Two weeks had elapsed and all they could do was train and hope, nothing more. The only news they could get of Midoriya and the outside world were some rumors spread through the internet, that's how far both Iida and Yuu could go.
It's been raining for so long now. Sora thought looking back at the window from her own seat between Uraraka and Yuu. Mineta turned off the TV since there was nothing interesting so far while Iida and Yuu each kept to a laptop. The rest of them sat silently with their letters before them.
" What should we do now?" She asked looking down at her own crumbled letter. " Leaving things the way they're... it doesn't feel right."
" It's damn not! Feather head!" They all looked up as Bakugo, Tokoyami, and Todoroki walked over to them, and by the look of it, they were having some conversation. " That's why we're stepping in, you extras!"
" Again with the extras..." Yuu sweatdropped but he was serious when he looked up from his laptop and to the ash blond. " Do you have something in mind, Bakugo-san?"
" You know perfectly well that I do!"
" We'll go find Midoriya," Todoroki said stepping right next to him.
" But... we don't know where he is," Mineta argued.
" We may have a clue," Tokoyami added in a mysterious voice. " A lead to his whereabouts."
" In this situation, and while knowing All For One and Shigaraki are after him, the best bet is to use him to lure them out. That's what the top three are thinking, and that's why they need All Might with him as well," Bakugo elucidated.
Uraraka looked down at the letter in her hands before looking at the other three for confirmation. " Is that true?"
" Yeah." Todoroki nodded. " It's just a guess though."
" I'll bet he's with Endeavor and the others. That damn nerd!" Bakugo grunted as he tore his letter to pieces.
"Guess?" Iida didn't seem convinced with just that. " You didn't call to check? All three of your mentors..."
Bakugo strewed the pieces apart just as they told them neither of the heroes responded to their calls. " All I can think is that they're hiding something from us." Todoroki insisted and the fact that All Might didn't come back to UA was in favor of their argument.
" Classes have been suspended, and we can't even get promoted to the next grade," Bakugo added. " The hero course students are basically being told to stand by in the dorms or help with securing this area. It's hard to get any details like this."
Yuu's eyes flicked back at his screen. " That's right. All we've been getting from the net are bits and pieces but with no proof. They're nothing but speculations."
" Not even spirits could help with providing us with information," Kaminari said looking back at him and Yuu shook his head.
" For the first time in my life, I've seen spirits and ghosts as terrified as they were. Whatever All For One had become, it's no longer just a threat to us, but to them as well."
" But, what makes you think he's with them, Bakugo-kun?" Sora asked leaning forward to look into his eyes.
" Denim Head and Spoonbill both approached Deku in the hospital. And All Might, too. These letters..." Sora glanced at the pieces littered by his feet. " If he's scared to even get close to UA, then who put them in our doors in the middle of the night? It had to have been All Might! They must all be working together!"
" If he's with adults, then he should be okay, oui?" Sora flung her eyes at Aoyama, his aura not as sparkling and bright as before, rather diminished and distorted. He must be scared of the situation as well...
" The news only reported that the top three had teamed up. All Might wasn't included-" Kaminari broke off as Bakugo glared down at him.
" That's what I'm saying. I don't know Endeavor and those guys that well, but I know Deku and All Might." His fist clenched tightly the knuckles turned white. " It's probably the worst-case scenario."
Yuu took in Bakugo's words before closing his laptop. " We may as well change our approach. There is very little we can get from staying here and hoping. There is nothing to be gained from waiting." He looked back at the rest of his class. " Unless we do something, Midoriya-san will be getting further and further from our reach. It will be too late to offer a hand to him. And if All For One gets to him at a moment of weakness..." He didn't want to imagine what might become of their friend.
" Then, we need to figure out how to contact Midoriya! Right?" Kirishima shouted.
Uraraka stood up, catching the attention of the whole class. " Endeavor graduated from UA, right?"
" Uraraka..."
She walked past Sora and Yuu before turning to face them all. " Let's force our way in."
" Force our way?" Sora blinked before she finally got it. " I see."...
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It took a few days, but there they were, facing a befuddled Endeavor and a proud Nezu.
" Principal... you set me up, didn't you?" Said the man. Sora couldn't blame him, but they had no other choice but to corner him if they ever wanted to get closer to Midoriya and help him out.
" Why have you been ignoring me?" Todoroki walked up to him. " Didn't we talk about stopping Toya-nii together?"
" Shoto, I was saved by just those feelings." Endeavor retorted, however, it wasn't the answer the kid was waiting for.
" Well, I wasn't. Is Midoriya an exception? Endeavor, you left Deku and All Might alone together, right?"
At the lack of his response, Bakugo took it from there. " I knew it. Yeah, that makes sense. It'd generally be the right thing to do," he said patting Todoroki's shoulder as though to calm him down. " But you don't know anything about Deku. Deku... He's crazy... He doesn't consider himself. He just says, 'it's fine'. All Might became the Symbol of Peace like that, too, so he can't stop Deku when he's like this."
Bakugo glared up at the man. " Endeavor! Those two shouldn't be left alone together!"
He's wavering with doubt... Sora narrowed her eyes as she stared at his aura. Something must have happened. " Endeavor," she said stepping up to him. " Can you heroes protect Midoriya at this point? Can you be of any help to him?" The wavering of his aura gave him away. As expected... " Then please let us go to him."
" Please let us be of help to our friend." Yuu backed her up, walking to her side.
" But..." He said taking some kind of smartphone. Seeing it, Sero, Hagakure, Mineta, Koda, and Ashido lunged at him, knocking the smartphone off his hand and the black-haired boy grabbed onto it.
" C-Can we borrow this?" He said from his position on the ground. " Um, I'm just a guy who happened to end up in Midoriya's class."
At that, Yuu whispered to Sora. " Right now... it seemed as though he deliberately allowed them to have it..."
" Something is up with Midoriya. I can tell." Sora was growing even more worried by the moment. " We should go to him as soon as possible."
" Those of us in class A will follow him and act along with him." Iida declared sternly. His voice made it clear that there was no going back from that point." No matter how much responsibility goes hand in hand with One For All, Midoriya-kun is our friend. Knowing that our friend is walking down a path of thorns, we can't smile about the future."
Faced with their resolve, Endeavor had no choice but to give in. Even his warning about the outside world didn't shake them off.
" We're not kids anymore. Just how much do you think we've lost?" Sora asked him. " We know better than anyone this is no game at all."
" In order not to lose anyone anymore..." Kirishima slammed his fists against each other.
" We must take action," Ashido added.
" Hesitation and fear can only take away lives, right? That was what I learned from you, Endeavor," Sora told him as she looked him in the eye.
They had another unexpected backup. " It's okay if he comes back."
" Huh?" They were surprised by the principal decision. The main plan was for them to follow Midoriya, but Nezu seemed to have some other thoughts in mind.
" Ever since we accepted him, he has been a student under our protection."
" Principal..."
" But if Deku returned here, then what about the safety of all evacuees?" Endeavor argued. " Besides, there are still those among them that are hostile toward us..."
True for that, despite being protected and sheltered by the heroes, many of the evacuees weren't feeling safe at all in UA, still blaming heroes for the mess Japan had ended into.
However, Nezu assured them preparations were made to prioritize the safety of the civilians and that he would find a way to convince them himself.
" Now speaking of that, they said the UA barrier was being reinforced during the festival, but we didn't see it in action, right?" Sora looked back at her friend.
" True, still, if we're to bring him back..." The whole class demanded proof that the evacuees' lives would be protected against any possible attack. It was then that the true nature of the defensive system of UA was revealed to them. The whole ground was divided into sectors that can go underground and become shelters which can be moved around in a linear maglev network in the case of an attack. If it was a major threat, reinforced plates would be pressed together to form a shield protecting their escape routes to Shiketsu Academy and other shelters.
" ... I paid for it myself!"
Is he a billionaire or something!
" Either way, this should put even Midoriya-san at ease." Yuu looked back at his friends.
" Right, ribbit."
" Then we shouldn't dither anymore!" Sora was about to turn around just as Nezu spoke again.
" Lack of understanding... Intolerance... They both occur when people who can't take that extra step to get closer to others act or move and crowd together. Taking that extra step is a hard path... Anyway, it is reasonable and logical for him to be here. You kids should just go give it your all." Those words fanned the flames of their resolution even more.
" We'll bring Midoriya-san back, no matter what," Yaoyorozu assured him.
" That's my responsibility as the class president as well." Iida nodded.
" We'll make sure to take that step closer to Midoriya, even if he refuses it," Sora added.
With a nod from their principal, they left to get ready to leave with Endeavor...
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Sora stepped out of the school building and let rain drop down on her, sliding down her skin. She looked up at the black clouds and took a deep breath. It had been a while since she went outside of UA. She was worried and full of uneasiness at what might be waiting for them outside, for all she knew, it was a wasteland with villains roaming it left and right.
" It's alright." She looked back by her side just as Yuu walked over to her. " We won't be alone out there."
" I know." A small smile was drawn on her face. " Everyone will be there with us." She took a second look at him. " You changed your costume?"
" So did you," he said fastening his gloves, they were reaching past his elbow which meant his metallic arm was covered. He swapped the cape with a long half-sleeved jacket with a large hood, underneath it was a sleeveless black shirt, and his black boots reached past his knees. The thing that stood out most was the goggles he was wearing on top of his head.
" I feel more at ease in this," Sore said checking her new costume. Her overall was switched for a one with a skirt instead which was open at the side, revealing her black shorts. The outfit was revealing her back to make it easier for her to summon more wings, but it also made the cross scars visible. She wore golden bracelets and anklets, and a plant-like wrought golden upper arm cuff. She had abandoned her sandals and was now walking barefoot. " Especially when I transform. And you, why did you change your outfit?"
" Since I began fighting myself, the cape was getting in the way. And now that my main spirit is Thunderbird, with his speed, I need goggles for protection when riding him." Yuu pointed adjusting said item.
There was a long period of silence between them as they took in the pouring rain, not that their minds were as calm as the scene before them though. There was a lot they had to grapple with. " Listen, Yuu..." the boy looked back at his friend, but Sora was looking further than UA's walls. " You always said that you wanted to be a hero who could protect what he holds dear."
" It's. Even now. I want to protect my lost friend." His voice bore no hint of doubt or fear even while knowing what awaited them outside. Sora smiled softly at that.
" I always envied you." That seemed to take the boy by surprise. " You've always had a clear image of what you wanted to be. I didn't. My sole reason for becoming a hero was so I could unveil the truth about my father's fate, which now that it's over with, I was left wondering where I should go. I gave it some thought in the hospital. It would have been alright to step back by that point, but I couldn't. I didn't have a clear answer before, but now, after hearing about Midoriya, I do. I want to be a hero who can help those having a hard time and comfort them. I want to be able to save them from villains, bullies, cold, hunger, and even themselves. That's the kind of hero I want to be, a hero who reaches out for everyone without exception."
Yuu's surprised expression melted slowly into a soft smile as he took in the determined posture and sheen in his friend's eyes. " I think that it really suits you. After all, you reached out for me too, my angel."
" You both are ready?" Yuu and Sora were interrupted by Iida as he walked over to them followed by the rest of the class. " Let go and find our troublemaker friend!" He said holding a fist at them. Yuu, Sora, and the rest of the class nodded as they held their fists at him too, Bakugo rather obliged.
" We're bringing Midoriya-san back home!"
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It was Bakugo who found him first and they all just rushed after him. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu took care of the villain, restricting him with both ice and maidens while the rest of them stood guarding for any surprise attack.
Sora took a quick glance at Midoriya and her chest tightened immediately. How can he even stand in that situation? Haggard and battered as he was, he looked at them in surprise.
" Everyone... why?"
" Because we're worried about you," Uraraka told him as they all turned to focus on him.
" I'm fine." Midoriya reached for his mask and put it on again, hiding his face from them.
Yuu's eyes narrowed at his state. " If Whisper was here he would have told you to take a good look in the mirror before spitting such nonsense."
" You don't have to worry. Get away..." He said facing them. With his ragged costume, he was giving the vibes of a villain rather than a hero.
Bakugo clapped his hands and smirked mockingly. " Oh, that's great! Just what we want from the great One For All successor! So..." His smirk evaporated in an instant. " Are you able to smile right now?!"
This intense aura... Sora couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by his dark aura, it felt heavy, it swirled around him as though about to strangle his soul out, and it wrapped around him as if trying to isolate him from everyone else. This is what you had been bearing, Midoriya. You think you're the only one who could do it. Gathering her thoughts, she took a firm step forward, she wouldn't get intimidated by his aura, she was going to break through it and reach to him with everyone else.
" In order to smile..." He finally spoke up in a hoarse tired voice as he climbed up to his feet while leaning on his black whips." For everyone to live in peace... I have to go... that's why..." Red lines began glowing all over his body before he was covered in green electricity. " Get out of the way, everyone!"
" Make us, you All Mighty wannabe!" Bakugo shouted.
" Trying to shoulder everything on your own..." Yuu's eyes were fixed upon him.
"... Midoriya-kun, you haven't changed." Iida continued.
" We know you won't go back on your decision that easily, but we didn't come all the way here just to fall back when you say so," Sora called forth her wings.
" Let's do this, everyone!" Iida called out.
" Yeah!" And the whole class stood before him, ready to hold him back...