Dark Hero Arc

The Tartarus Escapees Arc is the nineteenth story arc in My Hero Academia, and the first story arc in the Final Act Saga.

Hero society has faced a significant decline ever since the Paranormal Liberation War. Many of Japan's top villains, including All For One, have escaped from prison, courtesy of Tomura Shigaraki. With the fate of the country in his hands, Deku decides to leave U.A. High School, working alongside All Might and Pro Heroes Endeavor, Hawks and Best Jeanist to track down the remnants of the League of Villains, as well as continue to harness the full power of One For All in preparation for the final battle against All For One and Tomura.

Prologue
In the aftermath of Izuku's conversation with the vestiges of One For All, and his resolve to save Tomura Shigaraki, the first user, Yoichi Shigaraki, turns to the second and third users, still with their faces to the wall, asking for their assistance. Met with silence, Daigoro Banjo breaks the ice by playfully messing around with Izuku, telling him he should first focus on learning more about Hikage Shinomori and En's Quirks, which they agree with.

The third user finally speaks up to Yoichi, talking about how they lived during the worst era in their history, when All For One's control was at its peak, and that it was their leader, the second user, who did everything he could to strike back against All For One's control, including gathering allies to fight. The second user talks to Yoichi about how many lives he took in order to bring down All For One, and that he can't get behind devoting their efforts to a boy who wants to "save" their mortal enemy, calling it a ridiculous delusion.

In response, Yoichi asks the second and third users why they saved him despite their initial plan to kill him due to his ties to their enemy when they found him. He tells the second user that had he not taken him out of that room, their fight with All For One would never have started. He also reminds the second user that working with Izuku is their only choice, hence why all of them are here now. The second user asks again if Izuku will be able to bring an end to all this, which Yoichi reassures, saying that it was because he reached out to save him that One For All was truly born. Finally convinced, the second and third users agree to give Izuku their support.

Shortly after waking up in Central Hospital, most of the patients had recovered and been discharged, with some help from Recovery Girl, but Izuku had to stay a bit longer. A doctor meets with Izuku, who alongside All Might and Inko Midoriya, informs him that he had been warned that more extreme injuries would've left him immobilized, but that the situation is different now. He explains how in the past, the injuries were contained within his body, like little explosions, but this time they mostly made their way to the surface. He also mentions that thanks to using Blackwhip to wrap and reinforce his limbs from the inside out to keep them from shattering, as well as the drastic changes to his body since then, going from being able to handle 5% to 45% capacity, the injures were nowhere near as severe. Despite that, he warns that his limbs can still become immobilized so he advises him to be careful.

After the doctor leaves, Inko asks for an explanation, which the two agree to give, thus sharing the secret of One For All with her. Inko understands he can contain the power because he was Quirkless, but also that he is currently being targeted for it, so asks what will happen to him. All Might tells her that they are making arrangements to protect him at U.A., but Izuku announces he won't be returning. Inko becomes concerned as her son explains that Tomura can locate him, quite possibly at anytime now, and he states his desire not to see anyone else get hurt and resolves to stop Tomura and All For One before they reach top strength and before the worst can happen.

Inko warns that he is in the hospital now because he couldn't win last time but Izuku reasons he will get stronger. Inko remembers saying she felt reassured but she feels she can't take all of what he is saying now. Izuku reassuringly takes his mother's hand, telling her that when she thanked him and smiled, she made him extremely happy, but that is why he has to go, promising to return home to her. All Might remembers when he bowed to her at their home and declares that he knows he can't stop Izuku from going, so he offers to join him.

All Might contacts Best Jeanist, informing him of this turn of events, which he believes to be of great use for their plans. With him, Endeavor, and Hawks, planning to head out into the cities to resolve as much of the chaos as possible, they decide to use Izuku as bait in order to lure out the League of Villains, and any adjacent threats, all while following in a safe distance to keep their cooperation a secret.

Before checking out of the hospital, Izuku visits Gran Torino and gives him Nana Shimura's regards, which he accepts with a smile. He admits he should have tried to kill Tomura and advises Izuku to not be so rigid with his beliefs, saying that death can be seen as another form of salvation. He hands him his cape as he leaves, ready to team up with the Top Three Pro Heroes and All Might to stop the League of Villains for good.

Deku vs. Muscular: Round 2
In an abandoned city, third year Ketsubutsu Academy High School hero students, Grand and Turtle Neck, are searching for any remaining civilians to send towards evacuation zones. They are also keeping watch having heard reports of a villain known as 'Jailbreaker' wreaking havoc in the south ward of the city. Turtle Neck believes the civilians remaining are the stubborn hard-liners, but Grand remains positive he can convince them.

The two reach the location of the civilian group: the Taguchi Building, a large indoor gym. Grand tries to convince the civilians to accompany them to lodge at Ketsubutsu, but they decline, as the leader of the group points out how useless that option is in the event that villains decide to target the school. He also says that he and his group dealt with a previous villain attack just fine with their black market support items. Grand retorts by saying stronger, mindless villains like Jailbreaker and the Nomu are impossible for civilians to combat on their own. With the growing public distrust in heroes, the civilian leader brushes it off and tells them to leave. Turtle Neck and Grand leave in disappointment, with the latter angrily saying he would've Vibrated the building and dragged them out by force if he was allowed to.

Suddenly, Turtle Neck receives an alert from their classmate, Shikkui Makabe. The student on the other end shouts that Jailbreaker is fast approaching them, being previously spotted by Itejiro Toteki. The approaching Jailbreaker jumps and crashes on to a nearby building, revealing himself to actually be Muscular. Grand steps forward to fight him, and asks Turtle Neck to evacuate the civilians back at the Taguchi Building.

Despite her warnings, the civilians rush out in an attempt to save Grand, who Muscular easily pins down with his muscle fibers. As the escapee attempts to slowly crush the boy to death, Grand releases a Tremoring Earth attack in an attempt to stun and disorient the villain. Muscular simply produces more muscle fibers to stabilize himself, and Turtle Neck and the civilians watch in horror as Grand is about to be killed.

Suddenly, a loud "SMASH!" is heard, and Muscular is flung on to the roof of a nearby house. Once the dust clears, a hooded Deku emerges from a cloud of smoke emanating from his body, carrying a badly-injured Grand, saying that he was alerted of the villain's presence thanks to his "gift from the fourth".

Muscular's face curls into a bloodthirsty smile, recognizing Deku's voice and joyfully reacting to his appearance. He quickly calms himself down, saying he's not looking for revenge and just wants a good fight, placing a nearby rock into his empty eye socket. Muscular jumps toward the bottom of the building to Deku's surprise, and throws it into the air, forcing Deku to jump away, as he screams to go at hm with full power.

A huge stream of smoke starts to cover the Taguchi Building to the civilians' confusion, while Turtle Neck heads outside. Deku, shrouded in smoke, arrives handing Grand over to her, while he tells her to take care of him, noting how many buildings have been destroyed, but declaring to make sure no more damage occurs. Turtle Neck's unable to see who the hero is due to all the smoke, but knowing the voice is familiar, tries to think who it is.

Deku proceeds to talk with the sixth user of One For All, En, asking if he overdid the use of his Quirk, Smokescreen. En provides him some advice to keep control over it, and that bearing the weight of the power across the eight generations, he should try to relax a little. He suggests that since their Quirks are mostly standalone abilities, rather than seeing them as ultimate moves, to think of them as tools in his arsenal to strategically organize a plan.

Thinking about Muscular, who he knows can withstand his 100% smashes due to their previous encounter, Deku uses Float to hover above the city, as well as Smokescreen to reduce his vision, covering the streets below. Once again thinking back to his tactics from their fight, he uses Danger Sense to dodge his incoming attacks, and finally uses Blackwhip to grab a hold of him to keep him contained on the ground.

Muscular is annoyed at the "cheap party tricks", while Deku asks him where Tomura Shigaraki and All For One are. Muscular replies he doesn't know as they just told him to go wild after he was freed, and instead proceeds to berate Deku for talking and using all these gimmicks rather than having a proper fight. Deku continues anyway, asking why he rages like this, if he has any regrets, and if there is any other path he could go towards, referring to him by his real name, "Goto Imasuji", but Muscular simply responds he just wants to indulge in blood and violence and it's useless to try and sympathize with him.

Hearing Muscular's declaration, Deku thinks back to his previous thought about how if he truly understood the villains maybe things would turn out differently, and how even if the fight now is inevitable, he still wanted to learn at least what makes him tick deep down. As Muscular breaks free from Blackwhip and tries to fight back, Deku notes how the tendons in his Muscle Augmentation have started to unravel thanks to the previous attacks from Grand's vibrations, and that he was purposefully keeping his distance because he recognized it too. Muscular screams in annoyance, as Deku comes at him with a smash to the stomach, saying that this is his full power.

The New World
Shikkui and Itejiro arrive in the city spotting something in the air, realizing that it is Muscular, defeated, tied up, and carried in the sky by Deku. Turtle Neck cradles Grand, saying that she never got a chance to thank the hero, as the civilians bring out a stretcher for her to carry Grand on offering to help her. The leader tells her that they don't want anyone to die either so they feel like they should at least hear them out. Grand regains consciousness thinking about how Deku looked similar to the kid he met at the Provisional Hero License Exam, while noticing his completely different vibe, wondering if they really were the same.

Deku delivers the unconscious villain to the Daina Police Station, since they have iron maidens that can properly restrain Muscular. Before the guards can ask him anymore questions, he speeds off into the air. Noticing that Danger Sense isn't active anymore, he calls All Might and tells him that he will return shortly, and he meets up with him in an alleyway where All Might asks if he is hurt. Deku says he is alright and that his arms and legs are fine, as it is revealed that All Might ordered a new support item for Deku, called the Mid-Gauntlets, from America before the borders closed. All Might reminds him that the item is still a prototype and they were made for endurance: they will reinforce his body but they can't handle 100% output, therefore he can't go overboard until his rematch.

All Might's phone rings, picking it up to hear Hawks speaking to him while he, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist contain a villain. Hawks asks how Deku is doing and All Might reports he is fine, but he immediately departs, having received another warning from Danger Sense. Hawks surmises he is worried about putting anyone else's lives in danger, adding that while they could potentially keep him completely isolated to prepare for what is to come, knowing the capacity of power the ones who attacked Tartarus possess, it will be all over if they come well prepared. As a result, following Deku's idea of actively seeking out their enemy will raise the odds of their victory. Hawks knows how tough a position this is for All Might, and that even though he's worried, the best they can do right now is support him.

Night falls as a storm brews in another city. A group of people start attacking a giant woman with a mutant Quirk with their support items, mistaking her for a villain. The woman pleads for them to stop because she is just scared but they continue their assault ignoring her pleas. Before she can get injured by their attacks, Deku arrives on the scene and saves her, telling the attackers that he understands that everyone is on edge but the woman is innocent. The attackers leave, but not without stating that she shouldn't be walking around in the dark looking like a freak.

The woman confesses that she was slow to evacuate, explaining that the town she lives in didn't experience any major trouble so she thought she could stay at home until it all blew over. Eventually she decided to go to a shelter but she got scared as everyone kept getting hurt, and she apologizes for the trouble she feels she caused. Deku retrieves her umbrella and comforts her by telling her that everyone is scared like her. She asks if everything will go back to normal and Deku assures he will make it so, just as All Might arrives on the scene. Deku asks him to take her to the shelter, but not before he hands him a lunch box to eat which he thanks him for.

Surveying the city, Deku converses with Daigoro, who reminisces on the events being similar to his day and age, and how much trouble it was. Deku notes how they still have no clue where Tomura, All For One, Dabi, the Nomu, and the rest of the League of Villains are, and that they have no real way to follow up with the escaped convicts to learn more. He adds that Tomura with All For One's Quirk was too much for even Endeavor and Eraser Head to handle, and declares that unless he can draw out One For All's full power, he can't stop any of this. With the rest of the spirits of the previous One For All users backing him up, he prepares to head back out.

Sometime later, Endeavor finds himself under fire by some low-tier villains, with one of them using a very powerful nail gun support item, which he deduces came from Detnerat. He defeats the villain with his Ultimate Move: Ignited Arrow, as they complain that it is his fault they are even out here in the first place. Endeavor, however, says that that is why he is here, and hands him over to the police.

He meets up with Best Jeanist and Hawks where he confirms the convicts weren't sent by All For One. The three are then approached by a mob of protestors, calling the three of them 'hero scum' and demanding they get out of their faces. As Hawks tells Endeavor that they should leave, several of them blame them for the current state society is in for letting Tomura get away and releasing the prisoners. They also reveal they know Tomura is looking for someone else, meaning the heroes are still keeping secrets from them, as well as asking Endeavor if he has seen the grieving relatives of the people Dabi killed on TV. They continue to deride them as fakes as they drive away.

While driving, Hawks asks Edgeshot over the phone to keep investigating the Paranormal Liberation Front as he then asks if they should give All Might and Deku more space, knowing that if the media learns they are working with him, he will receive flack for it. Endeavor agrees, saying he doesn't want Izuku to receive more pressure than he already has, admitting how they are already using him as bait to lure out the villains even though he asked for it, but are having trouble since they have gone underground.

The heroes proceed to discuss what the villains' have planned next, assuming the Tartarus escapees had received some orders from All For One, and therefore it is only logical that they are using the greater confusion and chaos to lay low while pursuing One For All. Best Jeanist says that with the heroes falling apart, if he was All For One, he would go on the offensive, with Endeavor adding that if what Izuku said is true, then All For One's top priority is controlling Tomura's body.

The three deduce that because All Might damaged him to the point he needs life-support to live, turning Tomura into his successor would make for a new body for him, which is why he is prioritizing this task. Hawks also mentions that the imprisoned Kyudai Garaki said that Tomura wasn't complete when he was awakened, which they figure is a necessary component to complete the process, though they are unsure of the specifics how.

The three of them discuss about how Izuku and All Might told them that a body that is too weak can not receive One For All, but Hawks doesn't understand why Tomura needs 'rage' in addition. Best Jeanist says that one needs a strong will to steal a Quirk bearing the will of eight other people, yet Hawks says that All For One had been pursuing his brother and his successors for years, so he believed he should have had enough hatred. Best Jeanist believes he doesn't have enough, but Hawks suggests he may have none at all, since he is always seen smiling, meaning something is missing in his soul. Nevertheless, since the villains they have rounded up have no useful intel, they decide they may have to take the fight to the enemy and increase their search, even if it means reducing the number of people keeping peace on the street. Suddenly, they hear a notification on their phones.

As night falls, All Might follows Deku with his phone and compares his constant action to how Sir Nighteye wanted him to take a break now and then. He notices a notification on his phone and realizes Deku's GPS signal has disappeared. Then, a grenade is thrown at his car and explodes. At Deku's location, the reason his signal disappeared was because his phone was shot and pinned to a nearby building. The bullet has a microphone on it where a voice addresses Deku, demanding he come with her. Deku immediately realizes that an assassin sent by All For One has finally arrived, as a woman with a rifle sticking out of her arm, faces him down, telling him that if he complies, he can keep his limbs.

The Lovely Lady Nagant
Shortly after the Assault on Tartarus, All For One approaches one of the inmates, former Public Safety Commission Hero Lady Nagant, telling her it is an honor to meet the "treacherous hero", while she reminisces how he was one of her targets back in the day. He informs her about Deku's incoming depature from U.A. and asks her to capture and bring him to him while he is split up from the heroes. She intitally declines, asking why she has to have an assignment while the rest of the inmates can run free, but he reminds her how she killed a fellow hero and that she wants the hero society to collapse as well, something that won't come to pass as long as Deku remains.

Slowly being convinced, All For One recognizes Kai Chisaki, who she had just helped free from his cell, asking if they're friends, but she retorts that she's only using him for her own purposes, as All For One identifies him as another victim of the 'wicked' hero society. Nevertheless, Lady Nagant agrees to help him and as a deposit for their newly formed contract, he gives her one of his Quirks, Air Walk, granting her the ability to fly.

As they prepare to head back out, Kai reveals to Lady Nagant that he knows the identity of her target, citing him as the one who ruined his organization, saying he has a severe case of "Hero Syndrome." She is surprised by this, considering it like fate, asking for him to come along so he can identify him for her, which he agrees on one condition. She says she's not going to take up any of his old grudges, but he quickly refutes this, saying he just wants her to deliver him to his boss, as he no longer cares for anything else.

Deku recalls a conversation he had before leaving Central Hospital, where Hawks voiced some concerns he had for the young hero. He was aware that Tomura and All For One are trying to steal One For All by force, and without Doctor Kyudai Garaki and his facilities to preserve Quirks, he knows they need him alive. He also knows that while that would be a challenge for many of the villains, if "she" is involved, then it's another story. Hawks mentions how she was previously a senior colleague of his, and hunting her down is his top priority, so if he crosses paths with her, all he can advise him to do is run.

In the present, Deku looks at the bullet that destroyed his phone and sees it is made out of pink and dark-blue fibers, and deduces that the very woman he was warned about had come for him. Deku tries to run but Lady Nagant fires another bullet which chases him. Deku knows that with his signal gone, the others will know something is wrong, but he can't tell them that it is Lady Nagant who is chasing him. He uses Danger Sense, as well as Blackwhip to swing across the buildings, to try and avoid them. She says that he doesn't have any options as the bullet catches up to him and aims at him from the front. He does his best to block it but he still gets hurt, likening it to a Howitzer Impact, as she says she understands why All For One wants him.

He thinks back to an old show where Snipe discussed how if it wasn't for Lady Nagant, he would be Japan's top marksman. He explains how his Quirk, Homing, lets him shoot anything within six hundred meters, but with Lady Nagant and her Rifle Quirk, not only can she shoot from a range of three kilometers, attributing her to also being naturally skillful, but she can also mold her hair into any type of ammunition she wants.

Deku thinks about how if it wasn't for Danger Sense, he would have been finished by now. Thanks to that first shot though, Deku deduces where she is now: about one kilometer ahead of him, and figures that instead of trying to endure the barrage and escape, he decides to confront her instead. Lady Nagant is surprised Deku managed to block two of her shots as she hears Kai continuously asking to be brought to the boss. She grabs him and tells him that she will once they are done, but for now he needs to keep out of sight while wondering if she should have left him behind. She proceeds to use her new Air Walk Quirk to target Deku from the skies.

Meanwhile, All Might's car emerges from the explosion unscathed, as he says that any other car other than Hercules would have been destroyed. Mid-drift he spots two villains jumping towards him with flaming spears, and instantly realizes they're targeting him specifically. All Might picks up a spare phone and alerts the rest of his team that villains are trying to split him and Deku up as an assassin is targeting him. The villains throw their spears at the out-of-control car, but not before All Might jumps out the passenger side with a suitcase and diving into a roll as Hercules reels towards a wall and explodes.

The villains are surprised to see All Might, but don't stand down since he isn't the same as he was before, saying the real All Might died a long time ago. However, when he demands they stand aside, the villains start shivering in fear. All Might remembers the promise he made to Inko as he tells the villains that Deku is bearing more of a burden than he himself ever did yet he still idolizes him, and he yells that the day anything happens to him is the day he dies.

In the sky, Deku moves in a zigzag pattern to stay out of Lady Nagant's line of site, deducing she can't move as fast as he can, so he will catch up to her before she can reposition herself. He suddenly senses a bullet coming for him from behind and deflects it, but another one grazes his stomach. He becomes confused as to how she was able to shoot him at two different angles and wonders if she has backup, but he doesn't sense anyone else with hostility with her. He then realizes that since All For One contracted her, he must have given her another Quirk.

Moving in the air, Lady Nagant fires another shot, as Deku realizes that the closer the two become, the more intuitively she can shoot and the less of a need to calculate his position, and even Danger Sense won't be able to help him react fast enough. He lands and unleashes Smokescreen at "Full Blast", catching Nagant off guard by this revelation that he has multiple Quirks too. En scolds Deku for releasing that much smoke because once he emerges, he will be a sitting duck for someone like her. Deku tells him that he wasn't planning on escaping as En realizes what he plans on doing, causing him to advise against it. He is backed up by the third user, who reminds him that he isn't proficient with his Quirk yet, nor has he even tested it yet. Deku tells him that it is too late to properly train himself with his Quirk so he will learn on the fly, determined to force Lady Nagant to tell him where All For One and Tomura are. He then activates the third user's Quirk: Fa Jin.

Lady Nagant repositions herself above the cloud of smoke and sees something which she shoots. It turns out to be Gran Torino's cape, which he used as a decoy, and continues to shoot other decoys like his backpack and his mask. She says that he can't escape her by hiding in smoke, but he charges out of the building underneath her and grabs her, yelling he wasn't hiding in the smoke.

Deku demands her to tell him all about All For One, but Lady Nagant simply tells him to not assume he has already won as she retracts her Rifle. She remerges it and strikes Deku in the chest with it to force him to let go of her, refusing to tell him anything.

As she gloats that the Hero Public Safety Commission taught her everything, he asks why she's working with All For One, since she used to be a hero and knows that he plans to take over everything. She tells him that all he's been seeing is the manufactured sense of order and couldn't possibly understand the real truth. Deku then finds himself temporarily stunted, as just like the third user warned him, his parallel processes are screwed up after using Fa Jin for the first time, and needs to readjust himself, while still avoiding Lady Nagant's shots.

He dodges another strike that grazes him only to hear Lady Nagant's voice coming from the bullet. As she continues to fire more shots at Deku, she tells him that she was tired and that she killed many people to preserve the fake society they live in. She explains that she had been responsible for the deaths of terrorists plotting attacks on heroes and heroes associating with villains to gain fame and fortune. She also tells him that there was a period where vigilantes were trusted and heralded as heroes with the country approving their actions, and that hero society was forged on that trust in heroes. She called herself a cog in the machine preserving that trust, and she obeyed every order she had been given as she believed those who worked in the light and in the shadows were necessary to keep society functioning.

However, despite constantly following orders, it ultimately came at the cost of her own mental health, as the stress of all the killings got to her, especially while still being praised by the public. One day, a group of children ran over to her asking to shake her hand, and just as she was about to, she saw the blood on her hands and retracted it, coming to see the society she lives in as fragile and fake.

Later, the then Public Safety Commission President revealed to Lady Nagant about two heroes who have been inciting civilians to commit crimes before hunting them down and collecting the rewards, and that he wants them to go missing. Lady Nagant questions if killing them is going to improve anything, and if pretending to the public none of this is happening is any better than brainwashing. The President insists that it is all necessary, but when Lady Nagant continues to question this, he threatens her saying that it isn't a job you can simply walk away from. In response, she shoots him.

Deku is shocked by the revelation, especially since the public statement was that Lady Nagant had killed another hero during an argument, as she continues to explain the Safety Commission had to cover it all up to keep up the illusion. She says this society is all just a fragile illusion, that history will just repeat itself if that status quo is restored, and because of that, even a future ruled by All For One will be much more transparent.

Through the talking, Deku is able to figure out Lady Nagant's location, using a new Ultimate Move with Blackwhip, "Pinpoint Focus", to quickly shoot his way toward her. He admits that he might have been ignorant by these issues she's brought up, but declares that now he realizes that the world isn't all black-and-white, but mostly shades of grey, with blends of fear and anger, but that is why he needs to try to extend a helping hand to those in need.

Lady Nagant brushes this off as more of the phony education, while thinking about how well he has been able to dodge all of her shots and been able to read her patterns. She decides one more trick to disrupt his focus, directly pointing her rifle at a nearby building. Sure enough, Deku's attention is turned to Kai Chisaki, who yells if Lady Nagant is finished yet and to hold up her part of the deal to let him see his Boss. Deku recognizes him as Lady Nagant amplifies her arm as much as possible, telling Deku that due to his hero education, no matter who Kai is, anyone dying on his watch would weigh heavily on his conscience, firing the bullet. Her aim is to make him over-think his judgement, causing him to hesitate and give her the opening to defeat him.

To her complete surprise, he immediately uses Blackwhip to swing over to him while also using a combination of Fa Jin, Blackwhip, and 45% of One For All to create a Faux 100 Percent of One For All, allowing him to temporarily become faster than the bullet, which he uses to save Kai, leaving Lady Nagant in complete disbelief. She quickly realizes that Deku had already started changing directions as she was about to shoot. Deku tells Kai that they aren't done as he pulls himself back with Blackwhip.

He thinks about how since he's been using One For All 45%, Danger Sense, Smokescreen, Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and Float in rapid succession, his body couldn't keep up. However, he learned from this and narrows it down to only using One For All, Blackwhip, and Fa Jin. With another leg's worth of Fa Jin, Deku uses Faux 100 Percent: Manchester Smash to break Lady Nagant's rifle arm as she was falling back, as he yells that it is over for her. Lady Nagant takes note of how Deku didn't hesitate to save Kai even though they were enemies, as if it was the most natural thing to do. As her Air Walk gives in and she starts to fall, she wonders about when the Hero Public Safety Commission's "platitudes" started to make her feel sick.

To her surprise, Deku catches her and says that the trajectory for the bullet she fired at Kai was off, indicating she wasn't serious about killing him. Furthermore, he says that if she was truly on All For One's side, she would have just shot him with the very first bullet rather than give him a chance to surrender. He tells her that because she has seen the dark side, she should also know how to bring back the light, and he asks her to join his side as he still sees the soul of a hero within her.

Deku's words cause Lady Nagant to smile and just as she is about to call him a true hero, an explosion goes off within her body, leaving it charred and burned while Deku screams in horror. As it turns out, All For One suspected Lady Nagant could be swayed by Deku so he rigged her body to explode in case she failed her mission. He also calls her nothing but a convenient tool for others to use and she should blame her Quirk for it.

Endeavor and Hawks finally arrive on the scene, as the latter flies in to catch the falling Lady Nagant, while the former apologizes for being late because he gets slowed down in the rain. He asks for a status update but Hawks interrupts them calling for help, as he still can't fly easily yet. Deku is able to catch him with Blackwhip but can't pull them up because he is out of strength. He is able to tell Hawks that Lady Nagant had received a Quirk from All For One, and it must have come with a trap which is why she exploded.

Hawks tells Lady Nagant that he is her successor and he can't believe she would let All For One manipulate her like this. He tells her that he knows she is better than that and he also knows that she can't give up, especially after fighting Deku. He begs her to tell him what she knows and she can't die after being manipulated, calling her a hero. Lady Nagant starts regaining consciousness and sees Hawks, and while she figures he must've done bad things too for the Commission, she doesn't understand how he can still have fire in his eyes in the midst of an uncertain future just like Deku.

She screams that her orders were to deliver Deku to a mansion in Haibori Woods within the next two months as both her and Hawks touch the ground. She weakly tells Hawks that there are others All For One called upon and then tells him that her heart couldn't bear the dark side, asking how Hawks can still be hopeful. Hawks responds saying that he had someone to support him, and he calls himself optimistic to a fault.

Endeavor arrives carrying Kai, asking if he is the only other one. Kai decries that this isn't what Lady Nagant promised him and he demands he be taken to the Boss, calling him all he has left and that he wants to apologize to him. Deku asks Kai if he remembers what he did to Eri, which he says he does, while also saying he wishes she were here too. Deku understands that Kai wants to apologize, and states if he is willing to direct those feelings towards Eri too, he will honor his deal in Lady Nagant's place.

All Might finally arrives asking Deku if he is okay and Endeavor reports that both Lady Nagant and Kai Chisaki have been secured and for him to contact the police so he can get them medical aid. Hawks also tells them to get Deku patched up too, as he watches over Lady Nagant's unconscious body, festering with rage towards All For One.

Dark Deku
The heroes locate the former Creature Rejection Clan's hideout and, accompanied by The Lurkers, make their way in. Deku enters first, despite Endeavor telling him not to be reckless, only for it to be empty, finding a hologram from All For One sarcastically asking him if he enjoyed his "Q&A with Lady Nagant." He says he loves to anticipate, especially since he knows someone like him can't abandon someone like her. He also adds that he didn't force her to join him, she chose to help him, and that those who fall are the ones that get labeled as "villains", saying that even if one takes pride in their Quirk, if you can't fit into the controlled society, then you will be excluded, citing it as human nature no matter how society is dictated.

All For One tells Deku that he took a thorny path of heroism because the more he fights the more his soul will wear down, and reveals that while in prison, he never stopped thinking about him, no longer having any interest in All Might. He gleefully tells him that it is "his turn" as the mansion explodes.

The heroes manage to escape the mansion's explosion unscathed and regroup in a warehouse. Edgeshot asks if they can get any more information out of Lady Nagant, but Hawks doesn't think so, saying that she is currently being treated at Central Hospital, and can't believe she is still alive considering how severe her injuries are. Kamui Woods says that even when someone is overwhelmed by disappointment and despair, they will still fight to stay alive.

Edgeshot brings up the idea of all of them banding together the other heroes and share One For All's secret so they can create a larger network of investigations. Mt. Lady adds that following this incident with Lady Nagant, the brunt of investigating the League is falling all on Izuku, and with the police dealing with their own problems and there being zero witnesses regarding the League, they should gather as many allies as they can while they still can.

Endeavor, however, reminds Mt. Lady of Death Arms retirement two days ago. As it turns out, he chose to retire because despite keeping up the fight, he had gotten nothing but criticism and doubt, and even though there are people who believed in him, one negative comment hurt more than ten positive ones. He confesses that he thought he was different, but he has come to accept the truth: he isn't a hero, he is just human.

Best Jeanist also adds that Death Arms took the lead during the war exposing the spies of the Paranormal Liberation Front, and with his grit, he believed he could still fight until the end, but as they can see, heroes are quitting one-by-one and the last threads holding them together are starting to tear. Endeavor also adds that the retired heroes are leaking information regarding One For All, and the public are getting close to uncovering the truth about Deku. Endeavor says that if the public finds out about One For All's nature, Deku will be caught in a cycle of negativity. Hawks adds that they can theorize doomsday all day, but they need to focus on the now.

Mt. Lady asks about why All For One hasn't revealed One For All himself to the public, which Endeavor theorizes that if he did that, they would do everything they can to keep Deku hidden, so that is the reason why he hasn't done so. However, he admits they don't have any clues unless they and Deku move, and all of them come to face the reality that there aren't enough police forces and heroes to handle it all.

After a moment of silence, Endeavor's phone rings, and he sees a text from Shoto Todoroki asking him to pick up. He remembers Shoto telling him to let them work together to stop Dabi and he silently apologizes, saying that he needs to wait a while longer. Hawks then gets a notification from All Might and learns that Deku was attacked by another assassin, but he has immediately taken him down.

At the scene, Deku tells All Might that the villain knew nothing and to be careful in case he is rigged to explode too. All Might yells to Deku to stop so he can give him some more food, but Deku tells All Might that he doesn't need to follow him anymore, saying that he is fine on his own now. All Might tries to speak but Deku claims he can practically move at 100% without injury just like he could, so he shouldn't worry about him. All Might realizes he doesn't want him involved in his mission out of concern for his safety, and as much as he wants to protect him, he understands more than anyone the weight of the responsibility he is carrying. He wants to tell him to rest, but he can't as Deku leaves, and All Might trips trying to reach out toward him. Unbeknownst to him, Stain overhears their conversation from the shadows.

Sometime later, Endeavor contacts Deku to inform him that the overseas heroes will be arriving soon, which means they will have more manpower to help with the investigation. He tries to convince Deku to rest, as he knows how much he has been pushing himself, however, he replies that he can still move and he doesn't want to give the villains time to prepare, cutting the call.

Deku's phone rings again but he ignores it as the inheritors of One For All tell Deku not to push himself because his wounds haven't fully healed yet. Suddenly, Danger Sense activates and he moves in the direction. Within the vestige world, Nana fears her feelings are affecting Deku heavily, but Daigoro says that for Deku, every cause is a worthy cause. Hikage adds that for better or worse, awakening all of their Quirks enabled him to act according to his primary motivation, to save everyone as a true superhero. The second user says that Deku is doing the right thing by pushing on without rest, because in this peculiar situation, that is the responsibility of the bearer of One For All and everyone's wills. He does, however, suggest he needs something to bolster him.

As Deku continues to fight alone, civilians start to talk about him as rumors begin to spread. Some notice his many Quirks and fear he is a Nomu of some kind, but others see him helping other, despite them also saying he doesn't look like a hero at all. Deku arrives at a mall and saves a couple of cowering civilians from some villains. After they retreat, Deku asks if they are okay, but the woman sees his many Quirks and nervously asks if he works for All For One, which he quickly shoots down, to her still nervous relief. The civilians manage to run to safety as Danger Sense activates again, prompting Deku to move out once more.

Within his mind, all he can think about is where All For One is and what he is planning, that he needs to stop Tomura and the League of Villains, and how he doesn't want to trouble anyone and therefore if he wants to protect everyone, he needs to master One For All as quickly as possible. Also within his mind are the images of all the people he loves: his mom, All Might, Gran Torino, Eraser Head, Eri, and everyone in Class 1-A, as he thinks about how he wants to finish this up so he can smile with them again.

While in the city of Kamino, at the site of the All Might statue, Deku falls to his knees and is confronted by a new villain called Dictator, who says that his recklessness, solitude, and exhaustion is everything All For One predicted would happen. Deku realizes that Dictator is another assassin All For One sent after him and he tells him that he hopes he will finally tell him where All For One is. Dictator, however, sends an army of civilians that he put under his control with his Quirk, Despot, to fight Deku.

The civilians tell Deku that they can't control themselves as he thinks about how Dictator was previously defeated by Crust during the Bloodless Surrender Case, and that in order to deactivate his Quirk, either the victims need to receive a large shock or Dictator is taken down. Unable to use Air Force properly without his gloves, nor Blackwhip, the civilians dogpile Deku while saying they don't want to hurt him, which Deku silently understands. Despite wanting to help them, his tired body prevents him from doing so.

Suddenly, Katsuki Bakugo arrives on the scene and shoots Dictator with an AP Shot, while informing those on the other end of his phone that he's found him.

Deku vs. Class A
A few days after Izuku left U.A., Class 1-A deduce that Izuku is now working with Endeavor and his team, with Katsuki angrily tearing up the letter sent to him. Tenya Ida asks Katsuki, Shoto, and Fumikage Tokoyami if they can confirm their suspicions by contacting their respective mentors, but all three of them report that they refuse to respond, believing they are hiding something from them. Kyoka Jiro says that All Might hasn't returned either and Mashirao Ojiro adds that with classes having been suspended and them not becoming second years yet, along with the hero course students on standby and helping as security, getting information will be tough.

Katsuki says that Best Jeanist and Hawks were contacting Izuku at the hospital and that All Might was believed to be there as well, and since Izuku could not have been the one who left the letters for all of them because of how scared he is to return to U.A., therefore, the one who did so was All Might, meaning the two of them are working together. Yuga Aoyama says that if that is true, then their worries should be alleviated and Denki Kaminari adds that the media reported only that the top three heroes are working together, so All Might can't be involved. Katsuki, however, says that when it comes to Izuku and All Might, he knows them better than anyone, and this is the worst possible scenario one could think of.

Eijiro Kirishima proposes they find a way to contact them, and Ochaco Uraraka suggests that since Endeavor is a U.A. alumni, they force the issue. Sure enough, a few days later, Principal Nezu contacts Endeavor, who meets him in his office, but is surprised to see all of Class 1-A present too. Nezu informs Endeavor that he heard what they had to say and decided there was room for discussion since he is constantly getting updates himself. Shoto asks Endeavor why he has been ignoring him and if he forgot the promise they made to stop Toya together. Endeavor responds that it was Shoto's willingness that saved him, but Shoto retorts he doesn't feel the same way without actually doing anything and asks what makes Izuku an exception.

Shoto asks Endeavor if he is letting Izuku and All Might work together. When he says nothing, Katsuki's suspicions are confirmed, but while he says it may have been the right call, he knows nothing about Izuku. Katsuki states that Izuku has always been crazy for never taking himself into account and insisting he is fine, citing it as the same way All Might became the Symbol of Peace. He tells Endeavor that he can't let the two of them be together, with Endeavor thinking back to when they learned that Izuku had brushed off All Might and how they don't know how else to support him from the sidelines.

Endeavor decides to hand the students his phone with Izuku's location pinned. Many of them, like Koji Koda and Hanta Sero, say that they want to help him even though their relationship has been so far school-based. Shoto says that while not confiding in them about One For All was one thing, expecting the letter to put them at ease was a shock. Tenya declares that as Class 1-A, they will follow Izuku wherever he goes, and no matter how much responsibility that comes with One For All, they consider him their friend, and they won't let him walk such a troublesome path all by himself.

Endeavor says that the outside world is messed up right now but Nezu reassures them that they are ready. He says that he agreed to let Izuku team up with the top three since he didn't want to return to U.A. and that the villains were targeting him. But he reveals that he can return to school, since the minute they sent out the acceptance notifications, they all became students they will protect. Endeavor asks about the civilians and Nezu tells Endeavor that the designated evacuation areas weren't only chosen based on area, and that the school has reinforced their security "U.A. Barrier" since the Culture Festival. He assures the students that Izuku will be fine if he comes back, so they can go help him.

In the present, the rest of Class 1-A arrive on the scene to apprehend Dictator and free the civilians. As the civilians run off, Deku asks why they are all here and Uravity says that they were worried about him. Deku insists that he is okay and that they shouldn't worry about him and leave. Dynamight mockingly says that is good to hear before seriously asking if he's still smiling now. Deku responds saying that if he is to smile and if everyone can live in peace, he needs to keep moving forward. Therefore, he demands everyone to get out of his way. Dynamight retorts that he should make them, calling him an "All Might wannabe", Ingenium states that they knew they wouldn't be able to change his mind normally, which means they might have to fight him, telling everyone to stand strong, which Uravity agrees.

As Ingenium thinks about how once Deku sets his mind on something he never stops, Dynamight laughs at his appearance, hearing about how he's unlocked the Quirks from the fourth and sixth users and now looks completely different. Deku thanks everyone for coming, before using Smokescreen to make an escape. As Uravity recognizes that as the Quirk of the sixth user, Dynamight uses his Land Mine Blast to blast away the smoke, asking if he believes that now that he's one of the big-shots if they're all just a bunch of "NPCs" to him.

Anima uses his Quirk to command birds to halt Deku, yelling that Nezu has asked him to come back and stop running away. He tries to use Blackwhip to free himself, but Cellophane uses his Tape to grab ahold of it, commenting how freaky it looks, while Deku remembers him teaching him how to control its shape. Earphone Jack then uses her Heartbeat Wall, forcing him to jump away, as she tells Deku how happy she was back during the Culture Festival when he taught her how to organize notes, something he was enthusiastic about when she didn't consider it a useless hobby.

Tailman then arrives, grabbing ahold of Deku with his Tornado Tail Dance, telling him that he'll never forget how frustrated he got for him during his fight against Hitoshi Shinso at the Sports Festival, and they all can't overlook how ragged he's become fighting alone. Deku continues to insist that he'll put everyone in danger and he doesn't want All For One to take them away from him, which is why he had to leave.

Tsukuyomi appears next, using Dark Shadow to grab onto Deku, knocking him into a building. Sugarman rescues Earphone Jack and Tailman, who each comment how strong his power and will have gotten, as he states that while he may have a special power, they all share the same feelings, and to think about what they said, or else he won't let him use food coloring for Eri's candy apples.

Still attached to Dark Shadow, Deku is suddenly restricted by a machine created by Creati, who says that they've been authorized to use their Quirks to help Endeavor and the other heroes, with the intention to join him and ensuring his safety. Recognizing it's a machine to put him to sleep, Deku breaks free, yelling at them to stop wasting their efforts on him.

Chargebolt grabs ahold of him next, telling him that even though One For All is important, and they may not have any hobbies in common, he's still someone he considers a friend so he will force him to listen. Tentacole uses his Dupli-Arms covered in Insulation Tape created by Creati to cover up Deku and Chargebolt, reminding him of Deku's words during the Quirk Training Camp how everyone together can even give All Might a scare.

Tsukuyomi finishes it off by using Dark Shadow to completely entomb the two with Ragnarök: Womb, reminding him how using Dark Shadow's offensive power as defense was his idea as well. As Chargebolt sends his electrification through the containment, Deku still manages to break free, blasting away from the building. He thinks about how he knows everyone is truly worried about him, because Danger Sense hasn't alerted him at all, but still continues to shout and insist he's fine.

He suddenly smacks right into a Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall, as Shoto looks down on him, seeing his broken face, telling him to let them share his burden. On a building close by, Froppy tells him that it's okay to cry when he's scared, remembering the moment she cried when she apologized to him and the others for not supporting them in their plan to rescue Katsuki when he was kidnapped. She proclaims that if he wants to remain strong like a comic book superhero, they won't let him go at it alone.

At the same time, Endeavor arrives near the battle and meets up with Red Riot, Can't Stop Twinkling, and Invisible Girl, who deliver a restrained Dictator to him. Endeavor tells them that Dictator might not be alone and to confirm the safety of the hero-hating civilians that spread nearby, so they should help Hawks with that. Hawks, however, suggests using Best Jeanist to get it all over with. As Endeavor sees Deku stuck in the ice, Red Riot reflects that while there isn't much he can do right now with how much he's moving around, there's still so much he wants to say to him, a sentiment shared by Can't Stop Twinkling and Invisible Girl, who run to look for the civilians. Endeavor tells Hawks that as of now, to make sure no one else interferes.

Shoto yells to Deku that his current state is part of All For One's plan and he could take the opportunity to attack U.A., so he should consider a backup plan, to protect the school by letting them all fight alongside him. Unfortunately, Deku refuses, all the while All For One's words continue to ring in his head. Deku yells that this fight is between One For All and All For One, and the others can't keep up.

Deku breaks free of the ice as Froppy swings her tongue at him. Deku dodges but sees that Grape Juice was holding on, using a new Ultimate Move called Mineta Beads: Ten-Fold to stick a chain of his balls to latch onto Deku. Grape Juice cries that he never thought his power was what made him awesome, what made him so cool to him was how he led everyone to victory despite being scared himself. Deku, however, says that that version of him is gone as he strikes Grape Juice with Blackwhip, forcing him to let go of the chain as he gets slammed into the building. Deku prepares to make a getaway, combining Blackwhip, One For All at 45%, and Fa Jin, but Uravity arrives from the sky, telling him that his situation is different from when Dynamight was captured. Before Uravity can finish her sentence, Deku dodges her approach and blasts into the sky.

As he attempts to escape, Uravity calls to her classmates as they combine Pinky's Acidman and Shoto's Flashfreeze Heatwave to launch Dynamight off Shoto's ice ramp-up to Deku, pushing further with Uravity's Zero Gravity. In her head, Uravity knows that she and everyone have something to say to Deku but they know they won't reach him, while also saying that they don't want to be protected by Deku, or want to reject who he is or what he's doing, they just want to be with him.

Dynamight blows through into the air and admits there is so much he needs to say to him, but the only one who can withstand such intense speed is Ingenium, whom he launches straight at Deku using his Blasting Speed Turbo: Cluster. Ingenium grabs Deku's hand finally as he demands he let go, but Ingenium refuses, saying that Ingenium is the hero who will grab the hand of a lost child and that giving help that's not asked for, is what makes a true hero.

As Deku fully starts to break down in tears, the second user of One For All reflects about how if there was anyone who could bolster Deku, it would be those who share his resolve, can match his pace, and are willing to run alongside him, like the entirety of Class 1-A.

In his mind, Deku knows that he doesn't have the strength to let go of Ingenium's hand, just as Uravity deactivates her Quirk and cause both of them to fall out of the sky. Thankfully, Red Riot is there able to catch them. He then tells Deku that he remembered an old story on the news about a kid his age that rushed to save a friend from a villain, and figured it was him that day. He says that being a hero has nothing to do with being special or strong, and his behavior from back then is what everyone else is doing now.

Everyone else catches up as Pinky tells Deku she doesn't want to lose anyone anymore, and to return to U.A. so they can have classes together. Deku stands up and says he wants to come back but considers it too dangerous for all the people already there, and he says he can't go back to the way he was before.

Dynamight walks over to him though, and asks if he remembers what he said when he got stabbed by Tomura during the Paranormal Liberation War. When Deku says he doesn't, Dynamight reminds him that he said "stop trying to win this on your own", and after he said that, he felt he had to tell him that his body moved on his own when he got stabbed. Dynamight admits he looked down on Deku because he was Quirkless, and therefore he felt he would be far behind, but the truth was, he always felt he was above him.

Dynamight tells him that he couldn't accept the way he was, which led to him bullying him over the years and trying to prove his superiority, but after entering U.A., he kept losing, and he started trying to understand Deku's strengths and his own weaknesses. Dynamight tells Deku that even if it doesn't change anything, he has to speak his current truth: He apologizes to him for everything he had done to him up until now, even calling him "Izuku."

Dynamight's words snap Deku to his senses as Dynamight tells him that his choices weren't misguided, but he can't handle it by himself anymore. If he encounters a hurdle, he can rely on his friends to help him, and the only way to surpass All Might is for everyone to protect U.A. and the civilians together. Deku weakly collapses and apologizes for what he said about everyone not being able to keep up with him, which Dynamight accepts as he catches him. As everyone looks on, Creati says now that they've rescued him, things will get a lot harder from here, which Uravity agrees on.

Return to U.A.
Before Class 1-A went to look for Izuku, Tenya asked Principal Nezu how they can provide concrete evidence that the people taking shelter at the school will be safe with Izuku staying too, in addition to the U.A. Barrier. Nezu says that Izuku is the most valuable asset the heroes have to fight back so having him at an unprepared shelter would be a huge risk. However, he says that U.A. is equipped with the best defense technology for that reason, even saying it is on par with Tartarus.

When Momo reminds them of Tomura having already destroyed Tartarus, Nezu tells everyone that after Tomura attacked the school last year, he put considerable thought into how to better prepare, and he ended up adding a few touches to the system of his own design. The reason why Nezu feels so confident that if U.A. was to be attacked, no one would be harmed, is because according to him, U.A. can travel! Nezu explains that each section of the school is like a game board, each equipped with mechanisms that will transform it into an underground emergency shelter. Then, those shelters will enter a network underground and move in any direction.

Nezu says that the system is still at risk of crumbling, so he fortified the ground with about three thousand layers of Bulwark plates, and should the system detect any unusual activity, the connecting pillars will unlock and render each plate mobile, thereby delaying the attack and allowing the shelters to speed off to safety. He also adds that Shiketsu High School was the first to fortify their school system after Camie Utsushimi was impersonated by Himiko Toga, and is just one of several hero schools with the safety precautions needed for sheltering they could rely on if need be, shocking the students considering how far the two schools are.

Fumikage, knowing that the counter-measures were to combat Tomura's increased Decay, wonders how he managed to anticipate this since it was built around the time of the School Festival, with Nezu saying it was just his intuition, and that he paid for all of it. The students are left amazed at how expensive it all was but Endeavor says that Nezu's contributions to Quirk morality education has earned him worldwide renown, and his work is still continuing. Nezu says that intolerance and a lack of understanding make the one step towards coming together always seem far away, but he believes a sound argument can be made for letting Izuku return to the school, and entrusts the students to handle the situation with their full power.

In the present, Izuku wakes up and is greeted by the face of Thirteen, who informs him that most civilians are evacuating to various centers, leaving only the anti-hero vigilantes and violent pillagers left to deal with. Thankfully, the number of anti-hero civilians entering the centers due to exhaustion is increasing and the extremists are easy to catch because they work in groups. Now everyone is doing their best to handle the situation, especially the police after his solo journey.

Izuku realizes he is back at school as he is carried around by Mezo while Hanta reveals that the barrier is active, with Toru adding it can even combine to Shiketsu High. Izuku still believes he still can't go back, and his beliefs seem to be enforced by a group of protestors within the school demanding he not be let in. The civilians say they know he is the rumored boy Tomura is after and after they were convinced U.A. would provide them sanctuary, allowing what they consider a "ticking time-bomb" is a horrible idea. They say he should go somewhere else and Izuku even considers leaving, but Ochaco stops him and tells him not to worry about it, as everyone is determined to not let him go, with it now their turn to protect him.

Present Mic tries to calm the protestors down while Best Jeanist steps forward to explain that he was the one who proposed he returned. Best Jeanist explains that they wanted to take the fight to the enemy directly so they used Izuku to try and lure them out. Sadly, their search came up dry because they didn't have enough people. He admits Izuku is the villain's target, but he also considers him their best resource in battle and allowing him to grow even more tired will lead to more lives lost, which is why they are relying on this back up plan. He then pleads with the people to let Izuku stay so he can rejoin the battle in peak condition.

The people, however, are still unconvinced, believing they are being forced to pay the price for the heroes' mistakes, with the hatred and anxiety of everyone starting to swell up Izuku's Danger Sense. With no one seemingly listening to reason, Ochaco jumps up onto the U.A. building with a microphone and addresses to the people that Izuku has a special power, and that he already left the school originally to prevent anyone from feeling troubled, he has only returned because she and the rest of her class brought him back. She admits his power is what the villain's desire because they know it is the only thing that can stop them, but he has gone through so much while on the outside. She begs for everyone to take a closer look at him for he wishes to fix everything despite knowing he could be attacked at any minute.

Sure enough, the people start calming down, with the Mutant girl recognizing him for having helped her earlier. Ochaco declares that special powers are one thing, but there is no such thing as a special person. As she talks, Katsuki tells Izuku that he and the others will step in to help him when he can't handle it alone, and in Nezu's mind, he says that the single step is hard to take, but he believes if it is taken, it will carve a path for the ultimate hero to stand up: one that can even surpass All Might himself.

Ochaco thinks back to how she had always loved to see people happy, which is why seeing her own parents be so exhausted hurts her so much, and why she looked at the cheering people when they saw a hero in action. She also thinks about how she wants to help the heroes who are hurting themselves ever since she met Izuku.

As the civilians start seeing how exhausted Izuku is, the Mutant girl says how he had saved her before immediately going back to fighting. One of the unconvinced civilians asks if the people themselves should be covered in filth too, but Ochaco replies saying that only the heroes will be, which is why she wants them to give him time to rest to wash it away. All of the class watch her in awe as Izuku starts tearing up, with Tenya telling him that she is also fighting for Izuku and everyone's right to smile again. Ochaco apologizes that she and the heroes can't reassure everyone's safety, because they are as scared as everyone else, which makes them all the same in a sense. She screams for them to lend Izuku their strength so they can have a shot at smiling in the future, while briefly thinking back to her fight with Himiko Toga during the Paranormal Liberation War and the tears in her eyes.

Nevertheless, Ochaco continues her speech begging everyone to let Izuku stay and rest, citing him as just a high school kid like herself and the others who are still learning as they go, as she realizes that when the heroes are hurting, it is up to everyone else to protect them. When the same protesting civilian tries to speak back, Ochaco screams at the top of her lungs that U.A. High is Izuku's hero academy. Her words cause Izuku to collapse to his knees as he starts crying hysterically while thinking back to the very first day he met Ochaco at the Entrance Exam. In his mind, he thinks about how this isn't just the story of how he became the greatest hero, but the story of how everyone became the greatest heroes.

As he breaks down, the Mutant girl and Kota Izumi run over to comfort him, with Tenya holding off Minoru from doing so as he says its not their time yet. Kota apologizes for being so scared to run to him earlier, but when he heard Ochaco speak, he knew he had to move, tearfully telling him not to cry anymore because he's here. The woman picks Izuku back up and tells him she went to so many shelters but was refused because of her Mutant-type Quirk, but she's glad because it meant she ended up a U.A. and got to see him again, as the two give him a hug.

As the civilians look on, a man that Izuku encountered two years ago steps up and says they should hear him out. He turns to the crowd and reminds them he's only staying just for a rest, so if he needs a break before getting back to fighting, U.A. is the best place to do so, which Nezu who is standing nearby confirms. One of the civilians asks about going to Shiketsu, but another just says they'll probably react the same way.

The man continues that before everything went bad, he never noticed that the civilians were the "spectators" while heroes "performed" on stage; All Might was the hero that paved the way for others that everyone admired, but in doing so, they forgot about the heart and soul that made the man. Now with the stage destroyed, and the heroes looking for glory having retired, the only ones left are those truly trying to fix everything, so if they reject them, who else will they have, asking how long will they plan to be spectators.

The critical boy talks about the rumors going around about a man dressed in rags who could use multiple Quirks, some calling a villain, others calling a "true hero", asking Izuku if staying at U.A. will give them all back the lives they had. Izuku confidently responds that now that everyone's together with him, he will bring it all back.

Outside U.A., Ectoplasm asks Endeavor, Hawks, and Shoto if they heard Ochaco's speech before letting them in, saying that everything is fine for now. Endeavor says that all they ended up doing was pushing the burden onto Izuku and didn't make any progress, but Hawks says they did take a step forward. Just like how One For All is a power that links together people's hearts, so too is everyone connected here at U.A.: All Might through Izuku, Izuku to his classmates, Ochaco connecting Izuku to everyone, and with everyone thinking about each other, this can lead to the bright future where everyone will have time to laugh. As Class 1-A helps with the civilians and Izuku is escorted inside, Shoto turns to his father and tells him they're doing it together, thinking back to Toya's face, which he agrees.

Nezu communicates to Shota Aizawa, currently still in bed at Central Hospital, missing his right eye and baring a prosthetic right leg, telling him his class managed to do well, to Shota's delight. Nezu asks about the status of Kurogiri, as it turns out ever since their initial discovery about Oboro Shirakumo, he and the other captured Nomu had been secretly transported to Central Hospital for restorative research. Shota states that they've had no success in getting through to him yet, with Nezu reminding that without Oboro regaining consciousness they would never have gotten as far as they have, meaning there is still hope.

Shota asks about the countermeasures regarding Himiko, with Nezu saying that since they've figured out how much blood she can absorb and how long her transformation lasts, they only let in the evacuees after a certain amount of time to be sure. Shota declares that with U.A. as a stronghold, it's time for their revenge. Meanwhile, outside U.A., All Might sullenly stands back and heads away from the school.

The Next Step
Back during the Assault on Tartarus, Stain escapes his cell, immediately killing an inmate, figuring the prison has fallen due to something happening to the outside world, and looks for information. He enters the control room to find all but one of the guards dead, desperately cradling a box. Stain takes it from him, discovering it contains stored data, as the guard begs him to give it back and that it must reach the right people.

As Stain walks away, he tells him that his convinction will reach the right man, as the prison crumbles all around, with the guard asking if Stain is a man or a beast, which Stain responds he's an ally to what the world should be, but still a beast. While All For One and "Tomura Shigaraki" stand amongst the rubble above the escaped prisoners, Stain escapes, swimming to shore, promptly learning about the state of the world since his capture, and thinking about while he may not know if the data has any value, he will carry the embers of the guards conviction and give it to the only one who has earned his trust, the one who started all of this.

All Might returns to the site of Kamino in the aftermath of Izuku's battle with Class 1-A, intending to check in on the anti-hero supporters who refuse to evacuate, while still thinking about being unable to help Izuku. Looking at his statue, he berates himself for doing nothing and just dragging everyone down. All of a sudden, Stain appears above him, holding his sword near his neck and demanding take back his slam against All Might.

All Might notes how Stain never went after him when he was active and they didn't get to have their meeting till now, but the Hero Killer becomes confused, leading All Might to clarify who he is, to Stain's extreme disbelief. All Might quickly transforms into his muscle form to prove it, but Stain reacts in disgust, refusing to believe that was him just now, calling him a sham and why he presumes to call himself a "hero."

All Might responds back to Stain's claims in agreement, explaining how he couldn't handle the uneasiness of the world, and despite being powerless, he wanted to make the world a better place. But now that he's reached his end point, with how the world has turned out, and unable to protect the student he promised he would, he feels like he's gotten further away from heroism than anyone.

Stain suddenly leaps forward, pulling All Might back behind an ice block, before pointing him toward the statue. The two see a girl pulling down the "I Am Not Here" sign off of it, which Stain says she has been coming by to clean the statue from the vandalism every day. All Might is confused why she would put herself in danger just for that, until Stain reveals she is the last person All Might saved, the girl from the Kamino Incident.

Stain states that what All Might did as a hero had nothing to do with his Quirk, but that he always kept a smile on his face and did everything he could to help people. That the embers of inspiration he left behind continue to burn within those who followed him, and have now started to form a great fire, so they all must continue to stoke the flame so that it won't die.

After Stain reveals he knew about what happened regarding his true state, he tells him that if he is a true hero, to make use of his information from Tartarus, throwing him a knife containing the data disk and several pieces of paper, as well as telling him to end "the man who murdered 40 heroes" to fix this society, before walking away. As All Might tears up, the girl looks up at the sky to see the rain has begun to stop.

Back at U.A., the boys of Class 1-A immediately drag Izuku to the bath and proceed to strip him down and wash him thoroughly before getting in the bath themselves. Katsuki yells at everyone to scrub Izuku first before throwing him into the bath straight away, hopping in himself, as Fumikage takes note that even after his heartfelt apology, he still hasn't changed. Katsuki, however, reminds everyone that his goal to become number one hasn't changed, which makes everyone his rivals still, including Izuku, who he tries to refrain from calling him "Deku." Izuku, however, tells Katsuki that he doesn't have to force himself and can still call him Deku.

After the bath, the kids return to the dorms as Izuku learns that Ochaco has fallen asleep after her speech, along with some others too. Izuku once again apologizes for the trouble he felt he caused and they forgive him, while also asking some questions about One For All (with Fumikage annoyed he didn't tell Hawks to pick up his phone). Shoto appears and tells everyone to leave Izuku be so he can rest, but Izuku tells him he feels he can't, at least not until he apologizes to All Might for pushing him away.

Suddenly, All Might appears at the dorm and apologizes himself to Izuku for not helping him enough, despite Izuku's protests. The other kids demand an apology for leaving them abruptly as All Might says that their decisive battle is drawing near. He tells everyone that he has acquired some new information that will help them, thinking back to Stain's words, and that he has decided to continue supporting everyone even though he is Quirkless. Izuku speaks up though and tells All Might that the food he made for him gave him strength, and chalked his hardships to not having him at all. Now, they all will fight for what they love together.

Happy with this, All Might leaves the group to meet up with Endeavor and the rest of the heroes, who Shoto says isn't at the school due to wanting to keep a distance between the civilians because of Dabi. By that point, Izuku had finally fallen asleep as Shoto gives him a blanket, also saying he feels he may be a cause for concern for the others due to being Dabi's brother. Eijiro says that he is going through a lot even though he views him as innocent, but Shoto corrects him saying his hatred of his blood blinded him to his origin, but he feels he has changed and wants to prove it so no one will be concerned for him anymore.

Kyoka thinks about Shoto's words about the evacuees not having a full change of heart yet, dragging Denki, Fumikage, Katsuki, and Momo closer to her, stating that just like the last time there were other people that regarded them with apprehension, they need to do something to reassure them and bring smiles to their faces, just like they did at the Culture Festival. Class 1-A comes back together, as they declare they won't just bring the world back to how it was, but to make it a better place than before, and do it all together.

On the outskirts of the destroyed Tartarus, Hawks tells Best Jeanist that thanks to Doctor Kyudai Garaki's interrogation, the research of the Nomus in Central Hospital, and the testimony of the assassins Izuku defeated, they had deduced that Tomura needs two months of rest before his body is complete, and that All For One is trying to get One For All before it is finished. With it already having been a month since the Assault on Tartarus, they should have one more month to make their move and take the fight to All For One. However, Hawks continues that while the paper Stain gave to All Might read more like a love letter to him, meaning he only wanted him to receive his information, the knife, however, contained a data disk regarding Tartarus' security records, and as Endeavor flies off beside the car, they note how they never thought the Hero Killer would end up a hero ally.

All Might meets up with Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, who he had first given Stain's information too, who's slightly annoyed needing to have gotten help from a killer. He reveals that since Tartarus' systems are cut off from the outside world, they would've had no way of getting this data normally, and that it contains the cause of the system shutdown, which was "Tomura" and All For One's constant blasts of Radio Waves inside and out.

Sansa Tamakawa suggests that this is because All For One was synchronized with the vestige within Tomura, however All Might reveals that the communication isn't a two-way channel. Just like with his vestige within One For All, while the vestige has access to all his current thoughts, All Might himself has no connection to the vestige itself, at least until he was able to make contact with Izuku back at the Hospital. Because of this, All Might believes that even All For One wouldn't be able to have such direct control over the vestige from so far away.

Naomasa then says that the two All For One's were able to communicate through the Radio Waves Quirks, and that the recorded waveforms on the data disk resemble a conversation that says: "Make him complete in 38 days." The revelation shocks Sansa, as Central Hospital's research stated it would be 2 months till he was completed, but All Might says it's possible he rigged the results as a bluff, and that if they are to take their conversation as the truth, Tomura will be complete in 3 days.

At the U.N., the heads of each nations meet to discuss All Might's direct request for assistance. Due to the immediate timing, they believe there isn't enough time to get everything together, while some worry about sending their heroes off and leaving themselves vulnerable, while another notes that the potential turmoil the rest of the world is feeling is due to All For One's underground influence.

Several foreign heroes, including Salaam and Big Red Dot, state their insistence on wanting to help, while one of the members mentions that theirs has already left, as the United States of America's No. 1 Pro Hero, Star and Stripe, makes her way over to Japan to help her "master."

Story Impact

 * Details about before Izuku's departure from U.A. High are revealed.
 * In the vestige realm, the first user's name is revealed to be Yoichi Shigaraki.
 * The second and third inheritors of One For All originally freed Yoichi from his imprisonment by All For One, and are convinced to lend their support to Izuku.
 * Upon waking up, Izuku learns that his injuries aren't as severe as before, thanks to his body increasing its capacity of 5% to 45%.
 * All Might and Izuku tell Inko about One For All, and Izuku explains that he must leave U.A.; All Might resolves to accompany Izuku.
 * All Might and the top three heroes plan to use Izuku as bait to lure out the League of Villains.
 * Before leaving, Gran Torino gives his cape to Izuku, who teams up with All Might and the Top Three.
 * Hawks also informs Izuku that due to them dismantling all of Doctor Kyudai Garaki's facilities, All For One needs Izuku alive to steal One For All.
 * The hero students of Ketsubutsu Academy High are one of the groups dispatched to escort any remaining civilians to evacuation points, while keeping a lookout for villains.
 * Grand and Turtle Neck try to convince a group of civilians to join them when they're suddenly attacked by Muscular.
 * A hooded Deku arrives to save them and assist in the fight, where he re-encounters and swiftly defeats Muscular, sending him to prison once more.
 * During the fight, it is revealed that the Quirk of the sixth user, En, is Smokescreen.
 * It is also revealed the users can now freely communicate with Izuku without him being unconscious.
 * It's revealed Izuku is now equipped with a new compression support item known as the Mid-Gauntlet, which All Might ordered from overseas, to help support his arms.
 * While continuing to apprehend villains, Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist are berated by a mob of protestors for their prior failures, including stating they know Tomura is after "someone".
 * Discussing the nature of One For All, Hawks suggests All For One needs Tomura's hatred to steal it because he doesn't carry any himself.
 * Izuku is targeted by an assassin sent by All For One to capture him, Lady Nagant.
 * She is revealed to be a former Public Safety Commission Hero, and Hawks' senior, who he had earlier warned him about.
 * She worked as an assassin for the Public Safety Commission and killed various villains and corrupt Pro Heroes that threatened the image of hero society.
 * She became disillusioned with her job and ended up killing the former President of the Commission, though it was reported that she had killed a Pro Hero.
 * Her Quirk is Rifle, allowing her to transform her right arm into a rifle and shoot up to 3 kilometers.
 * During the Tartarus riot, All For One personally requested her for the job, giving her his Air Walk Quirk as payment.
 * She also brings along Kai with her, who she uses to identify Izuku, while he asks to reunite with his boss.
 * At this same time, All Might's car, Hercules, is attacked by a group of thugs, who he manages to intimidate through sheer force of will.
 * During their battle, Deku utilizes for the first time the Quirk of the third user, Fa Jin.
 * Lady Nagant explains her past to Deku, as they argue about their ideologies about their world.
 * She attempts to shoot at Kai to disorient him, but Deku develops the Faux 100 Percent technique, using a combination of Blackwhip, Fa Jin, and One For All 45%, to save him, and then eventually defeat Lady Nagant.
 * He rescues her, believing she still has the soul of a hero, while she acknowledges him as a true hero.
 * All For One executes a fail safe within Lady Nagant for failing her mission, causing her to self-destruct.
 * Lady Nagant and Kai are apprehended by the heroes.
 * Lady Nagant manages to survive the explosion and tell Deku about All For One's location.
 * Deku agrees to fulfill Lady Nagant's promise to Kai and let him apologize to his Boss if he also apologizes to Eri.
 * Deku, the Top Three Pros, and The Lurkers storm the former Creature Rejection Clan hideout, only for it to be a trap by All For One.
 * A pre-recorded message from All For One reveals he no longer cares about All Might and tells Deku it's "his turn".
 * The Lurkers are revealed to know the truth behind One For All and suggest revealing the truth to more Heroes for help.
 * Death Arms is revealed to be one of the heroes who has retired, unable to handle all the stress and criticism.
 * Shoto attempts to contact Endeavor, but is ignored.
 * Deku easily dispatches the second assassin, and leaves All Might behind to try and protect him, to the latter's discomfort.
 * Stain secretly watches them from afar.
 * Deku continues to work himself to the brink of exhaustion, despite Endeavor and the One For All vestiges' attempts to get him to rest.
 * Endeavor reveals they've received word that overseas heroes will be arriving to assist them soon.
 * Rumors begin to spread as people talk about Deku's new "heroic" persona, with some believing him to be a Nomu or All For One's subordinate.
 * Deku faces another assassin, Dictator, who uses his Quirk, Despot, to control civilians into attacking him, which he's unable to properly fight back due to how tired he has become.
 * Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight and the rest of Class A arrive to rescue Deku and dispatch Dictator.
 * It is revealed that classes and graduation at U.A. have been suspended, with the hero students on standby or acting as security.
 * Class A figure out Izuku and All Might are working with Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist, and with Nezu's help, corner Endeavor into revealing the truth.
 * The class stands their ground in wanting to help their friend, and are determined to go track him down.
 * Deku refuses to accept his classmates' help and attempts to flee while they try to restrain him.
 * The top three Pros apprehend Dictator and remain on standby.
 * Each of his classmates attempt to reason with Deku, reminding him of everything he's done and said to them.
 * Class A puts all their abilities together to blast Ingenium into the air and grab Deku's hand.
 * Katsuki speaks to Izuku about their past, admitting to his feelings of inferiority towards Izuku, which caused his aggressiveness towards him, apologizing for everything he's done between them.
 * Izuku finally passes out from exhaustion.
 * Principal Nezu implements the "U.A. Barrier", a security system previously installed for the Culture Festival, which encompasses the entire surrounding area of U.A., turning it into an impeccable fortress on par with Tartarus.
 * Each section of the school is connected to an underground emergency shelter, which can then travel through a network of tunnels underneath the school in case of an emergency, which itself is fortified with layers of steel built to detect unusual activity.
 * Nezu personally worked, and paid for himself, to redesign the defense system to withstand Tomura's Decay.
 * Shiketsu High created a similar defense system after the "imposter incident", and has formed an alliance with U.A.
 * It is revealed most civilians have been escorted to the various evacuation centers, with the only holdouts being the anti-hero vigilantes and the violent pillagers.
 * A group of civilians within U.A. protest Izuku's entry, aware that he is being targeted by Tomura for One For All, and whose presence they believe is a threat to their safety.
 * After Best Jeanist's failed attempt to explain and reassure everyone's safety, Ochaco pleads to the people to see Izuku's current state and all he has done to try and help them, asking to let him rest.
 * Izuku breaks down in exhaustion and relief over her words, and the civilians agree to let him stay, starting to think about how they should become more than just "spectators."
 * It is revealed that since Oboro's re-awakening, Kurogiri was relocated to Central Hospital for restorative research.
 * All Might finally meets and encounters Stain in person.
 * The Hero Killer provides All Might words of advice, as well as information he had collected when he escaped from Tartarus.
 * Izuku is cleaned up and finally rests, while the rest of Class 1-A plan to help reassure the still nervous civilians.
 * The heroes learn that Tomura requires two months of rest until his body is complete, so they have about one month until he is.
 * However, the information from Stain, which is revealed to be data on the attack on Tartarus, unveils a conversation between All For One and his vestige within Tomura using the Radio Waves Quirk, revealing Tomura will be complete in just 3 days.
 * All Might requests immediate assistance from the foreign heroes, which the nations of the world discuss about, while America's No. 1 Pro Hero, Star and Stripe, heads over immediately to help.

Characters Introduced

 * Dictator
 * Star and Stripe

Quirks Introduced

 * Smokescreen: En's Quirk gives him the ability to generate a thick cloud of smoke and spread it across an area.
 * Rifle: Kaina's Quirk gives her the ability to manifest a rifle from her right elbow, and shoot bullets she can mold from her hair.
 * Fa Jin: The third user's Quirk gives him the ability to build up kinetic energy to release later.
 * Despot: Dictator's Quirk gives him the ability to control several people like puppets.

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