seemed even the Fusion herself did not know what was happening.

Then, the red light flashed green, then faded entirely. In its place, Moku's arm had turned silvery and reflective, just as Izuku's had been.

"Oh…" Moku turned her arm back in forth, examining it with a critical eye. Her brow raised slightly. "That felt… I wonder…" She focused for a moment, her arm lighting up with light again, first red, then green. When the light faded, her arm had turned golden.

A grin slowly formed on Moku's lips as she watched the sunlight shine on her arm. "Momo can make anything. Izuku can absorb anything. So, together…" Moku's brow furrowed in concentration. Another flash of light and the gold of her arm turned to the dark brown of aged oak. Another, and it became the dull gray of concrete. Her grin slowly widened, her eyes sparkling with wonder and excitement. "I can become anything."

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Moku

Fusion Component: Momo Yaoyorozu

Quirk Mutation: Transmutation

Combining Momo's Creation with Izuku's Fusion, Moku is able to turn her body into any material she can think of, no outside materials needed! In addition, objects made with Creation take less energy and effort to create!

That was enough for Iida. If Moku's musings were true, there was a decent chance that she could cause trouble, even with so little time left in the match. With no hesitance, he blasted his engines and sent himself rushing forward into a flying kick, aimed right for Moku's head.

Moku looked up from her arm at the sound of Iida's engines. She flinched back as he neared, giving her no time to move.

Iida grinned under his helmet, expecting to swiftly knock the Fusion out and win the bout.

Then red and green filled his vision.

His foot impacted Moku right in the nose… but she didn't budge.

Worse, a sharp stinging went up Iida's leg at the impact, making him hiss out in pain. His momentum stopped dead, he managed to catch himself by getting his hands to the ground first and backflipping away. When he looked back up, he couldn't stop his mouth from hanging open.

Moku's entire body had turned semi-translucent, her skin twinkling in the light like diamonds… which, given the aching in his right leg, he figured wasn't that far off. Though, baffling, it looked like there was something grey beneath her crystal skin, at the center of her limbs and torso. Almost like…

"Oh." Moku lifted her arm, staring through it to the silvery grey of her radius and ulna bones. "So that's where the metal went."

She admired her arm for a moment, the way the gemstone shifted with every flex and tense of her muscles. Then she faced Iida fully, clenching her diamond hands into fists.

"Well, Iida?" She said with a wide grin. "Ready for another round?"

Iida felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck.

"This is insane."

Most of 1-A nodded in agreement with Jiro's words, watching silently as Moku and Iida squared off. Compared to his fight with Momo, Iida had been put on the defensive from almost the first punch Moku threw. She seemed to match his speed effortlessly, and every hit Iida managed to land seemed to do nothing. Iida managed to dodge her attacks for the most part, but every glancing blow Moku landed caused cracks along his armor, his forearms and shins taking most of the beating.

"Magnifique…" Aoyama breathed under his breath, His eyes glued to Moku's every motion as her diamond body twinkled with every movement.

The whole fight, Katsuki's feral grin only grew wider. Ochako eventually tore her gaze away from the screen when she noticed him clenching and unclenching his hands, his whole body trembling with energy. "Kacchan, are you okay?" She asked with a small chuckle.

Katsuki barked out a laugh, snapping a good chunk of the class out of their stupor. "You kidding, Round Face? I've been telling Deku for years that his Quirk would kick ass, and now I've finally got proof. If this doesn't grow him a spine, nothing will. " He threw his head back in a loud cackle, then threw his fist up in the air. "C'mon, Diamond Deku! Kick his ass!"

After a moment of dazed silence, Kirishima got back his own grin. "Yeah! I want to see what this Fusion stuff can do! Keep it up, Moku!"

This triggered a few of the more excitable students, mostly Mina and Kaminari, to voice their own support, shouting words of encouragement at the screen. Most of the class just continued watching quietly, analyzing and considering every action the Fusion made.

At the front of the room, All Might watched the fight silently, his ever-present grin not betraying his inner thoughts.

The bout went on, Iida and Moku trading blows, Iida dodging her punches while Moku tanked his kicks. Then a few people in the room gasped as Moku finally landed a solid punch to Iida's gut, and sent the armored speedster crashing through the building's front wall.

Iida gasped as his back hit the concrete, and again when he hit the interior floor of the building. He tried to ignore the blazing pain rushing up his spine, blinking the stars out of his eyes. He gasped for air, each ragged breath he took multiplying the pain in his middle.

As he slowly pushed himself back to his feet, he heard the rubble behind him shift. He turned around, seeing Moku slowly climb through the hole Iida's body had made. Through gritted teeth, he chuckled.

"Very… very impressive, my heroic friend." He slowly straightened his back, getting more of his wind back with every breath. Part of him knew it was a little foolish to continue his villainous charade, but he had been given this role to play, and he was going to play it to the end. "I had not expected such a power could exist."

Moku just gave him a soft smile, which looked only slightly off-putting given that Iida could just see the fuzzy edges of her metallic skull beneath her crystalline skin. "Thank you for the compliment. I'm sure Izuku and Momo will appreciate the praise." She then lifted her hands, setting into a boxing stance. "However, since I'm on a bit of a time crunch, we'll have to continue talking later."

Before Iida could voice a retort, Moku blurred forward. Instinct screamed at him to dodge left, dodge right, to jump over the rapid jabs Moku sent at his head and chest. Her blows missed him by centimeters, every sharp motion he made sending jolts of agony through his bruised ribs and spine. He responded in kind with a flurry of engine-powered kicks, which created their own pain due to the telltale throbbing of their overheating.

In a move of desperation, Iida backflipped over Moku's head and set his right engine to max power, letting fly a roundhouse kick so fast and hard that he nearly gave himself whiplash. He knew it was fruitless, but nevertheless put everything he had into his final, strongest blow, fully expecting the Fusion to take the attack head-on.

Instead, to his shock, Moku ducked out of the way of the kick, letting Iida's leg sail over her head. With lightning-fast reflexes, the Fusion caught him by the ankle, not even flinching as her crystalline fingers gripped right over his blazing engines. Iida yelped as she yanked him right out of the air, quickly pulling him until her hand landed on the small of his back. Then, with a mighty yell, Moku threw him face-first into a wall.

Iida heard something crack when he slammed into the wall, and he desperately hoped it had been something on his armor. He slid down to the ground, his ears ringing. He tried to get his arms under him so he could push himself back up…

When he felt Moku's knee pressing against his back, holding him down.

Before he could try and struggle, Moku grabbed both of his wrists and yanked them behind his back. The was a flash of red light, and he felt something solid and heavy envelop his wrists.

A set of silvery reinforced handcuffs.

Iida's stomach dropped. For a fleeting moment, he held out hope that Moku's actions did not count towards his elimination, given how she hadn't used the capture tape to detain him, so technically-

"Tenya Iida has been captured by the Hero Team! Four minutes remaining, heroes!"

...well, then.

Iida felt strong, thin hands grab him by the cuffs and his collar, pulling him to his knees. He turned his head, finding Moku standing over him.

"Sorry, Iida," She apologized, giving him a remorseful smile. Then she ran back out of the hole they'd made.

Iida watched her go in confusion, craning his neck so as to see what she was doing going back outside. He watched her bend her knees. His eyes widened as he saw green and red sparks flash beneath Moku's diamond skin. She tensed her body...

And then leapt up into the air and out of sight, cracking the pavement where she'd been standing.

Iida stared at the shattered tarmac in shock. Then he nearly fell over as a sudden impact shook the ground. The building above him groaned ominously.

Iida looked up slowly, blinking at the dust that fell from the ceiling. He hesitated for only a moment, before deciding to wait for the end of the match out on the street.

Moku frowned as she lifted her fist away from the roof.

Well, what was left of it.

In the hopes of finishing the match with a single blow, she'd tried to leap as high as she could and smash through Todoroki's ice room from above, hoping that the combination of her diamond body, velocity, and One For All would be enough to break the ice user's fortress.

Given that she was currently standing atop the icy structure while the most of the roof quickly crumbled away around her, she had clearly been wrong.

Shoot, she thought as she looked around. She eyed the spiderweb cracks that now covered the top of the ice room, already being filled in with fresh ice. I did better then Izuku, but it's still not enough. Spikes of ice started shooting up from the room's roof, but with her One For All enhanced reflexes, Moku easily dodged them.

She ran through her options quickly as she moved, well aware of the dwindling time. She considered shifting back to flesh and trying to break through again, but quickly nixed it. Even if it worked, she'd then be down an arm. And even if she could break through, there was no guaranty that she could fight off Todoroki, especially in an environment that he had basically crafted himself.

But then what? She put her hands on her hips, looking over the whole building. The ice spikes kept coming, shattering against her diamond skin, but caused her no pain. The roof had mostly fallen away by then, revealing the icy wonderland that surrounded Todoroki's fortress. The entire top floor had been covered floor to ceiling with ice, sending up trails of water vapor as it was revealed to the beating sun.

A sudden groaning drew her attention. Moku looked over just as the iced-over hole Izuku had created earlier caved in, the walls around it covered in cracks. She felt a small shudder run through the building as the front walls slowly crumbled, the concrete creaking under its own weight.

Moku's brow furrowed in thought. Then, her eyes widened. She started looking around at the floor again. Beneath all the ice Todoroki had covered it in, she could see cracks formed all over the ground.

Of course! She thought, pounding her fist into her open palm. All that ice has weight, much more then this building was made to hold. And after being frozen and unfrozen again like this… I bet my punch from above didn't help, either….

With a plan in mind, Moku nodded to herself. Unbeknownst to her, the ice beneath her had started to form a ring around her, preparing to overtake her. Just before it could close around her, she bent her knees and leapt back into the air, high into the skyline. Once gravity took control of her momentum, she angled her right leg out and focused on One For All, aiming for the space just in front of the ice room.

She landed with a tremendous crash, the concrete shattering under her in an instant. She quickly lept back up before it crumbled entirely, focusing. As she backflipped across the shattering stone, her palms lit up with red light. Everywhere she touched, she left behind small brown blocks, each with a small receiver on top.

Once she'd reached one of frozen hallways next to the ice room, she stepped back to observe her handiwork. Satisfied, her hand glowed red once more, creating a small round device with a bright red button on top.

Moku grinned, holding the detonator high above her head.

"This one's for you, Kacchan!"

She pressed the red button.

Moku shielded her eyes as the C4 detonated, engulfing the entire front of the fifth floor in a titanic fireball. Once the light had died down, she spared a glance towards the ice room. Unsurprisingly, it looked unaffected by the explosion and the flames, but Moku wasn't deterred. The sight directly in front of her was exactly as she'd hoped.

Right in front of the ice room was a massive hole, reaching down through the fourth floor and into the third. Slabs of concrete continued to collapse into it, falling in chunks to the floors below. She watched as the cracks spread out, reaching the ice room. The ice was mostly unaffected by the devastation happening around it.

But the concrete underneath it started to give way.

"Yes!" Moku shouted out, pumping both fists. "Almost there. All it needs…"

With a burst of One For All speed, Moku shot down the crumbling hallway and around to the opposite side of the falling ice room. She crouched slightly, putting all her focus into One For All. For what she wanted to do, she couldn't just send One For All to a single limb. She had to send it to her legs, her shoulder, her torso…

Oh, I really hope this works!

Unaware of the red and green light show visible just under her crystalline skin, Moku leapt at the ice wall with all her strength, shoulder first.

"Is a little push!"

Inside the ice room, Todoroki was getting frustrated.

Going in, he had believed that, given their opponents, he and Iida would have won within the first minute of the match. A boy who could fuse with objects and a girl who could create them were definitely unique Quirks, ones that might even be rather effective if used together. But they shouldn't have even compared to his ice. They should have been incapacitated within seconds.

Instead, the two had found a way around his ice almost insultingly easily, forcing him to rely on Iida to combat them, while he remained to guard the bomb. His only true offense the entire match had been when he'd heard something impact against the frozen doorway (likely Midoriya, given Iida's warning), and started filling the upper floor with ice again. That had ended the moment he felt something shake the building, and was informed by Iida that his ice had forced Midoriya to jump off the building.

...admittedly, that had not been his goal, but given his Quirk and Iida's words, he figured it was an acceptable course of action. He was supposed to be a 'villain' at the moment, after all.

Then… he heard Iida be eliminated. Not only was this annoying in and of itself, but it meant that, while safe within the room he'd created, he was completely blind to the outside world. All he could do was listen to Midoriya and Yaoyorozu try to get in, counter-attack as best he could, and wait out the clock.

And judging from the last two impacts he'd felt, the heroes were certainly trying to get in. First the impact from above that made his ears ring, then the muffled blast near the front of the room; whatever they were doing, they were giving it their all. He could respect their tenacity, but…

He looked around his icy haven, checking the walls, floor, and ceiling for any cracks or signs of melting. Naturally, he found none. He'd encased the room in over ten feet of ice in any given direction, the bomb nestled safely in the dead center. Nothing short of All Might himself could-

WHAM!

Todoroki stumbled as the floor shifted under his feet.

"What?" He looked around wildly, eventually zeroing in on the very back of the room, the source of the sudden impact. His eyes narrowed. He lifted his left arm, his ice surging forward.

And then the world tilted.

Idia would later swear that the end of their first hero course match took an eternity to play out.

After the explosion rocked the fifth floor, a plume of smoke had risen from the top of the building, obscuring the inside from view, Part of him was tempted to run into and up one of the buildings across the street, if only so he could see what was happening. But logic told him to retreat a safe distance away from the 'Villain Headquarters', so as not to interfere with the rest of the match.

As the sound of the explosion faded into the distance, an unearthly silence fell over the cityscape.

Then, All Might's voice sounded from his earpiece.

"One minute remaining! Young Iida! Brace yourself!"

Iida had only a moment to be confused, before the sound of cracking stone and breaking ice made him look up. His mouth fell open in shock.

The front of the fifth floor and part of the fourth floor blew outwards, sending massive slabs of concrete raining down on the street below. Immediately after, the object that had destroyed the building's facade followed: a gigantic rectangle of ice.

A chill ran down Iida's spine as he realized that he was looking at Todoroki's ice room flying through the air.

The ice block hung in the air for a moment, before listing to one side. The short side of the block slammed into the ground, sending cracks throughout its entire form. It stayed standing for a few seconds, impaled into the pavement.

In those few seconds, Iida looked back up at the top of the building. Standing in the gaping hole of the upper floors, Moku stood with her hands on her hips, breathing hard but with a satisfied grin on her diamond lips.

Then, with an ear-splitting crack, the ice block broke under its own weight.

The upper half of the room split off and fell to the street between the bottom portion and the headquarters. It shattered on impact, massive shards of ice spilling all over the street. Iida watched as part of the ice shifted as it rolled, showing Todoroki lying faceup in a heap of ice shards, the ice that had encased his left side broken to show his grimace as he tried to pull himself up.

Then he heard the telltale sound of hollow metal on stone.

The fake bomb bounced as it hit the ground, large chunks of ice still clinging to it. It rolled across the cracked pavement, coming to rest at the foot of the building.

Todoroki saw the bomb come to a stop. From where he lay, he threw his right arm out, ice rushing across the ground to encase it again.

Only for Moku to come leaping down from above, landing right next to the bomb, her high-heeled boots crushing the ice like it was nothing. She smiled at the shocked/baffled look on Todoroki's face, giving him a small bow, before her placing her hand gingerly on the bomb.

Instantly, All Might's voice rang out. "The Hero Team has captured the bomb with twelve seconds left! Hero Team wins!"

Moku's grin faltered for a moment as she looked towards one of the camera's, surprise on her face. "Twelve seconds?" In a flash of red and green light, her skin shifted back to its normal flesh color. She chuckled slightly, sounding a bit awkward and nervous as she rubbed the back of her head. "Wow! Um… didn't know I was cutting it so close. Hehe…"

Silence permeated the viewing room, the cheers within stifled as the students witnessed Moku's act of strength.

"... I take it back," Sero said faintly, eyes glued to the street. "Todoroki I could live with. I am so glad we didn't end up fighting that."

Stunned nods were all he received, save Katsuki cackling loudly at the back of the room, and Kaminari questioning Kirishima's visibly shaking, his excited grin threatening to split his face in half. "Dude, why are you looking so pumped?"

Kirishima looked at Kaminari like he just asked why grass was green. "How are you not? She just shoulder-tackled a room right out of the building!" He turned his eyes back to the screen, focusing on Moku as she dusted herself off. "How do you get more manlier than that?"

Todoroki lay still on the ground, his arm still outstretched towards the bomb. His eyes trailed across the ground, to the broken ice slowly melting in the hot sun. All Might's voice echoed in his mind.

I... lost?

The sound of crunching ice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to find the girl looking down at him. The girl that somehow won the match for Midoriya and Yaoyorozu.

"Hey. Todoroki. Are you okay?" Moku looked concerned as she bent down to him. "You didn't get too hurt in the fall, did you?"

Todoroki could only stare at the girl in front of him, taken aback by her voices. "Who… who are you?"

Moku just smiled gently, explaining. "I'm Moku, the fusion Izuku made with himself and Momo."

Todoroki felt something catch in his throat. "Fusion?"

Moku nodded, grinning brightly. "Yes. Momo and Izuku could not defeat you and Iida on their own, so they came together to make me. It's part of Izuku's Quirk." She giggled lightly as she offered him a hand. "I suppose you could say that I take teamwork to the next level."

Todoroki's eyes blew wide. Then, slowly, his face went blank, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I see."

Moku blinked as Todoroki pulled himself to his feet, ignoring her outstretched hand. She frowned a little, wondering if she had done wrong. Before she could ask him, All Might's voice boomed across the P.A.

"All right, students! Head back to the to the observation station for your final critiques."

Moku looked up at the sudden announcement, then found that Todoroki was already walking away. She fell into step behind him, curious about his behavior.

"Excuse me, Moku?"

Moku turned to find Iida walking beside her. "Yes?"

"I'd hate to impose, but could you please…?" He turned slightly, showing his cuffed hands behind his back.

Moku blinked a few times, before rushing forward. "Oh! Oh, yes, of course. Sorry, Iida." In a flash of red light, she created a small key and inserted it into the cuffs. They unlocked with a click, falling to the ground with a thunk.

Iida rubbed his wrists, then pulled off his helmet, letting Moku see his grateful smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And… sorry for leaving you in them for so long."

Iida shook his head. "Don't be. It was a viable strategy, and one that paid off well in your favor." He then hesitated, looking Moku over. "However, if I may ask… Now that the match is over, why have you remained fused? Is… there some kind of complication with Izuku's Quirk?"

"Oh, no!" Moku was quick to reassure, shaking her head. "Nothing's wrong. It's just…" She paused, mulling over her words. "Izuku… isn't very confident about this aspect of his Quirk, at least when it comes to how other people react to it. I'd like to show myself to the class briefly, so they can see my unfusing up close."

Iida considered that for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I suppose I can understand that. This is most certainly a unique situation. To my shame, I must admit… I find it rather strange myself."

Moku giggled lightly. "How do you think I feel? I didn't exist until just a few minutes ago!"

In the observation room, the entire class was buzzing.

"I just can't believe it," Jiro said, crossing her arms as she watched the match replays. "Iida and Todorki were dominating the whole fight, and then that Fusion just…"

"Obliterated them!" Kaminari supplied helpfully. "How the heck is that building still standing after all of that?"

"That's a lot of collateral damage, ribbit," Tsuyu observed.

"That strength is just… unreal." Sero then turned to Sato, asking, "Can you get that strong?"

Sato barked out a laugh. "You kidding? Not even if I downed a whole bag of sugar! I need to step up my game."

Shoji nodded in agreement, Tokoyami mirroring him while saying. "Already, the bar for us has been set firmly out of reach."

"Speak for yourself!" Kirishima's loud yell drew most of the classes attention. "This just means we all have to work our hardest to catch up. I'm not throwing in the towel already. We just got here!"

"A good attitude to have!" All Might called from the front of the room, turning to face the class as they looked to him. "Now is the best time to realize what the future has in store for you. No two heroes are created equal, and thus there is no one standard that can be levied against all those who lay their lives on the line."

He spread his arms wide. "Every one of you has the potential to become great heroes, regardless of your own personal strength, speed, and agility. You need only discover what type of hero best suits you, and myself and all those teaching at UA will do everything in our power to help you capitalize on that potential. To ensure that you become the best heroes you can be! To go beyond!" He lifted his arm into the air. "Plus Ultra!"

The whole class (sans Katsuki) raised their arms as well, caught up in the Pro's speech as they echoed their school motto. "Plus Ultra!"

"Plus Ultra!"

Everyone's head turned towards the back of the room as a double-toned voice called out a beat after everyone else, rising above the noise. Standing in the open doorway were Todoroki, Iida, and Moku, the latter two having raised their arms along with everyone else.

Moku faltered as everyone's eyes instantly zeroed in on her, several of them openly gawking. "Uh… hi?" She said awkwardly.

The following stunned silence was quickly broken by a disembodied glove suddenly appeared right in front of Moku, nearly touching her nose. "Ah!" Toru yelped. "You're still fused!"

Moku crossed her eyes as she tried to look at Toru's finger, before gently pushing it aside with her own as Iida and Todoroki moved to join the rest of the class. "Yes, I am." She then stepped to the side slightly, in the hopes of not inadvertently staring through Toru to face the class. She gave them a small wave in greeting. "Hello, everyone! I just figured you all might want to get a good look at me before I unfused. So, um…" She shrugged a little, her face tinting. "Hi!"

There was a beat of dazed silence, before a voice rang out.

"Oh, dude!" Kirishima suddenly pulled away from the pack, running up to Moku. The Fusion let out a squeak of surprise as he got up in her personal space. "I've never seen moves like that outside of TV! Just how strong are you?"

Moku leaned back as Kirishima leaned forward. "Well… um…"

"The way you twinkled in the light," Aoyama spoke up, flashing the Fusion his suave smile. "You put even myself to shame, madame. Truly Très bien, mon ami."

"Uh... Thank you?"

"Yeah!" And suddenly Mina was popped up right next to Kirishima, excitement sparkling in her black and yellow eyes. "You just jumped five stories like it was nothing! Can all of Izuku's Fusions do that?" She gasped as a thought struck her. "If I fused with him, could our Fusion do that?"

Moku's eyes shot wide, her heart jolting. She looked at Mina, her face plainly showing her surprise. "You… want to fuse with him?"

With a blink, Mina pulled back a little, frowning in confusion at Moku's shocked, disbelieving tone. Even Kirishima seemed surprised by the Fusion's response. "Well… yeah!" Mina said with a little laugh, which petered out when Moku's expression didn't change. "Why wouldn't I-?"

"Now, now," All Might said chidingly, walking around the class to stand next to the returning teams. "There will be plenty of time later to discuss each other's powers. But our returning teams have yet to receive their critiques and we still have the other matches to go through. So, Young Moku, if you could please unfuse so that Midoriya and Yayorozu could hear their results, that would be much appreciated."

Kirishima and Mina wilted in disappointment, even as Moku looked up at All Might with a small thankful smile. "Understood, sir."

"Wait a minute!"

Moku, already focusing on unfusing, jolted at the sudden shout. "Kacchan?"

Sure enough, Katsuki was pushing his way to the front of the class, Ochako following behind while murmuring apologies to the students he nearly knocked over. Once up front, Katsuki looked Moku up and down, the Fusion watching curiously as the blonde completed his inspection. Katsuki then met her eyes. He nodded, apparently satisfied.

"We're fighting later."

Moku blinked, surprised. "What?"

Katsuki's eyes sharpened, his smirk returning. "If Deku gets Ponytail on board, I want to spar with you. To see if you can measure up to Katzuku."

"Measure… ugh, really?" Moku let out a groan, giving Katsuki an annoyed glower, which the blonde met with a smirk. Moku held his gaze for a moment, before letting her shoulders slump, looking to the ceiling as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, Kacchan."

Katsuki's smirk fell instantly, giving the Fusion a sharp look. His eye twitched slightly. "...You're all going to call me that, aren't you?"

Now it was Moku's turn to smirk. "Well, we are all part Izuku."

Katsuki's glare increased until he looked away with an irritable scoff. "Freaking fantastic…"

All Might boomed a laugh as he watched the interaction. "That is the fiery passion I like to see in my future heroes! However, as we still have a long class ahead of us… Young Moku, if you would?"

Moku nodded. "Of course." She then turned to the class as a whole, giving them a bright grin. "Until next time, everyone."

Without another word, Moku's whole body was enveloped by green light. Those unaccustomed to the glare shielded their eyes, letting out small sounds of surprise. Those that could keep their eyes open watched in awe as Moku split right down the middle, before the two halves, one green and one red, morphed and shifted until they looked like separate people. The light vanished, revealing Izuku and Momo, standing side by side.

Momo blinked rapidly, as if unexpecting to find her entire class staring at her. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment, before she looked down at her hands. "Wow…" she murmured. "That was…"

"Hell of a rush, isn't it?" Momo looked up, finding Katsuki smirking at her, a knowing glint in his eye.

She gave a small nod. "Y-Yeah. All that power…"

Katsuki shrugged, his smirk growing. "You get used to it."

"Are you okay, Deku?" Ochako asked gently, putting a hand on Izuku's back as the boy bent over, putting his hands on his knees.

Izuku nodded quickly, sucking in a few breaths of fresh air. His costume had returned to its normal completed state, much to his own relief. "Ye… Yeah. I'm good. Just… never had a Fusion… do so much… so quickly." Getting his breath back, he straightened up. He saw All Might flash him a proud grin, making him smile in return. Then he looked to his teammate. "Momo, are you okay?"

Momo turned to him, looking at him surprised and a little bit in awe. She gave him a warm smile. "Oh! Yes, I'm fine Izuku." She let out a small laugh. "Though I'll admit, that was not how I thought my first match at UA would end."

Izuku's smile widened a little in relief. "Good. That's good."

Katsuki eyed him suspiciously. "There a reason you're out of breath and she's not, Deku?"

Izuku put his hands up in mock defense. "Just the usual Fusion drain, Kacchan. Honestly," He patted his arms a few times, as if to check something. "I don't really hurt at all. Momo?"

"I feel fine," Momo confirmed, giving Izuku a confused look. "Should I not?"

Izuku quickly waved his arms in denial. "Oh, no, nothing like that! It's just…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I haven't fused with that many people, so I haven't figured out all the in's and out's of it yet."

Momo tilted her head. "Oh? How many people have you fused with so far?"

Izuku cringed slightly. "Well…" He slowly panned his eyes to his friends.

Momo followed his gaze, landing on Katsuki. The blonde snorted lightly, before holding up a finger. "One."

Ochako ducked her head with a grin, holding up two fingers. "Two."

They both looked towards Momo expectantly. Momo looked between them, confused. Then, she blinked and hesitantly brought up three fingers. "Three?"

Katsuki's smirk and Ochako's smile widened. "Welcome to the Fusion Club!" Ochako cheered.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm. "We're still working on the jackets," he commented snidely.

Izuku's cheeks tinted as he groaned in embarrassment. "Guys…"

Momo, however, just kept looking at Izuku, her brow furrowed slightly. "Moku is your third ever Fusion?"

At her look, Izuku swallowed thickly. "Um… yeah? Sorry?"

Momo looked at him closely. Then she nodded, her smile returning. "Well… it was quite the experience. One I would not be averse to repeating in the future."

Izuku's face slackened a bit. "Really?" He asked softly.

Momo's smile widened just a bit. "Indeed. Besides," She looked off to the side, Izuku's gaze following as her eyes fell on Katsuki. "It would seem Moku promised Bakugo a spar. I'd hate to make a liar of her."

Katsuki's grin turned wild. "Anytime, anywhere, Ponytail."

"But not today!" The group was startled from their discussion as All Might drew their attention. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, likely from seemingly being forgotten by his students.

Or, Izuku considered, from whatever Momo was thinking. Looking out the side of his eye, he was relieved to find Momo looking up at the Pro Hero with nothing more than the usual respectful awe his presence brought forth. He and All Might met eyes briefly, both of them feeling intense relief.

I did it, Izuku thought, letting out a heavy breath. He drew a curious look from Momo, but she quickly focused back on All Might as the Pro continued. "For we still have a class to complete! Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Todoroki! Please step forward for your critiques."

Flashing Momo a smile, Izuku stepped forward as All Might began talking. He didn't notice the curious looks Mina and Kirishima were giving him.

Nor the way Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he passed him by.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur for Izuku. As the other matches commenced, he found himself making a multitude of mental notes about both his fellow students and the various strategies they were using. Never before had he been able to analyze a fight in so much detail. The brief distant glimpses he'd gotten watching Pros and Villains fight in the streets paled in comparison to the ultra-detailed view he got from UA's advanced surveillance cameras. He could see every punch, every Quirk use, every moment of each fight from multiple angles, giving himself ample time and opportunity to work out how his classmates Quirks operated.

It was over almost too soon. Katsuki and Ochako had picked up a rather easy victory, Katsuki being such a loud and effective distraction running through the halls that Sato and Koda never noticed Ochako simply float herself up the outside of the building. She flew right in through the window and over their heads while they tried to keep Katsuki away from the bomb, neither noticing her until All Might was calling the match. After that, the rest of the matches passed relatively quickly, each one giving more and more material to fill Izuku's next notebook.

Still, for all the excitement he felt, the results of Izuku's own match was never far from his mind. His failure to use One For All to its true extent ate at him. Despite Ochako's reassuring words and Katsuki's agitated grumbling, he couldn't stop trying to figure out what had gone wrong. What he needed to do differently.

It was those thoughts that plagued him even as he was walking out of the school at the end of the day, trailing behind Katsuki and Ochako as they chatted about their match. Well, Ochako chatted. Katsuki mostly just alternated between grunting in agreement and snorting in amusement.

Izuku only paid them the barest amount of attention, his head bowed in thought as they weaved through the crowded front entrance. He managed to return Momo's wave goodbye as they parted ways, but went back to his dejected musings almost immediately. He pictured in his head when he'd punched Todoroki's ice wall, that sickening feeling when his blow was stopped cold.

I know I used One For All correctly. The feeling was exactly like it was that day at the beach. But… my punch wasn't even close to what it should have been. He sighed, clenching his hand into a fist. It's the metal. It has to be. There was nothing else different between those two punches. And Moku… A small smile spread over his face at the thought of the Fusion, before he schooled his expression. She couldn't bring out One For All's full power either. She was a lot stronger then I was… but how much of that was One For All and how much was just her increased power as a Fusion? Maybe the material matters? One For All can power up diamonds better than metal? But, why would it…

"Greetings, Young Midoriya!"

"GAH!" Izuku jumped a foot as All Might's voice boomed from right beside him. Katsuki and Ochako spun around in surprise, finding the Number One Hero standing right next to him, his giant form still garbed in his silver-age suit.

The Massive Hero blinked at Izuku. "My apologies. Did I startle you?"

Izuku took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. He smiled shakily up at his mentor. "Just a little," he admitted timidly. "Do you need something, sir?"

All Might put his hands on his hips, grinning down at the boy. "As a matter of fact, I do, my boy. You put on a great show today in your battle trial. However, I couldn't help but notice that there were… certain aspects of your fighting that you had trouble with."

Izuku's face fell in an instant. "Y-Yeah. I'm sorry-"

All Might cut him off by raising his hand. "Worry not, my boy, for that's what brings me to you at this moment. If you would be willing, I'd like you, along with Young Bakugo and Uraraka, to come with me so we can work on controlling those aspects of your Quirk."

Izuku blinked in surprise. "Um… I guess. I'll have to call my mom that I'll be getting home late." He looked back over his shoulder. "Guys?"

Ochako smiled widely. "I didn't have any other plans."

Katsuki gave a feral smirk. "Like I'm going to turn down extra training time."

All Might let out a booming laugh. "Well said, my boy! Then follow me. I managed to convince Cementoss to borrow Gym Gamma for a few hours."

The three nodded to him, starting off in the direction he waved.

"Hey! Midoriya!"

Izuku glanced back in surprise at the call of his name, his friends and teacher pausing as well. To their surprise, Kirishima and Mina were running towards them, backpacks slung limply over their shoulders.

"We found you," Mina said with a grin, breathing deeply from her run.

Izuku frowned lightly at the pair. "Is something wrong?"

Kirishima waved his worries away with a sharp-toothed grin. "Nah, no worries. We were just hoping to catch you before you left. Mina and I were hoping we could ask you a few questions about your Quirk."

Izuku's eyes widened, looking between the pair with apprehensive surprise. Behind him, Katsuki and Ochako tensed, the blonde's eyes narrowing. "You… you were?" Izuku asked meekly.

Mina gave a sharp nod. "Yeah! Sorry if it's weird, but… your Quirk is just so different and… nuts!" She giggled lightly to herself. "It kind of left us with a bunch of questions."

"But…" Kirishima said, his gaze turning to the patiently waiting Pro Hero, as if just noticing him. "I guess we interrupted something?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and Mina stiffened a little when she realized he was right. "Sorry, sir."

All Might just smiled at them. "No harm done, young man. We were just on our way to help Midoriya iron out a few concerns we had regarding his Quirk."

Mina and Kirishima blinked at him, turning to face Izuku. "Really?" Mina asked, tilting her head. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Not expecting the sudden attention, Izuku broke out in a cold sweat, floundering for an answer. "Well… k-kind of… I-I mean, it's nothing major, but…"

Before he could devolve into nervous babbling, Katsuki rolled his eyes. He jerked a thumb towards Izuku, his initial ire masked by feigned boredom. "The teachers are curious about Deku's Fusions. All Might wants us to show off what ours can do."

Izuku and All Might shot Katsuki a surprised look, which the blonde studiously ignored. Not noticing this, Mina and Kirishima perked up a little. "Oh," Mina said. Then, both she and Kirishima jolted, their eyes widening. "Wait, you mean you two are going to Fuse with Midoriya?"

Ochako jolted slightly as his excited gaze turned to her. "Well… probably," she said slowly,

Kirishima let out an excited laugh. "Dude, that sounds awesome! Can we come watch?"

Izuku stiffened, his eyes blowing wide. "Wha…?"

"Please?" Mina begged, putting her hands together with a smile. "It was really neat seeing you and Momo fuse. It'd be so cool to see what else you can do with your Quirk."

Izuku hesitated, at a complete loss for what to say. He looked to All Might for direction. The Pro just gave a subtle shrug, deciding to let his students work the situation out themselves. "It's your Quirk, my boy. Any decisions made regarding its use are yours and yours alone… save the valuable input of your instructors, of course."

Izuku fought down the urge to grimace, glancing towards his friends. Katsuki looked utterly indifferent, while Ochako just gave a grin and a shrug. Letting out a nervous sigh, Izuku rubbed at the back of his neck. "I guess… if you really want to…"

Mina let out a cheer and Kirishima pumped his arms. "Cool! So, where are we doing this?"

"Right this way, my young students," All Might boomed, waving towards a squarish building off in the distance. "We shall proceed onwards to Gym Gamma!"

The group started on after All Might, ignoring the numerous students from the other departments pointing and gawking at the Pro Hero as they milled around the school entrance. As they walked, Mina sided up to Ochako. "So, you've fused with Midoriya before, right? What's your Fusion like?"

Ochako blinked at the question, before a smile lit up her face. "Oh! Well, her name is Izuchako…"

As Mina and Kirishima started chatting with Ochako, Izuku hung back, whispering quickly to Katsuki. "Kacchan, why did you tell them that? All Might wasn't talking about Human Fusion, he was-"

"I know, Deku," Katsuki stopped him, shooting his friend an irritated look. "But as far as they know, your Quirk did work in class. What, were you just going to blab about you-know-what right then and there?" He scoffed, picking up the pace as Izuku skipped forward to keep up. "We can still work on why you're so weak while we train. Hell, maybe Katzuku and Floaty Deku'll have some ideas of their own."

Izuku let out a small sigh. "It's possible, but…" He then blinked, giving Katsuki a weird look.

Katsuki shot back a challenging glare. "What?"

"...did you just call Izuchako 'Floaty Deku'?"

Gym Gamma was a large, squat building on the edge of UA's main campus. Aside from a lobby and set of locker rooms at the front of the building (where All Might insisted they change into their P.E. clothes), most of the structure was just a gigantic warehouse-type space. The whole area was filled with jagged, rocky terrain, forming cliffs and caverns that nearly reached the ceiling.

As the students gawked at the training space, All Might began to explain. "Now, normally you all wouldn't start using this space until later in the year. However, given the unique effect of Midoriya's Quirk, Principle Nezu has allowed this exception in the hopes of mitigating possible collateral damage. Any damage done within this building can be repaired by Cementoss within seconds." He turned to flash Izuku a grin. "So have no fears about holding back, my boy!"

Izuku gave a sharp nod to his mentor. "Right. So…" He then gave the room a curious look. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

All Might put his hands on his hips. "During your match today, I noticed that…" He glanced quickly towards Mina and Kirishima, faltering a bit. "...er… you seemed rather flustered trying to get through Todoroki's ice! Yes!" He chuckled nervously, making his three secret keeper's sweatdrop. "Can you tell me why?"

Well aware of the two students not in-the-know listening, Izuku scrambled for a decent response. "Well… part of my Quirk gives my Fusions super-strength. I can use it on my own, but… I can't control it very well… so I end up hurting myself."

Mina and Kirishima blinked at his words, Katsuki keeping a close eye on them. "Seriously?" Kirishima asked. "That… kind of blows, man."

Izuku nodded quickly, mentally patting himself on the back for being convincing. "Yeah. I thought I found a way around it, fusing with metal to keep from hurting myself. But…" He frowned, looking down at his first. "At full power, I know I could have gotten through that ice. But even putting my all into it, I barely made a dent. Turning fully metal doesn't work."

All Might nodded, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "I see. Quite a conundrum." He then smiled brightly at his student. "But nothing that can't be solved by training and a little brainstorming!"

The Pro took a few steps forward, before gesturing out towards the rocky terrain. "For the next hour, I'd like you to experiment with your Quirk. Absorption, Human Fusion, or whatever else you can think of. Have at it!"

Izuku flinched back in surprise, his eyes bugging out. "Wait, just like that?"

All Might boomed a laugh. "Just like that! I will remain here to observe your actions, so feel free to test yourself however you see fit."

For a moment, a bright smile broke out on Izuku's face. But it quickly fell as a thought struck him. "All Might...Is this really fair? I mean, I appreciate the help, but…. This feels a little like special treatment."

"A fair question," All Might conceded, nodding. "But you forget! The point of UA is to help future heroes hone their skills. Every now and then, we get a student like you, my boy, who has a multitude of untapped potential, but is being held back only by their own lack of self-understanding. In those cases, it is not uncommon to give such students a bit of extra focus in the hopes of letting them find their way."

His smile dimmed from 'blinding hero' to 'comforting'. "If we felt any other student in our hero course was struggling like you currently are, I assure you that they would be given the same treatment. Consider this akin to an after-school tutoring session." Putting his hands on his hips, the Pro's smile returned to its blinding glory. "This is an opportunity to cut loose and really find yourself. So do not hesitate. Go out and push yourself to your limits. Understood?"

Izuku took a moment to consider All Might's words, then gave a firm nod. "All right, then. I guess…" He remembered Katsuki's suggestion from earlier. "I'll work with my Fusions a bit?"

His hesitancy was unneeded, as All Might merely gave him a supportive smile and a nod. "If that's the course of action you wish to take, then by all means!"

Izuku returned the smile, his relief obvious. He looked back at his friends, being momentarily surprised by the excited looks on Mina and Kirishima's faces, before turning to Katsuki and Ochako. "Well, guys? Why wants to go first?"

Both Katsuki and Ochako went to speak at the same time, before looking sharply at each other. They glared at one other with narrowed eyes for a moment. Then, without breaking eye contact, the each held out a fist.

Izuku slumped where he stood, letting out a groan. "Guys, really?"

He was ignored.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

The two looked down sharply at their hands. Instantly, Ochako cheered, while Katsuki let out a frustrated growl.

"Paper beats rock!" Ochako preened triumphantly, flapping her hand in the blondes face. "My turn, Kacchan."

Katsuki just growled louder. "That's not my name…" He grumbled under his breath as he turned on his heel, stomping away to stand next to All Might.

Ochako giggled at his anger-masked pouting, turning to face Izuku. The future Fusion hero rubbed at the bridge of his nose, giving her an exasperated look. "Why must you antagonize him?"

Ocahko could only shrug sheepishly. "It just kind of happens. And it's fun."

"I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU DORKS!"

Ochako snorted lightly, pointing towards the irate blonde. "See?"

Izuku let out a long sigh, fighting a smile of his own. He covered it by meeting Ochako's eyes, holding his fist out. "You ready?"

Practically bouncing on her feet, Ochako held out her own fist, just shy of touching his. "Yep!"

Izuku's grin grew wide. "Okay." With that, he pressed his knuckles to hers.

Mina and Kirishima had to shield their eyes from the resulting flash of light, each letting out a noise of surprise. They watched in awe through their fingers as Izuku and Ochako's bodies lit up with green and pink light respectively, their edges blurring and melding into each other until the colors merged into a formless mass, before reshaping in the visage of a single person.

The light vanished just as suddenly as it had started, revealing Izuchako in all her two-toned hair, bright-green-eyed glory.

"Woo!" She shouted, stretching her arms out over her head. "It feels so good to be back!"

Katsuki spared a glance towards the tag-alongs, snorting at the gobsmacked looks on their faces. He then winced as Mina let out a high-pitch squeal.

"Oh… my… god!" The pink-skinned girl ran right up to Izuchako, leaning into her personal space. "You two look amazing together!"

Izuchako leaned away from her in surprise, letting out a nervous giggle. "Ugh… thank you, Ashido?"

Shaking off his own surprise, Kirishima let out a chuckle as he stepped forward, gently pushing Mina back. "Maybe give her at least a minute before freaking, Ashido?"

Mina pouted at him, but acquiesced. "Fine…" She turned to Izukchako, slumping a little where she stood. "Sorry."

Izuchako smiled, waving her off. "It's okay. I know us Fusions are kind of a shock." She then looked towards All Might. "I guess I'll work with my gravity control for a bit?"

The Pro just nodded supportively. "By all means."

Kirishima quirked a brow at her. "Wait… gravity control? I thought Uraraka's Quirk was 'Zero Gravity'?"

At that, Izuchako blinked. "Oh, her's is. But…" She then placed one hand over the other, pressing her fingertips flat against her palm. Instantly, her feet left the ground, strands of her hair drifting upwards. She gave him and Mina a cheeky smile.

"Mine's not!"

Without another word, she twisted around in midair, hunching her body as if readying to jump. Then, she shot her arms and legs out straight, blasting off up and across the gym in a burst of speed, All Might taking a quick leap to follow her.

Mina and Kirishima's mouths fell open, they're eyes blowing wide as they yelled, "She can fly!?"

Katsuki smirked at their gobsmacked expressions, watching as Izuchako started to circle the gym, bobbing and weaving between rock formations. "She can do a hell of a lot more than that."

Kirishima turned to him in surprise. "Really? Like what?"

Katsuki eyed him for a moment, considering. He glanced briefly up at the flying Fusion, before walking off towards the gym exit to where they'd left their backpacks. Kirishima watched in confusion as the blonde started digging through Izuku's backpack, before walking back with a notebook in his hands.

Mina's brow rose when Katsuki handed to book over to Kirishima, reading off the handwritten title. "Izuku's Fusion Files?"

Katsuki scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Nerd's always been making notes on Heroes and Quirks. Now he's putting one together for whatever Fusions he ends up making." He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to Izuchako, who had started hovering just below a particular outcropping of rock, where the concrete had formed an arch. "Check page 6."

Curious, Kirishima flipped to the stated page, noting that Izuku's scrawling handwriting filled nearly every line of the pages he passed.

His eyes widened further once he found page 6.

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Izuchako

Fusion Component: Ochako Uraraka

Quirk Mutation: Gravity Manipulation

Anything she touches stops following the laws of Earth's gravity and has to follow hers. When used on herself, this gives her the ability to fly weightlessly. When used on other objects, it lets her control their movements as they float, in sort of a pseudo-telekinesis. Alternatively, she can increase the force of gravity on a specific object, increasing its weight and limiting movement.

WARNING!: Ochako's nausea drawback is still in effect, though to a lesser extent. Manipulating the movement of floating objects exacerbates the amount of nausea felt. Keep antacids and can ginger ale in backpack just in case. (Add to utility belt?)

On the opposite page, a photo had been pinned along the top. In it, Izuchako stood smiling in an odd outfit of an All Might T-shirt and a bubblegum-pink skirt over a pair of blue jeans. From the angle it was taken and Izuchako's posture, it looked like the Fusion had taken a selfie. On the bottom of the page was a rough sketch of Izuchako in what looked like a combination of Izuku and Ochako's hero suits, surrounded by scribbled notes and eraser marks.

"Holy crap," Kirishima breathed. "That's one heck of a Quirk."

"But what's that mean," Mina asked. "Quirk Mutation?"

Katsuki shrugged. "That's what we started calling the Fusions' Quirks. Best we can figure, when Deku fuses with someone, their Fusion's Quirk ends up being similar to whoever he Fused with, only a bit different. You saw it with Ponytail's earlier, letting her change into whatever material she wanted on the fly."

Kirishima nodded, turning to the next page. More notes about Izuchako, ranging from her Quirk Mutation to her and personality, though the handwriting for some of them looked a little different. On the next, there was already a quick blurb written down for Moku, along with the beginnings of another sketch.

"Midoriya's pretty good at drawing. I'm kinda jealous, honestly," Mina admitted with a giggle. "What about your Fusion, Bakugo? You fused with Midoriya first, right?"

Katsuki didn't respond for a moment, watching as Izuchako pressed her hands against the bottom of the arch. The Fusion lifted her arms over her head, and the structure shook a little, All Might keeping watch below. "Page 2," Katsuki eventually responded.

Kirishima flipped back to the start of the book, finding another Fusion bio on the left-side page.

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Katzuku

Fusion Component: Katsuki Bakugo

Quirk Mutation: High-Ex

The nitroglycerin Katzuku produces is highly concentrated, nearly doubling Katsuki's explosive output. In addition, he can sweat nitroglycerin from anywhere on his body.

WARNING!: Explosions from anywhere other then hands tends to destroy clothing. Always keep spare clothes on hand just in case.

WARNING!: We discovered that Katzuku sweats more than a regular person and with less physical exertion then is normally required. This lets him create larger explosions faster the Katsuki, but tires him quickly and  WILL  lead to dehydration if overused (found that out the hard way). Keep a water bottle on hand for emergencies. (Add to utility belt inventory)

Just like the last with the last one, there were two pictures on the opposite page; A photo of a green-haired, red-eyed boy smirking at the camera in a bulky tracksuit, and a sketch of that same boy in a fusion of Izuku and Bakugo's outfit.

"Geez…" Kirishima looked back up at Izuchako, who was frowning at the rock-arch that quivered above her. "And they all have super strength on top of their mutations?"

Katsuki huffed. "Yeah, for all the good it does them." At the curious looks he got, he explained. "Katzuku and Flo- Izuchako are a lot more durable then Deku, but using their strength still screws them up. Izuchako managed to take down the Zero-pointer in the exam, but pretty much obliterated her arm in the process. And the last time Katzuku tried to pull off what he called a 'Lift-Off Leap', he left me and Deku limping for a week."

Mina cringed. "Ouch. So, I guess me Fusing with Midoriya to jump over a building ain't happening?"

The look Katsuki gave Mina wasn't exactly a glare, but it was intense enough to give her a chill. He looked away after a moment, clicking his tongue. "Not unless you want your bones to be powder."

Mina winced at the thought. "Man…" she whined, pouting.

"Sir? Can you smash this for me, please?"

Their attention was drawn back as Izuchako called down to All Might. She had finally worked the stone arch until a large chunk of it had broken off, hovering in the air above her. There was a sheen of sweat on her forehead, her breathing heavy with apparent strain.

The Pro gave her a sharp nod. "With pleasure, young Fusion!" He flicked his pointer finger at the hovering slab of concrete. The rock shattered into a million pieces, but strangely stayed in roughly the same place.

Izuchako grimaced for a second, wobbling in the air. "Ugh… thank you!" She took a deep breath, then waved her right arm out. Half of the stone shards followed her hand, drifting to the right. Now smiling brightly, the Fusion waved her other arm out, letting out a small laugh as the rest of the rock moved in kind.

"Yes!" She cheered with a fist pump, the left half of the broken stone bobbing in time with her fist. "Okay… now let's see if I can…"

She started to float backward, watching carefully as the field of stone followed her. Seeing that the concrete was keeping pace with her, she twisted around and blasted towards the center of the gym, the shattered stones orbiting her like a mini asteroid field. She scanned the room, zeroing in on a tall spire of concrete jutting out towards the ceiling.

With a determined grin, Izuchako pulled her arms back, then threw them forward with all her non-One-For-All might.

"Meteor Storm!"

The air around Izuchako seemed to shimmer, and the entire mass of stone around her went flying forward at incredible speed. They rained down on the base of the spire, their trajectory shifting slightly so that the rock formed a loose cone, pointed towards a single point that Izuchako kept her eyes focused on.

The rock pounded against the spire with tremendous impact, chipping away at its base. By the time she had run out of stone, the spire was creaking and cracking, it's base nearly cut through. A cloud of dust hung around the base, a mass of rock particles suspended in the air.

Izuchako let out a few deep breaths, eyeing her handiwork. "All right… not too bad, just… uh oh."

Her eyes widened as the rock spire gave a last ominous crack, then started to fall over. Moving quickly, Izuchako zipped under the spire before it crashed to the ground, smacking both palms against it. The spire stopped its descent, hanging precariously in the air. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Fusion moved out from under the spire, slowly moving her arm down. The spire followed her hand's path, gently coming to rest on the ground.

With the spire safely on the ground, Izuchako brought her fingertips together. "Release." As the spire settled and the dust around it began to dissipate, Izuchako instantly threw both hands over her mouth. She let out a little whimper, her throat bobbing dangerously.

Ignoring the stunned looks of his fellow students, Katsuki rose a brow at her and called out, "You okay, Floaty Deku? Or are you gonna blow chunks?"

The Fusion sent him a quick glare, before moaning as her stomach did a somersault. She took a few slow, deep breaths through her nose, before carefully removing her hands. With one last breath through her mouth, Izuchako let out a sigh of relief. "I'm okay… I'm okay." She winced as her stomach gave one last twinge. "But I think I might be done for the day."

Below her, All Might gave a sympathetic nod. "There is no shame in requiring a rest. Pushing yourself too far beyond your limits too fast could cause more problems than it would solve." His sunken eyes glinted as he gave the Fusion a knowing look. "As I'm sure Midoriya has learned before."

Izuchako let out a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head. "I hear you loud and clear, sir. I just need to record something first before I unfuse. Kacchan, could you grab Izuku's…"

Without even looking, Katsuki snatched the Fusion Files notebook out of Kirishima's hands and held it over his head.

Izuchako blinked in surprise, but then smiled. She zipped over and took the book from his hands. "Thank you, Kacchan," she said even as she pulled out a pen and began making new notes.

Katsuki just hummed in answer, eyeing the Fusion as she hung above them, scribbling in the notebook. Then his eyes drifted down towards Mina. "Hey. Pinky."

Mina, who had been alternating between watching Izuchako hover and All Might leisurely leap back to them, looked towards him in surprise. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly at his nickname, but she asked, "Yeah?"

"You really want to try fusing with Deku?"

Mina's head jerked back in surprise. "But… I thought you said-"

"There'll be no bouts of super-strength," Katsuki confirmed, crossing his arms. "But you'd still know what it feels like and find out what your Fusion's mutation is."

Mina was silent for a moment. Her eyes drifted up to where Izuchako was hovering, still making notes with her brow scrunched in thought. "Well…" Mina eventually said, looking contemplative. She gave Kirishima a questioning look, but he could only give a small shrug in response. "If it's okay with Midoriya…"

Katsuki gave a sharp nod, then looked up at Izuchako. "Hey! Floaty Deku!"

Izuchako blinked down at them, before putting her hands on her hips, scowling. "I don't like that name, Kacchan."

"And I hate being called Kacchan, so deal with it." He ignored her pouting, jerking his thumb back at Mina. "Think Deku'd be okay fusing with Pinky here?"

Izuchako's eyes widened. She looked at Mina, tilting her head slightly. Snapping the notebook shut, she drifted down to them and looked into Mina's eyes. "You'd really be okay fusing with Izuku?"

Mina leaned back a little, not expecting the Fusion to get so close. "If it's okay with him. Is there something wrong with that?"

Izuchako gave her a searching look, before crossing her arms, leaning back on nothing. "Not… exactly. It's just that most people Izuku's talked to about his Quirk… they get weirded out or…" Her scowl returned full force. "Get stupid thoughts." Her dark expression faded as she gave Mina a curious look. "It's just kind of strange that people here don't seem to have a problem with it."

Mina's mouth parted slightly, before she gained a look of… understanding. "Well… I guess I get that." At Izuchako's raised eyebrow, Mina chuckled. "I've got pink skin, pink hair, black eyes, and horns. Even with all the weird Quirks in the world, I tend to draw attention."

A tilt of the head was Izuchako's only reaction, crossing her arms as she gave Mina a considering look.

"...well… I guess it'd be okay." Izuchako's words came slow, as if she was still thinking it over even as she said them. Then she grinned. "Looks like Izuku'll be making Fusion number Four, then!"

After a moment of shock, Mina beamed. "Are you serious?!"

"Yep!" Izuchako chirped as she lowered herself to the ground. She flashed Mina a peace sign. "Till next time!"

Mina yelped as Izuchako suddenly glowed with green light. Her form split apart, half of it turning pink, before the two halves reformed.

Ochako, now the one holding the Fusion Files notebook, instantly put a hand over her stomach, grimacing. "Oof… I think Izuchako overdid it a bit."

Izuku nodded in agreement, wincing as he did the same. "Yeah… but at least now we know that she can keep moving objects after they're broken."

Ochako hummed. "There is that, I guess."

Shaking off his nausea, Izuku turned his attention to Mina. His expression tightened a little, making him look a little uncomfortable. "Do you… really want to fuse with me, Ashido?"

Mina looked between him and Ochako, and her enthusiasm, while not dissipating, did dim. The look in Izuku's eyes… he somehow looked both incredibly tense and tentatively hopeful. It was a look Mina hadn't been expecting, and it brought her up short. "Yeah…" She admitted, but quickly followed it with, "But, y'know, only if you want to! I don't want to… force you to fuse, or anything."

Izuku quickly shook his head. "No, I… I have no problem fusing with you. It's just…" He seemed to shrink into himself even as he gave her a small smile. "You're the first person to actually ask to fuse with me."

"...oh," Mina said after a moment, her shoulders falling as Izuku's words sank in.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah… Katzuku was a bit of an accident, and I asked to fuse with Ochako and Momo. So, you asking me is… different."

They both went quiet after that. Mina looked at Izuku oddly, like she was seeing him in a different light. Then, with a tiny nod to herself, she gave him a beaming smile. "Well, guess that just makes me special then!"

Izuku looked surprised, then grinned back.

Off to the side, Ochako giggled lightly from where she'd stepped back, moving beside Katsuki. The blonde himself just smirked at his friend. He dropped it when he noticed Kirishima giving him an odd look. "What?" He barked defensively.

Kirishima put up his hands, chuckling. "Nothing, man. Just…" He shrugged. "Didn't expect you'd actually ask Midoriya that for Mina."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the shark-toothed boy, before looking back to Izuku and Mina with a scoff. "The dumbass is insecure about his Quirk and can barely talk to girls," Katsuki didn't bother looking at him as he spoke. "Two birds, one stone."

"...ah," Kirishima nodded in understanding, turning to watch with him. Ochako nodded in agreement with Katsuki's words, even as her cheeks pinked a bit.

Hanging back a bit, All Might let out a small chuckle, finding himself agreeing with the blonde's assessment of his student.

"So…" Mina said slowly. "How do we do this?"

"It's pretty simple," Izuku explained. "All I need is physical contact."

Mina hummed to herself. "Like this?" Without warning, she clapped her hand over Izuku's shoulder, gripping it tightly.

Izuku jumped at the sudden motion. "Uh… yeah. That'll work," He mumbled, his cheeks tinting at her being so close.

Katsuki threw a look towards Kirishima, his eyebrows raising as if saying 'see?'. Kirishima snorted in agreement.

"Now what?" Mina asked.

Shaking off his surprise, Izuku gave her his biggest grin.

Without warning, Izuku and Mina's bodies became light, green and neon pink molding and shifting together. Expecting it this time, Kirishima was able to keep his eyes open, squinting through his lashes as he watched the process. The light began to form, and already he could make out the silhouette of horns sticking out of poofy hair.

When the light died down, they all took in the new Fusion. She appeared female, with a lean frame and standing an inch taller than Izuku. She looked most like Mina, with the same pink skin and face shape, but there were resemblances to Izuku that showed through easily. Most notably was the smattering of familiar freckles across her cheeks. Her poofy hair faded from Mina's pink to Izuku's green in a gradient, running left to right. The horns poking out from her hair were curled and sharp, as opposed to Mina's crooked ones.

But it was when the Fusion opened her eyes that drew the most surprise. While she had retained Mina's black sclera, her irises were unmistakably Izuku's shade of green. The Fusion blinked a few times before looking down at herself.

"Whoa," The she said slowly as she turned over her hands. "This is… different." Then a wide grin spread over her lips as she pumped both her arms. "And totally awesome!"

As the Fusion looked herself over, Katsuki took a couple of steps forward. "So, any idea on a name?"

The Fusion looked at him in surprise, then but a hand to her chin. "Huh. I dunno, Kacchan." She looked away with a smirk as Katsuki gnashed his teeth. "Mina, Izuku, Mina, Izuku. Min...ku? No, no, that's dumb. Hmm…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Izuku, Mina. Izu...mina. Izu...na?" She started, something clicking in her mind. She bounced on her toes excitedly, beaming. "Yeah! I'm Izuna!"

Katsuki huffed at her excitement. "Three chicks, three female Fusions." He snatched the Fusion Files away from Ochako, opening it to the first page and starting to write. "I'm calling it. Gender of who Deku fuses with is what the gender their Fusion will be."

"Kacchan…" Ochako said disapprovingly. "You don't know that for sure."

"Screw you. It's going in the book until I see otherwise."

As Ochako sighed in exasperation, Kirishima walked up to Izuna, looking her up and down in a sort of awe. "Well… wasn't expecting this today."

Izuna chuckled at him, bouncing from foot to foot. "I know! I feel so strong and powerful and… oh!" She looked back down at her hands excitedly. "My Quirk! Oh, I bet it's so much cooler then Mina's!"

Her brow pinched in concentration. Within seconds, large droplets of liquid started running down her arms, dripping onto the ground below. Suddenly, clear liquid shot from her palms like water from a hose, dousing the ground around her.

"Whoa!" She shouted, making everyone take a step back in alarm so as not to get splashed. She clenched her teeth, and the stream of liquid slowly came to a stop. At their alarmed looks, she let out a sheepish chuckle. "Hehe… sorry. It was just a lot easier to make the acid then I thought it would be. Maybe a little too much."

Kishima, however, wasn't laughing, looking down at the puddles of acid in confusion. "Uh… doesn't your… uh, Mina's acid dissolve stuff on contact?"

Izuna gave him an odd look. "Uh, yeah? Why… huh?" She tilted her head as she noticed that her acid was just… sitting there. No sizzling, no burning. To all appearances, her acid seemed as harmless as water.

"What…?" She looked at her palms in confusion, her dark eyes narrowing. Looking around, she held her arm out towards a nearby cliffside and let loose a stream of acid. To her dismay, the fluid did nothing more than drip down the rocks.

Izuna scowled at her hands, her eyes betraying desperation. "What the heck is this? Fusion is supposed to make Mina's Quirk stronger, not weaker!"

Ochako quickly moved next to the Fusion, carefully avoiding the puddles of acid just in case. "Hey, it's okay, Izuna." She put a hand on her should, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just think. Does it feel different to use your Quirk then Mina's?"

Still frowning, Izuna sighed heavily, pointing her arm out again and letting fly a small stream of acid. She hummed a little in thought. "Well… kind of, I guess?" She let out a scoff of discontent. "Yeah, that's helpful. Like… it feels just like Mina's, except… I don't know, there's something missing? Almost like… I'm forgetting something but… not?"

Behind her, Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, that made sense."

Ochako sent him a disapproving glare at the same time Izuna gave him an irritated one. "Well, I don't see you coming up with ideas, Kacchan!" She growled when he just rolled his eyes, her frustration increased by the puddles of useless acid surrounding her. "C'mon, just…" She kicked some gravel into one of the puddles childishly, letting out a snarl. "Melt already!"

...hhhssss...

Izuna blinked. They all blinked.

"...no way in hell that worked," Katsuki said with blunt disbelief.

Sure enough, the bits of gravel Izuna had kicked into the puddle were slowly being eaten away, sizzling and foaming in the acid.

"Maybe your mutation gives your acid a delayed reaction?" All Might mused after a while.

Izuna shook her head. "No… then the puddles would be eating through the floor." She eyed one of the puddles, pursing her lips. Feeling a little self-conscious, she muttered under her breath, "Melt."

...hhhssss…

Their eyes all widened as the puddle hissed and popped, slowly sinking further into the ground. And… Izuna felt something. It was faint but… something like a light tugging on the back of her mind, towards the sizzling puddle. She slowly trailed her eyes up to the cliffside, still soaked with acid. Her voice growing a little stronger, she said it again. "Melt."

As if heeding her command, the cliffside began to dissolve.

"How are you doing that?" Ochako asked in amazement.

Izuna's eyes narrowed at the melting stone, darting around as she took everything in. Then he eyes shot wide. "I can control it," She breathed.

Everyone turned to her with odd looks. "Control... what, exactly?" Kishima asked.

Mina didn't answer him, instead staring at her palms in wonder. She suddenly threw her arms out towards another cliffside, dousing it with acid. Her brow furrowed slightly, and the rock began to dissolve. A small smile graced her lips, which grew as she splattered more acid across the landscape, melting more concrete. "I can control it." She repeated again, starting to breathe faster.

"Young Izuna?" All Might started to take a step forward, getting a little worried from how the Fusion was reacting.

Izuna didn't hear him, already spraying acid across a piece of concrete jutting out into the open air. She covered the entire structure in acid, before focusing. The rock sizzled, but to everyone's surprise, only the base of the rocky spike began to melt. Once enough of it had eased through the base, the rest of the spike went crashing down to the floor below, broken but still solid.

"I can control it. My acid." Izuna turned to them all with a beaming smile, showing off her sharpened teeth. She put her pointer fingers to the sides of her head, giggling. "I can control when it melts with my mind!"

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Izuna

Fusion Component: Mina Ashido

Quirk Mutation: Acid Control

In addition to producing greater quantities of acid then Mina in a shorter amount of time, it's rate and area of corrosion depends solely on Izuna's whims, ranging from being as harmless as water to dissolving objects whole within seconds.

"This... is... AWESOME!"

Without preamble, Izuna started throwing her arms out wildly at the rocks around them, each one only melting when she focused on it. With merely a look towards them, images began to appear on the rock's surface, Izuna's acid carving into concrete like a knife. A square, a triangle, a diamond. A perfectly round circle which, after a giggle from Izuna, became a smiley face sticking its tongue out.

With a nearly manic grin, Izuna kicked off her shoes and took off into the gym, sliding around on the acid trail her feet produced, laughing and cheering as she experimented with her newfound power.

"I… I could make tunnels. Or set delayed traps! Or just… or just rain down acid on villains and only melt away their weapons and armor! I… I can do just about anything!" Without really meaning too, Izuna slid up to a rock in her path, backflip over it, and then left it to melt behind her as she continued on. "Woohoo!"

As the Fusion ran (well, slid) further into the distance, she left the group with her dumbfounded. Ochako looked to Katsuki with a wary smile. "So... Deku's creativity, plus Ashido's… enthusiasm equals…?"

"A hyper, acid-slinging nut." Katsuki put his head in his hands, letting out a growl. "Fan-friggin-tastic."

Kishima put his hands on his hips, looking out at Izuna's impromptu art in astonishment. "Sheesh… now I can't stop thinking about what would happen if I fused with Midoriya." He let out a laugh at the thought. "Man, this is nuts. I love it!"

As happy as he was for his students, All Might couldn't help but slump a little as he watched Gym Gamma slowly start to melt away. With great resignation, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Hello, Cementoss? It's All Might. I am afraid that Gym Gamma may require a rather… significant touch-up before class tomorrow."

Chapter Text

The next few days passed peacefully, allowing Izuku to get a feel for what passed for normality at UA. Classes, unfortunately, proved to be about on par with his old middle school in terms of excitement. In that, there was none. From History to Math to Literature, the fact that they were being taught by Heroes barely factored into their day-to-day lessons. This naturally disappointed Izuku, who had (perhaps naively) been looking forward to hearing about first-hand accounts from Ectoplasm, Midnight, Present Mic, etc. Though, in hindsight, it was a bit of a blessing, seeing the Heroes act like normal teachers. It showed him that, underneath all the powers and spandex, the Pro Heroes were still human, just like him.

The most excitement they had was when Aizawa told them to choose a class president. Practically everyone voted for Izuku to take the job, much to his utter bafflement and Katsuki's snickering. He managed to escape such a fate after Iida managed to calm an entire cafeteria of panicked students after a false security alarm drove them into a mob, allowing him to graciously give the job to Iida.

The very next day, Aizawa told them to dress in their hero suits and go to the buses, as they had a special day of Hero class ahead of them with All Might and anouther teacher. It looked to be a fun, exciting day of class.

If only things were so easy…

"Hey, Midoriya..."

Izuku perked up at the sound of his name. He, along with the rest of class 1-A, was packed haphazardly into one of UA's transport buses, much to the orderly Iida's dismay. He turned to face who'd spoken. "Yes, Asui?"

"Call me Tsu," The froggy girl instantly responded. She gave Izuku a long look, her face blank as per usual. "Your Quirk's pretty weird, isn't it."

Izuku stiffened, his face falling in an instant. "O-Oh…?" He murmured weakly, ducking his head. From his other side, Ochako frowned at Tsuyu, looking more disappointed than mad.

Katsuki, who had been sitting a ways off talking with Kirishima (well, Kirishima talked with Katsuki mostly grunting every now and then) instantly looked up, scowling fiercely at Tsuyu. "Wanna say that again, Frog Face?"

Tsu looked passively at him. "I didn't say it was bad. Just weird." She turned back to Izuku, tilting her head slightly. "And you have to admit it kind of is. Two people Fusing together like that is so different from anything else I've seen."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, Tsu's neutral tone convincing him that there was no malice behind her words, just honest curiosity. He gave a timid smile as he tried to relax. "Yeah, I know. I've researched a few heroes that can absorb objects like me, but none with people. The closest I found was a pair of twin heroes who could combine together, but even then they both kept their own personalities. The Fusions I make… they kind of have a mind of their own."

On the opposite side of the bus, Jiro perked up in surprise. "What, like… they're whole new people?"

Izuku nodded, smiling shyly. "Pretty much. It mostly seems like they take my personality and whoever I'm fusing with, and creates a new personality that's like a median between the two."

"Freaky," Kaminari said from beside Jiro. "So, wait, if Fusing makes a whole new person, then where exactly do you… go?"

Izuku blinked. "Go?"

"Yeah, like, are you stuck in the fusions head or something? Or do you just… cease to be for a little while?" Kaminari shivered a bit at his own words. "Okay, that came out creepier than I meant it to."

As Jiro rolled her eyes at her friend, Izuku scratched his ear and thought. "No, I get what you're asking. It's just... complicated. It's a bit like a mix of the two, I guess? Like… oh, I know!" He perked up, a thought striking him. "You know those shows where someone has an angel and a devil on their shoulders, trying to lead them one way or the other?" When a few people gave him a very confused nod, he went on. "It's sort of like that. Me and who I'm fused with are kind of aware of what's going on, but we don't really have control over our Fusion. But who we are, our personalities and mindsets, can influence how our Fusion approaches a situation."

Ochako hummed, thinking over his words. "Yeah, that sounds about right. When I remember stuff that Izuchako did, it does seem less like it was me doing it and more like I was looking over her shoulder."

Katsuki gave a bored nod in agreement, falling back against his seat as he quickly lost interest.

Mina giggled from the back of the bus. "It does feel kind of like you're just along for the ride, doesn't it?"

Momo twisted around from the seat in front of her, a surprised look on her face. "You Fused with Izuku too?"

Mina beamed. "Yeah! Our Fusion's name is Izuna, and she is awesome! Look, she even took some pictures with my phone while we were fused. Check it out!"

Mina leaned over the seat, pushing her phone out towards the other girl. Momo leaned in to look, Sero and Sato doing so as well from the neighboring seat.

From the back corner of the bus, Minoru Mineta looked between Mina and Momo with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open. His gaze panned to Ochako, before finally settling on Izuku as he continued chatting about his Quirk with the surrounding students. Mineta's eyes narrowed to slits, his cheeks puffing up in a pouty scowl. "Lucky bastard…" he muttered under his breath.

From beside Momo, Todoroki's eyes followed a similar path, though the look in his narrowed mismatched eyes was much darker as he listened to Izuku speak.

Once they reached their destination, the class gathered inside the massive structure of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ for short) as they were introduced to its owner, the space-themed hero Thirteen. Ochako had a moment to gush at seeing her favorite Pro in real life, making Katsuki snicker and elbow Izuku hard. "Remind you of anyone, Deku?"

Izuku glared lightly back at him. "No," He fired back defiantly.

At that, Katsuki took a moment to think. "Hmm… yeah, you're right." He then smirked. "At least she ain't stuttering."

Izuku rolled his eyes, ignoring his friend's verbal jabs. It was then he noticed Thirteen and Aizawa speaking in low tones. He watched as Thirteen held up three fingers, and he thought Aizawa bristled in annoyance.

Katsuki's eyes narrowed at the Pro Hero's gesture. "You saw that, right?" He whispered to Izuku.

Izuku nodded, feeling his chest tighten uncomfortably. "All Might can only work for three hours anymore. If he's not here…"

Ochako's face pinched, realizing what the two were implying. "He already used up all his time."

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Dumbass."

Izuku turned to him in an instant. "Kacchan!" He hissed, scandalized.

"What? He is!" Katsuki defended himself, wholly unapologetic. "Number One or not, the guy knew what we were doing today and that he only had so much time he could be buffed out. There's literally hundreds of heroes in this city. Unless we missed something on the news, nothing's happened today where he needed to step in. He did anyway, so, dumbass."

Izuku wilted, struggling to come up with a strong counterargument to defend their mentor. "Yeah, but… still."

"All right, everyone!" Aizawa's voice cut through all the chatter of the class, drawing their attention. "Thirteen is going to lay out why we're here today, so listen up."

Izuku listened to every word of Thirteen's speech with rapt attention, despite having already known about most of what they said. Safe Quirk usage, the dangers of losing focus; all important points, to be sure. But Izuku had already been thinking about such things for years, pretty much since the moment, he started recording hero information in his notebooks.

So, as his attention started to waver near the end of Thirteen's speech, he was one of the first ones to notice the swirling black mass down in the plaza.

The next few minutes happened in a blur. Dozens of people appeared from some type of portal, who Aiawa was quick to inform them were real villains and they were all in very real danger. Izuku felt a chill go down his spine at the sight of one in particular: A massive being with jet-black skin, a bird-like head, and what appeared to be an exposed brain. Then, after Aizawa had jumped down to the plaza to fight off the throngs of villains, the one responsible for the portal warped in right behind the class.

The villain introduced his group as the League of Villains and demanded where All Might was. Izuku and Ochako managed to keep Katsuki from instinctively leaping forward to attack the Villan, but could do nothing as Kirishima and Iida, the closest students to him, charged in. Their attacks did nothing, and before anyone could react, the Villain's misty body swirled around the class, and Izuku felt the ground vanish beneath his feet.

Izuku grit his teeth as he gripped the ship's railing. He, Tsuyu, and Mineta had been sent to the lake zone of the USJ, and were trapped on the sole dummy ship afloat as water-Quirk villains circled them. They were safe for the moment, as the villains were didn't seem to know about there Quirks and were playing the waiting game, but that could only last so long. He wracked his brain trying to think of a solution.

He glanced back at his fellow students. Mineta sat with his back against the cabin wall, wringing his hands anxiously. His eyes were still glossy from his earlier crying spell, and Izuku couldn't find it in him to be annoyed.

Mineta's Quirk could be useful. His sticky orbs latch onto everything but him, so we could use those for some kind of trap. But how…?

His eyes then drifted towards Tsuyu beside him, who was staring blankly out at the water.

Asui is best suited for this environment. She can move in the water even faster than on land, and has incredible reach with her tongue. But if she gets in the water, she'll be outnumbered a dozen to one.

Truthfully, his frustration had nothing to do with his unexpected partners. No, the subject of his ire was their real weakest link.

Himself.

This… I'm completely unsuited for this! I can't use One for All unless I fuse with my costume. But if I do, then I'll be made of solid metal. If I fall in the water, I'll sink like a rock. Maybe I could fight at the bottom, but I still have to breathe. And even then, I'll be leaving Asui and Mineta alone.He let out a frustrated groan. Even if I just use my strength to jump away, there's nothing stopping all these villains from following us. A full powered punch might take most of them out, but it'll completely break my arm. And with all those other villains throughout the facility…

"Hey, Midoriya."

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, finding Tsuyu staring at him. "Yeah, Asui?"

"Call me Tsu. Do you think one of your Fusions might be able to help us out?"

Izuku jerked back a little in surprise, Mineta looking up from his fretting with wide eyes. "My Fusions?"

Tsuyu nodded. "Yeah. You said before that you're Fusions are stronger than both of the people making them combined. If you fused with me or Mineta, maybe the Fusion you make will be able to fight off these villains."

Izuku swallowed nervously. Tsuyu… she wasn't exactly wrong, but… "But I haven't fused with either of you before. I have no idea what they'd be like, or how their Quirk would mutate."

Tsuyu just shrugged. "We'd still be in the same situation we are now, just with possibly a little more firepower and one less person to worry about."

Izuku bit his lip. He'd be lying if he said he didn't see the merit her idea had, but it still sent an uncomfortable feeling up his spine. This was not how he planned on creating new Fusions with his classmates. But… Tsuyu was right. They had limited options at the moment, and Fusion might be one of the better ones.

He looked between his two options, his eyes briefly shooting around the immediate area. An idea slowly started to form as he considered. He gave a stiff nod, then turned."Mineta."

The Pop Off boy stiffened in surprise, not expecting to be spoken to. "Y-Yeah?"

"Think you're up for it?"

Mineta's mouth fell open, his eyes wide as saucers. "M-Me!? You want to f-fuse with me!? Why!? Why not fuse with her!?" He pointed frantically towards Tsuyu with shaky hands.

Izuku grimaced at Mineta's reaction, turning towards Tsuyu himself. The froggy girl looked back at him plainly, her head tilted curiously. Izuku sighed before explaining. "Mineta, Asui is best suited for this environment. A fusion with her would probably be pretty powerful, but it wouldn't really change the situation much. Your Quirk is much better suited for trapping and capturing. With any luck, our Fusion's mutation might change your Quirk into something that can keep those villains from following us when we escape. Asui's already set for whatever plan we come up with."

Mineta stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "'With luck?' 'Might!?' You want me to fuse with you based on a 'might!?' You don't know if that'll work. For all you know, F-Fusing might take my Quirk and make it even more useless!"

Izuku cringed. "W-Well… I don't really think-"

"Do you have a better idea, Mineta?"

The boys' attention was drawn towards Tsuyu's neutral tone. She stared down Mineta with blank eyes. "You want to be a hero, right?"

Mineta stiffened, cringing in on himself, before puffing himself up. "O-Of course I do! But-"

"Well," Tsuyu cut him off, looking out over the water to the increasingly restless villains. "That's not going to happen if those villains get ahold of us." She blinked slowly as she stared the short boy down. "Midoriya's plan makes some sense. If nothing else, it can't make things worse. I think it's our best shot. What about you?"

The short boy could only stare at her, his jaw working soundlessly as he floundered for a response. His eyes quickly darted towards Izuku, who could only watch silently, trying not to feel miffed about how the two discussed how to use his Quirk.

Mineta gave one last long look out at the lake. The villains were starting to move, now. Pretty soon, their caution over the kids' unknown Quirks would get overshadowed by their impatience, and then they'd really be in trouble. Scowling at the ground, Mineta stomped over to stand in front of Izuku, not meeting his eyes. "You better not make this weird," He muttered under his breath.

"Weird?" Izuku tilted his head slightly.

Mineta froze, apparently not meaning to have spoken aloud. "Yeah, like… y'know…" His cheeks tinted slightly.

Izuku felt a deep pit forming in his stomach. "Not… really…:

Mineta shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, struggling to find his words. "I mean… oh, let's just get this over with!" He stuck his arm out towards Izuku, staring down at the ground with burning cheeks.

Izuku frowned at how tense the shorter boy was. He glanced at Tsuyu, but the froggy-girl could only offer a small shrug. Sighing lightly, Izuku turned back to Mineta. He took the boys hand, and focused.

Izuku and Mineta instantly vanished in a bright flash. The villains in the water paused in their movements, tensing at whatever was happening on the deck of the ship. Tsuyu watched through squinted eyes as the green and violet lights merged together, shifting and morphing into the form of a single person, before fading away. Tsuyu blinked at the new Fusion, then again when she realized she had to look down at him.

He was short, meeting midway between Izuku and Mineta's heights, but with Izuku's fit frame. His violet-streaked green hair might have been as poofy as Izuku's, but it was weighed down by the purple orbs hanging off the ends in clumps, ringing around his head in a circle. His green eyes were large, round, and flecked with grey. His cheeks were dotted with freckles, the rest of his features hidden behind Mineta's mask, which had shrunk a bit to show part of the Fusion's forehead and the bridge of his small nose.

He wore Mineta's costume, though it had changed slightly in the Fusion. He wore Izuku's jacket over Mineta's purple shirt, both too short to hide his midriff. Mineta's pants had merged with Izuku's shorts, dying them green and stretching them all the way down to his ankles. Izuku's shoes and Mineta's scarf remained unchanged.

The Fusion stared ahead at nothing for a few seconds. His eyes widened briefly, before he frowned. "Oh." He said, something akin to shame in his voice.

Tsuyu gave the new Fusion a quizzical look. "What?"

The Fusion shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. "Nothing. Just…" He cleared his throat, looking down. "Minoru owes Izuku an apology, is all." His gaze then turning curious, the Fusion rapped his knuckles against his pants leg, blinking at the metallic thud! it produced. "Huh. Armored pants. Izuku didn't know that."

Tsu looked down at the Fusion curiously, perplexed at being a few inches taller than him. "So… you got a name?"

The Fusion looked up at her. His eyes widened before he looked away quickly. "Uh… it's Izoru."

Tsu tilted her head. "That was fast."

Izoru shrugged, not looking at her. "Izuku's been thinking a lot about potential Fusion names with other students, just in case. I like Izoru."

"...huh." Tsu put a finger to her chin in thought. "Any idea what my Fusion's name would be?"

Izoru glanced quickly at her, his cheeks tinting slightly. "Izuyu… or Tsuku. It's up to her."

Tsu thought for a moment, before nodding. "I like Izuyu." She then looked back down, realizing that Izoru still wouldn't look at her. "Is something wrong?"

Izoru stiffened, looking at her out the corner of his eye. He swallowed nervously, before turning to her fully, his cheeks red. "You're really pretty."

…

"...ribbit?" Tsu croaked, her face quickly warming.

"...just saying…" Izoru mumbled after a minute of awkward silence, his face completely red.

The awkwardness between them was broken as the ship suddenly shook, leaning over towards one side.

"I guess they're getting tired of waiting," Tsu stated.

Izoru felt a burst of fear bloom in his chest, but he forced it down as he rushed to the boat's railing. The water villains were starting to swarm, several of them charging up some kind of long-distance attacks. As he watched, one with blue skin and a shark head launched a small ball of condensed water from his mouth, which nearly knocked the Fusion off his feet.

The Fusion cringed as he heard the villains shout about how bored they were getting. "Oh, shoot, we're out of time."

If Tsuyu was nervous at all, she didn't show it. "Any idea what your mutation might be?"

Izoru scratched the back of his head, thinking fast. "Not really. I don't-" He paused as his hand brushed one of the orbs hanging from his hair. He plucked it off, rolling it around in his hands.

He frowned as he looked the orb over. "It's a little lighter in color, but I don't see… wait." Izoru gave the orb a small squeeze. He tilted his head. "It's… squishier than normal. Almost like..." A crazy thought struck him. He lifted the orb to his ear and shook it slightly. His eyes widened as he heard a sloshing sound. He held the orb out away from himself in surprise. "I think there's something in it!"

Tsuyu looked at the orb curiously. "Any idea what?"

Izoru shook his head, then looked up at the bow of the ship. He looked back at the orb in his hand, then back up. On a whim, he threw it.

He and Tsuyu jumped back in surprise as the orb hit the deck and exploded. A shower of thick, purple gunk flew out in all directions, covering everything in a ten-foot radius.

Izoru blinked at the mess he'd just made. "Well… that's new…" He said slowly.

"Um… Izoru? A little help?"

The Fusion looked over in surprise to find Tsuyu covering her forearm with her hand, struggling to pull the two apart. There was a small glob of purple ooze that had splashed onto her, keeping her hand glued to her arm no matter how much she struggled.

"Oh! Sorry!" Izoru carefully took Tsuyu's arm and brushed his hand against the small spot of purple. The gunk came away as easy as if he'd brushed off a bit of mud.

"Thank's," Tsuyu said, giving her arm a shake. "Looks like Mineta's Quirk mutated quite a lot, huh?"

Izoru stared at the glob of purple gunk in the palm of his hand, rolling it around in his palm. "Yeah… it did."

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Izoru

Fusion Component: Mineta Minoru

Quirk Mutation: Sticky Bomb

The orbs at the end of Izoru's hair explode upon impact, creating a shower of super-sticky fluid that glues any touching objects together except for himself at his own choosing. Izuru can also determine the size of the orbs prior to plucking them from his hair, though larger orbs take longer to create.

Izoru stared at the pile of ooze, the gears in his head turning. "That's it." A smile slowly broke out over his face. "I know what to do! Tsu!"

Tsuyu blinked at the Fusion, looking between him and the ooze. "Got a plan?"

Izoru nodded his head rapidly. "Yes. Get ready to jump." Without another word, he ran up to the railing. He grabbed two of the orbs hanging from his hair and plucked them off. He stared at them for a moment, before bringing back his arms.

"Sticky Barrage!"

He threw the two orbs with all his might. The villains quickly noticed the two balls flying towards them, instantly scattering and swimming away. The orbs missed them as they hit the water, but promptly exploded into a shower of purple particles.

"Ah, what the hell?"

"Uh, it's everywhere!"

"What is this crap!?"

Purple ooze rains down on the villains, covering them. What didn't land on them floated on the surface, the untouched villains quickly swimming away from the mysterious gunk.

Izoru gave a fearsome grin. Looking to his partner, he yelled out, "Tsuyu! You ready?"

Tsu jumped up on the railing, crouching down. "Ready!"

"Okay!" He plucked off two more orbs, throwing them off in two separate directions. The moment he heard them pop and the villains below yell, he tensed his legs. "Then-"

His voice faded when a large shadow fell over them both. Their eyes widened as a massive hand made of water started coming down right over them, one of the villains below laughing maniacally.

Izoru wasted no more time. "Jump!" He shouted, his legs buzzing with One For All

He and Tsuyu lept off at the exact same time, the hand of water narrowly missing them. Izoru winced at the sharp pain that went up his legs, but already he could tell that they were merely sore, not broken. He grinned despite himself

It worked!He thought ecstatically.A Fusion can handle One For All so long as Izuku merges the metal in his costume with their bones in the process. He winced again when he felt another jolt. Well, it mostly worked.

"Um, Izoru?"

Izoru looked down at Tsuyu's call. Even covered in purple gunk, the villains were already moving to intercept the students wherever they landed. Izoru gulped, remembering what he had to do next.

Here's hoping it keeps working. Okay. Metal bones, don't fail me now!

Izoru pulled back his arm focusing for a moment. Then he shouted with all his might. "SMASH!"

Izoru threw his punch, and the result was instantaneous. The force of his punch cleaved the lake's water in two, sending massive waves out in all directions. The villains screamed as they were blown out of the water, then sucked back in as the displaced water rushed back. And all around them, the purple gunk from Izoru's sticky bombs floated among the waves, latching onto any villain that went through it.

The moment any two villains collided in the rushing water, the ooze bonded them together. One after another, the villains collided as the rushing water forced them together until the resulting geyser of water shot a massive ball of screaming trapped villains up into the air, glued together with no hope for escape.

"That was amazing Izoru." Tsuyu stated simply, looking behind them as they soared away from the geyser. "You two work pretty well together."

Izoru's grin could not be wiped away. Not even by the deep, stinging pain rushing up his arm. "C'mon." He shouted as they reached the lake's edge, starting to fall downward. "Let's go find our class."

They didn't find their class.

Moments after wading to the water's edge, Izoru and Tsuyu found Mr. Aizawa, still fighting his hardest against the villains surrounding the one that seemed to lead them. They watched as he took them down, one after another. They were so engrossed that Izoru didn't even bother unfusing, just silently cheering their teacher on as it looked more and more like he'd be able to get them out of this nightmarish situation.

Then the Boss villain joined in.

Aside from his creepy outfit, the villain didn't really strike Izoru as any different than the others that Aizawa had been taking down, save for the crazy banter he kept spewing, most of which Aizawa ignored as they fought. But then the villain revealed his Quirk. And he did so by dissolving part of Aizawa's arm with just a touch. But Aizawa kept fighting, even with his injured arm, knocking down one small-time villain after another… until the boss revealed the 'real final boss.'

Izoru felt his knees start to shake as he watched Aizawa get utterly destroyed by the being the villain boss called 'Nomu'. Their teacher might as well have been a ragdoll for all the opposition he could offer up, the beast slamming his head into the ground, over and over, until the stones under them were practically painted in his blood. How the man still had a head, how it hadn't just- Izoru nearly gagged at the thought.

Nomu… that's what the villain called him. The Anti-Symbol of Peace. Specially made for the sole purpose of killing All Might. And even with the nightmare he was looking at, Izoru couldn't help but think of something worse: in his weakened state… could All Might beat this thing?

They had a brief moment of relief when the portal Villain appeared next to the leader (Shigaraki, he called him), letting them hear that, while the villain (Kurogiri) had incapacitated Thirteen, one of the students had managed to escape the facility and was running for help. Shigaraki seemed like he was going to go into a rage for a moment, before suddenly calming down, saying that if the faculty was going to arrive any minute, they needed to leave.

For one wonderful second, Izoru actually thought the villains were going to do just that, actually wrapping a startled Tsuyu in a hug at the thought. Even if he was hurt so badly, Aizawa was still alive. If the Villains left, the could get to him and get him help before…

But then another thought hit him: would the villains actually leave? They'd obviously been planning this attack for a while, going so far as to 'bio-engineer' Nomu just to fight All Might. If they left now, they'd likely never get another opportunity.

Shigaraki apparently had a similar thought. "Oh, before we leave…" The villain turned around.

And stared right at him and Tsuyu.

"Let's make sure the symbol of Peace is broken… and wreck his pride!"

Before anyone could move, Shigiraki had launched himself across the plaza, and was just inches away, his finger's outstretched towards Tsuyu.

For a second Izoru's heart stopped. This man had made Aizawa's skin decayaway with only a touch. If he touched Tsu, grabbed her by the head… he could see in his mind's eye as she...

No!

Izoru instinctively gripped Tsu tighter, his eyes widening I fear…

Then blowing further as he felt a familiar buzzing just under his skin.

Aizawa forced his head up just as Shigaraki launched himself forward. His eyes widened in panic when he realized what the villain intended, arm outstretched towards his students. He silently begged that he had time, focusing his eyes…

Only to snap them shut as a harsh green light exploded in front of them.

Shigaraki threw an arm over his eyes, coming to a halt just inches away from the source of the light. "Gah!" He yelled, squinting against the glare. "What the hell-?"

SMASH!

Shigaraki nearly bit his tongue off as something slammed into his jaw. His neck twisted painfully as the impact sent him flying back. He skipped once, twice, three times across the plaza floor, skidding to a stop at Nomu's feet, the massive being croaching down as if about to rush forward.

"Shigaraki!" Kurogiri called out worriedly, his misty form drifting to the man's side.

"W-Wha…?" He struggled as he pulled himself to his knees, cradling his swelling cheek with both hands. "What just…?" He trailed off, his aching mouth falling open as he stared back towards the lake.

Aizawa, fighting off the lull of blissful unconsciousness, forced his eyes back open. His efforts quickly became easier as he processed what he was looking at, shock pushing aside his pain.

As the green light started to die down, a human form could be seen in a post-punch pose. The light solidified, before vanishing completely. Where Tsuyu and who assumed was one of Izuku's Fusions once stood was someone new. Long, course, forest-green hair hung down to their waist, gathering in violet-streaked clumps half-way down their back. At the end of each clump was a violet orb, decorated with thin green lines running from top to bottom. Freckles dotted their cheeks, their large forest-green eyes flecked faintly with a lighter green.

Their outfit most resembled Tsuyu's, though with a few key differences. The lower portion of their outfit had gained a metallic quality, just as the first Fusion's had, except the color had changed. Everywhere that had been dark green on Tsuyu's suit had turned dark violet. Their frog-toed boots were now streaked with red and yellow along each toe, the boots themselves becoming thicker and heavier. Their gloves had a similar change, becoming yellow and fingerless. Izuku's utility belt hung around their waist, his green jacket loosely across their shoulders, while Minoru's scarf was tied around their neck. Mineta's mask had shrunk further, becoming little more than a bandana running over their eyes, Tsuyu's facepaint running along their nose and cheeks and her goggles atop their head.

Aizawa and the villains watched, stunned, as the person held their pose for a moment, their face remarkably blank save for a soft scowl on their lips. They stood at nearly Aizawa's height, cutting a rather intimidating image...

Until they blinked, their scowl being replaced with a blank look of dull surprise. They straightened their posture, looking down at themselves. They patted their chest quizzically, then pulled at their neckline to look down their shirt. They blinked again

"I'm… a girl?" They… she tilted her head in confusion, her cheeks tinting a bit. Aizawa jolted, hearing the girl speak with Tsuyu, Izuku, and Mineta's voices all at once. "How the heck does that work? How can two boys and one girl fusing make-" She then stiffened, looking down frantically as she tugged at her costume. "Wait… I'm made of three people? I-Izuku can do that!?"

Despite his pain, Aizawa felt his eye twitch in annoyance. Of all the times for Midoriya to experiment with his Quirk...

Shigaraki, on the other hand, was thinking a mile-a-minute, his red eyes narrowed down to pinpricks. That girl… she nearly snapped my neck with that punch. And she got those brats out of here with that light...

"Freaking cheaters…" He muttered, his hand moving away from his aching face to scratch harshly at his neck. "Party swapping as soon as they show up… Nomu!" He pointed towards the babbling girl. "Grab that girl... and rip her apart!"

Nomu, who had so far just been staring blankly into space, stiffened slightly at Shigaraki's yell. It let out a ferocious roar, launching forward with unnatural speed for a being its size.

Aizawa felt his heart stop at the sound, begging his battered body to move.

The Fusion looked up from her musings at the roar. Her eyes widened as she let out a panicked "Whoa!" She instinctively crouched down and tried to jump out of Nomu's grasp...

Unaware of the green and violet sparks running over her body.

Just as Nomu reached the Fusion, there was a sound like a cannon blast. The ground cracked and the lake water was sent flying, as the Fusion rocketed away, trailing colored lightning.

Nomu stared blankly as it's clawed fingers swiped through empty air. It tilted its head upward, letting out a soft growl of confusion.

Shigaraki blinked, staring at the tiny green form shrinking into the distance. "What… just happened.

The Fusion wasn't sure what was happening. All she'd meant to do was jump out of the way of Nomu's way. Instead, she found herself soaring through the air, with the USJ's ceiling rapidly approaching. And her only thought was…

"Ah! Too high. Too high!"

She flailed as she tumbled through the air, approaching the building's steel roof much to fast for her liking. She braced herself as she realized there was no slowing down.

"No, no, no, no-!"

Clang!

"...Ow…"

She could feel the air being forced out of her lungs as she slammed into the roof. She groaned at the impact, then squeaked in fear as she felt gravity start to drag her down. Her hands slammed down hard on the steel, and she (at least, the Tsuyu part of her) had never felt more relieved to have the traits of a frog. Her hands bonded to the ceiling instantly, and she quickly swung her body around so that she could press her feet down flat. Now sure that she wouldn't plummet to the ground, she chanced a look up… or, down… only to yelp as she realized exactly how high she was.

...wait. The Fusion looked down at herself in surprise. She shook her leg just to make sure she wasn't imagining things. It… doesn't hurt. Is it because of my metal bones? Or because I'm made of-

Her thoughts cut off with a gasp as reality rushed back. Specifically, her own reality, and the fact that she had one at all.

"Okay…" She said to herself between panicked gulps of air. "Okay… Okay. Triple Fusion. That's… a thing now." She let out a sheepish chuckle. "Wonder if it goes further then that. Does Izuku have a limit? Could he just- gah!" The Fusion shook her head violently, slapping her cheeks. "What am I doing? Freak out later! Focus! Villains, giant monster, downed teacher!" Still, she couldn't help but dwell on one thing. Letting out a tired sigh, she thought. "Guess I need a name. Uh… Izuku… Tsuyu… Minoru… Zu… Ru… Tsu… Tsu… zuru? Tsuzuru?" She thought for a moment, shrugging to herself. "Good as anything, I guess. Now, what the heck do I-"

"RRAAAUGHRR!"

Tsuzuru's head snapped up at the bone-chilling roar. There was a small black dot in the distance that was quickly growing larger. It was Nomu, arms outstretched, rushing through the air and coming right at her.

The Fusion let out a yelp as she scrambled out of the way, desperate to keep her hands and feet stuck against the ceiling. Nomu slammed its fist into the spot where she'd just been with a tremendous impact, making the section they were on shake.

Tsuzuru had no time to register this, as Nomu sent a punch flying at her as soon as it had come to a stop. Driving on instinct, she lept away in the only direction she could: down.

Tsuzuru gasped as soon as she realized what she'd done. Out of desperation, she launched her frog-like tongue back towards the roof, far away from Nomu. It splatted flat against the steel, for all the good it would do. Tsuzuru recalled from Tsu's memories that, while her tongue was pretty sticky, it wasn't enough to catch herself.

So she was incredibly surprised when, instead of simply ripping away from the ceiling, her tongue actually stayed stuck to the roof… and nearly ripped itself out of her mouth once her full weight hit it.

"AAhhh!"Tsuzuru couldn't stop the scream that tore from her throat. She hung limply from her own tongue, her eyes welling up from the pain. In desperation for it to stop, she managed to reach up and grasp her tongue, pulling herself up slightly. That created its own unique type of pain, but it was near blissful to relieve the pressure on her tongue.

Slowly she pulled herself up, wincing with every movement as she climbed her tongue like a rope. She breathed a sigh of relief once she pressed her palms and feet against the smooth steel.

"Ow…" She whimpered as she slowly retracted her sore tongue. She paused when there was just a foot of it hanging out of her mouth, lifting it curiously. "Huh… super sticky tongue. Tsuyu can't do that." A sudden thunderous bang made her look up sharply.

Numo was hanging from the ceiling about twenty feet away from her. It banged its feet against steel beams as it… just stayed there.

Tsuzuru blinked.

Nomu hung awkwardly from the ceiling, it's obsidian knuckles pressed flat against the solid steel where they'd impacted. By all appearances, it should have been free to fall, but instead seemed to be stuck. The beast kicked against the ceiling in an attempt to free itself, but outside of denting the metal with every impact, it didn't budge.

Tsuzuru cocked her head to the side, trying to understand what she was seeing. Then, as she looked at where Nomu was stuck, she could see something… glinting on the metal around its fists. It… it almost looked like…

Curious, and after making sure that Nomu wouldn't be going anywhere for at least a few seconds, Tsuzuru lifted her hand away from the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a glistening handprint left in its place. Looking thoughtful, she turned her palm over, showing the thin layer of clear fluid coating her gloved hand.

"Mucus?" She questioned softly. She glanced up at the still struggling Nomu. "But why…?" She trailed off as she noticed the purple orbs dangling from her hair. She blinked in realization. "Oh."

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Tsuzuru

Fusion Components: Tsuyu Asui, Minoru Mineta

Unique Quirk Mutation: Sticky Mucus

Tsuzuru's body naturally creates a clear variant of Izuru's Sticky Bomb solution, nearly invisible but just as strong. It is naturally part of her saliva and can be secreted from her skin.

Tsuzuru hummed as she rubbed a bit of mucus between her fingers. "Guess they can't all be as showy as the others' mutations. Though… it is kind of neat." Another shudder in the ceiling made her look back up. Nomu was still trying to free itself, and the sound of protesting metal was steadily growing louder. The thought of Nomu getting free sent a chill down Tsuzuru's spine. Her eyes narrowed in determination.

With Nomu's arms stuck, Tsuzuru latched onto an idea. Drawing an arm behind herself, she ran her hand through her hair, collecting three of the sticky orbs. With a grin, she called out. "Hey, Big Bird!"

Drawn to the sound of her voice, Nomu stopped struggling for just a moment, it's head snapping towards her. Its beady eyes bored blankly into her.

"Head's up!"

With a grunt of effort, she threw all three orbs at the beast. With a defiant roar, Nomu swung it's leg at the orbs, smacking away the perceived attack.

Tsuzuru's grin widened.

The orbs exploded on impact, releasing a shower of purple ooze that scattered in all directions. It covered Nomu head to toe, dowsing the ceiling all around it.

The unexpected rain of gunk startled Nomu, making the creature squawk in surprise. It kicked it's leg out, making it crash into the steel ceiling with a thunderous clang. When It went to move next, Nomu found that its leg was stuck fast. The beast let out a squawk of confusion.

Tsuzuru chuckled lightly as she wiped at her face, the bits of ooze that had splattered on her wiping away as easily as water. "Sorry, big guy, but you're not going anywhere now. Nothing can get out of that gunk except me."

Nomu roared, whether in defiance or frustration the Fusion didn't know. In doing so, a decent amount of purple ooze dripped into its mouth, coating its teeth and jaw. When its mouth snapped shut to roar again, the ooze bonded, instantly gluing its mouth shut.

This… was not good.

Tsuzuru let out a yelp as Nomu threw it's free leg out, kicking wildly. She lept back, managing to stick herself back to the roof even farther away. She watched as Nomu just began thrashing, lashing out randomly in every direction it could. Eventually, it's foot managed to hit the ceiling with a bone-shaking impact, becoming glued there as well.

Tsuzuru tilted her head at the sight of the Nomu covered in purple gunk, trapped against the ceiling in a rough T-pose. It continued thrashing as much as it could, it's muffled shrieks becoming higher and higher pitched.

The Fusion couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at the sight. "Well, now you're really stuck, aren't yo-whoa!"

Tsuzuru pressed her palms flat against the ceiling, holding on tightly as everything started to shake. A deep groan of metal against metal sounded, making the ceiling vibrate. The Fusion watched in disbelief as Nomu stained and fought, it's muscles bulging as one of its arms slowly started to lift against the violet ooze.

"W-Wha… how are you…?"

SHRRRKK!

With a horrendous screech of tearing steel, Nomu ripped away all the metal attached to its arm. The whole structure they were on shuddered, massive chunks of steel and plaster raining down on the facility below. With its arm still wrapped in steel and ooze, Nomu instinctfuly slammed its arm against the rest of its body, trapping itself once more. But its brief moment of freedom seemed to fuel its efforts anew, as the beast began thrashing around even harder than before.

Tsuzuru pressed herself against the roof, her fingers unintentionally digging into steel as she clung on for dear life. "Hey! Wait, you can't-" She stopped as the structure around them gave an ominous creak, nearly drowning out the sounds of Nomu's struggles. Her eyes shot wide when she saw the metal start to buckle. She looked back towards Nomu, who seemed oblivious to the damage he was doing. "Stop! You're going to-"

SCCRRRKK!

With one final effort, Nomu bent at the waist, tearing away nearly all the metal ceiling he was glued to. What little was left wasn't enough to hold his weight, shearing off completely. Nomu let out an enraged squawk as it tumbled through the air, it's limps encased in a prison of sticky ooze and twisted metal. Tsuzuru listened to it's muffled howls as it fell away, crashing into the lake far below with a tremendous splash.

Tsuzuru gulped as she watched the water ripple below. It quickly became apparent that Nomu wasn't coming back up "H...Hope he can hold his breath…" She said faintly to herself. If not… she was going to try and not think about that. Really hard.

Trying to calm her racing heart, Tsuzuru noticed for the first time that she could see all of USJ from her vantage point. Once she could breathe normally, she tried to get her bearings.

She squinted her eyes as she stared out, trying to find out where her classmates were. She could see flashes of electricity coming from the mountainous region, who she assumed was from Kaminari, with Todoroki's ice covering a good portion of the landslide zone At the mockup destroyed city, he thought she could just make out a figure zipping between the windows of the wrecked buildings at incredible speed, who she assumed was Iida. At the USJ entrance, she could see the familiar flashes of Katsuki's explosions firing down the stairs into the main courtyard, keeping any approaching villains at bay.

Tzuzuru felt relief at the sight. Kacchan is okay… they'll be okay as long as he's there fighting.

She tried to scan the area for anyone else, but with the size of the facility, she couldn't make out many details. Eventually, her eyes zeroed in on where she'd come from, trying to find Aizawa-

Tsuzuru's eyes widened. Her stomach dropped, her blood freezing. What she was seeing…

No…

She could just make out Aizawa's prone form, Shigakaki drawing near him… his hand outstretched.

That can't happen.

She tensed her legs, green and violet sparks surrounding her.

I won't let that happen!

Shigaraki growled as he squinted up at the distant ceiling. "Grrr… I can't see anything! Kurogiri, can you see them? Is that girl dead yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Shigaraki," The mist man replied, the yellow wisps that passed for his eyes narrowed.

Seemingly forgotten by the two, Aizawa glanced between them and the direction the Fusion had gone. The fact that their pet monster had taken off after what was essentially three of his students chilled him to the core, but he could do them no good laying in a puddle of his own blood. With the villans distracted for the moment, the Pro willed his body to move, managing to get his uninjured arm out from underneath him. It was a long shot, but if he could just get out of sight of the two, get a chance to collect himself…

"And where do you think you're going?"

Aizawa cursed.

Shigaraki locked eyes onto the Pro's prone form, glancing briefly at the trail of blood he'd left behind as he tried to drag himself away. The villain smiled around the hand on his face. "Defiant to the end, huh? Well, you know something?" He slowly stalked closer until he stood right above Aizawa. "I'm getting bored of this. I came for All Might, not you. And while you were entertaining for a while, I'm afraid I've lost interest."

"Um… Shigaraki?"

Kurogiri was ignored as Shigaraki picked Aizawa up by his collar, pulling him to his knees. The Pro hero groaned as a fresh wave of pain tore through him, but forgot about it the instant he felt Shigaraki's fingertips touch his forehead.

Instinct and fear forced Aizawa's Quirk to activate, his eyes blazing red as he stared at Shigaraki's sadistic grin.

"Congratulations, Hero, you've bought yourself a few seconds. But I must wonder…" The villain leaned in close, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "How long will it take you to blink?" Shigaraki's twisted grin grew, his fingertips digging painfully into Aizawa's skin.

Aizawa grit his teeth, staring down the villain defiantly. He'd never cursed his dry eyes more than in that moment, already feeling the strain from his Quirk magnified by the damage he had taken. His eyelids fluttered as he forced them to stay open. He was growing light-headed from blood loss, his head pounding and a high-pitch whistling in his ears.

...wait. That sound. It's almost like…

"Shigaraki! Move!"

The villain looked up sharply at Kurogiri's yell. He had a split second for his eyes to widen…

Before two frog-foot-shaped feet slammed into his face.

"Frog Smash!"

Aizawa gasped as he felt Shigaraki's fingers get ripped away from his face. Blood trickled down his forehead from a fresh wound, created in the split second between when the sudden impact forced his eyes shut and Shigaraki was sent flying. He could feel five spots across his forehead that burned like hell, but he'd gladly take that over the alternative.

Barely able to get an arm under to catch himself, Aizawa watched as Tsuzuru skidded to a stop, crouching protectively in front of him. She eyed Shigaraki as he tumbled across the ground, palming one of her Sticky Bombs. The second he came to a stop, she threw it right at him.

"Shigaraki!" Kurogiri rushed forward, the black mist that was his body, billowing out to catch the villain and ensnare the Fusion.

Without missing a beat, Tsuzuru threw the second orb, already in her other hand. The orbs detonated just above the villains, splattering them with ooze.

"GAH!" Shigaraki let out a scream of frustration as his legs were instantly glued to the floor. "What is this stuff!?"

Kurogiri could only groan a muffled reply, struggling to remain upright as the gunk gummed up the openings in his canister.

Tsuzuru only took enough time to confirm that the two were well and truly stuck. Sure that they were, she nodded firmly, before whirling around towards Aizawa. Her large eyes softened as she took in his bleeding, battered form.

"Let's get you out of here, sir," She murmured, ducking under his good arm and putting her own around his hips.

Aizawa stared at the Fusion, then looked back at the trapped villains. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. He gave her a tiny, tired nod.

Tsuzuru nodded back in response, before crouching down. "Hang on. This is going to be a bit of a jolt."

Just before she jumped, an enraged yell sounded behind her.

"Hey!" Shigaraki screamed, struggling against his bonds. "This isn't how this is supposed to go! You can't just take the hostage and run!"

Tsuzuru stared blankly back at him for a moment. Then, her face never changing…

"Ribbit."

With a deadpan croak, Tsuzuru stuck her tongue out at the Villian.

Shigaraki had a mere second to process this, before Tsuzuru turned around, wrapped her tongue around Aizawa's middle, and jumped off towards the USJ entrance with a single concrete-cracking leap.

For a few moments, Shigaraki could only stare dumbly at where the Pro hero had just been. The only sound to be heard was Kurogiri's struggles to free himself and the groans of the unconscious small-fry villains Eraserhead had laid out previously.

Almost no small-fry left. No Nomu. No All Might. Not even a dead student to break the heroes' spirits.

No… anything.

Shigaraki let out a howl of anger and frustration. Breathing heavily, He plunged one of his hands into the ooze trapping him, the other scratching at his neck so hard that he broke skin. The ooze sizzled and bubbled as he disintegrated it by the handful, his beady red eyes focused solely on where Tsuzuru and Aizawa had gone.

"Kurogiri…" He ground out, his teeth clenched. "Find Nomu… now. I want that kid dead."

Chapter Text

Tsuzuru bit back a whine as she soared over the USJ grounds, clinging to Aizawa as much for comfort as to protect him. None of her three components had ever been this high up before, especially not due to their own power. The fact that she'd managed such a feat with a single leap didn't help matters. Under better circumstances, she might have found it interesting, maybe even fun.

But a quick glance down at all the criminals below, even if they were unconscious, pretty much sucked any potential joy out of the situation. She may have managed to incapacitate the main threats (possibly permanently in the case of Nomu, and, no, she refused to think about that at the moment), but there were still dozens of villains throughout the facility, and her classmates were scattered all over the place. Not to mention that she'd managed to personally insult the leader of the invasion, and if Shigaraki and Kurogiri managed to get out of their sticky situation…

Tsuzuru shuddered. No, they weren't out of danger yet. Not even close.

She was able to relax slightly when, as they started to descend, she could see the flashes of Katsuki's explosions drawing closer, the building's entrance growing larger. She spotted a small crowd of people just behind him, two facing down the stairway with him, the others surrounding the shredded, prone form of Thirteen.

Tsuzuru gulped. Nope. Not out of danger. Not even in the same time zone.

As they neared the ground, she shifted her body to get her feet under her. She tried to angle herself properly, lifting her tongue and arms up so that Aizawa wouldn't get jolted too bad in the landing. When her feet hit the ground, she could feel the stonework crack, drawing everyone's attention.

She'd come in from such a high angle that none of them saw her coming until she'd landed right between the two groups. Shoji and Ochako jolted in surprise, the latter letting out a yelp even as she moved protectively in front of Thirteen. From the other side, Sero and Mina had similar reactions, their attention on the stairway broken as they turned their heads around.

But Tsuzuru barely noticed them. Her focus was put solely on Katsuki, who had whipped his whole body around the moment she touched down, a fierce scowl on his lips as he took aim with his gauntlets.

Tsuzuru wasted no time, having half-way expected this. She threw her hands in the air, waving them back and forth as she moved Aizawa behind herself with her tongue. "Wait, Kacchan! Don't shoot!"

Katsuki faulted in his movements, both at the nickname and at his targets appearance. "Frog Face? Wait…" He squinted at her for a moment, his eyes darting over her features before widening. He lowered his arms. "Deku?"

"Uh… well," She let out a nervous laugh as she lowered her arms, giving her head a small shake so-as to jostle the purple orbs hanging from her bangs. "You're two-for-three, Kacchan."

Confusion colored Katsuki's features. "Two-for… wait, that's… Grape Stain!?" He practically screeched. "How the hell do you look like the Grape Stain and-"

"Bakugo, look out!"

Katsuki jerked back around at Sero's panicked call, just in time to see a villain whose head took up their entire torso jump over the tape-boy's attack.

"Bye-bye, brats!" The villain yelled, both his arms raised to give an overhead slam to Katsuki's head…

Only to find both of Katsuki's gauntlets pointed right at his face.

"Get lost!"

The villain gave a girlish scream as he was enveloped in Katsuki's explosion, his charred body rolling down the stairs like a bowling ball, inadvertently knocking over some more of the approaching villains.

Seeing them, Katsuki growled, taking aim once again as Mina and Sero backed him up, throwing acid and launching sticky tape between blasts.

Seeing that they had the situation in hand for the moment, Tsuzuru let out a sigh of relief. She moved Aizawa back up so she could help him walk. The fact that he hadn't said a word since they'd escaped Shigaraki was starting to worry her.

She half-walked, half-carried Aizawa next to Thirteen. Ochako appeared at her side in an instant, helping to hold their teacher so Tsuzuru could unwrap her tongue from around his waist. The two of them then helped him lie down next to Thirteen as gently as they could, careful not to touch his many injuries.

"Are you, okay, sir?" Tsuzuru asked gently, trying to ignore the streams of blood trickling down their teacher's face.

Aizawa blinked a few times, his black eyes hazy. "I'll live…" He muttered quietly. He fixed Tsuzuru with a sharp look that wasn't quite a glare. "That was reckless."

Tsuzuru ducked her head sheepishly. "I know, sir. But I couldn't just let him… let you…" She trailed off, unsure how to finish. She knew he wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going to apologize for saving him.

Aizawa seemed to understand her conflict, merely offering a weak nod. He slumped a little in place, his eyes slipping shut. Tsuzuru and Ochako nearly panicked before they noticed that the man's breathing was still steady, he had simply passed out from exhaustion.

"So…" Ochako said slowly as they looked Aizawa over. "Izuchako has a new sister?"

Tsuzuru blinked at her in confusion, before her lips quirked up in a small smile. "I guess you can look at it like that," She said with a giggle. "And a brother, too. He fused with Minoru first, making Izoru. Then when we found Aizawa, we got attacked, Izoru grabbed Tsu and…" She gave a sheepish shrug. "Here I am. Name's Tsuzuru."

Shoji, who was monitoring USJ with his many-eyed limbs, turned his head in surprise. "Midoriya can fuse with more than one person at a time?"

"Since when is that a thing!?" Katsuki called back in between explosions.

"You think you're surprised, Kacchan?" Tsuzuru retorted as she stood up, throwing her arms out. "How do you think I fe- gah!"

To the shock of everyone, Tsuzuru suddenly clutched her stomach, her face scrunching up in pain. She let out a light hiss, clenching her teeth. "No…" She shuddered. "Not now…"

"Tsuzuru! What's-?" Ochako stopped in her rush to help Tsuzuru when the Fusion's body suddenly lit up with green and violet light. Her body fizzed at the edges, momentarily looking like the outlines of three people overlaying each other. Then the light suddenly cut off, revealing Tsuzuru gasping for breath as she fell to her knees.

"Deku!" Katsuki shouted, his eyes going wide as he watched her fall. He took a half-step back as if to go to her, before swinging back around to blast at another nearing villain. "Goddammit! Just die already, you shrimps!" He hit a hidden button on each of his gauntlets, causing all eight barrels between them to fire at once. A feral, satisfied grin formed on his lips as all the villains were engulfed in a massive fireball, blasting them down the stairs and clearing the entryway.

"And stay down this time, assholes!" He then turned on his heel, shouting a quick command to Shoji. "Limbs, keep your eyes on those morons. Tell me if they try to climb back up again."

Shoji raised a brow at the apparent nickname, but nodded nonetheless as Katsuki ran to Tsuzuru's side, Sero and Mina falling back with him.

"Oh, dammit," Katsuki muttered as he watched Tsuzuru's body flicker again, causing the Fusion to whimper in discomfort. He knelt down next to her, Ochako already there with her hand hovering over Tsuzuru's back, wanting to comfort her but unsure whether she should touch her.

Tsuzuru looked up at his arrival, her lips twisting into just as much a grimace as it was a smile. "H-Hey, Kacchan," she murmured through gritted teeth.

Katsuki scowled at her. "You dumbass. You overdid it, didn't you?"

Tsuzuru grinned. "Maybe a little," she admitted, sucking in a sharp breath as her form flickered.

"What's wrong with her?" Sero asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

When Katsuki didn't answer him, Ochako let out a sigh. After giving the blond an annoyed look, she turned to Sero. "Deku can only stay fused for so long. Human Fusion lasts longer than Material Fusion, but when times up, the Fusion starts to fall apart."

"There's a time limit!?" Mina practically screeched, squatting down to look Tsuzuru in the face. "How has that not come up before? Wait, I fused with Izuku! How did I not know this!?"

Tsuzuru managed to give her a half smile. "Izuna probably just didn't think about it. As for why Izuku didn't tell anyone… there really wasn't a reason to. None of us have come close to our limits in class. But… this… uh!" Tsuzuru winced again, her body flickering for a second."Something feels… off."

Katsuki let out a growl of frustration. "How long has Deku been fused?"

That Tsuzuru had to think about it wasn't encouraging. "Fifteen minutes as Izoru. Then… I think another fifteen as me?"

Katsuki's scowl slipped off his face, replaced with shock. He looked Tsuzuru up and down again, looking, to the surprise of most, almost concerned. "That's... not right. You should last a lot longer than that, even as a new Fusion."

Tsuzuru nodded in agreement, clutching her middle tighter. It looked to the others like she was trying to literally hold herself together. "I know. But… I think Triple-Fusion's eating through my time a little faster."

Ochako winced in sympathy as Tsuzuru nearly doubled over again. "Maybe you should unfuse, Tsuzuru. You're not looking too good."

"No 'maybe' about it," Katsuki nearly snarled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do it, dumbass. Before you hurt yourselves."

Tsuzuru looked between them both, her breath growing ragged. She seemed like she wanted to argue, but quickly bowed her head as another bout of pain tore through her, making her skin ripple with light. She let out a weak laugh.

"Yeah. Good idea. Hopefully, the next time we talk, it'll be without the whole 'running for our lives thing.'" She gave Ochako a big grin. "See you around, cute stuff."

Ochako blinked at the sudden comment, her cheeks pinking. "Uh… w-what?"

Tsuzuru just chuckled, giving her a wink, before her body dissolved into a light show of light/dark greens and deep violet.

The lights shuddered and warped, before forming the shape of three familiar figures. Tsuyu materialized to the left, Mineta on the right, with Izuku still bent over in the same kneeling position Tsuzuru had been in, his costume restored. Tsuyu and Mineta each gasped for breath as they fell on their backs, blinking rapidly as they looked at their surroundings in surprise. But when they briefly made eye contact, they could only hold each other's stare for a moment before looking away, their faces reddening.

No one really took notice of them, however. Everyone's attention was on Izuku, who, the moment he'd been released from the Fusion, had fallen forward to his hands and knees, taking deep, rough breaths as his eyes bulged. His skin was had gained a reddish tint, glistening in a full-body sweat.

Most everyone was looking at Izuku in surprise and worry, except for Katsuki and Ochako. They had jumped straight past worry to barely-restrained panic.

Because, in addition to every other worrying detail about Izuku's appearance, there was also a steady stream of frightfully familiar steam coming off of his exposed skin.

"Deku, are you okay?' Ochako asked, the words tumbling out of her mouth even as she clearly see that he was not okay.

Katsuki summed up his own mounting dread succinctly. "Seriously, Deku, what the hell."

Izuku craned his neck to look at them both, his breaths growing slower by the second, though his panic was clear on his face. "I-I don't know," He rasped, looking down at his steaming fingertips. "This… this shouldn't be happening. I feel… sore all over. Like… like I've been training for hours."

"How hurt are you?"

He shook his head at Ochako's question. "I… don't feel hurt, exactly. I… I just feel exhausted."

Katsuki clenched his teeth, before snapping his gaze towards Tsuyu and Mineta. "What about you two?"

Tsuyu let out a soft grunt as she pushed herself up on her elbows, meeting his gaze. "Tired… sore. But not like him." She bobbed her head towards Izuku, her brows pinching in concern.

"Same," Mineta raised an arm weakly in agreement, before letting it flop back down.

Izuku groaned as he planted his hands a bit more firmly on the ground, pushing himself up a little straighter. "Guys, I… I'm fine-"

"Deku, do not even-"

"I'm fine, Kacchan," Izuku said forcefully, defiant. Biting back a wince, he heaved himself up into a kneeling position. He lifted a shaky arm up to show his skin losing its redness, the steam decreasing to a mere trickle. "See?"

Kacchan scowled at the steam, clearly not convinced. "The hell's going on with your Quirk? It's never left you like… this before."

Izuku sighed heavily, finally getting his breathing under control. "I've never tried fusing with more than one person before.

Kacchan nodded slowly, his brow furrowed. "True. Which reminds me…" He then reared back his arm and smacked Izuku upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Kacchan!" Ochako squeaked in shock.

Katsuki ignored her. "Why the hell would you try such a boneheaded move, dumbass!?"

Izuku met Kacchan's blazing eyes with his own, rubbing the side of his head. "It's not like I meant to! I didn't even do it, Izoru did!" He then deflated, his bout of indignant anger fleeing him just as fast as it arrived. "We got away from some villains, just to find Mr. Aizawa fighting the leaders. We saw him… lose… then the leader saw us. He tried to grab Tsu." He met Katsuki's gaze, determination and terror conflicting in his eyes. "He can make things disintegrate with just a touch. Izoru just... reacted."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Izuku for any signs of deception. After a moment, his gaze let up slightly as he gave a disgruntled sigh. "Fine." He held an arm out for Izuku, who took it gratefully after getting his legs back under him. As Izuku stood, Ochako and Mina rising with him in case he wobbled, Katsuki raised a brow. "So… Izoru and Tsuzuru, uh? That make six or five-and-a-half?"

That startled a tired chuckle out of Izuku, his skin ceasing it's steaming. "I'll brainstorm on that latter." He then looked to Ochako, red dusting his cheeks. "Sorry about Tsuzuru, by the way. I don't know why she said... that."

Ochako's face reddened as well as she scratched her neck nervously. "Uh… it's ok-"

"Because she's cute," Mineta said bluntly, looking up at them as he stood. He then yelped as Tsuyu's tongue slapped him upside the head.

"Minoru…" She said warningly next to him.

Mineta just blinked up at her. "What? You were thinking the same thing, Tsu- ow!"

Ochako's face went fully red as she watched Mineta put both arms protectively over his head, cowering under Tsuyu's still raised fist ready to give him another hit. The froggy girl met her eyes evenly, her blank expression betrayed by the pink dusting her cheeks. Izuku seemed to be trying to shrink into his suit, as Sero and Mina looked between the four of them in bemusement and, in Mina's case, appraisal.

Katsuki just put a hand over his face, groaning under his breath. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me… Hey!" He snapped his finger with explosive results, quickly gathering the attention of all around. "Figure your love lives out later! We're still trapped in here with a couple hundred villains if you haven't noticed!"

"Speaking of which..." Shoji suddenly called from the stairs.

Katsuki whirled around, letting out a growl. "Oh, come on!" He sprinted to Shoji's side, bringing his gauntlets to bear against the villains charging up the stairs. "You freaks just don't learn, do you!? BURN!"

As Katsuki blasted the villains back down the way they came, Izuku cleared his throat, hoping that the red in his face would go away if he ignored it. He turned to Ochako and asked, "So, um… what's the situation?"

Ochako blinked, before acting in kind. "We've just been trying to keep Thirteen safe. We managed to help Sato get out before the villains sealed the exit. He's hurrying to get help from the campus, but…"

"That's miles away," Izuku finished for her, frowning. "His strength makes him a little faster, but… it could still be a while before help arrives. Have you tried getting anyone else out?"

Ochako nodded, looking towards the giant double doors. Parts of the steel structure were cracked and blackened. "Kacchan tried to blast through, but whatever this place is made out of is explosive-proof."

"And acid-proof!" Mina yelled over her shoulder as she joined Katsuki at the stairs, sounding positively affronted as she slung acid.

Izuku gave the massive doors an appraising look, his hands forming into fists. They were truly massive, and from what he remembered walking in, several feet thick. Too much for me to absorb… he thought disdainfully.

Ochako grimaced at his look, apparently thinking the same thing. "We know where everyone else is thanks to Shojii, but we have no way to help them. They seem to be holding their own okay, but the villains are keeping them from getting back here, too."

Izuku cupped his chin, thinking hard. "And it's too dangerous to try and fight through the villains to get to them." He then looked up as a thought struck him. "Unless… Izuchako could fly right over all of them. Then she could get to each student and fly them here."

Ochako looked startled for a moment, before perking up with a determined glint in her eyes. "I'll help in any way I can." She then wilted a bit as she realized something. "But won't that portal guy see her flying around?"

Izuku hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe not. Before the leader attacked us, that portal villain showed up and let him know that Sato had gotten away. They started talking like they were going to abandon the attack." He let out a sigh, partially of relief. "And since Tsuzuru took out their trump card, we might get lucky now that their plan's ruined."

Ochako started a little in surprise. "Trump card?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. Their whole plan hinged on that big bird guy, Nomu. Tsuzuru managed to… indispose him." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the memory.

Sero, who had returned to helping Katsuki and Mina defend the stairway, looked back at them, startled. "You three took that guy out? He was huge!"

At that, Mineta let out a slightly-too-loud laugh. "Oh yeah! It was awesome! Tsuzuru stuck him to the ceiling with her sticky splatter balls, and the bastard sent himself to the bottom of the lake trying to rip himself free. She didn't even have to throw a punch!"

Tsuyu nodded in agreement. "It was pretty neat, ribbit."

Izuku looked back towards the stairs, feeling eyes on him. Katsuki looked back over his shoulder, a brow raised slightly in surprise. Maybe Izuku was mistaken, but he thought his friend looked almost impressed.

"The lake, you say?"

Instantly, everyone tensed as a dark voice reverberated above them. Their heads snapped up at the sound, finding glowing yellow eyes staring down at them from a swirling mass of violet mist.

"Good to know."

Before anyone could react, the mist seems to fold in on itself, rushing to a single point before disappearing completely.

Izuku felt a cold pit form in his stomach as he stared at the spot Kurogiri had vanished from. All around him, everyone else was doing the same, each with varying degrees of confusion and dread.

"That can't be good," Tsuyu finally said. Beside her, Mineta looked ready to start crying again.

Katsuki clicked his tongue irritably. "Yeah, no kidding, Froggy. I doubt he just showed up to say… the hell?"

He slowly trailed off as Kurogiri's mist started forming again right above him. Katsuki aimed up at it, ready to fire off a blast at the first hint of danger.

So he was extremely surprised when a torrent of water started raining down on top of him.

"Gah!" He yelled out in surprise as what felt like a waterfall beat down on him. He stumbled away from the torrent, Mina and Sero spluttering as they helped him back. "What the hell is this?"

"No…"

Katsuki look behind him at the quiet exclamation. Izuku was staring up at the gushing portal with a look of complete dread, his face paling horribly. He wasn't the only one, as fearful tears started streaming down Mineta's face while Tsuyu's whole body seemed to tense.

"Deku?" Ochako asked in concern.

Izuku swallowed thickly, sweat trickling down his neck. "We need to go."

Ochako jerked slightly at the intensity of his voice. "What?"

Izuku then grabbed her by the shoulder, his eyes wide in panic. "We have to get Thirteen and Aizawa and get out of here, now."

"There's nowhere to go, Deku," Katsuki snarled. Hearing Izuku so panicked only worked to make him more agitated. "The hell's got you so worked up? It's just a bunch of water!"

Suddenly, something dark and massive slammed into the ground, rushing out of the portal along with the pounding water.

"...Oh, shit."

The portal quickly cut off, giving the class a full view of the drenched Nomu. Its limbs were buried under a mass of purple ooze and twisted metal. Its beady eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, showing no sign of life. It didn't move.

"You know… this was supposed to be very simple."

Everyone jolted at the sudden voice. Just behind Nomu's still form, Kurogiri's body had formed a new portal, through which Shigaraki stepped out, bits of purple gunk clinging to his ripped clothing. Despite the calm tone of his voice, his eyes were wild, blown wide with shrunken pupils. His whole body was stiff and tense, coiled like a spring ready to snap. He started walking towards the group, Kurogiri hovering above him like some grim specter.

"We arrive unexpected. We lock you would-be-heroes in with us. Our forces slaughter the lot of you, and Nomu kills All Might. A generation of future heroes dead, and the world's Number One along with them. The entire world flipped on its head… all before lunch.

"But instead…" He stopped right next to Nomu's body, red eyes darting first over the creature, then around to each student as they continued to back away, all with varying levels of fear on their faces. "We find that All Might's not here. Our useless lackeys failed to kill a single one of you. And perhaps most insultingly of all… someone managed to drown Nomu… and then somehow vanished. What… did she manage to escape as well?"

Izuku, Mineta, and Tsuyu all cringed as his eyes went over them, though they thankfully didn't linger.

Shigaraki's hands clenched, his fists shaking. "UA's faculty is no doubt on their way… and we have no means to fight them all. All Might lives to save the day again." The villain's shoulders tensed further, looking like he was seconds away from charging forward in a blind rage.

Then, to the surprise of all, Shigaraki suddenly relaxed. His shoulders lowered, his hands went limp. The villain scoffed under his breath. "This whole plan is a wash. Let's go, Kurogiri."

"Yes, sir." And indeed, Kurogiri's misty body once again expanded, swirling around Shigaraki to envelop him.

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, briefly making contact with Izuku's. "No way it's that easy."

Before Izuku could respond, Shigaraki spoke again. "But, before we go… I think I'll leave a little parting gift." His red eyes drifted to the side. "Nomu."

Everyone froze.

"Free yourself. Then… kill everyone in this building." Shigaraki's cracked lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Leave none alive."

For a moment, there was nothing but dead silence. Then… Nomu's head twitched.

Izuku felt his heart stop.

"No way." Tsuyu said behind him, her voice shaking.

"How is that thing still alive!?" Mineta screeched.

They all stared, terrified, as Nomu's body started twitching, seemingly at random. Then, it sucked in deeply through it's sealed teeth… and roared.

Nomu thrashed on the ground, it's body spasming as it slammed itself into the concrete over and over again in a bid for freedom, shaking the surrounding area with each hit.

The entire class started backing away, Shojii quickly putting the comatose Aizaza on his back while Sero and Mina struggled to lift Thirteen. Katsuki stayed at the front of the group, his gauntlets alternating between Shigaraki and the convulsing Nomu.

"No… no, it's fine," Mineta started mumbling under his breath even as he continued backing up with increasing speed. "That… that gunk is just like my sticky balls. I'm the only one who can get out of it. There's no way that thing can-"

Nomu then let out it's loudest, most bone-chilling roar yet. There was a sickening wet ripping sound as Nomu strained its leg as hard as it could… and ripped off everything below its knee.

Mina screamed.

The students watched in horror as blood gushed from the wound, only to see it clot instantly. The bare muscle seemed to convulse and expanded, before quickly stretching out, forming the vague shape of a foot.

Shigaraki chuckled darkly at their sickened faces. "We created Nomu to kill All Might. He can't feel any hits he takes. He instantly heals any wounds you give him. He'll never tire. He'll never die."

Shigaraki cackled as Kurogiri's portal swallowed him.

"Have fun… heroes."

In a blink, the two villains were gone, leaving behind the thrashing Nomu. The beast continued to struggle against its bonds, blackened flesh tearing off with every motion within the purple ooze, regenerating within seconds. And with every rip, every tear, Nomu gained just a little bit more motion.

"S-So…" Mina said shakily, her whole body trembling. "Anybody got a plan?"

Katsuki held in a snarl. Yeah, he had a plan: wait for the monster to get in close, and then blast it in the face with all eight barrels. He didn't much care how suicidal it sounded. It was simply the best thing he could do in his very short list of bad options.

He could hear the others chattering behind him, frantically trying to come up with something, anything, they could do to escape. Katsuki just tuned them out. Nomu had gained enough mobility that it was now rolling side-to-side on its back like an overturned turtle, it's motions becoming stronger and more frantic as it felt freedom near. Katsuki didn't want to be distracted when the thing eventually got out.

But, naturally, if anything was going to break through his concentration like All Might through, well, anything, it was going to be Izuku muttering shakily under his breath.

"I have an idea."

Katsuki wanted to groan. He knew that tone. It was Izuku's "the-best-plan-I-have-is-the stupidest-thing-I-could-do" tone. The same one that usually ended with one or both of them hurt, decent amounts of property damage, and their parents threatening to ground them till the next decade.

Those ideas also tended to be some of Izuku's most creative, and when they worked, they worked. It was that reminder that made Katsuki look towards his friend out the corner of his eye, unwilling to look away from the struggling Nomu.

So he was both exasperated and disappointed when all he saw was Izuku grasping Ochako's hand, the girl's confusion somehow conveying through her terror.

Katsuki scoffed, turning back to give Nomu his full attention. "Not to knock her, but I don't think Floaty Deku's gonna be much help here." Truth be told, he didn't think Katzuku would do much better either, not that he'd admit it out loud.

"I know," Izuku admitted bluntly.

Katsuki wanted to snarl at just how unhelpful that was when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced back, only to nearly twist his whole head around in shock when he saw Izuku, terror and nerves plain on his face, gripping his shoulder for dear life… while still holding Ochako's hand.

Katsuki's eyes flew to Ochako's, the way they were bugging out and her paling face confirming that she had realized as well what their friend was suggesting. Katsuki's gaze snapped back to Izuku, fixing him with a near-manic look. "You're nuts," he said sharply.

Izuku nodded in agreement, sporting a fear-fueled smile. "Yeah, probably."

"No, Deku, I'm serious. You've only done this Triple-Fusion thing once and it left you steaming. You want to try that again?"

Izuku swallowed thickly, not even trying to hide his nerves. "No... I really... really don't. But… I don't think we have a choice."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed, only to snap forward as Nomu let out another roar as it tore it's other leg off, the red muscle twisting and bubbling as it began to grow anew. Katsuki took another step back, feeling Izuku and Ochako do the same as he kept his gauntlets trained on the monster. "Explain, fast."

"Shigaraki said they bioengineered Nomu to kill All Might. He's made to fight him toe-to-toe."

Katsuki felt a weight drop in his stomach. "Yeah, I heard the handsy freak too. All Might's the only one who can fight this thing. So, if he doesn't show up in the next two minutes, we're screwed."

He heard Izuku swallow nervously. "Not… not if we fuse. The three of us."

Ochako huddled closer towards Izuku. Not Katsuki, because that would mean getting closer to Nomu, which, Katsuki had to admit, was growing more and more daunting by the second as the creature continued to tear itself apart in its bid for freedom. "How would us all fusing help, Deku?"

Katsuki felt a smidgen of his ire towards the girl dissipate. It was strangely relieving to have someone echo his own thoughts, checking to make sure his oldest friend hadn't lost it.

"When I fused with Minoru and Tsu, Tsuzuru was able to use One For All no problem."

Katsuki blinked. That was… something, he had to admit. Still… "Okay, cool. Doesn't change the fact that you ended up looking half-dead immediately afterward. Hell, you still ain't looking so hot."

"I know. You're right. But…" Izuku took a shuddering breath, his eyes focused solely on the quickly healing Nomu. "If we don't something soon… we're going to get hurt anyway." It was then Katsuki felt Izuku's hands shaking through his gloves. "Or worse. Probably worse."

"Worse nothing," Katsuki growled under his breath. The fact that Izuku was making sense- scary, troubling, suicidal sense- only served to make him more agitated as the students behind him continued backing up in fear. He looked to the side, seeing Ochako trembling as she gripped Izuku's hand back. "Round Face?"

Ochako swallowed thickly, her lips forming a grim line that clashed horribly with the fear in her eyes. She gave a sharp nod. "I-I'll help if I can." She then stood up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders. "Wouldn't be much of a hero if I didn't try… right?"

Katsuki nodded back, all three of them giving Nomu their full attention. The monster had regenerated both legs and had made its way to its feet. The only thing keeping it stationery was the metal wrapped around its torso. Given the way the steel was buckling, they had seconds before Nomu was free.

"You both know we're probably going to regret this, right?" Katsuki asked as he took a step back, putting himself on Izuku's right side. He felt Izuku's hand move from his shoulder down, finding his own.

"Using Deku's Quirk in a way never seen before to fight a monster made to kill All Might?" Ochako let out a shaky, near-shrill giggle. "What's to regret?"

Izuku then squeezed both their hands tightly, stopping Ochako's laughs as he trembled. "This'll work. We don't need to beat Nomu, just stall him until Sato gets back with the faculty." His grip increased, almost painfully so. "We can do this."

As soon as the words left Izuku's mouth, Nomu let out a tremendous roar through his cemented jaw, finally breaking the metal prison wrapped around his arms. The steel buckled and cracked, pieces flying away, taking purple ooze and blackened flash with them. Its arms and torso were cherry red with exposed muscle, already bubbling up to regenerate new flesh. Without waiting for it to finish, Nomu grasped its upper and lower jaws in each hand. With an agonizing screech, it jerked its jaws apart, ooze, teeth, and muscle raining from its ruined beak-like mouth. But even with its mouth only halfway regenerated, that didn't stop Nomu from unleashing a bone-shaking roar, it's blank beady eyes zeroing in on the nearest target.

Katsuki couldn't help it. As the Nomu eyed them, a fearsome grin spread out over his lips. "Deku… do it."

They had a brief second to register how Nomu practically flew forward, going from the top of the stairway to right in front of them in mere seconds, arm reared back for a titanic punch.

Then… light.

As the remains of class 1-A tried to think of a plan of attack/retreat, none of them really registered how Izuku, Katsuki, and Ochako were standing a little ways away from the main group, between them and Nomu. Mina had been about to suggest they try and blitz past the monster and escape down to the plaza, hoping that the villains on the stairway might slow Nomu down. Any chance for further brainstorming was obliterated when they heard Nomu roar.

They turned as one towards the sound. They all felt ice fill their veins when Nomu launched forward, arm pulled back to obliterate the three students in its way. A mixed chorus of panicked "Midoriya!" "Bakugo!" "Uraraka!" sounded, Tsuyu and Shojii moving to leap forward and help, fruitless though it likely was.

Their voices died in their throats, all actions ceasing, when the three lit up with familiar light. Their bodies converted to green, pink, orange energy, twisting and morphing into a single mass. Nomu's fist flew right through them it, the mass of light seeming to bend around the creature's arm. Nomu's massive body dwarfed the light as it coalesced into a single figure, wrapping around it as the light died down.

There was a dull thudding sound, and Nomu's upper body straightened just a little. The students perked up when they heard an odd low chuckle, sounding like three familiar voices overlapping in tandem.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like Handsy was telling the truth. You barely budged!"

Nomu shifted its weight back for another blow, revealing the Fusion, their gauntleted fist buried in the creature's chest, not that it cared.

Nomu let out a monstrous screech, bring its arms over its head to slam them down at the teen touching him.

The Fusion… smirked.

"Bye."

Just as Nomu brought down its arms, causing the students to cry out in panic, the Fusion's fist opened. They pressed their palm against the beast's chest. Their hand tensed. The air around them shimmered, then shook. Nomu's feet lifted off the ground…

And the beast was sent soaring out over the USJ plaza, flying away like it had been shot from a cannon.

The class watched in stunned bemusement as Nomu arced through the air, roaring in mindless rage. It crashed down at the opposite end of the USJ, sending up plumes of dust and debris as the ground trembled from the impact.

The Fusion scratched the back of their head, tilting it a little as they watched the dust cloud rise. "Huh. Well, that was insultingly easy." The Fusion then look down at themselves. After a second, they threw back their head and barked a laugh. "And I'm a guy. Good luck figuring out how this works, Deku!"

He turned around to face the class, letting them get a good look at him. His hair reached down to his shoulders, a wild floofy mess of spikes and curls. It started brown at the roots before quickly turning blond, the very tips dyed green. His face with sharp like Katsuki's, dotted with Izuku's freckles, but having Ochako's large eyes. The eyes themselves were heterochromatic, one deep green with the other soft brown, but both containing bright red flecks that seemed to flash in the light. He stood tall, to the point that Aizawa would probably have to look up at him.

His outfit was an odd mismatch of his three components'. His torso looked to be like Katsuki's, with his sleeveless shirt and neck brace, but the X across his chest had turned pink, with two extra lines running down his stomach. Izuku's jacket was almost falling off his shoulders. Katsuki's pants had become skin tight and dark green, held up by a slimmer red version of Ochako's bulky belt, complete with compartments. Ochako's boots had shrunken slightly to make room for Katsuki's metal kneepads, darkening to an almost reddish-pink with white soles. On his arms, Katsuki's gauntlets had change colors, becoming white on green, the fingerless gloves under them an almost white shade of pink. But the most surprising change was his choice in headwear. Ochako's helmet had merged with Katsuki's facemask, adding sharpened orange points around the back of it.

The group could only stare at the new Fusion for a moment, still shaken by both the presence of Nomu and its sudden departure. Mina finally swallowed down her nerves, plastering on a nervous smile. "S-So… who… who are you, big guy?"

The Fusion blinked, before flashing a smile that was somehow both welcoming and fearsome. "Oh! Well, see, that's actually an easy one. Once Izuku thought up his kooky little plan to make me, he came up with the perfect name on the fly. And frankly, I have no complaints." The Fusion's smile turned bright and dangerous. "Katsuki, Izuku, Ochako. Kat-zu-chako." The newly dubbed Katzuchako chuckled lowly as he formed his hands into fists, his feet slowly leaving the ground. He then chuckled when he saw Mina numbly pull out her phone almost reflexively, giving her a thumbs up.

But before he could truly lighten the mood, Nomu's chilling roar sounded off again. Katzuchako turned around to see Nomu hurtling down at the group from above, hands outstretched with his claws brought the bear.

Hearing Mineta let out a feared-filled shriek of panic behind him, Katzuchako lifted both arms high, his fingers tensing. Nomu let out a startled squawk as its momentum came to a complete halt, hovering in the air.

Katzuchako grit his teeth against the strain as Nomu started to struggle. His mismatched eyes flicked to the side, narrowing. Moving his arms as if he was throwing someone to the ground, Katzuchako watch as Nomu soared off towards west side of the plaza, creating a large divot as it crashed.

The Fusion winced as he felt a pain in his stomach. "Less than Izuchako would feel, though. That's a plus." He then growled as he saw Nomu clamber to its feet, readying to jump again. Katzuchako threw his arms to the opposite side, sending Nomu skidding away towards the lake before it could, much of the protest of his stomach. "Darn it. This guy just ain't going to stay down."

Looking over his shoulder he called back to the group, locking eyes with Tsuyu. "You guys think you'll be okay on your own for a while?"

Tsuyu blinked in surprise, asking plainly what a few of the others likely wanted to scream. "You're going a fight that thing head-on?"

Katzuchako snorted. "Fight? No. Stall?" He glanced back at where Nomu was flailing in the water, less swimming and more clawing back to shore. The Fusion swallowed. "Hopefully."

He raised himself a bit higher off the ground, scoping out the area. He took note of the villains at the bottom of the staircase, crowding around and apparently talking amongst themselves. About what, he didn't know or really care, save for the fact that a number of them kept looking up the stairs. Katzuchako frowned, looking towards were Nomu was nearing the water's edge.

"You all try to keep the teachers safe until the rest of the faculty gets here. I'll occupy Birdbrain."

As he went to blast off towards Nomu, he heard Tsuyu call out to him. "Be careful, Katzuchako!"

The triple fusion looked back, seen the concerned expressions on his fellow students' faces. Giving them a big grin, he couldn't help but laugh. "Tall order, but I'll do my best!"

He heard a few other shouts of encouragement behind him, but he had already blasted off towards the lake, where Nomu had finally come ashore. He landed a good ways away from the monster, just close enough that the thing could see him.

"All right, Beakface," he called out, instantly drawing Nomu's attention. "Since I got to keep you busy anyway, I might as well try to work out my mutation." He then smirked. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Nomu let out a screeching roar as if in answer, tensing its legs as it leaned forward.

Katzuchako's grin turned feral, bringing his gauntlets to bear. "Okay then, big guy...

"Let's see what I can do!"

Chapter Text

USJ, Central Plaza

In a day full of surprises, some good, most bad, finding out that his explosions were pink was a rather minor oddity for Katzuchako.

He barely even had time to register the color as, not even a second after unleashing a massive explosion at Nomu, the beast lept right out of the fireball, singed, burned, and not slowed down in the slightest.

Katzuchako cursed under his breath, leaning back as Nomu swiped at him with its claws. He felt a familiar lurch in his stomach as he started flying backwards, his heels skimming the ground. Nomu's claws missed him by inches, nearly catching the Fusion on the nose. Nomu didn't stop, rushing after the teen, swiping wildly. In turn, Katzuchako brought up both gauntlets, hitting one of the many triggers at Katsuki's disposal.

The four barrels on each gauntlet started to rotate around his wrists like mini Gatling guns. There was a sharp clang of metal on metal inside the gauntlets, the tanks within them being sectioned off into smaller parts. Just a moment later, the gauntlets fired, unleashing a constant stream of compact explosions right in Nomu's face.

The beast roared as pink blasts engulfed its face, the sudden burst of light blinding it. Through sheer instinct, it threw up a hand to cover its eyes. Katzuchako took his chance, willing himself to be thrown to the side, out of Nomu's way. He rolled as he hit the ground, Nomu running past him for a few paces before screeching to a stop. As the monster began to turn around, Katzuchako launched himself forward, rearing back his arm.

"Smash…  BLAST!"

Katzuchako hit Nomu right across the jaw, gauntlet firing at the moment of impact. The beast's head jerked to the side, nearly spinning round. Katzuchako gave a mad grin in triumph…

Only to have his eyes widen as Nomu reared back around, smacking the young Fusion away with the back of its massive hand. Katzuchako barely ducked down out of the way, feeling the massive limb brush his hair. With a growl, he leapt forward, landing three explosive blows against Nomu's midsection.

Nomu squawked in surprise, it's skin burning as Katzuchako's blows landed. It instinctively kicked it's leg up at the same moment Katzuchako went for another punch. Caught mid-motion, the Fusion had no chance to block the blow. Nomu's foot connected with his chest, punting him up into the air.

Katzuchako tried to catch himself and hover before he went too high, but Nomu was too fast. The beast had already jumped up after the Fusion, its arms raised over its head, bringing them down on the back of Katzuchako's head.

.Katzuchako let out a yell as he was spiked back towards the ground, his body colliding with the large fountain at the center of the USJ. The fountain exploded in a cloud of water and stone, Katzuchako tumbling across the ground behind it.

Katzuchako groaned as he pushed himself back up, his body feeling on fire as he put a hand to his forehead, a series of large cracks going through the glass of his helmet. He was slightly disturbed to find that his chest hurt worse from Nomu's hit then his back did from breaking the fountain. And if he was perfectly honest… breathing shouldn't hurt like that.

"Dang… can't take to many of those." He hissed, pushing himself up to one knee. He put an arm around his midsection, trying to feel if he'd taken any serious damage. He didn't have time to really look, though, not when he heard Nomu's screeching roar rushing near.

Katzuchako instantly threw up his free hand, catching the burned, smoking creature mid-run. As Nomu struggled, he angled his arm up, lifting the beast off the ground. Gritting his teeth against Nomu's struggling, Katzuchako took aim at what looked like an abandoned building far off in the distance, half-buried in earth and debris. He tensed his hand and Nomu was sent flying off, roaring all the way.

Breathing hard, Katzuchako pushed himself to his feet. He kept his arm up, continuing his hold on Nomu. Something he was quickly discovering was that, unless he actively tried to manipulate Nomu's state of gravity, the beast would simply fall to the ground and follow the laws of physics as normal.

This was… odd. As far as he (or any of his components) knew, that's not how Ochako's Quirk worked. Part of him (the Izuku part, most likely) wondered if it was actually a part of Izuchako's mutation that they hadn't noticed. Something for them to work on in the future, assuming they had one. In the meantime, Katzuchako just had to focus on Nomu and keep it in the air.

Not that it was easy. Already, his gut was churning as he felt Nomu thrash around wherever it had landed. Katzuchako knew he couldn't keep hold of the beast for long, otherwise, his stomach would give out and he would definitely lose focus, making it easy for Nomu to grab him. Or worse, one of the other students fighting within the USJ.

With that reminder, Katzuchako lifted off the ground, soaring up after Nomu. He didn't want to lose sight of the creature for long. Any moment he didn't see it was a chance the beast had to hurt someone. He couldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let that happen.

USJ, Landslide Zone

Iida was having a bad day.

It had started out perfectly enough. He'd awoken the find that his elder brother was still home, allowing him the rare opportunity to wish the hero Engenium luck in the day's endeavors. He'd been allowed to flaunt his status as class president, showing professional conviction as he took class roll in Aizawa's steed. There had been a slight dip in the day's quality when his carefully crafted plans for boarding the school bus had been thwarted by innovative engineering, but he had pushed past the hitch easily enough.

Then… they reached the USJ.

Iida still wasn't sure what had come over him at the time. Instinctual protectiveness to defend his classmates? A sense of duty to fulfill his role as class leader? Maybe… the simple thrill at the chance to prove to his teachers that he was just as capable a hero as his brother?

It didn't really matter. All were moot points. In the end, all he'd achieved by charging the mist villain was giving said villain the chance to separate him and Kirishima from their class. Worse, he distracted the hero Thirteen by doing so.

He now had many questions, new worries to think on and explore in his bid to be a hero one day. A plethora of new inquiries to make-

"Iida, duck!"

-just not at that moment.

Iida practically drove to the ground as a villain's bladed arm passed right through where his head had been. The villain howled in pain as the blade instead struck Kirishima in the back of the head, bending at an unnatural angle as it struck the boy's armored head.

Kirishima didn't react in pain at all. In fact, he used the momentum of the blow to quickly headbutt the overly muscled pig-headed villain he had locked arms with. As that villain fell to the ground unconscious, Iida kicked his Quirk on, propelling his leg into the bladed villain's chin, continuing the motion until he'd flipped back to his feet.

"My thanks, Kirishima," he said as the bladed villain crumpled to the ground.

"Eh, don't mention it." The armored boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, then sighed as he heard more yelling outside the broken building they were in. "Geez, how many of these guys are there?"

Iida could only nod in agreement at his classmate's tired tone. The mist villain's portal had dumped them both on the roof of a dilapidated building, the entire structure crumbling and half buried in mud. The Landslide Zone, as Iida had guessed, was already swarming with villains, forcing the two trainee heroes to hole themselves up within the building, if only to not be overwhelmed.

So far, they've managed surprisingly well. The room they were in had the only two entryways, bottlenecking the approaching villains so that the would-be heroes could handle each of them one at a time. The fact that the villains went down with little effort on their part was both a blessing… and rather suspicious.

They expected to combat All Might with this caliber of villain? Iida thought incredulously as he sent another villain crashing against the far wall with an engine-powered kick. They're struggling to combat two academy students despite outnumbering us ten to one. Something else is going on here…

Unfortunately, he didn't have any time to focus on his suspicions. Without a way to restrain the villains they defeated, there was nothing to stop the criminals from getting right back up and fighting as soon as they awoke, now with a rather large chip on their shoulders. Iida and Kirishima couldn't keep going forever. They were both already starting to tire, Iida starting to feel the makings of a burn on his calves from overusing his Quirk.

So, as more villains started impatiently pushing their way into the room, Iida blamed his exhaustion for the high pitch yelp that escaped his lips as the ceiling suddenly exploded into a shower of stone and plaster.

Kirishima flinched back as something large and dark crashed into the ground between him and his coming opponents, making the ground shudder from the impact. The villains themselves seemed just as confused, if their startled cursing was anything to go by.

Silence fell over the unofficial truce, as both villain and students waited for the dust to clear. When it did…

Iida felt a chill run down his spine.

Pushing itself off the ground was the largest villain yet, a hulking monstrosity of blackened skin and exposed brain tissue that seemed even more muscular then All Might. The villain was certainly taller than the Number One.

Iida grit his teeth. He heard Kirishima curse under his breath, and couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. As if the plethora of degenerates surrounding them wasn't enough, now they had to deal with this beast. Who, if Iida remembered from his brief glimpse at the start of this entire mess, had arrived side-by-side with the League of Villains' leader.

The thought of fighting the giant villain was worrying enough, let alone with it being backed up by all the other villains-

"Ah, crap! What's that thing doing loose?!"

Iida blinked at the sudden yell. Without moving his head, he looked past the large villain to the group behind it… finding it's presumed allies looking borderline petrified.

"It's that monster freak!"

"Didn't the boss say not to get in his way?"

"I thought it couldn't do anything without Shigaraki's say so?"

"Morons, shut up and run!"

To the utter bafflement of the students, all the minor villains that had been shoving each other out of the way to get to them were now falling over each other in a bid to escape the room, all in increasing states of terror.

Kirishima looked between the fleeing villains and the bird-like creature pushing itself up. "Uh… isn't this guy on their side?"

"I… assumed so," Iida answered back slowly, feeling just as confused.

The two nearly jumped out of their skin when the villain's black eyes suddenly focused on them, seeming to stare straight through them.

A drop of sweat trickled down Kirishima's forehead. "Iida… not that I don't love a good fight, but… ya think we should start running t-?"

His words were cut off when the villain roared.

The students flinched as the hulking villain bent, looking ready to leap forward at them. They tensed, waiting for the inevitable attack…

That never came.

No one seemed more confused then now flailing villain itself. It had clearly pushed its legs out, yet it remained in place. Almost like…

Iida and Kirishima looked down at the same moment.

The villain's feet were hanging a full foot above the ground.

Iida's eyes narrowed. "How…?"

Kirishima, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. "Oh, I know this! This is-"

"Not who you think."

The two students looked up sharply at the overlayed voice. A strange yet familiar looking boy floated down from hole the villain had made, smirking at them. He waved to them, keeping his other arm held up level with his head.

Kirishima blinked at the boy. "Uh… You're not Izuchako."

Iida looked between them in confusion. "Izu-who?"

The boy chuckled as his feet touched the floor, and Iida was surprised to find that the stranger was nearly half a foot taller than him. "Fusion between Izuku and Ochako. As for me, well… I'm Katzuchako. Like Izuchako, but with an explosive twist."

Kirishima's eyes widened, looking the Fusion up and down. "Like… you've got Bakugo in there too?" After a stunned moment, he grinned. "Dude, that's pretty cool."

Katzuchako smiled back, giving a mocking bow. "Why, thank you. I thought I was too."

Iida could feel a dozen questions burning at the tip of his tongue, but was stopped from asking them by another roar from the floating villain, who was now spinning in place end over end. All three of them turned to watch the beast flail about helplessly, all three tensing briefly, expecting an attack.

"Should we not do something about this villain?" Iida finally asked, disturbed by how the villain's beady eyes seemed to stay on them no matter what direction its head was pointed. "He seems to be growing agitated."

Katzuchako tilted his head at the villain, crossing his arms while keeping his right hand up and open. "I think this is about the most we can do. The League leader bailed and left Nomu here to continue wrecking our day. They expected him to fight All Might, so he's too strong to really restrain. Heck, even if we did, he'd just rip his arms off to get out."

Kirishima nodded in agreement, before doing a doubletake. "Rip his arms… are… are you serious?" He asked incredulously.

Katzuchako nodded grimly. "Yep. I've seen him do it. Got him stuck a little while ago, and the guy just ripped his own leg off… then grew it back like nothing happened. He's one tough cookie, but so long as I keep him up in the air like this, there's not much he can-"

What happened next came without warning. Nomu made no sound, gave no indication of doing anything other than flailing about helplessly. One second, it was thrashing about in midair with no rhyme or reason.

The next, right when it was facing the three of them head on, Nomu brought its hands together with all its strength.

What sounded like a thunderclap sounded, and the very air seemed to tremble as Nomu's hands produced a shockwave that shook the whole building. The students were blasted right off their feet, yelling as they flew across the room and crashed into the far wall.

Katzuchako gasped as he fell to the ground, a cold feeling worming its way into his stomach even as the pressure on it lessened. He threw his arms up as fast as he could…

Too slow.

Katzuchako gasped as Nomu's hand enveloped his head, lifting him off the ground. The Fusion struggled against the monster's grip, pounding his fists on its arms. He tried to lift Nomu off the ground with Gravity Control, but his concentration broke the moment Nomu squeezed.

"Gah!" Katzuchako screamed as Nomu clenched its massive hand. The visor of his helmet cracked from the pressure, shards of reddish glass exploding outwards as the metal frame buckled. Kkatzuchako grit his teeth from the insane pressure, the image of what had happened to Aizawa flashing through his mind. "Get off!"

The Fusion punched aginst Nomu's arm, explosions lighting up from his knuckles instantly. The beast didn't even flinch as it's skin smoked and burned, just increasing its grip.

"Get off him!" The surprise yell from Iida was accompanied by the high pitch whine of a high-performance engine, blue flames bursting from the speedster's calves as he lept through the air. He twisted in midair, his engines pushing themselves as hard as they could go as he kicked with all his might right at Nomu's exposed brain.

But it didn't connect. Like a viper striking, Nomu's other arm shot up, grabbing Iida by the ankle. The speedster gasped in pain as his body jerked to a stop. Nomu let him dangle upside down for a moment, the boy's leg caught in a tight grip that he knew was extremely loose compared to the strength the beast was capable of.

Before Iida could fully process his predicament, Nomu threw its arm out in an almost-lazy motion, throwing Iida away with enough force to crack the concrete from the impact. The speedster gasped as he crumpled to the ground, the very air blasted from his lungs.

Katzuchako watched Iida crumple with wide, panicked eyes. Panic that quadrupled when he heard another voice call out.

"Leave them alone, you bastard!" Kirishima's sudden yell was followed by the boy launching himself at Nomu, his skin fully armored as threw a punch at Nomu's jaw. The blow connected, hard enough to send out the sound of flesh hitting stone. Kirishima's triumphant grin at his apparent success evaporated when Nomu didn't even move, it's blank eye rolling to focus on the armored student.

Before Kirishima could even hope to react, Nomu threw out its free arm to give the boy a full-body backhand. Kirishima yelled in pain as he was sent flying, a red blur that crashed into and through a nearby wall.

"Kirishi- Aaah!" Katzuchako's worried call was cut off by renewed pressure. Not only was the twisted helmet now cutting into his head, but Nomu was slowly raising him higher off the ground, intending to slam the Fusion's head into the concrete.

Katzuchako's eyes blew wide at the realization, Izoru's memory of Aizawa's head growing more and more bloody from every face-first blow flashing through his mind. With a yell, the Fusion frantically kicked his legs, gripping Nomu's wrist with both hands in a desperate bid for freedom.

"Let go, you bastard!" Panic overtook Katzuchako as he increased his grip on the beast's wrist. On any other being, the bones in their arm would have been powderized from the strength. But Nomu didn't so much as flinch.

It just raised Katzuchako higher.

"Let go!"

Katzuchako desperately tried to turn on Izuchako's mutation, throw the monster crushing him away, to fly out of its grasp, but… the pressure… He just… couldn't… focus…

"No…"

Nomu's arm went as high as it could go. Katzuchako held onto Nomu's wrist, clenching his eyes shut. His stomach dropped.

...wait. My stomach… that's almost like…

Katzuchako's eyes flew open. He half-expected to find Nomu and himself floating in the air.

They weren't.

But Nomu's wrist was glowing.

For a fleeting, terror-fueled moment, Katzuchako thought he was about to fuse with Nomu, but quickly realized it wasn't that kind of glow. Nomu's arm wasn't turning into light like Fusion would have made it. Instead, the beast's wrist was surrounded by a bright orangish glow, it's flesh crisscrossed with glowing lines of the same color, like a neon spiderweb.

Katzuchako didn't know what it meant. All he knew was that he'd somehow caused it, Nomu's arm was tensing to deliver the final blow…

And there was a tugging sensation at the back of his mind, just like what Izuna felt with her mutation.

Fueled by pain and panic, Katzuchako latched onto that feeling

Just as Nomu started to drive the Fusion into the ground, Katzuchako's world turning weightless from the motion, the lines on Nomu's arm glowed brighter… and ignited.

"BLAST!"

As the scream tore from Katzuchako's throat, his entire vision was overtaken by a titanic fireball. He heard Nomu let out a shriek of surprise, and the monster's grip on his head disappeared. Eyes shut against the blaze, he hit the ground with a harsh thud, but mercifully gentler then if Nomu's strength had propelled him.

Something heavy landed on his chest as the Fusion settled, Katzuchako instinctively throwing his arm across to too knock whatever it was away. Surprisingly, he did. Opening his eyes, he looked towards the offending object.

Finding Nomu's disembodied hand right next to him.

Katzuchako shrieked in fright, scrambling back away from the hand. A sudden roar made his head snap back up before he got too far.

The smoke from the explosion was quickly dissipating, revealing Nomu looming right over him. The flesh of its right arm was covered in burns, which were already bubbling with new reddened flesh as the beast's hand started to regenerate out of the ragged bloody stump.

There was a beat of silence between Nomu and the Fusion, as if neither knew what to do with the situation they now found themselves in, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

Then...

Nomu lunged.

Katzuchako threw his arm up.

Nomu froze mid-motion. It roared as it once again found itself hovering in the air helplessly. Katzuchako didn't care about the beast's frustration. With his head pounding and heart bursting, at that moment, he just wanted Nomu to go away.

That thought was all it took for gravity to shift around Nomu, the monster being blasted across the room at ludicrous speed, smashing through the wall and soaring away far off into the distance and out of sight. After a full ten seconds, a faint crash sounded far away, a slight tremor making the ground shudder.

Katzuchako tried to keep his grip on Nomu with Gravity Control, but his stomach chose that moment to betray him. It lurched, everything in his stomach churning violently as the Fusion clamped a hand over his mouth.

No! He thought defiantly, his free hand clenching so hard that his nails nearly pierced his gloved palm. I can't lose it now. Not while that thing is still running around.

After a few moments of focus, Katzuchako managed to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged. He wasn't sure if throwing up would break his fusion, but he didn't want to find out. Without the threat of upchucking, the Fusion quickly became aware of the constant pain across his scalp.

Putting a hand to his head, Katzuchako winced. His helmet had been completely warped by Nomu's grip, and the metal was now digging into his head. He tugged at it lightly, groaning as the headpiece refused to budge. With a frustrated groan, he grasped the metal with both hands and pulled on it from both sides. There was a sharp cracking sound as One For All kicked in, the remains of the helmet splitting in half as it came off. Katzuchako regretted the action almost instantly, dropping one half of the helmet to put his fingertips to his forehead, feeling the steady dripping of blood down the side of his face from the new cuts.

"Spectacular…" He grumbled as his fingertips came away red.

Katzuchako just sat there for a moment, panting heavily as he tried to get his breath back. The sudden too-quietness of the building was broken by the sound of shifting gravel. His head snapped to the side, dreading that the fight was about to start up again so soon… and nearly fell back from relief when he just saw Iida, sitting up on his knees where he'd been laying and staring at Katzuchako openmouthed.

A few seconds of stunned, awkward silence passed between the two, before Katzuchako managed a weak grin. "Uh… don't suppose you know what the hell just happened?"

Iida's mouth snapped shut as he blinked. "You… don't?"

The Fusion lifted the broken helmet piece in answer, huffing out a wheezy laugh. "I was a little distracted. Mind filling me in?"

Iida swallowed, looking out the hole Nomu had made. "I…" Iida shook himself a little, the shock on his face buried behind his usual-if-subdued all-business mannerisms. "I'm not entirely sure. You gripped that villain's arm and… these lines spread out from your fingertips and started to glow. Then… they exploded."

Katzuchako looked back down at his hand, considering Iida's words. Then, with a start, he remembered something. "Uh… Iida?" He looked towards the class president apprehensively. "Do you know if Kirishima is okay?" He bobbed his head towards the hole at the opposite side of the room.

Iida blinked plainly at the Fusion, before leaping to his feet in a panic. "O-Of course! How foolish! A hero never leaves a comrade defenseless!" Iida's engines spluttered as he took his first few steps, his legs shaking slightly before he got his balance back. Engines whining, he rushed out the hole, calling out his classmate's name.

Katzuchako huffed a weak chuckle as he watched the boy blur away. His grin was wiped away when he hissed, his face screwing up from the pain shooting through his head. He put a hand against his head, uncomfortably aware of the blood soaking his palm.

He sucked in a harsh breath when he felt a sharp twinge, not in his stomach, but his chest. When he closed his eyes, he could see dots of multi-colored light behind his eyelids, flickering like stars. He clenched his fist around his broken helmet, trying to force down the pain.

"C'mon," He murmured to himself. "Can't stop yet, guys. Not while that thing is still out there." He pulled his hand away from his head, looking curiously at the red-dyed fabric. "And what the heck was that?"

His eyes drifted to the side, at the hand of Nomu that lay just a few feet away from him. He could clearly see the scorching at the stump of a wrist. Brow pinched in thought, looked at the other half of his helmet, bent and twisted beyond repair. He could feel Gravity Control set in the moment all five fingertips touched the metal, but… there was something else. Like newfound instinct, something that had been at the back of his mind without even realizing it. Like a cross between what Izuchako and Izuna felt with their mutations, the two vastly different sensations somehow merging together while still being vastly different.

With a determined frown, Katzuchako tightened his hold on the metal, pressing all five fingertips to it again. He focused on both the feeling and the memories… and was rewarded with oranged lines appearing along the helmet's surface, spreading out from his fingertips until the entire piece glowed with an orangish aura.

His brow raising, Katzuchako released the broken helmet, lifting it to a hover with Gravity Control. He let it spin around in the air, feeling out the new sensation at the back of his mind, piggybacking off the one Gravity Control made. Looking up, he could see a far off cliffside through the hole Nomu had made, jutting out over the USJ.

On a whim, Katzuchako flicked out his wrist, sending the glowing metal flying. He followed the stone's flight path as it grew smaller and smaller… until it hit the cliff.

In an instant, Katzuchako felt the connection with the helmet vanish. In the next, an orange explosion rocked the cliffside, causing parts of it to break off and fall. He could hear a few of the villans outside let out startled yells at the blast.

Katzuchako watched the explosion fade, now even more curious. He searched the ground, finding a baseball-sized chunk of stone that had fallen from the ceiling. He picked it up, focusing just like last time. Orange lines ran across it, and as soon as it started glowing, the Fusion threw it. It soared through the air just like the last one, exploding against the cliff… only this blast was bigger than the last one.

Slowly, a wide smile spread over Katsuchako's face. "Oh, I think I get it. This…" He looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers, his pain forgotten. "This is good. This is very, very good."

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Katzuchako

Fusion Components: Katsuki Bakugo, Ochako Ururaka

Unique Quirk Mutation: Explosive Touch

By touching an object with all five fingers, Katzuchako can charge it with energy, priming it to explode at his discretion. The bigger the object, the stronger the explosion. 

"What was that?"

Katzuchako looked away from his handiwork, finding Iida holding up Kirishima, the armored boy's arm slung over the speedster's shoulder. They both were looking out at the crumbling cliff, their eyes darting between it and the Fusion.

Katzuchako just grinned back at them. "Just me being awesome." The grin lessened as he noticed the bruises littering the redhead's skin. "You okay, Kirishima? You're looking a lot more… purple than usual."

Kirishima chuckled, trying and failing to hide a wince. "More or less. When that guy hit me, I actually felt it through my armor. That was… new."

No one commented on the slight tremor running through the redhead's voice at the end of his sentence.

Katzuchako nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, they made that guy to fight All Might. And so far… yeah, I can see it."

Whatever levity was in the room vanished when the three started to hear faint voices from outside the hole in the far wall.

"Is… is it gone?"

"Y-Yeah… Shockmaster saw it go flying towards that mountain."

"Think it killed those kids?"

"Probably, but… anyone else see those explosions just now?"

"Brats might still be breathing. Let's go check before that thing comes back."

Katzuchako stared towards the hole with narrowed eyes. His hands clenched, his hair slowly starting to lift at the ends as Gravity Control kicked in.

"Iida?"

The speedster turned away from the voices to look at the Fusion, surprised to find such a serious look on the Fusion's face. "Yes, Katzuchako?"

"Do you think you can you lift Kirishima? My gravity powers are working a little differently then I thought they would."

Iida blinked, sharing a perplexed look with Kirishima. "Um… I believe so?"

"Good. Here's the plan: You hold him, I blast a window through all those villains, and you two superspeed to the exit."

Kirishima perked up, his brow scrunching in thought. "Okay, but… what are you going to do?"

Katzuchako let out a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "I gotta go babysit that big birdy bastard and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else."

The redhead jolted in surprise, before pushing away from Iida to march right up to the Fusion. "What!? That thing nearly killed you!"

Katzuchako hummed in agreement. "Nearly, yeah. Now I know not to let that thing get so close. Gotta hit it from a distance, or hit it fast and get the hell away."

"Katzuchako, I must protest!" Iida shouted, just as incensed and worried as Kirishima. "You cannot tackle that villain alone! It would be extremely dangerous to do so, not to mention foolish."

"Yeah, well… that's the nice thing about being a Fusion." Katzuchako gave a cheeky grin. "I'm never really alone."

"Katzucha-"

"This ain't up for debate." The hard cutoff nearly made Iida bite his tongue. Katzuchako bent down to pick up some more ruble, his feet leaving the ground seconds later. He gave Iida a sheepish grin, even as the stones in his hands started glowing. "Sorry, Prez, but there ain't much other choice. Until the teachers show up to take over, I gotta keep that thing busy. And I've let him run around on his own for way too long already." He floated over to the hole Nomu had flown through, looking down at the dozen or so villains glaring up at him from ground level. "I'm gonna light this place up in about fifteen seconds. Get ready."

Before either boy could protest further, Katzuchako had already floated out the hole and up into the sky.

Iida grit his teeth in frustration. "He's going to get himself hurt. They all are."

Kirishima nodded as climbed onto Iida's back, looking worriedly after the Fusion. "Yeah…"

Fifteen seconds later, a pair of glowing stones flew right into the mass of villains grouped up outside the broken building. The Landslide Zone was lit up with twin massive explosions, the villains being blasted away as they yelled in shock and fright. In the next moment, two forms shot away from the smoking chaos at high speed: one blasting towards the USJ entrance, the other soaring towards the Mountain Zone.

Chapter Text

USJ, Mountain Zone

"Jiro, on your left!"

At Momo's call, Jiro whirled around, just blocking the strike of a machete-wielding villain in a trenchcoat. She winced at the force he used, pushing down on her makeshift sword with ease. Gritting her teeth as she tried to keep her footing, she activated her Quirk, extending her jack tipped earlobes down to her speaker-faced boots.

She once again had to praise UA's Support Department. The boots she'd asked for worked to perfection, her accelerated heartbeat transmitting and blasting out of the speakers in a booming shockwave. The villain let out a startled yell, getting blasted off his feet and sent flying back, along with several of the villains behind him.

Breathing heavily, Jiro turned to check on the other students she'd been trapped with. Momo was twirling around a bo staff with practiced ease, smacking villains across the face as they tried to rush her. A little ways away from them, Kaminari was shooting weak blasts of electricity at the stragglers with one hand, pressing the other to his head with a wince.

Jiro was caught between being exasperated and concerned for him. They'd initially been surrounded by five times as many villains before Kaminari had unleashed his so-called finishing move, Indiscriminate Shock. It was aptly named, sending out a massive wave of electricity that knocked out nearly every villain around them, but also would have hurt herself and Momo if the Creation girl hadn't shielded them with an insulated sheet. The only problem was that the attack was so indiscriminate that it hurt Kaminari himself, frying his brain so badly that he could barely function, stumbling around with a blitzed out look on his face.

It had been funny at first, seeing the boy who tried and failed to act so smooth around everyone reduced to a dopey goofball… right up until Kaminari walked directly in the way of a charging bull-like villain, grinning all the while. If Jiro hadn't yanked him out of the way with her lobes, he would have been gored. So, in addition to having to fight the remaining villains, the two girls also had to keep track of Kaminari, making sure he didn't wander back into the conflict.

It was only about five minutes later that he came back to himself, but… it was clear he was straining himself. He winced with every burst of electricity, and whenever he tried to tell them he was okay, he couldn't keep the slight slur out of his voice. In any other situation, Jiro would be yelling at him to sit down and rest. But as it was, all she and Momo could do was try to keep the pressure off him.

So it was a great relief when Jiro counted how many villains were left standing and realized that they were nearly out of opponents. Just a few more and they could all take a breather, then make their way to the entrance to regroup with their class.

With new determination, Jiro took off at a run towards the nearest remaining villain, a large man with grey skin and four all-red eyes. The man laughed menacingly at her audacity, hefting the large pipe he held. Jiro narrowed her eyes at his dismissive look, ready to send out another blast from her boots-

"Dude, look out!"

The shout came from another of the remaining villains, intended for the man Jiro was charging. Both of them turned to look at the shouter in surprise, finding him pointing above them in clear terror. Jiro looked up-

Just in time to see something slam into the ground in front of her, crushing the grey-skinned villain.

The impact shook the ground, sending Jiro stumbling to one knee. Looking up, she watched as a large form stood up from the crater it had created, the grey-skinned villain broken and groaning at its feet.

"Oh, crap!"

All around them, the remaining villains stared at the new arrival in blatant fear. Jiro looked around in confusion, not understanding their screams of denial and terror. Within moments, every conscious villain had turned tail and run from the area, most leaving their unconscious allies behind.

Momo and Kaminari blinked as their opponents suddenly fled, turning to see what had caused their panic. Their eyes widened when they saw Nomu, the titanic beast of rippling muscle and mindless rage, looming over Jiro's fallen form.

Jiro looked up in fear at the bulky, towering being standing over her, its blank eyes seeming to stare right through to her soul. For what felt like an eternity, the beast just stood mindlessly in front of her. Then it sucked in a deep breath. They tensed as it let out a shriek of a roar right in Jiro's face, before bringing both arms over its head.

Jiro's heart stopped.

Before it brought it's arms down, a bolt of lightning blasted over her head, hitting the creature dead in the chest. Surprisingly, the beast halted in its movements, its roar cutting off with a squawking stutter, its footing faltering a bit.

Jiro flinched violently from the lighting strike, her body coiled like a spring from nerves. Once she realized that the sudden attack hadn't been the Nomu reducing her to a smear in the dirt, her head snapped back towards the bolt's source.

Kaminari stared wide-eyed at the Nomu, both arms outstretched and crackling with electricity. He seemed just as surprised by his actions as Jiro was. Noticing that she was staring at him, Kaminari schooled his face, flashing her a cocky grin… before looking back over her head with fear-fueled panic, another electrical blast bursting from his fingertips.

Jiro whirled around, heart leaping up to her throat when she found Nomu's gigantic hand about to clamp down on her skull. Kaminari's attack struck the monster in the head this time, right on it's exposed brain. Nomu let out a garbled shriek, its body spasming for a moment as it was stuck in place.

Without waiting another moment, Jiro bolted, scrambling back on her hands and knees until she got her feet back under her. She ran back to Kaminari, the boy now sending a constant stream of electricity at Nomu to cover her.

Once she was at his side, she turned to check on her would-be killer.

For a moment, she actually thought Kaminari had taken it down. The villain staggered as it tried to take a step forward, letting out a pained croon. Kaminari smirked, thinking that he'd managed to incapacitate the intimidating villain.

Then Nomu's eyes zeroed in on him.

Nomu took a step forward against the electrical onslaught. Then another. And another.

Dread dripped down Jiro's spine as Nomu kept moving forward, his slow movements quickening with every step. "Kaminari…"

"Any more juice then this and I'll fry myself again!" Kaminari grit his teeth, his left eye twitching as he poured on the power.

Electricity sparked all over Nomu's body, but the beast paid it no heed. Its movements started to smooth out as it adjusted to the voltage coursing through its muscles and brain. Its growly breathing increased with its gate, the beast soon reaching a normal-ish walking speed against Kaminari's onslaught. And it was only getting faster.

Just when Jiro was sure the villain was going to burst into a full-on run, something collided with the side of Nomu's face and exploded, sending it stumbling back with a surprised squawk. The rocker's head snapped to the side, only then registering the presence of someone next to her and Kaminari.

Momo could only spare a quick glance at her, wincing as she drew what looked like some kind of missile from the red light bursting from her chest, loading it into the large artillery cannon at her side. Before Jiro could question how Momo could have made something so large so quickly, the Creation-girl took aim and pulled the trigger, firing again.

Nomu groaned as another explosion lit up its face. The teens blanched at the sight of red muscle and yellow bone showing through the beast's torn skin, only to gasp in shock as the flesh bubbled and morphed, quickly filling back over the wound with new skin, until it was like the villain had suffered no damage at all.

When it took another step forward, Kaminari let loose a new burst of lightning, the electricity arcing off his arms in waves. Momo joined him seconds later, firing her cannon every few seconds. Jiro looked between the two in fear, knowing that they knew there was no way they could stop the villain like this. When she saw only grim determination on their faces, forcefully slammed over their overwhelming panic and fear, she swallowed hard, mirroring their expressions.

Might as well go down fighting, she thought grimly, stretching her ear jacks down to her boots. At least try to be a hero.

Sonic waves burst from the speakers contained in her boots, made more powerful thanks to her racing heart. The onslaught of sound hit Nomu like a freight train, pushing the creature back in a skid, much to its irritation. Jiro allowed herself a brief satisfied smirk, before wiping it away as Nomu regained its footing.

Electricity, sound waves, and heavy artillery hit Nomu in a neverending storm, ripping and burning its flesh almost as fast as the villain healed. Almost. Just as before, Nomu was adjusting to the force of the team attack, stomping forward as a roar burst from its maw. With a few more steps, Nomu launched itself forward, running headlong against the attacks trying to hold it back.

Jiro slammed her eyes shut, trying to push her speakers as hard as she could, not wishing to see the mindless, musclebound death machine reach them and-

"Meteor Smash!"

The teens flinched at the sudden yell, Nomu's head shooting up instantly. A blur of pink and green slammed into Nomu with the force of a small explosion, digging the beast into a newly formed crater. The students cut off their attacks out of shock, covered their eyes to protect them from the updraft of dirt and debris. When they looked back, they found Nomu laying face up in the crater, struggling to get up as an unfamiliar teen rained rapid blows at its face, explosions punctuating every punch.

"Just! Freaking! Stay! Down!" The teen yelled with each hit, his triplicate voice making his audience of three jolt in surprise.

Nomu just roared in answer, throwing both arms out to grab the boy. The teen shot into the air, firing a double explosion in Nomu's face for good measure. Before the creature could get back up, the teen threw his arms down. The air around Nomu seemed to shimmer, and the ground started to shake.

"Gravity… RUSH!"

With a surprised screech, Nomu was sent hurtling through the ground, creating a hole that just went deeper and deeper as the monster's roars grew fainter. After a few seconds, the ground around the hole crumbled, burying the beast.

Jiro, Momo, and Kaminari stared dumbly at where Nomu had once been, before looking up to watch the teen descend. He panting heavily at his feet touch the ground, a trail of blood running down his face from a head wound. He looked over at them, chuckling weakly. "Well… that probably bought us a couple of seconds… maybe."

Jiro blinked rapidly, her brain struggling to wrap around the fact that she was still alive, that her impending death had been postponed by salvation literally falling out of the sky. She was saved from trying to form a coherent response by Momo, squinting her eyes at the teen as she looked him up and down. After a moment, her eyes widened, the pieces coming together for her faster the for Jiro. "...Izuku?"

A jolt ran down Jiro spine, understanding finally battering down her shock.

The teen grinned at her, his green and brown eyes sparkling. "Technically. Along with Bakugo. Aaand Uraraka." Katzuchako slumped a little, his arms dangling in front of him. "It's been a long day."

Kaminari's mouth dropped, Jiro knowing that he'd be asking a question of disbelief if his brain wasn't partway fried. Luckily, Jiro was wondering the exact same thing and had no problem voicing it. "You can… uh…. Midoriya can Fuse with more than one person?"

The Fusion gave a nod, his sharp grin almost too feral to be called kind. "Yeah. Apparently. Name's Katzuchako."

Momo's brow rose in surprise. "I was not aware that was a possibility with Izuku's Quirk."

Katzuchko let out a tired chuckle, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Yeah… neither did he. Again… loooong day."

Before more questions could be asked (and Jiro was starting to think of a lot of questions) the ground shook, a deep rumble sounding around them.

Katzuchako looked down, his expression caught between dread and resignation. "Aw, man…"

With an ear-splitting crash, the ground beneath their feet exploded upwards. Jiro, Momo, and Kaminari fell on their rears from the impact, while Katzuchako's feet lifted back off the ground. The Fusion spun around, tensing to tackle Nomu again as soon as it showed its beaked face.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance. Nomu had not simply launched itself back up to the surface. It had gone even further, shooting up into the air until it nearly reached USJ's ceiling. With the sudden distance between them, Nomu had switched targets, its trajectory as it fell back to earth placing it on the opposite side of the nearby mountain.

Katzuchako's eyes went wide, his face paling. "Oh, crap!" His body tensed further, angling it to fly after the falling villain, He looked over his shoulder quickly, addressing his classmates. "I blasted most of the villains further down the mountain. You should have a straight shot to the entrance. I gotta keep this guy busy."

It took Jiro a second too late to realize that The Fusion was about the launch himself away from them, to try and fight the creature that the three of them could barely slow down all by himself. Her eyes widening in panic, Jiro raised her arm as the Fusion started to drift away. "Katzuchako, wait-!"

"Stay safe, guys!"

With no further farewell, Katzuchako launched away at ludicrous speed, aiming to intersect Nomu's fall.

Jiro stood there for a moment, speechless. She watched as Katzuchako faded into a tiny dot, arcing over the top of the mountain as Nomu disappeared behind it. She couldn't see the impact as the two collided, but she sure as hell heard it.

She slowly turned to her companions. Momo was staring off after Katzuchako, biting her lip in worry, while Kaminari tried to do the same, squinting painfully through one eye while he squeezed the other shut, a hand pressed firmly against the side of his head.

Swallowing, Jiro gently put a hand on each of their shoulders, drawing their attention. "C'mon," she said, forcing strength into her voice. "Katzuchako gave us a window. Let's get out of here before it closes."

She got hesitant nods in answer, both of them glancing back up the mountain before taking off at a run towards the entrance. Jiro followed right behind them, looking over her shoulder briefly as well.

Those idiots better stay alive. I owe them one.

USJ, Landslide Zone

"Th-That's all I know, man! I swear! N-Now, could you just… h-hey, where ya going!?"

Todoroki let out a frustrated sigh as he walked passed the villain trapped within an icy prison, just like the other dozen or so around him. He ignored the man's pleas to be freed, walking away from his ill-prepared attackers towards the central plaza far off in the distance.

Since being separated from his class, Todoroki had tried to be as useful as possible, interrogating the villains he trapped in hopes of uncovering the real reason they had attacked UA. After all, they couldn't really be stupid enough to think they could attack a school full of Pro heroes and hero-hopefuls and just walk away. Right?

Todoroki scoffed. Apparently, yes, there were that stupid, if the ones he'd been stuck with were any indication. What little he'd managed to gather from them implied that there were only two members of the 'League of Villains' who actually had some semblance of a plan. Everyone they had brought along was simply told to create as much chaos as possible. The Villains we're under the impression that they were here to make a statement against the Pro Heroes who constantly beat them down.

Which, Todoroki had to admit, they sort of were. It was just that they weren't the real source of the statement. The being called Nomu, which was apparently meant to kill All Might, seemed to be the only part of their 'plan' that had an actual end goal. Every other villain? They were merely a distraction, whether they realized it or not.

Todoroki scoffed under his breath. And even that is a useless endeavor. He stilled briefly at his unintentional choice of wording, giving his head a small shake. All Might is the Number One Hero for a reason. No one villain, especially one who would consider these two-bit criminals allies, could take him down on their own, no matter how powerful…

Todoroki froze, a strange sound reaching his ears. Like a high-pitched whistle combined with a… roar? He twisted around to face the nearby mountain top, his eyes instantly widening.

The massive form of Nomu was streaking down towards him, arms outstretched and hands open, the villain letting out a screeching roar as it hurtled through the air.

Todoroki threw up an arm, ice rushing up from the ground to form a massive wall in between him and the incoming villain. He focused hard, pushing the ice wall up further, making it stronger as the villain neared. He braced for the coming impact.

But just before Nomu hit the ice wall, it was tackled from above by a green and black blur. Nomu screeched as it was driven into the ground, an explosion of pink light coming from the crater it formed. Todoroki brought an arm up over his face shield it from the harsh light, trying to squint through the ice to see what was happening.

He heard a series of hard blows land, feeling them shake the ground with each impact. There was shouting, cursing, and roaring as he saw two blurry figures leap out of the crater, one unmistakably the massive form of Nomu, while the other was tall but thin. The two rushed each other, colliding in a flurry of harsh blows, each of those made by the smaller form punctuated by pink explosions.

Todoroki grit his teeth, frustrated that he was separated from the battle before him by his own ice. He let out a burst of heat, intending to melt the wall down so he could see clearly. Just as the ice started to melt, he heard Nomu let out a particularly loud roar, followed by a yelp of pain. The ice wall suddenly shattered, the tall figure flying through it back-first, soaring over Todoroki's head and skipping across the ground as it rolled to a stop.

Todoroki, knocked to his knees by the surprise impact, looked back at the figure as they pushed themselves back up on one knee. He was momentarily confused by the mismatch of equipment they wore: recolored versions of Bakugo's gauntlets and Uraraka's boots, Uraraka's futuristic belt holding up baggy cargo pants...

A familiar-looking green jacket...

Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he scowled. Another Fusion...

The Fusion then looked up, and Todoroki's scowl was wiped away by ice-cold shock at the mismatched green and brown eyes staring back at him. At the hair that started one color and then jarringly changed to another. The more Todoroki looked at the Fusion, the colder he felt.

Until that coldness suddenly shifted, turning to a blazing, blinding rage.

Before the dark thoughts building inside him could make their way to his mouth, the Fusion suddenly looked over Todoroki's head, those mismatched eyes widening in panic. In a triplicate voice, the Fusion yelled, "Todoroki, get down!"

It wasn't so much the Fusion's scream that made Todoroki duck then the gauntlet he suddenly pointed right at the icy-hot teen. Jolting in surprise, Todoroki threw himself to the ground, only then feeling the massive black claw swipe through here his head had previously been. He flipped himself over, his stomach dropping at the sight of Nomu looming over him.

Before Nomu could begin its followup swing, pink flames engulfed its head. The Villain let out a screech as its fleshed burned, its head snapping towards Katzuchako. Seeing an opening, Todoroki threw his arm up. Before Nomu even knew what was happening, ice leapt up from the ground, fully encasing it in a frozen tomb.

Todoroki let out a sigh of relief… which promptly caught in his throat as he heard the telltale sound of cracking ice. He watched in morbid disbelief as the ice covering Nomu began to vibrate, cracks spreading out from its arms and legs. Todoroki tensed his arm, telling his ice to refreeze.

"Heads up!"

Todoroki ducked again, his concentration shattered as Katzuchako flew over his head, arms pulled back and palms open. Todoroki expected the Fusion to let loose some kind of explosion to foolishly blast Nomu, ice and all. So he was confused when Katzuchako instead slammed his palms against the ice encasing Nomu, his brows coming together as he focused.

With his heart hammering in his chest from Nomu's near hit, Todorki's ire took a backseat in place of his bemusement. "What… are you doing?"

Katzuchako chuckled lightly under his breath, his eyes darting around at every new crack that formed on Nomu's icy prison. "Something either really cool or really, really dumb."

Todoroki's scowl returned at the Fusion's flippancy, his mouth opening to give a scathing retort. He paused when he saw a new set of lines forming all over the ice. Orange and gridlike, spreading out from Katzuchako's fingertips. "What…?"

Katzuchako didn't answer, just narrowing his eyes in concentration. The lines continued to spread across the surface of the ice block, wrapping around until they met on the opposite side, then working their way into and through the ice itself. As the lines suddenly began to glow, Katzuchako gave a wide smirk. "Okay… cool it is, then." Kicking back on his heels, the Fusion started floating backward, eyes never leaving the glowing, frozen Nomu until he reached Todoroki. Without warning, he grabbed Todoroki by the back of his shirt and zoomed back several feet, dragging the boy with him.

"Hey!" Todorki rounded on the Fusion as his ankles skimmed the ground. "What-?"

"Trust me," Katzuchako cut him off bringing them to a stop a good distance away from Nomu. He released Todoroki, giving a feral grin as he raised his left hand. "You don't want to be too close to this."

Katzuchako snapped his fingers, and Todoroki's eyes were instantly drawn back to Nomu. The orange lines glowed brighter for a moment, almost blinding, before the entire ice prison exploded into a shower of ice and fire. Nomu disappeared into the flames, which quickly gave way to smoke and steam. They heard the creature within gave a roar that almost sounded like it was in pain, before going silent.

Todoroki looked up through his arms as the flames died down, staring in shock at the pillar of smoke that had once been Nomu. As he tried to process what just happened, a victorious yell from Katzuchako drew his attention.

"Yeah!" The Fusion pumped both arms, a wide smile on his lips. "Eat that, you big-beaked bastard!"

Todoroki blinked rapidly, looking between the smoke and the Fusion. He felt his earlier anger rushing back, yelling, "What is wrong with you?! You… you just killed that villain!" He threw his arm out towards the smoke for emphasis.

Katzuchako flinched at the sudden yell, blinking at Todoroki in confusion. "Huh?" He looked towards where Todoroki was gesturing. He let out a sound of understanding. "Oh, trust me, that thing ain't dead. If we're lucky, we just slowed it down for a minute. Hell, I'm starting to wonder if anything could kill this thing. Bastard heals from freaking everything I throw at it."

Todoroki's ire lessened for a moment, confusion clear on his face as he took in Katzuchako's words. Before he could come up with a response, Katzuchako continued speaking. "That thing's probably going to get back up any second now. So you should probably get going."

Todoroki gave him a confused look. "What?"

Katzuchako wasn't looking at him, giving his full attention towards where he knew Nomu was. "It looks like you took out most of the villains in this part of USJ, and the plaza is clear. You should have a clear shot back to the entrance if you hurry."

When Katzuchako's words finally clicked, Todoroki's blood boiled. "Are you telling me to run away?"

Katzuchao glanced at him briefly, quirking a brow. "Uh, I'm suggesting you get away from the villainous, murderous death machine while you've got the chance, so… yeah, kinda."

Todoroki scowled at the Fusion. "I can handle myself. I don't need your suggestions!"

"Yeah? Well, ya got'em anyway. Name's Katzuchako, by the way."

"I don't care!"

"Uh, ow. The hell I do to you, Freezerburn?" The Fusion then scowled, and Todoroki suddenly noticed the red flecks throughout both of his eyes. "Y'know, aside from just saving your ass? Twice!"

Todoroki was near yelling now. "I didn't need your help!"

Katzuchako snorted. "Could have fooled me." He shook his head, letting out a sigh as he calmed himself. "Look, just get out of here before that thing gets is bearings. The Pro's are going to be here any minute to take over anyway, so-"

"I'm not going anywhere!" To punctuate his statement, Todoroki spread ice back over his left side and across the ground.

Katzuchako let out an annoyed growl, turning to face Todoroki. "Look, I'm not arguing this. Either get moving on your own before I float your ass-"

Todoroki didn't get to hear the rest of Katzuchako's warning. Without a sound, a large fist of black skin and exposed muscle slammed into the side of the Fusion's face. The blow was so intense that Todoroki got only a single brief moment to see the look of shock and pain on Katzuchako's face before his neck twisted painfully, and the Fusion disappeared in a blur, colliding with the distant mountainside in an explosion of rock and rubble.

Todoroki gasped at the suddenness of the attack. It didn't make a sound. How could…

He got his answer as Nomu slowly turned to face him, and Todoroki felt bile start to rise up his throat. There was more muscle then skin covering Nomu's body, bone being visible in places. Its right arm was missing, its left barely connected by bone and thin strands of muscle. And it's head… its entire bottom jaw and part of its throat were just gone, part of its skull caved in where its right eye should have been. By all accounts, the thing looked like a moving corpse.

But Todoroki's horror only mounted as he watched the red muscle moving, bulging and oozing back over where it was missing, new blackened skin forming by the second.

Todoroki gawked at the monster before him for one second too long. Nomu lunged forward, its remaining arm outstretched. Todoroki flinched back, throwing his right arm up. Once again, Nomu was encased head to toe in an icy prison, stopped dead in its tracks. Without waiting, Todoroki sent out another wave of ice, encasing the ice block within another one. He repeated this several times, layering ice upon ice until Nomu's body was nothing more than a blurry outline within.

Todoroki sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to slow his pounding heart. He steadied himself, looking over Nomu's new prison. He allowed himself a small sigh. It's done. He nodded to himself, feeling satisfied as he turned around, walking away from the trapped villain. I knew I didn't need help. Especially from-

...crrrrkkk…

A spike of ice completely unrelated to his Quirk shot down Todoroki's spine, the sudden sound stopping him dead in his tracks. Eyes bulging in disbelief, he rounded on where Nomu stood trapped.

A crack was slowly climbing its way across the ice block, right over where Nomu's outstretched arm was.

Impossible.

Todoroki sent out more ice, adding another layer atop what he'd already done. Within seconds, the crack worked its way to the new surface, spreading once again. Todoroki responded by pouring on more ice.

This is impossible. Todoroki thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he felt his right arm slowly going numb. I know how strong my ice is. Nothing can get through it. The only thing that might have a chance is All Might himself.

…

… or something strong enough to kill him.

Todoroki didn't bother acknowledging that thought. He just poured on more ice. As much as he could make.

As fast as he could make it.

USJ, Between the Landslide and Mountain Zones

Katzuchako was dying.

That was the only explanation. There was no other reason his body would hurt this much.

Forget the cuts. Forget the bruises. Forget the fact that he was pretty sure his skull had fractured with that haymaker Nomu hit him with. Forget that he could feel a small trail of blood running down his back as he laid against the rocks, having fallen out of the crater his impact had created in the mountainside. That all took a backseat to the ungodly feeling of his body trying to rip itself apart.

He didn't know how he was still in one piece. By all accounts, his Fusion should have given out far before that punch. The pain in his skull was blinding, his brain trying to tear itself into three, the way it… they should be. In the tests Izuku had done in the past, Katzuku had fallen apart long before he'd reached this level of pain and exhaustion.

...then again, Katzuku had never been in a real life-or-death situation, not for this long at least. Katzuchako couldn't just fall apart as soon as the pain became unbearable, no matter how much he very much wanted too. There was too much riding on him for him to just give up.

Plus, there was the fact that Nomu was still up and about, and very nearby. If he unfused now, Izuku, Katsuki, and Ochako would be, for lack of a better term, screwed. So, unfusing? Giving up? Not going to happen.

Even if he really, really didn't want to be there at the moment.

"C'mon…" He groaned, straining his muscles against the pain. His arms and legs twitched slightly but didn't move further. He growled under his breath. "Dammit… move!"

He struggled and strained. It could have been just a few seconds or it could have been hours for all he knew. Eventually, his body just gave out on him, falling limp as his head lolled to the side.

"Crap…" He ground out under his breath. "Guess I just gotta sit here till my body wakes up again. Freaking perfect." He sighed heavily. "Man, I hope Todoroki got the hell out of there."

The Fusion fell silent, focusing on just breathing through the pain as he waited for the feeling to come back to his limbs.

"... think he's somewhere over here. Come on, hurry up!"

Katzuchako's head perked up minutely. A girl's voice. It sounded vaguely familiar. Not as happy and cheerful as it should be, but familiar.

"I would hope that would be obvious, mon invisible beauté. He left quite an impact on the landscape."

Another voice, a boy's. Again, Katzuchako felt he should be able to place it, but it sounded too subdued from how it should have been. The french helped clear the memory a bit, though.

Footsteps sounded in the distance, quickly growing louder as they neared. Katzuchako heard someone suck in a hard breath.

"Oh, mon Dieu. You have seen better days, my mon Amie."

Katzuchako blinked blearily up at the voice, being met with… a glove.

No arm attached to it. No body or face to assure that there was actually someone there. Just a blue glove, waving back and forth in front of his nose.

"Uh, hello? Mr. Fusion? Are you awake? Please be awake. We're kind of in big trouble if your not."

Katzuchako cleared his throat, making the glove pull back in surprise. "I'm… I'm awake Hagakure." He tried to focus on where the glove went… until he realized it had been joined by another, the two naturally folding together like the invisible girl was holding them over her chest… which meant Katzuchako was staring at her…

"Oh! You're getting some color back, Mon Amie!"

Katzuchako, face ablaze, instantly tried to scramble to his feet… only to fall forward with a pained hiss as a sharp pain went through his skull.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Two sets of arms grabbed him by the shoulders, keeping him from landing on his face. Blinking the last of the blurriness from his eyes, Katzuchako looked to either side, meeting (presumably) Hagakure's eyes, then Aoyama's. The normally twinkling boy seemed rather subdued, his ever-present smile strained.

Katzuchako grunted as he got his feet under him, flashing them a grin. "Thanks. What are you two doing up here, though?"

In an instant, Aoyama regained his usual exuberance, setting into a pose that made the light gleam off his tinted visor. "We took point on the high ground to keep track of the villains' movements as we planned out our counterattack. Naturally!"

"We were hiding from the villains up here while Todoroki took them out."

Katzuchako blinked at Hagakure's blunt statement, Aoyama pitching forward to hang his head in shame. The Fusion snorted lightly, grinning at them. "Well, you both stayed safe, so that's the most important thing. Now…" He turned his head this way and that, scanning the USJ as he rubbed the back of his (aching) neck. "Do you guys have any idea which way I came from?"

"Uhh…" Hagakure's disembodied glove pointed directly behind the Fusion. "There?"

Katzuchako looked where she was pointing, his brow raising as he turned around. Off in the distance, presumably where Todoroki and Nomu still were, an iceberg was slowly growing over the mountain cliffs. "Oh. Man, he's really going all out, ain't he?" Katzuchao glanced back behind him, where Hagakure and Aoyama were gawking at the massive ice block growing before there eyes. "Think you two will be okay up here for just a little longer?"

Aoyama looked to him in surprise, Hagakure likely doing the same. "Are… are you intending to go back down there, mon Amie?"

Katzuchako sighed heavily. "Yep." He rubbed the back of his neck again, trying to work out one last kink.

"Don't… don't you think you've done enough?" Hagakure asked. "You're… not exactly looking too great."

Kazuchako paused, staring at the invisible girl for a moment. Then he sighed, asking tiredly, "Do you think Todoroki could freeze All Might and keep him frozen?"

"Wha- Of course not!" Aoyama said, giving a light bemused chuckle.

Katzuchako wasn't laughing, mismatched eyes locked on the iceberg growing off in the distance. "Then he can't beat Nomu. Not by himself. Only slow it down."

Aoyama swallowed thickly, the smile on his face becoming extremely tight.

"Then… what are you going to do?" Hagakure asked softly, trepidation clear in her voice.

Katzuchako watched the growing iceberg, his eyes darting back and forth in thought. His gaze then drifted to the ground, his eyes narrowing. He bent down to one knee, pressing both hands flat on the ground. "Nomu absorbs everything we hit it with." He muttered, as much to himself as his classmates. "But… you hit it hard enough, and it reacts. If I can just keep hitting it hard enough and long enough…"

Aoyama and Hagakure watched as a pulse of air seemed to spread out from Katzucako's hands. The ground seemed to shudder, a constant vibration that spread out further and further. Orange lines of light started to run across the rock and stone in every direction, forming unnatural shapes as they ran over each other. The lines ran right under the two's feet, making them yelp in surprise as the lines continued past them, spreading out until Katzuchako knelt in the middle of a rough circle of orange light nearly thirty feet wide.

Katzuchako looked over his shoulder, flashing them a wry smile, the orange light under him casting fearsome shadows that danced across his face. "You two might want to take a couple of steps back."

Aoyama blinked, his eyes darting down as the shaking started to intensify. "No need to tell us twice, Monsieur!" He grabbed Hagakure by the hand, pulling her away as he took off in a run.

Hagakure gave a small squeak of surprise but didn't disagree, her boots hitting the ground hard as she met Aoyama's pace. As she ran, she yelled over her shoulder. "Stay safe… uh…"

The Fusion flashed her bright smile. "Katzuchako. And back at ya!"

Once they were both clear of the circle, Katzuchako looked back towards the iceberg in the distance. He took a moment to focus, before punching downward as hard as he could.

Todoroki had never created this much ice before. Even in all the… practice he had done, he'd only every focused on how to use his ice. How fast he could make it, how he could shape it, how quickly he could change what direction he was sending it; all skills pounded into his head as the most important thing. He'd never just… cut loose, pushing himself to create a single piece of ice with no limit to its size.

In any other circumstances, he'd have been impressed with himself. And a small part of him was.

However, that part was completely drowned out by the rest of him screaming in raging disbelief that the ice was still cracking, despite being nearly twenty feet thick.

Todoroki sucked in a harsh breath, his breath coming out in a cloud of steam. He'd completely lost feeling in his right arm, his right leg not too far behind as the cold spread across his chest. His whole body was shivering, his knees beginning to shake from the strain.

He ignored the warmth he could feel flickering in his chest, aching to rush through his left side and remove the cold. He wouldn't give in. He didn't need that warmth. He didn't need-

A sharp yell tore itself from his lips as his right leg finally gave out. He tried to catch himself as he fell, but the moment his right arm hit the ground, pain erupted in the limb, paradoxically freezing and burning at the same time. The ice on his right side fell away, revealing too-pale flesh that was starting to turn purple in places.

Todoroki curled up around his injured arm, gritting his teeth against the pain. He squinted up at the iceberg he'd created, Nomu nothing more than a faint outline buried in the center of it. It was almost thirty feet across, nearly forty feet high of layer after layer of ice encased over itself. At how dense he'd made it, it would be like being encased inside a mass of solid steel.

And it was still cracking.

"No…" Todoroki tried to push himself up, refusing to believe what he was seeing. No one… nothing could be that strong. Yet, as the seconds ticked by, the cracks grew wider and wider. And with his arm and leg in the shape they were, all Todoroki could do was lie there and wait for the inevitable.

There was a loud crack like a gunshot. Then another. And another. Soon the whole structure was covered in jagged lines of broken ice, shaking and shuddering as the being inside strained against its bonds.

When Nomu got free, it didn't just escape the ice block; it shattered it. Chunks of ice several feet across were sent flying into the air, crashing into the surrounding landscape with enough force to dig trails through the rock and dirt. Todoroki shielded his eyes against the explosion of air that followed the ice block's destruction his ears ringing as a bone-chilling roar filled the air.

There Nomu stood in the middle of an icy crater, completely healed and looking one the worse for wear. Its flesh had healed, its eye regrown, and both blank, beady orbs were staring right at Todoroki. The beast sucked in a deep breath, a roar building in the back of its throat as it prepared to charge forward.

Todoroki swallowed hard, mind racing as he tried to think of what he could do to-

His thoughts came to an end as a massive glowing boulder stuck Nomu in the side of the head, and exploded with the force of a tank shell.

Todoroki's eyes widened, trying to process what he was seeing as Nomu bent to the side, its head engulfed in orange flames. It looked up at the sky, screeching in rage. A shadow fell over it and Todoroki, making the teen look up as well. His mouth fell open in shock.

Katzuchako hovered in the air above them, his arms stretched high over his head. All around him, chunks of glowing, gridded rock filled the air as they orbited the Fusion, ranging in size from as small as pebbles to as large as compact cars.

The Fusion spared Todoroki a quick glance, relief passing over his face, before turning a scowl towards Nomu. The beast held his gaze for a moment, before letting out a roar of challenge, tensing its legs.

For just a moment, Katzuchako's eyes flashed fully red, and the rocks around him glowed with blinding light. "Orbital… "

Nomu jumped.

Katzuchako threw his arms down.

"BOMBARDMENT!"

The air around Katzuchako shimmered, all the stone around him rushing forward, streaking like comets towards a single point: Nomu.

Nomu crashed into the stream of rock headfirst, the stones exploding into flame on impact. It powered through the first few, but before it got even halfway to Katzuchako, a particularly large boulder blasted it back down to the ground. Nomu landed on its feet, but was engulfed in orange fire before it could react.

Katzuchako let out a yell, the stone around him reacting by picking up speed. Nomu vanished within an ever-growing fireball, its roars of rage and pain audible even over the impacts and explosions. Boulder after boulder streaked through the sky, slamming into Nomu with thunderous impact, each explosion adding to the neverending cacophony that filled the air.

Todoroki squinted against continuous explosions, his ice instinctually springing up around him to ward off the inferno enveloping the area. The ground shook, shockwaves cracking the rock scattered throughout the landscape.

Just as soon as it had begun, Katzuchako's onslaught ended, his supply of exploding rock running dry. The Fusion didn't appear disturbed by this in the slightest, instead angling himself downward. To Todoroki's shock, Katzuchako shot headfirst into the inferno he'd created, yelling out a wordless war cry.

There was the sound of impact. A roar from Nomu, which cut off suddenly. Another impact, and Nomu and Katzuchako tumbled out of the fireball, the Fusion tackling the monster to the ground as he rained blow after blow down on Nomu's burnt flesh and exposed muscle.

"C'mon!" The Fusion screamed between his punches. "How much you got left?! You gotta be close you sonova-!"

Nomu cut him off with a lunge, the writhing stump that had been its left arm knocking the boy away. Katzuchako rolled as he landed, jumping back to the beast as Nomu met him halfway. Katzuchako landed several blows to Nomu's midsection, every one of them powered by a pink explosion erupting from his knuckles, before having to leap over an attempted bearhug. With a yell, Katzuchako landed a full-powered punch right to Nomu's exposed brain, actually making the beast stumble. Seeing the opening, the Fusion brought both gauntlets to bear, hitting the trigger.

"All-Barrel Blast: Full Tank!"

Every barrel on his gauntlets fired at once, detonation every drop explosive sweat they had gathered throughout the fight. Nomu screeched as it was overwhelmed by pink fire, unable to defend itself.

As the flames around him died down, Katzuchako fought off a wince. There had been a bit more power in that blast then he'd expected, and he could feel the blowback eating through his gloves, burning the tops of his hands and forearms. He squinted through the smoke as he floated above the scorched earth, trying to see how damaged Nomu was.

He jerked back as a massive form leapt out of the smoke, dodging out of Nomu's way. But instead of a wild lunge, like the Fusion had thought, Nomu had both arms pulled high over its head, its hand clasped together.

Panicked, Katzuchako crossed his arms in front of him, all he had time for as Nomu brought its arms down in an overhead blow. The Fusion was a blur as he was spiked into the ground, the stone cracking from the blow.

As Katzuchako tried to force the air back into his lungs, Nomu landed above him, each massive foot planted on either side of the Fusion's torso. Before Katzuchako could do anything, Nomu's clawed hand came down, wrapped around the Fusion's neck and squeezed.

A high-pitch pained wheeze was the only sound Katzuchako could make around the blockage, his eyes bulging as he was denied air. He flailed against Nomu's bulk, trying to get a grasp on the beast's arm like before. But every time he got a few fingertips on the monster's skin, Nomu would pick him up and slam him back down, breaking what little concentration the Fusion could manage.

Gasping for air that wouldn't come, Katzuchako could only watch helplessly as Nomu pulled back its free arm. Its flesh was knitting itself back together, but the muscles seemed to be twitching more than before, the flesh reforming scarred instead of pristine.

It's close. Katzuchako thought desperately. It's so close to its limit. I just… just one more good hit… I need to get out… I need…

He gasped as he felt his form flicker, the limit of his Fusion finally making itself known.

No! I can't yet… I need….

Another flash made him gasp, not helped by Nomu choking the life out of him.

I need… I… wait...

A thought struck him. A wild, crazy, desperate thought as Nomu prepared its final punch.

He didn't just need to get out.

I need to split!

As Todoroki watched Nomu's fist came down, he was blinded by a flash of pink, orange, and green.

A cloud of dust and debris erupted from the impact, massive spiderweb cracks spreading out across the area. But even with its limited mental capacity, Nomu could tell that there was no flesh, blood, or bone among the rubble beneath its fist, nor did it have a body clutched under its other hand anymore.

But it could feel a tiny hand press against its forearm, causing its body to go weightless.

Nomu's massive head looked down, peering through the dust. Ochako stared back up with terror-filled eyes, her costume ripped and torn, her body littered with cuts and bruises, thin trails of steam lifting off her skin.

Squinting through the dust cloud, Todoroki's eyes shot wide. He instinctively threw an arm out, not even realizing which one until he saw flames spark from his fingertips. The shock was enough for him to lose focus, the flickering flames puttering out instantly. A cold chill ran up his spine as he tried to raise his other arm, already knowing he was too late.

A deep roar formed in the back of Nomu's throat. It pulled back it's other arm, its muscles tensing to crush the puny girl touching it… when its head snapped up , a sudden movement drawing its attention.

Through the dust and smoke, a small form leaped forward. His body sparked with green and orange lightning as steam billowed from his reddened skin. His yellow-peppered green hair rustling in the wind, his red eyes blazing, The figure pulled back his arm, the entire limb shining an explosive green, save the glowing crimson veins crisscrossing his skin.

"Nitro…"

His body sparking, his veins glowing bright red, Katzuku drove his glowing steaming fist right into the center of Nomu's chest.

For one brief moment, time stopped, a perfect snapshot of Katzuku posed post-punch with Nomu's body practically wrapping around his arm, a blindingly light formed where the two's flesh made contact. Katzuku's snarl contrasted by the desperation in his eyes, Nomu's beaklike maw opened in a silent roar of surprise. Oochako stared up at the spectacle in fear and wonder, while Todoroki stared openmouthed.

"SMAAAAAASH!"

The air in front of Katzuku ignited, a supernova of flame and light enveloping Nomu as the ground beneath them cracked. The fireball that was Nomu flew across the rocky terrain like a streaming comet, the green explosion seeming to push him through the air in a beam of light. It tore through the very ground as it continued on, until finally slamming into the lake's surface.

From the top of USJ entrance, the reunited members of class 1A were in awe as they witnessed Nomu's flight. The lake parted as the fireball vanished into its depths, gouts of steam billowing into the open air. Seconds later, the center of the lake exploded upwards, sending up a geyser of water that nearly reached the USJ's ceiling. The water came down like rain, quickly refilling the now-deeper lake.

Katzuku remained standing for a moment, glaring at the boiling lake surface. At his side, Ochako slowly pushed herself to her feet beside him, wincing as her body protested against her every movement. She gasped for breath, clutching a hand to her right shoulder as she silently muttered the word 'release'. "D-Did…" Her voice shook as she tried to speak, staring out towards the lake. She swallowed hard, her tone evening out slightly. "Did we do it?"

Katzuku said nothing, his crimson eyes scanning the water for any sign of Nomu. After a few seconds, he spotted something dark rising to the surface. He raised his arms in an instant, ignoring how they shook with pain. And the fact that the gauntlet on his right arm had completely ruptured, the green canister practically turned inside out. He heard Ochako let out of sound that was between a gasp and a whimper, saw from the corner of his eye how her knees began to shake.

Seeing the same as them, Todoroki shook off his previous shock and leapt to his feet, raising his right arm, frost curling from his fingertips. Gasps of worry and denial sounded throughout USJ, from students and conscious villains alike.

They all tensed as something broke the lake's surface. The blackened skin was unmistakably Nomu's, but the lack of its trademark beak-like mouth gave everyone pause. It took a few moments for them all to register that Nomu was drifting facedown in the water.

Everyone held their breath. Seconds ticked by, each one an eternity unto itself as they watched Nomu's floating form, waiting.

Ten seconds passed…

Then twenty…

Thirty…

After a full minute of watching Nomu's motionless body drift, Katzuku let out his breath. He lowered his arms, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. "Yeah…" he whispered, his shoulders slumping. "We did it."

Very faintly, they thought they could hear excited shouts from up on the entrance ramp, the gathered students now doubt having reached the same conclusion.

Ochako let out a harsh breath, which quickly devolved into a near-manic giggle. "We… we actually did it. I mean, Katzuchako… and then you… but… but then I… whoa!" Her rambling was cut off when Katzuku's legs suddenly buckled. She tried to hold him up, ducking under his arm and wrapping an arm around his waist, but his weight and her own exhaustion dragged them both to their knees.

"S-Sorry…" Katzuku gasped, the steam rolling off his skin never-ending. "Don't think I'm gonna last much- gah!" He cut off with a gasp as his whole body shuddered, his form briefly turning into an overlay of green and orange light. "Yep! Yep, there it is! Oww…"

"Katzuku, just unfuse." Ochako murmured, eyes lit with concern. "You're going to hurt yourselves."

Katzuku gave his head a hard shake. "No… no, I can-ugh!" Another light-filled shudder made him pitch forward, Ochako's arms the only thing keeping his face from meeting the dirt. "Okay," he wheezed. "Maybe… maybe I can't."

"Is… is it down?"

Katzuku and Ochako snapped their heads up, Todoroki following their gaze as the unfamiliar voice registered. Katzuku slumped, his expression caught between irritation and dismay.

There, peering out from behind the debris of the broken mountain, was one of the many villains Shigaraki had brought with him. His eyes were not on the students, but the unmoving form of Nomu floating in the lake.

As if acting on some unheard signal, more villains suddenly began to appear, either waking up from where they're been previously knocked out or retreating from whatever hiding places they had found. They all stared at their fallen weapon with a mixture of relief and terror.

"The brats took it out?"

"I thought that thing was supposed to fight All Might?"

"What do we do now? Where… where's Shigaraki?"

"I think he bailed."

"What!?"

"Well, do you see him anywhere?"

"But… he was our exit! How do we get out of here?"

"Hell, I don't know!"

As the villains began to squabble amongst themselves, just starting to register their situation, Ocahko slowly hauled Katzuku to his feet, gratefully assisted by her Quirk. She slowly started to edge them backward, away from the villains that were steadily growing more irritable. Katzuku's eyes never left the gathering group, his left arm twitching as he tried to raise it, all thoughts of unfusing gone as more villains appeared out of the woodwork.

Todoroki found himself moving towards the two at a similar pace, his desire to prove himself warring with the blinding pain of his frostbitten arm. His right arm held tightly against his chest, he slowly backed up. Katzuku and Ochako glanced at him briefly in surprise, but kept moving, gravitating to meet him halfway.

Unfortunately, Katzuku flared up with Fusion energy before they could get too far, a yelp torn from his lips as he bent at the waist.

In an instant, the eyes of every villain were on them. Ochanko tensed, at a loss for what to do. Todokroki rose his right arm, frost curling from his fingertips as he grit his teeth, the meer motion lighting his chest up in pain.

For a few seconds, the two sides could only stare at each other, three (four?) students facing nearly a dozen villains. Finally, one of the villains, a woman with tiger fangs curling over her bottom lip, spoke up. "Well, if we're stuck here, the heroes are coming for us. Think a couple of hostages would help us out?"

Todoroki cursed under his breath.

Another villain one who seemed to have oil dripping from his mouth and nose, gave, appropriately, an oily smile. "We're screwed anyways. Couldn't hurt."

"Perfect. Just… perfect." Katzuku grounded out, his whole body vibrating as if he were going to shake to pieces.

The villains started to fan out, now sporting excited grins. With their leadership now gone, mob mentality won out for their next course of action.

"Careful guys," One said, his head shaped like crocodiles. "This lot did take down Nomu."

"Yeah, but they ain't lookin' so hot now," Replied another, his ears large and bat-like.

"'Nuff talking," A snake-haired woman cut off their bantering. "Let's make this fast."

Now fully surrounded, Todoroki felt his back press up against Ochako's, letting him feel how she spoke, both from her own fear and the vibrations from Katzuku, who, despite having his body fluctuating with light every few seconds now, still managed to make his palms spark green. Todoroki's eyes zeroed in on the two villains closest, ice running up his arm and down his leg in preparation.

Without any warning, one of the villains rushed forward, the others quickly following his lead. In the same motion, Todoroki tensed his arm, Katzuku throwing up his mangled right arm in the same instant, explosive green dancing across his palm-

CRASH!

All movement ceased, all attacks canceled, as the entirety of USJ suddenly shook. A whistling sound echoed through the building as two flat, dented hunks of metal soared through the air across the plaza. It took them a moment for them to realize that what they were seeing were the massive doors of the USJ entrance, smashed clear off their hinges.

A s the doors crashed to the ground on the opposite side of the building, students and villains alike followed their flight path. A plume of smoke was coming from the entranceway, light streaming through where the doors once were. In the opening stood a familiar figure, stepping his way through the smoke to the 1A students.

"It's all right now."

With a sob of relief, Ochako's legs gave out, dragging Katzuku back down to his knees with her. Not that he could blame her in the slightest. Todoroki could only look back at the entranceway in disbelief, his arm going limp.

"Why?"

Walking past the relived faces of his students, quickly looking them all over as well as Thirteen and Aizowa's prone forms, All Might stepped up to the edge of the entrance ramp, a fearsome scowl on his face as he looked down at the villains now-cowering below.

"Because I am here!"

The number one hero took in a deep breath, likely to give his typical speech to both encourage the students and demoralize the villains, but he paused as he truly registered the shape the USJ was in. His eyes fell immediately to the floating form of Nomu, quickly moving from the wreck of the mockup ship to the surrounding areas. The destroyed plaza fountain, the rubble that once was the mountain-zone, before finally following the deep rivet of scorched earth leading away from the lake.

When his eyes finally fell on Katzuku, Ochako, and Todoroki, they widened just enough to make out the blue hidden within his sunken sockets.

The villains around the three immediately backed off, several of them dropping their various weapons as their knees began to shake. Without Nomu or Shigaraki, as well as the unnatural sight of an angry All Might, whatever delusional courage they had worked up fled in an instant.

In the next second, All Might blurred out of view, a rush of wind trailing behind him as he charged into the plaza. In a flash, he darted around to every villain he could see, knocking them out with a single punch before they even hit the ground. He paused for a mere moment to look at them, before turning his attention back up towards the Mountain Zone.

Sweat dripping down his face, the oil-mouthed villain waved his hands back and forth in a panic. "Hold up! We-!"

He didn't get to finish his plea, for All Might was already upon him, driving the villain's head into the ground. The rest met a similar fate, either being dropped in a single hit or thrown off into the distance. In less than thirty seconds, the teacher and students were the only ones left conscious in the immediate area.

Todoroki stared at the downed villains surrounding them in stunned awe. He... he did all that in seconds. He didn't even try.

"Hey, All Might!" Katzuku rasped out, grinning painfully as another flash of light rocked his body. "We did your job for ya!" His grin faltered, his whole body shaking as Ochako tried to keep him standing. "Again…"

All Might seemed to hesitate, concern plain (and odd-looking) on his face as he looked Ochako and the Fusion up and down. His lips curled into a smile, one sad and positively tiny by his standards. "And it seems you've done it quite well, my students, despite the circumstances."

Katzuku's smile widened even as his eyes turned glassy. "Huh… an attaboy. Never… never got one of those myself before. Cool…"

Without any more warning then a deep sigh of relief, Katzuku's body turned to light and split down the middle, orange and green falling to opposite sides. Ochako gasped at the sudden lack of weight on her shoulders, trying to somehow keep hold of both forms that morphed back into existence. She only halfway succeeded, managing to keep her arm under Izuku as he solidified, Katsuki falling to his hands and knees as the light died down.

All Might was already at his side, ready to lift the boy to prevent further injury. He stopped when, instead of moaning in pain like the Pro had been expecting, the blonde instead proceeded to vomit very suddenly and violently.

It wouldn't be until much later that the Pro admitted to himself that he'd also frozen at the sight of the boy's body, covered in cuts and yellowing bruises, having horrifyingly familiar steam wafting from his reddened skin.

Ochako yelped as she watched Katsuki empty his stomach, crawling forward slightly on her knees. "Kacchan!" Her voice rose in pitch when she saw blood join the bile coming out Katsuki's mouth. "What's wrong?"

Katsuki's next gag sounded oddly like a bemused scoff. "W...Wrong? I-guh!... Round Face… your Quirk… sucks! That's what's wrong!"

Ochako blinked. "My...wait a-" Her brown eyes widened, understanding and, immediately after, indignity shining through them. "You took all of Katzuchako's nausea!"

Katsuki made another odd laughing/gagging sound. "You're goddamn right I...I...grk!"

Ochako's cheeks puffed out in anger. "Kacchan! We've been trying to get Deku to stop doing exactly that!"

Katsuki wiped his mouth, glaring at Ochako even as his shoulders jerked with dry heaves. "Do you want him throwing up right now when he looks like that!?"

He jabbed his finger at the limp form hanging off Ochako's shoulders. With a blink, the brunette took her first real look at Izuku since he'd unfused. She gasped at what All Might had yet to tear his eyes away from since first seeing.

Izuku hung off Ochako's shoulders lifelessly, not even able to muster a token effort to hold himself up. His costume was in tatters, strips of woven metal laying around him, unable to hold its original shape with all the missing green fabric to connect them. He had the same cuts and bruises Ochako and Katsuki did, but his skin… all over, he was just one shade off from being truly red, steam streaming unending from his every pore. His eyes seemed to waver second to second between awareness and a blank stare.

"Deku?" Ochako questioned quietly.

Izuku shuddered slightly at the sound of his name, his eyes sharpening after a moment, still glazed but aware. "'Ch… 'Chako?"

"Young Midoriya?" All Might found his voice at Izuku's near-silent murmur, Katzuki's harsh scowl decreasing to a troubled frown. "How do you feel, my boy?"

Izuku blinked slowly, groaning with every breath. He looked up at the Number One, looking without seeing. "I… I'm-"

"Deku…" Katsuki cut him off harshly, fighting off his remaining nausea to give his friend the darkest look. "If you say you're fine, I swear to God…!"

Izuku's eyes slowly slid to Katsuki, appearing no less dazed. "I'm… tired..." Without another word, Izuku's head lolled to the side, his body going fully limp.

For a brief moment, All Might, Ochako, Katsuki; even Todoroki, watching the whole affair in a sort of morbid fascination, tensed in panic, thinking that some new affliction had befallen the green-haired boy. Their alarm faded slightly when Izuku let out a soft groan, the steady rise and fall of his chest proving that he had merely passed out. He rolled his head slightly, his forehead brushing against Ochako's neck, eliciting a surprised squeak and blush from the girl.

All Might almost would have found it cute, if not for the familiar steam that continued to rise from the boy's skin.

The Pro let out a deep breath, tearing his eyes turn away from his students to give USJ another once over. Off in the distance, he could see more villains watching them, as if trying to gauge their chances against the Number One Hero. And from his quick headcount, there were several members of Class 1A unaccounted for.

The sound of an approaching engine drew his attention. He looked back towards the entrance, finding Iida rushing down the stairs towards them with Kirishima and Mina right behind him, the remaining students watching the boys go with worried expressions.

All Might considered them for a moment, before nodding to himself, smiling once again. He turned his attention to Todoroki, making the two-tone haired boy stiffen. "Young Todoroki, is your arm injured?

Todoroki stared dumbly for a moment, then winced. Somehow, he'd forgotten the arm held tight against his chest until that moment. "Y-Yes, sir," He said plainly. "But I can handle it for the moment."

All Might nodded to him in acceptance, then turned to face the approaching Iida, who had already reached them while Kirishima and Kaminari were still rushing down the stairs.

The armored student came to a stop right in front of the group, standing straight as he addressed the Pro hero. "Sir, I was wondering if you needed any help extracting my fellow students from the premises."

All Might quirk a brow at the boy, surprising him by giving a small shake of his head. "Noble, Young Iida, but unnecessary. The UA faculty will be right behind me, Recovery Girl among them. I'd rather you remain with them here, protecting them from any wayward villains until the faculty arrives."

Iida's mouth fell open slightly at the order, before snapping to a crisp salute. "I shall follow your orders to the letter, All Might Sir!"

All Might's grin widened at the boy's earnestness. "Good man!" He met the eyes of each of his students, before facing away from them, eyes locking onto the nearest villains lurking in the distance. "Keep each other safe for just a little while longer. In the meantime…" He cracked his knuckles, his smile gaining and edge that sent a chill down the spine of every villain within eyeshot. "I shall go deal with the remaining riff-raff."

In a burst of wind, All Might blurred away, the shouts of surprised and frightened villains soon following.

With the knowledge that All Might was now in the building, the Nomu was defeated, and their fellow students were being rescued, Ochako and Katsuki slumped as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Katsuki pushed with his hands briefly, just enough so he could fall back on his rear to sit next to Ochako. They sat silently for a bit, watching the trails of steam rise from their skin and fade in the open air. Iida looked between them and Izuku, questions clearly on the tip of his tongue, but not wanting to be rude enough to ask them.

"So…" Katsuki said after about a minute, not looking at Ochako. "We gonna talk about how Froggy thinks your cute?"

Ochako let out a groan, hanging her head as her face warmed. "Kacchan…" She warned slowly.

Katsuki grinned sharply in dark amusement. "Or how you think she's cute right back?"

"Kacchan!" Now Ochako's head shot up, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Shut up!"

Katsuki threw his head back and barked out a laugh, before falling fully back with his arms splayed out. Izuku murmured into Ocahko's neck, at the shout, dead to the world even as he caused the girl's blush to deepen.

Iida let out an agast squawk, his arm chopping the air as he launched into a lecture. "Bakugo, that is a highly inappropriate thing to say to a fellow classmate, let alone a friend-!"

As Iida began a long-winded speech about which subjects were and were not acceptable to speak about in polite company, which Katsuki promptly ignored, Todoroki watched the three in rapt attention. Katsuki and Ochako lay there, bloody, beaten, their costumes ripped to shreds, yet they appeared not to care, sitting there and joking with each other. Todoroki looked with narrowed eyes at Katsuki's relaxed posture, Ochako's annoyed but calm expression, and Izuku's careless slumber. The longer he watched them, the more he felt something hot curdle in his gut, twisting uncomfortably and growing in intensity. He turned away from them, ignoring the mindless chatter that sprung up once Kirishima and Mina caught up, which only grew louder once Aoyama and Hagakure appeared running down from the mountaintop.

He instead watched as All Might darted around the USJ at insane speeds, creating a steadily growing pile of unconscious villains in the center of the destroyed plaza. He watched with a calculating stare, trying to figure out how he could surpass both All Might… and Izuku's Fusions.

Chapter Text

UA Nurse's Office

"Huh. An attaboy. Never… never go one of those myself before. Cool…"

All Might put his head in his hands as he heard Katzuko's parting words again. Principal Nezu gave him a long look, smiling sadly at the Number One before hitting the pause button on the remote.

"Well," He started, leaning back into his oversized chair. "This leaves us with quite the conundrum."

All Might heard Recovery Girl give a faint hum, no doubt giving the Principal a rather unimpressed look. "To say the least."

All Might let out a huff, looking back up at the screen. The image of Izuku, Ochako, and Katsuki laying against each other on the ground battered, worn out, and steaming was never going to leave his mind… especially if he had to keep rewatching it over and over.

This made the fourth time. The first was in person at USJ. The second was later that same day after the students had been treated and sent home, where the entire USJ faculty had gathered to watch the recovered security footage to try and understand just how in the hell this had happened?

The third had been later that night in the privacy of his own home, where he could watch the plight of his student and his Fusions over and over, coming to terms with the fact that the only reason his students came under fire was because of someone was after him.

The current meeting was being held between the only three people in UA aware of Izuku's secret: All Might, Nezu, and Recovery Girl, all gathered in the nurse's office as the nurse in question changed the sheets of the various beds lined up against the far wall.

"I just don't understand how it's possible," All Might said as he lifted his head, frustration bleeding into his voice. "They're all young and healthy. There's no reason that after a fight, even on like that, they would all look like…" His shoulders slumped, the fight leaving his voice as he glared down at his skeletal hands. "Like me."

Nezu hummed as he watched the Pro Hero. "It certainly is a conundrum. We had always assumed that the steam and heat your skin produces once you've reached your limit was merely due to your injuries. However, now that Midoriya is showing the same symptoms, I'm starting to think this is a side effect of One For All instead."

"But it can't be!" All Might nearly shouted, running a hand through his hair. "This never happened to me when I was in my prime, no matter how tired or battle-weary I got. It wasn't until… this," he put a hand over his stomach, right where they knew the scarring was. "That I started steaming once I hit my limit."

"I hate to tell you this, Yagi," Recovery Girl cut in, hurricane tapping lightly on the floor if she made her way to them. "But I have a theory as to why One For All may have left the children in such a state."

All Might blinked at the small woman in surprise, Nezu turning towards her curiously.

Recovery Girl sighed at their looks, walking between them towards her desk. "Did Midoriya ever explain to you exactly how his Human Fusion worked?"

All Might shifted awkwardly in his seat, his lips pulling into a small frown. "As best he could. Like most children, he's only been able to learn about his Quirk through trial and error. Even then, before coming to UA, he's only ever fused with one other person, his friend Bakugo." At Recovery Girl's expectant look, he went on. "He can Fuse with someone upon physical contact, merging their bodies and consciousness into a new being, one with their own personality and a modified Quirk similar to whoever he fused with."

Recovery Girl nodded, her face still grim. "And what could cause that Fusion to unfuse?"

All Might blinked at the question, rubbing the back of his head as he thought. "Well… once it's used up too much energy, I suppose. Or taken too much damage to hold itself together. I believe he mentioned that the Fusion will start getting a headache the longer it exists, acting as a sort of timer?"

Another nod. "That matches up with what Midoriya told me when I asked him to explain it. Recovery Girl smiled lightly as she picked up a manila folder lying on the desk and started leafing through it. "You've certainly picked a unique young man for a successor, Yagi. When I ask a student to explain how their Quirk functions, I don't typically expect them to hand over an entire notebook full of details."

All Might grinned with her, guessing what was in the folder she was holding. "He's certainly full of surprises."

Recovery Girl chuckled lightly. "Indeed." She sobered a bit as she pulled out a particular page. "Did Midoriya happen to tell you what happens if a Fusion refuses to unfuse, even if they've reached the end of that 'timer?'"

All Might lifted his head a bit, looking wary. "No… it hasn't come up yet."

Recovery Girl shook her head in exasperation. "I doubt it would have. The fact is, Midoriya doesn't even know himself." At All Might's confused look, she held up a particular page. "Until entering UA, Midoriya, and by extension, his Fusions, have never been in a combat situation before. Any time… Katzuku?" She looked you All Might for confirmation, continuing when she received the nod. "... Would reach the end of his 'timer', he would always on fuse immediately, because he was in a safe situation. there was no reason to force his existence past its expiration."

All Might mulled over her words, before perking up is a thought struck him. "Then… maybe the state they were left in was just a drawback to his Quirk, something that happens if he pushes himself too far."

Recovery Girl and Nezu shared a doubtful look, much do All Might's dismay. "It's possible…" Recovery Girl said hesitantly. "But given just how closely their health resembled your own, I'm leaning more towards One For All being the common factor."

All Might's frown deepened at her words. "How do you figure?"

Recovery girl he the heavy sigh, though whether at his denial or just the situation he didn't know. "When I looked over the three of them, I found something… worrying about their condition. They all had their share of scrapes and bruises from the fight, but they also shared traits that, under normal circumstances, shouldn't be possible given the time frame."

A bead of sweat ran down All Might's neck. "What sort of traits?"

Recovery Girl put down the folder she held and reached for a different one, opening it to reveal a medical chart with Ochako's face. "Severe dehydration," she listed off. "Low blood sugar. Early signs of heatstroke. Signs of torn muscles all across their bodies." She looked up to meet All Might's horrified face. "Nothing I couldn't heal, but the parallels between their condition after fusing and your condition once you've reached your limit are hard to ignore."

"...how?" Was all All Might could say after a moment of stunned silence.

Recovery Girl folded her hands on top of her desk, looking every bit the instructor. "I assume that whenever Midoriya creates a Fusion, that Fusion has its own set amount of energy that keeps it going. The longer it exists, the more it draws from this energy until it runs out, forcing it to unfuse. What happened at USJ, however, broke the mold. I believe that during their encounters with Nomu, Midoriya's triple Fusions reach the end of their allotted energy, hence why the one Midoriya referred to as Tsuzuru collapsed once escaping with Aizawa. Without that energy, she couldn't hold herself together any longer."

All Might nodded dimly. "Makes sense. But then what of the other triple-Fusion, Katzuchako? He lasted for much longer than Tsuzuru, and as much more active as well. But he lasted throughout the entire fight."

"Which leads me to the concerns over the children's conditions. If I'm right, Katzuchako did, in fact, reached the end of his allotted energy upon creation. However, as Nomu was still active and a threat to their classmates, it would seem -and the three all seem to agree on this- Katzuchako remained fused through sheer force of will, holding himself together despite the pain he felt as time wore on."

"But how is that possible?"

At that, Recovery Girl's face darkened. "Simple. If Katzuchako ran out of his own energy, he had to have started pulling it from somewhere else to keep the fusion going."

All Might stared at her in confusion. "But… where…?" His eyes then shot wide as a thought struck him. "...Midoriya. Bakugo and Uraraka. He started… draining them."

Recovery Girl nodded slowly. "I doubt it was a conscious choice, as his personality was the combination of all three of them. Midoriya said as much when I questioned him on it. However, it worries me as to what condition the three of them would have been in had the fight lasted much longer."

All Might recalled the shape he found the three teens in when he arrived at USJ, their body is giving off that terrifying, oh so familiar steam. An image flashed through his mind, the three teens he'd come to care for as students and apprentices warped in his image, their limbs too thin, there features too sharp and sunken.

"You think… One For All did this?"

Recovery Girl hummed as she shuffled through her papers. "...One For All has been known to change the Quirks of its previous holders before. Their bodies adjust to the newfound power, and their Quirks follow suit. It's possible that, without One For All, Midoriya's triple-Fusions would simply fall apart like the normal ones once they ran out of energy. Assuming he was even capable of creating triple fusions without One For All's influence."

All Might fell silent as he considered the nurse's words. "So what do we do moving forward?"

"We keep an eye on him." All Might jumped slightly at Nezu's jovial voice, nearly forgetting that the principle was there. The animal-man gave the Number One an encouraging smile, folding his hands in his lap. "We've handled students with self-destructive Quirks in the past. With proper guidance, we can help Midoriya learn how to use his newfound power safely, both for himself and those he fuses with."

Recovery Girl let out a beleaguered sigh as she gathered up her papers. "A sound idea, save for the amount of trial and error the poor boy will no doubt subject himself too. Which will no doubt land him back in one of my beds before long." She then shot All Might and Nezu a mild glare. "So you best find a way to make those visits few and far between."

All Might wilted under Recovery Girl's stare, suddenly feeling like he was a chastized student again. "I… I'll figure something out."

"You best," Recovery Girl said firmly. "Because if he or any other student start coming in regularly with the symptoms I saw yesterday, we will have words, Yagi Toshinori."

All Might gulped. "Understood. Ma'am… could you please stop glaring at me now?"

Two days later, Musutafu Streets

"Are you sure this is the right way, Mina?"

Mina shot Kirishima a light glare, shifting the bag hanging off her shoulder. "Just as sure as I was ten minutes ago, Kirishima." She still took a not-so-subtle glance at her phone, looking over the map app.

Kirishima held up his hands in mock defense, looking around the city streets curiously. "Sorry. I just thought we would have seen some signs or something pointing the way by now. This is nothing but apartments and stores."

"Izuku told us the place used to be a dump, right? They probably took any advertisements down a while ago."

Kirishima frowned. "Hope they did a good job cleaning it up, then."

Mina scoffed at him. "They had to have. Izuku wouldn't have invited us to the beach if it was still a wreck."

A slight chuckle passed Krishima's lips. "I wouldn't say he 'invited' us, Mina."

"Hello?"

"Izuku? Is that you?"

"Mina? How do you know my number?"

"Uh… huh. I… just kinda knew it. Didn't really think about how."

"...it's a Fusion thing. When I fuse with people, sometimes bits of my memory gets left behind when we unfuse"

"Oh. Wait, does that mean you know my number?"

"...yeah. Sorry, I can't really control that yet."

"Oh, it's okay! I would have given it to you anyway."

"...okay. Well… do you need anything?"

"Well, I've got Kirishima here with me, and we were wondering if you and Kacchan wanted to hang out today before we go back to school."

"WHAT DID SHE CALL ME!?"

"Oh, is he there with you?"

"Yes. Ochako too. We were kind of already had plans to go down the road to the beach today."

"YOU LIVE NEAR A BEACH!?"

"Uh… yes?"

"Can we come!?"

Mina waved Kishima off. "Semantics. Besides, you can't tell me you didn't want to go to the beach either."

Kirishima rolled his eyes with a grin, not denying it. The fact that was dressed in red swim trunks and a white t-shirt spoke for him.

Mina let out a little laugh, sticking her nose in the air in a show of having won the argument. She shifted the beach bag again with a grunt, muttering under her breath about how the straps were digging into her shoulder.

Kirishima chuckled. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to put our suits on ahead of time."

Mina grumbled again, glancing down at her sky-blue two-piece as her flip flops slapped against the pavement, a small skirt tied hanging around her waist. They passed by a bus stop, the two weaving through the small crowd that had stepped off. "I didn't think we'd be walking so much. Izuku made it sound like he lived right next door to the beach or something."

"It's just around the next corner. Ribbit."

Kirishima and Mina let out a grateful sigh. "Well, that's a rel-" They both blinked, looking to each other in surprise, before looking to Kirishima's right.

Tsuyu stared back with a blank look.

"Gah!" Kirishima jumped back with a shout at the girl's sudden appearance. "Tsu, where'd you come from!?"

Tsuyu just pointed at the bus trundling back up the street. "We just got here."

Mina nodded, shaking off her surprise, before blinking again. "'We'?"

Tsuyu ducked down a little bit, revealing a second blank face peering over her head, belonging to a little girl with low pigtails hanging off Tsu's back, her little arms wrapped around Tsu's neck.

"Aww!" Mina squealed, bending down to look at the little girl more closely. "Who's this little cutey?"

The little girl made a high-pitch croak as she ducked her head against Tsuyu's neck, warily looking at Mina through her eyelashes.

"This is my little sister Satsuki. Don't worry. She's just shy around strangers," Tsu said at Mina's pout. Tsuyu stood back up straight, Satsuki peering timidly over her shoulder. "She asked if she could tag along when she heard I was going to the beach."

Kirishima's brow raised at that, noting for the first time that Tsuyu was wearing a dark green one-piece under her jacket. "Did Midoriya invite you too?"

"I called him." Tsuyu started walking up the road, Mina and Kirishima following. "I wanted to talk to him about something, and he said you all were having a beach day. I asked if I could tag along."

"Oh. Cool." Mina grinned when she caught Satsuki looking at her around Tsuyu's shoulder, giving the girl a wink. She chuckled when Satsuki hid back around Tsu's back. "What did you want to ask him about?"

Surprisingly, Tsu was quiet for a moment, a slight furrow in her brow. "Just about something that happened at USJ."

Kirishima and Mina both flinched a little, shooting each other startled glances. Mina looked away first, suddenly finding the small storefronts around them very fascinating. "Oh," she said quietly.

Tsuyu just hummed in response, the four continuing in silence.

Kirishima frowned at Mina's dip in mood. He knew that the attack on USJ had hit her harder than either of them would have thought. When he and Iida had finally gotten back to the USJ entrance, he'd been surprised and impressed to see her side-by-side with Sero and Tsu battling off any villain that tried to make their way up the stairway. She'd shown a surprising amount of confidence and level-headedness in the face of possible death.

Confidence that had completely crumbled the moment All Might had arrived, making Mina collapse into a broken mess of relieved sobbing that they were going to get out of their alive.

Kirishima had seen her fall apart. He knew Mina knew he'd seen her fall apart. Neither had spoken of it since.

After thirty seconds of silence, Mina still staring dejectedly at nothing, Kirishima bumped her lightly with his shoulder. She looked to him in surprise, startled out of her thoughts. He raised a brow at her, grinning. She stared at him for a moment, before letting out a scoff, bumping him back with a roll of her eyes, smile back in place. As they rounded the next corner, her dark eyes lit up at the break in the skyline at the end of the street. "Hey, I think I see the-"

BOOOoom!

The three students jolted at the sound of a small explosion, Satsuki letting out a surprised chirp as she hid in her sister's hair.

"The heck was that!?" Mina shouted.

Kirishima frowned. "A villain attack, maybe?"

"It sounds like it came from the beach." Tsuyu looked around at the street, tilting her head at the people milling around. Surprisingly, no one seemed all that worried about the sudden sound of an explosion. If anything, a few people were looking back towards the beach with exasperated expressions.

Kirishima noticed the same thing. "Is this… normal for around here?"

Mina looked around in confusion before looking back towards the beach. "Well, we're heading there anyway." She then took off at a run, Kirishima and Tsu at her heels.

The street opened up to a wide stretch of sand and sea, a sign right next to the stairs leading down proudly proclaiming it as Dagobah Beach. As the four looked out at the open sea, they blinked in surprise. Despite the white sands and nice day, the beach was surprisingly empty, only a few groups of people clumped together down its length.

BOOOoom!

Another cannon blast drew their attention. Not too far from them, a lanky man in a red-and-white striped swimsuit sat on a beach towel midway between the road and the ocean. And in the water directly in front of him...

The three blinked, before Kirishima barked out a laugh. "We should've figured!"

Out passed the sand, a pink one-piece-clad Ochako stood kneedeep in the water, laughing as she watched someone swim back to her from deeper water. Once he could stand, Kirishima and Mina recognized the green, blonde-peppered hair and sharp, freckled features from Izuku's Fusion Files.

Tsuyu tilted her head at the boy, giving him an appraising look, Satsuki peering over her shoulder curiously. "I'm guessing that's another Fusion?"

"Yep!" Mina responded as she skipped down the stairs. "That's got to be Katzuku."

Before the four could draw near, Katzuku said something to Ochako, the girl nodding enthusiastically. She briefly gripped the Fusion by the shoulder, her Quirk making him slowly start to rise out of the water. Ochako then bent her knees, cupping her hands in front of her. Give her an excited grin, Katzuku put both feet in her hands.

Mina looked at the two and confusion. "What are they-"

With a yell, Ochako threw her hands up as hard as she could, sending Katzuku flying up into the air at high speeds. Without even waiting a moment, she put her fingers together, canceling out her Quirk.

Katzuku wobbled slightly as his weight returned, quickly losing speed. But even with just Ochoco's push, he'd already flown several dozen feet into the air. Barking out a laugh, Katzuku tensed his legs. Green Sparks dance to cross the soles of his feet-

BOOOooom!

-before the air below him erupted in a green explosion, propelling him even higher and out towards deeper water.

Katzuku's mad laughter could be heard even from across the beach as he sailed higher and higher while trailing smoke. Once he reached higher than most of the surrounding buildings and his ascension had slowed to a crawl, he twisted in midair until his feet were pointing straight up. With another titanic eruption, he sent himself hurtling down into the water, folding up into a ball before impact. A geyser of water shot up from where he struck the ocean.

The UA students watched the display with wide eyes. "Whoa," Mina muttered.

"Quite the spectacle, isn't it?"

The sudden deep voice took the student's attention away from the ocean, making them turn towards the man on the beach towel. Mina and Kirishima were briefly taken aback by his sunken face and skeletal frame, while Tsu just looked at him curiously.

"Uh… y-yeah," Mina said slowly, looking at the man warily. "And… you are?"

To their surprise, the man just chuckled, giving them a wide smile. He reached to his side, digging through the small duffle bag next to him. He pulled out a small card, handing it to them. "My name is Toshinori Yagi, U.A. Assistant Quirk Coordinator."

Kirishima's head lifted in surprise, looking over the faculty I.D. with wide eyes. "You work for U.A?" He then winced, realizing his tone was a bit more disbelieving then he'd intended.

Yagi just laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's okay. I know I'm not much to look at." He went on before Kirishima could deny his words. "Despite the fancy title, I'm mostly just an extra hand who helps around the school. Part of my job is supervising students who want to practice with their Quirks outside of school., hence why I'm here."

Mina blinked at him in surprise. "There are people we can ask for that?"

Yagi gave her a confused look. "You didn't know?"

"How would we?" Mina answered back, a little defensive.

"It was covered during the start of year orientation."

The three students were silent for a moment, before shooting each other awkward looks.

Yagi looked at them in confusion, before blinking in realization. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Right. Aizawa's class didn't go to orientation, did they?"

Tsu nodded, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "Is there anything else we might have missed?

"...I'll message him about it later," Yagi sweatdropped.

"Hey, guys!"

The double-toned yell made them all turn towards the water. Katzuku and Ochako were running out of the surf, bright smiles faces.

"Hey, guys!" Mina said as they approached. She looked the Fusion up and down, noting the odd pattern on his black and green swim trunks. "Katzuku, right? Wasn't expecting to meet you today."

Katzuku chuckled, shaking the water out of his hair. "Yeah, surprised me, too. Sometimes the guys Fuse just for fun. Let me have a little me time, y' know?" His chuckle then turned awkward as he gave Yagi a sheepish look. "Though, I guess they really shouldn't have been doing that so much, huh?"

Yagi gave the Fusion a knowing grin. "Simply existing as a Fusion is passive enough to give you a pass. But using your Quirk mutations? Yes, you should have been getting permission to use them in public."

Katzuku gave a small scoff, looking off to the side even as he grinned. "Well, nice to know that me existing isn't a crime, I guess."

Ochako laughed at his annoyance, before A bit of movement behind Tsu drew her attention. "Oh. Who's that, Asui?"

"Call me Tsu." The frog girl shifted her weight, bending down to signal her sister to climb off. Satsuki did so slowly, eyes darting nervously to all the new people around her as she held Tsu's hand. Tsu gave her hand a gentle squeeze as she said. "This is my sister Satsuki. She wanted to see the beach. That okay?"

Katzuku chuckled lightly. "No problem for me." He bent over slightly, holding his hand out for Satsuki to shake. "Hey there, Satsuki. I'm Katzuku."

Satsuki peered up at him shyly, her little eyes squinting. She quickly grasped Katzuku's hand by the tips of his fingers, giving it a quick shake before snatching her hand back, much to his bemusement. "Hello. Are… you a Fusion?"

Katzuku blinked at her in surprise, along with most of the others. "Oh, Tsu's told you about us?" He looked over Satsuki's head as he spoke, sending Tsu a questioning gaze. Tsu just answered back with a shrug.

"Was that supposed to be a secret?"

Katzuku shrugged back. "No. It's just… kinda weird having other people talk about us." He grinned back at Satsuki, bending to one knee to meet her eyes. "Yeah, I'm a Fusion. The guys who make me up are Izuku and Bakugo."

Satsuki gave him a curious look. "Tsu told me about them. Are they her friends too?"

Katzuku's opened his mouth to answer, only to snap it shut, an odd look of thoughtfulness on his face. "They are. Though…" While his smile remained, his expression gained the sense that he'd just tasted something sour. "Good luck getting one of them to admit it."

Mina snorted lightly under her breath, sharing an amused look with Ochako "I wonder which one…"

Kirishima barked out a laugh. "That's pretty cool of them, though, just Fusing for fun. They do this a lot?"

Katzuku shrugged as he stood back up. "Not as often as when we… they were younger. At least once a week though."

"You going to stick around the whole day?" Mina asked curiously.

Katzuku shook his head with a grin. "Nah, I've already been around for an hour. Any longer and the guys'll be too tapped to have fun on their own. First though…" He glanced back at the crashing waves of the ocean, his smile gaining a mischievous edge. "'Chako, think you could give me one last throw?"

Ochako gave him a surprised look but brightened quickly. "Oh! Sure." Like before, she touched Katzuku's shoulder, and the two got themselves oriented as the Fusion went weightless.

"Wait until you're over the water blasting off, young man," Yagi suddenly said, drawing their attention. "Otherwise you'll be blowing sand off the beach and all over town."

Katzuku sent him a cocky smirk. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." He looked over his shoulder at the girl holding up his weightless form. "You ready, 'Chako?"

"Ready!" She grinned back, shifting her weight as she bent her knees.

"Okay. On Three. One…

"Two…"

"THREE!"

Ochako threw Katzuku up with all her might, sending the Fusion high into the air. Katzuku let out a laugh as he soared across the sand, flipping as he went. Once he was passed the water's edge, he shot Ochako a thumbs up.

With a nod, Ochako put her fingers together and said, "Release."

The moment his weight returned, Katzuku aimed his feet down at an angle, a green explosion blasting him out towards deeper water… though not nearly as far or as high as before. This seemed to confuse Ochako, as both she and Yagi frowned at the flying Fusion.

Only a short way out over the open water, Katzuku flipped so he was upside down as he faced back at the group onshore. With a manic grin, he gave them a joking salute-

"Later, guys!"

-and dissolved into a mass of green and orange light.

Ochako gasped, mirroring everyone's shock.

The green and orange split apart, reforming into Izuku and Katsuki. The two blinked at their reappearance, before registering where they were. They looked to each other in panic, before gravity sent them hurtling towards the water.

"Gah! How-!? Why-!?"

"Katzuku, you bastaaard!"

The group onshore watched open-mouthed as Izuku and Katsuki crashed into the water. There were a numb five seconds where they couldn't see the two boys, nothing but the sound of crashing waves being heard.

Then a head of green hair broke the surface of the water, quickly followed by blonde. Izuku and Katsuki gasped for breath, looking around frantically as they treaded water. Seeing that they were okay, those onshore practically sagged in relief.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"

Relief that quickly turned to hilarity the moment Katsuki's infuriated voice echoed across the beach.

"I blame you for this."

Izuku coughed indignantly as he looked to Katsuki incredulously. The two now sat in the sand in front of Yagi's beach towel, trying to dry out while reapplying their sunblock. Well, Izuku was. Katsuki seemed content to just sit with his arms crossed and stew.

A little ways away, Mina had set up her own towel, complete with an umbrella, which she and Ochako sat under while they chatted. In front of them, Tsu was helping Satsuki construct sandcastles, Kirishima joining by showing how his Quirk could help shape the sands, much to the little girl's fascination.

"How is this my fault?" Izuku asked.

"What, you think I'm why he decided to give us an unexpected high dive trip?"

"Uh… yes?" Katsuki's darkening look made Izuku get defensive. "You know you would do something like that if you could!"

"Yeah, to someone else!" Katsuki yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. "Not to myself!"

"But… Katzuku was the one that-"

"And he's half you, so I blame you."

Izuku's mouth fell open. "But he's also half yo- Oh, forget it." Izuku cut himself off with a groan, giving up on the argument before it could even get started. He fell back against the sand, throwing an arm over his eyes.

He tried not to be annoyed when he heard their mentor chuckle at them under his breath.

For a few minutes, he just lay there, soaking up the sun and listening to the odd mix of the familiar ocean sounds and the voices of his new friends. For just a little while, he was able to turn off his brain and let all the worries swirling around in his head fade into the background.

"So… you given any more thought about what happened at USJ?"

...well, that was nice while it lasted.

Izuku groaned, letting his arm slip to the side. He didn't bother looking at Katsuki as he spoke, instead just staring up at the clear sky, watching a jetliner high above leave a white trail behind it. "Thought? Yeah. Do I have any answers? No."

Katsuki clicked his tongue, propping his chin up on his fist. "Well, we gotta figure it out eventually. Me and Round Face are supposed to keep you from wrecking yourself, and instead, we almost ended up just as busted as you this time."

Izuku winced. "Sorry-"

"Shut up," Katsuki cut him off flatly. "We just gotta figure out how to keep it from happening again. 'Till then…"

"No more Triple Fusion," Izuku finished tiredly. "We've been over this, Kacchan."

"And I'm making sure it sinks in, Deku," Katsuki growled, baring his teeth. "Triple Fusion is a last resort until we figure out how it really works."

Izuku sighed again, nodding slightly. "I know." A few seconds of silence passed before he looked back at Katsuki. "It was pretty cool being Katzuchako though, wasn't it?"

Katsuki snorted loudly, turning his feral grin towards the ocean. "Oh, hell yeah! I've never felt that strong before. Felt like he could have taken on All Might if he wanted to."

"Something you all will have to test at a later date…" Yagi stated, still staring down at the magazine he was reading as he reminded them both that said hero was still there and within earshot.

Izuku cringed slightly at the thought of fighting All Might, while Katsuki looked wholly unrepentant. As the green-haired boy tried to think up a response, he suddenly felt a small shadow fall over his face. He looked straight back up.

A tiny blank face stared right back.

"Gah!" Izuku jerked back up into a sitting position, nearly headbutting the faces owner in the process. Before he could panic further, Izuku realized that just sitting up had placed his eyes higher than the person standing next to him. "Oh. Hi Satsuki."

The little froggy girl looked up at him curiously. Tsu and Kirishima watched them, surprised by Satsuki's abrupt departure from the sand kingdom they had constructed. Izuku fidgeted a bit as Satsuki just stared at him in silence, seemingly not blinking. "Can… I help you?" He eventually asked, hesitantly.

Satsuki stared at him a moment longer, before asking, "You fused with Big Sister, right?"

Izuku blinked at Satsuki's question. "Um… yes. I did."

"Can I meet her?"

Izuku started slightly. "Meet… Tsuzuru?"

Satsuki nodded, punctuating it with a little grunt.

"Satsuki," Tsu said as she came up behind her sister, putting a hand on her head. "Remember what I told you? Tsuzuru was made with us and our classmate Minoru. We can't fuse into her without him." She looked to Izuku with a blank smile. "Sorry, Izuku. When I told her about what happened, she asked if that meant Tsuzuru was her big sister too."

"And you said yes?" Katsuki butted in. At Tsu's nod, he gave her a funny look. "Why the heck would you say that?"

"Tsuzuru's part me, and I'm her big sister," Tsu answered with a shrug.

Satsuki looked between the teens, a pout forming on her face as she focused on Izuku. "So… I can't meet her?"

Izuku smiled apologetically at her. "Not without Minoru. Sorry."

"...oh." Satsuki looked down at the sand dejectedly, her expression akin to if someone had just denied her ice cream.

Seeing how he'd disappointed the small child sent a pang of guilt through Izuku. He rubbed the back of his head, his eyes darting around in search of something to fix the situation, before falling on Tsuyu. An idea popped into his head.

"Well, uh…" Satsuki's eyes snapped back to him as he gave her an awkward smile. "You can't meet Tsuzuru, but…" He met Tsuyu's curious eyes. "You could meet someone else?"

Tsu blinked at him, catching on quickly. Without Satsuki seeing, she silently pointed at Izuku with one hand, herself with the other, then pressed both fingers together. Izuku felt a blush creep across his face but gave her a tiny nod nonetheless. Her face unchanging, Tsuyu flashed him a thumbs up.

Unaware of all this, Satsuki tilted her head, a slight frown on her face. "Really? Who?"

"Tsu and I could make a new Fusion by fusing on our own."

Satsuki stared at Izuku. Then her eyes grew wide, stars twinkling in the deep green. "Really?"

"As long as it's okay with her."

"It is," Tsuyu said plainly as she sat in the sand next to Izuku. She bumped shoulders with Izuku, saying, "Thanks. She's been asking about Tsuzuru for days."

Izuku laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's alright. Besides, I… I need to get more use to Fusing with other people."

Watching the whole exchange in mock-boredom, Katsuki scoffed under his breath. "No kidding." Without a word, he looked back at Yagi expectantly. The hidden hero looked back at him, perplexed, before jumping in realization. Yagi dug threw the bag at his side for a moment, before pulling out a familiar notebook, handing it to Katsuki.

Realizing what was going on, Kirishima came over to watch. Seeing him walk over, Mina lightly elbowed Ochako, the two watching on in interest.

Satsuki looked between Izuku and her sister, head tilted curiously. "So, how do you fuse?"

Izuku smiled at her. "It's really simple. All I have to do is touch someone-" He held up a hand, Tsuyu taking it in her own. "-and then choose to fuse. You ready?"

Satsuki nodded, but then looked a little apprehensive. "Big Sis is going to be okay, right Mr. Izu?"

Izuku blinked in bemusement by the apparent nickname, Tsuyu speaking in his stead. "I'll be fine, Satsu. We've done this before."

This was apparently all the reassurance Satsuki needed, as with a sharp nod her face brightened and she leaned forward in excitement.

Izuku turned to Tsuyu. "You ready?"

Tsuyu lips turned up a little, nodding. "Yep."

Izuku tightened his grip on her hand, and the two turned to light.

Satsuki gasped as she watched Izuku and Tsuyu bodies loose shape, light and dark green merging together until they created a single form.

The dying light revealed a girl taller than both Izuku and Tsuyu, her limbs a little longer than either of them, muscles visible on her skin. Her forearms and hands weren't as oversized as Tsuyu, but still larger than Izuku's. Tsuyu's long muted green hair had grown longer and fuller, curling at random points as it trailed down the Fusion's back to the ends, each curl fading into Izuku's forest green. Izuku's freckles framed Tsuyu's smile, his smaller pupils by her eyelashes. The Fusion's eyes were a green so dark they were almost black, flecks of a lighter green sparkling within. She wore Izuku's trunks over Tsuyu's one piece.

The Fusion blinked a few times, looking down as she flexed her hands. "...huh." She hummed to herself in her doubled voice.

Katsuki rose a brow at the Fusion's appearance, before starting to scribble on a fresh page of the Files.

Satsuki stared at the Fusion with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. Then, with surprising speed, she scrambled to her feet and frog-hopped right into the Fusion's lap.

The Fusion blinked in surprise, taken from her inner musings by the six-year old's sudden appearance. Tiny hands then gripped her cheeks, turning her head this way and that as Satsuki seemed to overanalyze every line of her face The Fusion let her, a bemused smile on her face.

There were stifled giggles as the onlookers watched them. Mina and Ochako had moved to fully face them, aww-ing at the little girl's cuteness, Mina pulling out her phone to film the interaction.

After almost a minute of Satsuki twisting her head up and down, the Fusion chuckled. "Having fun there?"

Satsuki froze in her movements, holding the Fusion's head at an awkward angle up and to the right. She blushed slightly as if only then realizing what she was doing. She slowly turned the Fusion's head forward, looking into her eyes almost shyly. "Big Sister?"

The Fusion laughed lightly. "Sort of. It's nice to meet you, Little Sis."

Satsuki tilted her head, frowning slightly. "So… you're not Tsuyu?"

"Nope." The Fusion tapped a finger against her head. "But she's a part of me. Izuku too."

Satsuki just looked more confused. "But… if you're not them… what's your name?"

The Fusion opened her mouth, only to pause. The confident look that had been on her face faded into confusion, then contemplation. Her brows pinched together in thought before the Fusion nodded to herself. "Tsuku. My name's Tsuku."

The sound of pen on paper came to an abrupt stop, Katsuki looking up from the notebook in annoyed bemusement. "What? I thought Deku said he and Froggy decided on Izuyu for your name?"

Tsuku frowned at him, dipping her head a little. "They did…" Her head then snapped back up, her blank expression betrayed by the defiance in her eyes. "But I like Tsuku better." She then turned thoughtful again, looking up at the sky. "Actually, I like Tsuyuzuku, but that's kind of long." Her eyes fell back on Katsuki, determined once more. "So call me Tsuku."

Katsuki tipped his head back, surprised by her blunt assuredness, as was most of the group. He then leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at her, before going back to the notebook, grumbling as he scratched off something written at the top of the page and continued writing.

Tsuku kept staring at Katsuki for a moment longer, before having her attention drawn towards a soft nudging against her stomach. She looked down to find a perplexed Satsuki poking at her middle, before doing the same with her right arm.

"You're a lot more muscley than Big Sister," The little girl said.

Tsuku grinned at her. "Yeah, that's mostly from Izuku." She flexed her arm, her bicep becoming more defined as the skin stretched taut. She gave Satsuki a playful grin. "Tsu had some muscles, Izuku had a bunch of muscles, so I have all the muscles. Pretty neat, huh?"

Satsuki nodded, this making perfect sense to her. "You must be really strong."

Tsuku hummed to herself, crossing her arms. "Probably… But I'll need to check."

Satsuki frowned cutely. "Check? How?"

At that, Tsuku grinned widely. "Easily." She then tucked her arms under Satsuki, lifting the surprised girl effortlessly as she stood. She walked over to Mina and Oochako's towel, placing Satsuki between the two as they watched curiously. Tsuku bent down as she placed a hand on Satsuki's head. "But first, I gotta go for a quick swim."

There were various sounds of confusion from the group, Kirishima voicing a "Why?"

Suspiciously, Katsuki was the only one to remain silent, scowling down at the Fusion Files.

Tsuku narrowed her eyes at him briefly, before turning to face Kirishima. "Because I need something to absorb to use my full strength. We had a block of metal we were using for that, but thanks to Katzuku-"

"Not my fault!" Katsuki shouted as he snapped the notebook shut.

Tsuku gave and exasperated sight, looking out towards the ocean waves. "It's sunk somewhere out there now." She looked between Mina and Ochako. "Watch her for a minute, please?"

Mina grinned back, throwing up a thumbs up. "You got it!" Ochako nodded in agreement, smiling.

With a grateful nod, Tsuku turned back towards the ocean. She looked contemplative for a moment, before crouching down on her ankles, pressing her hands against the sand. With barely a sound, she pushed off the ground with her legs…

And found herself flying over the water.

With a blink, she looked back towards shore, seeing the looks of shock on her friends as a cloud of sand settled around them.

"Huh," She mused to herself. "Guess my leg muscles are still pretty strong even without One For All."

As gravity started to take hold, she moved from her frog hop into a dive, pointing her hands forward as she splashed into the waves.

L

"Woah…" Satsuki said as she watched Tsuku disappear into the water.

Kirishima chuckled, sitting down in front of the towel. "Yeah. Those Fusions are always kind of nuts."

"Could have gone without the sand shower, though," Mina grumbled as she shook the sand out of her hair.

Satsuki hunched her shoulders as they spoke, it just dawning on her that she was now surrounded by strangers, even if they were her sister's friends. Curiosity soon outweighed shyness, however, a question leaving her lips before she realized she was speaking. "Are there other Fusions?"

Ochako's eyes lit up as she smiled at the girl. "Yeah, there's a bunch. Deku's up too… seven, now?"

"Froggy makes eight," Katsuki cut in irritably as he let his hands crackled, sparks dancing across his fingers as he flexed them idly.

"Oh, right." She then got an idea, grinning at Satsuki. "You want to see what some of them look like?"

Satsuki stared at Ochako blankly, before nodding sharply. "'Kay."

Ochako looked towards Yagi, finding that the man had already reached into the bag at his side and pulled out her phone for her. Taking it with a smile, Ochako tapped through it until she pulled up a few videos she'd saved. "Here," She said, handing it over to Satsuki. "Check this out."

Curious, Satsuki watched as Ochako started up the videos. The first was of Katzuku firing off blasts from his hands towards the ground, laughing as they propelled him further into the air with every shot.

Another showed Izuchako floating cross-legged in Izuku's bedroom, giggling to herself as dozens of books, soda cans, and pieces of All Might memorabilia swirled lazily around her, along with a disgruntled Katsuki cross-armed as he lay flat against the ceiling.

A few clips of Moku's fight with Iida and Todoroki, the action both startling and drawing Satsuki's awe.

The final one showed Izuna standing in front of a large slab of rock drowned in acid, her eyes closed and tongue poking out as she focused. Steam streamed out as the rock started to partly dissolve, leaving a vaguely humanoid statue that the acid then dissolved further until familiar features started to appear. Izuna opened her eyes, letting out an excited whoop at the rough statue of Cementoss she'd created.

Mina giggled at the last one. "I'm still wondering what Cementoss thought when he found that in Gym Gamma."

She missed the slight snort of amusement Yagi made under his breath.

Satsuki stared at the video in fascination, wonder in her eyes. "Wow." She turned back to Ochako to hand back the phone. "Do you think Big Sis Tsuku can do something like that?"

Ochako giggled at her excitement. "Well-"

She was cut off by the ocean in front of them ocean promptly exploding.

Shouts of surprise and panic echoed up and down the beach as people watched what looked like a geyser shoot straight up into the air a few hundred feet from shore. As the closest ones to the geyser, the UA group could see the form of a long-haired person fire right out of the middle of it.

Katsuki watched the figure rise higher into the air with dull surprise. "I'm gonna go with 'yes'."

They watched as Tsuku traveled at least a hundred feet into the air, before crashing back down into the choppy waves. The water soon exploded again, this time being shot back out towards open ocean as Tsuku rocketed back towards shore.

She made two smaller leaps, pushing off the water like it was solid ground, before crashing into the shore hard enough to leave trail into the sand, skidding up to the group with a panicked look on her face.

They stared at her silently for a moment, before she quickly said, "I found the metal."

Katsuki gave her an incredulous look, glancing at the quickly calming ocean. "Yeah, we gathered that, Froggy Deku. "What the hell?"

Tsuku's cheeks tinted slightly, dipping her head as she broke eye contact. "I thought I saw a shark."

Mina gasped, her eyes blowing wide as she screamed. "There's a shark out there!?"

Tsuku leaned up in her frog-crouch, waving her arms back and forth. "No!" She shouted back. At their startled looks, she shrunk a bit, her cheeks burning further. "No, I, uh, just thought it was. I-It was actually a -"

Eee-eee!

All eyes snapped back towards the ocean. Satsuki gasped happily.

"Dolphins!"

Sure enough, a trio of dolphins was leaping out of the water, chirping cheerfully as they splashed through the freshly churned waves.

A minute passed as they watched the pod dive in and out of the sea towards deeper water, Tsuku's head dipping lower by the second. A sharp snort broke the silence.

"All that was cause you got spooked by a dolphin?" Katsuki's grin full of dark amusement.

Tsuku's face was now as red as could be. "It was dark down there. All I saw was something grey with a fin."

Katsuki did not accept this completely understandable explanation. Quite the contrary. If his loud laughter was any indication, he found the whole situation hilarious.

Tsuku narrowed her eyes as her friend kept laughing. "Kacchan…" She droned warningly.

Katsuki didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. If anything, he just laughed harder. "Your face! Deku, your freaking face!"

It didn't help when the Fusion heard stifled snorting to her right. "Ochako…" She said with a betrayed pout.

Ochako held a hand over her mouth trying her hardest not to smile and failing miserably. "Sorry, Tsuku, but… it is kind of funny."

Tsuku's pout deepened when she saw similarly amused looks on Mina, Kirishima, and even Yagi's face. She shot a glare towards the latter, and he at least had the decency to look sheepish. "It wasn't that funny…" She griped, Katsuki's laughter grating on her.

As she stewed, a faint tingle built in the back of her throat. With little thought other than wanting to shut Katsuki up, Tsuku felt her tongue leave her mouth before she realized what she was doing.

Katsuki's laughter was cut off with a yelp as Tsuku's tongue hit him square in the left shoulder. "Gah!" He stumbled back from the force, the strike feeling more akin to a wet punch. He glared as Tsuku's tongue snapped back into her mouth, her wide eyes looking down at her mouth with just as much surprise in her actions. "What the hell was that… wha…?"

They all watched as Katsuki's arm, thrown up in his anger, suddenly went completely limp, falling uselessly to his side. Red eyes wide, Katsuki twisted his body, his arm swaying with the motion. He lifted it with his right hand, letting it flop back down with no resistance. He then turned back to Tsuku with an enraged shout. "What the hell did you do to-whoa!"

"Kacchan!" Tsuku shouted in panic as Katsuki's legs suddenly buckled. The Fusion lurched forward to try and catch him, Kirishima and Ochako doing the same, but it was too late.

Katsuki had already face planted in the sand.

There was a beat of shocked silence before Katsuki moved… well, more wiggled, until his head tilted to the side. Spitting out a mouthful of sand, he glared up at all those gawking around. "This -pst!- sucks!"

Tsuku was at his side in an instant, as was Yagi, having stood up the moment Katsuki's arm had gone numb. "Kacchan! Are you okay?"

"Do I look freaking okay!?"

"Bakugo," Yagi said, his firm voice cutting through the growing tension. "How do you feel?"

Katsuki grit his teeth, trying to thrash about and only managing to rock side to side. With a frustrated growl, he ceased moving and just seethed. "Everything's freaking numb. I can still feel everything, but…" He grunted as he gave another feeble wobble. "Barely."

Ochako scratched the side of her head, looking to Tsuku. "Is this your mutation?"

Tsuku swallowed, looking thoughtful. "Maybe. Probably."

"Did you feel anything before doing… that?" Yagi asked.

Tsuku hummed to herself. "There was a tingle at the back of my throat. Maybe… I coated my tongue in something to paralyze him?"

Yagi nodded. "Possibly. There are many species of poisonous frogs in the world. Maybe Tsuyu's Quirk mutated to take on traits from one of them."

Tsuku blinked. "Huh."

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Tsuku (short for Tsuyuzuku?)

Fusion Component: Tsuyu Asui

Quirk Mutation: Poison Dart Frog

The mild irritant in Tsuyu's mucus has been upgraded in toxicity. Her saliva contains a higher concentration of the poison, allowing her to cause a complete temporary loss of motor function near-instantly with a precision strike of her tongue. Mucus produced from her skin causes a similar, but much slower acting effect.

"Cool."

"Poisonous?" Satsuki voiced, taking Tsuku by the hand. She looked up at the Fusion in worry. "Is Mr. Kacchan going to die?"

Katsuki groaned, rolling his eyes at the girl's question. "I don't feel dead. Just pissed!" Then he blinked. "Wait." His head shot up as much as it could as he yelled, "What did you just call me, you little-gah!" He then yelped when Tsuku rapped him none-to-lightly on the head, driving his face back into the beach.

"Don't curse in front of my sister," Tsuku said with a frown.

Katsuki spit up another mouthful of sand, groaning as he glared up at the Fusion. "Oh, go take a flying leap."

It wouldn't be until much later he found out Mina had filmed the whole thing. Even longer for him to realize she'd shared it with their entire class.

Thirty minutes later

As the sun slowly trailed across the sky, Yagi found he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

It wasn't how he planned on spending his Sunday, camped out on a beach towel as his students tested their Quirks and played in the surf. But… he couldn't say he was regretting it.

Tsuku had stuck around for another fifteen minutes, long enough for her to take Satsuki for a face-paced swim, much to her sister's delight. She'd then unfused to allow Izuku and Tsuyu to enjoy the day as themselves, as well as have Izuku finish her page in the Fusion Files.

Now the teens were waist-deep in the water having a chicken fight, mixing it up a bit by having Ochako on Kirishima's shoulders and Mina on Izuku's. Not too far away from them, Tsuyu waded through the water, gently guiding Satsuki through the air as Ochako's Quirk held her aloft.

He'd long since tuned out Katsuki's grumbling, the boy laid out under Mina's umbrella as he waited for Tsuku's poison to wear off. Yagi had suggested that he call (and risk the wrath of) Recovery Girl to see if they could run Katsuki to her to be healed, but the explosive boy had stubbornly refused, his pride smarting enough as it was. Though if he didn't show any signs of recovery in the next thirty minutes, Yagi was going to have to put his foot down.

But until then, the hidden Pro was content to just watch his students have some fun, reassuring him that they weren't scared or broken by their recent experience.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Yagi was drawn out of his musings, so far in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Tsuyu walk up to him. He looked briefly out towards the water, seeing Satsuki floating just a few feet away from the chicken-fighting teens, watching them in interest.

"Can I help you, Asui?" He asked her with a smile.

"You can call me Tsu." Yagi's grinned widened a bit, having expected such a response. "I... need to tell you something."

Yagi's grin faded somewhat, his look turning concerned. For the first time to his knowledge, Tsuyu's voice held a note of hesitance. "Me?"

Tsuyu nodded. "Yes, sir. When I called Izuku if we could meet today, it was actually to tell him something, but… since you're here..."

Yagi felt a chill shoot through his nonexistent stomach.

"I thought I'd just cut out the middleman."

A bead of sweat trickled down Yagi's neck as he forced his smile to stay in place. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Katsuki's head snap towardsTsuyu, eyes wide. "Um… whatever do you mean, young lady?" Yagi cringed inwardly. Even he could hear the falseness in his tone. "We've only met today, so I'm not sure how you could have something to tell me-"

"I know, sir."

...damn. Yagi could just feel his blood chill at Tsuyu's matter-of-fact tone. Forcing down the oncoming dread, he heaved a deep sigh.

"Know… what, exactly?"

He had to at least try.

Tsuyu's brow fell a little, breaking her gaze. She sat down in the sand in front of him, putting her hands in her lap. "I know who you are," She said softly, the ambient sounds of beachgoers and ocean masking her words to any passersby. "I know… what you do. Why you can't do it anymore. And… what you gave Izuku."

Yagi took a deep breath through his nose, looking up at the clear sky. "How?"

"At USJ. When we Fused into Tsuzuru. After we unfused, it was all just kind of… there." She tapped her side of her head with her pointer finger, her blank expression somehow still looking apologetic.

A sigh passed Yagi's lips, Katsuki muttering a curse as he banged his head back against the sand. "I was afraid of that," Yagi said softly. "I'd hoped we'd prevented this from happening-"

"With Mandalay's mental exercises, right?" Tsuyu's interjection surprised the Pro. Tsuyu shrugged sheepishly. "Izuku had them on his mind when we Fused. Since I knew what to look for this time."

Crossing his arms, Yagi nodded, frowning. "Yes. And thus far we were under the impression that it had been working."

"... I think they were, sir." At Yagi's curious look, Tsu went on. "I didn't know why it didn't work on me either. But after thinking about it, I think I figured it out."

Raising a brow, Yagi motioned for her to go on.

"Well… Izuku's the one doing those mental exercises, right?"

"Yes…?"

"... I didn't Fuse with Izuku. I Fused with Izoru."

Yagi and Katsuki stared at her wide-eyed for a distressing amount of time. Katsuki then let out a loud curse. "Goddamn Triple Fusions," He groaned.

Yagi couldn't help but agree. "It makes a certain amount of sense. Mineta doesn't have the mental preparation Midoriya does, and Izoru was bound to have different priorities then Midoriya on his own…"

Tense silence fell over the three. Eventually, Tsuyu couldn't help but fidget, her words rushing out. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. I know it's not my secret to tell."

Yagi let out another sigh, his shoulders relaxing just a tad. "Thank you for that Tsu. I'm sorry if the truth about me lessens your view of me."

Tsuyu gave a small shake of her head but kept silent. The next few minutes passed in awkward silence as Yagi tired to think of what to say. He could see Tsuyu struggling with something as they sat like there was something she wanted to say but couldn't work up the nerve to speak it.

Apparently, she found it three minutes later.

"...you know you won't be able to keep it a secret forever."

Yagi tensed at the blunt statement, partly just from having a fifteen-year-old state such a thing to him. After a brief staredown, which Tsuyu refused to look away from, Yagi tipped his head with a sigh. "I know."

Tsuyu nodded in acknowledgment, Katsuki watching her with narrowed eyes. "Izuku's trying hard," She went on. "But he can't catch everything. Someone else is going to find out before long."

"I know," Yagi repeated in the same tired tone.

Tsu watched him for a moment. She then gave a determined nod. "As long as you know." She then turned back around to watch her friends and sister out in the water.

Yagi crossed his arms, eyeing the froggy girl curiously as they lapsed into silence. "Is… that all you wanted to say?"

"Mm-hmm," Tsuyu hummed lightly. "I just wanted to make sure you were thinking about it before the situation got more complicated. It could turn into a real mess otherwise."

Yagi's brow rose a little at the girl's words. He looked down in thought, mulling overall she said.

"Huh?" Yagi's attention was suddenly drawn away as Katsuki let out a sudden gasp. With a grunt, the boy slowly brought a hand up, looking at it curiously. He then lifted his other, sitting up to look down at them. He kicked one of his legs, wiggling his toes.

"Young Bakugo?" Yagi asked. "Are you feeling alright now-?"

"Finally!" Katsuki leaped up from the towel, taking off in a wobbly run that quickly straightened out as he drew closer to the waterline. "DEKU!" He screamed like a warcry, firing a blast from his hands to propel himself forward.

"Huh?" Izuku squawked, twisting himself and Mina around at the yell. His eyes shot wide when he saw Katsuki soaring towards him. "Kacchan, wait!"

"Payback time, Deku!"

Mina let out a yelp as Izuku was suddenly tackled out from under her, the acid girl falling into the water. Ochako and Kirishima couldn't help but laugh as Katsuki started chasing Izuku through the surf, Ochako floating off Kirishima's shoulders to join Satsuki in the air.

"C'mon, Kacchan, it's not my fault!"

"Don't care! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Yagi sighed tiredly as he watched his two pupils duck and dive through the water, putting his head in his hands. "This is not what I thought being a mentor would be like."

Tsuyu tilted her head at him. "We're a bunch of teenagers with superpowers. What did you expect?"

It annoyed Yagi even more that he didn't have an answer.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Declaration of War

Despite the unexpected break they were given, classes returned all too soon for the students of 1A. While they quickly fell into their usual habits of comparing what they did with their time off (Mina eagerly wowing the crowd with the footage she took of Tsuku), Izuku quickly noticed that there was a certain… tension in the room come Monday. None of them drew attention to it, but there was no way he was the only one to notice how Iida tensed when asked what it was like seeing Nomu up close, or how Tokoyami's eyes sharpened and Aoyama's smile lessened when asked where they ended up during USJ. And Izuku could have sworn that Todoroki was staring intently at him when his back was turned.

The whole subject seems like some kind of taboo, like talking about the attack would make it happen again. But… they were all still curious. and it being the first time they were all together after the incident, no amount of uncertainty could stop the questions from spilling out.

Even Izuku himself couldn't help his curiosity as they swapped stories, listening to the creative ways his classmates fought and asking for them to clarify or expand certain things. Which of course led to them questioning him in turn, mostly about Tsuzuku and Katzuchako. Izuku had surprisingly little issue answering their questions. He even found himself smiling when Kirishima started up about how 'manly' the whole thing was.

However, the fun stopped when Kamaniri started speculating about what his own Triple Fusion's powers could be, triggering a debate between him, Kirishima, and Sero about possible combinations with Izuku. While Izuku was at first just as invested as they were with hypothesizing, his stomach filled with dread the second Kamaniri and Sero turned to him and asked if they could try Triple Fusing later that day.

Izuku froze under their expectant smiles, unsure how to explain how he couldn't use his Quirk due to health reasons.

While Izuku tried to stutter out why that wouldn't be a good idea, Katsuki, who up until this point was content to lazily listen to their speculating, grew more and more irate as Izuku danced around the subject. After nearly a full minute of none of them understanding Izuku's unsure ramblings, Katsuki finally blew.

"Will you morons just shut up about it!?" He shouted, making everyone in the room flinch. "Pulling that crap nearly killed Deku the first time! He ain't doing it again until we know he won't end up half-baked! So drop it!"

It was dropped.

Unfortunately, they weren't given much time to dwell on the previous week's events. On their first day back, the class was informed by Aizawa (how the man was already up and moving despite 60% of his body being broken and bandaged mystified, impressed… and slightly terrified Izuku) that the UA Sports Festival was rapidly approaching.

This alone made Izuku excited for the future… but also brought a new worry to the forefront of his mind.

The mob of students that soon appeared outside their homeroom didn't help that worry, nor the piercing words of a purple-haired Gen-Ed student.

Day of the Sports Festival

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Before Izuku knew it, he and his class were standing in the dressing room of one of UA's massive arenas, filled with Pro Heroes cheering waiting for them to come out. Decked out in their PE clothes, the nineteen of them chatted as they waited for Iida to arrive so he could lead them out into the arena proper.

Izuku took a steadying breath, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his nerves. He could already hear the cheers of the waiting crowd, practically feel the vibration of the building from the sheer noise.

So many people, he thought. So many Heroes. And they all… they're all going to see my Quirk.

All Might had told him what he had to do today. This was his first chance to make an imprint on the Hero community, to show them all what he could do, his first step towards proving he could stand alongside the Number One Hero. To do that, the world had to see all that he was capable of.

On the one hand, he felt a sense of relief that, if nothing else, he'd be done having to explain how his Quirk worked to people. Once it was seen at the Sports Festival, there would be no more awkward explanations or nervous misdirecting when his Quirk came up. Hero or student, everyone would just… know.

That hand threatened to be slapped down by the other larger, darker, more panic-fueling hand: because… everyone would know.

He could already hear his former classmate's jeers and whispers.

"Deku? You okay? Your mumbling again."

Izuku was snapped out of his train of thought by Ochako's soft voice. He looked up, finding her standing right next to him, her hand planted on his shoulder.

Izuku fought down the heat threatening to rush to his face from the proximity. "I-I'm fine, Ochako, sorry. Just… a-a little nervous about…" he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he trailed off. "Everyone..."

"Knowing about your Quirk?"

Izuku blinked in surprise at Ochako's blunt-but-correct statement. His mouth popped open to ask how she knew what he was thinking, only to stop when Ochako gave him a sheepish smile, tapping a finger against her temple.

"...oh," Izuku said, deflating. "Yeah, that makes… yeah, it's about my Quirk."

Ochako chuckled, bumping shoulders with him. "Don't worry about it, Deku. Everyone out there are real heroes. They'll see your Fusions for what they are."

Izuku tried to smile, giving her a hesitant look. "Which is?"

"Kick-ass," Katsuki flippantly supplied, leaning back in his chair at one of the tables scattered throughout the room, his crimson eyes never moving from the clock ticking steadily on the wall.

Ochako snorted lightly, jerking her thumb towards Katsuki. "What he said."

Izuku let out a weak laugh. "Okay. I'll try."

"Surprised you're so calm yourself, Round Face," Katsuki then said, shooting Ochako a cutting look. "Figured you'd be freaking out about that big speech you gotta give in… what, ten minutes?"

Ochako stiffened at his words, stuttering a response. "Um.. well, I-I've got a few ideas for what to say already…"

"Really?" Katsuki returned, his voice gaining a tone of faux-admiration. "You ain't worried at all about speaking in front of all those people? All those Heroes, students, teachers…"

"Kacchan..." Ochako's voice and expression changed in an instant as she realized what he was doing.

A smirk formed on Katsuki's lips. "All those people, all around the world, watching, judging…"

"Katsuki," Ochako growled darkly, meeting his smirk with a glower. "You're not helping."

"What?" Katsuki drawled in exaggerated-innocence. "You are nervous? I'm surprised. After all, I'd have thought the number one student of our year would-"

Ochako let out a skyward groan. "Oh, you're still on about-I didn't want to be number one! We've been over this- gah!" Ochako buried her hands in her hair out of frustration, glaring at smirking blonde. "Uhh! Why am I friends with you?"

"I don't know, why are you?!" Despite his harsh words, Katsuki's fierce smirk widened, making Ochako's cheeks puff up as she pouted.

"Guys, come on…" Izuku tried half-heartedly, resigning himself to another argument.

A sudden thud made them jolt as the table next to them shuddered. Tsuyu looked back at them blankly, crouched on her ankles as she sat atop the table, Katsuki giving her a dark look as she nearly landed on his legs. "You guys nervous, too?"

Izuku ducked his head sheepishly, internally thankful for the interruption. "That obvious?"

Tsuyu hummed in response. "A little bit. I saw you fidgeting with your hands."

Izuku blinked at her, before looking down. Sure enough, his hands were folded over each other, his fingers twitching as they rubbed together nervously. Flushing, Izuku pulled his hands apart, rubbing the back of his head. "Huh, I didn't even notice."

At that, Tsuyu just shrugged. "Well, you're still hiding it better than some of us."

Ochako looked confused, giving the room a quick once over. While most everyone seemed a little tense, no one seemed overly worried. She saw Tokoyami and Shoji talking quietly to each other, and Todoroki standing off by himself with his head down. Some of them were even laughing with each other, Kamaniri, Sero, and Sato pumping each other up with large grins, Jiro and Mina rolling there eyes at the antics as they stood off to the side. "Everyone seems okay?" Ochako said slowly, a question in her voice.

In answer, Tsuyu merely pointed down behind them.

Curious, Izuku and Ochako followed her, Katsuki leaning back further to look.

Minoru Mineta paced back and forth, his short legs working so fast that he was nearly sprinting. He had both arms over his head, muttering as his eyes never left the ground.

"What am I doing, what am I doing? I didn't sign up for this! I just wanted to save pretty girls, not get beat up for entertainment. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna diiiiie!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes to the ceiling, letting out a hard scoff. "Jeez." He looked sharply back at Mineta. "Hey, Grapestain!"

Mineta let out a shriek at the sudden yell, drawing the attention of the room. "What!?"

Katsuki was thoroughly unimpressed. "Shit ain't even started yet. Sit your dumbass down before you pass out."

His words seemed to have the opposite effect, given that Mineta started shaking under Katsuki's harsh stare. "I, I… oh…" With a mournful moan, Mineta went straight as a board. He fell back where he stood, his rounded hair the only thing keeping his head from cracking against the ground.

The four watched him fall in stunned silence. Then Mineta let out a weak whimper. "I'm gonna diiiiie…"

Katsuki turned his eyes back to the ceiling, letting out a groan of his own. "For crying out loud…"

"I'll check on him," Tsuyu said, climbing off the table. "Good luck out there."

"Same to you, Tsu," Ochako said as the froggy girl moved to kneel next to the prone Mineta.

Izuku and Ochako looked to each other once she left, sharing a quick laugh. Katsuki just rolled his eyes. "So, both of you got a game plan, right?"

Izuku took a calming breath, before giving a determined grin. "I think I know what to do. So long as I-

"Ah, ah!" Katsuki cut him off, shoving a finger against Izuku's nose. "Don't tell me, you idiot! We're competing against each other, remember?"

Izuku rubbed his nose, his look half-way between chastized and annoyed. "Right. Sorry. But… I know what to do," He finished with a determined smile.

"Good. Round Face?"

Ochako crossed her arms, a playful grin on her face. "I've got a plan…"

Katsuki quirked an eyebrow at her, before giving a feral grin of his own. "Well it better be freaking good, cuz I'm looking forward to kicking both your asses in the finals."

Izuku sighed at his friend's crass language, but his smile grew a little wider regardless. "I'll try not to."

Bang!

The entire class jumped at the door was suddenly thrown violently open, most of the class halfway into their fighting stances as they instinctually faced the intruder.

"Everyone!" Came Iida's strong voice as he stepped into the room with an intense expression. "Finish your preparations! They're almost ready for us to…" He trailed off when he heard a collection of groans from the class facing him. He blinked as he watched them relax out of their tense positions. "Um…?"

"Dude," Jiro said, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. "Do you gotta burst in here like there's a fire or something? Were stressed enough as is."

Iida shot to attention in an instant, his eyes wide. "Oh, dear." He bent at the waist. "My most sincere apologies, everyone! It was not my intention to…"

"Sheesh…" Katsuki grumbled as he sank back into his chair, letting out a huff as he tuned out Iida's profuse apologies. "That guy needs to relax."

Ochako giggled, quirking a brow at the blonde. "Are you really one to talk, Kacchan?"

"Bite me, Round Face."

Izuku chuckled lightly at his friends, trying to will away his nerves as he watched them bicker. He went over his plans one more time in his head, along with the parting words All Might had left him with. It wouldn't be long before-

"Midoriya."

A cool voice cut through the relaxed mood, making the three friends turn around. Izuku blinked. "Todoroki?"

Todoroki stood just behind them, his mismatched eyes zeroed in on Izuku. His face was blank, save for the slightest narrowing of his eyes.

A moment of silence stretched on, prompting Izuku to nervously ask, "Do you need something?"

Todoroki simply stared for a moment longer, the silent treatment making Katsuki bristle. Before the blonde could raise his voice, Todoroki finally spoke. "All Might favors you."

Izuku stiffened at the blunt statement. Ochako's eyes widened, while Katsuki tensed in his seat. Izuku gulped, trying to will away the shaking he felt in his voice. "W-Why do you say that?"

Todoroki's gaze intensified, as if insulted that Izuku was playing dumb. "At the USJ, your Fusion spoke flippantly to All Might and he barely reacted. If anything, he agreed with it. And once you unfused, he focused on making sure you were okay before anyone else."

Izuku gulped, his eyes darting around nervously. They were starting to draw a crowd as the other students noticed the encounter. To his right, Katsuki gave a dismissive snort. "Course he focused on Deku first. He was the most beat-up out of all of us."

Todoroki slowly turned his gaze towards Katsuki, his gaze growing colder. Katsuki glared back in anger as the silent staredown went on, the tension in the air rising by the second.

Hoping to curb an oncoming brawl, Izuku asked, "Is there something you wanted to say, Todoroki?"

Todoroki's eyes snapped back to Izuku, his battle of wills with Katsuki forgotten, much to the blonde's ire. "Just making an observation," Todoroki said calmly. "Though, I was hoping you could clarify something for me."

The half-and-half boy's tone put Izuku on edge, but he tried to smile anyway. "And that is?"

"I just wanted to know if you're actually going to compete today, or just have one of your Fusions do it for you."

Izuku's smile froze on his face. The room suddenly seemed much quieter "What?" He said softly.

Katsuki was much more vocal, jumping to his feet as he glared. "The hell is that supposed to mean, Freezerburn?"

"I wasn't talking to you," Todoroki said dismissively, not even looking at Katsuki.

"What!?" Katsuki's palms sparked in rage, moving forward to grab the collar of Todoroki's shirt, only to be held back by Ochako's arms around his waist. "Let me go, dammit!"

"Kacchan!" Ochako squeaked, struggling to hold the stronger boy back. "You can't fight before the Festival starts!"

"Says you!"

Todoroki paid them no mind, his calm visage betrayed by the intense gaze he kept on Izuku ."Well, Midoriya?"

"Don't ignore me, you little-"

"Kacchan, calm down!"

Izuku swallowed nervously, overly aware of the eyes of his classmates watching them. "What… do you mean, Todoroki?"

Todoroki's gaze intensified, irritation growing. "Since school started, every major success you've had has been the result of one of your Fusions. You used Uraraka's power to pass the entrance exam. You used Yaoyorozu to win our first Hero class. Not to mention the, what, three new Fusions you created and used during the USJ attack?"

Across the room, Momo stiffened, her brow pinching as she looked towards Todoroki. Not far from her, Tsuyu watched the conversation with a light frown, Mineta looking fretfully between Todoroki and Izuku.

"You're considered one of the strongest students in our class, but I have to ask: what exactly have you done to earn it?"

Despite the calm voice Todoroki spoke in, Izuku took the boy's words like physical blows, his shoulders hunching at each accusation. Similar words started to echo in his head, Todoroki giving new strength to old memories:

He can't do anything without… fusing. He'd need someone's help in every fight.

He's useless on his own.

Izuku tried to shake the words from his head, standing up a little straighter. "T-That's not really fair, Todoroki."

Todoroki merely rose an unimpressed brow. "Isn't it? You have plenty of power on your own, between your material absorption and the strength it gives you. Instead, you choose more often than not to use other people's power instead of your own."

Katsuki let out an irate growl. "He ain't using us, you-!"

Todoroki cut him off with a sharp look, his mismatched eyes darting between Katsuki and Ochako, the girl still trying to hold the blonde back. "Then what do you call him using your strength to better himself?"

"Uh… teamwork?" Ochako said with a confused little shrug, nonplussed.

"That ain't even how his Fusions works, asshole," Katsuki growled out as he glared at Todoroki. "Besides, he won't be fusing with us today."

At that, Todoroki blinked, genuinely surprised. "He won't?"

Taking a chance at Todoroki's lapse in fury, Izuku quickly explained. "I don't want to get too use to Fusing with just Kacchan and Ochako. You're right, I'd probably get through the competition a lot easier if I Fused with them, but… that's not really the point of today. I won't always be able to Fuse with someone when I'm a Hero, so I want to try and get as far as I can on my own first before resorting to Human Fusion."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed, the air in the room growing cooler. "So you are going to Fuse with someone else."

"Well… yeah, maybe." Izuku gave a sheepish shrug. "I'm going to try and do as much as I can by myself, but if I get stuck and someone's willing to team up…"

Todoroki scoffed. "So you'll just use someone else's power."

Could he even be a hero like that?

What a freak.

Izuku grit his teeth, a spark of irritation coloring his insecurity, his frustrations tumbling from his lips. "That's just how my power works! What do you want me to do, only use half of my Quirk?"

He regretted his words immediately as, in a flash, Todoroki's face changed.

His eyes shot wide, his lips pulling into a tight line. His hands clenched until they shook, frost coating his right hand. Everyone shivered as the room grew colder still.

Izuku flinched back at Todoroki's thunderous look, his hand going to the metal surface of the table behind him. Ochako's grip loosened in surprise, letting Katsuki break free from her hold. The blonde brought his hands up threateningly, his palms sparking.

"Hey, hey!" Suddenly, a head of spiky red hair appeared between Todoroki and the trio, Kirishima throwing his arms out wide to keep the distance. He looked quickly between Todoroki and Katsuki, his attempt at a pacifying smile somewhat ruined by the nervousness on his face. "You're all acting super-manly right now, but how about you save it for just a little longer? There's a whole stadium of people here to watch us compete, and it ain't going to do any of us any good if you both get kicked out now."

"I must agree!" Iida concurred as he approached the standoff, looking disapproving between the participants. "This is hardly appropriate behavior for future Heroes, especially before such a major event. I must ask for you all to cease hostilities before I'll be forced to bring the faculty into this."

Katsuki growled under his breath, looking past Kirishima to Todoroki. His hands stayed up, palms sparking threateningly. Izuku's hand stayed flat against the table, ready to absorb it at any moment. He swallowed thickly but managed a determined look as he stared down the prodigy.

Todoroki glared back, eyes darting between Katsuki and Izuku. His fists shook, ice creeping up his right arm as the seconds ticked by.

Then, as quickly as it'd come, the tension in Todoroki's body bled away, his fists unclenching. The boy let out a derisive scoff.

"...Fine," He said, his voice still frighteningly calm. "Do what you want. It won't matter anyway." He turned his full attention to Izuku. "No matter how strong your Fusions are, I'm still stronger. And I'll prove it to everyone out there when I crush you-" He turned his intent gaze on Katsuki and Ochako. "-and whoever's foolish enough to tie themselves to you."

Katsuki's snarl deepened, Ochako looking startled and hurt, but Todoroki paid them no mind. He sent Izuku one last glower before turning around and walking right out of the room passed Iida, who watched him go with stunned eyes.

Before Todoroki disappeared around the corner, Izuku felt like he should say something. But try as he might, he couldn't put his words together fast enough before the boy was out of sight. Izuku let out a deep breath, frowning in thought.

"Yeesh." Izuku jumped at the sudden voice next to him, turning to find that Mina had snuck up behind him. The acid-girl giggled at the look on his face. "For a second there I really thought you three were going to go at it." She gave Izuku a grin. "Forget what Todoroki said. I don't know about everyone else, but if you need Izuna today, I'm up for it."

Izuku blinked in surprise. "Oh! Um…"

"Same for me, man." Kirishima's then said, giving Izuku a sharp-toothed grin as he turned to face him. "Don't know who we'd make, but you got him if you want him."

A warm feeling bloomed in Izuku's chest, which only grew when he saw Tsuyu flash him a thumbs up, Mineta looking at her in surprise before scrambling to do the same, sweat dripping down his face as he put on a bravado-filled smile. An impulsive part of him wanted to turn around to look at Momo, but he quashed it down, already feeling overwhelmed. "We'll… see how the day goes." He finally said with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head as he felt his cheeks warm.

"Yes… well…" Iida said, looking between the budding pseudo-alliance in bemusement. "Thank you for trying to play peacemaker, Kirishima, and for not escalating things further, Midoriya, Bakugo."

"If Half'n'Half didn't back down, I'd have put him threw a wall," Katsuki said plainly, much to Iida's stunned ire, finally putting his arms down. He turned to Izuku, fire still in his eyes. "You get the chance, Deku, you better kick his ass. Hard."

Izuku merely sighed. "I'll… take that under advisement, Kacchan."

Katsuki clicked his tongue in acknowledgment, before looking at the class at large, still staring at the small group. "What are you all looking out?" He called out with a scowl. "Don't we all have a fight to get to?"

The blonde's words sent the class into a flurry of motion, finishing their last-minute preparations before moving towards the exit, Iida rushing ahead to try and get Todoroki to wait for them.

As they filed out, Ochako sidled up to Izuku, giving him a concerned look. "You okay, Deku?"

Izuku blinked at her concern until he saw her tap the side of her head. He took a steadying breath, giving her a grin. "I'm fine, Ochako. Some of the stuff he said just… hit a little close to home."

"I know," she returned sadly, When Izuku's smile didn't falter, Ochako managed to smile back, before frowning. "I wonder what Todoroki's problem is. Was it just me, or did he seem… really angry about your Quirk?"

Ahead of them, they heard Katsuki snort. "Half'n'Half's got issues."

Ochako opened her mouth to respond-

"Shut it, Round Face."

-and promptly closed it, sharing a semi-smug grin with Izuku, the two sharing a chuckle.

As the class reached the end of the hall, they could hear the roar of the gathered Heroes outside, Present Mic's commentary pumping up the crowd. Sunlight filled the exit up ahead, Iida and Todoroki waiting for them just before the threshold. Once they reached them, Todoroki shot Izuku one last look over his shoulder before walking forward, 1A following him. Izuku breathed out the last of his nerves, stepping out into the light.

"AND HERE THEY ARE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE INTREPID LADS AND LADIES THAT HAVE ALREADY PROVEN THEIR METAL AGAINST THE FORCES OF A VILLAIN ATTACK. WELCOME TO THE STAGE, CLASS 1A!"

The Sports Festival had begun.

Chapter Text

"...AND GEN ED CLASSES I, J, and K!"

At the back of the mass of students entering the stadium, Shinso Hinoshi let out a bitter sigh.

Just like I thought, Gen Ed is nothing but an afterthought.

His eyes slid towards the forty students already gathered at the center of the arena, looking them over as Present Mic introduced the other first years. Just by visuals alone, he could guess why most of them had been chosen for the hero course. He zeroed in on the ones he recognized from that day in the hall. A few he'd already had an idea about; the son of Endeavor and brother of Ingenium. But there were others that had only just appeared on his radar thanks to the UA rumor mill. The electric boy and the girl with the earlobes were apparently both rather powerful at a distance. The redhead had rock-solid skin. The ponytail girl could apparently pull anything out of her skin, and the boy with the bird head's quirk seemed to be a whole separate creature in and of itself.

And then… he focused a trio near the front of their class. The explosive blonde, anti-gravity girl, and boy with curly green hair.

The hero course exam's top three.

It hadn't been hard to get info on the three. Their exams were minor legends among the students who's been with them. The blonde had been an absolute terror in his exam, taking out dozens of robots all by himself, over double that of anyone else in the exam. And the girl and green hair had somehow taken down the gigantic zero-pointer by working together, though which of them landed the finishing blow changed from person to person.

Bottom line: Shinso had to stay on guard. With everything, he knew he was up against, and god knows how much he didn't, he couldn't hold back. He'd show his stuff in this so-called competition, prove he could be a hero despite… everything.

He bit back a groan as the first event was announced: an obstacle course around the stadium. Somehow he didn't think it would be as simple as hopping tires and climbing walls.

Hoping to glean some last-minute info, Shinso waded through the crowd of students, drifting as close to the hero classes as he could without being noticed. None seemed to be talking strategy, though, much to his chagrin. It was all pointless talk of how excited they were, how they couldn't wait to show off their skills and powers. Shinso stomped down his irritation, moving on towards the front.

"Okay. You guys remember the plan?"

Shinso paused, looking to his right. It was that trio, standing in a loose huddle. The green-haired kid looked between the other two with a determined grin.

"Yep!" the brunette chirped, giving a thumbs up.

The blonde rolled his eyes, looking exasperated as he slouched, his hands in his pockets. "You only pounded it into our heads about a billion times this week."

Green-hair rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm just making sure. We're only going to get one chance to-"

"And Now The Introductory Speech!"

Shino bit down a curse as Midnight's voice echoed around the stadium, instantly stopping all conversation from the students. There went the chance for any last-minute insight.

"Silence, Everyone! And For The Student Pledge, We Have… Ochako Uraraka!"

Shinso rose a brow when the brunette suddenly stiffened, a panicked look on her face. "Oh, man…"

"You'll do great, Ochako!" Green-hair smiled, patting her on the back.

Ochako smiled back nervously. "Thanks, Deku."

"Yeah." The blonde's grin, on the other hand, looked almost evil, a mocking tilt in his voice. "I'm sure you won't choke…" He slapped her on the back too… hard enough to make her stumble. "Number One."

Ochako whirled around with a glare, sticking a finger in the blonde's smirking face."Oh, zip it, Kacchan!" She took a deep breath, then turned and marched towards the stage with an almost too stiff posture.

"Kacchan, do you have to be so...?" Deku struggled to find the right words. "...you?"

Kacchan didn't look away from Ochako's retreat, still grinning. "Yep."

"Still hard to believe Uraraka earned the top spot for our year." A boy with tape-dispensers on his arms said aloud.

"Only for the hero course exams!" A voice behind Shinso called out. He recognized it as a girl from his class, and could just hear the glare in her tone.

Deku flinched at her words. "Oh… right."

Tape-boy hunched at Deku's side, barely hiding his irritation as he muttered how the girl clearly hated them.

A blonde with a lightning-bolt design in his hair scowled. "Guess who we have to thank for that?" He glared at the back of Kacchan's head.

"Seriously, man," Stone-skin boy side-eyed Kacchan, looking more curious than angry. "Did you have to insult everyone in our year?"

Kacchan barked out a laugh. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Next time the entire rest of our year ambushes us outside homeroom and won't let us leave without giving their two cents, I'll just smile and nod at them like this idiot." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Deku, who gave a flat look at the back of the blonde's head.

Earlobe-girl rolled her eyes, muttered. "There is some room between that and shouting 'Piss off, extras!' like a diva."

Kacchan's head snapped towards her, eyes wild. "What'd you call me!?"

Earlobes fixed him with an unimpressed look. "Di-va." She sounded out slowly.

"Why you little-"

"Kacchan!" Deku grabbed the blonde by the collar before he could stomp towards Earlobes, making him face forward. "Ochako's about to speak."

Kacchan grumbled under his breath, palms crackling. "First chance I get, I'm kicking her ass first…" Surprisingly, he did quiet down as Ochako stepped up to the mike.

The brunette looked up at the crowd, nerves clear on her face. Then her eyes drifted back down, back towards Deku, who smiled back. Deku then glanced to the side, seeing Kacchan still grumbling to himself, and elbowed him. Kacchan irritably held Deku's stare, then clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, looking up at Ochako with a 'well,-get-on-with-it' look.

Ochako, seeing this, gives a small huff, a smile creeping on her face. She looked back up at the stadium full of heroes, her nerves settled.

"Hello everyone! You're all probably thinking were here to prove which of us is the best." Several teens in the crowd nodded in agreement or rolled their eyes at her bubbly voice, Shinso among the latter. Uraraka's smile seemed to widen at this. She leaned in closer to the microphone.

"You're wrong."

Shinso blinked. The students around him reacted similarly, their confusion palpable. Uraraka just kept smiling as she looked turned back to the students. She pointed up at the stands. "Up there are real heroes. They are the ones that have been keeping the world safe for all the years passed." She scanned the crowd, drinking in their curious looks. She looked back up at the heroes. "But us? We are the future. Today is not about winning or losing. It's about showing each and every one of them what that future looks like." She took a half-step back, raising her voice. "They've set the bar. Now it's our time to break past it." She raised a fist to the air. "To go beyond! Plus Ultra!"

"Plus Ultra!"

Her cry was echoed by the voices of 1-A, 1-B just a split-second behind them. For a second, Shinso was tempted to join in, but the moment passed too quickly. His voice would have been drowned out anyway by the crowd, who clapped and cheered as Uraraka stepped down from the podium, her face quickly turning red.

"WELL, THAT'S ONE WAY TO MAKE AN IMPACT!" Present Mic announced with a laugh. "HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS, LISTENERS! THE FIRST EVENT WILL START SHORTLY!"

Out the corner of his eye, Shinso saw Uraraka rejoin the two boys from earlier, the three huddling together. He couldn't focus on them, thanks to the new buzz of excitement waving through the crowd as Midnight launched right into announcing the first event.

Shinso took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves that were starting to build. While he couldn't fault Uraraka's speech, he didn't like how just about every Hero-class kid who had been slacking off before suddenly looked more focused and pumped up. He cursed inwardly. He'd have to work even harder now to get ahead of them.

With a shake of his head, Shinso pushed away his doubts. This was his chance, and he was going to take it. Ignoring the students around him, The Gen-Ed turned his attention to the stage, listening intently as Midnight started going over the rules.

Izuku let out a nervous breath as the students turned to face the starting gate, a narrow beam of sunlight streaming through the tiny doorway out of the stadium "You guys ready?"

"Yep!" Ochako chirped, her shifting weight the only sign of her apprehension.

"This better work, Deku," Katsuki warned, giving his arms a small shake while keeping his hands firmly in his pockets.

"It'll work," He assured… then swallowed. "It should work." At the sharp look Katsuki shot him, Izuku gave a shaky grin. "You told me to make an impact, right?"

Katsuki held his gaze, then looked away with a snort, smirking. "Hell yeah."

Izuku's grin widened. He went to turn back to the exit when his eyes suddenly met mismatched blue-and-gray. He flinched at the cold glare Todoroki gave him from the front of the pack. Swallowing nervously, Izuku tried to keep up his smile and gave a small wave. Todoroki's eyes narrowed, frost curling from his fingertips, before turning his head sharply away with a dismissive scoff. Izuku wilted at the rebuff.

"Ignore him, Deku," Ochako patted the boy on the shoulder, her cheeks puffing as she glared at the back of the prodigy's head.

Katsuki, on the other hand, had a strangely calm expression as he looked towards Todoroki. "Deku."

Izuku looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Don't hold back."

Izuku blinked. "Wha-"

A beep rang out, one of the green lights on the starting gate lighting up. The three looked up as the next one followed suit, all conversation ending as every student tensed. Izuku locked eyes with Katsuki, then Ochako. The three nodded to each other, then faced the exit.

"See you both at the finish line," Ochako muttered.

Katsuki snorted, smirking sharply. "You better."

Izuku let out a slow breath. "Here we go."

Up in the stands, Toshinori gripped his hands together, nervousness for his successor warring with curiosity as the three friends focused on the path ahead. Okay, kids. Show us the future.

The last light ignited, and Midnight's voice rang out.

"BEGIN!"

Chapter Text

As one, UA's entire first year rushed for the narrow opening. Within seconds the corridor was a choked mess of bodies crushing against each other, the mass of humanity bottlenecked as they all tried to get through at the same time. Izuku watched as Katsuki threw himself directly into the pile, shoving and elbowing his way through the crowd with stunning ferocity. Ochako disappeared along with him, her slight frame vanishing into the sea of blue uniforms. And he…

Stopped.

Izuku ran with the crowd right up to the exit of the stadium, then stopped, right where the grass of the field ended at the corridor's concrete floor. He watched as he was left alone as the last man on the field, the pack of the rushing students a good fifteen feet ahead of him. He could hear Present Mic on the PA overhead, narrating the chaos taking place.

"AND WHAT'S THIS? IS ONE OF OUR FUTURE ALUMNI HAVING COLD FEET ALREADY?"

Izuku tried and failed to ignore the new eyes he could feel turn his way. His gaze locked onto the doorway at the end of the corridor. Specifically, the ten-foot gap above the heads of the rushing crowd. Already he could see trailing frost and bright explosions going off just outside.

Make an impact, he repeated in his head as he knelt down, placing his fingertips to the concrete.

A flash of blinding green light filled the corridor, backlighting the students filling it. A few at the back of the pack shot panicked looks behind them, surprised that the fading light revealed a human statue kneeling at the hall's opposite end, a two-foot deep divot in the ground right in front of it.

Izuku grit his stone teeth, pushed One for All into his legs…

And lept.

A cloud of dirt and debris shot back out into the stadium as Izuku soared over the heads of the crowd, crossing the length of the corridor in a single bound. There was a flash of movement below him, a white stretch of tape shooting by him as Sero lept out of the crowd, Tsuyu right beside him. The two came level with him as they reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

Izuku flew through the exit at the top of his arc, emerging into chaos. Immediately out of the building, dozens of students were brought to a standstill, their feet frozen to a giant patch of ice that stretched down most of the path. Up ahead, he could see Todoroki at the front of the leaders, Katsuki just behind him as he propelled forward with explosions, Momo, Kirishima, and Aayoma right at their heels.

As Izuku neared the ground, he preemptively winced as he saw where he was going to come down: right in the middle of a bunch of students who had gotten their feet free of the ice and were struggling to slide forward without falling, Ochako among them.

"Sorry, 'Chako!" He yelled out as he brought his feet forward, bracing for impact.

Ochako looked up at his shout, panic clear on her face. Then…

Why is she smiling?

Izuku landed with a thunderous impact, cracking the ice and sending the students around him into an uncontrollable slide away from his landing zone. Not wanting to waste time, Izuku tensed his legs again and took another super-powered leap further down the path.

"Whaa! High!"

Izuku blinked, looking down at the voice that sounded far too close. "Wha- Ochako! What are you doing!?"

The brunette smiled up at him, half-panicked and half-sheepish as she held onto his stone pants leg with both hands. He hadn't even felt her grab on. "Seizing an opportunity! Like we planned!"

"Wha- I didn't mean to use me!"

His confusion didn't last too long. When he reached the apex of his jump, Ochako let go of his leg and slapped a hand to her thigh.

"Thanks for the lift, Deku!"

Izuku's mouth fell open as gravity started to pull him down, while Ochako kept moving forward, waving at him with a smile that was only slightly guilty.

"WOW!" Present Mic's voice boomed throughout the grounds. "WHAT AN UPSET! USING A FELLOW STUDENT'S ABILITY TO GET AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE!"

"It's a viable strategy," Eraserhead said in a calmer tone. "Taking advantage of an opponent's strength to add to your own can be invaluable. Quick thinking like that can mean the difference between life and death."

After the shock wore off, Izuku tore his eyes away from Ochako soaring above him, letting out a bemused huff of a laugh. "She's spending too much time with Kacchan." He turned back to the path ahead, readying to land… and having to shift his foot so-as to not land on one of Mineta's sticky balls that now littered the path.

"Gah!"

Izuku's head shot up just as he went to take another leap. He yelped as he watched Mineta get swatted down by a massive robotic limb. From seemingly nowhere, multiples of the Entrance Exam's Zero-pointer appeared in the middle of the course.

Despite the innate fear the sight ignited in him, Izuku couldn't help but feel encouraged at the appearance of the massive machines. If I can swap the concrete I absorbed for steel, I could use almost double the strength I have!

His thoughts came to a sudden halt when the closest Zero-pointer was suddenly encased in a sheet of ice, its plated armor buckling outward as they filled with frozen water. Looking between the robot's legs, Izuku could see Todoroki darting further ahead. As if feeling his gaze, Todoroki glanced back briefly, giving Izuku a glimpse of his narrowed blue eye.

Izuku was about to rush forward after them when he heard the groan of protesting metal. He looked up to see the ice already dissolving, leaving the wrecked machine to fall to pieces.

Right on top of two students.

Izuku let out a panicked gasp. "Kirishima!" Barely aware of Eraserhead's commentary on Todoroki's tactics, he took a mighty leap, he landed on the back of the fallen mech, right over where he thought Kirishima had gotten crushed. He was about to plunge his arms into the metal and start digging when the frozen steel exploded outwards.

"I LIVE!"

Izuku flailed back in surprise as Kirishima leapt out of the Zero-pointer's carcass. He chuckled sheepishly "You certainly do."

Kirishima faltered at seeing Izuku right in front of him. He gave a quick chuckle, then turned to glare further up the field. "No thanks to Todoroki. What the hell's he thinking? If I was anyone else, he'd have killed 'em pulling a move like that!"

Izuku grimaced, calling back Todoroki's words from earlier. "Maybe he's trying to prove a point?"

Kirishima barked out a harsh laugh. But before he could say his mind, the steel behind them buckled up and exploded, revealing a new teen covered in metal.

"Gah! What the hell, 1A?! If that had been anyone else but me, I'd be dead!" Tetsutetsu yelled out in anger. But before he could rush forward, he froze at the sight of Kirishima and Izuku standing in his way, staring at him in surprise. He looked between the two of them, blinking rapidly, before letting out a roar of frustration. "Are you kidding me!? 1A's got two hard guys!?"

Cringing at the teen's anger, Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I mean… I guess, technically?"

Kirishima let out a groan. "Man, like it wasn't hard enough to stand out already!" He let out a sigh, then shrugged and flashed Izuku a grin. "Guess I just gotta prove I'm the hardest of the three of us!" With a determined chuckle, the red-head turned and ran off after Todoroki.

Izuku blinked after him, perplexed, only to be shoved out of the way by Tetsutetsu.

"What'd you just say, copycat!?"

Izuku shook his head as the two took off, bickering all the way. He looked down at the frozen mech, his mind shifting back to the task at hand as the horde of competitors started thundering past. "Perfect," he said despondently. With a sigh, he bent down and placed his hands flat against the fallen robot. There was a flash of green, and a slab of rock went rolling down the side of the mech as Izuku stood, now clad in green-steel skin. Taking a deep breath, leaped off after the pack.

Todoroki and Katsuki were far ahead, heading towards some kind of giant chasm. Thin wires were leading to sporadic platforms jutting out of the darkness, likely meant as some sort of tightrope obstacle. He could already see Tsu and Tenya at the head of the group carefully balancing their way across. Izuku briefly considered the merits of doing the same… then quickly reconsidered when he saw Katsuki start blasting himself from platform to platform. Still aways from the chasm, he pushed all his strength into his legs on his next landing, launching himself out into the empty air with all his might, aiming towards the nearest platform. He went right over Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's heads, reaching the apex of his jump and aiming his feet down. He landed and lept again, nearly reaching the middle of the valley-

When a wall of ice erupted in front of him.

"Gah!" Izuku threw his arms up in a panic, only able to cover his head as he slammed into the glacier. The ice cracked around his crater, but he didn't break through. He scrambled for a handhold, his legs slipping uselessly against the ice. He managed to grip a chunk of ice, dangling precariously by one hand.

"OHHH! AND IT SEEMS TODOROKI FOUND THE FALL TO BE A BIT TOO EASY FOR THE REST OF THE COMPETITION!"

Izuku's head snapped up. The ice was a bit blurry to see through, but he could just make out a small form high above the pit, sailing away from the tapered top of the iceberg. He watched as ice suddenly burst from Todoroki's feet, forming a slide down to the other end of the chasm. Izuku hoped he was imagining that backward glance.

From below, Izuku could hear cries of anger and dismay as competitors started to reach the ice wall. He looked left and right, seeing the wall stretching the whole width of the chasm.

Okay, going around would take too long. So… up.

Izuku swung his free arm forward, driving his fingers into the ice. He started pulling himself up, gaining more confidence when his self-made handhold didn't break away. He swung his foot forward in the same way, making a foothold.

I can do this. I can do this!

He quickly fell into a pattern, driving his hands and feet into the ice in a steady rhythm that picked up pace as his confidence grew. The world fell away as he focused on the task at hand, just one hand after another.

"Heads up!"

Izuku's blinked, his focus broken as a purple blur popped up beside him. It came to a fast stop, revealing Mineta hanging from one of his orbs with both hands. The smaller boy blinked back at him as he dangled. "Um… hi?"

Izuku stared back in surprise. "Hey…?"

Mineta looked awkward for a moment, before glancing back down at the ground. He flinched in panic, then frantically pulled himself up and stood on the orb as a tiny platform. He yanked another orb off his head. "You might want to get moving, Deku!" Before Izuku could respond, Mineta jumped, bouncing on the orb once, twice, then launching up eight feet and slamming the orb into the ice, stopping his fall and starting to climb.

Before Izuku could look at what had worried Mineta so bad, a yelp was startled out of him as a strip of tape and a wigging vine shot up on either side of him. He watched Sero and the vine-headed girl from 1B propel themselves up, Sero flashing him a grin as he neared the top.

Panicked understanding flashed through Izuku, his head snapping down. A horde of students were making their way up the side of the iceberg, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu at the head as they climbed in the same way he was… only much faster.

One for All kicking on in his panic, Izuku started climbing in earnest, his hands and feet carving through the ice with little effort.

He reached the top before he knew it, just in time to watch Sero and the vine-girl disappear over the other side for the long climb down. Fighting down vertigo from the iceberg's insane height, Izuku tried to figure out if he could jump from there to the other side of the chasm. He could see Todoroki and Katsuki nearing the end of the valley, Tsu and Tenya distantly behind them with the others who'd gotten through before the ice appeared.

Hearing the smashing sounds of Kirishima and Tetsutetsu behind him, Izuku decided not to risk leaping over the entire chasm, aiming instead for a platform at the wall's base. He took a steadying breath and leapt down, grinning slightly at Kirashima's shocked yelp as he vanished over the edge.

"WELL, IT SEEMS NOTHING SLOWS THESE KIDS DOWN FOR LONG! MORE AND MORE ARE MAKING THEIR WAY OVER… THE ICEFALL!"

Todoroki glanced back at Present Mic's announcement. His eyes narrowed at Izuku leaping down from the top of the iceberg. Aware of Katsuki nipping at his heels, having tuned out his enraged taunts a while ago, Todoroki tensed his legs as he reached the end of the chasm, forming a slide of ice in front of him.

And letting loose a wave of heat behind him.

Izuku was halfway down the iceberg, zipping past a repelling Sero when something felt… wrong. It was hard to feel most things when his skin was fused with something, but for a moment he could have sworn the air wavered. He tensed for the landing, slamming into the pillar below hard enough to leave a crater. He looked around in confusion but saw nothing else odd. Hoping that his eyes were just playing tricks, he prepared to leap away-

Crack!

Izuku flinched hard. His stomach dropped. No…

He whipped around, his mouth falling open in horror. A gigantic crack had appeared through the middle of the iceberg. Before his eyes, the crack widened and splintered, a sound like constant shattering glass echoing as chunks of ice started to rain down.

"Gah!" Mineta screamed as he bounced away from the base of the glacier as fast as he could. "Deku, why are you just standing there!?" He yelled as he passed Izuku for a second time. "The sky's freaking falling!"

Izuku's instincts agreed, the sight of the virtual avalanche about to crash down on him nearly making him turn tail and run.

"I gotcha!"

A sudden yell made him look up further. Sero was falling rapidly from the collapsing wall, his arm around the waist of the vine-girl. Gritting his teeth, Sero aimed his open elbow at the ground by Izuku's feet, tape shooting out and connecting. Izuku yelped as Sero and the girl vanished into the chasm, only for the tapeline to go taunt. Using the momentum of the fall, Sero swung around the pillar and leapt back up, crashing down beside Izuku in a heap as the two rolled.

"Sero!" Izuku rushed over, helping him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

Sero groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm good." Then he tilted his head up, his expression grim and panicked. "But they ain't!"

Izuku's paused in kneeling by the vine-girl, his head snapping up. At the top of the crumbling ice wall, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu flailed as they tried to keep their balance. Through the ice, he could see the blurry forms of other students partway up the wall, including the bright pink of Mina clinging desperately as her melted handholds cracked apart, chunks of ice starting to break off and fall. At the rate it was deteriorating, Izuku expected the entire structure to shatter at any moment.

Part of Izuku wanted to run. They were in the middle of a competition, at the best Hero school in the world. They wouldn't let their students get badly hurt like this, right? And if he started moving now, with less than a tenth of the competitors past the second obstacle, he was practically guaranteed to pass to the next round.

But the rest of him was begging him to do something, anything, to keep people from getting hurt. His body was already tense for action, but his mind was racing for options. It had taken so long for him to climb the structure himself, and he doubted he was strong enough to jump to the top of it in a single bound. But then what could he-

His thoughts came to a halt as something white and thin fluttered past his vision. A chunk of ice fell past him into the void, a strip of Sero's tape trailing behind it, still secured solidly to the ice.

He had an idea.

"Sero!" Izuku's head shot to the side towards Sero, seeing him still looking up at the ice wall in terrified awe. With a shudder, Sero looked down at him in surprise. "I have an idea, but-"

He was cut off by Sero's hand being thrust into his face. Izuku blinked, startled, then looked back up, open-mouthed and wide-eyed at Sero's panicked yet determined face.

"Well?" Sero said impatiently after a second. "What are you waiting for? Fusion, right?"

Izuku was frozen, stunned. "I-I… y-yeah, but…"

Sero flashed him a strained grin."Dude, I saw how awesome you and Uraraka's fusion was during the entrance exam. If you think we could pull off something like that right now, then do it!"

A moment passed as Izuku processed. Then a wide grin spread across his face. "Right!" He yelled out as he quickly lunged and grasped Sero's forearm.

Ibara Shiozaki had thought she'd been doing fairly well through the obstacle course thus far. She'd managed to avoid the robotic horde unscathed and had little problem swinging across the chasm with her vines. The ice wall had been a surprise, but she'd adapted quickly, her vines finding cracks and crevices to latch onto throughout the imperfect structure to pull her up. The tape boy, Sero, had surprisingly kept pace with her, though that might have been due to how her vines did not like the cold.

The problem started as soon as they had barreled over the other side and started repelling down the wall. The cold had started to make her vines sluggish, and truthfully the height was doing her resolve no favors. It was almost a relief when just after a metal-skinned form that was not Tetsutetsu blurred passed, a wave of heat washed over her, briefly eliminating the cold seeping into her hair.

Then the ice under her feet and vines splintered, and she was in freefall.

Before she could even let out a yell or process what had happened, she found herself in Sero's grasp, falling through the air and then swinging much faster and harder than they safely should be, if Sero's yelp and gritted teeth were any indication.

The metal-skinned boy had rushed to their side as soon as they landed, which was both kind and rather confusing. These 1A boys did know they were competing against each other, right?

Perhaps they didn't, given how, after they looked up at the other competitors in peril, the two turned to each other and shared an odd moment of camaraderie, their words making little sense to her.

Though the word 'fusion' quickly made more sense as the two grasped hands.

Shiozaki shielded her eyes as a bright green and dark yellow light twisted and merged, soon forming a single lanky humanoid shape. As the light died down, her squinted eyes went wide at the sight before her.

The boy's hair started straight and green, only to shift to wild black curls at his bangs and just below his ears. His pinprick irises were deep forest green, freckles dotting his sharp cheekbones. Most peculiar, the round discs that had been on Sero's elbows we're now under the wrists of the boy, which he blinked at curiously.

"Huh," He said to himself, brow raising as the opening at each disc alternated between two different sizes depending on how far back he bent his wrists. "Well, that's different."

Shiozaki stared, baffled at the boy's appearance. "Who… what are you?" She finally forced out.

The boy looked over in surprise at her voice. A wide angular smile broke out over his face. "What I am is a bit complicated. As for who…" The boy thought for a moment, looking up at the sky… then snapping his head around towards the wall as he heard Kirishima yell, his footing started to crumble.

The boy's eyes sharpened, his arm coming up as he aimed the disc's opening at the top of the wall. He hesitated briefly, then bent his wrist back as far as it could go, twisting his arm palm up. Then he glanced back at Shiozaki, flashing her a grin.

"Call me Hanzu."

Facing forward, Hanzu fired. A length of grey tape fired from the dispenser up at the top of the crumbling ice wall. At the end of it was an odd ball, like several lengths of tape wrapped around each other and packed tight. When the tape ball hit the wall, it exploded into a mess of tape strands, unraveling and latching onto the ice in a rough six-foot circle, coaxing a startled yelp from Kirishima. Hanzu's eyes widened, then he beamed. "I was hoping for somethin' like that." Looking curiously at the length of tape leading back to his wrist, Hanzu aimed his arm at a spot further down the ice wall. A second ball of tape flew through the air, forming the end of the long strand. When the second tape bomb exploded, the strand between the two went taut as it was drawn into the mess of the second mass. "Sweet!"

Izuku's Fusion Files!

Name: Hanzu

Fusion Component: Hanta Sero

Quirk Mutation: Tape Tether

In addition to wrist-mounted dispensers that fire a tape that holds with near AFO strength, Hanzu can fire a pair of tape balls that explode into a securing anchorage, both enveloping the points of contact and forming a nigh-unbreakable tether between them.

"Time to go to work!"

Before Shiozaki could say anything, Hanzu bent his legs and leapt into the air with enough force to crack the stone beneath him. She watched as the height of his jump nearly brought him to the top of the ice wall, startling Kirishima and Tetsutetsu. He brought both arms up, firing four tape bombs at the upper edges of the wall, smothering the cracking ice before it could fall further apart. Firing a normal tape strand, Hanzu swung towards the left of the wall one-handed, using his free arm to fire more tape bombs. As he swung away, Kirishima's yell could be heard even from the ground. "Dudes, how are you this manly?!"

Shiozaki watched in stunned awe as Hanzu taped up the largest cracks threatening to break the structure apart, doing rather unnecessary flips as he did so, voicing equally unnecessary yells of exhilaration. It wasn't until he swung fully down the wall's opposite length, then continued to swing around to its other side, that she registered the boy... the Fusion, was technically going the wrong way down the obstacle course. When she noticed that Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were halfway down the wall, she realized how long she'd been sitting there, and spurred into action.

His… their altruism is commendable, she thought as her vines lashed out and swung her between the pillars and balance beams across the chasm. But they should show at least a little care that they're currently in a competition.

L

Back at the stadium, Toshainori didn't know whether to laugh or groan. On one hand, Izuku was doing exactly what he wanted: show the world exactly what kind of hero he was going to be, one who would help anyone in need, no matter the cost or situation. One willing to not just assist, but elevate the heroes around him. Toshi felt his heart swell with pride for his successor as he watched the new fusion swing and flip through the air, his every movement exuding confidence.

On the other hand, however...

"OHHH, NOW WHAT IS THIS!? IT SEEMS TWO OF OUR COMPETITORS HAVE JOINED FORCES AND ARE NOW… umm…" There was a rustling movement as Present Mic failed to cover his microphone, given how his whispering voice came through loud and clear, much to the crowd's amusement. "Shouta, what exactly am I looking at here?"

Eraserhead let out a beleaguered sigh. "You're seeing the Quirk of Izuku Midoriya at work. His quirk, Fusion, allows him to both fuse with inanimate objects to strengthen himself, or, if the situation is too much for him and another hero on their own, to fuse with that person to create a hero with an enhanced version of his partner's quirk, as we seeing with Hanta Sero's."

Toshi frowned lightly. A deep murmur arose from the crowd, mixing with the cheers from the more excitable heroes eating up the action. He tried to listen from his perch in the faculty box, catching only a few snippets.

"Well, that's a new one."

"I wonder what the extent of the power-ups are…"

"That is so freaking cool!"

"That quirk's a bit... invasive."

"Kid won't have much luck as a solo hero with a quirk like that."

"Huh… got to admit, I'm a bit curious.."

Toshi let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. It wasn't necessarily a bad reaction, but it was certainly going to cause a stir. He hoped his protege was ready to deal with the fallout.

"YEE-OOOWWWW! NOW THAT'S TAKING TEAMWORK TO THE NEXT LEVEL! AND IT LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THEIR PEERS ARE JUST AS PUMPED!"

Toshinori looked back up at the screen and smiled as wide as his angled face allowed. The camera panned as it tracked the Fusion through the air, stopping to focus on two figures standing at the top of the taped ice wall. Yaoyorozu flashed the Fusion a smile as she stowed her created ice climbing gear, while Ashido pumped her soaking hands in the air as she cheered him on. The two smiled at each other, before racing to the other side of the wall and starting back down, the camera panning back to the swinging Fusion.

Well, the number one hero thought. At least he's got support where it counts.

Man, I might be worse than Katzuku! Hanzu thought as he covered the last of the major cracks, panting hard. His throat felt raw, and his dry skin itched like mad. The feeling was familiar through Sero's memories, but he couldn't recall it being this intense. As he swung away from the wall, he skimmed his hand over the ice, snagging an icicle jutting out. He bit down on the sharp end, relishing as the crushed ice soothed his dry throat.

A sharp crack signaled yet another breakaway. Twisting in mid-air, Hanzu saw a car-sized chunk of ice break away and fall towards the crowd below. He aimed and fired a tape bomb. It exploded on impact, engulfing the ice in a web of tape. He gripped the end of the tape strand with both hands, then pulled with all his might, grunting from the effort. The ice chunk arc through the air, Hanzu releasing it to fly off harmlessly into the trees around the course. Firing another set of bombs where the ice has broken away, Hanzu swung wide and high over the wall to take in his handiwork.

'Haphazard' was the word that came to mind. The wall was a patchwork mess of crushed ice and wadded tape, with no rhyme or reason to the reinforcements placements. It was no permanent solution, but it seemed to be holding for the moment. Hopefully long enough for the race to end without anyone getting crushed by falling ice.

Hanzu smiled to himself. Not too bad for a rush job!

"C'mon! We're almost through!"

Hanzu's grin faded, his eyes drawn to a commotion at the foot of the ice wall. What had to be a hundred students crowded at the platforms around it. Some were trying to climb the ice barehanded, but most were anxiously watching the dozen or so hero students slowly carving their way through the ice.

Sato and Shoji we're at the front of the group, along with a small girl with large horns and a large boy covered in shaggy hair. The four were using their sheer strength to chip away at the ice, punching and clawing at it to make a rough tunnel through. Others, like Kaminiri and a girl with gigantic hands, darted between the bruisers to clear out the ice, keeping the makeshift tunnel clear.

Hanzu frowned. Sato was right, they were very nearly through. Another two or three feet and they'd be on the other side. But with how long they were taking, Hanzu doubted anyone on this side of the wall would make it to the finish line with enough time to place.

A twinge of annoyance and guilt shot through him at the thought, remembering that backward glance Izuku thought he'd seen Todoroki give him. Hanzu didn't know what the half-and-half boy's deal was, but this was a step too far, at least in Sero's book. His screwed-up vendetta had pretty much just screwed most of the Year One class.

The Sero part of him was getting more ticked off by the second.

The Izuku part was feeling guilty for how many students might not get to the next round because of Todoroki's ire towards him.

Hanzu himself thought he saw a great way to alleviate both of these feelings.

Nearing the apex of his jump, Hanzu readied himself for his largest swing. If he aimed his next tape strand just right and gave One for All all the strength he could muster, he could swing himself at full power right into the other students' tunnel, going right over their heads to break feet first through what stood in their way. He started calculating how many tape bombs it was going to take to not damage the ice wall further. He brought his arm up to fire his tether-

"We don't have time for this! Move!"

Hanzu blinked. His head shot down at the sudden yell. Jiro was shouldering her way through the crowd at a brisk pace. She ran into the makeshift tunnel once she broke from the crowd, sliding right between Sero's legs when he was mid-punch, making the muscle man freeze. Jiro didn't say anything, just coming to a stop and then jamming her phone jacks into the ice itself.

CRACK!

For a moment, Hanzu thought he saw a ripple go through the entire ice wall. There was an explosion of ice and mist from inside the tunnel, making those at the front of the pack shield their eyes. When it cleared, Jiro was already moving through the open tunnel, glancing over her shoulder as she raced across the next balance beam. "Hey! Ain't this supposed to be a race? Move it!"

A cheer rose from the horde of students, their path now clear. The remaining hero of students thundered after her before the rest of the student body could bottleneck the tunnel.

Hanzu barked out a laugh. He looked over the ice wall one last time, seeing no more signs of deterioration. "Well, guess my job's done!" With that, now past the height of his jump and starting to fall, he fired two tape strands at the top of the wall, each striking a large distance away from the other. Hanzu gripped the tape tightly, folded his knees up to his chest, and pulled.

In an instant, his makeshift slingshot fired him over the ice wall and across the chasm, soaring right over Mina and Momo's heads. To his surprise and joy, he'd given just the right amount of force to land on the opposite side. As he neared the ground, he grinned.

"Okay, guys, that's all the help I'm given'! You're on your own now!"

Hanzu slammed into the ground, rolling to help soften the impact. He gave a small hop out of the roll, and his body broke into a mass of light, green and yellow quickly separating and reforming. When it faded, Sero's eyes went wide, flailing briefly before he managed to slow himself down by anchoring some tape strands. Izuku kept going, bending his green-skinned legs so they'd dig in when he hit the ground again.

Once the two had stopped moving, Izuku looked back, meeting Sero's eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment, Izuku apprehensive, Sero stunned. Then Sero blinked, looked Izuku up and down, then looked back at the taped ice wall and the student horde pouring out of it. His head snapped back to Izuku. He flashed the boy his trademark angular smile, giving a thumbs up. Izuku beamed back.

Without another word, the two took off. Without anything tall to swing from, Sero quickly fell behind as Izuku started to leap and jump again to make up for lost time. He had just started to wonder how far ahead everyone else had gotten when he heard an explosion go off up ahead, and saw bodies fly through the air.

A minefield.

The next obstacle was a literal minefield.

...okay, then.

Izuku's heart dropped when he saw Katsuki and Todoroki nearly out of the minefield, Ida and Tsu close behind. It was too great a distance for him to jump in a single bound, but he didn't want to risk landing on any of the mines. The couple dozen students who had made it this far were slowly picking their way through the field, trying not to set any mines off. Dread pooled in Izuku's stomach as he resigned himself to having to do the same-

When the smoke from the earlier explosion started to clear.

Mineta was quickly picking himself off the ground, grumbling to himself in frustration. He glared at a blonde boy further up the field, laughing smugly at his misfortune. Eyes narrowing, Mineta plucked an orb off his head and chucked it at the boy's feet as hard as he could. It missed by a foot, and the blonde boy scoffed loudly. "Is that the best you can do? I would have thought the great 1A-"

Click!

The blonde boy shrieked as the mine under the orb went off, sending him flying off to the side. Mineta cheered, tossing an orb at his feet and bouncing to the now cleared space, laughing as the blonde boy started yelling at him, accidentally triggering another mine.

They're harmless, Izuku realized, looking closer over the field. No one sported any injuries saved for bruises, the mines merely blasting them off their feet and costing them progress. Their clothes weren't even torn. He'd probably be okay if he just jumped like normal through the field, but the smoke and concussive force could interfere with his trajectory. But then how else could he…?

An idea sprung to mind. Probably not the brightest, but it was simple and likely to work. If it didn't, it would only cost them a few more seconds. The only thing holding him back was the thought it might cause problems for the other students carefully making their way through the minefield. The hesitation made him look further up the field, seeing Katsuki fire a blast at Todoroki, the two trying to slow each other down.

Izuku's eyes lingered on Todoroki. For a moment, he could have sworn he heard Katsuki's laughter and Ochako's cheers in the back of his mind as he considered. Somehow, that made his decision easier.

He grinned sharply.

Katsuki was going to kill Todoroki.

His blood burned as he leaped through the minefield, his eyes not on the finish line, but the freezer-burnt brat just in front of him. He'd already hated Todoroki for the crap he'd spewed at the start of the day, but now he wanted to set off a fireball in his face. He'd seen that wall the boy threw up, cutting the whole race in half. He'd seen the glare Todoroki had thrown back at it. He'd seen the green-skinned figure that glare had been aimed at, that familiar poofy hairdo smashing face-first of the ice wall.

That his surprise at the whole event made him hesitate, letting Todoroki blast ahead of him, only added fuel to the fire.

He fired off another explosion, aiming just ahead of Todoroki. He grinned sharply as it triggered the mines in front of them, forcing Todoroki to pause. His satisfaction didn't last long as the dual-haired boy spun around, lashing out and grabbing Katsuki's wrist. Katsuki snarled as his hand was engulfed in ice, firing with his other hand to force the boy back. A wave of ice was Todoroki's retort, forcing Katsuki to blast up to avoid it. Before his feet hit the ground, Todoroki took off at a full-tilt run, freezing the ground under his feet as he went.

Oh, no you don't! Katsuki fired off after him. One more good jump and the icy-hot bastard would be in range-

...boom-boom-boom-Boom-Boom-BOOM-BOOM-

The sound of successive explosions broke his concentration, the steady rhythm quickly gaining intensity. He looked over his shoulder, Todoroki doing the same. Their eyes widened.

What looked like a trail of explosions was fast approaching, smoke billowing off the minefield in a straight line. At its head was a familiar form, its skin green and metallic. Izuku had an almost manic smile on his face as he ran carelessly across the minefield, his heavy body setting off a mines with every step, the explosions having no effect on him. He approached unnaturally fast, catching up within seconds to...

Katsuki's eyes bugged out. "Deku, don't you dare!"

"Sorry, Kacchan!"

Izuku ran right between them without slowing down, leaving the telltale click of an activated mine in his wake.

Katsuki immediately fired both hands directly behind him, not even caring if he had any height, just wanted to get away from ground zero. He only partially succeeded, the shockwave of the mine going off nearly throwing him to the ground, forcing him to fire again directly under himself so as not to headbutt another mine. Airborne again, he glanced over his shoulder. He didn't even try to hold in his bark of laughter.

While he'd managed to get himself thrown forward, Todoroki had been too slow and had gone flying sideways. The half-and-half-boy was quickly scrambling to his feet, the look in his mismatched eyes murderous.

Katsuki didn't give a damn, blasting himself up the path Izuku was inadvertently creating. He pushed himself as hard as he could, both ignoring and relishing the pain in his arms as he drew closer to Izuku. He was catching up, but he knew that could easily change the moment they left the minefield. Once they were side by side, he yelled over the explosions. "Y'know Freezerburn's gonna actually try to kill you now, right?"

Izuku glanced at him, beaming as he ran. "Is it bad that I don't really care at the moment?"

That startled another bark out of Katsuki. "I'll make a badass outta you yet, Deku. Now eat my dust!"

Another blast pushed Katsuki into the lead, leaving Izuku to keep running. This didn't last long, as the ground beneath them quickly changed back to normal dirt as they left the minefield behind. His feet back on stable ground, Izuku leapt up, nearly flying over Katsuki's head, forcing the boy to duck. The two were leaping side by side, sporting matching grins as each tried to pull ahead of the other, the stadium coming into sight.

"LOOKS LIKE THIS IS IT, FOLKS!" Present Mic's voice boomed as they drew closer. "IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, ONE OF THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WILL BE THE WINNER OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL'S FIRST ROUND. WILL IT BE THE EXPLOSIVE KATSUKI BAKUGOU? OR WILL OUR FUSIONIST IZUKU MIDORIYA BE ABLE TO-"

"Incoming!"

At the height of their jump, Katsuki and Izuku's heads snapped up at the sudden shout. A small figure was hurtling out of the sky, aiming right for the two of them.

Or, more specifically, for Katsuki's neck.

"Ochako!?"

"Round Face!?"

Ochako slapped her thigh with one hand at the same moment she wrapped her arm around Katsuki's neck. Without any weight, Katsuki barely felt anything as he was suddenly yanking her along like a humanoid cape.

"WHOA, WHERE'D SHE COME FROM!?"

"Ever since first colliding with Midoriya at the start of the race, Uraraka never stopped floating over the course." Eraserhead sounded bored as he explained. "Staying weightless, it didn't take much effort to keep above the course and fly over the obstacles."

"IS SHE ALLOWED TO DO THAT!?"

"The objective was to get from point A to point B while avoiding the obstacles. Frankly, it's the smartest strategy I've seen all day."

"YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST, FOLKS!"

Izuku watched in shock as Ochako scrambled over Katsuki's head, mechanically preparing for his next jump. Katsuki flailed as he felt himself falling, quickly throwing his hands back to keep himself airborne. As he fired back, Ochako tucked her legs against his chest and pushed off, adding his momentum to her own and flying ahead of them both.

"Dammit, Round Face!" Katsuki yelled. "That's cheating!"

Ochako grinned over her shoulder. "You boys should have worked smarter, not harder!" She shouted back. "See you at the finish line!"

"Oh, like hell!"

Katsuki blasted as hard as he could, Izuku leaping with all his might. The two managed to sidle up beside Ochako, the girl between them with her arms flush against her sides and her head held high. The three soared side by side through the stadium entrance, just a long dark hallway between them and the finish line, a doorway of light just large enough for the three to pass through.

"FOLKS, LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PHOTO FINISH!"

Ochako grit her teeth.

Katsuki fired.

Izuku jumped.

The world exploded into light and cheers as the three spilled onto the field, the crowd on their feet and screaming. The race over, they barely attempted a proper landing, crashing to the ground and rolling in a pile of tangled limbs, Izuku's body flashing and leaving behind a chunk of scrap metal in their wake. Izuku and Katsuki immediately popped up to their hands and knees, Ochako draped across their shoulders as the three zeroed in on the jumbotron at the end of the stadium.

A side view of the three of them flying into the stadium, each with an arm outreached, quickly reversed and started going frame by frame. They waited with bated breath for who's fingertips would appear first.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR WINNER OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL'S FIRST ROUND IS…!"

A set of fingertips poked out three frames before the others.

Scared, soot-covered fingertips.

"KATSUKI BAKUGOU!!!"

"Hell Yeah!"

Chapter Text

Yagi let out a sigh as the crowd exploded, leaning back in his chair. He chuckled, looking down at the field and watching as Bakugo lept to his feet, throwing Uraraka off his back in the process. He let out a scream of triumph, soaking in the crowd's affection as Midoriya and Uraraka shared exasperated smiles before helping each other up. Yagi grinned at the three's dynamic, wondering if they knew the significance of what they'd just done; the year's top three hero students racing neck and neck across the finish line, only to then act like best friends immediately after. It was the kind of image that would cement itself in the public consciousness for years to come.

"It seems this year's first years have made quite an impact." Nedzu's soft voice sounded from the next seat over.

Yagi smiled down at the diminutive principle, taking in the roar of the crowd. "Indeed. And it's only the first round. The hero course will surely be making waves after today."

Nedzu nodded. "Most certainly." But then, as he looked back down at the entrance, his smile diminished, brow furrowing. "Though I wonder if they will all be positive."

Concerned, Yagi followed his gaze. Twenty seconds after the trio, Todoroki rushed onto the field, his uniform ruffled and dirty. The boy stared wide-eyed at the trio, watching as Izuku jokingly forced himself out of Katsuki's headlock as the blonde attempted a noogie, Uraraka laughing at them. A look of fury overtook Todoroki's face, so intense it gave Yagi a start. The three soon felt Todoroki's gaze, and the crowd was suddenly treated to a staredown, as Todoroki's ire was matched by Midoriya's concern, Uraraka's frustration, and Bakugo's blazing rage.

The stare-down went on until the other students started trickling in. Ida started marching up to Todoroki, arm chopping the air as he berated the boy for his poor conduct towards the other competitors, only to flinch back as Todoroki turned his glare to him. Todoroki's eyes darted from Ida to the approaching Asui and Kirishima, seeing Mineta and a very peeved-looking Sero just behind them. Realizing he was outnumbered, Todoroki leveled one last glare at Midoriya, then turned and marched away with a scoff.

Yagi scratched the side of his head, worry building in his chest. "That may become a problem soon."

Nedzu nodded in agreement. "Indeed. In fact, I'd say young Todoroki is reminding me of another combative future hero who once fought here."

Yagi looked to see Nedzu's attention drawn elsewhere. He followed the principal's gaze and let out a tired sigh. Down in the stands, a pillar of smoke was rising from the hunched form of Endeavor, the heroes around him giving a wide berth as the number two literally fumed.

Should have expected that, Yagi thought to himself, considering if it was worth venturing down to try and calm the angry parent. Fourth place out of three-hundred was still praise-worthy. Though, the man's reaction did make Yogi wonder what the rest of the world thought of his student's achievement.

"Hell yeah! That's my kid! I knew he wouldn't screw this up!"

Clunk!

Masaru lunged for the vase, catching it millimeters before it crashed to the ground. He sent his wife an exasperated-if-fond look as she exploded off the couch and jumped into a victory dance, her arms flailing wildly. He set the vase carefully on the coffee table (not the end table, whose airspace Mitsuki kept flailing into) and looked towards the couch's other occupant for support.

"Izuku! My baby boy!"

Instead, he quickly bolted for the kitchen in search of a tissue box.

Mitsuki whirled around and grasped Inko by the shoulders, yanking the smaller woman up into a hug and twirling her around, uncaring of the happy tears soaking through her shirt. "First and second! I knew we raised those boys right, Inko!"

"Ahhh! Mitsi!" Inko giggle-shrieked as her feet left the ground, startled out of her crying. "Let me down! I'm too old for this!"

Mitsuki just laughed, dropping Inko unceremoniously back on the couch. "This calls for more drinks!" She rushed towards the kitchen, Masaru narrowly dodging out of her way at the doorway.

Inko laughed as he sat next to her, taking the offered tissue box with a watery thank-you. "She does know that was just the first event, right?" She asked jokingly, dabbing at her eyes.

Masaru grinned back. "Maybe. She's not wrong, though. The boys are putting on one hell of a show, especially Izuku with that new Fusion. You should be proud of him."

Inko gave a teary smile. "I am." She then turned to the TV. "But honestly?"

She watched as Izuku fought out of Katsuki's headlock, only to be swallowed into another one by the tape-boy he'd fused with. Izuku smiled up at the taller boy, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as they traded kind words. The two were nearly bowled over as the pink-skinned girl - Mina, Inko thought - lept and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders, chatting excitedly as she looked between them, more students swarming the trio in congratulations.

"I'm just glad he's making so many friends."

"U.A. sure found some wild ones this year, huh?"

Kamui Woods nodded as he took a sip of his coffee. He, Death Arms, and Mt. Lady had a little time before their turn to patrol the festival grounds, so the three had joined the other on-break heroes in the refreshment tent to catch the first-year event.

"I don't know," Mt. Lady said, poking through a bento box. "Most of them were only getting through by brute-forcing it. Do we really need more muscleheads out there?"

Death Arms leveled her an unimpressed glower. "You're not really one to talk. Didn't you just step over everything during your first-year event?"

"That was me just being smart about my Quirk! I easily avoided everything, just like that floaty girl." Mt. Lady then looked up thoughtfully. "Although, now that I think about it, how did she stay on course? They said she could float, not fly."

"Look." Woods pointed at the TV screen. A highlight reel of the event was playing, Uraraka currently on screen. As the girl floated above the course, she unzipped the front of her jacket and put her hands in her pockets. Whenever she started to drift off the course, she'd tilt her body to the side and lift her arms up and down rapidly, the back of her jacket catching the air and slowly easing her back over the track.

"Clever!" Death Arms said with a laugh.

"She's just lucky there was no wind today," Woods commented. "I'm more interested in that mess with Endeavor's kid."

Mt. Lady snorted, pouting. "Like father, like son. Trying to keep everyone else out of the limelight."

Death Arms shook his head. "Endeavor's a jerk, but he mostly just tells everyone to stay out of his way. He doesn't actively block other heroes like his kid just did."

Woods gave him a look. "Those walls of flame he throws up doesn't just keep the villains from moving."

"... I said mostly." Death Arms cleared his throat before moving on. "Besides, it backfired hard if that was what the kid was aiming for. All he did was make a spotlight for that Fusion kid."

"Yeah, that was… unique, I'll give you that." Woods finished off his coffee, thinking for a moment. "Wonder what kind of hero he's aiming for."

"If he's smart, he'll go for some kind of all-purpose Support Hero. With a boost like that, he'll have every hero when the country calling him for backup." Death Arms crossed his arms. "I can think of a few fights that would have ended differently if we had that kind of support."

Mt. Lady scoffed. "He'd be foolish to become something so mundane. He just built up too much momentum just to fade into the background when all this is over."

Death Arms gave her a flat stare. "Not every hero is in it for the fame and fortune."

Woods resisted joining in the disapproval, knowing Death Arms would call him out for being just as mindful of the media. Instead, he said, "I am curious how exactly the kid would 'power up' my Quirk. How do you improve on growing wood from your body?"

Death Arms gave him a curious look. "I dunno. Let you make other kinds of plants?"

Woods blinked. "That would… actually be kind of neat."

Mt. Lady let out a huff, turning back to her meal. "Well, you can go experiment with the boy if you wish. My Quirk has no need for improvements."

Woods and Death Arms shared a look, then a conspiring grin. "Might help you cause less property damage," Woods supplied.

Mt. Lady's head shot up, indignant. "I'm getting better about that!"

"Or not get stopped by one-lane streets..." Death Arms continued.

"Oh, that was one time!"

"Maybe be able to fight longer than five minutes before passing out..."

"I skipped lunch that day!"

"Or remind you to look up before growing…"

"Oh, screw you two!"

"Haha! Good on you, kid!"

Mandalay smiled as she leaned back on the couch, tapping out a quick note on her phone as Tiger thumped down on the seat next to her, making the couch shake. She watched as the TV replayed some clips from the event, focusing on Izuku and his Fusion. "Impressive, right?"

Tiger threw his head back and laughed deeply. "Understatement! The way some of these kids are acting, they might turn out even wilder than us!" Calming down, he turned back to the TV. "So, that green bean the one All Might's got you helping with?"

"Yup." And, oh, wasn't that a day. The Number One Hero just showing up at their door randomly, in the flesh, to ask for her help with his protege. Pixie Bob nearly fainted on the spot. "And now that I'm seeing it in person, I think I know why."

Tiger rose a brow. "You didn't before?"

Mandalay typed for a bit before responding. "I knew they were worried about private information bleeding over whenever Midoriya fused. But I think there's more to it than that. See, right there!"

Tiger jolted as Mandalay suddenly leaned forward, pointing at the screen. A replay of just before Midoriya fused was playing, Sero extending his hand as he stood over the boy.

"See how nervous they both are?"

Tiger squinted, seeing Midoriya practically shaking with nerves and the tight smile on Sero's face. "Yeah, I guess. What of it?"

"I'm pretty sure they've never fused before then, hence the nervousness. But look at them now."

The scene shifted to the live feed, showing Midoriya and Sero laughing together, Ashido glomped over them.

Tiger hummed, catching on. "You'd think they'd been best friends for years."

Mandalay nodded. "And it matches with this note All Might sent me a ways back. Midoriya's a pretty polite kid, calling everybody by their family name. But once he's fused with someone, the moment they unfuse, he's calling them by their given name, and them with him in turn. No questions or anything."

Tiger frowned faintly. "That seems like more than a few errant thoughts bleeding over."

Mandalay met his frown with a thoughtful look. "My thoughts exactly. I think there's more to this kid's Quirk than All Might realizes."

As the heroes talked, neither noticed a small figure peering around the doorway from the neighboring room. Kota watched the replays on screen, showing off all the fantastic powers on display, the announcers throwing around words like "rising stars" and "future heroes." The boy's eyes narrowed, a scowl forming on his face as he suddenly turned and ran out of the house, out into the woods.

Within a plain-looking building, in an office containing every piece of All Might memorabilia yet produced, Sir Nighteye leaned intently over his desk. Elbows on the table, laced fingers resting against his chin, the ex-sidekick watched his computer screens with a calculating gaze. U.A.'s Sports Festival played across two screens, one for the third-years and the other for the firsts. His eyes drifted between the two, finally focusing on the first years as the third's event went to commercial. His eyes narrowed as the replays started, never leaving the actions of the green-haired boy. His initial run, his Fusion, the retention of the ice wall, the… rather blunt solution to the minefield.

"Well, there's a resemblance in mindset, if nothing else," he muttered critically. Nighteye heaved a sigh. "I hope you know what you're doing, Toshi."

At that same time, in a rundown apartment building, an elderly man burst out laughing as Midoriya blitzed across the minefield, nearly choking on his taiyaki in the process.

"You sure know how to pick'em, Toshi!" Gran Torino wheezed, finally getting his breath back. He wiped a tear from his eye, turning back to the TV. Suddenly his expression turned solemn. "Although… do you even realize what One For All's doing of this kid?"

His eyes narrowed as he watched the Midoriya-Sero fusion - a banner across the bottom of the screen helpfully dubbing him 'Hanzu' - lept up to the top of the ice wall for the last time.

"Or…"

As the Hanzu fired two tape strands to slingshot himself across the chasm, his veins briefly flashed red, green and yellow lightning dancing across his skin.

"...what he's doing to it?"

Tucked away in a dark corner of Kamino, an unassuming building housed a dimly lit bar. The wispy form of Kurogiri stood at the counter, wiping down glasses. Every few minutes, his glowing yellow eyes would flit to the far end of the bar, warily eyeing the twitchy figure hunched in front of an old CRT television.

Shigaraki's eyes were glued to the screen, a twitch in his left eye. He held a remote tightly in his hand, his pinky finger ramrod straight away from the device as his thumb jabbed two buttons in quick succession, over and over again. Play. Reverse. Play. Reverse.

On the grainy screen, two would-be heroes stood in front of a crumbling wall of ice.

Play.

A flash of multicolored light. Now there stood only one 'hero'.

Reverse.

Two heroes.

Play.

One hero.

If Kurogiri still had a tongue, he'd be biting it right now. Shigaraki was supposed to be watching the Festival in full, both to familiarize himself with future enemies and scope out potential allies. The second event had likely started by now, but all the young man could do was keep going back to that single moment in the first event.

"So…"

Kurogiri perked up, turning when Shigaraki finally spoke.

"Not a party-swap."

Reverse.

"A team attack."

Play.

"A Quirk that can merge people together."

One hero.

"Mind..."

Two heroes.

"Body…"

One hero.

"And Quirk."

Kurogiri sat his glass and rag down. "A unique power. Are you thinking he could be swayed to our side?"

Shigaraki snorted violently. He finally hit play and let the footage continue as intended. "Didn't you see how the dork beamed at the crowd? He's a goody-goody through and through. But his Quirk…"

Shigaraki turned slowly towards Kurogiri, his lips pulled back in a wide decrepit smile.

"Think of what the Doctor could do with it?"