Concept art by Catrona! 

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence.

The anticipated arrival of the villains is finally here.

Hope everyone has had a good start to the year.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

For the third time that Sunday night / Monday morning my eyes shot open and I shivered. The faces and whispers from my nightmare began to fade away as I slowly returned to the waking world.

My eyes drifted towards my cat-head shaped alarm clock.

3:02

I winced, rubbing my face and tired, wet eyes. I didn't have repeated nightmares often of the faces, but they almost always occurred on days that would turn out to be sour for me. I tried to remember what my last dream was about, but I only got the impression of cold gazes and the urge to go somewhere with sunlight.

'I won't be able to go back to sleep on my own,' I thought reluctantly. Three nightmares in a night meant I would be greeted with at least two more before my alarm clock went off unless I got up, or found someone to keep me company. With a heavy sigh I got out of bed and washed my face. I dried off the sweat that clung to me and changed into a shirt and shorts. I debated on simply staying up for the rest of the day, but ultimately decided against it.

When I had such frequent nightmares it usually predated a bad day ahead of me. It was an uncanny coincidence.

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text message to Nezu; he told me to always tell him when I had frequent nightmares in the same night, and if I remembered anything about them, or felt a strong urge to do something afterwards.

'Three nightmares in a row. Only remember cold, and distorted faces. One of them had green eyes, I think. Strong urge to find sunlight.'

I was about send the message when three words whispered in my ear and I remembered something more about my dreams.

'All for one. They said all for one a lot.'

Then I sent off the message and promptly teleported into Shōto's bed.

My precious companion gave a slight murmur upon my presence. "Sorry. Can I stay here?"

Shōto's eyes blearily opened up, then he shot upright. "Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

I didn't realize I was.

I reflexively wiped at my eyes, surprised to find tears on my hands. I didn't feel particularly sad, or have the desire to cry. I only felt tired, and like I needed a little warmth tonight. I knew the dreams had unsettled me—the first one I only vaguely remembered feeling upset about—but I didn't think they bothered me enough to cry about.

Shōto wiped away at the dried tears on my cheeks, his eyes soft with concern. "Bad dreams?"

"Yeah," I answered softly.

"Want to talk about it?"

My shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Same thing. I only remember faces, cold, and the words all for one."

"All for one?"

Once more I shrugged.

Shōto's lips pursed and he scooted back on his bed and patted the area next to him. I crawled underneath the covers and curled up beside him. Shōto pulled the covers over me and then scooted back underneath. We faced each other, and he reached over and wiped at my eyes. "It's okay now."

"I don't know why I'm crying," I confessed, starting to feel embarrassed. My cheeks warmed, and I averted my gaze.

"I'm here for you," Shōto offered, lifting his arm in a silent offer for a hug. After hesitating for a split second I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. He rested his arm around my back and gave it a consoling pat.

"Always and always?" I asked him.

"Always and always," he promised.

That made me smile. "What do you think the chances are I'll have a great day tomorrow and break the bad-day trend from multiple nightmares?"

"You'll have a good day tomorrow, I'll make sure of it," Shōto declared quietly.

I couldn't resist laughing at that, because we both knew the odds of that happening were very slim.

But it was nice to hope for it.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Come six I groggily started waking up. My eyes felt like lead and I had to rub at them for a while to get all the dried gunk out of them. Shōto stirred beside me, rubbing at his own eyes and yawning widely. We laid beside each other for several minutes before I was the first to sit up. "Oh, boy I'm tired."

"Gonna be okay?" he asked me.

"Always am," I responded. "I'll see you at school?"

"Of course."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

I collapsed at my desk with a sigh and placed my head on top of it. Shōto reached over and rubbed my back. No words were exchanged for a couple minutes until Ochaco and Izuku took their seats next to us.

"What's wrong with Kiyo-chan?" Izuku asked with concern.

"Multiple nightmares in a row last night," I grunted.

"Oh, no," Izuku whispered with utter dread, his eyes wide with worry and darting around the classroom like a bear might come tumbling out at any minute.

"Nightmares can be pretty bad, but it'll be okay, Kiyo-chan," Ochaco murmured to me in a soothing voice. "We can go out for ice cream after work if you want."

"You don't understand," Izuku whispered to her. "When Kiyo-chan has repeated nightmares in the same night it always means something bad is going to happen. Last time it happened she dragged me out to one of her hunting adventures and we ended breaking both our pelvic bones, lost in a forest, and she ran out of power to teleport us out! Our emergency phones got lost in the ravine, and we were stranded out there for six hours!"

"I said I was sorry," I muttered.

"And I forgave you," Izuku dismissed. "But that doesn't change the fact that something bad always happens the next day. Her Baba got a stroke and her Papa had a heart attack the first time this happened."

"But they're both fine, and so are you two," said Shōto. "It may be a rough day, but it'll be okay. Don't worry Kiyo-chan, I'm h—I mean we're here."

I gave a murmur that sounded vaguely like thank you. I closed my eyes for what could only be a split second before someone called me back to reality.

"Kiyo-chan," Aizawa called out to me. He cocked his head up and I reluctantly got out of my seat and headed to the front of the room. It was a bit surprising to see him arrive before class started. Aizawa was notorious for being exactly on time, so he didn't have to waste his time. I tried to put a bit more energy in my step, feeling a little self-conscious of how tired I looked.

"Yes, Cactus-sensei?" I asked him.

"Go to Nezu's for lunch," he ordered me. Then he reached into his pocket and handed me a small energy drink. "Chug it and get back to your seat."

I took it gratefully. Baba refused to have much caffeine around the house. Even all her tea was white, or green tea, and thus caffeine free. I uncapped it and finished it in one gulp, inwardly wincing at the sour taste it left in my mouth. Still, it was better than nothing. I sincerely meant it when I said, "Thank you."

He didn't respond for a minute. "Go back to your seat, and stop worrying."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The energy drink was starting to wear off, so it was with shaky and tired hands that I opened Nezu's door. I was surprised to find my shishō patiently waiting for me with tea already made and what looked like some delicious baklava next to it. Nezu looked up from pouring a cup of steaming tea for himself and gestured for me to take a seat at his couch. "Come in, Kiyo-chan. How do you feel?"

I shut the door behind me and took my seat, placing the bento box on the coffee table in front of me. "Tired."

"I bet," Nezu murmured agreeably, pouring a cup of tea for myself. "Drink up, this will calm your nerves. I apologize for not responding your text, but I was preoccupied. The school had another attempted break in yesterday, you see."

"Oh, no. Was anything stolen?"

"No, no," Nezu reassured me. "The sensors worked as they always did. Did you dream about U.A., Kiyo-chan?"

My brow furrowed as I thought carefully. "I-I think so."

It was hard to recall specific things about such a hazy dream; like trying to grasp for smoke with your bare hands. As the day had continued on without much of a fuss, the growing dread that something horrible would happen at any minute amounted further inside of me. I had sent frequent texts to Baba and Papa to make sure they were still coherent and well, half-prepared to teleport to their side at any instant.

The familiar, yet foreign, faces had told me something in my dreams. I knew that much.

"The first dream," I began, "was bad. I woke up, um, sad, I think. The second dream was scary, though. It was when they said one for all."

"Do you remember anything else about that dream?" Nezu inquired gently. "Here, drink some more tea."

The tea smelled like chamomile with honey and milk. "Thank you. Let me think."

With the cup of warm tea in my hands I tried to think back about my dreams. There was something on the tip of my tongue.

"Ah!" I exclaimed. "I'll be right back."

I quickly teleported into my bedroom and grabbed the pink notebook paper on my desk. I brought it back to Nezu's office and triumphantly held it up.

I remembered my dreams for only a few minutes after waking from them. I tried to write what I could about them if I remembered to do so—which wasn't often, as sometimes I was overcome with strong emotions I could do little else but cling onto my pillow and wait it out—but unfortunately sometimes what I wrote wasn't legible, or recognizable.

Frankly, if I didn't know any better I would accuse someone else of writing it because it was hardly ever my handwriting.

One time I even wrote something out in English!

English!

I handed Nezu the notebook. Nezu glanced at it, cocking his head. "Oh. French."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it," Nezu quickly said. "It says: Nōmu will come to U.A. Beware One for All."

"Shishō, what's one for all? Who is Nōmu?"

"I'm not certain who Nōmu is, dear Kiyo-chan," Nezu murmured. "You did well to remember to write down. I'm proud of you."

That made me beam, a bit of my grogginess slipping away at Nezu's words. "Th-Thank you, Shishō."

He smiled at me. "Please enjoy your lunch here, and have some baklava. It looks like I have some business to take care of."

"Okay, thank you.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

I sat next to Shōto on the bus, and my dread continued to mount. Nothing so far had happened today, so part of me hoped the cycle was broken. The other part of me, however, felt like something simply that awful was about to happen at any minute. My stomach knotted into a pretzel and nausea greeted me like a cold wave.

My fingers fiddled with one another and Shōto reached over and took both of my hands into his own. I looked up questioningly at my friend and he responded with, "It's going to be okay."

I smiled wobbly at him.

"Try to relax," he suggested. "I'll let you know when we arrive."

Obediently, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat. I reflected on happier, calmer memories as I tried to shove aside my anxiety. Warm summer days working on the farm came to mind: mindless easy work while Baba made lunch inside. Papa would recite a childhood story of his. I thought about adventure I had gone on with Izuku, the humorous expressions and noises he made during them and then the thousand-yard stare he would get when I told him it was time for another adventure. I thought of chilly nights and watching movies with Shōto, my dearest companion sound asleep beside me, but his grip on my hands never relaxing.

It made the fear a little easier to bear. It was still present, but didn't seem so overbearing.

Too soon for my liking we had arrived.

"Everyone, I have been waiting for you," professional hero Thirteen greeted all of us once we stepped off the bus. I didn't know Thirteen's real name, and Nezu decided against telling me. She was always kind though, and extremely well-mannered.

There were a few gasps and excited whispers from around me. Thirteen was a well-liked hero, after all. She was mostly dedicated to rescue work and had an impressive record. Although Nezu told me had gone on a few Hunting missions before as a support, but disliked it.

Thirteen extended her arms out to us in almost an offering of a hug, her poofy astronaut-esque costume giving the effect of a marshmallow reaching for a hug.

The thought made me smile a bit.

"Let's go inside without delay, students," Thirteen said, gesturing toward the expansive stadium behind me.

I recognized the training stadium, although I hadn't been inside it much. Sometimes I would deliver reports, or paperwork for Nezu and it required me to head out to the stadium and interrupt some of the older students' class.

Although none of them complained about it, and a few even continuously greeted me with cheerful smiles.

I was the first to start moving, knowing that Thirteen preferred to be at the back of a group to keep a better eye on things. Tenya and Shōto followed behind me shortly, and soon our entire class filed into the extremely large dome-like structure.

Gasps of amazement echoed all around me as people took it in.

It was certainly impressive. The building featured about seven different zones for heroes to practice in (mountain, forest, ruined city, enclosed space, landslide, sinking ship, fire, windstorm). It was certainly big enough to fit a whole town in, and looked absolutely immaculate on top of that.

"This is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters," Thirteen explained, a tone of pride in her voice. "It's called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short."

Aizawa stepped to the head of the group, frowning. "Where's All Might? He was supposed to meet us here."

Thirteen leaned in to Aizawa and murmured something quietly. The look of irritation on Aizawa's face was apparent after Thirteen pulled away. Aizawa muttered, "That's the height of irrationality." Then he let out a sigh. "It can't be helped. Shall we begin?"

"Let's see," Thirteen began, "Before we begin let me say one thing, er, or two, er, or three, or four, five, six, seven—Ah, everyone, I am sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust."

Ochaco was nodding her head vigorously at his words, looking very much like a fangirl meeting her idol. I vaguely remembered talking to her on Saturday and she mentioned that Thirteen was one of her two favorite heroes.

"You've been able to use that Quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?" Izuku asked, his eyes shining with open admiration.

"Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily," Thirteen answered.

Ochaco paused in her nodding, taken aback by his words—as were a fair few of the other students.

Thirteen continued, "Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?"

(Grow a bubble in the heart, watch it e-x-p-l-o-d-e)

"In a superhuman society, personal Quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa-san's physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers; and with All Might's person-to-person combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others." Thirteen then bowed. "That is all, thank you for listening."

The majority of the class cheered, and I smiled in admiration for the kind hero.

(Uh-oh!)

My stomach knotted and a wave of nausea hit me so strongly I stumbled back. Shōto grabbed me before I fell.

"Kiyo-chan?" Izuku asked, noticing my stumble.

(Here)

(They)

"Come," I whispered.

There was a surge of electricity around the dome, and all of the sensors fell offline at once. At the center of the structure, in front of the large fountain, a black wispy hole began to form.

Aizawa's eyes widened before narrowing in anger. He snapped, "Kiyo, get Nezu."

I flexed my magic, but then a painful shock vibrated throughout my body and I gasped in pain. "I-I can't teleport!"

'Magi Dust?'

"Gather together and don't move," Aizawa ordered, seemingly unphased. "Thirteen, protect the students."

(Gonna hide again? Gonna watch? Gonna do nothing?)

"What's that?" Eijirō asked in confusion, staring at the black hole in the center.

"Enemies," I said softly, quietly, my stomach churning. "Sensors are off. One of them has Magi Dust, so I can't teleport."

"Enemies?" Izuku whispered. "Here?"

Dozens of villains began to leave the black hole, each armored and carrying vicious weapons.

I felt a thrill of adrenaline shoot through me, all nausea instantly gone.

'Is this it?'

(Is that all there is to it?)

'Villains?'

(Washed out grunts that barely warrant a second thought?)

'Humans?'

(Is that all you got?)

My back straightened, and I glanced at Aizawa, confirming he slipped on his goggles. I stepped forward once and he snapped, "Don't."

I hesitated for a split second, but took another step.

Aizawa snarled. "I will see you expelled if you even think about doing what I think you're doing, Kiyomi."

"I will protect, no matter the cost," I retorted to him.

(Death will never keep me.)

'What do I care of I die?'

'I live for life.'

'I live for love.'

'I live for them.'

(And we will not fail again.)

With bravery and determination, I leapt straight into the air, two bubbles forming on either side of me and I hardened and flattened them out into thick tantōs. I heard Aizawa curse from behind me, and then he was flying through the air beside me.

"You're an idiot," he snarled at me.

"You were going to jump in first," I retorted. "You're the back line hero, not the frontline. There's too many for you to deal with on your own. You need support."

"And you need self-preservation."

I landed on the ground and immediately the first villain was upon me. I dove underneath his large swing and I sharply raised my right tantō up and underneath his armpit.

'Don't clip the arteries. Go for tendons. Prevent use of limbs to take out of the fight,' I thought to myself, but the thoughts didn't seem entirely my own.

'How do I know where the tendons are?'

(Old habits die hard.)

The villain roared in anger, his arm now dangling uselessly at his side and he snarled at me, but I knew his threat level decreased.

(These are not hardened warriors. They will leave if they think they are in danger.)

(Endanger them.)

I felt a burst of malicious desire coil in the pit of my stomach.

'Threaten them.'

A cruel snarl planted itself on my face, and onto the next villain I went.

(Twist, and turn. The battle is a dance.)

(You are not strong anymore.)

(But they are weak.)

I went for the achilles tendons, shooting down low and swiping with uncanny precision. I went for the back of knees, the elbows, the armpits. Any joint was fair game.

Aizawa was behind me, working in tandem. There was a villain before us with skin too hard to slice.

"Deal with him," he told me.

And the hardened skin melted away and dealt with him I did.

One of them cringed when he met my eyes.

(Let them feel your intent.)

The urge to start going for their throats began to boil over inside of me.

It would be the easiest solution, right?

(Done it so many times.)

(What's one more bloody knife?)

(No. Kiyomi is not a killer.)

(She could be.)

(That is a path of darkness we do not need. Do not condemn her for your mistakes.)

(Shut up!)

Then I felt Aizawa slap my back hard and the haze of bloodlust cleared for a split second. He told me, his voice cold, but firm, "Enough with the killing intent."

'Killing... intent...?'

"You're a student. Not a soldier."

I didn't have a chance to question what he meant, because more fell upon us. My body twisted and moved on almost its own accord, like a pianist playing the his prized instrument again after years of absence. Only a few hesitations, a few bumps, but the music still flowed in a harmonious manner.

I moved in accordance to Aizawa, focused around him. He was the immediate person I had to protect on the field, and I would be damned if they got to him without losing a limb in the process (not that I actually cut off their arms and legs, but the desire to do so was mounting as the battle continued. More than once I had to consciously think against digging in too deep, and keep my tanto blade straight instead of ragged with teeth.)

(Danger. Danger. Danger.)

(Don't touch him.)

There was a man running towards us when the horde of villains had been thinned down to a scarce few. He had a hand mask covering his face, and hands on his arms and legs.

He was familiar.

I dashed to intervene, to keep him away from Aizawa, because the voices screamed at me to do so.

My bubbles transformed, seemingly of their own choice because I certainly didn't think to transform them. They wrapped around my upper arms and hands like body armor, and sharpened the tips of my fingers into claws.

"Pest," the man told me, his voice ragged and coarse. His right hand moved out fast, straight to my abdomen, but I blocked it with my right hand. Then our dance was on, and it was not an easy one like before.

He was not a simple thug.

He moved with surprising speed, and I knew if only a little bit of his hand touched any of my skin it would be game over for me.

He was bigger, and physically stronger than I, so the advantage went to him. He was also such a threat that some voices shrieked and told me to eliminate him—to rip his throat out, if need be. The other voices advocated against it, warning me to play safe and don't get caught.

The chaos inside my head was distracting.

Aizawa continued to take out the remaining thugs while I dealt with the man before me.

Then I made a fatal error.

'Death doesn't matter.'

With thoughts like that, it was harder to fight smart.

'What did it matter?'

If I didn't care what happened to me, why would I hold back?

Why would I play safe?

I kicked him.

That was it.

That was all it took to turn the battle into victory for him.

Because I had no bubble armor to protect me on my legs—only cloth that had been torn from my previous fight, so it was mostly bare—and his right hand clamped down on my calf.

The pain was immediate, and in horror I saw my flesh start to rot before my very eyes. My right bubble lashed out against him in a wild attempt to stop him, but the damage was done.

He released his grip, and I lost control of my right calf.

"Kiyo!" Aizawa shouted, rushing to me.

My arms shot up in a defensive position, and my bubbles turned into a giant shield that surrounded me. I snuck a glance down at my calf, grimacing at the state it was in. Moving as quickly as I could, I ripped off my witch's hat and wrapped it around my calf before tying it. It was a bit bulky, and it soaked up the blood immediately, but it would have to do.

I shifted my weight to my other leg and my bubble lashed out like a whip and tried to grab the man. He leapt away, taunting laughter escaping him.

Aizawa was beside me, then, his eyes entirely focused on the man. "Can you walk?"

"Not well," I admitted. "I will have to switch to back line for now."

"He has a dangerous Quirk. Your bubbles can withstand it, though?"

"Yes," I said.

(Put a bubble around his head.)

(Suffocate him.)

"I guess I'll need Nōmu for you two, after all," the man murmured. "Go."

Then that big, hulking, thing was in front of us and I raised my bubble like a shield but in one punch it shattered like glass. The thing's fist connected against my chest and into the sky I went, all air leaving me in the same instant.

A wheeze barely escaped my lips and I knew my ribs were most certainly broken.

I tried to take in another breath, but found I was unable to.

(Shall we play?)

(No.)

Then I hit the ground and everything went black.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Izuku Midoriya

Izuku felt his stomach clench with fear when Kiyomi literally leapt down into the heart the fray of the villains below. Her bubblegum pink hair flew wildly behind her, and her once normally rather happy-looking bubbles twisted and sharpened into blades.

"Arrogant," Aizawa hissed before he jumped down to join her.

Despite the fear that settled in the pit of his stomach, Izuku took a step to follow behind them. They were going to be heroes, after all. Surely they should—

Thirteen's arm appeared in front of Izuku. "No. We need to retreat and get help."

"B-But Kiyo-chan," Izuku managed to get out, his eyes wide in disbelief. "We can't leave her."

"Kiyomi doesn't need our help."

Izuku turned to Shōto, who was looking Kiyomi's retreating back with a jaw clenched tight. His hands were folded into fists on either side, and his back was painfully straight.

"She barely wins at spars," Katsuki spat out. "There's no way she—"

"This isn't a spar. This is a fight. She," Shōto caught himself and took a deep breath. "She won't lose. If we go down there not only would she have to concern herself with us, but Aizawa-sensei would be distracted protecting us, as well. Aizawa-sensei knows how to fight with her. Kiyo-chan knows how to fight."

Izuku quietly shook his head, the words rising to lips to argue against that, but then he saw them move.

There was no hesitance in her actions, and with almost too much ease she sliced open the arm of one of the villains. Aizawa moved alongside her, and they worked rather well beside one another ('How? Do they have experience together?). It was an odd situation and it gave Izuku a pause.

'How is she moving like that?' Izuku wondered. He had seen Kiyomi spar before. She had fought with him when he was training to earn One for All, and he knew how she moved. He was exact in his details when he wrote about it in his hero notebook.

How she moved now to then, though, was a drastic change.

On the beach she was fun, teasing, and gentle in her punches. Never enough to harm Izuku, but enough to make him work for a win. She was silent, and had damn good reflexes, but those were the two of her greatest strengths. She still had weakness: she overextended with her kicks frequently, and could be distracted with ease. She didn't have Izuku's stamina, or raw strength, either.

The Kiyomi currently fighting, though, was not the one on the beach.

She moved like a snake, twisting and darting for quick and potentially lethal blows. She moved to maim, not kill, but the blood pooling around her was hard to ignore. There was no gentle teasing, no pause, no way to distract. She was dancing around her opponents, moving with grace and skill Izuku honestly didn't think she had.

'Was she holding back this entire time?'

It unsettled Izuku.

'That's not the same Kiyomi,' Izuku thought. He looked over at Shōto, wondering if maybe he saw how wrong it looked, too. He had known her longer than Izuku, after all, and Izuku knew they had spared against one another.

He didn't look surprised, though.

His posture was tight, and despite his earlier words there was obvious discomfort in his eyes.

But no shock. No confusion.

'He knows what causes this?' Izuku thought.

Then the smoky man appeared in front of the class and Izuku had put those thoughts away.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Katsuki Bakugō

'Stupid, piece of shit, coward,' Katsuki thought with unhidden anger as he slammed another fist into a villain. He turned and caught another one and down that one went.

It was hardly worth the effort. The shit they fought were pathetic, and Katsuki knew if that this was all his classmates were facing then they damn straight better kick ass. A hero who couldn't handle a bunch of worthless thugs didn't deserve to be at U.A. Didn't deserve to be a hero.

Heroes won.

No matter the situation.

Luckily for Katsuki that warp gate jackass threw him in the fire dome, so Katsuki could let loose without worry of causing too much damage.

There was one other student that got pulled into the fire dom with Katsuki, Eijirō. He moved fast, and threw solid punches, but his stance was awkward at best and he was clearly fighting with his mind elsewhere.

'Worried for classmates?' Katsuki thought absently, delivering another solid kick and knocking a villain out the window. 'Useless. No reason to be worried.'

Katsuki knew Kiyomi would be fine. He fought with her at least twice a month, and when she put her mind to it she could get vicious. Yeah, he'd still win half the time, but she won half the time. If he had no issues with the scum around him, no way she would.

Deku was probably cowering behind the teacher. As long as he stuck with an adult he'd be fine. That deadlast wouldn't be able to handle the situation, no way. Deku would definitely be the type to only worry about his stupid classmates instead of giving his undivided attention to the villains.

But that's why he was the deadlast, and Katsuki was the winner.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

A hundred plus lifetimes as a soldier, warrior, or ninja, and the dance of battle won't ever leave, I think. Bloodlust is a powerful, addicting thing, that will take a long time to get rid of.

Very shallow switches in POV, because I didn't want to do another interlude so soon after Aizawa's. Next chapter will start off in Shōto's perspective and conclude the battle.

Minor note: this chapter was originally posted when Thirteen was translated using masculine terminology. I've gone back and fixed what I noticed to correct her gender, but sorry for any confusing sentences I missed!

Answer: Damian Wayne.

Question: Who is your mentor?

Reviews are love!