Seven years ago...
All Might's car.

*******************

Interview 1:

"We were all scared to death! I thought we wouldn't make it until that guy appeared. "

Interview 2:

"Well, he said he was a hero, and he saved us, but... damn, he was so strong and scary too..."

Interview 3:

"I was there with my son: he looked as dangerous as the villains he single-handled..."

"He isn't dangerous, Mama! He's cool and he saved us!

"Takeo, please! Like I was saying, whoever he is, I wouldn't feel my family is safe with him around..."

Interview 4:

"Me? Trust this guy? He's a multiple Quirk user, like those late villains we have seen! He definitely has something to do with AFO!"

Interviewer to the camera:

"These are some of the divisive opinions on this vigilante. As you can see, this multiple Quirk user who claims to be a hero causes both fascination and fear among civilians. Unfortunately, Endeavor, Hawks, Best Jeanist and the rest of currently active Pro Heroes have refused to make declarations.

In any case, he continues his apparent crusade against old and new villains, until now defeating them one after one.

Hero? Menace? Only time and research will tell..."

*******************

All Might turned off the small TV and deeply breathed inside the car.

The popular opinion wasn't being too nice with the young Midoriya, but his work was unquestionable: once again the day was saved and his boy had reported to be relatively unharmed and in good company. After those hard months, that was everything that mattered to him now.

Despite having gotten stronger than ever and his increasing control over the multiple powers that composed One For All, there was a limit to what a hero's body and mind could take.

That was why he was so glad when he knew Deku was getting a little help from people he knew he deeply trusted. He had been alone for so long and there was definitely other voice he needed to hear.

Meanwhile, not very far, a girl with a partially damaged costume and a boy whose costume was destroyed from the wrasp upwards had slowly landed on a roof, far from the cameras and awkward questions.

Before he could complete his question, she jumped forward and buried her face on his chest as she started to repeatedly hitting it with her small fists.

"You...!" Uraraka tried to sound firm and her voice wasn't far from cracking. "What were you thinking... leaving UA... leaving us... with letters... and fight against villains on your own..."

"Uraraka, stop!" the girl wasn't hitting strongly, but it was enough to make Deku painfully remind the collection of bruises under his costume. "You should rest..."

"Don't you dare tell me I have to rest! You, among all people!" Uraraka got so carried away,Deku held her tight to escape from her punches and attempt to confort her. "Idiot, idiot, idiot..."

"Uraraka, please, if we keep like this, we'll be back in the air soon..."

Uraraka panted and quitted on her beating.

"I've been worried, you know..." she muttered. "Look at you: you look like you haven't slept in ages..."

"I'm sorry. I know you must be mad at me, but after all this time, it is so good to see you" Deku hadn't prepared himself for a reencounter yet, but to see Uraraka, at least to see her rant. "And I know it is going to take more than just a hug to compensate..."

Uraraka was surprised for once she didn't overblush or freak out from being so close to Deku. Maybe times had changed, maybe they were alone, or maybe she had missed him for too long to care.

"Yes. It will take more than that" she kept mumbling and reciprocrated the hug. "But it helps..."

Deku knew in normal conditions he would steam like a teapot, but the accumulated tiredness must be taking that away. And sharing a warm hug with Uraraka was no complaining matter.

"Deku, your costume... " a smile started to grow shyly, "...it was wasted again..."

"Oh great..." Deku got a bit embarrassed as they separated. "We meet again after a while and I look like... oh my, yours has been ruined too!"

Deku looked around and saw the yellow cape he received from Gran Torino. Uraraka wouldn't tell him then, but she wouldn't miss that vigilante outfit. Too edgy, not very friendly, and the smile with which he vowed to save everyone was nowhere to be found. But now the hood and mask were gone, she could see the real face of the boy and that smile was back where it should never leave. And as if that wasn't good enough, Deku was using the only part of his costume that remained in one piece to wrap it around her shoulders.

They spent a while sitting by the edge of the roof, where they would comment their teaming up during the fight and catch up about how things were going in the now Class 2A, like they used to do.

Then they moved into more serious stuff. Of course, Deku would apologize and confessed he owed a lot of answers to his friends, but this wasn't merely about hero work anymore. AFO and the League were after him and he couldn't keep them close and protected at the same time.

Uraraka came prepared though. They were never ignorant for plot convenience. It was always obvious that there was something strange about Deku's Quirk, something that connected him with All Might and was the reason of AFO and Shigaraki's obsession with him.

But the UA was always under the League's radar. Only during the first year they had met their members in several occassions, and yet teachers had done their best to protect and educate their students, while they learned to look after each other.

She knew Deku was doing what he considered right, but leaving the school in second year wasn't the best for his future as a hero either. Bakugou, Iida and the rest had agreed to go find Deku and give him the help he needed. And that last fight against Dictator had served to prove how far they would go to support their classmate.

"I was ready to see Kacchan mad at me and willing to fight me if necessary. But I couldn't see what happened today coming..." Deku was desolated after his nineteen classmates endangered themselves precisely because of how he was trying to keep them safe. "I... I wouldn't forgive myself if..."

"You know us better than that, Deku" Uraraka stated. "You are a hero; nobody puts that in question. But you are also our friend. We wouldn't let you get into a war alone but would get you covered like you always did with us."

"I know you guys care. And I couldn't ask for better friends. I want you out of this because you are important to me..." Deku meant it with all his being.

"I told you. We are heroes, but before that, we are friends. Your cause is our cause and we are in this together, whether you like it or not."

"I was working with Endeavor and Hawks..."

"Endeavor and Hawks may be the top heroes, but they don't know you us! Don't you see? They can't care about you like I do! I mean... like we do!" the emotions Uraraka held in her chest were back in eruption. "You are part of our lives. We miss you..."

It wasn't a coincidence that Uraraka had brought them to a roof. She wanted a moment to finally talk with him face to face before all the others, specially Bakugou and Todoroki, bombed him with questions.

And what a surprise, reason and heart were struggling for dominance inside her. It wasn't the best moment to speak her heart out.

But that moment never came. Maybe there wasn't a good moment at all...

It didn't matter. Deku was way more important than her feelings for him.

"We talked with Endeavor before coming..."

"I'm sure you did. And I know for sure All Might did too when I decided to continue on my own" Deku's tired smile was slowly returning. "Endeavor called me before you arrived. He told me they don't want me operating on my own anymore. He also told me that, All Might's steps follower or not, I am a student and today I belong in a hero academy."

Those were news she wasn't expecting and Uraraka was happy to hear them. But he wouldn't be satisfied until Deku agreed with those words.

"It is your decision what I need to know, Deku. You know I'm not leaving until I have done the correct thing. Like you wouldn't."

"You are doing that again" Deku slightly deviated his sight and tried to avoid eye contact for a while.

"Huh? Doing what?" Uraraka asked in confusion.

"Giving that glare of determination. Your eyes often look..." he better be careful, he was about to give a comment about a girl's looks. "... innocent... warm... and caring. But when you talk about saving people or supporting your parents... I can see the iron will behind it. Like I see it now you are talking about how I must return to UA."

There it came again: a deafening heartbeat that almost made her lose self control.

"Deku... being cute when I am worried about you is cheating..." she mentally stroke back against inminent flustering.

"Endeavor said he won't take a no for an answer: if I am caught again working on my own he will have me arrested and will make sure my hero license will be suspended" Deku reluctantly revealed. "The thing is that, whether I like it or not, I have failed: I left the school thinking that would keep you out of danger... and now it happens that all of you will put yourselves in danger to help me, with the support of the Principal, All Might and Endeavor in the process."

"This is your fault, Deku" bubbly Uraraka was knocking the door. "Being the way you are makes you a person very easy to deeply care about. And you better get used! Because from now on, Iida and I will keep an eye on you at every moment! I'm personally going to make sure you don't get into more trouble on your own!" she energetically announced pointing at him with her index like it was a long distance weapon. "It's going to be hard though, with all these new powers of yours..."

"Okay, okay, fair enough" Deku happily waved his hands. He knew one could only surrender to Uraraka's energy. "But I mean it when I say I have missed you and I want to compensate you."

"So! Do you have something in mind?" Uraraka wasn't thinking it would be a big deal. Having Deku back in school was already good enough.

"I know there is one week left for the end of the course dance..." now it was Deku who blushed. However, it would only take hardly seconds for Uraraka to turn the same colour. She hadn't thought of that event at all. "I'm no good at dancing or partying, but... if we are meant to have date... would you be mine?"

Deku was nervous enough when he asked the question, but he looked at Uraraka in concern when she stood there still, quiet and with her brown eyes like plates.

"I mean, it is just an idea!" he hurried up to say. "It's just... it takes place once a year, and after all this time working, I really want to have fun with you guys, And you are the girl I am closest to! Of course, we are friends, and I wasn't thinking of anything weird!"

"Deku..."

"And I ask you because I think I would feel a bit more confident in a formal party with you by my side! BUT IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, REALLY! IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING WITH ME, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH...!"

"Deku!" Uraraka panted with her cheeks shinning. "I already said yes..."

"You.. you will? Are you sure?" Deku looked as if all of a sudden he just understood the question he asked and the answer he got.

"Well, I actually said yes three times while you couldn't stop speaking" Uraraka sweetly smiled as she tried to hide her trembling. "You could say I am sure. I... I am no good at it either, but... I agree, it should be better going with one of your best friends."

Deku may had been unable to stop talking some moments ago, but now he looked like he was having the opposite difficulty until he was saved by a phone call to Uraraka.

"Everything is fine, Froppy. We are on our way back. See you in a moment" Uraraka would soon tell her the news, including the one she still couldn't believe.

Deku was also having his fair share of difficulty to assimilate what had happened in just a few seconds. However, that would have to wait until he reunited with the rest of the class.

Uraraka, on the other hand, was joyful Deku had decided to return. Sure, that wouldn't put an end to the terrifying threat villains had become, but at least neither his mother, teacher or they would have to be worried about their friend anymore.

Now... oh, now... she wouldn't blame Mina for her overreaction when she told the girls. In fact, she could have some help to get ready.

No more delaying and no more excuses. That dance night would be the best occassion to confess her crush to Deku, and she promised to herself that, no matter what, she would do it...

******************

July 18th, 20:30.
The Man's Island, level 6 underground.

They looked even more unnerving when they approached along that subterranean walkway in red light. Like something out of a Doom game.

Luckily improvisation has as part of a hero's job as having a plan.

The Zero Gravity hero put her hands together and said her magic word: the Nomus that went after them were buried under the avalanche of debris settled above their heads at the end of the walkway. None of them got up.

She then turned... and wasn't surprised to find Toga was out of sight again.

What got her unguarded was a lizard like Nomu that wrapped her with its tongue and turned visible. The black scaled atrocity couldn't look more different from Tsuyu.

Uraraka managed to stay calmed as she tried to reach something with her wires. But before she could a blade crossed the air like an arrow and entered the Nomu's mouth, reaching its throat and putting it out for good.

As soon as she was free, Uraraka looked back and got ready for another shot. But Toga had been fast and now there was a ray shield between them.

"Thanks, Himiko; you're welcome, Ochako. That was my last knife, you know?" Toga pouted, but an ugly thing of those wouldn't take the fun of playing with Uravity from her.

"I have news from Japan, Toga. The Tartarus is safe and Endeavor himself took Gigantomachia down. The League's allies are starting to lose terrain" Uraraka must tried to stop her the good way.

"Oh, yes, I have heard Mr Stainy has returned too. Too bad I can't be in two places at once" Toga shrugged.

"Anyway, it's been fun to hang out with you as usual, but I have to go: work is calling."

"What work?" Uraraka inquired. "What is Shigaraki up to?"

"Ochako, please, don't you hate it when someone spoils you the ending of a good story?" Toga naughtily grinned.

Uraraka was about to reply, but first she got a report from Kirishima.

"Eri and the others are free" she announced. Good news had kept her waiting, but they had arrived. "You should surrender, Toga. We both know how this ends."

Toga always looked different with the shadow of her fringe covering her amber eyes.

"I know this won't be meaning a lot, but... I'm not proud of what I did during that end of the course dance in UA. And, as selfish as it is not wanting to share a boy like Deku, now I really wish you had made it to the altar last week.

Before Uraraka could ask what she meant, she had already started walking away on the other side of the ray shield.

"And you're wrong: you don't know how this actually ends" she concluded waving her hand before disappearing. "At all."

Uraraka was intrigued, but she didn't bother to call her back. Communication was getting hard to keep inside the heart of that mountain, but she had to keep moving.

Suddenly, some far noises and screams she couldn't identify began to echo. Uraraka followed the echoing and run until she reached an illuminated tunnel, where she found indeed the source of the echoing.

However, it was too late to avoid the huge torrent of water that caught her and dragged her violently along the tunnel.

"Water? Down here?"

The answer was found as soon as she got out to the surface for air. An answer that came in the form of a new surprise. More like a few surprises put all together.

"MELISSA? KOTA?" Uraraka was shocked when they crashed.

"URAVITY!" Melissa was clutching Kota as hard as she could as he unsuccessfully tried to regain control over the torrent. "I can't tell how glad I am to see you!

"What's all this? And what are you doing here?"

"The water flow is too strong! I won't be able to slow us down for too long!" Kota desperately cried.

"Long story! Now we must find a way out before this tunnel ends and we fall into the depths of the volcano!" Melissa quickly exposed.

Luckily, a plan was easier to come up with now they had Uraraka as a third participant: with the help of Kota's Quirk and Melissa's wired hooks they managed to slow down enough so Uraraka could make them all float over the pit where magma roared down in the distance.

Uraraka's Quirk turned one of Melissa's small boomerangs into a proyectile so fast that destroyed the glass window towards which they were floating at high speed. The three of them finally entered that observation platform, where they would land and catch their breath as well as they could.

"What's a visit to Hawaii without trying the waters..." Uraraka thought as she got up and checked the other two.

"Phew, that was close. Right, Kota?" then she realized she was still clutching the boy against her chest and he was hardly moving. "Kota? Kota!" Melissa grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Kota was blushing and had a funny expression in his face, as if he hadn't been down to Earth for a while. "Oh... I've been worse..."

"I SEE YOU ARE HAVING FUN... KOTA."

The origin of those words came from a big screen that was just turned off in front of them. To be precise, from a girl with silver hair whose big smile didn't match at all with the fire in her red eyes.

"E..ERI!? This... this is not what..." Kota quickly separated from Melissa in terror and turned from red to pale in a second, as he looked at that angry version of Eri on a big screen.

"I SEE YOU ARE HAVING FUN..."

"You already said that!!" Kota protested.

"A lot of fun, indeed..." Mirio was by Eri's side, mimicking her pose and expression over Kota.

The girls blinked simultaneously experienced a brief dejà vu from the past. It was then when Uraraka noticed Kota was wearing a version of her fiancé's costume.

Melissa told them how they had managed to escape from the villains. Once she pirated and studied the map of the place, she had distracted them at the superior level for enough time so Kota could manipulate the tons of water from the lake under which they were and get rid of the enemy. Meanwhile, All Might had deactivated the alarms and opened the emergency gates so Professor Shield and them could escape. The problem was that the flow of water was too big for Kota to handle and they had to improvise a little bit before reuniting with Mirio and Eri.

Luckily, All Might had appeared at the last moment and had forcefully prevented Shield to go after his daughter when the water engulfed her.

Speaking of whom, they immediately contacted to tell them everything was fine.

"Look, I know you're at mad at me, and I'm sorry you figured it out like that, but there is no time for scolding..." she stoically tried to argue with her father. "Dad, I'm no longer a teen girl, and I live on my own; you can't have me grounded anymore..."

"Lemillion, where is Deku?" Uraraka asked.

"Oh, yes. When we were trying to take Eri out of here... Muscular appeared" Mirio explained. Uraraka gasped and looked at Kota with concern. The kid just turned, not looking happy. "Don't worry, Kota: that's a villain who never learns. Deku will kick his ass for a hundredth time."

Mirio briefly told them how Muscular had dared Kota to try to avenge his parents instead of hiding behind Deku again. Kota was naturally tempted, but he claimed that time he would keep his word to his idol and protect Eri. As moved as they were, the two heroes reminded him that Melissa was there and she needed him to stick to the plan: Mirio would protect Eri, Deku would fight Muscular and Kota would play the role he just did. This time a blink by Eri was all the push Kota needed.

"Now I will take Eri out of here. You, meanwhile..."

The room was suddenly shaken from the upper levels, making the screen blink intermitently before turning off. Something big was being fought just some feet above.

"Guys! Move aside, now!!"

They hardly managed to do so, before the ceiling was destroyed and its pieces crushed them. After landing on his back, the literal mountain of muscles violently removed the hero who kept punching on top of him.

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Muscular's voice triumphally declared when he used a bunch of long tendons to grab an unprepared Kota and the two girls by the neck. "YOU THOUGHT I WOULD LET YOU GO SO EASILY?!"

The free arm of Muscular was held by Black Whip as two berserk green eyes came through the cloud of dust and their owner prepared Full Cowling to dispatch the villain.

"If you know what's best for you... put them down..." Deku demanded. "... and I'll end this the cleanest way possible..."

"You... always you, making me look like a dog in the need of a beating... I'm done with losing against you..." as usual, Muscular was visibly touched after facing Deku, but he never looked as crazy and desperate to use human shields. "Yes, I'll indeed put the three of them down if that is what it takes to have my revenge. I'm glad your pretty girlfriend has joined us today!" he maniacally said giving some extra pressure to Uraraka's neck. She silently twisted in pain, which enraged Deku to a whole new level. "But first, I will start with the reason why we two met! What do you day, Water Hose orphan?"

"Go to hell..." Kota uttered as he choked in tears.

Muscular dedicated him an unpleasant bloody chuckle.

"You're likely to meet Mommy and Daddy there soon, kid" Muscular tore the mask of the Deku costume Kota was wearing. The costume Eri gave him. "Aww, you've wanted to be like Deku since that night at the camp, right? Look at you, you're just like them: you're going to die for dressing up like things you are not..."

"You're wrong" given the distance, Deku had an idea. He just hoped Kota got the message. "Kota will be a hero able to face villains way better than you. He doesn't need to dress up like me. I already told him that on the beach... where he taught me some of his Quirk skills."

Muscular turned his sight to Kota, who was now pointing at him with his hand in a pose similar to Deku's when he shot air pressure with his fingers. The youngest member of the team had caught the message.

"What's the deal?" Muscular mocked. "Getting me wet until I catch a cold?"

"I can do something better..."

It was thin like a finger and lacked any destructive power, but when Muscular received that boiling water spray right into his only remaining eye he roared like a wild rabid animal.

Deku took the few seconds Kota earned him to release Uraraka and Melissa and flied against the blinded Muscular to force him release Kota too. But the League's most dislikeable thug had finally gone berserk and looked like he wouldn't let Kota go to save his life. Literally.

Muscular threw hits blindingly and cursed loud and hardly comprehensible. The three were now falling all the way down into the volcano while Deku used everything in his power to save Kota.

"Deku!" Uraraka came to the rescue and made everyone's gravity go temporally.

However, he wouldn't be able to keep herself, two people and one monster's sized villain for long.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Deku tried to break the mass of muscles below which Kota was imprisoned, but it wasn't easy since he had to protect himself and Uraraka. "I can't save everyone like this!"

"If this goes on, you'll fall too!!" Kota yelled when Deku finally opened a hole with the brute strength of his own hands.

"DEKU... WATERHOSE..." Muscular looked and sounded as enraged as he was feeling all the beats and defeats on the hands of Deku together at the same time. "I'LL TAKE YOU TWO DOWN TO HELL WITH ME..."

After a while fighting and protecting Kota, Uraraka was having extreme difficulty and they began to slowly descend.

Deku knew he could end the fight easily and save both fiancée and friend with just one punch... but that was a line true heroes didn't cross. Nevertheless, heat was increasing and his desperation was reaching its peak.

What happened next would save him from making any choice: explosions were heard from a place not far from the bottom of that pit and lava rose from beneath like a massive geiser.

In the last seconds Deku released Kota and Uraraka used his last effort to make him float the way up as long as possible, which was enough for Melissa to get him in a rope and bring him up. When Uraraka fell he caught him in the air thanks to Nana Shimura's Float. Last, he looked down just to see the the villain being swallowed and dragged down by that lava geiser. For a milisecond he thought he still could use Black Whip, but he remembered he was holding Uraraka.

Muscular only had time to scream Deku's name in hatred and look at him for the last time with the eye the son of the Water Hose marriage had boiled with hot water.

If villains went to hell, that demise was a pretty accurate depiction.

When Deku and Uraraka returned to the obervation platform, it wasn't easy to find the words. As heroes they would always give priority to human life, including villains', but on that occassion, the fan favorite to become the Number One Hero didn't succeed where All Might always did.

After some seconds of checking their partners and resting for a moment, Kota broke the silence:

"Deku!" he anxiously said. "I'm sorry this happened! I mean, it's not like Muscular's death makes me sad, but... I didn't want it ended like this!"

"Kota...?"

"Muscular was a murderer and deserved to pay, but it is not your fault or Uravity's he couldn't be saved! In fact, I was the one who blinded him in the eye! But all I wanted was you to win and make it! He's the one who didn't come to his senses. I...I didn't want him to get killed... or you to feel guilty..."

Deku looked at Kota with the shine of care in his eyes he always seemed to have for children. The little boy of the Training Camp was becoming a grown up and started to prove it.

"I know you didn't" he bowed and passed his hand through his fan's black hair. "I'm sorry too about the ending result, but I'm really happy you are fine."

"I'm where I shouldn't be. As usual" Kota sighed.

"This is true. But you are here and you helped to save Eri. Also, this time you chose to help Melissa instead of going after Muscular. I couldn't be more proud of you, bud" Deku knocked his fist with affection.

Kota stood tall in pride as he received those words from his idol. Melissa ended the moment in a high note by returning his horned red hat to his head.

"Okay, we have rested for long enough" Deku knew he still had the hardest work to do that night. "It is time for you two to retire to a safe place. Uravity, I need you to take care of them"

He gave a look at the bottom of the pit. That sudden geiser of lava had give him evidence about where Bakugou and Todoroki were fighting.

He had some place to go before meeting the final boss.

End of chapter 44.

Thank you all for waiting, Watties!! Now yes, we're getting close to the climax.

And yes, I know I killed off a character, but I didn't think you would mourn a lot about Muscular, among all members of the League of Villains...

I'm really sorry this story is taking so long for me:(. There hace been periods when I literally lacked inspiration or will to write (I hope I have made this story coherent with the current manga for good now).That is why I must thank you all who are patient enough to keep reading..

Also, I want to thank those who follow me on Instagram and have helped me reach 1000 followers.

Writing and drawing is never the same without you and your feedback, guys 😢😢...

Love you all! And I'm almost on vacation, so stand by! See you!!🧡🧡🧡🧡