The Choice

by RusEmp

Summary:

Danny rarely got to decide what to do with his future. He got his power because his friends urged him to make a mistake, the career test laid out the future of an underpaid fast-food chain worker. And it was certainly not by choice that he ended up on the streets.

But perhaps a new world could help him make a choice of his own and forge a path to call truly his. Where those choices could lead, however, is another question entirely.

Chapter 1

A.N. Wow. I actually wrote this in one day. My muse was really generous, dear readers, and I hope the result is to your liking. I personally really loved the idea and read some amazing stories on the topic. Thus, I decided to try my own hand in this particular crossover. Enjoy.

Also, to the readers of AO3, I am posting this much later than on other websites. There are more chapters already done on other websites. I’ll TRY this time to actually bring those to you. Before it grows in size once more and it will be too much. And I also don’t know how anything around here works, but oh well. Also, yes, that is the usual size of my chapters, bear with me, please.

---

There exist many definitions of what being a hero truly means. Some would point out that it is about being selfless, being ready to leap into action and save those on whom certain misfortunes had fallen. To others, the ability to overcome their fears is a feat worthy of a hero. Most people just mash the concepts together in hopes of once seeing such a person who embodies all of that at once. But, as is the case with every idealistic notion, the chances of actually seeing its physical manifestation are pretty slim. It doesn't stop people from believing that such people exist, and it is good for them. Everyone needs an ideal to aspire for. However, once again, reality sometimes likes to throw a wrench into this idyll. 

 

Every hero needs a backstory of sorts. What urged them to take the righteous path of goody good? Revenge, a stare into the abyss of injustices every world is teeming with? A good example in life worked just as well. The protagonist of the story took a bit different path. He never was subjected to the world's horrors, living a normal life until a certain point, without ever having to resort to petty thievery or witnessing crime on a daily basis. He was born in a well-to-do family in this regard. A family to which nothing had happened up until the day their ways parted. As for the example, his parents were... unique, both in a good and bad way. The former stems from the fact that they earned enough money to supply their two children with everything they might have desired, and were just average when it came to parenting. Young Danny loved his family still, and his older sister especially. Perhaps, she could be considered a good example in life, but it wasn't a role model that led to anything but being an average, law-abiding citizen. 

 

Average. Now that's a word that many shun. Everyone wants to be special. But Danny wasn't 'special', he never wanted to be, as the ambitiousness of his reached only the child dream of many boys and even girls. To be an astronaut, however, he needed to be unique, and that part evaded him for a long time, even if his school grades steadily tried to remind him of the fact. Danny Fenton, a boy that was average in everything. But as many hero stories go, that image lasted only until a certain point. That point being one day not long after his fourteenth birthday. 

 

It's hard to say what urged the boy to try out his parents' invention. Was it only because of his friend Sam's request? Were those the eyes of his friend who would never forget how he chickened to go inside what amounted to a metal tube? Afterwards, Danny liked to think that he himself took part in this. That he was actually curious to see the machine worked for once. It did work, perhaps even better than anyone could anticipate. It did land him in hospital for a week, and the agonising pain of having your cells ripped apart by the otherworldly energy was going to haunt him for the rest of his days. 

 

Speaking of haunting. The accident changed Danny. He was no longer a human, rather an amalgamation of two worlds — the human and the ghost. Something which was never meant to be. A walking paradox that for some reason never caused the universe to collapse. And that was the moment when he had to decide what to do with the power granted to him. Aside from causing minor mischief and getting small payback on the school bullies. Because eventually it became clear that that power was not a game. When he was confronted by the first ghost coming from the portal, he had to fight it. It was either that or his second death. And since the idea of survival against vile creatures and saving others coincided so well, there wasn't really any choice. 

 

Thus, here is the answer Danny stuck with. He was a hero without being given that choice at all. But he still relished the idea that the world was better with him around. So much in fact, that he got attached to the 'career' should one say. Eventually, however, he realised the enormous strain he was going through. Jogging between school, ghosts, trying not to get by his oblivious parents, and still trying to catch at least some rest — it was straining, no matter how much more powerful the boy was becoming. The small fries did stay away from the one who defeated the ghost king, but there were even more ghosts who were eager to test him out. All of that was driving him insane. Eventually, after being reassured by his sister, Danny finally decided to remove at least one issue from the equation. His ghost-hunting parents. That may have sounded ominous, but all he wanted was to talk with them. 

 

Now, looking at a single luggage by his side, as the rain drenched him, the said luggage and the park bench he was sitting on, Danny realised just how much of a moron he was. Of course. Fentons would never live under the same roof with a spectre, no matter how close they might have been. The shocked boy couldn't say a word, in a state of trance he packed the necessities, before being practically tossed out without him actually resisting. He could remember his sister yelling, but it was all so fuzzy. After that Danny just went in a random direction, so desperate to be left alone with his horror and misery. The boy soon felt a phone in his pocket vibrating. Yes, it was Jazz, of course it was her. Overcoming himself, Danny flipped it open and pressed to accept the call.

 

"Danny, where are you?!" His sister shouted. 

 

"Where every teenager kicked out of his home goes," he still had it in himself to jest. "Probably I'll go right under that bridge and burn a tire to warm up or something. Going up in the wo..."

 

"Danny, this is serious, damn it!" 

 

She was at her breaking point, too. Danny didn't want her to actually cross it. 

 

"I'm at the park. Basically the first bench you see. If you see a guy drenched like a stray cat, that will be me."

 

He could, of course, turn intangible at any moment, but he just wasn't feeling like it. Jasmine arrived soon enough on her little car. Unlike him, she was always more considerate. The redheaded girl was wearing her raincoat, carried another one in her hand, sheltering herself with an umbrella. She quickly ran through the entrance of the park, Danny could easily hear the sloshy sounds of her leather boots landing in the puddles. He wasn't looking her way, so that's everything he had to go by. 

 

"You idiot," she mumbled, and from her voice alone he could feel the tears going down her face. Sobbing, she took a seat near him, holding the umbrella between the two. Danny sighed and snapped his fingers. The umbrella floated above the two. 

 

"Danny!"

 

"What? Someone might see us?" Danny chuckled grimly. "I just don't care anymore, Jazz."

 

"Don't say that. Maybe we can do something, maybe they just overreacted because they learned that you have been..."

 

"Dead this whole time? Please, Jazz," Danny finally sat straight, she could see the anger in his ice-blue eyes, glowing from under the strands of raven hair. "Crying on the floor is overreacting. Not kicking what's left of your son to rot on the street."

 

His sister sighed shakily, wiping her nose. "I understand what you are going through, Danny." 

 

"No. You don't, Jasmine," the fifteen-year old got up. He finally turned intangible, and all the water fell on the ground. Since he remained that way, he remained dry while standing under the rain. "You have always been their miss perfect. I was just an extra."

 

"That's not true. They cared for the both of us."

 

"I don't see your luggage, big sis. I am not angry with you, don't get any idea. It's just so damn infuriating!"

 

From his eyes emerged an emerald beam of light. It hit the nearest tree and set it ablaze, not without cutting half of its top. With a loud creaking sound it fell down. 

 

"I can raze this city to the ground and defeat the most horrid beasts, and yet..." he looked at his hands, "I am nothing. I am a homeless bum with nowhere to go... I am scared Jazz," he said in a low voice. "What should I do?" 

 

Jazz sighed. For all the power and battle experience her brother had, he never realised how vulnerable he truly was.

 

"I think you should change the scenery. For some time everything here will only rub salt into the wound. Which is not good if we want to see you recover."

 

"Are you saying that I should skip the town? Jazz, what about the ghosts? Mom and Dad can't do shit about them." 

 

"I don't hear your suggestions!" Jazz snapped, before quickly regaining composure. "I'm sorry. We both are shaken by what happened back there." 

 

Danny nodded. "I thought I would just stay with Tucker for the time being. I'm sure his parents won't mind, unlike Sam's." 

 

"You can't overstay your welcome, Danny. Besides, they will naturally ask for your reasons. You know how compassionate the Foleys are, they will immediately come to Mom and Dad to give them a piece of mind. And from there it will get all the more difficult." 

 

"Damn it," the teen hero ran a hand through his hair in thought. "Then I'm lost once again. I don't have money, Jazz. Had I known what would happen, I would have saved some pocket money." 

 

"You can have mine," Jazz started digging in her pockets. 

 

Danny's eyes widened, "Jazz, I can't..."

 

She got up and approached her brother. Then she handed him three one hundred dollar bills.

 

"Just take them before they get wet," she said in a tone that left no room for discussion.

 

Danny dropped his intangibility and put them in a pocket of his jeans. He then opted to simply use the floating umbrella. 

 

"Thank you, Jazz," he whispered. "I don't know what I would have done without you." 

 

"You would have actually slept under a bridge," Jazz chuckled and smiled sadly. "Don't do that. Tire fumes contain dangerous toxins." 

 

"I am a half-ghost," Danny snickered as well, "I almost don't breath."

 

"Danny," Jazz became serious once again. "It goes without saying that school is not a priority now. Not before your living situation is settled."

 

"I didn't bring any books with me either," the boy shrugged. "But where will I be staying... maybe... yes, maybe I should simply go to the Zone, huh?" 

 

"That... doesn't sound too bad, actually. You have friends there, right?"

 

"Yes. Maybe Frostbite can take me in. Or Dora. I just didn't think about it at first," Danny rubbed his hands. "I just don't want to put anyone in danger, Jazz. Some powerful ghosts are still on about beating the boy who defeated Pariah." 

 

"Danny, that's what friends are for. To protect each other. Actually, did you call Tucker and Sam?"

 

Danny shook his head. "Not before I decide what to do." 

 

Then, all of a sudden, a gust of air escaped his mouth, similar to the one people can see when they are out in the cold. Danny's fists balled. 

 

"Not now!" His head snapped in direction of where he sensed a foreign presence. "I'm going to stuff them all so deep in that thermos before pouring in some scorching soup for good measure!"

 

"Danny..." 

 

Before she could even say anything else, her brother bolted in the direction he sensed a ghost. His speed even as a human was to behold. As he ran, Danny allowed his body to transform. In place of the jeans and white T-shirt came a modified, black hazmat suit, his sneakers were replaced by a pair of white boots, and his palms were covered in white gloves. The changes also reached the boy himself, as his eyes gained neon, unearthly glow. His raven hair, in the meantime, became absolutely bleached, leaving only the pure white colour. That was his alter-ego, the ghost hero and the menace, Danny Phantom himself. Now unburdened by human limitations, he took off the ground, picking up an even greater speed. In what felt like a split second, he rounded the corner of the street, flew towards an alleyway where he sensed the foreign presence. And then he stopped right at his tracks, inertia be damned.

 

There, he was greeted by an unsightly picture. Three ghosts dressed in what looked like prison guard armour were floating over a downed creature. Except that enormous, wolf-like being in a prison robe was way too familiar to the hero. Phantom's eyes blazed even brighter, before firing a blast right at the guard in the middle. With a scream he was launched into the wall he chose to phase through at the last second. 

 

"Just what I needed," the half ghost hissed, his palm slowly engulfed in the same green energy that radiated from his every fibre. "Walker's little henchmen went where they aren't supposed to show themselves." 

 

"Amiko!" The wolf-like ghost said, joy sipping through his exhaustion.

 

"I thought we put Wulf issue behind us," Danny didn't take his eyes off the guards. "Should I go and ask Walker as to why he attacks my friend?" 

 

The ghosts could clearly see that Phantom was not in the mood to play. The third guard emerged from the wall and joined his comrades. 

 

"How did you get here so fast!?" One of them asked.

 

"I know every nook and cranny of this shithole. Well?!" Danny was not receiving a word from the ghosts, and it irritated him even more.

 

His patience dried up when he saw them reaching for their police batons. In a swift motion he narrowed the distance between them, his fist brimming with power. The guard he was aiming at dodged the strike, but Phantom landed a downward kick before he could get away. The ghost was pinned to the ground with a deafening crack. The half-ghost grabbed the baton aiming for his head, before pulling the enemy closer. For him to be met with another blast from the eyes. Without being tossed away, held in place, he was forced to receive the entire power behind it. The ghost was out of commission, his power waned completely. Throwing the unconscious enemy away, Danny turned towards the last guard. Finally the façade of bravery fell apart, as the man's legs went wobbly. 

 

"Now, pal. It's in your best interest to talk."

 

"L-look, Phantom, we are just following orders, you have to understand."

 

"I do. See how easy it is to just talk?" Danny asked dryly. "I'll talk with your boss, you can count on that. Until then," he reached for the utility on his belt. A cylindrical device resembling a thermos. The guard's eyes went wide. 

 

"Please, anything but that!" 

 

"You caught me in a very bad mood. Sayonara."

 

Danny opened the cap, and the entire alleyway was basked in the blinding light. He pointed a gust of emerging energy at the guards, both the downed ones and the one still standing. With the power of an expensive vacuum it pulled them all inside, tightly packing them in a strong container. It was easier to kick them to the Zone this way, anyhow. 

 

"Amiko..."

 

Danny's head snapped towards the wolf-like ghost, who was shakily attempting to stand up. The half ghost rushed to help him, which was difficult, granted the gargantuan size of the creature. Wulf stared at him with his green eyes with no pupils and gave a wolfish grin. Which, admittedly, wasn't that hard, given his complexion. 

 

"Mi ĝojas, ke vi venis. Mi pensis, ke oni kaptos min."

 

Esperanto. For some reason Wulf only spoke in that language. Usually ghosts could talk in and understand every language. In his case something must have gone wrong, like when a child is born with a defect. Danny himself had eventually grasped the concept, and could still understand the guy. His inner translator just needed to 'attune' in a way.

 

"Why are you on the run, again, pal?" The half ghost asked in Esperanto, helping his friend to sit by the wall. 

 

"Walker is out of his mind again. He just..." Wulf put a palm over a gash on his side. "Likes to misplace his aggression on me. You know how it is." 

 

Danny nodded sadly. They were in the same roles both in life and in death. A prisoner and his warden. A man who held the man in prison on false charges and the one who gained the power to escape any unjust captivity. The only way to properly stop it was to kill off one of them, it seemed.

 

"I thought I told that idiot to stop... Give me a second, I'll just text Jazz where we are. I don't want to worry her." 

 

Wulf nodded. "You once again saved me, Friend-Danny. And I still am to repay my debt to you."

 

"You don't owe me anything. That's what friends are for," Danny smiled after typing the message. He raised his fist and Wulf pumped it reluctantly. The ghost just kept staring at him, and Phantom noticed it. "Something on my face?"

 

"Has something happened to you, friend? Your face and words try to hide it, but I can sense great sorrow in your core."

 

The smile slipped off Danny's face. "It's just... My parents learned my secret and kicked me out of home."

 

"That is sorrowful. But unsurprising." 

 

"What?" Asked Danny in confusion. 

 

"Everyone I know in the Zone, be it Walker or the dragon princess, they all knew this is exactly what will happen."

 

"And I learn this only now?"

 

"Friend-Danny, we did try to warn you. Even your enemies did. Perhaps, only Plasmius didn't. But we both know what clouds his usually shrewd judgement."

 

"The unrequited love for my mom, I know. Almost makes me wish to stay and watch his frootloopish face." 

 

Wulf chuckled, before wincing. Just where was that famed healing factor when you needed it most?

 

"And what are you going to do?" The ghost asked the teen. 

 

"We are still in the process of figuring this one out. This isn't your problem to solve, pal. You should worry about Walker," whispered Danny dismissively.

 

"I'll just do what I always do in this situation. Hide in another world until steam blows over."

 

"He still finds you here, though." 

 

Wulf chuckled. "Usually when this happens, I hide in one of the infinite number of other worlds. It takes time for Walker to find a new one. Eventually he tends to give up for a while." 

 

"And you still come back..."

 

"I am a nomad by nature, both before and after my demise. I can't stay in one place for long. And yet, all ghosts have to come back to our world at some point."

 

"Because ectoplasm is finite everywhere but the Zone. I get it."

 

"And my claws consume a lot of it. Ripples between dimensions are hard to make," smirked Wulf. 

 

"There you are!"

 

Both spectres turned towards the exit from the alleyway, seeing Jazz run up to them. 

 

"Danny, I'm gonna kill you again for making me run around like that," she panted, red in the face. 

 

"I didn't ask you to come, though," Danny snickered a bit, tilting his head. 

 

He was feeling a bit better if he still joked like this, Jazz reasoned. So her mild anger dissipated soon enough. 

 

"So, ehm," she looked at the giant ghost. "Hello, Wulf." 

 

"Hey," the ghost raised his paw in a greeting. 

 

"Can you move now?" Danny got up and looked down at the ghost. 

 

"Yes, I think," Wulf slowly got up. "Friend-Danny. If I can make a suggestion..." 

 

"What suggestion?" Asked Danny. Jazz remained oblivious to the content of their discussion. 

 

"As I said, I am going to lay low and hide in another world. So I thought if you would like to... stay in one of them." 

 

Danny blinked. "But why do you think I would agree?" 

 

"Because as you said, you have no home here anymore."

 

"Neither do I have it in another world."

 

"What are you two talking about?" Jazz inquired. 

 

"Wulf just offered to take me to another world." 

 

"That's a horrible idea," she mumbled. "At least there is a safe access from the Zone. You will be essentially blocked without Wulf." 

 

Danny nodded, relaying the message to the ghost. 

 

"And besides," Phantom added. "I can't leave the locals to be picked by ghosts." 

 

"They have long since stopped trying to attack the town, Friend-Danny. They are coming after you now." 

 

"They what now?" Danny asked in shock. In response, he first received a grim nod. 

 

"Yes. I am good at listening. They no longer talk about taking over the world or wrecking havoc. They talk only about killing you." 

 

"As if my day wasn't already messed up," Danny muttered. 

 

"Danny..." Jazz begged to translate. And as he did, her eyes went wide as saucers. Wide with horror.

 

"He can't be so sure. He just overheard some people, that's all." 

 

As Danny relayed the message to his friend, Wulf shook his head. 

 

"This does make sense, Friend-Danny. They always took you lightly, no matter what you did. And now defeating you comes with a major benefit of becoming entitled to the crown."

 

"I have to accept it first," Danny growled. 

 

"This may be the key to a better life for you, but admittedly, you will have to fight for survival even more. And they care not for what you think, Friend-Danny. By the long-running tradition, defeating the slayer of the previous king grants one the former's privilege." 

 

"So I am the greater threat to people around me, huh?" Danny huffed, saying this aloud and in English.

 

"Don't say this, Danny. We have been alright so far. We can manage whatever comes next."

 

"Jazz..." Phantom directed the gaze of his luminescent eyes towards her. "Remember what happened last month? You still can't use your left hand properly."

 

"So what? This isn't reason enough to just... leave. Why did you accept this idea so easily after what we talked about?"

 

"Because what you see, Jazz, is less than a half of the ghosts I face. They come to me at school, in the middle of the night, wherever I go, damn it. And they just break everything they see. And everyone."

 

"Why didn't you tell me before?" 

 

"Because, unlike me you actually have a damn life."

 

"So is this your solution? To live in seclusion for eternity?" 

 

"If I may, Friend-Danny," Wulf spoke, "I don't understand what you are saying, but if I am to guess, this is about you leaving everyone to save them, correct?" 

 

"You guessed right." 

 

"Then there is an option. How about I take you to the world where everyone can protect themselves well enough?" 

 

"What kind of society are you luring me in, Wulf?" Danny raised an eyebrow. 

 

"Well, I did exaggerate, of course. But what I mean to say, is that you won't be alone in your struggle, surrounded by people who can take a hit. This is better than living alone, correct?" 

 

"Why are you so eager to do this, Wulf?" Asked Phantom. 

 

"Because I wish to repay my debt to you, Friend-Danny. And if it helps you, I will be happy." 

 

Danny relayed this to Jazz, but she didn't look convinced. 

 

"This may be better than solitude for you, Danny, but how do I know that you won't just shelter yourself out there without interacting to anyone?" 

 

"I still have you people. Our phones are able to call through dimensions, right?" 

 

"Yeah, from the neighbouring worlds. Danny, I am just... afraid that I will lose you too." 

 

"Me too?" 

 

"What, you thought that me and our parents will be all chummy after what they did? Please, don't go, Danny," Jazz took his dead-cold palms in hers. 

 

"Jazz... this may be our best bet. At least for the time being. Ghosts won't know where I am for a very long while. And neither will out dearest frootloop for a family friend. And if they do, I won't be putting you guys in danger."

 

"But why not in the Zone, then?" 

 

She was now conceding without thinking. 

 

"And to be in the centre of their attention? Jazz, it's like running from the police and hiding in another state's police department." 

 

"You really set your mind to it, didn't you?" A single tear ran down the redhead's cheek. 

 

Instinctively, Danny hugged his sister close. 

 

"I can't do it any other way. But if mom and dad kicking me out wasn't a clear enough message, I don't know what can be." 

 

"Promise me, Danny. Promise you will be the same Danny I know and love."

 

"Which will be..." 

 

"The one who always helps others with a smile and horrible jokes." 

 

"My jokes aren't that bad," Danny argued, still not letting go of her. 

 

"They are," Jazz sobbed. "Danny I know will also not let anything in the world break him. Be the hero I know you are." 

 

"Is this what you think?" He chuckled. "That's new." 

 

"Shut up," she mumbled.

 

"I can't promise you that, Jazz. Because I am not the way you think I am. Hell, you saw me not even an hour ago. But I promise you, sis, I will do everything to be the man you see me as."

 

"This will have to do," the girl wiped her nose. "But you do bounce back quickly. Maybe you should... tell your friends about this?" 

 

"Yeah. I'll tell them to meet up, after we talk, I will go. Wulf."

 

"Yes?" 

 

"I accept your offer."

 

---

At first, he had been unsure of what exactly he should expect from the world Wulf had suggested to visit. It did appear normal, at first he was even unsure if he even left Amity. It could, for all intends and purposes, be the version of Amity park from another universe. His hypotheses were short-lived, however. The very first sign he saw was not even in English, but in a foreign language, one that existed in his world, too. 

 

"You brought me to Japan of all places?" Danny asked and sat on his suitcase. 

 

Wulf shrugged. "This is the right world, I am certain of it. I wasn't very specific on what part of it I should open a portal to. Just a city would be enough, since you can speak any language."

 

Danny rolled his eyes. "Well, at least it's not some distant mountain village. Japan is cool enough. The cost of living might be insane, though."

 

"I can still take you back if you want. It's not too late." 

 

Fenton snorted. "And return after a heart-melting goodbye? That will be awkward. Besides," his look turned serious. "I am committed to what I decided."

 

Wulf nodded. "Very well. Know this, Friend-Danny. This world holds its own dangers, like any other. It's up to you how to tackle them. I will try to visit in a month, and as long as you don't leave this region, I can track you down with no problems. If I don't..."

 

"If you get in trouble Wulf, come to me immediately," Danny said in all seriousness. "I'd like you to stay, really."

 

Wulf smiled. "Thank you, Friend-Danny. But I am driven by my obsession. Unlike us, you are free to decide what to do. You have a choice. You can conquer this world or become its saviour from the threats none yet know of. I know you can."

 

Danny smirked. "I already have a headache from 'ruling' one world. Why do I need another?" 

 

Wulf snickered, before his claws became almost half as long as his arm. He swung it in the air, and a green ripple appeared out of nowhere. 

 

"Goodbye, Friend-Danny."

 

"Bye, Wulf. And... thank you for helping me."

 

"Just returning my debt," Wulf winked and jumped through the portal. 

 

Now, Danny was completely alone in that new world. He was beginning his life from a fresh leaf. An aspiring beginning. First, however, he needed to leave what appeared to be a small, empty park. Immediately he was blasted with the light of the evening sun when he stepped out of the tree shadow. Back at his world it was late evening by the time he left, too. Making no real fuss about it, Danny decided to make a list of priorities. First, he needed to understand just where in Japan he was. Secondly, the living arrangements. Only then he could start thinking on what to do next. 

 

It was, by all means, a welcoming place by the looks of it. The local suburban architecture was something he wasn't really used to, but it did more good than bad for the initial impression. Out there, at the distance, he could see the city centre, or, at least, what he presumed it was from the tall glass buildings. He always assumed those were close to the centre. Danny stood at the start of a serpentine road downwards, getting a nice look at the city below. Amity Park had nothing on that. They were a small community, off the major roads of Illinois. But they were near the Great Lakes, so at least naval connection was there. The town wouldn't die when the next economic crisis hits. Perhaps he could find a neat spot to haunt down in the city.

 

From his thoughts Danny was snapped by the first sighting the boy had of a person with a very flashy Quirk. 

 

Only later would he learn what the word Quirk meant. At the moment, he was seeing a person with actual dragon wings. Flappy and all that. Danny waited for a moment to take a glance at the man's back and sure enough, they obviously originated from the person's back. Then, as his mind got used to the fact that such things were real around here, he began noticing oddities with other passersby. The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon such tendency of thought process was called. Not that Danny knew the term. He wasn't very bright when it came to that field of science. Danny snapped out of his initial surprise, still wondering what the shtick was with that new world. Mutant people all around? Irradiated water supply turning fish gay and humans into that? Those were just wild assumptions at that point. People caught him staring, so he quickly averted his gaze.

 

Unconsciously, as Danny tried to get through the crowd of people dying to get on the bus, he raised the guard. His instincts were telling of potential danger some people around held, which was never a good sign in his book. Then again, perhaps he was being too paranoid at that point. 

 

'Come on, Fenton,' Danny thought, 'You fought Pariah before. Surely the locals can't harm you.' 

 

And as if on cue, he was thrown off balance by a strong nudge from another pedestrian in the crowd. Danny barely managed to stop his fall before it was too late. 

 

"Hey, pal, watch where you are going!"

 

But his complaint was drowned in the noise the crowd created. Soon, however, the crowd was neatly packed in the bus like anchovies in a tin. The road was free for him to use once more. It soon hit him that he still hadn't found out where he was. Asking the locals would make him look really stupid, though. And his social anxiety, harnessed through the years of bullying, did not go anywhere. It did get better after he got his powers, being nearly non-existent when he was Phantom, but he still felt awkward talking to the people about directions. He wondered if his appliances worked here. Danny fished in his pockets and took out the memento his friend Tucker had given him. 

 

Her name was Sherry and she was Tucker's favourite girl. She also was a PDA. Danny had promised to take good care of Sherry, as she was a gift his friend ripped out of his heart. After a while of searching the teen found a cafe with free internet. Luckily for him, wi-fi worked similarly in all dimensions. That was a good sign. After a moment of searching, Danny learned that he was in the city of Musutafu, Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture. It was not so far from Tokyo, probably the only city around that he new. Aside from those two that went down in the WWII history course. Danny then learned that prefecture was something they called their regions in Japan. He really needed to brush his knowledge of the local culture if he wanted to stay there, lest he offended someone, which he definitely didn't want. Besides, the locals always liked when foreigners expressed genuine interest. And aside from the practical need, Danny also had that genuine desire. 

 

With that matter out of the way, he could get down to finding a place where he could sleep. Which was easier said than done. Whilst browsing, he did get a look at the housing prices around there. With his three hundred dollars he was by no means a well-to-do teenager. He could afford to rent an apartment, but that would mean going with no other necessities until he got his first ever pay check. Atop of that, he would get kicked out the next month because he really doubted he would find a proper job that quickly. He had no education, no connections, no nothing. Danny quickly snapped himself out of it, because he was the last person to give up at the start. He needed to see where this self-imposed exile was going to take him. 

 

And it did take him somewhere. There was a building in the northern part of the city. The locals loved their ghost stories. Upon finding said story on the internet, he decided to pay a visit. If it was a hoax, he had a house free of charge. If the "Yōkai" living there was unwilling to share their spot, he would stuff them in a thermos or shoo them away. Would that be rude and aggressive? Probably. Hypocritical? Certainly. He had been kicked out of his own home earlier that day. But if the rumours were true and the Japanese spirit had truly eaten some kids, then he had no moral repercussions about it. Since the house wasn't that far from where he was, an hour by feet, he decided to go there on his own. It could help him get accustomed with the surrounding areas. Maybe he could even find some job offers.

 

That's what Danny did, reading through every such offer on his way towards a place to claim as his own. Those were plastered on many lampposts, one over another. Occasionally there were public notice boards, Danny examined those, too. They all cited numbers to use and call. The teen picked up only those that interested him. He really wasn't in the mood for washing old people or walking out someone's dog. The latter was unacceptable due to how inconsistent the income was. The former, aside from being a bit unpleasant, also required proper documents. And if he ever wanted to get somewhere, he needed a proper place to work at. So, that landed him several jobs. He could work at a store as a part timer or he could be working at a fast-food chain. The king of the supernatural. Working at a fast food chain. He had a feeling he had watched a show that ran along those lines. 

 

Danny had certain bitter feelings towards working at a burger joint. His career test predicted that exact thing. And he refused to follow the guidelines of a stupid piece of paper. Especially since it had brought about his worst battle to date that he wasn't eager to remember. So, a grocery store. They would pay him each day, and it was exactly what he needed. Danny really wanted to keep Jazz's money for a rainy day, even if it meant eating instant ramen day and night. Not that he had anything against those. He was actually curious as to how it tasted there.

 

Since the half-ghost also occasionally stopped to read the job offers, his trip lasted twice as long. By the noon he stood in front of the house of city legend. It really wasn't anything special. Yes, the house appeared rundown, as was to be expected. It presented a an amalgamation of rotten wood and rusty metal painted entirely in blue. The coat of paint was obviously cracked. Yet, it appeared sturdy enough not to collapse on him as he slept. Just in case, he would sleep on the first floor. It didn't have many windows there as well. It would allow him some free use of appliances without fearing that someone might spot him. Or better yet, if the house had an attic, he could stay there and be completely unseen. 

 

Danny looked around to see if anybody was watching. He hid behind a trash can and turned invisible, alongside his suitcase, which he took and started to carry. It was awfully noisy, and his strength allowed for it. Danny approached the fence and stepped right through it. Slowly he approached the front door and then went through it as well. On the inside it appeared to be only slightly better. There wasn't any furniture, Danny was also pretty confident that the power sockets didn't work either. He would figure something out later. The floor did appear to be slightly more sturdy, but it did some horrid creaking noises as the teen went deeper inside the haunted house. 

 

Danny put the suitcase on the ground, waiting for his ghost-spotting radar to make a beep. It never came. 

 

"Guess it was a hoax after all," the teen rolled his ice blue eyes and went upstairs. 

 

No furniture again. There was a bathroom Danny went to check. Opening the tap, he didn't see any water. So that was out of the picture as well. A normal human would worry about the lack of heating, but his ice heart disagreed. He would be fine during winter. As for the water, he could always use a bathhouse to clean up and store water to simply brush his teeth. It didn't look all that grim. 

 

Who was he kidding? 

 

Danny sighed and sat on the floor in one of the rooms. Just yesterday he enjoyed a warm bed, a warm breakfast and a proper bathroom. Now he had none of that. Instead, he was forced to stay in a place like this. And yet, the half-ghost wasn't an idiot. He knew that that was probably the same thing waiting for him in Amity. Danny was too pissed to even consider that the Fentons could eventually calm down and call him back. He knew them too well. He was the one they hated with passion, the number one menace of the whole town. And its only hero, too. But Jack and Maddie always tended to ignore that part. Danny gritted his teeth, his palms balling into fists. The bastards didn't even wait until he turned eighteen. He was technically dead, he had no rights and they weren't obliged to do anything.

 

"This won't get you anywhere, Fenton, get a hold of yourself," murmured Danny and pushed himself up. 

 

He still needed to settle in. The attic awaited him. Soon the teen found the ladder and climbed up. It was pitch dark, aside from a tiny window in the far end. Nothing there, either. Only dust. Nothing a little bit of intangibility couldn't fix. Danny touched the floor and it became this way, allowing the dust to simply fall through on the floor below. He would do the same thing on each floor until the dust was buried underground. On the other hand, he really shouldn't be making the house so visibly more liveable. He needed the house to appear abandoned so that none would enter. The whole 'haunted house' legend was actually perfect for that same purpose. 

 

He was an underage kid, the people could call child services on him, and it was scarier than any potential ghost in his new abode. Because if they happened to check his papers, it would be one hell of a spectacle. And if the passport he kept in his suitcase would be unable to fool anybody, then he would be in deep shit. They could even accuse him of document forgery. All in all, he just needed to stay low and not call attention to this house. Danny opened the suitcase, but didn't really see the need to unpack anything at the moment. Where should he even put the stuff? 

 

Despite the aforementioned reluctance to use his stored money, he had to admit that some quality of life expenses were unavoidable. Just a few things. He had his hygiene tools in the suitcase. The only thing he lacked was a shampoo. He had usually used Jack's. And secondly, he needed something to sleep on. Maybe one of those air mattresses could do the trick. 

 

"Alright," Danny fist pumped. "The half-ghost hero and king of ghosts, Danny Phantom, is off to buy an air mattress. Ancients. I am already talking to myself." 

 

Deciding not to dwell on it for long, the teen set out to the nearest store that sold those things. Deciding to finally ask the locals, Danny learned of one such store not so far away, so he chose to go there. By the time he got to the spot, the street lights were switched on, and the night fell on the city. On his way, Danny conveniently found a spot where he could exchange his dollars for yen. Now he had around 45 thousand yen, which sounded like a lot, but those were the same 300 dollars. He should not be deceived by the exchange rates. In the shop that sold home appliances of all sorts Danny asked for an air mattress. However, seeing the price for the cheapest one, the teen felt his heart sink. Sensing the situation, the salesman clearly could see that the boy was not looking for a swimming appliance. Thus, the man offered him to buy a futon. He brought up the selling point of a glorified thick blanket on which to sleep. It was how many Japanese chose to sleep, and as an obvious foreigner, Danny was, apparently, very interested in taking a taste of the local culture. While being curious, Danny mostly thought about how much cheaper it was, especially since the man was willing to throw in a pillow and and an actual blanket. 

 

He bought it, leaving a sixth of his savings behind. Just this once, Danny kept applying the metaphorical ointment to his aching core. 

 

When he traveled a considerable distance from the shop with a box in hand, the teen was faced with a terrible truth that he was lost. 

 

Sighing, he cursed quietly, trying to find a path that was at least somewhat familiar to him. He remembered that the sun was setting on the right side from his house. He also clearly recalled that it was behind him when he was approaching the shop. Which meant that Danny needed to go in direction opposite of the shop, and then probably turn left and right. The thought process was convoluted, but he really wasn't in the mood to find a spot for the PDA to find connection. He was also not in the mood for walking towards another turn, opting to instead go through the small gaps between the worn-out households and take a shortcut. And what happens to naughty boys who choose to enter shady places in shady districts? That's entirely correct.

 

Danny heard the sound of metal hitting metal. Accompanied by eerie snicker. 

 

"Hey, boyo, are ya lost?" 

 

The teen sighed tiredly. Well, it was bound to happen at some point. 

 

"Oh, great, an ambush in a dark alleyway," Danny turned around, but not without noticing that the only way for him to run was blocked by what looked like a walking rock. "Your next line is: your money or your life." 

 

Before the teen stood two ruffians barely older than him by the looks. One of them had sharp metal nails that were the source of aforementioned sound and more resembled claws. His companion did not have any physical features, but he probably had something up his sleeve as well. Danny knew that now he had to expect anything from every human around. The one with iron claws was the one to answer.

 

"No, we just saw that you looked lost around here." 

 

"Oh, sorry, my bad," Danny shrugged. "Could you point me in direction of the nearest haunted house?" 

 

The man gained a deadpan expression. "Are you this dense, kid? Your wallet. Now." 

 

"Sorry, my hands are occupied. It's in my back-pocket." 

 

"Then put the box down and hand the wallet over!" The second bandit demanded and pointed his finger at the teen. Then the tip of the finger actually opened, revealing the hollow inside. God knew what was supposed to come out when the ruffian decided to use it. 

 

"Alright, are you guys finger-themed or something?" 

 

"Shut up, smartass," the man said, still pointing at him. "The wallet. Now, or else." 

 

A single red laser flew by the teen's unflinching head, scorching off a couple of sticking hairs.

 

"Neat trick," Danny inconspicuously moved his palm under the box, his pinky pointed towards the shooter. "I have one just like it." 

 

Now the alleyway was lit by a beam of green energy. The bandit tried to dodge, but instead ran just where Danny had hoped he would go. Since everyone around had freaky superpowers, he figured that he could display some of his with no issue. The bandit cried out in pain; a solid, but small burn mark was left on his cheek. His look now screamed bloody murder. His comrade with claws ran forward, swinging his arm at the teen. Danny tossed the box upward, ducked under a swing and elbowed the bandit's head. Thrown off balance, the bandit tripped, not without Fenton's leg getting in the way. And then the box landed back in Danny's tender arms. He smirked, but his triumph was short. The stone guy lunged forward, too. He was going to be a problem, but he was too slow. 

 

Danny jumped, confusing the bandit. However, he had committed to bashing the spot where Danny used to stand. Seeing the cracks on the ground, Danny realised that that guy had super strength. He landed on the huge man's shoulder, without him actually noticing anything. He could be practically weightless, and the man's strength played part in this too. Danny was about to kick the man's head with just enough force to knock even that bastard out, but the laser man fired at him first. The teen got off, but not without kicking the stone man forward on his way down. It hurt his leg, as he might have just kicked a wall. The landing was hardly as gracious, but he didn't land on his backside. 

 

"Just stand still, you fuck!" The laser bandit yelled, firing a beam after beam. Each of them Danny had avoided, seemingly caring more about the box than his own head. 

 

"Watch your tongue, will you?" Asked Danny, feeling that he was also about to be attacked from the back. 

 

Swiftly, the teen turned intangible, and now the claw bandit was in front of the fresh laser beam. But the half ghost was merciful. He did push him lightly to prevent the damage to the brain. Instead, it hit his shoulder. 

 

"Argh!" The man screamed. "Watch where you are shooting, dumbass!" 

 

Danny's laughter prevented the argument between the two criminals from escalating. 

 

"So, you have two Quirks, huh? You probably think you are so cool," the laser bandit growled. 

 

"Firstly, I am cool. That's a fact. And two, I have no idea what a Quirk is. Is that how you people call your abilities?" 

 

"Well, duh. Are you telling us you don't know shit?" 

 

"I've been pretty much living under a rock. You sounded surprised. Is having two Quirks rare?" 

 

"It is, brat," the man with claws hissed, putting a palm over his bleeding shoulder. "You are still a dead man." 

 

"Oh, that's neat. The rarity part, I mean," Danny once again was ignoring the threats. "And just how many people have these 'Quirks'?" 

 

"Hell if I know. Only a handful doesn't have any. What are you asking us for?" 

 

"Because I want answers, chums. I am new to this place. And you are kinda the first people I've met and properly talked with around here. That's basically why you are still standing. Alright, next question..." 

 

"Enough of this!" The laser dude barked. "I don't care what happens, I am killing this bastard!" 

 

"Oh? So you are not answering anymore?" Danny tilted his head. "Well, goodbye then." 

 

At this he turned around and went away. The audacity of his caught the bandits off guard, but the surprise didn't last long. The stone guy ran first, right at the teen. Danny sighed, putting the box on the nearest trash can. And once the stone man got close, the teen spun around and punched. The following second, after the shockwave passed and the loud crunching sound resonated through the street, the stone man, with his face expressing shock, riddled with cracks, collapsed on his knees. He could see the teen's deathly green eyes, the devious smirk running across his own youthful face. 

 

"Sit and rest, pal," he said and looked up at his bleeding fist. His human body was so much less durable. "Well, guys, where were we?" 

 

The other two bandits were not attacking. Danny kept his smirk because of that.

 

"I'm already liking it here. The people actually have common sense. Take your buddy here and get lost," he said and took his box. The glow in his eyes became dimmer, and much more ominous, his whole body was surrounded by white aura. "But try this again and it won't end so well for you."

 

Without looking back again, leaving the threat hanging, Danny continued his way home, luckily, that street he did recognise. Lightly beating up the thugs gave him little pleasure. It was a momentary moment of glee, but they never were a challenge to begin with. Just an annoyance. Danny didn't enjoy that pointless fight that was horrendously cliché. Then again, it was his own to choice to live in a less lawful part of the city. It was bound to happen eventually. He probably should have been glad to get the thugs off his back on the very first day. And to top it off, he got some information to go by. 

 

So that's what this world's shtick was. Everyone around had unusual powers that were probably the reason behind the name. It was cool, in a way. It meant that he could use his powers without fear. And it was also just as Wulf had told him. The encounter just then was a fight between street ruffians and one of the strongest members of the entire ghost race. It wasn't a very good sampling now, was it? He needed to know where the power ceiling was for that world. And whether he should be worried or not. 

 

Danny yawned. Yes, perhaps it could wait. That day had been the biggest emotional rollercoaster of his entire life. All of the sudden his energy started to drain, and everything that had happened before was slowly catching up to him. Danny made it to the attic of his house, where he unpacked the box and put the futon in the middle of the room. It was pitch dark in there, with the only barred window being the single source of light. The half-ghost almost wished that the local Yokai would appear in the middle of the night, since it hadn't done so earlier. Almost. He had had enough fights for one day. Wearing only boxers and his T-shirt, Danny lied down on the futon. The thing was actually quite comfortable. Smiling slightly, the teen pulled the covers over him. He didn't close his eyes, for once being left alone with his thoughts. 

 

The thoughts that did not concern this world, but rather, the one he left behind. There was a reason for his decision that he was too embarrassed to voice at the time. For months Danny had felt that he was failing. Failing at school, failing to make something of his life. After his education was over he could do nothing. A shmuck with horrific grades could never hope to work at NASA. Other than a janitor. It would only leave him to 'pursue his old folks' path' as his father had put it. On one hand it might have sounded tempting, but seeing what they had done earlier that day, Danny knew that he would be walking the tight rope for years to no end after that. What if they found everything out differently? He had no reason to believe it wouldn't have gone more violent. Occasionally, on evenings like that, Danny had kept thinking about the same thing. How much of a failure he was.  He was a human who could not make use of his life. Danny was no idiot. He might have been called clueless for whatever reason, but he could see it in his parents' eyes. He was a constant disappointment. And each time he brought home an 'F', they weren't even surprised at that point. Perhaps him failing to even make it to his coming of age without dying was a cherry on top, who knew. 

 

He was a ghost more powerful than most who refused to use it as the metaphorical manual said. How it was intended. Danny didn't want to turn his second home into a slaughterhouse. Those who were smart enough to understand that either despised or were thankful to him, but the half ghost was lost on what he should do. Maybe that's how the Zone worked. What if he was upsetting some natural order by his ignorance? Nobody came to explain those matters to him. It was always him against something completely new, something he had to learn in order not to screw even that part up. Eventually Danny learned to shove those concerns under the rug. If the Observants, who were all about balance, paid him no heed, than neither should he. 

 

Wulf, on the other hand, had offered him an opportunity to try again. To make a new life when there would be no outside force to ruin anything, leaving him alone to ponder on his mistakes and make everything right that time. Danny turned to the side and raised his palm. A single ball of green light appeared, and after a gentle push it floated towards the only thing he had taken from the suitcase. A photo within a frame. 

 

It was a silly thing, really. Him and Tucker were wrestling behind each other's backs in an attempt to ruin each other's photo, their faces still seemingly oblivious to the fight, while Sam stood nearby and tried to hold in her laughter. Jazz was near them too, but she tried to make the boys stop, but she failed. Danny smiled. Out of all the pictures he decided to print that one. It just felt so... alive. 

 

"I promise, guys," Danny whispered. "This time I will do everything right."

Chapter 2

"DO NOT WORRY, FOR I AM HERE!"

 

Danny was eating his morning sandwich in one of the joints, one that had awfully little ham and was way too dry. The manager of the coffee shop was sitting just a couple of tables away from the teen. Having the unchecked powers being a manager gave him, the man had switched the tv to one of the channels. Danny didn't mind, since he appreciated every bit of trivia he could get. The TV showed an absolute behemoth of a man, tall and muscular, dressed in a suit of blue, gold, red and white. His long blonde hair had two strips that were sticking up in the air. The man bore the brightest and proudest smile Danny had ever seen in his life or afterlife. He was obviously a big shot, judging by the squeals and exited shouts from the people present in the cafe.

 

"Wow, it's All Might!" 

 

"He is so amazing, isn't he?" 

 

Danny took a sip of coffee, looking at the screen from which the number one hero stared at him. It had been a week since he came to that world. The teen had done his homework, since that was basically all he could do with his free time. All Might, the Symbol of peace, they called him. When he first heard about it, Danny thought that the guy had an excellent PR agency behind him. Unlike the half ghost who was always one step away from being considered a wanted criminal. What was it about the blonde giant that Danny lacked in that regard? Aside, of course, from the aforementioned PR agency. Danny even had plushies of his persona, ones that were quite popular among the locals and tourists, but unlike All Might they never gave him a single penny. They hadn't even contacted him. And in a situation where his only income was a part-time job at the local supermarket it only aggravated the teen even more. Each time he looked at his plushie (which he for some reason had decided to bring along) it filled him frustration. 

 

Perhaps it was just how the world was. Being the only hero in his own world was a peculiarity in itself. It naturally made people worried. In this universe, most people had powers of their own and heroes were pretty numerous. It had become a trend by that point, a new normalcy. They made laws, established agencies, all for the purpose of adapting to the changed reality. Although, by that time Danny had learned that most of those abilities were pretty useless or a good utility at most. Actually few could be properly utilised in combat. He saw many heroes on TV, one could grow as tall as a building, while the other could burn people to a crisp. Those were pretty helpful, unlike a single extra eye the barista in front of the teen spotted.

 

But that was not the main point. 

 

It had been a week, and it still boggled him. Maybe the townsfolk had feared him because Phantom was a teenager. And those were unpredictable beings, more so than ghosts. They never sold guns or alcohol to children legally, and yet there was a boy that could blow people up with a look. And nobody could do anything to stop him. To them he was a ticking bomb. And perhaps that's why young children and other teenagers adored him. They had no such prejudice. There was also the wild preaching of his own parents, who spoke before the townspeople with the zealousness of Salem witch hunters and Savonarola combined, saying that every ghost was a vile creature from another world. 

 

"Phantom simply claimed the town as his property," they said. 

 

"He fights not for you, but to keep intruders out," they assured. 

 

What would the Fentons claim now when he was gone? They were now stuck between two of their theories: that ghosts could not leave their haunt and that Phantom had marked his territory. Either was wrong, but if Danny knew his parents, they would never admit anything. For being scientists they were too stubborn and unwilling to change their theories that had nothing behind them but wild speculations. The Fentons could make incredible inventions, but when it came to the topic of ghostly behaviour and biology, their knowledge was abysmal. It wasn't very surprising, no scientist could specialise in every field. They had mistakenly stacked every aspect of ectoplasm and its original world into one science, which was evidently the wrong idea. Physics and Chemistry are different, despite both of them dealing with atomic structures. And someone who created medicine could not engineer an atomic reactor. An architect would not be able to decipher ancient writings. Every science took years of hard work to have an understanding of, otherwise one would be the jack of all trades and master of none. It wasn't shameful to admit, but Fentons' arrogance clouded their judgement. They thought of themselves as experts, and they were the one-eyed guides in the kingdom inhabited by blind people. There was nobody to address their idiocies but ghosts themselves. But since they were labeled as evil, few actually listened. 

 

The conclusion? Fentons were specialists in engineering, while arrogantly believing that they knew everything else. They by definition were not jacks of all trades. Unlike Danny. He knew a bit more about biology, but he wasn't nearly as good at engineering. Even if he had managed to modify his thermos to be accessed only by him. But at least Danny never entertained any delusions. He was a kid who never even finished school. He could, technically, apply for a high school in Japan, but he knew about how difficult it would be, both in terms of submitting the papers and actually passing an exam, which was supposed to be much harder in there. And yet, without that he would be left to toil for the rest of his days at a low paying-job. It was a difficult conundrum Danny didn't know how to solve. 

 

Even if he didn't start school that year, there was still the next one. But obviously at some point he would be too old for that, so his time was limited. As he had come to learn, the schools would be holding exams in one month. That wasn't nearly enough for him to catch up. So, Danny pretty much made up his mind to make some savings for the upcoming year. Maybe he would get promoted by that time and he would also be able to afford the student books and such. The boy was allowed to dream of such things. It was, to a degree, ironic how now he didn't have any distractions but he still had obstacles on his way to knowledge. The obstacles he would definitely overcome, he told himself and fist pumped. 

 

An hour later he was already at the store, wearing the green shirt, black pants, a black apron and a cap — all part of their uniforms. The manager hadn't asked for much when hiring the boy. Danny didn't know if his passport was legit in that world, most probably not, but it seemed that way to the lady that eventually hired him. She bought his story about being an exchange student looking for work. One of his first tasks was to arrange the products where they belonged and set up the price tags. Nothing too difficult, even his dumb little brain could manage. It took some running around until it dawned upon the teen that he wasn't at all restricted to use his powers. He had seen one of the employees splashing water from her hands right on the floor before washing it. Danny wasn't sure if her strategy was valid, but nobody scolded her. Thus, the half-ghost allowed himself some tricks. Soon, nori chips, some rice cookies started floating out of their boxes in accurate lines, cans of differently-coloured sodas floated in the fridges. He tried to avoid hitting the customers, or obstructing their path in any way. Danny's eyes and palm sparkled with green energy as his left hand directed the lines of floating products to the shelves. 

 

"Fenton-san," the lady manager approached him, fixing the glasses over her snake eyes. "You haven't mentioned this Quirk of yours." 

 

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, ma'am, I just saw others use theirs, so I thought it was okay..."

 

"I don't know how it is done where you come from, but there are papers you and I will need to fill. Then you are free to use yours while performing your job."

 

The teen sighed and nodded. "I understand. Sorry for inconvenience."

 

The manager didn't seem that angry, probably because his power was actually useful. The issue also introduced Danny to another aspect of the superhuman world. 

 

Bureaucracy. 

 

Every person around had their abilities registered by the government. It made sense, Danny thought. The Police could catch a criminal by power description alone. The lady-manager was nice enough to explain the basic laws of the house, buying the half ghost's reasoning that in his home region they were different. Danny was warned against using his powers in public. That surprised the teen, but then again, the only public use of a Quirk he had seen was with those ruffians. Yet, he was allowed to use telekinesis during the job as long as the manager had a special paper filed. When it came to writing down his power, Danny hesitated. What exactly was he supposed to write? But he quickly purged away the doubt and wrote "telekinesis" down. He would restrict himself to using only that power when he was near his co-workers, but it would keep his strangeness a secret. 

 

The street bandits were hardly the best people for getting information. Danny found no info on people with two Quirks. But there were those who had multiple abilities hailing from one. It was an easy misconception to make. As for Danny, he probably could lump most of his abilities into an obscure, draft category of a "Ghost". Then again, some of his powers were not something their kind was famous for. It was his best covert option, nonetheless. IF he was forced to write down everything he could do. Until that happened, telekinesis it was. The manager seemed satisfied with the paperwork, so Danny quickly went back to work. 

 

The half ghost decided to put his mind to it, as well as some actual labour. Even if he was paid 3 dollars an hour, he was going to perform at the top of his abilities. Somewhat human abilities, that is. The manager could only watch in wonder at how Danny sorted out the goods in a matter of minutes, then being quickly assigned to the spot of a cashier. With a bright smile the teen worked swiftly, his telekinesis allowing him to work several times as fast. That power really was perfect for the job at hand. Closer to the evening Danny was also the one to unload the boxes from a truck. Other employees were thankful to the teen for doing the last work for the day in a couple of minutes. It meant they could go to home earlier. But by the time the day was over, Danny started to feel winded. Of course he was, he had been using his ghost power for hours, in his human form, no less. Another reason behind that really worried the teen. 

 

Until he left, Danny had been living atop of a gateway to the world his powers originated from. Just living, sleeping nearby was enough to fill his battery to the brim, free to use whenever he felt like it. Now there was no such option, and the job had fallen on the tiny nuclear reactor that replaced his heart. It could produce ectoplasm as easily as human body made blood. But there were limits to how much blood a human can lose before kicking the bucket. Danny's abysmal diet didn't help the matter. Food needed to be split apart into atoms and made into ectoplasm. And then the ectoplasm, having an enormous absorbing potential, could not only serve as his own battery, but to grasp the residual ghostly energy in the air, present even in that world. Actually the residual energy was quite strong, which was odd. Before Danny could go all out, he needed to start eating something but instant ramen. Ideally, ten large steaks a day. 

 

'Ancients, I sound like Tucker,' Danny thought grimly and shook his head. 

 

The manager was still satisfied with his results, because one boy worked as much as ten more people. All for the pay of a part-timer. She needed to encourage him to put just as much effort later on. That's why he got a couple of extra yen as a bonus. Happy about the small reward, Danny clocked in and left. Before going home, however, Danny bought himself a couple of chocolate bars for a treat. One of them he munched through before he even reached the door of the haunted house. 

 

"So fleeting are the pleasures of the world," he said dramatically, before invisibly getting inside the house. 

 

During the last week Danny had been making every effort to make his part of the place more liveable. He decided to leave the floors as decrepit as they were for an appearance sake. The attic was the place that he paid attention to, using the items he salvaged from the local junkyard for money-saving sake. Firstly, he covered the window with a black curtain when it was night time. With the window already being mostly barred, nobody would pay attention to the fact, and nobody would see the light coming from the inside, either. It meant that Danny could freely use the lonely desk lamp. 

 

That brought him to another issue — electricity. It has been mentioned that he had some basic skills in engineering, and they came in handy. On his hands he had the battery in the form of Fenton Thermos. It could remain autonomous for months, after which the battery had to be filled with ectoplasm. Danny assumed it could feed one room for at least a couple of weeks before he had to indulge in self harm to get some ectoplasm. The possibility of him being encumbered without electricity was bigger than him meeting a ghost around there, so he decided to make that sacrifice. He could always put it back together. At least he hoped so.

 

Thankfully, the thermos battery's output slot was designed like a normal accumulator. Danny decided to be unorthodox. Salvaging an extension cable from the junkyard, he ripped away the plug, leaving only the naked wires. After some time of very dangerous soldering process, he got himself three fully functioning sockets. Danny felt really proud of atrociously looking amalgamation that he created. And besides, now he could charge his phone and PDA, as well as use the aforementioned lamp and a tiny portable TV. It really baffled him how much good stuff people just threw out. Yes, he had to fight a smelly vagabond on that one, yes, the guy had toxic vomit, but at least the TV was still in a very good condition. Danny could still enjoy a wacky Japanese evening show while eating his ramen noodles. The electric kettle was, of course, salvaged as well. 

 

All in all, his living conditions weren't so bad, he wasn't very picky by nature, but Danny was still worried about the roof holding up against the possible rains. Looking at the floor of the attic, the planks hadn't rotted so far, which meant that there wasn't any extra humidity and the water didn't have access there. A good sign. Danny was about to call it a day when, all of a sudden, he heard loud voices outside. His mouth full with noodles, Danny switched the TV and the lamp off, quietly got up from his futon and approached the window. He pulled the curtain just a bit to peek in between the planks and gulped down the last bit of his dinner. Even without hearing what the people outside said exactly, he knew exactly why a bunch of kids would approach a house such as his. Putting his ear to the thin window and focusing on his hearing, he got his confirmation. 

 

"Are you sure that's the right house?" 

 

"I am telling ya, that's it. This house is the talk of this area."

 

"What's the story with this one?"

 

"I heard that a drunk father drowned his kid in a bathtub." 

 

"Really? I thought there was a yokai that ate children."

 

Danny rolled his eyes. That urban legend didn't even try to be original. And his diet were those stupid noodles. 

 

"Oooh, and is it still inside?" An excitable girl whispered. "I wanna go inside." 

 

"Are you sure? This place looks like it will collapse any second."

 

"Really? Or are you chickening, Kirishima?" The girl teased. 

 

"Am not! I am just... concerned."

 

"Should you really be worried? I don't think collapsing roof can actually harm ya."

 

There were at the very least four kids outside, if the numerous voices were anything to go by. Danny got everything he needed. So, those guys were into the usual dare game of going into a haunted house, threatening to uncover his hideout. A devious smirk crossed the teen's features, his eyes gaining a mischievous green gleam. If those teens wanted a haunted house, they were going to get one. Danny jumped and fell through two floors, stopping an inch above the lowest one. Glancing towards the door, he floated and waited until the teens went in, the gears in his head spinning, trying to come up with what exactly should a ghost do. He didn't have much time before the door opened and exactly four teens went in. The invisible half-ghost floated closer, examining the uninvited guests. There wasn't anything particular he could point out about them.

 

The aforementioned girl shivered. 

 

"Guys, is it just me or is it colder here all of a sudden?" 

 

Danny realised that he had gotten too close. Making some distance from the group, he also floated upwards. 

 

"Stop it," a boy complained. Danny recognised his voice as Kirishima's. 

 

"I am serious," grumbled the girl.

 

"Must be the wind," Kirishima shook his head. "Yo, you guys are gonna stand at the doors or what? You are the ones that dared us, you know?" 

 

The other two boys finally stepped forward, looking malcontent with having to get deeper into the house. 

 

"What, ya need emotional support, Kirishima-kun?" One of them mocked. 

 

"Enough, you guys, I did come in as you asked, right?" Kirishima crossed her hands. 

 

And they were going to regret it, Danny thought and smirked. Now, for the beginning of every cliché haunted house. With enough force behind a telekinetic push, he thunderously shut the door behind them. The teens jumped in surprise and looked towards it. 

 

"Very funny," Kirishima looked at other boys, but Danny could see that the boy was shaken himself, "How did you guys do that?" 

 

Their scared faces served as a proof of their innocence, but they still chose to answer. 

 

"It wasn't us! It must be the wind." 

 

Danny rolled his eyes, his hands folded behind his back. That obviously wasn't enough for them. Well, he still had some tricks in his sleeve. Next was lowering the room temperature. His core pumped out the cold air that served that very purpose. The visitors now could see their breath. And the closer Danny got to them, the colder it got.

 

"The windows are all closed!" Kirishima raised his voice. "Admit it, you brought someone with a cold Quirk here, right?" 

 

"We didn't bring anyone!" 

 

Danny guessed that the instigators were the weak part of the chain. As it usually was. He held back a chuckle at remembering Dash's girlish screams each time he saw a ghost. Deciding to strike at that weak spot, Danny did relatively little. A single cold touch on each of the boy's necks. They looked at each other angrily. 

 

"What was that for?!" They shouted at each other. 

 

The girl looked at Kirishima. "What if it really is a ghost?" She whispered to him. "I don't think our Quirks are fit for that." 

 

"They aren't," the raven-haired teen mumbled, looking at her. "But hey, I can just break the stupid door, so your tricks aren't gonna work."

 

Danny supposed that it was still just an upfront. He was feeling like a horror movie watcher. 

 

"W-wait! We agreed that you go to the top floor!" One of the teasing boys got over his brief fear. 

 

"Aren't you yourself scared shitless, though?" Kirishima gave a toothy smirk. 

 

"Yeah, if you don't want to stay here, then we can just go," added the girl.

 

"No. You didn't win the bet yet." 

 

The greed oughtweighed any semblance of self-preservation in their minds. Danny sighed inaudibly. Perhaps he could let the kids reach the second floor. Just so those idiots lost. The half-ghost floated to the second floor, waiting for them to come up. Then he got a neat, if not wasteful idea. He quickly floated to his hideout and picked up a huge bottle of water. He left it in the bathroom and waited until the guests went upstairs. And as they did, entering an empty room, Kirishima grinned triumphantly. 

 

"See? We got to the second floor no problem! Don't you guys owe me something now?" 

 

Grumbling something, one of the boys dug in his rucksack and took out several snacks. 

 

"Here, those are yours," he said dejectedly.

 

All of that for a couple of snacks. Danny shook his head with a smile. He almost felt bad for giving them a scare. Almost. 

 

After Kirishima stacked the food in his own back, the visitors could hear the murmur of water coming from the bathroom. If Danny wasn't preoccupied with slowly pouring the water into the sink, he would have seen all the colour drain from the teens' face. He also opened the door. Very lightly. So that they could see it moving, but were unable to peek behind the stage. This wasn't quite enough, Danny decided, tossing away the bottle. It flew inside the bathtub and created a hollow noise as it tumbled around. Come on, Fenton, he told himself. He had to be more assertive. It wasn't a horror movie, they had brains, they would tail the second they got a chance. So, he needed to give his best as fast as possible. 

 

"Is it coming from the bathroom?" The girl squealed. "Is it the ghost?" 

 

Danny approached them and leaned closer to her ear. 

 

"Leave at once," he whispered in the creepiest, most hoarse voice he could muster. And then he ripped the planks off the walls, floor and the window, let the ice reach as far as their feet. 

 

The teens screamed and bolted towards the entrance. The purposefully thin layer of ice was simple to break out of. Danny peeked his head through the floor and watched how Kirishima actually broke the front door to let others come through as well. That boy must have been very sturdy. And the visitors ran as far away as they could from the house. It was then when the half ghost broke into a loud laughter, leaning against the wall for support. Oh, how his ghost side relished that. And his human one did to an extent. This was ought to keep them away from his house. 

 

"I never actually locked the door, though," he mumbled, wiping a tear from his eye and shrugging. "You could just open it." 

 

---

 

Taking a public bath — sento, as they were called in Japan — was initially a hard one for the half ghost. When they said those were public, he had assumed that they were simply like gym bathrooms, without the gym part. The culture shock once again was his worst enemy. He probably should have guessed that the 'bath' part implied lack of showers. The people there, younger and older, just shared a single bath or poured water over themselves from small basins. It was, frankly, quite bizarre for him, but Danny had to get over himself, as it was the only way he could stay clean. After a short while he got used to the extra company and just washed himself without much care. Or, if he liked, he could just remain invisible, but wearing a headband so that nobody bumped into him. It was more difficult that way, since he only had his muscle memory and dimensional awareness to go by. 

 

One of those days Danny was coming out from the bathhouse fresh and reinvigorated, thinking about having to wash his clothes soon. There must have been a public laundry somewhere near. He could swear he had seen one around. But it was also another strain on his tiny budget that made his heart and core writhe in pain. Guess he would need to go to an even cheaper brand of noodles on laundry days. Deciding not to ponder on the painful topics, Danny switched his mind to the thoughts about his plans for the evening. His research demanded his full attention. Well, to call it 'research' would be giving it too much of a credit. 

 

The teen wanted to know more about that world. He didn't want to get caught violating some obscure law and getting hunted for it. He was beginning his life anew, and Phantom was not supposed to be considered a criminal by anyone. His PDA came at handy while getting some basic information, but there were still plenty of white spots. He could fill those in with some additional, practical lessons. Practice in this case meant standing by the side and watching others do the hero job. To learn the ropes, to know what he should and shouldn't do. It didn't mean that he was going to don a fancy cape and start running to the rescue, but in a society where everyone could potentially have an ability to kill you and the instability to actually use it, Danny needed to be ready for everything. He had seen the official recommendations, and they were too unspecific. They just told the civilians to run away and let the heroes handle everything. Self-defence was permitted, but actually neutralising the criminal could be also interpreted as a violation. The legislation of the place was too confusing, and he, a kid with less than average school performance, should not have been able to see those flaws so easily.

 

"Or maybe you are just too dumb to understand, Fenton," the teen muttered.

 

It was late evening when he entered the district closer to the centre. Crimes involving strong villains usually took place there. The crime-ridden places were where small fries lived. Standing atop one of the tall office buildings, Danny put his hands on the belt of his ghost form and started waiting. Tucker's PDA truly had everything, and the tech-wizard had come up with a special app that could pick up police frequencies so that they could hunt ghosts together with more efficiency. Danny wasn't sure how it was picking up those frequencies, but he recalled Tucker saying something about keywords. As long as the usual police terminology was used, the PDA hijacked those. The PDA was originally Japanese, so it was no wonder it could also understand the locals. Until that happened, Danny was just sitting on the edge of the roof eating his dinner, consisting of a purchased burger. In the meantime, a radio broadcast was turned on.

 

"How are you doing, folks?" Came the loud voice of the radio host. "Enjoying the lovely tunes so far? I know ya all do, or I am not Present Mic, your lovely host..."

 

Danny heard the white noise coming from the PDA and interrupted the broadcast.

 

"We have an assault in Takahashi district! The villain has an Emitter type quirk. I repeat, the villain discharges electricity. Call the nearest heroes!" 

 

Electricity. How he loathed those that abused that natural power. Danny's core always reacted violently when seeing ghosts that did that. The process of turning into what he was involved dying in a gruesome way, and the portal releasing thousands upon thousands of volts of electricity, burning away the skin, puncturing his organs, frying the neurones of his brain bit by bit. It was a painful memory. If not for the ectoplasmic charge of monstrous proportions, all that would have been left was a scorched corpse eventually put in a coffin. A small one. He wasn't very tall back then. The half ghost was satisfied with the arrangement, but his hatred of being electrocuted was going to stay with him to the end of his days. Shaking off the painful memory, Danny unfolded the map, and his eyes darted from one corner of the map to another in search of the district. 

 

Then, an explosion of electric currents caused destruction far at the distance. Or he could just fly there. That worked just as fine. Danny tossed away the map and jumped off the roof, turning invisible on his way down. Flying around was also hardly legal, so he didn't want any extra attention. The half ghost picked up the speed, flying forward and reaching the destination as quickly as possible. Danny wished to stay far away from lighting, far away from the one who was throwing away, and consequently, the electric plant where the fight was taking place. But he was committed to his plan, and his stubbornness was legendary. He could find a safe spot and watch. He didn't need to fight that walking battery. Taking a deep breath, Danny took a dive towards the plant. 

 

The half ghost entered the place through the wall, softly landing in an empty office. The personnel must have been evacuated. 

 

Or taken hostage. 

 

Danny couldn't dismiss that thought just yet. But he also didn't want to hurry, because otherwise he would learn nothing about how things were done around that place. No matter how compelled he was to save those in trouble. Danny roamed the corridors while staying invisible, trying to find the path to where action was taking place. From the towering chimneys outside he could guess that it was a coal plant. Since it was an electric villain, he didn't need to be around all that coal and steam, no, by all logic he would be where the steam was getting turned into actual electricity. Where he had an advantage. Danny felt really proud of himself for deducing that, but it remained to be seen if it was true. Using the signs on the wall, the teen made his way towards the generator room, without making a sound. As he got closer, he could hear the sounds of gunfire. Not good, no matter who was firing. 

 

Danny went through the closed door. However, upon arrival, the half ghost had to dodge a bolt of lighting, one of many that were so thoughtlessly thrown around. So much for his plan to sit and watch. The situation wasn't looking pretty for the officers, armed only with their guns. Yeah, only heroes had the permissions, Danny got that part correct. Still, against the hulking behemoth of a man those pistols could hardly do anything, because his lighting was too fast. Danny wasn't sure if the tesla coils on his shoulders, the source of the electricity, were a part of the man's body or a simple tool. Everything was possible in that bizarre world. The villain laughed loudly, seeing the men in uniform out of commission.

 

"You wimps never stood a chance. Bring out a proper hero now!" 

 

Danny wondered who that guy was even talking with. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to kill the policemen, so the teen decided to keep watching. There also didn't seem to be any hostages, from what the teen could observe. So, the half ghost sat on one of the steel fittings lining the walls, eagerly waiting for the hero to come. At the same time the villain didn't stand idle, he ripped the wires connecting the generator with the outside lines, using them to fill his own inner batteries by sticking them into special ports in the coils. With a yell he began leeching on the still functioning generators, and it made the teen feel really uncomfortable. Too much electricity that the bad guy would definitely discharge at some poor soul. That was odd, though. What was that man after, Danny wondered. The villain wasn't looking for anything, he was simply preparing until a hero would show up, also down the electricity in the nearest area. Was it some stupid desire for a challenge? If so, Danny had to take a note that such people existed as well. 

 

The half ghost expected the hero to come through the main entrance, but with the edge of his eye he noticed the door to the maintenance room opening. If Danny recalled correctly, there was also a corridor with windows. The newcomer must have come through those. Deciding to take a closer look, the teen hopped off his place and slowly descended, right towards the sneaky man who rightfully assumed himself to be still unseen. Well, the self-absorbed villain was now oblivious to two foreign presences. Danny had to stop himself from coming too close, lest the man remembered that a coal generator was not supposed to be ice cold. 

 

The supposed hero didn't appear as much at the first glance. Then again, who was he to judge. Phantom was a scrawny teen in a hazmat suit. The man had a tall, but slim figure. Danny couldn't quite make out his face, due to the shoulder-long messy hair that also hid it. The man was wearing a baggy black outfit and pants of the same colour that were tucked into his boots. Danny wasn't sure if that was really comfortable. A utility belt also didn't go unnoticed, as well as the striking feature of a scarf around the hero's neck. His observations were cut short when the man, without saying a word, leaped forward, towards the villain the second he saw him. The half ghost smirked and jumped on one of the pipes nearby, preparing to watch the show unfold. 

 

The villain heard the rapid footsteps, turned around as quickly as he could. 

 

"Ah, finally!" He exclaimed and outstretched his hands towards the man. "I hope you are tougher than those idiots!"

 

Danny fully expected the bad guy to fire lighting. Except it never came. The half ghost leaned forward, a confused expression on his face. 

 

The hero unfolded his scarf and struck.

 

"It's a weapon?" Whispered Danny. 

 

The hero wrapped the scarf around the villain's shoulders and pulled. The opponent fell forward just as the man was close enough to strike the head with his knee. It allowed the villain not to fall on the ground, but the pain made him yell and stumble, as the hero loosened the scarf's hold on the shoulders. But the hero wasn't done. Before the villain could retaliate in any way, he threw the scarf again, but now aimed for the legs. Another pull, and the giant was toppled. The hero jumped over and landed another kick straight on the criminal's face. Danny could only watch the scene in amazement. But why wasn't the villain using all that energy he had stored? He obviously wanted to use it. Could Quirk malfunction like that? Danny really needed to keep a journal of those things. 

 

"Wait... I know you. Damn Eraserhead!" The villain tried to break free, still somehow conscious after several kicks. 

 

"And I don't know you," responded Eraserhead in the most bored and apathetic voice Phantom had ever heard. 

 

The villain smirked. "Luckily I was prepared." 

 

The coils on his back began to spark with electricity. An explosion of lighting followed and forced the hero to jump away, releasing the hold on the criminal. The villain started to laugh, electricity still all around him like a shield. 

 

"You may turn off my Quirk, Eraserhead, but my coils have been charged. Best purchase I've made!" 

 

So that was the hero's power. Danny found himself intimidated by the possible extent of the ability he wasn't going to test. He was also immensely intrigued by the criminal actually using techs to boost his capabilities. The hero too was using a very strange scarf. Danny wondered how one got their hands on those, his thought process more resembling a fast ramble. The villain meanwhile cracked his fists. 

 

"There is also something else. You must choose, hero. Either me or the poor staff downstairs, sharing a room with a bomb. The detonator, however, is right by my side," he pointed at a small device hanging on the same suspenders that held the tesla coils. "You are not getting past me."

 

The hero came to the conclusion that the villain was stalling. There was no other explanation for a break-in and the strategy he employed. What for, remained to be seen. Danny just wondered about how cliché the trick was, not paying much attention to the reasons. And perhaps, that was his time to shine and get rid of the advantage the thug had. Eraserhead was going to be busy fighting the electric thug. So, the half ghost took a deep dive to the floor beneath them.

 

He landed in a pristinely clean white corridor. Shivering a bit, the teen began his search. The shaking and noise above his head indicated that the fight resumed upstairs. He just needed to find the captives. The search didn't take long, as the sounds of his footsteps were heard by them. Danny heard the banging on an iron door nearby, as well as the shouting. 

 

"Please! Anyone! We are locked in here with a bomb! Please help us, whoever it is!" 

 

Danny decided to remain invisible for the encounter. Stepping before the door, he began speaking. 

 

"How many of you are there?" He asked. 

 

"Around ten! Can you get us out?" 

 

Danny examined the obstacle separating them, before looking at his invisible hand. He put it on the door.

 

"Go through it," the half ghost instructed. 

 

"What?" 

 

"Go through the door already! It's intangible!"

 

Slowly, but surely, the surprised workers started emerging one after another, piling up in the corridor and looking for their saviour. After they stopped appearing, Danny smirked and released the hold. 

 

"Was there any bad guy besides that lighting enthusiast?" His disembodied voice reached everyone present. 

 

"N-no, I think he was alone," a scared lady said. "Where are you?"

 

"Right near you, lady. Don't pay attention to me, you should get out. Do you know the way?"

 

The man that had been calling for him nodded. "Yes, there is an emergency exit. But... the bomb! If it blows up, it can reach the coal reserves."

 

"And we will have a fiery party, I get it. I'll take care of the bomb, you must run. Avoid the generator room at all costs. The criminal is there," Danny commanded. 

 

"We will, thank you so much! Everyone, come on!" The guy in charge led the others down the corridor. 

 

Phantom couldn't help but smile. It felt nice receiving some gratitude for a change. He then quickly snapped his attention to the locked room. Upon entering it, the teen was faced with a ticking haphazard device that resembled a bomb. The captives were hesitant to touch it, and for a good reason, too. Nobody knew how to disarm it, and the half ghost was none the smarter. 

 

"Why can't I just cut a wire..." he moaned and looked at the ceiling. "Come on, think. You are Phantom, you got out of even tougher situations," he whispered. 

 

He couldn't diffuse the bomb, he couldn't leave it there either. Maybe, if it was going to explode, he would have to take it where the explosion wasn't going to harm anyone. Yes, the area around lacked any tall buildings. That could work. Danny carefully picked the ticking device up and tried to fly as carefully as he could, lest the extra shaking caused it to explode prematurely. He flew through the ceiling, past the ongoing fight that had the criminal run right through him. Eraserhead appeared to be unscathed, if a bit winded. The thug, on the other hand, was somehow still moving despite the beating that had taken place before, but one of his hands was constantly on the detonator. 

 

"Stand still, you piece of shit!" The villain yelled and discharged more electricity from the coils. 

 

Danny had no time to ogle. He needed to get rid of the bomb. Floating even higher, the teen ended up on the roof of the coal plant, but he went even higher. Until he was much higher than the smoking chimneys. Phantom turned visible, aimed for the sky and threw the bomb as high into the sky as possible. It was a single glowing dot in the night sky, and even if the moon shone brightly, it made it difficult to aim. Danny pointed his hand into the sky, supported it with another, waiting. Then, after several agonising seconds, the teen released an ectoblast, as wide as a palm. In a split second, the collision happened, and a bright explosion lit the surroundings. 

 

"Ha! Take that!" Danny said and turned invisible again, knowing that all eyes would be turned to him. Or, rather, to the explosion that happened not so far from him. Without wasting time, the bomb situation resolved, the half ghost returned to the generator room. 

 

Eraserhead was still fighting the criminal. The hero ran up close to the thug and tried to land a hit. The thug was about to release more electricity, but the hero dodged under the strike, came behind the villain and wrapped the scarf around his neck as he went. The momentum and the weight allowed to pull the enemy to the ground. The coils finally snapped, their metal soft after the extensive heating the electricity had caused. Danny smiled. That hero could have handled everything himself, it seemed. 

 

"Now stand still," the same bored voice of his commanded. The criminal was now completely helpless before his Quirk. The hero kicked the criminal in the face, effectively knocking him out. 

 

It seemed that the situation was resolved. Eraserhead quickly rushed to the doors, still under the assumption that the hostages were there. Danny felt bad for making him run like that. He probably was worried sick that the hostages were blown up. But that wasn't the boy's problem. Sighing, Phantom stood near the unconscious criminal, dropping his invisibility for a moment. With a smirk, he lightly kicked the man's hand. 

 

"That was very exciting," he said. "But I guess not as much for you, people. You see this stuff each day."

 

He then examined the coils. Without touching them, of course. He didn't know if they could still shock him. It was an interesting piece of machinery that seemed to be an extra storage space for him. If the criminal's opponent wasn't the guy who negated his original power, he would have been much more formidable. It was a test of endurance until he wastefully spent his batteries. Danny would kill for something like that and he actually wondered where the criminal got a toy such as that. He didn't strike him as a very intelligent person. The villain suddenly groaned, startling the teen, but didn't move much. Then, Danny saw that something had fallen from the man's pocket. Curious, the teen kneeled and picked up a small card. It looked like a business card. It read: "Giran" and then also gave a phone number. Maybe that was the answer to his question. Danny snapped a picture of the card with his phone and dropped the piece of carton on the ground. Curiosity or not, it was a clue he wasn't going to take from the police. And upon hearing the footsteps outside, the half ghost took them as a cue to leave. He had seen enough.

 

Several minutes later, as disgruntled Eraserhead approached the police force, he asked them to share what happened. 

 

"We aren't really sure, there was an explosion up in the sky. Green laser, too." 

 

"Lasers don't appear out of thin air," Eraserhead crossed his hands. 

 

"You can ask around, but I don't think anyone saw where it came from."

 

"Ehm... excuse me..." 

 

The lady, one of the people Danny had rescued, came up to the conversing men. 

 

"Are you one of the heroes that saved us?" 

 

Eraserhead raised an eyebrow. "I work alone, miss."

 

"You do? But then, who got us out?"

 

"You didn't see that person?" Asked the hero, trying to understand what was going on. 

 

"No, I think he was invisible. But he got us out of the locked room and told us what to do. He sounded very young, like a boy even... oh, he also promised to take care of the bomb!"

 

"The bomb, huh?" The police officer mused aloud. "That explains the explosion, I guess. It seems we have a vigilante case as well, if he really is as young as this woman thinks. We'll need to check the database for invisible young men."

 

"He also could make the door intangible," the woman added, her look then turning concerned. "He is in trouble, isn't he?" 

 

The officer chose not to indulge a very sensitive question. "That does narrow the list. It's a curious combination for a Quirk."

 

"You still don't have much to go by," Eraserhead mumbled. "Did he say his name?" 

 

"No, I don't think so."

 

"What do you think, Eraserhead?" The police officer looked at the tired-looking hero. 

 

"The vigilante is secondary. I will try to find out what the villain was after. And why he decided to cut off the energy supply for this whole area. I'll stay in touch, call me when the villain cracks." 

 

Without saying anything else, the hero left the scene of crime. 

 

Even though he was apathetic to the unknown boy, Aizawa Shota could still make his own conclusions. And as he was traversing the urban jungles, he had plenty of time to think. There couldn't have been much time between the rescue of the captives and the explosion. Certainly not enough to make it to the roof and blow the bomb up. This meant that something or someone else was used in that messy situation. And those lasers... something was definitely amiss in that story, but the Erasure Hero had another job at his hands. Lack of light enticed criminals to go out and commit their acts more often, and thus Aizawa had his job cut out for him.

Chapter 3: Shady Connections

Danny stared at his phone for what felt like hours. It was the evening of the following day, and he had spent the whole time wondering about the photo he had made. While at work he was absentminded, of which he was reminded by his colleagues multiple times. Enough for the half ghost to finally snap out of his thoughts and finally concentrate at sorting those veggies. But postponing the issue meant that eventually it would catch up with him, and he would be forced to address it. Phantom was spending the evening all absorbed in his thoughts. The half ghost was running out of time, eventually the cops would use the card he had left behind as a conscious citizen (still without a passport), and the man would either be caught or he would change his number. 

 

The half ghost didn't care about the fate of the one making those business cards. He didn't have any illusions about the nature of the man's enterprise. The villain had that card in his pockets, which implied the criminal nature of that "Giran". There were only the name and the number. No company name, no address, nothing, as if giving away the number was the biggest concession the man could allow himself to make. And since Phantom never found any official information on the guy, it only confirmed the teen's suspicions. The boy's only regret if the man got caught was the lost opportunity for him to attain what he wanted. What did he want? The answer to that was very simple — he needed upgrades. The upgrades he was going to get only in the underground black market. After all, only proper heroes were allowed to gallivant with official support items. He wasn't one of them, so it left him little option. If it meant mingling with criminals, then fine. They were going to get busted anyways. Or maybe he was just putting too much faith in the local police force. 

 

Phantom might have been a formidable opponent in that world of single-powered heroes and villains, but after watching Eraserhead the idea of his own powers one day betraying him didn't leave his mind. It happened before, and he was utterly helpless in those situations. It reminded the half ghost that for all his power there was probably some fish in the ocean that was bigger than him, that could beat him even while having only one ability. Phantom had to be conscious of his limits, even if he was getting too overzealous. The half ghost needed a preventative measure. Something that could save his backside in a pinch and probably aid his endeavours in other ways. While he doubted that the locals had something to assist a half ghost, he could, in theory, modify the tools to suit him. He just needed something to use as a basis. 

 

It wasn't going to be his first time associating with the bad guys. Mind you, each Christmas so far they all went to a common party and had fun. And they also cooperated on multiple occasions, even if it was only to take down a bigger menace, be it the Ghost Investigation Ward or the undead tyrant himself. That thought brought some solace to the teen. Because he was going to involve himself with the criminals with one goal only — to be better at taking down said criminals. Since he had made such deals with his own conscience before, Phantom was willing to compromise now. But then the idea gained another layer. It went without saying that the teen was one step away from going broke. There was no possible way for him to actually buy the goods from the black market. So, the half ghost intended to harass the criminals until they gave him what he wanted. It was something very dangerous, for if he angered the wrong people, his peaceful life was going to end without even starting. He had left his world precisely to avoid that very thing. Nonetheless, he had a plan. First the teen needed to conduct his small investigation and find where the underground smiths worked. His first clue was the business card. 

 

But then, what could he offer that man for the information? Money was out of the question, same as committing a crime for a favour. That left the ghost with nothing. Still, looking at his phone the half ghost decided that an attempt had to be made first. Whatever the outcome was, he wouldn't know it until he tried. Dialling the number from the business card, Danny started waiting, each ring making the teen more and more doubtful. Still, someone from the other end chose to respond to the call.

 

"Yeah?" 

 

Danny inaudibly took some breath. "Good evening. I'm talking to Giran, correct?" 

 

A brief silence followed. "I don't recognise your voice, whoever you are. Or your number."

 

"Perhaps you shouldn't give your business cards away so easily, sir," Danny peeked through the barred window of his attic room. "Some passersby may actually get a hold of one. Since it fell from the pocket of a criminal, I figured that you either offer legal advice or you are the man's supplier." 

 

"What made you think that?" The man sounded disinterested. Like he knew that nothing was going to harm him. 

 

"That guy looked like a person who would drink battery acid. Thus, not able to create the tools he possessed. The tools I happen to be interested in."

 

"Oh?" The man's voice gained the undertones of interest. "And how do I know that the possessor of this card is not in prison and I am not being set up?"

 

"Oh, he certainly is in prison. And I can guarantee you that eventually the police will find that number as well. However, if I wanted to set you up, I would have passed the phone to the detained and told him to invite you, don't you agree?" 

 

"A good point. How did you come across the card, then?" 

 

"I took a picture of it while the hero was too busy saving the hostages. I was just passing by. So, what do you say? Do I pass your little exam?" 

 

"With flying colours," the man responded sarcastically. "Fine, then. I reckon you need a suit?" 

 

"I already have one. I'm looking for the upgrades. Are you the one who makes them?" 

 

"Nah. I am just a humble broker. I can arrange for the goods. You can come and see for yourself." 

 

"Just like that, huh?" 

 

"Time is money, kid. In any case, you got any specifics? What Quirk do ya have?" 

 

It was questionable whether or not it was safe to share that knowledge, but Danny figured that it wouldn't be that harmful. If they had something against ectoplasm, they were already equipped to deal with him. If they didn't, then what was there to even talk about. But just in case...

 

"How do I know this knowledge won't be used against me?" 

 

"You are trading anonymity with us for the anonymity with the law enforcement. Besides, I have principles, boyo. Surprising, I know, but you can be sure. Your secret is safe with me." 

 

"Fine. My Quirk lets me control ectoplasm." 

 

"What, like that fairy tale ghost substance?" 

 

"You are making it sound like you have no idea about it."

 

That lack of knowledge was both reassuring and disappointing. But when he thought about it... yes, that was it.

 

"I guess there is the first time for anything, boy. I'm sure we can come up with somethin'." 

 

"Let me see the workshops you cooperate with," Danny blurted out. 

 

"Eh?" Giran sounded surprised by the boy's audacity. 

 

"If you don't know what ectoplasm is, then you can't build the stuff from scratch. I have the necessary knowledge. And I know what materials to use. However, you have to understand that this is not done over the phone." 

 

"Try me." 

 

Phantom's lips thinned. "Sorry, Your Highness. Maybe I should explain the principles behind hadron collider while I'm at it?"

 

"I would be careful with words if I were you. I can press a button and there will be no deal. But... I guess we can work with what we got. This doesn't depend on me alone, though. If the masters I know have no qualms about it and don't know what this ectoplasm is, then we will use your input."

 

"That will do, I suppose." 

 

"Oh, and don't call this number again. Useless. I'll call you from another one. Got it?" 

 

"Yeah. I'll wait until then." 

 

And like that, the call was over. The conversation had gone better than he could ever hope. He was getting into the workshop free of charge, which was perfect for snatching the nuts and bolts he could use to make his own upgrades. And putting a stop to the illegal activity. But did he truly have the ability to put down whoever was present there? If not, he had the ability to get out of there and call heroes on them. That was the main part of the aforementioned plan. If everyone in the workshop was too busy with the attacking heroes, and the heroes were too busy detaining the criminals, certainly they would miss a detail or two vanishing. Danny grinned deviously. He was performing a community service and getting something in return. One would say that it wasn't very heroic, and they would be right to an extent, but the half ghost too had to eat and defend himself somehow. Those were the talks of an idealist, and Phantom hardly could consider himself as such. Morals often were sidelined when survival was the only thing that mattered. 

 

Going back to the whole 'cooperation' with his opponents and dubious standards, it's not that Danny liked the Christmas truce much. All those smiling faces, the playful jabs at his expense just days after they tried to kill him, for a day pretending that nothing was wrong. They were the reason he was sleep-deprived. They were the cause of nearly every scar on his body. Everyone knew what had happened before and what would happen when the following day arrived. The same beating, the same vicious cycle of the ghost boy saving the day and thwarting their plans. And then mercifully releasing them like a fisherman who is in it for the process. He wasn't even imprisoning them. He hated them all even more on that day, even if it was a day for him to take a breather.

 

It made him wonder how the local heroes handled this. Was it just because they were in abundance and could share the burden? Danny didn't know that. He was the only hero of his world, and he was cracking in a single small town, solving problems of ghostly kind only. On the other hand, the heroes also lived off of saving the people. They didn't have other jobs, school or anything of the sort. It was their job, a job like any other, even if coupled with much greater risks. Or maybe Danny was just too weak spirit-wise, succumbing to exhaustion and the desire to rest for once? He didn't know. He really wasn't sure of anything concerning himself. Hell, he wasn't even sure what to eat the next day. 

 

That world really was giving the half ghost a lot of room for thinking and reflecting upon himself. Hopefully it could bare some results. 

 

The rest of the week passed without anything of note happening. It was to be expected, with Giran's number and info probably leaked by the arrested criminal, he was going to move and lay low for a while. All Danny could do was building his dream castles, excitedly thinking about the tools he could build to make both his fighting and living conditions better, all the while continuing his diligent work at the shop. He found little to no news about the electric villain, which to his experienced mind meant that the police was currently investigating the matter and didn't want any extra information to leak. Or they just ignored it. One of the two. The latter was still hardly viable, because to let go of a case that left a whole district with no power would be an act worth protesting against. Danny himself, while not being primarily focused on that, was still curious as to what was the bigger idea behind the attack. Whatever it was, the guy obviously wasn't working alone. Maybe Giran knew, but Danny wasn't going to ask anything beyond what he himself needed. 

 

And speaking of whom, the half ghost eventually received a call from the shadowy broker. Excusing himself from the workplace, Danny found a safe spot to talk. Giran was concise that time: he merely stated that no, nobody knew how to handle ectoplasm and what it was like. Thus, the teen was invited to see the master that was willing to experiment. The meeting spot from was also set. The extra stipulations were an odd idea, and Danny naturally suspected a foul play, so he prepared for the worst. The teen started looking around the industrial area. It was located near the sea, and he was searching for a 'man in purple suit', as Giran had so elaborately hinted. His search was conducted while the teen was in his ghost form. It really was pain knowing that both of his appearances compromised him, but little Danny Fenton was going to stay under the radar. The human part's feigned innocence was more important. 

 

There weren't any people around the area, which was concerning for a while. Until the teen remembered that it was Sunday, so of course nobody would be around. After floating around for a while, the teen could see a black van. And there, leaning against it and smoking a cigarette, was a man wearing purple. It was a middle-aged man with grey hair, goatee and small untended moustache. Taking a small sigh, Danny flew towards him. Once he soundlessly landed on the roof of the van, the teen dropped his invisibility. 

 

"Hello there!" the teen cheerfully greeted. "Sorry I'm late, the destination was very unspecific."

 

Danny saw no point in acting tough now when they met face to face. His appearance most of the time always acted against him in that regard. The man straightened up and turned towards him, a bit of surprise flashing from under his circular glasses. 

 

"You are the one who called?" Giran asked. 

 

"Yep. You sound surprised," Danny jumped off the van. 

 

"How old are you, kid?" 

 

"Fifteen," Danny said and crossed his hands.

 

"You don't look much older than thirteen," the man said and smirked, flashing a gap in place of where front teeth should have been. Giran then took his time to examine the white haired teen in front of him. Danny's assumption about his appearance was correct, the broker remained unimpressed. There were impressive muscles underneath the black suit, but the broker wasn't going to be intimidated by the boy only because of that. Speaking of what he was wearing. 

 

"What's with the getup?"

 

Danny raised an eyebrow and examined his clothes, from the gloves to the pants.

 

 "Is something wrong with the looks?"

 

"It looks like something my mommy would sew, kid."

 

"As a matter of fact it was made by mine," Danny responded without batting an eye. "Although it was meant to be a normal hazmat." 

 

"I can see why you would need something else. It's not a proper costume at all. But I'm not the expert, so I'm just taking you to the professional. This brings us to my favourite topic. How is the situation on the financial front of yours, kid? Got enough lunch money saved up?"

 

Danny hissed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not great, admittedly."

 

"Thought so, I have an eye out for such things. Well, I'd like to know about your Quirk first." 

 

"Why?" 

 

"I offer you a solution, kid, like a kind and sensible person that I am. How much do you know about... the Underground Masquerade?"

 

"Wow, you guys dedicated a club to costume parties?" 

 

Giran sighed. That kid had no clue about how things were run around there. Which must have been evident from his age and western appearance. That or he was just mocking him. Maybe both.

 

"This is a nice way to get money, kid. If you can fight well, that is. It is a hidden fighting pit. It did take quite a beating, from All-Might, no less, but the enterprise was so well-off, that it was a shame not to simply move the pit and continue the fighting." 

 

"Lemme guess. It is also illegal, and it serves the purpose of drug trafficking and gambling."

 

"Huh. You got it all figured out, eh?"

 

"That's what all of the fighting pits are about."

 

"Speaking from experience?" The man huffed. "It shouldn't really concern ya. The point is, you want upgrades, I know you do. But you also lack the funds to buy them. The prize money even from one victorious fight will be enough for a minor upgrade. And if someone who is watching gets interested in you, then you can even get one for free."

 

"It will make me a walking advertisement, though." 

 

"Precisely. But a smart person doesn't look into a gifted horse's mouth. Or what, you thought you will be the first smartass to try and rob us, kid?" 

 

Danny realised that that plan was already figured out. Much to his inner dismay. "I never excluded that possibility. But your offer sounds good, too," he smirked. "Why are you being so cooperative, though?" 

 

"Simple, boyo. If you lose, I won't be at any disadvantage and the knowledge of my face dies with ya. If you win, I get paid for my services. I am not at any loss in any case."

 

"So those are the fights to the death?"

 

"Are you scared?" 

 

Danny smirked and put his hands on his belt. "I fought bastards tougher than anything you can throw at me." 

 

"I sure hope so. The latter option will still be preferable. I'd like you to make some money for me. Get in the back of the van, then, kid. I was just heading there. Don't stick out, or everyone will think I kidnapped a kid." 

 

"Have you ever?" 

 

"There was one time. Doesn't matter."

 

As Giran went to the driver's seat, Danny called after the man. 

 

"Are you charging for taxi services, too?" 

 

"Most certainly."

 

After a lengthy ride, the black van eventually stopped. After sitting in one place for around an hour, Danny immediately got up and exited the car through its back door, scanning his surroundings and stretching his sore muscles. It was, by all means, a spacey garage, filled with all attributes of a service station. There were even some cars undergoing the repairs, unattended they may have been at the moment. The doors were closed behind them, for a moment submerging most of the place in darkness. Giran went towards the light switch, but then, seeing the teen, he stood at his spot, confused. The reason behind it was the boy's body and its unnatural glow. Danny turned his toxic eyes towards him, creating an even eerier atmosphere.

 

"My energy comes in contact with the air molecules," the boy explained, remembering his parents' lecture on that confirmed fact.

 

Shaking his head, Giran flicked on the lights and gestured for the teen to follow him. The man hoped that  exit from the garage was blocked by a heavy iron door, so out of place in a place such as that. Which by all logic meant that there was something important behind it. Giran knocked on it in a specific rhythm, which seemed to be the password. A pair of eyes appeared behind a small open hatch. 

 

"Ah, Giran, that you? Come on in." 

 

The door opened, revealing a slenderly built man, whose eyes seemed to be very...slug-like, located on skinny stalks. The doorman was the one to talk first.

 

"What brings you here, man?" 

 

"I found a potential client. He was willing to participate in a fight." 

 

When the doorman turned to face the teen, he was already standing near him, curiously examining the person who must have had a very unfortunate quirk. Out of surprise, the doorman jumped at that personal space violation. 

 

"You have a funny Quirk," Danny pointed out, before grinning and stepping back, outstretching his hand. "Nice to meet you." 

 

"Oh, yeah, punk?" The man's look turned angry. Probably. He lacked any eyebrows for Danny to make a guess. "Just get in, already."

 

"Yeesh," the teen followed Giran deeper inside, down the staircase. "No hard feelings, man!" 

 

"A friendly advice," Giran hissed. "If you want to walk out of here in one piece, don't make an enemy out of everyone you meet." 

 

"Sorry," Danny winced. "I am just used to that. What's this place anyway?" 

 

"The Underground Masquerade used to be located in Osaka, before it all went to shit. It was decided to hide in plain sight instead, right under the heroes' noses. It is more difficult infrastructure-wise, but much safer. There used to be an underground road beneath the place, but during a villain fight it was damaged beyond repair. Since they were building another route already, it was decided to abandon it for a time and just pour cement over the entrance. After a little bit of expansion, we got a spacey place for an arena. Oh, your Quirk isn't going to destroy it all, I hope?" 

 

"I can control it just fine. It won't come to that, I promise."

 

"Also, everyone present wears their masks, even the spectators. Everything that takes place here is recorded with cameras, so it is a safety measure." 

 

"That's why you call it a 'Masquerade'." 

 

Giran nodded and dug in his pockets, fishing up a sleep mask with a couple of holes in it. 

 

"Put it on," Giran commanded. 

 

"I'm going to look like a dumbass," Complained Danny. 

 

"Look at your costume, kid. You already look the part. I'm not spending more than I need on you."

 

The half ghost took it and begrudgingly put it on his face. Seeing Giran put on a proper masquerade mask, Phantom turned even more grumpy. 

 

The two of them finally got down, and Danny was taken aback by the loud noises. The thunderous cacophony was fuelled by the sound of fighting in the arena located in the middle of the spacious hall, the loud cheering from the crowds, the loudmouth commenter speaking about what was transpiring. Giran led the teen away from the arena, towards a room to the side. Looking at the teen, the broker started to speak. 

 

"Alright, boy. That's how it goes. You go in, register for a fight, and the rest is self-explanatory."

 

"You'll be watching, yes?" 

 

"Duh. I need to see if my client is capable enough. Off ya go." 

 

Danny sighed and entered the room. It appeared like a normal office, with a normal man sitting behind it. The normality of it all made the teen amused. Once he entered, the man looked up at him in confusion. 

 

"Do you need something?" He asked nonchalantly. 

 

"Yeah...ehm... I want to sign up for a fight."

 

"You?" The man examined the newcomer. "Kid, this isn't a prom. It's a death pit."

 

"I know. I can and I want to fight. So I ask that you let me."

 

"I've seen a fair share of stupid brats thinking they can do everything. And those who are now six feet under."

 

"Then I'll make sure not to die. Well?" 

 

The man sighed. "I guess there are people who will enjoy seeing a kid decapitated, the freaks. Fine. Just sign a few papers." 

 

"Seriously? Paperwork in a place like this?" 

 

"Just sign them," the man handed him a sheet of paper. "By doing that, you acknowledge that you might get killed and that you have no complaints with us. Furthermore, you agree on some medical treatment."

 

"Treatment?"

 

"Despite this being a fight that can end in death, we try to make sure that that is not the case. Veterans bring us viewers. Viewers bring cash. So we try to keep at least some fighters alive."

 

That seemed logical. Sighing, the teen signed the papers. Putting them away, the man then handed the teen another sheet. 

 

"Now, we need to know your pseudonym. By which you will be addressed during the fight."

 

That was a tricky question that made Danny think. He could write the name 'Phantom' and be done with it. However, the current activity was illegal, and the teen didn't want to sully the ghostly hero's name. What if he actually wanted to one day step into the light? The reputation in the death pit was going to stick to him forever. So, he needed to use the name that wasn't so far off, someone whose name was already smeared enough. Thus, he wrote it down and handed the paper to the man behind the desk. 

 

"Pariah, huh? Can't say it fits, but it's your funeral, kid. Today your number will be 26. You go out of this room and to the left. Then, in that room you go downstairs and wait until your number is announced. Rookies like you are pitied against each other randomly."

 

Danny nodded, turning around. As he went towards the waiting room, he couldn't help but chuckle. Picking a name of his predecessor — the former Ghost King — was an interesting idea. Phantom didn't know how the tyrant would react to his name being used in such a manner, by a man who bested him in combat. It wasn't a homage by any means, Danny just thought up of the first name that had a certain connection to him. It was also somewhat poetic, since being a pariah was what brought him to that place. So, he was going to use that name to try and replenish a piece of what was lost. Danny didn't plan on coming to the place often, but an extra safety bag was always good. He could at least start eating properly. 

 

Almost lost in his daydreams, the half ghost made his way to the room, being immediately faced with a very noteworthy crowd. The place was lacking in the whole fighting department, which made sense if you thought about it. The fighters, no matter their animosities, didn't want to show off their Quirks just yet. That element of surprise was something they all valued, as it could always give them an edge over their opponents. Danny could relate to that idea, although some people were simply unable to hide the fact. There existed Quirks that were impossible to hide. Their appearance largely gave it away from the get-go, be it large arms, solid skin or a ton of muscles. They all were most likely to go for strong punches. Danny doubted that they could create much of a show, people came to that place to watch people use their Quirks, but simply punching each other was probably not very entertaining. The half ghost intended to give people what they wanted. 

 

As the teen passed fellow fighters, one of the them stood up. He was of the aforementioned mundane category, built like a bull and certainly looking the part, due to the two protruding horns. The man had grey skin and one eye located between those horns. It almost felt like the ground shook when the man approached the half ghost. 

 

"Hey, kid! Are you lost?" He asked mockingly. 

 

"Depends," Danny shrugged. "This is a place where fighters wait for their turn, right?" 

 

"Is this a sleeping mask you got on?!" Someone among the crowd exclaimed and started to laugh, accompanied by others. 

 

"Yes," the teen responded. "I had to improvise. I assure you, it won't affect the fight in any way."

 

"So you are actually fighting? Jeez, I would hate to spray the kid's brains all over the floor," the minotaur guy huffed. 

 

"No, you would not. From your face I understand that it will bring you a disturbing amount of pleasure," Danny tapped on the giant's chest, fixed his gloves and sat on the nearest bench. 

 

Nobody bothered him afterwards. The people were simply too busy preparing for their matches or watching others fight. There was a TV screen in the room meant to do just that. Danny occasionally took a glance at the fights, noticing a very striking feature of the arena. The contestants seemed to utilise whatever they wanted: guns, knives and other tools. They also injected themselves with some bizarre stuff right out in the open. From the occasional comments of other fighters, Danny learned that it was something called "Trigger". Basically, it boosted a person's Quirk, but it also wiped away any sense of reason. The person basically became a fast moving truck with a dead driver. The half-ghost wasn't sure if it would work on him, but it's not like he was willing to try. Drugs are a menace, not a solace, and he could rely on his powers. 

 

Eventually, the teen's number was announced. Danny stood up and went towards the exit every fighter before him had used. He was momentarily blinded by the projector lights and assaulted by the commenter's voice. 

 

"Alright, folks, this will be the last fight for today! We have some late arrivals, after all! Let's see, on one side we have a newbie, and we know how you love those! The kid may not look like much, and I'm not even sure if it is even alright by our rules, but who cares? Pariah is his name, everyone! I don't know what Quirk he has, but let it be a surprise to all of us! Let us give him a proper welcome and wish him some luck, because his opponent will be someone many of you know! After all, he has a record of astounding victories before! Meet the lovely three centners of muscles — Minotaurus!"

 

As Danny entered the arena and bowed theatrically before the audience, he heard the familiar rumble behind him. Turning around, the teen was faced with the chest of the man he had come to know. 

 

"So we are actually fighting, kid," the horned man smirked viciously. 

 

"Really? Of all the people I get the most boring one?" Danny grumbled, looking up. The man was almost twice as tall as him. 

 

The fighters stood in the opposite ends of the ring, waiting for the call to start. The half-ghost examined his surroundings. The reinforced glass was probably enough to hold them inside, but the teen still wondered how strong it was. The floor — a single solid rock. Someone among the staff must have been good at controlling stones. Danny then concentrated on the opponent, who was eagerly cracking his knuckles. It appeared his earlier assessment had been correct. He really was going to enjoy the fight. As long as he was winning, that is. 

 

"And begin!" The announcer shouted. 

 

Minotaurus immediately burst forward. In a few seconds, the man was already near the opponent. The next thing he saw was the boy's smirk. His giant fist made an impact, smashing the spot Danny's head was at. For a split second everyone thought that the boy was done for, only to then see nobody there. The bull had only left several cracks on the glass. 

 

"Phew, that was close." 

 

Minotaurus looked to the side, and saw the grinning half ghost standing on his shoulder. How did he get there? The man immediately shook him off, and Danny softly landed on the ground behind him. 

 

"Wow! Have you actually seen this guy move?!" The announcer asked. "I most certainly didn't, what an amazing speed!" 

 

Minotaurus huffed out hot air, hit the ground with his foot, preparing to lunge again. 

 

"Wish I brought my red cloth," Danny commented. 

 

As the man lunged, the half ghost readied up. He could try and exhaust the bull, but who knew how long it would take. Forcing the enemy to hit everything around, thus causing the severe harm to himself, was also hardly an option. The enemy probably thought this through. Danny wanted to keep his power showcase to the minimum, but what the hell. The bull bolted forward, as the teen pointed his palm towards him. The next second, a green barrier separated them. The man's fist hit it with all the strength he had, but the counteracting force only pushed the bull back, not without causing damage both to the barrier and to Minotaurus's own arm. The closest viewers could even hear an almost metallic sound made upon the impact. 

 

"So... that's your Quirk?" The man asked, rubbing his fist. "Making shields?" 

 

"Not exactly," Danny smirked, sitting on a green stall that had appeared out of nowhere. "I'm not limited only to that."

 

"You can't attack with a chair, kid," Minotaurus barked a laugh. 

 

"Oh, you are quite right," Danny kept smiling behind his shield. "But I told you." 

 

A single swipe of his hand, and the barrier burst into hundreds of small light beams, barraging the shocked giant with hundreds of small pellets, as if he was firing a massive machine gun. They shocked, burned like fire and acid at the same time, leaving the man's chest covered in a pleiad of wounds. With each shot the shield got smaller, for the ectoplasm within it was depleting in order to fire, and eventually the shield completely dispersed. After it was gone, Danny lazily got up, the stall disappearing behind him right after. 

 

"I'm not limited at all," he finished.

 

Up at the premises, Giran was watching the fight below with great interest. It appeared that the boy was in possession of a very powerful Quirk. Furthermore, he was talented enough to utilise it properly. He was, however, the loudmouth type, and the broker didn't like their kind much. He knew what their strategies were — they wanted to distract their opponents, anger them, force them to make mistakes. Unfortunately, it worked both ways, and the brainpower spent on witty comebacks was the same brainpower not used for reacting to the attack. Giran was now interested in that kid, despite everything. He had the potential. 

 

"Would you look at that, folks! It seems the kid is full of surprises!" The announcer spoke. "It also looks like it hurt..."

 

"I am fine!" The bull roared, hitting the ground and ripping off his black, charred T-shirt. "You want to die so badly, huh, you brat?" 

 

"I specifically didn't aim for your head, you know," Danny shrugged, pointing at his own face. "I expect the same courtesy. Girls won't fall for a black eye."

 

"I'll make you pay for underestimating me," the giant growled. "I'll smash you into a pulp!"

 

With a roar, the man began the attack. Phantom created another barrier in his way, but this time the bull ran around it, swinging his leg instead of a fist. Unexpected, quick and powerful, the hit landed into the half ghost's stomach. The teen had all the air kicked out of his guts, and he himself flew to another end of the arena. The crowd felt excited upon seeing the fight getting more and more heated, while the bull began to bask in the audience's cheers. The man roared and hit himself on the scarred chest. Danny's back hit the glass wall, and if he had a spine in his ghost form, he most certainly would have broken some joint. He slowly slid down to the ground and landed on his feet, pumping the energy to heal the wounded parts. With a corner of his eye he saw the unrelenting opponent rapidly coming in to finish the job. Alright, he really had underestimated that man's intelligence.

 

As another hit was about to connect, the teen pushed himself towards Minotaurus, turning intangible right after. The teen flew right through the attacker, and whilst still in the air behind and above him, Phantom fired a powerful ectoblast downwards. The force behind it was enough to propel him even higher, and on the receiving end Minotaurus let out a scream of pain, drowned out by the big explosion. The smoke filled the entire arena, only slowly escaping tiny breathing holes. At first the giant couldn't find the strength to get up, feeling as if a nuke had been dropped on his head. But the adrenaline started to flow through his veins, and the downed fighter slowly got up, shielding his face from the smoke particles. Minotaurus remembered that he was not alone, and the kid was still somewhere nearby. Then a chilling laughter reached his ears. The fighter turned to where the sound came from, but still found nothing. 

 

"You still won't go down. Amazing, really." 

 

The man looked at his shoulder again, and he could swear the kid was there just a moment ago. But then the unmistakable pair of deathly green eyes shone in front of him. On his own eye level, as if they were... floating. Without thinking, Minotaurus ran forward, but only hit the sturdy wall at full speed. 

 

"No, no, no. I'm not falling for that again," the half ghost's voice continued to mock him. "You got me because I thought you are a dum-dum."

 

"Show yourself, you coward!" Minotaurus yelled, only hitting thin air. 

 

"And deny myself a chance to laugh at you some more?" Danny asked loudly. "Ah, fine then."

 

The man could see the same pair of eyes floating right before him. 

 

"I'm not moving away, pal. Come on, take your chance this time." 

 

Minotaurus decided to take it. His legs prepared to kick off, his hands at the ready. Even his horns could come at handy. The giant rushed forward, and in the last moment, through the thinned smoke he only saw the boy's vicious smirk, the vicious look in his toxic green eyes, and the fist engulfed in emerald flames. The next second there was an impact. The force behind the hit was so great, that it launched the giant back, and even the reinforced glass surrendered and cracked to pieces. The man flew outside of the arena, only by miracle not landing on any of the viewers. The smoke actively poured out of the arena, and from it emerged the victorious fighter. Danny jumped down from the elevated spot and approached the fallen giant, but not without sparing a glance towards the announcer. 

 

"I think it counts as a knockout, chief!" He called. 

 

"Well, he doesn't seem to get up... Alright!" The announcer raised his voice once more. "That was a quick, but exciting match, was it not?! And so many special effects to boot! This was an outstanding debut of our newest fighter Pariah! Please, come to the administrator's office for your reward, we will be waiting for your next match, kid!"

 

That man sure was excitable, the teen thought. But that wasn't what concerned him at the moment. Danny approached Minotaurus and crouched nearby. He checked the man's pulse, and to his great relief, it was still there. For a moment the teen feared that he hadn't measured the power behind the strike properly. The half ghost hit the man's chest once more, and it seemed that the vitals weren't damaged. That man was extremely tough, it appeared. Tougher than the glass barrier holding the fighters in. Danny demanded to call for a doctor, and a couple of medics appeared soon after. From his thoughts the teen was snapped out by a hand on his shoulder. Danny looked up and saw Giran standing there, with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

 

"That was some show, kid. I admit, I misjudged you," he handed the teen an envelope. "Your winnings for tonight. I took the liberty to take those instead of you."

 

Phantom opened the envelope and saw that it was filled with yen bills. Briefly counting those, the teen looked at the broker. 

 

"You already took something from there, didn't you?" The half ghost got up and glared. "The seal was already broken."

 

"I merely counted the win and took my service fee. You still got away with plenty, because very few people were willing to bet on ya. It won't happen again, but the size of winnings themselves will grow as you progress and become more well-known. It also depends on your rank as a villain."

 

"I am not a villain," Danny commented quietly, as they went towards the exit. 

 

"Do you think the police cares?"

 

"Maybe not..." the teen looked at the giant who was being taken away by the doctors. "Will he be alright?"

 

"Huh?" Giran looked where Danny was pointing. "Hell if I know. What did ya do to him anyway to throw him outside so hard?"

 

"I punched," Phantom shrugged. 

 

The kid really wasn't a villain material, Giran concluded. If he was so genuinely concerned about the guy trying to murder him, what was there to say about people who weren't. It was an interesting case, with how strong the boy's Quirk appeared to be. If the kid ever became a licensed hero, it would be really bad for his business.

 

"You know, the line between a vigilante and villain is nonexistent to many of policemen. And if they see you around here, or even saving folks up there, you are still a criminal. That's the injustice of this world."

 

"And you work with both such categories, right?" 

 

"Of course. I don't care who my clients are as long as they are nice to me. I simply repay in kind. Speaking of work, you still up for visiting a workshop? I say you got enough to at least purchase the materials." 

 

"Yeah, let's go there," Danny nodded.

 

"It's not so far."

 

---

 

Meanwhile, in the police department several miles away, Eraserhead appeared, clad in his costume and looking as tired as ever. Just as he had asked the police, they contacted him as soon as there were some findings about the recent case, and he had made haste to come as soon as possible. While at the same time avoiding the crowded places in his usual fashion, he slipped inside the department. Once inside, he was quickly accompanied to the office of the man many heroes around knew. Sitting at the desk before the officer, Eraserhead took a deep sigh. The place wasn't anything special. An office was an office, with its multitude of shelves stacked with files and other documents, the messy desk where the unfinished paperwork rested. It was a painful reminder of another year filled with the same duties for him as well. The entrance exams were going to take place soon, too.  

 

After several minutes of waiting, the door to the office was open, and another man walked in. There wasn't anything special about his looks, but he was wearing a tan coat usually seen on old fashioned detectives. Tsukauchi was his name. 

 

"I'm glad you could make it here, Eraserhead."

 

"You said there was something to the case of that electric villain," The hero remained sitting in his spot, his eyes trailing the detective as he sat in front of him. 

 

"I'll be quick. His name is Short Circuit," Tsukauchi said as he dropped a file on the desk. 

 

A fitting moniker, the hero thought sarcastically. Eraserhead unfolded the file, and as he was reading, the officer was giving him a digest. 

 

"His Quirk is Electric charge. The guy's list of felonies is long. Mostly simple assaults. A murder, too. He served his sentence and now he either became smarter or works for someone with a bigger brain. I was originally inclined towards the latter. Now we have a concrete lead. The villain confessed that he was meant to be a distraction. Their group's intention was to steal support items. Coincidentally, one of the warehouses belonging to Detnerat was raided, as I have just been informed. I believe we are dealing with the black market here."

 

"With the power outage, the villains could break in before reserve generators were turned on."

 

"Exactly. The company was also willing to share the information they had."

 

"That's odd for them. It has been a week since the incident, and they are telling this only now."

 

"Perhaps they wanted to assess the damages first."

 

"Or contemplated whether or not the information about the raid should be made public," Aizawa finished. 

 

"It seems they chose to share it with us nonetheless. The stolen prosthetics and support items also had trackers on them, it is a special measure against theft. And now we know where the thieves are hiding the stolen property, because Detnerat gave us the location. I ask that you help us in the raid, since you were present there when it started." 

 

Eraserhead nodded. "I'll go."

 

"There is also that mysterious vigilante. I've asked to look into the registry, and there are some children with invisibility. However, I've also been told that he could, apparently, make objects intangible. There were also the sightings of lasers. He obviously didn't work alone, but we have too little information to draw any definite conclusions. We don't have the resources to ask so many for a case as minor. Even if it is a vigilante." 

 

The hero got up. "Then we will concentrate on what we've got."

 

"I know you aren't a team player, Eraserhead. And while I don't doubt your ability, some criminals may try to slip past. So we are sending a task force."

 

Aizawa shrugged. "Do as you wish."

 

"This also means coming with us."

 

The hero sighed even heavier than before.

 

---

 

"So, this is the one, Giran?" 

 

Danny had been brought to the workshop just as promised. It wasn't that long of a ride, but by the time they reached the master's little abode, it was already nighttime. There, before the teen was standing a strange old man. The master reminded him of a gremlin, Danny decided. Not much from the appearance, as there was nothing unusual about a short person with long white beard. Well, those wielding glasses appeared very goofy. It was mostly because of that energetic aura of a man eager to mingle with something that could potentially explode into their face. It reminded the teen of his neglectful parents somewhat. Perhaps he would be saying the same thing about every engineer happy with their jobs, who knows. They were excitable about what they did, after all. 

 

The workshop was just as the name would imply, and it suited the teen's every expectation. That city was full of empty and disused locations, the half ghost pointed out to his silent amusement. If some hero was to decide and raid every "vacant" warehouse in Musutafu, then the crime world would be doomed. The scale at which the work was conducted was impressive, and Phantom saw several workers toiling over more support items. All of those were handmade, and thus appeared ghastly to look at. Black Market had its downsides. Danny's eyes kept darting from one weird invention to another, piled together without any visible order. The heavy odours of metal and oil kept assaulting his senses. 

 

"Yeah. The newest rising star," Giran said sarcastically. "Kid, meet Tinkerer."

 

"Sup," Danny raised his hand in a greeting. 

 

"Hm... what a peculiar one," Tinkerer approached the teen, putting on the goggles and jumping off his improvised workdesk. "Why are you glowing?" He asked a blunt question. 

 

"I use the energy my body produces. I can't tell it to stop, so the excess just comes in contact with the air," Danny explained quickly with all the diligence of an excellent student.

 

"Your voice also echoes," Giran pointed out, leaning against the wall. He hadn't noticed this before for some reason. 

 

"Yeah, same stuff. Sound waves meet the energy particles and get a bit wonky." 

 

"Oh, my. How intriguing," Tinkerer said. "So, what exactly do you want kid? Any ideas?"

 

"Yes. I actually brought a list," Danny handed the man a sheet of paper. Giran wondered where he had been keeping it.

 

Tinkerer snatched the list and quickly skimmed over it. Confused, he looked up at the teen. 

 

"Those are just random details, kid. Like... a gas converter? Why do you even need it?"

 

"Any model will do," said Danny and shrugged. "It's easy to repurpose, really. I watched my parents make that thing, and was tasked to change them from time to time, or our house would have been blown up sky high. I know how it is made."

 

Tinkerer glanced at Giran. "So you came to buy only the details, eh?" 

 

"The kid is not exactly swimming in money," the broker explained. "I know your services are not cheap." 

 

"True. A master's work should be paid handsomely," a greedy gleam appeared in the engineer's eyes. "Maybe the kid wants to buy something from the newest stash?"

 

"Newest stash?" Danny tilted his head. 

 

"Yeah. Detnerat is gonna be pissed, but it's all worth it."

 

"You actually robbed them?!" Giran asked in shock. "You imbecile!" 

 

The outburst stunned both the teen and the master. "They always come for their property, you buffoon!"

 

"Relax. You think I am actually so dumb that I kept the trackers on?" Tinkerer huffed. 

 

"Detnerat has eyes and ears everywhere in the black market," Giran grumbled. "They trade here themselves, they very much like their monopoly, and they won't need trackers to hunt you down."

 

Danny observed the exchange with big interest. While he wouldn't mind purchasing some legit tool from a legit company, the trackers were something to be wary of, even if the master claimed to have removed them. And making a corporation angry with him was the last thing Danny wanted. So, he stood up and coughed. 

 

"Listen, guys, you can bicker until your throats dry up, but I need my details. Do you have anything of what I wrote down?" 

 

"We got it all, kid. Hey, runts! Go fetch me everything from that list!" 

 

A worker approached the master, took the list and nodded. Danny sat on a random chair, one of several that were scattered around. He was disinterested in the other's conversation. It was all about their business deals that didn't concern him. Instead, the teen watched the box meant for him being filled with more and more details he could recognise. It wasn't that difficult to know the 'ingredients' for making what he wanted. Danny knew that his parents purchased relatively little, instead opting to salvage broken stuff from the junkyards. So if they used trash to create breakthrough machines, so could he replicate their success. Probably. Danny certainly hoped so, or all of that would be for nothing. From his thoughts he was snapped by the same old man who called him out. 

 

"Say, kid," Tinkerer said. "Are you going to change this stupid costume? I can arrange that, too." 

 

Danny contemplated that for a moment. "I could always add a cape," he joked. "No mask though. I tossed the previous one into a garbage."

 

"Don't you dare. Capes are for narcissistic morons and those whose Quirk relies on them. Otherwise it is a deathtrap waiting to spring."

 

Danny actually hadn't seen many heroes or villains around there use any capes. Come to think of it, there weren't any ghostly adversaries of his that wore capes. Except maybe Danny's main foe. While Plasmius's powers did not rely on a cape, he most certainly was a narcissistic frootloop. There was also Danny himself. Or, rather, what he was fated to become at some point. But since that man was an amalgamation of Danny's and Vlad's ghost parts, he probably took after the latter when it came to bloated self-esteem. It wouldn't stop that terrible fate from haunting his dreams in the future, but it was an amusing thing to consider. 

 

The half ghost leaned back in his chair. "No, I don't think changing the entire costume is a priority for me. I'm a bit attached to this one." 

 

Both literally and figuratively. The suit was but an ectoplasmic puddle that assumed the shape, is all. That's why built-in upgrades were out of question. 

 

"He even made a logo for himself," Giran laughed. "Now that's cute." 

 

Danny chose not to comment on that sensitive part. It was too personal for him. The teen just rewarded the broker with a minor glare, before looking at the box with supplies that was placed on the desk. Tinkerer started examining the contents and checking with the list. Once again the teen was surprised by the diligence of the local societal lows. 

 

"Let's see here... yep, everything seems to be in order. Now it is your turn, kid. That will cost you fifty thousand."

 

By the teen's face it was easy to guess how crestfallen he must have been feeling. That purchase left the teen with nothing, while he had hoped for a nice dinner. Knowing that it was best not to argue for a better price, Danny mutely paid up. Giran cackled at seeing the boy so painfully spending his winnings. 

 

"Cheer up, kid," the broker patted Danny on the back. "It is a one time purchase. There will be more money where these came from," he said and tapped on the pile of yen bills. "I suggest you find a way to transport all this stuff." 

 

"I don't suppose you sell gift wrappers? I'd like it to be blue," Danny sarcastically asked Tinkerer. 

 

"No can do, sorry, boyo..."

 

"Boss!" One of the workers shouted. This one had run out of some adjacent room without taking off the headphones. "We've got trouble!" 

 

"Lemme guess," Giran smirked coldly. "You got found out." 

 

"What he says! There is a task force moving our way! They will be here soon!" 

 

"Damn it all!" Tinkerer yelled. "Just as we practiced, everyone! Go!" 

 

The entire workshop was consumed by a unique form of organised chaos. Everything that wasn't nailed to the ground was quickly moved somewhere, and Danny had no idea where they were going to hide their items and details. He had no time to think about it. If he was caught by the police, it all would be over. The teen glanced to his side and saw that Giran was already gone. Of course. You don't make it high in the underworld without an innate ability to skedaddle at the first sign of trouble. Danny scooped the box in his hands and closed it by using some sticky ectoplasmic goo his finger released. Turning invisible alongside the loudly  rattling box, the teen ran towards a wall and phased through it. He softly landed outside and started to run away from the occupied warehouse. Danny was about to take flight, but then felt something hitting him on the back. 

 

Out of shock, the teen fell forward, the box falling out of his hands. He himself dropped invisibility, losing the required concentration. Spinning around on his back, Danny regretted having discarded the sleeping mask. For now he was faced with the same tired hero from a week ago. Danny felt a lump in his throat, and the man was the first to speak. 

 

"You were making too much noise," he answered the question that was hanging in the air.

 

Eraserhead was not happy confronting a child, especially the one who looked so shocked and scared. But that was a criminal like all others. Once Danny regained his confidence, and the initial feelings were replaced by the determination to get the hell out of there, the man's last reservations were gone. He could see that the boy searched for an opening. 

 

"Can I get up?" Danny asked. 

 

"No."

 

The hero activated his Erasure Quirk, his eyes starting to glow with crimson colour. The next split second he launched the ends of his scarf right at him. Luckily, it wasn't Danny's first time seeing the man. The teen dodged the attacks with an impressive speed. But his attention was also focused on the box with supplies, which the man did notice. Then, Danny decided to risk it, maybe it could work, and fired a shot right from his own green eyes. He didn't aim for the hero's head, but a little to the side. So. The man could not cancel his power. The sudden display of power presented just enough of a one-second shock for the teen to act. Danny lunged for the box, but Aizawa snapped out of it quickly enough to throw his scarf at it. The boy could dodge the strikes. His prized possession could not. Eraserhead pulled the box towards himself, allowing himself to blink. The Quirk was useless here anyhow. Danny stood where he used to, his face exasperated.

 

"Come on, man. I worked hard to get this stuff. I swear I wasn't planning anything bad with it." 

 

"You will tell this before the court."

 

Danny could hear the police cars approaching. So that guy was a vanguard attacker. 

 

"Look, there are others there. And they are running away with even more goods. I don't want to fight you, you don't want them to escape, so how about we just go on our ways?" 

 

"Or I tie you up and then go after the others."

 

"Not happening," Danny responded firmly. He wasn't leaving without the supplies he sacrificed so much for. "At least tell the police."

 

"Why are you so adamant that I catch them?" 

 

"You came after them, right? It will be a waste capturing just me." 

 

Eraserhead narrowed his eyes, pressing a button on his earpiece. Danny did not move while he was distracted, if only for a moment. The boy was genuinely angry with others for ditching him like that, as well as getting him into that mess. Removed trackers, his ass. Danny felt glad that he didn't buy any of the stolen properties, then. And if the police saw the boy's face, then he would go down with those bastards. After Eraserhead informed the cops, he turned his attention to the boy in front of him. As many had pointed out before, it was a very low-grade suit he was wearing. The visibly malnourished boy also didn't strike him as a villain. Petty thief? Yes. Villain capable of something worse? Not really. The hero sighed.

 

"Listen, kid. Just surrender. The police will be more lenient this way." 

 

"How do I know? I don't need any trouble." 

 

"You should have thought about it before doing all that. Do you want the wanted posters with your face in every department? If it really is something minor, then you have nothing to worry about." 

 

On one hand, Eraserhead was right. Danny's box was filled with very inconspicuous and random stuff, not anything illegal. But on the other, if they caught Giran, he would tell everything about the pit fights too, which would worsen his chances significantly. Danny's face was already seen. It was just like before, when he was always at the wrong place at the wrong time. The small list of presumed offences was enough to label him as a criminal back home. That man was giving Danny a chance to explain himself. And honestly, the teen would be a fool not to use that opportunity. At least that way there was a chance, there was also an opportunity to bolt out if something happened. He could try and kill that hero, but no way in hell was he going to do that. 

 

"Alright," the teen raised his hands, seeing a couple of police cars pull up. "I surrender."

 

His peaceful life didn't last for long.

Chapter 4: Trust

A.N. Alright, guys, this story is not finished, to answer the pressing question. I’m just new around here and don’t know how anything works on this site.

---

The hours after the detainment were a nerve wreck for each side involved. Danny himself felt unnerved in the prison cell. He had been detained and thrown behind bars only once in his afterlife, and that was after he angered a trigger-happy warden. This time, however, it was different in several aspects. For one, this was not a crazed, power-obsessed ghost with no actual legal authority. This was a legitimate police department serving the state it was located in. So, their authority had an extensive reach. The other differing aspect was how he actually wasn't tied down to his cell. They thought his only power was invisibility, so nobody bothered to take extra measures to hold him. The metaphor of being the prisoner of one's own mind was a real thing, it seemed. Danny just hoped that the locals would value his desire to cooperate. And that they would return the stuff he bought. Come to think of it, what was there to stop him from buying the details from a legit salesman? When such thought occurred, the teen slapped himself across the face. Damn that Giran, he knew how to get a client. 

 

Nobody was caught except for him, which made the teen all the more furious on the inside. That's what one would get for playing the game without knowing its rules. He was tricked, and the teen was dead-set on getting back at them after he got out. Maybe a solid punch to knock out the remaining teeth of that double-crossing man. But for now, Danny could only hope for the best. His ghost form needed to be sustained, and his fuel tank was going to run dry at some point. And if he suddenly turned human, then there would be no hiding at all. The situation sucked. Until then he had to settle everything. He also felt hungry and tired. Maybe he could get some food while he was at it. 

 

While the half ghost was trapped in the conundrum of his thoughts, the police themselves had been busy. While the trail was hot, they tried to pursue the thieves, but to no avail. The criminals had been using their Quirks to hide from pursuit, probably. They had been elusive up to that point, it wasn't any surprise they escaped that time, too. The only clue they had left was the detained boy with a box of random junk. From what he said and what he did, it was deduced that he wasn't just a simple bystander, but someone who knew something about the criminals. Tsukauchi decided to do some digging before prior to the interrogation. They had taken the photo of the adolescent, as well as his fingerprints, and the detective was glad that the detainee did not resist. The police needed to hold a non-stop watch, because the boy could turn invisible and slip past whenever he wanted. That's why he was held in a glass cell. 

 

By searching in the database the detective hoped to come across a match. Unfortunately for him, neither the photo, nor the fingerprint could not be traced on the list. Which could only mean that the kid was never registered in Japan. No passport, no birth certificate, no mention in the Quirk registry. After this, looking at the mugshot where the obviously European-looking boy was sticking out his tongue, Tsukauchi started to wonder if he was not a local. His Japanese was perfect, however, so he must have had some connection to the country. Maybe some of his relatives lived here, but to find those he first needed the boy's name. Tsukauchi looked at the report. His name was Daniel, that much the boy already divulged. But other than that, nothing. The kid was a small fry, he would find no information about him on the global list of criminals either. The detective tried to use other, foreign data storages, but the result was similar no matter where he went. American, Australian, Canadian, they all were void on any information on the kid. It was almost like he didn't exist. That case was growing more interesting. 

 

The detective met the following morning with heavy bags under his eyes. In the middle of the night Tsukauchi was told that the police was going to come from two ends. The other team was meant to be on the criminals' tail. He was tasked with cracking the mystery behind the strange boy in their captivity in hopes of him knowing something. So, the first thing in the morning, after drinking a cup of coffee, the detective went to interrogate the suspect, envying the Erasure hero who was going at the criminals from his end. Aizawa's Quirk was useless against the teen, so it was only natural. Tsukauchi, however, could work with what he had. The boy had been transported to the special interrogation room, but the detective had his gun on him just in case. That boy could shoot lasers, Tsukauchi wasn't sure if the transparent barrier between them could hold. They couldn't assess the damage he could cause. 

 

When the man entered the room on his side, he could see the glowing teenager munching on a protein bar. Danny glanced to the detective and gulped the treat down, smirking. 

 

"Morning!" He called out cheerfully. "Is this the part where you interrogate me?" 

 

"Yes," Tsukauchi sat on a chair in front of the glass. "Where did you get the bar?"

 

"A guard gave it."

 

"You are lying," the detective pointed out. "Don't try to pull that on me."

 

"What? You are a lie-detector with legs?"

 

"Precisely," Tsukauchi smirked. "So, mind telling me the truth?"

 

Danny sighed. "Fine. I went for a walk, picked up my wallet and bought it from the vending machine. I returned everything afterwards."

 

"What do you mean, you 'went for a walk'?" 

 

"It's just as I said, man. You guys never bothered to bring in any food, and I am a growing kid. So I did everything myself." 

 

"The food is not our responsibility, kid. It's not a prison, you are in a police department. And you somehow left your locked cell."

 

"Can we move on?" Danny rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "I came back, didn't I?" 

 

"I don't know what made you think that leaving your cell is allowed under any circumstances." 

 

"If anything, this only shows how cooperative I am," Phantom smirked. "I mean, I am here only because I want to. I could have walked out of the front door and you wouldn't have noticed me until it was too late. Yet, we are talking. You even got your confiscated goods back." 

 

"Well, then. Why did you surrender and why didn't you leave?"

 

"I just don't want any trouble."

 

"For someone taking strolls where you aren't supposed to, you are awfully lawful when needed." 

 

"Hey, I mean it. I just wanted to eat. And I even paid to the soulless machine in the corridor. We just misunderstood each other from the start, that's all." 

 

"Alright. Hit me with your version of the event."

 

Phantom realised that he needed to be careful with what he said. That man seemed to be very capable of noticing lies. 

 

"This place is filled with powerful people. I just... wanted to be safe and get better at using my powers. But I am just a part-time worker at a second-rate grocery store, I had no money for anything proper, so all you found were details. There was also stuff to repair the stuff back home." 

 

"But why go to the black market?" 

 

"I just got swindled by the wrong people," Danny sighed, banging his head on the glass. "I'm such a dumbass." 

 

"You were about to make an illegal upgrade, weren't you?" 

 

The man could see the green eyes staring at him from under the stark-white locks. 

 

"Honestly, I am not sure. I am still an amateur hoping to recreate something from my parents' stash. I don't recall there being an article preventing an attempt. I haven't broken anything."

 

"Yet you are clearly capable of that, had it not been for your financial situation." 

 

"That's not enough of a reason to put me in jail, officer. An attempt to murder, yes. This, no." 

 

"Since you mentioned your parents... do they know what you are doing?" 

 

"No, they don't. And they couldn't care less. The bastards kicked me out of our house just because I don't suit their expectations. Right, who needs a freak like me?"

 

That was something Tsukauchi wasn't prepared for. That explained the boy's behaviour a lot. Him placing trust in the unsavoury characters could be the result of desperation. Young Daniel didn't appear as a law-breaking type, but Tsukauchi knew better than most how deceiving appearances could be. It's his words and actions that mattered. Yet, something appeared strange. 

 

"Why do you call yourself a freak?" 

 

"It's a what they said last time we met. I omitted the rest. Don't want extra obscenities in your report."

 

"Then, what made them say such things to their son? Do they have Quirks?" 

 

"Nope," Danny answered, glad that the detective let the teen interpret everything his way. He figured that as long as it wasn't a lie, the man would spot no inconsistencies. "They have an especially strong hatred towards everything out of norm. Well, their standards of norm. When they learned about me, well... it got heated."

 

Tsukauchi heard of such people. Sometimes being Quirkless created a special brand of bigotry and hate. The kid got it rough. 

 

"Where are you from, kid?" 

 

"Could you stop calling me that? Every person around does, I have a name," Phantom complained. 

 

"Sorry, Danny. Could you answer?" 

 

"Amity Park. It is a small town in America."

 

"You sure are far away from home."

 

"Does it matter? I don't have any proper citizenship, not even a birth certificate. I might as well have been born here." 

 

Tsukauchi's look became thoughtful. That complicated the matters a lot. Could his parents deny him even that right of any human being? That would explain the boy's absence from every registry in the world. He knew for a fact that Danny was not lying. The detective's Quirk allowed him to recognise the deceit. 

 

"Were your parents at fault?" 

 

"The passport I got with them won't convince anyone with proper knowledge of fakes."

 

The detective sighed. He supposed he shouldn't go hard on the boy in that regard. They couldn't deport him to the country he had no citizenship of. Neither did he want to do that to a boy. 

 

"Are you all by yourself?" 

 

"Yeah. I managed to make my place homey, though," the teen said with a proud expression. "It's not like your child services will provide for a guy like me. They will only create extra hustle."

 

"You won't know without looking into it. I have been wondering, what is that you are wearing?"

 

"A hazmat."

 

"I can see that. Still, this isn't something children dress into. Furthermore, this, coupled with an insignia on your chest, points towards vigilantism. Please, explain this part to me."

 

Danny's lips thinned. "I used to beat up some unsavoury people back in America, yes." 

 

"Vigilantism is a crime no matter where you go, Danny."

 

"Still not your problem as long it doesn't happen in Japan, right? Look, pal. It was... different in my hometown. Too small for people to notice or care. We didn't have any heroes and the police couldn't do anything. I just had to do something. Still not a single bit of gratitude, but I am used to it." 

 

"The people must have known that you are acting without a license and were afraid of an amateur," Tsukauchi concluded.

 

Danny couldn't blame the man for arriving to a false understanding. The given prerequisites could yield no other result. 

 

"That beats being assaulted at every corner," Danny answered. "No matter how you look at it. Coming and beating a murderer does not absolve you of anything, I understand that. But I like the thought that I helped the people in my own way."

 

"They certainly didn't share your sentiment. Is that why you left your hometown?" 

 

"Well, my parents kicking me out was the catalyst, yes. But I came to realise that after a while the criminals decided that I was a challenge to overcome. They aimed for me above everything else. So, by moving where none of them will reach me, I help both myself, and those people. I promise, they shouldn't be a problem while I am here."

 

Tsukauchi started thinking. The boy was sincere in what he was saying, but his confidence was not exactly truthful. He could not really vouch for those criminals. That story had some white spots, and the boy was obviously withholding something. The world was enormous, and heroes could not possibly cover every corner due to their limited numbers. All Might defeated the worst of the worst, crippling the crime world for decades, but it didn't mean that the bandits would not try and cause chaos somewhere beyond his reach. So that part seemed consistent with the rest of the boy's story.

 

"But surely the crime won't completely stop there. Did you consider it?" 

 

"Yeah, I know. I just hope that I managed to make things easier for others. Maybe someone can take over and keep a resemblance of order. Especially since the government finally took notice. Even if I hate their methods and the people doing all that, maybe they have something I don't."

 

"And that would be..." 

 

"I probably wasn't hard enough on them. After most of our fights the criminals were relatively unscathed. The government will probably butcher them. Those people in white disgust me, but they will be feared. Unlike me. I only scare regular people for some reason."

 

"You don't look that scary." 

 

"Yeah, yeah. Mock the ghost child more," Danny crossed his hands. 

 

Tsukauchi sweatdropped. "It was meant to be a compliment."

 

"Read the room, man. I thought it was your shtick," the teen sighed. "My point is, people I fought for feared me, people I didn't care for did, my enemies, not so much. That's probably why the criminals kept coming back and depriving me of proper sleep. But the fear of actual action against their livelihood may stop at least some of them." 

 

The boy was probably not systematic about his actions, the detective thought to himself. Contrary to what many vigilantes believed, it wasn't enough to simply dump a criminal at the doorstep of a police department. That's just not how things functioned. In truth, Phantom's adversaries were of ghostly nature, obviously. No human prison could hold them, neither was the half-ghost going to play the classic jury-judge-executioner game. He chose to be simple. The villain was beaten — off to the Ghost Zone with them. But it wasn't really a punishment, was it? They were simply sent back home, free to lick their wounds and prepare their next attack in peace. Danny didn't exactly have a choice for that matter. No prison in the human world existed to keep ghosts detained, Walker the ghost warden was a psycho who could not be trusted to keep order. By sending ghosts back Danny at least had a short break. It was the best compromise, given the situation. If only Fentons actually had brains not to keep that stupid portal open 24/7 for their research.

 

"Listen, Danny," Tsukauchi sighed. "You are right. What you did in America is the American problem. And you also seem sincere in what you are saying. Let's do it like this. Your offence is minor, that's correct. So, if you cooperate and help us in our investigation, I think you will be able to go."

 

The teen's face brightened. "Okay, but cooperate how?" 

 

"You met with the seller, right? Could you give a description of what he looked like?"

 

The detective saw that the boy's smirk became more malicious. He was clearly going to enjoy selling out the criminal as an act of retribution.

 

"Hm, old, seemingly frail, has that long white beard. He is also short and reminds me of a little goblin. What's with those big ears and glasses," Danny put his palms behind the ears to parody the size. "Goes by the name Tinkerer."

 

"Hm... did you get a chance to see his Quirk?" 

 

"I didn't."

 

Danny, vengeful he might have been at that moment, still remembered that Giran had dirt on him in the form of pit fights. So, the teen chose to omit him from the tale. Still, he was trying to remember everyone else he met in that hideout. Ghosts were capable of holding a grudge for a long while, and that trait manifested itself within Phantom, too, even despite the fact that he was only a half-breed. As the teen finished his description and the guy behind the one-way glass nearby stopped typing, Tsukauchi nodded in satisfaction. They now had the description of how the criminals looked like, and now the police had something to actually go by. He would relay the information to the higher-ups.

 

"Thank you for your cooperation, Danny."

 

"Am I free to go, now?" 

 

"Yes, but there are things we need to go through with first. To start with, you need some proper registration. Of course, you aren't going to become a citizen, but the government needs to know about your Quirk. This is not up for debate," Tsukauchi said sternly, seeing that the teen was about to object. "The law applies to everyone. I think we will just write it down in your case file. It can be passed on further. Any questions?" 

 

"None so far... nobody else would see it, right?" 

 

"Danny," Tsukauchi sighed. "I understand that after your parents' reception you must be feeling reluctant, but I promise, nothing will happen to you afterwards."

 

He could see the distrust in the boy's eyes, but he probably realised that arguing would get him nowhere. Truth be told, he was correct to some extent, but mostly it was just tiredness of it all. Danny had been used to people around being too dumb to get so deep inside the hidden stash of knowledge. He still could just blame his every power on a Quirk, that's all. 

 

"I wish I could know if you are being truthful," the teen crossed his hands. "Fine, I'll register."

 

The detective gave a small smile. "That's good. Before we release you, there is also the matter of the details you bought. I am afraid we will still have to confiscate the black market goods. Both as a part of a protocol and a possible clue to where the criminals might be." 

 

Danny's eyes widened. "You heartless monsters!" He exclaimed maybe too dramatically. "I spent my last pennies on those!" 

 

"I am sorry, but I am already making enough compromises, Danny. I need your word that you won't try to take them. I have already observed that you can be a natural thief if need be."

 

"I. Bought. That bar."

 

"You know what I mean," the detective responded tiredly. "Think of it as a lesson not to trust shady traders. Danny, I am willing to compromise, but there are limits. So, you won't attempt anything stupid like stealing the clues back?" 

 

Phantom sighed. "Fine. I promise," he gave a scout's honour sign. 

 

Sensing the genuine intent, the detective nodded once more. "Then I think we can release you now."

 

On cue, the transparent door finally opened. The half ghost exited his cell, stretching his muscles. 

 

"The sweet taste of freedom," he mumbled, before sniffing the air. "I probably need a shower, too." 

 

"The documents come first," the detective smirked. "Follow me." 

 

Phantom was right behind Tsukauchi as they went towards his office. The occasional policemen kept giving them confused glances, but Danny only cheerfully waved back. The two of them quickly reached Tsukauchi's office, where the teen plopped on the nearest chair. The detective sat at his desk, pulling the teen's file closer. He immediately started filling in the information about the half ghost. Some additional information was needed, however. 

 

"You never told me your last name. Do you have any?" 

 

"Phantom will do, I suppose." 

 

"I am getting that weird feeling that you are only half-truthful. Go on, Danny. Nobody is going to attack you. I specifically released you from your cell to show my good intentions. And without your proper last name, you will get no proper documents afterwards." 

 

Perhaps what he was doing was incredibly foolish, Danny wondered. Blowing his secret identity so soon. Then again, the teen saw that very few actually had any to speak of. There were few masks and even those that were present were only a homage to the style. The government probably knew about them all. Things used to be so simple back in the day, he was a mistake of nature, so nobody would even suspect a human child to have the powers of a ghost. The absurdity of his condition was his greatest defence against being found out. His parents even had a theory that perhaps Phantom was an imprint on ectoplasm that Danny had left on the day of the accident. Without dying. They were this close to understanding, yet the stubbornness and aforementioned absurdity of the truth prevented them from doing so. Them and the world both. 

 

That world was different from his. Him simply having powers was nothing endangering. Nobody had to know the whys of his abilities. Nobody had to know where he came from. Those details about his life were bound to get him extraordinary attention. And if he was thinking realistically, that was also his chance to settle down properly. The officer seemed understanding of his situation, and probably had an advice or two on how to proceed. Getting citizenship or at least some form of local documents was probably his first step. And without real identity, it was simply impossible. Maybe he should just stop worrying about that cliché comic book stuff. It tied him down too much, and he seemed to go against them at any given opportunity. And if things ever went south... he always had Wulf.

 

"Fenton," Danny responded, ignoring the still present lump in his throat. Christ, they just had to send a lie-detector guy at him. 

 

Tsukauchi nodded and wrote it down. "Why would you call yourself Phantom, though?"

 

"Still beats Inviso-Bill," Danny shivered. "I hate gossip." 

 

The detective choked a laugh. "I may just write this down, too."

 

"Don't you dare!"

 

"Why? We have a protocol," the detective laughed. "Alright. But why Phantom?"

 

"I mean... I can be quiet, I turn invisible. Hence the hero nickname."

 

"I see. Why don't you come here and fill the Quirk category?" 

 

Danny got up and approached the desk. Taukauchi now noticed that the boy's steps were extremely light and soundless. He really was like a ghost now when he thought about it. The boy was glowing, his voice echoed, and he wasn't making a sound. He never even blinked during their conversation. Danny leaned over the man's shoulder, before the detective pushed the sheet of paper towards the half-ghost and handed him a pen. Clicking thoughtfully on the tip, Danny wrote down the information, concise, and hopefully sufficient.

 

'Quirk: Ghost. Control over ectoplasmic energy.'

 

"That's not much to go by," Tsukauchi commented. 

 

"That's what I do," Danny shrugged. "The explanation needs to be short, right?" 

 

"That's correct, but I have never seen anything like it... I see no connecting thread between your abilities. Lasers, invisibility..." 

 

"I can waste a lot of time explaining this stuff, but I don't think you are up for it," Danny shrugged. "What I wrote is true. All my abilities fall under this explanation, no matter how they may appear." 

 

"Very well. But expect that the special commission may request a demonstration of all you can do with description like that. You don't have any problems with your Quirk, do you? Kids your age still might have trouble."

 

"Well, some of my limbs used to vanish all of a sudden," Danny chuckled. "I have full control now, though."

 

"I'll need your contact information."

 

"Will my phone number do?" 

 

"I believe so. If something happens, they will call you, I think. I too will keep it in mind if we need some extra testimony." 

 

Suddenly Tsukauchi's own phone rang, and the detective immediately answered it. 

 

"Yes, Tsuragamae-sama?" He asked, as the impatient teen returned to his seat. "Yes, the boy spoke. I can confirm it, he is not in toe with the criminals, so I planned to see him released. However, he can identify the criminals. We have the description of our guy as well. Yes, I'll give a detailed breakdown in my report, you can also examine the interrogation recording, I'll have Tamakawa prepare it...thank you, Tsuragamae-sama." 

 

Tsukauchi hang up, a small smile crossing his features. 

 

"Thanks to you, kid, I can finally go home. Do you need a lift?" 

 

"Not really," Danny shrugged. "I can get there on my own, thank you very much. I needed some fresh air, anyway. Fix the AC, I mean it."

 

Tsukauchi got up from his seat and fetched a tan coat that had been hanging over his chair. The detective then approached the teen and patted him on the shoulder. 

 

"I think this will be a great trust-building experience, Danny."

 

"Trust in what?" 

 

"In our law-enforcement, of course. I can see that you are reluctant to place your faith into us."

 

"And a jolly ride in a car is totally gonna fix it all," Danny remarked sarcastically. "Why do you care?" 

 

Tsukauchi smiled. "Because it is my job to make sure that the citizens are safe. Building confidence in the police force is one of the key factors for that. At least tell me which way your home is."

 

"In the North... Yoshitsune district." 

 

"Huh. I don't live that far myself. This settles it, you are coming with me, Danny."

 

That man sure was assertive, Danny could give him that much. Still, Tsukauchi passed the evaluation and managed to earn the teen's sympathy. After all, he was the first person around to learn anything of value about the half ghost. Without using that information to throw the teen behind bars or doing something even worse. Danny doubted that there was any threat coming from the detective. Certainly none in the physical department, for his Quirk was not going to save him from turning into an icicle. And since he was just let go, it probably wasn't worth it worrying about everything every single minute. Sighing, the teen smiled and got up from his seat. 

 

"You aren't gonna fall asleep on me, are you, old man?" 

 

"Who are you calling old?" Tsukauchi asked with indignation in his voice. "I am thirty six!"

 

"Still gonna outlive ya." 

 

As the two were driving down the road, the teen had a curious thought in his mind. It had actually been ages since he last properly sat in a car, the ride inside a van with Giran notwithstanding. His flight ability rendered any sort of transport redundant, and yet he was still always late despite having the superior option. However, this car ride was also especially uneventful by Danny's standards. The good policeman was taking him home, abiding by every rule a driver should follow. At an adequate speed and without extra tossing around. All of the aforementioned details used to be an inseparable part of travels when Jack Fenton was holding the wheel. The teen was bored, and there was nothing he could do but sit and wait until the ride was over. Tsukauchi had other plans, however, and whether or not this was an inconspicuous attempt to continue the interrogation, only the detective himself knew. The detective kicked off the conversation, and Danny gave in.

 

Despite learning a lot about the teen, it still had been only to aid the investigation. But Tsukauchi wanted to know more, not out of his civic duty, but because the boy earned his sympathy and the right to be the subject of the man's concern. The boy was alone, underage and very far from home. All those factors combined were a dangerous cocktail that could lead down a very perilous path, to the life of crime. From the conversations with him, Tsukauchi could see that the boy wasn't malicious at all. He could do with less sarcasm, but everyone had their questionable traits. The teen actually found a job instead of taking the easy path of theft, and never lied once after willingly surrendering to the police. With his abilities, Danny could rob whoever he wanted without any repercussions. If he wouldn't start the life of crime himself, there would be people and circumstances to push him. He already came in contact with the criminals, and even bought something from them. It was merely a start. The boy was also a vigilante, and it wasn't a compliment, because to Tsukauchi, the line between them and villains was nigh nonexistent. He broke the law, and only his affiliation with a foreign state prevented the officer from making a dutiful arrest. Well, maybe not entirely. Had it been some random man, he probably wouldn't have been as lenient. Danny was, once again, just a kid. 

 

It was always more difficult with kids. They could commit heinous things, and yet it always felt like it wasn't their fault in the end. It was a difficult feeling to shake off. Obviously Danny never reached such extremes, to his knowledge at least. Hence the leniency on the officer's behalf. Tsukauchi wished he could do something to help the teen's situation, but not many things came to mind. If there was someone willing to become his guardian, it could solve a lot of problems, so it was the most ideal option. The detective asked the teen about this, receiving a confused stare. Danny looked at him with his cold green eyes, and he obviously never thought of that before. The idea was outlandish, to say the least. Phantom reminded the officer that he was just a foreign kid with no record or acquaintances. Furthermore, he was a kid with very destructive powers. The chances of someone actually deciding to bring him under their roof were slim. Tsukauchi had no choice but to agree with what Danny was saying. Still, the half-ghost admitted that he had nothing against this, and the officer noticed how embarrassed the teen was when saying it. It appeared that Danny didn't want to be a bother for anyone. The boy's doubts notwithstanding, Tsukauchi had little reasons to dismiss the plan just like this. He would have to give it more thought.

 

"Hey, old man," Danny snapped the detective out of his thoughts. 

 

Tsukauchi grumbled on the inside, but did not respond. The teen got the message immediately.

 

"Tsukauchi-san..."

 

"Yes, Danny?" The man smirked. 

 

"The car has been crying about empty tank for good five minutes already." 

 

"Alright, I guess we can stop by a place. We probably need our tanks filled, too." 

 

"We better. My wallet has cartoonish spiderwebs inside, though."

 

"Don't worry. It's on me." 

 

Their car pulled up towards a gas station. Several minutes later the tank was filled to the brim, and the detective stopped the transport nearby. He and Danny went towards the station café in hopes of snagging a bite of anything worthy of being called breakfast. The people gave them confused glances, and the teen honestly regretted that he couldn't just turn into his human form. Not in front of the extra audience. Danny and the detective sat a table and enjoyed some coffee, with the latter now looking like a decent human being, not the one deprived of sleep. Of that Tsukauchi was subtly informed by his adolescent companion. The detective was about to retort, but then he saw some commotion out of the window.

 

The breakfast was going to be cut short.  

 

"Stay here, Danny," Tsukauchi ordered. 

 

"What do you..." The teen looked where the officer was staring. 

 

Outside, on the other side of the road, there was a robbery taking place. An attack on a jewellery store was not something new to neither the officer, nor the vigilante teenage hero. Whatever was happening inside, a fiery explosion blew out the windows of the shops, and seconds later the shock wave made the glass of the gas station tremble. Danny's look turned dead serious upon witnessing the robbery in process. Yet, he remained calm as the crowd inside the station started running outside, screaming and yelling. 

 

"I can help, Tsukauchi!" Danny called over the noise of the crowd.

 

"No, you can't!" Tsukauchi responded, harshly and firmly. There was no time for arguing. "You are not authorised to act, Danny. You will only make it worse for yourself. So you stay here, got it?" 

 

The teen begrudgingly nodded and cursed. 

 

"I hope you know what you are doing, old man." 

 

"Remember what I said about trust? Then trust me on this, Danny." 

 

With that being said, Tsukauchi ran outside, reaching for the gun on his belt. The detective also took the radio and contacted the policemen, he knew that he had no power to handle everything on his own if the crime was committed by people with stronger Quirks. His own was not made for fighting. Tsukauchi needed to assess the danger and hold them off for as long as he could. There were civilians inside. Running up to the store doors, the man peeked inside, looking through the glass windows. There were three criminals in total. Two men and one woman. No distinguishable features to hint at what abilities they possessed. That complicated the matter. Tsukauchi also spotted the hostages. One of the criminals was near the counter and the cashier. Another was standing above four crouched bystanders. The third was busy hoarding the jewellery inside a bag. The former two were dangerous, they were close to the hostages. The room was made in a way that all the glass cases were forming a square without one of the sides. This limited the options for a manoeuvre, but also gave a lot of cover for a man with a gun.

 

Tsukauchi needed a plan. Maybe he should wait until the reinforcements arrived, he alone couldn't act quick enough. But then the criminals would have the time to escape. They didn't expect a policeman to arrive so soon, so for now he had the advantage of surprise. Taking out the one with the hostages was the most logical option. The cashier had a chance to escape during the commotion. Tsukauchi took a breath, before barging inside the store. 

 

"Freeze!" The officer demanded, before firing a warning shot. 

 

The plan worked, and the cashier managed to press a small button for the police. Using the door behind her, she decided to make a run for it. 

 

"Hey, get back here!" The closest bandit yelled, before a second shot sounded near him.

 

"Eyes on me," Tsukauchi said seriously.

 

"Wait, are ya alone here? A single policeman?" The woman near the captives laughed. "Ya think you can beat us?" 

 

"Maybe," Responded the detective. "I may have a situational Quirk, but I also doubt you are bulletproof." 

 

The detective tried to keep his eyes on all the criminals in the room, waiting for them to make a move. The criminals didn't have any firearms of their own, which put him in a certain advantage. However, there was no telling what they could pull off. Tsukauchi wished for a hero to come as quick as possible. He noticed the jewellery-collecting villain doing something with a locket. A second later, a sparkling ruby was taken out. Unexpectedly, all that man did was to toss it away, between the policeman and the female robber. She smirked and then raised her palm. At the last second, Tsukauchi jumped behind a marble column, as the jewel exploded in a myriad of crystal sharp structures. She could make precious stones grow in size, a fitting Quirk for a place of crime. 

 

"Where do ya think you are going?!" Another criminal jumped over the counter and started to quickly encroach on Tsukauchi's position. 

 

The policeman peeked over the corner of his column and fired a shot. The lady blocked the first several shots with her crystals, and upon the impact they shattered like glass. The policeman fired another bullet, but the crystals were there once more. No, that wouldn't do. The criminal meanwhile continued to get close to him. Meanwhile, he could hear the footsteps behind him. While he was trying to cover the left part of the shop, the middle was blocked off by the crystals. The right part, however, was taken by the third bandit. They were trying to surround him. The gun in Tsukauchi's hands only had half of its initial magazine. And just his luck that he never thought to bring more on the ride home. Taking out the lady was not an option, so that left two others. He could see that the one on the left made his palms turn into a blades. This was risky, but staying in one place was a death sentence. 

 

Tsukauchi exited his cover and ran right at the blade man. Without him expecting this, the man's swings were sloppy. The officer dodged the attack, ending up right behind him. Tsukauchi fired his gun at the man's shoulder. The bullet hit. The criminal yelled in pain and stumbled forward. The momentary triumph was cut short by a crystal pillar. The officer only narrowly avoided the hit, the sharp end cut his forehead as he tried to jump back. But then the pillar grew another protrusion on its size, and only by miracle it wasn't pointy enough to pierce the man's head. Instead, it hit him with astonishing force and sent him on the ground. Tsukauchi touched his pained face, and saw his palm covered in blood. This didn't look good. The shot criminal growled and turned around, his blades glistening brightly. The crystals separating them vanished, as the woman let her accomplice finish it.

 

"You will pay for that!" He yelled, lunging for the downed officer. 

 

Tsukauchi closed his eyes in preparation for the impact. Only it never came. 

 

"What the..." 

 

The officer opened his eyes, only to see that the man's hands were stuck in the air, as if they hit something invisible. The man's confusion did not last long, for soon he heard the boyish laughter he had been hearing that entire morning. The following second, the glowing silhouette of the half-ghost child emerged out of thin air. Danny was holding the blade hands with his own gloved palms.

 

"You are not really good at this trust-building stuff, are ya, old man?" He asked, his hands lightly buckling under the criminal's force. 

 

"D...Danny," Tsukauchi breathed out. "I told you to stay out of this!" 

 

Phantom looked at the bandit in front of him, before smirking. With a push he stopped the man's swing completely, following it with but a single click of his finger aimed at the man's gut. It immediately launched the criminal into the opposite wall. Tsukauchi stared at this with even further shock. Super strength, too. That amount of abilities was simply incomprehensible! Danny didn't notice the gaze, as he looked at his torn cloves and bleeding palms. That's what he got for doing stupid stuff like that.

 

"Either I go back to the naughty corner or you die, pal. Both options suck, so let's stick with the less awful one," Danny gave a smirk, before turning to the crystal lady. "Hey, ma'am, what even is the point of a robbery if you can replicate this stuff?" 

 

"It's nothing but cheap glass, brat," the woman said, before letting the crystals attack the boy like a swarm of tentacles. 

 

Danny was going to meet the attack head on. The officer saw how the boy's body became somewhat see-through, akin to a reflection in the water. Instead of the crystals, the boy aimed at the one controlling them. Pushing himself forward, Phantom propelled himself towards the crystal lady. The crimson spikes pierced him in a myriad of spots, without leaving a scratch. At the last second, the intangibility the teen held vanished, before he hit the side of the woman's head. The teen floated on spot and landed on the ground. The woman didn't have a chance to get up, around her legs and hands ice cuffs closed their grip. She had been moving her arms to control the crystals. Danny hoped to stop her by immobilising. The criminal that had been laying low so far jumped from under the counter, and Danny could see him take a deep breath. The boy could not run, the terrified hostages were right near him. The man opened his mouth and a burst of flames flew their way, to be met with a glowing green dome, unseen under the small inferno. Danny grinned, seeing how well the energy shield was holding up. He gave the captives a thumbs up, his mind going over to Tsukauchi. The man was still on the ground at the opposite end of the store. He must have been alright. 

 

The second the fire torrent stopped coming, Danny also removed the shield and faced the flame-thrower man. Smirking, the teen swiped his pointing finger, and the criminal was tossed into the stone column. Then into the wall. And finally, right outside and through the window, where Danny could see the police and a couple of costumed people, too. 

 

'Sheesh, what a crowd,' Danny thought and went over to Tsukauchi, jumping over the glass cases once more. 

 

"You alright, Tsukauchi-san?" He asked. 

 

"Yeah..." the detective got up, still clutching his forehead. "I'm hearing the sirens outside..."

 

"Yep. Your friends came over. They got to have an ambulance, they'll patch you up," Danny outstretched his hand.

 

Tsukauchi was about to take it, when he saw something that shocked him even more.

 

"Your palm..."

 

It was completely healed from the inflicted cuts. Danny looked at it and smiled sheepishly. 

 

"Oh, I just heal very quickly. Now come on. You guys, it should be safe outside!" He told the hostages. "Go out slowly with your raised hands! The police may be twitchy and take you for criminals if you aren't careful!" 

 

The boy sounded like he spoke from experience. Tsukauchi didn't have the time to think about it, the pain was killing those thoughts as they were spawned. The detective took the boy's hand and managed to get up with his help. Tsukauchi leaned on the wall, glancing to the fallen blade criminal. He couldn't be out after just one flick to the stomach, could he? And just as he thought, the grunting criminal got up, coughing blood. Danny's strength really must have been too much for a normal human. The teen sighed upon seeing the criminal's attempts. 

 

"You really shouldn't push yourself," the teen tried to sound sympathetic. 

 

"I ain't going down... not because of some random whelp."

 

"To be honest, you didn't stand a chance to begin with," Danny shrugged. The sympathy was thrown out of the window quicker than expected.

 

"I did a number on you, too," Tsukauchi offered weakly, before pointing a gun at him. "Surrender now. I am fully authorised to aim higher than the last time." 

 

The blade man thought about it for several seconds, before raising his hands in surrender. 

 

Several minutes later the officer was sitting on the edge of the ambulance, as the medic was wrapping a bandage around the man's forehead. By then Tsukauchi had  regained his ability to think without a splitting headache. Danny was sitting on a bench nearby, his green eyes focused on the police cars and the heroes. They occasionally looked at him, too. Obviously each side was waiting for Tsukauchi to issue his verdict of what happened. Without it nobody but the criminals themselves was going to be detained. And the officer sure had a lot of things to digest. He could make one conclusion from the get-go, however. That boy was a monster. Not in moral sense, but in regards to what he could do. Before him sat a child with super strength, intangibility, and many more abilities no normal human being could posses. He was potentially one of the strongest people Tsukauchi knew of, one that also regenerated at a rapid speed. This went beyond what Danny had described, or rather, it didn't add up in the man's mind how all of that could be compiled in such a short description. For a split second, it even made Tsukauchi remember one more person with such variety of abilities.

 

Tsukauchi was initially at a loss of what he should do. From the vanished look of excitement and glee nothing was left on Danny's face. The boy was absolutely serious now, understanding of what situation he was in. Even if the teen disobeyed him, Tsukauchi was glad that he had. He wouldn't be alive otherwise. Furthermore, Danny was still not running anywhere after opting to rather go to jail than to let Tsukauchi die. He knew the implications, yet he still risked it all to save the one who could not have even appreciated it due to his views and the line of work. Young Fenton was truly an enigma, but the detective could see the golden heart beneath his sarcasm and terrifying power. Perhaps it was the latter that made him ostracised, and for the boy to remain ready to help everyone it was truly a miracle.  It would honestly shame Tsukauchi if he punished the good-natured boy for doing the right thing, even if it was vigilantism they were talking about. Tsukauchi owed him his life, to cast the boy away was to make him hate everyone he could potentially save. The detective hated to compromise on his principles like that. But he also knew that the teen was worthy of such compromise. 

 

"Self-defence?" Officer Tamakawa, the feline looking policeman, asked.

 

Tsukauchi nodded. "Yes. I was just taking the boy to his home when it happened right near us. What he did in the process is my responsibility." 

 

"Didn't expect ya to stand up for a wild-card like him. You sure you want this written down like that?"

 

"Yes, Tamakawa-san. Since we are no strangers and he saved my life, it falls under the self-defence category by all accounts." 

 

The officer nodded and went to join his colleagues. The crowd started to quickly dissipate with the heroes gone as well. Soon after Tamakawa left, Tsukauchi was approached by the confused teenager. 

 

"I heard everything," he said.

 

"You got super-hearing, too?"

 

Danny hissed uncomfortably. "Among other things. I didn't lie to you back then, Tsukauchi-san."

 

"I know you didn't," the officer smirked briefly, before his expression became more serious. "But just how much can you do?" 

 

Phantom turned away from the policeman. "A lot. That's not even a half." 

 

"Not even a half, he says," Tsukauchi whispered and sighed. "Listen, Danny. We both know that what you did in there was illegal."

 

"But this is so..."

 

"Stupid? That's the law, Daniel. And those are the laws that keep our society intact."

 

The sudden usage of his full name made Danny tense. Tsukauchi got up from the edge of the ambulance and went in direction of the gas station.

 

"Let's continue this on the road. I still have to take you home, haven't I?" 

 

"Uhm... can you still drive?"

 

"Yes, the medics said it's nothing serious."

 

The rest of the car ride, despite Tsukauchi's recent vow, was quiet. Danny didn't want to push his luck by saying something unnecessary. He expected to hear another lecture about how everything functioned here, but Tsukauchi seemed too preoccupied with the thoughts of a wholly different matter. The half-ghost himself was thinking about how absurd the local stipulations appeared. Danny couldn't simply act according to the innate desire of his spectral half without having the police go after him, and it pissed him off. He probably should have been happy, since the others were there to defeat the bad guys. That's what he wanted, right? To avoid excessive fighting and to have rest. Then why was he still jumping into this? All he needed was to stay out of the fights. And yet he started battling the criminals again and so soon. Danny was so lost in his thoughts, in fact, that he mindlessly kept giving Tsukauchi the directions to his home without any alarm bells. Until they finally stopped.

 

"Hm... Utapa street, 23..." Tsukauchi mumbled. "Wait, this can't be right." 

 

Phantom remembered his initial plan, and cursed mentally. Looking out of the window, he could see his disused dwelling. At this point he cared little. He had already jumped the gun more times than he dared to count. 

 

"It can..." Danny mumbled. "It's not so bad. My Quirk will save me from cold, I made an improvised generator for light. Wash myself in the nearest bathhouse. Well, thanks for the ride, I think I will be..."

 

The teen pulled the handle, but the door did not budge. It was locked. Without understanding what even was going on, he looked at Tsukauchi. 

 

"Ehm... old man. The door is still locked." 

 

Tsukauchi took a deep sigh, slowly drumming on the wheel. He was evidently about to say something important. 

 

"Listen, Danny. Your case is a difficult one. I just happened to stumble upon a boy with absolutely zero records and with powers to put most pro-heroes to shame. At least conceptually. Hell knows what could happen if you are let loose with what you have."

 

"But I..."

 

"Let me finish. Any rational person would report this and get naturally concerned. Someone as potentially dangerous as you should be kept under watch. I am not saying that you are willing to be dangerous to the civilians. You already showed me that you are a good kid, someone who is ready to go to jail, just to save a person he knew for such a short while. But your intentions are misplaced and you are bound to run into trouble at some point. Misunderstanding is very harmful and has the ability to self-perpetuate, and there is no guarantee that someone else may be understanding of your intentions. If you weren't so young I probably would have left you behind the bars."

 

"Thanks for your honesty," Danny mumbled and crossed his hands.

 

"It would be hypocritical for a man who detects lies to be untruthful. I just want you to understand, Danny, that I don't is the last time we talk, no matter how you respond in the end. Because if you stay by yourself, I think it is just a matter of time until you break one law or another. And I really don't want to see you behind the bars, because you have a great potential to do a lot of good to the world. Seeing your living conditions now... I think the last shreds of doubt in my mind are gone. In this regard and many others."

 

"I'll be fine. Believe me, I got a valuable lesson about my power at some point. Nearly lost my family the hard way that day," Danny said quietly. "It always starts with compromises, I know that. On morals, on principles. But since going haywire is the nightmare that haunts me to this day, I think you guys are safe from that nasty future."

 

"The fact that you have such fears means a lot, Danny. Both good and bad implications are there. You probably have reasons to be afraid."

 

"I just don't want to harm anyone," the teen whispered. "It's just not who I am. I would never harm an innocent person."

 

"You see my point now, do you, Danny? I am saying that I myself have no concrete answer. But I think... there is a way to put to rest both my concern for everyone's safety and the desire to somehow repay a kid that saved my life." 

 

"I think you covering for me was enough." 

 

"I'd like for both of us to forget that misconduct on either side," Tsukauchi chuckled and winked. "I was in two minds about actually going through with this. But now, seeing your house ready to fall apart and the one you obviously settled in illegally..."

 

Danny chuckled nervously.

 

"I understand that doing this will probably be the best option. So, Danny, how would you feel staying at my place from now on?" 

 

The teen needed some to process this. He simply couldn't believe his ears, for he couldn't have seen it coming. That man knew him for so little time and yet he made such generous offer. Danny was at a loss, and it took him a good minute and Tsukauchi snapping his fingers in front of his face to snap back to reality.

 

"Are you sure? I-I don't want to be a bother, Tsukauchi-san. I mean, we only just met."

 

"Remember, this isn't only because I like you. I have to admit once again that I really would like to keep an eye on you, so take my offer as you want. If you don't believe that you saving me is a good enough stimulus."

 

"So what? You gonna put the cameras and lock me up?"

 

"Not that, Danny. I meant observing you as much as I could while treating you as a normal kid."

 

"You are taking me in PRECISELY because I am not normal," noted Danny.

 

"True. But I promise that I'm not going to restrict you more than necessary. You know, the usual curfew stuff. And no breaking the laws on my watch. It's not like I will be at home a lot, with my job and all."

 

"I admit, this won't be different from my home."

 

"Is this a good thing?"

 

"As long as I don't get woken up by an explosion in the basement," Danny smirked. "For how long are you having me?"

 

"Until I am sure that you will be alright on your own. Probably until you become an adult."

 

"For that long?" Danny asked breathlessly. "A-are you not going to have second thoughts?" 

 

"I sure will," Tsukauchi chuckled. "But I'm willing to take the risk. For all I know, we both think of it as such, right?"

 

"Well, I am trading off my ability to do whatever I want for a proper roof above my head and a chance in life. And out of all the people my wannabe guardian is the man who detects lies, while I want to keep some things to myself. My risks sure outweigh yours." 

 

"I am getting a feeling we both are trying to dissuade each other."

 

Both of them lightly laughed at this assumption, before Danny smiled.

 

"Alright, Tsukauchi-san. I'll come with you. And... thank you for being willing to bear with me."

 

"Don't mention it. Let's fetch your things and move out. I don't assume you have much."

Chapter 5

The evening of that day was spent in heavy pondering. After dinner Danny decided to 'go for a walk' as he chose to word it in front of the detective. He was truthful, Tsukauchi was simply unaware that it also involved taking off into the skies, oblivious to the boy even possessing such ability. The teen needed a place where he could be alone with his thoughts, as the previous 24 hours had deprived him of that. For granting him such opportunity on more than one occasion, Danny favoured the power of levitation more than any other. That's where the teen decided to spend some time, in the skies, away from the prying eyes of the people below, the gaze of his own focused on the serene pitch black dome above, where the moon had already taken over. No other place could give him such liberating feeling, even the place he longed to visit years ago. Space was quiet, unforgiving, wishing to push him away. Each time he tried Danny felt uncomfortable drifting there on his own. So small, so insignificant in the consuming emptiness of the cold vacuum. It was different from the optimistic, explorative sentiment he used to hold.

 

The sky, on the other hand, was something much more. Down below he could see the nightly city, trimmed with a myriad of lights like a Christmas Tree. He could see the cars, the people, the distant sounds of commuting reached his sensitive ears. And yet, with clouds below and the moon and stars above, it was oddly peaceful. The half ghost could ponder on what was happening with his afterlife. It was only one day, so the teen couldn't make many assumptions yet, certainly. Wonder about his future perspectives, however, that he could allow. Danny had it until the deliveryman arrived with their dinner, so plenty of time. And if he wanted, as long as he came back by 10 pm, the half ghost could wander about even after they had food. Tsukauchi had made it abundantly clear that nightly escapades — often a lead-in for an act of crime called vigilantism — were not going to be permitted. Danny wanted to complain, but he had only recently rediscovered the treasure that is a good night's rest. It was probably better that way, but the detective acted as if the teen sought out criminals on purpose. Contrary to what Tsukauchi believed and knew about, the teen was reluctant to give up on something else. 

 

Danny could not just come and say that he was going to take part in an illegal fighting match, for instance. Since he wasn't going to kill anyone, Danny didn't consider such form of income an atrocity against the world's values. He was merely knocking the wind out of the guys who probably deserved it. His freedom to act however he saw fit was tough to surrender, even for the benefit of having a relatively normal life. Back home the balance was not perfect, but Phantom could do what he wanted wherever and whenever, as long as Fenton was where he was supposed to be. Here the situation was flipped, for the hero could not go out and fight, while the human teenager was shown some leniency in terms of discipline. The added benefit was that Danny didn't need to hide much from Tsukauchi. Only the nature of his powers and his true place of origin were going to be concealed. And doing that was relatively simple. 

 

Living with the detective was also a good launching point. The guardianship opened many doors before the half-ghost, for he no longer was akin to an illegal migrant with absolutely zero documents. He had an official place of residence, and a perspective to attain citizenship. The employers would at least take their time to look at his resume now. Or he would just start working full time in the shop. Financial independence, he called it. Danny remained optimistic about his future perspectives. He was far from dumb and he probably was one of the strongest people around and growing. He would find a way to make it work. Until then, he had to play by Tsukauchi's rules, at least near the man, despite his clear distaste for those. He certainly wasn't going to make it easy for the detective, though. Probably that's what Tsukauchi meant by regretting the decision in the future, Danny wondered with an amused smirk. The man was really good at his job, the guess was on spot. After no short amount of Danny concocting his plans for the next few days, his phone began to ring. Taking the old and modified shell phone that was the courtesy of Fenton Works, he saw an alarm. They had promised that the delivery would take half an hour, so the teen had set an alarm clock not to be late for some sushi. Grinning, the teen looked far below, where their apartment building was. Danny opened his arms wide, before the power of levitation let go of his body. 

 

Like a child fooling around underwater in a public pool, the half ghost made twists, spins and turns on his way down, laughing wholeheartedly as the wind blew past his ears and made a mess out of his stark-white hair. Nobody noticed the plummeting figure, invisible to a naked eye. Picking up the speed during his free fall, Danny prepared himself for landing. The roof of the apartment block was meters away and quickly approaching, and when there remained a single inch, the half ghost stopped the fall in its tracks. The speed he had picked up translated into a powerful gust of air that blew away the stale dust. With a smirk Danny flipped in the air and finally landed with a soft thud. He still got it right. Deciding to use doors for once, the teen entered the building. A couple of stair flights later, and Danny was near the front door of the apartment. 

 

As he waited for Tsukauchi to open it, Phantom took a look around the corridor once more. It was tidy, bright due to the blaring white lightbulbs and also extremely narrow. The locals really valued what little space was given to them. Danny's clumsy nature didn't help, and he accidentally tripped a parked bicycle. Cursing, the teen picked it up and put against the wall, just as the detective opened the door. 

 

"You sure are quick."

 

"Walking is good, eating is better. Is it here yet?" Asked the teen, not really hiding his enthusiasm.

 

"Yeah, the deliveryman just left. Come in."

 

As Danny entered the apartment proper, he went along with Tsukauchi's request and left his white boots near the entrance. The man didn't want the teen to bring in any extra dirt from the street, because the detective didn't have time to clean it all up. As they went towards the kitchen, Tsukauchi's look suddenly turned reprimanding as he took another look at the boy. 

 

"Danny. I asked you to change into normal clothes before you went off. Don't you realise how much you stick out?" 

 

"I do, but I have my ways. Invisibility, you know?" 

 

Tsukauchi didn't think that it would be healthy for the boy to remain out of sight when in public. The detective wished that the boy would socialise, and that was exactly the opposite. Furthermore, Danny was already ignoring what the man told him. Despite everything, they had known each other for a relatively short while, so why would a rowdy teenager listen to his every whim. That's what the detective thought initially, but then he saw the boy becoming awfully reserved, as if retreating into his mind again. You would think he had had enough time to put his immediate concerns to rest, but some doubts must have been plaguing the boy's mind even still. His assumptions would prove to be more correct than he had expected. 

 

Truth be told, the teen was slowly bringing himself to make an important decision. So far he and Tsukauchi hadn't had a chance to properly discuss one major problem the teen had chosen to omit. After they had returned to the home that was going to be Danny's, too, Tsukauchi was eager to finally take a nap. The man was confident enough that the teen could be trusted around the house in his absence, and he wasn't wrong. Phantom hadn't tried to steal something and then run away. He had mostly spent the time in the guest room that was named his and started finding place for his belongings: clothes in the wardrobe, his own little TV on a desk alongside with the electrician's nightmare that was his temporary generator. That's what the teen had dedicated the remainder of his time towards — to salvaging the butchered equipment and repairing the Fenton thermos now that there was no need for an energy reserve. The teen had found some instruments in a lower kitchen drawer, for some things appeared to be common around the globe. Simplistic the tools may have been, Fenton tech itself was easy to make due to being created in a basement. After waking up Tsukauchi had had to visit his working place for a couple of bureaucratic matters. The man had left some money to order a takeout, before leaving in a hurry.

 

The teen wanted to get one matter out of the way. It was one of his most cherished secrets, but since Tsukauchi already knew his real name, what he was capable of, the teen didn't want to maintain an incessant façade. His ghost and human halves both demanded his attention. A human needed to sleep, eat and fulfil the bodily needs that fuelled his other half. A ghost needed to expunge the pent up energies, lest he combusted in a gruesome manner. Danny couldn't get proper rest or nourishment while being in his spectral form. This couldn't go like this for years to come. So, the teen decided to shed some light on his condition. As he clumsily used the chopsticks to eat the first piece of sushi, much to the Japanese man's amusement, Danny finally decided that that was it.

 

"Hey, old man," Danny started slowly. "Since you are letting me stay over, there is something I have to tell you. Nobody around knows about this yet, but I understand that hiding it from you now is pointless."

 

Tsukauchi silently nodded, his attention fully focused on the boy's story.

 

"Okay, don't freak out." 

 

Before Tsukauchi could ask what was happening, a bright ring of pearly-white light surrounded the half ghost. And before he knew it, in front of him sat a perfectly normal teenager: raven hair, blue eyes and also clothes that weren't an improvised hero costume. The detective only stared, putting the chopsticks away. 

 

"Are you a shapeshifter, too?" 

 

"No," Danny shook his head. "I only have two. That's my casual one." 

 

Tsukauchi hummed in thought, before speaking again. "So you use another one to maintain a secret identity, I presume?" 

 

"Pretty much. Phantom always saved the day while little useless Fenton was busy sitting in a locker," Danny spoke dramatically. "Fun thing is, my bully really seemed to be a fan of my hero slash vigilante part. Poor Dash, if only he knew." 

 

"One of these days I really would need you to write every power of yours down."

 

"The list would be incomplete," Danny smirked and sipped from a can of cola. 

 

"Why?" Tsukauchi asked, suddenly growing worried.

 

"Let's just say, I know where my power ceiling is, and I am still far away from it."

 

From the man's look Danny could see that Tsukauchi wanted him to elaborate. 

 

"Well, I really want to learn teleportation. Or how to make portals. This will probably take a while, though." 

 

"How even... I should probably stop being surprised," Tsukauchi shook his head. 

 

Was it really that simple for him? Danny so casually spoke of learning a new power that it made the detective uncomfortable. What would the boy be like when that power ceiling was actually reached? Could he learn abilities at a whim or was there some predisposition? The world really dodged a bullet when the teen decided to pursue a more righteous path rather than trying to carve himself a criminal empire like certain other did. Tsukauchi shook his head and pushed away the pessimistic thoughts. He couldn't let his speculations ruin what little of bond he had managed to establish. 

 

"On another matter, we probably need to help you get a better accommodation. The room you took is pretty much empty, and I've taken a look at your clothes. What's with so many white and red shirts?"

 

"Those are my favourites," Danny crossed his hands. "So are we going shopping tomorrow?"

 

"Yes, luckily I have a day off tomorrow. And I tried to put some matters out of the way so that we won't get interrupted much."

 

The man could see a tiny smile forming on the boy's face. Perhaps his diligence left a good impression on him.

 

"You don't have to, really. I got all I need."

 

"I tend to disagree. It's no sweat off my back, Danny, really. I live alone now that my sister is currently abroad, so..." 

 

"You never mentioned it before."

 

"This topic never came up. It's a story for another day, though," Tsukauchi scratched his temple. "When Makoto learns about you, she will really keep rubbing it into my face," he said in a tired tone. 

 

"Why would she do that?"

 

"We disagreed a lot about vigilantes. And now I have taken in one such person." 

 

Danny cackled. "Glad I am not the only one who disagrees with ya, old man."

 

Tsukauchi narrowed his black eyes, but let the comment slide. "Don't you have siblings?" 

 

"I too have a sister," Responded Danny, albeit with much less enthusiasm this time. He sighed and crossed his hands. "Wonder how she is doing."

 

The detective understood how sensitive the topic was, so it was probably better to not push a painful button yet.

 

"Well," Tsukauchi rose from his seat. "I will be in the living room if you need me. And Danny..."

 

"No sneaking out, I get it. Wasn't going to. I like my sleep as much as the next guy." 

 

Danny returned to his room and for the lack of anything better to do, continued the process of repairing the thermos. The half-ghost didn't know why he was doing it, but this was more of an innate desire of every Fenton to delve into endless tinkering. There wasn't really any need to create an anti-ghost weapon in a world where there were none, other than him. But it was strangely relaxing to fully invest himself in the process. Before he knew it, the clocks on the wall struck eleven pm, with the thermos being half-heartedly put back together. The teen wasn't going to test it just then, but at least the lights around the metal surface were back on. Worst comes to worst, he would have a neat night lamp and a soup container. Sighing and putting the thermos back on the table, Danny decided to call it a night. After undressing, the boy dropped on a soft bed and thus ascended to the legendary Nirvana. It had been weeks since he slept on a proper bed. The locals may have seen futons as something ordinary, but the teen was still not used to that. At that moment, the teen felt that his decision to stay was correct. Perhaps he did so prematurely, but Danny was too tired to reconsider. 

 

Next morning the teen woke up early enough to come across Tsukauchi having breakfast. When Danny soundlessly entered the living room, he saw the man jump for a second. Tsukauchi then chuckled and put a coffee cup on the glass table, by a sofa he was sitting on. 

 

"Jeez, you can be really quiet, Danny. Good morning."

 

"Morning," Danny yawned. "So, when are we going?" 

 

"After we eat, I think. No reason to postpone it. Want some biscuits? I have some left over."

 

Why not, Danny thought, before one of the sweet treats quickly flew into his hand. As he chewed on it, a question arose in the teen's mind. 

 

"Why do you even have those?" 

 

"What, can't a man enjoy treats like these? You probably shouldn't just eat them straight away. I have some tea, too." 

 

"Nah, I'm good," Danny said and picked another one, landing on a sofa near the officer. "Jeez, these are tasty."

 

"I can relate. I'll show you the place making them one of these days," Tsukauchi smiled. 

 

After the improvised breakfast, the two of them set off to a place Danny hadn't heard of before. After that the situation grew a bit less pleasant. The commuting process greatly vexed the teen, because Tsukauchi was adamant about one thing — no, he could not fly there. Because that was using the Quirk out in the open. So that was it, instead of a straight flight that would have taken a few moments they had to drive there for about half an hour. Tsukauchi was not blind, he could see the teen's huge displeasure, but there was little he could say at the time that would make Danny see things his way. Danny already proved to be as stubborn as a mule, refusing to see how the abuse of his powers could lead to troubles down the line. That was often the case for people with strong Quirks. They itched to use them a lot. And the boy's enthusiasm was proportional to his potential. 

 

Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall they called it, and that was certainly a mouthful to pronounce. After leaving the car at the parking lot, the two ventured out towards a gargantuan, long structure that was basically one corridor, with many floors and multiple bridges connecting the opposite sides. The place also had no roof, but the day was warm and bright, so there were no complaints yet. Danny was, admittedly, already lost in a myriad of shops of any kind. The assortment of goods of any kind was phenomenal, and the teen didn't know what he was to do. Thankfully, his stickler guardian came to the rescue, opening a notepad. 

 

"Alright, let's see. First we would need to buy you some clothes. I haven't seen you wear any other shoes, by the way."

 

"Yeah," Danny lightly lifted one of his legs, staring at a sneaker. "I never had that many. Only these and the boots of my other form." 

 

"I see. We'd need at least another pair or you are going to wear them out too soon..."

 

Tsukauchi seemed to be thinking about something. 

 

"What is it, old man?" 

 

"It just dawned on me. What's the deal with your clothes when you take another form? I understand the bodily changes to an extent, but this I don't quite get."

 

As Danny went ahead, he started his explanation. "Those clothes are not some fabric I'm wearing," he said and put hands in the pockets of his jeans, "They are extensions. I wore them when my power awakened, and it sorta... remained. Like an image on a film tape. Whenever I transform, those clothes are with me. When I go back, wherever those clothes are, they just vanish."

 

"So does that mean you can change them?"

 

"Never tried to, actually. There was just no need, if I need my casuals, I try to look more human." 

 

Tsukauchi thought that it made sense. But something still felt amiss, and as they passed another isle, it dawned on him what exactly.

 

"Why were you wearing something like that when your Quirk activated?" 

 

Danny sighed and turned around, his expression neutral. "I helped my parents around the lab a lot. Still works for a half-assed hero suit. It also used to have a sticker of my Dad's face. Thank God I ripped that one off beforehand or I would be stuck with his grinning mug on my chest." 

 

Tsukauchi could not resist a chuckle. The man inquired some more, and came to learn that the boy's parents were researchers, albeit the teen refused to share what exactly they were studying. Danny was not only reluctant to tell more, but it also visibly pained him to reminisce about those people. Once more the detective wondered how the boy was doing so well mentally with a family environment such as that. Usually it was a recipe for disaster waiting to happen. Tsukauchi had to ask Danny if abuse ever took place, and he feared a very adamant reaction. Luckily, the boy merely noted that the man had picked the worst time to ask that. Fenton assured that "negligence was more of a running theme", and it explained a lot to the detective. Tsukauchi now viewed the boy's rowdy nature in a new light. Danny was not used to an adult paying so much attention to what he did, and thus took a lot of what the man was saying as means to shackle him down. Thankful on the inside for such a useful bit of information, the detective decided not to press on it more. They weren't here for that. 

 

The two of them went into the nearest shop, as neither was picky about what to buy, as long as it was nothing too pricey. Tsukauchi also insisted that they bought proper patent leather shoes. The confused teen was told that there would be occasions when he simply wasn't allowed wear what he desired. There were places far too respectable, the places with dress-codes. Societal norms were like this, and the boy had to wear something proper for once. The tedium of the man's lecture was enough to make Danny go quiet. He didn't even want to retort in his usual sarcastic manner. Logically, after they were done with the issue of shoes, the detective and the half ghost continued their journey. Despite Danny stating that he was still stronger than average and could carry his stuff on his own, Tsukauchi still was carrying half of the bags as he went ahead.

 

"Alright, next we will buy you some shirts," Tsukauchi said, looking at his notepad again. "Any objections?" 

 

The man received no response and upon turning around, he noticed the teen's absence. His bewilderment, however, didn't last long.

 

"Sup."

 

Tsukauchi jumped and glanced around his shoulder, noticing the guffawing Danny with an ice-cream in his free hand. 

 

"Oh, brother. Never gonna get tired from this," he said. "You were saying?"

 

"When did you even get the ice-cream?"

 

"My Quirk lets me make the delicious chocolate goodness," Danny said with all seriousness and took a lick of his treat.

 

"Very funny, kid," Tsukauchi rolled his eyes. "Don't disappear on me just like that. I was saying that we should go buy clothes now." 

 

"Fine, fine. But can we check something unrelated afterwards? There is a lot of amazing stuff around here." 

 

Tsukauchi knew that something would catch the boy's eye eventually, so he wasn't all that surprised by the request. 

 

"Sure."

 

The metaphorical inventory was slowly being filled more and more, as Tsukauchi's credit card balance was steadily going down. Danny in the meantime was growing extremely tired of having to put on so many shirts, pants, trousers and more. At least he got to pick his favourite types of T-shirts — the totally bland ones. However, detective's insistence on renewing the teen's wardrobe in spite of everything, was making the teen uncomfortable on the inside. Danny really didn't mean to be much of a burden expense-wise, but that appeared inevitable with the man's dedication. An admirable trait, if only it always bore fruits. Tsukauchi pretended not to hear the teen's remarks and the purchases were made. There were also some other small things that needed to be bought and were unrelated to Danny. After the rush, the two finally sat in one of the cafes at the food court and were having lunch, having decided on some burgers. The topic of food seemed to kickstart their conversation, after all, Tsukauchi needed to know what meals the teen preferred for future reference.

 

"Anything, really," Danny shrugged. "As long as it is not alive and is not trying to eat me."

 

"That's...an odd request to make."

 

"You haven't seen what I've seen, old man. Those sausages emptied our fridge and ate our thanksgiving turkey. Who was also alive at the time. Imagine the screams," Danny's face became haunted as a part of a joke. But then he returned to eating. "Meh, you people haven't reached the level of Nasty Burger."

 

"A what?" 

 

"We used to have a joint back home under that name. Until recently. Turns out that making a sauce that can, you know, blow up, is illegal. They shut the thing down, and honestly, good riddance. Nearly killed several people close to me, because someone left an oven on. The burgers were still delicious, though, and it's not like I won't regenerate my dissolved stomach."

 

"You are just a treasure cove of crazy stories, aren't you, kid?"

 

"Hey, I was a vigilante," Danny lowered his voice. "A lot of weird stuff happened. For real, though. I just heated a small packet of sauce and it blew off a part of a metal combat suit. That Nasty Sauce could be used by terrorists." 

 

"It does sound like a problem. And how often did you even eat there?"

 

"Since it was the only big chain fast-food around, and food back home wanted to eat me, pretty often."

 

"Hm... you don't look like you ate much. Or did it change because of your lifestyle?" 

 

"No, I'm pretty much the same. For one, there are muscles under this shirt. Two, most of what I eat gets turned into pure energy, so my human body doesn't get enough nutrients to bulk up too much. It's fine by me, never planned on becoming a giant like All Might, or anything." 

 

Tsukauchi chuckled. "Well, girls might still fall for a pretty face, so not all is lost."

 

"Great, he hasn't been my guardian for two days and he is already making Dad jokes. Lame!" Danny moaned. 

 

After a while Tsukauchi let the teen go around the shops on his own while he himself waited at the same place with a cup of coffee. Danny was honestly eager to simply browse the place, but several thousand yen were now in his pocket, alongside his last savings. He was free to buy some stuff for his room, and it was sweet of the detective to consider it. Phantom had several stops to make, so he went straight to it. For one, he actually bought himself a small rocket model that he had seen. Cold vacuum or not, space rockets were cool. He was told by the seller that few were actually interested in such goods. Danny was indeed surprised to learn that he was holding the model one and only manned rocket launched into space. For all the apparent technological prowess this world had, the space exploration was severely lagging behind. The seller blamed it on Quirks, but Danny didn't know enough to make his own assumptions. But when some Quirks could make resources out of thin air, it was logical that the want to explore was eradicated. Phantom didn't blame them. Perhaps they visited space and arrived to the same conclusion Danny had reached. He was more interested in exploring other worlds. Or the world, to be exact.

 

Next the boy wanted to learn about was what music the locals listened to. He most certainly wasn't going to find any of his favourite bands around there, but that was the beauty of it. This was an unmarked territory for the boy's melomaniac side, which he didn't have the time nor resources to explore. That's what made him walk around several CD shops. Some would call them obsolete, but Danny's phone was an ancient relic. He couldn't exactly use music services. The teen considered himself a rock music connoisseur, but nobody around would believe him. All his knowledge was useless in a world where the familiar celebrities did not exist. So, as the teen stared at the shelves with colourful CD covers, he was oddly perplexed. The shop specifically sold the American stuff, as was evident from the names of the singers and the language used. Danny simply didn't know what he should buy. Eventually the teen stopped overthinking it and just picked a couple of random disks that were more modern. Smiling, the teen went on to buy those. 

 

In the meantime, Tsukauchi was waiting for someone. Them coming to the mall served two purposes at once. Yes, Danny was getting the stuff he needed most, but there was also something else. That's why the detective sent the kid off, because for a while the man didn't want the teen to hear it. Fenton was surely going to put a couple of unnecessary comments. The discussion was important. Soon enough, the person Tsukauchi was waiting for appeared in the crowd, wearing loose pants and a long-sleeve. The gaunt, thin man with disproportionately large limbs eventually noticed the detective, and with a smile emerging on his angular face he approached the table.

 

"Tsukauchi-san, it is good to see you!" 

 

"Toshinori-san," Tsukauchi nodded and smiled. "Thank you for choosing to come. It's really important." 

 

"I've watched the news, Tsukauchi-san," Toshinori butted in, sounding worried. "There was an attack on a jewellery store, are you doing alright?" 

 

"Yes, I'm fine," Tsukauchi rubbed the wounded spots. "However, we wouldn't be talking if it wasn't for someone."

 

"I'd like to thank them, then," the blonde chuckled. 

 

"It's better that we wait. I specifically sent the boy off so that we could talk in private."

 

Toshinori blinked. "You didn't say he is a boy." 

 

"Fifteen years of age, actually. He is also the reason I called you, and I probably would need an advice."

 

Toshinori gave him a smile. "You consoled me on more than one occasion. It's only fair I return the favour." 

 

"Eraserhead made an arrest two days ago. Young Daniel was caught at the scene of crime while we were trying to bust an illegal workshop. We first suspected his involvement, but he surrendered without putting up a fight. The interrogation showed that although he did make a purchase, he only bought nuts and bolts for an illegal upgrade, figuratively speaking. Yet, the boy is not a criminal. During that ambush in a jewellery store Danny came to rescue me, knowing I could arrest him right there. He didn't even try to run afterwards."

 

"The boy sounds like a very upstanding person. But what is concerning you, Tsukauchi-san?"

 

The detective made a sigh. "Perhaps upstanding by his own standards, which do not always coincide with our laws. Danny used to be a vigilante in America and sees nothing illegal in such actions. Still, I made a decision to be the boy's legal guardian. Gods know he needs it."

 

"Why would he need a guardian?" 

 

"Because the boy was ousted from his home. I suspect his parents hated him for having a Quirk," Tsukauchi said grimly, noticing the sympathetic expression on his friend's face. "The boy has been fending on his own for some time. Living in an abandoned shack with no electricity or running water, earning the living in a small-time shop... even if his Quirk mitigated some woes, this is no way for a child to live." 

 

"I fully agree. Is this guardianship a way to repay him for saving your life?" 

 

"Yes, this is a major factor. But there is also something else, and it might interest you as well. At this point," Tsukauchi dug in his coat. "This is nothing but pure speculation, a series of coincidences that for a second appeared in my head."

 

He took out a photo and put it on the table. It was a picture of Danny in his ghost form taken in custody. Toshinori stared at the image, and at that oddly familiar smirk that mocked him. 

 

"The physical resemblance is on point," Tsukauchi continued. 

 

"You are correct. It is a very wild speculation," the hero in disguise responded firmly. 

 

"I would have dismissed it, too. After all, this isn't even the boy's true appearance. Most of the time he has raven hair and blue eyes. This," Tsukauchi tapped on the photo. "Is him using the power at his disposal. And this potential... It greatly concerns me. I have observed only a handful of what he is capable of. Invisibility, intangibility, enormous physical strength, laser beams and ice. He also healed the wounds inflicted upon him in a blink. And he spoke so casually about learning new powers of teleportation like it was a beach walk for him."

 

Toshinori's eyes went wide as saucers, "That's an astonishing power."

 

"Enough to make us both worried about parallels, isn't it?"

 

"Indeed. But you still took him in."

 

"The boy has a good heart, Toshinori. But I called you specifically to give me some advice. What do you think? Am I making the right choice?" 

 

The detective's friend rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't know the boy enough to make proper conclusions. But if you are convinced that the boy has good in him, then it is only proper that he receives guidance from someone as upstanding as you." 

 

"Thank you," Tsukauchi smiled. "But it won't be easy. The kid is as stubborn as it gets. That's why I thought about something. You told me you will be teaching at the U.A..."

 

Toshinori stared. "That's your solution, huh?"

 

"Danny is itching to use his powers. This will give him the chance he seeks. And he will also get a proper education which I, as his guardian, must provide. This seems like a good option. I'm sure that the teachers of your school can help him not to stray from the path of good." 

 

"That's a very good idea," Toshinori nodded. "If he gets in, we will certainly do the best on our part."

 

"I'm glad to have your support. Now we have to convince Danny himself."

 

"Wait, you didn't talk to him about this, yet?" 

 

"Not really, but he is a smart kid, probably thought about it at some point."

 

"Education is important, no matter what kind. You want him to take a hero course, don't you?"

 

"That would be most preferable. His Quirk is incredibly versatile, but being a hero will help him utilise the full power. He still has to pass your famed tests, however."

 

"That he has. What say you about his academic prowess?"

 

"I didn't have many chances to observe it. But since he was making an illegal upgrade on his own, he at least has an understanding of certain fields. Yesterday evening I've noticed him welding an old thermos. I'm not sure what he intends to do with it." 

 

"Thermos?" Toshinori scratched his temple in thought. "What even is there to tinker with?" 

 

"I'd wager it is not a simple thermos. Doesn't look like an upgrade, either. Too... outlandish. Point is, the boy is technically gifted, even if he refuses to take the credit for it. The boy does have certain self-esteem issues. I suspect it stems from the neglectful parenting. Danny must be able to score enough during the written test, and I am certain he will be one of the best performers during the practical exam. After all, he has the power and the experience. I saw him in action — three criminals dispatched in a minute, the captives unharmed, the damage to the shop is minimal. I may disagree with what he was doing, but it was a professional and clean job."

 

"You are basking him in praises, as I see."

 

"Don't let him hear that," Tsukauchi chuckled. "He may be overly critical of his intellect, but his abilities are something he brags about non-stop. There is always a room for growth." 

 

"True. I can't wait to see him in action. You really should get his answer soon, because we will stop accepting papers in a week. And the exam is only one month away from now."

 

"I know we should hurry. I just hope there won't be any last minute issues. It was good meeting you, Toshinori-san. I'll call you later, is that alright?"

 

"Of course! I'll be waiting. Tell me about the final decision and I will help you as much as I can. I think it is my cue to leave."

 

"Alright, don't want to interrupt you from your job."

 

Toshinori smiled and nodded, before leaving. Tsukauchi watched the man leave, glad that the conversation went so well. He returned to his coffee, finding that it had cooled down significantly. He didn't have to wait for long, Danny returned very soon after that, carrying only a couple of small bags.

 

"Hey, old man!" The boy greeted and sat nearby. "I'm done. Here is the money that remained," he said and returned the yen bills. A single look at them was enough for Tsukauchi to understand something.

 

"But you haven't spent anything."

 

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I still had the earnings from my job. And it's not like I bought much," the teen raised his bag.

 

Upon hearing this, Tsukauchi could not resist a chuckle as he moved the bills back to Danny. 

 

"Keep them as an allowance, then," he smiled. "I'm sure you'll find something eventually."

 

"Fine," Danny sighed and still took them. He didn't want to argue in public over something so trivial. "Do we have something else to buy?"

 

"No, I think we are free to go home. But there is something important we have to talk about."

 

"What is it?"

 

"I'd really like to hear your opinion on that," Tsukauchi smiled, "But first tell me what you bought."

 

The detective couldn't help his curiosity. He asked the teen about what he had purchased, and was somewhat reassured. Danny was the most bizarre kid he had ever met, but it was also a good call that the teen's interests were not different from other kids his age. Danny was interested in music, in spaceships and games. Tsukauchi was reminded that he was facing a normal child first and foremost. His power was only secondary. Phantom also was eager to talk about his interests, and his guardian complied with a duty to listen, not that he minded much. They didn't notice how they got inside the car, and after a while the teen remembered that there was something important that Tsukauchi wanted to talk about.

 

"Danny, what do you think about going to school?" 

 

The question caught the teen off-guard. 

 

"Well, I did think about this a lot, I admit. I won't get anywhere in life without finishing a high school. Are you telling me you got it covered?"

 

"The document part, yes. Have you heard about the U.A.?" 

 

"U.A., huh?" Danny asked with slightly less enthusiasm. "You mean that famous and elite hero school?"

 

"You sound apprehensive. I thought that that's what you would want, Danny. What's with your vigilantism and our arguments."

 

The teen sighed, straightening in his seat. "Then your deduction skills wronged you. Tsukauchi-san, hasn't it crossed your mind that I didn't do vigilantism here for a reason? I needed a break from that shit."

 

"I remember. I understand that it might have been too much pressure, but I assure you, Danny. A licensed hero doesn't have to deal with the same things you went through. It is orderly, the burden is shared between all heroes."

 

"This isn't very convincing, old man," Danny grumbled. "Why are you so adamant that I go there? Lemme guess, 'Daniel, you will squander your potential'," he mocked. 

 

"I admit, this is something I'd like to point out."

 

"Of course you would. It's the most sound argument."

 

"Let's do it like this, Danny. Tell me, what image do you have of your future then?"

 

"I...I am not sure. Isn't this what you decide when going to college?" 

 

"Sometimes it is necessary to make a decision beforehand. Some choices affect our lives a lot down the line, Danny. You chose to come to Japan and thus we happened to meet. You really have an enormous potential, Danny. You can become an excellent hero, someone who can save countless lives. That's what you were doing back at home. Don't let a series of misfortunes bury your talents."

 

Danny smiled, although the smile held little positivity. "This argument could have worked on me. But with all due respect, Tsukauchi-san, you've known me for only two days. You still don't know a lot about me." 

 

"Then tell me. Danny, I respect your reluctance to share, but don't make it my fault. We have plenty of time. I've looked at you enough to know such key things. Are you telling me that you are a criminal? A self-serving egoist? Or maybe someone capable of murder? Danny, I know you are none of these things, but quite the contrary. You can't even spend others' money without extra urging."

 

"I did leave my town. I gave up because I was tired," Danny responded. "Do you really have a need for a hero that just... goes away?"

 

"Because you knew someone can take over, didn't you? I remember what you told me."

 

"That was mostly just an excuse," the boy argued. "I told myself and everyone that this is my responsibility and then I just abandoned it all."

 

Tsukauchi was unprepared for the sudden resistance Danny was showing. It didn't end there, however. 

 

"It's not like I became a hero because I wanted. I had no chance to argue... I either got stronger or they killed me. There was no middle ground. Before I knew it, I was too deep in this to change anything. The people I defended against took exception to that and eventually all of it formed a vicious circle."

 

"Yet you beat yourself up because you chose to break this circle. And you are worried about what can happen to the people of your town, too. I say that it is not just a battle for survival. I've met a lot of different people, Danny. I've seen the 'victim' type. You don't strike me as one, is all. In order to become a detective you have to know how to read people. My Quirk is handy, but it won't make everything clear on its own."

 

"And what exactly is this 'type'?" 

 

"Are you perhaps having thoughts that you deserved being neglected or that you deserved the constant fight for your life?" 

 

"I...no. I didn't do anything to get a-holes for parents."

 

"See? Next question then: are you feeling that I am taking advantage of you?"

 

"That certainly doesn't sound dubious," responded Danny sarcastically. "No. I don't think so. At least yet."

 

"Once again, you answered wrong. A positive answer would have hinted at a self-defeating behaviour — a clear sign of victimhood mindset. If you ever hit such lows, I don't see any traits of anything but the next, positive phase. Even your sarcasm is a testament to that." 

 

"Is there a reason you are giving me a psychology lecture? I don't get it."

 

"Just what I said before. You are not concerned as much about the pain it caused you, but about others, still. I say that this level of responsibility is what a hero really needs. Tell me, if a fireman, or me, a policeman, decides to quit the job for the same reason as you, does it make them any worse?" 

 

"Well... it is different."

 

"Really? Is a fireman jumping into a burning house any less of a hero than you are?"

 

"Th-that's not what I meant!" Danny said with a flustered expression. 

 

"I know. My point still remains. People get tired, it is inevitable, and it doesn't make them worthy of scorn. Well, as long as you don't decide to quit in the middle of a rescue operation."

 

"That would be running away."

 

"Exactly. That is something you didn't do. No, you went through a lot, and from what I see, you received no gratitude and your own parents disowned you. I think that's enough of a reason to quit for a child like you. Don't beat yourself up about this, Danny. Just come at it from a proper direction and I guarantee that it will work out for you this time. The world needs good heroes, and after everything you experienced, both good and bad, you will make an excellent one." 

 

Danny didn't look Tsukauchi in the eyes. The man got him thinking, and the teen wasn't really sure what to do. The detective must have studied well, and he and Jazz would have got along — both loved to pry into the teen's skull. Tsukauchi made a good point, and his cheesy encouragement worked wonders. 

 

But this was a difficult path to take. To become a hero once more, full time, dedicate his life to the job of crime-fighting. Danny felt... surprisingly at ease with the idea. The plan Tsukauchi provided was perhaps the clearest, the best laid-out, certainly more than what the teen had managed to come up with. A hero school was certainly better than none at all. And if the teen was brutally honest with himself, fighting was one of the few things he was good at. Unbeknownst to him, Tsukauchi was unwittingly using the teen's self-esteem to tilt the opinion in a proper direction. 

 

"I still can work elsewhere if it doesn't work out for me, right?" 

 

Tsukauchi nodded. "This is not something I'd like, but yes, U.A. still provides top-notch education in all subjects. I'm certain many people would like to hire you afterwards." 

 

Danny finally smiled again. "Then I guess I have no choice," he said dramatically, stood up, and put one of his legs on a chair. "On to rescue the damsels and save the kingdom! And if I don't like it, to conquer the world!"

 

Upon seeing the unamused expression Tsukauchi held, the boy smirked. "Oh, don't be like that, old man. I'm still gonna get you a castle for your kind service."

 

If there was one thing the detective marvelled at, it was how quickly the teen bounced back. The quality that would certainly find a good use.

Chapter 6

There were many aspects to being prepared for the U.A. entrance exam. In particular, to the theoretical side of it. The written test included your normal tasks in several subjects: Math, English, History and Japanese. Tsukauchi lamented the fact that they had to hurdle all of those together, probably going off the grades the middle schoolers had. Danny was at a disadvantage in this regard. And while the U.A. was willing to overlook that part and let him participate, they would be extra judgemental when grading the teen. So, Phantom needed to be prepared for that part, too. He was one year ahead technically, having finished the first grade at Casper High. However, his past marks, which barely reached Cs, were a sign that such a head start wasn't going to get him far. 

 

Tsukauchi said many times that Danny wouldn't have to worry much about the languages part, since English was the tongue the teen spoke since his early childhood. And since the locals studied it as a foreign language, Danny wouldn't have any difficulty with the tasks. The detective also praised Danny's ability with the Japanese, and the teen didn't have the heart to tell Tsukauchi why he understood it so well. Nonetheless, these two subjects were hardly a priority. Math was a dubious topic. On the one hand, Danny could calculate difficult equations and find solutions to problems. But when the tasks demanded the knowledge of logarithms and complex algebra, he was absolutely helpless. Back in the US it was much simpler, so now the teen needed to learn those parts from scratch.

 

But the primary bane of his existence was History. Needless to say that it touched upon the Japanese one, something Danny had no idea about. One month was not nearly enough to grasp anything but the most basic concepts and key points, especially for the country as old as Japan. Especially for another world whose history took a drastic turn at some point. He was going to face total ruination during that subject. Well, it was only a fourth of all the questions. It was something Danny could only hope to compensate for with his practical exam. Nonetheless, his stubbornness would not allow the teen to just give up and drop the attempts. Not like he could do much except preparations. 

 

Speaking of the practical exam, Danny was going to be thorough with that aspect, too. Tsukauchi was bound to be vehemently opposed to the teen's plans, so he would remain oblivious about that part of his training regimen. The detective didn't notice his absence, because Danny made sure to use his duplication power. While Danny Fenton remained in the apartment and studied, Phantom, or rather his anonymous counterpart Pariah, returned to the underground arena. He was eager to practice some new moves on the people who were fully prepared to receive a beating. He got himself a proper masque for fighting, and many more fighters fell from grace because of that one unbeatable kid. His reputation grew, and in a couple of weeks he was already known as someone who would end the fight in a couple of minutes. If he felt like it, even quicker. 

 

His streak of victories caught the attention of some shady individuals. Phantom was invited to several gangs, leading the teen to believe that that's how they usually found new members. A logical path to take. There were some interesting potential employers, like a guy in white wearing a plague doctor mask, but edgy looks alone were not enough to sway the half-ghost. Promises of wealth, too, fell on deaf ears, and the plague doctor appeared quite disgruntled by the answer. Danny had a goal in mind, joining a gang was not it. He could come across as conceited, but Phantom did consider himself above the usual crowd of that establishment — and he wasn't afraid to voice his low opinion. It never reached the point of him coming up to the challengers and insulting them, but a single provocative line was enough to unleash all the wit he could muster. 

 

And he certainly had something to mock. 

 

Humans, no matter the size, were weaker and less durable than ghosts — his usual adversaries. Danny had to constantly adjust his output, be it a blast, a punch or a stab. He didn't wish to kill or severely maim his opponents. It was an excellent practice that would be useful to him in the future. His control over the output meant better control of his powers in general, and would allow for their further evolution. Furthermore, it put less strain on his core and allowed to remain a ghost for longer periods of time. If the U.A. wouldn't teach anything like it, then the school would prove to be a total waste of time in the end. It wouldn't make sense for them not to, so Danny remained optimistic. It must have been good if so many people sang praises to it. 

 

As an extra bonus, Danny also earned himself some cash that he decided to store in a safe place for a rainy day. It certainly wasn't the income of a professional wrestler or a soccer player, but it was solid. A single pay could allow him to rent a small apartment, and since Danny had no need for such expenses at the moment, he could only store it, especially since people tended to notice such things. The local revenue services would be after his pelt if he actually spent all of those at once.

 

In the meantime, as both his mind and body were going through rigorous training, the day of the exam finally arrived. Danny himself was shocked at how quickly the month had passed. Tsukauchi made sure to wake up the teen as early as possible, despite the latter having set up an alarm clock. It was so that Danny still had a couple of things to shove into his head before the exam actually started. Or he could at least sort the subjects and bring some order to his depository of knowledge. Danny had no idea what the man meant, and he didn't want him to elaborate. As Tsukauchi fussed around the kitchen in an attempt to conjure a proper breakfast, the teen couldn't help but think about the past month. After all, most of what was happening with Danny's life at the moment was because of that man.

 

Sure, Phantom may not appreciate his restrictions, but Tsukauchi was a good person. Aside from actually taking him in, Tsukauchi wasn't letting the situation magically resolve itself and instead chose to take an active part in the life of a boy he chose to take in. Danny couldn't remember his own parents paying as much attention. Admittedly, the bar was low, but the detective was making an active effort on his own. The man's diligence applied even to bringing up a child. Tsukauchi helped Danny with his studies as much as he could, and each time they drove somewhere, he would pop a quiz on the topics Danny was learning at the moment. The teen may have grumbled, but the detective could see that the boy secretly appreciated it. That seemed to be a trend, Tsukauchi had the time to see as much.

 

Danny was used to toughing it out. His immensely powerful Quirk and vigilante past combined to create a special set of views. He was the only hero of his town, the one who was also scorned by the populace. He didn't see much cooperation and aid from people other than his team of associates. Danny told his guardian that he didn't always work alone, and that his friends and sister sometimes aided him from the backstage. Sam, Jazz and Tucker could not fight on an even ground with villains, like Danny. That's why he chose to act on his own most of the time. In the middle of the night, or right during the classes he sneaked out and faced the bastards alone. He didn't wish to be a burden, so he never told them about all the extra fighting he did. Tsukauchi set a goal for himself to get rid of that mindset, but it wasn't something that could be fixed in a single month. Perhaps being in a school of heroes could seal the deal, and as they rode towards it, the detective was still trying his best. 

 

"Alright, what was the name of the event that restored Imperial rule in Japan?" 

 

Danny scratched his temple. "Meiji-something?" 

 

Tsukauchi sighed. "It's in the question, Danny. Meiji restoration, it is."

 

"Hey, I was half-right."

 

"Unfortunately, being 'half-right' doesn't give you half a point, Danny."

 

"Well, it should," Danny crossed his hands. "I just would like to end this as quick as possible."

 

"Danny..."

 

The teen threw his head backwards and moaned. "Fine, I'll do my best."

 

"You are not hoping to cheat, are you?"

 

Phantom threw him a small glare. "Have I told you how my last attempt almost killed everyone dear to me at the time? And my English teacher?" 

 

"Sheesh," Tsukauchi shook his head. "I guess not. Still, we could use more time to prepare." 

 

"What's done is done. No reason to worry about something out of your control," Danny smirked and sunk into his seat. "I know I'll try my hardest. That should be enough."

 

Tsukauchi could only hope that the boy would perform well. The car finally stopped, and since the man himself was not allowed entry, that was the time for a final encouraging word. 

 

"Well, here we are..."

 

The detective looked at his charge, who was too busy gazing at the distant school building. "Are you alright, Danny?" 

 

The teen did not respond immediately. "Just my last minute doubts. I'm still not completely sure if that's what I want to do."

 

Tsukauchi sighed and set the car in a parking mode. 

 

"You worked hard this entire month, kid. Will you really reduce all that time to nothing because you got cold feet?" 

 

"You sound like you are giving me a challenge," answered Danny, his voice still dripping with snark.

 

"Maybe. I've come to learn that you don't shirk from one."

 

"It's not that I'm afraid, Tsukauchi-san. Hell, if I fail, it won't be much of a deal for me."

 

Tsukauchi seemed to catch on to what the boy was saying.

 

"You still aren't sure if that's what you want."

 

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it is a good option, don't get me wrong. And with this practical exam part I actually get a chance to get into a good school. But I still worry that it will turn out to be a waste of time. What if everything ends up the same way as before?"

 

"I guess there isn't much I can say that I haven't said already. It really is entirely up to you, Danny. The school will provide you with everything you might need to better your skills. This will be a waste of time only if you allow it to be so. If you turn your back on becoming a better hero. You saw your flaws, then work on eradicating them instead of sweeping it all under a rug. Alright?"

 

The teen once again nodded. "You are right. I guess we will see how it works out."

 

"I know what I said, but I am confident in you. You studied really hard, and your Quirk is extremely powerful. So, don't go into the extremes. You have a good standing, but don't get too cocky either," Tsukauchi raised his fist, "Break a leg."

 

Danny smiled and fist pumped, before unbuckling the seating belt and exiting the car. As Tsukauchi gave him a thumbs up and asked to give him a call immediately after, he drove away to work, leaving the teen alone in a spacious area right near the entrance to the school. Briefly looking back, Danny could see the entire Musutafu. The U.A. was located atop of a hill, and the teen realised that he had seen it many times before, without realising what it was. 

 

Phantom put hands in the pockets of his pants. Tsukauchi had insisted that Danny wore something more formal for that day, despite the latter's reluctance. The notion that the local schools had compulsory uniforms filled the teen's heart with dread and nasty memories of his arch-nemesis. His shirt was still all over the place, and his messy hair did not comply. 

 

The next thing the teen saw was a myriad of middle-schoolers heading the same way Danny was. In that stream of hopefuls the half ghost noticed some kids that stood out too much, with their claws, wings, horns and other unusual physical traits. What was different now was the fact that those people must have been feeling pretty confident about their Quirks and could use them for fighting. Nobody was going to attack him, of course, but Danny saw the competition they posed. Other than the people who were usually the blandest folk in the background of every show, he also noticed one person in particular. 

 

With a smirk, the teen quickly narrowed the distance between him and the raven-haired boy he had seen a month ago. The guy didn't notice Phantom before it was too late, and once an unknown boy invaded his personal space, Kirishima yelped and jumped. 

 

"'Ello," Danny said and grinned. 

 

"What the heck, man?! You scared me!" Kirishima raised his voice.

 

"Yeah, that seems to be a trend," the half ghost responded thoughtfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "And here I wanted to apologise for the last time."

 

"Last... time? Who are you?" 

 

"Name's Danny. And you must be Kirishima, am I right?" 

 

"Yes, that's me. Have we met before?" The Japanese boy looked at him in confusion. 

 

"Yes, you and some other guys decided to enter an abandoned house. The cause of your soiled pants is before you," Danny cackled. "Not the best way to get acquainted, I admit. What were the odds that we would meet again?" 

 

Kirishima seemed to reminisce about the incident, and his red eyes went wide. "No way. You did all of that?" 

 

"Yep. Don't worry, it'll stay between us. I just came over to say hi and apologise. So, sorry for the scare. Off I go, now."

 

"Wait!" Kirishima stopped Danny before he went too far. "Did Sumeragi ask you to do that?" 

 

Danny's story was too detailed to be a hoax, so he was instantly believed.

 

"Don't know who you are talking about," the half ghost shrugged. "I just felt like giving a scare." 

 

The teen gave him a deadpan look. "You have a strange way of meeting new people."

 

"Oh, so you noticed? I wonder why they stay away afterwards," Danny pretended to think. "And I just got rid of social anxiety, too."

 

"It's not a big deal, really," responded Kirishima. "It was a very cool show, man. Very believable, too," he mumbled. 

 

Of course it was, Danny was a half-ghost. He was almost a real deal. Danny smirked and crossed his hands.

 

"I am glad to receive some valuable feedback, Kirishima-san," he said. "So, no hard feelings, right?" 

 

"Yeah, sure," Kirishima smirked too. "You came all this way to apologise, after all."

 

"It was only a couple of meters," Danny said and looked back to check. "You alone here?" 

 

"I haven't seen anyone familiar yet, no."

 

"Wanna tag along?" 

 

Kirishima raised an eyebrow at the sudden offer, but nodded. "Sure thing!"

 

Danny took the lead as they went towards the school building. They got an easy way in thanks to the provided IDs. Danny was glad to have received a Japanese one thanks to Tsukauchi's heavy effort. The building itself was a colossal glass structure composed of several interconnected pillars. It was there when the children were supposed to go through the written test. It was also a nice excursion around the place to entice the hopefuls. As they stood in line, Danny and Kirishima continued the conversation.

 

"So, you can harden yourself?" Asked Danny.

 

"You guessed right," Kirishima said proudly. 

 

"That explains how you broke the door on your way out," Phantom threw him a small smirk. Kirishima's shoulders sank.

 

"Come on, man. We just agreed to leave it behind us."

 

"Eh, no, we agreed to keep it between us," Danny's smirk did not leave his face. "But if you want..."

 

"I do. That was so unmanly I am still embarrassed," Kirishima sighed. "Anyways, it's strange seeing you here."

 

"Strange, huh? What, you thought that scaring people is all I do?"

 

"I didn't mean it like that. That's the only thing I know 'bout ya." 

 

"Can't really blame you," Danny said. "Up until a month ago I didn't even imagine myself coming here."

 

"I can relate, actually. But I am confident in my wish now. I want to be just like my favourite hero, Crimson Riot! And I will!"

 

The half ghost rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you are sure better motivated than I am."

 

"Don't you want to become a hero?" Asked Kirishima.

 

"Don't get me started on this again. My guardian was pretty insistent, that's all." 

 

"Guardian... oh, sorry, it must be personal." 

 

"Got that part right," Danny said, before an awkward silence settled between them. He made an attempt to resolve the issue by changing the topic. "Jeez, this line just doesn't get smaller. Can't they sort people faster?" 

 

"Well, we already registered, so they know we are here, at least."

 

Danny sighed dramatically. "Take solace in small things, Fenton," he told himself quietly. 

 

The line near the entrance shortened, and eventually Danny and Kirishima made it towards the desk. That's where Danny froze. At the desk sat one particular hero, wrapped in a scarf, looking as tired as ever. Of all the people to work there...

 

"You alright, kid?" Aizawa asked him. 

 

"Oh, yes, sorry," Danny snapped out of his stupor.

 

"Then don't make everyone wait. Name?"

 

"Daniel Fenton," the teen responded. 

 

"Dan... ah, right. For future reference, all official documents start with your last name," Eraserhead explained, clearly seeing that the boy was not local. He looked on the list and nodded. "You take the exam in a classroom C, follow the signs on the walls." 

 

"Okay, thanks," Danny smirked and left. 

 

He waited a bit for Kirishima, and to his surprise, the two were put in the same classroom. As the two kids went to the assigned room, Aizawa shot a brief look at Danny's back. He had a feeling they had met somewhere before. Shaking his head, the hero went back to directing the kids. 

 

The written test was going to take two hours. The second the bell rang, Danny flipped the test paper and got down to business. Kirishima occasionally glanced at his newest acquittance, marvelling at how quickly the half ghost was filling in the gaps. In reality Phantom simply started with language questions, and after half an hour he was done with them. Just as expected, he didn't have any difficulties. 

 

But soon the complications began and his pace slowed down. Math questions weren't something extraordinary, Danny at least memorised some formulas. Geometry was something he dealt with in his parents' lab, so the tasks to calculate the surface area of an octagon or the volume of a cylinder were difficult, but not unsolvable. The equations were dealt with somehow, Danny could only hope for a success. History was not something he was going to discuss afterwards, lest he brought further shame to his name. 

 

After the final bell rang, Danny could only sigh and sign his test sheets. The students were then instructed to go to an auditorium for a proper briefing on how the practical exam was going to take place.

 

"I am doomed," Kirishima moaned along the way. "Doomed, I say!" 

 

"That's what everyone says. Cheer up, they announce the results only in a week. The 'doom' part will come only then," Danny said and lightly nudged him. 

 

Kirishima snorted and gave a toothy grin. "Yeah, you are right! So, what do ya think the practical test is gonna be like?" 

 

Phantom hummed, "Unless they want to keep the tests up until the end of the week... it must be something all of us participate in, together. Something hero-like, too. I imagine it to be a mock battle of some kind. That's what heroes do, right?"

 

"Huh. You are right!" Kirishima said excitedly. "I've been training hard, so I want to give it my all, see?" 

 

"Same goes for me. I always were a practice guy myself."

 

"Kirishima-kun!" 

 

The sudden call from a distance caught both of them off-guard. From a crowd of students emerged a curious-looking girl. Had Danny not possessed a sense for supernatural, he would have thought that before him stood a ghost. She had pink skin, and her puffy, unruly hair had the same colour. The bizarre appearance did not end there, because the girl's eyes were pitch black, with yellow irises. To top it all off, both literally and figuratively, there were also small yellowish horns peeking from under the hair. Danny couldn't guess her theme at all.

 

"Friend of yours, Kirishima-san?" The half-ghost asked, looking at the teen in question.

 

"That's Ashido Mina, my classmate," explained Kirishima. 

 

"Hello there," the peppy girl smiled at the boys. "It's good to see that you made it here, Kirishima-kun!"

 

Kirishima smirked and puffed out his chest. "It wasn't easy, but here we are." 

 

"Wait, you guys did something besides the entrance stuff?" Asked Danny in befuddlement. 

 

"Eh," his two acquaintances looked at each other and nodded. "Yeah. The finals at the middle school."

 

"Huh. I didn't go through any. Tsukauchi, you sly bastard," Danny chuckled. "Well, don't look into a gifted horse's mouth, they say."

 

"Woah. Did you get a recommendation?" Asked Mina in awe. 

 

"Not an official one, at least. I really need to ask the old man about this. I'm Danny, by the way."

 

Mina cackled. "Nice to meet ya. Hey, you going to an auditorium, too? Mind adding another person to your party?" 

 

Danny leaned forward a bit, lowering his eyes to her level, and pretended to carefully examine her. "What class are you, fellow adventurer?" He asked in all seriousness. "We got a tank and a wizard already." 

 

"Why are you a wizard?" Kirishima asked and scratched his temple. 

 

"Because Demon Lord is not a class," Danny shrugged. 

 

"I can be a wizard or a rogue," Mina grinned. "A very pretty one, too." 

 

Phantom smirked, "No objections on my part. What says brave warrior Kirishima?"

 

"I say that we accept this brave lady," Kirishima responded sagely, before the three of them laughed. 

 

Danny couldn't help the pleasant feeling arising in his stomach. The company of the people close to his age was something he had left behind in Amity more than a month ago. Tsukauchi was a nice man, but it simply wasn't the same feeling. The building where the auditorium was located appeared enormous, and it was roughly the size of a soccer field, perhaps even bigger. 

 

"Oh, come on!" Kirishima exclaimed, seeing a crowd that formed near the exit. "Another line?" 

 

"How long do we have to wait?" Mina moaned, before noticing Danny's thoughtful expression. "Fenton-san?"

 

"I guess we can make a shortcut," he stood between the two, outstretching his hands to them. 

 

"What are you planning?"

 

"You'll see. We can always stand here instead of waiting on a comfy chair." 

 

"Nope," both of them responded and took his hands. 

 

"Alright, watch your step, even if it might be hard, and don't make extra noise. This might tingle."

 

Before anyone could ask what was going on, the teens were shocked to see their bodies disappear from view. Danny was quick to react.

 

"Now we just move forward," he said, leading the group right into the crowd. 

 

"Wait, how are we gonna..."

 

Kirishima didn't have time to finish the sentence before the cool, tingly feeling spread across his entire body. Both he and Mina saw how they were actually going through the people standing in the line. Neither said a word along the way just as Danny had instructed, and after several seconds they were already inside. Phantom released his hold, and everyone flicked back into visible spectrum.

 

"Well, here is that, at least," Danny mumbled.

 

"Dude, that was awesome!"

 

"Is this your Quirk?" Asked Mina excitedly.

 

"Yep. I call it 'Ghost' for a reason. I can also pass this power to other objects I hold."

 

"Hm, won't you work as a rogue class, then?" Mina said, looking to be in thought. 

 

"You're right. But my arsenal is bigger than what you have seen. Come on, or they will take the best spots!" 

 

As Danny went forward, Mina looked at Kirishima with a curious expression.

 

"Where did you meet this guy? He doesn't go to our school, right?"

 

"Oh, ehm..." Kirishima turned away to hide his embarrassment. 

 

"I just came over to say hi," Danny once again appeared near them, having noticed them falling behind. 

 

"Gah!" Mina jumped, swinging her hands in a way slightly resembling an actual martial art. "A little warning!" 

 

"Yeah, that's how he greeted me, too," Kirishima said tiredly. 

 

"You'll get used to it," Danny smiled and put hands on his belt, noticing the grateful look from Kirishima. "Don't lag behind."

 

Upon entering the main hall, the teens could only marvel once more at the size of the structure. The school was far from humble, and to dedicate so much space and put so many seats just to make announcements was insane. There was a single stage in the middle, alongside a huge screen for all to see. As Kirishima and Mina ogled the surroundings with baited breath, Danny dropped down on the nearest seat. As his fellow hopefuls sat nearby, deeper inside the row, he put his legs on the back of the chair in front of him.

 

"Hey, if someone wants to sit there, I'll stop," He said, seeing the judgemental looks. 

 

The answer seemed to have satisfied the anxious middle-schoolers. The hall was filling up slowly, but at least the trio managed to get some good seats. Wishing to kill some time, Mina gave in to her curious nature. 

 

"Say, Fenton-san, what school did you go to?"

 

"You wouldn't know of it," Danny responded smoothly. "I was actually a high-schooler before moving. But I have to start over now."

 

"That sucks, man," Kirishima said. "Wait, how old are you?"

 

"Fifteen."

 

"Really?" Mina giggled. 

 

"What's so strange?" Danny narrowed his eyes.

 

"You just look..."

 

"Like you are thirteen or something."

 

The half ghost's unamused expression for some reason caused even more laughs. 

 

"Laugh all you want," Danny mocked. "But I bet I'll score better than you during the practical."

 

"Oh, are we making bets?" Asked Mina with excitement. 

 

"You want some challenge, Fenton-san?" Kirishima smirked and clenched his fist. The next moment it hardened into a stone-like form. "This ain't gonna be easy."

 

"You are on," Danny responded, letting his eyes glow. "What about you, Mina?"

 

"I don't know what either of you can do at your best," she shrugged. "So I'm not gonna risk it."

 

"I am actually curious how you will do, Mina," said Danny. "I didn't get to see many people with Quirks before. I find the inventive uses really interesting."

 

"I feel ya. I already see a lot of strong people around here," Kirishima took a look around the hall. "This will be a tough competition."

 

The lights above them began to dim, while the stage remained brightly lit. There was no clearer sign that the show was about to begin. Danny had his eyes transfixed on the stage, his barely beating heart picking up the pace. He was more excited about this than he dared to admit. His competitive spirit was reignited, and there would be no other chance to learn once and for all where he stood in this world's pecking order. After what felt like hours of expectation, a loud, booming voice rang across the entire area. 

 

"Welcome, future heroes! Let's get this briefing started!" 

 

The voice of a man emerging in the middle of the auditorium felt oddly familiar to the half-ghost. The long-haired blonde in a leather jacket excitedly flaunted his hands all around, radiating enormous amounts of energy. The next moment Danny groaned upon being assaulted by a barrage of lights and sounds. That sure was one way of introducing kids to an elite school. 

 

"He sounds familiar," Danny mumbled, miraculously heard by Mina. 

 

"Of course he does!" The girl squealed. "This is Present Mic we are talking about. I never thought I would see him in person. That's so cool!"

 

"Wait, you mean the radio DJ?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

 

"He is also a famous pro-hero!" Kirishima whispered. "Talk about a giving a welcome." 

 

"We were guided here by heroes, though," Danny reminded. 

 

"Yeah, but the presentation, man. Do you think he is one of the teachers?"

 

"I dunno," Danny shrugged. "I mean, he is a DJ, a hero, do you think he has the time to be a teacher, too?"

 

"Who knows. But if they are calling Present Mic as an announcer guy, how great do you think the rest of the school is?"

 

"I guess you are right. It's really cool."

 

Present Mic was a music connoisseur, if it hadn't been obvious from his DJ job. The song pick for the sudden introduction was catchy and suited Danny's tastes a lot. Still, it wasn't what they came here for. When the flashy introduction was done with, the energetic man continued to speak.

 

"Welcome to today's live performance! Everyone, say 'HEY'!" 

 

Even the crickets were silent this time.

 

"Well, that's cool, my examinee listeners!" 

 

Danny was honestly impressed by the man's ability to smoothly ignore the lack of any feedback. 

 

"I'm here to present the guidelines for your upcoming test! Are you ready?!" 

 

A good joke was the one that could be repeated more than once. Mic was once again met with silence, and Phantom's befuddlement turned into amusement. Still, he snapped his fingers, and the screen above showed a branching diagram. 

 

"This is how the test will go, my listeners! You will be experiencing ten-minute long mock cityscape manoeuvres! Bring along whatever you want and after this presentation you'll head to an assigned testing locations!"

 

Danny smirked and leaned back in his seat. He turned out to be correct about the exam. He still was unsure about how exactly they were going to be graded. Noticing Mina and Kirishima look at the special cards they were given at the entrance, Danny looked down and finally realised what those big single letters meant — the test site where they would be graded. 

 

"Hm... Guess we will not see each other perform," Danny said, looking over Mina's shoulder. 

 

"Yeah. That's really a bummer," Kirishima grumbled. 

 

"So, we just trust each other's words after we are done?" 

 

"I guess so."

 

"You can just wait until the results arrive," Mina offered. 

 

"No can do," the boys said simultaneously. 

 

"This has become a matter of principle, lady," Danny added, receiving a confident nod from Kirishima. The latter's conviction seemed to surprise Mina for some reason. She didn't have time to think about it for long, because the announcer was not yet done. 

 

"Each site you visit is filled with three types of faux villains," he said as the screen showed the shadowy silhouettes. "You get points for dispatching the enemies. Each type of faux villains gets you points according to their difficulty levels."

 

As Mic went on with his explanations, numbers 1, 2 and 3 were slapped on the silhouettes. The images then changed to show a shadowy figure dispatching of the foes by... hopping on them. 

 

"Is this Mario?" Danny quietly voiced his surprise.

 

"Feel free to use the full potential of your Quirk to disable the villains and earn your points! Of course, playing antihero and attacking other students is prohibited and will result in your disqualification! Ya dig?!"

 

"May I ask a question?" 

 

The sudden question came from an audience. It was quite dark in the rest of the hall, but the boy who spoke up was not far from the teen. The guy was tall, and his look screamed that the guy meant business. A neat and tidy suit, the glasses and carefully combed dark blue hair all formed a strong impression. There was something robotic about the way he moved, straightforward and hardly agile. 

 

Perhaps it was his way of showing his righteous intentions. He actively tapped on his own list as he spoke loudly without even waiting for the permission.

 

"On this handout there appear to be no less than four types of villains!" He spoke with an official tone. "Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming of UA, Japan's top academy! We're all here today in hopes of being molded into model heroes!"

 

Without taking another breath, he suddenly looked up and right into Danny's eyes, much to the latter's surprise. 

 

"And you! With raven hair! Remove your legs from the front seat! If this is a game for you, then please leave immediately!"

 

Danny was not letting it slide. "Who put you in charge?" He asked loudly. 

 

The newfound stickler was not going to waste time on bickering. The guy was the antithesis of the word discreetness, but Danny actually decided to follow suit and sit normally. He didn't want to be known as someone disruptive. 

 

"The guy sure is fun," Danny muttered. 

 

"He is just too straightforward," whispered Mina in an attempt to ease the tension. 

 

"Alright, alright!" Mic was quick to the rescue. Ignoring the brief argument, he decided to answer the question of an overly-diligent boy. "Examinee 7111, thanks for calling in!" The hero smiled brightly. "You see, the fourth type of faux villains gives you zero points! Those are more of an obstacle than anything else! One such guy will rampage in close quarters and must be avoided!"

 

The stickler boy bowed his head. "Thank you, sir! Sorry for the interruption!"

 

As he sat back, Present Mic opened his arms wide and with the ever-present excitement and hype, went on to finish his speech. 

 

"That's all from me! I'll leave my listeners with our school motto! The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said 'true heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life'," Present Mic smiled, "Plus Ultra! Break a leg, everyone!"

 

And this time, the man's call resonated with the audience, and the crowd of students shouted back.

 

"Plus Ultra!" 

 

Danny wasn't among the more excitable people in the crowd. His mind was focused at the task laid out before him.

 

He was going to fight against soulless machines, which Danny found perfect. The stars finally aligned, and against robots he could allow himself to go all out. They wanted to bring out and assess everyone's potential. It was also a no-brainer, relatively speaking. It was no rescue, there were no damsels tied to a railroad. Just good, old-fashioned beating. He wasn't the only person happy about the development. His companions were happy as well.

 

Kirishima himself fought in close quarters, so the opportunity to engage in a fist fight with machines excited him. Mina shared her own power with Danny, and it was just as destructive if need be — her skin could secrete acid. The half ghost was still wondering about the theme part. 

 

"So, Fenton-san," Kirishima grinned, "How do we count? The points or the robots?"

 

"Nobody will count the robots. Let's go with points," Danny said and put hands in his pockets. "Whelp, off I go now. Good luck to you, guys."

 

"Same to you!" Said Mina, "Let's see each other after we are done!" 

 

"Sure thing," Danny saluted, "How about the loser treating everyone to lunch, huh, Kirishima?"

 

"Cannot wait for my free ramen!" Responded the Japanese boy.

 

Smirking, the half ghost set out for his assigned zone. As he went, the teen opened his palm and let the energy flow between his fingers. The time was finally coming for him to show the world, or at least a certain part of it, what he was fully capable of. The practical test was supposed to make up for the shortcomings of the written one, he had to remind this to himself constantly. Thus he had to go far and beyond what his competitors could reach. He joked about it near Kirishima, but he was dead set on leaving the guy in the dust, along with others. He almost felt bad about leaving the guy zero chances.

 

It was his potential that helped him pass certain stipulations. To deny it, to hold back, was to betray the expectations of the man to whom Danny owed a great deal. Even if the teen was unsure if that's what he wanted, it was the opportunity. And if he was reluctant to pursue that goal, he could do it as a form of payback to Tsukauchi. Phantom needed a purpose of his own, so let the temporary one guide him. 

 

The feeling was new to the teen. And at the same time, he was used to it. Danny was a hero of two worlds, he had a reason to fight, for he wanted to protect the safety of others. It was something the teen had unconsciously accepted, neglecting the fact that he received no gratitude for it. So, Phantom was accustomed to fighting for others. Now, the positions were switched. Tsukauchi performed the feat and, unlike the ungrateful masses, Danny was going to repay his debt in full.

 

Perhaps it sounded too dramatic, but Danny was serious about his intentions. He was going to ace that exam. 

 

His confidence was not shaken when he saw the testing area. Or, at least, the tall buildings that peeked from behind the tall walls. The size of said wall was gargantuan. The testing area had to be the size of a small district. The concept alone left Danny in awe, for there were many of such areas. He knew the school was an elite one, but the funds required to build all of that must have been massive. Furthermore, that size also meant limited observations on the part of the teachers. 

 

Maybe the robots had a death camera of sorts, but then how would they account for stealth attacks? Or maybe the cameras were spread across the entire area. Danny couldn't comprehend the scale of conducted work, so he was genuinely impressed. Casper High had nothing on this. Shaking his head, the teen freed his mind of such boorish questions. He wasn't at the school just yet. The time to brag would only come later.

 

Phantom saw other students coming to the closed front entrance, each of them wearing something more appropriate for fighting: gym uniforms, T-shirts and the sort. Danny glanced at his own getup, knowing how he needed to change himself. Another thing the teen saw was the looks the people were giving him. So he was already 'that unruly guy from the main hall'. The halfa had a good hearing, he heard the whispers. Danny had long since learned to ignore those, but now he wondered if there was actually some merit to the situation. He needed to start thinking about what kind of hero he was going to be. 

 

Kirishima was a hard, straightforward one. Mina appeared to be cheerful and friendly. Eraserhead, the man that arrested him, was quiet and gloomy, the total opposite of the number one All Might, boisterous and charming in his own way. Danny would have to come up with his own idea, realise his strongpoints and act upon them more. But that was a story for another day.

 

The teen saw that enough people gathered near the entrance. The call to action could happen any minute now. With his peripheral sight, Danny could see Present Mic on one of the side towers. That could only mean one thing.

 

"Aaand begin!" The loud hero shouted, his voice resonating across the entirety of the huge area. 

 

The most quick-thinking examinees did not need to be told twice, and the crowd of students started pushing each other before they even made it to the gates. Danny took a deep breath. That was it. His time to brightly shine had come. 

 

"Going ghost," he whispered, raised his hand and snapped his fingers. 

 

Immediately the familiar rings of moonlight emerged, travelling up and down his body. The gaze of his blazing emerald eyes was turned towards the entrance. 

 

Without wasting another second, he assumed the proper launching position and lunged forward. The force of his push was enough to leave cracks on the asphalt path, and Phantom flew over everyone's heads at a neck-breaking speed. He couldn't hear his surprised competitors, nor had the opportunity to see their faces. 

 

The halfa got well-ahead of the rest, before grinding to a halt. If the teachers had their cameras set all around, he could fight even far away from the rest, without depriving the others from the opportunity to fight. However, looking around from his spot in the air, he didn't see any bots in close vicinity. 

 

"What, you guys got scared already?" The teen mocked the empty air. "Can't really blame ya."

 

He had barely finished the sentence before seeing something coming at him from above. Danny bolted to the side at the last second, and as the machine landed on the ground with thunderous noise, the teen got a good look at it. The best and concise description would be 'robo-scorpion'. The green robot had number 2 plastered on its legs, and its three red eyes immediately spotted the target. 

 

"Wow, that's some cool design," Danny said with genuine excitement.

 

The robot did not appreciate the compliment, dead set on causing harm. The metal beast lunged forward, swinging its claws and tails sporadically. Danny could guess where its weak spots were. For many animals, normal, ghost or machine, stomach was the most vulnerable place. The machine had its belly near the ground, the ever-present compromise of engine and armour must have been reflected there. They must have saved up on protection down there. As the machine ran forward with animalistic ferocity, Danny put the tip of his leg on the ground. The next second a line of ice spikes started emerging from the ground, meeting the robot head on. 

 

The ice pierced through the machine's stomach. He must have hit the fuel tank, because the robot instantly exploded into the boy's grinning face. His hair was a mess, so he pulled them back. 

 

"Looks like the guess was spot on. Two points for Phantom." 

 

If that bot was something average, the half ghost was in for an easy ride. Those were training bots built without intention to kill the students who had no prior fighting experience. For all the suspense and drama, the school was playing in the giveaway. Danny just had to play smart and not underestimate the opponents. At the very least, they would waste too much of his time.

 

Phantom's ears caught the sounds of distant fighting all around. It appeared that everyone was getting into the fights. As he thought about this, the walls of the nearest building shattered into pieces. From the inside rolled out another robot, a different kind. It was a three-pointer, a tall mech-style machine that had its visors set on the teen from the start. That guy wasn't going to go down as easily. Before the teen attacked it, he heard the whirring of the wheels behind him. Briefly looking back, the teen saw robots coming from behind. Those were 1-pointers — smaller two-handed bots moving on huge single wheels.

 

Danny noticed the 3-pointer going for the hit, but the teen turned intangible at the last second. The immediate danger passed and the teen jumped on top of the arm stuck in the pavement. The halfa outstretched his palm and created a sword made of hardened ice. He stabbed the robot's hand and lunged towards the robot's top, without taking the blade out of the opponent's limb. 

 

Once there, Danny jumped in the air and used his free hand to fire an ectoblast at the grouped 1-pointers. The explosion ripped the weak bots apart before the teen began to fall. In a single motion Danny swung his weapon downward. A single roar escaped his mouth as he cut the machine in half. 

 

As he landed on the ground, the sword snapped in half. Tossing the weapon aside, Phantom started looking for more robots, taking into the air once more.

 

Perhaps going too far was not the best idea. The organisers probably kept most bots closer to the students. Phantom became a blur of black and white that bolted from one building to another on each side of the street, phasing through the walls and occasionally blowing the robots' hideouts. Since they were operational and could fight back, the teen saw nothing illegal in this.

 

As the teen phased inside one such building, however, he was immediately greeted by a swing of a metallic arm. With a yelp, Phantom rolled in the air, sliding right under the swing, the hit missing him by an inch. Danny landed on the ground and slid across it. 

 

"Jeez, you tin cans can actually learn. Colour me impressed."

 

So far his attacks on the hidden bots were swift and merciless, they didn't have the time to react. This time the 3-pointer was ready for him. 

 

The area still had the machine at a disadvantage. The robot was an elephant in a china shop, its mobility was restricted even if the building was largely hollow. Still, the 3-pointer totally ignored the stipulations, ramming through the columns of concrete and steel. Danny readied himself for the hit and raised his ice-encased forearm to meet it. 

 

The force of the strike staggered the robot and shattered Phantom's protection. Danny gritted his teeth, not expecting the hit to be this hard. However, the bot was thrown off balance by the impact, and that's what Phantom wanted. Before the machine could attack again, charging a blast with both hands, Phantom put them together and blasted the 3-pointer with tremendous strength, enough to force the fight outside. Danny bolted outside, and the heavily damaged machine did not resist what followed next. Phantom's gloved fist, imbued with ectoplasmic energy, made an impact with the robot's three eyed face. 

 

The hit was strong enough to get through the armour and damage the main processing core. The light in the robot's eyes was gone, and the teen took it as his win.

 

Thankfully, this time the machine did not explode, collapsing on the ground instead. 

 

Danny grinned upon adding more points to his collection. The teen then noticed that down the street a group of examinees was fighting, too. So he actually made it back to the rest. His expectations for a proper fight turned out to be well-placed, because from the alleyway emerged even more robots, the weaker ones. 

 

Smirking, Phantom swiped his finger. An unfortunate 1-pointer, surrounded by green light, was rammed into another and blocked the exit, but a 2-pointer leaped into the air and avoided the improvised projectile, going straight for the target. Now Danny opened and swiped his entire palm, and the invisible force first pinned the scorpion to the ground, before launching it into a wall, running the machine along it, back on the ground, and then sending it into the air. Phantom flew to it and grabbed one of the robot's tails. His next move was to throw the now piece of junk at the unfortunate 1-pointers at the speed not enough for them to react.

 

Seeing more robots above on the rooftops and below, Danny prepared himself for the continuous onslaught. Yet he wasn't ready for a suicidal jump a 2-pointer from the nearby roof made in an attempt to get him down to the ground. Phantom made another blade and stabbed the machine, again in the belly, before throwing both the scorpion and the weapon half-inside it onto the ground. The robot exploded, but the half ghost wasn't done. He saw the robots below coming for the rest of the students. 

 

"I apologise, folks!" Danny said and laughed, theatrically opening his arms wide. "But these ones are mine."

 

The sky around the halfa was filled with a pleiad of glimmering icicles. Like bullets from a machine gun, the sharp pieces of ice were hurled forward, raining on the ground below, going through the robots like knife through butter. The machines fell down one after another, covered in deadly icy needles. Albeit most of the damage was caused by the icicles now inside of them. The triumphant half-ghost softly landed on one of the downed robots, basking in the metaphorical light of the people's attention. The span of said attention was short, however, because everyone had to get back to fighting, and Phantom himself was not exception. And he had his eyes set on the approaching 3-pointer. 

 

The huge machine quickly rolled down the street, crushing the downed robots beneath it. Danny got into a position for meeting it with a punch, his arm surrounded by sparks of ectoplasmic energy. However, at the last second, the robot received a hit at its side with an almost comically large fist. Phantom's head immediately snapped in direction where the punch came from.

 

That Popeye-style attack was done by a slim redheaded girl, who managed to push the robot backwards by her attack. Panting for breath, she glanced at Phantom. 

 

"Sorry," she wiped her mouth with the normal-sized hand. "But this guy is mine." 

 

If anything, Danny was amused. She obviously mocked what he said just then. The next second the 3-pointer came for another attack, and the girl was about to jump away, when a green barrier blocked the strike of the machine. Surprised, she looked at Phantom again. 

 

"If you want to snatch my kill, then don't get distracted!" He called to her, before the barrier lightly blew into the bot's face. 

 

The girl saw the created smoke as a perfect opening, so she lunged forward and swung her enlarged fist. The impact seemed to be enough for the 3-pointer to fall, but not die. As she continued to pummel the robot, Danny saw a two-pointer jump out of one of the windows above. 

 

"Oh, for the love of..."

 

Phantom's eyes flashed, before twin beams of energy flew out and cut the robot in half.

 

"You guys don't know when to quit. Not that I mind." 

 

Being around living people sure untied his tongue. 

 

The street was quickly becoming a junkyard with a multitude of arriving bots. Danny saw how some contestants were already out of juice. And that certainly bode trouble for them. They got sloppy, exhausted even though barely half of the time had passed, if Present Mic's calls to the audience were anything to go by. Danny's instincts decided to kick in, and between casually slaying the robots, he kept an eye on others. It appeared that the redhead was having the same idea, which made the latter task all the more easier. 

 

The teen wondered if there was something to the exam that he was missing. Certainly for most people killing bots was not going to cut it to the maximum result. 

 

"That guy sure looks like he may need help, red," Danny said to the girl, before flicking his finger at the 1-pointer that attacked him. 

 

The attack crushed the metal contraption to pieces. The shocked examinee girl stared at the display, but snapped out of it. She looked at the downed trembling boy, the one Phantom pointed towards, and nodded.

 

"Please cover me," she told him. 

 

"Not afraid of me taking your points?"

 

"I can live without a couple." 

 

As the girl ran forward, Danny could only smirk. He saw more robots coming red's way, and while she could take 1-pointers easily, a scorpion could pose a problem. Phantom fired an ectoblast at the machine, before another barrier appeared behind the halfa. The 1-pointer hit the green wall, before it suddenly grew spikes and pierced the machine. 

 

"Thought I forgot about you?" Phantom said and dissolved the wall. 

 

Then he felt a pang in his core. Grabbing his chest, the teen cursed.

 

"Damn it. Looks I am being wasteful, too," he chuckled. "A three course meal doesn't cut it either, huh?"

 

He needed more proper ectoplasm to properly function. Energy could not come from just anywhere. He could neglect the Raymond Lindemann law, but it still could not be enough. The half-ghost would still go for long enough to complete the test, but he could only guess for how long he could actually keep that up. Phantom shook his head and looked back at the other examinees. The redhead really was getting into this, trying to save as many as she could. 

 

Danny thought it was admirable that she dedicated her precious time to this. It made all the sense in a world, given what kind of school they all wanted to get in.

 

Snapping into action, Phantom bolted forward, deciding to put his power to a better use. At the last second he snatched the trembling tiny kid and pushed him away from a 3-pointer's pummel strike. The kid fell on his knees, his face full of tears.

 

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" He shouted and bowed his head on the ground rigorously.

 

Danny put up a shield around him, protecting the examinee from another strike. Then the halfa blasted the 1-pointer away. 

 

"Don't just stand here!" Phantom raised his voice and dissolved the barrier. "If you need to take a breath, then retreat!"

 

"I-I-I... watch out!"

 

Danny spun around and grabbed the attacking 3-pointer's hand. Using his free palm, Phantom made a swiping motion, and the crescent-shaped charge of ectoenergy blasted the machine away. 

 

"You were saying?" Danny smirked as the energy dissipated between his fingers. 

 

The boy with strange puffy hair gulped.

 

"You are right! I need to hide!"

 

"That's not what I..."

 

But before he could finish the sentence, the boy ran off at a speed that could probably outpace a 1-pointer. And those guys had wheels for legs. Danny sighed, going off to finish off the 3-pointer before moving further. 

 

Meanwhile, inside a special monitor room, the paw of one particular white-furred person reached for a large, glowing red button. 

 

After melting the face of the biggest robot, Danny mentally added more points to his counter. Phantom also wondered how well Kirishima and Mina were doing. His arrogant side said that clearly not as well as him, but it didn't stop him from worrying both for their safety and score. 

 

"You done spacing out?" The familiar redhead asked him.

 

"Oh," Danny looked at her and then around. The battle had died down by then, and many students were taking the time take a breather. "Where did the robots go?"

 

"We probably crushed too many," the girl shrugged, but then her look turned thoughtful. "Something's bugging me, though."

 

"What is it?" 

 

"Have you met the obstacle villain on your way here?"

 

Now that she mentioned it, he completely forgot about the 0-pointer. As he thought about this, both Phantom and the girl felt the ground vibrate. The distant noises grew closer, but so far there was no visual. 

 

"Speak of the Devil," Danny mumbled. 

 

"You think it's the 0-pointer?"

 

"Only one way to find out. There aren't any bots left here anyway. Need a lift?" 

 

The girl nodded and took his hand, before Danny flew up. 

 

"I'm Danny, by the way," he said on their way to the roof.

 

"Kendo Itsuka, nice to meet you," the girl said and looked at him. "Why am I feeling so weird?"

 

"Because you are near a handsome hero," Danny smirked, "Actually, it's because I'm not carrying you. I just pass the flying power to ya," he briefly explained, before suddenly something hit the building in front of them with such force that it came crashing down. The shattered glass would have harmed the two if not for the last-second use of intangibility. 

 

The wall of dust prevented them from seeing the robot immediately, but Danny and Kendo finally landed on the nearest available roof. Phantom raised his hand and used telekinesis to push away the dust. 

 

The two of them were then faced with a myriad of gigantic crimson lights — the eyes of the newest machine. The colossal size of the robot could instil terror in many, for it took Danny reaching the top of a multi-story building just to look that thing in the eye. The green machine ignored the two teens, choosing instead to move down the road, towards a larger group of students. Phantom turned to the side, seeing that Kendo was just as shocked as he was, if not more.

 

"THAT'S our obstacle?" She asked. 

 

"His head kinda looks like a printer cartridge."

 

"Is this what you are thinking about?" The girl asked incredulously. 

 

"Hey, we don't need to break this thing, remember?" Danny argued. "Just avoiding it should be enough..." he trailed off, looking at the students far away. "Although the guys down there are less fortunate. Gonna join and try to help?" 

 

"We have no choice!" The girl cracked her knuckles. "You'll assist me, right?"

 

Danny sighed dramatically. The half ghost still had the time to go for proper faux villains and earn himself even more points. There was certainly going to be less competition. And yet, he could not go against his nature. There were people in need of saving. Even if nobody was going to die that day, that robot could cause some severe harm. 

 

The fate actually was playing a trick on him, he realised. The very cause of his doubts and guilt reappeared, he could go for points, run away once more for his own self-benefit like he escaped Amity Park, his responsibility to protect the people of his town. Or he could prove to himself and all others that he was not a coward. 

 

"I would not run away anymore," Danny whispered inaudibly, clenching his fists and turning to Kendo. "You ain't getting off this roof without me, anyway."

 

Again he took the girl's hand, before both of them started quickly flying towards the robot.

 

"We really need a plan."

 

"You are very flashy, you should distract it. I'll help the others get into safety."

 

"These dum-dums have no appreciation for my humour."

 

"Then just blast it, this should get its attention!" Kendo shouted over the noise the machine created, before making her free fist larger. "Throw me closer to the others! I can properly land!" 

 

"Your funeral, red." 

 

Danny hoped he adjusted the strength just right. He spun together with the girl and threw her forward. Kendo flew right past the robot, using her enlarged hands to ease the fall. The diagonal trajectory also helped the girl land properly. Phantom saw her cleaning the debris, but he had no time to sit idle and watch. Charging a blast with both of his hands, he unleashed the green surge of energy at the side of the machine's head. With the laser lacking proper power, the robot only sustained a burn and a large enough dent. That guy's armour was something else.

 

"Hey, rust bucket!" Danny shouted and clapped to get attention. "Someone paid for all this stuff you broke!" 

 

With a loud noise, the robot slowly turned its head to look at the teen again. Its spider eyes sized the half ghost, covering him in red light. Phantom casually floated closer and tapped on its metal face. 

 

"You are one big tin can. But I fought someone bigger." 

 

Down below, Kendo was too busy cleaning the debris. That robot was merciless to the cityscape first and foremost. Throwing another piece of concrete away, she managed to get a frightened girl from down below. 

 

"Quick, find a safer spot! Don't stand in the way!" The redhead called, before looking to the side.

 

She was faced by a bizarre sight. There was a blonde boy who was neither tired, nor scared. He was just... out there. Like a bumbling idiot he slowly walked around and snickered stupidly. His face, in the meantime, looked absolutely vacant. Kendo wondered if some student actually decided to attack a fellow examinee, but there was no time to find out. Looking up, she saw how the 0-pointer was continuously assaulted by lighting-fast attacks. Danny was keeping the robot from moving further, just as intended. 

 

Then, Kendo saw a pack of one pointers coming their way. 

 

"Not now," the redhead groaned. "You there! The blonde one! Move or you will get harmed!" 

 

But the guy was absolutely braindead and did not respond to any calls. Kendo was about to come to his rescue, before she heard a loud, high pitched scream. The next moment, she saw a barrage of purple squishy balls being thrown by the kid she had seen before. The one that had run off in terror. Kendo looked at the road now lined with the balls that the boy was ripping from his hair and frantically throwing. The 1-pointers rolled right on them, but appeared to be glued to them. Thrown off-balance, the tripped and fell one after another.

 

"Finish them off!" The tiny boy screamed. 

 

Kendo didn't need to be told twice. With a swift move of her fist she smashed them, one after another, careful not to stick to the balls herself. 

 

"Appreciate the assistance," Kendo looked at the boy, who was... ogling her. And not in a good way. More like, a very indecent one. 

 

Great, he was one of those. 

 

"Can you guide this one away from here?" She pointed at the braindead boy. "He can walk. Probably."

 

"Y-yeah!" The boy saluted. "What about you?" 

 

"I'd feel bad leaving that guy alone," Kendo pointed at Phantom.

 

Danny turned intangible and avoided the swing of the enormous hand of the robot. The half-ghost fired another blast, still realising the futility of that attack. The bastard had too many layers of armour. That much he could see from the holes he made by continuously punching the machine. After piercing one layer, the energy  of the blasts then spread throughout the next one. Danny had to put out more energy to actually harm it. Phantom looked back, and saw the redhead giving him thumbs up. So, everyone managed to escape the robot's onslaught.

 

"And now they are probably earning more points," Danny mumbled and stretched his muscles. "Alright, big guy. Now you ain't gonna kill anyone when you fall."

 

He charged a much bigger blast than before, also letting go of his flight. Thus, the next beam of green light not only chopped off a part of the robot's neck, but also launched the halfa backwards and downwards, towards his red-head companion. The teen stopped the blast and slid across the ground without falling, coming to a halt right by Kendo.

 

"Hello there," he smirked. "How much time do we have left?" 

 

"Present Mic just said we have one minute remaining." 

 

Danny's look turned thoughtful. "How many points do you have?"

 

"I think... with these ones it will be 27. Why do you ask?"

 

"Then go. You can still earn more."

 

"And you?"

 

"Hey, I can try to hold it off for longer. Maybe even break."

 

"This won't bring you any points." 

 

"I am just that kind of a samaritan. I lost my count at sixty a while ago, I'll be fine without the last minute... wait, you hear that?"

 

Kendo looked where Danny was staring. To her horror, she saw that there was even more debris, and she had missed a student crying for help.

 

"For hero examinees, you guys sure get in trouble a lot," Danny mumbled, running towards the debris.

 

Kendo followed right after him, seeing the robot come closer. Phantom swiped his hand, and the debris was cleared in an instant. The halfa picked the student and wrapped the teen's hand around his shoulder. 

 

"Can you walk?" Danny asked.

 

"A bit... I think my leg is injured." 

 

"Danny!" Kendo exclaimed.

 

At the last second, Phantom saw that the robot was going for a smash. He raised his hands and erected an ecto-shield above his head. The teen fell on the ground again, but was caught by Kendo's palm. The redhead stared in shock at the half-ghost, who had met the hundreds of tons worth of pressure head on. Danny's legs buckled, his teeth were gritted as he kept resisting the strike. 

 

"Honestly," he breathed out. "Do they want to get us killed?! What are you waiting for?!"

 

Kendo got the message, and even if she wanted to help, the best help she could give was to carry the injured from under the enormous palm of the robot. The second they were out, Danny turned intangible and let go. The force that had pent up during the strike made an impact with the ground, and the thunderous earthquake resonated throughout the area. Kendo and the student were launched away by the invisible force, landing only a hundred meters away, rolling on the hard ground. 

 

When the robot lifted its palm, Phantom remained standing there, panting for breath his ghost form didn't need. 

 

"Alright, that was a good one," he muttered and smirked, "Thank you for ridding us of extra audience."

 

As Phantom spoke, he assumed a hard stance, his legs firmly on the ground. 

 

"And now, for the grand finale."

 

Taking a deep breath, Danny felt the enormous surge of power within him, trying to prematurely break free. He held it within, piling it up, before unleashing his most destructive power to date.

 

The Ghostly Wail.

 

A soul freezing noise that held enormous destructive power. The ectoplasmic energy bounced across the sound waves, amplifying the damage tenfold and making those waves visible to a naked eye. Immediately the windows in a hundred meters area shattered, and the unfortunate people in close vicinity had to cover their ears to hide from the deafening sounds. 

 

The main damage was being caused directly before Phantom's eyes. The asphalt was ripped off, the lampposts, cars and downed robots were launched away. The main recipient of the destructive power was the robot. The 0-pointer's attempt to stand the ground only made it worse, as it met the strike dead on. It's armour was slowly being peeled off, and the screeching of metal joined the cacophony of noises. The robot could not attack, could not move any further.

 

With a final strain, the head that was held by weakened neck joints, was ripped off, flung hundreds of meters away. The 0-pointer was finally downed.

 

The wail grew more and more quiet, before Danny finally stopped. The teen's legs betrayed him, and he fell on his knees, panting for air even harder. He could feel that he was left with too little energy, but with a desire to vomit. That was the longest he had ever kept the wail going. Through the temporary nausea, Danny heard the announcement of Present Mic. 

 

The time ran out. 

 

Slowly, Phantom got back to his feet, his legs still wobbly. He still had it in himself to slowly float forward towards the exit.

 

Danny decided that his results were satisfactory. Perhaps even incredible. What he knew for certain, is that he did everything he could. 

 

Eventually he came across Kendo, who ran up to him with a worried expression. 

 

"Danny! Are you alright? What was that?" She bombarded him with questions. 

 

"Well, the Ghostly Wail is more powerful than I remember," Danny gave a strained smile. "Feel like vomiting on your shoes, my head is killing me and I'm not sure where I'm going. Which way is the exit again?" 

 

"Why did you even do that?"

 

"Heh. Old man wanted to know everything I'm capable of. So I am showing just that. Don't worry. I'll probably be fine by the time we reach the exit. The after effects are temporary. You got any points?"

 

"No..."

 

"You mean to tell me it was all in vain?" Danny asked dramatically, "Woe upon me." 

 

"Well, you are good enough to joke around." 

 

The two of them eventually made it to exit. Somewhere along the way, Danny did feel better, and just in time. His ghost form gave up, reverting him to the human one. Kendo sure was surprised, but she knew that the teen was in no condition to talk. The halfa still had a splitting headache, but at least he could walk. They talked again only once they left the cityscape area. 

 

"Well, I guess that's it," Kendo mumbled. "I hope you pass. You probably did better than anyone out there."

 

"I did," Danny said without a shred of humility. "I hope you get in, too. Maybe you didn't destroy as many bad guys," he smirked, "But you sure are nagging enough to be a hero."

 

Kendo gave him a deadpan look, before snorting. 

 

"Well, see ya around," Danny said and saluted her. "I still have to get my free lunch."

 

"Ehm... bye." 

 

Phantom began searching for Mina and Kirishima, but not without calling Tsukauchi first. Diligently informing his guardian about his exam, he also told the man that he was going to have lunch with some new people he met. And of course, the detective sounded extremely happy that Danny met some of his peers. Tsukauchi didn't want to discuss the event in details over the phone, especially since he was busy at work, but Danny would have to do some explaining in the evening.

 

Putting the phone back in his pocket, the teen took another look at the distant glass building of U.A. Academy. 

 

That was a major step on the teen's hero path. And whether he was going upward or running around in circles remained to be seen.

Chapter 7

The grading process right after the famed U.A. entrance exam was a tedious one, more so than once could imagine. People expected a lot from the staff comprised of heroes, but when it came to red tape and teacher responsibilities, they were only human. That year there were hundreds upon hundreds of hopefuls, each in need of proper assessment, so the school staff certainly had their hands full for the duration of the following week. 

 

There were methods to ease the burden placed upon the,teachers. For one, the written part, perhaps the most tedious and time-consuming part of the exam, was checked by a computer. The soulless machine could easily check the soulless tests and provide the staff with results, going as far as arranging them in proper order, judging by the amount of points the kids scored. As for the practical — that part demanded human touch. Danny turned out to be half-right in his guesses about the grading methods, even if he didn't know that. A special division of workers utilised the latest face-recognition technologies, the cameras all around the cityscapes and the recording the robots themselves were making up to the moments of their deaths, and managed to do the simplest counting. 

 

However, there was also the part that no students knew about. The practical test had two criteria. One was already mentioned and it involved beating the robots. The other was more discreet, for that was also a test of hero qualities, too. The kids had to show not only their prowess in combat, but also how they viewed the world around them, if they had the internal strength, courage and selflessness expected of a proper hero. Machine could not be the judge of that, neither could the simple clerks and operators that counted the rest of the exam. That was the primary task of the teaching staff — to hand out the points based on the strength of character. Or to withhold those for a multitude of reasons. 

 

They didn't go into it blindly, however. The teachers already had the names of some students with impressive record on their mind and written down. They were monitoring the exam as it went, through the cameras, in hopes of seeking out promising heroes. It was also quite entertaining, if one were to ask. 

 

Such method was crude, because the teachers physically could not observe every student at once. It was more of a prelude to the real assessment. When the initial impressions died down, they would dedicate the entire following week saving the students' final grade with their extra bonus, which sometimes was quite high. In the morning of the day after the exam, the top teachers of U.A. gathered in the conference room. The one to officially announce the start of the hard working day was the principal of the elite school.

 

He wasn't someone you would expect to be in charge of such establishment, appearance-wise. Principal Nezu was a short animal, a rare case of someone but humans manifesting a Quirk. The white-furred individual in formal clothes was an intriguing cross between a mouse and a small bear. Coughing lightly, he folded his paws and smiled.

 

"Good morning, everyone. I know some of you may be a little tired after the hectic day before, but the week in front of us will be just as, if not more difficult. We have a long list of excellent hopefuls this year. Many of them show promise, but of course not everyone will make it, as much as we might want that. So once again I humbly ask you to make this difficult decision."

 

"Yeah," Present Mic leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs. "Whose hopes do ya want to mercilessly crush?" He asked sarcastically, noticing several looks. "Hey, hey, hey. It's not like we do it without a reason." 

 

"He is right, isn't he?" said a luscious-looking woman in white and black suit — Midnight, "Some just turn out to be less promising than others."

 

"It still came off a bit harsh," calmly pointed out the walking slab of cement under the meaningful name Cementoss. 

 

"Let's just move on, alright?! Sheesh," Present Mic gave up. "Sorry, Nezu-sama. Do go on."

 

"There isn't much left to say," the principal chuckled, before turning serious. "But I understand that the subjectivity of our grades may come off as something malicious. However, it shouldn't affect how we grade those kids. These are the future generation of heroes, and we must accept this task with all the responsibility."

 

A multitude of agreeing nods was his answer, and Nezu beamed again. 

 

"Alright, let us begin, shall we? As usual, we should first hear out your suggestions before becoming more systematic."

 

"Well, I pass," the loudmouth hero Mic raised his hands. "Couldn't really watch everything from my spot as usual."

 

Nezu took a glance at the hero sitting to his left. It was hard to miss the two meters tall blonde giant, clad in his world-renowned suit. Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might, was the most recent addition to the staff. The ever-smiling colossus observed the rest of the staff, waiting for someone to step up in his stead. Select few people knew that it wasn't because he didn't see any aspiring heroes. In fact, Nezu knew about at least one such individual. However, knowing All-Might, he probably didn't want to appear biased in favour of his future successor. The hero wished to let others be the judge of his recent protégé. It didn't mean he couldn't bring the boy up, though. Nezu decided to lend the man a helping hand. 

 

"I'd like to be the first one, if nobody has objections," said the principal. 

 

The rest of the staff was willing to let Nezu begin. Pressing the keys on the keyboard near him, the principal spoke up.

 

"As you all know, we have zero-pointers there for a reason. To put the kids in a situation they cannot hope to win and see what they would do. This year, however, two of our 'Executors' were decimated."

 

All-Might looked at the principal, and albeit his eyes were sometimes hard to make out from under the shadows that seemed to always be present in proper spots, Nezu was sure that the hero appreciated what he was doing. 

 

"Eh?" Asked Present Mic, before a look of realisation appeared on his face. "So that's what that noise was!" 

 

"Perhaps so, let's bring up the first recording," Said Nezu and tapped on the special panel. 

 

A large screen emerged from the ceiling at the opposite end of the room, allowing everyone to see the first case. The principal took the file that had been lying by his  side and opened it. The screen in the meantime displayed a boy who was a bit on the shorter side, with fluffy green hair and face full of freckles. And as the screen showed him desperately running around the cityscape, Nezu began to read. 

 

"Midoriya Izuku, age fifteen. His academic performance is very impressive, I must point out. His previous school has only positives to say about him, and young Midoriya also scored 90 points during the written exam."

 

"He isn't much to look at in the field, though," pointed out Snipe — a hero clad in cowboy getup and a gas mask. "He hasn't attacked a single robot. How many points did he score from that one?" 

 

Nezu sighed, throwing a glance at All Might. Was it sweat on his forehead? 

 

"Zero." 

 

The answer seemed to surprise the staff. Present Mic looked at his close friend that sat nearby, and he heard Aizawa mumble something about how ludicrous the test was. Eraserhead was indeed always opposed to how the exams worked, and the gloomy man wasn't alone in his sentiment. Present Mic wasn't sure if he agreed with his friend on that one, but for all his loud behaviour, he tended to avoid that kind of debates. Something didn't add up, however.

 

"How did the kid destroy a 0-pointer, then? If he can't beat the weakest of them all," the blonde radio-host/hero/ teacher asked. 

 

"It's not that he can't, at least from the given footage," responded Cementoss. "He just doesn't attack. What is his Quirk?"

 

"How about we move to the most interesting part and see?"

 

All eyes turned to All-Might, who finally decided to speak. Nezu knew the reason behind his sudden enthusiasm, too. The Number 1 hero wished to keep his most cherished secret hidden. And it was the secret of his own Quirk. The boy they were currently observing was to inherit it, too, but it was something strictly confidential, something only his closest confidants had knowledge of. Unfortunately, many members of the staff were not one of those yet. 

 

Thus, it was better to make them see the use of One for All and presume it was plain super-strength. 

 

Nezu moved the recording closer to the end, where they could see the main part of the boy's exam. The gigantic machine was downed in but a single punch young Midoriya made. The sudden display of strength surprised the teacher, and what was even more surprising — the boy did not become a pancake upon hitting the ground thanks to the aid of another girl. The surprise lied in how injured the boy appeared after making that one strike. 

 

"Just one hit, huh?" Mic looked over his glasses. "That's not something easy to do." 

 

"But take a look at his injuries," said Midnight, "This cannot be healthy." 

 

"It appears that he still has no control over his ability," Snipe pointed out. "It's not like we can't fix that, but if his Quirk is incompatible with his body..."

 

"We don't have any restrictions on those," mumbled Aizawa. "Even so, that boy was foolishly reckless. Had the time not run out soon after, in a real fight, he would become a deadweight and liability to other heroes."

 

Nobody was surprised to hear that from Eraserhead. He was known for being extremely demanding of his students, and, by extension, potential students. Aizawa watched the screen, and his usually apathetic face did not give away any of his feelings. And what he felt about the boy was already voiced somewhat. 

 

"Come on, Shota," Present Mic nudged him lightly. "This isn't a real fight, right?"

 

"How do we know he won't do the same when it IS?" Aizawa looked at the blonde. 

 

Snipe raised his hand, "I second Aizawa-san on this one."

 

"But this what this school is all about, is it not?" Asked Midnight. "If anything, we can make kids like him learn."

 

Her tone made the statement sound awfully like an innuendo of sorts. 

 

"We aren't here to do all the work," Eraserhead responded. "What we have is a boy who cannot use his Quirk properly and who would rather waste his only chance on a 0-pointer."

 

Nezu decided to interfere, moving the recording backwards. "I think we should put it into perspective. Young Midoriya didn't do this as a show of vanity. He was trying to save a fellow examinee. When we add what Aizawa-san said, Midoriya used his only chance selflessly, trying to save those in need. We can't overlook this heroic act."

 

"Indeed," nodded Cementoss. "The bigger the potential loss, the more selfless his actions appear. With zero points prior to that, he must have known he would get no other opportunity." 

 

"To me it appeared like he was a lost puppy," said Aizawa, asking to move the recording further back.

 

He was correct in some regard. After all, Midoriya was running around as the bots around him were destroyed. It wasn't his fault that others were too fast, but you don't get extra points for trying to break machines. Even so, when he got the chances, the boy didn't use his Quirk on them. His reluctance resulted in the bots being destroyed by others. He did occasionally help others by carrying the wounded to the side of the road, but it didn't go anywhere beyond that. 

 

"We don't judge by appearances, do we?" Smirked Present Mic. "We can see that the kid is selfless enough. At least in this department he passes as a future hero." 

 

"Selflessness alone will not get you far," mumbled Aizawa. 

 

"No arguing there. But I'm sure he'll learn. The kid is supposed to be a smart one, right?" Asked Mic. 

 

His statement was received by a multitude of nods. 

 

"Alright, then, let's put this to a vote," smiled Nezu. "I believe that Midoriya Izuku's actions are worthy of sixty extra points."

 

"That's awfully generous," Aizawa complained, laying back in his seat. 

 

"I just wish to compensate for zero villain points," Nezu smiled innocently. 

 

"Fine. Have it your way." 

 

Everyone in the room, save All Might, was aware what expected the green-haired boy in the man's class. It would be a proper compromise to pre-assign Midoriya to the man's class. If he would earn enough points to make a cut, that is. So, sixty points it was — the highly above average result for the practical. And that was done by harnessing extra points alone. Nezu could see the proud look on All Might's face. The principal didn't assign so many points because the boy was to be the man's successor. Their school valued valorous children a lot, and it was no small deal what the boy did. 

 

"Who is going to suggest the next candidate to discuss?" 

 

Unexpectedly for all, it was Aizawa who raised his hand. 

 

"Aizawa-san?" Asked Midnight in surprise. "Now that's rare to see you impressed with someone."

 

"Don't mistake it for awe, please," the hero rubbed his eyes. "I was meaning to talk about the second destroyed robot."

 

"Ah," Nezu chuckled. "That is to be expected." 

 

Aizawa opened the digital file, and the Caucasian raven-haired boy's photo stared at the teacher's from the screen.

 

"My, quite a looker, aren't we," Midnight said quietly.

 

"Fenton Daniel," the man read aloud. "His data is surprisingly abysmal. He presented no documents about middle school education, and he is obviously out of place here."

 

"Wait a second," Said Mic, lowering his sunglasses. "Isn't that the rowdy kid from the briefing?" 

 

"Yes, that's him," mumbled Aizawa. "Furthermore, I was the one who arrested him one month ago." 

 

Several surprised gasps sounded around the room. 

 

"What in the world..."

 

"How did this happen?" Asked Cementoss. 

 

"He was arrested by me for presumed involvement with an illegal workshop. I made sure to look into this, he was released the next day and presumed innocent."

 

"You caught him red-handed, though, didn't ya?" Present Mic inquired. 

 

"Yes, I did. However, it turned out that he didn't buy any upgrades. Rather, he sought to make one from materials he got from the shady traders. Since none of those details are illegal, Fenton got away scot-free. However, I am unsure about what followed. So I have a question for you, Nezu-sama. What's the deal with the boy?"

 

"I can actually indulge your question, Aizawa-san!" All Might bellowed, now having zero reservations about giving comments. "He is actually Detective Tsukauchi's kid!" 

 

"What?!" The staff asked simultaneously.

 

Nezu chuckled. "All Might just worded it the wrong way. Young Fenton was actually adopted by Tsukauchi-san."

 

The detective enjoyed a good reputation in the hero community. He worked closely with many of them, and his list of solved crimes made many heroes pale in comparison. And thus, the mention of his name was more than enough for the teachers to pay close attention. The most surprise of them all was shown by Aizawa.

 

"Guess he is getting too old to hope for the usual way?" Asked Midnight.

 

"You yourself are not exactly..."

 

The murderous look from the raven-haired woman was enough to make Cementoss stop mid-sentence. All Might decided to continue.

 

"Tsukauchi-san was ready to vouch for young Fenton. He spoke of the boy as someone kind and also extremely powerful. Back in America young Fenton was also a vigilante, which means that he at least has the experience, too."

 

"Is this supposed to make us like him more?" Asked Aizawa. "We just made one kid pass for no discernible reason. I won't allow it again."

 

"Yeah, vigilantism is illegal everywhere, you of all people shoulda known that, All Might," Present Mic agreed. 

 

"Tsukauchi sent the request to the American services. The boy is not persecuted," All Might assured. 

 

"What is he doing here of all places, anyway?"

 

"Young Fenton was kicked out by his parents. His already neglectful parents resented him for having a Quirk. Since then, the boy travelled around before being found by Aizawa-san and Tsukauchi-san."

 

The looks of sympathy appeared on the teachers' faces. 

 

"That's... actually disheartening," said Cementoss slowly. 

 

"A sad backstory is not enough," Aizawa appeared stern, but Mic could feel that the man was not fully sincere. 

 

"Certainly! But we should keep in mind other factors!" All Might said and raised his finger. "The boy used to live on his own for a while. During that time, he didn't turn to the life of crime, like so many in his position would do. His past vigilante acts, while being worthy of punishment, speak about how the boy is willing to come to everyone's rescue. Young Fenton alone held the burden of a hero for a year, with no proper heroes in close vicinity to take the mantle. I say that this should amend the smaller transgressions your eyes, Aizawa-san."

 

Eraserhead hummed thoughtfully, while Mic was the first to speak.

 

"That's actually kinda cool. The kid actually got a first-hand experience, eh? How many villain points did he score?" 

 

Aizawa looked at his tablet. "Ninety two."

 

Everyone's eyes once again went wide as saucers. At this point they probably shouldn't have been surprised. 

 

"That's actually the highest we've ever had, isn't it?" Asked Midnight with a smile. "Even All Might never reached that high."

 

The said hero raised his finger. "Having a powerful Quirk is one thing. To have the experience and ability is another. I didn't have the latter at the time of my exam."

 

"This sounds more like an excuse than a compliment," Aizawa responded sarcastically, making the blonde hero sweatdrop. "He is still only one point above your result." 

 

"It almost feels unfair. He has an advantage over everyone." 

 

"This test also falls in line with what vigilantes usually do," added Aizawa, wishing to make a jab at the exam itself. "Breaking stuff with no further regard."

 

"You can't get this far with a weak Quirk, either," said All Might.

 

Present Mic looked over his friend's shoulder, "What's his Quirk, anyway?"

 

"It states here that it allows him to control ectoplasmic energy."

 

At this, everyone turned towards the hero who previously had been silent. He wore a cloak that covered most of his body, the area over his torso, and the high collar resembling that of a double-breasted trench coat. Underneath this, he wore a skin-tight black bodysuit with a golden striped neck area and a matching black helmet that covered his entire head, a jaw-guard attached over his nose and around his jaw, and circular mufflers. 

 

"Interesting," said the hero named Ectoplasm. "So he uses the same energy I do? Now I am curious to see what he is capable of." 

 

"I said that the document the nature of the boy's power. However, I am doubtful." 

 

And he wasn't the only one. All Might knew all too well that Tsukauchi himself was unsure. 

 

"Why do you say so?" 

 

"I was perplexed by what he is able to do. If we watch it from the start..."

 

The recording was soon changed to show the now white haired boy in the middle of the street.

 

"He is clearly capable of flight, for one."

 

"Wait, what's with his looks?" 

 

"Apparently, he can change those, too," Aizawa said. "When I apprehended him, the boy looked this same way. That's already two completely unrelated powers." 

 

"How does he attack, though?"

 

The following second, Phantom annihilated the 2-pointer with ice spikes. 

 

"Ice control, too," Aizawa pointed out nonchalantly. 

 

"And an interesting one. He actually made a weapon out of it." 

 

The following display surprised the teachers all the more. The blasts of energy, intangibility, immense physical strength and all other powers of the half ghost were noticed by the staff, and each time their reaction changed from impressed to concerned. It appeared surreal just what kind of a walking arsenal the boy was. Even All Might, who had previously been told about some powers, was baffled at what he was seeing. The young Fenton held immense strength within him. 

 

"Hm, the boy has a lot of control," Said Ectoplasm. "You would expect such power to go haywire any second."

 

"He also appears mindful of what's going on around him," Cementoss noted. "It is clearly visible that the boy has prior experience." 

 

"As a vigilante," Snipe reminded. "Being 'mindful' and an illegal hero usually do not correlate."

 

"What bothers me is how he immediately left others and decided to go all alone." 

 

"Arrogance, as expected," Aizawa sighed. "Kids with strong Quirks are always like this. He thought that he could do it all by himself."

 

"Well..."

 

Aizawa glanced at Present Mic. "As is the case with Midoriya, we have no guarantee that he won't go to do his own thing."

 

"Well, if he gets in, we'll make sure to remind him of that constantly!" All Might laughed thunderously. "I must say," he trailed off, seeing the teen dispatch one bot after another. "When Tsukauchi spoke of his strength, I didn't fully believe him, but this..." 

 

"How did Eraserhead even manage to subdue him?" 

 

"I didn't."

 

He responded to everyone's confused looks with a sigh. "My Quirk also didn't work on him. This leads me to believe that the boy's Quirk is a mutation type above everything. I can't just remove something essential from his body."

 

"Well, that's just a cherry on top," Mic shook his head. "What kind of insane eugenics created our little monster here?"

 

"This goes beyond just Quirk marriages."

 

"Aside from that, his parents also appear to be Quirkless," Said All Might. 

 

"It looks more like Fenton has several, in fact. But that's impossible... right?"

 

All Might knew for certain that it wasn't. But this just didn't make much sense. If his parents were Quirkless, then he couldn't inherit those from them. And there were far too many. This left only... later acquisition. And the term itself did not sit well with the number one.

 

"But wait, if he is that strong and Aizawa's Erasure doesn't work on him, then how did you make an arrest?"

 

"The boy surrendered to me." 

 

"Alright... why."

 

"Tsukauchi said that it is due to young Fenton not wanting any trouble with the law," All Might explained. "Since he was released, it would have caused more harm to run away. It was a wise and mature decision on his part, I must say!"

 

"And now we are back to the beginning," said Ectoplasm. "Do we want someone with such dubious reputation in our school?"

 

"You sound like you already made up your mind," Cementoss responded. 

 

"Not exactly. There is no denying that the boy will make an exceptionally powerful hero, perhaps one of the strongest. But vigilantism, the attempt at illegal craftsmanship... even if he is not persecuted, it speaks volumes about what he is like." 

 

"That's why Tsukauchi-san wanted young Fenton to apply!" All Might continued to be the ambassador of the detective's outlook. "He has all the potential. Tsukauchi-san trusts us to teach the boy about what is right and wrong in our society."

 

"We should pay close attention to the recording," Nezu interrupted the argument. "As you can see, Fenton rushed to the aid of other students when he saw them being in trouble. And he is no stranger to cooperating, evidently. Instead of hoarding points, he helps strangers get theirs. That's quite admirable. And certainly unusual for a former vigilante."

 

"What about the 0-pointer?"

 

The recording was sped up in order for everyone to see the most intriguing part. Phantom cooperated with Kendo in order to save the most unfortunate students, which added a lot of points in the minds of the teachers. It was a wise course of action on the part of the two examinees, with each performing their part the best. They saw Phantom cause some damage to the machine, but it wasn't enough. He was obviously saving up the energy for later just in case. Where Midoriya rushed in and desperately gave his all, Danny actually thought one step ahead. 

 

After the unfortunate incident that almost resulted in kids being smashed, the teachers thought about lowering the aggressiveness of the machines in the future. And then, the teen demonstrated the most destructive of his powers. 

 

"So that's what that noise was," Mic said with wide eyes. "I repeat my question. What lab did this guy crawl out of?!" 

 

"He actually can give you a run for your money, huh?" Asked Midnight.

 

"I don't look like a squeezed sponge after I'm done, though," Present Mic crossed his hands and huffed. 

 

"But this destructive potential... it is worrisome," mumbled Cementoss. "If used in a normal cityscape, he could end up killing the civilians." 

 

"This is a different case than the last one," nodded the Principal. "If Midoriya put only himself in danger, this attack could be a threat to everyone. But just as before, we should keep this in mind and teach the boy about this, but we should not deduce the points because of hypotheticals." 

 

"You say this like we have already accepted him, Nezu-sama." 

 

"With the minimal amount of extra points, and he certainly earned more than that, Fenton earned the maximum possible score for the practical exam. His written test leaves a lot to be desired, but it is far from horrible. In the meantime, the result of the practical is so high, that there is no room for doubt that he can already be accepted. All that's left is our own will."

---

For the duration of the following week, the examinees were lying on a metaphorical bed of needles. Everyone was anxious about the results, and Danny was no exception. He could put up an upfront, pretending not to care, but on the inside he was worried, Tsukauchi could sense as much. 

 

As the boy's guardian, he was obliged to reassure the teen. Danny refused to check the answers that he remembered, afraid to find out the horrible truth that he got them wrong. It would only make him more anxious, so the detective did not press. He himself was fairly confident that the boy would be accepted. 

 

Toshinori wouldn't tell him anything, bound by his professional obligation, so all what was left to the family of two was waiting. Tsukauchi could find refuge in his work, but the detective was concerned for his charge. Thus, he strongly advised the teen to hang out with the new friends he made prior to the exam. Danny had little objection, and Mina and Kirishima were all for it, too. 

 

The half ghost would have liked to invite Kendo as well, but unfortunately he forgot to get her number. He felt really stupid upon realising that fact. Danny could only hope that they both made it into the school. That way they could cross paths again.

 

Nonetheless, Danny was going to have his fun with the two. It was his first time since coming to a new world actually hanging out with people his age. Tsukauchi knew that that's what the teen needed, and he wasn't wrong. The three of them made gargantuan plans to visit quite a few places. The reason behind such ambitions? Phantom's ability to fly. 

 

It was Mina's idea, unsurprisingly. Both she and Kirishima were amazed by what Danny could do, albeit the latter was less enthusiastic at first. Because of the teen's power he had to treat everyone to a food. Kirishima was as trusting when it came to announcing their results as he was ready to honour their deal. But everything passed quickly, and the sharp-toothed boy was just as excited to make Danny use his powers left and right. And Phantom was ready to indulge the students.

 

Of course, future heroes would not engage in anything illegal. Minus Phantom the Pit fighter himself, but that was besides the point. They moved from one spot of the city to another as easily as taking a taxi, only without the extra stipulations and fees. Much quicker, too.

 

Tsukauchi gave the teen some allowance for his entertainment, but Danny also took some money from his winnings to spoil himself and his new friends a little. It was nothing extraordinary — an edible treat or attraction, so the detective wasn't going to get suspicious. And as they were sitting at a food court of an amusement park, Mina sighed contently after downing her cup with ice-cream. 

 

"Gee, that is life," she said. 

 

"I feel ya!" Said Kirishima loudly, gulping the treat perhaps too quickly.

 

"Careful, or you will..."

 

Danny didn't have the time to finish the sentence before Kirishima yelped in pain. "...Get a brain freeze."

 

The half ghost and Mina laughed at the unfortunate student. Kirishima only huffed afterwards. 

 

"So, where do you guys wanna go next?" Asked Mina. "Cinema would be cool."

 

"A bit too much for one day, don't ya think?" Danny said, putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. 

 

"Hey, with your Quirk we will be there in no time!" Kirishima encouraged. "It's almost like teleportation!"

 

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm still learning it."

 

The two students stared at him.

 

"Wait..."

 

"So there's more?!"

 

Danny smirked. "I'm still practicing. Let's try your cup." 

 

The halfa took Mina's empty cup and looked at the nearest garbage bin. 

 

"Now let's see if I can teleport it."

 

The cup vanished from sight, before reappearing halfway towards the bin and falling on the floor. As Danny gave a deadpan look, his friends now laughed at him. Flicking the cup to the bin with telekinesis, the halfa turned to them.

 

"Yeah. There is still room for improvement."

 

"That's still so manly!" Exclaimed Kirishima. 

 

"But is it still a ghost thing, though?" Mina looked up in thought.

 

"You will be surprised by what they can do," smiled Phantom. "Although none of them are as versatile. They are mostly centred around one thing, like plants or food."

 

"You sound like they are actually real."

 

"Well, there are those among us that are on the fence," Danny smirked and gave a meaningful look to Kirishima. The latter had the feeling that the halfa would rub that fact into his face until they died. 

 

"And yes, they ARE real. However, there is nothing supernatural about them, as I've come to learn. They are imprints left by a compilation of electronic charges of the brain and hormones. Ectoplasm in the air reacts to them and takes shape. There is no concrete proof that the ghosts are just mimicking the deceased person or it is the continuation of someone's consciousness. Some remember their lives, some don't, so it is hard to draw proper conclusions. It all comes down to the existence of a soul..." Danny rambled with childish enthusiasm, so quickly that it was comical.

 

"Fenton-san!" Mina interrupted, "Sorry, we aren't getting any of that!"

 

"Oh," Danny blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I tend to get carried away."

 

"You know a lot about ghosts, man," said Kirishima and grinned. 

 

"My hero name is Phantom. I am basically one of 'em, so it's only natural. Heck, I learned most of my abilities by watching them. You guys believe me, right?" 

 

"Not that I've seen an actual one before," said Kirishima, once again exchanging glances with Phantom. "But it would be cool to see it!" 

 

Danny resisted the urge to make a joke at the teen's expense. He had to admit that it was getting stale. Looking at Mina, he awaited her reaction. 

 

"I agree with Kirishima-kun! But Fenton-san. You actually managed to make ghosts sound boring." 

 

Danny appeared insulted at the statement, but then gave a small laugh. "You will change your mind if you see everything for yourself. I didn't think much of them before experiencing it all on my own."

 

Suddenly the teen's phone began to ring. Excusing himself, Danny flipped it open and saw that it was Tsukauchi calling. 

 

"Yeah?" He answered the call. His friends could see his face change into that of surprise. "No way...I'll be right back!"

 

Danny closed his phone and sighed. "Sorry, guys, gotta go back home."

 

"What is it?"

 

"My letter arrived."

 

Kirishima and Mina perked up at this.

 

"Does that mean that ours will be there, too?" 

 

Danny shrugged. "Beats me. Need a lift, guys?" 

 

"No, thank you, Danny-san," Kirishima said. "You will hafta fly around back and forth if you do."

 

"Yeah, you should go," Mina beamed and gave a thumbs up. "Call us when you get accepted."

 

"No room for doubt, eh?" Danny smiled and saluted his friends, before switching his forms and turning invisible. 

 

He bolted to the skies, reaching his apartment in a couple of minutes and phasing right through the windows of the living room. Appearing out of thin air, he once again startled the detective. Danny couldn't resist a small laugh as he floated in the air. 

 

"Gotcha again, old man," the half ghost said.  

 

Tsukauchi sighed, "You sure got here quickly. You flew through the city again, didn't you?" 

 

Danny dropped on the ground and turned into a human. "Come on, Tsukauchi-san, cut me some slack. This is important, I need this." 

 

Deciding that he was right, the detective was willing to let it slide. The detective took the envelope from his pocket, handing it to the teen. Danny felt that it was heavy and bloated to contain only a list of paper. 

 

Tsukauchi suggested to check the letter alone if he felt too anxious. Opting to refuse, Phantom ripped the envelope, before a circular device fell on a kitchen table.

 

Before anyone could react, it suddenly beeped, soon after the image of the beaming All-Might flashed before them. 

 

"BOOM! I am here as a projection!" He bellowed excitedly, so loud that even Danny jumped out of surprise. 

 

The halfa was actually getting excited, but not as much about the number one hero dressed in a yellow official suit, but rather about the device. 

 

"Danny-san, put it back," said Tsukauchi. 

 

The teen blinked at the detective, laughed sheepishly and put the holographic device back on the table. 

 

"Sorry, I just never saw a thing like it before." 

 

"I think you accidentally paused it..."

 

"You must have a lot of questions, young hero! So let me answer them right off the bat!" All Might continued speaking, assuming his heroic poses all the while. "First! The delay. We have been given much to deliberate on! So we apologise for that! Secondly! A question about me, no doubt!"

 

"Not really," Danny said dryly. "Get to the good part!" 

 

"The reason I am here is simple! I will be teaching at the U.A. this year!" The man said and laughed.

 

"See, Danny?" Tsukauchi smiled. "You will be taught by number one hero," he tried to make the teen more excited about that part. 

 

"I guess. The guy is keeping the suspense for too long," the teen complained.

 

His grade came before any sort of respect he held for the local heroes. It may have sounded rude, but if he didn't get in, the teaching staff would be the least of his concerns. 

 

"ANYWAYS!" All Might finally stopped talking about himself. "Fenton Daniel, we at the U.A. have evaluated your performance during the test." 

 

The hero pressed a button on the remote, before the screens behind him began to show the footage. Tsukauchi, who so far had no idea about how exactly the events transpired, watched in astonishment at the hordes of robots falling down before his adrenaline-filled ward. And the detective realised that back in the jewellery store the teen was holding back significantly. If the same move that broke a criminal's ribcage was enough to reduce a giant robot to pieces. 

 

"Huh, I actually never noticed the cameras," Danny commented nonchalantly, completely oblivious to the detective's surprise.

 

"What? Oh, yes. It looks this way." 

 

What bothered the detective was the teen's expression when he crushed those robots. He was obviously enjoying that way too much. He was almost like a hungry cat that toyed with a mouse in its paws. The sharp teeth Phantom's ghost form had only added to the image. 

 

"Let us move on!" Said All Might. "In spite of the... average result during the written exam, we at the U.A. have deemed your performance...extraordinary!"

 

Danny couldn't resist a grin on his face. "First time a teacher said this to me," he chuckled. 

 

"In the beginning you have certainly displayed an unbecoming arrogance," All Might interrupted his bliss.

 

"Everyone's a critic."

 

Danny's sudden mood swings were comical enough for Tsukauchi to chuckle. 

 

"However, the mastery of the Quirk you possess is impossible to overlook! Already a versatile one, you have managed to get the most out of it, showing an impressive amount of control over your numerous abilities as well. Furthermore, we have not missed the proficiency and mindfulness you put into each of your attacks, as well as awareness about your surroundings most of the time. The amount of destroyed robots is astonishing, bringing you whole 92 points, the highest amount of villain points anyone ever scored!" 

 

Danny whistled loudly, while Tsukauchi's face was that of further shock. 

 

"I deserved that free ramen, then," the teen smirked toothily.

 

"And that is not all! Aside from giving villain points, we also award hero points! Your actions in regards to your fellow examinees were taken note of as well. For being a hero is not just about beating the bad guys! Your selfless actions are what matters here. And you, young Fenton, have shown us multiple times, that your heart is in the right place."

 

As the footage began to show Phantom going to other's rescue alongside Kendo, All Might continued. 

 

"For your actions we are awarding you with extra 8 points. Why so few, you may ask? Well!" He bellowed. "Because with such bonus you have reached the maximum of 100 points for the practical, young Fenton! And this brings you to the top of the scoreboard!"

 

The displayed table showed Danny's name on top with whopping 100 points. The guy in the second place had 77 villain points and none for the rescue. The lead Phantom enjoyed was 23 points, and Danny couldn't help but grin. Not only at his result, but also the fact that Kirishima actually came third, almost reaching that Bakugo fellow with a score of 74 overall. Kendo was there, too, in the sixth place. Phantom was still the winner, but the result really made Danny more happy that he met those two. They probably would get in, too.

 

"And even with your written exam leaving a lot of room for improvement... you have made it to the top of the entire exam scoreboard!" All Might gave a thumbs up. "Congratulations. It goes without saying that the doors of the U.A. High school are wide open for you, young Fenton! Welcome to hero academia!"

 

The recording stopped, but the silence remained. Tsukauchi could still see that Danny was still shocked to find out just how well he actually scored overall. The top of the scoreboard... Danny couldn't believe what he had just heard. Never before could he imagine ever getting that high. It was one of the most elite schools around and yet they were happy to accept him. 

 

"That's... a lot to take in," the teen mumbled, seeing the detective's bright smile.

 

Tsukauchi himself was joyous to find that out. The raven-haired man knew that he could not take credit for the boy scoring so many points, for the boy reached everything on his own. And yet, the feeling of enormous pride for his charge arose in his stomach.

 

"This just calls for a celebration!" The man said, getting up from his chair. "How about that, Danny?"

 

"I... yeah, that would be cool," the boy gave the detective a smile. "I'm sorry, I need to do something first."

 

"Huh. You probably want to tell your friends first, I get it. Why the long face, though?" 

 

Danny shook his head. "Because I meant to call my sister first." 

 

In over a month, his phone was never used to its fullest. Phantom never had the courage to make a call. What would he tell her? That he was living in an abandoned shack, working for less than minimum wage? That he was later taking part in underground illegal fighting? Jazz would have flipped if she heard that. There was no need for her to know. 

 

Later he was too busy with preparations that each time he wanted to call, the teen was distracted. And, well, he didn't want to cause her pain if he didn't get in.

 

But now he had something to actually be proud of. And she had to know that everything was alright. 

 

Jazz herself could not call him, because of how inter dimensional communication functioned. The only "satellite" in the form of the antenna was located back in FentonWorks, their home. It could only receive the signal from another existential plane and pass it around the human world Fenton knew all too well. By itself the antenna could not find where to transmit the signal, but if the connection between the two phones was made, it could maintain the two-way call, at least as long as the conversation went. 

 

Tsukauchi himself wasn't sure how to feel about the boy's course of action. He knew nothing of Danny's sister, and how she would act. The detective also feared that the therapy he was subtly putting the halfa through was going to be undone if past connections play too much. Still, Tsukauchi would never have the heart to sever those connections. Danny appeared to love his sibling a lot, so it really was nothing problematic. 

 

Giving in to his curiosity, Tsukauchi quietly stood near the door of Danny's room, wishing to hear what the two kids said. He knew English, so he wasn't concerned.

 

Taking a deep sigh, Danny finally pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear. The spooky, yet embarrassingly childish built-in ringtone eventually fell silent, and the familiar voice sounded from another end. 

 

"Danny! Goodness, do you have any idea how worried I was?!" The shout was so loud that even Tsukauchi heard it. "We agreed that you call me as soon as possible!"

 

"Hello, Jazz. Sorry for not calling earlier," Danny said calmly and smiled. "I had a lot of things on my mind."

 

"A lot of things, my ass, jeez!" 

 

The teen blinked upon the profanity used by his rule-abiding sister. She really was concerned. Ignoring the pang of guilt, Danny went on as before. 

 

"Come on, sis. I really mean it. I was just busy bringing my life together, y'know? And so far, I think it's looking good."

 

"Tell me more," Jazz demanded firmly, not leaving any room for debates. 

 

"For one, I am in Japan right now."

 

"Alright, why."

 

"Wulf wasn't picky about the exact location he took me to. Neither was I. But it's fine, you know I can speak the local language."

 

"Japan is not the best place around for a homeless adolescent, Danny. It has strict regulations, there are..."

 

"Hear me out, you worrywart," Phantom chuckled. "I'm fine. There was a guy who was willing to take me in. Works in the police, too."

 

"Something gives me clues about how you two met."

 

"And you won't be wrong. But Tsukauchi is nice, isn't too nosy, but sometimes really pressing for answers. Can easily detect lies, too." 

 

Tsukauchi's expression became neutral. So that's what he thought about him. Well, it wasn't bad. 

 

"But what about your secret?"

 

"Heh. Well, people around here really don't see anything bad about what I can do. I can walk around in any form and nobody would be bothered."

 

"That's one bizarre world."

 

"You tell me. Tsukauchi helped me with some local papers, too."

 

"I see. Since you have the documents, you probably can apply to a school."

 

"I already did," Danny smirked. "Just got the letter from the most elite school around. I got in with a top score."

 

A moment of silence. Tsukauchi couldn't help but notice how happy the teen was when talking to his sister. He sounded more enthusiastic than when the detective was near. Like he sought her approval and praise more so than Tsukauchi's. Well, that much was expected. 

 

"Danny, I understand that you don't want to make me worry..."

 

"Jazz, I am serious. That's why I thought of calling you immediately."

 

"So you cheated."

 

"Jazz! I mean it. They happened to have a practical exam and I got the max score. It's a school for heroes, and I fought things much tougher than a couple of robots."

 

"Alright, now wind it back for a couple of seconds. A hero what now?"

 

"You remember what Wulf said? I am not a white raven anymore. They train people with strong powers to become heroes."

 

"Wow, that's... really convenient. You remembered what I said, didn't you?" 

 

"That you want me to continue being a hero... I am still on the fence about this school, but this is a good path to take even if I don't make it a full-time job," Danny chuckled. "I promised you, sis. I will give it my all no matter what." 

 

"Thank you, Danny," Jazz said quietly.

 

Sighing, Danny continued. "But how are you guys?" 

 

"Everyone misses you."

 

"Even Mom and Dad?" 

 

"They don't talk much to anyone now. Even to me. They just locked themselves up in the lab." 

 

"Is it really that different from what they usually do? They spent more time in their basement than with us."

 

"Danny, please, don't bring them up now. I already have to bear them each day."

 

"Alright, your call... the fact they aren't even looking for me says more than enough..."

 

After talking for nearly half an hour, Danny was finally done, his already high mood having improved significantly. The conversation with his sister was mostly a pleasant one. Jazz was still planning to submit her papers to Harvard, and Danny was confident that she would get in. He asked Jazz to give Tucker and Sam Fenton Phones so that he could keep in touch with them, too. He also promised to call more frequently. Deep in his mind, Danny cherished the possibility to visit them when the time came. 

 

Tsukauchi, who by then had decided to just leave the teen be, was waiting for him in the living room.

 

"That was a lengthy talk," pointed out the detective. 

 

"I didn't call her for a month. And she sometimes worries too much," Danny chuckled. "She asked me about literally everything: from what I wear to how I spend my free time. That's why I care for her this much, though," he mumbled. 

 

"You are very close, I see."

 

"I told you that before, didn't I? My mother gave no shit about me, so she filled in. Better than Maddie ever could." 

 

"Well, you are lucky to have a sibling like that. In any case, I am planning to go to one place for celebration. Very posh, too." 

 

Danny smirked. "Sounds good, old man."

---

The half ghost grumbled under his breath as he fixed the collar of his uniform. In his euphoria he had forgotten that the Japanese students were obliged to wear their uniforms. Aside from simply enforcing discipline, it helped the police catch those who chose to ditch the school. They would just bring the kids back. Danny could care less about the reasons, he hated uniforms. They brought unpleasant memories. 

 

The uniform wasn't all that uncomfortable, despite all the drama Danny voiced multiple times. Comprised of a blazer with dark turquoise trimmings over a white dress shirt and dress pants, it wasn't limiting his movements or making him sweat bullets on that warm spring day. A red tie was also obligatory, and Danny managed to tie it only with Tsukauchi's help. The detective was obviously amused by the teen's obliviousness. The second it came lose, that tie would go in his bag.

 

However, by the time Danny made it to the school, the shirt came loose and was now sticking from under the blazer. Not that he even noticed. His attention was elsewhere. 

 

He had seen the U.A. already, but it was different now. Now he was a full-fledged student, and thus the glass structures appeared more imposing than inviting. 

 

"You are just being a drama queen, Fenton," he told himself. "Get a hold of yourself, don't start crumbling now."

 

"Talking to yourself, huh?"

 

Danny turned around, and to his joy, he saw that he wasn't alone. Kendo was there, wearing the same uniform, only it was the girl version, with a skirt. 

 

"Never took you for a type, Danny-san," she smiled good-naturedly. 

 

"I am actually a ticking bomb destined to destroy the world," Danny said, with the girl being unaware that it wasn't just a joke. "Looks like we both made it here."

 

"Yep! I am actually amazed you got that high," she gave him a thumbs up with her slightly engorged hand. 

 

"You were in top ten, too," Danny shrugged, before smirking. "But yes, I AM amazing." 

 

The redhead rolled her eyes. Figures the guy would be so full of himself. Well, as long as he wasn't an asshole about it. Kendo then noticed that Danny was still staring at the school building without moving forward an inch. 

 

"What's the holdup?" She asked him.

 

"Nevermind, I am done ogling," Danny shook his shoulders and went forward.

 

The surprised redhead had to pick up her pace in order to catch up to him. As she looked around, the girl didn't hide her continuing amazement at how pristine the place appeared. Suddenly she got a question to ask her companion.

 

"Say, Danny-san. What class did they put you into?" 

 

"That was a strange one," Danny began recollecting. "The initial message had assigned me to class B, but a couple of days ago they changed it."

 

"Oh, that stinks. That means we aren't gonna be in the same class. I'm in B. Why would they do it, though?" 

 

"My guess? Initially they probably wanted to keep me and another guy who busted a 0-pointer apart for the sake of balance."

 

"Wait, someone else broke that gorilla?" 

 

"Yep. My guardian knows someone from the staff, so he told me."

 

"That makes sense," Kendo noted. "But then they decided to put you together. They must have thought that it would be better to keep an eye on you two when you are in the same class. Jeez, that's unbalanced." 

 

"That was my take on it, too. You make it sound like we will have to fight against each other, though." 

 

"Who knows. Sport events always pity classes against each other. I figured it would be the same here." 

 

"Hmm... practice makes perfect, they say. Looking forward to that day, then," Danny cackled evilly. 

 

Eventually the two 0f them split up, each going to their respective classrooms. The teen wished he could bump into Mina or Kirishima on his way there, but no such luck. Stopping near the doors of his classroom, the ones that had "1-A" written on them, Danny took another breath, feeling his social anxiety making a comeback. Getting acquainted with an entirely new company was stressful.

 

'Come on, Fenton,' he thought to himself. 'You sweet-talked deadly criminals before, these are a bunch of kids your age.' 

 

'Yeah', a small voice in the back of his head said. 'But you can't blast them if need arises'. 

 

That was a fair point. But he would not let it decide everything. Perhaps too strongly Danny opened the door and stepped inside. Whatever shouting he had heard behind the door, was gone once the teen entered. He cursed mentally. That was not the impression he had hoped to make. 

 

And immediately Fenton saw the person perhaps everyone around had seen even before school. Same dark blue hair, the glasses, it was the person responsible for getting Danny the moniker of a rowdy kid. The stickler guy himself. And from the look in the boy's eyes, Phantom could see that the recognition went both ways. And the half ghost himself wasn't eager to share the room with the guy. Perhaps it went both ways, but the stickler didn't show it. The uncomfortable silence needed to be broken, and woe to him, Danny wasn't that imaginative.

 

"Yo," he said and smiled. 

 

That was all everyone needed to shift the atmosphere. To Danny's surprise, the stickler responded in kind.

 

"Greetings!" He shouted across the room, closing the distance incredibly quickly and confidently. Even if his movements were still robotic. 

 

Outstretching his hand, the boy continued to speak. "I'm Iida Tenya!" 

 

"Fenton Danny," the halfa took Iida's hand and shook it. The boy's bespectacled eyes widened in surprise.

 

"So you are the one who reached the top of the chart! I must admit I couldn't imagine someone like you getting that far!"

 

Danny's expression soured. "Thank you for sincerity. Look, you just called me out in front of everyone at the auditorium. I didn't mean to be rude, but that's how it is. Let's put this behind us from the start."

 

"Wise words! As expected from someone who achieved such a high result! Let us leave that accident behind us!" 

 

Phantom desperately looked around the class to search for his friends, hoping for them to join in, but no such luck. However, his gaze met another one, one full of murderous intent and hostility. A single kid with blond hair had one of the most viscous looks Danny had seen. And he had faced his genocidal future self. Iida didn't seem to notice Danny's attempts to find an exit, continuing to talk at the high volumes. 

 

"I sincerely hope we will become strong allies! Even if I have to work hard to reach your level!"

 

Danny's face was growing red from being put at a stage in front of everyone. "It's no big deal. We both are in top ten, man, you don't have to prove anything." 

 

"Thank you for your kindness! Please, assume your seat, the class is about to start!" 

 

And here Danny thought that the guy's excessive discipline was gone and done with. Well, as long as the incident back in the auditorium did not repeat, the halfa was ready to bear with it. Iida obviously wasn't a stickler to the point of pushing away everyone with his nagging. 

 

As Iida went to his own seat, Danny turned his attention to the blonde. If he approached the guy, it would probably instigate an unneeded conflict. It almost felt like he was back in Casper. Danny dropped his backpack near the seat preassigned to him. A neat number ten. Deciding that the rest of the student body could be made acquaintance with later, the teen took out a small notepad from his back and began to scribble something on it. 

 

It was something he was working on a lot lately. Students had been asked to send their sketches of suits to the school, but Danny was having an extra issue. No matter what suit he asked for, it would be replaced by his normal one in the ghost form. Tried and tested many times before. Danny knew that his clothes could change according to his will, as they were the same part of his body as his hair or nails. But in order to make changes, he needed a clear concept. Danny was torn between two diametrically opposite ideas. He would have to try both of them out at some point. 

 

He was somewhat attached to his hazmat, no doubt, but there was no denying that it wasn't designed for combat. Danny needed that change. 

 

There was also the issue of technical upgrades...

 

"Fenton-san!" He suddenly heard Kirishima's voice. 

 

"Hey, Kiri..."

 

Danny didn't finish his sentence, as he looked up to face his friend. His initial shock was due to Kirishima having changed something about his appearance. The sharp-toothed boy had dyed his now spiky hair to the extremely bright red colour. 

 

"Uhm... what's with the new hair?" Danny asked. 

 

"I asked that question, too," Mina peeked from behind her friend, "Hey there!" 

 

"I decided to get a new look, that's all!" Kirishima grinned. "A new school, a new look, a new me!" 

 

The halfa smiled enigmatically, tilting his head. "And it has nothing to do with Crimson Riot whatsoever?"

 

"Who?" Asked Mina.

 

"He is my idol!" Kirishima said excitedly. "I'm glad you listened, Fenton-san. Yeah, I strive to be at least half as good as him."

 

"I think it suits you."

 

"I agree," Mina nodded, grinning as well. "I'm so glad we are all in the same class, it will make everything super easy." 

 

"Can't argue with that logic."

 

Very soon Mina separated from the two boys, eager to immediately make new friends. Kirishima and Danny conversed for some time, with the latter showing his friend the early concepts of his new suits. 

 

"Huh, you still going with that demon lord joke?" 

 

Danny shrugged. "More like a ghost prince, actually. It's a bit outlandish, and it doesn't exactly represent who I am. Well, it does, but it's not the part I like a lot."

 

"I didn't get any of that," Kirishima scratched his temple, before grinning brightly. "And the other one?"

 

"It's still in development. Nothing to show yet, but I plan on hitting some shops around for inspiration."

 

"Going with casual, eh?"

 

"I suppose. I only need my clothes to be comfortable and not slow down my movement. And if it does, it has to matter." 

 

"Aren't you taking a bit too long with them, though? They told us to bring them before the semester started."

 

"I have an arrangement," Danny smiled, "Don't worry about that one."

 

As the teen flipped another page of his notepad, with the edge of his eye he saw another person entering the room. It was a thin freckled boy, the first subject of the teachers' discussions. Izuku Mydoriya was the kid's name, but Danny didn't know that just yet. What he did know, however, is that Iida was about to give that kid one hell of a greeting. And Fenton was going to watch. It was always funny when things happened to others and not you.

 

"Greeting! I'm Iida Tenya!" The bespectacled boy shouted, having met everyone in the classroom like this.

 

"I heard you before!" The boy exclaimed and even jumped. He appeared very nervous talking to the guy. "Ah... I'm Midoryia Izuku. Pleased to meet you, Iida-san."

 

Danny probably needed to save the kid from further embarrassment. That's what he thought to himself. The half ghost also wondered who among the students of this class was the one that took down the 0-pointer as well. And from the way Iida appeared just as awe-struck, Danny could make a guess. If he remembered correctly, Izuku was in the top 10, but without any villain points. It checked up. 

 

Coughing slightly, the half ghost gained their attention. Once again having emerged out of nowhere. And startling both students.

 

"Iida-san, the start will start in a minute," he informed.

 

"Are you gonna scare everyone you meet, Fenton-san?" Mina shouted across the room. 

 

"It's not on purpose," Danny moaned dramatically and laughed. 

 

"Wait, Fenton?" Izuku asked, all but gaining stars in his eyes. "As in, the one who got the maximum amount of points for the first time in ten years?" 

 

"Ten years, huh?" Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's me. I'd say to just call me Danny, but you people don't do that most of the time, anyway."

 

"I so wanted to talk to you!" The boy said excitedly. "In order to beat Kacchan with villain points AND gain rescue points in the process you must be really fast and strong. And you also took down a zero-pointer!"

 

"Woah, slow down there," Danny raised his palm. "Hey, wouldn't you be the guy that took another one down?" 

 

It was the boy's turn to blush and frantically wave his hands around. "Y-yeah. It's really not a big deal! I mean, after the punch I was out of commission!" 

 

"Punch?" Danny raised an eyebrow and put a hand on his belt. "As in, singular?" 

 

As Izuku nodded, the halfa really felt impressed. Granted, Izuku made it sound like he was a glass cannon, but it was nonetheless worthy of respect. 

 

"A-and how did you do that? I know you are the one that took a 0-pointer down, too."

 

Danny smirked. "I shouted at it." 

 

That got him several confused looks from the students. Izuku, however, seemed genuinely impressed.

 

"Shouted? Does it mean that your Quirk is sound-related? But if so, how did you control it? Maybe you can actually control your waves to go the way you want...Is it something like Present Mic's Quirk..."

 

Danny really was at a loss at how to stop the boy's mumbling. Glancing at Kirishima, who was laughing his ass off, the halfa rolled his eyes.

 

"Is this how I look when I ramble?" He asked.

 

"Pretty much," Kirishima responded. 

 

The teen's saviour entered the classroom soon, and she immediately noticed Midoriya. With a bright smile on her face the girl with short brown hair came towards the conversing teens.

 

"You got in!" She said happily, not looking away from Midoriya. The teen's frantic antics were a clear indication that he wasn't accustomed to conversations with the opposite sex. Not that Danny realised it, he was as clueless as ever when it came to this. 

 

Deciding to leave the two alone, Danny joined Kirishima near the latter's table. He saw the smirk forming on the red haired boy's face. 

 

"What are you smirking about?" Danny asked.

 

"My boy is finally socialising!" He pretended to wipe a tear.

 

"Oh, shut up, ya walking brick."

 

"If you are here to socialise, then get out."

 

That was the voice that Danny didn't expect to hear in his class at all. God, no. 

 

Turning towards the entrance, every student was gritted by a bizarre sight of a walking sleeping bag. From it the face of Eraserhead was clearly visible. Danny's eyes widened and a quiet curse escaped his lips. The universe hated him. All universes did. He should have known. That guy was a teacher at that school, they were bound to cross eventually.

 

"It took eight seconds for you to quiet down," He muttered, "Time is a precious resource. You lot aren't very rational, are you?" 

 

"Jesus H. Christ," Danny mumbled in English.

 

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota," The man declared, sounding as tired as ever. "It's a pleasure to meet you." 

 

The sleeping bag was definitely new. Danny wondered how the man always looked so tired if he didn't get out of bed. Literally. He was mostly concerned about the brief look the man gave him. A look full of suspicion. Something told Danny that his time with a new teacher was going to have a rough start.

 

"Quickly now," the teacher said, waving the colourful gym uniform that he had fished out of the bag. "Change into your gym clothes and head out to the grounds. We're seeing just how far you can get with your Quirks."

 

Or maybe not rough. This part remained to be seen.

Chapter 8

When Aizawa announced what the kids would be doing during the lesson, Danny was honestly kind of excited. He had all the reasons to be. This was a test of skills — Quirk Apprehension test. And as long as Phantom was able to do what he excelled at, he was more than happy to participate. There was a part of him that wished to flaunt his powers in front of his classmates, like a kid that brought McDonalds food to school. But it was mostly an easy grade that tempted him. 

 

However, as their homeroom teacher started explaining what their were going to go through, Danny's enthusiasm took a dive.  From the description, it appeared like a normal PE session. The gym uniform they were all now wearing should have given him a hint, but Danny hadn't thought about it too much.

 

The entire class gathered outside, on the special prepared ground, ready to face whatever Aizawa had in mind. Well, mostly ready. To his surprise, Danny noticed the purple-haired shorty that he had rescued during the exam. The guy was shaking just as before. How he got in was a question the teen wasn't eager to ask. Danny really didn't want to antagonise any of his classmates. 

 

His thoughts were also on their recently revealed homeroom teacher. Once the initial thoughts of him being the unluckiest person subsided, Danny began to wonder how he was going to coexist with the man that did not appear friendly at all. And boy, had he given him an opportunity to dislike the half ghost from the start. The teen hoped that he wasn't that kind of a teacher. 

 

"What about the Entrance Ceremony?!" The brown haired girl nervously called out to the teacher. The same girl that had made Mydoria blush like crazy. "Or guidance sessions?"

 

"No time to waste on that stuff if you want to become heroes," Aizawa responded instantaneously, obviously having anticipated such questions. 

 

So, he was a man of action. Danny liked that. He would take that over the boring ceremonies at any time. Still, something was amiss, and the teacher was soon reminded that being absent from ceremonies like this was fraught with terrible consequences. To this, Aizawa had an answer as well.

 

"The school is aware of my methods. The U.A. is known for its creative approach and its own education system. This applies to teachers as well. The Entrance exam is a futile attempt at discerning at least some level of skill. However, it is too rudimentary, too basic, and thus, unimportant. THIS is what truly matters."

 

The way the man looked down upon the exam probably meant that Danny's result was not going to affect the teacher's attitude towards him whatsoever. Still, the teen was somewhat assured by the fact that an elite school was placing enormous trust in that man. They had standards and world-renowned status — too valuable of a resource to be wasted by even one incompetent teacher. Danny just didn't want the hero school to become another Casper High. 

 

"We will be running the usual tests you did in middle school: dash, softball throw, grip strength, things like these. The government is not in a hurry to change anything, and the schools nowadays still do not allow the use of Quirks during such tests. I believe this to be irrational."

 

As the man explained it, his eyes deadlocked on one particular raven-haired teen. 

 

"Fenton," he called, and Danny just knew it would be him being called out. Whether it was because of his own outstanding results or personal dislike, the teen did not know. "How far could you throw a ball back then? I presume you did go to one, correct?" 

 

"That was just unnecessary," Danny mumbled, stepping forward. "Thirty...ish, I think."

 

He heard and saw how the blonde kid snorted. Danny had to admit, his human form wasn't nearly as strong. But it's not like he could use what little he had during the classes, lest the people of Amity talked about the strange Fenton kid even more. Aizawa tossed Danny the ball, which he caught with ease. The teen really wished he could understand what the man was thinking, but his face was totally apathetic.

 

"Now throw it, do whatever you want with your Quirk as long as you don't leave the circle. Have a go."

 

Danny thought about it for a moment, wondering how to best approach the situation. Meanwhile Kirishima and Mina were getting excited. They never got to see their friend do anything flashy. 

 

"You think he will do it?" Kirishima asked. 

 

"I dunno," the pink-skinned girl shrugged. "It would be really cool."

 

"Do what?" Midoriya immediately came up to them, eager to learn about his strongest classmate. 

 

Kirishima grinned. "Fenton-san can make himself super-powerful. It's like his ultra manly mode!"

 

"And he also can do so much more with it!" Mina added. 

 

"I see," Midoriya mumbled as he started writing down something in a journal he had seeming taken out of aether.

 

"I can hear ya, guys," Danny smirked, before finally turning to the line before him. It ended at one hundred meters, he was going to aim higher. Just remember how they do it in baseball, he told himself, before realising he never even properly watched a match, let alone never played one. He would just have to throw. 

 

His right hand was suddenly engulfed in the faint whirlwind of ectoenergy, which appeared as a mix of green flames, smoke and single sparks. And Midoriya started taking down the notes as quickly as he could. By imbuing his limbs with power Danny made them many times stronger even without him going ghost. Coupled with the full strength of his human form, all of this was bound to get him result. Danny readied for the throw, his blue eyes turning green. And then the ball was launched.

 

With a loud wheezing sound it flew forward, and the force of the throw was enough to blow everyone's hair. The ball flew over the treetops, and obviously out of school grounds whatsoever, which made the rest of the students watch the halfa in awe. Danny smiled and pulled his hair back. He was beginning to like all that attention. 

 

"702.31 meters," Aizawa spoke after looking at his phone. 

 

"Really?" Danny didn't seem satisfied with the result. "Gotta be the lousy throw," he muttered to himself. 

 

The teacher only pointed towards the rest of the students, obviously not wishing to comment on it just yet. There was nothing new to Aizawa. If anything, he expected the teen to exceed the actual distance. From what the boy's friends had already said, it could only be theorised that they were referring to the teen's white-haired persona. Eraserhead made a mental point that the boy wasn't as strong like this. But examining him was not why Danny was summoned forward.

 

During the brief moment of Aizawa's contemplation Phantom rejoined the rest of the students.

 

"Woah, Fenton-san!" Kirishima exclaimed. "You threw it so far away! That's so manly!"

 

"Why, thank you, dearest friend," Danny put a hand on his chest, before seeing Midoriya come up to him. 

 

"That was amazing! What kind of energy did you use back then? How did it help you throw the ball? And what was that light..."

 

"Shut up already, nerd!" The blonde menace of a teen shouted at them, visibly scaring the curious kid. "You are giving me a headache!"

 

"Tell ya later," Danny winked at the green-haired boy, before turning to Aizawa. "That sure looks fun, teach!" 

 

"Fun?" The teacher asked slowly, as the cheerful atmosphere around was mercilessly murdered by him. "Is this what it is to you?" 

 

Danny blinked and shrugged. "Among other things. It sure ain't boring." 

 

"You all are hoping to become heroes in three years. If you think that it's all fun and games, then you can be already shown the door." 

 

Danny didn't appear offset by the man's threatening aura. "We are outside," he jested without really meaning it. "Really though. We are not in a life threatening situation at the moment, Aizawa-sensei."

 

His classmates blinked. Had their teacher told them his name already?

 

"Oh?" Everyone could swear there was a glint of emotion in Aizawa's eyes. "It seems I have neglected to mention that the one who scores the lowest in this class will be deemed as hopeless and immediately expelled." 

 

That statement caused a round of shocked gasps and exclamations among the students. 

 

Danny himself knew that it wasn't because of him, but because that was Eraserhead's method. The man must have known that Phantom was not going to get the lowest score, so it couldn't be some personal spite. It was a very cruel attempt at a wake-up call, threatening kids with expulsion on their very first day. Aizawa in general seemed like a man who always meant serious business, his sleeping bag in the middle bag aside. With his constant lack of said seriousness, Danny knew they would be at odds on more than one occasion. And yet, the teen could understand those actions. Didn't mean he was going to take it the way Aizawa wanted.

 

"T-The lowest score will be expelled...?" The same brown haired girl — Uraraka, of whom Danny learned the name from Mina, tried to confirm if everyone had heard correctly. "It's only the first day! I mean, even if it weren't... that's totally unfair!" 

 

Whatever reaction the girl expected, she received almost none. Not a flash of sympathy was present in the man's tired eyes. 

 

"Natural disasters, highway pileups, rampaging villains. Calamity is always right around the corner. I'd say Japan is full of unfair things. Heroes are the ones who correct all that unfairness. If you expected to waste your time on pointless theories and spend your evenings on leisure, then I'm about to disappoint you. Me personally and the UA will run you through the ringer. THAT'S Plus Ultra. Use your strength to overcome it all."

 

Aizawa flashed a tiny smile. "So bring it."

 

Kirishima in the meantime looked at his thoughtful friend. "Fenton-san, you are not spacing out, are you?" He whispered. 

 

"Nope," Danny said. "I just thought about what he said. The teach is right. The bad guys ain't gonna sit around and wait for you. Sometimes they even come at you while you sleep." 

 

And how the teen hated when they did that. 

 

"How would you know?" The redhead scratched his temple. 

 

In response the half-ghost only gave an enigmatic smile. 

 

"It really shouldn't be that bad, Kirishima-san. Just focus on not coming last," he said, before a smirk crossed his features. "It's all about physical, eh? You might actually stand a chance against me." 

 

"Ya bet," Kirishima fist-pumped. 

 

Phantom knew that the classmates had to remember the consequences of their failure, but it didn't mean that he would not try and cheer everyone up. That's just who he was — an always upbeat teen that laughed in the face of the Ghostly tyrant Pariah himself. Danny wanted to be known as someone like this, not as a delinquent, even among his classmates. 

 

What he most certainly didn't want to come across as, was someone who looked down on his peers and always knew what was better fir them, albeit he had the field experience and mastery of his power that was hard to match at the time. He knew what that feeling of intrusion was like. So, for now, let them themselves come to him, if they so wanted. And he would do his best to push away the sentiment of uncertainty. At the time, he simply needed to show them that he was both approachable and powerful to give such advices. 

 

That was the decision he made before setting out with others, preparing for the first proper test among many. 

 

And the first test in line was a fifty meter dash. Whether to save time or to more easily assess the performance, the kids were going to be split into pairs. There were some interesting groups, and Danny couldn't help but pity Midoriya. Katuski Bakugo, the mean blonde that so far spoke only by shouting at people, was especially hateful towards two people in the class: Fenton and the one he was currently going to face. Those two seemed to know each other, Danny reasoned. The lot also decided that he was going to face his most recent acquittance Iida. The bespectacled boy appeared jovial upon learning this.

 

Danny himself approached him with a smile on his face, and yet it was Iida who spoke first.

 

"Fenton-san!" He called, his moves just as quick and robotic, "I am glad that I am getting a chance to face the top-scorer so soon!"

 

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Iida-san," Danny raised his hands slowly. "Let's both do our best."

 

"Thank you for your openness, Fenton-san!" Iida bowed his head. "If I may ask, can you boost all of your limbs?" 

 

"Never did this for running quickly. Usually those were kicks or high jumps. Too much energy, and each step will turn into a jump. Or my limb will burst. There is a limit to how much a human body can handle. What about your Quirk?"

 

Iida sat on the bench nearby and crossed his legs. Only now Danny saw something, and it made his eyes go wide with surprise. On his surprisingly ripped calves Phantom could see exhaust pipes, six on each leg. 

 

"Wow, that's... certainly unique."

 

"Thank you for your compliment, Fenton-san! My Quirk 'Engine' gives me an excellent speed boost!" 

 

"I see," Danny put a hand on his chin. "I guess you fight with legs, too?"

 

"You guessed correctly!" Iida said, before seeing how the half ghost began to laugh. "What did I say, Fenton-san?"

 

"No, it's not that. It's just that of all the people I am running against a guy with car engines in his legs. Eh, just my luck," the halfa smirked. 

 

"I am sure you can achieve great speeds! Otherwise you would not have been so quick to dispatch villains and save bystanders during the exam!" 

 

"Huh, the guess is on point. Well, the teach did say 'Do whatever you want with your Quirk,'" Danny parodied the teacher's gloomy tone and voice. 

 

"Yes, you are free to do that."

 

Danny felt the colour drain from his face. Glancing over his shoulder, the teen saw Aizawa standing behind him.

 

"Hey, teach," the halfa said slowly. 

 

Aizawa sighed and pointed towards the running track. "Get in line, you two go first."

 

"Again?" Danny asked in confusion.

 

"Since you know what sudden disasters feel like, you should have no problem, right?" Aizawa smirked.

 

That boy was going to be a handful, Eraserhead had known that ever since the moment the principal put down the stamp of approval on the boy's paper. Still, it appeared that the boy truly did have the necessary control, something one particular student on the teacher's mind was severely lacking. Nonetheless. Aizawa decided that Phantom must not feel cozy in his class. He was ahead of the rest, so Eraserhead had twice as bigger expectations from the American student. The school was all about going beyond. And if Fenton's limits were yet to be determined, Aizawa needed to see everything for himself. 

 

The tired-looking teacher knew about what his colleague Vlad King was like. While an outstanding hero and a mindful teacher, that man was extremely biased towards his students. If he got his hands on a boy that walked in toe with many pros, Fenton would just be basked in praise instead of being forced to grow. That was largely the reason why Aizawa had insisted that Fenton be assigned to his class. It took no small amount of convincing for Vlad King to surrender such a promising kid to another class. However, Nezu believed that Aizawa's arguments were more solid, and at the last second Danny was assigned to class A.

 

As Danny and Iida were about to take place at the start of the track, all students were either excited, curious or both. Aizawa hadn't given the half ghost much time to deliberate on how to approach the challenge. Danny didn't want unnecessary risks that came with experimenting. Last time he tried, he froze the entire arena full of spectators. Better not try anything where staying at school was on the line. As he and Iida stood near the starting line, the latter spoke up.

 

"Have you figured it out Fenton-san?"

 

"Pretty much. As I said, I may not run that fast, but I have just the replacement," Danny grinned and raised his hand. He liked those theatrics more and more. 

 

With a snap of his fingers, the teen summoned the bright rings of light that changed his form with a loud whirring sound. Phantom's transformation earned strong reaction from the crowd around them. 

 

"And here he goes!" Kirishima exclaimed. "Fenton is going all out!" 

 

"What's with that changed appearance?" Someone asked. 

 

"Woah," Midoriya whispered and took out his journal. "Fenton-san has energy control, and yet it somehow changed his looks as well! Is his Quirk all about energy or is there something more to it? But what kind of energy even can change the way you look?"

 

"We can hear you, Midoriya-san," Mina giggled. "It's so cool to have a suit always ready!"

 

Now that she pointed it out, Danny's uniform was also gone, replaced by his usual hazmat. 

 

"Did he already get his? That's not fair!" The purple haired shorty exclaimed. 

 

Aizawa probably should have addressed this, but there was no ground to assume that it was the suit that boosted the teen's power. The cause and effect were in fact switched. Furthermore, the teacher had read a more detailed description of the boy's power. Every student was required to make it. As expected, Phantom's was quite detailed. He would allow that change of attire, since it appeared that Danny's form always came with an outfit. 

 

Meanwhile the teen in question was fully concentrated on the race. Taking a low starting position alongside Iida, he prepared to start. And the second the metaphorical gunshot resounded across the area, Iida burst forward. The pipes on his calves spewed the jet flames as the teen ran forward at an astonishing speed. 

 

Danny didn't waste a split second, reacting to the signal supernaturally quickly. The halfa's legs pushed him forward, and when he was in the air, in a fraction of a moment he turned intangible. The razor-sharp air resistance was no longer an obstacle to the speeding half-breed. 

 

And then the levitation, the power nigh exclusive to his ghost part, came in play. A jump meant a single burst of speed. The lack of resistance would not let the momentum die off, but the power of flight would only increase the latter's potency. To summarise, Phantom made a dash forward, the same way he did when he fought.

 

The audience could barely see how fast the teen was, a single blink and some could miss the teen crossing the finish line, leaving speeding Iida behind. After this Phantom tilted slightly upward, spun and faced the rest, stopping mid-air. 

 

"1.02 seconds," the machine barely had the time to announce the time before Iida finished the track with a result of 3.04 seconds. 

 

The stunned bespectacled boy looked up several meters in the air to see the cross-legged half-ghost smiling at him. There was no doubt left in Iida's mind that that was the person who bested them all — the teen with speed that rivalled All Might's. And atop of that...

 

"He can fly, too?!" Midoriya exclaimed excitedly, before filling his journal once again. 

 

Aizawa sighed. He was still unconvinced that all of that was due to some random energy. That little monster was certainly more than that. It took years, if not decades, to develop someone's Quirk to such an extent. 

 

"I told ya!" Kirishima exclaimed. "Don't get too full of yourself, Fenton-san!"

 

"I'm the epitome of humility," Danny laughed, descending low enough to face Iida while still remaining in the air. "That was an awesome result, Iida-san," he grinned toothily. "I think you still gonna have that second place."

 

"Thank you, Fenton-san! There is no doubting that your result exceeds mine by a long shot!" 

 

"I still flew, and not ran. You still probably run faster. In case my flight shuts off, you are the go-to," Danny outstretched his arm and shook hands with Iida.

 

In his hubris the halfa did not notice the look Bakugo was giving him. And it was the gaze of utter hate. 

 

The reason behind the seemingly groundless hate was surprisingly easy. He had scored whole 77 villain points. Had it not been for Fenton — that annoying extra — he would have been on top. He was far smarter than that dumbass, the written test clearly showed it, made them nigh equal in terms of overall points, but the foreigner that had appeared out of nowhere still overtook him. 

 

Fenton got all the attention because of his flashy Quirk. He was sitting atop of a high mountain, thinking he was hot shit. While he was nothing but an extra. Bakugo would show him and everyone that he was going to be on top, not that white-haired moron. The laughing half-ghost, surrounded by the fellow students and currently wrapping one of his hands around Iida as if they were long-time buddies, meanwhile remained blissfully unaware about the one-sided competition. 

 

Bakugo's trial came with an addition, in the form of another person the blonde despised. He didn't know how Deku, the worthless, Quirkless nobody made it into the school, let alone to top ten. It made Bakugo doubt that the rest of the students had even a fraction of his strength. Izuku would be the first one he crushed. 

 

While not knowing the reason behind Bakugo's hostility, Danny was still intrigued by the next pair. A bit bummed that Aizawa told him to remain human while not performing, he took his mind off of it and concentrated on the two students. It was an encounter behind the second strongest and the one who took down a zero-pointer. Admittedly, Phantom was more interested in what Midoriya would show. He appeared like a kindred spirit of sorts. 

 

What happened next was certainly flashy.

 

"Explosions, huh?" Danny mumbled amidst surprised reactions of other students. 

 

Indeed, Bakugo's palms were the source of loud, yet small, booms and cracks. It was oddly fitting for a guy as hot-blooded as him. Danny could already conclude so from the brief, indirect confrontations they had. The fiery gusts propelled him forward almost as quickly as Iida. However, he was still visibly slower than the previous examinees. When he reached another end, the robot neutrally announced the result. 

 

"3.97 seconds."

 

That was an impressive result on its own, however Bakugo only gritted his teeth and cursed quietly. He had given it a lot of effort, yet he still was the third. If he wasn't going to overtake Fenton on this one, the rest of the extras sure as hell would not. And certainly not the green-haired nobody that lagged behind so much. As Bakugo expected, Midoriya's result was by far the worst one, as it took the boy over seven seconds to cross that distance. No Quirk was used during that exercise, which baffled the audience, but left Bakugo gloating on the inside. Of course Deku would not use a Quirk, because he had none. 

 

"Why didn't he do anything?" Danny quietly asked nobody in particular. 

 

"Ochaco-chan told me," Mina was quick to rid her friend from the shackles of obliviousness. "Midoriya-san got hurt a lot when he used his Quirk."

 

"I see..." the halfa mumbled. "So he can't fully control it. But if he saves up till the last second, he will be outmatched. Decisions, decisions."

 

"He should concentrate on tests where his Quirk shines the most!" Iida concluded. 

 

"If the drawback is as severe, yes," Danny shrugged. "That's what he probably has in mind. Question is, is it really worth it?"

 

Little by little, all examinees were showing their prowess in the dash. Phantom and the rest of the students each observed closely what others could do. The halfa was impressed by the score Mina showed by gliding on the acid she produced. Kirishima, too, showed a good result, but it was due to his own physical capabilities rather than his Quirk. His Hardening was hardly feasible in given situation. 

 

There were others, of course. Danny was genuinely curious to learn more about his classmates. By the end of the first trial the teen remained mostly quite impressed. Their abilities mostly went beyond what Danny would usually imagine. For instance, there was a hulking giant of a man with many protruding limbs, or a girl that could leap like a frog and even had a couple of features resembling said amphibia. Another contestant caught Phantom's attention due to the fact that he slid across the ice ground. Ice control was something both of them shared, and unlike super-strength, it was much higher in the priority list for the halfa. 

 

The guy didn't talk much, however. 

 

The next test was that of endurance. People had to be creative in order to run two kilometres without fainting, and that was the whole point. Danny himself could utilise his ghost form once again, but since the goal here was to cross the line in a more generous amount of given time, he wasn't in any hurry. Besides, Aizawa came up and insisted that Phantom used his legs. That rule applied to everyone. After all, if Danny just flew the distance, he wouldn't make any proper effort. The teen wasn't that inventive. His ghost form could handle that level of physical strain. 

 

It did not produce the acids that burned one's muscles, it did not require him to breath. The only thing that mattered was the energy output. And he still had more than enough. Thus, the halfa planned on simply running the distance. His suit was not meant for that, though. He would be boiling in it by the end. 

 

That was probably the biggest challenge during his run. 

 

Somewhere after the first kilometre the heat started getting to him. The ghost body also did not produce any sweat, so he was already extremely uncomfortable, convinced that he truly needed a proper suit. Somewhere in the distance, watching the screens, Aizawa could not resist a smirk. If Fenton chose to throw aside the provided uniform, then he would reap what he had sown. 

 

If it was a walk, Danny would have been taken in by the lush forests around. However, the beauty of the school grounds went over his heating head. Danny still ran fast enough, and once he made another turn on the road, he came across the same boy with half-red, half-white hair that controlled ice. The guy had overtaken everyone at the start, sliding across the ice trail he made, and Danny seemed to have caught up with him. The boy ran as normal now for some reason, so the halfa reached him quickly and grinned, with neither of them stopping. 

 

"Hey there!" He greeted again. "You are Todoroki, right?"

 

The boy did not respond, and Danny finally noticed something. The white-haired part of the teen's face was covered in thin frost.

 

It reminded the halfa of when his core was awakening, back then it made his teeth chatter in the middle of the hot autumn. 

 

"Sheesh, you alright there, pal?" Phantom asked. "This doesn't look healthy." 

 

It still was intriguing to the halfa. It appeared that the overuse of his power made Todoroki turn into an icicle. With Danny it was the opposite. If his power saw no release, then he would freeze over himself as his core spontaneously combusted with cold. 

 

"I'm fine," Todoroki said bluntly and increased his pace. 

 

Yeah, the guy was totally not the social one. He still gave Danny an idea. Phantom never tried sliding the way the other teen had been, but he had ice. Danny's eyes became cold blue, and under the teen's shoes the ground was being covered in a thin layer of snow. His core let out the cold it had kept inside, bringing out the cold breeze. 

 

"Ah," the halfa sighed, "Much better." 

 

Danny was not the first person to make it to the end. Iida was among those who overtook him, confirming what the halfa had said. When it came to running, the stickler was the guy who was ahead of everyone. And among those who came before the half ghost was Bakugo, of which he was informed very subtly and politely.

 

"Ha! Not such hot shit anymore, eh?!" The blonde shouted almost into the halfa's face. 

 

"Excuse me?" Danny blinked. 

 

"Know your place, you extra!" Bakugo said and did not elaborate further. 

 

Danny still had no idea what the guy meant by that moniker. Phantom also didn't like that attitude. It brought back the memories of the bullying Danny had to endure in the past. Bakugo was just the type to bully someone, and his attitude towards Midoriya was a clear indication of that. And if the blonde was going to persist, the halfa's patience was going to dry up. Danny already had a faint idea about what Bakugo was trying to accomplish, but seriously. It wasn't even a race. 

 

The next test — a long standing jump, ended in a stalemate between the two. Both Bakugo and Fenton could make themselves airborne, so they easily reached the end of the sandbox — the maximum possible limit. Danny could see how frustrated the blonde was, and with all the restraint of Buddha the halfa held back on his sarcasm at the time. The test was done largely the same for everyone. It was all about staying in the air for as long as possible. And it also often repeated the techniques used during the dash. 

 

What Phantom was concerned about was that Midoriya was still yet to use his Quirk. Danny wasn't sure why he cared this much. The green haired kid was someone he could relate to, he supposed. It was only natural, especially since others had no need for his assistance, even if only vocal. Midoriya was hesitant to answer Danny's question.

 

"It's just... I am not sure how I will end up afterwards," the boy answered. 

 

"I figured as much," Danny sighed. "But I suppose you are still physically stronger than that guy," he pointed at Mineta who landed face down in the sand.

 

Cut to the sidestep part of the test and that same purple-haired shorty who actively bounced from the rubber balls he had mustered. 

 

"Alright, so not all the time," Danny mumbled and turned to Izuku. "Pretty cool, but this brings us to square one." 

 

"I'll... be fine, Fenton-san," the boy smiled and raised a thumb. 

 

Danny didn't believe a word of what was said. Except maybe his last name. It was still Fenton, as much as he loathed it. 

 

As for the test itself, Phantom faired pretty admirably. He spent years fighting the most sleazy and agile creatures who also had the supernatural reflexes. Danny had learned to be pretty agile, although he really couldn't come up with anything to assist him in that particular test. 

 

The next segment of the tests was going to take place indoors. The first among them was grip strength, and for that Danny actually sought out Kirishima so that they could actually compete. The latter was eager to take him up on the challenge, despite probably knowing that the halfa could bring out his all. The two got some extra audience as well, and Danny was a bit uncomfortable.

 

In a span of half of their session he was already at the centre of attention from his peers. It felt unusual, uncomfortable even, but it also seemed like a very nice change of pace from the school he had dropped. Perhaps that was the reason behind the goofy smile the teen had and everyone could see. From his musings the white-haired teen was interrupted by Kirishima. 

 

"Come on, don't space out, Casper!" He shouted. "Let's give it our all!" 

 

"You first, brick head," Danny teased.

 

At his words Kirishima hardened his right hand and lifted a small device that measured the aforementioned strength. The next second he pulled on it with all his strength. The display on the device showed the result of 346 kg — the result that was exceptional and normally unattainable, especially for someone Kirishima's age. The average one was several times lower. 

 

"Nice going, Kirishima-kun!" Mina cheered as Aizawa peeked over everyone's shoulders and wrote down the result on his notepad. 

 

"Man, I wish I had muscles like these," mumbled a guy with blond, streaked with black, hair. He also put a hand on his biceps and sighed. 

 

"I'd say the result is quite 'manly'," Danny copied his friend's speech pattern and smirked. 

 

"Let's see how you do, Fenton-san!" Kirishima fist pumped. 

 

Without saying another word, Danny gripped the device and pulled on it. The machine screeched, as if it was in pain, before a piece of the metal casing chipped off. And yet, it was functioning, and the display still showed the result.

 

"999 kilos?" Kirishima exclaimed in shock. 

 

It was a very imprecise result, Aizawa could see it. The device simply could not show any higher numbers. The manufacturer never anticipated that someone would reach higher than that, hence the damage to the machine. So it was safe to say that the boy could hit like a truck, if him breaking robots with one finger wasn't enough. Honestly, it was like someone had purposefully created a living weapon. That boy had speed and strength that could rival All Might back in the day, and he had an entire arsenal of powers to boot. 

 

It really felt like back during their first encounter it was Aizawa that had dodged the bullet, and not the teen that was currently proudly grinning from ear to ear. That statement did not mean that Aizawa thought any higher of him because of that alone. A monkey with a grenade was equally as dangerous to people around. And just as uncontrollable. Still, by then Aizawa had made a mental note to later assign the prodigal student something special if he took everything in stride.

 

When it came to a seated toe-touch, Eraserhead, who had got tired of this by that point, had to write down a new power the boy possessed. He could bend and twist his body however he wanted, including the slight extension of his limbs, and the non-existence of spine in his ghost form. Aizawa WAS annoyed. That test was meant to breed innovation, not to make Fenton pull more rabbits out of his hat. That power was also something amiss from the given list. It seemed that even the teen himself couldn't always fully recollect every tool in his disposal. It sure was something to remember and remind the halfa of. 

 

Sit-ups? Phantom merely assisted himself with his floating ability. It truly wasn't anything special.

 

What was special, however, was the beginning and the end of their test — the pitch for a ball throw. Maybe Aizawa wanted to be symbolic. Nonetheless, the one to step out first without any consultation was Bakugo, unsurprisingly. Eraserhead had no objections, and the smirking blonde made sure to pass the half-ghost on his way and even shove him. 

 

"Watch and learn, you extras!" He shouted. 

 

"Jeez, this guy is mean," Mina mumbled. "What did you do to make him so angry, Fenton-kun?" 

 

"I wounded the poor lad's pride," Danny said dramatically and wiped a nonexistent tear. "And they call me vengeful." 

 

Bakugo heard all of that. That condescending tone drove the blonde mad, but he held back for just a moment. He had his own trial to complete first. Readying his hand for a throw he shouted loudly into nothing:

 

"DIE!" 

 

With a lot of noise, cracking, whooshing, and all other sound effects accompanying a loud concentrated explosion the ball was launched forward. The smoke, the flames followed it like a long tail, as the projectile flew forward. 

 

"705.2," Aizawa announced with disinterest. 

 

A large, malicious smile crossed Bakugo's features.

 

"Ha! I beat you again, you upstart runt!" He pointed towards Danny. 

 

Mina could see her friend's left eye tick. Who was he calling a runt? 

 

Danny was getting really tired from that one-sided competition. The blonde was just asking for a proper reaction. 

 

"Join the rest of the students, Bakugo," Aizawa ordered firmly. "You people are already taking too much time," he grumbled and took out some eye drops. After easing the dryness, he called out for more contestants.

 

Apparently, Aizawa was not letting Danny re-throw, despite the fact that his throw was but an example of what's to come. The distance of Phantom's throw was still more than adequate, and Eraserhead wasn't going to dedicate time to whatever rivalry the two kids had instigated during the lesson. Besides, Danny himself wasn't the one that asked for the second throw. Rather, it was his friends that did. 

 

"Come on, Kirishima-san," Danny put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "It's nothing. Just concentrate on your own result." 

 

Eraserhead was pleased with the maturity Phantom displayed, which led the teacher to correctly assume that that rivalry was one-sided so far. 

 

He wasn't changing his decision, however. 

 

As the students tried their best with their Quirks, there were some interesting things to see. One raven-haired girl actually pulled out a smaller pitching machine from her bare midriff, stunning some and activating some neurons in the minds of several boys. Mina glanced back and noticed a peculiar scene. 

 

"What limit could there possibly be?" Danny mumbled. 

 

"She probably needs some matter to turn into objects," Midoriya continued and wrote down their common observations. 

 

The girl grinned. Those two really were very much alike. Nerds, as Bakugo so elaborately worded, growling quietly. The blonde was still feeling triumphant, and everyone could see it. The results Danny and Bakugo had shown were still unsurpassed until a certain point. When Ochaco stepped into the metaphorical stage light. 

 

"What say you, Midoriya?" Asked Danny. Getting no response, he glanced to the side and saw the boy blushing. "Midoriya-san?"

 

"Uh? What?" The boy rapidly shook his head. "If she makes the ball avoid gravity, it might be easier for her to throw it, right?" 

 

"That's not how it works," Danny pointed at the pitch. 

 

As Midoriya looked at Uraraka, he and the rest of the students were surprised when the ball, instead of going forward, chose to go up.

 

"The ball is in zero gravity, but we are not in space," the teen explained as they watched the ball go higher and higher. "The air resistance is a thing. The ball is also weightless, which doesn't help either." 

 

"How were you a D student, Danny-kun?" Asked Mina. 

 

Danny only shrugged, before hearing a beep from the machine that determined the distance of the throw. When he saw it, his expression became that of surprise. 

 

"INFINITY?!" several people in class shouted in shock. 

 

"Aizawa seems to really like bullshit surprises," Danny muttered. "What kind of distance counting is that?" 

 

"She did throw the ball. It just went up!" Mina gave a thumbs up.

 

"His name sounds familiar somehow," Midoriya muttered. "Do you know him?"

 

"Yeah, we met before. I later did my homework. Nevermind that," Danny's face became more serious. "You go next, pal. You are the last one."

 

Midoriya gulped and took a sigh. "Alright. Here I go." 

 

"This is the last test. You either use your strength now or never," Phantom stated. 

 

And as the green-haired aspiring hero went towards the pitch, Mina approached her half-ghost friend. 

 

"You seem pretty invested in this guy." 

 

"I don't want anyone to be ousted on their first day, even if it is inevitable. I'm not intrusive, am I?" 

 

"Nope," Mina popped her tongue. "It's really sweet you are trying to help everyone. We can all learn from each other! Just don't let it get into your head, spook. You aren't always on top." 

 

Danny chuckled and got up from his seat. "The tests did make this clear. Alrighty then. Let's see if I make a good advisor, at least." 

 

The half ghost and everyone else could see Midoriya readying for the throw. The green-haired boy's body was covered in what could only be described as crimson-pinkish ruptures of energy. Midoriya took a sigh and with all the strength he could muster he launched the ball. 

 

Before it landed less than fifty meters away. 

 

The stunned silence of disbelief was only interrupted by guffaws from Bakugo. Everyone was trying to make head or tail of what just happened. And Izuku was probably the one who was shocked the most. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape. He had prepared to throw the ball, everyone could see and feel the force he was about to put into that. 

 

"But... I was trying to use it just now," Midoriya mumbled. "What...how..."

 

"I erased it." 

 

Every student looked towards their teacher, and to say that he had a fearsome presence was an understatement. His loosely hanging scarf was now floating in the air, alongside his long, shaggy hair. The man's look was collected, yet obviously annoyed, with his eyes glowing red. 

 

"How many times will I have to say how ridiculous an entrance exam is? It is a complete ruse, considering someone like you got in." 

 

"You erased it..." Midoriya repeated, before the man's name, the man's ability combined, and something in the boy's head clicked. "You are an Erasure hero: Eraserhead!" 

 

Danny now felt awkward for not telling anyone. But honestly, nobody properly asked. 

 

Aizawa ignored the chattering crowd, continuing with his small enlightening lecture. "I saw how well you handle your Quirk. Which is to say, you can't control it at all. What were you hoping for after you broke every single bone in your body? That someone else would come to save others and you in addition? That someone will assist a hero in need?" 

 

"No! I wasn't... gah!" 

 

The hero's sturdy scarf didn't let the boy finish, as it was tightly wrapped around the teen. Danny didn't know how Aizawa made it work like a bunch of tentacles. Telekinesis wasn't the man's power. There must have been some advanced tech in play. 

 

"Whatever you were planning," Aizawa hissed. "It would have inconvenienced those around you. Way back, a certain hot blooded hero saved over a thousand people during a disaster. He made himself a legend. You've got the same restless streak, but you are totally useless after saving just a single person. Midoriya Izuku," he paused before announcing his verdict, "You cannot become a hero with that power of yours." 

 

The hero's words made a lot of sense to the half ghost, too. Initially Danny had to rely on his friends a lot. His powers were still young, he had little control and broke more than one bone in the process. And it led to his friends being harmed too. Phantom was faced with the horrible reality that he could heal from anything, while Sam and Tucker were only humans. One time he went to school, completely fine, while Tucker was limping the whole week with sprained leg. The night before Danny had had several broken bones, internal bleeding in multiple places. 

 

His friends had no idea how many injuries he sustained. Had he not have the power of regeneration, his entire body would have been riddled with scars, he would have been rendered blind and crippled. But as he returned to his home in the middle of the night, haphazardly wrapping the flimsy bandages, he lay down in his bed and had everything healed by the morning. That's why ghosts never held back their punches. A lost limb was but an inconvenience. 

 

Danny didn't want to be an inconvenience, a burden. He didn't want to force his friends into such a danger just so they could alleviate some of his pain.

 

However, there was also another thing, something Aizawa was terribly wrong about. Danny got less and less harmed as the time went. He grew stronger, he gained control over his power, and his fights against most of the undead foes ended quickly. Aizawa had already crossed Midoriya out without even seeing if there was an actual room for growth and was ready to shunt any attempt at getting better with his power. And Midoriya most certainly held the necessary spirit. And thus, despite agreeing with the initial message, Danny couldn't possibly agree with the man's verdict.

 

The halfa also knew that if he spoke up now, it would only make the situation worse. 

 

"This is too harsh," Mina mumbled. "Will Midoriya-san be alright?"

 

"We can only hope," Danny commented, while giving Eraserhead a brief glare. 

 

Something told him that if he had resisted the arrest, that man would have chased him to the end of the Earth. 

 

Looking back at Midoriya, Danny could see the sudden flash of determination in his eyes. Yes, the halfa thought with confidence. He got it. Danny gave the fellow nerd a thumbs up, while other students who had had a chance to interact with the unfortunate teen were much more vocal with their support. Yes, Danny still wasn't confident enough for such open display of emotions in front of everyone. 

 

"What are you shouting about?" Bakugo barked. "This Quirkless nobody can't do jack shit!"

 

But Danny was confident enough for that. 

 

"Have your powers flash banged you by any chance?" He asked the blonde. "We all saw that energy in Midoriya. You're just being in denial."

 

"It's you who can't accept the simplest thing, dumbass! There is no way that no-good wannabe can produce anything but a wet fart!" 

 

"Alright. Ew."

 

Their brief argument was soon concluded when Midoriya finally made a throw. And what a launch it was. With a loud noise of the air being teared through, the ball flew forward. This earned several surprised gasps from the audience, and a triumphant smirk on Danny's face, with which he rewarded the blonde bully. The distance-measuring machine soon announced the result. 

 

705.3

 

That was higher than what both what Fenton and Bakugo had done. Danny was surprised himself, for it appeared that even at that stage Midoriya was as strong as his human form. What's there to say about the boy's strength when he actually improved. But that was bound to come with a drawback, wasn't it?

 

"Aizawa-sensei," the joyous, panting Midoriya looked at the teacher and smiled. Everyone could see how one of his fingers was purple and swollen, like he had slammed it hard in a door. "I can still move!"

 

Even the ever-apathetic hero teacher could not resist the emotion that appeared on his face. Aizawa gave a small smirk, "This kid..." he mumbled inaudibly. 

 

"Way to go, Midoriya-san!" Kirishima shouted louder than anyone. "That was so manly!"

 

"He has most certainly improved since the entrance exam!" Iida said, having witnessed the teen's performance back then. 

 

Danny recalled Mina's words just before Midoriya had gone to the stage. Yes, he wasn't going to be on top in every aspect, whether by mistake, coincidence, or his own weaker self. He certainly would not ask Aizawa to let him make another throw. Better not break that euphoric idill Izuku was going through. But there was always one person that wanted to ruin the moment. 

 

"What the hell, Deku?!" Bakugo roared across the entire pitch. As he started narrowing the distance towards the terrified teen, he demanded loudly: 

 

"Explain yourself!" 

 

Danny decided that that was enough. The eyes of his currently human form glowed green as he lightly raised his palm.  The rapid step of Bakugo was interrupted by him bumping full-force into a wall of energy. 

 

"Can you not be an obnoxious prick for a fraction of a second?!" Danny finally blew up. That guy was just asking to get punched. 

 

Before furious Bakugo could retaliate, Aizawa interfered. His scarf lunged at the rampant blonde and held him tight in place. Bakugo snarled and tried to get out, but to little avail. 

 

"What the hell... is this?!" Bakugo said through his clenched teeth, still unable to move. 

 

"It is a 'capture weapon' — carbon fibre and a special alloy wire," Aizawa tiredly explained. "Geez, you are giving me a dry eye."

 

And then his look turned towards Danny. "Fenton. Do NOT jump in before your teachers."

 

"But I just..."

 

Aizawa's look gave no room for debates. "You are unused to this, but we have discipline in place, Fenton. You are not at home where you were free to do whatever you liked. Here, you listen to the rules. Got it?"

 

It was clear to Danny what the man was insinuating. He had read Phantom's file, alright. Danny begrudgingly nodded and looked away. 

 

"Fine." 

 

When Bakugo finally calmed down, Aizawa let him go, before pouring a couple of eye drops. "I'll announce the results shortly. Take your last breaths until then," the teacher smirked. 

---

Danny couldn't say that he watched everyone closely during the tests. Sure he might have had some names memorised, and could certainly recollect what each student was able to do, but for the most part their results were a mystery to the half ghost. So, the intrigue was largely there. But that feeling when you know you did splendidly and yet had a chance to fail was there. Obviously Danny wasn't the worst case, so he wasn't that worried. What he was worried about was Midoriya. Yes, his last test was superb, and yet the rest did not go that well. 

 

He really didn't want to see the green-haired teen kicked out. Izuku was determined and potentially incredibly strong. And if there was no place in that school for someone like him, then what kinda school was that?

 

As everyone approached their teacher, the tension in the air could almost be touched. The silence among the students was a cue for the teacher to begin.

 

"Okay, time for your results. Explaining the principles behind them will be a total waste of time, so here they are."

 

Aizawa pressed a button, before the screen in front of them started showing the names of the students in descending order. 

 

And the first one on that list was Fenton Daniel. Upon seeing his name, followed by Todoroki and Yaoyorozu — the girl that could produce objects out of thin air, Danny laughed happily. And also gleefully. Because in the fourth place everyone could see Bakugo's name. He wasn't even in the top three, and to say that the boy was pissed was to say nothing. As the list kept going down, Danny approached the blonde and leaned forward with a smile on his face. 

 

"Don't worry Bakugo. You will always be number 2 to me."

 

"What did you just say?!" Bakugo exclaimed, before the teacher's pointed look towards them extinguished the conflict. 

 

"I see you cannot deal with this defeat," Danny said quietly as his eyes, that were transfixed on the screen, glowed once more. "I can see now why you were so angry with me at the start. I scored more than you."

 

"Get to the point," Bakugo growled quietly, careful not to provoke Aizawa.

 

"I tried to befriend as many as I could. But I suppose some things are inevitable. Two can play this game of contrived rivalry. And until you manage to actually best me, you will always be "Number two"," Danny smirked. 

 

The last beep signalled that everyone's name was already on the screen. And Danny's eyes immediately darted towards the last spot. To his inner dread, on the bottom of the list was Midoriya. 

 

"Fudge," Danny mumbled as Bakugo began laughing once more. "Do I have to freeze your mouth shut?" 

 

"By the way," Aizawa spoke. "I was lying. Nobody is getting expelled." 

 

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled. 

 

"That was a rational deception meant to bring out the best in you," Eraserhead explained. 

 

So he preferred a whip to a carrot. Dully noted. Still, nobody was going to give the student their lost hair. Hair that all the stress had deprived them of. 

 

"Well, of course it was a lie," Said Yaoyorozu. She may have sounded condescending, but she actually looked surprised that nobody else figured it out. "I'm sorry, I should have said something." 

 

Danny gave her a smile that was completely devoid of emotion. Yes, that would have been very much appreciated.

 

"Don't look at me like that!" She shook her hands in embarrassment. 

 

Aizawa coughed to get everyone's attention. "It was a test to measure your capabilities. And I would say that it was a success," the teacher pressed another button and the image with the performance chart vanished. "In any case, we are done here. When you return to the classroom you will find your curriculum. Give it a look. And Midoriya, go to Recovery Girl and have her patch you up. Tomorrow's trials aren't going to be any easier."

 

"Who is Recovery girl?" Danny quietly asked Mina.

 

"Oh, she is the nurse here. Haven't you met her during the exam?" She tilted her head.

 

"Didn't have the need to see a doctor. I also don't like check-ups," Phantom shivered, causing the nearest people to snicker.

 

"Is our strong, bad ghost afraid of doctors?" Kirishima laughed. 

 

"Rather them being overzealous... Hey, Midoriya!" Danny called out to the still stunned green-haired boy. "Will you be alright getting to the nurse on your own?"

 

"It's just a finger!" Izuku responded, visibly happy about how everything turned out in the end. "Thank you. For your support, too! I mean it for everyone!"

 

Danny couldn't help but smile. At that moment, surrounded by his friendly and energetic classmates, many of whom were already extremely good, Phantom felt like his first day at a new school was a success.

Chapter 9

On the first day of school Danny did intend to hit the shops alongside his friends, wishing to find inspiration for one of his suits. Once more, it had to be said that there was no need to make it anything but something casual, like the first option, or maybe extravagant, like the second variant. The ectoplasm that comprised his ghost form's clothes could mimic the qualities of the original material, hence the stuffy, barely stretching hazmat. Perhaps he could ask Momo-san, she knew how different materials worked, her Quirk was all about atomic composition from what he had been told. 

 

Unfortunately, his initial plans were not meant to be. He had assured the staff responsible that he would be ready with his renewed equipment by the end of the week. The deadline was tight, but then again, he wasn't actually producing the suits. It appeared that for the first few times he would have to use the sketches of what he had and spend the time materialising it. Perhaps even employing the services of his doppelgänger. What would the second Danny do? The answer was quite simple — he couldn't materialise everything. 

 

When he learned that the school provided for the aspiring heroes and gave them the necessary upgrades free of charge, the halfa was positively ecstatic. This also lead to a number of amused comments from Tsukauchi at the boy's expense. However, it was also no secret that ectoplasmic energy was something relatively unknown, as had already been mentioned. Giran wasn't the only person who had zero clue, for even the technicians at the U.A. were baffled at how to proceed. The only other hero that used ectoplasm was the one under the same moniker. However, he never actually had any upgrades other than his prosthetics. 

 

Thus, only the young Fenton was capable of creating something proper. To that end, once the first school day was over, the halfa split himself in two, each setting out to do their own thing. Mina had volunteered to hit the shops with him, Kirishima, probably understanding where it all could lead, swiftly disagreed. Mina had a tendency to detract from the set course and going on a shopping spree. Both boys had come to learn this during the last few weeks. 

 

Phantom didn't see it as something that bothersome. To be honest, Danny never had a company that was actually interested in that stuff. Sam only occasionally visited her own specific places all alone to quickly fill her wardrobe with something that wasn't pink and glittering. Before her parents did so for her. His Mom... she only had a single item in her wardrobe. Jazz never accompanied him in the first place.

 

In any case, it could come off as impolite to send a duplicate with someone who volunteered to help him, but each of the doppelgängers he produced was as much of Danny as the other. They all shared their consciousness, and if one was disposed of, the other would peacefully exist. It could serve as a get of jail free card. In some cases, said jail was a copious amount of work in need of splitting. 

 

Nonetheless, as one duplicate left the school grounds, the other remained. As he followed the directions given to him beforehand, a box of miscellaneous junk, the very same he had bought from Tinkerer, was in his hands. Tsukauchi had managed to convince the rest of the officers that the evidence like that was no longer needed. They had scanned it for fingerprints and found none. A delicate work. Still, since there was nothing illegal about the box itself, Danny still got his hands on the stuff in the end, when the officer brought the box along and handed it to him.

 

Perhaps it was supposed to be a lesson that abiding the law was going to give him as much as the illegal activity and even more. As Danny approached the U.A.'s Development Studio, he saw a sign hanging from the wall. He was just where he needed to...

 

BOOM!

 

A large explosion resounded across the entire corridor, and the inferno even reached the windows at the opposite end. The scorched blast doors were a sign that they did not serve their purpose well.

 

When the smoke cleared, anyone who would have watched would have also noticed Danny's expression first being nonchalant. Then they would have seen a nostalgic smile creep across the teen's face. 

 

"Ah, home sweet home," he commented, approaching the room and phasing through the small rain the activated sprinklers caused. 

 

Once the smoke cleared, Danny could finally take a look around the workshop. It did remind the teen about his home lab, and it wasn't only because of the explosion. That ever-present metal in every inch of walls and the floor, the smell of oil and aforementioned metal, which actually was not healthy at all. It was hard to say whether or not that place was more or less organised than the one back in Amity. He would say they were just about the same — an absolute junkyard for those who didn't know their way around. 

 

He didn't have much time to ponder, however, because he was immediately jumped by someone. 

 

"Hey there! Have you seen all that firepower!? I have certainly done extraordinarily!" 

 

Danny blinked. Usually he was the one violating everyone's personal space. This time he was at the receiving end. The girl in front of him had shoulder-length pink hair that were tied into braids. Wearing a plain black tank top with workshop coveralls, she was covered in oil stains. She held a maybe too excited of a smile, staring right through the half-ghost with her peculiar yellow eyes that had the irises in the shape of crosshairs.

 

Danny looked back over his shoulder. The window five meters away was still intact.

 

"Hm, there is never enough firepower."

 

"It's all because of the door, I assure you!" 

 

"Hatsume!" 

 

From behind the girl that obscured Phantom's entire front view emerged another person. It was a slim, redheaded man, who was wearing a very strange costume. His entire face was hidden under a helmet that looked like an excavator claws. He also wore gauntlets of an impressive size for how thin and seemingly weak he appeared. Danny couldn't read his face for aforementioned reason, but he sounded quite annoyed. 

 

"How many times will I have to tell you not to test your devices here?!" 

 

"I was checking if the launch mechanism was functional," the girl's excitement was not dying down. 

 

"At. The. Testing Grounds," the man tried to calm himself down, before finally noticing a foreign presence. "Ah, it's you, Fenton. She didn't damage ya, did she?" 

 

"I'm used to the lab explosions," Danny smirked. "And now I know that this is the right place." 

 

He could swear the man sweat dropped. "Alright, I see that we need some ground rules first. As I said, no testing the equipment here, enter the specialised room. Second, feel free to use any instrument around and don't even think of taking them. We good?" 

 

"Oh, are you from the Support course, too? I didn't see ya today!" 

 

Hatsume's voice sounded from the opposite end of the room. She was already near a smoking device, perhaps the cause of the explosion. 

 

"Not exactly. I'm from the Hero course," Danny smiled. "Fenton Daniel. Call me Danny if you like."

 

"Eh?" The girl tilted her head. "Then why are you here?" 

 

"This lad's Quirk is something 'entirely new'," the redhead, a hero named Power Loader huffed. "I'm yet to see something I can't upgrade. But if ya think you can do better, be my guest. I'm waiting for an answer, kid." 

 

"I got it, sir," Danny nodded. "I'll just work in my little corner." 

 

"You two also have five hours. The school clocks in afterwards and I am not leaving you alone in the workshop. But I still have to go to the principal to petition a new door. Don't touch anything of mine, got it?!" The man barked, and after receiving another nod, exited the room. 

 

"I suppose five hours should be enough," Danny mumbled, putting his box on the table. 

 

As he was taking a look around the room, the halfa noticed how advanced the place was. While the Fenton Works was put together by two enthusiasts whose genius was bordering on lunacy, this one just cried 'professional'. There wasn't a single possible instrument he couldn't find, each in pristine condition. They even got 3d-printers, which was quite convenient. There was also some stuff even Danny had no idea about. That world truly was ahead of his in certain areas. From his observations the halfa was interrupted by the metallic sounds behind him. 

 

As he looked back, he saw Hatsume rummaging through his box. 

 

"Hey! That's mine!" 

 

"Oh, don't be so stingy. I was simply curious, is all. I have no idea what baby you gonna make," she rambled excitedly. "Like, what do you need a thermos for?" 

 

Sighing, Danny approached the table, before the green and grey thermos flew into his hand. 

 

"For one, it warms my lunch," he said and set it on the table with a loud clanking sound. "And two, it can... store the energy I use." 

 

It wasn't detached from truth, for his enemies were indeed comprised of ectoplasm, and that was their prison... that actually sounded like a pretty neat concept.

 

"Woah," the girl gasped. "Did you make it?" 

 

"Not really. My parents designed this glorious piece of Fenton genius. They always turned junk into something remotely useful. I just made this whole thing work. But as you can see, it is too bulky. I'd wear this on my belt and it would hamper me too much. That's why I want to reduce its size. With the tech I found around here, it shouldn't be a problem."

 

"How does it work?" 

 

Danny wasn't used to anyone showing any genuine interest in Fenton tech. The Fenton tech he himself modified much less so. 

 

"I charge it with my own ectoplasm by touch, before opening the lid."

 

"Show it!"

 

"And get kicked out on my very first day? I am daring, not stupid."

 

"Oh, big deal," the girl waved her palm and huffed. "That's my first day here, too."

 

"And you already earned Power Loader's spite. Impressive," Danny smirked. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. It doesn't do anything to the environment." 

 

The device in his hand glowed green as he charged the thermos with his energy. Then, as he opened the lid, an enormous beam of white light emerged, making Hatsume jump aside. Loud, whirring noise akin to that of a vacuum cleaner filled everyone's ears. And yet, the thermos's sucking did nothing to the room around, as the only thing it always did was sucking in ectoplasm. After several seconds of usage Danny finally closed the lid and smirked. 

 

"And that's all she wrote." 

 

"Hmm... not to say my babies are anything but ingenious..." the pink-haired girl trailed off. "But this is sure unique! So, you planning on making your every baby energy-dependent on you?"

 

"Yes, and no," Danny dug in his bag. "I actually had prepared something just in case." 

 

As he said this, the teen dumped a couple of medical syringes filled with glowing liquids, blue and green. 

 

"What's this?" Hatsume took one of them and examined. 

 

"This may come off a little macabre... but it's my blood." 

 

The girl carefully put the syringe on the table and inconspicuously pushed it away. 

 

"You are gonna power your upgrades... with your blood?" 

 

The blood of his ghost side, to be precise.

 

"Pretty much. I mean, some of these toys work as restrictors, so they can be fuelled directly. But a single syringe has as much energy as a full tank of a fuel generator. That's how I charge my tools. The green liquid is the one from the vein. The blue came straight from my heart and has much greater potency."

 

"That's..."

 

"I know, pretty messed..."

 

"So cool!" The girl squealed, her mind making a complete 180. "What a potent energy reserve just by your side! My babies can be powered by a nigh infinite source! Can I have some?" 

 

Once again she violated his personal space. 

 

"You... you don't just come up to a guy and ask for his blood!" Danny turned away and blushed. "I'm sure there are maniacs who do just that!"

 

"Oh, alright," Hatsume pouted, hugging a pair of metal boots close. "We can do just fine on our own."

 

Danny looked around once more and noticed something peculiar. "Are there only two of us here?" 

 

"Yep. Our lessons are over, but I really want to finish on some of my little children," she kept rubbing the boots lovingly. 

 

That was some next level dedication Danny was witnessing. It was admirable to an extent. However, the teen couldn't bring himself to like the eccentric girl just because of that. That very dedication to their work made his parents neglectful of what truly mattered. So, he would wait until he could make a proper conclusion. If she was anything like them, they would not be getting along. Until said conclusions were made, he would just sit and work. 

 

Danny first took out the blueprints for his pet projects, eager to advance the ecto-engineering further beyond. He had a lot of sources to derive inspiration from. For one, it was the arsenal in his parents' basement. He knew how they functioned, what they could do, and general idea behind them. Of course, it was the anti-ghost arsenal, for fighting spectres exclusively, so not everything could be adapted. He could encounter ghosts eventually, but the newly labelled project 'Totem' would handle them. 

 

His tools were also another measure that would make sure that brittle human bodies would not be accidentally crushed by his attacks. His experience from the Underground Masquerade showed that he still had to improve in that regard. Some people there were probably crippled for life, their bones shattered and their nerves burned off. So until he learned to properly adjust his power, those tools would come in handy. The other aspect was also being energy-efficient. He had a lot, nobody would doubt that. Enough to fight off robots and perform the rescue for ten whole minutes. But what about an hour? Two? He needed this to cut corners.

 

Another source of inspiration was one of his adversaries — Skulker. He may have been a small, weak, insignificant blob of ectoplasm, but he compensated for it with an enormous arsenal powered by the residual energies of the Ghost world. That made the self-proclaimed number one hunter a strong opponent. Stronger than most. Danny shamelessly ripped a page out of the spectre's book, especially since he was now copying a tech made by a ghost for a ghost. It was more of a lesson on how to better connect everything with a miniature reactor in his chest. 

 

Occasionally Hatsume would peek over and see what the halfa was working on, but she didn't bother him, too absorbed in her own projects. Power Loader was a whole different story. From what Danny could see, the man was initially just pissed off at the pink-haired girl for breaking stuff. Otherwise, he appeared like a very helpful man willing to offer the still amateurish teen some advice. Making devices from scratch instead of repurposing items was an uncharted territory for the halfa. So, he did occasionally cut or zapped himself or was downright wasteful. 

 

The teacher could see that the halfa was gifted in this, nonetheless. After taking a look at the blueprints, he green-lighted the continuation, seeing that it wasn't just some childish fantasy Phantom was pursuing. It was actually well-thought out, so Power Loader was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt when it came to the relatively unknown substance that was ectoplasm. The hero would just add the technical gifts as yet another point on the long list. The teen would save a lot of money down the line, he thought with amusement. He literally was working with a heap of trash, a silly-looking thermos and glowing liquid.

 

---

When Danny finished his work, he was simply itching to give his devices a go. However, as much as he didn't like sending his opponents to hospital, they weren't going to have such a luxury. The Underground Masquerade was going to be a testing grounds for his own control. Lest his unique gadgets gave him away. Phantom had a newfound reputation of an aspiring hero to upkeep. The masks everyone wore at that place were a nice touch that also let the halfa keep some secrets intact. He would also keep the hazmat just for those fights. 

 

A distinct line between Pariah the underground fighter and a noble hero Phantom was going to be drawn. It was yet another reason Danny sought a change of attire. His insignia was probably the biggest giveaway, and yet he was not willing to part with it. Sam created it back in the day, and it had become a part of him. Ironically, what was a flaming letter "D" with "P" inside of it, could be read backwards, and could work for his borrowed moniker as well. Everyone around interpreted his insignia as such, and the local associated it with the name Pariah. 

 

It was yet another one of those moments where the teen had little choice but to wait for his own turn to fight. People weren't in a hurry to approach him, despite the reputation preceding him. Pariah was known as a sensible person who would not kill you for coming up and starting a talk. But he wasn't known to be sociable with the people he obviously thought to be below him. He would probably make several jokes at your expense, but you wouldn't get anything out of him. Danny was somewhat glad to possess such a rep, because it kept most of the visitors away from him. Less attention to his persona outside of the pit, the better. 

 

As the fight was going downstairs, Danny suddenly heard a very familiar voice. 

 

"Hey! If it isn't my most volatile client!" 

 

"Giran," Danny mumbled. Even despite the mask, that man's voice and ridiculous clothes were unmistakable. Sighing, the teen stopped leaning against the railing and looked to his side. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" 

 

"Oh, nothing much, Pariah," the broker spoke the boy's nickname mockingly. He flashed his signature smile that lacked a front tooth and lit a cigarette. "Need some?"

 

"I don't smoke," Danny responded curtly. What did that bastard need from him anyhow?

 

"What, afraid of those ugly pictures they plaster on boxes?" Giran cackled. 

 

"No, my body washes away the toxins."

 

The man took an inhale of the grey fumes, not diverting his gaze from the boy. He had certainly surpassed all the expectations the broker had had for him. The fighters crumbled before the white-haired menace like pistachio shells, while the boy himself remained unscathed. 

 

"You seem to be going up in the world, kid." 

 

Danny glanced at the ceiling. "If being up means still sharing a room with earthworms, then yeah."

 

"Oh, don't be like that," Giran said, leaning backwards against the same railing. "You probably earn more than your average newbie now. In just a month, too."

 

"Not my fault they always think that I'll go down in one blow."

 

"Looking at your body, I can't blame 'em either." 

 

"Using their brains and looking me up is still an option. Crazy idea, right?" Danny crossed his hands. "Why are you here?"

 

"Just came over to say 'hi' for one. We haven't talked since that unfortunate incident."

 

"You mean the same one when you dumped me before the police?" 

 

Giran waved off the boy's anger. "You ended up just fine. I knew you would. The same cannot be said about the poor Tinkerer. It was only a matter of time 'till he got caught. No matter, I got enough suppliers." 

 

"And here it comes," Danny sighed. "Just what is the glorified used car seller about to offer me, I wonder."

 

"Listen, kid. You are probably the only one here fighting without upgrades."

 

"I don't need those anymore. Sorry to rain on your parade," Danny's own mood took a plummet. 

 

"Jeez, at least try to sound interested. I also got something else for ya."

 

"I'm all ears. It's not like you are going to leave," Phantom crossed his hands. 

 

"Right... well, I got contacted by my usual agent, he works for the local boss."

 

Phantom blinked. The identity of the local host was a mystery to everyone. Had Giran actually met him or was it through an extra party? And the broker could see that flash of interest in the boy's toxic green eyes. Giran patted his shoulder.

 

"I heard rumours that the best fighters get summoned by the guy and get well-paying jobs. Those are just rumours. I wouldn't take the invitation to meet him if I were you, though. The people who went there always seemed to stop their careers," Giran whispered. "And I never saw them again."

 

"Why are you telling me this?" Danny asked. 

 

"Initially I just thought that this is what the boss wanted of you. Thought I'd warn you against doing that if you actually get such an offer." 

 

Phantom blinked, and Giran knew exactly why. "I always make sure my clients are safe, kid. It makes sure they come back and earn me the reputation of reliability. This is also why you can be absolutely sure that nobody will know about your identity. I can assure you."

 

Danny's look was still that of suspicion. Giran continued, taking another cigarette.

 

"This job is a whole different story, though. Something that takes over fifty other people. That's how many were already recruited. The pay is good, the heavy lifting will be done by others. You should take it."

 

"What sort of a raid?" Asked Phantom.

 

"They didn't even tell me. That's a new one, and to be frank, I am quite annoyed by that. My job is knowing everything."

 

"You ain't Stopwatch," Danny rolled his eyes. 

 

"Who?"

 

"The one who really knows everything. Even the colour of your underwear. Almost killed me at one point because he saw the future where I destroy the world and kill every living being on Earth," Danny sighed. "Honestly, if he hadn't interfered, that future wouldn't have been a possibility at all." 

 

"Okay, roll back a little. How were you even going to pull that off?"

 

"Simple, really. I'm the strongest guy around," Danny gave a cold, toothy smile. Giran could swear the boy's teeth were sharper than normal. "It still would take a decade. I don't care if you believe me or not. It would take a mind-breaking trauma to change anything. I'm not interested, Giran. Plain and simple."

 

"I figured you would say that."

 

Giran was the only person in that entire arena who saw through the kid's upfront. From all the damage he had caused to his opponents, everyone tended to believe that Pariah was a merciless beast. His constant jabs, mocking comments and parts of appearance, such as sharp teeth and echoing voice were a cherry on top. Pariah was perceived as someone who would take a job Giran was offering. But the broker never had any optimism in that guy. Well, as long as the job involved some serious shit. The kid could compromise on the law as long as it was nothing too major. 

 

"Huh?"

 

"You are vigilante at most, kid. That's what caught me by surprise when you mentioned 'destroying the world' part. You aren't a villain material at all."

 

"Don't say it like that's a compliment," muttered Danny. "I told you, I don't want anything to do with a bunch of cutthroats who barely know how to read."

 

"But villainy isn't solely about that nowadays." Giran huffed. "Going against heroes and what they stand for is more than enough. Or what, you think the dwellers of Ivory towers are perfect?"

 

"Hardly," the teen commented. "Tune down the bravado, it doesn't suit you. But I'm sick of the constant control they want to impose. I can't even fly legally. People are forced to shun down what makes them unique, instead of using those Quirks to benefit humanity, the most it has come to was a bunch of guys dressing up in tight outfits and keeping order. This is just another extreme that I do not favour. But if the opposite is chaos, I'd always stand by them. And so far, that's all I see to their opposition."

 

"You'll back them even if they lock you up?" Giran raised an eyebrow. 

 

"Until they do so."

 

Danny got several new friends and acquittances. Almost each of them showed him trust and respect he had longed for. To turn his back of them now, at the eve of his brighter future, would be a travesty. It would be illogical, ungrateful, and outright vile. Some thought of him as a ticking bomb, a creature that was waiting to show its claws and fangs and rip everyone apart. That's what his parents deemed him to be, that's what the highest authorities of the Infinite Realms thought of him. Danny would not play into their hands by betraying everything his friends stood for. And what he himself believed. Even if the views clashed more than once.

 

"But even if they do lock me up, which is still a prospect as unlikely as you not getting a lung cancer, it won't be the first breakout to my memory. Last time I just walked out."

 

Giran sighed. "Jeez, you got imprisoned already?"

 

"Yep. Started a riot on my first day."

 

"So our little saint got his red horns, eh?" Giran chuckled. "Alright. Don't wanna get all philosophical 'ere. But I couldn't help but notice... you still seem more upbeat than the last time I saw you." 

 

"How did you manage to point that out?" Danny asked incredulously. He had been nothing but cold to the sleazy broker. And then he sighed. "I found some new meanings, is all. A proper house, a proper goal. So..." Danny shrugged. "I have my reasons to be optimistic."

 

Then, an idea struck the half-ghost. 

 

"I'll think about your offer, Giran. Least I can do is to hear them out. I can always say no."

---

The U.A. was, to nobody's surprise, a school. It was a place where heroes were made, certainly, but the hopeful teenagers were just that at the moment. They still had their normal classes to take, and after a wild welcoming party Aizawa had thrown, note the sarcasm, Danny was a bit disappointed at how... casual the education at that school was half the time.

 

The classes were organised in a way that put a distinctive wedge between the standard education and the hero courses. The tool was rudimentary, because all it came down to was a lunch break. Thus, before said hour the students would study math or languages, while the hours after would be spent polishing their skills with their Quirks. 

 

Danny was a bit bored at the prospect of having to go through the same stuff in some areas. He wasn't a freshman, for goodness sake. However, to be brutally honest, he had missed on half of what Casper High taught their students. All that time had been spent on fighting ghostly intruders. And what little was actually taught to him was eons behind what the locals were accustomed to. Thus, there was its own set of challenges to endure. And with the absence of constant ghost attacks, Phantom was dead set on not falling behind in his studies. Pun intended. 

 

Perhaps English was the subject he excelled at the most. It wasn't like the subject Mr. Lancer had taught. The locals were the Japanese, so they studied his home tongue was a foreign language. By design the material was simpler, and thus Danny was obviously ahead of everyone. Present Mic taught the subject, and the halfa was actually surprised that the heroes did that, too. He had thought that they would only teach the hero stuff. Well, it didn't really matter, as well as the occasional curious glances Mic spared the teen, thinking he wouldn't notice. 

 

What happened after the class was somewhat expected. 

 

"Danny-kuun," Mina begged while clasping her hands. "Could you please aid me in my struggle?" 

 

"I...ehm," Danny looked around, unused to being asked to actually tutor somebody. "It's only the first class, Mina. It can't be that bad."

 

"Oh right!" Toru Hagakure, an ever-invisible girl said. "You are an American, aren't you, Fenton-san?" 

 

"What gave it away?" Danny asked, tilting his head. "The name? The looks? Me always forgetting the honourifics?"

 

"Certainly not the language," Said a guy with short blond hair and a huge tail. Ojiro, if Danny recalled correctly. "Your Japanese is impeccable. You can't even hear the accent."

 

"Thank you," the halfa said and nodded. 

 

"If that's the case..." Kirishima butted in, before assuming a praying pose. "Aid me in the future, too, Fenton-san!" 

 

Danny was now beginning to violently blush. This was getting embarrassing. 

 

"I was actually wondering about this since we met," Mina said longingly. "How come that you study here? America has some cool schools, too."

 

"My guardian lives here, so," Danny shrugged. "Didn't want to bother when there is already one famous school around the corner. I'll try to help, guys, but don't expect much. I know this stuff only because my family speaks it. I don't know the 'hows' and 'whys'." 

 

"Oh, don't be so shy, man," Kirishima wrapped the smaller teen in a tight one-armed hug. "You are probs smarter than me."

 

"Is this supposed to be a compliment?" Danny raised an eyebrow. 

 

"Hey, anyone smart enough to make themselves a support device is smarter in my books. Totally manly stuff." 

 

"Wow! You actually made yourself an upgrade, Fenton-san?" The bubbly girl Hagakure asked, clearly impressed. 

 

"It still needs some tuning," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm still new to this. This is my first project that I've done from scratch."

 

When the lunch break started, the teen didn't waste any time. The school had a thing about running in the corridors, but nobody said anything about going through walls and floors to make a straight beeline to the cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, he was among the first people to actually make it. No waiting in line for him, it was sweet to harmlessly abuse his powers just a little bit. Danny shook off the memories of one particular ghost from back home.

 

The guy in charge of the cafeteria could only be described as a living meat grinder. The mutations caused by Quirks were truly something odd. Nonetheless, the man was awfully cheerful and extremely proficient at what he was doing. The man could quickly serve the students and cook new batches of food in the meantime. 

 

And what a food it was. Danny was delighted to see a myriad of different meals, all at a dirt cheap price. Compared to the sludge Casper High served, this was a Michelin restaurant. Phantom's tray was ready to snap under the weight of everything the teen had taken, but he just couldn't help it. Stuffing himself with food was the only way for him to produce energy. And god knows that after the last day he needed that charge. 

 

Granted, he missed the vein-clogging foods of his homeland, but the local dishes, especially made by Lunch Rush of all the people sold him on the idea of dining like the Japanese would. Finding himself an empty table, the teen dug in, only now seeing his classmates slowly pour inside the large hall. The reactions of his friends to his assortment of foods were priceless. 

 

"Gee, Danny-san, ain't this a bit too much?" Kirishima asked, baffled both by the mountain of empty dishes and the amount of those that remained. 

 

"Whu?" Danny asked through his stuffed mouth, before gulping everything down. "I'm a growing kid. I haven't eaten like that in ages."

 

"What about your home?" Inquired Mina. 

 

"Tsukauchi would be bankrupt if I ate the way I do now," Danny laughed. "I found a gold mine."

 

"Won't you run out of time if you keep eating?" 

 

"Oh, shit!" Danny exclaimed. "You are right."

 

Danny moved the tray aside, to the still empty spot on the table, before digging in his bag. Then, he fished out a couple of white velvet gloves with metal contraptions atop of them. 

 

"What's that?" Kirishima curiously looked at the device, while Mina moved her tray further.

 

"Hey! I didn't mean that you do it at the table!" She exclaimed. 

 

"Too late," Danny smirked. 

 

It was an amusing sight for his friends to see Phantom at work. The halfa got stung by an occasional zap and each time he was over the top pissed. Seeing their most powerful classmate so frustrated by such a little thing was a juxtaposition, and was a reason for several laughs. 

 

"Ouch!" Danny yelped after another zap of green electricity. "You heap of junk!" He exclaimed in English. 

 

"Are you sure the tool would work?" Asked Mina in concern. "It doesn't look ready." 

 

"Ya think?" Danny asked. "No, I think I saw a loose wire. It must be the source of the problem. Lemme just..." the telekinesis tied two loose wire ends and pulled the protective coating over them. "Here! Done." He declared triumphantly. "What have I done? Hell knows."

 

"Come on, turn it on!" Kirishima said. 

 

"Eh... whether it works or not," Danny put the gloves aside. "It's gonna end in the lunch being ruined. So I'll just take my chances later." 

 

Finally distracted from attention-demanding activity, Danny was open to conversation. And there was something Mina was dying to know.

 

"So...Danny-kun, you already visited the workshop, right?"

 

"Yep."

 

"Have you seen our costumes yes?"

 

"I've seen Power Loader work on a couple," Danny said while chewing on the rice. "Can't say whose."

 

"Aww... I really want to see them. I put my heart into the design, too," Mina said proudly. 

 

"I can imagine," Phantom smiled. "It's probably gonna be quite outlandish." 

 

"Hey! We picked out your clothes just fine!" 

 

"And I appreciate it. Doesn't change the fact that I will make certain additions in the future. I liked the design, but the colours," the teen shuddered. "It was like someone ate the rainbow and then regurgitated it on the floor." 

 

"Rude," Mina huffed. "Next time you will need to find yourself another girl to help out. Although I admit, red and purple don't go very well."

 

"Exactly my point. I'll just stick with my usual black and white. Maybe silver," Danny said and sipped from his soda can.

 

---

 

"...So, here I was, going for an S rank on mission 10," the electricity-using teen Kaminari was divulging a story to a small group of boys around him. 

 

"Good luck with that," said Sero, a boy with an ability to shoot tapes. "I mean, that level is outright broken."

 

"Why so?" Asked Danny, tilting his head. Even though he was lazily floating upside down. 

 

"You see, Fenton-san, to get an S rank, the only legit way is to avoid being hit altogether," Kaminari explained sagely. "Because the level throws the most piss-off enemies that mess up all your combos. The bonus for not getting hit can help ya. That's what messed up everything. The boss just hits me out of nowhere and ruins everything!" The teen shouted in frustration. 

 

"The end of the story was telegraphed to be honest," Danny deadpanned. 

 

"I know, right?" Sero laughed. 

 

"Don't poke fun at my misery," moaned Kaminari, hitting his head on the desk. "I'm never getting that achievement." 

 

"There should be a very mean joke, but I'll restrain myself," the halfa commented and made an air flip. 

 

"Don't look down on me just 'cause of that, man."

 

"I'm literally above you," Danny grinned. 

 

"That was a low joke."

 

"As a matter of fact, I'm pretty HIGH."

 

Now Phantom was just messing with him. With his horrible and purposefully misplaced puns.

 

"Get down already!" Kaminari got up and tried to grab the laughing halfa. But Danny just ascended out of the boy's reach.

 

The whole scene made people around laugh at the blonde's unfortunate attempts. The interruption of said scene came in the form of their newest teacher.

 

"I AM COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

 

The booming yell of the number one hero could only be rivalled in excitement by the multiple gasps from the students. All Might barged inside the room, the ever-present wide smile of his still in place. 

 

"Woah! He really is our teacher!" Said Kirishima as Danny lazily floated past him and to his seat. 

 

"That's a costume from his Silver Age, isn't it?" Asked Asui who was sitting near the redhead. 

 

Now that she mentioned it, Danny noticed that the hero's suit was a tad bit different from what he had seen on TV.

 

"I teach Hero Basic Training," All Might began his explanation upon standing near the teacher's desk. "It is a course where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero! This subject is also the most essential one! If you wish to raise your credit, this place is your biggest chance!" 

 

Danny was unsure about how this subject was different from the one Aizawa taught, but to be fair the latter probably didn't host physical tests each time. But he still could feel the excitement bubbling in his chest. Perhaps it was the unmatched jolly radiance of the hero, but Phantom expected something very interesting. As the hero flexed his cannon-sized muscles, All Might continued.

 

"We have no time to waste! Let's get right into it, that's what we will do today!" He raised his hand into the air, holding a large card with words 'BATTLE' written on it in English. "Combat Training!" 

 

Danny couldn't stop a smirk from crawling up his face. When it came to combat with no extra stipulations, he most obviously excelled. 

 

"And to go with that..." All Might made a dramatic pause. "Are these!"

 

From the walls to his right emerged several shelves, and on them were several numbered cases. The thrill in the air was almost solid to the touch.

 

"These suits have been prepared based on your Quirk registry and with your own requests in mind. They are yours, after all," All Might laughed. "After you change, meet me at ground Beta! And thus I depart!"

 

After the announcement, All Might bolted out of the room with all of his famed speed. The kids didn't waste any time, going up to grab their suitcases.

 

Cue to the changing rooms, with the students changing into their outfits. Once again, Danny was hanging under the ceiling, not bothering anyone. It was always nice to have a suit on the go. From his biscuit-munching break the halfa was interrupted by a call from below. 

 

"Fenton-san!" 

 

Danny stopped eating and looked down, seeing that Mineta and Kaminari obviously wanted something from him. The halfa got down on the ground.

 

"Yeah? You need something, guys?"

 

"Fenton-san, you can turn invisible, right?" Asked Kaminari with all seriousness.

 

"Yep."

 

"Go through walls too, yes?" Mineta inquired. 

 

"Guilty."

 

"Then it wouldn't really be a bother for you to take a photo when you go through this wall?" Kaminari pointed to their right. Immediately Danny realised what was going on. 

 

"Girls' changing room is there," he said.

 

"Exactly," Mineta nudged the halfa's belt. "Nobody will notice. And you will do a great service to your classmates." 

 

"You shouldn't indulge their carnal desires," said Tokoyami, a boy with a raven's head. Before passing them by. 

 

"Nobody asked you!" Mineta exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger. "What say you, Fenton-san?"

 

"I'm quite past the peeping Tom phase," Phantom rolled his ice-blue eyes. "One time being found out will be enough for them to fear my presence till the end." 

 

"Wait..." said Kaminari suspiciously. "Does that mean that you DID peep?" 

 

Danny avoided their gaze. "Power always breeds temptation," he whispered. 

 

"Alright ya two, don't embarrass our spook," said Kirishima and grabbed the smaller teen in a one-armed hug. Danny felt thankful for being rescued.

 

Then he took a look at Kirishima's getup. The costume was leaving the area above the belt bare, safe for metal gear-shaped shoulder pads. Over his face teen wore a guard that was made out of thick wires of metal. Below the belt with a red letter 'R' plastered on it, Kirishima was wearing baggy pants and half-cape that appeared torn, as well as crimson combat boots. His overall appearance made him appear ferocious, which contrasted with his current mood.

 

"Wow, they really gave it their all," Danny commented. 

 

"I know, right?" Kirishima gave a toothy grin, before hardening his chest. "They really nailed the look I was going for. I'm already feeling like I can break concrete. I mean, I already can. But ya get the idea." 

 

"I suppose," Danny smirked. 

 

"Anyway, aren't ya gonna change, Fenton-san?" Asked Kirishima, releasing Danny from his grip. 

 

"I was thinking of making some final additions to my suit. I also wondered if my toys can stay with me when I transform, I put my ectoplasm there for a reason..."

 

Phantom raised his arm, before the pair of gloves flew into his hands. They did look quite barebones now that he thought about it. Hopefully they worked. 

 

"Alright, won't know unless I try. Here goes."

 

The entire room was basked in the light of his transformation rings. When they passed, and Danny assumed his spectral persona, he was there with a new costume. It was a very pompous-looking princely outfit of pure white, with silver buttons and pitch black underneath and tall collar that almost reached the teen's chin. The halfa now also wore black pants and white boots that saw relatively little change. There were even silver epaulettes on his shoulders, and his insignia on the left part of his chest, made of silvery metal as well.

 

Looking at his hands, Danny saw that the gloves remained. And their velvet material was there for a reason — to fit in with the rest of his new costume.

 

"Exhibit A," Phantom said proudly. "The outfit worthy of a prince. A light sacrifice of agility for stylish looks AND protection." 

 

Danny drummed on his belt, making a light metallic sound, signalling about the layer of protection underneath.

 

"Ha, looking good, Magical girl!" Bakugo barked a laugh and exited the room. 

 

"Give it to Number two to ruin the mood," Danny mumbled grumpily. "I also have a second variant I tried with Mina, but it needs some work."

 

"Hm... won't it get stuffy in that thing?" Kaminari asked. 

 

"I thought about it for a while, but then Todoroki's performance during the yesterday test gave me an idea. I have the means to cool myself off."

 

Todoroki himself in the meantime spared the teen a quiet glance, confused as to how exactly his classmate got the idea from observations alone.

 

"And I am just dying to test it all out," Danny grinned.

 

"Back with horrible puns again?" Kaminari sweatdropped.

 

"It WAS a good one!"

Chapter 10

"YOU ALL LOOK SO COOL!" 

 

The bellowing, excited shout of All Might was enough to snap even the dead into action. The students of Class A much more so. They had made their way towards the ground Beta, just as they had been instructed. It appeared to be a cityscape again. When All Might had said that the students would be going through a combat trial, it could have entailed a lot of things. The word 'Battle' was too broad. For all the students knew, it could be a fight against murder-bots again. However, it was logically impractical at that stage, and All Might, for all his lacklustre experience as a teacher, knew it perfectly. 

 

Even the greatest hero, the symbol of peace, was not immune to challenges and concerns. It was true that he had never been a teacher before. Looking back at his trainings with young Midoriya, they were a treasure cove of experience when it came to being a mentor. However, almost all they had been doing so far were normal physical exercises. So, it did nothing to alleviate the nervousness hidden beneath the shining smile. What did help him, and gave the teacher some confidence, was a look over the future generation of heroes. Clad in their state of the art costumes, they all served as a source of inspiration for him. Not that he would be telling this to them so openly.

 

Not to say that the hero wasn't biased. In a good-natured sort of way. Of course, while every student was going to get his attention, he was most interested to see his protégé. And upon finding him in the crowd of excited students, the hero could not resist a snort of laughter that he immediately extinguished. To say that the homage to All Might's own costume went unnoticed not just by the hero himself but Midoriya's classmates was to say nothing. All Might still was touched by the green-haired student's choice of attire. 

 

He gave everyone another once-over, counting the heads in case someone was still catching up. His eyes soon landed on the charge of his very close friend. It was his second time seeing the boy in person, the first being when the hero watched how the students were going through Aizawa-san's test. All Might was also surprised with the attire the teen picked that simply screamed flamboyance and pride in his ability. Young Fenton was indeed strong, but it was still a strange pick for a boy who had been found homeless just a month ago. But if that's how he wished to be remembered, it was his choice, just like every other student's. 

 

Each of them was unique, each represented and stood for something. And it was something All Might felt like he should remind the kids of. 

 

"They say the clothes make fine men, young men and ladies! Be fully aware that from now on... you are heroes!" He happily announced, booming as ever. "Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"

 

The first among the students who spoke up was the ever-inquisitive Iida, clad in a suit that was an intriguing mix of a medieval armour and a biker outfit.

 

"Sir!" He immediately raised a hand, wishing to get an answer to the question he had been having for a while. "This is a battle centre from the Entrance exam. Are we going to conduct mock cityscape manoeuvres once more?"

 

"On the contrary! We are moving to the second step of your training!" Responded All Might, "While it is a common conception that most fights against villains take place outside, in reality, the highest number of most atrocious criminals are lurking indoors. House arrests, abductions, backroom deals — in this society, where heroes are always ready to step in, truly intelligent criminals always hide in the shadows!"

 

Danny inaudibly snorted. For some reason his adversaries chose to be pretty vocal about where they were. That was quite a change of pace. And something he didn't have much experience of, so said change was quite welcomed. 

 

"This is why we will do this," All Might continued, "For this class you'll be split into teams of heroes and villains, in order to fight 2-on-2 indoor battles!" 

 

"But All Might-san," Tsu called out. "We haven't had the basic training just yet."

 

"This is a battle as close to reality as we can afford now! These are the basics that you will be learning here! However, you can see the difference now, don't you? This time you won't be fighting robots that you can destroy to pieces."

 

"But how will wins and losses be determined?" Asked Yaoyorozu. 

 

"Can we beat 'em up anyway?" Bakugo demanded to know

 

"Will the punishment be expulsion?" The timid Uraraka wanted to know.

 

"How will the teams be split?" Inquired Iida. 

 

"Isn't my cape amazing?" Asked a blond in a shiny armour whose name Danny couldn't remember.

 

The torrent of questions obviously caught the hero off-guard, as his "I'll answer all your questions," came a bit too forced. "But no, no expulsions will come, and your cape is cool, young Aoyama! As for the rest, listen up."

 

To see the hulking giant of a man and a number one hero look into a tiny notepad was something that made Danny snicker quietly. 

 

"The legend for these mock manoeuvres goes like this: the villains have come into possession of nuclear weapon, having hidden it inside the building."

 

"How easy is it to smuggle a nuke through a city?" Danny quietly mumbled to Kirishima.

 

"It suddenly got too stuffy here," Kirishima mockingly pulled his nonexistent collar and smirked. 

 

"Hush, you two," Yaoyorozu whispered sternly.

 

"And it is the heroes' job to retrieve the weapon! Thus, the prerequisites for heroes' victory goes like this: you must either catch the villains or get a hold of the nuclear arm in the alotted time. Consequently, the job of the villains is to protect the weapon until the timer runs out! Or, of course, capture the heroes. We will decide on the composition of the teams like this!"

 

At that moment the hero pulled out a ballot box, seemingly out of nowhere. 

 

"Are we deciding this in such haphazard manner?" Asked Iida.

 

"Life tends to do that, man," Danny put in and tilted his stark-haired head lazily. "You don't get a choice most of the time."

 

"That's right," Midoriya added excitedly, "Pro-heroes often team-up with heroes from other agencies."

 

"I see," said Iida as the realisation hit him. "This is a very foresighted decision then. Forgive my rudeness!"

 

"That is quite alright! Now, let us sort the teams quickly!" 

 

The first came team A. Per chance, Midoriya and Uraraka were assigned to it, which seemed quite fortunate. The two had hit it off from the seems, so the knowledgeable students could see the potential of that combination. 

 

Next came team B, comprised of Todoroki, whose costume was largely freezing his entire left half, and one of the more outlandishly looking students of their class — Shoji — a tall, six-armed teen who always wore a mask over the lower half of his face. Considering that he spoke with mouths that appeared on his arms, there could be nothing under it. Nonetheless, they combined a recommendation student and one of the second strongest one physically wise. And after just a couple of drawn lots, being assigned to team C, Danny looked down on his teammate. He was not feeling optimistic about that one.

 

---

 

Eventually, Danny found himself in a situation where he watched several screens alongside most of his classmates, with four of them being the subject of observation. Namely, those were Midoriya, Uraraka, Bakugo and Iida. The halfa had many of his suspicions about Bakugo confirmed. He really did have a bone to pick with the green-haired nerd, and once again that anger appeared one-sided. That guy appeared to be hellbent on making some enemies. 

 

It could be read from the way Bakugo went about the competition. The blonde immediately went rogue and after Midoriya alone. It wasn't because of some detailed plan he and Iida had concocted. Even if he was smart enough for complex schemes, Bakugo was not a team player. Far from it, but the half ghost expected nothing less. Bakugo was pushed towards this by his gargantuan pride alone, as he abandoned all sense of reason. His actions led to Uraraka being completely free to go after the target, turning the whole competition into two 1 on 1 fights. 

 

It didn't help that they fought in close quarters. The damages caused by his already powerful Quirk were multiplied by both the environment, and the grenade-looking gauntlets he wore. He kept viciously coming after Midoriya, and the latter was holding far better than Danny had expected from someone he had assumed to be a glass cannon. Well, he largely was, but the current examinee was also being smart about the fighting. Bakugo's arrogance played to his advantage for quite some time.

 

In two words, Danny was impressed by how the fight was going, for all the flaws his fellow students were showing. Midoriya was unable to properly use his power, yet he managed to overpower Bakugo by simply reading everything the blonde was about to do. The teen with explosives was going in headfirst, severely underestimating his opponent, but in terms of sheer power he was at the top in this fight. 

 

Not to say that the other two had nothing interesting to display, but it was largely a back and forth. Uraraka may have had her gravity-defying power, but when your opponent can run at the speed of a motorcycle, you always would be at a large disadvantage. Especially since Iida purposefully avoided the combat altogether, focused on fulfilling his task above everything. A wise strategy. Uraraka was all about getting close and using her power, keeping distance rendered her effectively helpless. And Iida's clumsy attempts at adopting the villainous mindset were amusing to watch. 

 

However, going back to the fight between Midoriya and Bakugo, very soon it wasn't looking good for the former. The green-haired teen could trick his opponent once, but Bakugo wasn't stupid. He learned and adapted, and Midoriya could no longer rely on the blonde's predictability. And it showed in a very gruesome manner, for Bakugo wasn't holding back in the least. He kept blowing a wall after a wall, and the destruction to the building AND Midoriya caused a lot of stir in the crowd. 

 

"This is not a fight anymore!" Mina exclaimed. "It's a straight up lynching! He could have used the tape and captured him already!"

 

"Those are actions unbecoming of a hero," added Tokoyami. 

 

"But you have to admit," Danny crossed his hands. "Bakugo sure nailed the villain act. The reckless trigger-happy one. Midoriya couldn't face a better opponent in this regard."

 

Was he appalled by the scene? Not yet. His first real fight was against two gigantic ectoplasmic octopuses that just kept coming back for more. Even the suckers on their tentacles had teeth. It was a macabre sight indeed. It was painful, he was ripped and bitten more times than he dared to count, but he just barely managed to shove them back into the portal they came from. Before even more ghosts came out that night. So, the metaphorical baptism by fire was bound to happen to everyone present. Midoriya was getting the luxury of the controlled environment at the very least. 

 

"But at this rate, Bakugo is going to kill him!"

 

"No, he is not. Number two is one giant ball of anger, but he ain't a murderer," Danny made a conclusion. "Think of it as a lesson of method acting, but kinda backwards. He behaves like a proper villain, it will give Midoriya the much needed experience. And our goldilocks as well. He will know how villains behave because he did that very same thing."

 

"So... you are saying that his act is exaggerated?" Mina asked, causing her friend to guffaw.

 

"Of course not. He is just being an asshole again," responded Danny. "Wish I could hear what they are saying, though. It must be a delightful and heart-wrenching recollection of their common past," he said sarcastically.

 

"You still jest in a situation like this," Tokoyami said. 

 

"Someone has to be your little ray of sunshine," Danny shrugged. "It's not like I want him to get a beating, I care about him as much as the next guy. All I am saying is, it will probably hurt them both much more if you stop it right now. They both are dead set to win. And if you don't let them sort some of their shit out there, it's gonna come bite them later." 

 

"What? That how you solved issues in your family?" Asked Kaminari sarcastically.

 

"Me and my sister nearly killed each other once at my godfather's behest, actually," Danny genuinely seemed to think about it. "We get along splendidly now. Your point, Sparky?"

 

All Might, shaken by the dilemma of whether or not to allow the continued mutilation of his protégé, spared the halfa a glance, yet did not berate the teen for his naughty words. Yes, in a chorus of outrage and concern the usually friendly and caring teen suddenly displayed what appeared as pure cynicism. And it did stun even his friends. All Might could clearly see that that boy's experience went beyond the boundaries of a school. He was correct to an extent, and All Might didn't want to stop it for the same reasons young Fenton was voicing, but to push it this far still was never the intention. 

 

More and more the fight between them resembled a real fight to the death, everyone could see that. Midoriya's costume was damaged and his mask was gone, as the battle between them persisted. At that situation, it appeared that the green-haired student had decided that the best possible choice in that situation was to run, and everyone could only wonder if he had a plan or it was a simple, most logical attempt to evade further beating. And looking at how he couldn't properly stand and resorted to going on all fours from time to time, was a sorry sight to see.

 

"Running away is not a manly thing to do," Kirishima said. "But I don't see any other option..."

 

All Might decided to finally intervene, turning on his earpiece. "Young Bakugo. If you resort to such powerful attack again, your team will be disqualified! Demolishing the hideout is a foolish action for both heroes and villains!" 

 

And Bakugo was visibly displeased with the fact. Still, it wasn't going to be an issue for him. He would beat that upstart nerd still. Deku thought that he could look down on him, and Bakugo hated it. The blonde hated him. His yells of anger were reciprocated by Midoriya. The nerd denied that that's how he felt, his stupid look evoking even more anger within the explosion-wielding Bakugo.

 

The air grew thick with tension, as he readied his fist that was cracking with power. Midoriya assumed a proper stance for a strike, too. Danny recognised that atmosphere. It came about during times when both sides were mustering the power for a blow that could become final. Midoriya was about to use his Quirk, and for him, it really could be a last-ditch effort. Even those who were unaware, not even hearing what the two students were yelling at each other, could sense that something was coming. Perhaps it was for the best that the conversations between the students were limited to the teacher alone — the one who was fully invested in what was going on in young Midoriya's life. 

 

Bakugo had jumped into his own conclusions, clouded by his own anger, pride, frustration and confusion. He was still to fully accept the fact that the subject of his bullying was now in possession of a powerful Quirk. He felt like he had been lied to for years, and now was venting out in the only way he knew — by lashing out at things or people that made him feel that way. Unfortunately, that person was very much alive and could sustain heavy injuries, and bring about just as much if his power remained unchecked. 

 

"Sensei!" Kirishima exclaimed and snapped All Might of his painful consideration. "This looks bad!" 

 

The two teens lunged at each other, each about to use a devastating attack on their opponent. It had to stop. 

 

"Both of you!" All Might said into his mic, "Sto..."

 

"Now, Uraraka!" He could hear Midoriya's sudden shout. 

 

The hero's eyes immediately darted towards the screen that showed the second group, and he, and every other student could see the girl grabbing one of the columns. As well as what happened next. 

 

Midoriya's punch came not at Bakugo. Instead, the boy swung his arm, glowing with the power of One for All, upwards. The strength of the punch was so immense that even the wind it created alone was enough to pierce the ceiling. And it did not just stop there, for the force remained unstoppable, the gust of air broke through the roof of the building, having passed several floors, having shattered every single window and having caused a minor earthquake. The students could only watch in shock and awe at the displayed raw power that the seemingly small boy had harnessed. What followed Midoriya's attack happened extremely quickly.

 

Uraraka leaped into action. The girl used her power to make the column she had been grabbing onto completely weightless, enough to use the stone pillar as a swinging bat. The balls in that improvised attack were pieces of debris flung around by Midoriya's strike. Iida already was not prepared for the ongoing destruction, and with a rain of projectiles forced the surprised boy on the defensive. 

 

Without wasting a second, the auburn-haired girl used her Quirk on herself to jump over the giant hole created by her teammate, floated forward. And just like that, floating over her enemy's head, she held onto a moulage bomb. 

 

"Retrieved!" She exclaimed joyously. 

 

"NO! THE WEAPON!" Iida yelled. 

 

But the students didn't hear him. In fact, it was awfully quiet in the monitor room. 

 

"You go, man!" Danny laughed, before seeing that he was alone in his emotional outburst. "What, not the time?" His shoulders sank. 

 

"Hero team...Hero team wins!" All Might broke everyone's eardrums with his announcement. It was the culmination of the emotional rollercoaster of the last several minutes. 

 

---

 

After the match, Midoriya was going through the procedure that he would probably have the time to get used to. Being sent to a nurse with probably all bones in his right arm shattered, with arm itself being one big bruise. The teen himself was unconscious, so it fell on All Might to deliver the boy to the Infirmary, as well as to gather the other contestants and hold a small lecture in front of every student at once in the monitor room. 

 

"First and foremost, I must say this!" The hero began. "That was an outstanding match! You all have certainly given it your all! However, even if I say this, the absolute best performance was given by none other than young Iida!"

 

A lot of people were surprised by that statement. And perhaps the most shocked person around was Iida himself. 

 

"Isn't this one of the hero team?" Tsu asked in confusion. "They are the winners, is it not, kero?"

 

"Ah, that is indeed unexpected, isn't it?" All Might asked. "Now why indeed? Anyone can guess?"

 

Two hands were raised: and among those were Fenton and Yaoyorozu. All Might was not surprised at all to see those two. 

 

"Alright, young Yaoyorozu, what's your take on this?" 

 

"That is because Iida adapted the most to the course of the training. Bakugo in the meantime seemed to be acting out of a personal grudge. And as you said, sensei, the attacks Bakugo used were too destructive for given conditions."

 

All Might nodded slowly. "You look like you wish to add something, young Fenton. What can you say about the hero team?"

 

The halfa shrugged. "I say that it is because once again Midoriya put all his eggs in one basket and just hoped that the plan would work. If Bakugo was a real villain, he would have finished him right there, and we would have had a dead hero on our hands. I would also add that Midoriya did the same thing Bakugo is being reprimanded for."

 

At this Danny pointed at the monitor that showed a destroyed building. "This does not look like being considerate about close environments either. If the bomb was a real deal, then we would all be radioactive ash by now."

 

"But what about Ochaco-chan?" Asked Hagakure. "She got the bomb, didn't she?"

 

Danny glanced at the anxious gravity-defying girl. She must have been worried about hospitalised Midoriya. "Well, for one, she didn't try to do much. Relying on your teammates is good and all, but you shouldn't just sit and wait until someone conjures a plan. That's what gets both sides injured. I also think that bat strike was too reckless. Same deal as with the guy currently absent. Bombs don't take kindly to being assaulted with fast projectiles, either. Hell, if even a sauce can blow up, I wouldn't put it past them."

 

He noticed the confused expressions. "Nevermind that one," Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. 

 

All Might sweatdropped. The kid was every bit as experienced as expected. It was way more than he had expected to hear from both of the recommendation student and a former vigilante. 

 

"I would like to add something to Iida's case," said Yaoyorozu. "What I meant was the fact that Iida was ready for his opponents and chose a correct tactic of keeping the weapon safe."

 

"Yep," Danny gave a thumbs up and smirked. "Nice going out there. I don't mean to insult anyone, but the hero team won because they took advantage of the limits the training gave. In a real engagement, these tricks would not have worked against Iida's meticulousness and Bakugo's destructive potential." 

 

Iida appeared to be on the verge of happy tears.

 

"Well..." All Might found himself at a loss for words. "I say that Iida could be more relaxed, but... yes, that pretty much sums it up."

 

"We should always start with the basics to develop depth of learning. We must strive to improve ourselves wholeheartedly. Otherwise, we cannot become top heroes," Yaoyorozu declared. 

 

'Sheesh, loosen up a bit, girl,' Danny thought.

 

The second match soon rolled about, and the alphabetical order demanded that next game would be between team B and the ones the random poll picked as their opponent. And per chance, the second ball All Might had pulled out of the box had a shining letter 'C' on it. Phantom blinked in realisation that it was the letter of his team. And just like this, the halfa looked down on his teammate.

 

"Looks like we are in this together, eh, Fenton-san?" Asked Mineta.

 

"Yeah," Danny gave a small smile. "Let's give it our all."

 

While he didn't want to say it out loud, nor would he neglect his companion, there was no denying the fact. Midoriya might have been the weakest without his Quirk, but this guy had his and was still second last. An interesting, balanced combination if one were to look at the starting data. Although not when pitied against Shoji and Todoroki. It was obvious to everyone that Phantom would have to give it his all and Mineta would have to play his cards smart. Both Todoroki and Shoji also knew that their prime opponent was far from a pushover. 

 

All Might himself wished to know what all the fuss was about. 

 

Mineta was simply happy to get the number one student as his teammate. That way he had his hopes pretty high up. Although he still would have preferred a girl as a teammate. Yaoyorozu's outfit, with a lot of exposed skin was certainly something to behold...

 

And Danny could just see that the guy was not focused at all. He hadn't forgotten the entrance exam and seeing Mineta's performance.

 

Both teams were told to assume their positions in a new building, for the last one remained destroyed. At the top floor of the building, both Danny and Mineta examined the faux bomb, the former's head buzzing with the sound of grinding gears. They needed a plan to work out, and the small kid was more vocal about it. 

 

"So, do you have any idea, Fenton-san?" He asked. 

 

"Hmm... I just realised I don't know much about your Quirk. Is there something to the balls you make? The amount, the size?" 

 

"The size is about the same always," he explained, ripping out one such ball, before another one popped up on his scalp. "I can make a lot of them, but if I make too many too quickly, I'll get a blood loss. They stick to everything but me."

 

"I see... We will have to use them carefully. I say that you stay behind and guard the bomb." 

 

"No objections here," Mineta responded. "I... am not very good in a fight."

 

"Everyone has their uses," Danny smiled and shrugged. "The thing is to let them play out their strongest aspects. My sister was a lousy shooter, but I keep the files on villains she so carefully created. So, how will you chip in?"

 

"I... I can make traps. We are on the defensive now, so it's only right."

 

"Yes, I'll scout ahead and find some good locations. Take a look around in the meantime. If you do, you will already be one step ahead of 'em. This is a whole new building. Make sure to use this knowledge."

 

After saying his part, Phantom sunk into the floor. 

 

'Yeah', Mineta remembered. The guy could do that too. Such a marvellous power and he wasn't using its greatest potential. The injustice almost made Mineta shed a tear of mental anguish. But his teammate was right. This was a training. His opponents were not Bakugo, and his companion was a jack of all trades. There was no reason for him to be afraid. He had to do something on his own. 

 

Maybe the ladies would notice that. That would definitely make everything worth it. 

 

The first thing Phantom noted when flying around the building was that the staircases made little sense, architecture-wise. Each staircase only led to the next floor, and to traverse further one had to find another flight of stairs somewhere else. Not very good in case of fire hazards, but then again, nobody even used this fake city as anything but an obstacle course to be demolished over and over again. The design choice also served as an obstacle for heroes, lest they climbed to the top floor in a matter of seconds. 

 

It was a blessing for the defending team. All they had to do was to utilise the advantage.

 

'That's right, Fenton,' he thought and rubbed his temples with both hands, 'Time to use both of your remaining braincells'. 

 

He still had to keep in mind that super-powered individuals rarely used stairs. Phantom would have to anticipate what his opponents had in store for him. So many factors, it made the halfa visibly excited. This was his villain hideout, so let it be the death trap for unfortunate heroes who happened to come by. At this thought, Phantom smirked. He was going to enjoy this.

 

Meanwhile, the hero team as well was considering their tactics for the match. Neither of the students had illusions that the match was going to be a cakewalk. Fenton was a top student, with a completely unpredictable Quirk. The description it had was as foggy as it could get, so the two began recollecting what they had seen during Aizawa's test. It could give them a faint idea of what the white-haired pseudo-villain was capable of. Flight and strength that surpassed Shoji's were already a problem. And from what both of them could gather, there was more. 

 

However, the initial steps their opponents were going to take were painfully obvious. Mineta would not be joining the direct confrontation, lest Danny also had to worry about his teammate getting overwhelmed. Phantom was their main problem. 

 

They both could understand this from the way the halfa spoke of the last fight. He thought that Bakugo's relentlessness was a good thing. It was only natural to assume that Phantom was not going to give them an easy time. 

 

He would come at them the second they enter the building. And before that happened, the heroes needed to strike first. Todoroki had just the idea for that. It required Shoji using his very sensitive ears protruding from his arms in order to know where their opponents were. 

 

"Are we allowed to do that now, All Might-sensei?" Asked Shoji over communication.

 

"Of course!" All Might responded solely to the heroes. "Preparation time is for both teams, after all! It is always essential to scout ahead before conducting any operation!" 

 

Nodding, Shoji raised his multiple hands, before several sets of ears popped up on them. 

 

"Whoa, what's he doing?" Kaminari asked back in the monitor room. 

 

"It's his Quirk — Dupli-arms," Yaoyorozu was quick to explain. "The description said that it allows Shoji-san to replicate parts of his body. It appears that he is trying to eavesdrop on the opponents."

 

"Oh, that's smart," Said Kirishima.

 

Shoji dedicated all of his attention to his hearing. The extra ears could seriously improve his chances at hearing the enemy, but they were still just that — normal human ears with their limited capabilities. He couldn't make out the conversation Fenton and Mineta had, but he could pinpoint their exact location and the fact that they WERE in fact conversing. 

 

"They are at the top floor right now," commented the hero in training. "Hm... I can hear Mineta's light steps, but Fenton's are barely audible. Now they are gone."

 

"He took it into the air," Todoroki concluded. 

 

"I can hear Fenton's steps several floors below now." 

 

That was way too quick. Barely a few seconds had passed. That speed was something to be worried about for sure. The continued observation made the hero team conclude that the halfa was busy laying some traps alongside his teammate. It brought some reassurance to the heroes that they knew the location of said traps — spots where the villains made the most noise. The heroes had to work around this, and in a perfect scenario avoid the traps altogether. It was hard to plan the course of action, for they didn't know the nature of the obstacles Phantom and Mineta were setting up. Naturally, it could be the latter's sticky spheres, but how the villains would go about making them stick to their enemies was another question entirely.

 

And finally, there was the announcement everyone waited with baited breaths. 

 

"Begin!" All Might exclaimed. 

 

Without wasting a second, Todoroki went ahead and told Shoji to wait outside for a moment. Confused, the tall teen still did as asked. The boy that was half-covered in a thick layer of ice head to toe entered the building, being at the ready. His hand immediately touched the wall, before the ice power of his was about to be released. 

 

To the shock of everyone watching the trial, the ice began to spread, first down the corridor slowly, before bursting out and eating up more and more of the building, covering everything around in a solid, transparent layer. The goal for the attack was to knock at least one of the enemies out of the game by freezing them to a spot. The ice spread was so quick there was almost no time to react. 

 

Even the monitor room felt it. 

 

"No wonder he got a recommendation," Mina mumbled, shaking from the cold, rubbing her hands to warm up. 

 

Todoroki looked back at his own teammate, and saw Shoji already entering. The latter naturally assumed that order to overpower their strong opponent, they would need to act as a team, otherwise Phantom would pick them one by one. Todoroki knew that, too.

 

Even if he still preferred acting on his own. 

 

And besides, the only one who could approach the white haired teen's physical strength was Shoji. Todoroki knew that he had no strength to break the grip strength machine. With that, the team of heroes went deeper inside the cold prison.

 

The whole building now looked like an ice installation at that point, or the insides of a refrigerator, whatever they chose to call it. The glacial cover reflected what little light came from the outside, creating if not ominous, then much needed ersatz of lighting. Both heroes knew that Phantom was going to come after them first, and thus the silence was slowly becoming more and more pressing. 

 

And then they saw how ice itself turned green, reflecting the glow that was coming from behind them. Immediately realising what was going on, Shoji spun around and jumped in front of his teammate, shielding them both with his six arms. A scorching hot blast of toxic green energy hit him, but the giant did not budge. The burns inflicted on his skin healed before Shoji even eased his stance. 

 

Todoroki stepped from behind Shoji and saw their opponent himself. 

 

"Well played, heroes," Phantom slowly clapped, his right palm still emitting a light glow that danced around the glacier walls. "You sure aren't wasting your time."

 

When did he even get behind them? That was the question Todoroki wanted to know the answer to. His attention was also diverted to the fact that Phantom had something to fight with both at a distance and in close quarters. As if sensing the concern, the half-ghost displayed perhaps the most malicious grin both heroes had ever seen. Coupled with the glowing toxic eyes, the sharp canines and the poor lighting, it created most fearsome image. 

 

"I am still attuning the energy output," Phantom said and moved his palm around, leaving traces of ectoplasm in the air. The white glove was riddled with small green arteries through which the otherworldly substance coursed. 

 

That was one of his gloves, responsible for limiting the blast power to the size he wanted. And it appeared to be in working condition. Somewhat. Who knew how long it would be.

 

"Cannot really tell if that's too much or just not enough. Well then," the halfa opened his arms. "I suppose the lab rats have just come right up to me!"

 

And then the teen let out the most vile laughter he had the capability to muster. And for a second, his opponents froze in spot. Iida's attempt at mimicking the villain attitude was a kindergartener play compared to this. 

 

Even All Might caught his breath upon hearing it. 

 

However, it was not because of how well the teen had assumed his villainous role, but because that particular laugh was too familiar to the number one hero. 

 

Phantom did not wait long before attacking. Swinging his hand once more, the halfa launched a crescent shaped blast, slower, yet buzzing with power behind it, and Phantom lunged right after it. Todoroki immediately summoned an ice wall between them, and the beam impacted the freshly summoned glacier, turning it into hot, thick steam upon the collision. 

 

And from there, with no obstacles, the half ghost came flying right through, landing a kick at the teen's gut. The force of the kick was just enough to launch Todoroki flying backwards. Without having the time to triumph, Phantom was attacked by Shoji, as Todoroki slid along the ground, covered in a thin layer of ice.

 

Shoji lunged to attack Phantom with all of his six arms. The hits Shoji had expected to make, however, hit only thin air. Swiftly dodging the flurry of blows, Phantom vanished, flashing his grin before doing so. 

 

A split second later, feeling as if he had been doused in ice cold water, Shoji saw the glimmer of white to his left. After re-emerging, Phantom raised his right palm and fired a blast that impossible to dodge. 

 

Shoji felt the sting of ectoplasm, but Phantom didn't wait a second before coming closer and throwing a punch with his left hand. Even with all of his last-second strength Shoji had mustered, his legs buckled.

 

From his side, Todoroki saw how lousy the punch was. It could barely count as a swing. For all his intimidation factor, unlike Bakugo, the teen still displayed control and restraint. But that wasn't going to be of any help if that's how Phantom fought with those limitations. 

 

"Wow, Fenton is a beast," Kaminari commented, seeing the halfa force Shoji on the defensive. "He is actually standing his ground against the two!"

 

"But how long can he keep it up?" Asked Sero. 

 

"You saw this guy's results yesterday," Kirishima smirked. "I think his energy tank ain't gonna dry up in just fifteen minutes."

 

"And he sure seems to be enjoying this way too much," Kaminari shivered. 

 

It was a different kind of intimidation from Bakugo's. The blonde always jumped into fits of loud, animalistic rage, and each of his actions brought incredible destruction. He had the aura of a person to smash you if you look at him funny.

 

But seeing Phantom swiftly beat his opponents each time he got close and personal simply felt different. Someone like Kaminari or Mineta had felt the difference between them and the half ghost from their first meeting. But up to that point, the former didn't fully take in the power of the number one hero student, like many others of his classmates.

 

Fenton's character was to blame. He was simply cheerful most of the time, friendly and approachable, even. He seemed to be just like other teenage boys, with normal interests, even if the concept of personal space was but a mere suggestion for him. 

 

His power showcase, however, created a major dissonance. Phantom was proving right before them why he scored the most during the entrance exam. He easily dodged whatever his opponents threw at him, turned intangible, and counterattacked. A minute passed in the heroes' vain attempts at harming the pretend-villain, but so far they left zero scratches on him.

 

Furthermore, Phantom stopped any of the heroes' attempts at making it past him, either. Be it a summoned barrier or his high-speed attack.

 

The persona of a villain he assumed fit him like a glove. That dissonance was the key intimidation factor. His power level only added to the impression, as if he was truly a villain who could pose a terrible threat. He didn't even look to be trying. 

 

All Might was not surprised to see Phantom walk in toe with his enemies from the start. The element of surprise was going to be on Phantom's side as long as his fellow students were unaware about his entire arsenal. It was indeed a lucky twist of fate that the only classmate to see Danny use his power to the fullest was also his teammate. The battle trial was slowly ridding him of that advantage.

 

It was ultimately a good thing, and very down to earth. Phantom, for all his power of intangibility and invisibility, as well as his ghost persona, was not stealthy at all. That wasn't his approach, these powers were mostly limited to recognisance. And thus, he would definitely make a public hero, someone whose Quirk, at least the power itself and not its nature, like in All Might's case, was very well known. He wasn't going to have that advantage in the future, so better not let him get accustomed to this. 

 

Intangibility was of greatest concern to Todoroki. When he made spikes, far from sharp, and made them emerge from the ground, Phantom easily avoided the attack by simply letting the ice go through him, not diverting the gaze of toxic green eyes from his target. How could they beat someone who didn't let a single attack scratch him? And who could dish out a punch the strength of a truck if he wanted. 

 

He could see it from Shoji's attempts at attacking the ghost hero — Phantom possessed the supernatural reaction his namesake kin was known for. At least by forcing Fenton to shoot blasts there was always a chance to avoid the attacks. His close quarters attacks were much swifter. 

 

For now, Todoroki maintained his distance by sliding on the ice, away from the half-ghost, which didn't go unnoticed.

 

"Smart choice," Phantom commented. "Not smart enough to turn away, but," he shrugged, "You take what you can get."

 

He himself could see that his enemies could take the beating just fine. There were established fighters in the Masquerade that were far weaker. Todoroki especially seemed conscious about what was going on. His control over ice was strong, and each of the bursts would have been very painful had it not been for his reaction and intangibility. 

 

The boy was either blessed (or cursed) with field experience or received some hard training. 

 

"We have an assignment, Fenton," said Shoji. "And we know that this is all just an act, give it up."

 

"Aw, are you not enjoying this? But I guess it's no fun when you are the only one getting beaten. Come now, try something smarter. You should learn by now that you are neither faster, nor stronger than yours truly." 

 

"What are they talking about?" Asked Tsu.

 

"It appears young Fenton is being awfully impolite, shall I say," All MIght explained.

 

"That is just mean," Kirishima commented. 

 

"Danny-kun isn't usually like this," added Mina.

 

"I think I know what he is doing," responded Iida. "Fenton-san seeks to break the concentration of his enemies by mocking them!"

 

"But he is already faster and stronger, no?" Kaminari scratched his temples. 

 

"There is no limit to how big you want your advantage to be!" Announced All Might. "The bigger it is, the safer people around you are. If the fight is over quickly, there will be less damage. Young Fenton's tactic is not often used, but it seems that that is how he chooses to approach the combat."

 

"Are you sure this isn't just part of his act?" 

 

All Might sweatdropped. "I...I have a hunch. What I want you to understand, students, is that rage clouds everyone's better judgement! You may even appear calm and unimpressed, but the damage to your concentration is difficult to get rid of."

 

However, that tactic was not efficient enough against those particular opponents. Both Shoji and Todoroki appeared to be collected individuals, so Phantom's sharp tongue had little effect on them, albeit Phantom's jests, coupled with his invincibility, was slowly getting on their nerves. They hadn't moved forward an inch, each attempt to pass the halfa was met by his resistance. 

 

He was fast enough to observe them both. 

 

Back with the fighters, Phantom decided to dispatch the more annoying opponent - the one launching more and more ice his way. 

 

"Hm, Todoroki, what say you about us becoming closer?" 

 

Todoroki felt the invisible force yank him forward, and initially he could do nothing but yelp. But at the last second, before a fist impacted his face, the teen pointed his hand towards an opponent and released a stream of ice at point blank range. The glacial prison immediately enveloped the half ghost in his entirety, and the heroes finally took a breather. 

 

"Come on, we don't have time to waste!" Todoroki exclaimed, before Phantom's green eyes glowed brighter through the layer of ice. Shoji nodded, and the two students rushed towards the staircase. 

 

And then the ice began to melt. In but a couple of seconds it was reduced to steam, leaving the teen soaking wet, but freed from the glacial clutch.

 

"Giving me a cold shoulder here," Phantom said dramatically, fixing the collar of his suit. "Not bad, Mr.Freeze."

 

The next second he turned intangible, and all the water covering him splashed onto the floor. Phantom prepared to dash towards his opponents, but then his communicator beeped.

 

"Fenton-san! I'm still stuck!" Mineta exclaimed into the mic.

 

"Just perfect," muttered Danny.

 

"Looks like Todoroki-san's initial attack worked out in the end!" Iida said with excitement. 

 

Looking at the monitor displaying the inner sanctum of the villain hideout, the students could see the short hero trainee struggling against the ice bindings that had grabbed his legs. Phantom was faced with a choice. He had to come and rescue his teammate in order to assure his continued support. But in doing so he would let the heroes proceed. 

 

All Might wondered what option the teen was going to take. 

 

As they were running, Todoroki tried to come up with a plan. Fenton's reaction was nigh impossible to match, but predicting his moves was fairly simple. Whenever he was attacked, Phantom turned intangible. And he was not going to let go of that power until there were no foreign objects in his body, like Shoji's fists or a part of the wall that he was phasing through. 

 

However, to land a hit, to fire a blast, the halfa always had to become solid. That presented a window of opportunity, a small one, but that was the only time to land a hit. Todoroki had no doubts about this after managing to freeze his opponent. And he made sure to inform his teammate of his discovery.

 

"Going somewhere?" 

 

The heroes stopped in their tracks, looking around the corridor in hopes of seeing their enemy. But the disembodied voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. As well as the same chilling evil laughter. The temperature, in the meantime, seemed to be slowly decreasing. 

 

"Todoroki-san, what are you doing?" Shoji asked. 

 

"That's not me," responded Shoto before quick realisation hit him.

 

Finally, Phantom appeared in the opposite end of the corridor, coming around the corner. Of course, with his power of flight and intangibility he could catch up to them in no time at all.

 

'So you chose this option, huh, young Fenton?' All Might thought. 

 

Going after the enemy instead of freeing your teammate was neither heroic, nor thoughtful. Here came the arrogance all teachers expected of that kid. He thought that he could take both of his opponents with no backup. Granted, Mineta was not in any direct danger, and to be brutally honest, he did all he could for now, but doing everything themselves was not something All Might wanted of his students. And it was not something he would ever encourage.

 

"Wait, weren't his eyes green?" Asked Sero.

 

The hero team noticed the blue glow as well, and the smile it shed the light on, too.

 

"You have some impressive control over ice, Todoroki-saaan," Phantom commented, speaking slowly, and still somewhat condescending. "I'd say that you are a chill guy, but come now. My taste in puns is not that poor."

 

"What are you doing?" Shoji asked.

 

"Oh, I merely wondered if I can measure up to our walking AC unit."

 

Then all of a sudden double blue-coloured beams erupted from his eyes, and the heroes barely managed to avoid it. However, the blast hit the floor behind them, creating an ice wall closing off the entire corridor. 

 

"He has ice, too," Sero sighed, not even sounding surprised anymore.

 

"And his power is different from Todoroki-san's," Yaoyorozu commented. 

 

"How so?" Asked Kirishima. 

 

"I think I know, too," Iida put in. "So far, Todoroki-san required physical touch to make the ice grow towards his opponent. Fenton's Quirk acts differently."

 

"His ice spreads from laser beams, kero," Tsu concluded. "Light is faster, and can get anywhere. But it is also easy to predict." 

 

"Jeez, this is just broken," Mumbled Kaminari. 

 

The one who was probably the most offset by the ever-expanding arsenal of the half ghost was Bakugo. The blonde that had been challenged by the white-haired foreigner was now witnessing how the number one student proved his worth. This time, in the field of battle. With each displayed ability, the gap between the two grew, both in reality and especially so in Bakugo's mind — the mind that had already been agitated by his loss to that loser Deku of all the people. 

 

It drove the blonde mad to see how Phantom was holding his ground against two admittedly strong students at once. And he felt like the ever-present smirk of glee that never slipped off the halfa's face was directed at him, too. That foreign extra mocked him, he thought himself to be superior to him. That's what Fenton meant when challenging Bakugo, and at the time the explosion-throwing teen had no idea about the full potential of the halfa. And to be fair, nobody around knew. 

 

Did it matter, however? No, it did not. Bakugo had been training hard, his Quirk was the strongest, no matter how ridiculously versatile and multi-layered Fenton's was. He would be on top, and he would laugh at that stupid bastard all he wanted. 

 

And as for the hero team, they found themselves both shocked and confused at seeing the sudden power as well. 

 

"How is this even related to your energy?" Todoroki asked. 

 

"A smart villain would keep it secret," Danny tapped on his temple. "But my heart was replaced by a hard orb of ice. All the energy I use comes either from or through it. Or at least that's what I've been told."

 

"Then how are your green blasts scorching hot?" 

 

At this, the halfa laughed. "I don't know!" He exclaimed and fired one such blast with his right hand. "I am not supposed to be alive at all!"

 

"Isn't this counterproductive?" Tsu asked nobody in particular. "He blocked the path back. The only way the hero team can take is forward, kero."

 

"I'm sure Fenton-san knows what he is doing!" Responded Kirishima confidently. 

 

'Why the hell did I do that?' Danny thought to himself. 

 

Going back to his ice blast, he probably shouldn't have fired it so frivolously. His ice spread like a plague whenever the rays hit something. His barrage of fire at this point was a mere distraction to give him some time to think. Then, it hit him. 

 

The wall behind them blocked the retreat. He stood in front not surrendering the rest of the floor. 

 

They were essentially in one spot.

 

After another round of exchanging blows, Todoroki was growing conscious about the amount of ice he and Phantom were producing. He tried to attack several times. But the halfa responded in kind, always, filling the room with rough glacial structures. At that rate, there would be no room for manoeuvre at all. 

 

And then Todoroki realised that someone was always going to have it, and it wasn't the hero team. With his power of intangibility, no obstacles existed for the halfa. 

 

'Is this your plan, Fenton?' Todoroki thought, before dodging another ice blast. 

 

And he wasn't so far from truth. Danny could see that his opponents were tough. Todoroki was quick on his feet, Shoji could get rid of ice easily by just smashing the frozen limb on another surface, before the glacier could spread. This guy's pain tolerance was on a whole new level, Danny realised. But with limited space, his opponents' tactics were going to be limited. They couldn't avoid his blasts forever. How quick could this giant of a man be?

 

Perhaps his eyes telegraphed just what kind of an attack it was going to be. 

 

Shoji started attacking with double tenacity, as his hands kept vanishing in the flurry of blows.

 

"That's certainly a handful," Phantom laughed, turning intangible once more. "Get it?"

 

After another dodge, Danny vanished from sight. 

 

The heroes looked around, hoping to find where the spectre hid himself. Or to prepare for an upcoming attack. 

 

"I hope we have an understanding here," Phantom reappeared, sitting on one of the ice structures, right under the ceiling. "This isn't a fight you heroes can win." 

 

"Why would you say this? So far you are the one losing the ground. We haven't lost yet," Shoji responded firmly. 

 

Danny clicked his tongue, putting his head on his hand. "They always say that. And then their brains are scattered all over the wall. I've seen my share of policemen getting murdered by powers beyond their understanding, pal. Sometimes villains are not in the mood for games like me, you know?"

 

It was difficult for All Might to measure just how much of what's being said was just evil method acting. Then he noticed the strange pose Phantom was in. One of his hands remained behind his back, reaching for the wall right behind him.

 

Todoroki also wondered what kind of exposure the carefree teen had in order to say this. 

 

"Do you mean to say that you are playing right now?"

 

"I am," Danny shrugged. "If I end this now, I won't let out enough energy for the day. Don't wanna explode, y'know? Besides, being boorish is not on my list of priorities. Or..." his eyes gained a bright twinkle. "Would you really rather me take this seriously? Letting it all out at once is good, too."

 

"This is your choice," Shoji responded, taking an attacking stance. "But such ignorance will make you miss important things."

 

Was that banter he just heard?

 

With a corner of his eye Danny saw that Todoroki was not at his previous spot. With the amount of glaciers, coupled with scarce light, Phantom completely lost the sight of the ice-wielder. A split second later the halfa was jumped by Shoto, and he saw the teen readying his close-range ice attack once more. 

 

And then Todoroki felt the invisible force stop him in place. The green light surrounded him, holding him in the air, completely immobile. 

 

"Nice one. I almost was caught off-guard," Danny grinned and tilted his head. "But did you really think this will work on me again?" 

 

Moving his pointing finger towards Shoji, he tossed the hero in training backwards. As expected, the multi-armed student caught his teammate and quickly set him on the ground.

 

"Alright," Phantom said, "Let's up the challenge now." 

 

Finally his palm touched the wall. The said structure vanished, and the veil of invisibility, as well as intangibility, spread towards the ceiling above them. The next second the heroes found themselves under a rain of ball-shaped objects.

 

"Woah! So that's the trap they set!" Kirishima gasped. "That was smart. But..." he then noticed something. "They don't stick?"

 

The red-haired boy was right in his assumption. While setting the traps, as well as setting it in motion, Danny did not account for Todoroki freezing everything within the building that had any contact with the ground. Those were all balls of ice at that point!

 

In one blow that guy unintentionally disarmed them all. Impressive. 

 

"This is a good lesson, kids!" All Might bellowed. "Initial plans never go 100 percent right! You must learn to adapt and improvise."

 

"Fudge," Danny muttered. 

 

The gears in his head did not spin fast enough to quickly conjure a tactic. Todoroki put his foot forward, immediately sending more ice Phantom's way. Sighing, the halfa turned intangible again. 

 

"This doesn't. Work," he snapped.

 

The next second his eyes flashed brighter, and the ground beneath them all became incorporeal, too. Phantom floated in his spot, but the heroes took a plummet downwards. Shoji was quicker, reacting nigh instantaneously and grabbing onto one of the previously created glacial structure. 

 

However, after bursting forward, Phantom came right above him. His foot then went right into Shoji's face, all in one motion. His attack was lighting-fast, and the kick packed enough force - the floor regained tangibility only after Shoji already fell down, holding a broken ice shard that still remained in his hand. 

 

Danny didn't know what happened to things trapped in an object that turned tangible. He wasn't risking it, even if his way of doing so was not so gentle. Now he finally could muster a plan in peace. Said peace did not last for long, because his communicator beeped again.

 

"Fenton-san, where are you?!" Mineta yelled right into his ear. 

 

There went his answer.

 

Phantom sighed, "I'm coming, don't go anywhere."

 

"This isn't funny!"

 

Danny pressed a button and ended the brief call. 

 

"That's why I work alone," he muttered and took towards his teammate. "It's always easier to just do it yourself."

 

The ice wall was still blocking the path forward, it was bound to slow down the heroes until he came back.

 

Back on the first floor, the heroes quickly regrouped, wondering about what they were going to do, and reaching the same conclusion as their opponent. They needed to either get rid of it, or find another way.

 

In the meantime, Phantom phased through several floors, landing himself on the top floor. There he saw that the situation around the faux bomb was not any different from the rest of the building. Everything was engulfed in a thick layer of ice, even the bomb, even Mineta, who still remained bound knee-deep. 

 

Upon seeing his savior, the short teen started throwing his hands around frantically. 

 

"What took you so long?!" he exclaimed. 

 

"Calm down, calm down, pal," Phantom waved him off and rolled his eyes.

 

The half-ghost made several steps forward and put his hand on Mineta's shoulder. The next second the shivering boy was released from the trap. 

 

"The traps didn't work," Danny commented, fixing the sleeves of his suit. "Todoroki froze everything over."

 

"That's really bad," mumbled Mineta. "But you can still beat them, right?"

 

"They sure are above the usual crowd I met around here," the halfa huffed. "Missed a cheap shot, though." 

 

"Come on, Fenton-san! We can't lose."

 

"We won't. But we spent a lot on those traps. Can you make more?"

 

"I'll try. But what should we do?"

 

Suddenly both of them heard rumble from downstairs.

 

"The hell are they doing down there?" Phantom mumbled, diving into the ground. 

 

A certain amount of time before the villains heard the crushing sounds below, the hero team was coming up with the strategy to make a break for it. Mostly each of them had something on their minds.

 

They didn't have much time left on their hands, that much was evident. 

 

Todoroki thought that he could melt the ice wall, but...looking at his right hand, the ice-wielding teen decided against it. He would excel without that wretched part of his Quirk. However, if he was not resorting to that measure, the heroes were left with less options.

 

And Shoto was starting to feel the repercussions of first freezing the entire house and then proactively  using his Quirk. He couldn't keep this up for very long.

 

"We can make it several floors up, actually."

 

Todoroki turned to the left and saw Shoji's protruded mouth talking to him.

 

"How so?"

 

"I can break through the ceiling and get us higher. But Fenton will undoubtedly hear us."

 

"We will go with it," Todoroki curtly responded. "We don't have time for anything else."

 

Nodding, Shoji soon grabbed one of the ice structures that permeated the floor, broke off a large blunt piece of ice, and then swung it upwards. With loud noise, the ceiling above them crumbled into pieces. 

 

A split second later Shoji grabbed his teammate and easily jumped several meters up, landing on the upper floor, just where they had been fighting right before being pushed back down. That course of action appeared to be the quickest and most effective. 

 

Shoji would have used the same improvised mace, if it hadn't shattered after the first hit. Luckily, the ice was just as plentiful on the second floor, and the same action could be repeated here as well. 

 

And very soon the heroes reached the third floor as well. They were right below the bomb storage room. The thrill did not last long, for Shoji suddenly felt like his side was hit by a train.

 

Launched into the nearest wall, he flew right into the room behind it, but not without letting go of his teammate. Todoroki masterfully slid across the floor and remained on his feet. 

 

"That's far enough," Phantom declared. 

 

"By constantly hiding from blows you will achieve nothing, Fenton."

 

"I suppose. Ever since coming here I've never met anyone who can counter intangibility. The temptation is just irresistible."

 

Shoji quickly got up to his feet. He was about to rejoin his teammate, if not for something lightly hitting his back several times. Spinning around, the giant finally came face to face with another member of the villain team. 

 

Shaking a bit, Mineta was holding one of his balls in his palm.

 

"Y-you...are not getting up there, hero!" he exclaimed. 

 

Realizing what had hit him, Shoji used one of his arms to look at his back, now covered in Mineta's sticky spheres. He knew that if he tried to remove them now it would only make the matters worse.

 

But if both villains were down here, it meant the bomb was unattended to. And if Shoji managed to get through Mineta while Phantom was busy with Todoroki, the victory would be as good as theirs.

 

And Mineta seemed to realize his opponent's intention, too.

 

Phantom casted aside the intangibility, fully intending to put down the hero here and then. Todoroki launched even more ice the halfa's way. The faux villain anticipated the attack, and this time met it upfront. A single kick of his leg was enough to shatter the spreading wave. 

 

Danny lunged forward with speed unmatched, leaving cracks on the ice under his feet. 

 

Todoroki anticipated the move. Phantom didn't use his feet, lest he tripped on the slippery surface. Thus, there was bound to be space beneath the half ghost. 

 

The teen buckled his feet and bent forward, but just did not have the time, before being grabbed by the villain, who snatched him by his shirt, pulled him after himself and used the entire momentum to slam Todoroki into the ground and come to a halt.

 

The human felt the air being knocked out of his lungs. 

 

Smirking, the halfa turned around, still in the air, and looked at the downed opponent.

 

"You fare better than most people I've seen, Todoroki. Commendable, but this just won't be enough, I'm afraid."

 

Without getting up, Todoroki put his hand on the ground, hoping to buy himself more time. Even more ice emerged, but all this was immediately melted by a green beam. Phantom floated closer to the opponent who managed to jump to his feet. Todoroki's boots were specifically made to allow him to stand firmly on ice when he needed. 

 

Phantom immediately met him with a light flick. Shielding himself with an ice-covered arm, Todoroki still felt how his legs gave up, as he was pushed back once more.

 

Danny saw that by shielding himself Todoroki blocked his line of sight. His eyes turning ice blue, Phantom fired his own ice beam. The ice grip enveloped the hero and pinned him to the wall, completely immobilizing him.

 

"It was a bad idea to make a suit that exposes skin, don't you agree?" Phantom asked. "We both know what'll happen if you try to break out," he flashed the same malicious grin. 

 

Todoroki threw the halfa a glare, knowing full well that he could get out if he used that part of his Quirk...

 

No. He sought to improve his ice power. And if he was going to lose while losing, so be it.

 

Looking at the white-haired American, Todoroki was filled with exasperation he did not show. Not even a scratch was left on him, while he himself was bruised and wounded. 

 

Phantom was quick, strong and untouchable if he felt like it. Such combination of powers could not be accidental. Could it be that the halfa's power was caused by a long-running series of marriages?

 

No matter how the half-ghost attained his power, the result was evident.

 

"Fenton-san!" Mineta shouted into the communicator. "He's after me! He's gonna get to the bomb!"

 

Sighing, Phantom threw one last look at Todoroki, before turning intangible. 

 

If Shoji reached the objective, his victory and prowess would all be for nothing. 

 

The halfa flew to the top floor, landing close to the paper-mache bomb. Looking around the spacious storage room, Phantom saw that nobody was there yet, but it was about to change. 

 

Soon Mineta's screams reached Danny's ears, as the tear-eyed shorty ran into the room. And then Shoji himself emerged from the doorway. And the giant noticed the halfa' presence, quickly coming to the realization of what that entailed. 

 

"So, Todoroki-san is defeated?"

 

"Indeed. In the real world, he is already dead. You are quite wasteful about your teammates, aren't you?" Phantom laughed, putting hands behind his back. 

 

Shoji assumed his battle stance, and Phantom did not miss how the giant was covered in some of Mineta's balls. This could give the halfa an advantage. 

 

Shoji immediately lunged forward. But, to Danny's surprise, pleasant or not, the hero did not seek direct confrontation. Instead, the teen first lunged towards the halfa, but at the last second, even seeing that halfa did not move an inch, he was not risking it. 

 

At the last second, Shoji used his hands to push himself to the side, making a dash towards the bomb. Danny blinked, but soon raised his palm and made a gripping motion. The green energy enveloped Shoji once more. 

 

"Honestly," Phantom rolled his green eyes and began to approach the captured hero. "At this point you are bound to learn that there is no running away from me."

 

Shoji tried to use his entire strength to break out, to overpower that telekinetic grip. And just barely he could see Phantom's expression change. He was beginning to struggle to hold the teen in place. Just... a little...

 

Danny saw the teen's hand move. Figures someone this strong would start to break out. Phantom was really struggling to hold Shoji, even if he wasn't showing it. Danny approached the tall opponent, his left hand still gripping the hero. His right hand, however, was readied for a punch.

 

And then, at the last second, Shoji's hand was freed from the supernatural grip. Both the half ghost and Shoji threw their punches at the same time, and each managed to land.

 

Shoji flew into the nearest column, cracking it, yet the balls stuck to it, making him half-bound to it.

 

Whilst Phantom was forced to take a step back, the left half of his face bruised and bleeding green.

 

As the halfa moved his fingers to his nostrils, he could see the green liquid slowly trickling down. Phantom's face was crossed by a wide grin.

 

"That was a good one!" he exclaimed and laughed. "But all this just for a drop of my blood?" 

 

To everyone's shock, the bruised part of his face was getting healed at a rapid speed. Even the broken nose was fixed.

 

"You...you have a healing factor, too?!" MIneta put hands to his face in shock. 

 

Shoji's eyes widened, too. That guy was unkillable. No matter what layer of defense you went through, there was always another one. The giant was trying to break out of the bindings he found himself in, but then All Might's voice snapped them all out of whatever they were thinking about. 

 

"The time is up!" The hero bellowed. "The villain team wins!"

 

Mineta was the first to make a happy exclamation. 

 

"YEAH!" He threw a fist into the air. "We did it, Fenton-san!"

 

Danny chuckled. "Yep. Good job on those balls, still, pal," he commented, turning to Shoji.

 

Slowly floating to the giant, he put a hand on him, pulling the fellow hero in training out of the trap he himself had launched him in. 

 

"Hey, about what I said while we fought," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean it if it was insulting to ya in any way."

 

Shoji blinked. He hadn't known Phantom all that well, so he wouldn't know what he was really like. Thus, he was surprised to see the one who overpowered and mocked them to extend an olive branch.

 

"That's... quite alright. I appreciate the thought."

 

---

 

"All right!" Said All Might. "That was positively an exhilarating match!"

 

The students once again gathered in the monitor room to discuss the performances. Almost everyone was basked in praise from their fellow students. Except maybe the disheartened Mineta, who was largely excluded from the process. And Danny was perhaps the most embarrassed. 

 

Mina just openly laughed at his blushing green face. 

 

"The same way as before. Who can name the most admirable performance?"

 

Surprisingly, Danny did not shirk from raising his hand after his own match.

 

"Hmm, Young-Fenton, what do you have to say about this?"

 

"I'd say that Todoroki is probably on the top in this regard."

 

"Huh?" Asked Kirishima. "Not the guy that managed to break your nose?"

 

"Shoji decided to still rush to the bomb without Todoroki. If I were a real villain, I would have killed his teammate. While reaching the objective is the main goal, and saving millions of people from the nuke is more important, one shouldn't just rush in blindly."

 

"It's not like you cared for your teammate much, either, Fenton-san," Kaminari said.

 

Danny blinked. "Did I?" He asked in genuine confusion. "I merely weighed my options. Mineta was still out of danger, even if frozen. Besides, we were opposing heroes, who don't go around killing people. And at that time Mineta would have been of little help. No offense."

 

"That was cold," Mineta moaned.

 

"After realizing the futility of all the traps we had set, I realized that I should take time to free my unfortunate teammate so he could lay out some new ones."

 

"Now, young Fenton," All Might interrupted. "I know you were the villains, but I still expect you to act as a team."

 

Danny sighed. "We did act, sir. But I know what you expect of us, so I did count this action as a mistake. Thus, I say that Todoroki did more than well."

 

All Might and most others sweatdropped. That was... an odd thing to do. Noticing the reaction, Danny continued.

 

"Be it for me, I wouldn't have brought anyone else with me. I prefer working alone precisely to avoid having to make this choice in the first place. I... don't like bringing others into what I can do myself."

 

Of course, All Might realized. The boy's vigilante past had taught him to rely solely on himself, for he couldn't expect that help from other heroes or the police.

 

"Young Fenton," he said. "There is no denying that you are quite capable, and the practice only proved that. However, you can't always expect to be alone. There are always people who might depend on you, who would call upon you for assistance."

 

Danny sighed. "I get it, I get it."

 

"Besides, your exam showed that you ARE capable of teamwork. You must simply let go of reservations you have gathered in the past, if you catch my meaning."

 

"Huh, what do you mean, All Might-sensei?" Asked Kirishima. 

 

"Eh? He never told you?"

 

So even his close friends remained oblivious so far. Well, if there was anything All MIght respected, it was the personal information.

 

"If young Fenton wishes to share this with you one day, then you will know."

 

Danny nodded in appreciation. "It's not really important," he then smoothly lied. "Nothing you guys should worry about." 

 

And hopefully it would remain this way.

Chapter 11

Little by little, Danny was getting accustomed to the new school life, so bizarre yet so much more exciting than what he was used to. There were still many things he had to get himself to some regional specifics. For one, his slacker side complained in a very small voice about how Saturdays were no longer a day off for the poor half ghost. Only one day off a week, how did they even live like this? That was his main point of complaint. But seriously speaking, if that was the worst part of the school, then it was probably a good one. Especially when every place of education around there had such schedules. 

 

The young half ghost had mostly gotten past the initial culture shock anyhow, and people around him did not look down on him for being clueless more than once. 

 

And his guardian, too, hadn't missed the enthusiasm Danny had about the school, and like any parental figure he was pleased to see his charge setting his mind towards education. Obviously Danny was more happy about the hero part of his education, but he was certainly trying to make up for his relatively subpar knowledge by studying hard. To Tsukauchi, Math was perhaps the strongest indicator of the boy's intellectual capabilities. He appeared to be grasping new concepts pretty easily, applying them too. Thus, his low grades were probably due to his vigilante hobby that stood in the way of studies. 

 

What the detective did not appreciate, however, was the fact that now Danny was allowed to take certain instruments to create his own gadgets. Since Tsukauchi had no garage to utilise, the half ghost was busy smearing his second desk with oil and ectoplasm. Furthermore, Tsukauchi found his kitchen lacking paper towels, and then discovering that the trash bin was full of them, covered in the green liquid and pitch black tar. During cleaning, the detective also found occasional nuts and bolts the teen had accidentally dropped and forgotten. The man was starting to fear that when the boy ran out of details extracted from junk, he would come for the TV remote and the rice cooker. 

 

All in all, their lives went on. 

 

One of those days, however, as Tsukauchi was busy with the vacuum cleaner, he suddenly heard the doorbell ring. Confused, the man switched off the machine and approached the door of the apartment, wondering who that might have been. They hadn't ordered a takeout, so it couldn't be the deliveryman. And once Tsukauchi opened the door, he was met with an unexpected answer to his hanging question. 

 

There in the corridor stood a raven-haired young woman. Dressed in an official suit and a long skirt, with her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, she regarded the surprised detective with a smirk. 

 

"Hello oniisan," the young woman put a hand on her belt. "Missed me?" 

 

"Makoto!" The initial surprise somewhat wore off as his sibling invited herself inside the apartment and closed the door. 

 

Grinning, Makoto hugged Tsukauchi close. 

 

"Wh-what are you doing here, Makoto?" The grown man asked. 

 

"Oh, you know, the usual 'business trip'," said the guest and swiftly took off her high heels, changing those for a spare pair of slippers. 

 

"Our Quirks also work on us, sis," Tsukauchi rolled his eyes and gave her some room to exit the hallway. 

 

"Good, what would you do without it?" Makoto teased. "You know why I really came, Naomasa," she said and sat on the sofa. "And I am very disappointed with you."

 

"What did I do this time?" 

 

"Well, for one you never told me you decided to become a papa. I think it is an important thing to tell your sister!" 

 

So that was the reason. Admittedly, telling Makoto about the current circumstances hadn't been on Tsukauchi's list of priorities. Blame his own somewhat petty pride and knowledge of just how Makoto would react to that information. Apparently, strong enough to come across the entire ocean the second she got an opportunity. 

 

"I admit, this was my mistake," Tsukauchi sighed as he went for the kitchen, adjacent to the living room. "Coffee?"

 

"Yes, please. That was quite the..."

 

"Hello, lady!" 

 

"Argh!" 

 

Makoto tried to jump back out of instinct, but ended up hitting the back of the sofa. The white haired boy had appeared out of nowhere. Tsukauchi sighed as he turned the coffee machine on. 

 

"Danny, I told you to stop doing this with strangers," he said sternly. 

 

"Doing what?" The teen asked in his echoing voice. "It's not my fault that they get scared all the time. I just said hi." 

 

So that was the kid, Makoto thought. He wasn't at all what she had expected. Still, she gave him a smile. 

 

"Hello. Danny, right? You are not from around here, are you?"

 

"Yep. I'm an American," the teen kept floating. "The old man can tell ya the rest."

 

Makoto snorted. "Old man?" She asked and looked at her brother. "I guess you aren't wrong. He ain't a spring chicken."

 

"I hear both of you!" Tsukauchi responded. 

 

The halfa snickered. "I heard you guys talking. You are Tsukauchi's sister, right?" 

 

"Got that right. Just call me Makoto." 

 

"Nice to meet you." 

 

"What's that you are wearing?" 

 

Danny raised his eyebrow and looked down at his clothes. That was his take on the more casual wear they had picked with Mina. A black sleeveless hoodie with his insignia. Under this was a white long-sleeve. His hands at the moment lacked the fingerless gloves. He also wore black sport pants and white boots. The colour scheme was now the correct one. 

 

"Like it? I think this can work as a suit. I can move more freely in this one." 

 

"A suit?" 

 

"Old man really said nothing, huh?" Danny smirked. "I'm studying at the UA."

 

"Really?" Makoto blinked. "That's pretty straightforward. Why so?"

 

"Because this boy doesn't know when he should use his Quirk," Tsukauchi came with a small tray and put it on the table. "Why are you in this form now? I thought you could fly without it." 

 

"I just wanted to show the suit."

 

"To be honest, you look more like a vigilante than a hero with this haphazard attire." 

 

Danny grinned, and in that grin Tsukauchi found the reason. 

 

"You are trying to spite me, aren't you?" 

 

"It's not all about you, old man," the teen huffed. "Just let it be a little homage to my glorious past," Danny said as a biscuit from the tray flew into his hand. "I'm heading out, Tsukauchi-san."

 

"Wait. You can't leave while we have a visitor," responded Tsukauchi. 

 

"Oh, it's fine, Naomasa," Makoto grinned. "We'll have enough time. Let's just catch up for now."

 

The detective was about to object, but he saw how serious his sister's expression became. A silent message was passed between the siblings, and Tsukauchi knew that it was more important than she let on in Danny's presence. Due to her back facing the teen, the latter did not notice the young woman's look. Instead, he jumped at the opportunity, surprising Makoto by flying through the wall.

 

"Huh. That's a neat Quirk," she mumbled. "What is it?"

 

"He calls it 'ghost', but his arsenal goes well beyond that. I think he called it this way because he learned to go through walls first."

 

"I see. His Quirk really is useful for a hero... or a thief."

 

Tsukauchi nodded. "That's what I thought initially," he chuckled. "What did you really want to talk about?" 

 

"What's this whole thing about, Naomasa? Out of nowhere you just take a stray kid without telling anyone."

 

"I am not mind controlled," the man raised his hands and sat on the couch. 

 

"How do I know?" Makoto raised her eyebrow, but then shook her head. "I know you aren't. It's just...not like you at all." 

 

"I know. I owed the kid one, is all. He saved my life."

 

"Oh?" A slight, long-foreseen smirk creeped up the woman's face. "A vigilante atop of that? I don't recognise my oniisan at all."

 

"Don't bring this up," Tsukauchi sighed. 

 

"That must have taken a hefty amount of mental gymnastics..."

 

"Stop that," Tsukauchi cut her off. "Daniel changes nothing. Quite the contrary. I never condoned his past vigilantism and he will face consequences if he insists."

 

"Does Danny-kun know that?"

 

"Of course he does! He's just... way too stubborn."

 

Makoto did not look convinced at all by Naomasa's own uncertainty. 

 

"With a Quirk like this I'm not surprised he is so unruly. Captain Celebrity is just like this."

 

"This has nothing to do with flight alone, but I suppose you are right. That's why I tried to enrol Danny into U.A. He actually scored higher than All Might during the entrance test, which is... not as surprising as I would have liked."

 

"He... wow," Makoto breathed out. "I'll keep that in mind." 

 

"For what?" Tsukauchi raised his eyebrow. 

 

"Come on, you know what I'm saying. I am Captain Celebrity's manager. Every agency is gonna try and get their hands on someone like him once he says goodbye to school. If our proud daddy is not pulling my leg right now."

 

"You are a PR manager," Tsukauchi clarified. "Not of Human Resources."

 

"So? Doesn't change the fact that Celebrity is gonna take a look. Besides, I say that Danny has a lot going for him."

 

"You got this just from that brief exchange?"

 

"Well, I'd still like to see him in action, but I know the type when I see one. Oh, that's right!" The young woman clapped her hands. "First years at the U.A. take part in a tournament! I'll make sure to watch it when the time comes... or those vultures will get him first."

 

Tsukauchi sighed. Neither he nor Danny ever thought it that far. Captain Celebrity was an American hero. Whilst the teen would probably welcome his homeland and easily get accustomed to working there, all his friends were probably going to stay behind. It wasn't something decided upon overnight. And it wasn't up to Tsukauchi himself, the detective reasoned. 

 

"Perhaps," was all he said. 

 

Makoto made a sip of coffee from her cup. 

 

"Still, I won't get over the fact that you didn't take the kid to the police."

 

"We did meet when he was brought there," Tsukauchi said in a half-amused tone.

 

"So our harsh and uncompromising detective actually did make an exception?"

 

"I accepted your boyfriend's past by now," responded Tsukauchi. "Especially since he took the time to get a license. Daniel is on the way there, too, now that he lives under this roof. It was, in a way, my condition." 

 

"I see. And you are sure that Danny-kun shares your opinion?" 

 

"Not at all. The kid is stubborn, and the only thing stopping him are the anti-vigilante laws. Never once did he agree with me on how wrong being an unlicensed hero is."

 

"I'm already liking him," Makoto smirked. 

 

"Don't you indulge his delusion," responded Tsukauchi firmly. "He is my charge, Makoto."

 

"Not his birth father, though. Did you stop and think how much your authority means to him exactly?" 

 

Tsukauchi stopped. No, he had never thought of it like this. For all his stubbornness when it came to his Quirk and its uses, Danny was always an amicable person, willing to do as the detective said in all other aspects, whether to clean the apartment or wash the dishes. So the man naturally assumed that the half ghost respected him enough. But now that his sister put it like that, he wasn't sure if the boy's obedience was only due to the threat of being ousted. 

 

"Can't say I have. Maybe we just need more time."

 

"Maybe," Makoto shrugged. "Just make sure not to screw everything with your nosiness."

 

"I am not 'nosy'."

 

"Yes, you are, oniisan," Makoto poked his cheek. "I'm sure that he won't like it if you are too prying. Nobody does, especially kids, especially when they have some history behind them. I work with people daily, Naomasa. You tend to pick up such things."

 

"For your knowledge, I interact with people, too," the detective rolled his eyes. 

 

"Yes, when they are behind bars and you are on the other end. Not exactly the experience that can help raise a child."

 

"It works out. I am not a soldier obsessed with discipline. My work doesn't interfere with me bringing up a kid." 

 

"And it does not give you anything either. Not saying I'm an expert, but I just want this whole thing to work out." 

 

Tsukauchi couldn't help but smile slightly. "How typical of you. Barely a couple of steps into my apartment and you are already at work." 

 

Makoto smirked and nudged him. "I'm gonna be here for some time. I'm sure this will end just fine. Danny seems like a good kid." 

 

---

 

"Took you a while, boy."

 

Giran tossed away the cigarette upon seeing the half-ghost's luminescent figure. Danny floated in front of the broker, the masquerade mask still on his face. They were located in the district that was more on a grimier side, in a dark alleyway that had probably been a crime scene not so long before that day. It was precisely the place where crime bloomed like cherrie blossoms in the spring. A generous metaphor for a damp and dirty place like that. Thankfully, the hazmat Danny wore for 'villainous' activity could be easily cleaned each time he went human.

 

The broker noticed that the boy was still wearing the mask, and was left befuddled by the decision.

 

"We ain't going to the arena, kid, what's the mask for?"

 

"I still value my privacy. I have a normal life out there," the teen crossed his hands. 

 

"Many villains and vigilantes do," Giran laughed. "Doesn't make me wanna plaster some random shit on my face. Maybe I could arrange for something more appropriate, at least?" 

 

Danny's neon green eyes narrowed. "I buy the junk you find for me. That's enough."

 

One would reason that Phantom's past experience and slight grudge would rid him of any temptation to resort to the sleazy man's services. However, it had to be once again reiterated that Danny's qualms with this endeavour were not of a moral kind. He was pragmatic by nature, and junkyards actually often lacked the details he sometimes desired. Complicated microchips were not found in microwaves or dishwashers. Only these crudest of details for the most primitive interfaces good only for displaying numbers, could be found there. 

 

He could ask the school, but that entailed so much paperwork (as Hatsume had enlightened him) that Danny was not willing to bother when there was a whole market for those details, cheaper, and more accessible. The price was an issue because he actually had to pay for some reason. Something about being unable to subsidise the non-citizen's pet projects more than they had to. Danny was not exactly sure what that bureaucratic rabble at the budget department actually meant, but there was the fact: he had to make his devices himself. Hatsume got it easier because she was A: a citizen, and B: took part in making devices for all, while Phantom was not sharing the otherworldly technology of his.

 

He was pretty sure that some particular floating eyeballs would get angry with him for upsetting the multiversal balance or something along those lines. He was already testing their patience.

 

In any case, the most egregious thing during such deals was that the traders did not pay their share. But that was the problem of the National Tax Agency of Japan.

 

Back with Phantom and Giran, the latter shrugged in response, rewarding the teen with a small smirk.

 

"I am always here if you need my services." 

 

"Get to the point, pal. I'm here for a reason."

 

"I'm actually surprised you came all the way to Kamino."

 

"I can fly fast. Took me the same amount of time it takes for you to go buy cigs. Are we going or not?"

 

"Strange enthusiasm for someone who is so self-righteous."

 

"I want to hear the guy out. The sooner, the better. I have other things to do, too."

 

"We both know that there is nothing legal about what he is offering. And I also know that you don't want that. I never asked why you are so curious." 

 

Danny flew in front of the broker, who by then had set off towards their destination.

 

"Hell knows. Guess I want to know what goes on in the crime world," he came up with an excuse. "Wouldn't want to step on someone's turf and have whole gangs after me." 

 

To some extent, that was largely the reason. He needed to do his homework in order to excel as a hero. He had done so before, scouting for information in the Ghost Zone. It was Jazz who came up with an idea, and it was his sister that actually compiled and stored everything he had found. It aided him a lot during his fights with his enemies, so Danny had decided to get some knowledge about the local villains, too. 

 

"You aren't trying to rat everyone out, are you?" Giran raised an inquisitive eyebrow. 

 

"The police will throw me there right after you. I have no interest in this. Yet," Danny smirked. 

 

"You are paid to lead me to the place, so the choice isn't yours." 

 

Giran rolled his bespectacled eyes, before banging on a metal door in a rhythm that could only be the password. Danny was getting a weird sense of deja vu. He looked around to check if they weren't ACTUALLY going to the arena. It wasn't the case, however. 

 

The door opened, and the two visitors entered what seemed like an abandoned warehouse.

 

"It's always the warehouses," Danny muttered. "Why can't you people pick something more jolly?"

 

"We ain't All Might," Giran snorted. 

 

"Not enough of a reason to share the roof with stray cats. Jesus, I feel like I'm participating in "Storage Wars"."

 

"The what?"

 

"American thing. Don't bother."

 

Giran chose not to comment.

 

The spacious building was not empty at the time. Quite the contrary, a brief and approximate countdown of all people present showed that there were in fact around fifty people. That was quite a crowd. Whether they were simply small fries or someone actually competent and well-known, Danny didn't know. However, Giran quickly answered the question that was never asked. 

 

"Quantity over quality it is," he sighed and lit another cigarette. "Not the prime cut that's for sure."

 

Giran then opened his phone in a case with bunny ears. Danny choked a laugh, but the man did not comment, only looking at the time. 

 

"They should be here any moment."

 

Danny sighed and leaned against the nearest support beam, hoping that the whole affair would not last long. He had a curfew to follow. 

 

Phantom took another look around the room, even recognising some faces from the Masquerade. And they must have recognised him, for their reactions were that of surprise. Nobody dared to talk to him, however. The reputation must have preceded him.

 

Finally, after ten minutes or so, Danny's patience was rewarded, albeit not in the way he had expected. 

 

In the form of a gust of air escaping his mouth. Giran noticed that, and was about to ask why the half-ghost tensed up so much. However, before he did, Phantom pointed his ectoplasm-charged palm towards one of the walls. At the very same second, a swirl of black and purple that resembled a portal, came to be. 

 

'Not now!' Danny mentally exclaimed. His anti-ghost equipment had been left at home. He couldn't even capture whoever came through that portal.

 

Giran was perhaps the only one unshaken by the hole suspended in the air. 

 

"Relax, kid, this is the messenger," he said. 

 

Danny slowly lowered his palm, thousands of thoughts flashing through his head. Was that really a ghost? Was it the portal to the Zone, and if so, why didn't it look as one? Then, the expanse of the portal gained two golden ripples that somehow resembled eyes and began to speak.

 

"Accept our apologies for the delay," it spoke politely in a deep voice.

 

Then through the small portal came a person. At first Danny still hadn't let go of his suspicions of the visitors' powers. The newest arrival did not look the part to lower the teen's suspicions. He was tall, extremely slim and just as pale. The man cared not for a proper attire, instead wearing a black long-sleeve and pants, alongside red sneakers. The most striking feature of his, however, were... hands. His own arms and even his face were held by severed bluish palms. If that man was not a ghost, then he most certainly looked the part. 

 

'No,' Danny thought, his eyes turning to the portal, 'The sense is triggered by this one'.

 

And speaking of the portal, suddenly it began gaining shape. Assuming a more humanoid form, the portal was now wearing a butler outfit, looking as if a fog was wearing clothes. What a bizarre sight. 

 

"Is THIS," Danny whispered and pointed at the lanky man, "That boss you mentioned?"

 

"No," Giran responded. "That's Shigaraki. You can call him the boss's... protege of sorts."

 

"Protege, huh," Phantom crossed his hands. "And the other?"

 

"Kurogiri. His Quirk is making portals. Why did you react like that?" 

 

"I sensed his presence," Danny mumbled. "And when that sense is triggered, it usually ends with me being attacked. Had me worried for a moment."

 

As the two talked, the newest arrivals had by then attracted all the attention in the room. Kurogiri coughed and was the first to speak. 

 

"Greetings," he said. "Thank you for accepting our invitations. I assure you, this will be worth your time." 

 

"What are we here for, then?" Asked one of the fighters. 

 

Kurogiri looked at his companion, and Shigaraki scratched his neck with his dirty nails. 

 

"Let's just say," he slowly began. "We have a boss fight coming. And our party has to be a proper one."

 

He spoke quietly, and from his somewhat raspy voice Danny could guess that the man was actually quite young. Phantom never got a chance to see the guy's face behind a palm gripping his face. 

 

"We know that our work is cut out for us," Shigaraki continued, still scratching his neck. "We are forced to hide and act discreetly. I can change that."

 

"Fat chance. Heroes multiply like flies nowadays," a voice from the crowd came. 

 

"Don't interrupt me," the man hissed angrily. "We don't need to kill every hero at once. Instead, we need to aim higher. To kill the one who embodies the existing order of things. Also known as All Might." 

 

Upon hearing this, Danny froze, just like the rest of those present. Glancing at Giran, the teen could feel that the broker was surprised as well by the man's ambition. Admittedly, Phantom would probably not have been shaken that much, had it not been for the personal exposure. All Might was their teacher, the man that was the textbook definition of a hero. And the person in front of him was actually suggesting the murder of that hero. The others, however, were surprised for another reason entirely. 

 

"Ha! Good luck with that, boyo," an especially cheeky criminal approached Shigaraki. "You don't look like you can even scratch All Might." 

 

Danny quietly whistled. "Whelp, someone is gonna die." 

 

And indeed, something malicious flashed in the man's previously dim eyes. However, before the situation took a drastic turn, Kurogiri interfered. 

 

"We have the means of defeating him, you don't have to be concerned."

 

The incorporeal servant looked at Shigaraki, and the silent plea for the man to remain calm had a proper effect. 

 

"Whatever," the younger man mumbled. "Why do I have to talk with these?"

 

"Master asked that you see to it personally," Kurogiri explained. 

 

"Fine. Don't think too highly of yourselves."

 

"What do you even want us to do?" 

 

The eyes of everyone present turned towards the nosy half ghost. Phantom mentally cursed at his talkative mouth. 

 

"Ah, you are here, too," Shigaraki said more to himself. "I hope you people are capable of dealing with a bunch of kids."

 

Danny did not like where that discussion was going. 

 

"We all know that All Might is teaching at the U.A. Whilst there, he is at a disadvantage. So many little souls to protect at once. I have a tool that can finish him off, you are there to... put an extra stain on him."

 

He must have reworded the term 'distraction'. 

 

"Rest assured," Kurogiri added. "You will all be handsomely rewarded for your efforts. We promise half a million yen each." 

 

Danny raised an eyebrow. Those were big money, so their boss must have been a walking piggybank. Did the illegal arena and drug sales make so much money around there? Heroes must have been slacking, Danny thought. Although, he didn't know how it had been beforehand. The whispers travelled around the crowd of criminals, while Phantom still tried to wrap his head around the situation he suddenly found himself in. What should he do?

 

"To be faced against a bunch of kids AND make more than ten fights in the arena? Ha, must have hit a jackpot," the grunt nearest to Danny laughed. 

 

The half-ghost turned towards the man, less than amused. "I don't think their age is decisive here."

 

"How would you know?"

 

"They are hero trainees for a reason. And you are not exactly the most fearsome bunch."

 

Phantom hated how casually they spoke of harming his friends and close classmates. Oh, and Bakugo. So much in fact, that his obsessive core demanded that he stepped in. He resisted the urge. He wasn't going to change anything now, so he must not have given in to the temptation.

 

What followed was a surprisingly civil Q&A. Perhaps it was due to Kurogiri taking the lead. He was, after all, a more civil and awfully courteous person compared to  Shigaraki and his irascibility. The man himself stood by side, radiating his complete disinterest in what was going on. He must have had a lot of faith in whatever tool he possessed and an abysmal amount of trust in a bunch of thugs and cutthroats. Danny was also still unaware about what Quirk that guy had. However, Phantom was willing to bet it had something to do with hands. 

 

Danny got tired of listening to the pointless questions. He had no interest in those, for there was zero chance he would partake in that operation. What still glued him to the place was the opportunity to learn more about the malicious plan. And it seemed that Shigaraki's boss wanted Phantom to get involved. Suddenly, a chilling thought appeared in Danny's head.

 

Did they know? 

 

Finally Giran nudged the teen and gestured for him to follow. The line of eager thugs had dissipated by then, and now Phantom would talk with the two villains in relative privacy. It was well over and done with incredibly quickly. Danny still had well over an hour before the curfew. 

 

"So," The half ghost put up an act and smirked. "What have you got for me?"

 

Kurogiri approached him. "Pariah is your name, is it not? A pleasure to meet you. I am Kurogiri."

 

"I know who you guys are," Danny pointed at the broker. "Giran enlightened me."

 

"You have shown an outstanding prowess in the Masquerade. You have caught an eye of my Master."

 

"Have I?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "I ain't telling what my Quirk is, though. That's what you want to know, isn't it?"

 

"Admittedly, we are curious."

 

"Keep it to yourself," Shigaraki got up and approached the half ghost. "I don't care. That's not what you are here for."

 

"Then enlighten me. Stop beating around the bush." 

 

"We need you to perform a special job," Shigaraki shrugged. "Do well, and we might take you into the party."

 

"And just why am I supposed to be interested? I came here only because I am curious. And because Giran insisted."

 

"Yes, he is an outstanding broker," Kurogiri nodded in the man's direction. "We have observed that your Quirk also allows you to become intangible and invisible."

 

"Lemme guess. You want me to steal something," Danny sighed. 

 

"That will be most useful," Kurogiri nodded. 

 

"Alright... what is it you want me to steal and how much are you offering?" 

 

"I don't think this will work out," Giran suddenly spoke up. "The kid is not particularly... sympathetic to our cause."

 

"You said this before," Shigaraki grumbled. "Are you saying we can't trust the kid?" 

 

Giran noticed how Phantom gestured for him to continue, urging the man to further dress down the half-ghost before those people.

 

"Think of it whatever you like, you are the ones who paid me to bring him here. I'm just saying that the kid is a wrong choice for the job."

 

Danny cursed mentally. If he couldn't at least hear the offer, he wouldn't know what they wanted. Giran was ruining everything. 

 

"What makes you say so?" Asked Kurogiri.

 

"I dislike the current way of things as much as you do, if you remember correctly," Danny said to the broker, deciding to butt in. "So my decision may vary. Although I think I know what you want me to steal. Something from the Academy, am I right?"

 

"Hm... an astute observation," said Kurogiri.

 

"He is too nosy," Shigaraki grumbled. 

 

"Which is just what we need for the job. Master instructed me on what to look for in a possible co-conspirator. You see, our plan so far has a major flaw. We are aware that All Might is teaching at the U.A. However, we don't know where and when he will be. A single misstep, and we will bring the school full of competent hero teachers to us."

 

"So what, you need his timetable or something?" 

 

"Precisely."

 

That was... awfully down to Earth. But Danny knew what macabre consequences that little thievery could lead to. 

 

"The headmaster's office or the bookkeeping department must have the schedules. With your Quirk being perfect for such task, we ask you to perform it. Even if you don't share our views, the monetary reward shall suffice, I hope."

 

Danny hummed in thought. 

 

What would he do? He couldn't bring himself to do something as vile as landing a backstab on his friends. No matter what opportunities it could bring espionage-wise. Perhaps he was a shitty spy. That was also a possibility. 

 

"I'm not yet sure," the teen hummed. 

 

"You want to jack up the price, don't you?" Shigaraki hissed. "We are already being generous about hiring you to do something we can accomplish ourselves."

 

"Yeah, you could do something like opening a portal inside a school." 

 

"I know not the exact location of room," Kurogiri explained. "We would also need a distraction, while you can do it safely and without the time limit. Schedules are not something important, hence it is not all that protected."

 

"Really? Then my efforts must be rewarded much more so than those doofuses."

 

"Certainly. Money is never of the issue for Master. He is a very generous host." 

 

"But you still make my ego bloat to such an extent that your boss has to pay me twice as much."

 

"You are awfully cocky," Shigaraki approached the half ghost, and a single crimson eye stared at him from under the macabre mask. "Maybe I should just kill you and I will be able to go home at last."

 

Danny did not budge. "I'm sure that your mentor will be thrilled to know how you threw a wrench in his plans because of a childish tantrum," he smirked. "That is, if you don't get to see why I'm at the top of the boss's little pet project."

 

Phantom could see the man's fingers twitch. He was itching to use his Quirk there and then. Danny wanted it. Wanted Shigaraki to give him an excuse to refuse the offer. 

 

"You little..." 

 

From the looks of it, Shigaraki prepared to grab Danny in a destructive grip. Phantom's eyes glowed even brighter, as he prepared to blast the petulant man-child away. 

 

"Hey, hey, hey," Giran waved his hands. "Calm down, you two. Nobody benefits from you killing each other."

 

"Relax, four-eyes," Danny said. "There will be only one corpse by the end of it. But fine."

 

Him burying a metaphorical hatchet was enough for Shigaraki calm down as well. Alright, so the idea of provoking aggression didn't stick. 

 

"The working environment here sure is swell," Danny said. 

 

"We pay you a million for a stupid fetch quest," Responded Shigaraki angrily.

 

"And I say no for a simple reason," Phantom smirked. "I don't like you." 

 

Giran's eyes widened. "Come on, kid. This offer is to die for." 

 

One seldom recognizes the devil when he puts his hand on your shoulder, one man with questionable morals said. Danny knew not of that quote, but he thought of something along those lines. He was not going to be tempted by such a reward if his own price was the hurting consciousness.

 

"I have principles, Giran. One of them is not being subservient to the likes of this fella right here. So my answer is no." 

 

"Reconsider," Shigaraki growled. 

 

"Alright..." Danny thought for a moment. "No." 

 

Giran rubbed his temples. Why that kid...

 

"Are you perhaps concerned about the consequences?" Kurogiri asked. 

 

"Not really. If I work with you, I'll have to bear with a trigger-happy superior. But I do also think that your plan is crap. I'm not embarking on this Titanic." 

 

"The what?"

 

Danny sighed. The alternative history of that world kept screwing up his metaphors. 

 

"The idea isn't going to fly. Don't come crying when you get wasted by an army of heroes."

 

"We will not," Shigaraki spat. 

 

Danny only smiled, mocking the idea of them actually succeeding. 

 

He would make sure they would not.

 

---

 

Phantom's plan had several flaws of its own. The initial obstacle was painfully obvious. He would have to act alone. Coming to the police or the U.A. staff would immediately lead to questions he did not wish to answer. Danny couldn't help but notice the irony of still helping those who would inevitably look down on his aid, oftentimes not realising that they had dodged a bullet. 

 

Because it was usually him that took one. 

 

However, just as before, his own ghostly core called on him to act and prevent the danger of harming anyone close to him. Danny did not resist that natural pull all ghosts, even halfas, experienced. He still wished to help. The question was the 'hows' of the situation. 

 

Danny knew the basics. Without him, the villains would have to sneak inside all on their own. On one of the following days he invited his friends for a walk around the expansive school grounds. That way, he could carefully examine each approach to the school building. Kurogiri could, of course, make a portal inside the school, but his problem was not knowing who was at the other end before he made one. Thus, Danny shouldn't have dismissed the possibility of them taking a more conventional route. 

 

If they did, there was the prospect of them encountering the next problem. 

 

The school councillor. The one who looked more like a rabid and leashed dog than a hero, who quite often howled and made other canine noises in the middle of a conversation. His strange habits aside, the man possessed an extraordinary sense of smell. The foreign presence would inevitably be noticed by him. Perhaps that's why he was the councillor — contacting each and every student allowed him to memorise their smell in a very non-intrusive manner. The villains had to bypass that measure somehow. Or at least be quick enough to leave before the heroes caught up with them.

 

Or the crime could be committed by someone with a familiar smell. 

 

Danny had seen similar cases before. One ghostly warden and his goons came to mind. Slowly and methodically they possessed each member of the town administration to further their plans. It only took one person. In short, the prospect of an actual mole was not something foreign. In a world where millions of different abilities existed, mind control or mimicry were not anything far-fetched. Danny wasn't keen on believing in an actual treachery, for he knew very little about the staff. Although, the mole theory was a dubious one.

 

Phantom was, after all, still asked to perform the task. Thus, it was either because the villains did not wish to use their mole more than absolutely necessary or they did not have one. So, that argument was not a very solid one. Danny sidelined that theory for the time being, until he had more pointers. And, admittedly, if one of the teachers decided to steal something as irrelevant as a schedule, there was no way he could stop it. 

 

Until then, he placed his bet on Kurogiri and his teleportation. That theory seemed to be the most grounded one, if Kurogiri's own words were anything to come by. And until he saw anything at all that could point towards the ongoing crime, all he could really do was wait. 

 

After a few days, he managed to divert his attention to studies once more. As Danny, Mina and Kirishima were making their way towards the school, a lively discussion was taking place. 

 

"I think the original movies are still unmatched," Mina said proudly. "They have that certain old-school appeal, y'know?" 

 

"No way," Kirishima argued. "The prequels are amazing, too. The visual effects are something else." 

 

"Oh yeah?" The pink-skinned girl mocked. "Is there anything but cheap CGI?"

 

"Of course there is! The characters there are more thought-through than you think. And the story is more interesting and mature."

 

"You watched those dialogues or you actually fell asleep from boredom?" Mina teased. 

 

Kirishima's lips thinned. Before both friends turned towards the last member of their trio.

 

"What do you think, Danny!?" They asked simultaneously. 

 

The halfa snapped out of whatever thoughts he was having and sweatdropped. 

 

"Eh...all are good?" Danny offered weakly. "I didn't watch any of those. What about the last three parts?"

 

"Those are the worst!" Mina and Kirishima finally reached an agreement. 

 

Suddenly the half ghost chuckled. 

 

"What is it?" Asked Kirishima.

 

"Just having a deja vu," Danny gave a neutral smile. 

 

"Well, this just won't do," Mina said firmly and wrapped her hand around her friends' shoulders. "Danny-kun can't remain oblivious to the treasure for all humankind. What say you if we binge them during the weekend?" 

 

"Are you crazy? It will take us the whole day! Literally," Kirishima said in shock.

 

"That's the sacrifice I'm willing to make," Responded Mina with all seriousness. "So clean up your place, Danny-kun, we are coming over."

 

"Wh-why me?"

 

"Because it is you we are doing the service. I'll bring the snacks!" She vouched and released the half-ghost from her grip. "Wait here, I need to throw away the gum."

 

As the girl ran off, Danny felt a patronising hand on his shoulder. 

 

"I pity you, my dearest friend," he said dramatically. "You are officially whipped."

 

"You are coming too, remember?" Danny smirked at seeing his friend deflate, before his hearing picked something up. 

 

Kirishima noticed how his friend tensed up. "What is it?" 

 

"There are a lot of people at the front gates." 

 

"Where...right. Super hearing,” Kirishima moaned. “What are they talking about?” 

 

Danny concentrated on one of his senses. One word, or, rather, one name, seemed to be spoken more often than others. 

 

“Paparazzi,” Fenton grumbled. “Of course. They want to see All Might. Think they are gonna bother us?” 

 

“Well, I mean, we are his students, so…” 

 

“Makes sense,” Danny nodded, seeing Mina come back to them. “Brace yourselves then. Those people are vultures. If you say something wrong, they will put a moniker on you that will stick to the end of days. Or even if you don’t say anything.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Oh, I had a few run ins with paparazzi back home.”

 

Just as expected, the place was crawling with journalists of the lowest breed. They didn’t notice the students initially, instead pestering another person.

 

“Is that Bakugo?” Asked Mina.

 

“Excuse me!” A woman kept following the blonde. “Can you tell me about All Migh…Hey, you are the one who was caught by the sludge villain…”

 

Bakugo’s face contorted with anger at an instant. 

 

“Stop it,” he hissed, before a very familiar and annoying laughter reached his ears. 

 

Turning back, he saw that indeed it was one of the most hated people in the entire school. Hated by him, of course.

 

“A sludge villain, huh?” Danny asked, still choking with laughter alongside his friends. “See? I told you?” He said to them. “The monikers are there to stay.”

 

“Shut up, spook!” Bakugo exclaimed. 

 

“Oh, maybe you can make comments?” The paparazzi sensed their newest prey. 

 

Danny glanced at the giant wall to the right. The escape route was right there. 

 

“It is difficult to judge with how few lessons we have had so far, but he is doing more than alright,” the teen responded. “Now, if you excuse us…”

 

Before Bakugo could protest, the halfa grabbed the blonde’s collar and pushed him though the wall that was made intangible. Kirishima and Mina already got the message and jumped immediately afterwards. Danny grinned. 

 

“We don’t want to be late for the lessons,” he laughed and phased into the school grounds, with the towering concrete wall now being between them and the journalists. 

 

“What the hell, you piece of shit?!” Bakugo yelled. 

 

“I’ve saved you the embarrassment. No need to thank me,” Danny smirked. 

 

The blonde growled. “Do this again and I will blow you to pieces!” He exclaimed and stormed off. 

 

“Sheesh, don’t strain yourself,” the halfa mumbled. 

 

The students eventually filled their main classroom, and Danny once again relished the fact that it was the teachers that travelled between the classes and not the other way around. He could calmly rest in his seat without having to worry about being late. 

 

“Fenton-san, I once again ask you to remove your legs from the desk!” Iida came into view. 

 

“Stickler to the end, huh, Iida?” Danny popped his tongue, but still did as he was asked. “I thought we had something special.”

 

“We must adhere to the rules that are in place!” The innuendo flew over the bespectacled boy’s head. “Ardent nepotism has no place in such a respectable institution.”

 

“Preach,” Danny chuckled. 

 

The conversation was cut short when Aizawa entered the classroom. It was the sign for the students to return to their desks, as the lesson was about to start. Coughing to get even the least diligent students’ attention, the man achieved perfect silence within the classroom. 

 

“Good work on yesterday’s combat training,” he started with a compliment. “I saw the video and the results. Bakugo, you are talented. So stop acting like a child.”

 

Bakugo gritted his teeth, but even he could not mouth off to the teacher, especially the one such as Aizawa. 

 

“I know,” he responded quietly.

 

“Midoriya.”

 

“Yes!” The boy answered maybe too loudly, looking tense.

 

“You settled everything by breaking your arm again,” Aizawa checked with his notes. “You can’t keep saying that this is beyond your control because you haven’t mastered your Quirk yet. I can repeat this only so many times. There is a lot you can do if you master this control. You don’t have that much time.”

 

The words of encouragement brightened the mood of the green-haired boy. “Yes, sir!” He said enthusiastically.

 

“Fenton,” Aizawa turned to the half ghost. “You should stop taking this too leisurely. Refusing to fight at your fullest is insulting at the very best. Hampering to your growth. And worst of all, it will inevitably lead to your defeat.”

 

Danny blinked. “I… I got it, Aizawa-sensei.”

 

The remark left the class wonder what his full potential felt like if that was how he fought ‘leisurely’. However, that thought soon perished, when Aizawa nonchalantly continued to speak. 

 

“Let’s move to homeroom business. Sorry for the late notice, but I will have you…”

 

An incessantly dramatic pause filled with torturous and grim assumptions…

 

“Decide on your class representative.”

 

And thus the teacher unleashed chaos. 

 

“I want to be a class rep! Pick me!” 

 

“I’ll be the leader!” 

 

“I should be in charge!” Bakugo yelled. 

 

Danny decided to sit that one out. The hell would freeze before he decided to take a burden like that. His eyes darted to Aizawa, who by then had retreated into his bed roll. 

 

“Silence, please!” Iida raised his voice. “Take notice that this is not solely about the prestige. It is a job with a crucial responsibility of leading others. The class representative is also the person that has the trust of his fellow students. So let’s put the choice of the class rep to a vote!”

 

He said this as his hand was raised the highest, as he was not hiding his desire to lead the class. 

 

“But we haven’t known each other for that long,” Tsu pointed out. “How can we have enough trust for that?”

 

“Everyone will just vote for themselves…” Kirishima mumbled. 

 

“Projecting much, my good friend?” Danny asked quietly. 

 

“No…” 

 

“Just make a rule that doesn’t allow to do this,” the halfa shrugged. “Let everyone vote for a person they consider the most trustworthy. Or the second fittest if the rule is imposed.”

 

“I agree!” Said Iida. “Furthermore, it is the vote that will give legitimacy to the chosen representative. You don’t mind that, do you, sensei?”

 

“As long as you decide by the end of the homeroom, I don’t care,” Aizawa called out tiredly.

 

And thus, the elections were agreed upon. Everybody in class wrote the name of a person they voted for on a list of paper. Danny himself decided on the option fairly quickly. Iida might have been a stickler, but not of the obnoxious kind. He was also probably the most responsible person of them all. Or at least he appeared as such. He debated whether to vote for Yaoyorozu or Todoroki, but the latter was…quite unsocial. Not the prime choice. Yaoyorozu was a good choice, too, due to how diligent she appeared, but sadly there was only one person he could choose, so in the end he opted for the one he knew a bit better. 

 

In the end, Iida collected all shreds of paper inside a small box and set it on the teacher’s desk. Momo vouched to do the counting, and nobody objected. She swiftly wrote the results on the chalkboard in front of the names that had been previously written down. 

 

“Huh?! Deku got three votes?! Who did this?!” Bakugo yelled.

 

“Better than voting for you,” Sero laughed. 

 

“What did you say?!”

 

“One vote…” Every muscle in Iida’s body was tensed. “I knew this will happen…” he whispered. 

 

Danny patted him on the shoulder. “If it makes it better, I voted for you, pal.” 

 

“Thank you, Fenton-san,” Iida responded, even though he sounded incredibly pained. 

 

“So…” Aizawa got up, still inside his yellow cocoon. “With the most amount of points, the class rep is Fenton.”

 

All the eyes turned towards the half-ghost, who first noticed the stares and only then looked at the chalkboard.

 

“Eh?”

---

A.N. Hehe. Yes, indeed, that’s exactly what I did. Is our Danny-boy going to stay a class rep forever or is he gonna step down? Find out next on dr…well, you get the idea. Also, I am risking it and making Danny have a greater impact on the events. In short, villains are not going to have as easy of a time. 

Chapter 12

A.N. A manga spoiler up ahead, guys. You’ve been warned, just in case.

It had to be some kind of mistake, Danny thought. There wasn't any discernible reason to make that choice. How could he, a person that couldn't even tie a piece of fabric around his neck be entrusted with the duty of a class representative? The halfa remained dumbfounded even as he was asked to stand in front of the class in all of his unkempt glory. It had to be some sort of a mistake. The choice of a deputy representative, however, was even more shocking for the person chosen for that person. If Danny remained blank and confused, Midoriya seemed outright shaken by having to be a part of it. 

Out of all the classmates, the two most reluctant individuals were elected. The fate really loathed the half ghost. 

"Why in the world did you vote for me?" Danny asked with a muffled voice, his face on the lunch table. 

"Well..." Kirishima started. "We would have liked to vote for ourselves, but jokes aside, I think you can manage, Danny-san." 

The halfa turned his head so that he was now lying on the side of it. "And what for the love of the Ancients gave you that idea?"

"Come on, Danny-kun," Mina nudged him. "You know why it's like that. When it comes to hero stuff, you are a number one student."

"Yep," added Kirishima. "I mean, we saw how you did in the battle trial, and you know how a hero should act." 

Fenton sighed. "You missed the part about me preferring to do things alone. Precisely why I didn't vote for Todoroki."

"Come on, you are not always by yourself, right?"

Danny seemed to be in thought. Kirishima was correct that his friends were there quite often, willing to lend their hand or save his backside in a pinch. However, he stood by his word, and the halfa still was choosing to fight alone if he could help it. His power had grown over the months of constant fighting. He could manage.

"Maybe. But do you honestly expect ME to be responsible enough to keep up with everything and everyone else? Do you want THIS," he pointed at his all over the place clothes, "to represent you during the meetings?" 

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Danny-kun," Mina beamed. "I'm sure you will do your best."

The halfa didn't look convinced. Instead Danny decided to casually indulge in the delicious foods of which he had taken plenty. After downing the first bowl of gyudon, the half ghost took a look around the cafeteria. 

"There are a lot of people here," he commented. 

"You only just noticed?" Mina cackled. "We just study in the different parts of the school, but there is only one cafeteria. So, there are guys from all departments."

"How many of those they have exactly?" Asked Fenton and made a sip of the soda. "I only know a couple." 

"Well, there's ours," Kirishima started counting with his fingers. "The hero course. There are also general education, support department, and department of management."

"Management?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Well, most heroes have their agencies," explained Mina. "They are in charge of your PR, make sure that you get the jobs and are also good for managing finances. You need the money to repair what's damaged during the fight. Manage some ads, too. That's what management department teaches."

"Christ, they turned heroism into Hollywood," Danny mumbled as he chewed on a bun. 

'You have a marketable plushie of yourself in your bedroom,' the inner voice reminded him and promptly shut him up. 

It would be a lie if he said he didn't want the kind of fame most prominent heroes had, but the specifics of that new world still felt wrong to him. He had been bitten so many times by his desire to be respected by his peers and have hundreds of fans among the populace, that by then Danny had grown wary of the idea, no matter how much he might have potentially enjoyed it. It was somewhat of a guilty pleasure at that point. 

"Well, it's not like you can't do both," Kirishima shrugged. "If you are still manly and noble enough, why not make some cash out of it?"

"That's...not what I am used to." 

"Why?" Asked Mina. "You have heroes in America, too. They are everywhere." 

"America is not Japan. It is an enormous country with so many heroes. Our town had only one unsung vigilante, and that's pretty much it," Danny responded unenthusiastically. "Don't you see this as a problem? Even if one hero is to prevent ten, twenty crimes a day, it still won't be enough. Schools can't possibly pump out enough heroes, and hardly all of them are on par with the top brass, obviously."

"Danny... are you defending vigilantism?"

"My town is still standing because of one. People close to me are alive because of him. I can't bring myself to think that this is wrong in any way. Having second thoughts about your pick of a class rep?" Danny asked sarcastically and grinned. 

Then, before he could say anything else, the deafening siren sounded across the entire school. 

"A level 3 security breach is detected," the robotic voice announced through the speakers. "All students please evacuate properly." 

Danny stood up without even noticing, the gears in his mind set in motion. 

Was that it? The villains' attack on the school? No, the halfa reasoned. The two of them did not appear moronic enough to try and assault the school like that. No matter what tools they had, the school was the heroes' territory, easily defensible and full of capable superpowered individuals. His hearing didn't pick up any explosions or crashes, although the white noise in the form of shouts and cries of panicking students was hampering his ability to pick anything else up. Thus, this could not be an actual attack.

Perhaps, it was the distraction Danny had been expecting. 

The halfa was about to bolt for the principal's office and the archive so conveniently located nearby. But then he remembered something. Looking at his shocked classmates, Danny realised that he couldn't just abandon those who put their trust into him. He didn't know what that distraction was, and with Kurogiri's Quirk the villains could attack any stray student. The time was running short. Jumping into the air, the half ghost floated above everyone and casted a look across the entire cafeteria. 

Danny then put his hands to his mouth and channelled a portion of his ectoplasmic energy to his throat.

"Hero course, Class 1-A, gather near this table!" He bellowed. 

Considering the stampede that closely resembled the dreaded episode of the Lion King and was currently taking place in the only exit corridor, there wasn't much the class was missing. They weren't getting anywhere close to the exit in such conditions anyhow. At least that way he would make sure that every classmate of his was alright and they could leave in an orderly fashion. 

The class did as instructed, having heard his shout and having seen his floating figure they had no trouble gathering close to each other. Danny slowly descended, counting the students that were there. 

"Is this everyone that was in the cafeteria?" He asked and descended. 

"Mineta has already run off, kero," Tsu responded and saw the halfa lower his head. 

"For the love of...I also don't see that blonde guy, what was his name again?" 

"You mean Aoyama?" Asked Tokoyami.

"Yeah, the sparkling one."

"He said he was going to the library." 

Danny had studied the layout of the school. Due to the library's proximity to the principal's office AND the archive this was probably the worst spot for him to be. Phantom was careful not to display the true emotion he was currently experiencing, which was deep concern for his classmate. Humming for a moment, Danny casted a glance at Midoriya, his supposed deputy. Yes, that could work as an excuse, too.

"Midoriya-san. You lead the others to the shelter. Make sure you stay together."

"What about you, Fenton-san?" Asked Iida. 

"I'll try and get Aoyama. When I find him, we'll join you."

"What, ya want to face the bad guys alone, glowstick?" Bakugo barked. 

Danny shot him an apathetic look. "Last time I checked it was me who went through walls and could fly. I have the best chances in this whole school to get there quickly and get Aoyama and others to safety," he said and took off the suit that was part of his uniform, leaving only the shirt. "Well? Go! We've already wasted enough time!" 

Everyone exchanged glances. They were unused to hearing orders from the usually laid-back halfa. But his cool head and confidence seemed to be enough for them to follow his orders. While the students quickly ran off towards the corridor, Danny didn't waste another second, before dashing towards the nearest wall and leaping through it, landing on the other side already in his ghost form. From there he flew upwards, as it was there where the points of his current interest were. Danny prepared himself for any emergency that could happen.

At the very least, he would make sure that the fight would be very loud and noticeable. Was it the rule violation if he actually did engage in a fight with a villain? It could technically be considered an act of self-defence as long as they were attacking the school. Reassured by his impunity, Danny quickly headed towards the upper walls. He phased through another ceiling and landed in another corridor. From there he sprinted towards the library, making it there in a matter of seconds. He swung open the door and entered the spacious room. Rows of bookshelves and not a single living soul around. 

"They must've heard the alarm... of course they would be on their way to the shelter," Danny facepalmed.

There were no villains in sight either, which was probably a good sign, too. 

"Well," he said upon exiting the library. "Since I'm already here, I might as well check the rest."

After taking a peek inside every room around, he heard some sounds coming from the one he hadn't checked yet. Someone seemed to be in a hurry. The fact that that particular door had 'Faculty room' written on it made Danny stop in his tracks. The halfa remembered that the villains were after the teachers' schedules, wishing to know where and when All Might would be. Of course a copy would be in the faculty room. And it would lack in defences with how many heroes there were inside usually. 

The halfa turned invisible just in case, before floating right through the nearest wall. There, in a room filled with littered desks, one person was eager to bring even more chaos to the surroundings. And that was not a teacher. In fact, it was the particular blonde Danny had been looking for. It was Aoyama who was digging through the desk drawers, with a goal Phantom didn't want to accept, but apparently would have to. But maybe he was jumping to conclusions, right? He had to check, and do so quickly, because Aoyama finally found what he had been looking for. 

"What are you doing?" Asked the half ghost. 

Aoyama shrieked and jumped upon hearing someone whisper into his ear. Turning around, he saw Danny staring at him. In the meantime, the halfa saw the blonde hide something behind his back. 

"F-Fenton-san!" Aoyama exclaimed shakily. "Wh-what are you doing here?" 

He couldn't understand why the half-ghost was reacting in such a manner. Aoyama saw hostility in those emerald eyes, and it made his legs go wobbly.

"Are you really in a position to ask?" Fenton tilted his head. "I am the class rep now. My job is to keep your asses intact, among other things. So I was looking for you. Well?" 

"I...the shelter is far away, right?" Aoyama responded. "I-I was thinking of hiding in the faculty office, but there is nobody here!" 

Danny sighed. "A valid course of action, I guess," he said and Aoyama for a second thought he was off the hook. 

"But this doesn't explain you rummaging through the desks," the half ghost finished. "What's that you have there?" 

"O-oh, that's just... a schedule!" The fellow student showed him the piece of paper. 

If Phantom's core was beating, it would have ceased such activity for a moment. Aoyama was showing that list like nothing, because it was nothing to the normal observer. However, why would he try and hide it in the first place if it was perfectly normal?

"Why do you need it?" The halfa asked as the sirens outside finally fell silent.

"What are you asking such questions for?" The blonde suddenly grew a backbone. 

He knew his time was running out, Danny realised. The teachers were probably going to be there soon.

"Because this is hardly the time, simple as," the halfa responded.

He also knew that if the teachers came, it would throw a wrench into his plans as well. He couldn't interrogate Aoyama in front of everyone. And to be frank, he could not allow himself to be hasty. One wrong word could potentially pull the rug from under the halfa's legs. If Phantom made his accusations clear, Aoyama could do something people usually did — speak. Speak not only to him, but either to the teachers about the class rep's odd suspicions, or to the villainous employers, on the same topic but with different content. Danny could not allow such questions, because he so far had no idea how to respond to them. 

For now he had to play it safe. Until he knew what to do with him. Why did it have to grow so convoluted this quickly? Danny eventually sighed. 

"Alright, let's just hurry to the classroom. Everyone must be worried." 

Aoyama did not say anything, internally glad that that's where Fenton had chosen to drop it, even if temporarily. However, as he followed his now human classmate, Aoyama was starting to fear that the half ghost knew more than he was letting on. To bear with that fright until Phantom chose to speak to him again about it, if ever, was going to be torturous. At the very least, Danny hadn't taken the paper back. 

And why didn't he? That was also the question Aoyama had. 

It would also be a lie to say that Danny's own soul felt at ease. Per chance, the halfa had caught his own classmate red-handed, he knew he had, but at the same time doubt plagued his mind. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but the evidence was all there. Danny knew that the villains needed to attain that information, he knew that there wasn't anybody else in close vicinity of the three important rooms. The whole distraction thing would be for naught if they hadn't had a guy on the inside. And the only person there was Aoyama. It couldn't be a mere coincidence. 

Soon they heard the next message relayed through the speakers, telling the students to proceed with the rest of the day as normal. 

With nothing else to do at the moment, the halfa decided to head to the classroom. Aoyama had no choice but to follow. 

Upon entering, Danny saw the entirety of the class being present there and eagerly chatting, and he felt his anger subsiding. 

"Danny-kun!" Mina waved at him, getting everyone's attention to the doorway. 

"Everyone alright?" Asked the halfa. 

"Ya bet!" Said Kaminari. "It turned out that the alarm was triggered because of the press." 

"The...press?" Danny repeated slowly, glancing at Aoyama, who looked probably too elated by the electricity-throwing teen's response. 

Was he wrong about everything? If it was the paparazzi all along, then it was him who acted like a prick. It did not completely eradicate the doubt, but the halfa was starting to feel consciousness gnawing on him. 

"Fenton-san!" 

Danny turned to look at Midoriya, who looked awfully anxious about something. 

"What's up?" The halfa asked with a small, tired smile. He welcomed the distraction. 

"I... have an announcement to make, if nobody minds."

Danny turned to Aizawa, who was still lying in his futon behind the desk. 

"I don't care what you do, just make it quick. You kids still have to make other decisions on the class officers." 

"Oh, that's right. Well, the floor is yours, pal," Phantom smirked and gestured to the wooden rostrum. 

Midoriya slowly made his way there, as Danny followed. He had to constantly remind himself that he was the class president. The feeling was still new to the half ghost. Standing by Midoriya's side, he leaned against the chalkboard behind him. 

"I...I think Iida is more suitable to be in my position after all!" 

Danny blinked. That was awfully sudden. But looking at the class, the halfa noticed that there were very few surprised faces. 

"What did I miss?" Fenton asked half-jokingly. 

"A lot, man!" Kirishima responded. "Iida was a great help at the cafeteria today."

"He kinda looked like that man from the exit signs," Kaminari cackled. 

Danny raised an eyebrow. "The heck..."

Iida slowly rose from his seat. "If it is Midoriya that is making this proposal, then I will humbly accept it as long as the class representative has no objections!" He said and raised his hands. 

"Wait..." Danny said slowly. "You could just switch positions all this time? If so..."

"I know what you are suggesting, Fenton-san," Iida interrupted firmly. "I must refuse, and I am confident that many others do too. During the commotion you acted with cold head and rationality expected of someone in your position. With all due respect, I won't accept you stepping down." 

"Eh..." Danny rubbed the back of his neck and averted the gaze. "Thanks?"

There wasn't much he could say in a situation like that. He initially acted without thinking, doing what had been drilled into him by mock evacuations they had at Casper High. And his past unpleasant experiences with panicking crowds. 

"Is this how he says it is?" Danny turned to the class. 

"Yep. You can pull this off, Danny-kun!" Mina gave him a thumbs up. "Don't back out on us now!"

After receiving some more words of encouragement, the halfa had to concede. Perhaps...it was for the better in some aspects, Danny decided. Everything that had taken place in the last hour or so was the clear indication of who was the real worrywart among the entire group of students. A worrywart in a sense that he was truly concerned about everyone's safety, even if it meant suspecting one of them. The position of a class representative was the one that put a weighty responsibility on his deceptively weak-looking shoulders, but it was also the one that would allow him to exercise the much needed authority when it came to the crisis situations, as Danny and anybody else could see in the cafeteria. 

Once again he was being made to accept something ex post facto. By accepting and embracing the role others wanted him to take, what was he really doing? Was he simply coming to terms with the inevitable, or he simply refused to argue because he was actually the one deciding it? The halfa could not give an answer to that question just yet. However, everyone expected him, and him alone to say something.

"I suppose...I can bear with it a bit," Danny smirked. "I'll stay as the class representative. And I am all for the change Midoriya proposed. No offence, pal." 

"None taken!" Midoriya grinned. "It's my idea anyway!" 

Danny took another breath. In the end, he guessed he could roll with his sudden responsibility, as long as there was someone capable of aiding him in whatever bureaucratic nonsense they would have to endure. Speaking of such nonsense...

"We still have to decide on certain positions, so let's be quick... anyone wants to be the treasurer?" 

---

Phantom's line of thought when it came to the ongoing conspiracy was simple. There was a very simple way of knowing what everything was about. The solution? To watch where Aoyama was going and what he was going to do with his papers. Danny reasoned that with him evidently suspecting Aoyama of something out of norm would make the pompous blonde nervous and eager to get rid of what he had stolen. It was how all overly-cautious thieves behaved. 

Before the lessons were over, Aizawa had the teen go and sign a couple of papers so that he would be registered as the official class rep. Since the last lesson was not Aizawa's, the homeroom teacher accompanied him, and whilst travelling through the empty and quiet corridors, Danny felt slightly uncomfortable. 

"I've heard of what you did in the cafeteria."

The halfa panicked for a moment, but then realised that he hadn't done anything out of ordinary. Aizawa turned his tired red eyes to the the teen.

"Keep at it."

Danny blinked. The compliment had caught him off guard. 

"Eh..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you?" 

The teacher sighed, feeling the need to elaborate. "I've been told about how you behaved and I heard what your classmates said. Several faculty members noticed that Class A proceeded according to the procedures and in order. You did a good job," he nodded. "So if I say so myself, it is an improvement."

"An improvement from what?" Danny raised his eyebrow. 

"From the initial impression I had," Aizawa responded frankly and without missing a heartbeat. "Despite having been a vigilante, you show that you can work as a part of the team."

"Forgot you guys knew that..." Danny looked out of the window, before noticing something. 

He was able to see the front gates from their position, and what he saw made his mind return to another matter entirely. He saw the front gates reduced to nothing, with the remains showing the signs of someone actually forcing their way in.

"What is it?" Asked Aizawa.

"Are...you really sure that it was the journalists?" Danny said. "This doesn't seem like their work."

That was his way of indirectly warning the teacher about the upcoming threat. At least they would stay on guard.

"We can't know that. All it takes is one Quirk sometimes."

"But even the paparazzi have limits. They don't turn metal doors to dust."

Aizawa couldn't deny that the halfa had a solid point. Neither he, nor the others among the staff had any illusions. They had told the kids the opposite for the sole reason of preventing concern and panic. Heroes in training they might have been, but to their mind many of them were not ready to be exposed to real threats.

"Observant, aren't we?" Aizawa mumbled tiredly. 

"You guys know what I did in the past," Danny rolled his eyes. "I learned to perform basic investigation." 

"Your experience will only get you this far, Fenton," the teacher spoke seriously. "You may have an advantage over classmates, other students, and some rookie heroes. But many of us spent years and even decades in the field."

"What are you trying to say, sensei?" 

"I say that you must work just as hard as everyone else. You yourself admit that your investigation skills are 'basic'. Learn to perfect it and keep going. I simply keep sensing that you aren't enthusiastic about my lessons. Or others from the hero course for that matter."

"You are diverting the conversation, Aizawa-san. Was I wrong about the journalists?" 

The man kept silent for a while, as a pair of ice blue eyes unnervingly stared at him without blinking. 

"You are not going to believe me if I say otherwise."

"One could even say that I can read people enough," Danny grinned, before his look turned serious. "So it WAS a villain."

He had no doubts about that, knowing full well about someone who could pull that distraction off. Danny simply wanted his teacher to wholeheartedly share his sentiment. 

"Don't go around saying this version to everyone. We have no concrete proof. Not even an eyewitness."

"Never planned to, sir. But what are you going to do?"

"We must first learn if it really was a villain. Until then, we will stay on guard. I expect this level of responsibility you've shown today from now on, Fenton. And I hope that your urge to break the law is subdued." 

"Is it against the law trying to find out what happened here?"

"Not really," Aizawa responded sincerely. "But this is what I told you and what I threaten to expel you for."

Danny's eyes widened. "You really aren't shy with measures..." the halfa mumbled. 

Phantom already had found the truth and the culprits. The destroyed door also eroded any suspicion that he might have been mistaken. But the whole fact that they didn't want to even hear of what he found, much less accept it and forgive his missteps, annoyed the young hero beyond measure. That attitude was going to get someone killed. Danny was slowly starting to hate the secretiveness of his endeavour, and even more so the people so entrenched in their conceptions of vigilantism that they refused help when they could get it. 

"You are smart enough to understand why I am doing this, Fenton," Aizawa stopped and turned to him. "My job is to make sure that students remain safe. And that includes you, too."

"I fought the people you guys can't even scratch," Danny said through his teeth. "I can handle myself."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Aizawa said firmly. "Until then, the ban remains in place." 

"Plans never work, Aizawa-sensei. What if villains choose to attack the students? I, for one, would feel guilty if there was anything I could do to stop it from happening outright." 

"This is a 'you' problem, Fenton. We are working on this as we can, you have to trust us on that."

"Because this feeling is obviously being reciprocated," Danny responded sarcastically. Since he knew better than to speak too frankly with a teacher, he promptly added. "Fine. I get it."

Fast forward a bit later to the end of the lessons, when the halfa did not hesitate to go against what he had told Aizawa. Technically it was not a full-fledged investigation, as he probably knew the culprits already. He was merely confirming his findings. It was, however, much more boring than Danny had anticipated. All he did was invisibly tail Aoyama until something happened. Until the guy reached a meeting spot with the villains or reached his house and put the halfa's mind a bit more at ease. From observing the blonde whilst Phantom invisibly floated in front of his face, Danny could see the nervousness. The wobbly hands, the expression full of concern, the signs were all there and they indicated that something clearly wasn't right. 

The halfa wasn't the most patient person. He opted to fly home because it was much faster. Commuting was not something he enjoyed, and Aoyama was doing just that, forcing Danny to follow him in the bus. The halfa feared that he would have to go with the suspect even further, by metro, but surprisingly Aoyama opted to detract from the path Danny had predicted, and instead went the opposite way from the station. And finally, the student entered a very unimpressive establishment. 

'If he chose to buy himself a bagel, I'm hanging myself,' Danny thought with exasperation at a possibly wasted time. 'Can I even choke in this form?'

Shaking off that thought, Danny floated inside the cafe. The place really was rundown, and that was especially striking in a place not so far from a city centre. 

Aoyama had by then situated on his seat, in front of another person. 

"You are late," the man said from under the black hoodie. 

That voice...

"Shigaraki, you weasel," Danny whispered inaudibly, sitting at the nearest table behind Aoyama. Still invisible, of course. 

He was right all along. And he was not sure whether to be thrilled, appalled or concerned. What he knew however, was that he had to listen.

"S-sorry, I-I was held back in school," Aoyama responded, visibly scared of the man he was talking to.

"Hm... was this because someone wasn't careful?" Shigaraki looked at the student, tapping on the table. 

"No... look. Here is what you asked for."

Aoyama quickly dug in his bag and fished out the file Danny had seen him take.

"Is it...safe for us to discuss this here?" 

"Don't worry," Shigaraki gave a wicked smirk. "The proprietor is a kindred spirit of yours. He isn't going to tell anyone about this exchange."

Danny glanced at the only man at the counter and saw the distress plastered on his face. That didn't look like a person that was in it willingly. And neither was Aoyama. Something was amiss in the picture. Was his classmate threatened to do this?

"Now," the smirk vanished. "You haven't answered my question. There is no skipping this dialogue."

"There's one classmate..."

"And..."

"He saw me take it..."

Shigaraki swiftly grabbed Aoyama's hand in a strange, four fingered grip, making the student yelp in shock and fright. 

"What happened next?" 

"He didn't do anything!" Aoyama quickly added. "Nobody but him knows, and he paid it almost no attention." 

"Hmm... that was awfully close," Shigaraki whispered, not letting go. "You needed a distraction, I gave you a distraction. It's you who almost failed."

"I know! But Fenton is our class rep, he came looking for me personally, there's nothing I could do!" 

After a momentary silence, during which Danny fully prepared to blast the hobo-looking villain to crisp, Shigaraki finally released his grip.

"Sensei would not approve of me destroying his asset," he mumbled. "But he is not going to be happy with you either. You got the paper. Now scram."

"Do I... have to do something else?" 

Meanwhile, Danny floated closer, wishing to take a look at the schedule as well.

"You stay put and don't call attention to yourself. Don't think that your debt is repaid, either. Master will surely contact you. And you will get another quest," Shigaraki cackled, folding the list of paper and stuffing it into the pocket of his hoodie. 

Aoyama did not hesitate to leave the place with the opportunity he was given, and Phantom had half a mind to beat the bastard in front of him here and then, certainly having the ability to. But then it would lead to unpredictable consequences, and perhaps even Aoyama was going to be blamed for everything. From that brief conversation the halfa realised that the blonde was not a willing co-conspirator, and thus the boy regained some sympathy. Being manipulated by a villain...he knew that feeling perhaps too well. 

Which did not mean that in the following days he would not try and stop them.

First, he needed to find an information on the 'Rescue training.' event. It was something that took place in a location Danny so far had no idea of. 

Finding the information wasn't that hard, since it was not some kind of a classified data. He could simply ask the older students from his course, and results it did bring. Upon learning of what the special training course entailed, the halfa started hatching another scheme. It was taking place in a separate building, and thus was a perfect spot for the attack. The villains would not have to fight all the heroes if the latter would remain oblivious to the ongoing battle. Cut the connection, and the place would also be one big grave. It seemed to fall so perfectly in place that the halfa had no doubts about the location of the villain attack. 

Once more the stupid problem of having nobody to report to was biting him in the backside. Any attempt to inform the authorities was going to end poorly for him. And, as he had learned, for Aoyama. The blonde was quiet after the exchange in the faculty office, not wishing to even interact further with the half-ghost. Due to fear of villains' retribution or Danny's own intrusive approach, Phantom did not know, but there was the fact — Aoyama avoided him as much as possible. And everything had to appear absolutely natural so as not to alert the villains or heroes about the scheme of one particular half-ghost. Thus, Danny did not press him.

Giran never made contact with him after the meeting with Shigaraki. So apparently the villains chose to drop it and not to ask someone clearly opposed to the plan without having the leverage over him. Especially since they got what they wanted in the form of Aoyama. 

Danny meticulously prepared a multitude of gadgets, created for the purpose of stopping a small army of cutthroats. He was the only one who knew about the attack. The responsibility to protect his classmates pressed on him, but at the same time, the halfa felt... excited. 

The ice shard in place of his heart buzzed softly, creating a feeling similar to the butterflies in the stomach. He acted accordingly to his ghostly core's desires, and it was understandably happy with such outcome. The term 'happy' was, of course, applied liberally, for it never had a sentience of its own. Danny knew not of what obsession was, scientifically speaking. His parents had attributed the increased power output to the creation of special hormones at certain moments, when the ghosts indulged in what they were obsessed about. His parents had scraped the idea, because for hormones to have effect one had to possess a brain and nervous system. Something they believed ghosts seldom had. 

Maybe those were hormones. Fentons were known to be wrong with their assumptions a lot. Danny could only hope they did not cause extra acne for him.

And then, the day of the event rolled about. At least, that's what the schedule said. And the halfa waited with baited breath and deep concentration until that moment arrived. Right after lunch they had a lesson with Aizawa, and the man did not waste his time.

"For today's basic hero training course you will have three instructors: All Might, me and one more person."

"Excuse me!" Sero raised his hand, "What exactly will we be doing?"

Aizawa lazily lifted a card similar to the one All Might had shown before the battle trial, only that time the card read 'Rescue', and like always Aizawa didn't seem to express any strong emotions like his boisterous colleague.

"Disasters, shipwrecks, everything in between. Today you will undergo rescue training."

Danny had learned of this beforehand, certainly, but he still couldn't help but chuckle into his fist at the irony of the predicament they were in. The course made sense, certainly, as a hero had to know how to perform a rescue mission. It was always a large part of being one. Phantom was no stranger to such things, be it a bus that fell off into the lake from the bridge or anything of the sort. But now, however, he was preparing to perform a different type of operation. The halfa glanced at Aoyama, who must have felt Phantom's piercing gaze, because he soon turned around and their looks crossed. The nervousness of the blonde teen was difficult to hide from the half ghost. Whether Aoyama intended to fight the classmates or not, Danny had long since come to terms with the possibility of the former.

Still, Danny supposed that the villains would not want to throw away their valuable mole so early. 

"I'm not done yet," Aizawa eventually stopped the excited chatter. "You are free to choose whether to wear your costumes or not. After all, some of them limit your Quirks, too."

Danny slowly and instinctively rubbed the back of his palms, where his newest contraptions were located during the fights. Yes, he was definitely using those.

"The training will take place off-campus, so we will take the bus. Start getting ready and gather near the front entrance."

With that Aizawa parted, trusting the students to do the rest. At Iida's urging, the halfa less than enthusiastically once again assumed the role of the class rep, making sure that everyone proceeded in a proper fashion first to the changing rooms and then to the entrance. Phantom began to wonder if he was there to be a chaperone. Nonetheless, the job was simple, so he managed to do that much. Once everyone gathered outside, the students could see the bus waiting for them. 

"We must proceed further in a proper fashion!" Iida commented loudly, evidently more fired up than Danny was. 

"Ease up, pal," Danny patted Iida on the shoulder. "Just look inside, there's enough space to run a marathon."

"I..." the debuty rep did as he was asked and finally noticed the disposition of the seats — along the walls, facing each other. "Oh, I see! I just assumed it was a normal bus." 

"Looks like they are trying to accommodate everyone," Phantom smirked. "Although I'd have loved to see how Bakugo would have fit with those gloves of his," he cackled alongside some of his classmates.

"What did you just say?!" Bakugo roared. 

"That your gloves are way too large," Danny shrugged. 

"Keep talking like that and I'll show you what they can do," The tempestuous teen growled. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Danny responded off-handedly. "Come on, everyone, we don't have the time to lose!"

---

The halfa situated by Iida, with Aoyama simply having no other place to take. And his discomfort at being so close to the halfa was eventually noticed. 

"Is something wrong, Aoyama?" Asked Tsu. 

"Oh, I assure it's nothing of concern to you," the blonde waved off the concern in his usual fashion.

Danny had to give the boy some credit. He was extremely good at acting as a dapper narcissist. Or maybe it was just who he actually was. 

"You've been acting weird around Danny-kun ever since the lunch incident."

And the frog girl was awfully observant, Danny mentally cursed. He needed to change the topic, and quickly. How did it come to him hiding the actual mole? Right, it would mean him being busted, too. 

"Sheesh, Tsu," Danny huffed and smiled, putting hands behind his head, crossing his legs and leaning backwards in his seat. "You really say what ya think, huh?"

"That's right, kero. I also think your Quirk is strange, Danny-kun."

Internally glad that the bait was taken so easily, he was nonetheless surprised to hear her words. Before he could answer, the one who was the most enthusiastic about Quirks butted into the conversation.

"That's right! I've never seen a Quirk so versatile before," Midoriya spoke up. "You must have spent years coming up with all those uses!"

"Not really. My Quirk was a late bloomer. Got it about a year ago, and when it did awaken, it was... unpleasant."

"A year?!" The exclamation of surprise sounded from perhaps everyone around but Midoriya, who himself received his Quirk not so long ago. Yet, it shocked even the green-haired boy how quickly the halfa got a hold of that power. 

Aizawa, who had been occupying the front seat by the robot driver, looked over his shoulder and stared at the halfa, too. Just one year to become a powerhouse like that? The teacher sighed tiredly and rubbed his eyes. He really could use a drink right now.

"What do you mean, unpleasant, Danny-kun?" Mina tilted her head. "You never told us this."

The halfa hissed. "I ate a huge shit pie in the form of multiple layers of pain. I would have died horribly, because a normal human body cannot sustain that much energy coursing through the body at once, but my healing factor kicked in just when I needed it. I'll omit the gruesome details." 

Midoriya stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn't help but draw the parallels with himself, and how every use of One for All made his limbs break.

"How bad was it?" Asked Kirishima with concern.

"You really have to press, don't you? My skin was literally melting off," Danny looked at the distance. "My friends had to watch that whole thing. Ectoplasm doesn't like organic matter at all. Even when your heart all of a sudden begins to pump it through your body. It can be turned into a harmless goo, but otherwise it can easily kill you. So don't go around touching my things, would you?" The halfa smirked.

Perhaps it was one of the features that separated him from the rest of the ghosts. Danny may have had his reservations about free electric currents, but that was honestly where it ended. Usually ghosts went ballistic when faced with the reminder of their deaths, be it an object or a person, and they would never speak so freely of the moment their lives came to their end. Danny himself had by then largely dealt with the fact, especially since he got away relatively scot-free. He was still at least a partial human being. 

"After what you just told us, I don't think I'll go anywhere near that glowing stuff," Mina shivered. 

"Yeah, man," Kirishima muttered. "That's a messed up way of discovering your Quirk." 

"You don't hear me complaining now," Danny smirked. "But one time was more than enough."

"Your Quirk is still amazing, Fenton-san," Midoriya spoke. "You can definitely become a famous pro."

The halfa rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm...thank you, Midoriya-san." 

"I know Bakugo won't be very popular," Tsu added.

"What the hell?! You want to fight?!" The teen in question yelled from the backseat.

"And that's exactly why," the frog girl pointed out. 

"Yeah, we haven't known each other for that long, but everyone knows his personality is crap steeped in sewage," Kaminari added. 

"Now, now," Danny grinned, "No need for such vulgarities, Kaminari-san," he surprised everyone with his stance. "But you are 100 percent right."

"Shut up, spook!" 

"Enough of that," interrupted Aizawa. "We're here." 

Soon the bus came to a halt, and the entirety of the class exited it. They were now near a colossal dome structure, able to fit an entire town inside from the seems. A peculiar person was waiting for them in front of the entrance. Danny hadn't seen that staff member before. That person was dressed in yellow boots and a white jacket, so puffy that it was impossible to understand who exactly was under it and how to address them. The pitch black helmet with white eyes did not make it any easier. However, the first phrase quickly put at least some questions to rest. 

"Everyone, I have been waiting for you," the feminine voice sounded from under the helmet.

"Woah! I know who that is!" Midoriya squealed.

"Michelin-girl?" Danny offered sarcastically. 

"Wh...no, it's the Space Hero, Thirteen! A hero who has saved thousands of people from disasters!"

"Oh, I know her too!" Uraraka said just as excitedly.

"Let us go in without delay!" Thirteen told the students.

As they went inside, Danny couldn't help but chuckle. That name sure brought some memories. 

The place, unsurprisingly, was as big on the inside as it was outside. The first association many students had was an amusement park. To that conclusion they were lead by the long, wide paths crossing in the centre of the area, where a large decorative fountain stood. However, the metaphorical attractions in the are were quite intriguing. There was an area that was a collapsed, the ruined cityscape, somewhere at a distance was a smaller glass dome, under which everyone could see the blazing inferno. And nearby, there was a dome that contained a snow storm within. A model shipwreck could also be seen from the elevated platform the entrance and the students currently were. Once again, everyone could only marvel at the scale U.A. operated at.

"Everything you see before you," Thirteen spoke up. "Is a training ground I made with all different types of accidents in mind. This is the Unforseen Simulation Joint. U.S.J. for short."

"By the way, Thirteen," Aizawa said to the riled up colleague. "Where is All Might? He was supposed to be here."

"About that," the hero in space suit reduced her voice to a whisper. The whisper she hadn't known the halfa could easily overhear. "It looks like he did too much hero work on his way here and ran out of time. He is currently resting in the lounge."

Time? Upon hearing this, the halfa blinked. What did time have anything to do with All Might performing his hero duties? Danny began to wonder if the man's Quirk could work only for a limited amount of time. Whatever was the reason, he was secretly happy and also concerned about All Might staying behind. The villains' 'tool' was aimed at killing the hero who was currently absent. So he wasn't in danger's way. However, the lack of the world's strongest hero was going to severely undermine the combat chances of his side. 

"That was awfully irrational of him," Aizawa sighed. "Let's start then."

"Alright! Let's see. Now I have one...three...some things to tell you first," Thirteen began. "As I'm sure you are aware, my Quirk is Black hole. It can suck inside everything and turn it into dust."

Midoriya and Uraraka nodded quickly and excitedly. "You've used this power to save so many!"

"Indeed I have. However, this Quirk can also easily kill people. Some of your Quirks, too, are very destructive, aren't they? In a superhuman society such as ours, Quirks have been registered and stringently regulated. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be any problem here..."

"I can name a few," Danny mumbled quietly. 

"...However, you must not forget what I just told you. A single misstep can end up with killing an innocent person. Aizawa-san's physical test helped you find out a couple of your own hidden powers. All-Might's personal training helped you understand the danger of your Quirks when used against another person. This class is a fresh start that can teach you yet another aspect — using your Quirk to save countless lives. And I hope that you are willing to listen and understand what I'm trying to teach you. That will be all."

At this, Thirteen bowed theatrically, under the loud applause from many students. Danny would have said something, too, but then, a gust of cold air escaped the halfa's mouth. And that feeling, unique to each ghost or other spectral entity, was very much familiar.

Kirishima, who stood by the teen's side, looked surprised at seeing his friend tense up in alarm. 

"Danny-san, what are you..."

The halfa rushed forward to the edge of the platform. And his ghost sense, much to his woe, was right, just as it always had been. 

And then, right in front of the distant fountain, a portal emerged, and its purple hue was unmistakable. Kurogiri was here. And with him, the striking force of cutthroats ready to engage in battle. The halfa threw a meaningful look at Aizawa, that could easily be translated to:

'I told you.'

Chapter 13

The air was heavy with tension. Kurogiri's body and the portal all in one form expanded to an immense size, and the first to step out was the seemingly fragile, lean form of Shigaraki. He was not the only person, certainly, for he was soon followed by a small army of villains, and Danny could recognise some of them from that meeting in the warehouse. And their number was alarming, because there was actually a lot of criminals. The gears in Phantom's head began to spin, as he dug in the bag he had been carrying the whole time. A bag with school supplies and his own gadgets — a heavy load, but something he could carry with ease. The tools had not gone anywhere, he was ready to face the biggest headache of the whole villain team. The most polite threat, he had to add. 

 

"Is...is this part of the training, Aizawa-sensei?" Asked Kirishima. 

 

"Doesn't look like it," Danny responded instead. "If only we could have anticipated this," he added dramatically. 

 

"Your tongue will kill you one day," Aizawa growled, putting on the strange goggles, that more resembled a part of a helmet, covering the entire upper half of his face. The teacher had no time to argue with a student who could not read the room for the life of him. "Those are real villains," he spoke to the students. 

 

The reaction of the teenagers was that of shock, and that shock in turn gave birth to a specific brand of initial fright. 

 

"The trespassing was the work of these scumbags, after all." 

 

Danny wished to make another remark, but realised that his ever-confident attitude was not going to help anyone at the time. Furthermore, his ice blue eyes caught something of interest. Near Shigaraki stood a colossal figure about five meters tall. The macabre creature had purple skin and an absolutely ripped body build. Danny knew one thing — that beast did not look human at all. Its eyes were devoid of any sentience, its brain was open to every wind in the world, and its beak looked like a crooked smile. Perhaps, that was the 'tool' Shigaraki had mentioned. 

 

"Teacher!" Yaoyorozu spoke up, talking to Thirteen. "What about the sensors all around the school?"

 

"We have them, but..."

 

"They up and teleported inside and bypassed them all," Danny realised. 

 

"But did they teleport only here or all around the school?" Asked Todoroki.

 

The halfa wished to tell them that their goal here, the whole 'stealing the schedule thing' was solely for AVOIDING that many heroes and concentrating the effort on All Might. Who, by miraculous chance, was not present there at the time. However, Danny still had to reassure his classmates somehow.

 

"I doubt the latter," he said. "Think of it. They know All Might is at the school. I don't think they will split up knowing that the strongest hero is around. And for some reason... I think THAT thing," he pointed at the purple monstrosity, "Is here for a reason."

 

"Maybe, but we don't know who they could send there," responded Todoroki. "Either way... the alarm is not going off. This area is also isolated, while a class of students is present here during the lesson. They are far from being fools," he arrived to the same conclusion Danny had reached.

 

And the rest of the class remained even more distressed. Aizawa was the first to start giving orders. 

 

"Thirteen, evacuate the students. Try contacting the school and learn the status. Kaminari, this means you, too."

 

"Yes, sir," responded Kaminari and began fiddling with his headphones. 

 

"Are you going in there by yourself?" Danny asked the teacher. 

 

Aizawa did not respond, and everyone realised his answer. 

 

"But with that many, even if you erase their Quirks..." Midoriya spoke. "Eraserhead's style is shutting off the opponent's Quirk and capturing them. But sensei, the frontal assault like this..." 

 

"You can't be a hero with just one trick," answered Aizawa. "And Fenton. I know what you are thinking, and my answer is the same as during the last conversation."

 

"You can't be serious..." Danny gritted his teeth, before in the edge of his eye he saw his classmates once more.

 

And then he remembered about the responsibility he had. Why he was so worried about that day from the start. 

 

"I'm leaving this to you, Thirteen," said Aizawa, before finally running forward. 

 

And even from such a distance every student could witness the man skilfully dispatch one villain after another, however Phantom had no illusions. Eraserhead would tire himself out against such an army. He wasn't trying to win, he was buying time. The time for the students to evacuate. 

 

"Come, students, quickly!" Thirteen said, leading the teens in the direction of the exit. 

 

"Woah, Aizawa-sensei can hold against so many people at once."

 

Midoriya had been lagging behind the rest, his curiosity having got the better of him. 

 

"Don't lag behind, Midoriya!" Danny called out for him. "Gawk at out teacher later!"

 

"Right!" 

 

The entire class was running towards the entrance as fast as they could, but the desire for the school to make everything enormous was playing a cruel joke on them, in the form of a lengthy path to the exit. And then, eventually, a portal appeared on the ground in front of them. From the hole sprung Kurogiri's ethereal body.

 

"I won't let you."

 

Thirteen instinctively shielded the students from the villain who so far was yet to attack. Danny was not in the front row, slowly digging inside his bag for the required device.

 

"Nice to meet you," Kurogiri continued as politely as always, "We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to the house of heroes, U.A. High School, in order to make All Might take his last breath. He should have been here, in fact. Was there a last notice change? Doesn't matter. I will still play my part..."

 

As he spoke, the dark fog grew in size and intensity, as he was visibly readying for an attack. Danny started charging a blast with his free hand, but he was beaten to it by two of his classmates. Kirishima and Bakugo were the first to lunge at the villain and strike him. The latter's explosion created a dust cloud that encompassed everyone around. 

 

"Ha, didn't ya think you'll get beaten by us before you did it?" Kirishima exclaimed teasingly.

 

"Oh, dear, that really is dangerous."

 

The dust cloud slowly dissipated, and from Kurogiri's yellow slits for eyes that became much slimmer, everyone could see that he was getting excited. 

 

"Albeit you are still students, you are nonetheless a treasure. My job is to scatter you all, and torture you to death!"

 

The fog suddenly exploded, expanding at a rapid pace, a second later already enveloping the entire group. The gusts of wind made several people buckle their feet from the pressure. Iida was not one of them, but before he could do anything, he felt a hand grab his shoulder, before he was pulled forward and out of the fog. The next second he blinked, seeing that he, alongside Mina, had been pulled outside by their class representative, who by then had assumed his ghostly persona. 

 

"Iida!" Danny's echoing voice commanded over the noise of the wind. 

 

"Yes?" The bespectacled deputy turned from the fog and on Phantom. 

 

"While the Fog machine is distracted, make a mad dash to the door. I'll give you the room. Go warn the teachers and do so quickly! Got it?"

 

"Roger that!" Iida made an honour sign, before turning towards the doors. At that second, he lunged forward and started running. 

 

"Mina!" Danny turned to the stunned pink-skinned girl. "We will make sue the bastard has his hands full."

 

"But how?" 

 

"See those metal bracers under his eyes?" He pointed at one of the spots of the purple dome Kurogiri had created. Soon Mina noticed them as well. "Even if you miss them, I bet the bastard will be more careful and slow. Use your acid."

 

"I got it!" Mina nodded, before smirking. "I'm glad you chose to try out this outfit."

 

Danny briefly glanced at his 'vigilante-like' costume and smirked too, before nodding to Iida. The deputy rushed towards the exit while he still could, and Kurogiri immediately came to notice the attempt.

 

"Where do you think you are...ARGH!" He suddenly received a blast in the face. His yellow eyes turned to the source of his pain. 

 

He could see Danny with his hand outstretched, covered in faint green smoke. 

 

"You talk too much, pal," the halfa spoke and smirked. "And I don't like anyone with a bigger mouth than mine."

 

"A futile attempt..." 

 

Iida, who had been actively looking behind his shoulder, at the last second noticed a portal opening in front of him. He barely managed to dodge and run past it. The next instant, Kurogiri himself teleported in front of Iida in his entirety. The three students looked where the fog had been just before, and saw that the rest of the class was gone.

 

"What have you done to them?!" Phantom exclaimed, his toxic green eyes glowing even brighter. 

 

"I took the liberty and scattered your friends across the entire facility. Alongside some of our associates. Will they survive till the end, I wonder?"

 

"You freak!" Mina exclaimed. "You will not get away with it!" 

 

"And who is going to stop me, you? With all due respect, I believe we are of a different calibre." 

 

Danny rewarded the villain with a malicious grin, the one that Kurogiri felt like he had seen somewhere before. Come to think of it...there was some resemblance. 

 

"You are just a pretentious sentient fart," he responded, as the device on his right glove began to glow and whir. It was a device that looked similar to the one that limited his energy output, but it was larger, bulkier and more sophisticated. "I beat the likes of you when I couldn't even keep my body parts tangible. With tools like this." he raised his hand. "Behold, the next step in ecto-engineering, Project Totem!" 

 

The next second, with a loud sound and a blinding flash, the small device created a powerful, bright torrent, which, for some reason, did not disturb even the dust on the ground. The only thing pulled inside such small contraption was Kurogiri, and out of surprise he could not properly react, as the fog was being sucked inside the aptly named 'totem', somehow still fitting inside. 

 

"Like it?" Danny shouted over the noise the machine was making. "The second you entered this building I felt your presence! Unfortunately for you, generations of my family dedicated their lives to capturing the likes of you! Every trace of ectoenergy is mercilessly sucked inside the improvised modification of my parents' toy."

 

That was oddly specific and general at the same time, both other students realised. Kurogiri initially panicked, for he was not someone who engaged in direct confrontations. The device that was seemingly tailored purposely against him did not help the matter. That could not be a simple coincidence! The only saving grace was his still full stamina that allowed him to resist the pull at the best of his ability. Phantom had specifically employed a special tactic in the past — he tired the ghosts out first, something he had no time to try at the moment. Even so, the fog was being devoured by the device already. 

 

"Iida!" Danny shouted. "Why are you still here?" 

 

The deputy snapped out of his marvel at the class rep's technical skills and foresight. 

 

"I got it! Hold on, I'll bring help!" Iida rushed to the exit once more. 

 

Kurogiri's eyes turned to the speedster, and he wanted to create a portal once more, but he could feel it. No energy of his could leave the cone of light and pseudo-gravitational pull. Each his attempt was met with a reciprocal force. His fog could not escape! And he had already lost enough, enough to reveal the metal bracers once more. 

 

"Mina!" Danny turned to the pink-haired girl, still holding Kurogiri pinned with his device. "Now is the time!"

 

Mina saw the grey metal gleam from under the remaining wisps of black fog and immediately realised what Phantom meant. 

 

"On it!" She responded as her palms began to secrete the transparent, gooey acid. 

 

Kurogiri immediately realised what the girl was about to do. Those kids realised his other weakness from the get go. Oh, they were good. Mina fearlessly lunged forward, and it was that fearlessness that failed her. The girl had to shorten her distance, and the villain made no moves to somehow dodge the stream of acid thrown his way, but the bracers indeed moved further and out of reach. It made Mina confident, enough to step into the torrent Totem was creating, harmless to her human self. Just as Kurogiri expected.

 

Before Mina's eyes materialised a portal formed out of the same energy totem was mercilessly sucking in. Thus, the portal itself moved towards Phantom, but Mina easily dodged it. She immediately launched more acid, and some of it managed to hit the target. The corrosive goo ate away at the bracer, making Kurogiri hiss. However, Mina had no time to triumph as she into the consequent portal opened beneath her feet. And the first portal that was heading towards the half ghost? The girl, maintaining the inertia, flew straight into her classmate. The surprised teen hero had to catch Mina that slammed into him, and that lead to the grip on Kurogiri being loosened enough. 

 

The villain exchanged no pleasantries, and vanished from sight. 

 

"That sneaky bastard," Danny muttered, realising that he was still holding Mina in his hands. "You alright?"

 

"Uhm, yes!" The girl quickly exclaimed and jumped to the ground. "What should we do next, Danny-kun?"

 

The halfa glanced downstairs and a plan was hatching in his head. "Kurogiri is the main problem here. As long as he sticks around, the villains have a chance at escaping. We have to take him out first or this will all be for nothing. 

 

Mina blinked. Had that villain mentioned his name? She might have missed it, but now she knew. 

 

"But how can we do that?" She asked. "We would have to pass through the whole army of villains."

 

"These are nothing I can't handle. Aizawa is strong, but they themselves don't look like much. But...I think you should do something else instead."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Kurogiri said that our classmates are scattered all around the place, and we don't know if they are alright."

 

Danny raised his arm, and his bag flew right into the hand. He dug inside one of the compartments and dug out several walkie-talkies, courtesy of meticulous Fenton engineering, putting one into his ear and immediately tossing the rest of them to surprised Mina.

 

"Here, my little artisan toy. We have to stay in touch. After you help the first group, split up again to cover more ground and aid the rest. Each of the groups has to have someone with a communicator. Tell me about major developments."

 

"Gee, Danny-kun. You prepared for everything."

 

"That's our family motto — always be prepared that your day will go to shit," Danny grinned. 

 

In the meantime, Kurogiri re-emerged by Shigaraki's side, which surprised the other villain. 

 

"I thought you were preventing the escape," He hissed.

 

"I'm sorry, Shigaraki-sama. I scattered most of them, but one managed to escape."

 

Shigaraki noticed that Kurogiri appeared...battered, if one was to apply such term to the body such as his. The fog was less intense, here and there it would even be see-through. The ringleader scratched his neck with one hand, then the second joined in. Red marks emerged where his fingers ravaged the skin.

 

"Kurogiri...if not for your Warp Gate, I would have killed you myself. How. Did. You fail?"

 

"That child..." Kurogiri squinted his eyes as he looked at the platform where two teen heroes stood. "He has the device to counter me specifically."

 

Aizawa heard what had been said as he dodged another strike from a low-rank villain. He couldn't resist a small smirk. That kid...

 

The next attack forced the hero make distance from the two villains in charge. 

 

"Counter you? How is that possible?" Shigaraki asked. Did the heroes know they would be coming? All Might was not there, their escape was almost cut off — it could not be a coincidence. No, everyone appeared to be completely caught unaware. For the exception of one person. 

 

"How did he know you will be here?" 

 

As he kept his red eyes focused on the half ghost, a sudden realisation struck both villains. That white hair, green eyes and the ever-mocking tone could belong to only one person they knew. "That CHEATER..."

 

"This appearance and voice are unmistakable," Kurogiri concluded. "He knew we will be coming because we ourselves told him!"

 

"It was sensei's suggestion," Shigaraki muttered. "So all this time Pariah was a student..."

 

A smirk crossed his chapped lips. That was his chance to get back at the teen that had angered him before. "Which means I get to kill him here and now." 

 

"Shigaraki-sama. We must leave urgently. We cannot prevail against dozens of heroes."

 

"I am not leaving until I choke him to death."

 

Phantom and Mina quickly reached the bottom of the stairs, as the former had easily grabbed the girl's hand and flew to the bottom. Without leaving the nearest villain the time to blink, he landed right on the man's hand, smashing it into the ground. Then he let go of Mina, as she quickly dashed towards the collapsed cityscape, splashing the ground beneath another villain with acid, melting it and making him stuck. Ironic, they both thought. It really was rescue training, albeit of the different kind. From his musings Phantom was interrupted by a groan beneath him, before he realised that his white boot was currently on a villain's face.

 

"Oh, totally forgot about ya," Danny said, before knocking the man out with a swift kick and hopping on the ground. 

 

And before him was another small group of villains, getting ready to assault him.

 

"Pretty stupid of you to come down here, boy," said a lean man with a forked tongue. 

 

"Should've just run off while you still could," a thuggish-looking woman fist pumped. 

 

Danny shrugged, as his eyes turned blue. "Can't even bother to rebut this cliche stuff."

 

The man lunged forward first, brandishing his claws. Danny easily dodged to the side, as a rod of ice appeared in his hand, to be swung a moment after into the enemy's face. The momentum met the opposing force, resulting in the opponent beaten in a second. The next villain did not hesitate to shorten the distance, and Phantom tossed the rod into the woman's face. She raised her hand to block it and succeeded, but the shielded eyes were the eyes that did not see the halfa coming up to her face and delivering an uppercut that threw her in the air, followed by a point-blank blast that launched the villain away. 

 

"Told you," Danny smirked, blowing stark-white hair from his own eyes. 

 

He turned towards the vicious fighting that Eraserhead was involved in and did not hesitate to take it to the air. Before he could do anything, the halfa saw multiple tentacles heading his way. One of them managed got a hold of his leg, but the halfa only grinned. He spun in the air, pulling the very owner of those tentacles around, making the man tumble into the villains around like a ragdoll. Finally Phantom grabbed the tentacle and pulled with all his strength. The villain flew towards the halfa and was met by a elbow kick to the jaw, before being grabbed and thrown back on the ground and into another group of villains. 

 

With a loud and excited laughter the halfa struck again. His hair began to float as he charged a powerful blast with his hands. A moment later, from his palms emerged a laser that scorched the very earth below the villains, but was slow and easy to dodge. The abysmal speed lured the criminals into security, but then the ground began to  explode in the places hit by the emerald-coloured beam. The halfa swiftly landed back on the ground, not letting Eraserhead out of sight. Danny ran forward and towards him, as the wisps of cold air danced around his fingertips. 

 

The villains who had the misfortune of being nearby were rendered helpless, by the ice that emerged from the ground. Either because it had grabbed them in an inescapable grasp, or the force of the suddenly emerging icy, dull spikes was enough to launch them into the air. 

 

"Hey, teach," Danny called, before with a swipe of his hand and telekinesis he forced the flying enemies to push them back on the ground. 

 

"What are you doing here, Fenton," Aizawa asked, knocking out another henchman. "I ordered you to evacuate." 

 

"So do you want me to stop holding back or do you want me away? Make up your mind," Responded Danny with sarcasm, charging another blast. 

 

In the meantime Mina made it to the collapsed cityscape — the closest area to the entrance. She met little resistance along the way, as everyone was too busy fighting either the two heroes in the centre of the facility or was too busy subduing the divided students. 

 

If she was honest with herself, the girl was not sure if she could pull off the given task the way she was now. Acid was not something go-to when rescue operation was involved. Mina could melt the debris, but she could not be completely certain that her Quirk would not cause an unnecessary harm. If her acid could burn through metal, what's there to say about human flesh and bones? They had only been a small while into their studies, why did it have to happen so soon? Mina stopped herself from going into a rant, instead becoming all ears. The cityscape was big, so she needed some pointers still. Eventually, she saw how inside one of the buildings loud explosions shattered the remaining windows, letting out the inferno. It could only be done by one person.

 

"Out of everyone it has to be Bakugo," Mina mumbled, before quickly counting the floors. 

 

The girl ran inside the building, swiftly reaching the floor just below where the fighting took place. She probably shouldn't have engaged in a battle directly at the moment, what's with flimsy building and Bakugo's explosives obliterating everything in their wake. Instead, her palms produced more acid, which she splashed onto the support beams. The transparent goo ate away at the steel, before the moribund structure gave up and the upper floor largely collapsed, and the surprised screams of the criminals filled the air as they fell on the floor right before her. At that point Mina realised she hadn't thought of a next step, as the villains slowly started getting up. 

 

"Rargh!" From the upper floor jumped Kirishima, who landed on and punched one of the criminals in the face with all the strength and weight of his hardened body.

 

"Kirishima-kun!"

 

"Mina-san!" Kirishima exclaimed in surprise. "Have you been here all this time?" 

 

"No, Danny-kun got me and Iida-kun out."

 

"Pay attention kids!" One of the bandits exclaimed, preparing an electric charge. 

 

"DIE!" 

 

A massive explosion came from above, and Kirishima quickly stood in front of Mina, shielding her from dust and pieces of debris. Bakugo jumped below, his vicious look daring the cutthroats to get up once more. 

 

"The hell are you doing here?!" The blonde barked at Mina. 

 

"Danny-kun told me to come and help the classmates. He also asked that we go and help the rest." 

 

"Hah! That spook ain't gonna order me around! 'Sides, the rest can handle themselves against this garbage. But if that fog bastard is still around, they're gonna escape like nothing happened."

 

Mina and Kirishima blinked and stared at him.

 

"What?"

 

"That's surprisingly reasonable of you," Mina commented. 

 

"Shut up, racoon-eyes!"

 

"Danny-kun said the same thing," added the girl. "He's even brought a vacuum thing that can easily suck that villain inside... he managed to escape at the last second, but his energy must be seriously drained after this. But Iida made it through and is going to bring help."

 

Bakugo's right red eye ticked. "That's why we are coming, too."

 

"I think we should trust the class rep on this one," said Kirishima. "I mean, he looks like he knows what he is doing, and he is also the strongest of us all. We can't know for sure if the others can manage as well as we did, though." 

 

"Yeah, and then we can beat the remaining villains together," Mina said excitedly and fist pumped. 

 

"Whatever," Bakugo huffed. "I ain't wasting my time! Do it yourself!"

 

The blonde turned to leave, eager to join the main battle. He would not let that annoying spook get ahead of him and get all the spoils. And as Bakugo left, Mina handed her friend another Fenton-tailored walkie-talkie. 

 

"Wait, he drew his logo on these things?" Kirishima asked and cackled. 

 

Mina looked at the tiny 'DP' logo drawn on them and giggled, too. Danny may have denied it, but he certainly had some love for himself. His friends also did not know how his pride compared to his father's. They would share their friend's outlook, otherwise. 

 

"He really thought of everything, though, so no complaints from me!" Mina grinned, before pressing a button. "Danny-kun!" 

 

A loud scream of an unknown person came from the headphone. "Yes?" Danny asked. "Sorry about the bones, pal," he spoke to his victim. 

 

"I found Kirishima-kun and Bakugo. The walking bomb is coming your way, but we will keep searching for others."

 

"Figures," Danny grinned on his end, turning intangible and avoiding a gunshot. "Good job, everyone. Keep going and be careful." 

 

After dropping the call, the halfa turned his undivided attention to the villains around him. He didn't want to explicitly display his plan, so the offence was not as quick as he would have liked. If Kurogiri knew for certain he would be coming for him, the villain would easily avoid him now that the portal maker was aware of Phantom's second original creation. With the first being blast-power regulator. Although, perhaps it didn't take an Einstein to figure his aim. Not only him or Bakugo, who would soon make an entrance, but Aizawa as well knew which villain was the most problematic and had to be dealt with first. 

 

Shigaraki, in the meantime, grew sick of sitting idle. The crowd of villains was melting by the second, All Might was nowhere to be seen, and their time was running short due to the escaped speedster. It had to be over and done with quickly before the reinforcements came. And the ringleader saw how the heroes were coming closer and closer. And his eyes were focused on the half ghost he had come to hate so quickly. Furthermore, the boy's device was a major threat to their plan. That insolent cheater had to die first.

 

Danny, who froze the nearest opponent up to his head, was about to go further, but the man with a shark head appeared to have realised something.

 

"Wait a second... you are Pariah!" He exclaimed. 

 

And was met with a calm, neutral look which clearly hid a murderous intent inside. The man gulped and felt how his mouth did not want to open. Phantom had expected such an outcome, so the best he could do for now was to make them shut up. The half ghost raised his hand and swung it, and a single slap was enough to knock the man out. The problem was dealt with, but how many of those he had downed actually recognised him? He could not possibly know that, but there were far more pressing issues at the moment. And one such issue under the name of Shigaraki was rapidly approaching him. For someone so seemingly frail, he possessed an impressive speed, which he used to reduce the distance. 

 

Phantom readied his fist, assuming the proper stance, and once the villain got close, his ectoplasm engulfed arm impacted the man's head. Phantom had not put enough force into the strike, perhaps too careful not to decimate the enemy's weak body. Shigaraki had used this to stay where he was by grabbing onto the halfa's arm. It was a strange, four-fingered grip. The gaunt man cackled quietly.

 

"You tricked us, Pariah. Or whatever your actual name is," he whispered hatefully. "I don't like that."

 

"So you know," Danny gave a small smirk, albeit he was far from happy about such development.

 

"You don't know who you are messing with. One day you will see that this area is too high-level for you. That is... if you live long enough." 

 

Finally, Shigaraki lowered his thumb. In an instant, they both saw how the halfa's arm was covered in cracks, bit by bit crumbling like the old layer of paint. When the initial shock wore off, Danny phased out of the villain's grasp and flew backwards a couple of feet away. So that was the man's ability. Whatever he touched was reduced to bits.

 

"I will turn you into dust, you cheater," Shigaraki said, about to lunge again.

 

But then, an explosion hit the ground the ringleader stood on, forcing him to dodge and jump back.

 

"Ha! Not so tough now, huh?!?"

 

Danny looked to the side and saw that Bakugo was looking at and talking to him. The halfa took a look at his hand, and it was a very ugly sight. Up to his neck the clothes were destroyed, and Danny felt constant stabbing pain due to having his skin disintegrated by Shigaraki's Quirk. The process itself, surprisingly, had been painless, but now he was biting his lip to hide his pain. The green, glowing insides of his arm up to the shoulders were seen to all around. And it went without saying that the "totem" was turned to dust as well. Shigaraki must have really wanted him dead. 

 

"Cannot even beat that wimp by yourself, huh, Fenton?!"

 

Danny hissed. "Not gonna lie, that Quirk is annoying," he chuckled. "Thanks for the save, I suppose."

 

"You'd better! Now get lost, because I ain't saving you again!"

 

"That won't be needed," Danny said, channeling the energy to the wounded parts. 

 

"You better listen to your friend," Shigaraki called out. "Because the next time will be your last."

 

Danny smirked, before everyone witnessed the halfa's wounds rapidly healing. In a few seconds the skin was already back, and even the hoodie he wore was as good as new. Phantom's healing factor was a blessing, his ghost half could sustain and heal the injuries fatal to a human being. But now the halfa felt nauseous and ready to vomit. Too much energy coursed through his body at once without release. Yes, that was not something he would do often. 

 

He also noticed something strange. Danny's hand that used to wear the totem —it flickered with tiny streams of purple, as the tiny wisps danced around his fingertips.

 

"What in the world..." he muttered.

 

"No, no no!" Shigaraki exclaimed, scratching his neck rapidly. "You CHEATER!" He yelled. 

 

"Sheesh, someone must be a sore loser," Danny chuckled, before checking out his healed arm. "You broke my prototype. Jerk."

 

The implications of that, however, were grave. The destroyed tool was the only one he had at the moment. The thermos was still in the bag he had left hundreds of meters away, where he couldn't reach at a time like this. 

 

"I haven't lost yet!" Responded the ringleader. "There's still something you forgot about, didn't you?" 

 

At the last second, the halfa noticed the hulking monstrosity that was coming towards them at a speed few humans could even detect. With supernatural reaction of his own, he pushed Bakugo out of the striking range of the beast, before meeting the fist with another punch. The force of the impact forced everyone in the close vicinity to lose their footing, but the two opponents remained standing, glaring daggers at each other.

 

"Jesus, you are even uglier from this distance," Danny muttered, but received no verbal response from the purple monster. 

 

"He blocked the Nomu?!" Shigaraki mumbled furiously. "It was supposed to overpower All Might..."

 

Danny was too focused on the beast to hear what Shigaraki was saying. Bakugo did not hesitate to discharge several explosions right into the monster's face. The creature turned its prolonged head towards the student, but did not seemed to be affected by them. Fully understanding the physical resistance of his enemy, Phantom used the distraction to deliver a powerful blow with all the strength he could muster. Discharging ectoenergy in the process. Once more, the dust was flung into the air, and only. Nomu did not even budge, even after the strength of a train was applied through a single strike. That monster absorbed the entire force behind the blow and shrugged it off. 

 

The halfa dodged the next lighting-fast attack, and then another, the creature was as quick as it was strong, but its bulk was not allowing him to be as agile as the nimble half-ghost. 

 

"Urgh, back off!" He exclaimed, before sliding under another hit and grabbing the creature's leg. 

 

The next second, he pulled on it, forcing the unprepared enemy on the ground. Using a hefty amount of strength, Phantom threw the enormous body at a large distance. And as it flew, he finally had some breathing room. 

 

"Stay with Aizawa, Bakugo. He needs help," He ordered, before bursting forward, leaving only dust behind. 

 

Gritting his teeth at being commanded by that spook again, Bakugo nonetheless conceded. The situation had quickly turned dire, and the only hope was that Fenton could at least hold that thing off until the reinforcements arrived. Until then, Bakugo would have to fight the lowest cut of the invading force. And also Kurogiri, who now didn't need to hide from Fenton's infernal contraption. Those bastards were not making it out in one piece. 

 

The spot Fenton had launched Nomu was the avalanche area, and the impact was hard enough to shatter many rocks at the landing point. The beast quickly recovered and met the upcoming strike by simply raising its arm. Another hit shattered the rocks around them even further, pushing the beast deeper into the hole it made. Once again the creature with an ever-present vicious grin shrugged off the damage and attempted to punch the half ghost. Phantom turned intangible to dodge, but immediately dropped it to pummel the beast's head, exploiting the opening. But that thing shrugged every hit off, absorbing the strikes like a sponge. 

 

Danny jumped away from another strike, softly landing on the ground. He needed a plan. Brute force wasn't cutting it. That thing could withstand All Might, and that guy could push away the clouds by punching the air. His ghostly strength wasn't enough. Maybe this thing's Quirk was absorption or something akin to that. He would just be wasting all his energy while that guy did not tire an inch. The halfa couldn't help but huff out a single laugh. That must have been the first fight he was actually struggling with since coming to that world. 

 

'Think, Fenton,' he told himself, 'This guy should've fought All Might. Does that mean...'

 

Then, he turned towards a foreign, sudden source of sound and saw his classmates finishing off the villains remaining in that area. Among them were Kirishima and Mina. They noticed him as well, but neither reacted, because the half ghost couldn't catch a breather. Not that he breathed. Phantom jumped into the air, away from the beast's reach, but then it grabbed a massive rock, broke off the piece larger than Nomu itself, before swinging and hurling it right at the halfa. Danny turned intangible, giving it a deadpan look. The monster was not the smartest one. 

 

"He doesn't stand a chance," Shigaraki cackled. "Nomu was built to withstand any damage dealt to him."

 

He then saw the two heroes heading for him. Fortunately for him, Kurogiri came to his rescue and cut off their path. 

 

"My duty is to protect Shigaraki," the living fog declared. "And I shall see it to the end."

 

"Less talking, more fighting, you fart!" 

 

"You are so derivative in your remarks, children." 

 

He easily conjured more portals that absorbed the explosions and teleported them elsewhere. He tried to whisk away Bakugo as well, but the blonde managed to dodge. He was about to create another one when he saw the teen rapidly approach him, but then the portal vanished, right after appearing. His yellow glowing eyes turned towards Aizawa. He had shut off the villain's Quirk. With the army of cutthroats depleted, the gate opener was at a major disadvantage. He barely managed to dodge the strike on his own.

 

"Shigaraki-sama," he turned to the ringleader. "We need Nomu here and now. Or we can..."

 

"I'm NOT leaving without that bastard's head!" Shigaraki cut him off and pressed on the earpiece. "Nomu! Come to us immediately!" He ordered. 

 

Danny was surprised when the monster suddenly decided to forget about him, instead turning towards the central area. He immediately realised that whatever the reason, Nomu could not be allowed to join his leader. As the beast made a powerful leap forward, the halfa followed it. Right above the monster Danny tried to catch up in time, but he knew he would not be there in time. He needed that bastard fighting him and him alone. He needed it right before him. Phantom felt a sting in his hand, seeing the thin purple wisp again materialise around it. And it wanted to be released. 

 

"Your fight is with me!" He bellowed. 

 

And then, a purple portal emerged right in front of the descending beast. Unable to stop, it flew right into it, and the other end of the gate was opened right above the half-ghost. Danny looked up, before charging a powerful blast and hitting the beast dead on. The scorching laser hit even the dome ceiling, revealing the blue sky above it. Shigaraki looked at Kurogiri in fury.

 

"Kurogiri, what in the world are you doing?!" He yelled. 

 

"Shigaraki-sama," The villain spoke slowly, without looking away from the halfa, as his expression was that of shock. "It wasn't me."

 

Even the heroes stopped in their tracks. Had Phantom just... replicated the villain's Quirk? And Shigaraki was probably shocked the most. Danny himself was in shock from that power, but he had quickly realised the parallels. With one particular weather-controlling ghost. 

 

"He absorbed my fog..." Kurogiri realised. "When you destroyed his device, it did not come back to me."

 

"But you still have your Quirk..." concluded Shigaraki. "Maybe because he hasn't fully taken it?"

 

"That would explain his arsenal and power...Is it anything like Master's?"

 

Aizawa heard what the villains said, and in his heart the concern grew. They seemed to have their own alarmingly sound logic. 

 

Phantom in the meantime did not even let the beast land. The initial blast brought the result he had desired to see — the entire front of Nomu being scorched. He was already seeing it heal, but the proof was before him — it could be damaged, as long as it wasn't brute force. Danny burst even higher, as an ice blade appeared in his hand. He swiped his other palm along it, leaving it covered in ectoplasm. Flying close, the half ghost made a massive slash with a loud roar, before punching the beast into the chin to keep it helpless and suspended in the air. The monster writhed and let out a chilling shriek, in pain at having its whole arm sewered and burned by ectoplasm. Its blood smeared the halfa's face.

 

Phantom pressed the assault, hitting Nomu right where a gaping wound was left. The monster tried to grab him, but the half ghost was too quick and natural in the air. Danny dodged and kicked the beast down into another portal, before throwing his blade upwards. Nomu came from the portal above, and was immediately met by the sword impaling his chest and going right through it. Phantom grabbed the monster's neck when it came close and grinned. 

 

"I can get used to this," he said as his eyes flashed brighter. 

 

But then, the beast did something unexpected. With all its might, it snapped its jaw on the half-ghost's hand. 

 

"ARGH!" Phantom yelled, unconsciously letting go of the grip. 

 

He examined his arm that had gone through a lot during the fight. That bastard had chomped out a half of the 'flesh' on his forearm. Nonetheless, Danny smirked.

 

"Very poor choice of diet," he whispered. 

 

Nomu could feel it, but lacked the capacity for thought to act upon the pain growing in its throat and stomach. The ectoplasm was gnawing on its insides. Still, the beast stuck the landing, ending up right between the heroes and the two villains in charge of the operation. 

 

"Couldn't even keep it tied, spook?!" Bakugo exclaimed as Phantom slowly landed near them. 

 

"Bakugo..." Danny turned to him. "Shut up already. Are you alright, sensei?" 

 

"I'm fine. Focus on the fight," Aizawa had not turned his mentor role for a second. 

 

"You are full of surprises, heroes," Shigaraki said. "But this is pointless."

 

The heroes could see how Nomu stood up. And then, in a matter of second, it grew back the entirety of its severed arm.

 

"Nomu may be dumb and docile, but they will do as we say. And always live to see it through," Shigaraki commented. 

 

As the man finished his bravado, everyone could hear a laughter. It was Phantom's. Under the surprised gazes, the half ghost stepped forward, his mocking grin threatening to split his face in two. Aizawa tried to stop him, but Danny raised his hand and thus told him to trust his judgement. 

 

"What are you laughing about?!" Shigaraki exclaimed furiously.

 

"You picked the words that are a music to my ears. You gave me an idea, something I should have done from the start! Go ahead then," The halfa opened his arms wide, not even bothering to shield himself in any way. "Send your dim toy at me. This will prove to be amusing."

 

Kurogiri could not push away the idea that the boy resembled his Master in more ways than one. Everything from his looks and mannerisms to the Quirk he possessed was something similar in Kurogiri's eyes. Shigaraki was too preoccupied with the desire to murder everyone present to care enough. He loudly ordered Nomu to attack, not believing that the boy had anything powerful enough up in his sleeve. The beast lunged forward, not showing any signs of exhaustion, as fast as it did so at the start of their fight. Bakugo and Aizawa immediately jumped away, and the second before the punch impacted Phantom's head, a fanged grin flashed on his face. The next instant, he vanished.

 

What followed was a bizarre scene, where Nomu suddenly screeched and grabbed its head. The beast went completely berserk, thrashing around and causing damage to the ground it relentlessly destroyed in the process. Nobody could understand what was happening, and the heroes had to find a way through the unpredictable rampant monster, but Shigaraki fearlessly, or perhaps foolishly chose to approach it. 

 

"Nomu!" He shouted. "Stop this at once!"

 

And it did as instructed, stopping in its tracks. Shigaraki smirked. 

 

"There. That wasn't so..."

 

And then Nomu swung his hand and hit the ringleader hard enough to send him flying away. 

 

"Shigaraki-sama!" Kurogiri exclaimed, teleporting towards him. "What in the world..."

 

"I have an answer!" 

 

Phantom's disembodied voice was coming from Nomu. Its mouth did not move, but its beady eyes glowed the same way Danny's did, with the same vibrant emerald colour. 

 

"You see... possession is one of my little tricks. When I learned of the beast's docile nature, I realised that it will not resist. It took a while to get accustomed to this beast's body, however." 

 

Kurogiri watched this in further shock, and even heroes who had not known about that power of his could only stare. 

 

"So..." Danny spoke. "I suppose this is a game over for you. I'll make sure to shut the lights on my way out."

 

Kurogiri looked at Shigaraki, who was slowly getting up.

 

"Shigaraki-sama, our plan is completely compromised. We have to leave."

 

The gaunt man glared at Nomu's body, overtaken by Phantom's indomitable will. He hated that bastard. He HATED him! He wanted him dead! He began to scratch his neck again, in a futile attempt to calm himself. But there was no denying their defeat. Phantom had been ahead of them, he had tricked them and his power was versatile enough to take down their strongest Nomu. Shigaraki watched the beast fall down on the ground, completely unconscious, with the triumphant half-ghost standing on its back. That's what he meant by 'shutting the lights' — shutting down brain activity when exiting the possessed body. The cheater mocked him, and the burning rage within Shigaraki was nigh impossible to suppress. 

 

The ringleader wanted to come at him and fight further, but at last the entrance doors burst open, revealing the school's staff. The heroes' arrival, and All Might in particular, the one who made his way to the battle the fastest, marked the final defeat of the villains. Danny, however, did not notice. Once again opening his arms wide, he exclaimed:

 

"Thank you truly for this amusing farce!" 

 

And at that All Might froze in his track. The laughter of the blood-smeared half-ghost made his and everyone's blood go cold even more.

 

Kurogiri no longer waited for permission. He created a portal, and, feeling the green blast scorch his incorporeal body, still whisked away before anyone else could react. Silence settled across the area, before the grinning halfa looked at the newest arrivals.

 

"Hey, guys," he panted, shifting into his human form. "Took you a while."

 

"Are...are you alright, young Fenton?" Asked the Symbol of Peace. 

 

"Huh? Oh, that," he pointed at the blood-stains in his hair and on his face. "It's this thing's," he said and lightly kicked the unconscious monster's head. "I'm alright, sir."

 

At that moment, seeing the destruction around, All Might realised that Tsukauchi's words were far more truthful than he had thought. And Aizawa was unknowingly agreeing with the man, and recalling the words of his friend.

 

The kid really was a monster.

Chapter 14

 

A.N. This chapter may be a bit shorter than the rest, but I simply wanted to draw a line between the events of the first and second seasons. Foreshadow of what’s coming and conclude a couple of loose ends.

 

Somewhere around midnight, in one particular town in Illinois, the people of one particular district were woken up by a loud screeching noise. The otherworldly creature, with a rough, stereotypical ghostly shape, was the one that interrupted the good people’s sleep. The glow of its red, beady eyes, was only rivalled by the luminescence of its pearly white skin. And it screeched due to the pain it endured after receiving a blast into the face, hitting the nearest wall. 

 

Somewhere by its side, a girl helped her friend get up to his feet. Both were teenagers. The former had pale skin, raven hair tied in a high bun, and striking lilac eyes, also dressed in a dark gothic outfit. On her wrist she had a miniature blaster, whose silvery build and green markings indicated its Fenton origins. Her friend was an African American in a yellow sweater, who quickly scooped up his scarlet beret as he got up. He had been rendered weaponless by the rampant ghost, that had pushed the blaster out of his reach. Luckily, the two of them had some assistance. 

 

“Thanks for the save, Val,” said the boy, Tucker.

 

The gratitude was addressed towards the figure that floated above them, rising a flying board. Clad in a scarlet high-tech armour, Valerie held a smoking bazooka-like weapon. It has hit the spectre hard.

 

“Have to keep you rookies alive,” the girl smirked under her helmet. 

 

“Who are you calling rookies?” Asked Tucker in dismay, as everyone heard the ghost roar once more. 

 

“Geez, it just won’t go down,” muttered Sam and fired from her wrist blaster. 

 

This time, with its supernatural speed, the ghost dodged and lunged towards the two. Sam and Tucker barely managed to dodge, and Valerie’s barrage of emerald-green shots kept it distracted enough to let the two take a breather. Tucker dug in his small bag and unfolded a metal rod that turned into a staff. With a weak exclamation the teen boy hit the spectre on the head, but to no effect. The ghost turned towards him and growled, salivating. 

 

“Oh, crud.”

 

But then, Valerie switched the mode of her gun and fired a glowing green net that covered the ghost in an instant, pinning it to the ground.

 

“Danny made it look so easy!” Tucker exclaimed. 

 

“You forgot to turn it on!” Responded Sam. 

 

“Ah!” Tucker saw a small switch and flipped it, before the staff sparkled with otherworldly electricity. The next second he hit the downed enemy and zapped it, earning another chilling scream. The hit drained a large amount of the beast’s power.

 

The next second Sam took out the famed Fenton thermos and turned it on, sucking the spectre inside. And once the lid was put back on, the girl could finally sigh in relief as the threat to their life was kept deep inside a reliable contraption. It was the third one they had caught that night, and it was probably the high time they went to their homes.

 

“Well, that does it,” Tucker smirked and pulled out his PDA. Tapping with his stylus a couple of times, he checked out another district. 

 

“Shouldn’t you two be asleep right now?” Asked Valerie as she stepped on the ground and took off the helmet, revealing a chocolate-skinned girl their age. 

 

“Same goes for you,” Sam huffed. “Does your Dad know you snuck out?”

 

“What he doesn’t know won’t harm him. We could always use the extra money.” 

 

“As long as your consciousness is clear after working for Masters,” the goth girl rebutted and shrugged. 

 

The notorious mayor of Amity Park was a person that many people couldn’t remember why they voted for. Still, many chose to flow with it, for the man was rich, not shy of investing into the town himself and thus granting many jobs, and also quite charismatic and charming. However, Danny and his friends knew who in reality that man was and how much danger he posed to everyone’s wellbeing. Valerie, however, remained oblivious to the truth, with Sam and Tucker being unable to change her views without revealing things that could endanger them in return. 

 

“He pays me for keeping it all together. Danny is hell knows where, and someone has to do this.” 

 

“He left because he needed a break. You were a part of the problem.”

 

Two girls glared daggers at each other, and Tucker sensed that he needed to ease the tension somehow. 

 

“He said he forgave me,” Valerie mumbled. “And I didn’t hunt him anymore.” 

 

“Hey, girls, let’s not argue right now. We all are tired, it’s getting too late.”

 

“Shut up, Tucker,” Valerie and Sam both directed their anger at the boy.

 

“Of course, hate the messenger of peace,” Tucker shrugged, looking at the place where the ghost used to lie. “Sheesh, at least those aren’t as tough.”

 

“Come to think of it,” Sam mumbled. “Ever since Danny left, we haven’t had any ghosts stronger than the third level.”

 

“So… Wulf was right?” Asked Tucker.

 

“Right about what?” Valerie raised an eyebrow. 

 

“He suspected that the high-level ghosts are coming after Danny only. It’s been over a month and we never saw any.”

 

“But why would they do that?” Asked the curly-haired girl in worry. For everything that had been between them, the ghost boy was still someone who had a special place in her heart. 

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” retorted Sam, who held no liking for the huntress in red, also due to everything that had been between her and Fenton. “Ghosts live by the right of the strongest. And try to guess who is the one after the Ghost King was beaten.”

 

Valerie’s eyes widened. “But… doesn’t that mean that wherever Danny is, they are going to track him down?”

 

Sam and Tucker exchanged glances. “We hope not, he hid well enough.”

 

“You could just tell me where he is… Is this because of Vlad again?” Valerie suddenly realised.

 

“Well…”

 

“We know Masters is after him just as everyone else,” Tucker explained. “The last person Danny needs to see now is that frootloop. And he is your boss, so it ain’t happening. We are sorry, Val. We could ask him to call you, but don’t expect much.” 

 

The huntress smiled. “This will do for now…you know I’m not asking this because of my boss. I care about him as much as both of you.”

 

“Whatever,” Sam rolled her eyes. “But… thanks for the help, I suppose.”

 

“I’m always there to assist,” the huntress smirked and flew off on her board. Sam felt Tucker tapping her on the shoulder, and the two of them turned to leave. 

 

The night was serene and quiet on that day. The two friends didn’t talk for the large part of the way, each consumed by the pressing thoughts. It… was not the same without the half ghost. In a way, Danny was the cheerful glue that held Sam and Tucker, the two polar opposites together. They were still best friends, no doubt, but they both felt like something had been missing. Yet, they knew they couldn’t exploit their friend like this, keep him bound to them against his will and perhaps his best interests. From the calls they received, he was happy living in that new world, and either was happy for him. 

 

It wouldn’t hurt for them to meet in flesh some time.

 

---

 

It didn't take long for the students and some teachers to gather together after the fight. And albeit the newly arrived staff was dying to get some answers as to what had transpired, there were admittedly far more important issues at hand. With how many villains there were, someone had to call the police to detain that small army. The students that had gathered outside were eagerly discussing each of their respective fights. Danny himself stood by them, sitting on the body of the downed purple beast. He didn't know why he had carried Nomu there, but it would be difficult to transport anyhow and someone had to do that. Let it be the very slayer. Furthermore, if it woke up, someone had to keep watch just in case.

 

"Keeping it together, kid?" 

 

The surprised halfa looked to his side, and saw his guardian clad in his coat standing there. Tsukauchi blinked in shock at seeing the dry blood on the teen's face, but Danny didn't seem to be at all bothered by it. He would have to take a shower first, though.

 

"Hey, old man!" Fenton greeted him with a grin. "What are you doing here?" 

 

Realising what he had meant, the detective responded. "I am often called on such cases. Even if there is nothing to be uncovered yet," the man winked. "With how many villains there were, we needed every officer and car in close vicinity. You haven't answered, though." 

 

"I'm fine. Those idiots didn't know who they were dealing with," Danny shrugged. 

 

"As confident as ever, I see," Tsukacuhi mumbled. 

 

"Hey, I took down the Frankenstein that was supposed to kill All Might, give me some credit, grandpa." 

 

The detective stared first at his charge, then at the monster underneath him. He would question the teen later, but at the moment there were other things to do.

 

"Everyone, please gather round. I need to check if everyone is alright," he said and fished out the list.

 

The man quickly did the headcount, before nodding.

 

"Hm... everyone seems to have gotten away with only a couple of minor injuries. Those are good news."

 

"Fenton-san had his arm bitten off," Midoriya blurted out. 

 

Tsukauchi glanced back and saw how Danny wriggled his fingers with a grin. 

 

"That's some amazing healing he had!" The green-haired teen continued with excitement. "How far can you take it?"

 

"Got run over by a rollercoaster once. Recovered from being a pile of goo," Phantom shrugged again. "So I'd say pretty far as long as I am a ghost."

 

And again the whole class, and even Tsukauchi turned pale. 

 

"What kind of life have you had, man?!" Asked Kirishima. 

 

"It's been one wild year." 

 

In fact, it entailed a slain god, multiple nigh-death experiences, time and space travels and the all-country race against a maniac with a reality bending gauntlet. 

 

"You are just full of shit, spook," Bakugo exclaimed. "You just come up with this stuff on the go."

 

"Careful there, Goldilocks," Danny's eyes flashed as he smirked. "Or I will possess you, too."

 

Bakugo instinctively took half a step back. And then Danny got a light slap across the back of his head.

 

"Don't threaten your classmates, Danny," Tsukauchi said nonchalantly. "But... did you say 'possess'?" 

 

"He took over this monster's body, kero," Tsu commented. "It was scary and off-putting."

 

"Come on, guys, it was a joke," Danny moaned. "I don't possess people close to me."

 

"I sense a lie, Daniel," The detective said sternly, still coming to terms with his charge having yet another terrifying power. Losing control of your fortress - your own body, was always a chilling thought.

 

"I don't anymore," Danny clarified. "It was harmless back then, too."

 

This time he spoke the truth. 

 

"You didn't tell me you could do that."

 

"I said I have the powers of a ghost. It's even in my registry," Phantom shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be able to take over someone's body?"

 

Tsukauchi sighed. That kid kept stunning him more and more with each passing day. But, if he really hadn't done anything with the power more suited for a villain, he had the detective's trust still. 

 

"In any case," Tsukauchi said. "If everyone is alright, I believe you should return to your classrooms. We don't intend to interrogate you."

 

"Yeah," Kirishima cackled, "You've got plenty of people to ask." 

 

Danny looked at the line of villains embarking on the less than pleasant buses with iron bars. He recalled the words one of them had said. They knew who he was under the guise, and it took only one out of a hundred to spill the beans. The halfa could only hope that they had more pressing issues than uncovering someone who might as well have been a double agent all along. 

 

"Isn't every teacher currently in there, though?" Phantom asked, not diverting his eyes from the soon-to-be prisoners. 

 

"They are? Well, I should go and see them, then," the detective took off his felt hat. "And Danny, you should go and take shower." 

 

"Oh, brother, I wanted to keep the smelly blood in my hair," the halfa responded sarcastically. "Don't worry about this guy," he tapped on Nomu's head. "Been in his head, absolutely empty. He won't resist without being given command by his boss." 

 

Tsukauchi nodded to his subordinate to confirm if the latter he had heard everything correctly. Then, as the students went for the bus, eagerly chatting about how everything transpired, the detective went towards the building. He made a glance towards the class and smiled lightly. Danny seemed to be the centre of attention, and in a good way, too. As his guardian, Tsukauchi couldn't help but be pleased with the development. He had been immensely surprised by the fact that Danny of all people had been elected a class rep, proud, yet baffled. But seeing how popular he was among his peers, it didn't seem that out of place. Tsukauchi merely wished to see that side of his charge more often. The side that was evidently there. 

 

He made his way inside, instantly bearing witness to the destruction of the place. Though not critical, it wasn't subtle at all. No attempts to remove the debris were made just yet, but some heroes were busy looking for the remaining criminals. Near the entrance several heroes had grouped together, accompanied by the principal himself. The small mouse creature noticed the newcomer and smiled.

 

"Ah, detective Tsukauchi. You are quick as always."

 

"Thank you," Tsukauchi smiled, before his look turned serious. "Have you found anything of note yet?"

 

"There wasn't much to find," responded Midnight.

 

"But the defence systems are clearly in need of certain improvements," added Nezu. 

 

Tsukauchi nodded. "It will be the most logical step. I'd like to ask for your permission to investigate every corner of the school to be on the safe side."

 

"Of course!" The principal said cheerfully. "You in the police are certainly better at this. Well, I will leave it to you, then. If you need me, I'll always be in my office."

 

At that, the heroes slowly took their leave. All but one. Tsukauchi started looking for his close friend, only to find the gargantuan and usually flamboyant man sitting on one of the benches, with thin layers of smoke coming off his body. Somewhat confused, the detective chose to approach All Might, who immediately noticed his presence.

 

"Toshinori-san!" The hero greeted. "It's good to see you!"

 

"Likewise, Toshinori-san," the detective nodded, before with a big puff the giant was reduced to the gaunt and skeleton-thin shape. "There seems to be something on your mind. Is something wrong?"

 

Toshinori stared at his friend. Perhaps it was for the better that it was Tsukauchi who came to talk. 

 

"It's about your kid."

 

"Oh?" The detective raised an eyebrow and sat near him. "What about Danny?" 

 

"Can you be confident about young Fenton's backstory?"

 

"I asked him direct questions. Where he is from, what's his family like, I witnessed him calling his sister," Tsukauchi counted. "All in all, I don't really have any doubts about it. But why do you ask?" 

 

"When I looked at him just now, I... only saw him."

 

At first Tsukauchi hadn't grasped what the hero meant, but he wouldn't have been a detective if he hadn't been able to understand what All Might meant.

 

"And his choice of words...this 'farce'. I've had this whole phrase itched at the back of my brain. He said it just before Nana was murdered. And now this boy comes, looking like his splitting image, minus the eyes, saying such things. I am ashamed that I even suspect a probably innocent child of this, but I cannot help it."

 

"It's just a phrase, Toshinori-san."

 

"That is why it pains me to even consider this. But there is more. Tsukauchi-san," All Might looked up. "He stole a villain's Quirk." 

 

Tsukauchi's eyes widened in shock.

 

"Are you sure of that?" 

 

"Aizawa told me. During the fight, he harnessed the power of one of the villains' leaders and used it against the beast. He didn't take it completely, the criminal still had it in the end, but now young Fenton possesses it, too. I wanted to ask you for something, my friend."

 

At Tsukauchi's nod, All Might continued. "I don't wish to come off as too prying. Could you, perhaps, ask for the principles behind this ability? It could just be a similar one, not something deriving from it."

 

"You are now willing to assume their relation," Tsukauchi concluded. "I don't think this is the case. Danny is a kind soul, and he spent his life away from Japan."

 

"Have you ever asked him how he knows Japanese?"

 

Tsukauchi froze for a moment. Come to think of it, he had never asked about the boy's impeccable language skills. 

 

"I never have, actually," he mumbled thoughtfully. "But at this point, I won't be surprised that it is another ability of his Quirk. I wouldn't jump to conclusions," the detective stood up. "A simple conversation even with someone like him should suffice."

 

"That's easy to say for someone with a lie-detecting Quirk," All Might chuckled. "You are most certainly correct."

 

"And what would you do if your suspicions prove to be correct?" 

 

All Might's look became confident. "Then we will have all the more stimulus to guide him on the right path. I have seen young Fenton in action and I have seen him near his classmates. He gets carried away when given free reign, but as long as there is someone else nearby he is always watchful and protective of his friends. I can sense the kind heart. But as I said, I also sense too many parallels and occasionally something malicious breaks through. All for One has been defeated, but I saw his brief reflection within young Fenton. If this child truly is his, we can't allow his heritage to take hold over such a promising hero."

 

"I see what you mean. That's what I am here for," Tsukauchi smiled. "I'm sure that as long as he has someone to rely on, Danny won't stray from the hero path. But when left to his devices, he got tangled up with the wrong company and was not afraid to challenge the law and bend it. That’s the problem.”

 

"You may be correct, my friend. But I don't think you should deny your charge the agency like this. He is a stubborn child." 

 

"I would certainly know," sighed Tsukauchi. "There’s also the reaction of others if Danny is All for One's son."

 

"I'm certain his friends will realise that young Fenton is his own person. And besides, they don’t know who he is.”

 

“I don't mean them," the detective responded slowly.

 

"The HPSC," the blonde hero mumbled grimly. "I see where you are coming from. The Safety commission always tries to keep tabs on the strongest heroes."

 

"And especially dangerous cases," added Tsukauchi. "A son of the most dangerous villain in Japan's history, already defeating a monster that was supposed to kill you. But to be honest, the greatest concern to me is the backlash. Danny doesn't take kindly to restrictions, and I fear that he may react too brazenly to even more of them being imposed on him.” 

 

“Do you fear he will go rogue?”

 

“I suspect so. And I just know Danny is not going to listen to me when it comes to that. So he is, to an extent, a ticking bomb. I can only hope that his new duties will rid him of those selfish ideas.” 

 

“Selfish, huh?” All Might mumbled. 

 

That’s what his friend’s unshakable stance was, it appeared. That condescension is not going to lead to anything good. 

---

"You know what I want to know, Danny-kun?" Asked Mina as they rode back to the school. 

 

The halfa raised an eyebrow. "What?" 

 

"How did you learn to make portals like that?" The girl inquired excitedly. 

 

As everyone turned into ears, the halfa looked at his palm, before the purple fog came back. 

 

"You heard what I told the guy. He uses the same energy I do. And this means I can absorb and utilise it. This already happened before. I used to control the weather," Danny grinned. "But it worked very haphazardly, as they for some reason attached to my emotions. Each time I got angry, everyone would see thunder and lighting. It would rain when I am sad, and so on. In the end, I returned it, not on my own accord, but I was still glad to get rid of this dangerous stuff. I wonder what limits I have this time..." 

 

Phantom's friends of ghostly kind, especially those knowledgeable in the subject had explained the situation to him pretty simply. Each unique power of a ghost was dictated by their obsessions. Danny's, however, meant protecting others, it was so general and unspecific that his core had interpreted it as the need to acquire as much power as possible to survive and aid others. It adapted and absorbed unique ghostly energies when they came into contact. However, that entailed being hit by those, something Danny wasn't happy to try.

 

"That's amazing!" Danny could swear he was seeing stars in Midoriya's eyes as he wrote that stuff down. "This means that your adaptability is hardly matched by anyone. And each fight will just make you stronger..."

 

Fenton looked away. He still felt uncomfortable at getting such praises. 

 

"Not every fight. Only against someone like our little fog machine. I can't learn yours or, say, Kirishima's," Danny pointed at his friend. 

 

"That's more than enough, man," Kirishima rolled his eyes. "I'm more surprised by the tools you had."

 

"Which reminds me," Danny made a grubby gesture. Begrudgingly, his friends returned the headphones. 

 

Once they were back in his bag, the halfa chuckled. "Not gonna take the credit. The design ain't mine. I just copied them from what my parents had made."

 

"And what about that thing the hand-villain destroyed?" Asked Mineta.

 

"Shigaraki is his name, I think," Danny pretended to be in thought. "It is a modification of what my parents came up with and dumped it because the thing refused to work. It's supposed to absorb the ectoplasmic energy and store it inside. I came up with a brilliant idea...alright, it was totally by accident, that I can fuel the device with my own energy. What I had back then is a more comfortable device. Doesn't take as much space, doesn't dangle on your belt. Now I'll have to make another one," the halfa sighed dramatically. "My allowance isn't that big, damn it."

 

"But how did you know to bring it now, kero?" Tsu tilted her head. 

 

Danny kept smiling, but on the inside he was rapidly trying to come up with an excuse. 

 

"I don't leave my house without my gadgets. Something I was taught since my childhood and what I advice you guys to do as well."

 

"Ha! Like I would need any of that shit!" Bakugo barked a laugh. "You run around with your toys, spook."

 

"I wouldn't underestimate old Fentons," Danny spoke. He sounded sincere, albeit any warmth was nonexistent in his words. "They once made a suit that I...borrowed. It increased my power by ten times, but came with a downside of slowly killing me through the destruction of my nervous system. Later that downside was removed and my sister almost killed me. And she is Quirkless." 

 

"Why would you and your sister even fight?" Kirishima asked. 

 

"We had an argument back then. I don't think she was trying to kill, rather venting some frustration with me. But man... that ectoskeleton is something else. She probably didn’t even realise the strength she was putting into her hits.”

 

"Uhm... Danny-kun?" Asked Mina. "Detective Tsukauchi is your guardian, right?"

 

"What?!" Asked Midoriya. "Oh, that's cool!" 

 

"Midoriya," Iida hissed into his ear. "You know what that means, don't you?"

 

A look of realisation crossed the boy's features, as he visibly panicked. 

 

"I-I didn't mean to..."

 

The tension vanished as Danny let out a laugh. 

 

"That's fine, pal. Each member of my family is still very much alive, if that’s what you are asking, Mina. But they kicked me out of our home, so here I am," he shrugged.

 

A heavy silence hung around their part of the bus. Few could actually believe that Danny's own parents chose to get rid of someone like him. To most of them, the halfa was a friendly guy, someone who could act responsible when need be and whose tremendous power hadn't gone to his head. They saw absolutely no reason for someone to just cast him aside like that. 

 

"How are you so calm about this?!" Exclaimed Kirishima.

 

"I felt like shit, there was a lot of shouting, and my parents used the entirety of their vocabulary, composed entirely of diminutive synonyms of the word 'scum'. But it happened months ago, no point in bitching about it. But I will definitely punch my father into the face next time we meet for what he said about me 'not being a child of theirs'."

 

His experience and knowledge of what damage grief could could cause both to a person, and the world around them, rid him of the desire to wallow in his misery. He had to be stronger than that. It would be a lie to say that it wasn't causing him any pain still, but he was not going to let it overtake him and dictate his actions. 

 

"You have one insane family, Fenton-san," Kaminari mumbled. "Just don't cause an armageddon because of that," he cackled. 

 

Danny's expression, however, turned perhaps too serious, which surprised everyone.

 

"Don't joke like that," he spoke. "There's no way I'm going to do that."

 

"Uhm... we know, Danny-kun," Mina scratched her temple. "Why are you getting so anxious about it all of a sudden?"

 

Danny looked away. "It's nothing," he was quick to dismiss the question.

 

Talking about his grim, supposedly predestined fate was not something he wished to divulge. He hadn't even told them about his past as a hero, for reasons he himself wasn't sure of. Perhaps it was merely an atavism from his life built on lies that still lingered within him. But by refusing to share his life-story with the people he had grown close to, wasn't he stepping on the same rake again? Danny pushed that depressing and pointless pondering, as always focusing on the present, and letting a smile on his face overtake him. There was no sense in looking inside himself when there were things that demanded his attention elsewhere.

 

Like a particular blonde "hero trainee". 

 

The halfa knew for certain that Aoyama was to blame for the attack just as much as the people who were currently in less accommodating buses. He had a rectifying circumstance, certainly, but Danny couldn't simply let it slide. Aoyama had been caught red-handed, stealing the documents the villains openly admitted to have used. The blonde knew the class rep was not stupid, and Danny now had a solid way of accusing him without giving away his own espionage effort. 

 

And the halfa was quick to act. 

 

Once back at the school, when the students were taking their costumes off, putting them back into the cases, Aoyama didn't wait for the rest, opting to return to the classroom alone. Unfortunately, the second he had stepped out of the changing room, he heard a loud cough behind him. And the blonde narcissist knew exactly who would have been waiting.

 

"Fenton-san," Aoyama said nervously. "Is there something you need?" 

 

Danny raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "Going somewhere, good pal?"

 

"Uhm, yeah? To the classroom," the teen pointed down the corridor. 

 

"Nobody would notice our little detour. Come with me," Danny stopped leaning against the wall. 

 

"I'm sorry, but I..."

 

"It was not a suggestion, Aoyama," Danny's eyes flashed green. "You. Me. The janitor's."

 

The blonde gulped. Mere seconds later he found himself in the small locked room, phased inside by one half ghost that meant business. 

 

"So," Phantom spoke, his glowing eyes being the only source of light. "Mind explaining yourself, Aoyama-kun?" 

 

"I don't understand what you are talking about."

 

Danny sighed. "I catch you red-handed, stealing the timetable. Fast forward a couple of days and by coincidence the villains happen to have the knowledge of where a teacher should be. Couldn't help but see the pattern."

 

"Are...are you suspecting me of working for them?"

 

Danny leaned closer, and the radiance of the halfa's glowing green orbs was sending shivers down the blonde's spine.

 

"I KNOW you are, Aoyama. Do you think I didn't tail you to that cafe on that day?" He dropped a metaphorical bomb. 

 

Invisibly in the dark room, the hero trainee paled. There was no running away. Phantom had him cornered, both literally and figuratively.

 

"Please...Fenton-san, you can't tell anyone," Aoyama begged. 

 

"Your actions threatened your classmates, you dapper clown. They could have died if not for me stopping the Nomu. Luckily I came prepared, knowing full well about your plans in advance. Is that why I never saw you fight, Aoyama? Were you hiding somewhere all this time?" 

 

"I...I...I had no choice," Aoyama's voice shook, turning downright hysterical at points. "Do you think I like it? Like stabbing everyone in the back?" 

 

"I know. Your family is being threatened," Danny sighed. "Can't hope to fully understand your position." 

 

"Of course you don't," the blonde suddenly snapped and pointed his finger at him. "Yours threw you out!" 

 

Phantom's eyes narrowed, and Aoyama initially thought that he had made a grave mistake. He had seen what Fenton could do, he could even squash his head like a tomato if he wanted. But then Danny spoke up. "Because they thought me to be a freak of nature. After I spent so much time protecting them and all others with the very power they hated me for. So yes, my experience is different from yours. That's why I want you to tell me your situation."

 

"Fenton-san," Aoyama once again became meek. "You don't want to get tangled in this, he is merciless and extremely powerful."

 

"I killed a god, blondie. Whoever this guy is, I at least want to know." 

 

"You already know everything you may need...I don't want to get in trouble. He is too secretive."

 

"I don't wish to resort to threats, Aoyama," Danny said slowly and menacingly. 

 

"I have nothing to say! I don't even know his name, but he has the power to take and give Quirks. That's all I know, they only order me, I never get told any secrets."

 

"Take and give Quirks, huh?" Danny mumbled. That very concept spelled enormous power in a world such as that. There wasn't enough information to come by. 

 

And with the villains uncovering his identity, he couldn't hope to spy on them himself. All that effort to his it thrown right out the window. Who knew that the locals were smarter than the entire population of Amity Park? 

 

"Yes...my family is indebted to that man. And if I don't do what he says or if I'm found out, he is going to do horrible things to them," Aoyama whispered. 

 

Phantom sighed once more and rubbed his temples. "Then I hope you listen to this plan. I'm not telling anyone about your involvement with them. But I want something from you, too."

 

"Oh, goodness... are you suggesting..."

 

"I want you to tell me everything you come to learn."

 

"This is madness! If I'm found out..."

 

"Then make sure you aren't. Cliche response aside, you have to understand that this leech is not coming off even when everyone in this building is dead. Your only hope of saving your family from debt is helping to bring down that menace." 

 

"And who is going to save them, you?" Aoyama asked. 

 

"If need be. I know the adults ain't gonna do shit until we put the case before them on a silver platter. Aizawa ignored my warnings and we got into this mess."

 

"Is this supposed to convince me? Fenton, you aren't even a hero yet!"

 

"This license thing is a joke. I already am a hero. Since we are uncovering secrets here, I used to be a vigilante, and I alone kept order in my danger-infested home. So if anyone can help you, Aoyama, it is me. The guy who is not afraid to...overstep some laws and act according to the situation. Taking the blame in the process."

 

Aoyama turned away. "You are going to tell Aizawa-sensei if I don't agree?" 

 

Danny's look turned heavy. "Yours is one family, Aoyama. I don't want the entirety of our class to die because of your actions, so I will have to. It is my duty as a class representative that you people have chosen and a friend. This attack shows that the bad guys aren't afraid of heroes. That they will only continue if something isn't done."

 

Aoyama let out a small and miserable laugh. "I voted for you." 

 

Danny couldn't resist a small sad smile. "Because  you people were not allowed to vote for yourselves. I promised to do my best, and I plan on following this promise through. This includes you as much as everyone else at the moment. But again, if you refuse, you become a threat yourself." 

 

The blonde considered what had been said, but each train of thought always hit a brick wall. He simply had no choice on the matter. At least by doing as the class rep instructed, he stood some chance. Other choices would inevitably lead to him losing everything. It surprised Aoyama how caring and at the same time ruinous Fenton appeared at the same time. His most powerful classmate could be either the saving grace or his death sentence. 

 

"I...I'll try, Fenton-san. Just please, not a word to anyone."

 

Danny smiled. "I appreciate your trust, man. You secret is safe with me. Just act the way you always do, but when the villains tell you to do something, inform me during the school time. You are the only spy here, right?" 

 

"Yes...I think."

 

"Then we will be discussing the course of action here. It will be safer this way. No phone calls or extra meetings in person. We shouldn't cross paths more than we absolutely have to. You follow?"

 

"I got it," Aoyama shakily nodded. 

 

In the toxic green light, the human boy saw an outstretched hand and a boastful smile. 

 

“You didn’t have to do this, Fenton-san.”

 

"I know. But that’s something I choose to do. We'll show that bastard not to mess with us, heroes."

 

And Aoyama, albeit hesitantly, took it.

---

In an unknown location, in a typical villainous fashion, lurked an entire underground facility. Only a select number of individuals had knowledge of that place. Kurogiri was no stranger to the facility. That was where he came to be, after all. It was where many of his kin were being created. Kurogiri passed many tubes that contained the grotesque flesh mounds that were going to be given shape, like a piece of wet clay they were waiting for a master to work on them. Once again, the sentient fog paid no heed to the sights that would cause a normal person to think twice about proceeding further.

 

There was a reason he was traversing normally, instead of simply teleporting to his destination. His Master, despite being the one to bless him with his Quirk, did not take kindly to him appearing out of nowhere by his side. The former valued his privacy, and accepted visitors only when he himself willed it. Kurogiri could only obey, and, once summoned, he patiently traversed the facility by feet. Once he approached a seemingly inconspicuous door, Kurogiri knocked on it. 

 

"Come in," a welcoming voice came from the inside, and Kurogiri entered. 

 

The room was dim, with the only source of light being a multitude of screens located at the far end. There was a chair, occupied by the owner of the whole facility, and the mastermind behind all operations. 

 

"You wanted to see me, Master?" Asked Kurogiri.

 

"I did," the man responded with a cheerful voice, without turning away from the screens and towards his subordinate. "Tomura isn't reaching out. How is he doing?"

 

"He is... disheartened by the catastrophic failure." 

 

"Is he? Well, it's just no good," the man chuckled. "A single mishap is no reason for refusing my calls. And I won't tolerate it, too, make sure to relay this."

 

"I will, Master." 

 

"Still, you know I am all for an eye to eye conversation," the villain laughed, ironising at his own physical condition. "I want to know more about what happened back there. Did All Might actually surpass Garaki's little creation?" 

 

"No..." Kurogiri shamefully looked at the ground. "He was slain by a student before All Might made his appearance."

 

His master hummed. There was no anger that could be sensed by the sentient fog, and it indeed was a rare occurrence, if ever present. All for One was always collected, rational and two steps ahead any of his adversaries. There was never a reason for him to feel anger. 

 

"Is that so?" He chuckled. "Now that's a surprise. What can you tell me about that person?" 

 

"He tricked us. That boy is the very one you've laid your eyes on in the Masquerade, Master. All this time Pariah has been a double agent and a U.A. student." 

 

"Then I was right in accessing the child's potential. I don't think he is a double agent. Heroes are never going to lower themselves to send a child into the lion's den," All for One mocked. "But to think he will have the gall to cross us all on his own. That's something we won't forgive easily. And if he is smart, he won't return to the arena. You were saying he's as strong as All Might already?" 

 

"No, Master. Nomu was defeated not by brute force. His attempts failed over and over, until he subjugated Nomu by taking control over its mind." 

 

The room was filled by a loud laughter. "I did tell Giraki about this vulnerability. He assured me this won't be an issue. But wasn't the boy all about energy manipulation? Where did mind control come from?" 

 

"That's why I have a question for you, Master. If you are willing to indulge it..."

 

"I am listening."

 

"Could you... by any chance... have sired a child all those years ago?" 

 

There was an uncomfortable pause. Slowly, the villain turned on his chair. The man was dressed in a usual formal suit, however his face was anything but, covered in one whole scar tissue that hid his eyes and his mouth. It was difficult to make out his expression, but it had to have been something between curiosity and surprise at the sudden question. 

 

"What has brought this up? Are you insinuating that that boy has a relation to me?"

 

"This was merely a foolish suggestion on my part, Master. I've seen his mannerisms and actions, he, just as you said, has set the whole operation and sabotaged ours all on his own. And he is also your mirror image, appearance-wise."

 

"Hm...curious...but have you got anything more sufficient to make such claims?" 

 

"Master... he nearly stole my Quirk." 

 

After this neither dropped a word for some time, but then All for One laughed again. 

 

"And from this point onward I want all the details you can give." 

 

"For several hours I couldn't use my Quirk. The last drop of energy I had was used to escape. But that boy used my portal against Nomu with little care. He tried to entrap me within a device he had created specifically against me, but I managed to escape before the process was finished, and Shogaraki destroyed the contraption. What he had stored within, the boy absorbed."

 

"Most curious," the villain mastermind mumbled. "I was looking for an explanation as to how our arena champion possesses so many abilities. If he has an All for One as well, it would explain everything."

 

"It would even be more potent than yours, Master. To him, even an unfinished process can grant him a new Quirk. And if he wishes, the original user can probably still hold on to theirs." 

 

"An astute observation, Kurogiri. How I envy the young..." the kingpin scratched his chin. "I see why you are so eager to accept the notion. I must admit, the desires of the flesh are not foreign even to me. However, I've always believed myself to be incapable of siring a child. This changes quite a lot, if our speculation is correct. Does Tomura share your belief?" 

 

"He is... too livid to consider this possibility, shall I say. A lot of furniture was destroyed during a fit of rage. The boy spoiled his entire plan, and Shigaraki feels nothing but hatred towards him." 

 

"So any attempt to approach the child will meet his opposition," All for One concluded. "But. All in due time," he grinned. “We have to know more, and I know just the person for that.”

 

“If I recall correctly, they are classmates,” Kurogiri nodded. “Shall I task him to uncover the information?” 

 

“That will be most useful. I shall patiently await the result. It’s a shame we didn’t get the chance to see Nomu fare against All Might. Speaking of which, what’s become of it?”

 

“The news report that it was detained. Nomu cannot act on its own volition, so they had no difficulty taking it under watch.”

 

“I sense worry in your words, Kurogiri. Don’t fret. Even if the heroes discover what Nomu actually is, this hardly puts a strain on our plans.”

 

“You knew this when you allowed Shigaraki to take one?” Kurogiri asked in surprise.

 

“Certainly. As I said, he is free to try as much as his heart desires. However, it shouldn’t endanger the grander scheme of things. We have to be prepared for unforeseen difficulties such as the current one. That boy displays a plethora of abilities, which means he has taken them from someone at some point,” the villain smirked. “Do his friends know of this, I wonder?” 

 

“What will you do with the information you already have? The boy still frequented the arena. Perhaps you may find use of that knowledge.”

 

“Hm…we aren’t the only ones to discover this part, are we?”

 

“Many of the foot soldiers we’ve hired must have realised the identity of ‘Pariah’.”

 

“And since the boy acts all on his own, he has no indulgence. How unbecomingly inconsiderate of him. Did he actually think a mask is going to fool anyone?” All for One laughed. “After how he tricked us all I’d expect him to be smarter than that.”

 

“A single leak may be ruinous to his whole life,” Kurogiri concluded. 

 

“That’s why such a powerful leverage against him must be used in moderation. But there’s no telling who might just spoil all the fun, unfortunately…I wish to wield this trump card alone, Kurogiri. Do whatever you can to minimise the impact. I’ll provide the money for the expenses, be sure to pass down a word that this leak won’t be tolerated.” 

 

“You know that they will interpret everything as your patronage over him.”

 

“Maybe that’s precisely what I want,” All for One smirked, turning back to the monitors. “One door was shut before us yesterday. But so many lie open now. By the way, what about that wolf creature we found?”

Chapter 15

The incident at U.S.J. was a piece of news that was bound to make the headlines. After all, it had been a while since a group of villains this large attacked not just any place, but the citadel of the best heroes Japan had to offer. The following day the lesson were cancelled, much to the joy of one Danny Fenton, who, for one, was thankful to the idiots for sacrificing their freedom to give him a well-deserved day off. He and his friends hung out in the city centre, and each proudly watched the news broadcasted from the wide screens. It was them who stopped the villains, after all. That was a pleasant feeling. Danny did feel a bit disgruntled by the omission of the students' achievement, though. Yes, they were shown on TV, but the use of general terms like 'the heroes handled the situation' rid him of that ego-inflating joy.

 

"Oh, cheer up, ghosty," Kirishima said and nudged him. "There'll be plenty of times when you get the credit. No need to get so sour."

 

"I am not sour," Danny shrugged. "I know people are more concerned about the fact that the attack happened at all. But honestly, if U.A. students can handle this, it would have been a good advertisement if that part was talked about."

 

"Yeah. That was stupid of them," Mina grinned and cackled. "What were the bad guys expecting, honestly?"

 

"They wanted to use Nomu and kill All Might, before tailing. You saw how it was," Danny pondered aloud. "The thing ignored physical damage, and that's what All Might's Quirk is about. But they were so focused on the goal that they neglected all other factors."

 

"Yeah, who could have known you'll pull out another broken card," Kirishima snorted and grinned. "Fighting you is like playing a stupid Yu-Gi-Oh duel, man."

 

"Yeah, yeah. Get over it, already," Danny smiled and lightly nudged his friend. "But their shortsightedness is obvious. I mean, have you seen the mastermind of this whole show? Shigaraki is a petulant man-child. A moron, and a prideful one. Obviously he is not thinking rationally."

 

"Well, he must have some sort of charisma going. I mean, he got so many villains together."

 

Danny's mind went back to the meeting he had attended. That was unlikely. The guy was completely unlikeable and apathetic. And there was also a different knowledge that the halfa had. 

 

"I don't think so. But there is a chance that someone is backing them," Danny leaned against the railing, looking at the glass roof of the mall. "They did mention some 'Master'. Won't put it past that person to have everything it takes to create this ragtag team. Money, influence, and the capabilities to create a bioengineered monster. Sheesh, he sounds like Masters."

 

"Your godfather?"

 

"Yep," Danny's lips thinned. "Although the cheesehead is not the one to blame here, obviously. In any case, I think we can take a breather now. It's obvious they put a lot into this scheme, so it will take some time for them to come back for more."

 

"That's not a good reassurance," Mina deadpanned. 

 

"You'll get used to it," the halfa smirked. "I learned to just accept things I have no power over. Best we can do is to get stronger."

 

Truth be told, he held a certain degree of power over the events. He had a sensitive piece of knowledge that could potentially make a difference, he was acting in shadows to harm the villains' livelihoods. But it was still pointless in the grander scheme of things at the moment. Both sides made themselves known, now it came to the data collection before they met again and fought. Phantom had no hope in the heroes' help. It would certainly be welcome, but he had to make do with what he already had. That's how he always did it. 

 

"Speaking of which," Mina rubbed the back of her neck. "Danny-kun, can you make a portal to my home? Please?" She made a begging sign.

 

"Are you leaving already?" The halfa raised an eyebrow. 

 

"Yeah. I need to go back earlier today. My parents are still worried about what happened."

 

"I'd have liked to, Mina," Danny said slowly. "But I got this power only yesterday, and in a very limited form. I practiced just a bit, but portals don't appear further than five meters away."

 

"Aw, man, this sucks," Mina pouted. "You would have been able to even visit your American friends whenever you wanted, Danny-kun."

 

The halfa's eyes widened. That...didn't seem as ludicrous as he could have thought. Of course Mina did not know the extra obstacle standing in the way of that goal — the ever-present veil separating the worlds. Looking at his hand, the halfa pondered on it just a little more.

 

"This sounds like a neat goal." 

 

"It is!" Said Kirishima and grinned. "Let that jerk's Quirk be used for something actually useful." 

 

"Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow then!" Mina saluted and strolled away, leaving the two boys alone. 

 

"So..." the redhead scratched his chin. "Any idea what else we can do?"

 

"Dunno. At this time I usually sit at home when I'm not with you guys."

 

"Come on, don't tell me our class rep is a hikikomori."

 

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Be sure to kick me when I start buying depraved figurines. I just never was a social guy before. My social circle pretty much ended with my two longtime friends."

 

"Is that because your Quirk awakened so late?" 

 

"Nah. It's just... my parents are not just inventors. They are seen as nutcases, which they to some extent are. And hoo boy, if I didn't get bullied for my relation to the crazies that violate every single rule about adjacent constructions. You should have seen what monstrosity I lived in."

 

"I'm willing to raise my expectations. But hey, you are already the talk of the school, man. In a good way," Kirishima wrapped a hand around his friend's neck. Something he did quite a lot, actually. "And with you being the class rep, you ain't going into any shell."

 

"I could have been a ghost in the shell," Danny grinned. "Get it? Oh, of course you don't," he deadpanned. 

 

"Sheesh, man. I'm not dumb," Kirishima huffed. "I just don't know your American stuff."

 

The irony of the statement was almost palpable.

---

The following day the studies resumed. The rumour had it that the day before had been spent in patching the holes in security, looking for villains that had hid from the heroes and assessing if anything had been stolen. Those rumours came from different sources, but not necessarily contradicted each other. The journalists had swarmed near the front gates of the school, but Phantom, who, per luck, was travelling to U.A. alone that day, easily avoided them. He still couldn't forgive them the whole 'Inviso-Bill' fiasco. Nonetheless, Danny made his way to the classroom, his enhanced hearing picking up the traces of conversation, where aforementioned rumours were being spread. He also caught occasional glances thrown his way, which was honestly to be expected. Danny was a part of the class that was the talk of the whole school. 

 

The second Danny opened the door, he was met face to face with Iida. 

 

"Fenton-san!" He bellowed. "Morning homeroom is about to start, you should not be late!"

 

Danny blinked and looked at the wall clock. He still had some time to spare. 

 

"Well, I am not late, am I?" Fenton smiled, entering the room and seeing that he was the last student to arrive. "I still have you, deputy, in case something happens to me along the way." 

 

"Were you attacked?!" Iida immediately jumped to a conclusion.

 

Danny's mind flashed towards a huge villain crushing into asphalt right before the bus he had been taking. And him cursing at Tsukauchi for making him take one.

 

"Nah," the halfa responded and slowly floated to his seat. "Morning, everyone!" 

 

The two students took their seats just in time before the door to the classroom opened, revealing their homeroom teacher. Aizawa didn't leave the fight two days prior with no injuries whatsoever, having been forced to fight a small army all at once, and it was seen due to a number of bandaged parts all over his body and a slight limp. Recovery girl had obviously decided to let his system handle what's left. Still, Danny had expected the man to take a couple of well-deserved more days off. He knew Thirteen did, but she was simply busy supervising the repairs of U.S.J, having left the debacle with little to no injuries.

 

"I see the relief on your faces," Aizawa spoke in his usual manner. "I hope it is not because you think your fight is over yet."

 

The tension in the air rose to insurmountable heights, before he continued.

 

"U.A. Sports festival is drawing near."

 

"A NORMAL SCHOOL EVENT!" Nearly the entire class exclaimed with joy and relief.

 

Danny blinked. "A tournament ark so soon? Way to break a cliché, Aizawa-sensei!" He called. 

 

"Is this alright to host a tournament so soon after the attack?" A girl with short raven hair, Jiro beat him to the question. "The villains did sneak in and can try and do so again." 

 

"By going through with our plans we will show that our crisis management system is as solid as a rock. Of course, we will increase the security by five times," Aizawa responded. "Above all, the Sports festival is an essential element of your education and future opportunities. It is not something we can cancel because of a villain attack." 

 

Danny felt at odds with what was going on. It made sense that it was as good time as any to show that U.A. remained solid. However, a sport event of all things really did come out of nowhere. He would have to ask more, because everyone seemed to understand what the event was. Except for him. However, Aizawa unknowingly rushed to his rescue.

 

"It is one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports and everyone was crazy about them. However, they are now a shell of their former glory. And now, the U.A. festival serves as a great replacement..."

 

"A pretty strange replacement," Danny mumbled within Kirishima's ear reach. "The whole world sent athletes to the Olympics. Now it's just one school?"

 

"Quality over quantity, man," the redhead grinned. 

 

"I never watched them, though," Danny scratched his temple and laughed nervously. "What's in it for us? Aizawa-sensei mentioned its educational value."

 

"All top-heroes around the country will be watching the festival," Yaoyorozu explained. "Their agents are always there scouting for talents." 

 

"Yep!" Kaminari grinned and gave a thumbs up. "It's a great way of becoming a sidekick to one of the pros." 

 

"Many of them never escape that position, however," added Jiro unenthusiastically. "They become eternal sidekicks and vanish into obscurity. Get used to the idea, Kaminari. You may just be dumb enough."

 

The boy was taken aback by the straightforward dressing down.

 

"Of course, joining a famous hero agency is bound to give you experience and popularity from the get-go. Your time is limited. If you expect to become pros one day, this will be a good place to start. But remember, that in these annual events you will have only three chances. No aspiring hero may allow themselves to miss it. If you understand what I am saying, don't slack off on your preparations. Class dismissed. And Fenton, you stay here."

 

Danny gulped, not knowing what the teacher wanted from him just yet. As the unsuspecting students poured out of the classroom, with his friends promising to wait for him outside, Danny remained alone with the teacher. Aizawa gave him a neutral look in a complete silence, before speaking up again. 

 

"Despite you going against my orders on that day, you still performed quite admirably, Fenton," he said. 

 

"Oh...thank you, I guess. I was just doing what I had..."

 

"Doing what you WANTED to do, isn't it?" Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "This time I'm not reprimanding you, so you can take a breath. And you have listened to my advice of giving it your all, so it's another pleasant development. You knew that the attack would happen, didn't you?"

 

"Well...I admit," Danny looked away. "I did suspect they will pull something like that off." 

 

"And you also 'suspected' that they will come on that very day at that exact time."

 

"Oh, I get it. You think I went against your word of not investigating everything myself," Danny crossed his hands.

 

"So you just happened to hold a weapon that can capture precisely one of the villains."

 

"I always had those on me, teach. That thermos I carry around? It's not just for holding soups. I've seen my share of bad guys that use the same energy I do. I learned how to counteract them. I just knew they will be useful at that moment."

 

Aizawa sighed. "I commend you for being prepared, then. I just want to make sure that you understand that nothing changed since our last talk, prohibitions-wise."

 

Danny huffed and put a hand on his belt. "This guy doesn't yet dare to hope." 

 

"Neither me, nor anyone else can make exceptions, kid. That's how we operate. We close our eyes ones, the whole system is rendered inutile. Even All Might back in the day adhered to such laws and rules."

 

"You guys share a hive mind or something? You keep drilling the same thing over and other." 

 

"Because someone refuses to listen," Aizawa responded dryly. "Patience, Fenton. I recommend that you do your best during the festival. This, and the subsequent internship, will let you try your hand at proper hero business."

 

The halfa smirked. "Not afraid I'll leave no chance to the rest?" 

 

"And he is back to his bratty self," Aizawa sighed half-heartedly. "You can join your classmates. I always expect you kids to give it your all and more. Keep at it." 

 

Knowing his reluctance to give praises at that point, the halfa took it as a compliment. With a smile, the halfa left the classroom. 

 

Soon, after the last lesson before the lunchtime was over, the students could finally freely discuss what had been on their minds the whole morning, pushing away any desire to listen to lectures. 

 

"Aw, man, I'm so excited!" Kirishima exclaimed. "If we put a good show and stand out, we'll have taken the first step to become heroes!" 

 

"We cannot afford to miss this," Tokoyami nodded in agreement. 

 

"Well, I certainly will not."

 

Even Tokoyami jumped at Fenton's sudden emergence. Perhaps even more so than others. For some reason, the class rep triggered some instinctive fear within him whenever he was nearby. And since his instincts were tied to his Shadow, it was mostly that very sentient Quirk that was scared of him. He couldn't even fathom why. And why cold air came from Fenton's mouth each time Tokoyami saw him.

 

"Someone's excited," Sero grinned. 

 

Danny shrugged. "Well, the spoils are just flying into my mouth, what's not to be excited about?" He gave a toothy smirk.

 

"Easy for you to say," Mineta threw his hands around. "You can destroy districts with your shout."

 

"A wail, to be precise," Danny clarified. "Don't worry, guys. I'll give you a chance."

 

"Don't get so full of yourself, Danny-kun," Mina lightly slapped him on the back of his neck and went to her friends of girly kind.

 

The boys laughed at the halfa's misfortune. For all his power, he really let him push himself around sometimes. Danny grumbled something inaudible, staring at Mina's back. 

 

"Hey, Fenton-san," Sero said. "Do you have any hero agency in mind that you would have liked to go to?"

 

"I don't know that many heroes," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really follow the stuff."

 

"But... you are studying to be a hero."

 

"Yeah, but I don't know where I'll work, still. So, I guess I'll just take the offer from the highest one on the list."

 

"It is a logical course," Tokoyami nodded. 

 

"The one reservation I have is that the whole world will know our Quirks," Danny mumbled. "The villains will know them, too."

 

"They would have found that out when we debuted as heroes," Kirishima waved off his friend's paranoia. "But hey, your family will get to watch you."

 

Danny was about to object, but then a lightbulb lit up above his head. The halfa looked at his palm. 

 

Only five meters...how thick was the veil, he wondered? That was something he was going to find out eventually.

 

The lunch and the subsequent lesson contained little of note, albeit Danny and several others kept noticing odd glances. The teachers kept reiterating how important the festival was and stressed the need for preparations. That was something they all knew already. However, once the last lesson was adjourned, the students found themselves unable to leave the classroom, due to a huge crowd of students that had gathered right outside. 

 

"Wh-what's going on?!" Uraraka exclaimed in surprise. 

 

"What business do you have with 1-A?" Asked Iida, beating the class rep to the same question. Danny really had to react quicker to such things. 

 

"What are you here for?" Mineta demanded to know with a panicking undertone in his voice. 

 

"They are scouting out the enemy, small fry."

 

Bakugo was surprisingly nonchalant as he was leaving the classroom. 

 

"We're the ones who defended against that villain attack. They want to check us out before the festival. There's no point in doing that. Outta my way, extras!"

 

"That was awfully harsh of you, Number two," the voice of Bakugo's most hated person in that room sounded from behind, making a tick mark appear on the blonde's head. Danny approached him with hands in his pockets, before looking at the crowd. His actions during the whole alarm at the cafeteria fiasco made pretty much everyone aware that he was the class rep. 

 

"What you guys are doing is rude and counterproductive. You don't seriously expect us to blow something up for your information?" Danny smiled. 

 

"I, for one, came to see what famous 1-A was like. But you seem pretty arrogant. Are all students from the hero course like that?" 

 

A tired-looking student made his way through the crowd and to the front. His purple hair was all out of place, and the bags under his eyes only added to the impression. 

 

"Wish I could say you are wrong," Danny shrugged, before rubbing the back of his head. 

 

"Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. Some of us enrolled in general studies or other programs because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that? The school left those of us a chance. Depending on the results of the festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course."

 

"Pal, don't use 'we' when talking about yourself," Danny crossed his hands. "Hero course is not made of rubber. You getting in means someone is shown the door. Aizawa neglected to mention this part, huh?" He turned to his classmates. 

 

He would hate to see any of them go, even Number two. He had too much fun poking at him. And he certainly was not exchanging them.

 

"Scouting the enemy?" The student huffed at Bakugo and his assumption. "I, for one, came to say that even if you are in the hero course, if you get too carried away..."

 

"We will lose. Right," Danny interrupted and sighed. "As if we didn't hear it from every teacher on the way here," he approached the student, "You too, should be wary. Just as all of you. We all are here not because of pretty eyes or charming personality. I mean, look at this guy," he pointed at Bakugo. "No," his eyes glowed. "We are here because we have what it takes to beat a villain. I think the accident a couple of days ago should have proven just that. So far, it is you who should prove themselves, but if you people need extra convincing that we all are here on our own merits, then so be it."

 

His own classmates were surprised to see Danny stand so firm, afraid that he was antagonising everyone present, but also glad that the class rep had the guts to voice what everyone had on their minds. 

 

"We will see, then," the purple-haired student nodded. 

 

"I'm sure you will show everyone something else than diminutive vocabulary and your outstanding observation skills. Few people can determine what their opponents are like after giving them a one-second glance," Danny said with sarcasm and a small smirk.

 

"Hey, hey, hey!" 

 

Everyone's eyes turned towards the source. It was a student with long and shaggy grey hair, with some extremely bushy eyelashes. His teeth were also notably sharp. Danny thought he recognised that guy from somewhere.

 

"Ain't you from 1-B?" He asked. 

 

"Eh? How did ya know?!"

 

"Saw you with Kendo," Danny grinned. "How's she doing? Haven't talked to her since the last reps meeting."

 

"Uhm... she's fine. That's not why I'm here! I heard how you fought villains so I came here to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself!"

 

"We heard that the first time!" The entirety of 1-A shouted. 

 

Bakugo, however, said nothing, simply choosing to push his way through the crowd. Yes, leave it to him to try and antagonise the whole crowd and then decide to leave. He felt Danny's hand on his shoulder.

 

"What, you are just going away?" The halfa asked. 

 

"You can show your other cheek all you want," Bakugo growled and pushed Danny's hand away. "But their opinion won't matter as long as you rise to the top." 

 

With that Bakugo decided to take his leave. As he left, the halfa looked back at his classmates.

 

"That's..." Kirishima's fist balled. "So simple and manly," he whispered and shed a small tear. 

 

Danny sweatdropped at this. While he himself somewhat shared Bakugo's opinion, he had a responsibility not to let the situation escalate. Even if the looks and occasional whispers he caught made him want to punch the most foul-mouthed. But he wouldn't, lest his classmates became pariahs for the rest of the school. As the argument broke between his classmates on whether or not he was right, the halfa sighed and rubbed his nose.

 

"Alright, show's over. We have business to attend, too. You know, because we have to train. Because we are being responsible."

 

The crowd slowly dispersed, and once they were gone, Danny deflated like a balloon, leaning against the wall, much to everyone's surprise.

 

"You alright, Danny-kun?" Asked Mina.

 

"Jesus, I thought the anxiety is gone by now," he breathed out. "Don't make me talk to crowds like that again."

 

"Uhm, Fenton-san, you did it yourself," Kirishima pointed out, making the halfa, who felt angry with his stupidity and hit the wall with his head.

---

During the following weeks every student was giving it their all. Every approach was different, but at the core everyone aimed to perfect their Quirks as much as they could, given the time limit. Danny himself took all the time he could to practice. The school had granted the students as much time as possible, allowing them to train during the second half of the day. The halfa appreciated it, and the rest of students, too, he was certain of it. 

 

However, Phantom wondered about having such chance at all. Come to think of it, between school, his family's shenanigans and nigh constant ghost attacks, he rarely got a chance for a simpler, calm training. It was the reason his powers were so many and yet so...surface level. He adapted, but never polished them enough to call one of them his crown jewel, his prime power. Each ghost he fought had their main shtick, be it the wish-granting of one particular nosy genie, or the sword that made all foes perish into the realm of deepest fears. Phantom had none of that. It was his strength, but also his weakness. 

 

Maybe it was the direction he should have taken. What point was there in neglecting other abilities in favour of one? His arsenal made him unpredictable, unlike his enemies. He knew Desiree was helpless against the wishes made against her or a simple shut mouth. Fright was someone to keep distance from. Their actions all spun around utilising their key power, which made them easy to read. It was the key factor behind Danny learning to fight them with little damage to himself. Thus, it was probably good for him. Aizawa seemed to be in favour of such decision as well.

 

"In your case, it will be better to learn a thousand weapons rather than master one a thousand times," he told the halfa. "Your time is limited, even when the festival is over. You cannot physically master them all in a lifetime, because there is always room for improvement."

 

The teacher would then go on to clarify that 'mastering' did not necessarily equal simple polishing. Meaning that Danny could still expand on them, creating tactics and combinations that would catch an enemy unprepared. It was a solid advice, the one Phantom, admittedly, hadn't sought himself. It was through Aizawa's own dedication to his work that Danny was given such advice in the first place. Call it his latent arrogance, but he still had little belief that the people with a single Quirk could bring something new to the table. It turned out he was wrong, and it was probably for the better for him. Danny followed the advice, coming up with certain 'combos' that could leave his enemies in the dust. Even those that awaited him upon the return home. 

 

The very thought of shock on Plasmius's face filled his ice heart with joy. 

 

Eventually, in what appeared to the students like no time at all, the day of the festival came about. To the guests of the school, who had to endure rigorous examinations and bag inspections, it was nonetheless an event long expected. The U.A. itself, despite its extra attention to security, was still trying to be as welcoming and accommodating as possible. Some would call it a shameless attempt to sweep the villain incident under the rug... and also earn some cash in the process, but it was far from truth. The school certainly earned some benefits from its position as a first-class institution, but they could hardly be denied the actual agency in all this, one that has already been mentioned. 

 

Nonetheless, as the guests were strolling from one stand to another, cozying themselves before the start of the actual event, the students were busy changing into their gym uniforms back in the dressing rooms. 

 

"Aww..." Mina moaned. "I wanted to wear my costume." 

 

"It's to keep everything fair," Responded Ojiro.

 

"Why ish it thfat big of a deal," Danny said through his takoyaki-stuffed mouth, before gulping. "The suits just expand our abilities. Everyone here has a suit. It's already fair. For someone it is even more hampering," he pointed at surprised Yaoyorozu. The gym uniform exposed less skin, and limited her options. 

 

"Yes, we are being robbed of a treasure," Mineta mumbled, making it explicit that he wasn't talking about abilities.

 

Kirishima finished chewing the portion his friend had brought for him and grinned. "We can still kick ass, it's not that big of a problem."

 

"Where did you two even get takoyaki?" Mineta whined and reached for the box. 

 

"I may have sneaked out to get some," Danny said, looking away, but still slapping Mineta's small greedy hand. "They actually have a lot of stuff out there. Might wanna check those stands after the first round. By the way, where is..."

 

"Everyone!" Iida burst through the door. "It is finally the time."

 

Leave it to the deputy to scout ahead, Danny smirked. Iida had really wanted to keep watch and alert everyone, and who was he to stop him. Danny got up from his seat, but then he saw where everyone was looking. Todoroki and Midoriya seemed to be having a conversation.

 

"Looking at things objectively, I think I am stronger than you," the former spoke, making the halfa freeze. How come that green-haired kid made rivals without him even noticing?

 

Midoriya hesitantly and shyly agreed with his classmate. Todoroki took it as a clue to continue.

 

"But...All Might has his eyes on you, doesn't he? I'm not trying to pry, but I'm going to beat you."

 

"Oh, is that one of the tops declaring a war?" Kaminari said with excitement. 

 

Danny and Kirishima seemed to have caught on on how the situation was escalating and also acted upon it. The latter even took hold of Todoroki's shoulder.

 

"Hey, hey, why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?" The redhead asked as Danny stood between the two.

 

"Right before the start, too," the halfa added, putting a hand on his belt. 

 

"We are not here to play at being friends," Todoroki shook off Kirishima. "So what does it matter?" He asked and turned to walk away. 

 

"Ancients, you too?" Danny groaned. "Was my stupid speech all for nothing?" he said and looked at the bewildered Midoriya.

 

Why him of all people, the halfa wondered, but before he could ask Todoroki, the green-haired boy chose to talk back on his own.

 

"Todoroki-san. I don't know what you're thinking when you say you will beat me...and probably you will, because you are more capable than most people..."

 

"Hey, Midoriya," Kirishima laughed nervously. "You probably shouldn't talk so negatively..."

 

"But...everyone is trying so hard," the boy's fists shook. "And you can be sure I'll be giving it all of my own, too." 

 

Danny blinked in surprise, as the boy's determined face made him think and ponder of most unexpected things.

 

"Very well," was Todoroki's brief response, before he left the room.

 

The rest of the students followed suit, and the one behind was, surprisingly, the half ghost himself. Mina was the one to notice this, slowing down her speed and waving her pink palm in front of the class rep's thoughtful face. 

 

"Earth to Danny, come in!" She said, snapping the halfa out of his musings. 

 

"Oh, right..." he mumbled. "I'm going."

 

"Was Midoriya's speech so inspiring?" The girl joked. 

 

"Thought-provoking, more like. I just...realised that I don't have much agency in this stuff." 

 

"What do you mean?" Asked Mina in surprise. "I mean, you don't have whatever is going on between Midoriya-kun and Todoroki-kun, but we all are here for a purpose, right? We want every agent out there to see us."

 

"Yeah..."

 

But then again, who was there to tell him if his future lied with the local heroes? If his license, his internship would mean anything at all? He may have acted cocky and arrogant as usual, confident in his abilities, but his temporary aims were shed some light on, and it didn't make them appear any prettier. Petty, more like. For when compared to the aspirations of the unlucky students, to the sudden rivalry between two of his classmates, coupled with probably another two Bakugo had mentioned long before the tournament, Danny's own goals appeared so insignificant. To gain an internship for a job that he might not even get or want, to simply show everyone who was the strongest...It made a sense of guilt emerge in his stomach. He was going to try reaching for his petty goals, ruining the greater ones in the process. It was nothing an outsider to that world, a stranger who played by his own rules and imposed them on others, should be proud of.

 

Nonetheless, the halfa bore with that nasty, gnawing feeling. He had never been ashamed of his ghost powers. He wasn't about to start. 

 

Meanwhile, the whole stadium was roaring happily upon seeing Present Mic in the flesh. Or, well, through the giant screen. But he was there, in his own room just nearby. 

 

"Pay attention, audience! Swarm, mass media! This year's high school rodeo of adolescence that you all love, the U.A. Sports festival is about to begin!" He yelled excitedly. "Everybody, are you ready?!" 

 

And this time, his joy and anticipation were reciprocated by the crowd, which happily bellowed their eager response. 

 

"It's time for the students to enter the first-year stage!"

 

And as the students began to emerge from the corridors, Present Mic continued to speak over the noises of the fireworks and the shouting crowds, his voice resonating across the entire arena the size of several football fields, and the height to boot. 

 

"And here they are, the miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, class 1-A!"

 

And the students in the spotlight each reacted differently. 

 

"Th-there are so many people!" Midoriya said through cluttering teeth.

 

"You aren't taking it the worst," Iida mumbled and pointed at the class rep, whose feigned smile and mechanical waves of his hand could not fool anyone who saw his wobbly feet. They wouldn't have noticed it, believing the class rep to be the most confident of all, but his outburst after the tense talk to the students made them notice such subtle details. 

 

"I wonder if we can give our best performance being watched by so many." 

 

"He's going a bit overboard with praises, huh, Fenton?" Kirishima asked his friend.

 

"Yeah," Danny said through the clenched teeth of his smile. 

 

"What say you, Bakugo?" Kirishima continued.

 

"This gets me just in the mood," Bakugo grinned maliciously. 

 

Present Mic continued introducing all the classes that would be participating. Not only the hero course took part, as was to be expected. There were the general studies, the support classes, from which Danny could easily make out Hatsume's figure, and several others. The students all gathered in front of a podium, on which stood the hero Midnight.

 

"Time for the player pledge!" She exclaimed. "Representing the students is Fenton Daniel, class 1-A!" 

 

The halfa looked ready to faint. Nobody had told him that part! The gazes he caught from some of the students, who had never agreed to be represented by him, only aggravated his anxiety. But of course they would chose the exam's top scorer. But it still came off a surprise, and a cruel joke at his expense. Danny made a deep sigh, trying to overcome the grip on his core. The halfa slowly made his way to the scene, as Midnight stepped away from the mic. Phantom approached the microphone, gulped, and began to speak.

 

"Ehm...well, that's a bit embarrassing," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. The echo of his resonating voice startling even him. An uncomfortable pause settled afterwards. He had to say SOMETHING. "Uh, nice day for a festival, isn't it?" 

 

His classmates felt a sense of dread overcome them. Fenton was a very poor choice for a public speaker. Bakugo, however, guffawed at the halfa's discomfort. The audience, in the meantime, was left to wonder who that nervous wreck is, and why in the world was someone like him representing the students of the world-class hero academy. Midnight hissed quietly. Perhaps it really was mistake. 

 

'Come on, Fenton. Do what you always do,' he told himself. 'Pretend they are not even there.'

 

"Right, the pledge," the teen coughed. He wanted to crack a joke at the tardiness of the teachers that put him in such a position, to ease his anxiety as always, but he had a feeling it would not be appreciated by anyone. He was all on his own this time round. 

 

"I pledge...on behalf of every student present here...ehm...that the competition today will be a testament to our willpower, first and foremost!" He said the first thing that came to mind. And now he had to finish the thought, speaking to the silent audience. "It is the will to rise higher, beyond what even we expect of ourselves...Uhm...Because ultimately, as long as everyone is pushing themselves past the expected limitations, it means that there is nothing that can stop us!" 

 

The sudden upturn in his speech made his friends eagerly support him with cheers, and some from the audience joined in. It put Danny's mind at ease somewhat. Yes, the entire world was watching them, but those millions of eyes he did not see. What mattered was the reaction of those who were currently at the arena. The newly gained boost in confidence allowed him some breathing space. 

 

"To go beyond! That's our school's motto, the one we intend to follow till the end!" He exclaimed, and opened his arms wide. 

 

And at that the audience, and a part of the students, began to loudly cheer even at a somewhat generic and half the time insecure speech. Midnight flashed him a small smile and gestured for the class rep to return to his classmates, who greeted him cordially, noting the wobbly legs again. How their confident crisis leader and strongest fighter was reduced to mush each time he was put into such situation was beyond them. Those were situations where he could not jest and jab someone. Those were actually the people who could dislike him and whose opinion mattered to him, too. But those were not the thoughts present in everyone's heads. 

 

Meanwhile, one particular indigo-haired student was closely observing the half-ghost, wondering what behaviour was his true one. The one he had displayed before his fellow students or the whole world? Could his insecurities be but a façade to hide how dangerous he actually was or was it something else? But he too had to divert his attention elsewhere. 

 

The one who were watching with great interest, were certain viewers. Two of them were sitting right with the rest of the audience, the small Tsukauchi family, with its only two members, were up there, both a bit concerned for the teen under the detective's care being thrust into something like that. Still, they knew that it wasn't all that important, and that the thing that actually mattered were the end results and prowess. Makoto had even convinced her 'boss', who also did everything she said, to come along and watch. Captain Celebrity had had to protest, but there was little he could do. Even if the perspective of hiring a promising countryman was somewhat appealing. 

 

The other viewer, however, unknowingly shared their opinion. From his secure location, the kingpin of the Japanese crime world was also watching with great interest. And while he was far from impressed by the display, he knew he had to keep his expectations high enough. Even if the boy was his son, he couldn't inherit the perfect ability of speech. Or, in line with Fenton's schoolmate's suspicion, All for One did not exactly disperse the notion of the façade either. It could be a trick worthy of his potential offspring. 

 

Nonetheless, Midnight resumed her position near the mic, as the screens above blared 'First Round'.

 

"Now! Let's get started right away!" She spoke. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many students drink their tears here! Now, here is the fateful first game!"

 

As the obscenely dressed woman said it, a holographic screen emerged, with the images on it flashing akin to a slot machine. And then it stopped, and everyone could read the words 'obstacle race'. The name was pretty self-explanatory, but Midnight still explained certain details. The students were told to gather near one of the exits, ready to run outside when all three of the lights were out. They were permitted to use their Quirks however they desired, as long as those were not used to cheat and cut the distance. Nobody told them, however, what the obstacle course entailed. 

 

As the teens were gathering, Danny was unexpectedly caught by one particular redhead. Feeling a light nudge, the halfa turned to face grinning Kendo.

 

"Didn't take ya for someone with a stage fright, Fenton-san," she smirked. 

 

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at my misery," Danny mumbled, wiping his mouth. "I hope it didn't make you lose your guard."

 

"Don't take me for an idiot, pal," Kendo put a hand on her belt. "I remember the entrance exam." 

 

Danny smiled. "I assure you, I haven't lost any of the skills."

 

"Are you even allowed to switch into your robot-slayer mode?" 

 

"Ro...oh...well, nobody said anything against my ghost form. Then again, they didn't say anything about the stupid pledge," the halfa grumbled. 

 

The redhead laughed. "Well, I'm gonna go join the others. They are already giving you angry looks." 

 

"Eh...they aren't jealous of our attention, are they?" 

 

As the redhead walked away, she waved at him. "They certainly are."

 

Great, so not even his ingenious negotiation didn't have much of an impact. Danny sighed and started readying for the race. No point in dwelling on that at that time. Everyone got ready, theirs and everyone else's eyes drawn to three small green lamps, as they slowly shut down, one by one. The halfa took a deep breath. After that display, he had no choice but to show everyone why he was number one. 

 

"Start!" Midnight bellowed and unleashed all hell.

 

The crowd rushed through the corridor that lead towards the outside, while Present Mic excitedly continued the narration. 

 

"Alright, here's the play-by-play! Are you ready to do the commentary, Doom and Gloom?" He turned towards Aizawa, who looked less than pleased to be there. 

 

"You're the one who forced me to come," he responded. 

 

"Alright, my friend, what should the students pay attention to in the early stages?"

 

"This part."

 

What he addressed was something most students came to realise pretty soon. The corridor was way too narrow to fit them all, and thus a big congestion came to be.  The students pushed each other around, threatening to stomp on the smaller ones. The competition had already started. 

 

Danny assessed the situation. He was far from the other end, but luckily he had several ways of getting through. The halfa leaped into the air and over everyone's heads, flying forward towards the exit as fast as his human form could. But then, from the spot further ahead, a blizzard emerged, devouring everything in its path. At the last second, Danny conjured a portal and dived inside of it, emerging outside and landing on the ice-covered surface. Thankfully, five meters sufficed. A brief look back surprised the halfa, for as Todoroki pushed ahead, being the obvious perpetrator, the corridor was frozen, covered in ice, with the other unfortunate contestants being stuck. Ruthless, but he nonetheless secured his lead. But not for long. 

 

Danny grinned, switched into his ghost form, which at the time also entailed a P.E. uniform simply switching to black and white instead of a full change (he wanted to stay faithful to the uniformity demand still) and flew forward. Behind him, several other students made it through, either being able to avoid Todoroki's trap, or get themselves out of it. While Kirishima and several others were making it further, Danny's attention was on two most probable contestants: the cold-hearted half and half and hot-headed Bakugo, who propelled himself in the air with his explosions. The halfa's neon green eyes peered into Todoroki, and the human boy saw how close the half-ghost was. 

 

"You cheeky dick-waffle," the halfa grinned. "You ain't seen nothing yet!" 

 

Charging a blast in his palm, with there being no rule against sabotage, Danny fired a blast further ahead of them all. He surprised Todoroki, who was fully prepared to meet the shot, and the beam of ectoplasm exploded, launching upwards tons of dirt. With a laugh, and a last wave, the halfa flipped in the air and phased right through the improvised wall, while the rest had to wait for the dirt and substratum rocks to fall back down, lest they remained buried under.

 

"He is quite good," said Makoto, who, just like everyone else, was watching the screens. "Quick on his feet, inventive, too. Don't you agree, Captain?"

 

"Wh...wha?" Captain Celebrity seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts. "Which one are watching out for again?"

 

He shrunk under his manager's burning look. 

 

Tsukauchi smiled at the exchange and chuckled. 

 

'Keep going, Danny. I know you can win this,' he thought. 

 

The halfa, enjoying the temporary advantage, flew forward, but then, at the last second, he had to dodge something mid-air. A green piece of metal, a hand, to be precise. Phantom's eyes were ready to bulge out when he realised the next challenge that awaited the students. 

 

"Ooh, seems like the obstacles have shown up suddenly!" Present Mic announced. "Starting with....the Robo-Inferno!" 

 

The faux villains. Of course the school would not take out such sophisticated machinery only once per year. But it was not what shocked the half-ghost the most, no just that simple fact. The problem was an army of zero-pointers, the same gargantuan, building-sized machines. 

 

"Deciding to up your game, huh?" The halfa asked nobody in particular, floating at a distance. 

 

Last time he had used his wail, but it would be foolish to use it so early, when there were other trials in the way. He had never actually tested how well they fared against the much more crude use of power. However, even the brief delay was enough for Todoroki to make it thus far. Then, a metaphorical lightbulb lit up over the half-ghost's stark-haired head. Looking at the nearest colossus, Danny flew towards him, showing no intention of stopping. Todoroki, just as the people who had seen him phase through objects, expected him to do just that. 

 

However, the boy did not emerge from the other side, not that his competitors could see it. Todoroki did not waste time on the empty observations, readying his ice power. He let out everything at once, and the ice blizzard enveloped the machines in their entireties. The teen did not waste time, running between the legs of the nearest frozen robot. 

 

"He stopped them! We can get through!" The shouts from the eager students were heard. 

 

"I wouldn't recommend it," Todoroki responded as he ran. "I froze them when they were unbalanced."

 

And as he was saying this, the ice began to crack, unable to hold so many tons of metal for long. Several machines began to fall, unable to process what was happening quick enough, creating just an obstacle Todoroki had sought. 

 

"Todoroki from Class 1-A!" Present Mic said excitedly. "He attacked and defended in one hit! How elegant! Amazing! He's the first one through! It's, you know, practically unfair!"

 

"His moves are logical and strategic. But he wasn't the first one. Where is Fenton?"

 

"Eh?"

 

In the meantime, one machine stood, its head turned towards the running ice-wielder. To the shock of many, the robot suddenly grabbed one of its hands, tore it out and threw it further ahead. Todoroki saw it, and came to a halt, as the gigantic piece of metal fell right in front of him. Furthermore, it was focused solely on him.

 

"Something isn't right," Present Mic commented. "Self-mutilation and such priorities aren't a part of the robots' programming! Could it be..."

 

The machine moved after Todoroki, its speed exceeding the boy's. He had no choice but to face it, with his path forward blocked off. Todoroki launched even more ice, but the momentum was so great, that the ice only slowed down and made the robot tilt forward. Now the prodigious student had to avoid the falling construct, sliding across the ice to the side. And then, with the corner of his eye, he saw how the halfa burst out from the robot's head, laughing in his usual manner, loud and clear, landing on the ground at the other end of the open area. He was once again ahead of everyone, giving a taunting salute. 

 

"See ya at the finish line!" He shouted and flew forward. 

 

Todoroki was about to pursue, but then he had to dodge a small spike projectile that came from one of the students. Yes, he should have seen that coming.

 

"Could it be?!" Present Mic asked. "Fenton, the class rep of Class 1-A, took over the robot and turned it against his main competition! Now Todoroki is locked with the students out for his blood for what he did before! This guy is a top student for a reason, everybody!" 

 

Aizawa nodded. "He is being inventive, but he is not moving at his full speed," he narrowed his eyes. 

 

"Heh, for every rabbit there is a turtle!" Present Mic smirked. "I guess we shall see."

 

The audience was left shocked upon learning of the anxious teen's achievements, allowing the rumours to spread. It was like they were now watching a different person altogether. Fenton was already displaying several seemingly unrelated powers, and now the whole world was witnessing his prowess. 

 

"Who's that guy even?" Asked a random Joe from the audience. 

 

"His Quirk is a very unique and strong combination. With proper judgement, he can avoid any danger." 

 

That tournament was the grand statement to the globe that announced the half-ghost's presence, for better or worse. So far he was only known to the select few, but that was going to change. Danny's mind had not pondered on that much, nor was he wondering about it as he traversed the currently empty road. The pathos was lost on him, as he flew forward, close to the ground. 

 

"Well, the first obstacle has been a piece of cake, huh?" Asked Present Mic. "But what say you about the next one?" 

 

Danny's hearing could catch the Voice hero's words. So, they made it through the robots, quicker than he had hoped. He was already seeing the others round the corner. But the sight ahead made the halfa blink with his toxic green eyes. It was a long artificial ravine, with several pillars sticking from the ground and connected with steel ropes obviously meant for traversing. Danny looked down, and he saw no bottom of that black pit. How did they make it in such short time? 

 

The halfa shrugged and flew over it. 

 

"Right. We should have seen that one," Present Mic grumbled. 

 

However, Danny's flight was not that simple. He heard a loud yell behind, and from above came the particular blonde who hit him dead on. Bakugo's explosions had been drown out by the shouting crowds at the stadium, and that allowed the human teen to get close and elbow the halfa hard. Both of them hit the edge of the pillar, and each grabbed on the protruding pieces of rock. 

 

"Ha! Watch your surroundings, dumbass!" Bakugo barked a laugh.

 

"I'm not the one dropping on people, Number two," Danny smirked. 

 

The blonde's palm cracked like a petard, as his expression contorted into that of rage. 

 

"Stop calling me that, spook!" He exclaimed and fired. 

 

The explosion hit the spot where Phantom had been, but the halfa pushed himself away at the last second, summoning a shield to defend against the rocks and dust. Hearing the sound above, the halfa looked up and saw Todoroki sliding across the rope, freezing it. If he kept the speed, he would not trip, Danny realised. It was also clear that Danny had lost the lead. 

 

“Nah, the name suits you," Danny said and grinned, before flying upwards and landing on top of the pillar.

 

Immediately he heard the explosions below, as Bakugo jumped off the cliff as well, following right after him. Phantom had no time for that, as Todoroki was getting well ahead of them. So, Danny turned towards the blonde, hiding his fog-engulfed palm behind his back, and just before his face made a contact with the human teen’s fist, a portal appeared between them, where Bakugo flew in effortlessly, emerging five meters away and facing a different direction, all the while keeping the inertia he had before. That made some distance between them, enough for the halfa to continue flying forward, over the ravine, over the rest of the competition. He knew Bakugo could not fire explosions at a large distance, so as long as the explosion wielder was kept far away, he was at the advantage. This was not a fight, they were just wasting each other’s time. 

 

In no time he already made it to the end of the second challenge, with Todoroki still being slightly ahead. Very soon Danny came to realise why the ice-wielder slowed down, and stopped to process what was happening all on his own. The giant signs that read: ‘Danger! Mines!’’ Were a clear indication of what they were dealing with. And just so nobody had any doubts, Present Mic was there with an explanation. 

 

“Now, we’ve quickly arrived at the final barrier. The deal here is that it is a minefield. It’s set up specifically so that you can clearly see where the mines are.”

 

For a moment, Danny was struck with disbelief that something so potentially lethal was being used. Them being buried under a thinner layer of dirt was a weak consolation. 

 

“By the way. These mines are for games, so they are much less powerful,” Present Mic answered an unspoken question that was on everyone’s mind. “But they are loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!” 

 

“That depends on the person,” Aizawa added. 

 

Danny was fairly happy and somewhat disappointed that all of those challenges were mitigated by the ability to fly. Same deal there, because as Todoroki tried to tiptoe around the mines, the halfa flew by him, as the mines on the ground could not be triggered by someone off the ground. That much was obvious. However, the human teen had anticipated that, luckily Danny hadn’t taken it too far away from the ground. Concentrating the ice power in his hands, Todoroki fired forward, beneath the half ghost. 

 

The mine was triggered by the blizzard and ice, as it detonated into pinkish smoke. Phantom felt how the powerful force underneath pushed him away, as he yelped from surprise. Danny managed to turn intangible and kill the momentum, at the expense of his spine. If he had one. The half ghost turned towards Todoroki, as the former’s eyes glowed menacingly. 

 

“Wrong choice,” he said. 

 

And then he fired a blast, responding in kind to Todoroki’s plan. The ice-wielder had expected that and turned forward. The subsequent explosion only propelled him forward, much to Danny’s surprise and frustration. The human teen outstretched his hands, and landed with grace, with his face centimetres above another mine. Todoroki pushed himself back to his feet and continued to tip-toe around the mines, as the halfa floated behind.

 

“Would you look at that! Todoroki managed to turn the obstacle into boost! A risky move, but the one that paid off!” 

 

Phantom could see that his opponent was trying to dissuade him from trying that stunt again. He basically proclaimed that rigging the mines was only going to aid him. Danny decided to play it safer. He pushed himself into the sky. Danny got high enough to be immune to the mines, but yet another source of explosions never was that far behind, as always foretelling his approach with a series of booming noises and his own yells.

 

“This shit doesn’t affect me!” He exclaimed, deciding to pick a fight with someone whom he hated more than the rest. 

 

The halfa turned towards the incoming threat. He met Bakugo with a swing of his hand, but the blond managed to lower his head and dodge. The next moment Bakugo fired a point blank shot and pushed himself away. 

 

Phantom turned intangible at the last second, and the explosion was rendered null. He decided to not get stuck in another fight, and flew forward. Bakugo was pissed, and he obviously was not going to give up. The blond flew right after the half ghost, but he could not deny the obvious: if Phantom never stopped or Bakugo kept the current pace, the latter would not be able to catch up with him. That spook was moving too quickly. Todoroki knew he couldn’t reach the two, and could only tip-toe quicker and riskier, hoping that the two lead contestants were going to get tangled in a fight. 

 

He was not wrong, because Bakugo decided to go full throttle in order to catch up with the rest. His eyes on the target, he went after halfa still. Danny had been attentive of the blond’s movements this time around, so he flipped in the air and face the teen once more. He expected Bakugo to unleash another point blank explosion, hoping that the halfa would not go intangible in time. An explosion took place, but even before the smoke could clear, Bakugo felt something wrap around his leg. He immediately was flipped over and suspended in the air. As the smoke cleared, he, and every viewer could see that Phantom was grinning widely. Instead of his legs there was a wispy, ghostly tail that held Bakugo in place. 

 

“This ain’t a fight, Number two. Concentrate on what you have a chance of winning.”

 

Bakugo was a perfect target for his constant teasing. So easy to set off, he easily lost his cool and made missteps Phantom could exploit. And since the tournament was far from over, it could just come in handy later. That’s what the half ghost believed and what his main combat strategy was. 

 

Before the furious blonde could create another explosion, Phantom’s tail flicked and tossed the explosive menace far away. Despite sticking the landing, albeit at the cost of triggering many mines at once, Bakugo seemed to have made certain conclusions as he took into the air again. It was true that the spook was a natural airborne, he had witnessed it during the fight with Nomu. Fighting in the air was to fight a losing battle, and with the timer ticking, he could not waste time on just that. Bakugo flew forward, the deafening explosions booming behind him. Seeing that, the halfa decided to add more juice to his metaphorical engine and fly even faster, even if his limit was far from that number. The audience wanted some show, he was giving it to them. 

 

Besides, he didn’t want to ruin the impression the recruiters might have of the others. He still wasn’t sure how the system worked. And Aizawa could see that the half ghost was once again not giving it his all. The teacher sighed. That kid had so much power and so many mental restraints that it was ludicrous. By not doing that, he was ignoring everything Aizawa had taught him AND lowering his chances of getting a spot at some agency. Granted, Fenton was guaranteed to get one even with his incomplete potential, but his initial chances were lower than that of the rest. 

 

The Japanese agencies were reluctant to hire foreigners, for reasons both pragmatic and ideologic. Not to mention that his vigilante-past was bound to be uncovered by the potential employers. As part of the law they had to know their heroes’ and sidekicks’ pasts. Thus, Danny really had to perform extraordinarily to impress them enough, not stoop to a lower level because you are a young and self-righteous idiot. Unfortunately, Aizawa had to sit and hope that the boy would arrive to a proper conclusion later. When his limitations would actively hamper his advancements.

 

Meanwhile, as the three leading classmates were too preoccupied with each other, something very unexpected happened. 

 

Danny could hear an explosion that came from far behind, and had to turn his head and meet a bizarre sight. At an incredible speed, a chunk of metal, a leftover from one of the robots that had got to the third stage who knows how, was flying their way, its initial momentum, given by what probably was a hefty amount of mines exploding at once, was enough to launch the projectile quick enough to surpass all other contestants. And in the split seconds given to them, the halfa could see the green-haired head that could belong to only one person. 

 

‘Midoriya, you sneaky bastard,’ Danny grinned. 

 

Unlike the case with Bakugo or Todoroki, that guy’s resolve was something Phantom enjoyed to challenge. Was it because Midoriya was far more pleasant of a person? Perhaps. Was it why Todoroki had chosen to challenge him of all the people? Who knows. But that alone was not going to make Danny go easier on him than the rest. The half ghost knew that the teen would eventually slow down, even if he was steadily making it to the end of the minefield. They were still separated from the finish line by the last chunk of normal road, and despite his ingenuity, Midoriya’s running speed was average, Aizawa’s tests had proven that. His distance advantage was only temporary, before the halfa caught up with him. 

 

However, the sudden move seemed to make Bakugo furious. He would not let someone so clearly inferior make it past him! Danny noticed how Bakugo’s speed picked up even more, and the halfa pushed himself further, too. 

 

Midoriya landed on the ground swiftly, utilising the remnants of the metal pieces momentum to boost his starting running speed, but he could also understand that Bakugo and Fenton were breathing down his neck. He had to give it his all, run as fast he humanly could. 

 

The two former leaders made it to him even sooner than he had expected. However, this time Bakugo could not restrain himself, and instead of going further he decided to ruin Midoriya’s chances of winning. Like a plane diving for the kill, he seemed hell-bent on dive bombing the teen, but Midoriya had been planning something since the start, wondering if he could even pull off a move that was so risky. And if there was the time to do it, it was now or never. The diving Bakugo was charging another explosion, when he saw that Midoriya’s legs glowed with the same reddish tint that his hands used to show. And then, the teen jumped forward at an incredible speed, many times further than a normal human being could. 

 

From then the time slowed down from the seems, and in reality it all happened in less than a blink. Once again Midoriya caught up with the halfa who had not slowed down for an attack like Bakugo, and then overtook him. The finish line was meters away, and the halfa did not know how many. He risked it and created a portal that launched him further, in an attempt to cover what little of a distance remained between them. And only that ability, the one that shaved off a fraction of a second, made it count. 

 

“And we have a winner, everybody!” Present Mic bellowed with excitement. “Fenton Daniel from Class 1-A is victorious, with Midoriya Izuku taking the second spot, only 0,2 of a second behind! What a show everyone!”

 

And as he shouted, so did the excited crowd. Perhaps the most excited of all was one particular PR manager that jumped from excitement and shouted from her seat. Tsukauchi sighed and rubbed his temples, but underneath it all he was smiling, as the screens kept showing more students that arrived one after another. He might not have been the one to raise or train that kid, but as the boy’s guardian he was incredibly proud.

 

“Splendid,” a laughter was heard across the facility where resided All for One. “Kurogiri, he appears to have made himself quite comfortable with your Quirk.” 

 

“I apologise once more for letting him do this to me, Master,” the fog wielder bowed his head, also looking at the screen.

 

“Do not fret, Kurogiri. I am amused more than anything. It seems that the child is indeed someone we should look out for. I wonder if Shigaraki is watching this.”

 

He was. And he was less than happy, if the scratches on his face were any indication. 

 

Meanwhile, down at the arena, ignoring the burning glare from Bakugo, who was the third to arrive, Danny turned towards Midoriya, who was plastered on the ground. Suddenly remembering what each use of his Quirk entailed, Danny sat down on the grass near him. 

 

“You alright there?” He asked in concern. 

 

“I…I don’t know,” Midoriya responded, sounding surprised that he was still conscious. “How are my legs?” 

 

The halfa glanced down, not able to see any exposed parts due to the long sport pants. But the joints seemed to be in place. 

 

“Try moving them,” Danny suggested.

 

To the both teens’ surprise, Midoriya was able to do that. The shocked human flipped over on the grass, on his back, and pulled the pants upwards. His skin was still healthy peach colour instead of the sickly purple the usage of his Quirk usually left. He… had managed to use it without grave injuries! Although the legs still felt incredibly wobbly. 

 

“You should probably rest while you can,” Danny suggested, receiving a nod. And then he grinned. “That was awesome what you did in the end. The leg part was risky, but smart, too.”

 

“Thanks, Fenton-san,” Midoriya sat and smiled, before blushing. “I actually learned by watching you.”

 

“Eh?” Danny raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Yeah! You once said that energy is always coursing through your body,” he began to ramble. “But you always use it in different ways through different parts of your body. You also always push yourself in the air with a huge boost, so I thought I could try that because…”

 

“In a way, our Quirks are similar?” Danny raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Perhaps. We should try something after the tournament is over.” 

 

“You mean it?” Midoriya asked in excitement, receiving a shrug. 

 

“After such flattery? Not like I can say no. Maybe we can think something up. Although I’m not sure you can now expect each use of your Quirk to work the way it did just now. Be careful.”

 

And then the two of them fist-pumped. 

 

---

A.N. Only when I started writing this chapter I realised just how much of a headache the tournament ark is gonna be. Hence the amount of time it took for me to finish it. Danny’s power is a headache, too (well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions). I’ll try to finagle my way so that it at least looks interesting. I’d also point out that I am not going to give detailed descriptions to the unchanged events, obviously. I think people can watch the anime for that. 

Chapter 16

Phantom was not used to applause of such scale. An innocent denizen of Amity Park would have been surprised to hear this, but then they would come to remember how fleeting the ghost boy's presence was. Danny always remembered that with every ghost that made their presence known, terrorising the humans in a public spot, came an additional package in the form of trigger-happy hunters. And with the perpetrator captured inside a thermos, that left only one spectre in their sights. Thus, the halfa never stuck around for long, unable to often see the grateful adorers. That, coupled with him having to maintain a semblance of normal life, and the crowds' dislike of the ghost teenager, led to the situation he was in now. 

His embarrassed self. 

He enjoyed the fact that the attention was not fearful in anyway, perhaps even adoring in a way. But he still visibly shrunk and retreated into himself as he floated in spot, waiting until the rest of the contestants would show up. The best he could do was close his eyes, lie on a non-existent couch and wait until they were called out. Many in the audience mistook it for a sudden boost of confidence within the number one student, oxymoronic as it may sound. Danny still occasionally peeked at the rest of the contestants, with Todoroki, who arrived only fourth, leaning against the wall, Midoriya anxiously pacing around and Bakugo, who also paced around, but looked ready to explode at any moment. Danny also took note of the newest arrivals, glad to see that most of his class managed to push themselves through. Actually, the entirety of his classmates made it. 

He probably should have given them a congratulatory speech as their class rep, but he didn't feel like it with so many extra people around. Not that any of them needed it much, being pretty happy themselves. Although Danny was soon approached by exhausted looking Yaoyorozu. 

"Fenton-san, I need your help," she panted. 

"What is it?" Danny blinked in confusion, assuming a sitting position. 

The girl turned her back to him, revealing a nervous-looking Mineta, who had been riding on her back all that time. It was a miracle they even made it quick enough like this. 

"Can you help me pry this idiot off?" asked Momo. 

Danny cackled and grabbed the boy's collar, before his intangibility allowed to take Mineta and his sticky balls off. 

"You know, girls might start looking your way if you don't behave like a creep," Danny told him. 

Mineta gave a nervous laugh, before the halfa released him and dropped him on the ground. 

"Can't help it."

"You are the worst!" Momo spat and looked at Danny. "Thank you, Fenton-san. You came in first, right?" 

"Yep. It didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped, though," he chuckled. 

"I suspected as much," Momo sighed. 

"You should take rest until the next round," Danny suggested. "I saw some water coolers out there," he pointed towards a small spot where some students were already enjoying the liquid of life. 

"Thank you," the girl nodded curtly. "Do you need any?" She offered. 

"I'll manage," Danny smirked, with his ghost form not needing any liquids to sustain himself. 

Eventually all the contestants made their way back to the stadium. Some were taken to the infirmary, but there were no serious damages to speak of. The students that did remain, eligible to pass to the next round, slowly gathered near the stage again, where Midnight stood, ready to speak. 

"The first game of the first-year stage is over," she declared, "Now let's take a look at the results!"

The screen showed the list of all the contestants that were the first to reach the destination, starting from Fenton and ending with Aoyama, who was the last one to arrive among the fortunate 42 that were making it to the second game. 

"It's unfortunate that some of you didn't make it. But don't worry," Midnight reassured. "We have prepared other ways for you to shine," she said and lusciously licked her lips, "But the next proper competition starts now. The press cavalry will be all over it. Give it your all!"

She waved her hand, and the image on the screen began to roll like a slot machine once more. 

"Now then, here's the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be? I just said and here it is!" 

And the image read "cavalry battle". 

Danny sweatdropped.

"Ehm... a what now?" He asked and scratched his temple. 

"Oh, right, you are a foreigner, Fenton," Kirishima spoke by his side. "It's a Japanese game."

"Let me explain!" Midnight unknowingly came to the halfa's rescue. "The participants can form the teams from two to four as they wish."

As she said this, a rather comical image appeared of Thirteen and Present Mic struggling to carry All Might around. 

"It's basically the same as the regular cavalry battle. But the one thing that's different is that everyone has been given points according to their place in the last game."

"In other words, each team has different amount of points depending on who's on the team," Uraraka mumbled.

"I see!" Mina exclaimed in excitement. 

"You guys don't hold back even when I'm talking, huh?!" Shouted Midnight suddenly, before cooling down. "As you can see, the points go up by five points starting from the bottom. And the points assigned to the first place is..."

Everyone, including Danny, looked up at the top of the list, and their jaws dropped in disbelief. That couldn't be right. 

"...ten million."

Phantom was suddenly feeling how all other contestants were looking at him. Hungrily, menacingly. Everyone knew what that difference in points entailed. Taking him down was enough to win that match. Even those who had been the bottom feeders up to that point, like Mineta, had a chance to triumph as long as they got the priceless headband in their hands. So it was basically him and his team against everyone, huh? Contrary to the expectations of those unaware of the boy's unwavering pride in his ghost powers, Phantom smirked. That was bound to get interesting. 

"Now then, allow me to explain the rules in more details. Your time is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of all their points. The riders will wear the headbands with that number on their foreheads. Your goal? To grab those from the enemy teams, as many as you can before the time runs out. Now, you have just as much time to think up of your team composition!"

Phantom was at the crossroads, and many were in two minds about coming up to the halfa. His classmates were most certainly aware of his power, and to them joining arms with the boy who had the biggest target on his forehead was a game with high risks and high rewards. Danny himself would have liked to have only one teammate, the bare minimum allowed for the competition. His closest friends were not opposed to the idea of joining him, but he had to think realistically about how well their Quirks and Ghost power synergised. They too, thought hard about it. Kirishima's Quirk made him a perfect tank, but it wasn't helpful in that round, especially since Danny could turn intangible and take the beating himself. Mina's acid could be theoretically used as a trap device, but there was no need to complicate what already was simple to him. 

Thus, his companion had to be someone who, while not necessarily covered the shortcomings, but at least significantly increased the advantage. 

He thought of Mei when he saw the pink-haired girl. At the very least, her gadgets made her just as unpredictable as he was. However, a short talk to her rid him of hopes of a team-up.

"Sorry, Fenton-san, but I don't want my babies to share a spotlight," she said, straight as ever. 

And that's all she wrote. Figures she would go for Midoriya. A spot so close to the top, yet the one that won't let her be completely outshone. That could be interpreted as a compliment, but Danny was not feeling like it at all. Or maybe she didn't want to compete with his devices which he, admittedly, hadn't thought of bringing along. It was stupid. She really craved all that attention above all, didn't she? He was seeing how all other teams were already forming, leaving less and less room for him. The clock was ticking, and the thought of having to come to Midnight and beg for a teammate in front of so many terrified him beyond measure. 

Suddenly, against all his expectations, a thin gust of air escaped his mouth. 

"Excuse me," a quiet and timid voice sounded by his side. 

Danny turned his stark-haired head to face the source. Near him stood a shorter girl with chin-length grey hair, combed in a way that it obscured the left part of her face. Under her blue eye Danny could see a small dark bag, naturally suspecting that the other one, hidden beneath the grey bangs, was the same. What made him curious was a strange way the girl carried herself. Her hands were held on the level of her elbows with her hands draped down. 

"Can I help you?" Asked Danny with a cheerful smile. 

"Yes. I was thinking if we could team up," she spoke just as quietly and emotionlessly. 

Phantom blinked and scratched the back of his neck. "You are from class 1-B, aren't you? Is it alright?"

"I'm sure almost none of them will mind."

"Almost?"

"There are...certain individuals," she said and gave a particular glance towards a certain blonde from her class. "But my classmates have already banded together to the maximally allowed limit. I wasn't quick enough," the girl admitted and looked away. 

"Well, aren't we kindred spirits? Get it, cause I'm a...nevermind," Danny mumbled, earning himself a confused look.

"You look like a ghost," she commented. 

The halfa blinked. That was awfully observant of her. "Well, in a way. My Quirk is 'Ghost'. Any movie stuff ghosts can do, so can I. Yours?"

"Poltergeist," came a brief response. "I can move objects telekinetically."

Danny couldn't stop a grin from arising on his face. He knew he had sensed the slither of ectoplasm correctly. "Poltergeist and Phantom, eh? Doesn't sound half bad. Let's do this. What's your name?" 

"Yanagi Reiko. You are Fenton-san, I know."

"No escaping the fame," Danny sighed dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. "Welcome aboard then, Yanagi-san. Since nobody else is coming along, I think we should talk strategy." 

Yanagi nodded. "I don't think that I have the strength to carry you." 

"Makes sense," Danny shrugged. "I can carry you, alright. Enemies would expect us to be on the defensive, since we are already in the lead. I think we should subvert this." 

"By collecting their headbands we will only make them more eager to attack us," Yanagi argued, retaining her emotionless tone. 

"True, and lesser targets they have, the more they are likely to come after us. But it will also increase our margin for error. We don't have to collect all, just a couple would be enough. And..." Danny gave a devious smirk. "It will make those remaining quite desperate. Once they realise that the highest prize is out of their reach, they will aim for the smaller fish than us. In turn, those remaining will be too busy repelling the attacks to care about us, too. In exchange for our leisure...we will have to accept the inevitable risk at the start. And prove to them all the futility of attacking us. You onboard?"

"This is awfully reckless...but I will trust you to decide." 

Mere minutes afterwards, Yanagi was already situated on the boy's back. This hadn't gone unnoticed by some contestants, surprised by a very sudden team-up. 

"Fenton, you bastard," Mineta cried quietly, seeing a lightly blushing girl's arms wrapped around Phantom's neck. 

The latter remained oblivious to a curious position he was in, giving a piggyback ride to a girl, instead focused on the upcoming match. Even Yanagi opted not to look down, instead putting on a headband. As they went to assume the positions at their own corner of the field. 

"I have a question," the girl spoke. 

"Shoot," Danny tilted his head backwards, facing her. 

"I saw that you are capable of flight. We could simply go out of their reach."

"Yeah, but we are here for a reason. It's to impress our dearest viewers and potential employers. Have to give my companion a chance to shine, too," he grinned sheepishly, before facing forward again. "And besides, I won't put it past them to pull something off. Let's save it for later."

"Do you have a plan on how we handle them?" 

"Your Quirk limits?" 

"The weight of what I can lift is about that of a human body," a quick response followed.

"Hm...wonder if we can change that..." Danny mumbled, confusing the girl. "We'll stick with what we have for now. We need just a couple of headbands, use your power to snatch them. I'll take care about our defence, you should concentrate on theirs. Just hold on tight, because it will be a very quick ride."

"Very well. But what did you mean by 'change'?" 

As the halfa took his time explaining the details, surprising the girl with its strangeness, the time to begin was slowly approaching. Truth be told, Yanagi wasn't sure what to make of her impromptu teammate so far, with how eccentric he was and how outlandish his plans sounded. But what she had seen in the previous round, along with what Kendo had shared, made her confident that they could stand their ground for some time at the very least. And besides, she had already known what the boy's Quirk was called, and thus got somewhat curious. 

"Alright, our teams seem to be ready!" Present Mic spoke. "Now, counting down to the battle royale! Three..."

Danny could see how everyone's hungry eyes were turned towards them. 

"Two..."

There was no doubt in his mind about their own plans. 

"One..."

Well, the small spectral team was gonna show them.

"Start!" Midnight declared and unleashed the contestants. 

Like an open book, Danny thought as he saw every team make a beeline straight towards them. The quickest, or, rather, simply the closest team was comprised of class-B members, with Tetsutetsu, the loud guy Danny had already seen, being the rider.

"You aren't running away!" He shouted. 

"That was never the intention," Phantom smirked, before pushing forward. 

Even Yanagi was caught off guard by how quick her teammate was. She had barely maintained her hold over the halfa's shoulders. Much less pulled off what the teen had wanted. Only when the initial momentum died off and Phantom assumed a normal running speed could Yanagi turn towards her classmates and now competition. She raised her palm, and the headband around Tetsutetsu's forehead started to glow with purplish light. With a corner of his eye Danny saw it and smirked at the familiarity of the power, but so did their opponent. 

"What the...I ain't giving it!" He shouted and used his free hand, unoccupied with keeping himself steady, to keep it in place. 

Suddenly, the halfa felt resistance as he ran, as if he had stepped into sand. Looking down, he saw that the ground had turned mushy, like quicksand, and the trace of this changed area led towards one of team Tetsutetsu members. One with a rather off-putting lipless smile. Danny grinned and floated upwards and forward, before letting his eyes glow brighter. The next moment, a tiny streak of light escaped them, hitting the grey-haired rider's hand, burning it, and making him loosen the grip from the sudden pain. Yanagi pulled, and the headband flew right into her hand before the two landed a considerable distance away from their team, with Danny sliding across the ground and lifting a cloud of dust. 

"Woah, would you look at that!" Present Mic shouted. "Looks like the lead team is not satisfied with their ten million! Leave some for others, kids!" He joked. 

"Nah, not in the mood," Danny shrugged as best as he could with someone on his back. "Good job, Yanagi," he said and received an affirmative nod. 

'They are limiting the others' options,' Aizawa thought in realisation. 'This will move the attention from them for a while. But if they play that game for too long...'

He could see that Fenton's choice of strategy and team was quite befitting him. Not only because of that stupid poltergeist joke. A single rider on his back was giving him enough mobility and did not obscure his sight in any way. Furthermore, it allowed him to easily take to the air without the whole team dangling behind.

And he could see the effectiveness of Phantom's aggressive strategy from the actions of Tetsutetsu team. Instead of going for the team of spectres, too far from them to risk it, they turned the attention towards the team nearest to them. Thus, two teams at the very least were off the leaders' back. And in general many seemed to have realised the futility of an endless goose chance against the man with teleportation power. Instead, it turned into a true battle of everyone versus everyone. Team Fenton remained unperturbed for only the briefest of moments, because very soon he saw Bakugo's team heading straight for them. 

"Sheesh, come on, Kirishima, you and Mina are better than this," Danny mumbled with amusement. 

He shouldn't have been surprised. Despite his character, Bakugo was a reliable powerhouse, thus his friends chose to flock to his side for the time being. And this time, it was better not to anger him just yet. Phantom's strategy was precisely about not letting many pursuers come after them. But Danny could see that Bakugo held on to his headband. He knew what they could pull off, but his offensive potential was suffering due to one hand - the only source of his explosions - being occupied. A pleasant, unintended advantage. Team Fenton turned to face the incoming threat. 

"Give it to me, spook!" Bakugo demanded, charging an explosion. 

When they got close enough, Phantom summoned an energy barrier between the two teams, and the explosion hit the shield and dispersed, right after the enemy's team stumbled. The force of the explosion made them take several steps backwards, as they almost dropped their rider. Danny stood where he was, albeit his own teammate instinctively moved backwards, fearing that the explosion might hit her. 

"You can't break through without feeling the full force of what you do, Number two," Danny could not resist the temptation and spoke up. On his own Bakugo could manoeuvre, but not when he was a part of the team that tried to carry him around.

Before Bakugo could do anything else, the opposing team was already in the air. 

"Jeez, that's unfair," Mina mumbled. 

"Come back here!" Bakugo yelled, before doings something completely unexpected. 

He himself took to the air, ignoring all protests and surprise of his teammates. The explosions propelled him forward and towards the floating target. He obviously aimed higher than halfa's head. Yanagi saw the opportunity to take the enemy's headband, and she went for it in spite of the threat to their own. Bakugo had no time to grab the piece of fabric when it slid off his head. He saw it fly towards the enemy team, but managed to grab the headband at the last second, while it still was within his reach. The burden too heavy, Yanagi had to let go, but not for a second had Bakugo slowed down in the process. He held onto the girl's small hand, but immediately felt something hit his stomach with tremendous force. The blonde was sent downwards, having let go of the intangible opponent. 

His teammates barely managed to catch him, but Kirishima's hardened legs managed to prevent the whole team from collapsing under the improvised projectile. The crowd was elated by the brief, yet exciting clash. 

"You really should calm down, Bakugo," Sero commented. 

"Shut up, tape man!" The blonde spat and showed two headbands in his hand, his and Tetsutetsu's, which Yanagi had inconsiderately held in her hand. "Just do what I say!" 

"That could have gone better," Danny commented, keeping a cool head. Their winning headband had not gone anywhere. 

"You could have used your Quirk sooner," Yanagi pointed out. 

Phantom smirked. "But should I?" He showed confidence in his untold plan. "Although, is it alright for him to go rogue like that?" 

"Yes it is!" Midnight shouted cheerfully. "As long as his feet never touch the ground." 

The halfa's grin turned devious, making Mina and Kirishima gulp. The last catch was merely a fluke. The next time he was bound to aim more precisely. 

"Fenton!" Yanagi suddenly called and got the halfa's attention. 

At the last second Fenton flew back and dodged a whi...no, it was the tongue of only one person in that arena. Danny's green eyes turned to the side, facing Shoji of all people running towards him. He wondered where Tsu's tongue had come from, but then he caught the sight of someone on his back, shielded from all sides by Shoji's gargantuan, webbed arms. 

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," Danny mumbled. 

"Are we going to do something?" Yanagi asked, before from the inside of their improvised tank formation flew Mineta's purple balls and Tsu's floppy tongue. 

"Team Mineta makes use of their overwhelming difference in sizes!" Present Mic said excitedly. "They are like a tank!"

Phantom kept himself and his teammate in the air, displaying the wonders of agility, until he managed to grab Tsu's tongue and hold it. 

"I am really sorry for that, Tsu!" Danny shouted, before his eyes turned blue. 

To the surprise of the audience, a part of the girl's tongue was instantaneously covered in a layer of ice and dropped to the ground. Tsu was immobilised and probably down with a solid brain freeze. Mineta panicked, and Shoji had no long-range attacks, and thus the team was out of commission, or, at least, team Fenton was safe from them for the time being. 

"Fenton disarms a whole team in just one blow!" Present Mic shouted. "Not so difficult when you have a whole arsenal of powers," he mumbled. 

Danny shot a deadpan glance in direction of the announcer, before he felt the shaking on his back. Turning his head, the halfa noticed that Yanagi was not looking good and winced. He had forgotten about his rider. And that humans could get nauseous after such pirouettes. 

"Sorry 'bout that, too," he mumbled. "I'll try to keep steady from now on." 

Back with the audience, it was positively elated at seeing such a powerful contestant. The managers scribbled down yet another ability in the boy's possession. The viewers, be it the heroes, journalists or normal folks, had already been shocked by the few powers Fenton had already displayed. Flight, intangibility and portals, to name a few. And the number was growing in their eyes. And in the eyes of one particular fire-controlling pro, who couldn't help but be somewhat interested now. 

The fight went on, and Fenton's bet had worked out in some aspects. Seeing team Mineta's weakness, other teams wanted to snatch their prize. That saved Danny some trouble at least. 

"Alrighty then," Present Mic announced. "It's been seven minutes already! Let us take a look at the scoreboard!"

The screens showcased that right below team Fenton was Bakugo's, with their two high-valued headbands. But then, in a second, the image flicked, and suddenly the blonde's team plummeted to the sixth place. 

"Huh?" 

Bakugo felt how the headband slid off his forehead, and his first reaction was telekinesis. But no, there was someone else behind them. 

"Class 1-A is too simple-minded," commented a blonde teen from the opposing class, twirling Bakugo's headband around his finger. 

"He got us!" Mina exclaimed. 

"Give that back bastard!" Bakugo yelled. "I'll kill you!" 

"Midnight said it was the FIRST game," the boy responded collectedly, but not without smug. "It wouldn't make sense for them to cut a ton of people in the qualifier, right? Assuming they'd keep about forty people for the next stage, we just made sure we stayed in that number as we ran. Observing from the back the personalities and Quirks of our opponents. There's no point in obsessing over winning the prelims, right?" 

Danny could hear it from above and didn't hide his surprise. 

"Did you know about this?" He asked Yanagi. 

"Not everyone agreed with Monoma," she commented. "I didn't join you for that, if you want to know," the girl was quick to reassure.

Danny laughed. "Well, you should have," he responded suddenly. "That's an excellent plan. Wish I could see it too." 

Her teammate was a very odd person, Yanagi thought, before they flew their way. Phantom had a feeling Bakugo was not going to chase. 

"This plan is better than chasing after a temporary top," Monoma continued. "Like a donkey going after a carrot dangling in front of its face. Oh, while I'm at it, you are famous, aren't you? The famed victim of the sludge villain. Tell me about it sometime, about how it feels to be attacked by a villain once a year."

Fenton was a living reminder to Bakugo that his anger was always used against him, Bakugo could see it and tried to hold back. And miserably failed.

"Kirishima..." he growled, growing a very menacing look. "Change of plans. Before we go after the Spook, we kill these guys first." 

Danny grinned. That suited his interests just fine. 

A question hung in many of the opponents' heads — how could they force team Fenton to get down. Not many had the range, and what flew his way was easily avoided by his power and Yanagi's telekinesis that kept projectiles away. But one such plan was hatched by Todoroki. He too, had observed the half-ghost. He had listened to everything he had said. And Todoroki could only assume that the boy's greatest fear of one sort of damage was there for a reason. Fenton also wasn't very imaginative whilst he remained in the lead, so the ice-wielder had his hopes that that would not change. 

"Yaoyorozu, I need you to create something."

Phantom's intangibility protected his team from a barrage of horns shot by one of Yanagi's classmates. He could theoretically keep at it, but his teammate insisted that they did something else. She utilised her Quirk to send the horns backwards, forcing the enemies to defend themselves. It was going swell for the team Fenton, but suddenly he heard Todoroki's voice. 

"Fire!" He shouted. 

Danny spun around and saw how Todoroki's team had shot something. Before he could do anything else, the halfa managed to sidestep and grab the projectile. Just like he had done with Tsu's tongue. 

"Is this a harpoon?!" He said in shock. 

Todoroki couldn't have been trying to kill him, so why...

"Now, Kaminari!" 

Danny froze. The harpoon had a rope made of iron. 

"Indiscriminate shock, 1 million volts!" Exclaimed Kaminari and hugged the metal harpoon. 

The next moment, the entirety of the bright lighting was directed up the rope, and the flying team screamed in pain. And Phantom was the loudest of them. And once the electricity zap, weaker than Kaminari's limit, allowing him to continue as always, stopped, the half ghost took a plummet to the ground. 

"What a turn of events! Team Todoroki has shot down the lead contestant!" Present Mic voiced the shock of everyone viewing the competition. 

The landing was rough, but slow enough to assume that it wasn't an instant injury. Both members of their team lied atop of each other, barely moving, but team Todoroki was quick to approach them, eager to snatch the so much desired headband from a fallen opponent. And then Kaminari, the one closest to the fallen opponents, reached out with his free hand. 

"Well, looks like we have a change of a leader," shouted Present Mic as the screen showed the shift in numbers. 

But then, before Kaminari could even retract his arm, Phantom's grabbed it. Before the boy could even react, he let out a scream of pain at the deadman's grip. And then he saw a terrifying pair of burning green eyes staring at him. Something was wrong, definitely wrong. 

"That hurt, you dipshit," Phantom growled, as the headband was dropped by the boy with the electric Quirk.

In a split second Danny grabbed the headband and fell into a portal alongside Yanagi, reappearing some distance away. 

"Try that again and Recovery Girl won't salvage what's left," the halfa threatened coldly as his hair started to float. 

"Woah!" Present Mic exclaimed, rising from his seat and hitting the audio panel in front of him. "Fenton doesn't take kindly to being hit, eh?" 

"Not at all," Aizawa interrupted his friend. "Even when the villains wounded him more gravely during the attack he didn't lose his head. Something else is at play."

No ghost took kindly to a reminder of their painful deaths. Their reactions were always violent, causing horrific alterations to appearance and the desire to kill or maim the source of said reminder. Fenton's human side numbed the effects, for he could observe electricity, see its use, but when he himself was hit, Danny's control slipped, and it took all his restraint not to rip Kaminari apart right there. But he craved vengeance still. Phantom saw with the corner of his eye that Midoriya was not far away, too. Looking to snatch the prize, no doubt. He hadn't seen much of him before, come to think of it. Furthermore, the rest were catching up, too. They sensed the weakness he had displayed. Before Todoroki's team could traverse the five meters between them, Danny picked Yanagi up and tried to take off once more. 

And he knew Todoroki would not let him leave that vulnerable position. Using his right side, the scarred teen aimed slightly higher than where Phantom was. His calculation was on point, just like the glacier that managed to grasp the half ghost's arm. It didn't hold him for long, because Danny managed to break off a piece of ice the arm was encased in and finally get a breather in the sky. 

Then, Danny felt Yanagi stir on his back. 

"Good morning," he said with strained cheer. 

"Wha...what happened?" She asked. 

"Electric charge. My favourite," grumbled Danny. "And I'd say it's high time I gave you your gift. Whenever you are ready." 

That snapped the silver-haired girl out of her drowsiness. Yanagi could hear from his tone that Fenton would in reality not take no for answer, she saw how pissed he looked with Todoroki's team, so she hesitantly nodded. Danny looked at his arm, which remained frozen but was still clutching the headband. Next second, his hand glowed green, and the ice turned to steam in an instant. Shaking off the droplets of water, Danny then tossed the headband to the rider and Yanagi quickly wrapped it around her forehead. 

The sudden sound of a whirring engine snapped the two out of their very relative serenity. Turning towards the source, they were surprised to see Midoriya's team flying towards them. That was a high risk game the green-haired human decided to play. Tokoyami, the one in front of their 'horse', quickly let his avian shadow loose and sent it to face Phantom. With a bird-like screech it lunged, and not a moment too soon Phantom and Shadow grabbed each other’s hands. 

“You knew I can’t go through this thing,” Danny commented unenthusiastically.

“Ever since I saw how you reacted similarly to the fog villain I had my suspicions,” responded Tokoyami. 

Danny noticed Midoriya getting closer. Trying to get the headband while the two heavy-lifters were busy. Midoriya jumped on Tokoyami’s shoulder and then on Shadow’s neck. Yanagi couldn’t see anything she could use, her strength was barely enough to hold onto Phantom, who so far had been carrying her around, much less put up a fight. Her telekinesis couldn’t grasp anything around, could it? But Danny knew that he had neither the time nor mood for their games. Phantom’s hands flared with energy, and the burning pain made the shadow loosen the grip. Next second Danny freed one of his hands, and a small ball of ectoplasm appeared in it. 

“Yanagi, close your eyes!” He ordered and tossed the ball between two teams. 

The next seconds it burst into immensely bright light, blinding those who didn’t heed Phantom’s warning. The one hit the most was Takoyami’s shadow, which screeched from surprise and seriously shrunk in size, allowing the halfa to free himself. The reeling shadow made Midoriya lose his footing, and with a loud yelp he almost fell, but Uraraka managed to grab him. The again weightless teen assumed his previous position, looking at the smirking half ghost. 

“How…how did you know the shadow’s weakness?” Asked Midoriya, who had been told by Tokoyami that almost nobody had known that fact.

“His is not the first shadow I see,” the halfa responded, before Yanagi noticed just what was keeping them in the air. 

The girl raised her palm, now that Danny was helping her once more. With a swipe of her hand, one of the boots Uraraka was wearing slipped off her foot. 

“Wha…”

Their team could fly with one boot also, being made weightless by Uraraka’s Quirk. But one boot less plus the element of surprise equalled the loss of control over their position in the air. Danny grinned and fired a tiny blast from his finger, hitting the falling boot and blowing it to pieces. Then, he raised a hand for a high five. Yanagi lightly slapped it, before their eyes turned towards the opponents. 

“No! My baby!” Mei exclaimed.

“It died with honour,” responded Danny dramatically.

He was half-tempted to shoot down Midoriya’s team, but he couldn’t vouch for their later health, and thus decided to simply make distance once more. Especially since his new main target was currently running beneath, alongside the rest of the teams. A very wicked idea came up in his mind, as he turned towards Yanagi. 

“Are you ready now? I need your full attention, you know?” 

The girl nodded. “I hope what you weren’t wrong.”

Danny smirked and landed on the ground. “So do I.”

The next second, they both were surrounded by green light, and everyone was left wondering what the two had had in mind since the start. But nonetheless, the most prized headband was still within reach, and so, while not forgetting about the closest competition, they still circled round them. 

"Don't resist this feeling," Danny mumbled, seeing how said circle’s radius was getting shorter. And his eyes were still focused on that ice-controlling bastard. "I'll keep the excess energy so you don’t die on spot, you simply use your Quirk as you always do.”

That didn’t sound very reassuring.

The first to run forward was Tetsutetsu's team, still lacking their headband and craving revenge. The others soon followed suit. Todoroki opted to stay behind the clash, and Midoriya decided to do the same, as his team finally landed back on the ground. They clearly saw that Phantom was planning something. But then, Yanagi outstretched her hands, and released the power that she was feeling in her veins. It felt overwhelming, more than her body could handle, but Phantom hadn’t lied about keeping everything in check. And then, surrounded by green light, all other teams froze in spot, unable to move. 

The crowd once again received what they had desired and cheered. Each overturn was welcomed by their minds, so hungry for the show. Yanagi’s eyes widened in shock. So far she hadn’t been able to lift a single person, much less keep forty in place. 

"What in the..." Kendo spoke, trying to break free just like all the rest. "How did you do that, Yanagi-san?" She asked loudly, since her jaw was still able to move. 

"I have an answer," Danny grinned toothily and raised a finger, beginning to approach one particular team, without sparing Kendo a glance. "Why should Yanagi-san limit herself to random energies when I have enough for both, enough to empower Yanagi's Quirk tenfold if need be!?” He laughed. 

"I think it’s much more than ten times,” quietly commented Yanagi, still concentrating on keeping everyone tied. 

“Looks like the lead team is no longer playing around!” Present Mic shouted. “It will take some effort getting out of our resident spectres hold!” 

Phantom was evidently making a beeline straight towards team Todoroki. On his way the halfa whistled a tune and picked a couple of random headbands from Monoma, the blonde copycat, for he was obviously holding onto too many. Their team watched the smirking half-ghost with fury, and Monoma appeared to be the angriest one.

“You’ll pay for that,” he hissed. 

“Save it for the next round, would you? If you make it,“ Danny turned to leave, theatrically tossing the headbands in the middle of the arena, but still keeping the best one. And the numbers on the scoreboard turned much sadder. “Only our class gets to mock Number two. Remember it well,” he said much quieter. 

Meanwhile, everyone was trying their hardest to escape the dead grip Yanagi had on all of them. The girl was feeling increasingly fatigued, but she could still hold them. The longer- the better for their currently unchanged lead. But enough physical strength, or, rather, the opposing force, could allow to break out of the spectres’ trap. And thus, each tried to do just that, each in a different manner. But nonetheless, the ghost team made it to Todoroki’s. 

“Just like I said the last time, pal,” Phantom grinned, floated slightly upward and grabbed the headband. “This won’t be enough.”

Iida watched the scene with terror, for with so little time left, they would never get back to the previous spot. But…it also meant that they could go all in. He had to try the move he had been practicing. There would not be another time. Before Danny could pry the main, most prized headband off Todoroki’s forehead, the engines on Iida’s legs stirred, unburdened by the paralysis consuming the entire arena. And then, the pipes spurted the fire of reactive engine, and in a single explosion, he overturned the situation. Surprised by the sudden pressure of immense proportions, Yanagi could not hold them for long, and finally, the spell broke, all the momentum that had been building up was released in but a moment, and Todoroki’s team burst forward, free and still in possession of their headband. 

“Woah!” Present Mic exclaimed. “What…what happened?! So fast! So fast! Iida, if you could accelerate that fast, then show us in the prelims!”

Yanagi’s broken concentration was enough to release hell, as her grip was broken, and the fatigue finally caught up with her. In the meantime, Todoroki’s team came to a halt hundred meters away, still majorly shocked by what had just happened. 

“What…was that?” Todoroki asked the panting speedster, as the fight broke out not so far away for the free headbands Phantom had dropped specifically for that purpose.

“By forcing the torque and rotations to increase, I created an explosive force. With the recoil, however, my engine will be useless until the end of the match,” Iida responded and looked at the smoking pipes. “It’s a secret move I haven’t shown anyone yet.” 

Danny and Yanagi turned towards the team, also stunned by what Iida had managed to pull off and preserve their team’s second place.

“You holding up, Yanagi-san?” The halfa asked, disgruntled by the loss of opportunity. 

“I…I’m alright,” she put a hand to her head. “But I won’t be able to repeat what we did.” 

“That’s…bad,” Danny hissed, as the anger with Todoroki’s group still lingered. 

“There’s also the next round, Fenton-san,” the girl mumbled tiredly. “And we are still on top.” 

The halfa sighed. “Fine, I suppose you are right.”

Yanagi obviously needed some rest, he couldn’t push her to get revenge of such small scale. It was better to once more get to the sidelines and let others fight over the rest, lest her human body sustained something other than fatigue. That’s why he preferred fighting alone. Nobody to think of, to concern oneself about — the only person in harm’s way was potentially you alone. 

However, his own reluctance did not mean that the rest was going to let him go easily like that. Certainly, most opted to try and scramble for the lesser headbands, but Monoma wanted to get back at the spectres for dropping him from second to sixth spot. And potentially stand at the top. He had a plan, and for that he needed to get closer. His team ran towards where the half-ghost stood, conversing with Yanagi, but the blonde soon heard a commanding voice behind them.

“Wait! I said wait!” Bakugo yelled. 

“Jeez, so persistent,” Monoma grumbled. That guy was more trouble than he was worth. “As a hero, this quality…”

An explosion interrupted his banter, as Bakugo flew in his direction. 

“Tsuraba, guard!” Monoma commanded to his teammate. 

The next second, the auburn-haired teen breathed out a gust of air, and in an instant it solidified, creating a lens-like obstacle Bakugo hit. Bakugo furiously rammed on the wall that appeared invisible to a naked eye, and Monoma’s team turned away, about to pursue the spectres once more, but then, another powerful strike followed, Bakugo broke through the air wall and grabbed Monoma by the last headband hanging on his neck. A ripping motion later, and Bakugo came into possession of the piece of fabric, and would have fallen on the ground, but Sero was quick to grab the blonde and pull him back on his ‘steed’. 

“Team Bakugo seizes the last headband and jumps to the third place!” Present Mic announced.

The explosion wielder smirked triumphantly at seeing Monoma’s team plummet to the bottom. But that left the rest of the adversaries he sought to trample. He saw how Midoriya ran towards where Fenton was, and that put two of his most hated people in one spot. Perfect. 

“We are going after the spooks next,” Bakugo declared. 

“Eh?” Mina asked. “Are you sure we should risk it? We are still getting to the next round!”

“I am not letting that bastard get ahead of me!” The blonde barked. “So go!” 

Knowing that the one holding all their headbands would simply go in by himself if they declined, the three other teammates obliged. 

In the meantime, Danny saw how Midoriya was coming closer. Todoroki as well was aiming for the halfa and his teammate. It appeared that neither team was satisfied with being second, whilst Midoriya sought a shot at getting to the fourth place. And it should not have mattered who he was going to take the headband from. 

“So, two on one it is, eh?” Phantom asked sarcastically.

For it wasn’t just his victory on the line here, was it? Yanagi was there too. And if she trusted him to lead them to victory, he would do just that. 

The first to lunge forward was Midoriya, with Tokoyami’s shadow brandishing its claws once more. Phantom charged an ectoblast and jumped away, firing at the creature. He knew he could go wild on the ectoplasmic being, and it seemed to shrug off the initial blast, more fearful of the light it emitted. An own pet ghost, Tokoyami was lucky with his Quirk. The shadow lunged again, and Phantom summoned a shield in front of his palm to protect himself and push the creature backwards, before noticing another team approaching from his side. 

A metal rod in Todoroki’s hand, courtesy of Yaoyorozu and the conduit for his powers during the match, was once again covered in ice, before he hit the ground with it, letting a tsunami of ice towards the halfa. Phantom saw that, and his free hand released a ray of ectoenergy, enough to melt whatever emerged from the ground in an instant. At that moment, Shadow decided to play smart, and circumvented the shield, seemingly trying to bit the half ghost with its beak. Danny once again jumped backwards, and the shield dispersed.

“Uraraka!” Midoriya exclaimed. The girl followed his unspoken command and used the only boot on her leg to propel the entire team forward. 

It was at that time Bakugo’s team caught up with them, and the blond did not hesitate to jump towards the three. 

“I’ll get you, spook!” 

Phantom prepared to meet another offensive, but then he heard the call he dreaded most. 

“Kaminari!” Todoroki yelled when they got close enough. 

“Don’t you dare!” Phantom roared and prepared a devastating blast in his palm, enough to wipe all three teams at once. 

And then…

“Time’s up!” Came up the yell from Present Mic. 

And that made the contestants first freeze in shock, and then they, and the team leaders in particular, were faced with a rush of emotions of different kinds. Bakugo dropped on the ground, his face kissing the ground. And started hitting the ground with anger. Midoriya turned fearful, not knowing if his team made a cut. Danny felt relieved that he was not going to experience another case of ghostly PTSD equivalent. Todoroki didn’t show whatever was on his mind. The halfa turned towards his teammate, who luckily had the strength to get off his back and stand on her own. 

“We made it, right?” She asked a bit groggily, and still feeling a headband on her, sighed in relief. 

Danny grinned. “We sure did, with more than…wait…” he looked at his hands, belt, touched his neck. Where was Monoma’s headband? 

“Alright!” Present Mic shouted. “Let’s see the results,” he said as the scoreboard showed up. “First place belongs to team Fenton, which hasn’t lost its prized headband for the whole match!”

“I just thought of it,” Danny mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Isn’t it technically team Yanagi?” He looked at the girl. “You were the rider, no?”

Yanagi didn’t say anything initially. “It’s nothing important.”

“Second place — team Todoroki, ones that got close enough and managed to get the lead team!” 

“I’m sorry, everyone,” Iida forcefully said to his teammates. “I was too brash and acted without thinking.”

“That’s not true,” Yaoyorozu reassured him. “Had it not been for you, we would have lost.”

“Team Bakugo comes third!” 

“Well, ain’t too bad,” Mina shrugged. 

“Yeah, third place is neat, also,” Sero agreed. 

“Tell that to someone who is in the third place again,” Kirishima deadpanned as he pointed at hysterical Bakugo. 

“Coming fourth is team…wait, when did they…team Midoriya!” 

The most surprised of all was perhaps the green-haired boy himself. 

“Eh? What…how…”

Hearing a cough, everyone turned towards Tokoyami. And his shadow, which held the headband with the number 305 in its beak. Monoma’s headband. 

“Kaminari’s upcoming attack seemed to greatly frighten Fenton. His whole attention was on Todoroki, so Shadow was able to snatch it. I tried to get the ten million, but I didn’t have the time.” 

Danny would have paled if his ghost skin was capable of that. Had…had he really been so close to being a complete loser? He had underestimated Tokoyami greatly. He had thought he knew how his avian classmate’s Quirk functioned. Turns out he was more inventive than Johnny, who would have thought. With a heavy sigh, Danny let himself turn back into his human form. Those were hectic fifteen minutes. 

“Now we will take an hour’s break for lunch and recreational activities!” Present Mic added. “Enjoy yourselves until then. Hey, Eraser, let’s go grab some snack.”

“I’m going to sleep,” came a curt answer. 

Before Danny could join his friends and leave the arena, he felt a hand stopping him. It was Yanagi. 

“Fenton-san. I wanted to thank you. It seems…I’m the only one from my class that made it thanks to you.”

“I…” Danny shifted in his spot. “Am not sure if you should thank me. We are also the ones that stopped your classmates from getting higher, too.”

“I know. But I still appreciate your help. I was also meaning to ask. Is that power you gave me…”

“Permanent?” Danny suggested and hummed. “I know of cases when ectoplasm clung to a human body without harming it. Your Quirk might just make some of it stick. And maybe that’s what made you feel so overwhelmed,” he rambled. “So maybe some of it stayed and will allow you some greater control. Well, if so, go on and enjoy it,” he grinned and turned to leave. “Thanks for your help, too.”

---

A.N. Worry not, dearest readers. I urge you to not fret over the fate of one particular Shinso. Not all is lost, I assure you. I like him, I know you do, and he is also important for the plot. So he is participating.

Chapter 17

The lunchtime was a welcomed time off for the half ghost. He needed those calories after the generous waste of the first two rounds. Danny wished to join his friends and classmates at the cafeteria, and on his way he was catching certain glances. He wasn't much different from many of his fellow students, for all of them were the centrepiece of attention, but his prowess must have made him very well known among the visitors. So, he should have expected that attention even outside of the arena. All that's left was to thank the organisers for keeping the press out until the end of the festival. But at this point Danny started to enjoy this. His pride with himself was slowly overlapping the embarrassment. 

Nonetheless, his journey through the many festival stands to the place of nourishment was interrupted once again, when on his way the half ghost encountered his guardian and Makoto, who had been looking for him after the match.

"That was a good job out there, Danny," the detective commented with a smile, making his charge smirk.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Phantom asked. 

"Well, I am impressed, for one," said Makoto, "It's every bit as Naomasa described." 

It was when Danny noticed another person near the two, the one who barged forward with a bright grin on his face. The blond jock-looking hero in a retro-futuristic outfit decided to speak.

"Well, colour me impressed, kid," he spoke in English. "This is one awesome Quirk you've got."

Danny blinked.

"Who are you?" He asked, making the hero deflate, much to Makoto's amusement.

She laughed and patted the hero's shoulder. "That's Captain Celebrity, one of the top American heroes. I am his manager." 

"Oh," was Danny's intelligent response, "Nice to meet you, then."

The man didn't appear very pleased to be an obscure figure to his supposed countryman. And the halfa came to notice that. 

"I'm surprised you don't know me," the hero voiced his emotions. 

"Sorry?" Danny offered weakly. "If it's any better, I know very few heroes. So it's not just you."

"That's not the best consolation," Captain grumbled. "Is he going to be trouble like Koichi, Makoto?" 

"I am still here," Phantom responded instead. He never liked to be discussed whilst he was there. "You saw that I can fight."

Makoto sighed. "Captain, I already explained his situation to you. No need to bother him."

"Hey, you want to hire the kid, but it is me who will have to cover him if he does something stupid. I am not running a daycare."

"You are right. I run this daycare," the woman smirked. 

"Look, you two," Tsukauchi decided to intervene. "Danny must be tired after the two rounds. Maybe you should save it for later, don't you think?" 

Captain smirked. "Yeah, sounds about right. I've wanted to go for lunch, anyhow," he said and turned to the half-dead teen. "See you around, Danny-boy. Don't take what I said close to heart." 

The man ruffled Danny's hair and strolled away, towards one of the stands. Makoto sighed and followed him, leaving the halfa and the detective alone. 

"I don't like him," Phantom commented. 

"He's just concerned, I think. Makoto can be...very biased when it comes to hiring practices. Can't say it doesn't work out in the end, but Captain obviously doesn't want to take that initial risk." 

"You all see what I can do."

"Being a hero is not just about defeating villains, is it? Don't worry, I'm sure he is just acting all tough. Perhaps he already made up his mind, I know he trusts Makoto a lot."

"The detective is reading people again?" Danny asked sarcastically.

"Maybe," Tsukauchi winked. 

"He reminds me of my school bully."

Tsukauchi sighed. "Nobody is forcing you to accept Makoto's offer. Think of it as a safer option, in case you don't get any better offers. There's...also something else I wanted to talk to you about. It's about that outburst you had out there. I've never seen you like this." 

Danny looked away. "It's just...it brings back an awful memory. Each time I get a violent shock, I become ballistic and hyperaggressive, it's some sort of a coping mechanism. My sister has a theory that my brain wants to subdue the pain, and that's the solution my Quirk creates. I get a strong desire to snap the neck of the one who did this."

Tsukauchi's look turned worried. "That's not okay at all, Danny." 

"I can control it," the halfa responded. "I'm still...human enough," he mumbled.

That was a very strange choice of words on Danny's part. 

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Old man. Even if I turned into an angsty potato that lied on the ground. Be honest, what could you do?" Danny crossed his hands. "It's pretty much confirmed that ectoplasm stimulates my brain in a way hormones of aggression do when it happens. So you either remove the power cell that keeps me alive or do nothing."

"Not much of a choice," Tsukauchi agreed. "I suppose...electrical Quirks are not that common, and you hold yourself fine enough."

"Told ya. Murderous spree ain't happening, I promise," Danny beamed. "But I WILL be beating those people harder than usual."

"Can't say I'm satisfied, but you are right. Nothing can be done as we speak. I think you should go join your friends. And for the last time..."

"I'm fine, old man. I can keep going."

"Then keep at it, Danny. I'm sure you'll win this."

Danny nodded, before parting ways with his guardian. He made his way towards the cafeteria, buying some snacks from the stands along the way. In retrospect, it was maybe some good publicity. Some people wanted to take pictures with him, and Danny was quite embarrassed to be frank, each petitioner could see it. But, he couldn't bring himself to say no. Thus, the internet soon received a small influx of images where Danny tried his best to appear confident. The word 'tried' should be accentuated. Other contestants didn't seem to have this much trouble from the seems. 

Eventually the halfa did make his way towards the cafeteria and his friends. After the customary emergence out of nowhere to the scare of everyone else involved, Danny could finally enjoy some good food in the company of his classmates.

"I wonder what the next round will be," Mina said. "I'm getting all hyped up already."

"There are twelve of us," Danny responded. "So I guess it's a bunch of 1v1 matches." 

"That's right, but they change what those matches are each year. Last time it was a chanbara match," Kirishima said, before noticing Fenton's befuddled expression. "Think of fencing. But with samurai swords and techniques."

"And Quirks," Danny finished. "That's kinda cool. Wish I knew fencing. Could add some nice style."

"Don't you have enough?" 

"It's never enough for the likes of me," Danny smirked. "You just have to stop yourself before long. One friend of mine suggested some instructors, but I declined. I mean, I got a couple of lessons, I know how to swing the thing, but that's pretty much it. My supernatural reaction helps a bit," his expression then turned more serious. "I really hope it's something more conventional this time." 

"Heh, I guess some of us got scores to settle," Grinned Mina and nudged the halfa. 

"Got that part right," Danny responded and took a bite out of a hamburger, as his eyes drifted towards one of the targets of his future revenge. 

The halfa simply returned to his food, but he was soon nudged once more by his redheaded friend. 

"What is it, pal?" Danny asked. 

"Hey, check those out," he pointed at a bunch of white girls in cheerleading uniforms. "What's that thing about?" 

"Cheerleaders? Seriously?" Danny deadpanned, as the girls noticed him staring and giggled. "Do I look funny?" He asked Kirishima.

"Come on, man, you are skilled in combat but denser than me. Someone is in his popular phase."

The halfa sighed. "I know that. Had a chance to see it firsthand. So they are fangirls, huh?" 

"Or they laid their eyes on you," Mina rolled hers. "Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if it's just an act of yours." 

"Huh?" Danny sounded genuinely surprised. "Oh, that way. I ain't falling for it again. The last cheerleader I dated had her mind taken over all along."

"Eh?" Both of his friends asked simultaneously. 

Some time after the halfa was, surprisingly, approached by his purple-haired classmate of all people.

"Can I help you, Mineta?" Danny asked. 

"Yeah, Fenton-san. I was wondering if you're doing something about the upcoming cheer battle."

"Cheer...what are you talking about?" Phantom rubbed his temple.

"Yeah, Mineta, please explain," Mina added. 

"So you don't know? We just heard from Aizawa that the girls will be taking part in a cheer battle. You should have known this as a class rep."

If Mineta was looking straight into Danny's eyes, he would have immediately given away that something was not right.

"I...can't say I know that," the halfa rubbed the back of his neck, before shrugging. "Then again, I am a lousy rep."

"Don't worry, Fenton-san! I've already told the girls."

"Of course you have," Danny deadpanned. "Wait, didn't Aizawa say he was going to have a nap?" 

"Oh, he just...said this before going."

The halfa didn't feel like he believed Mineta's words. Before he could address this, however, the small boy had already left. Something told him that he should verify that information and save the girls some humiliation. He had an idea for a shorter way. Kendo could be the solution to his problem. It didn't take long for him to find her. Being Yanagi's best friend, she was bound to stay close to the one holding on to Phantom's ectoenergy. The one he could sense clearly. That came across creepier than intended. Nonetheless, a brief talk to the redhead and the ever-shy former companion of his, a rather embarrassing one to be more precise, clarified one thing — that someone was full of shit. 

And what do you know, one of those people turned up just here and then. 

"Heeey, Fenton-san," came Kaminari's hesitant voice that soured Phantom's mood. 

"Kaminari," Danny greeted. 

"Look, dude...I was just meaning to say I'm sorry, alright? You told all of us about your trauma, but I still went along with that plan."

The halfa shrugged. "A bit early for that," he responded. "We still have a round ahead of us. You only have one attack, so if we fight...you get the idea."

"Oh, ehm...I'm sorry for that in advance?" 

Danny gave a devious smirk. "What makes you think I'll let you even take a step, though?" He asked, making the human teen gulp. "Alright...you are forgiven. But just so you know, I'll do anything to stop that from repeating. Even if it means beating you unconscious," Danny patted Kaminari on the shoulder and went back to his friends.

The electricity-wielding teen released a sigh, full of hopes that he wouldn't have to face that menace again. But, one thing he had indisputably achieved — he managed to buy some time for his and Mineta's plan. 

Danny returned to his friends, who by then had finished their own lunch. And he found only Kirishima.

"She decided to join the rest just in case. They were in a hurry," the redhead explained. 

"Ain't that just peachy," Danny grumbled. 

"Hey, maybe it's not so bad..." Kirishima said slowly, not entirely opposed to the idea of his girl classmates in nice outfits. 

"I don't think they will share your opinion."

"Come on, Danny," the redhead wrapped his arm around his friend's neck. "I know you are dense, but you really gotta start enjoying what you can get."

"All we are getting is a bunch of girls who are going to stick out and die from embarrassment," responded Phantom, "And only I get to be a dead man walking here," he added, before the bell rang. The bell that signalised the end of the lunchtime and called for the people present to gather in the stadium once more. "Whelp. They are screwed now." 

"Maybe we will catch up to them, they couldn't have gotten far," Kirishima said, accepting his friend's stance. Honestly, why did the usually uncaring teen have to act so incessantly serious at the most inappropriate times? 

The two friends made their way to the arena, but the girls must have departed earlier and had taken a different route, for Danny and Kirishima didn't see them on the way to the stadium before it was too late. There they were, dressed in cheerleader uniforms they had taken from god knows where. The boys' surprise was not as profound as others', for they at least knew that this was going to happen. From their faces Danny could read just what he had expected, and he couldn't help a slight sense of guilt coming up. He could go faster, but his...less celibate celibate side must have been at fault. He couldn't make out what the girls were talking about over the noise of the crowd, but he saw Mineta and Kaminari relishing that view.

"So those two were involved," Danny grumbled, realising that he had been tricked. 

"Gonna take revenge for that too?"

"Nah. This one the girls can handle, I think," the halfa shrugged, before noticing the confused glances other students were giving the girls of class 1-A. 

It was a strong form of Spanish shame. But, whilst empathising with their plight, he knew there were more important things. He had made it to the final round, and he was there to win. Kaminari and Todoroki had done no small job in igniting his competitive spirit. The goal was far from noble, but it was clear and worth striving for in the eyes of a creature as vengeful as a ghost, even if partial. To make sure those two were trampled beneath him was all the revenge he could allow himself. It was, after all, the most humane way of doing so. His partial kin usually picked a different approach. 

After the actual cheerleaders, who, as Present Mic explained, were invited all the way from America, finished their show, all students, even those who had failed the last two rounds, were invited towards the stage where Midnight was waiting for them. 

"All right, everyone! Let's have some fun competing in the recreational games! When that's over, the sixteen participants that made it into the final round will duke it out tournament-style, one on one!"

And upon this, a lot of observant people noticed one huge discrepancy both on the screen and what was being said. 

"Wait..." Tsu mumbled and turned towards her raven-haired classmate. "Fenton-san, your team had only two members, kero." 

Danny nodded. "Yep. Guess we're in for a last minute surprise," he said sarcastically, before turning to Kirishima, who had stars in his eyes. "You alright, man?"

"I'm going to stand on the same stage that I watch every year on TV," he said. 

"Now, let's draw our lots and decide on the bracket," Midnight pulled out a box. "Now, many of you probably wonder how we are filling the last two remaining slots, since we only have fourteen winners. It has been decided that the captains of the fifth and sixth teams shall be allowed to take part as well." 

That meant two new contestants. Class B immediately looked towards the members of team Tetsutetsu, and their corresponding captain, who wore a shocked expression on his face. 

"Really?" He asked. "But all members of our team just as much as I did!" 

"Maybe," said his teammate, the one with lipless face and revealed teeth, and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "But you still showed that you deserve getting into the next round. Do you agree?" He looked at the other two teammates, who nodded in agreement. "See?" 

The loudmouth teen resisted the urge to shed a manly tear, showing how touched he was by the trust. 

"I will do my best," he promised and punched his palm. 

"We're sure you will!" Kendo gave a thumbs up. 

"Hey, Yanagi-san!" Tetsutetsu excitedly called for the quiet girl. "Guess we both got in!" 

Yanagi gave a small smile and nodded. 

And the sixth team was not as vocal about their choice. Shinso was the team's captain, but neither the congratulations nor relief was shown. To be frank, none of them felt like they themselves deserved getting further, save for Aoyama. Shinso's feelings, however, remained an enigma, just like his Quirk. Danny stared at him for some time, trying in vain to read him, but the teen was like a stone in that regard. He shared that air with Aizawa, the halfa realised, but did not say this. 

Then arrived the time to draw lots. The matches were quite intriguing.

As such, Tetsutetsu was going to be faced by Kirishima. Two teens of great physical strength and the ability to withstand a great deal of damage. The next pair were Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu — an interesting pick as well, for one could counteract the shadow with light-emitting devices, but were too different in fighting styles to make that interesting. They were followed by a pair of girls: Mina was facing off against Yanagi. And the audience was left wondering how they could properly use their Quirks against one another. One would have to be either inventive or redundant. The list went on, showing several more intriguing matches, with Midoriya being put against the enigmatic general studies student, or, finally, Fenton facing off against Kaminari.

When the latter read that, he prayed that he had misread. But no. Everyone shot him sympathetic glances, but when Kaminari turned to Fenton, he saw a grisly, toothy grin flashed towards him, and a pair of devious toxic green eyes. 

"I'm so dead," Kaminari said with a meek voice. 

"I'll take good care of your doujinshi, Kaminari-san," Mineta reassured. 

"I gave you no permission!" 

After every matchup was agreed upon and written down, Present Mic continued his job as a narrator. 

"Alright, now when that's outta way, let's commence a momentary interlude!"

What followed next was a round of recreational games. The contestants for the next round were allowed to skip those, and many decided to use the time off to prepare, each in a different manner. Some devised their strategies, some rested, focusing on what was coming next. Danny decided to unwind, so he chose to play as well, without relying much on his powers. After his duplicate had brought snacks and water from the sellers standing outside. Joined by Kirishima, they soon decided to go on a scavenger hunt. A harmless activity, aimed at making the students and the viewers ease up. Besides, the journalists and agents did not go anywhere, although the interest from them was evidently much smaller. Good publicity was good, no matter what size. 

"Alright, what have you got?" Asked Danny as Kirishima flipped his card. 

"Sunglasses," he responded. "You?" 

"A dog," the halfa responded dryly. "Just kill me again." 

There were other games, like a ball race, and in general it was good time. Perhaps Danny could come across as careless, indulging in the games instead of making preparations. But in all honesty, he was not the only finalist who took that time off. He saw others competing in that friendly round. His eyes caught Yanagi during the ball race. She was obviously using that time to get accustomed to the augmented Quirk of hers. He noticed that without his presence, her Quirk manifested with purple glow still, but it did possess some specs of green. Danny figured he should observe her, lest his ectoplasm did something nasty to everyone involved. 

"You feeling alright?" The halfa asked as Yanagi pushed the giant ball forward with her telekinesis. 

"It's...nothing out of ordinary," the girl responded. 

"You just need to get the hang of it," Kendo gave a thumbs up. "She does, right?" The redhead turned to the halfa. 

"Well..." Danny hummed. "Human bodies have some limits. Yanagi-san's are admittedly bigger." He said and turned to the girl in question. "If you feel burning or chills that come from within, don't hesitate to use your Quirk. Ectoplasm needs release or it starts piling up and eating organic matter. My charge lets you grasp more residual energies, and expose yourself to larger amounts of those. But in our line of work this shouldn't be an issue at all. You'll come to use it a lot, after all."

Yanagi blinked. "I didn't know there were such downsides."

"I can take it any time if it causes you any discomfort," Danny offered. "Power doesn't come cheap. My heart doesn't beat, for one."

At this, he received a couple of concerned glances.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm an actual ghost," he sarcastically stated the truth. "Don't worry, I promise you'll be fine." 

"Someone is a master of comforting," Kendo responded sarcastically. 

"It's better than not knowing," Yanagi said. "Thank you for the warning. I'll keep this in mind."

And finally, the time for recreation was over. Danny himself situated at the special seat alongside his classmates, a bag of popcorn in his hands. He could as well enjoy it while watching. During the time off Cementoss created a fighting arena with his Quirk — a spacious rectangular one. 

"Alright, everyone!" Present Mic shouted in excitement. "Here it comes, the finals you've all been waiting for are starting! Match number one: Hitoshi Shinso versus Midoriya Izuku! Even though he's done well, what's with that face?" The announcer commented on the photo of the anxious green-haired teen. "Well, no matter, the rules of this round are simple! Force your opponent out of bounds or immobilise them! You can also win by making your opponent say "I give up!". Bring on the injuries, for our own Recovery Girl is waiting on the standby! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment. But of course, everything life-threatening is crap! It's not allowed! Heroes must use their fists only to capture villains!"

"I'll stop them if things go too far," said Cementoss, who sat on a cement chair and assumed the position of a ref.

“Alright, now, start!” 

The fight did not begin immediately. Shinso was hardly a loudmouth, so his and Midoriya’s conversation couldn’t be properly heard over the noises around. However, whatever the indigo-haired teen said, it must have infuriated the usually non-confrontational student. It did surprise the half-ghost to observe this, but even more so what followed next. After making just a few steps, Midoriya froze in spot. And Ojiro jumped from his seat not so far from Danny and yelled. 

“No! I went through all the trouble of warning him, too!” He exclaimed, grabbing his head. The rest of his classmates were at the edge of their seats as well.

“Hey, hey! What’s the matter?” Asked Present Mic. “This is an important first match! Liven things up! Midoriya! The match just started and he is completely frozen?! He isn’t moving a muscle! Is this Shinso’s Quirk? He didn’t stand out at all and yet it is something so amazing!”

“What’s…going on?” Asked Uraraka. 

“Blank look, lack of hostility…yep, signs are all there,” Danny mumbled. “So, mind control it is, Shinso?” He asked nobody in particular. 

“What!?” The classmates turned to him. 

“This does make sense,” mumbled Yaoyorozu. “Is there a way to fight it?”

She asked this, as Shinso issued his simple command to Midoriya— to walk out of bounds on his own. 

“I have no idea,” responded Phantom. “I’m not brainwashing anyone, I take over bodies. But if it’s anything like my overshadowing…enough willpower must snap him out of his trance.”

“But to do that his mind must be awake, kero,” commented Tsu. “We don’t know that.” 

“I think a jolt should work as well,” answered Ojiro. “I told this to Midoriya…but I snapped out of trance after I accidentally ran into someone. But there’s nobody who can do that to Midoriya,” he said worriedly. 

Everyone remained tense, they saw how Midoriya was walking towards his seemingly imminent defeat. But then, when he was close to the edge, something happened, and to Danny’s own shock, a gust of air escaped his mouth.

“What the…” 

The next second a powerful shockwave emerged from where Midoriya stood, strong enough for everyone to feel the air blowing into their faces. And when the dust settled, Midoriya was still standing at the edge, still not out of bounds, and most importantly — free of Shinso’s control. 

“Midoriya’s has stopped!” Present Mic exclaimed over the noise of the elated crowd. 

“Midoriya!” Exclaimed Iida with relief. 

“I’m…I’m so glad,” Uraraka breathed out. 

Danny rose from his seat and approached the railing, his eyes piercing into the green-haired teen. Nobody expected such a lively reaction, but the interest of his was not only due to Midoriya’s trick, which left two of his fingers wounded and swollen. Phantom’s ghost sense had been triggered, and its source was located exactly where Midoriya stood. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, which made the halfa all the more confused. And besides, he sensed not one, but many traces that showed up for a fraction of a second. Powerful ones, which couldn’t belong to someone with ectoplasm-using Quirk. But if they came, then where were they now? Something wasn’t right!

But his shock at the underline of Midoriya’s unexpected comeback remained largely unnoticed. Everyone was too focused on the match. 

“What did you do?!” Shinso demanded to know. 

Midoriya stopped himself from responding by putting a palm over his mouth. 

“Why won’t he answer?” Asked Kirishima. 

“Because he finally remembered,” Ojiro released a relieved sigh. “I had a theory that Shinso’s Quirk activates when someone answers him.” 

That was quite convenient. Just saying nothing could easily negate Shinso’s power. However, Kirishima saw that his friend was very distressed.

“Is everything alright, Fenton?” 

“I just sensed…nevermind,” Danny responded. 

He knew that nobody but him believed in ghosts. It was pointless. And he didn’t really know what was going on. In the meantime, Midoriya started approaching Shinso once more. He ran forward, before finally ramming into the general studies student, ignoring the provocative shouts of the latter. Grabbing Shinso, Midoriya started pushing him back, clearly being the stronger one despite the size difference. 

“Say something!” Shinso exclaimed and punched Midoriya in the face, leaving a bloodied nose. 

But his opponent was unrelenting, so Shinso changed the tactic. He hit Midoriya into his already wounded hand, breaking out of the grip, getting behind the enemy and now attempting to push Midoriya out first. But in the end, the student of 1-A seized the rival once more, and followed it with a shoulder toss and slammed Shinso out of bounds. 

The audience exploded into cheers of excitement, and it was no different for 1-A. Danny let himself snap out of his thoughts and let out a cheer of his own. 

“That was so manly!” Kirishima said. 

“I think I’ll go congratulate him in person,” Added Danny and turned to leave. 

“But he will be coming here soon.” 

“I’m quite impatient.”

He needed to know for sure. That energy amount clearly did not belong to a human. 

Danny knew where to go. Midoriya may have won, but his fingers were damaged after…the boy used his Quirk. That story had some missing pieces, so Danny went to the hospital to shed some light onto it. His match wasn’t coming anytime soon, in any case. As the halfa traversed the corridors and rounded a corner, he accidentally bumped into a frail blonde man wearing a suit. 

“Ouch, sorry,” Danny rubbed his forehead, before looking the surprised-looking man over and blinking. “Uhm…are you from U.A. staff?”

“Wh-what makes you think so?” The man chuckled nervously. 

“This is a restricted area, no?” Asked Danny. 

“Alright, you got me, I do work here. But I needed to go to a hospital.”

The halfa tilted his head. “For what?” 

Why did young Fenton have to be nosy then all of a sudden?

“I…have a headache, young…child. Nothing serious.”

“I was just heading there, too. We can go together, sir.” 

Toshinori gulped. That certainly complicated the matters. And he couldn’t just say no, all hopes were on Recovery girl understanding the predicament. The two of them made it to the hospital wing, where the entrance was decorated with girly stickers. Toshinori always found her inner childishness amusing. He also was the one who walked in first, earning the reaction from Midoriya, who had his fingers and upper palm wrapped in bandages. 

“All…”

And then Midoriya noticed Danny peeking in before he had the time to finish the sentence. 

“Hey, pal, congrats on your win,” the halfa smirked. “Hello to you too, old lady.” 

“As impertinent as the last time,” Recovery girl grumbled. 

“What last time?” Asked Midoriya.

“He still refuses to go through half of the checkups,” the short old woman grumbled. 

“Force of habit,” Danny shrugged. “You’ll get my weapon-grade blood over my fully dead body.”

Toshinori coughed slightly, about to say something of his own, but the halfa noticed this and beat him to it.

“Oh, right. This guy needs some medicine for his headache.”

Midoriya could see the discomfort, and All Might would not have come without a reason. Yet, he couldn’t reveal himself in front of the halfa, so he had to go. An excuse was needed. 

“Uhm, thank you for coming, Fenton-san. I’ll join you guys up there soon.” 

Surprisingly, a smile on Danny’s face wavered, and he turned more serious. 

“I was also curious,” he said and leaned against the wall. “What you did out there was pretty…odd. You haven’t seen anything by any chance? Or anyONE?” 

Midoriya’s face was a strange mix between shock, curiosity and fright at how Danny pinpointed what happened so precisely.

“H-how did you…know that?” He asked, and All Might tensed up as well. They both had a question in their mind. Did he know about the Quirk?

“It’s a speculation,” Danny scratched his chin. “You know I can sense ectoplasmic energies. When you used your Quirk, I felt it. That’s odd, because up until now I got nothing when you used it. And at such a scale, too. You’ll think I’m crazy, but did you see someone…else in that arena? Someone who did not appear human?” 

“Do you mean that someone else was there?” Asked Recovery girl in shock. 

“I…don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. I never felt this much energy from a human, so I suspected something else,” Danny’s look turned even more serious. “You clearly saw someone, Midoriya, didn’t you?” 

“I didn’t,” the human teen lied through his teeth. Midoriya panicked. He suspected what those ‘beings’ were. But Danny didn’t need to know that. He was getting awfully close to his and All Might’s most important secret. “It’s nothing serious, Fenton-san.” 

Danny stared at Midoriya for some time, before sighing. “I’m just worried, is all. I know that this much ectoplasm can kill a normal human. And if it’s not someone from the outside but your own Quirk…you catch the memo.” 

“I’m fine, Fenton-san,” the teen reassured. “I promise.” 

Danny nodded, but on the inside he was still torn. Midoriya looked fine enough, so his Quirk must have allowed him to handle that much ectoplasm. Maybe he was worried for nothing. But why did he feel a surge of energy only now? Midoriya didn’t look like he himself knew what it was all about, so the halfa chose not to press yet. Maybe Midoriya’s Quirk simply had more layers to it than he had thought.

“If you say so,” Danny mumbled. “People who know of ectoplasm rarely understand how dangerous that thing is. More so than beings that are comprised of it. If something weird happens, like you starting to see things or feeling like you are twisted inside out, just ring me up. I told this to Yanagi-san already, but I can always remove the excess,” he said with good intentions in heart. 

Unfortunately, All Might gained a new fear at that very moment. He got reminded that it was within Phantom’s power to reach his hand and take the torch that had been passed from generation to generation. From behind Danny’s back the blonde motioned that the discussion had to end. But luckily, it was Danny that deemed the talk over. 

“Anyways, we’re waiting for ya up there,” Danny smirked and turned to leave. “Again, congrats on your win!” he gave a thumbs up and left. 

All Might released a sigh. “That was awfully close,” he commented. “Now that we are alone…young Midoriya, did you tell him the truth?”

“No,” Midoriya shook his head, staring at the door. “In reality, his guess was scarily on point.” 

“So you saw something?”

The teen nodded. “There…were silhouettes, of eight or nine people, I’m not sure. You were there, too.”

“Young Fenton appeared confident that you were seeing…”

“Ghosts,” Midoriya finished. “But you are still alive, so it can’t be right. But do you think that I was seeing the people who had inherited One for All?” 

All Might appeared shaken. “All of this is scary stuff. I also saw something like this before, in my younger days. It’s a clear sign you got a better grasp on One for All. I think it’s like a trace of something they left behind in One for All. It’s not something with intent that can interfere with you, nor can you interfere with them.”

“But Fenton-san clearly noticed their presence, too. I’m confused,” Midoriya scratched his temple. 

All Might’s look turned serious. “Young Midoriya, you must also realise the threat Young Fenton may pose even if non-intentionally.” 

“What do you mean?” Midoriya’s eyes went wide. “Fenton-san is a good friend and class representative.”

“Yes, but you heard and saw him. He is fully capable of taking One for All.”

“He said that it works only with Quirks that use ectoplasmic ener…” a look of realisation crossed the boy’s features. 

“Which he just confirmed that you may have. Even if…indirectly. Young Midoriya, I don’t believe young Fenton to be a dark force waiting to strike. But nobody else must be allowed to take hold of something as powerful as One for All, be it a copy or unintentional passing, you have to understand. And if you get high enough in today’s ranks, there’s no doubt you’ll have to face him. And there’s no guarantee that he will be conscious of the consequences and doesn’t decide to take…”

All Might didn’t finish his sentence, because he was hit by a syringe-lookalike cane of the local nurse. 

“Since when is number one hero this paranoid?” Recovery girl asked. “I’ll be more worried about Fenton’s own wellbeing.”

“What do you mean, Recovery girl?” Asked Midoriya.

“I already told you that he missed half of the checkups. But from what I already gathered…he shouldn’t be alive by any logic.” 

Both visitors stared at her, making the old woman sigh. 

“Quirks always manifest themselves logically. Quirk factors adapt the whole body, change it so that it can fulfil the purpose. Some are born with Quirks that wound and cripple them. Fenton’s…should by all logical sense kill him. His bones and muscles are not fit for super strength, his eyes and hands are not built to fire lasers, his whole body cannot logically withstand low temperatures with ease. And yet he does all that and more. He lacks a heartbeat, and I don’t even know how he breathes. I really wanted to check his Quirk factor, but he refuses to let me. Same went for his blood.”

“That’s even scarier,” All Might shivered. “So you are saying that taking One for All may actually kill him?” 

“Well, yes and no. On one hand, he seems to be doing fine even without a heart. Somehow. I’m not going to cut him open to find out. But on the other, we never know what can be a final nail.” 

“All of those are simply theories,” Midoriya sighed and got up from his seat. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t take One for All, intentionally or not. But I know that Danny doesn’t want to do anything bad to anyone.” 

“We all know. I just…knew someone who wasn’t as amicable,” All Might mumbled solemnly. “And I’m afraid that he won’t pull the brakes when it is much needed and will only end up harming himself and others. Well, off you go now. The tournament is just starting!”

A small cloud was released around the man as his gargantuan form was displayed. 

“I’m certain you will only show your best!” He reassured his protégé with his signature grin. 

Midoriya made his way to the seats of his class. Once he was there, he was immediately greeted by Uraraka’s joyful cheer. 

“Hey, Deku!” She called for him. 

“We saved a seat for you,” Iida added.

“Thank you,” Midoriya smiled, before his look drifted to his other classmates. 

Ojiro gave him a smile and a thumbs up. Then the green-haired boy looked at another group, where Danny was lively chatting with Kirishima about something, not noticing the newest arrival. And after everything talked about in the nurse office, Danny’s inconsiderate words back from back then flashed in the boy’s mind. 

‘I know that this much ectoplasm can kill a normal human.’

‘How would you know it, Fenton-san?’ Midoriya asked himself grimly, before sitting in his spot. 

---

“Alright!” Present Mic’s voice rang throughout the arena. “Next on the line are…these guys!” 

The giant screen showed the next pair: Todoroki versus Sero. 

“Alright,” the commentator looked at the latter. “He’s good, but what’s with the plainness he just can’t get rid of? From the hero course, it’s Sero Hanta!” He gave his totally unbiased commentary. “Versus. Taking fourth, then second in the prelims, you are pretty strong, kid! He wasn’t recommended for admission for nothing! Also from the hero course, Todoroki Shoto! And now, for the second round…begin!” 

Sero did not waste a second. He immediately released his tape forward, wrapping the fabric around Todoroki’s body. And then he attempted to fling the opponent out of bounds. 

“A surprise attack! Don’t you think it was the best choice for the situation? Seriously, get him, Sero!” 

And then, the previously silent Todoroki’s feet touched the ground. And immediately ice emerged from beneath his legs, a lot of ice. The overwhelming amount in but a split second grew in size that was previously deemed incomprehensible. With a powerful earthquake that shook the arena, Todoroki’s entire power went into creating a glacier that was the size of several cruise ships piled together. It went up and up, higher than the stadium itself. Danny was more than impressed at that display, tapping on the ice that reached his very own front seat. 

“Don’t…you think it was too much?” Asked fully frozen Sero with cluttering teeth. 

Half-frozen Midnight did not look amused. “Sero-kun. Can you move?”

“O-Of course not.”

“Todoroki advances to the second round!” Midnight announced. 

---

“Apologies for the lengthy wait! We had to wait until the ice was removed!” Present Mic spoke. “On to the next match!”

And as he said it, Danny made his way to the arena. The moment of reckoning made his core flutter in excitement. Something which could not be said about Kaminari. 

“First comes the undisputed leader of the prelims from class 1-A, the one who scored higher than All Might during the entrance exam! Fenton Daniel from 1-A!”

“Aw, I’m blushing,” Danny mumbled, hiding his embarrassment.

“Higher than All Might?” A collective murmur traveled around the shocked audience and the viewer base. 

And an elated laughter sounded in an underground lab. 

“Against him — Sparking Killing boy, Kaminari from class 1-A!” 

Kaminari heard a stifled laugh coming from his opponent. 

“Now, let’s have a flashy battle just like the last one!” Present Mic shouted. 

Kaminari was scared, that much was obvious, for Fenton’s malicious grin did not go anywhere. He had only one chance at salvation — he had to strike immediately. 

“Indiscriminate shock, 1.3 million bolts!” He exclaimed as the sparks of electricity danced around him. 

Phantom knew what was coming, but that time there was a major difference. His still ice blue eyes were focused on his opponent. The next moment a powerful charge of electricity was released, but the halfa lazily waved his palm and conjured a dome over himself. Kaminari, who was slowly getting his brain fried by the very electricity who was using, and the audience as well observed how under the dome Danny conjured himself a glowing green chair as well. Sitting on it with a smug grin and waiting until the electric storm was over. Kaminari was helpless to stop his attack, and soon after, the braindead teen could only stand in place with a vacant expression, drooling. 

Danny’s smirk did not go anywhere as he removed the shield, standing up. “You shouldn’t let the scare make you fire without thinking,” he lectured, knowing full well that Kaminari was in no state to heed the advice. And then his eyes glowed green. 

“The battle has been decided so quickly!” Present Mic exclaimed. “In just an instant! Wait, what’s he doing with that chair…oof, that’s gotta hurt.”

Chapter 18

A.N. Aaand I am here with another chapter. Certainly been a while, guys. Firstly, I can explain this with my diminished desire to cover the current ark. Just feel like something is amiss. Don't worry, we will slug through this. Secondly, I had exams, thesis paper and its defence, but I'm now in possession of a bachelor's. Soo, I was also pretty occupied. 

---

"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Kirishima asked his friend. 

 

Danny raised an eyebrow and glanced at the empty seat Kaminari used to occupy. The rest of their classmates followed suit. 

 

"Ya think?" Danny asked and took a sip out of a water bottle. "He will be alright. You know I could do worse." 

 

"I'm pretty sure you broke some of his bones with that chair," Sero pointed out. 

 

"Did he even feel it, though?" Asked Danny. "You know, with his mind fried and all." 

 

"That's an interesting question," Midoriya mumbled as he wrote something in his journal. 

 

"We must not forget what the last two matches taught us," Iida raised his hand. "The damage dealt during the fights may turn out to be more grave than we expect."

 

"I just hit him with a chair," Danny moaned.

 

"You have superstrength, Fenton," Jiro reminded him dryly. "Iida-san, isn't your match the next one?" 

 

"Oh, you are right!" Iida exclaimed in horror and bolted under some good-natured laughs from his classmates. 

 

"Who is he fighting against, again?" Asked Kirishima. 

 

"Mei Hatsume," responded Danny.

 

"We haven't seen her use her Quirk yet," Midoriya said. 

 

"Because it's useless in a fight," Danny was quick to clear the confusion. "It grants her an eyesight strong enough to see several miles ahead. That's why I didn't warn Iida. Didn't see the need. You probably have all seen that it's not her Quirk you should be wary about." 

 

"It's her gadgets," the green-haired student realised. "How do you know of this?" 

 

"Our shared passion for tool-creation makes us meet pretty often," Danny said dramatically. "We occasionally talk." 

 

"Talk how exactly?" Asked Mineta with an expression that obviously hinted at his obscene thoughts. 

 

"It's mostly just sharing of knowledge," answered Phantom without batting an eye. "Although I don't teach the use of ectoplasm in engineering. I'll probably get punished for that."

 

"By whom?" Mina tilted her head. 

 

"Some very annoying guys with too much power. They're already angry enough with me as it is."

 

Everyone blinked. 

 

"What have you done to upset them?" Midoriya asked. 

 

"Well, one, I am still alive, despite their best wishes. And two...this will stay between us, I think." 

 

They still couldn't deal with the fact that the Infinite Realms needed a glorified conduit in the form of a monarch. With the previous royal gone, there was only one viable candidate. One who had enough support among the closest lords to upend the Observants' hold over the dead world. They viewed him as a threat, while still not forgetting how Phantom had made a fool out of them, making the world question if their gift of foresight was as impeccable as everyone had believed. But, at some point, an unspoken agreement was reached. Danny, after all, was not eager to ascend from the title of a Prince, content with the rank he already had. 

 

Danny's mind drifted off to the idea that they could actually let him into the treasury had they not been such pricks. It would have saved him plenty of troubles.

 

Nonetheless, the next match was upon them. An interesting incident took place prior to that, as Iida surprised everyone by actually putting on the support equipment. Problem was, the hero course had to inform the organisers about their gear prior to the tournament. Hence Danny had gone without his tools. However, Iida was allowed to wear the strange contraption on his back. It turned out that Mei was the one to provide him with tools to 'keep things fair'.

 

"That's bull," Danny commented upon hearing this. "For someone like her to let go of her advantage?"

 

"Do you think she has an ulterior motive?" Asked Midoriya with concern. 

 

"She's in to advertise her skills and gear, she told me this much," Phantom recalled. "Or what, you thought she's dying to be in the hero course?" 

 

"I...I haven't thought about this," the boy mumbled. "So, this fight is to let her show as much as she can?" 

 

"Yep. But taking the gear from her was stupid. Who knows what she snuck into those." 

 

And the half ghost's prediction was not far from wrong. The following match was...the longest so far. The cause of this was not due to the equilibrium between the two contestants. Rather, the match owed its length to the absolute control Mei had over her opponent. The whole fight immediately turned into a long presentation of everything she had crafted and had brought along, be it the electromagnetic boots, or a capture net, or a plethora of other tools to help her evade each and every attack of the bespectacled hero trainee, who was also aided by the very tools Mei had granted him. To her credit, the backpack and its "Auto-balancers" were not rigged in any way. However, with Iida using them for the first time, he could appear clumsy, unable to get a hold of the pink-haired girl. Most of his classmates pitied Iida, while Bakugo was roaring with laughter. Danny shared the former sentiment mostly, but he was intrigued by some tools he hadn't seen Mei make. For instance, that net she used to capture Iida. If laced with ectoplasm, those nets that were tightly packed into a handgun-sized contraption could be a useful anti-ghost weapon...he was thinking like his father. 

 

Danny caught Kirishima's look.

 

"What?"

 

"You are rambling, dude. About ghosts," the redhead responded dryly, to which Danny laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. Kirishima never understood why would Fenton be so interested in making tools so situational and specifically dangerous to him. 

 

The audience was getting extremely tired from the presentation aimed only at a specific group of people. It felt obvious to many as to who was going to win. Mei, however, did something unexpected. For when all of her gadgets were seen by possible employers from support companies, she simply stepped out of bounds. And that meant that the winner was the very person she had been making a fool out of. Needless to say, Iida remained unsatisfied with such cheap victory, but there was no going back. 

 

With one more round behind them, without further ado, the next match came about. And it was something Danny was most curious about. It was, in the essence, an experiment on how well Yanagi's body would fare with all the extra power given to her. Not that Danny had had such intentions initially, but now he had to go through with it. If something happened, he would be there to resolve everything. But of course, he also prayed that he would not have to intervene. It was an uncharted territory — humans that used ectoplasm. And who were still fully alive. Coming from the family of ecto-researchers, he wanted to know more. That interest was born when he first saw Kurogiri. 

 

"Alright, everyone," Present Mic spoke up again. "The next one promises to be as interesting as all the rest. First from the hero course, class 1-A, Ashido Mina! Is something going to come out of these horns? I suppose we'll see! And the second, class 1-B of the hero course as well! Yanagi Reiko, to whom we owe the spectacular show of two-person army of the last match."

 

Yanagi looked at the ground when Present Mic presented her in such a manner. After all...it wasn't entirely her doing, was it? The girl looked first at Kendo, who was at their own class row, and then at the half ghost, who gave her an encouraging smile. That did not go unnoticed by Kirishima. 

 

"Who exactly are you rooting for here, Fenton?" He asked with mock suspicion.

 

"Both are good. Mina's my friend, but I feel a certain ectoplasmic bond. That and I hope my little boon will actually be useful." 

 

"Right, you augmented her Quirk, didn't you, Fenton-san?" Midoriya asked excitedly, waiting to scribble everything down. 

 

"Yep. Before that she could only lift smaller objects. With my help...well, you saw it too. As long as she doesn't overextend and waste the energy I left with her, this power boost will stay where it is." 

 

Meanwhile, back with the contestants, Mina was grinning from ear to ear. 

 

"So, you got along with Danny-kun back there," she commented slowly. 

 

Yanagi rewarded her with an ever-emotionless look. "We made a good team," she responded, glancing at her hanging arms and feeling the energy course through her.

 

"Heh, sure you did," the girl winked, before clapping her hands and splashing gooey acid around. 

 

And once Midnight gave the much expected signal, Mina lunged forward towards her opponent. She realised her vulnerability. A single flick of a palm could ruin it all. So once more, all money were bet on the speed and instant action. She secreted the acid on her path, allowing her to quickly slide forward. Yanagi concentrated her power and moved her palm to meet the approaching pink girl, but Mina instantly tossed the acid her way. Yanagi's attention turned to defending herself as Mina splashed more and more liquid. The poltergeist girl could do little but use her telekinesis to keep the acid away from herself.

 

Yanagi took a breath and an idea occurred in her head. As Mina circled around, looking for an opening to lunge into her opponent and push her out of bounds, she made sure to secrete more acid. In the scenario most favourable to Mina, Yanagi would turn her back on the pink hero trainee. Mina could only guess that the stark-haired girl needed eye contact, or at least the knowledge of the object's position in order to grab it. Otherwise Yanagi would not be turning around to keep Mina in her sight. So, if she only managed to get behind...

 

And an observant viewer would see that the acid Mina was throwing was not melting the ground, glimmering with purple and green light close to it. As Mina went for another strike, Yanagi suddenly raised her palms, and all the acid in her hold came together to form a single shield that absorbed the strike.

 

"Woah!" Present Mic exclaimed. "Would you look at this! That acid cannot melt itself, which makes it a perfect protection! Nice thinking, Yanagi!" 

 

Now Yanagi could take a breather and collect her thoughts, protected by a dome-like shield. Mina was hesitant to come closer, unsure about how well she would end up on another end. Firing more acid only reinforced the improvised barrier. And Yanagi had enough juice to keep it up. And now she could concentrate on the opponent. Watchful so as not to wound Midnight or Cementoss, naive and misplaced those fears as they might have been,  Yanagi launched all the acid at her disposal forward, in the form of smaller droplets, flung with the tenacity of a machine gun. 

 

"Careful out there, Ashido," warned Present Mic, "Stopping at this time will be a sentence!" 

 

"You think I don't know that?" Mina complained quietly, dodging the barrage and sliding across the ground. 

 

"Mina is resistant to her acid, no? Won't this attack be pointless?" Sero asked his classmates. 

 

"It has own limits, though," Midoriya was quick to respond, opening his battered journal. "The more she produces, the less resistant her skin is. And she's made plenty." 

 

"Does Yanagi know of this weakness?" Asked Kirishima.

 

Before all eyes turned to Phantom, whose mouth was full with popcorn.

 

"It wazhn't me!" He said and gulped it down. "Come on, even if Mina is resistant, being hit by droplets at such speed is gonna hurt."

 

Yanagi's improvised armaments were close to depleting, but now she had Mina right where she needed it — far away from herself and closer to the edge. The room for reaction turned too small. Yanagi finally tossed the remaining acidic goo away, and raised both arms. Mina felt how her body betrayed her, refusing to move as the familiar purple-greenish glow surrounded her. And then, a small push, and with a loud yelp the pink-skinned girl flew out of bounds, under the ever-excited cheers of the crowd. And especially the classmates of the winner. 

 

"Now I do feel like this is all my fault," Danny mumbled.

 

"It kinda is, though," Kirishima agreed. "You gave her the trademark OP Fenton juice." 

 

"I want to punch you just for naming it like this," the halfa deadpanned, his shoulders sinking. 

 

And speaking of, Present Mic decided to rub salt in the wound. 

 

"That was a quick, yet outstanding display!"

 

The halfa banged his head on the metal railing. "Please, don't hate me, Mina. Please, don't hate me, Yanagi," he mumbled. 

 

"That was unnecessary," said Tokoyami, crossing his hands. "It was Yanagi's own skill that let her withstand the initial attack and win."

 

"Yeah, it's her Quirk and power now...I hope I didn't screw it over for both of them." 

 

The aforementioned railing broke under the teen's forehead. 

 

---

 

However, it served as a fuel for further thought. Not just to the potential hirers, who had already scribbled down plenty, or the already shocked audience, but also to the less savoury individuals, who resided in their own secluded habitats. 

 

"You heard him, didn't you, Garaki?" All for One laughed. "So we discover that the boy doesn't simply take." 

 

"He is also capable of bestowing power to others," finished a short moustached man in a lab coat.

 

"Not simply bestowing," the kingpin raised his finger with a grin on his face. "He didn't give her telekinesis, correct? To what limit does this beguiling power go, I wonder." 

 

"This does feel like a next step in the evolution of your Quirk, Master. I see now what you meant."

 

"Hardly an eye-opener for you, is it, dear friend? Ever so eager to see the substantiation of your theories."

 

Garaki was old, old enough to see the confirmations all around himself, and within his Master also. He had no need in confirming it further. The ever-present mixing of Quirks was bound to create a highly-combustible substance that would doom them all. Even now his Master's was starting to have difficulties holding so many new Quirks, reluctant as the latter was to admit this. But to someone who was well-versed in the field, like Kyudai, the boy's power seemed...odd.

 

"The girl seems to be taking the augmentation in stride. I'm surprised the fools around are taking kindly to this, too." 

 

"They are bewitched by the spectacle, is all. Once the dust settles, they will show the expected Caligula-grade paranoia," All for One chuckled. He himself had no interest in anyone but the two students. The one who could be his progeny and, by irony, the one whom he suspected to be the next incarnation and embodiment of what he was fighting against for decades. The girl was irrelevant.

 

"I also meant that she doesn't show any signs of strain. Usually when someone's power increases to such an extent, bodies just break." 

 

"Like a twig," the villain added. "So many abnormalities, little Daniel."

 

Garaki had not been in the room for long, and it was his first time hearing the first name of their object of observation. However, it provoked a chain of thoughts that seemed to somewhat click. 

 

"It is his name, correct?" Garaki asked. 

 

"What?" All for One lazily asked. "Ah, yes, it is, from what I see. For a usual western name, it seems to concern you a lot." 

 

"It's just...that person we apprehended snooping around our base. You know we keep him unconscious with electric charges, because it's all that seemed to work. But he mumbles in his sleep, I heard it. And the name 'Danny' keeps popping up way too often." 

 

If the villain's eyes were still intact, they would have gone wide from surprise at a sudden fortune that came their way. 

 

"What an interesting coincidence. Is there a chance we can interrogate him for more?" 

 

"I won't advise waking the furball up. Those ridiculously sharp and large claws are not for show. He cut apart one of my Nomus and the wounds would not heal. Had to rid of that piece of useless lump meat. And apparently, that wolf could make portals. Barely had the time to knock him out before he jumped in." 

 

"Yes, I know that part. And it couldn't be Daniel's doing, for he attained that very power after we caught that canine visitor." 

 

"So you have to understand that we can't possibly contain him if he wakes up. I cut off one of his claws for research, and it's unlike anything I've seen. He also grew another back the next day, so I don't think he even noticed it's gone."

 

"I'll be there when he does wake up, so you don't have to worry. I'm positively intrigued by the conundrum of our boy-wonder and his entourage. It is great shame that the potential mothers of are all dead or gone with no trace. I could learn more this way." 

 

"But none of them had the Quirks that could alter yours and pass it on. So it must have changed on its own. Has Kurogiri brought any more valuable information on him?"

 

"He is a child that emerged out of nowhere in all the official documents. An American with an American name, and yet with impeccable Japanese from the seems. And I have too much faith in the governments when it comes to keeping individuals with powerful Quirks in check nowadays. To miss something like him...Someone must have wanted a clean slate," All for One said. "Between this, and his intriguing hobby that he so unfortunately discarded ever since Tomura's daring little scheme, I'm slowly gaining hope that the boy may be amicable to the possible revelation."

 

"Perhaps he already knows everything."

 

The villain in turn laughed. "If this is your way of gaining my attention, child, you have certainly succeeded."

 

Garaki was still uncertain about how he should feel about that sudden excitement of his Master. It wasn't scientific wonder, like his own curiosity. All for One wanted something to come out of this. Whether to get the prodigal 'son' on his side or to simply take what looked like an alluring prize, Garaki could not yet fathom. But for now, waiting is what he was relegated to. Oh, and watching over a metaphorical bomb in his lab. 

 

"I believe I should return to my work, Master." 

 

"Certainly. I wouldn't want to distract you any more." 

 

---

 

Despite the sense of guilt that suddenly emerged in Danny's stomach, he could deem the impromptu 'experiment' a success. Ectoplasm seemed to mash well enough with Yanagi's Quirk. He knew from experience that doing that to a normal human was much more dangerous. His whole school once got infected with a special ectoplasm-based virus. It did grant them a power or two, but it was slowly eating them apart. Thankfully he resolved the matter before anyone sustained grave injuries. Yanagi's body seemed to have a relative immunity, even without a core. 

 

Soon, before the next match could start, Mina returned, looking awfully chill for someone who just lost an important match. 

 

"Hey, Mina," Danny chuckled nervously. "No hard feelings?" 

 

"Pfft," she huffed. "Of course not! But man, I had no chance, had I?" 

 

"Don't say that," Danny's muffled moan was heard through the palms covering his face. 

 

"Yeah, you did awesome!" Kirishima gave a thumbs up. "Given the situation," he added and got a light slap across the back of his head from the pink girl. 

 

"Just...let's watch the next matches, okay?" Danny offered weakly. 

 

Later, seeing Yanagi return to her joyous classmates and give him a small smile, his consciousness decided to loosen its grip. But it was still a half-assed consolation.

 

The subsequent fights maintained the high standards of entertainment. The audience was kept excited for each match that followed, for there was evidently always something to be surprised about. It was correct that their powers were very much well known by that point, but it is their inventive uses that actually mattered. It was thanks to skill in combat that Tokoyami triumphed over Yaoyorozu and it was because of that inventiveness that Uraraka managed to stand as long as she did against the unstoppable force Bakugo represented. The latter's display earned him the scorn from the audience, because for the most part it wasn't a fight, it was a beatdown. 

 

Fenton didn't like it either. For he knew that Ochako did nothing to deserve such beating other than being a threat. However, that point of view was born due to his own personal sympathies, he suspected this, so he kept quiet mostly. His own thoughts were loudly voiced by Aizawa. It was true that Bakugo was going hard against Uraraka because he recognised that for all her innocent looks it was still a fight. Danny didn't agree with Aizawa relegating the fierceness purely to the desire to win. Fenton thought of Bakugo as an asshole, and he wasn't going to believe that it wasn't also him being a bastard. 

 

Danny was also reminded that on the way to the top those two would most likely cross paths for the first actual time. And knowing Bakugo, he would give it his all to best someone who teased him about being inferior. And after seeing the unpleasant-looking fight, Danny decided to remind the blonde as to why that teasing took place at all.

 

Before the next round would start, however, a tie-breaker in the form of an arm-wrestling match would take place. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had turned out to be an equal match, and no winner had emerged from their fight. Unsurprising, considering how similar the two's Quirks were. Danny made sure to overcompensate for the previous lack of support and root for his friend perhaps too hard. 

 

"Teach that metalhead a lesson, red!" Danny shouted loudly, earning himself confused looks. Everyone but Mina's. She was into this. 

 

"You can do it, Kirishima-kun!" 

 

The two strongmen wrestled for nearly ten minutes, with the platform beneath their elbows barely standing. But finally, with a final roar, Kirishima pushed down the opponent's hand, making the crowd explode in applause. Kirishima moved to the next round, much to the joy of his classmates and friends that rooted for him. 

 

And then there was a fight between Midoriya and Todoroki. 

 

Expectations differed on who you would ask, as was always the case. Midoriya was a glass cannon. As smart as he was, his choices were limited. Danny remembered why he had almost lost the first prelim and first place in the race to him, and it was him capable of using the Quirk without damaging himself. However, it was a momentary success, one that he had no guarantee of repeating. Shinso lost because he was not a fighter, but now, going against the student who was among the strongest, Midoriya's chances weren't as big. One from class 1-A would also remember that it was Todoroki who had challenged Midoriya for a reason probably known only to them. And that meant not going easy on their opponent. 

 

Was it too early for the culmination of their newfound rivalry? Whatever the answer could be, fate had forced its decision down everyone's throats. The battle looked painful, it WAS painful, for neither side wished to relent, to allow a breather. Todoroki had had his hopes of winning it like he always did — by freezing all around him before the enemy could oppose him. Unfortunately, Midoriya had come up with a way to counteract his main weakness. Or, at the very least, delay it. A single finger at a time — a conduit strong enough to break any barrage of ice. But was only buying time. Everyone had seen Todoroki's capacity. Ten strikes, one for each finger broken, was far from it. Midoriya was evidently contemplating his strategy, for the current one wasn't going to last him for long.  And all along, he and Todoroki were saying something to each other, something that couldn't be heard over the deafening noise of the shattering ice. 

 

But Todoroki wasn't just a powerful Quirk, he was also the brains, he managed to catch Midoriya when he tried to evade the strike instead of meeting it head on. And then the green-haired teen had nothing else to do but to use his entire hand. Todoroki was caught unprepared, barely able to summon the wall that stopped him from falling out of grounds, so powerful the punch was. And yet, the result was evident to all, as every viewer could witness the absolutely ruined, purple arm that was in a horrid pain. 

 

Both their respective states were looking grim, enough to cause a stir among the crowds. And doubts among the two judges. Perhaps the battle had to be stopped before they killed each other. 

 

For something snapped in Todoroki's head. For better or worse, for what reason, only the two knew at the moment, but his second half was engulfed in fire that ate part of the arena in another attempt at besting the opponent. The people were shocked to learnt hat only now had the teen used that part of his Quirk. Although it made sense for a son of the Flame Hero to be capable of the feat. Danny was surprised to see this, and also...unpleasantly surprised. Fire was his second most hated thing to be hit by. But the atmosphere was growing tense, for if something so well-hidden was being used, the two must have really been going all out. 

 

Before they could unleash their entire arsenal at a point-blank range, Cementoss tried to summon several walls between them. And yet, the combined force of Midoriya's smashing attack and the concentrated inferno was enough to make the cement barriers bend like cardboards and crumble like glass. With a powerful explosion that made everyone instinctively take cover behind the seat in front. The arena was ruined, and when the smoke cleared, the audience bore witness to Todoroki and his burnt off shirt, and Izuku, who collapsed outside of the ring. The undisputed winner of the match was the one who, albeit temporarily, renounced his shackles. And to the great shame, only he and Midoriya knew how much it meant. 

 

"That was..." Mina mumbled. 

 

"Quite flashy," Danny spoke slowly. "As in, holy shit what just happened?" He asked in genuine astonishment.

 

"Look at Izuku," gasped Uraraka, who herself wore several bandages, a parting gift from Bakugo. "He's..."

 

"He looks very bad," finished Iida and jumped from his seat. "We must see him immediately!" 

 

That was the course of action Midoriya's closer friends took. Danny threw another grim glance at Midoriya's downed and bruised figure, which was immediately taken to the nurse office. Empathy emerged, an expected visitor in the heart of someone who himself was in that exact position more times than he dared to count. 

 

"I guess it is a good thing he DIDN'T win," Danny spoke to the classmates around him. "This looks beyond what Recovery Girl can fix easily." 

 

"Yeah, guess you are right," Kirishima nodded. "They both were so manly, though."

 

"Yep," The halfa leaned back in his seat. "Props to them for setting the bar," he said. 

 

"Indeed," Tokoyami nodded. "People will come to expect the same determination and strength of character from all of us. This is why I am looking forward to the match between us, Fenton-san." 

 

"Same deal here, pal. Same deal," Danny mumbled and slowly got up. "I guess I'll check on the poor guy, too."

 

"Not like the next match is gonna start like this," Mina pointed at the destruction the fight had left. 

 

Next in line: a battle between Iida and Yanagi. The former had been preparing mentally, for he had need to wash away the humiliation he experienced in the last match. He suspected that by the time of her first confrontation Yanagi was still getting accustomed to what Fenton had given her. However, he had no reason to doubt that this time the girl would want to take him out quickly. Iida was not the one who specialised in ranged combat. Yanagi had observed that much. There weren't any projectiles to use against the enemy, so there was only one thing the poltergeist girl could do.

 

"Aaaaand, it starts!" Present Mic exclaimed.

 

Iida lunged forward without delay, he had to act fast. But also without using his calf engines. Momentum could be both his ally and the enemy, he had to be watchful. Yanagi raised her hands and concentrated, her sleepy eyes not diverting from the bespectacled teen. In the next second, she moved away from his direct path, and Iida felt and saw the grasp of telekinetic power. The one that pushed him even further, something Iida had foreseen. But Yanagi made a mistake of letting go after tossing the opponent out of bounds. Before even beginning to fall, Iida turned to face Yanagi. Next second, he unleashed the pent up combustive energy of Recipro-burst. Like a jet engine, it propelled him forward and towards his opponent. 

 

Yanagi's surprise broke the so much needed concentration, prevented her from reacting in full. She managed to slow him down, but not stop outright. The power of the engine overpowered the telekinetic pull and finally Iida rammed into the girl's smaller frame. The force of the push was enough to send Yanagi flying backwards and, with how short the distance to the boundaries was, out of said bounds. 

 

"Yanagi is out of bounds!" Present Mic confirmed. "The victory goes to Iida!"

 

"When the opponent gets close and personal, her main weakness is revealed," Danny commented. 

 

"But she is nearly invincible at a long range," Midoriya scribbled down. 

 

"Min-maxing as is," added Mina. 

 

Yanagi stood up, dusting the dirt from her gym uniform. Her expression was as emotionless as ever, not letting her frustration that was present there, show. She got too overconfident too quickly, and her defeat was just as swift. That was no way for her to go out, yet here she was. But once again, the internecine debate did not make its way out. Yanagi humbly decided that she would not let something like that happen again and would come up with some more sophisticated uses of her Quirk. But for now, she had to accept her defeat.

 

---

 

Danny stretched his muscles in preparation for the next match. Tokoyami was no pushover, he was rightfully considered one of the strongest students of 1-A. And with the ectoplasmic nature of his Quirk, he had the means of at least combatting the most bothersome power of the half-ghost. Intangibility was not as utile anymore. But that also meant that Phantom too had experience and countermeasures against Tokoyami's...alter-ego given shape? Companion? The nature of that bond remained to be seen. Now, however, they stood at the opposing ends of the arena, about to fight for the right to pass to the semi-finals. 

 

"Fenton-san," Tokoyami spoke with all seriousness. "When you said you saw shadows like mine before..."

 

"I was being genuine," responded Danny, assuming battle stance. "Johnny's is less of a threat, though. The only thing it's good for is pinning you as a bad omen." 

 

And when the bell rang, Phantom was in no hurry to switch into his ghost form. His blue eyes gleamed with the same mischievous glow,the same mischievousness you would expect from him no matter what foe he was facing. Without delay he swiped his hands and fired a blue beam that coated the ground in front of him in a layer of ice, creeping closer to Tokoyami. The feathered hero trainee assaulted the opponent with the ferocious shadow from the get-go. The shadow dodged the ice ray, got closer, raised its arm to block the ray from finally hitting the opponent directly and lunged. 

 

Danny smirked and before the shadow could get him, he slid down across the line of ice he had created, trying to blast the shadow's underbelly. However, the scorching ectoplasm only 'scratched' the quick and nimble creature. Phantom's intention was to get closer to Tokoyami himself and down him with a strong punch. The raven boy was no fool himself. He knew his weakness. When Danny reached the end of his slope and pushed himself to his legs in a swift motion, the shadow was already before him. The hit was absorbed by the Quirk manifestation, which he could swear was smirking. 

 

"Found a way to your heart," Danny kept grinning, too, before from the inside the Shadow felt an intense burning. 

 

Light and alien ectoplasm hurt it equally. 

 

"Shadow! Get him away!" Tokoyami commanded. 

 

The creature swung its huge arm and hit the halfa. Phantom's human body was launched to the side, but he managed to land on his feet and summon a shield against the next attack. The barrier stood firm, but the agile shadow went around it, but Phantom greeted it with an ectoplasm-engulfed fist with a lighting speed. The shadow blocked the strike, but was sent reeling backwards, into the still present shield, that instantly blew up into a mess of light and otherworldly lasers. The screeching shadow retreated back to Tokoyami at the latter's silent order, giving Fenton some room that wasn't near the very edge. 

 

"Fenton manages to stand his ground!" Present Mic commented. "Even when not in his ghost form he is still a formidable force!"

 

Tokoyami knew this already. He knew not what Fenton's reasoning for allowing a handicap were, but this was not a reason to underestimate his enemy. He was probing the halfa's defences, and Fenton gave him a demonstration. Whatever shape his energy took, he could use it to bash the attacking enemy. Tokoyami had been searching for a possible weakness in his defence, but so far only lighting had proven its worth, and it was something he did not possess. 

 

"Tokoyami, I am getting a bad feeling from this," the shadow spoke to him in panic. 

 

"We will do this," the student responded to the creature humbled by light exposure. 

 

"Huh, so he actually talks," commented Danny. "That's nice to know."

 

Not a moment too soon, from his eyes emerged another beam of energy, which Tokoyami managed to dodge at the last moment. Fenton kept barraging him with a stream of green blasts, cutting off possible ways of retreating, as he so obviously fired in advance, expecting Tokoyami to run into one of them. It was like a game of dodgeball, ripe with special effects. Nonetheless, the teen quickly realised that dodging would get him nowhere. The only way to get in close proximity was to give Fenton what he wanted. Instead of sending shadow forward, he himself was closing the distance alongside it. The halfa seemed to have taken the bait, and the fighting arena was no longer a mere shooting range for him. 

 

Instead, he let his ice power take over, before he ran towards Tokoyami as well. Before they could enter close combat, Danny fired an ice beam right at Tokoyami's legs, but managed to freeze only one leg. Fenton was about to hit the teen, but once again the shadow blocked his offensive, took the hit and held the ground. With Fenton's human form, and with him not putting ectoplasm into his strikes that time, they were more than a match physically. Tokoyami in the meantime tried to get his leg out of the trap. The ice did not creep far up. With enough twitches he could get the leg out at the expense of his shoe. And the shadow knew it had to buy time. It went for a counterattack, which Danny blocked with his left arm, smirked and opened the palm and revealed another improvised flash-bang. 

 

The shadow reeled in fright, but could not dodge the small explosion and was blasted away. 

 

"Ruffled your feathers, eh?" Phantom commented with a stupid grin. "About time we wrap this up, anyway." 

 

Tokoyami managed to get his leg out and barely had the time to dodge a punch from the ghost that seemed to never give him a breather. The shadow went to attack the halfa once again, looking even smaller than before. Phantom did not stop his advance, raising his arm once more. 

 

"You stay down," he said and blew up another ball of ectoplasm. 

 

The bright light again kept the creature away, leaving the owner defenceless. Tokoyami himself was much less of a fighter than his opponent, he couldn't hope to match, so he had to keep the distance. Fenton pushed himself forward, in order to cut off the retreat of his opponent. The shadow still went after him, guided more by the instinct of an animal pushed into a corner, buying time for the owner to concoct a proper plan. But Tokoyami could see that Fenton was not letting himself be distracted. Each time the shadow got close, it was blasted with light. Unlike the blasts, flash bangs were impossible to dodge. However, when Fenton was once again near Tokoyami, he suddenly vanished from sight, surprising his opponent who had been looking over his shoulder. 

 

Then, he felt like he ran into something. Into a hand that gripped his neck. And whilst not choking, it was firm as dead man's. Fenton dropped the veil of invisibility, holding his another hand with a readied green glowing ball, daring the shadow to try. 

 

"I think we should call it a match," the halfa said, his eyes now blazing with emerald light. 

 

"I...I give up," Tokoyami spoke in a defeated voice. 

 

"Tokoyami surrenders! Fenton is the winner!" 

 

Immediately Danny let go, allowing the raven teen to stand on the ground. 

 

"You did very good," his smirk became a good-natured smile. "But it is daytime, and I just knew what to do. Sometimes matchups are not perfect."

 

"That's true," mumbled Tokoyami and nodded. "I hoped that the ability to prevent your intangibility will suffice." 

 

Danny chuckled. "Well, that's why I'm a menace to society," he said and followed Tokoyami out of bounds.

Chapter 19

After Kirishima's defeat at the hands of the local explosion enthusiast, everyone was glued to the screens soon after. After the short break dedicated to the usual maintenance, the semifinals were about to transpire. Nobody appeared surprised that the trio of high-scorers: Fenton, Todoroki and Bakugo, made it this far. Iida was not exactly the centrepiece of attention, aside from the initial humiliation he sustained at the hands of Hatsume. But he had performed outstandingly against Yanagi, and was now this high up. That, and the heroic heritage of his family, which was a new piece of information for Danny, did garner him points. And he would be the first combatant of that round, alongside the wielder of fire and ice. 

 

And while the halfa could feel the intense hatred practically radiating in waves from one particular blonde, he promptly chose to ignore him. Danny had anticipated that matchup in one way or another, so he already had a semblance of a plan. Sitting at the last moment and making last-second changes was not going to alter the result in any way. Was Phantom underestimating him? Well, he never doubted the power and a high degree of planning. And Bakugo was not stupid, he too knew exactly how the halfa always chose to play. To invoke anger and irrationality when it could make all the difference. Bakugo was yet to convince Danny that a proper fit of anger was not going to throw all that out of the window. 

 

"What's your forecast, oh mighty class rep?" Mina asked dramatically. 

 

Danny hummed. "Well, dear friend," he played along with dramatics. "Iida meets his worst match to date. Todoroki can just freeze the whole ground and strip all mobility. Unless Iida dares it, of course. Still, my money is on Scarface."

 

"Why not freeze him instead?" 

 

"For that Todoroki-san will actually have to aim," commented Midoriya. "But Iida-san is too quick." 

 

Danny clicked his tongue. "Pretty much. If Iida manages to avoid ground as much as possible, it will be a more even field."

 

"But he uses fire now, too, doesn't he, kero?" Asked Tsu.

 

"I...I don't know if he will do it again," Midoriya admitted. "There's a reason he doesn't use it much."

 

Danny raised an eyebrow. "And that reason is physical or mental?" 

 

"The latter," the green-haired hero trainee did not wish to divulge anything private. 

 

Phantom would have argued that it was pointless to run from your own power, but Todoroki was not there. And it would be hypocritical of him to say so, because Danny could throw electricity, too. And there was a reason he did not do that often. But for Danny it was one power out of many. In Shoto's case, it was the denial of an entire half of his being. Perhaps a more fitting analogy would be for Fenton to loathe his ghost part in its entirety. Danny looked at Midoriya, who had taken heavy damage while trying to break that shell of the usually reclusive classmate. It was rather selfless of him, reckless, as their homeroom teacher was undoubtedly thinking. But Danny could respect that effort. And perhaps, albeit inadvertently, help him with that in case Todoroki triumphed then.

 

The forecast turned out to be accurate enough. Todoroki indeed attacked first. Without delay, he launched a line of ice that blocked the way to his right. Iida quickly reacted and ran another way, utilising his engines. His opponent, however, swiftly blocked that way as well, trapping the bespectacled teen. Todoroki then attempted  to capitalize with another freezing attack, but this time Iida avoided the strike with a standing long jump. While in mid-air, Iida activated his brand-new Recipro Burst technique once more.

 

It came as a no surprise for Todoroki, as he actually managed to duck the initial kick. However, Iida quickly lands and immediately follows up with a second powerful kick that slammed Shoto into the ground. It was a major surprise to the audience, and certainly an exciting one. Without hesitation Iida followed this up by leaping over the downed opponent and grabbing  the back of his shirt before sprinting towards the edge of the arena. Believing the remaining time of his engines, that spurned out the powerful flames, will be sufficient, he nonetheless understood how helpless he would be after such a daring act. 

 

When, all of a sudden, the engine stopped prematurely, and the teen came to a screeching halt. Upon looking down, Tenya immediately realised with horror that his mufflers had been frozen shut. In the end, Todoroki quickly froze the ground and grabbed Iida's arm as he encased most of his body in ice. It took the watchers some time to realise what happened.

 

"When did he even do that?" Asked Kirishima, scratching his temple. "Iida was careful not to let Todoroki touch him."

 

"He did it when Iida's boot was introduced to Todoroki's spine," Danny shrugged, scratching his cheek. "It just took Iida some time to realise that it was only him running forward. Well," he leaned back and his seat. "Guess now it's gonna be our turn, eh, Num...oh, he left," he said with disappointment, not seeing Bakugo. 

 

The blonde boy in question was indeed anxious from anticipation. It was not an anxiety synonymous to fear, but rather the desire to finally face the extra that wanted to upstage him at every turn. The spook mocked him, never took him seriously, always residing on his throne above the rest. That rather skewed, but not entirely untrue image was still burned into the back of his head. Few would notice that Bakugo could recognise the effort put up against him, or anywhere near him, for that matter. Kirishima and Uraraka both were a tier above the absolute trash in his eyes. Granted, it did not concern the nerd, who always had that staple and it alone. And as for Fenton, the amount of said effort he displayed was absolutely insulting. And irritating to no end. 

 

After all, Fenton met a proper match only against Nomu so far. And even then the beast went down the second its main weakness was exposed. He wasn't really trying, and that infuriated Bakugo more than anything else. Occasionally, a thought was flashing through his head also, something he refused to accept. When he was watching Todoroki or Fenton, occasionally doubt rose in him. Doubt that he could not win in a fight against them. That foreign feeling was painful and impossible to accept. Yet, like an insect that wakes you in the morning, knowing that your groggy self would not rise to squash it, that thought was impossible to get rid of. That duel was bound to happen. And if so, Bakugo would expect to not lose to a half-hearted attempt. 

 

After a while of sitting around, and seeing the arena cleaned up soon, Danny finally rose from his seat. 

 

"Well then, guess it's my cue," he said and went to leave.

 

"Break a leg, man!" Kirishima called after him.

 

"Whose exactly?" Danny asked sarcastically and exited. 

 

After two matches and occasional visit to the nurse, he found the way around with relative ease. However, as he went down the corridor, he heard an unmistakable shout directed right at him.

 

"Stop right there, spook!"

 

Danny turned around to face Bakugo.

 

"Can I help you?" He grinned. 

 

So the game had already started. Its only rule was evident to both and simple to no end — that the last straw in Bakugo's head had to snap. Within limits, of course. Danny didn't want to stoop so low and outright insult someone who, to be perfectly honest, did not deserve it. 

 

"I know what you are trying to pull off," The blonde growled. 

 

"Really? Well, whatcha planning to do about that?" Asked Danny, putting a hand on his belt. 

 

"I'm saying that it won't work, you extra bastard," Bakugo responded. "Your sorry ass is not gonna win." 

 

Someone was being unintentionally vague. To the point it appeared like self-conditioning. But that wasn't the case obviously, it was a way to vent out some frustration. And to set forward a certain demand. 

 

"You think that this stupid handicap is something noble, don't ya?!"

 

Danny blinked. That wasn't exactly what he had expected. "You mean why I don't turn into a ghost? I just wanted to let everyone shine, is all." 

 

"So you do think that way!" Bakugo exclaimed and hit the nearest wall with his hand, blowing it up in a small fiery cloud. Danny didn't flinch. "Listen here, spook, I want ya to show what you can do!"

 

"Jeez, you sound like Aizawa," The halfa rubbed the back of his neck. "Tell ya what, Number two. Make me." 

 

Fury was evident on the blonde's face, but Danny ignored that and continued. 

 

"If you manage to force me to that limit, then so be it. But I'm not playing along just because you tell me. We good?"

 

Bakugo did not respond, instead passing Phantom by, but not without nudging into the latter's shoulder. Suddenly, Danny began to chuckle.

 

"Whatcha laughing about, spook?!" 

 

"I just realised that Midoriya isn't the only one asking to let go of reservations here." 

 

"You compare me to that nerd?!" 

 

Danny rubbed his ear, leaning against the wall. "Volume, please. If I remember correctly, you two were friends way back, no?"

 

Bakugo's fists clenched as he looked away. "Shut up, spook. Nobody asked your opinion!" 

 

"Well, I didn't ask you about how I should fight," Fenton retorted. "But as you wish. I am not my sister to analyse you or Midoriya."

 

"Who even cares about that nerd?!" The blonde exclaimed, storming away and making more random explosions. 

 

"Apparently you do," Danny mumbled inaudibly. "And not in a healthy way."

 

Eventually the two made their way to the arena. Cementoss mentally prepared himself to interfere, for the situation between the evidently rivalling students was bound to get heated. The impression was shared by many, but for varying reasons. The audience saw two powerful teenagers, one of whom was showing impressive ferociousness and prowess, and the other possessed overwhelming power. 

 

"There they are!" Present Mic announced. "The class rep Fenton is going to face off against the explosive menace that is Bakugo! This is going to be a fiery experience, if you catch what I mean," he spoke with excitement and nudged his friend, who simply hummed in thought.

 

He had his suspicion about the two clashing eventually, and it came true, for better or worse. Bakugo was out for blood after all the poking Fenton had done. And as much as the halfa could pretend to be above petty grudges like this, Aizawa was not fooled. Daniel was just as competitive and arrogant, but his saving grace were friendliness and openness. It could be for the better that Fenton was too stubborn to let Bakugo win. Sure, initially Aizawa expected the former to taunt, to play with an opponent and hold back, as that's what Bakugo hated. But that way, facing an enemy who was hellbent on bringing up the other half of the raven-haired teen, Daniel would be one step closer to letting go of his childish reservations. Nomu was the first step, but it was a living human this time, a strong one, and just as unbreakable. Thus, Aizawa was looking forward to that match. 

 

"And begin!" Midnight shouted. 

 

True to his tactics, Bakugo launched himself forward at a neck-breaking speed. Upon getting closer, he immediately released an explosive blast right into the halfa's face. When the smoke cleared, he saw the green barrier that had shielded his enemy. With a smirk, Fenton made a flinging motion with his finger, when the ectoplasm of the shield glow before a spike emerged from it, forcing Bakugo to dodge. It was too slow and telegraphed to actually land a hit, but he jumped exactly where the halfa wanted, landing right where the latter's fist was aimed at. Discarding the shield, Phantom had ended up near the blonde, close enough to land a hit. His victory was incredibly short, for at that very second Bakugo blasted him right into the chest. 

 

The combatants launched each other meters away from each other. Bakugo did not hesitate, he continued his relentless assault. An explosion behind his back propelled him forward, and he had to dodge the green blasts fired his way. It held him off long enough for Danny to summon an ice wall before him. At the last second Bakugo had to move his arms forward not to fly into it. The explosions sent him flying back, and blew the wall up in a blue mist, smoke, and sharp shards. And from that improvised smokescreen Danny emerged, having pushed himself forward with full force, his eyes and fist blazing with death energy. Bakugo made a blast below and flew higher, right above the half-ghost, from where he released another explosion, blocked by a green shield once more. 

 

"These two are not giving each other a second of rest!" Present Mic spoke excitedly. 

 

"Bakugo is a quick-thinker," Aizawa spoke, "He can plan an attack while under the assault, but Fenton's reaction time is twice as fast as normal human's." 

 

"So they nicely complement each other," the commenter concluded. 

 

Danny laughed as he dodged another explosive attack and landed a kick, once more pushing the blonde away. It was better to keep distance, for the halfa held an advantage at a long distance. To achieve the same feat Bakugo would have to make an extraordinarily big boom. Something that would put a strain on him. 

 

"You hear that, Number two?" Fenton grinned. "We make a nice match."

 

"Shut up and fight, spook!" Bakugo yelled and ran at him once more. 

 

He was yet to make significant damage to the opponent's exterior, while Fenton's smug face continuously mocked him. The spook was a tough opponent that worked by his own rules that he imposed on others. A big explosion could break through the shield, or the fiery blast wave could go under. That left the prospect of the last-second intangibility, something that would render moot all the effort. He had to find a way around it, somehow. 

 

As Bakugo flew towards him, Danny conjured a myriad of ice spheres that were flung in his direction. Upon making contact with the out of bounds walls or the ground, they blew up and covered all surrounding surfaces in a thin glacier, but Bakugo managed to either dodge or blow up the projectiles coming his way. The halfa jumped forward and sunk into the ground as if jumping into a pool of water. The surprised blonde immediately blasted himself higher in the air, where Danny couldn't grab or attack him from below. Small explosions kept him away from the ground, breaking the silence that settled after the contestant's disappearance.

 

"Looks like our resident spectre decided to take his time," Present Mic grumbled. 

 

Bakugo's red eyes scanned his surroundings. Fenton's attack could come from anywhere. He could swear that something flashed in the corner of his eye for a fraction of a second, and released an explosion in that direction, but immediately he felt the scorching heat of ectoplasm on the back of his head that shot him down. Fenton dropped invisibility, grinning triumphantly as his hand was still smoking with the residual energy. As Bakugo landed on his feet, he tried to grasp what had just happened. Had he been seeing things? How did he get behind his back so quickly? Danny landed back on the ground, casually approaching his opponent, his look and stance daring the blonde to attack again and receive the same beating. 

 

"You know, I guess it should be quite refreshing," he spoke. "With how much of a shit you are to everyone."

 

"What did you just say?!" Bakugo yelled. 

 

"You heard me, Number two. Everyone tolerates your obnoxious bull because you have something to compensate it with. But I just don't like you."

 

With a loud roar Bakugo blasted himself forward, once again going for a frontal assault. The halfa put a dome-like shield once again to meet the onslaught. This time however, the explosion carried enough power to envelop the surroundings in a sea of fire, shattering the defence. Danny was caught off-guard, and was blasted into the face with another explosion. Flying backwards, he stopped the momentum by blowing up a weaker ball of ectoplasm behind his back and landed on the ground. Bakugo was infuriated at what he had just seen.

 

"Bakugo broke through Fenton's defence!" Present Mic exclaimed through the noise of the crowd. "But it looks like the spectre ripped a page out of Bakugo's book when it comes to flight!"

 

The halfa huffed upon hearing this and fixed his spine that didn't take too kindly to such moves. How Bakugo handled such strain was quite impressive. The battle was not over yet, but he was dangerously close to the boundary of the arena. And his face was covered in first degree burns that would take some time to heal. 

 

"What's wrong, spook?!" Bakugo laughed. "Not much of a show without your flashy side, huh?!" 

 

He exclaimed this and came to finish the job, seeing Fenton's unamused look. 

 

"Hmm, let me think," he said and lazily outstretched his palm. 

 

Immediately incased in a prison of green aura, Bakugo was violently tossed away and ran through the cement ground, away from where Fenton stood. 

 

"I still do have a few tricks," Danny commented, neglecting the burning feeling on his face. 

 

Needless to say that Aizawa was not satisfied with what he was seeing from the two of his students. Fenton was too stubborn to use his power on someone he despised and who was asking for that very same thing. It just got him wounded harder than the entirety of the tournament beforehand, yet he still refused to release his pent-up power in full. Bakugo in the meantime would not be satisfied with anything but bringing up the full might of the enemy, and even if Fenton lied on the ground, helpless, he would not finish the fight until then. That big explosion was but him being angered. And that meant that more injuries would ensue. Perhaps not to the degree of Midoriya, whose were more of a self-harm than anything, for Fenton was holding back and could take the damage and heal it. 

 

"They really hold no bars," Present Mic commented with diminished enthusiasm. 

 

Bakugo growled with an animal-like rage as he was getting up, feeling the pain from impacting the cement floor not once but twice by now. Danny shortened the distance as fast as he could, and the blonde turned to face him, releasing another explosion. Fenton released a crescent-shaped blast, using the temporary blind zone the explosions created. Bakugo got a burning feeling as it hit him, burned him and left a huge tear in his uniform. The blonde hissed in pain, before seeing that Fenton went for a physical strike. Bakugo dodged it at the last second. Danny turned towards him, saw the damage he had dealt and smirked. Seeing this, Bakugo, growled once more. 

 

"You piece of shit..." 

 

"That's what you wanted, didn’t you," Danny responded, the ectoplasm around his arm dissipating, but his eyes emitting the same deathly glow. “To give you more and more until one of us breaks. But there’s a hard to swallow truth — compared to the usual guys I used to fight, you are just a Saturday morning baddie.”

 

Bakugo was about to retort, saying that the halfa was far from unharmed, but then noticed that the burns he had inflicted looked less severe. He was already healing, and it was grinding his gears.

 

“Shut up. You are nothing but an extra,” he instead responded, with explosions cracking around his fingers. 

 

Here it was. Something Danny had sought to bring out from the start.

 

“Then you will be beaten by an EXTRA,” Fenton assumed the stance. “By the way. This loss will make you Number three by default, won’t it?”

 

And that was a final straw. Without thinking, without a plan, Bakugo rushed forward, blowing apart everything in his path, ripping even the concrete beneath. Getting caught up in this was going to be nasty. Still, the rage left him open. And susceptible to what the halfa was about to do. Without moving an inch, even going so far as to let the flame of the explosion touch him once more, holding out against the pain, he turned intangible and vanished. The furious Bakugo came to a halt, frantically looking around.

 

“He isn’t going to try and pull the same trick twice, is he?” Asked Present Mic. 

 

“I have a feeling I know what he is planning,” Aizawa mumbled without enthusiasm.

 

Suddenly Bakugo felt it. A tugging feeling in the back of his head, followed by a haunting realisation of what was happening. Then he felt the cold wash over his body, as he felt his knees buckle. The show caught everyone by surprise, as Bakugo let out a yell. 

 

“What’s happening?” Present Mic asked in shock. 

 

“Fenton decided to use his another power, something he used to defeat Nomu,” Aizawa explained. “As every ghost, he can take over someone’s body.” 

 

And as if to confirm his words, Bakugo continued to yell.

 

“Get out of my head!” He exclaimed and made a blast into the air. 

 

“He actually did this,” Kirishima breathed out, uncomfortable about what he was seeing. “But I thought Bakugo would be strong enough to force him out.”

 

“So that’s why he was angering Kacchan,” Midoriya spoke with realisation. “He is too consumed by anger to bring out his willpower.” 

 

“You mean that’s what Fenton-san was planning from the start?” Iida asked with wide eyes. 

 

Perhaps one of the more surprised people was Shinso, who had long since started watching the battles from the sidelines. Among other powers, he also had the one akin to his. The teen also could hear the whispers travel around the crowd. Yes, Shinso’s ability was less…graphic. And the audience obviously wasn’t excited about this. Fenton, however, was obviously going for the win. Bakugo saw how one of his arms shakily turned in direction opposite from the nearest arena boundary. A single blast — and he would fly there and lose pathetically. 

 

“For all your planning,” he could hear a voice in his head. “You are sometimes an open book. Don’t worry. I’m not digging into your memory.” 

 

“Just you try to do this, spook,” Bakugo furiously hissed. 

 

And yet, he was smart enough to understand what was preventing him from pushing that parasite off. 

 

“I read your thoughts, Number two. You aren’t getting away from me that easily.”

 

And they thought him to be the most villain-like in the group. Bakugo saw the sparks appearing in his palm. Fenton was obviously trying to figure out how to set the foreign Quirk off. It was more complicated than the brute force of Nomu. Bakugo had to stop it, so he tried to muster all the willpower that he could. And ironically, his burning hatred, initially the very reason he lost the authority over his own body, was aiding him now. Danny could feel his control slipping, so he tried to concentrate on the explosion. But that also meant that the control over the rest was lost even quicker. Then, he finally figured it out and the explosion finally took place. 

 

But it was also when the halfa lost all semblance of control and was pushed out of the blonde’s body. Danny landed on his feet and pulled back the messy hair as Bakugo flew away. The latter, realising what he had to do, created another blast that kept him within the arena. 

 

“Would you look at that! Bakugo managed to resist the possession!” Present Mic said through the cheers of the fickle crowd.

 

Danny himself smirked as he saw Bakugo land. 

 

“Looks like I underestimated you,” he commented. “Good job, Number two,” the halfa clapped slowly. “So far only my father managed to do that to my memory.” 

 

That sounded a lot more sinister than it should have. 

 

“Shut up,” Bakugo growled, ignoring the sore pain in his hands. The overuse of his Quirk was showing the effects. “I don’t need your crap. Just stand and fight!” He yelled, lunging forward once more. 

 

Fenton prepared to shield himself as he concocted another plan, but something seemed different. Had he created a plan this fast? He hadn’t seen that in Bakugo’s mind. Danny saw how instead of making an explosion, his palms were simply glowing with bright yellow light. Since Bakugo’s hands were too occupied to let him fly, Fenton attempted to shoot at him, and even grazed the blonde’s shoulder, but once Bakugo got close enough, he suddenly let loose of what he was holding. The shield did not help the halfa, because the explosion was not meant for damage in the first place. 

 

Instead, it created a blinding flash of light, something like a stun grenade. Caught off-guard, Danny shielded his eyes. And Bakugo took the moment of weakness to the fullest. Immediately he followed the explosion with another, whose purpose was only destruction. The entire arena was enveloped in a large, damage-heavy inferno, which clouded everyone’s view of the contestants. When the smoke dissipated, the audience saw that both fighters were still standing, albeit at the opposite ends of the arena. Fenton had had no choice but to meet the blast head on and it showed. 

 

His left arm looked limp and bleeding, and the upper part of the gym uniform was all but burned off. Bakugo himself looked a little better, for the explosion was not directed his way. The blonde started approaching his opponent, and saw how the halfa took off the shredded rags. Surprised Bakugo and everyone else bore witness to something unexpected. Fenton’s upper body was almost entirely covered in one enormous and horrid Lichtenberg scar, seemingly originating where his heart was located, spreading in a myriad of branches across the entire chest. Noticing Bakugo’s surprise, Fenton chuckled sadly. 

 

“I did tell you guys how my Quirk awakened. In an electric trap with the power of a nuclear reactor. No need to act so surprised,” he said, looking at his wounded arm. Healing that in human form would take a while. “Guess that explains why I don’t like being shocked.” 

 

He sighed and looked at Bakugo. “I really did misjudge you, Number two. Should have known that you are a more than a match for my human form,” he added, his eyes glowing green. “I guess, I don’t have any choice.” 

 

He said this as the pearly white rings enveloped his body, casting aside the damaged human form and letting the white-haired ghost prince take over. Putting the now healing hand to his forehead, Danny gave a small smirk.

 

“Now let’s see how long you last.” 

 

It was Fenton’s time to make an advance. Once again he was surrounded by the spheres of ice that flew towards Bakugo. The boy began to dodge, but his stamina was not a bottomless tank. By that time he had grown sloppy, and while he was able to dodge the spheres, he blinked, and Phantom was already near him, his gloved hand enveloped in ectoenergy. It happened so quick, that Bakugo could not avoid a hit to the chest. The blonde flew away, and Fenton caught up with him with the use of portals and kicked him from above into the ground. Bakugo tried to punch him with an explosive fist, but found that his hand was simply sucked into the opponent’s chest, and the small explosion simply died off within. Phantom grabbed that arm and lifted Bakugo into the air, before throwing him even closer to the bounds. 

 

“Looks like the shift gave Fenton one hell of a second breath!” The announcer spoke. 

 

Aizawa was satisfied that the halfa decided to finally give it his all. It should serve as a valuable lesson for him. And Bakugo had to learn that there would be obstacles too hard for him to overcome. And that such demanding tactics could end poorly for him. 

 

Danny turned intangible to avoid another explosion. Then, he lazily raised his palm and lifted Bakugo in the air. 

 

“It was a very good fight. Maybe one day.” 

 

And with a flick of his finger, the blonde finally left the boundary, flung forward with enough force.

 

“Bakugo is out of bounds!” Midnight declared. “Fenton wins!” 

 

The audience cheered in excitement, while Fenton mustered the adrenaline-filled strength to salute them. He opted to stay in that form, to let the injuries heal faster, even if it costed him energy. The next fight was also his, so he had no time for it otherwise. As he left the fighting ground, he could hear Bakugo shouting after him. Danny turned to face him, the blonde was shaking from rage, as his hands were still ready to make another explosion.

 

“Come back here, spook, we are not done yet!” He exclaimed. 

 

“Yes, we are,” Danny sighed, stretching his neck. “Admit your defeat and move on, Bakugo,” he used the boy’s actual name for the first time in a while. 

 

“I can still fight, these rules are…”

 

He didn’t finish his sentence, as he was hit by the fumes Midnight’s skin could let out. They knocked him out immediately. The teacher sighed and shook her head. 

 

“Go on and rest, Fenton. Oh, could you carry him to the nurse? If you are fine with your injuries.”

 

Danny sighed, picking the unconscious opponent up and putting Bakugo on his shoulder. “I’m fine, ma’am. Regeneration and all that.” 

 

“Thank you.”

 

The fight was a grand spectacle for sure, and perhaps the most vigilant viewer of them all was Todoroki. He had watched the whole fight from his own preparation room, and tried to come up with a proper plan to go against the most dangerous of his opponents to date. Fenton had spent some of his energy by now, but it didn’t mean that their battle would be a ride in the park. Still, he could notice the parallel between his flames and Fenton’s own reluctance. Come to think of it, Danny wasn’t afraid to claim someone’s power as his own, was he? His frivolous use of portals was a pretty good testament to that. Their approach was different. And it rang with Midoriya’s words that the latter had said to him. Claiming that the flames were his own and not his father’s. 

 

The teen still could not make up his mind about all of this. Midoriya had given him a good lesson, but the years-long reservations did not just vanish like this, no matter how convincing the green-haired teen had been. But if he looked at this from pragmatic standpoint, there was little chance against Fenton if he utilised solely the ice. They had fought before in the battle trial, after all. And it was Todoroki who had lost, utilising the very tactic he really wanted to fall back to. Now they were not even limited by the environment. The odds were hardly in Todoroki’s favour. As he thought about this, the door suddenly opened, revealing the very object of his pondering, looking surprised to see him. 

 

“Ehm…what are you…” he began, before looking at the door sign. “Huh, I really thought it was room twelve.”

 

“You are already back from the hospital?” Todoroki asked calmly.

 

“Yeah, going through walls and all — shortens the distance,” responded Danny in his echoing voice. “Anyway, sorry for disturbing, you do you.”

 

“Wait…” Todoroki said, making the halfa stop. “I have a question.”

 

As if nothing had been going on, the halfa grinned and summoned a chair to sit on by the teen’s side. 

 

“What can your diligent class rep help you with?” Phantom tilted his head. 

 

Looks like he was back to his sarcastic personality. 

 

“I have a question for you.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“How do you… feel about the powers you have?” 

 

The question wasn’t perfect, too general perhaps, but it was the best Todoroki could come up with at the moment. Danny didn’t show it, but he knew exactly what the teen was alluding towards. 

 

“Heh. Can’t say I asked for them,” he began. “I mean, you know I got them only a year ago. And by that time I basically dealt with being a nobody. And they sure got me in a lot of trouble, hell, my parents decided that I became a mistake of nature that can’t share the same roof with them.” 

 

Danny shifted in his seat, the hefty amount of additions on his suit jumping around as well. 

 

“Perhaps the greater issue here is…I know what I can do with it. Believe it or not, I once met a guy who can look into the future. And… he showed it to me. Showed me the monster that carried my name and face and who was a genocidal machine. It was one hell of a wake up call.”

 

Todoroki was surprised to hear it, but then again…sometimes Fenton was borderline villainous by the world’s standards. 

 

“But you are still fine with relying on your powers.”

 

Danny chuckled. “I have one hell of a scream, you know? One that can destroy a city block if I put my everything on it. I learned it from looking at my future self.”

 

Todoroki blinked. “You decided to use the power of that monster?” 

 

“It was the thing that saved my loved ones…and my teacher from death,” Danny kept smiling. “So no, I don’t have any problem with that. Or the portals. Or anything else I learn for that matter. After all, if you take your father’s screwdriver to fix your own toy, it is your achievement. The screwdriver is only an instrument. Just like hero powers.”

 

“That’s…an oddly specific example.”

 

“Best I could come up with,” Danny shrugged innocently. “Not the best, I admit. But that’s what I think. We are our own people, it doesn’t matter where we take our powers, knowledge or advice, even if it is the most frootloopish person in the world. We all make mistakes and carry stuff. What’s the point of needlessly taking someone else’s?” 

 

Todoroki turned away in thought. “Midoriya said the same things.”

 

“Sure,” Danny got up. “Although the situation didn’t let him explain this in much detail, I bet.”

 

“He simply rushed in to destroy all the problems I’ve been carrying,” Todoroki mumbled. “Thank you, too, Fenton.”

 

The halfa turned to leave and waved his hand, “But don’t you think I forgot who was giving orders to Kaminari, Todoroki,” he smirked. “I still hold a grudge.” 

---

“It’s finally the last battle of the U.A. High School sport festival!” Present Mic joyously announced. “The top of the first years will be decided in this match! The final, so to speak!” 

 

The audience around the world was glued to their screens to witness the final confrontation as the two contestants made their way to the arena. 

 

“From the hero course: Todoroki Shoto! Versus also from the hero course: Fenton Daniel!” 

 

The opponents took their places at the opposite ends of the arena. Danny still had not let go of his ghost form, despite his injuries having healed by then. To many it was a clear sign that he meant business that time. 

 

“And now…Begin!” 

 

Fenton once again was the defender at the start — Todoroki immediately released the titanic amount of ice, like during his fight against Sero at the very start. And Danny responded to this by firing an enormously sized blast of ectoplasm that simply melted a corridor through the giant ice structure. Fenton went through the dark corridor he had created without care in the world, a smug smirk on his face, unseen, unlike his glowing eyes.

 

“Tsk, tsk,” Danny spoke. “Thinking to avoid a fight like that? That’s some wishful thinking.” 

 

It was wishful, that’s why the amount of ice was smaller than in a fight against Sero. Precisely not to remain defenceless if the attack failed. It was Phantom’s time to attack. He waved his gloved palm, releasing more crescent shaped blasts, and each time Todoroki summoned a wall of ice that was crushed by the energy of death. Yet each time the wall broke, Todoroki could see Phantom being closer and closer to him. The halfa was not in any hurry, but he could change that any second, keeping the enemy on edge. And once the distance was meagre enough, Fenton did just that, flying forward at a neck-breaking speed. 

 

Immediately he approached Todoroki’s mostly blind zone — the boy’s left, landing a hit on the stomach. The downside to him controlling the strength of the punches was that the opponents always flew away instead of buckling in pain. It was actually more of a push than a hit. And it was getting annoying at this point. Ghosts didn’t do that. Still, Todoroki managed to create an ice slide to prevent himself from being tossed out of bounds. Sliding around the arena, Todoroki created more ice to attack. 

 

An ice blade also appeared in Phantom’s hands. A single powerful slash was enough to break any glacial wave coming to consume him. The difference in composition made sure that the blade itself did not receive a single scratch.

 

“Fenton decided to get fancy all of a sudden,” Present Mic commented. “I’d call him a show off, but this kid has style, too.”

 

In the meantime, the halfa decided that it was the time to reveal another of his cards. He sure held Todoroki off. If only there was someone to attack his defenceless self. 

 

Then, all of a sudden, Todoroki felt like something punched him into the face. The invisible force pushed him off the slide and made him land on the ground. 

 

“Wait a second, what just happened?!” Asked the announcer, and everyone had the same question. There had been no light around Todoroki to indicate the use of telekinesis. But then, the halfa came with answer. 

 

“This is not against the rules to enlist some help, is it?” He asked.

 

And then, floating above the spot Todoroki had been pushed off the slide, another Danny was seen, lazily waving. 

 

“Does…is this a duplicate?!” Asked Present Mic, glancing at Aizawa, who looked surprised himself. 

 

“He hasn’t shown that power before,” the teacher explained, wondering just how much the boy had not shown yet. 

 

And back with the students, Midoriya was furiously scribbling in his journal, while the rest of the classmates were just as surprised.

 

“So that’s how he always has time for everything,” Kirishima realised. 

 

That brought a sudden change to Todoroki’s plans. He saw how the two Phantoms fist-pumped, and the teen didn’t know how that part of the Quirk functioned. Was one of them the original? Or were they a part of the single being? He had no time to find out, for the onslaught was doubled from then on. No matter what the duplicate was, it spelled trouble. The amount of green blasts increased, so that Todoroki had no choice but to duck behind an ice wall and take cover. But it was soon blown up as well. Humming under his nose, Danny snapped his fingers, and the duplicate vanished. Too much firepower could prove fatal. He approached Todoroki’s position, readying an ectoplasm just in case. 

 

“Whatever it is you are thinking about, Todoroki,” he spoke. “You better come up and solve now. This dilemma makes you sloppier than before.” 

 

“Todoroki!” A sudden shout came from the audience, and to be particular, the seat of class 1-A. “Don’t lose! Do your best!” 

 

“Midoriya,” both contestants mumbled at the same time. One with surprise, and another with amusement. 

 

And then, as if finally coming to a decision, Todoroki let his left side be engulfed in fire. With a smirk, Fenton switched to his power over ice, as it could also defend himself if the attack failed. Then, bringing out contents of his very core, he unleashed the blizzard. The snow and ice were so blindingly white under the bright sun, that Danny had to shut his eyes. Unlike the ice of his opponent, Phantom’s beam covered the entire arena and the area around it in a thin layer of either ice or frost. And while the blizzard was dissipating, Fenton began to notice the abnormality. That went…perhaps too smooth. And when the area was freed from the clutches of cold fog, he and the audience saw how Todoroki was left frozen to the wall, out of bounds. 

 

“What?” Danny whispered.

 

“Todoroki is out of bounds!” Midnight exclaimed and shivered. “Fenton wins!”

 

And in spite of the thunderously cheering crowd, several people were left puzzled, confused and shocked at Todoroki’s behaviour. 

 

“And-d-d-d now all of the events have been concluded!” Present Mic spoke, his teeth chattering. “The winner of this year’s first-year U.A. sports festival is Fenton Daniel from class 1-A!”

---

With the preparations over and with the ice melted by the one who had left it, it was finally the time for ceremonies. With the students gathered in the centre of the stadium, Midnight spoke up. 

 

“Now, we will begin the award ceremony!” She said and then came the fanfares and fireworks. 

 

During the light show an award podium emerged from under the ground, presenting a very bizarre sight. The first and second places were occupied by Danny and Todoroki respectively, but Bakugo with his third place was in fact shackled to a concrete pole, with his mouth and hands chained up like he was a criminal on his way to a death sentence. The measures were not unjust, for ever since waking up he was like a rabid animal trying to rip apart the winner. Danny himself seemed very uncomfortable near him. But he also wondered where Iida, the other third place winner, was. 

 

Midnight came to the rescue. 

 

“There is also Iida in the third place, but he had to leave early due to family reasons. The presentation of medals will, of course, be done by this man!” 

 

Everyone heard the heroic laughter that could only belong to one hero. And true enough, from the roof of the stadium jumped none other than All Might. 

 

“Our own hero All Might!”

 

“I have brought the medals!” He exclaimed as he landed. 

 

“Now, please, award the finalists going from the third place to the first.” 

 

And the one All Might approached initially, broke his elated mood just a little.

 

“That’s a bit excessive,” he mumbled as he started undoing the iron muzzle. “Congratulations on making it this far…”

 

“THIS DOESN’T MEAN SHIT!” Bakugo yelled at the top of his lungs. “IF I DON’T RECOGNISE VICTORY, IT DOESN’T MATTER!”

 

But All Might was not shaken by a furious teen. He kept smiling, as he fruitlessly tried to put a bronze medal over the teen’s neck. “Then, think of it as a reminder to try your best in the future.” 

 

“I DON’T WANT THA…”

 

If the neck didn’t work, then he would hold it with his mouth, All Might decided. Danny tried his best to resist a laugh, knowing it would worsen the situation. All Might then proceeded to Shoto, who was silent all the time ever since the end of the match. 

 

“Young Todoroki,” All Might greeted as he put the silver medal on him. “Congratulations.”

 

And then, he lowered his voice. And yet, Danny was near, and his hearing was top notch.

 

“I suppose there is a reason you did not use your left.”

 

“I had my opportunity against Midoriya. After that, I was unsure of what to do. I think…I understand what you saw in him. I wanted to become a hero like you. But I don’t think it would be the right thing for me to be the only one to break away. There’s still something I must settle.”

 

He said this and glanced at Danny as well. He must have realised that the sheepish halfa was listening.

 

“Thank you too for an advice, Fenton-san.”

 

“I’m your rep, that’s kinda my job,” Danny shrugged and smiled. 

 

All Might nodded, glad to see the sense of camaraderie that had grown a bit since the start. After the fury of the cavalry battle, the hero expected Danny to repeat the thing with Kaminari. Yet, there was an obvious sense of respect. And in fact, two of the other people on the podium have grown in the halfa’s eyes. And he also opened up to Todoroki, who now saw him as something more than an arrogant and powerful classmate. Ultimately, it did everyone good. As much as Bakugo would deny it. 

 

“The look on your face is different from before,” All Might told Todoroki and enveloped the relatively tiny teen in a hug. “I’m sure that you will achieve what you are trying to do.” 

 

“Yes,” came a brief response.

 

Then, All Might approached the smiling halfa. 

 

“Now then, Young Fenton!” The hero spoke. “Your performance today was nothing short of outstanding. You have shown excellent teamwork, battle prowess and cunning. And also a hefty amount of conceit.”

 

The halfa blushed in embarrassment. “Uh…thanks.” 

 

All Might bellowed with laughter. “Stand proud, Young Fenton! Show confidence not only as a hero, but as a person, too! And do further great things not only as a defender of justice, but as a classmate and a man.”

 

With this being said, All Might put the golden medal on the neck of the chuckling halfa. 

 

“Not something I expected when coming here,” he mumbled. 

 

“Happens to the best of us!” All Might laughed. “You know,” he whispered. “You remind me of one person.”

 

“Really?” The halfa tilted his head. 

 

“Or, rather, something he is not. In a very positive way.”

 

Danny raised his eyebrow, making All Might make a loud cough. 

 

“Well!” He spoke to the crowd. “They were the winners today! But listen here! Anyone could end up on these podiums! It’s just as you saw. Competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting!” 

 

‘Wish my speech was like that,’ Danny thought to himself. 

 

“So, I have only one more thing to say that I want you to say with me!” All Might shouted and raised his hand. “Thank you for your hard work!”

 

“Plus Ultra…”

 

The crowd was left befuddled as to why the top hero neglected the school motto. Which made for a good laugh for someone.

---

It was true that the tournament was a launchpad for many aspiring heroes. And it served the purpose well. Already the agencies were in a rush to prepare proper invitations to the promising ones, those that impressed them, those whose Quirks could see their uses. But aside from those usual observers, there were others. Already the criminal world, some members of it, could recognise the move set of one particular contestant. They didn’t know what they would do with that information, so for the time being it was just a topic for private talks. But what of the opposite end of the spectrum? Well, their interest was piqued as well. 

 

“You have brought the papers, correct?” 

 

The question was asked by a stern-looking middle-aged woman to her subordinate, standing at the opposite end of the office desk. 

 

“Yes. The school has sent us the information we requested, but, admittedly, not much to go by.”

 

“I am aware of that fact. That Fenton kid just popped out of nowhere and made a stir.” 

 

“Then you won’t be surprised by what I have to report,” receiving a nod, the man continued. “We have run the names, and it turns out that the boy’s hometown is a ruse. It does not exist.”

 

“How did his papers were even considered legal, then?”

 

“We have no idea. That and his nonexistent documents should have been a problem to the MIC, yet it’s as if something or someone decided to…influence them. We have asked the people who were responsible for approving the kid’s papers, but they don’t even remember it.”

 

“This does sound suspicious. Anything else?”

 

“We have a suspicion that he may be one of the American government’s pet projects. Big powers are not beyond this.”

 

“True. But don’t you think that they would have come for their runaway toy? We have received no requests. But now this will be more problematic.”

 

“Indeed. If he receives an internship abroad, we may never see him again.” 

 

“True. We would not want to lose such a valuable asset. The many Quirks of his are also an issue. Anything on that front?”

 

“From what the school told us, he so far refused the medical tests. It’s not obligatory, so it’s not something we usually demand.” 

 

“We know only of one person capable of that feat. And appearance-wise, it’s something to consider. We need a tighter leash until we know everything. You know what to do in such cases. Arrange us a meeting, Yamato.” 

---

A.N. Finally we are done with this ark. And we move on to something juicy and full of internecine conflicts. As to the internships…where would it be, I wonder.

Chapter 20

"Uhm, Danny-kun, are you alright going like that?" 

Mina's question was addressed to one half-ghost who had forgotten his umbrella at home on a rainy day. The halfa gave his thumbs up and stepped out from under the roof of the bus stop. His intangibility let the droplets go through, leaving him absolutely dry. His friends just rewarded him with deadpan looks as they went the rest of the way on foot. Well, Danny just floated, lest he fell through the ground. 

Only one day had passed since the games, and the crowd obviously had not forgotten about them. And those who entertained them so. Kirishima and Mina took the praises they received in the bus somewhat well, but they had to keep their third accomplice from going invisible. They knew not of his vigilante past, otherwise they would have mused once more about why was he so unused to receiving praise from bystanders. Honestly, Danny was somehow less confident than his undead counterpart. Which was to be expected. Yes, by now everyone knew that they were one and the same, but it was a remnant of the old times, when he could allow himself more outgoing and confident behaviour, knowing it would never be linked to his human part. 

"Guess that's what they mean by waking up famous one day, huh?" Kirishima asked, noticing how people waved at them, and remembering the chaos their trip on a bus was. 

"That's so neat, though," Mina grinned. "Imagine what it's like for actual heroes."

"Can't imagine them being too happy," Danny scratched his cheek. "I suggest saving money for some bulky chums to keep them away."

"That's just you, Danny-kun," Mina nudged him. "Our very own antisocial death-machine."

"More like dead machine," The halfa rolled his eyes. "What? You started it!"

"You really are taking this whole theme seriously."

They didn't know just how much, Danny thought with amusement. Nonetheless, the three of them eventually made it to the school. There, in the classroom, the students were eagerly chatting about their own adventures on the way to U.A. Not that Danny got a chance to share, Mina did all the talking before he could even get to it. 

"You really need to work on your social skills, man," Said Sero and cackled. "A hero needs to stand in the spotlight after all."

The only spotlight he would usually be given before was the one over vivisection table, but Danny chose not to say this out loud.

"Maybe," Danny responded instead and shrugged. "As long as this spotlight ain't like Mineta's." 

"I'm still here!" The grape boy exclaimed. 

"I know. That's why I said it," Danny smiled innocently, before swinging back in the air and facing the silent Todoroki upside down. "What about you, Todoroki?"

The teen blinked and stared at the blue-eyed halfa. "It...was fine. I'm used to it."

"Used to...oh, I get it."

Being the son of number two hero came with certain things, he supposed. 

They were interrupted when Aizawa entered the classroom. As per usual disciplinary procedures, his greeting was responded in kind by students who immediately took their seats. The tired teacher once again looked over the classroom and sighed tiredly. 

"Today we are having a special hero informatics class."

His words sent tremor among the most impressionable of the students, who feared that the teacher had a stack of test papers stashed in his desk. 

"You'll be coming up with hero names."

And that statement in turn made the elated kids show their excitement too much, enough for the teacher to make scary red eyes to force them to keep quiet. Danny was not among them, for the sole reason that he, well, already had a name. So his excitement was mostly due to the fact that he wouldn't have to do anything at all that day. That was quite fortunate. 

"This is related to the draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts begin in the earnest during the second and third years. After students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your potential. These offers are often cancelled if the interest dies down by graduation."

"So we'll have to prove ourselves, then?" Asked Hagakure. 

"Yes. And let's take a look at the offers." 

The list made a lot of students raise their eyebrows. Because there was one peculiarity that made everyone turn to look at Danny. His name was at the very bottom, with Todoroki and Bakugo being first and second respectively.

"Uhm... is this chart the actual one?" Kirishima asked. 

"Yeah, why is the winner of the games only has a couple of offers?" Added Sero. 

Aizawa sighed, glancing at the befuddled halfa. "This is something that we two will discuss in private. There's a reason for that, and the school is aware of it."

Something unpleasant arose in Danny's stomach. He really did not like where this was going. So many possibilities and ideas rushed through his head, ranging in terms of gore and general dislike of his ghost self some may have had. He stared at the chalkboard, wondering what urged those few people to take interest when others had opted to stay put? It was even more suspicious at that point. There weren't any names for him to make judgement, and honestly, he would not be able to make a call, since he was not much interested in heroes themselves. He also wondered if Makoto was actually one of those 'daring' people. Danny got thoughtful, while the rest of the class was eagerly chatting about their own offers. Midoriya actually shared Danny's misfortune, actually getting no offers at all. Most likely because his tactics so far were very reckless, and the agencies were reluctant.

"Keeping these results in mind, whether someone asked you or not, you will all be participating in internships with pros. At USJ you already got the chance to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be valuable training for you to see heroes' work firsthand."

"Oh, so that's why we pick hero names!" Uraraka guessed. 

Aizawa nodded. "These are temporary, but if you don't pay it enough attention..."

"There will be a hell to pay later!" 

The shout came from the open doors, as Midnight strolled into the classroom, much to the delight of certain members of male audience. 

"Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognised by society, they end up becoming real hero names." 

"That's how it is," Aizawa confirmed. "I'm not the person to ask for counselling in this matter. That's why Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. Remember this well: when you take up a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future. As they say, names and nature often agree."

After the encouragement, white tablets were passed down among the students to write down their hero names. When Danny got his hands on one, he almost instantly came to a decision. For over a year he had been carrying his moniker, the one that had stuck to him so well, it was a pointless endeavour to try and think up any synonyms to the word 'ghost', when 'Danny Phantom' was already his second name. However, scratching out his first name seemed like a logical step, especially since everyone and their mother addressed his ghostly form like that. The local heroes also held certain epithets before their names, like Aizawa having the title of 'Erasure hero'. 

"Okay," Midnight spoke. "Let's start presenting names, beginning with those who are ready." 

It did come off as a surprise to many, and Danny saw Kirishima's reaction, too. The half ghost had been gallivanting with his name anyhow, so he was more at ease.

The first to come forth was Aoyama, who proudly raised his tablet. 

"The Shining Hero: I Cannot Stop Twinkling!" 

Danny held back a laugh at the amalgamation of a name, but he knew better than to laugh at someone. Surprisingly, Midnight chose to be more reserved in her remarks. 

"You probably should remove 'I' and shorten 'cannot' to 'can't'."

"Thank you, Mademoiselle."

Danny sighed and got up next, approaching the teacher's desk. Better get that over with, and perhaps give some courage to the rest. At his own expense. 

"Prepare to be shocked," he said sarcastically and flipped the tablet. "The Spectral Hero: Phantom." 

"Why not a ghost hero?" Asked Sero. 

"Well, while 'Spectral' is not as specific," Midnight responded, "Phantom is basically synonymous to the word 'ghost'. It's basically like saying that water is wet." 

"But Aizawa-sensei is Erasure hero," pointed out Midoriya. 

"True. But that's what you were guided by, weren't you, Fenton?" Asked Midnight.

"I just liked this one more," Danny mumbled in embarrassment. 

"Oh. Well, it is still a good hero name. Concise and to the point. You can go back to your seat..."

"He will be coming with me for a moment," suddenly said Aizawa from his sleeping back. "It will save both of us some time," he added. 

"Oh, sure," Midnight shrugged as the teacher made a gesture for Danny to follow him. 

Once the two were out of the classroom, followed by several curious and worried pairs of eyes, Aizawa made sure that there was nobody else around in the corridor. 

"Is this about my internship, sir?" Danny asked. 

"It is," Aizawa nodded. "You see, the reason you didn't get many invitations was because you were added on a 'special' list." 

"This doesn't sound ominous at all." 

"It's not as horrid as you imagine. This list is made by Hero Public Safety Commission — a special organ dedicated to heroes and villains. They take interest in some especially promising or dangerous individuals from the school desks as well." 

"And which category am I in?" Danny narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going. 

"Certainly not the latter. We would not be talking otherwise. The information is confidential, shared only among the agencies. Basically, they are not to send their information to you. The ones that did are either too influential or oblivious to the list. Which are the ones you would not have taken interest in in the first place." 

"Wow. Stripping me of potential employers is a great way to make me fulfil my civic duty," Danny grumbled. 

Aizawa sighed. "If it is any consolation, I think All Might too was under their scrutiny. And Hawks."

"Who?" Danny tilted his head.

"You should know your math if you want to work as a hero, Fenton," the teacher responded. "He is a number three hero. What I am getting at, is that you should take this as a recognition of your skill and power."

"Recognition itself ain't gonna feed me," Danny crossed his hands. "Can't you people just send letters and talk?"

"I'm not debating this, Fenton, that's not what I called you for. I volunteered to explain to you what to do." 

"Thanks, I suppose," Danny sighed. "Go on."

"It isn't much, but you should visit the Commission and talk to them. From what I gathered, for now they simply wish to know more of you."

"Gee, can't wait to show them my spaceship collection," the halfa deadpanned. "Will I be able to be an intern?"

"Maybe. All Might was. I suggest you talk to him when you get the chance, he will know more than me." 

At this, Danny nodded. The situation he was in did not bring him any joy, as his memories of all government interactions was a poor one. Well, for his ghost self. He was among the reasons an entire agency was created under the congressional control. He would have been proud, if not for their desire to inhumanely cut him apart. Now the history was all too eager to repeat itself, and for all his displeasure, Danny knew that he'd better not screw up. Not after everything he had done. 

He soon returned to the class, being told not to talk about the Commission. Danny sat through the remaining part of the lessons, as his classmates picked their names one by one. The halfa, however, no matter the wish to act attentive, could only pay half a mind to it, trying to come to terms with the situation and come up with a plan. Still, he shared a laugh at Bakugo's ridiculous placeholder name, and amusedly noted the nature of Kirishima's. Mina's name 'Alien Queen' was just as outlandish as her, which made it suitable. 

As the school day went on, Danny tried to do as Aizawa had instructed — ask All Might for that unique sort of advice. However, his search was largely fruitless initially. Danny spent a large portion of the lunch break trying to find the teacher, but he probably had more important things to do. And as he searched for the teacher, he didn't notice a person curiously following him around. And as Danny was near the cafeteria building, he thought he had seen something. Something oddly reminiscent of a face. The halfa turned back and saw nothing, blinking and then dismissing it as a trick of his perplexed mind. That is, until he turned forward once more and saw a blonde head sticking from the wall. 

"Hello there!" The head of a blue-eyed boy spoke. 

"Alright, what did they put in my soda?" Danny asked slowly. 

"Copious amounts of sugar. Bad for your heart," the boy grinned. "But you seem alright."

Danny smirked. "For my heart to fail it has to start beating for a change. So, Mr. Potato head, come here often?" 

The blonde cackled. "Not really. I've been looking for you, you are Fenton-san, right?" 

"My fame precedes me," Danny sighed dramatically. "What do you need, eh..." 

"Oh, right!" The older boy's face was that of realisation. "I'm supposed to introduce myself, too! I'm Mirio, from class 3-B." 

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Nice to meet you...but I'm still waiting for an answer."

Mirio grinned and vanished inside the wall again. Believing this to be an invitation, as the boy had clearly watched the games and knew the halfa was capable of puruing, Danny calmly phased inside, his search temporarily forgotten. Immediately he saw how a taller, muscular young man scrutinised him. The halfa hadn't expected someone with such a child-like face to possess such a build. 

"So he does have a body," Danny smirked. 

"As you can see," Mirio rubbed his chin, obviously thinking about something. "How did you go through the wall so easily and kept standing?" 

That was an odd question, but Danny tried to answer it. 

"I never actually stand," he explained. "I always float millimetres above ground. So I just...went through." 

"And what of clothes?" 

"I can spread intangibility to everything I touch, including my clothes. Had my share of accidents to make me remember."

"That's handy!"

"Yeah," Danny said. "So, ehm, what did you call me for?" 

"Right! I was very curious to meet you in person, ever since I saw how you did in the games."

"Weren't you supposed to be a part of those, for your year?" The halfa raised an eyebrow.

"I watched the recordings!" Mirio said without missing a beat. "I got very curious, because your Quirk can do the similar thing to mine!" 

"You turn intangible, too?" asked Danny. 

"Well, Permeation is what they call it. Sure, I got no flashy attacks or the power of an AC unit, but you don't utilise your Quirk to the fullest," the boy gave a goofy smile. 

"The enemy can't touch me," Danny shrugged, realising that the boy's expertise concerned that ability first and foremost. "That's what intangibility is for." 

"You are right, but you are also wrong. There are many ways you can use that power."

Danny blinked. "Like?" 

"Heh, it will be easier to show. I also think this will be a valuable experience for both of us! By trying to best someone with permeation, I can learn to predict what my enemies may try in the future against me." 

The halfa smirked. "And you will show me some tricks for my own Quirk, huh?" 

"This will be only fair," the boy's ever present bright smile shone. "We should take the most out of our time and make some TANGIBLE progress. Get it?"

Danny cackled. He liked that guy. He still wasn't sure how that basic power could translate to any better fighting ability, but seeing what the boy had in store would not hurt. 

"Maybe some time, pal," the halfa said. "I'm kinda busy right now. By the way, have you seen All Might? Is he here?" 

"I think he went to do the hero stuff."

"Fudge. I guess I'll be on my merry way." 

"Good luck on your path, then," Mirio saluted dramatically.

After that brief but promising exchange, the rest of the day proceeded as normal, with Danny's initial worries slightly numbed. There was no point in pondering on that if All Might was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the halfa hoped that back home he could find some advice. When Danny got to his apartment building, he didn't bother putting the keys in anything, just lazily going through any obstacle on his path. It was much quicker, and he never was the one to put up with such stupid and restrictive rules. As he neared the doors of Tsukauchi's apartment, his hearing was already picking some high octaves from within. Concerned, the halfa opted to use the keys and do so as loud as possible, so as to alert the detective and, evidently, his sister, of his arrival. Despite his effort, the rant Makoto was vomiting at Tsukauchi did not cease. 

"They forbid me from employing my own nephew, Naomasa!" She exclaimed. "After all the trouble I went through, too." 

"The HPSC doesn't do anything like that for no reason. There must be one," said the detective. 

"Reason my ass. He's free to choose whichever internship he wants."

"Why don't we ask him, then?" Asked Tsukauchi and turned towards Danny. 

"I see you got the message," the halfa turned to Makoto. 

"And I'm not happy about it. What's with this sudden crap?" 

"Neither am I," Danny muttered, having endured Bakugo's laughing at him. Dropping his things nearby and falling on the sofa, he tilted his raven-haired head to Tsukauchi. "And I still don't fully get it. What am I supposed to do now?" 

"Well, you did get SOME offers," Tsukauchi responded, digging through the papers on the coffee table. 

"And yours isn't there?" Asked Danny, referring to Makoto.

"Captain Celebrity doesn't want to risk the relations with the Japanese authorities. When you go on that list, it means no overseas trips for you, either." 

"Mmm, I can't strive for a job, I can't go abroad. Did I owe them money at some point?" The halfa hummed. 

And in that joke he found some haunting suspicion that the HPSC could be aware of his illegal escapades. That made awfully too much sense. 

"At least you keep chin up," Tsukauchi flashed a small smile. "As I kept telling Makoto, it's not a bad thing. If anything, it means that you are all but set up in life."

"Huh?" 

"If the highest authority on heroes employs your services, it opens a lot of doors for you." 

"And also puts a leash on me, hm?" Asked the halfa. "They already left the nasty aftertaste, old man. I don't want my boss to issue me ultimatums each time they want something. A bunch of pricks is who they are." 

"He's got a point," added Makoto. "They left the kid with little to no choice." 

"I must be very scary," Danny put hands behind his head. "Scary, spooky undead kid." 

"Jee, you take this part seriously," Makoto mumbled. 

"Until I start properly breathing again, your arguments are invalid."

"Hey, I'm on your side here," Makoto smirked. 

"I am, too," added Tsukauchi tiredly. "I'm just saying that both of you are overdramatising."

"How exactly are we 'overdramatising', old man?" Danny looked at the ceiling and lazily dropped his arm off the couch. "I'm not the one barging into someone's life like an alcoholic father in the midnight."

"They were obviously in a hurry, hence their crude methods. Perhaps you should take their invitation and talk."

"An invitation?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Nobody told me that part." 

"Yes. After all, they aren't stripping you of any internships. They merely want you to choose them." 

"Old man, they literally scared off the rest. Those are some unfair hiring practices. Anyway, who did send the offers?" 

"Well, if you are shooting for the highest," Makoto looked through the papers. "Then this one takes the cake."

Danny took the list and his eyes widened in surprise. 

"What does Endeavour want with me? Didn't I beat his kid?" He scratched his temple. 

"Obviously the guy doesn't hold a grudge. Which is odd, I heard he is exactly the opposite," Makoto responded. 

"He also has the reputation of a Number Two hero, and the one with such impeccable crime-stopping record. It is enough for him to scoff at HPSC recommendations." 

"Recommendations," Danny repeated, wondering if he had heard him correctly.

"Yes, they are worded in such a manner, meaning that technically the heroes CAN take you in. Nobody else just wants to go through the trouble."

"Props to him for bravery, I guess."

"Don't hurry off and take any offer you see, Danny," Tsukauchi warned. "HPSC may not openly act against Endeavour over such triviality, but you are not immune to their anger. Much less so if you choose another agency. It is better that you go to them and talk this over first. In fact, tomorrow is your day off, so it will be a perfect time to pay a visit." 

"So what, they just are gonna put everything aside just for me?" 

"They did contact me, as your guardian. So everything is arranged." 

Danny sighed. "And here I looked forward to the weekend." 

Truth be told, Tsukauchi himself was not exactly sure of how to proceed. A year ago, he would have never expected himself in such situation. And a while back, he could only suspect such an outcome, not prepare for it. Thus, in Danny's stead, he was the one to ask his friend All Might for advice. The Number One hero was surprised by that knowledge, but came to accept it easily, understanding the hows and whys of HPSC's actions. Still unwilling to let go of his theory, it only made sense to All Might to continue guiding the halfa along the path of law and good. Both he and Tsukauchi had their suspicions confirmed — Danny's mood took a plummet, so it was up to the boy's guardian to make sure that it would not deteriorate further. However, that part would largely depend on the commission. 

After the initial frustration was gone, namely the following morning, he was willing to go with the flow until he faced those people. For all he knew, they could just be inconsiderate instead of outright vile, like the bastards in white. Their responsibility was not eradication of supernatural, so they could be negotiated with. Danny assured himself that way, he was more worried and frustrated than angry. The commission's decision would ultimately have an impact on his life in that world. On the road there, Tsukauchi advised him to keep cool head, and Danny chose to comply. It even felt somewhat amusing, for even in a world where Quirks were common, he still was under scrutiny. 

Sighing, the halfa leaned back in his seat, lazily scrolling through the newsfeed his phone. 

"Nothing interesting, huh?" Tsukauchi tried to continue the conversation. 

"Mostly the usual hero stuff," Danny shrugged. "But I recently read about something...about Ingenium."

"Hmm..." Tsukauchi tried to recollect the name. "Turbo Hero? I've heard the reports that he was injured." 

"That's it?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"I have my designated areas, Danny. Some things are beyond my knowledge, you know," the detective flashed a small smile and made a turn. "What got you interested, though?" 

"He is the brother of one of my classmates," Danny responded seriously. "And he wasn't just injured, he is out of commission. By some edgy shithead with a long murder and life-maiming list. The 'hero killer'," the halfa mocked the title.

"I know him," Tsukauchi's voice turned serious again. "17 kills, 23 heroes left incapacitated," he clarified. "Designated as A-class villain, bordering on S. He isn't your usual criminal, because heroes are his sole targets. Some intricate hatred for them seems to be his motive. So I wouldn't take him lightly if I were you."

"And his Quirk?"

"We don't know...Danny," Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare." 

"Dare come after the edgelord supreme?" Danny asked sarcastically. "Don't see you guys moving to arrest him." 

"Because he is dangerous and elusive," responded Tsukauchi. "Danny, we are in the middle of commission's investigation into YOU."

"Someone sure sets priorities straight," the halfa said. "There's a murderous psycho out there, yet a kid is their main goal. If you guys stopped trying to control everything and directed effort elsewhere, who knows, maybe All Might can call it a day for once." 

"I'm not starting this debate with you again, Danny," Tsukauchi rubbed his temples. "Instead of complaining, you should also direct all this energy to being a hero." 

"That's what I am trying to do," Danny grumbled. "But your rules keep standing in my way." 

The detective sighed once more, letting go of the wheel in front of a red light. 

"It seems you never changed your mind on vigilantism." 

"Nope. I am proud of the lives I've saved. It's as I told you every time before: you CANNOT control it all. And you CAN'T prevent as many deaths because you keep people's hands tied. This whole mechanism is bulky and slow, you can't react in time. Vigilantes can be of help." 

"And what can you even do, Danny? This is a high-rank villain which evaded us for years. You think you can easily track him down and beat him?" 

Tsukauchi was getting exasperated. In his denial Danny was undermining the effort each of his and the commission's men were making. 

"True. Finding him is the main problem. Don't really have the experience with how my villains were pretty on the nose. But he is also 100 percent weaker than most of them." 

"You mean to say that your town was filled to the brim with A-class villains AND didn't get any attention? Danny, you are lying, admit it."

"I am not!"

"Then how, pray tell, these people came to your place?" 

"They were ghosts!" Danny exclaimed in frustration, before realising his slip. For better or worse, the teen saw that Tsukauchi was not convinced. And not amused.

"We are done here, Daniel." 

The half ghost narrowed his eyes, but said nothing and looked away. Convincing Tsukauchi would be pointless, and would put his secret in jeopardy. And besides, what would it really change? Both of them were incredibly stubborn, and if his own sister was unable to change his mind, then what could he, a kid he had picked off the street, do to make the detective see things his way? And Danny would not change his mind, for his past was still in his memory, he remembered how he was the sole protector of his town. How the bureaucratic machine did not want to understand the nuances and simply ordered a genocide Phantom managed one day to prevent. How despite everything he did the knuckleheads from GIW tried to kill him. True, Danny knew murder is not something the commission did, but the first woe was already evident. 

The detective did not want to believe the kid. He did not in fact sense a lie with his Quirk, having accused the boy in an emotional outburst, but Danny himself could believe what he was saying. His stories about the past appeared wild, outlandish and odd. Yet, too well-put together to be an on the spot lie. But seriously, ghosts? Those were not real, and even Danny was naught by a child with similar abilities. The detective remembered the atrocious scar the boy had on his chest, the traumatic reaction he had to electricity, the lack of proper heartbeat and breathing — the most evident signs of life — and couldn't help but wonder if his charge actually believed himself to be...dead. That thought was more grim than Danny made it appear with his laid-back attitude and jokes. 

He kept wondering about that part as they drove the rest of the way to the building. It was seemingly like all others around it, just a faceless glass Goliath, with a minor addition of a sign high above. The two of them entered it, passing the security by presenting a signed list of paper and the passport. And in the main hall, they came across a very tired and gaunt looking person with blonde hair. 

“You are Tsukauchi-san, right?” He asked, his voice as slow and exhausted as his appearance suggested. 

“It’s me,” the detective nodded curtly. 

The man then turned towards the teen. 

“And you must be Fenton-san,” he added and yawned. “Follow me, I’ll show you the way.” 

“Jeez,” Danny mumbled as he followed the man. “Can’t get a proper sleep, sir?” 

“Too much work lumped on me as of late,” their guide was eager to complain. “So I don’t get much, no…we are somewhat understaffed as of late.” 

“Hm, that explains a lot,” Danny muttered, before being nudged by the detective. 

“Danny. Your tongue,” he warned, genuinely concerned where the boy’s attitude could lead them. 

“Whatever,” the overworked man sighed as they entered the elevator. “We get this a lot.” 

“How bad is it?” Asked Tsukauchi, professional interest taking over for a moment. 

“The extent is confidential, I’m afraid. Enough to not be able to hide it, I suppose.” 

Danny’s expression was a mix of ‘I told you so’, and the dryness unseen before on his face. Tsukauchi chose to ignore that. 

Eventually they made it to the office that read ‘The President’ and were taken aback.

“Wait, we are talking to the president about it?” Tsukauchi asked in surprise. “Just how serious is this?” 

“I don’t know. But you are not going in, Tsukauchi-san. President’s order. She wants to talk to the boy.” 

Tsukauchi’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure this is…”

“I’ll be fine, old man,” Danny gave a devilish grin. “Let’s see what they want from me. Can always shoot up the place.” 

He saw the look of their guide. “Just kidding, sheesh,” the halfa huffed. 

“You can wait in my office, Tsukauchi-san, it’s just down the corridor.” 

The detective sighed. “Be watchful of what you say, Danny,” he gave one final advice, before seeing his charge enter the office with a smirk on his face. 

On the inside, the halfa immediately took a look around the spacious room, confused about why it was so poorly lit despite the window in its far end, behind the desk at which a middle-aged, stern-looking blonde woman sat. Near her was a tall and gruff-looking man, perhaps her secretary. 

“Wow, that’s not ominous at all,” Danny muttered, before coughing. It was time for his usual method of dealing with pressure. He smirked. “Good morning, ma’am, sir,” the halfa greeted. 

The officials were obviously not amused with half-casual greeting. Not their native one at that. 

“Fenton-san. We have watched your performance during the games. Quite admirable if I say so myself, take a…”

She didn’t finish the sentence as the halfa already sat on a chair in front of her. 

“Let’s skip the pleasantries,” Danny responded, his look becoming cold despite his smile. “Especially since I have none to give back.” 

“Really?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “And how did we earn the scorn of an adolescent?” 

“Come on, you know why. You guys basically scared off my potential employers. Of course I have nothing good to say about you yet.” 

“Listen, kid…”

The president raised her hand and the secretary fell silent. 

“They all react in a similar manner,” she reminded him. “The boy is just more vocal about it.” 

“This is no excuse to behave in such a manner.” 

“Why did you invite me anyway?” Asked Danny. “You have no armed people here, no heroes. So you don’t see me as a threat,” he observed. 

“You have no way of knowing that,” the secretary rebutted. 

“The second we entered this floor, my invisible clone rummaged through the rooms and even in the walls. The coffee machine in the left office is broken, by the way.”

The expression of the secretary made it all worth it in the halfa’s eyes. That was a lie, Danny hadn’t learned to think this far ahead. But the man was surprisingly an open book, which was odd, given his position near a stone-faced lady.

“You are right, Fenton-san. We have no plans of attacking or detaining you. We are also defenceless within this room. Faced by a child who can break apart this whole building from what we have observed. We show you enough trust and good will now, and we hope you can appreciate it.”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “Doesn’t mean I trust you people.” 

“This is a strange attitude for someone in your position. You are training to be a hero, are you not? We are bound to be allies.” 

“You obviously read everything you could find on me. I don’t need to answer why.” 

“But we would like to hear your side of the story.” 

“My side? It is my side, basically. I was a vigilante, and people like you never did anything useful. That’s pretty much it.” 

“But we are not them. We are across the continent, in fact. Tell me, Fenton-san, why did you even start your training as a hero? You must have been aware of regulations we have here.” 

“I was not,” Danny shrugged. “I was just offered to use my powers for something I can do. So I accepted. I’m…not much good in anything else.” 

“Each job comes with rules, Fenton-san.”

“I know, just like office plankton cannot make scans of their butts, heroes can’t move without your permission, right?” 

“This is not that extreme. Pro-heroes are autonomous, we are simply the coordinators. It is the students which we carefully observe.”

“Oh, so maybe one of my classmates is here?” Danny looked back over his shoulder. “Nope. Number two would have been loud enough.”

“You are simply an intriguing case. And we take interest in such peculiarities, also. Your Quirk has so many applications, young one.” 

“Yes. And I decide what to do with it,” Danny said with all seriousness. “I chose to help people, and this should be enough.” 

“It is not that simple…”

“I study at a Hero School,” Danny leaned forward, “Alongside other students who are not being summoned here against their will. If anything, you are the ones who make it difficult. What’s your problem with me anyway?”

“We don’t have a ‘problem’. In fact, we invited you here to grant you an internship, Fenton-san.” 

The halfa stared at the woman, wondering if he had heard her correctly. “So that’s actually the reason. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Tsukauchi-san: I’m not interested. So just let me get an internship where I want it.” 

“This is not an offer you can easily refuse like that, kid,” said the secretary. “This is a guaranteed career after you are done with the school.”

“Yes, career as your lapdog,” Danny responded. “Or what, you do this out of a kindness of your heart?” 

“We do this because your potential is extreme, and we have need of someone like a hero you may grow into, Fenton-san.” 

“No, you don’t,” the halfa responded. “You don’t need a hero like me, I’m sure. That’s why you want to get control over what I do. Greater control than what you have over other heroes.” 

President had to commend the boy for his paranoia-like suspicions that were not so detached from the truth. She did want that control, as he could be a valuable asset of HPSC, one that had to be nourished as early as possible. Certainly, the boy was much older than Hawkes back in the day, but still a student. While his past vigilantism had been a pointer towards his woes with the law, she still had had hopes that a child in a somewhat similar position would be if not just as, but almost as amicable to the offer. Turns out, Danny was stubborn and could hold a grudge.

“This is an exaggeration. While it is true that being employed by us has certain unique aspects, we are not imposing anything extraordinary on you.” 

“Then explain to me what it entails,” Danny shrugged. 

“We will simply assign you to one of our close associate heroes for starters. We will also prepare a training regimen for you to follow…”

“And like that you’ve lost me,” Danny interrupted, yawning theatrically. Tsukauchi’s past advice was long forgotten. 

President was getting annoyed by the boy’s attitude. She could not show it. 

“And just what seems to be the problem? This regimen will be unique and adequate to your Quirk and our type of missions.” 

“The school does the same thing. You piling even more shit on me will only make me resemble your poor guide-man.” 

“You really thought this job will be an easy ride?” The secretary spat. 

“To be honest, I just don’t like you and won’t hear anything, but so far yes, it was an easy ride,” Danny tilted his head and smiled. 

“If you let your preconceived notions stop you from growing, then you will be a very subpar hero,” President lady allowed herself some visible negative emotions.

“Lemme tell you something. Back in the day I was continuously getting offers from a guy that wanted to train me. After all, our powers are not that different. And each time I told him no, because I knew what piece of crap he was. I am not going back on who I am just for power’s sake. The sooner you learn it, the better.” 

“Think of the lives you can save with that power, attained not from a villain, but from other heroes.”

“Courtesy of your rules, I can’t save ANY lives until I’m out of the school. And because of YOU, I can’t even do it during the internships. You don’t care about saving lives, you called me for your own interests.” 

“Our interests and that of civilians align,” President narrowed her eyes. “A petulant child is not to lecture us on how to run things.” 

“Am I wrong, though?” Danny asked, unshaken by her glare. “I already told you that NO. I’m not working with you.” 

“By refusing, you prevent yourself from an important part of education.” 

“By you existing I’m being denied that,” Danny spat back. “I did get a couple of offers, still. I may not like Endeavour much, based on what I heard, but I may just take his offer now.” 

“Listen here, you little brat…” 

President once again stopped her secretary. “Let’s do it this way, Fenton-san. What do you need to accept our offer? What does Endeavour have that we don’t?” 

“Admittedly, there is one difference. He is not you. Granted, he might turn out to be a sack of shit, too, but that’s up in the air.”

President sighed. “I didn’t wish to resort to this. Do you know of someone named ‘Pariah’, boy?” 

And at that Danny froze. His worst fear had just been confirmed. 

“No idea. What does this have to do with anything?” 

“Some of the criminals who attacked U.A. were all too eager to point at your photo and tell us a lot of interesting things. So that’s what you were doing for a living before Eraserhead caught you.” 

“I was a penniless bum. I didn’t even kill anyone,” Danny said through his teeth. 

“You still broke the law. Furthermore, you never even chose to inform the authorities,” the secretary stated. 

“We can declare you a criminal right now,” added President.

“So threats it is,” Danny mumbled. “And you will be standing in one room with a criminal. It will be quite unfortunate.” 

“It will. That’s why we suggest that you don’t make it worse for anyone and keep a cool head.” 

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. As damn expected, people who talked only in ultimatums gave him another one. The halfa was pissed, and his eyes glowed, making President instinctively reach for a button under her table. Wiping his face slowly, Danny took a deep thoughtful breath. 

“Alright. I don’t have much of a choice, it seems. But we will do it on my conditions.” 

“What makes you think you can give any? That train is gone now,” the secretary responded. 

“None of us wants to make another side go nuts, you said so. I can still kill you with a flick of my hand. And you will also lose any chance of me working for you even if I don’t. So, let’s make a proper deal then.” 

“What’s your conditions then?” 

Danny hummed. “First, ditch that training bull. Your pet hero can give the rundown of what you need. Two, my arena adventure stays between us.”

“Acceptable,” President responded, knowing that saving the recourses meant for training would do them good in the end. 

“And finally. I can’t bear seeing your mugs for too long. I agree to spend half of the internship time with your hero. Another one I’ll spend with a hero of my choosing.” 

“It’s too late for offers now,” the secretary said. “Although you have probably set your mind on the existing one already,” he huffed. 

“You show signs of intelligence,” Danny smiled at the angry expression. 

President hummed. It wasn’t much, but every journey began with a first step. And even that would give them limited control over what the boy did. And by the time the boy got his provisional license, the situation would be much different. Internships usually took only a part of the week, technically Danny could sacrifice some more free time to another internship. It was a very strange arrangement, but President was confident that eventually Endeavour’s short temper would be malcontent with the boy’s lack of concentration and perhaps tiredness. And eventually the entirety of time would be theirs. 
 
“Very well, Fenton-san, you have yourself an arrangement.” 

Chapter 21

 

A.N. Phew, that took a while. Been busy moving houses, y’all. So I apologise for taking so long.

---

To say that Todoroki felt strange was to say nothing. All along the path to his father's agency he was perplexed by several important conundrums. What would he say to Endeavour when they met on the latter's territory? How should he act when faced by that man's arrogance and blindness? That and many other questions plagued the boy's mind. Another one of them was quite simplistic in nature, and that was why he was being followed by his class president. For too long their paths through the city were absolutely similar, with Danny trailing behind, too absorbed in his own thoughts to call more attention to himself. 

"Fenton-san, don't you have your own internship?" Todoroki finally managed to ask. 

Danny blinked. "Oh, didn't I tell you?" He asked and tilted his head. "I was offered a spot at Endeavour's place, so I took it."

The human teen stared at his classmate wide-eyed, before returning to his usual apathetic expression. "I wonder what made him so interested." 

"Someone is being rude," Danny smirked. "I'm not sure myself. But it was the best offer of the few I got, so," he shrugged. 

"I can't imagine what the rest of them was like." 

"Not the best picks, I admit...wait, did you just make a joke?" 

"No." 

"You definitely did," Danny lightly nudged him. "Not a second into the internship and I'm already rubbing off on you." 

Todoroki sighed. Admittedly, Fenton was not the worst companion he could have. Bakugo would have taken that spot, but he was currently under the guidance of the Number Four hero — the highest one that took interest in him. While Todoroki had no animosity towards the blonde, the latter would certainly have made it difficult. Danny was quite alright in Todoroki's book, the memory of their interactions during the festival still fresh in his mind. He could, after all, relate to his situation to some extent. 

"Did you learn the reason you got so few offers?" 

"Other than racism and unwillingness to intern a foreigner, I cannot tell, I am afraid. Although your Dad must know. He still chose to invite me despite that other reason. And if he is the one to spill the beans, not my fault," Danny smirked and winked. 

Unfortunately, he picked the worst person to give a clue to. He soon realised that when they finally faced Endeavour's agency — a colossal dark skyscraper with the man's insignia above the entrance. Danny whistled after witnessing the living proof of the man's ego with his own eyes. 

"Wow, you think he is compensating for something?" The halfa asked and looked at his classmate. 

"Compensating for what?" Todoroki asked in genuine confusion. 

Metaphorical ellipsis appeared near Danny's head as he processed the situation. 

"You know, forget I said anything..." he paused. "I also referred to his di..."

A stranger accidentally bumping into him was what stopped the halfa from insinuating further. Todoroki ignored the antics of his classmate, leading the way inside. Despite this being his first internship, the teen was quite aware of where to go. His father had been rather clear with his instructions. Danny decided to trust the human on that, scanning the surroundings with a degree of curiosity. After all, coming here was his voluntary choice, so by default he was more interested in what he was seeing. It was also his first visit to an actual hero agency, and he wondered how everything worked around there. He had honestly expected a mix of a batcave and a fire department, taking training and equipment parts from the former and the alarms for quick reaction of the latter. But from what little he was seeing at the moment, Danny was frankly unimpressed. He sure saw the direction signs for a gym and the like, but the rest, outside of remarkable and imposing decor, was nothing remarkable. 

Another observation was also made — how spacious every single room was, and it truly was the nightmare of an agoraphobic person. The two students made it to the offices, and honestly, one would have to run a marathon to go from one end to another. And in the end opposite from the entrance, the large imposing doors beckoned, evidently the place where the big guy himself resided. 

"Definitely compensating," Danny mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"Hey, look," his hearing caught some whispers. "The chef's kid is here." 

"Huh, we are actually having Fenton, too?" Another sidekick asked. "Sheesh, we are rocking this year round."

"Come on," Todoroki told the halfa. "We'll have a talk." 

Danny pulled a smile on his face. "Lead the way," he shrugged. 

Coming up to the doors, the two of them entered Endeavour's abode. Built in the same style as the rest, the overly spacious room contained only the working desk and the set of a table and chairs in the middle. To receive visitors, no doubt. There, at the desk, the Flame Hero himself sat, wearing his fiery costume.

"Bet the smoke alarms don't work in this place," Danny whispered, trying to lift the mood. 

"Did you say something?" Asked Endeavour, looking up from the papers and rising from his seat. 

"I just wondered if it is comfortable working with flammable materials like this," the halfa tried to put it lightly. 

Endeavour huffed. "I control my fire just fine," an arrogant smile appeared on his face as he looked at his son. "I have been waiting for you, Shoto. It seems you are finally ready to take the path of the mighty, huh? I have no intention of going down the path you made. I'm here to make my own."

"Oh, well, you should get ready, for we are going out." 

"And what do I do?" Danny asked. 

"You are coming along, too, Fenton," Endeavour told him. "But I don't see the suit with you." 

"I have one on the go, if you remember," Danny said, as his eyes flashed with neon green. 

"Quick reaction is important," Endeavour said curtly. "Then prepare yourself. We're moving out immediately. I'll show you what a hero is."

"To where?" Asked Shoto.

"If the recent incident follows precedent, then the hero killer will appear in Hosu City again. We will go there on a trip and work there," said Endeavour and opened the door out of the office, "Contact Hosu City immediately!" He ordered to his subordinates.

Todoroki turned to his classmate, who had a wide grin on his face. 

"Looks like I hit a jackpot," the halfa said, excitement evident on his face. 

That's what Danny had come for. A piece of some real hero action, not whatever bullshit the commission wanted him to do. The halfa wanted to put down that bastard, and now he was getting his chance...although, his input would probably be less than what he desired, with how he was still an intern. His radiant enthusiasm contradicted Todoroki's cold pragmatism. For he had no love for his father, evidently. However, he knew there was a lot to learn from the hero who had risen so high. And it was also what his mother wished for him. 

From his thoughts he was snapped out by the halfa, who in the bright flash switched to his ghost persona. 

"Let's not keep that bozo waiting," Danny grinned toothily and stretched his muscles. 

It turned out that having a lot of sidekicks and employees allowed to move around with free hands, with luggage and all possible equipment transported by those who were suddenly sent out on a business trip. Danny enjoyed the fact that he had little to no luggage, other than his daily needs. Internships meant living near the place of said learning, too, and it was partially the reason why the Commission was devilishly rubbing their hands in anticipation. Two internships meant long commuting, and in case of Endeavour and another hero, it was over a thousand kilometres worth of commuting. The HPSC really wanted him to either faint from exhaustion or accept their terms. But he would push himself and waste hours of his life daily just blasting from one end of the country to another. He would not let them win. The trip to Hosu shaved off a couple of minutes, admittedly. But it still made him wonder.

"Say, Endeavour-san," Danny turned away from the window of the car, which they, for the lack of Shoto's ability to fly, employed. He thus broke the awkward silence. "Just to clarify: you were told about my situation, right?" 

The man spared him a look. "That you will be here only every other day? Yes, so I was told."

Shoto raised an eyebrow. "Why do you have such schedule?" He asked his classmate. 

"Can't tell or I will go to the naughty corner," Danny sighed. "Yet...you still agreed, Endeavour-san. Why so?" 

"I have my reasons," the man responded curtly. "We can still manage without an extra intern."

"Oof, right in the feels," Danny theatrically put a hand over his heart. "Still, thanks for bearing with that. It's not like I'm slacking, after all."

Unlike with the commission, this time he was watchful of what he said in front of the hero, lest he antagonised him in any way. Danny had decided that he would do anything to finish that internship, even if it meant biting his tongue more than a few times in the future. 

"Spare the excuses," Endeavour raised his palm. 

'Sheesh, no wonder Todoroki is so quiet most of the time.' 

It was one thing having an internship with a guy like that, it must have been even more difficult living under the same roof. Danny's own parents were the opposite. Always loud, talkative, and largely uncaring of what he did until it was too grave. Or until the moments of enlightenment when they remembered how little time they spent near their children and actually tried to do something about it. Tsukauchi was better in the whole parenting department, Danny had to admit. The man was never too absorbed in his work not to help him over any trivial matter. And Danny was thankful for that, even if they didn't see eye to eye on many things. 

The detective had been surprised when he heard of the halfa's future internships. As in, plural. And like a responsible guardian he had warned that such schedule would be bad for the boy's health and advised to pick one, unaware of the ultimatum and subsequent compromise. Danny hadn't wanted Tsukauchi to know of the arena, perhaps more so than anyone else. Not because he had fears of being ousted, he knew he could handle himself. But...he didn't want to disappoint him in such a manner, and didn't want the history to repeat itself. It was partially the reason why his arena matches eventually came to a halt even before U.S.J. incident. 

He still kept the money for a rainy day. 

Danny wanted to talk to Shoto, so inconsiderate he was not to have done so beforehand. But he certainly couldn't do that in the tight confinement of the car. It was spacious, sure, but doubtfully anything would be out of Endeavour's earshot. And Shoto wasn't here to chat with his old man, obviously. The trip was largely spent in silence, and Danny couldn't bear the atmosphere. He needed something to talk about. And he found that 'something'.

"So...we got anything on Stain? An idea where to look?"

"I have already sent an inquiry to the local PD. We will first gather as much information as we can." 

"He goes only after heroes, right?" Asked Danny. "There must be some pattern to his kills."

Endeavour nodded. "That is why we are going to Hosu City. Too many murders happened there, so he is evidently operating there." 

"That's not what I meant," Danny responded. "Maybe there are some particular kinds of heroes he goes after first? Maybe he hates those who take kittens off the trees rather than those who help grannies cross the street."

"Take this seriously, Fenton," Endeavour ordered. 

"I am serious," Danny assured. "My question is, at least. He doesn't kill everyone, after all. Something made him injure Ingenium instead of chopping him up." 

That was a good observation to make, Endeavour had to admit. He had come to the same conclusion long ago, but Fenton could make those too. The boy could prove himself worthy for what he had in store for him. That whole internship was but a test, where Endeavour wished to observe Fenton and get enough of a sway. But his usual charming personality wasn't making it easier, nor did he plan to make it easy for himself even.

"So far little pattern exists. Some of the murdered heroes were suspected of several behind the scenes schemes, but nothing else seems to connect them."

"Rumours probably exist about every hero," Danny sighed. "This...isn't much of a help." 

"Yes," Endeavour nodded. "However, I have determined one pattern that man follows. His massacre in Hosu is confined towards certain areas. And only after he is finished with one, disposing of heroes there, he goes to the next." 

"So we are gonna patrol the area of attack on Ingenium and try finding him?" Danny asked. 

"That will be a start until we gather more clues and information," Endeavour declared firmly. 

In fact, Danny did have one, but he doubted that a pro hero would approve of it. He also needed privacy for that.

"I see," Danny said and looked outside again. 

It was undeniably some new and useful experience for him. In the past, his enemies were either loud enough to be spotted in an instant or could not hide from his ghost sense. This time he was actually a part of an actual investigation. And he decided that his choice had been the right one. 

The process itself was largely uneventful after that. At that moment Danny decided that the role of a sidekick was not something he desired, because, well, they were largely errand boys and girls, tasked with setting up a small base of operations in the chosen place of staying. That was not something he looked towards, but they didn't seem to mind, so to each their own, he supposed. Endeavour himself brought two boys alongside him, so that they could see him use his name and authority to convince the local heroes and officials to let him continue investigating. It was mostly him very forcibly saying that he could handle the matter. Endeavour clearly wasn't the most sociable person. But at least he was confident during such conversations, and it was something Danny hoped to pick up and consistently utilise. It was also during such boring stuff that Danny quietly slipped away, telling Shoto that he went to the toilet. 

In reality, after entering a toilet cabin, Danny used his powers to get outside, where he wouldn't be spotted. And then took out his phone and dialled a number he had memorised instead of saving in contacts. And after a couple of rings, the phone was picked up. 

"Yeah? Who's that?" 

"Hello Giran," Danny spoke. "Got a couple of minutes?"

"Wait, no shitting way. That you, Danny-boy?" The broker spoke in surprise. He had clearly watched the games. "Didn't expect to hear from ya anytime soon." 

"To be honest, I didn't expect calling you either."

"How's the hero gig working out for ya?" Asked Giran. 

"Decently. This is a business call, by the way."

"What business can ya possibly have with me? Not that I'm complaining." 

"I need information, Giran. You are selling it, aren't you?" 

"Depends on the kind of info. You know I keep it to myself when it concerns my clients. Company policy." 

"What do you know about Stain?" 

For some time no sounds came from the other side, as the man was obviously considering this. 

"Stain, eh? Are you actually going after that nutcase? Do the big guys know about this talk?" 

"No, they don't. I appreciate the underworld contacts, Giran, you appreciate the investment, so we will keep this cooperation a secret," Danny smirked. "So?" 

"Hm...I'll need some time to gather what I can. Stain is famous, but not much is known about him. Not much is known to me, either." 

"Figures," Danny sighed. "Alright. I'll be waiting for a call." 

Upon returning to Endeavour and Shoto, he was wondering what was in store. Endeavour knew that Stain's attacks could take place any time of day, so there was no point in waiting. And instead, having the permission of local heroes, as he was basically doing their job, he would stop a crime or two while he was at it. Yet, they turned out to be such small fries that Endeavour put them down without Danny or Shoto having a chance to take part. 

"Man, he is quick about this," the halfa commented, seeing the flame hero hand over the beaten criminal to the police. 

He was impressed, but…inevitably bored. Endeavour was just doing his usual job, making the trainees just sit on the sidelines and watch, “taking notes”. That wasn’t exactly what the halfa wanted of this internship.

"I suppose he is different from what you are used to."

"You mean how I kept mocking you guys instead of grinding you into the ground?" Danny raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I guess we are different. I recall my sister saying something about coping mechanisms, but meh, I don't really care." 

"What do you have to cope with?" 

"I dunno. Wasn't really listening to her, because she can be tedious. Still love her," the halfa smirked. "Since she is probably the only sane member of our dysfunctional family," he chuckled. 

Shoto looked at him for a moment, before glancing at Endeavour, who was routinely answering the questions of the press. 

"Your parents disowned you, right?" Asked the human teen.

"Good memory you have. Yep, like the jackasses that they are."

"But you are treating this as a joke."

Danny cackled. "If we treat everything as a national emergency, we'll be pretty much like your old man. Or wither like grape under the sun and turn into paranoidal and tired raisins. I ain't telling you to just laugh all your problems away, like, I still despise my folks. And raisins. There won't be jokes if we meet again. At least good-natured ones." 

"Did they...talk to you after that time?" 

"Nope. I sent Jazz the recording of my performance, but I don't know if they saw it...and honestly, I don't care much for them. It's been months since then, I made myself at home here. At this point I don't think I'll even consider returning to their house." 

Shoto nodded. Fenton's approach to the delicate matter of a broken family appeared very different from his. That seemed to be the trend for everything the star student did. Still, he felt like he could add something to the table. 

"Maybe you should talk to them, still," said Shoto, glancing at his father. "This may not be the time or place to advise..."

"Hey, I gave you one. And it wasn't the place either." Danny gave a small smirk, before it slipped. "You aren't the first, atop of that." 

"There can be a lot of things that weren't said, misunderstandings and the rest. It feels like your parting was this way."

"Oh, they did say a lot of things about the abomination in place of their child, alright," Danny sighed. 

"It helped me a lot to make certain decisions," Shoto continued. "It may be of use to you, too." 

The halfa hummed thoughtfully. "Now is not the time for a family reunion, anyhow," he chose to end that part of the discussion on that. 

He had, after all, a very busy schedule ahead of him. 

---

Danny departed for Kyushu early in the morning, careful not to wake up his roommate. He was going without any luggage, partially because the flight was going to be extremely speedy. He wasn't allowed to utilise duplicates to work two internships at once, but at least that leeway was granted to the half ghost. Probably because it could be even more tiring to fly across half the country on his own. Nonetheless, the halfa didn't waste any time, especially since he had set a meeting before he left Tokyo area. Giran was waiting for him in a random location, and that was the best time for a meeting. Displeased as the man was to be up so early in the morning, he still provided the tits and bits of the info he had managed to accumulate. And Danny paid him enough for that small service. From his 'arena retirement fund'.

What he heard and what he was reading during the flight did help him alleviate some fog. Those were mostly rumours and interesting observations Giran had made. The notes said that Stain's modus operandi and weapon choice resembled a particular vigilante from a while back. It was a speculation that wasn't much of help, but since Stain was a lone wolf who didn't interact with the underworld, Giran could only do that much. Still, some trails did make it to the report of that conniving spider. Giran chose to make it more substantive by bringing up the mysterious vigilante Stendhal. That man, whether or not he and Stain were the same person, had been busying himself with murdering several villains. And Danny felt sick once more, for to his mind, the likes of villains that were killed didn't deserve such treatment. That made him willing to believe in the connection. Unfortunately, the reason for a switch of targets eluded both Phantom and Giran.

The hero killer made his debut in Naruhata, Stendhal's place of operation, but the start of the man's career didn't fit the conclusion Endeavour had made, for Naruhata had not been ransacked by a crazy murderer. Still, the rest fit the bill, so the first tries must have been the test of skill. Danny tried to draw a pattern in his head, but each time he could only think of the man as a psycho who was just waiting to stab another hero with no primary consideration. That was not very reassuring. And now that he thought of it, Endeavour's public appearance could make it more difficult, for the pompous Hero Killer could be reluctant to jump number two hero and could also hide somewhere until the Flame Hero left. The dilemma he would have to address to Endeavour next when he returned. 

Until then, he would have to bear the company of whatever hero the Commission had picked for him. He was hopeful that that part of the internship was not going to be a very curated and tedious experience. After all, the man was just one place behind Endeavour, he should have been at the very least competent. 

Eventually, as the morning sun was already shining over the country, Danny made it to the westernmost island of the big four. Fortunately, he didn't feel much of a toll of a lengthy journey, even if it was admittedly there. Hopefully a proper breakfast could fix it. The halfa sighed as he flew lower, wondering if the city was the correct one. He stopped midair and unfolded a map he had been keeping beneath his suit, alongside Giran's notes. Pockets were not very reliable when you flew with a speed of a plane. Danny made sure to fly in a straight line, but even a one degree turn at such a distance could prove to be a setback. And as Danny looked for the pointers, he suddenly heard a voice call him out. 

"Violating the airspace, eh?" 

Danny slowly leaned back and upside down, until he saw that a person was flying near him. Unlike the half ghost, the blonde man was using a pair of huge crimson feathery wings. Dressed in aviator's outfit, he was obviously prepared for the downsides of remaining up in the air.

"Didn't see any signs around here," Danny shrugged and faced him normally. 

The man smirked. "You must be Fenton," he commented. "Didn't expect you to come so early." 

"And you are Hawks, huh?" Danny tilted his head. "Well, your boss set up a tight schedule. Not really any way around it." 

"The president may be quite demanding," the man examined the halfa. "She isn't really my chef..." 

"So you are a go-to errand boy?" Danny raised an eyebrow, "Are those the famed career opportunities I'm being told about?" He asked, at which Hawks chuckled. 

"To put it simply," he responded in an easy-going manner, before pointing towards the nearest roof. "Let's continue the talk there." 

Danny complied with the request, wondering about the initial impression he was getting. So far he wasn't seeing enough to draw conclusions. As they landed, Hawks put hands behind his head. 

"Alright, kiddo. What approach are we picking? We be straight or keep smiling to each other?" He asked. 

Danny huffed, "I was forced to come." 

"Same deal here," Hawks smirked. "When the commission 'asks' you, you can't really refuse."

"Oh, I saw it firsthand," Danny answered. "So you weren't a volunteer either?" 

"I'm not really interested in being a momma-bird. I don't take interns, either, but," he sighed dramatically. "Guess we both will have to roll with it." 

There was a flick of mutual sympathy between the two, as either found themselves in an unwanted position. 

"Before it gets awkward," Danny crossed his hands. "Maybe we should get going." 

Hawks clicked his tongue. "Right you are, Fenton. I first have to ask, though. You used to be a vigilante, right?" 

"For a year, yes. Around four or five villain encounters a day," Danny recollected. "So I was busy." 

Hawks stared at the boy in front of him. That was an impressive feat, considering that Fenton probably had a civilian life and secret identity atop of that. 

"Then I guess you do have an experience with fighting," the hero hummed thoughtfully. "We'll just go through my routine and beat villains if we need to. I want to see how you do in the real environment." 

Danny shrugged. "It beats receiving a lecture. Let's do this." 

Hawks smiled and nodded. It could be worse, he reasoned. The boy could be uncooperative to the extreme, but instead he must have accepted the hand he had been dealt. The boy's Quirk really made it more convenient. Especially for airborne patrols. The two of them soon took it to the air above the city. Danny hummed and floated as close to the pro as he could, with feathery wings standing in the way. 

"So how do you know if there is a crime down below?" The halfa asked. 

"Same way as usual," Hawks shrugged. "I listen to the police and look below for a big boom. How did you do it, then?" 

"Well, I did tap into the police communications," the halfa admitted. "But the town wasn't big, the villains were loud and I usually could spot them with my extra sense wherever they hid." 

"What kind of sense can pinpoint a location like this?" Asked Hawks curiously. 

"I ain't telling. Confidential info," responded the halfa. "But it won't work here, I bet. Unless a villain uses particular Quirk. Some of them trigger that sense." 

"For shame," Hawks sighed dramatically again. "It could save us so much time. Anyway, you hungry, kid? I didn't have breakfast yet." 

"If you are the one paying," Danny seized the opportunity, making the hero laugh. 

"He is already extorting me. Don't sweat it, the stuff is on me." 

Hawks took the halfa to a random place for some rice omelettes. In general, the halfa was so far getting a pleasant impression. He had expected the Commission's agent to be stricter and obnoxious, just like the rest of the organisation was. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be the case. And half of his internship would not be wasted on something irrelevant. Hawks scratched his chin as he looked at the boy in front of him. 

He had been surprised when the Commission dumped that duty on him, even more so about their choice. The president told him that the boy's tremendous power could be used for the benefit of society, but Hawks had caught the subliminal message — she sought to make Fenton another agent of the Commission, and his resourcefulness could truly make him indispensable. And his shady background was a testament that the boy was not a shining knight, contrary to his hero outfit. It concealed readiness to go to any lengths if it could aid him in his goals, noble they might have been. So, he was already partially prepared to what the Commission would want of him. That, however, was not something Hawks could disclose on the first day.

"Alright, you done there, kid?" He asked. 

"Pretty much," Danny smirked. "Thanks for the meal." 

"Don't mention it. Now let's see here..." Hawks turned on an earpiece. Then, his expression said it all. "Looks like we already have a job. Keep up, kid." 

Danny nodded with determination. He had to admit, this part of internship was winning in quantity of crimes already. When the two of them were outside, Hawks immediately took to the skies, and the halfa followed immediately. 

"Forgot to ask," the pro called out for him. "What's your hero name? Calling you a kid all the time will get old very fast."

"It's Phantom." 

"Alright, Phantom, we've got a situation with captives. The villains broke into a hospital, so we are talking about many people held hostage. Time to make yourself more than a hole in my wallet," Hawks smirked. "Do you have experience with this sort of missions?" 

"Not really," Danny admitted. "It's usually a single villain that could be taken away from civilians." 

"Yes, but this is a different situation. We don't know how many villains there are. And if they see us act, some heads will fly." 

"Got it. So what should I do?" 

"Normally I'd want to rush in myself, but...you have everything we need for reconnaissance. Bad guys don't know about you being here yet, we can use it." 

Danny smirked and turned invisible. "I can beat them up, you know." 

"Don't try it yet," Hawks responded. "There's always someone you can miss. Someone who escapes or someone who kills a bystander to save their pelt. I'd like to take care of it soon, but we should stop and think first. They haven't even issued their demands yet, so we still have time. Don't start a fight, Phantom." 

The halfa sighed dramatically. "Very well. Not going all Batman on them, got it."

"Who's...nevermind. I'll need their numbers and locations. Remember their Quirks if you see any as well."

Soon Hawks landed on the ground near a large white building to converse with the police. Danny, without turning visible again, flew inside the building. He remembered the advice given to him on the way about such acts of crime. The villains would want to gather all captives in a single spot, to make watching them easier. As Danny searched the different wards, he couldn't help but think that the degree of trust in him was strangely high. His screw up could mean deaths, and Hawks knew that, still opting to send in an intern. Not that Phantom minded this, of course. It was his chance to prove himself in the field. People thought of vigilantes as self-serving scoundrels, he would be glad to change that perception. One step a time. Maybe the people had to learn of his vigilantism first...

The halfa mentally went over the list of places spacious enough to hold many people, and soon made his way inside the cafeteria, where he hit a jackpot. His guess was correct, and indeed there were terrified people on the floor, surrounded by a group of thugs. Some of whom had firearms. Danny counted ten of them in that room, but there could be more. This number was enough to keep the unarmed civilians in check. The halfa chose to eavesdrop on the conversation of thugs that weren't actively watching the captives. 

"...So why are we stuck watching them?" 

"I'd take watching the veggies on life support over this, too. Not like they can run off." 

"Yeah, why are watching them, exactly?" 

"Dumbass, we need every captive alive until shit goes down. Or the police and Hawks will come in guns blazing before we're set up."

So Hawks was right, there were people out of Danny's sight, too. He needed to scout more areas and possibly find the boss of their gang. It would make the job easier. The halfa had no visual pointers, so he would have to look for a guy who gave orders left and right. Phantom was about to leave, but then he saw something harrowing. On the walls all around him he saw small rectangular packages that could be only one thing. That whole place was rigged with explosives, and one of the thugs was laying down even more. Danny wished he knew how to disarm them, for if he simply carried them away, it would be noticed. Back in the day, when Phantom was new to the world and meddled with electrical villain's plans, it was just one inattentive thug. Shaking his head, the invisible hero slipped back into the corridor. 

What he was wondering about was why exactly would those people come after a hospital. What did they seek to achieve? It was not a bank to be robbed, it was not even a place with that many potential captives, like, for instance, a theatre or a shopping centre. Unbeknownst to him, Hawks was thinking the same thing. The pro hero soon realised that it probably was not about what the criminals could attain from the authorities with threats of violence. A distraction perhaps? At this thought, Hawks asked the police to keep him informed about any other crime that took place nearby in case his suspicions were correct. 

The halfa in the meantime counted a couple more thugs who kept watching the corridors of the relatively small hospital. But there was still no sign of their boss. Choosing instead to inform Hawks of what he had already found, the halfa exited the building. He spotted the pro as he was talking to the police officer. Flying close, but not dropping his invisibility, Danny smirked. 

"Got a minute?" Hawks turned around, but saw nothing. Yet, he realised what was going on. 

"We'll chat later," the hero smiled at the confused officer, who went to keep the crowd of onlookers in check. "Alright, Phantom, tell me what you found." 

"Fifteen thugs at the very least. Most of them are in the cafeteria on the second floor. They also took the whole terrorist part seriously, because the whole room is rigged with explosives."

Hawks's look became grim. "This complicates the matter. Can you do anything about it?" 

"I am not Number two. Explosives aren't my field of expertise." 

The pro hummed. "Anything else?" 

"I can't find their boss. I tried eavesdropping, I even possessed a couple and asked a question directly, but none of them even knows." 

"And they still haven't issued their demands..." Hawks mumbled, before his eyes widened. "Or maybe there just isn't any." 

"You mean no boss? Someone had to organise this shitshow." 

"Yes, but they don't have to be here themselves. In that case, we can't wait for them to pull the trigger." 

"Then let's beat them up finally. I can show the way." 

"The bombs, kid," Hawks reminded slowly. "We have to do something about that first." 

At this Danny hummed. The hero was right, there had to be a way to get the civilians away from the explosives and armed thugs. He could come to them and form a dome while taking down the criminals. But the explosion would take down the entire room and everything will crumble. Then, the halfa was struck by an idea. 

"Hey, bird-brain," Danny called out the hero. "I've got a plan." 

"Is the name calling necessary?" Hawks whined slightly. "Spill it." 

"I can save those in the cafeteria. You should take care of the ones watching the comatose. Third floor, left side." 

"I can fly in there," Hawks nodded. "But what do you plan to do with the others?" 

"The bad guys won't know what even happened," Danny's eyes gleamed with mischief. "It's true that I can't take the bombs away, but I can take the civilians away from bombs. By turning the floor intangible, I'll make them all fall on the floor below."

"That's three meters. Someone will get injured if nobody is there to catch them. I'll head there." 

Danny blinked. "Yeah..." he flushed in embarrassment at his cluelessness. "What should I do then?"

"Hm...you should come with me so that we can pull the rescue off. But the rest..." 

"I can do both," Danny smirked and snapped his fingers, creating another invisible duplicate. "One will take care of the villains."

"Another me will accompany you," a voice came from the opposite direction. 

"Huh," was all Hawks said. 

"The duplicates also share the same consciousness, so it can work as a radio too," both Dannys smirked. 

"I see how you functioned as a vigilante," the pro-hero huffed. "Alright, Mr. Swiss Knife, let's do this." 

Not a moment too soon the pro and his very visible companion broke through the front door. When it came to Hawks, the villains expected the winged hero to come from above, and they prepared to face Hawks, not someone who was currently on the upper floors. That role was filled by another Phantom that loudly broke through the window. He lazily swiped his finger and left the nearest villains weaponless, before in a split second lunging forth and knocking them out. His knowledge of the area made him aware that in one, two, three...

"Argh!" 

The villain that ran around the corner was blasted into the wall behind him. Yes, Phantom knew where those small fries were. However, in the couple of minutes he had been outside, some things could change, and they definitely did. Danny rounded the corner himself, before the sounds of gunfire filled the corridor. Summoning a shield, he easily blocked the bullets and jumped into the floor. He landed right atop another villain, whose head was greeted by the marble tile. Phantom did not waste a second flying forward, and a bit higher, emerging back on the required floor, behind the armed squad. 

"Boo," the halfa said, before his eyes turned ice blue. That was too easy, they didn't even use Quirks. That, and they weren't ready for a half ghost to join the party.

Meanwhile, the other Danny actually had little to do. Hawks's wings were not for show, evidently. On the contrary, he launched his feathers at speeds that made them as dangerous as throwable knives. Hawks was dispatching villains quickly, the halfa had to keep up, for there wasn't any time for them to waste. Didn't mean that the half ghost didn't have anything to do, just that this duplicate's takedown count was much smaller. 

"Two of them should come from the left corridor," Danny casually warned, before firing a blast in that direction. Hawks threw another feather that hit both opponents and pinned them to the wall. After the explosion the blast had caused. 

"These count as mine," the halfa quipped. 

"This isn't a competition," Hawks said, before pausing. "I'm still in the lead, though." 

"Hey, my duplicate is taking down just as many! These guys really are losers. They only got ahead because of guns." 

"Yes...they are weak...and that means disposable," Hawks mused aloud grimly. 

Danny seemed to catch on quickly. "You mean, they can die in the explosion without any real problem to the more important villains. That's sick."

"Yes. Criminals always live by the 'survival of the fittest' mentality. Quirks are just one of the ways they assert that 'fittest' part," Hawks explained. 

The halfa hummed thoughtfully. For ghosts it was true, also, for their kind always vied for superiority, in ways similar to this Quirk-filled world. Hell, he was a prince precisely because of traditions borne out of mentality of the spectres. Perhaps that's why competitiveness itself, even the one that led to fighting, was not something inherently vile to his mind. Yet, it was no reason to dispose of the weak in such a manner. On the contrary, it was the duty of the strongest to protect those who were lower on the scale of power, and his core agreed with such a message. 

Back in the real world, the two heroes made their way to the spacious room that was right below cafeteria. The villains acted predictably: they anticipated that Phantom and Hawks would make their way up, while another duplicate dispatched of the possible reinforcements. While the latter was true, Phantom number one simply floated up to the ceiling. 

"So, I just make it intangible?" He asked. "Will you catch them all in time?" 

"Trust me, kiddo. Do it." 

The halfa put his palms on the ceiling, and in the next second, with shouts of surprise and fright people started falling from the upper floor. Immediately Hawks threw a myriad of crimson feathers that pinned into the people's clothes and softened their fall. The criminals did not get such luxury. 

"That's gotta hurt," Hawks mumbled. "Everyone! Follow me out of here! Phantom, you watch the back!" He then loudly commanded. 

"On it!" Danny saluted as he glanced at the fallen criminals. A couple of small blasts were enough to finally knock them out. 

He heard some confused whispers among the freed captives, who wondered about why a student was here. The tournament really made him known. Danny flashed them a confident smirk, before suddenly the crashing sounds came from the upper floor. The bombs went off, and that explosion sent the entire floor crashing down. The villains tried to prevent the escape at any cost. Phantom wasted no time and quickly summoned the green dome that held everything from collapsing.

"Move it!" Hawks quickly caught on that they had no time to waste, and the people hurried out of the room. 

Danny would have let go and followed, if not for the criminals he himself had knocked out. 

"Great thinking, Fenton."

His duplicate returned to him and that was the first thing he said. 

"I am you," Phantom holding the rubble responded. 

"Yep. I am a dumbass. You are one. We both are. We can communicate mentally, and yet we talk like this. Clearly a sign of great intelligence."

Danny number one gave his clone a dry look. A silent message was finally passed between them, and the free duplicate quickly flew to grab the unconscious villains.   He flew towards the exit and left the criminals in the corridor, letting the other duplicate finally let go of the collapsing structure and, while intangible, flew away as well. He decided to take care of the remaining villains, now that the civilians were in relative safety. But in case the armed men decided to shoot, he had to take care of that, also. The other Phantom grabbed the unconscious villains and carried them further, eventually catching up with the group Hawks was leading out. He got some odd looks, but they made it out with relative ease, having taken out some villains beforehand. 

“Eighteen…twenty one…” Hawks quickly counted. “That’s all of them!”

“Neat,” said Phantom, who was now floating upside down near him. 

“Which of Phantoms are you?” Asked the hero.

“The handsome one,” responded Danny and cackled. “Doesn’t matter which one of us is gone. I’ll just keep on with my afterlife.” 

“Huh,” Hawks responded, before shaking his head. “We have to scour the building now…”

“Yeah. Already on it,” Danny gave a thumbs up. “Oh, you better make a step back.”

Hawks raised an eyebrow, before out of the window flew another grunt, which Danny picked up from the air with telekinesis.

“They have to live, but I don’t owe them gentle approach,” the halfa explained and shrugged. 

Hawks hummed thoughtfully. He was seeing Phantom quickly take out the bad guys out of the broken building, not minding the boy doing the work for him. His feathers had no mind of their own, so the halfa was better for that task of scouring the damaged building. The fact that the young aspiring hero took time to rescue the criminals without even being given command was admirable to a degree. He made the cut for a noble hero, but…

The Commission had no use for that kind. He would certainly know. 

Chapter 22

A.N. Alright, to those who are aware, no I did not manage to finish my other stuff on time. But oh well, no harsh timeline on anything. But I've nonetheless gone far too long without an update, and I know you have as well. Hope it will be worth the wait. I also wonder if the story is getting convoluted. Let me know what you think.

---

"So, how's the internship for your protégé?" 

Tsukauchi took a sip of tea after asking his friend the question. He had invited Toshinori to his home, both to utilise the opportunity of the halfa being away, so as not to jeopardise the hero's identity, and to fill the silence that remained after said teenager was gone. Toshinori in the meantime took a sigh, shifting in the armchair.

"Yes. My old sensei wanted to see my successor, and I...didn't have the courage to say no," he said shamefully.

"But it is a good thing, right? Gran Torino knows what has to be done in order to train Midoriya."

"Yes...but he chose to do this because of little faith in my teaching skills," said the number one hero. "He is my successor, and I can't even train him properly."

"The way you use One for All is different from his. For all intents and purposes, these could be considered two different Quirks," Tsukauchi tried to reassure. "Besides, if you took Midoriya as an intern, all eyes in the world would have focused on him. And that's not something you should give away." 

Toshinori nodded. "Yes, you are right as always, Tsukauchi-san. Thank you. But what about your charge? The teachers at UA were saying that the Commission was involved." 

Now it was the detective's turn to sigh. "Just like I suspected, he didn't like it. And despite all my warnings, that child just kept badmouthing the president. I don't know how he managed to broker his own conditions with such attitude, but we have something...odd. He is going through two internships at once."

"Two? How does Young Fenton even manage?" Toshinori asked in surprise.

"He told me that he is going to fly half across the country each day...I just hope that he doesn't overextend and run himself into the ground out of his stubbornness. He didn't want to dedicate himself to internship under their guidance, so he actually agreed to Endeavour's invitation." 

"Endeavour's?" All Might asked in surprise. "After the festival I didn't think he would be this amicable to him. Good for them!" 

"Knowing the kid, he will leave that man some gray hairs," the detective chuckled. "Same goes for Hawks."

"Hawks was the Commission's choice, huh?" 

"I'm sharing this only because you too are no stranger to their secrecy. I was asked to keep this part a secret from everyone outside." 

"But everyone will know about this internship once the news starts pouring in." 

"It already has," Tsukauchi chuckled. "One day in, and he already partook in freeing the hostages. But him being Hawks's intern is not the secret. It's the Commission's involvement."

"I see..." Toshinori nodded. "Do you know why they decided to intervene?" 

"I wasn't allowed to talk to them. All I have is Danny's very biased recollection. But from his impression, it is because they think him too dangerous to go around alone, and it seemed to have struck a cord. Fentons thought the same way, and he ended up here." 

"Such fears already chased him away from home."

"Yes. I don't condone the harsh approach that they chose to pick, again, going by Danny's own words. But now I think he is angry with me as well for defending them. And I didn't talk to him about this, too." 

"This is disheartening. But this gives you time to prepare. He will warm up somewhat as well. Young Fenton is evidently more mature than he initially appears."

"That will be the case if he likes the internships," Tsukauchi sighed. "Or at least, doesn't hate me more for it." 

"He doesn't hate you, Tsukauchi-san. He hates the situation he found himself in. If you show him support despite disagreeing, this argument will be the thing of the past." 

"Maybe you are right...children are such a burden, huh?" The detective jested. 

All Might laughed. "Indeed. A pleasant and inspiring one, nonetheless."

"Yes..." Tsukauchi's serious tone returned. "But don't you think that the Commission is interested because they arrived to the same theory we did?" 

"That...is a possibility. If so, their scrutiny will be even sterner. I think that this isn't the time for you two to be at odds."

The detective nodded. He really thought that way, but how much of their spat was his fault? Tsukauchi was simply stating that the teen should not anger the Commission. And he also didn't believe what Danny was telling him about his vigilantism. The boy had seemed to take this close to heart. But how was Tsukauchi to react to something so outlandish? Such levels of discreetness he had to possess were impossible. He would have to be from another world or something. Nonsense. But perhaps, it was his chance to know his charge better. It was increasingly evident that the attempts to hide the whole truth were only making it worse. And the detective was at a loss. If Tsukauchi only knew Danny better...he would have been able to understand what was wrong. 

---

The villains, in the meantime, were not sitting idle. In particular, the most infamous kingpin was simply dying to sate his curiosity. After all, in front of him was a slumbering beast — a black wolf-like creature that was more akin to a werewolf dressed in numbered prison robe. A prison escapee, perhaps? So far he hadn't had the chance to personally converse with the person, as Garaki had been keeping him in a strange coma-like state. The scientist had performed different examinations in the meantime, and it had left the man very puzzled. The creature's body was comprised of strange green substance. Its fur turned to green mush when separated from the body, the claws too had the same strange molecular composition, only more organised, like water and ice. But All for One didn't fear that monster, he knew that it was no match for him still. He didn't try to take the Quirk yet, but it mattered little. 

"Good morning, dear guest," he grinned as the creature opened its eyes. 

"Kiu...kiu vi estas?" Wulf asked groggily. 

"Esperanto, huh?" The man asked in slight surprise. He hadn't expected this one. Luckily, Garaki had foreseen the language barrier, so the screen nearby already translated everything for him. "Hmm...my name doesn't really matter. I'm more curious about you, someone who treaded awfully too close for my liking." 

The captive found it in himself to huff. "I never saw any signs."

"Of course you didn't. You teleported in," the kingpin approached him. "And that's why you are here. But why did you trespass in the first place, I wonder?"

"This doesn't concern you."

"You mentioned the name. Is this the same Daniel I think it is? The white-haired and nauseatingly talkative one?" 

This got the creature's attention. "So you two have met?"

"Given the circumstances, you are displaying an impressively low amount of disquietude. Why?" 

"I know my friend," Wulf huffed. "It would take something beyond human to truly harm him at this point."

"The world is a wondrous place full of little surprises for everyone, your adolescent friend included. In your place, I would be more worried about your own well-being, however."

"Chains don't tend to hold me for long. How do you even know that name?" 

"I have a TV," the villain joked. "You display dog-like loyalty to that child. Do you mind enlightening me about how this came to be?"

"I owe him a great debt for freeing me. This is as much as you need to know."

"On the contrary. I have a great need of this knowledge. And you, I suspect, can shed some light on the boy's life before he came here. And if you answer my questions, I'll let you go." 

At this Garaki stared in shock at the kingpin. It had to be a bluff. 

"I tend to distrust those that detain me," Wulf responded. "Friend-Danny's secrets are his."

"The boy is the talk of this entire country, my canine friend. And don't take those chains as a reason to vilify me, for it is you who trespassed."

"Then remove those cuffs. Before I decide to break out myself." 

"All in due time. How about this? Just one question, and I'll release you. Then we will see if the conversation doesn't die off."

"Depends on the question," Wulf said slowly, suspecting that it wasn't going to be simple.

All for One smiled. "It goes like this: Is the boy's last name really Fenton?" 

Wulf blinked. "I don't understand."

"You see, my friend," the man sighed. "There have been circumstances which make us suspect...family relation."

Wulf's expression was that of a man whose train of thought was lacking in coal. Namely, he was absolutely befuddled. 

"Family...wait...no, whatever you are thinking, you are wrong." 

"Quite categorical. So you can give me an answer." 

Wulf gave it a little thought. He didn't know how to better respond. That man was giving even him creeps, and he had spent a lot of time with most gruesome undead. The man knew of the last name, so Danny had evidently made it public. Wulf would not be ruining that one. 

"He doesn't want to deal with the senior members of his family for discarding him, but neither I nor anyone else, including him, had any reason to suspect him of being adopted. Why did you even suspect relation?" 

"I have observed a plethora of common traits and abilities. Coupled with my lack of attention when it comes to such matters, I come to suspect certain things."

Wulf huffed. The man did not smell like a ghost, nor like a halfa. Even without the fact that Danny was from another world, this whole story sounded like rubbish. Amusing, nonetheless.

"This is not much of a proof."

"This is why I want to know more. To either cast aside these silly misconceptions or to embrace my estranged relative."

"He is not related to you, I am sure."

"You speak so confidently. You know him well, don't you?"

"As much as a nomad passing by may. I know who his friends, enemies and family are. I know of everything he did to help me. And all this I refuse to divulge. You promised my release." 

"True..." the kingpin hummed. "Garaki, if you would, undo his cuffs."

Wulf had a reason not to simply try and phase out of his chain. He didn't know how his actions could harm Danny's livelihood, what secrets he could unintentionally reveal. Thus, he waited and watched what his captors did. Garaki didn't seem to agree with the order.

"But Master...what if he..."

"I am not going back on what I said," the villain responded, although his smile was contradicting his words. 

The doctor slowly nodded and started pressing buttons on his console. 

"Simply out of curiosity," All for One continued. "What was it that Daniel helped you with?"

"He rescued me from a decade-long unjust imprisonment," Wulf spoke, somewhat warmed up to the unknown man, enough to say this much. "Walker used me as as his little tracker," he uttered with hatred for the warden. "And each time he is after me again, friend-Danny is there, and I search for him in hopes of protection."

"Is this one of those times?" 

"No," Wulf chuckled without enthusiasm. "We simply agreed to meet some time after I brought him here. I wished to know if he liked it, and if he wanted to return, I would have aided him. It is the least I can do."

"So you are to thank for discovering this jewel," the villain smirked. "There's so much I'd like to ask, but alas, a promise is a promise." 

Wulf felt the cuffs undo themselves. Once he was free, the ghost rubbed his sore hands, imprisoned for weeks. Then, he looked at the strange, faceless man, the one who evoked the instinctive urge to flee within the bestial spectre. Only ghosts such as Pariah or the current prince in an angered state had managed to do it thus far, to Wulf's experience. 

"You are strange. I know not what your plans are with my friend, but you'd better leave it."

"I assure you, I hold no ill will towards the boy, on the contrary. In any case," he dramatically pointed towards the door. "The exit is there. The elevator will take you to the ground floor." 

Wulf hummed, before suddenly from his hands emerged huge green claws. 

"I'll take a short way outside."

He said this, and to the villains' surprise the ghost ripped open a portal, before leaping in, thinking that that it had been awfully easy. 

"Huh. Perhaps I SHOULD have borrowed this Quirk. But I do take care of my nails, on the other hand..."

"Master...why did you let him off so easily?" Garaki finally voiced his confusion. 

"Simple, my friend. I know his kin, and I knew that forcing him to answer will be to little avail. Thus, I decided to simply use him differently, and that entailed a certain degree of amicability. Since he is Daniel's confidant, we are finally sowing the seeds for a certain encounter. We don't need him to become angry for wounding someone close to him for no reason. I'd prefer to have all cards in my deck." 

"I'll leave it to your judgement," Garaki sighed. "But what about our location? That creature is certain to give it away."

"We still harboured plans to move our base, no? We'll simply continue as planned, but not without making sure that the boy follows us. And does so alone."

---

The subject of consideration for both sides, in the meantime, was far too busy walking around the roof, his expression that of boredom. It was the middle of his second day with Hawks, after another uneventful 24 hours looking for the Hero Killer alongside Endeavour. The pro was currently busy observing the city below, on the lookout for more crimes. All quiet on that day. That tended to happen after a newsworthy heist. The police was more vigilant, on the lookout in case that crime was only a part of the series. The criminals unaffiliated with that group were certainly not going to push their luck. Hawks was willing to participate, especially since something seemed amiss from the crime scene. Like it was a part of something bigger. 

"Well, that sucks," Danny sighed, stretching his muscles. "Nothing is happening at all." 

"You learn to appreciate such moments of quiet," Hawks shrugged. 

"Right..." the halfa rubbed the back of his head and looked down at the city. "Guess that doesn't happen often for you guys, huh?" 

"Nope. And we still have to dress up and go to work," the pro chuckled. "The enthusiasm is useful, though. Keep it that way." 

"Enthusiasm won't make a punching bag appear," Phantom summoned a chair for himself and sat on it. "Do we even have a clue on where to look for them?"

It was perhaps hypocritical of him to complain, for he knew of just a place where criminals gathered daily. Sadly, he was one of them, so no, he was not giving away the arena's existence. It was also halfway across the neighbouring island, so not Hawks's jurisdiction. The hero in question sighed dramatically and opened his phone. 

"Nothing in particular," he responded, scrolling through the newsfeed. "The police are still interrogating the guys we caught."

"I still could have made them talk."

"Yeah, and you also would have got some raised eyebrows and a police baton up your butt. Generally intrusions into someone's minds are seen as something less fitting for a hero." 

"Well, people generally are stupid," Danny waved him off. "So an ability that can accidentally murder a bunch of people is okay, but some brain scramble is not?"

"Fair enough. Not letting you do that, though," Hawks clicked his tongue. 

"Jerk," Danny muttered. "So we are just gonna sit around and...hold on..." he leaned closer to the phone. "Scroll back." 

The hero blinked, but did as he was asked. Before he could realise what was happening, his cell was already in the teen's hands. 

"What the...what's he doing there..."

"Phantom, mind enlightening?" Asked Hawks, before being shown a photo of the seemingly random crowd. 

"In the back. A giant wolf-guy in a green tracksuit," the halfa spoke not without certain concern. "I know him."

"And..."

"Let's just say that we are bound to meet. But that's between him and me. The photo was made in this city, so he can't be far." 

"Now that you mentioned him, I think I recall some reports yesterday. About a break-in," Hawks narrowed his eyes. 

"His understanding of private grounds always has been...skewed. Gets him in a lot of troubles, too," Danny grumbled and rubbed the edge of his nose. "We are not coming down to arrest him, right?" 

"He did commit an offence, kid. We have to do something, as heroes." 

"Wulf is not a bad guy! He is just a vagabond. He didn't do anything beside trespassing, I bet."

"True...nothing else was reported. Nevertheless, what is he doing here?" 

"Conceited it may be to say, but he might be looking for me," Danny responded. "His wolf appearance ain't for show, he will track me down easily." 

"Then there's no need to look out. He will find us himself," shrugged Hawks. "Especially since we...might have another job from the higher ups."

Danny blinked in surprise, but his expression soon showed displeasure. "Do we have to bring some paperwork in?" 

The pro hero sighed, obviously picking the words. "Look. After the last report the President lady told me to show you what working for them actually entails. I was actually against it, but...you know better than me that the word 'no' is not in their vocabulary. So we might as well do this together." 

"What's all this about, then?" 

Hawks dug in his device, before showing Danny the image of a sentient pile of stones. "This is the hero Bedrock. Latest inquiry showed that he is actively taking bribes from the very people that advertise him. The PR company is just a rouse to launder the money from some smuggling operations. We are taking him down."

Phantom did show some interest in this. "It doesn't seem that bad of a mission. What's the problem?" 

"I should be asking you this," shrugged Hawks.

In reality, there was something he wasn't telling the kid. But Danny really didn't need to know that. 

"But," he continued. "The Commission doesn't want us barging in and making an arrest in broad daylight. It is bad for the image of heroes as a whole. That's why we must do this discreetly."

"That's...unusual."

"It is. But we have long accepted this as a necessary move. Are you on board?" 

Danny tapped on the ground with his foot. "Well, hero or not, he is a legit criminal. I get it, people wouldn't like you going out of your grounds and beating up some other hero."

"You catch on quickly," smirked Hawks.

"I just had my share of bad publicity," Danny grinned as well. "I'm Public Enemy Number One, after all."

"What did you do for that even?"

"Kidnapped the mayor, did a couple of burglaries..." the halfa cackled. "Long story. It took a lot of time cleaning my rep from those little...misunderstandings."

Hawks stared at him. "Alright...anyhow, we should move on. Now would be the most opportune time, because Bedrock should be meeting with his benefactors. It will be easy to shift the blame on them."

"I don't think I get why you want to portray everything as a villain attack. Everyone will still see him on the news. In cuffs."

Hawks did not respond instantly. "Probably. But we don't need the info getting out too early. Follow me."

The pro hero jumped off the building and flew further into the sky. Phantom shrugged and tailed the winged hero. Although something felt amiss already.

Hawks flew outside of his zone of jurisdiction, and thus he tried to remain unseen. Danny knew from experience that people rarely looked up, and the discretion was simple to exercise. It was a smaller town near the coastline, not far away from Hawks's residence. Danny would have liked to do a bit of sightseeing, but they had a mission of their own. 

"Alright," said Hawks as he perched on a tall tree uphill. "See that fancy three story house down there? With red tiles?"

"Yep," said Danny, floating upside down yet again. "What's our plan?" 

Hawks took advanced binoculars and looked there. "Yeah, they are in the guest house. Ooh, and they are having some nice lunch. We got to have some," he said half-jokingly, looking through the windows.

"I could go for some noodles," Danny mumbled. "So, if his buddies are criminals, we are just gonna pass the blame on 'em?" 

"That's right. This is the out of town mansion of the local port owner. Figures he will have a part in this." 

"I would have built it bigger," said Phantom, before meeting an unamused glare. "I rightfully own a castle, man. If only they would give it back to me," he grumbled into thin air, as if addressing this complaint to someone else. 

"Focus, Phantom. This is just as important as our last mission."

"Want are even those guys' powers?" 

"Bedrock's is pretty evident — he creates rock formations of different kinds. Usually uses those as clubs. He has shown to be pretty intelligent, so don't be fooled by outside appearance."

"Can I still use dumb rock jokes?" Danny lowered/raised his hand, still hanging upside down. 

"Feel free to do what you want in that regard. The rest, we didn't have the time to dig up their registries. The Commission demanded quick action, but they can't be that tough."

"Duly noted. As long as they don't blow up the whole house, I'm fine with those odds. Let's go."

"Wait!" Hawks grabbed Danny's hand. "Remember how you should prioritise."

"Goons with guns go down first, so it doesn't turn into duck hunt for you, birdie," Danny grinned. 

"Guns are a problem to everyone," Hawks rolled his eyes.

"I have long since outsmarted bullets," Phantom cackled. "On it. When you hear them crying, it would be your call," Danny saluted. 

Hawks smirked as the halfa turned intangible. What was the Commission on about? The kid was willing to do the job and even follow orders. Then the hero remembered how different his approach was from that of his superiors. Right...Danny responded really well to carrot, but for using a stick he could actually punch you in return. Hawks had been doing nothing but making the boy do what he wanted however he wanted, and eventually he even stopped complaining. 

"Maybe I should do that internship thing again," he mused aloud quietly. It did feel somewhat satisfying. 

Although Hawks suspected that it would not be Danny next time, with how hellbent he was on getting away from the Commission. Hawks decided to speak his mind next time, if that would be the case. 

In the meantime, the halfa invisibly phased inside, looking around the spacious room. The scene looked like a typical Japanese tea party. With the addition of several cases full of drugs. Reality was sometimes more cliché than even the most subpar pulp fiction. Rolling his eyes, Danny nonetheless decided to eavesdrop, as he examined the possible threats. 

"The fresh party from Southeast, Bedrock-san," said a tall man in an official suit. "Contacting the Triads was a rather solid idea." 

"You shouldn't doubt me," huffed the hero, who looked like a walking rock balancing art piece. "I worked there, and I know how they operate. Don't try to cross them, however. It will only cause more troubles."

Danny hummed. It sounded like the hero was actually the mastermind behind their illegal business.

"Hey, I'm no moron. Anyway, it's cheaper, the effects wear off fast, but is just as addicting. The returned customers are guaranteed."

Phantom saw two armed men near the doors outside of the guest house. Calmly the halfa approached them and butted their heads together, knocking them out. 

"What do they even pay you for?" Danny rolled his eyes, before fixing the gloves of his suit. "Well, let's get started," he said, before breaking down the flimsy paper door. 

At first, the criminals tried to process what was happening, but very quickly Bedrock jumped to action. 

"What's the meaning of this? Wait...you are Phantom!" 

Danny pointed a finger at him. "Bingo, my strayed colleague. Thought nobody would notice your little arrangement?" He smirked. 

Bedrock smirked as well, before a stone pillar emerged from the ground, he took it and made a swing.

"If you know me, you also know you don't stand a chance," said Danny as the port owner escaped through the window. Not a moment too soon, the man's face was introduced to Hawks's boots. He jumped down like, well, a hawk. A pretty evident comparison.

"Pushing drugs to people?" Asked Phantom, tilting his head. "Some hero you are." 

"Not every hero is like your mama bird here," Bedrock huffed. "We need to make a living." 

"What? Marketable plushies didn't take off?" The halfa jested. "I used to work for free and you don't see me whining," he then spat dismissively, as his hands glowed green. 

"How noble."

Without a warning, the psudo-hero swung his improvised club, only for the half ghost to grab it midway. With a flash of green energy the stone was shattered to pieces, before the half ghost fired another ray from his eyes. The blast sent the man tumbling behind, still somehow remaining intact. Whatever force kept those seemingly detached rocks together, it must have worked 24/7. Phantom wondered just how could he knock out that odd creature. Perhaps, simply immobilising him would do. 

"If making stalactites is all you can do, it's no wonder you aren't really popular." 

Bedrock growled and another stone emerged from the ground. 

"Those are stalagmites, idiot."

Phantom shrugged nonchalantly, before a barrage of feathers came through the broken window, striking and sometimes even penetrating the rock exterior. 

"You really like to talk during fights," commented Hawks, still looking at Bedrock. "You have the right to remain silent, yada, yada. Why won't you just surrender?" 

"It's a fight against Hero Number Three and Number One student, bud," Danny smirked, "Let's get this over already...oh, you have mochi balls!" 

Both adults saw the halfa reach for the treats laid on the table. 

"Are you serious right now?!" Asked Bedrock. 

Still munching on the dessert, Danny flicked his finger and pinned the criminal to the wall. The surprise forced Bedrock to drop his weapon and gasp in surprise. Then, from the same finger emerged a small beam of blue that nonetheless exploded into an icy prison upon the impact. 

"I haf priorities," said the halfa with his mouth full.

Sighing and rolling his eyes with an amused smirk, Hawks approached his so-called colleague, of whom only the especially big rock, which also served as the head, remained. Although Hawks did snatch something from the table as well. 

"It's good that you are not even trying to deny what happened," the pro commented, biting at the dorayaki. 

"You got me busted," the criminal huffed. "We'll see each other in court, and that's when the real talk will start."

Danny's ears, through the sound of crunching taiyaki, heard some movements outside. Then, at the last moment, he saw more armed men pointing their guns at the windows. Hawks saw the movement too, and as Phantom turned intangible, the pro covered his body with scarlet wings that were strong enough to provide protection. 

"Well," Danny said as the goons ran out of ammo, "That was one lame try..."

Then, all of a sudden, from his mouth escaped a gust of air. "Would ya look at that."

Out of thin air emerged a giant figure in a green hoodie, who immediately started attacking the armed men. 

"Is that..." Hawks blinked.

"What an entrance!" Danny laughed, "I raised that boy. Hey, Wulf! Leave some for me!" 

The halfa then boldly jumped into the fight, blasting one of the thugs, rendering him unconscious. Wulf grinned, punching the next one. The two spectres did a quick work of the human criminals, and, once all of them were dispatched, looked at each other. 

"Long time no see, bud. How have ya been?" 

Wulf seemed even more happy meeting his friend, with an excited howl, the tall ghost went for a bear hug. 

"I'm so happy to see you,  friend Danny!" The ghost laughed. "I'm not surprised to see you in a fight of all times." 

Danny chuckled and shrugged. "Nothing I can do 'bout that. Come on, gonna introduce you to someone." 

A bit confused, Wulf followed the halfa back to the guest house, where he soon faced very curious-looking Hawks. 

"Wulf, this is Hawks. I'm interning with him," Danny as always spoke to Wulf in his language.

"I didn't know you can speak Esperanto," Hawks commented. 

"I'm just full of surprises. Is it alright that Wulf here decided to help? You aren't gonna ruin our glorious friendship by telling everything? Snitches get stitches, so you know."

"I'm not testing my luck," Hawks chuckled and raised his hands. "We'll just let this one slide. Although I am intrigued by your array of choice friends, this is not the time for that..." the hero glanced at the captured criminals. "You know what, since you wanted to talk to this gentleman, go for it. I'll deal with things here."

"Really?" Asked the halfa. "Sounds rather...unprofessional."

"Shut up, kid," Hawks moaned jokingly. "We'll meet at the port and then go back to the city. While you have a chat, in the meantime, I'll deal with authorities." 

Danny smirked. "I guess you really are alright, birdman. Okay, not gonna complain! Come on, Wulf!"

Somewhat confused, Wulf still nodded and flew right after the halfa. 

"He can also fly...odd," mumbled Hawks as he saw the two spectres disappear from view, far away.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Bedrock interrupted his musings. "Call the police if that's what you want, Hawks." 

Sighing, the pro looked around, searching for anyone else that could interfere. His own intern, for instance. That was a very opportune time for Danny's friend to arrive, for Hawks didn't have to think up an excuse to send the kid away. He wasn't ready for the next step. The system needed to be cleaned up, occasionally. Problem was in the Commission's way of going about it. Thinking about how the boy would have gone ballistic upon such discovery, Hawks plucked an especially big feather, hard and long enough to pass as the sword. 

"That's not exactly the intention," Hawks said grimly. 

---

"Look, Wulf, I'm sorry I didn't try to look for you," Danny rubbed the back of his head in shame. "When you are gone for long, it usually means Walker got you."

They both found a nice spot in one of the alleyways, out of sight, for two reasons: Phantom's current fame and Wulf's unsettling appearance even by local standards. Probably because the anthropomorphic wolf was also extremely large and imposing. 

"He was close, but he did not succeed this time," Wulf spoke proudly, before looking up and down Danny's body. "Hm...you have changed your suit."

"Yeah," Danny chuckled. "After looking at what the local heroes like to wear, I decided to up my own game. What do ya think?" 

"I think I know why you went for this one," Wulf smirked. "Maybe one day we will see a crown as well, my prince."

"I sense insincerity," Danny said dramatically and put a hand over his heart. 

"I care not for who is on the throne, you know that. But you will do well than most ghosts I know," Wulf chuckled. "The suit also fits. But does that mean that you continue heroics?"

"Kinda obvious after that raid, eh?" Danny smirked and crossed his hands. "Yes. I am also studying in the hero school, made myself a world name, now I am interning with a licensed and professional hero." 

"By the Ancients. You are quick, friend Danny. Although, I expected as much. Quirks or not, the locals can be surprised by what we can do."

"No kidding. I think even good ol' Boxy will be feared," Phantom cackled and smiled. "It's good to see someone from back home." 

"You miss it, don't you?"

Danny was quiet initially, but soon came up with an answer. "I miss Tucker, Sam and Jazz. Valerie, too. And the ghost buddies, too. And yet, I don't miss the place, you get what I mean? Other than them, there's nothing for me in that human world. If they were to be brought here, it would have been good, but I can't possibly ask them that." 

Wulf seemed content with the answer. "You start to think the same way I do, friend Danny. I have travelled many worlds, but very few are actually inhabited by people close to me. And of course, I frequent them more than the rest."

"Yeah. I am getting my life sorted here, I got new friends..."

"Do they know of your...condition?"

"Some think I am an overpowered kid who is a ticking bomb. Like that stupid Commission. But no, I don't think anyone suspects it. I leave clues occasionally, for fun sake, but it's just too bizarre of a theory for them to recognise. Quirks take strangest forms, so they easily believe my initial made up story." 

"You shouldn't beat around the bush. Your best friends all know your coveted secret, and that made your bond even stronger."

"I know, I know. Just...it's not easy, you know? I'm still half-dead, and it's not something you tell all around. And...that's why I'm here in the first place."

Wulf slowly nodded. "I see. You are fearful that anyone will react similarly to your parents. But friend, your sister and friends did not cast you away."

"Tucker and Sam were there when it happened. Jazz always disliked our parents' work. Valerie tried to kill me. She stopped doing so only when I revealed my identity to her...alright, she does fit your point."

Wulf huffed. "In any case, you will be the one deciding this. And that's not why I'm here, you know? Do you want to go back, Danny? Even though I know the answer, I have to hear it from you."

"I...I will stay here, Wulf," Danny said, albeit indecisively. "I can't go for a visit right now, either, because I'm in the middle of my internship, you know. Oh, oh, oh, oh," Danny suddenly remembered and lit up with excitement. "Look what I learned to do, Wulf!" 

Concentrating heavily, the halfa created a portal right by his side, looking at the surprised ghost with a stupid grin. 

"Well, what do you say?" He asked. 

"You can make your own gateways now?" 

"Well, I managed to stretch the distance to seven meters. But they don't even lead to the Ghost Zone. Maybe you have some advice?" 

"I suppose I will stay. We will see what we can do. You just keep discovering new abilities, don't you?" 

"Guilty as charged. But where will you stay?" 

Wulf waved his paw, "Don't worry, friend Danny. I will find a spot. Especially since I wouldn't want to bother you."

"I could ask Tsukauchi...although for a while I won't be able to come there."

"See?" Wulf chuckled. "Don't worry for me...but if YOU are planning to stay, there is something you must know. There's someone after you, my friend."

The halfa's look turned serious. "What else is new? Who is it this time?" He asked. 

Wulf did not hesitate to share his story of captivity with the ghost prince, who was growing more concerned with each second. Danny was bewildered by the tale, albeit Wulf forgot to mention the true reason as to why exactly the criminal was interested in the half ghost. Mostly because the theory was so outlandish that Wulf had deemed it to be a lie to coerce him to be more open and sincere. 

"Do you know this man, friend Danny?" 

"I don't," Phantom's lips thinned. "I'm so sorry, Wulf. If I tried looking for you..."

"You have always helped me when I got myself into trouble. You don't have to ask for forgiveness, friend."

"Some friend I am..." Danny mumbled. "But I will make that bastard regret trapping you." 

"Be careful, friend. My senses screamed of grave danger that man poses. He is dangerous." 

"If you say so," Danny responded, although the warning coming from a ghost was concerning. "You know where his hideout is, don't you?" Receiving a nod, he continued. "Right. Guess I will pay him a visit," Danny fixed his gloves. "This night I will make a little detour." 

Having dealt with matters on the official internship part, the half ghost did not stay the night at the hotel. Instead, he, alongside Wulf, flew to the place of the latter's encounter. It wasn't far from where Endeavour was staying, so the detour should not have taken long. If Danny was to be honest with himself, he was unsure about his course of action. The teen could not surrender the man to the police, if he were to come out on top. A simple fight for the sake of fighting or even teaching that man a lesson was largely pointless either. Yet, it was too late to turn back — the two spectres were already there, with the teen being mostly driven by emotions, the desire to pay back for attacking his friend and prove his dedication to protecting those close to him. 

Wulf was not opposed to the idea. He himself wanted some payback. Even if he let the ghost go voluntarily, even if there was no actual torture, that man let off the air he hated most — the imposing, tyrannical feel. A sincere and honest man would not make himself a hideout underground. Wulf knew enough of that world to recognise a villain when he saw one. And yet, he was also wondering if it was alright for Danny to come. The man had been seeking such encounter, whether or not his reasoning was sincere or in any way correct. And that meant that, quite possibly, he was confident in his ability to remain unscathed.

However, all their preconceived suspicions and worries proved to be...misplaced. For the fate had decided to strip them of any choice or internal conflicts by resolving it in the unexpected matter. By the time Danny and Wulf came down, easily getting into the hidden facility with the unmatched power of intangibility, it had been stripped bare. Truly the workforce of exorbitant strength in the form of Nomus, coupled with Kurogiri's portal making were the pillars of All for One's elusiveness. Danny was frustrated, but, he had to admit, it just could not be that easy. The kingpin had foreseen that meeting under such circumstances would not benefit him in any way. No, in fact, he was opting for a different approach. 

Phantom would have departed empty-handed, forced to start his search from scratch, but very soon his eyes caught something. On one of the tables was lying a communicator, of the similar model to what the halfa had seen in his acceptance "letter". But there was a catch — it could not be unlocked until a certain date, which was a couple of days from then. Since Phantom was not Technus, and was unable to interact with machines on the same level, he had to comply with the demand, even if he was confused about what game the criminal was playing. All for One knew that the halfa would be led in there by his friend, he knew that communicator would not be shown to anyone else. By forcing Phantom to wait, he nurtured interest and made sure that the conversation would be strictly between the two of them. Danny suspected that it must have been for someone else, so he decided to keep it, in hopes of intersecting some important message. 

Thoughts about the depth of the rabbit hole on whose edge Phantom was currently balancing plagued the mind of the half ghost all the way. Nonetheless, he shoved the device in the back of his duffel bag and returned to Hosu in the middle of the night. 

Wulf knew that he'd better stay out of trouble, because Danny's interference would be seen as a transgression. Thus, the ghost decided to stay low until Phantom got the time for extra portal training. Besides, Wulf had another idea. The rooms of the underground base were full of strange smells, whose source was actually Nomus, who had too little brain capacity to care about leaving a trace. Wulf could try and look for them. Problem was, the use of portals cut off any solid trail, so he would have to search around possible locations. How would he know where to look? He could only count on Danny's own investigative labours. 

With the events of the last day catching up to Danny, upon arriving to the Hosu hotel, he fell soundly asleep. Since they met during breakfast, Todoroki could see that the halfa was still absorbed in his thoughts, lazily munching on cereal of all things. Shoto wasn't the best at reading people, but when the normally talkative hero trainee opted to keep quiet, something must have been amiss. Thus, he decided to ask Danny about this, as once again Endeavour went ahead for 'reconnaissance' and they could actually discuss such things uninterrupted by a stern and ever vigilant hero. 

"Well," Danny responded, unsure himself if he should share everything that weighed on him. "Yesterday I was with Hawks as we arrested a criminal who was also a hero. And it made me ask myself...what is it that makes people do this whole heroing thing here?" 

Shoto hummed. "Most would say that it is a vocation." 

"Like genuine wish to help?" Danny raised an eyebrow. Upon receiving a nod, he continued. "I wonder if that guy had the same desire initially. Or from the get go he wanted to become another Scrooge McDuck and own his own coin pool?" 

"I can't answer that," Todoroki responded sincerely. 

"Neither can I. It also doesn't matter, really. But how did a guy like that even become a hero? It's...unfair."

"Unfair how?" 

"Why do you think the Commission bothers me so much?" Danny shrugged. "Because they know my past and think I am a potential criminal myself. Did they bother that guy until it was too late? I doubt that," he sighed. "We go through hero training because they don't trust us. Yet their standards let people like Bedrock run around and use their name as a mask for the most comic book style crimes. It's frustrating." 

Todoroki was unsure about what to say, as this thought never crossed his mind. Even his father, however unjust and cruel as he may have been within their dysfunctional family, never seemed to be in the hero business for money, as much as he may have been earning as number two hero. Even Shoto had little negative to say about the latter part. The cases of arrested corrupt heroes were relatively rare, but nobody was perfect. Fenton was always emotional and ready to jump to conclusions, whether it was his youthful maximalism or the ever broiling cocktail of mismatched feelings that was his ghostly nature. Not that Todoroki could assume the latter. He must have been wondering for too long, because Danny himself responded to his own complaint. 

"Although..." he huffed. "Maybe I am wrong. I think this way only because I got my lessons on being a self-serving prick."

"You can't expect everyone to understand everything from the start," Todoroki added. 

"Look at these two philosophers," Danny chuckled and smiled. "I just wonder if that's the best people here can do."

"It's not like this in America?" 

Phantom scratched the back of his neck. "Where I am from, no. And I am not saying that the ways of...the people I know," he stopped himself at an opportune time from saying 'ghosts', "are any better. No, their survival of the fittest shtick is stupid, too. Even if I benefit from it the most." 

"Benefit?"

Danny smiled enigmatically. "I don't wear this suit just for show."

He really didn't want to talk about his friend's captivity, or that strange feeling that he was getting into something nasty. Why was he even feeling that way? Because Wulf was someone actually close to him? Maybe. The feigned good faith the criminal expressed towards the ghost? Possibly. Such bad guys were more difficult than average ghosts who screamed about their intentions to maim you. The unknown was an unsettling thing, no matter how much courage one may have possessed. Vlad had long since lost any semblance of imposition in Danny's eyes because the halfa knew the billionaire well, Phantom was aware of Plasmius's weaknesses and vulnerable buttons to press. And underneath the powerful megalomaniac hid a lonely man who actually got himself a cat. This kingpin, however, was already setting up a new game, much like Vlad in his prime. And Danny wasn't eager to play by its rules once more.

The conversation between the two teens did not go further, as Endeavour came back, bringing the two alongside him. As an outside hero, he could only interfere during very extraordinary situations or at the request of the local heroes. Unlike most existing measures, Danny had no problem with this one. Some could come and hog all the fame, like some overzealous players would steal one's kills in a game of DOOMED. He would know. Not to mention that some ghost hunters were all too eager to come to his territory and only get in the way. Nonetheless, it also meant that the day would largely be the same as before. 

The search for the hero killer, in the meantime, was not very fruitful. Endeavour conducted a small investigation that allowed to narrow the field of search, but it was still a gamble. And honestly, there was little else he could do with how elusive Stain was. The search remained largely the same, and by the time it got dark again Danny started getting bored once more. 

"Jeez, those guys took a day off or something?" Danny moaned. 

"Stay always vigilant," Endeavour scolded him without looking back. 

"Yessir," Phantom saluted and sighed.

And then a wisp of air came out of his throat. Reminiscing the prime cause of such reaction, Shoto tensed. And Danny's change in the face was also evident. 

"Would you look at that..." Phantom muttered with poorly concealed excitement. "Kurogiri decided to crawl back." 

"Who?" Asked Endeavour, finally turning around. 

"One of the people who attacked the school," responded Todoroki. 

"And the one whose arrival is telegraphed to me well ahead," Danny huffed. "If he is here, it can't be good. And Shigaraki is probably with him." 

"This may be a good chance as any," nodded Endeavour. "How precise is your compass?"

"He is that way," Danny pointed west. "The trail also goes up, so we will find them on the rooftops." 

And then, all of a sudden, explosions sounded far at a distance, in the opposite direction from where he was pointing.

"This went from zero to one hundred pretty quick," Danny mumbled.

"Follow me!" Endeavour commanded and ran towards the explosion.

"But Shigaraki is that way!" Called Danny upon realising their direction. "What are we doing with them?" 

"We must first assess the other threat," Endeavour cut him off. "Being led by a 'feeling' is not a proper argument."

Sighing, the halfa let everyone go ahead, before snapping his fingers. 

"You know what to do," he told his clone. 

"Better than you," smirked his duplicate, before turning invisible. 

Technically, he was already stopping the attack. What's wrong about coming at it from a different angle?

---

A.N. So…I know many of you expected some rescue operation when it came to Wulf. But I honestly would expect All for One to exploit his cards more efficiently. No need interrogating the guy when he could potentially get everything from the source. Nonetheless, sorry for making it seem like a setup for something like that. Felt like I need to address it.

Chapter 23

Phantom did not waste time on either front. The first of his duplicates joined the heroes in repelling the immediate threat to civilians. In such short time, whatever it was attacking the city in the villains' stead, managed to cause a lot of damage. Already the fires had broken out, trapping many people inside the nearby buildings. Danny was immediately tasked with getting them out. He would have asked to join the fight, but two things stopped him: a just reasoning of Endeavour that he could get in and out of fire with civilians in toe with flight and intangibility. And secondly, Hawks's lesson was already rubbing off on him. Yes, the civilians had to be rescued first, especially since the rest was already being taken care of by someone else. 

 

That was what the halfa was occupied with initially. He could hear the noises outside, and some were not very pleasant, like the sounds of destruction. He was still half-tempted to go back, as the calamity out there did not bode anything good. Before going into another office building, Phantom put out the fires with his ice powers, turning the place into a little glacial cave. The flames still lingered deep within the building, but that's why it was him doing the rescue. The true problems started fourth story and upwards, as the elevators did not work, and the passageway was already consumed by fire, blocking off everyone unfortunate enough to be located higher. Phantom's eyes glowed blue, and the ice consumed the flames once more.

 

"Jeez, it spreads fast," he mumbled, surprised at the pace everything was engulfed by the flame. "The fire security here is the biggest villain." 

 

As he scoured the floor for anyone stuck, he found the main source of the fires. A car that had been thrown in there and had combusted. This seemed like pointless destruction to the young hero. Its purpose, however, was only vaguely seen. Very soon ice and cold replaced the scorching heat of fires, and Phantom quickly searched every nook and cranny looking for unfortunate workers, directing them to the exits, assuring that the way was now clear. 

 

But as he watched the last person run down the emergency staircase, he heard the windows behind him shatter. 

 

In the next second he was pinned to the nearest ice pillar, his hands grabbed tight. Phantom hissed in pain from hitting the hard wall, but quickly phased out of the grip, freed his hands and used his still solid legs to push himself forward and leap right through the attacker, getting right behind it. Now, he could take a good look at the creature in front of him, and the sight surprised the halfa, because he immediately was reminded of the beast that had attacked the school before. The most striking similarity was the brain on display and the eyes without the tiniest glimmer of sentience. This one had pale-yellow skin, wings and possessed much less impressive musculature. 

 

"I swear, they make you guys uglier and uglier," Phantom muttered and took a battle stance.

 

This Nomu's ferocity, however, looked to be on par with the last one's, as it immediately went for the opponent. This time, however, Danny had a tried and true method. When Nomu came at him, Phantom ducked under the strike and snatched the beast's wing. With a laugh he swung the beast into the ice wall, before pummelling it even deeper. Now trapped in an icy prison, it was easier to subdue. 

 

"Now, don't move, this shouldn't hurt," he smirked, before digging his intangible hands inside Nomu's head. 

 

The beast screeched, but did not put much of a fight. In a couple of seconds, it stopped twitching and dropped on the ground unconscious. Phantom looked over the result of his small feat and was about to move on, but then Endeavour leaped through the window, quickly assessed what was going on and raised an eyebrow.

 

"How did you put it down so quickly?"

 

"I'm like a nasty botulism bacteria. Huh. Biology lessons do pay off when I actually listen," Danny mumbled. 

 

"Focus, Phantom," Endeavour commanded. "This eases the matter. Change of plans: you are coming with me against those creatures. We relieve other heroes so that they do the rescue." 

 

"Sure. It seems they never fixed that weakness. And by 'they' I mean Shigaraki's friends. These are Nomus, sir. The same ones that attacked our school. What should I do with their masters?" 

 

"YOU stay here," Endeavour once again repeated. "Do not question me, Phantom. Especially not now." 

 

Danny sighed. Perhaps he should have asked that beforehand.

 

For in the meantime, Shigaraki was standing on one of the rooftops and watching everything unfold. Of course, accompanied by the ever-present companion of his in the form of Kurogiri. The former was full of childish glee and pride at the destruction he was causing via the mindless killing machines. He was not joining in, however, whether it was out of fear of confronting a lot of heroes at once, an insecurity of sorts or maybe overconfidence in his master's creations. The one reason he had voiced as his prime, however, was a recent injury. 

 

"Is this Endeavour?" Asked Shigaraki as the hero was flying around at a distance. 

 

"It appears so," responded Kurogiri, his yellow eyes twisting in a thoughtful expression. "But wouldn't this also mean..."

 

"That I'm nearby?"

 

In a split second Kurogiri morphed into a figureless energy just to dodge a green blast that came from above. Phantom let out a small laugh as he waved off the excess energy from his fingertips.

 

"Been waiting till you say something like that," he said as his feet touched the roof. 

 

"You..." Shigaraki hissed at the white-haired hero. "How did you find us?!" 

 

"I'm hardwired to spot guys like your babysitter here," Danny responded and pointed towards Kurogiri. "He can't hide from me," he said and then his look turned serious. "What are you two getting out of this pointless attack?" 

 

"This doesn't concern you," Shigaraki responded hatefully, his fingers twitching. "But if you are to know, this is simply to prove a point." 

 

"A point," Danny repeated incredulously. "What even is that point?"

 

"That we are strong and they are weak? That Stain is an insipid and inefficient bastard who thinks waaaay too highly of himself? Perhaps both," the villain cackled. 

 

"Well, so far...wait..." Phantom realised something. "What did Stain do to piss off you of all people?" 

 

In his more than invested questioning, he didn't notice Kurogiri looking for an escape rout. His portals were the extension of him, able to be damaged by the hellish energy Phantom produced. It couldn't be in Phantom's field of sight, but making it behind the half ghost was no option either. They had to get to the portal as well. Kurogiri was also feeling that Shigaraki was not planning alongside him, more invested in a monologue before another person he hated with passion.

 

"You think we are similar, don't you? That's how it is with you heroes. Why care about mobs that you come to take down? But it's far from truth. Stain is too self-righteous for my liking, he thinks there's some higher purpose to killing people."

 

"Oh, no, you are different," Danny agreed. "After all, every nutcase is insane in their own ways. But it is you who sent out monsters after civilians out of a petty grudge against him."

 

Shigaraki scratched his neck furiously. "I'm showing that my actions are much more meaningful than whatever it is he is doing." 

 

"To whom?" Asked Phantom. "That master you keep talking about?" He pointed at Kurogiri. 

 

"Master is always aware of what transpires," responded the sentient fog. "This is meant to be a lesson for Shigaraki first and foremost."

 

"Props to him for not giving up by now," Danny responded dryly.

 

"He is a man of patience. After all, he is willing to wait until you read the message left behind by him." 

 

"What message?" Hissed Shigaraki, and Danny was more surprised that he of all people was unaware. 

 

"So it IS one man," Danny mumbled, before his expression grew harder. "All the more reason to beat you guys to a pulp."

 

Without saying anything else, he fired a blast their way, and Kurogiri immediately covered his ward with his body. His yellow eyes twisted from pain, but he still tried to trap the opponent by making portals in his wake. Danny dodged the attacks and closed the distance, before firing a blast that Kurogiri dodged by making a hole in his body. The villain then teleported Shigaraki out of reach and teleported himself to another end of the roof. 

 

"You don't have that stupid gizmo on you now, do you?" Shigaraki mocked Danny's inability to actually contain his enemies. 

 

"Didn't have the chance to finish the repairs," Danny admitted.

 

"Then dare I make a suggestion?" Kurogiri spoke.

 

"You want me to let you go?" Danny asked incredulously, having guessed the intent.

 

"You came to us obviously not at Endeavour's behest. You will get nothing but scorn for your action, even if you somehow capture us. You ought to know this."

 

"What are you getting at?" Now Shigaraki was just as perplexed.

 

"Perhaps we can arrive at a deal. If you let us go, we'll help you locate Stain."

 

"Help him?!" Shigaraki exclaimed. "No! I want him dead!" 

 

"Young master, you want Stain out of the picture as well, don't you?" 

 

"I am not helping that brat!" 

 

"You can just teleport away and I may miss again," Danny said slowly. "Is this why you haven't tried it yet?"

 

"How observant of you. Weigh your priorities, child. You said you can easily find us, but you can't say the same for Stain. This is your chance at locating him."

 

A part that may have horrified other classmates of his is that Danny actually considered it. Loathsome as his opinion was of the pair in front of him and the man above them, it was an excellent opportunity to get rid of a maniac on the loose. After certain consideration, he gritted his teeth and sighed. 

 

"Your monster just broke the ribcage of another hero," he told the villains of his duplicate's observations. "You are no better than him, and are just as worthy of punishment. I will find you one day. Fine. You have your deal. Where is he?" 

 

Kurogiri showed an expression most resembling a smile. 

---

Stain's crime spree was not going without any attention. , his latest attack, spurred by heroes' mostly pulled away from the area, would have gone unpunished if not for one hero trainee's desire for vengeance. Iida was the first to find him, having scoured the area in search for the man who crippled his brother for life. It...did not end well for the young hero. He knew not of the hero killer's Quirk, and it came to bite him right there. A single lick of Iida's spilled blood was enough to incapacitate him, leaving him unable to move, as not a single muscle budged. Had it not been for two of his classmates, Stain would have put an end to what he believed  to be the life of a mummer hero. 

 

The first to rush to his aid was Midoriya. Having scoured all possible locations, he arrived in the nick of time, managing to buy time. In a showcase of sudden skill and use of his Quirk that stunned both Iida and Stain, Midoriya managed to stand his ground for a good while. However, in the end, the years of slaughter had taught Stain well, and his experience trumped the boy's inventiveness. Still, he managed to impress the criminal, and thus, after making sure Midoriya would not get up to challenge him again, Stain resumed his initial plans — to murder Iida, for one. That was when another classmate rushed in. It was Todoroki, who had tracked them as well, and in a few moments of confusion he utilised his power to get his classmates AND an incapacitated pro hero to relative safety behind his back. 

 

"Todoroki! You can't let him see your blood!" Midoriya shouted a warning. "I think he controls his opponents' actions by ingesting their blood! That's how he got us!"

 

Todoroki heard him, and planned to keep as far as possible from the criminal's swords. His plan was futile, for Stain cut him with a throwable knife. Stain pushed forward, but his strike hit a wall of ice. Before Todoroki retaliated, he saw that Stain was looking up. There they saw the villain's katana. He had thrown it alongside the knife. But then, the sword remained suspended in the air, much to everyone's surprise. 

 

Wearing his signature smirk, Danny dropped his invisibility, floating in the air and lazily examining the man's sword. 

 

Using the distraction, Stain almost licked the blood off Todoroki's scratched cheek, but then a half of Todoroki's body ignited and forced him away, cauterising the wound in the process. Danny landed on the ground near them and twirled the sword in his gloved hand. 

 

"What an ugly thing," he commented. "For an elusive criminal you are awfully easy to find, Stain," Danny glanced at three of his classmates. And that other guy he had no idea about. 

 

Instead of responding, not wishing to lose momentum, Stain lunged forward again, second sword in hand. Todoroki and the halfa responded in tandem and conjured a wall of ice. With little effort Stain cut through the wall, to be met by Todoroki's infernal blaze, but the criminal managed to push himself off another glacier and jump out of the line of fire. Danny spun the first blade in his arm and lunged forward at speed, slashing it right at the opponent. But of course, Stain managed to block the weapon, his experience with blades trumping all else's. 

 

"I recognise you, boy," Stain spoke. "You think that winning some foolish tournament is enough to beat me?" 

 

Moving his sword, Stain deflected and reached for a dagger with freed hand. In a split second he threw it forward, but Danny managed to turn intangible at the last moment. He would have gone at it again, but then he heard a yelp of pain behind. Glancing back, to his shock, the half noticed that the blade cut Todoroki's side. 

 

"I'm sorry!" Danny shouted with a hint of panic, before Stain decided to use the delay and make another slash. Phantom blocked it once more, but Stain kicked him in the gut, making Danny drop the weapon into Stain's hand. He would have continued, but Todoroki's torrent of fire intercepted him, cutting the criminal off from the halfa. 

 

"Focus, Phantom!" The boy exclaimed and clutched his side. "I'm fine!" 

 

"Two on one. That's not very honourable of you, heroes," Stain mocked. 

 

"Is it honourable to crawl in shadows and stab people in the back, Chizome?" Danny spat.

 

It may have been his usual strategy to banter, but this was more spurred by anger of his own, Midoriya realised. Also, an obvious question popped in everyone's mind. 

 

"Where did you learn the name?!" Stain narrowed his eyes and inadvertently voiced the people's thoughts. 

 

Danny smirked. "I know some people who will sell their own mother, what's there to say about your bio," Danny gave a vague answer as his fists ignited in ectoplasmic blaze. "I also know how your Quirk works. For each type of blood the effect of your paralysis differs, which means one of our friends will get up soon. But it is enough time to kill, always. So I ask you again, is there much honour in murdering defenceless enemies?" 

 

"I never claimed that there was honour in my actions. My aim is to cleanse this world by any necessary means! You don't seem to hesitate to use dishonest allies and dirty tools, Phantom. You are a mummer hero, just like the rest."

 

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I assure you, you will be beaten and spat on with honesty."

 

Stain threw even more daggers, expecting the halfa to choose differently this time. And he did, summoning a new shield that blocked the blades. Stain jumped over the barrier and came from above, but Todoroki once again called upon the fire and launched a torrent upwards. The hero killer dodged again, jumped across the walls and would have landed behind their backs near the immobilised heroes, but failed, for Danny flew close and blasted him nearly point blank. But Stain jumped on the nearest balcony and its floor protected him from the blast below. Phantom touched the wall and the intangibility spread, ripping the ground from below the villain. A well-timed blast managed to hit, despite being partially numbed by the blade. The force of the blast was enough to reset his advance.

 

"Why...why you..." Iida tried to utter. "Stop this...this guy is mine! I've inherited my brother's name!"

 

"You also inherited his defeat," Phantom responded with annoyance and pushed the villain back once more. Alongside Todoroki they made an even bigger wall in the villain's wake. "Is this why you are here? To settle the score?" He let out a sorry laugh. "Some class president I am not to notice this." 

 

Todoroki looked back at Iida. "The Ingenium I know didn't have that look on his face, however," he commented, blunt and curt as ever.

 

At this moment Stain broke through the shattered ice. Todoroki hastily prepared to launch fire, but Stain threw more knives before he had a chance to. This time, Phantom pushed his classmate off course, before a gasp of pain escaped his lips. His hand was stabbed multiple times, and green and thick glowing liquid oozed out. Before Stain could deal another hit, all of a sudden, Midoriya jumped at him and landed a strong punch. Powered by his Quirk no less. Danny smiled. Practice did the guy some good.

 

"I can move normally for some reason now!" Midoriya exclaimed.

 

"A time limit?" Asked Todoroki.

 

"No," responded Danny firmly, turning his hand intangible and letting the knives fall off. "It's the blood type. Depending on it, the time of paralysis will be different. I don't know which is which, however." 

 

He focused some of his energy on healing up the injury. His green eyes in the meantime landed on Iida. 

 

"There is a reason I named you my deputy, Iida," Danny spoke. "I chose you, because unlike me you are supposed to be rational and responsible! I don't know a thing about your brother, but I know you! You want to carry your brother's name, so be the man he passed it on to!"

 

Upon exclaiming this, Phantom tossed another blast at the enemy, buying Midoriya time to dodge Stain's attacks. The villain once again changed his tactics, his entire moveset, remaining untouchable. And then he once more went for the ranged attackers. Last time it was Midoriya who jumped in, now the boy was lured away and couldn't catch up in time. Assaulted by barrage of scorching light and shards of ice, he relentlessly ran forward and came dangerously close. He was a force of nature, one that wielded a sword, battered, but sharp as a razor. Danny prepared to meet him, but at the last second he went for the more vulnerable one, when someone stood in his way again, with a powerful strike of his own. 

 

"Iida!" Totodoroki breathed in surprise. 

 

Danny smirked, but wasted no time, continuing the attack started by the fellow hero trainee. 

 

Finally, he landed a punch. 

 

Its force was enough to send Stain flying away, into the wall, effectively breaking it. Consumed by his ghostly adrenaline surrogate, he ran after him.

 

"We aren't done yet!" Danny exclaimed. 

 

"Wait! Phantom! Don't run off!" Midoriya cried. "He IS lacking in rationality," he moaned.

 

"Come on, we have to go!" Iida said confidently, yet his laboured breath and bloodstains on his armour were betraying him. "I won't have you people bleed for me," his fist balled, "I will not. Give in! If I do, Ingenium will die with me!" 

 

Whilst on the inside of the building, some disused former cookery, Phantom had to run around and search for the enemy among the halls and corridors. When, while in the dining area, he was attacked by the killer that lurked in the shadows. He dodged the first strike, but one of the endless knives scratched his leg, as the villain jumped aside, away from the ice that could consume him.

 

"Yours is the most filthy kind," spoke Stain. "Under the pure colours and smiles hides a man who breaks the law. Who fights for dirty money to the entertainment of scum. You must die."

 

"Sorry for not making it into your nice list," Danny responded. "Think what you like, Chizome. But you will not change the world for the better. Not like this. You will only fill it with scum like yourself."

 

"Maybe like begets like," Stain unexpectedly agreed. "Corruption of mummer heroes spreads everywhere."

 

"And they are dealt with. Without your assistance," Danny responded firmly. "But with mine."

 

"And what did you do? Why did THEY do what they did? You know the answer, boy, because you are similar beneath it all. No better than them. Ponder on it, as I make your guts spill out."

 

With a wicked grin, the man lifted the dagger, glistening with green liquid on it. Just as the rest of the heroes got inside, Stain took a lick. 

 

"Poor decision," Danny spat.

 

Immediately Stain felt how the liquid burnt his tongue like boiling water. The burning feeling then spread across his mouth, as many cuts on his tongue were too poor of an obstacle for ectoplasm that reached the bloodstream. And then, Stain let out a howl of pain, and in the brief moment of sudden agony, he didn't notice Phantom by his side, who leaped out of unforeseen invisibility and punched him with a burning fist. This time, not launching him anywhere, but snapping his arm in half. Quickly composing himself, Stain then avoided another attack, picking up a dagger with a healthy hand and making a stab. Jumping away, he let everyone see the damage — a knife to the most vulnerable part of human body, right above the heart. 

 

"Phantom!" Midoriya exclaimed with terror, to be met with a laughter on Danny's part. 

 

"Poisonous blood, unfathomable anatomy," he spoke, with a pained grunt pulling out the knife. "That's quite a list."

 

"You are..." Iida started. 

 

"A mistake of nature, yes," Danny responded, not looking away from Stain. "What's dead may never die. Stab me all you like, this hero you cannot kill. In fact," his eyes glowed brighter. "you will not kill anybody again!" 

 

A powerful blast was fired. Stain may have been unable to move his bleeding, snapped arm, but with even one he was a menace. He dodged and ran forward to prove Danny wrong. The rest of the heroes were prevented from coming near by a green glowing shield, but were also shielded from a another possible distraction. Stain slashed his sword, and seemingly cut off the whole head, but then felt how he couldn't move, telekinesis held him, before another blast hit him in the face point blank, burning his eyes and blasting him towards the heroes, as the shield vanished. Seizing the opportunity, Iida charged his calves and kicked Stain into the air. Todoroki also acted quickly and launched fire, obscuring Stain's view and cutting off any escape. But Stain had the ceiling to latch on to and jump down from. But on the other end of the flames Midoriya was waiting for him, and another hit made Stain fly out of the window and onto the road. 

 

"Great work, everyone!" 

 

"Argh!"

 

The classmates looked Danny's way and Midoriya yelped and jumped from the sight of Danny holding his grinning head. 

 

"Come on, before we lose him!" He said, cartoonishly putting his head back on, as it immediately connected to his body. 

 

Midoriya stared at the class rep wide-eyed. He was really glad that Danny was a hero. 

 

Everyone piled out from the window, watching the downed hero killer, expecting him to make a move, but the villain did not budge. Danny leaned over him and poked him. 

 

"Out cold. Midoriya must have hit him on the head too hard," Danny commented, looking at the man's burnt face. The blast must have blinded him. Phantom wasn't sure if it was temporary. Yet...he didn't feel anything. Stain deserved what came to him. 

 

"We need to tie him up," Todoroki said. 

 

"On it," Danny responded, using telekinesis to put Stain's hands behind his back. Then Phantom his palms together, as gooey green slime appeared, and used it to bind Stain's arms. "Help me take his weapons, somebody." 

 

Midoriya approached Stain as well, and together they started taking out knives, small blades, hooks other sorts of metal weapons they didn't know the name of. How was he so agile when carrying an arsenal of no less than 20 kilos? Nonetheless, with Stain disarmed, Danny put the man on his shoulder and together they went towards the back alley, they still had to check on the pro-hero, Native was his nickname. 

 

"That guy was strong," Midoriya sighed, looking at Stain. Even when unconscious, he was still uncomfortable to stay around. 

 

"We outnumbered him four to one, and we were still scraping by," Todoroki added. "He didn't expect Phantom to be so durable, so we managed to catch him off guard and act."

 

"Maybe sensory overload, too," Danny added, suddenly tensing.

 

"What is it?" Asked Iida.

 

"Nothing," Danny responded. "My duplicate was out there fighting Nomus. I just absorbed him...I counted them, and one seems to have gotten away. No clue where it might be..."

 

"You were fighting two battles at the same time?" Midoriya sounded very impressed. 

 

"Well, Nomus aren't hard when you have the tools," Danny shrugged. "And if you can find them."

 

Todoroki, in the meantime, looked at him not without wonder. 

 

"Danny...how did you find us?" 

 

Danny froze. If everyone around was being honest, they wanted to know it as well. 

 

"I know the people," he responded. 

 

"Not everyone knows how Stain's Quirk works. Not everyone would know where he was."

 

Danny turned around. "What are you getting at, Todoroki? Can't this wait?" 

 

"Fenton-san..." Midoriya spoke. "It's important. You are clearly hiding something from us."

 

Danny sighed. "I made a deal. With Kurogiri." 

 

Now it was everyone else's turn to freeze with a mixture of terror and shock. 

 

"You..."

 

"How could you do this?" Midoriya raised his voice. "What did he even want?"

 

"That I don't beat THEM up. That I don't try to bring them from the roofs to the nearest PD. In exchange they tell me where Stain is, as apparently Kurogiri was keeping watch at his master's orders. They hate him, too," Danny shifted Stain on his shoulders. 

 

"They could arrest you for this..." Iida whispered. 

 

"There are a lot of things they can arrest me for," mumbled Danny. "Yet knowing it all they chose not to. What was I supposed to do? Arrest them?" He huffed. "I pointed Endeavour to their exact location and he chose to do nothing. He also refused to sent me, I sneaked out! You guys are suggesting another crime — a citizen's arrest. Please, understand that I did it for all of us. We will fight them another day."

 

The three classmates looked at each other. Danny felt a pang of guilt twisting the truth like this. He had had no idea that his classmates had been there. He did it to stop Stain no matter what others thought. But that excuse would simply not fly. 

 

"I understand, Fenton-san," Midoriya said. "But why would they make a deal at all?"

 

"Shigaraki hates Stain with passion. Something about different ideals and wants and needs. They used me, us, to pluck this problem. I hate to say it, but the deal WAS beneficial to everyone."

 

"What about your other friends?" Asked Todoroki.

 

"I paid the dude for the info. He spilled the beans about the man's past. Adding this to what Kurogiri said, and I had plenty of puzzle pieces. I met Giran when I was out on the streets. I wouldn't trust him with my cut off fingernail, but he has what I want. Look..."

 

He turned around near the entrance to the alleyway. "This is not a thing you tell everyone around. Please, keep it a secret. I am already on HPSC probation, don't make it worse by letting everyone else know about my escapades in your country. I really had to make a living." 

 

"Your secret is safe with us," Midoriya confidently spoke for everyone. Not that the rest were of a different mindset. 

 

He was still their class president, after all. One who served his role with absolute diligence in crisis situations. And shady past perfectly explained all the gaps and untold parts of his strange stories, why he also seemed to possess the experience, why he also interned with HPSC. There was still a lot that could be asked about, but Danny seemed to have shut himself from more questions. Entering the alley, they saw Native, who had finally broken free from Stain's paralysis. He watched with surprise how the four trainees returned triumphantly. 

 

"You actually did it..." the young pro mumbled. "I'm sorry I wasn't of any help to you. I'm supposed to be the pro here," he said with shame.

 

"Don't sweat it, pal," Danny beamed. "There are things worse than wounded pride. Ask this guy," he shook Stain lightly. 

 

He sure bounced back quickly, Todoroki and Iida thought. 

 

"I'd rather not," Native chuckled. "I think we should go. Isn't there an attack on the city?"

 

"Dealt with by now," Danny responded just as cheerfully. 

 

The group eventually made it out of the alley. As Danny was wondering where the nearest police station was, everyone heard a loud and angry elderly voice.

 

"Why are you here?!" 

 

The heroes turned to see the source of the voice. It was a very small, old man with short grey hair and beard. On his face he wore a mask, his yellow and white hero outfit hardly indicating at the Quirk at first glance. 

 

"Gran Torino!" Midoriya exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and fear.

 

With shocking speed the old man approached them and kicked Midoriya in the face, jumping high. 

 

"I told you to wait in the bullet train!" 

 

"I'm sorry!" Midoriya begged.

 

"Midoriya, mind introducing us?" Asked Danny. 

 

"It's Gran Torino, the hero I'm interning with."

 

Danny gave a toothy grin. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, only later noticing how the man was frozen solid. Metaphorically. "Sir?" 

 

For a moment, Gran Torino was struck by the impression that it was someone else standing nearby. The resemblance was too great.

 

"Why did you come HERE?" Asked Midoriya, oblivious to the cause of Gran Torino's reaction. 

 

"I was told to come for some reason. I don't really know what is going on, but I'm glad you are okay."

 

"It's around here!"

 

Another bunch of heroes came around the corner and quickly surrounded them. 

 

"We were told by Endeavour to come..."

 

"Are those children?"

 

"Those injuries look serious..."

 

"Is that..."

 

Everyone finally noticed a man hanging on Danny's shoulder. 

 

Then came the moment when everyone would take a breath and recollect on what transpired. The heroes called an ambulance, someone called the police. The classmates simply rested after a tense fight. Danny would occasionally catch Gran Torino's glances, but wouldn't pay much mind to it. He was more preoccupied with the heroes insisting to check his stab wound. Danny kept insisting that the wound was already healing. At some point, he, alongside Midoriya and Todoroki, was approached by Iida, who bowed his head lowly despite the injuries of his own. 

 

"You were injured because of me. I am sorry. I put all of you at risk."

 

"I'm sorry, too," said Midoriya, "Even though you were in so much pain, I didn't notice at all. Even though we are friends."

 

"Yeah," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I already said that I too should have noticed. Sorry, pal."

 

Without raising his head, Iida began to shake, as his tears rained on the ground, until Todoroki spoke.

 

"Pull yourself together. You are a deputy class rep."

 

Iida nodded firmly and wiped his face. It was a moment of respite. Everything seemed to be in order...

 

Another surprise, out of many that day, flew down at the gathered heroes. 

 

"There it is!" Danny exclaimed, having finally found the missing Nomu.

 

Or, rather, it found them. The wounded beast flew down, dodging the attacks coming its way and out of all people it grabbed Midoriya, splattering its blood all around. The heroes rushed to save the teen, but one person beat them to it. One heroine felt someone licking the blood off her cheek, and not a moment too soon, the beast froze and plummeted to the ground. At a moment's notice Stain rushed forward, snatching one of the blades on his way. And as he came upon the wounded Nomu, he stabbed it in its exposed brain. But one should not have been deceived. Stain still held Midoriya at the end of his blade, ready to land a blow any second. But before anyone could make a move, Endeavour emerged, having chased Nomu to here. After a brief exchange, the flaming hero saw the villain.

 

"Don't tell me it's...the hero killer!" He prepared to launch a torrent of fire, but Gran Torino rushed to stop him.

 

"Wait, Todoroki!" He addressed the hero by his last name. 

 

Stain evidently noticed Endeavour's presence. Slowly, the man turned around, the piece of cloth around his face slipping down. And when it did, the absence of his cut-off nose was seen by all. 

 

"You fake..." he growled inhumanly. "I will make things right..."

 

His sheer presence was enough to force many of the heroes to freeze in terror. Danny, however, stood forward and prepared to fire a blast. 

 

"Someone must be dyed in blood..." Stain kept saying, coming closer and closer. "I must take back what it means to be a hero!" He yelled. "Come! Try and take me, fakes! The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero! All Might!" 

 

His scream reached deep into the heroes' souls, gripped them for a while, until the stupor was broken. As a green blast hit him in the chest and made the villain fall. Everyone's eyes turned to see Phantom, with his smoking palm outstretched forward.

 

"I promised you an honest defeat. At least take it with dignity," he commented, before seeing everyone's looks. "What? I didn't see you taking him up on the offer." 

 

"It was dignified," one of the heroes spoke.

 

The half ghost turned to him. "It was the desperation of a self-righteous psychopath. Dignity is not about loud bloodthirsty ravings of a madman."

 

Was the villain conceited? Stain did see his faults, after all. He knew what a bloodthirsty maniac he was. But conceit was not about seeing faults. It was about acting upon them. Stain made a cult out of them, knowing how wrong his actions were. So yes, self-righteousness was just the word that Stain deserved to be remembered by in Danny's eyes. 

 

In the meantime, out on the rooftops, as Shigaraki gleefully watched Stain's downfall, Kurogiri felt content. His Master already knew the boy so well. And he knew exactly what feelings to feed him. Slowly, but surely. 

---

The four hero trainees met the next morning in hospital. As usual, Danny wanted to just get to his work, but the hospital and Endeavour told him to stay. That's what brought an odd picture to life. Iida had his arms heavily wrapped in bandages, Midoriya and Todoroki, too, were not spared the treatment. Danny, in the meantime, hanged around completely intact, in hospital robes. When asked to show the wound, he would lift his robe and show undamaged chest, safe for the ever-present electricity scar. Regeneration was largely why nobody found out his secret — Danny Fenton would come completely healthy next day even if Phantom sustained heaviest of damages. 

 

So, they simply remained in their hospital room, quite bored, actually. Danny made a ball of ectoplasm and was at that point just tossing it at the nearest wall. 

 

"Were you able to sleep, Midoriya?" Asked Todoroki. 

 

"No, not really," the boy responded. 

 

"Me neither."

 

"Thinking about this, we really did something amazing. Seeing an ending like this makes you feel like it was a miracle that we came out alive. With my leg like this, he probably could have killed us if he'd wanted to."

 

"He probably left us alive on purpose." 

 

"Lucky you," Danny dropped on his back, on the bed, looking at Todoroki upside down. 

 

"Maybe it is not an issue to someone who can have his head cut off, but he is not a joke."

 

"Remember, Todoroki. National emergency," Danny reminded of their past discussion. "But I am sorry that it's my carelessness that got you one of the wounds."

 

Todoroki's look softened. "Think nothing of it."

 

"I am also impressed by Iida," Danny tilted his head to face the bespectacled teen, "Stain wanted to kill you, and you didn't have my resilience. Yet you lived and faced him," he smiled. "That's surely something." 

 

"No, it's...I..."

 

He didn't have the time to finish, as the door soon opened. There stood Gran Torino and another hero, in blue biker-esque clothes. 

 

"Oh, are ya wounded kids awake?" He asked, before approaching his student. "I've got a lot of complaints for you."

 

"I-I am sor..."

 

"But first. There are people who want to see you." 

 

Into the room entered a very tall man with the head of a beagle. One that Danny knew all too well, and the man did throw him a glance. The chief of police, Kenji Tsuragamae. He was followed by a man Danny knew even better. It was Tsukauchi. And Danny's guardian gave him nearly all of his attention, but did not speak yet. Tsukauchi gave him a subtle sign to get up to show respect to Tsuragamae, just as Todoroki and Iida did. Deciding not to argue just yet, Danny did just that. 

 

"You can stay seated," Kenji said to Midoriya. "Woof."

 

Danny held back a laugh.

 

"You must be the young heroes from U.A. Academy that brought down the hero killer. In regards to him, you did a number on the criminal. He had several serious injuries, broken bones and burns. He is receiving treatment under strict watch as we speak. As U.A. students you surely know..."

 

"That we did a big no-no," Danny interrupted, ignoring his guardian's sign. 

 

The chief of police gave him a pointed look. "Your tongue moves just as inappropriately, it seems, Fenton, woof." 

 

The unaware were surprised at the strange familiarity. Kenji still continued.

 

"For individuals to possess such powers is a great danger to everyone. There were many reasons that led to the emergence of the profession of heroes. Even fighting the hero killer, for uncertified Quirk users to cause injuries of such gravity, without instructions from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of law. All of those present in this room, safe for me, must receive strict punishment."

 

Danny's eyes narrowed. How dared he bring Tsukauchi into this, he wasn't to blame at all! And it seemed that it wasn't only him who held the strong opinion on what was happening. However, Todoroki spoke first.

 

"Wait...if Iida did nothing, Native would have been killed! If Midoriya did nothing, two of them would have died. Nobody realised that the hero killer was there. Are you saying that we should let people get killed?" He asked furiously and would have come closer if Midoriya didn't stop him. 

 

"Are you saying that as long as it turns out alright, it's okay to bend the rules?"

 

"Well, if these rules are just plain stupid..." Danny argued casually. 

 

"Danny," Tsukauchi warned. 

 

"Isn't it the heroes' job to help people?" 

 

"This is why you are not full-fledged heroes yet. Goodness. What are you taught at U.A. and by your mentors?" 

 

"Why you dog..." Todoroki growled and came even closer. 

 

"Wait!" Gran Torino said. "Let him finish. Hear him out." 

 

"That is the official opinion of the police. Of course, we will be forced to act upon it if the information is to be made public, woof. The public would probably cheer for you, but this would not absolve you of punishment. This may be underhanded, but the burns on Stain's body may be explained as Endeavour's victory over the villain. Endeavour would be the one to save the day, and you will not be punished, woof."

 

"What's that?" Danny turned his ear. "Are we bending the rules?"

 

"We may just mention your achievements if you so desire," Kenji left a subtle threat. "But think of everyone that this may also concern."

 

Danny's expression did not become any less angry, but he understood everything. Tsukauchi felt the need to speak up, but he knew he would be acting out of place.

 

"The problem can end here. It would mean that nobody would know of your heroic deed. So which is it? Personally, I would hate to wound the next generation of promising heroes because of one mistake, woof," the chief gave a thumbs up.

 

"We will still be reprimanded for being negligent, though," the biker guys said through sad smile. 

 

"Tsukauchi-san..." Danny started, grasping a moment to talk to his guardian. 

 

"Don't worry, kid," Tsukauchi said. "In this regard you are under Endeavour's supervision." 

 

"I understand your feelings," Keni continued. "Because of the unfairness of adults you will not receive the praise you rightfully deserve. But at least, as someone who also keeps peace," he bowed his head. "I can say thank you." 

 

"Should have started with that," Todoroki mumbled.

 

Smiling Danny felt a tap on his shoulder. 

 

"Danny, a word, please," Tsukauchi said. 

 

Curious, Danny followed his guardian outside, somewhere where it was more private. Surprisingly, that wing of the hospital was quite empty, and the two of them seated on two chairs. 

 

"Look, Tsukauchi, I know how..."

 

"Danny," Tsukauchi raised his palm. "I know what you think of it, more than you give me credit for."

 

"Well, we took down one of the worst villains out there, and all we get is a tiny gratitude done in hospital ward."

 

"You knew that this is how it would go, though. After all, that's what I am saying to you every day," the man chuckled. 

 

"At least I've gotten some rest from your buzzing," Danny joked lightly. "I'm sorry, Tsukauchi-san. I know I blamed you for everything..."

 

"That was stupid of you."

 

"I'm trying to be sincere here," Danny responded dryly.

 

Tsukauchi chuckled. "I know what you like and dislike. You like freedom, you don't like raisins. And you don't like being lectured because of your rich experience. But everything I say is not because I am a stickler."

 

"You kinda are."

 

"I am not," Tsukauchi whispered, "I say this because...that's kind of embarrassing...I want you to live your best life, Danny, like any parent would," Danny stared at him, "Simply breaking all the rules you don't like will only get you in pointless troubles. I always believed that you are a good kid. A hero. Yesterday you only confirmed it. There never was any doubt in your good intentions. But I always ask you to consider the consequences. You badmouth important people into their faces, you break the rules as you please...but now you saw how your actions can get other people in trouble."

 

"Because of this world's stupid rules."

 

"Wonder if Stain thought so, too," Tsukauchi watched Danny's displeased reaction. "He was the man who also did what he thought was right, not caring about the pain he could cause, what laws he may break. You are not him, however. You are better than him."

 

"He called me a mummer hero, you know?" Danny chuckled.

 

"I wouldn't take his judgment over anyone else's. You just heard mine, Danny," Tsukauchi wrapped one hand around the smaller boy. "You are destined to be the greatest hero. But just as Tsuragamae said, it would be a shame to lose such a promising kid over such easily avoidable mistake."

 

Danny looked at the smiling detective, then out of the window. "It's just...so unfair. I can follow the rules, Tsukauchi. I cross the street on green, I do my homework and don't run in the halls...but how many people died because nobody can interfere?" He asked bitterly. "I did a lot of things. I saved so many, never receiving any thanks. I thought it would be different now, but all I got was a stern talk from a dog." 

 

"Just a bit of patience, kiddo," Tsukauchi lightly nudged him. "Just a couple of more years, and you will be free to save as many as you wish. Until then..."

 

"Yes, I know. You are buzzing again," Danny smiled. 

 

"Just...know that I am always here, Danny. If you feel down or confused or worried, ask me. You don't have to hide everything from the entire world."

 

"I...thank you," Danny said through the lump in his throat. It had been...such a while since anyone talked to him this way. "I will think about it."

 

"From now on, I'll buzz only when you really need a reminder. But only because I believe that you can learn your lessons."

 

Danny numbly nodded.

 

Tsukauchi smiled and patted his shoulder. "Well, off you go. Join your friends."

 

Beaming, Danny jumped from his chair and returned to his room. As Tsukauchi watched the boy leave, he could feel the chief's presence by his side.

 

"Why didn't you talk about it?" He asked, lighting a cigarette. 

 

Tsukauchi reached into his coat, digging out a yellow file. File containing Danny's life on the wrong side of Japanese law. One graciously provided by the chief, who by then had gotten it from HPSC. 

 

"I know the boy too well," Tsukauchi smiled. "And I will let him tell me this himself."

Chapter 24

"Izuku Midoriya, goodness..." 

To say that Toshinori was joyous to hear his mentor's voice over the phone was only to paint half of the picture. First of all All Might, the greatest hero to live, was terrified. Gran Torino, however, wasn't finished just yet.

"Thanks to him, I'm getting a pay cut," the old man complained over the public use phone. "My teaching license is also suspended for the next six months. Well, considering the extenuating circumstances, it couldn't be helped. The part when he starts moving without thinking is just like you, Toshinori!"

"I humbly apologise!" Toshinori rambled his excuses. "It is because of my insufficient teaching...To cause you such troubles, I can't apologise enough..." he went on as he stormed out of the staff room, ignoring all the confused looks other teachers gave him. 

"I didn't care about that license anyway," responded Gran Torino. "I only got it so I could teach you and fulfil my promise to Shimura."

"And I am truly thankful to you for that. I wouldn't be who I am now without your teaching..."

"You say this, but you never come to visit."

"That's...my job as a teacher is just so taxing on my time!"

"I call today to talk about the hero killer. I only saw him in person for a few minutes...but he had me shaking."

"To frighten someone like you, Gran Torino..."

"Yes. And it shames me that a child was braver than me. The pressure I felt must have been because of the hero killer's strong ideology...or his obsession. Somewhat akin to your "Symbol of Peace" thing. To put it bluntly, it is charisma. As the investigation proceeds, his ideas, his words will seep into TV, newspapers and the internet. Our age, for better or worse, is indeed that of suppression. New villains will arise, influenced by his ideas. Sporadically at first, they will be taken down as they always were, as there is no unity amongst them. That is where the League of Villains steps in. The taken footage showed that they were not too far behind. This will been enough to connect them to Stain, to alleviate them from the rank of bold delinquents to a force to be reckoned with. While the malice of an individual is weak, together, united by a strong ideology, they will pose a problem. Especially since now they have receptacle. The mastermind behind this plan knew this and acted."

Toshinori began to sweat, realisation slowly gnawing on his mind. 

"He is slowly getting rid of obstacles while utilising them to his advantage. All with the purpose of reaching his own goals...when I heard from Tsukauchi that Nomus have multiple Quirks, I had my suspicions...The signs are there, and they point towards the same man...All for One is on the move again." 

"For him to have survived that injury is a reality I don't want to believe," Toshinori responded slowly, his hand instinctively going to his chest.

"Toshinori. Midoriya admires you greatly. You must find it in yourself to tell him this important truth. About One for All and your own past."

Toshinori remained silent for a moment. "I know I have to," he finally said. "There is...something else you must know. Especially if it is as bad as we fear. You have seen young Fenton among the students, correct?"  

Gran Torino felt like he would not like where it would lead to. "The white-haired one?"

"Yes. The boy is his splitting image. This, his powers which cannot be explained by a single Quirk, and even the way he acts — me, Tsukauchi and the Commission have the reasons to believe that he is All for One's prodigy."

After more silence, Toshinori nearly went deaf.

"When were you going to tell me?!" Gran Torino yelled. "Didn't you think this may be important to me as well?"

"I'm sorry, sensei!" Toshinori begged. 

"And you keep him close to your successor, too? Are you insane?" Gran Torino went on.

"Young Fenton wants to become a hero, sensei. I can see that his heart is in the right place, no matter his heritage, and as far as I know, he has no idea of One for All, nor does he know about his parent. But if All for One really is back, we must make sure that the boy never falls under his influence. Tsukauchi is Fenton's guardian, and I trust him to do this." 

"You fool. Why didn't you talk to me?" Gran Torino grumbled, rubbing his temples. "He is clearly a rebel. Remember what I said about the ideology, Toshinori. His doesn't seem to be much different from the brief moments I saw and heard him." 

To that, Toshinori had no answer. "So what are you suggesting now, sensei?"

"I will ask Tsukauchi while he is still here. It is not something to discuss over the phone. We clearly can't cast him aside. Whatever he may say, the boy hasn't done anything wrong yet. Or is there something else I do not know?" 

"He lived in the streets. He did not join any gangs and did not harm anyone. There was, however...an illegal fighting pit." 

"That's what I am saying, Toshinori! The seeds are all there. If All for One gets to him, the boy's access to Midoriya will be our downfall. Keep an eye on Fenton. Inform the commission about all of our suspicions. And don't let Midoriya remain in the dark about him, too...Be considerate, Toshinori. They both are still children, there is no predicting the reaction." 

"Yes, sensei. I'll take your advice to heart." 

After the call ended, Gran Torino was consumed by heavy thoughts. When he had walked into the hospital room and saw a raven-haired teen, he hadn't paid him much heed. Sure, his appearance the night before was uncannily similar, but what's a facial similarity in a world of over 10 billion people. But now, hearing this, the old man was conflicted. There was anger lurking somewhere deep, the idea of that monster siring a child, ignoring him to an extent that the boy would have to fend on the streets, while Shimura...

No, that wasn't a way to think about him, Gran Torino reasoned in his elderly wisdom. Young Danny was deserving of being judged in separation from the events older than him by a large amount. And yet, his predicament was baffling. Why would All for One throw away such a valuable asset without any means of controlling him? Perchance he simply didn't know of Danny's existence until a certain point. Question was, when exactly was that point reached? Nonetheless, it was strangely ironic how the son of the most vile man in that world would want to become a hero. Gran Torino was absorbed in his thoughts until he saw the noise coming from the reception desk. And it just had to have something to do with young Danny. 

The boy was leaving the hospital and was signing the last papers, already in his white-haired form, ready to take off any second. Unlike his friends, Danny could resume his internship already, and he was starting on very next day. It was strange to Gran Torino that the boy's resemblance factor kicked in solely when he was using the power he supposedly inherited. Although there weren't any other children to compare him to, so maybe that's how it was supposed to function.

The noise was in actuality the noisy crowd actually recognising him from the tournament and immediately coming up to take an autograph. His reaction, immediate and undoubtedly sincere, spoke a lot of his nature. A violent blush of green, followed by a grin and excitement in his green eyes. Unused to, but enjoying the positive attention. Obviously the boy signed all of the people's possessions begging to be signed. The tournament and his involvement in the local rescue operations warranted him a degree of recognition. He had learned from Endeavour that Danny was capable of dealing with Nomus swiftly and efficiently by possessing their bodies. His collection of powers was bizarre, and, from what he had gathered, Gran Torino could see how Danny would name his Quirk that way. 

There really wasn't anything strange about the young hero trainee. It was almost comical how unassuming he was at the first glance when not in battle. For a while the old man watched him, trying to find the smallest hint of dishonesty. Yet, the boy even held the doors open for an old lady. No, the child could not be judged in toe with his abhorrent father, especially since they must have had no contact with each other. Yet the boy did break the law at some point. Gran Torino ultimately decided that time would be the best judge, and until then he would resign to learning more and making sure that the boy posed no threat. 

He simply hoped that he would not be too late.

---

"The only one I'll let kill me is the one true hero! All Might!" 

The video stopped and Giran put his decorated phone away. 

"Come on, they cut off the best part," Danny grumbled as the broker ignited a cigarette. 

It was raining buckets that day. As the half ghost was once again passing the broker's field of operations, the boy decided to pay him a visit and learn of what was going on around the criminal world. Thus, there the two were, hiding under a stationary umbrella in one of the empty alleyways. Danny wouldn't enter any establishment that Giran frequented. He was somewhat trusting in the man's confidentiality politics, but he most surely wouldn't put it past other patrons to film him and ruin his life. 

"And what would that be?" Asked Giran. 

"When I blast him one final time," Danny rolled his eyes and munched on a donut in his hands. 

Giran stared at him. "So it WAS actually you. Figures that that dumbass Endeavour wouldn't have been able to find him. My info came in handy, eh?"

"He is not dumb," Danny argued. "Stain was just very good at hiding. Still, he got the spoils, I got my freedom. So stupid," he muttered. 

Giran smirked. "Oh, boyo, you are talking radical. But many would agree with ya. Stain's emerging fans as well."

"Why don't I have fans?" Danny asked half-jokingly. 

"Handsome young heroes are a dime a dozen, kiddo. You are special because you deal with me, but it's not something you can easily share. Stain, however, he is a rare breed. And thus he attracts attention, good and bad. This vid gets uploaded and taken down constantly because everyone realises..."

"Took ya long enough to see the problem with this sistem. Didn't know you need a raving maniac to open your eyes."

"Geez, kid, when did you become so cynical?" 

"I just don't like him. The bastard called me fake despite everything I did during my life. All he did was murder people to nobody's help. He was not bringing a better world, he was a vengeful shit that got screwed by the world."

"Well, your hands are hardly clean, too. You are here, after all. So that makes you a hypocrite. You break the rules, disagree with them, and punish a man that shares that opinion. Blast him in the chest. Don't share this part, by the way. As I said, his fans will not like this."

Danny only huffed. "Anything else?" He asked, passing another yen note to the man. 

"Well, business has not been going well so far. But I am unfazed, because this is clearly a calm before the storm. Me and my colleagues believe that soon we will drown in orders of new equipment. Because villains, big and small are rallying behind the group that Stain was allegedly a part of — the League of Villains."

Giran jumped when he saw Danny's eyes flash. "Part of?! They used ME to GET RID of him."

Danny really felt used at that moment. Leave it to him to trust a murderous brat and his butler. 

"Now that's new. If you have proofs, it will be quite upsetting for the League. Have you?" 

"I have nothing," Danny gritted his teeth. "Fine. Stain rots in prison and that's what matters." 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess...it's not too late to change a side, kid. What's coming next won't be pleasant." 

Danny narrowed his eyes and got up. "If you think I will run to their side with tail between my legs, you don't know me, Giran. That idiot Stain demanded perfection from imperfect people. When there are none. I'm sure All Might too has skeletons in his closet. I am not perfect, you are the live proof of that. The money I pay you are as well. But I will be damned if I let dangerous criminals run about. If I do, there's little point in me still lingering in the worlds of the living after that day."

"What day?" 

"Doesn't concern you," Danny responded, turning to leave. "You should know that this may be the last time we meet." 

"Why?" Giran raised an eyebrow. 

"I am not perfect, but this doesn't mean I can't try and overcome this imperfection," Danny smiled, as he dug up the device left for him by Wulf's captor. Still not turned on, its message never listened to. "If I want to prove Stain wrong, this is how I do it," he said and crushed the thing with his clenched fist. 

"You stupid kid," Giran shook his head. "Do I have to worry?" 

"Next time we meet I will try and arrest you," Danny stated firmly, before smirking. "Next time."

"You will be back," Giran snorted, seeing how the boy changed form and flew off. "And not as a jailer." 

---

After a long while being away from the fine establishment that was U.A., the spacious grounds of the school felt very homey. Danny took some time to ogle the surroundings, knowing that he was a bit too early. The same bright forests and pavements now glimmered in a new light after his life was reassuming its more steady pace. The internship was rather good, but his constant migrations between two cities ruined his inner clocks. There was another reason behind the boy's more cheerful mood — he was once again free from the Commission's shackles for the time being. They would be back, no doubt, but perhaps until then things would change for the better. HPSC and Hawks, by extension, knew full well of him taking part in hero killer's downfall, and, whilst the president was not condoning it, Hawks was subtly giving him a thumbs up. 

It would be hypocritical of him to judge. Phantom did a good thing, whilst Hawks had been quietly placed above any laws by the Commission. The pro hero had learned to read Danny just a bit. He was starving for praise for what he did best. Thus, it wouldn't hurt to give him further encouragement. And it did work, for in the end Danny decided that his internship with Hawks had not been half bad. The Commission had also been once again reassured by Hawks that his trainee was still not dangerous, intentions-wise. They never told him why that part was so much of a concern. So what if he used to be a vigilante? 

Nevertheless, the internship was behind him. Danny was once again a simple student of U.A. He wasn't the first one to arrive, that honour almost exclusively belonged to Iida. The living engine had recovered from his injuries and was back to his old self once more. That was a good sign. Eventually, Kirishima and Mina showed up and the three of them immediately began to share their experiences from the internships, what little remained unsaid after a while of sending brief messages to each other. 

"I'm a bit jealous, man," said Kirishima. "You actually got to fight the bad guys."

"I'm not the only one, though," Danny smiled and leaned back in his seat, legs on table. "Hey, Tsu, I've heard about the whole stopping the smugglers business," he said and turned to the frog girl. "Sounds like a good time."

"Woah! That's amazing!" Mina breathed out and came up to her friend, "Tell me more!" She demanded excitedly. 

"It really was nothing, kero," Tsu humbly responded. "What about you, Ochaco-chan?"

The girl in question seemed to radiate a very strange air. As she was lightly punching the sir, she seemed capable of an actual murder.

"It was amazing," she mumbled.

"Ochaco-chan has awakened, huh?" Tsu tilted her head. 

Danny chuckled and turned to Kirishima. "She went to some battle hero's agency," he explained to a seemingly clueless Kirishima. 

"For one week it seems like a lot of changes. But I like the way my own went. Fourth Kind is the man, Fenton-san." 

"Those are not changes..." Mineta came up to them, his eyes full of remembrance of past horrors. "Every girl is a demon on the inside, they just hide it very well."

"He will be fine," Danny turned back to Kirishima and dismissed Mineta's suffering. "You mentioned..."

Danny didn't have time to finish, as his eyes landed on the newcomer — Bakugo. And a single look was enough to make him burst into loud laughter. Confused, Kirishima looked back and immediately joined his friend in a fit of guffaws. There stood the blonde, his hair for once neatly combed to the ludicrous extent. It looked even more out of place on his furious face. 

"STOP LAUGHING!" Bakugo yelled. "My hair's gotten used to it, so it won't go back to how it used to be! I'll kill you!" 

The boys continued laughing. "How can such an angel ever hurt anyone?" Danny mocked and went back to laughing.

Bakugo growled as his hair popped back to how they were from sheer anger alone. He then went to grab the two of them, but Danny quickly floated out of his grasp. 

"Get back down, spook!" Bakugo demanded, seeing the class rep childishly show him the tongue. 

"But hey, it's you guys who went through the most," Kaminari turned to Izuku, Todoroki and Iida. Danny was also floating nearby. 

"We saw the news."

"They say that the hero killer was connected to the League of Villains," said Ojiro. "The thought of someone like this coming to U.A. is quite scary."

"That's just bull, they ain't together," Danny said, still remaining upside down. 

And whilst the trio of his companions at the time suspected why he knew that, the rest seemed eager for an explanation.

"What makes you think so, Fenton-san?" Asked Momo.

"Simple. Doesn't Stain strike you as a loner type?" Danny asked. "Criminals of his ego don't team up with just anyone. There is a reason Shigaraki was followed only by low-ranking idiots even outnumbered students could take down. He is not someone capable of making people follow him. So far the only hint of their alliance is them being nearby, but thanks to the diligent media Shigaraki got all the attention he needed," the halfa shrugged. 

His own rogue gallery was a living testament of his idea. Certainly, ghosts were not humans, they did function differently, what's with their obsessive personalities. But many of them did possess the same sort of ego, if their constant bravadoes of their own greatness were anything to go by. The usual female adversaries of his didn't seem to have the same problem, neither did they possess such a trait to such an extent. And they were capable of teaming up. Nobody could compare to the likes of Technus or Box Ghost. None of them seemed to have any cooperative spirit unless faced with an absolutely dire threat. 

"But did you see the video?" Asked Kaminari. "You can't deny that that guy was really tenacious. That's kinda cool."

"Kaminari!" Exclaimed Midoriya. 

"That's alright, Midoriya," said Iida. "He really was tenacious. I can see why people can think he was cool. But he chose purging as his way of pursuing his ideals. That part nobody can condone. An in order to keep everyone from falling into the same trap I did, I will follow the path of becoming a hero! Everyone, take your seats, the class is about to begin!" 

"That was loud," Tokoyami mumbled, as everyone looked at the actual class rep for confirmation. Danny simply blinked and shrugged again. 

"Please do."

That day they also resumed their hero trainings, and thus they all gathered out in the completely alien area of the school. The new training ground like an industrial labyrinth of endless metal pipes, making it appear like a colossal oil rig. The entire class, clad in their hero outfits, gathered near the entrance, greeted by All Might. 

"Long time no see, boys and girls! Let us begin our Hero training! For today's lesson, since you all just came back from your internships, we will have some fun with a rescue race!"

"But shouldn't we be doing that at USJ?" Asked Iida. 

"I would think twice after the last time," Danny commented dryly. 

"Oh, this won't repeat, we made sure of that!" Responded All Might quickly. "But USJ is for disaster training. Remember what I said? This is a race! You are looking at field Gamma, in which it is extremely easy to get lost. You will split into four groups of five, one will go there at a time. When I send out a distress signal, you will each try to find me first! Of course, you must keep damage to the buildings to a minimum."

"Don't point at me," Bakugo growled and looked away, to face the class rep who was also pointing at him, with a sly grin on his face. "I'll kill you..."

Despite the blonde's clear desire to best the half-ghost, fate decided otherwise, as Danny was placed in the first group alongside Iida, Mina, Midoriya and Sero. As the students hurried off to their respective positions, the rest once again piled up near a large screen in order to see, learn the environment and, of course, pick up a few lessons along the way. But the most interesting part was discussing who would come up on top. Well, by this point the classmates had the idea.

"It's going to be Fenton, isn't it?" Kaminari mumbled. 

"Well, he flies and goes through solid objects," responded Momo. "He can make a straight line to All Might's location, so advantage is definitely on his side."

"Still sore about the chair incident, Kaminari?" Kirishima teased and laughed. 

"H-how was I supposed to know I would piss him off?!" The living electric rod raised his voice, instinctively reaching for his head. 

"I know Deku will be the last," Bakugo huffed. 

"That's a bit petty, don't you think, Bakugo?" Asked Kirishima. 

"But he was wounded during the encounter with Stain, just like Iida, kero," said Tsu. 

"Fenton was wounded, too," Todoroki added quietly. "He was stabbed in the heart." 

Everyone else stared at him. 

In the meantime, Danny readied himself. Unlike his classmates, he and Iida knew that Midoriya couldn't be underestimated. Sero too could get an advantage. His tape granted amazing mobility in an area like that. Every contestant prepared, and when Might blew a metaphorical whistle, each bolted in the direction of the signal. As Danny immediately took into the air, so did Sero, while Iida and Mina started running through the labyrinthine arena. Sero pulled himself higher, and he saw the halfa flying nearby, grin on his face. 

"Wow, took a page from Spider-Man's book?" 

"Who?" Asked Sero, before seeing Danny vanish from sight. 

Once he looked back ahead of himself, Sero yelped and barely avoided a pipe on his way, while the halfa reemerged on the other side, having simply gone through.  Danny cackled, before seeing a blur of green jump from one obstacle to another. Undoubtedly, it was Midoriya. To keep up with his speed and overtake him, Danny accelerated his flight. However, soon he realised that Midoriya's leaps were reminiscent of someone else's.

"Number two must be pissed," Danny mumbled with a smirk. 

And he was correct in his assumption — Bakugo was indeed angry at Midoriya's growth at his expense. The green-haired boy surprised more than him, leaving most of his class in awe at his newfound application of his power. Phantom still wasn't letting him win. The environment gave an advantage to his opponent, constant jumping made sure that he had a fast initial momentum at all times, while Danny had lost his a while back. He couldn't allow himself to dawdle...

And then Midoriya slid off the pipe. It took everyone a moment to process everything, but it was Danny who was nearby and managed to grab his hand. 

"I should watch my footing," Midoriya sheepishly commented as Danny lightly threw him towards the nearest platform. 

"You'd better, or we will get a green pancake on the sidewalk," Phantom smirked. 

Some time later he wasn't smirking anymore. Even a momentary delay equalled a second place. And Sero's grinning face was the testament of his loss.

"I'm sorry, Fenton-san," Midoriya dropped his head and mumbled.

"Meh, I can live without this band," Danny waved it off, before nudging him. "Besides, it doesn't fit my fashion style that much." 

Both kids cackled at the joke. It didn't go unnoticed by All Might, who, just like the rest, was waiting for the last two contestants. The sight of two teens being friendly to each other created a paradoxical feeling when Gran Torino's suspicions were added atop of it. The irony wasn't lost on All Might. The irony that wasn't the cause for a laughter. He would hate to possibly drive a wedge, but Midoriya needed to know. If not for his well-being, then for Danny's.

After the class came a time when the student had to change back into their normal uniforms. The halfa once again enjoyed his ability to flip attires in a blink while breathing in the smells of powerful antiperspirants which did jack shit but smelled even worse. And it was always unknown who exactly sentenced everyone else to that fate.

“That was some hard training,” said Aoyama, wiping his face, already smooth from all the skin care. “First one in a while to make me sweat.”

“I need to work on my mobility,” Kirishima said, taking off his suit. 

“You are a tank, Kirishima,” Danny pointed out, “Tanks aren’t mobile by definition.”

“You can still compensate for it by gathering information,” added Tokoyami. 

Danny agreed with his classmate’s words before his eyes fell on the smallest classmate of theirs. And he recognised that expression.

“Mineta,” he spoke half-sternly. “What are you doing?” 

“Fenton-san, look at this,” he cackled and pointed at a half-torn poster. And a single hole in the wall. “It is a remnant from those who came before us. You know what’s behind that wall — the girls’ locker room.” 

Danny sighed. “I won’t be surprised that it is actually your work. Creep.” 

“Come on, Fenton-san. Isn’t it the hottest thing?” 

Danny flushed. “Sam in leaf dress is,” he mumbled, before coughing loudly. 

“Mineta! Stop this at once!” Iida raised his voice. “This is a serious crime!” 

“My little Mineta is a serious crime!” The boy responded and tore off the poster, his eye glued to the hole in the wall.

“Did he just admit…” Danny stopped as he heard Mineta mumbling about the girls’ body parts, in a way that would make even a serial rapist blush. “Alright, that’s it, I’m using the tried method.” 

Before he could swing a rod of corporeal ecto-energy to cause a blunt injury famous for its clarity-giving effect, however, Mineta let out a cry of anguish, as everyone could see Jiro’s ear-jack painfully stabbing the boy’s peeping eye. Sighing, Danny pulled the crying midget away from the wall and tasked the already dressed Kaminari, as Mineta’s friend, to take him to the infirmary. 

“Jiro-san, please step back,” Danny said, knowing she could hear them.

Once the ear jacks retreated back into the tiny hole, Danny shot a little ice beam, clogging the peephole. 

“You rid so many of such a chance,” Kirishima said sarcastically.

“I hope this teaches him…oh, what am I saying, it won’t,” Danny responded dryly.

---

“Take a seat."

Midoriya was wondering about the reasons All Might had to talk with him in private. However, the grim mood he saw on the man's gaunt face was enough to suspect something grim. It didn’t start as this, however. The conversations began with discussing the recent days, the Hero Killer and everything that the fight entailed. By swallowing Midoriya’s blood there could be fear that One for All could be stolen, having been already transferred through digesting a strand of hair back in the day. However, there was nothing to fear, as Midoriya was to give his permission. 

“There is something you must know, however, about One for All.”

Seeing that Midoriya was attentive as ever, the hero continued. 

“Truth is, it was derived from another Quirk from the past.”

“Another Quirk?”

All Might nodded. “The name of that Quirk was All for One. It had the power to take anyone’s Quirk and make it the holder’s.”

“All for one person,” Midoriya mumbled in realisation. 

“This was back in the day when Quirks only just emerged, and the society didn’t know how to deal with them. The understanding of what made someone human suddenly started to fade away. There were riots, confusion, chaos, all progress seems to have stopped.” 

“If it wasn’t for Quirks, we would be taking interstellar holidays by now…someone important said that before,” Midoriya recalled. “Fenton-san also keeps complaining that we can’t go to space.” 

All Might tensed, but said nothing. 

“That may be correct, but back in the day, the chaos merely waited for someone to saddle it. With his power to take Quirks, his charisma capable of uniting millions, he was unstoppable. His rule over Japan was undisputed.”

“I…have heard rumours online,” Midoriya looked nervous. “But I always thought those were only speculations. There’s no mention of this in the books.”

“Don’t you think that such dealings will be omitted in the studies?” All Might asked with a sad smile. “When people get powers, they look for ways to use them. That man could give them both. And being granted a Quirk always meant submission to his sheer will. Some could not bear the burden of Quirks they weren’t born with, and turned into living dolls, unable to even speak. Just like Nomus.”

Shocking realisation crossed the boy’s features. 

“There were also Quirks that changed and mixed as they were passed on. That man had a quirkless younger brother. Sickly and small, he still possessed a strong sense of justice. He was appalled by what his brother did. And thus, the man decided to bestow a Quirk upon him. Whether it was a rare act of kindness or the desire to make him submit, is impossible to discern. But what he did not know is that his brother was not quirkless at all! He had the power to pass on Quirks! And mixed with the bestowed ability to stock Quirks, One for All came to be!” Said All Might with a small smile. “It is…ironic that justice sometimes comes from evil. At least, that’s what I want to believe…when looking at your friend.”

“My friend? Wh-who do you mean?” 

“There is a friend of yours which can take the abilities of others,” All Might hinted. 

Midoriya’s eyes went wide as saucers. “This…this can’t be…”

“Me and Tsukauchi suspect their relation, most likely young Fenton is his son. That man could take any Quirk, including those that could keep him alive, even after all these years, and sire a child. I’ve seen him, young Midoriya. Young Fenton is his complete copy, especially when his white haired form comes out.”

“Tsukauchi-san, too?” Midoriya asked with surprise. “Is this why he is Fenton-san’s guardian?” 

“No, it is a mere coincidence. We only found much later.”

“But how could he be the son of that villain? Danny-san is kind and helping. He saved us all many times!” 

“And we all recognise it. But just as with the history of One for All, you ought to know this as well. How you go about this knowledge is up to you.”

“I trust Danny-san. I know that this won’t change anything,” confidently responded Midoriya. 

All Might smiled. “I am of the same mind. But young Fenton may be susceptible to his father’s dark influence. After all, he always walked the line between law and disorder, and he dislikes the current way of things. He may exploit his woes and turn him against the people we swore to protect. And with his power, that strike could be fatal.” 

“He wouldn’t do that,” Midoriya argued.

Although he said this, the boy recalled how Danny came to know of things he wasn’t supposed to. Ever since learning of their class rep’s connections to the Underworld, it led him to wonder just how far they went. After all, when USJ attack commenced, Danny was more than prepared, Shigaraki directed him to Stain. Danny was not above those tactics, but he did everything to help them, right?

“I just want you to take care, young Midoriya. Watch your friend carefully. And be there for him when he needs it most.”

---

“Alright, that’s it for today’s class,” spoke Eraserhead, shifting the lists of paper. “I remind you that you have only one week until the exams. I hope you are all studying and want to remind you that there will also be the practical part. You should train your bodies as well as your minds. That is all.”

With that, Aizawa left the classroom, letting the kids to decide the course of action on their own. And discuss the results of their midterms. 

“After everything that happened I didn’t have the time,” Kaminari cried, having scored the lowest. 

“It always comes down to time, doesn’t it?” Danny spoke dramatically, sitting on his metaphorical pedestal of the fourth spot. It was a good position, one that allowed him to keep looking down on Bakugo, who was grinding his teeth furiously, lagging just behind.

“How did you score so well?!” Kaminari raised his voice into the class rep’s smug grinning face. 

“Turns out when you aren’t attacked daily, it is a perfect environment for studying,” Danny shrugged. “Still suck in history, though. Danny number three has been neglecting his duties. Shame on him.” 

“That’s not fair! You can split yourself!” 

“Come on, Kaminari-kun,” Mina stopped his rant. “Not all is lost, right, Mineta?” 

“Ah, optimism, the retreat for the downtrodden,” Mineta spoke dramatically, flashing out his tenth spot, far above the two slackers. “

“You traitor!” Mina raised her own voice now. 

“Guys like you are only likeable when they are dumb,” Kaminari hissed. 

“Guys, let’s not lose spirit!” Midoriya said. “We all plan to go to the same training camp together, right?”

“As a deputy class rep I very much encourage it!” Iida added.

“It’s hard to fail when you listen to the lectures,” finished Todoroki. 

Danny chuckled and put hands in his pockets. His eyes then landed on Bakugo. 

“What about you, Number Two?” He asked. “Gonna train for the exam?” 

“Shut up! You getting ahead was dumb luck!” 

“With this amount of constant luck I can as well be a leprechaun,” Danny responded dryly. 

“Well, in case it ain’t luck,” Kirishima smirked. “Maybe you can help me a bunch, Fenton?” 

“I can do just as much!” Bakugo shouted. 

“Great!” Danny beamed. “Then let’s study together!” 

Bakugo froze. 

Chapter 25

The preparations for the exams were filled with surprising discoveries all around. Those who latched onto Momo's unquestioned intellectual superiority were also shocked to find out that her family was bathing in riches, studying within the confines of her enormous mansion, enjoying the finest tea given by most joyous Momo. Not often had she got visitors, and so many in fact. The same could not be said about the three boys who for some cosmic reason ended up banding together for trainings, both physical and intellectual. The latter was initially done at the closest cafe with free internet, but Bakugo was not making it any easier.

 

"No, you dumbass!" He yelled into Kirishima's face, hitting him with a folded workbook. "It's hydrogen! What are you looking at?!" He then barked at the terrified waitress. 

 

"Sheesh, Bakugo, you'll break through his hardening this way," Danny spoke, scratching his temple. "Sorry about him," he sheepishly smiled at the girl. 

 

Flustered, she dismissed his apology and went to service other customers. Bakugo's murderous gaze was now directed at him. 

 

"You asked to be trained, so that's what we are doing!" 

 

"Physical training comes later, Number Two," Danny responded dryly. "We are doing physics."

 

"That's fine, Fenton-san!" Kirishima grinned, his face showing the use of his Quirk. "Practice makes perfect." 

 

"This a game to you two?!" 

 

"I for one enjoy our get-together," Danny smiled. "For the sake of not being kicked out, though, please lower the volume." 

 

"You are no boss of me, spook. You still suck at history!"

 

"Guilty," Danny shrugged, sipping on his milkshake. "And you are behind me in English."

 

"You were raised with it."

 

"He scored better than you in Japanese," Kirishima pointed out. 

 

"You want to get another hit in the head?!" 

 

"Alright, this is getting us nowhere. We all need a break," Danny sighed and leaned back. "I just realised I know little to nothing about you, Number Two."

 

"Call me this again..." 

 

"Or what, Bakugo?" Danny continued. "You call all of us by insulting nicknames, yet none of us complain. Just cheer up a bit. Take it with stride. You are second only to, well, the best scorer in U.A.'s history." 

 

"Uhm, Danny, I don't think that's what he wants to hear," Kirishima said carefully. 

 

"I for one didn't want to hear my Dad telling me the story of how he wanted a pony all of his childhood. Was I asked? No. The world is sometimes like this," Danny shrugged. "But come on, like, what's the story with you and Midoriya for one. Your hatred towards me I can understand, I am a little shit, but what did he do?"

 

"That's none of your business, spook!" Responded Bakugo and hit the table with his fist. 

 

"After how Iida, the most sensible guy in our class, rushed off to hunt the guy named "Hero Killer", I ain't taking any chances of you guys doing something stupid. It IS my business."

 

"Harsh," Kirishima mumbled. But he couldn't deny that for someone so seemingly irresponsible Danny was trying his best. So he was still on the halfa's side on this one. But as much as the redhead trusted Danny to do the impossible, that provocative talk was not going to solve all the problems.

 

Perhaps it was hypocritical of him, Danny thought to himself. He could hardly be called a person who always acted sensibly and righteously. And he himself doubted that he could give a proper word of advice. But the words of Stain still rang in his head. He still could not understand why it struck a cord within him. If Jazz was there, she would have told the oblivious teen that it was because Danny himself was not confident in what he did. And beneath the surface, that's just how he felt. It was one thing briefly uniting with Skulker to destroy a universe-ending payload. Playing into Shigaraki's, into his master's hands was totally another. One alliance with a murderous villain was not similar to that with a man who only wanted Danny's blood. And pelt. 

 

"There is nothing I want to say to you two," Bakugo responded. "Is this why you decided to jump where you weren't invited, spook?" 

 

"It's up in the air who invited who," Danny rolled his eyes. "But I suppose I could always ask the other party..." 

 

Bakugo growled. "If that's what you are here for, then I ain't gonna waste my time here!" 

 

Danny sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "I am helpless before your ultimatums." 

 

But as he finished saying this, all of a sudden a gust of air escaped his mouth. Kirishima and Bakugo immediately recalled the last time they saw him do that and tensed. Danny, in the meantime, stared into nothing upon realising to whom this ghostly trail belonged. 

 

"I'll be back in a moment, guys," Danny stood up. 

 

"Danny, if it's Kurogiri again..." Kirishima began but then was cut off. 

 

"It's not him. But this is gonna be a private conversation. This bastard..." 

 

There was only one reason for him to be in that world. And Danny would make sure to see him out. The halfa wasn't listening to any arguments that followed as he nearly bolted out of the cafe. 

 

"So much for sensibility," Bakugo spat and got up himself. 

 

"Wait, are you coming after him?" Kirishima asked. "He asked us to stay here."

 

"Like I'm gonna listen to that spook. Ye coming or not?!" 

 

The two of them were lagging behind Danny, and it made tracking down a teen that could go through any wall and fly extremely difficult, but luckily it didn't come to any of that. The halfa was also too focused on his goal to notice a tail behind him for an entire mile. Both Bakugo and Kirishima, oblivious to even the less savoury parts of their class rep's biography, could only wonder what that whole trail chasing was about. And their curiosity, however poorly concealed, was evident. Eventually Danny stopped and looked up towards the roof of a multi-storied building. As he looked around, his classmates hid behind an empty bus stop. Once Danny thought that nobody would see his unsanctioned Quirk use, he jumped towards the rooftop.

 

"You use the fire escape ladders," Bakugo declared, his fingers tricking with small explosions.

 

"Wait, it's gonna be too noisy."

 

"Do I look like I care? I want to know what the spook is hiding!"

 

"Maybe we shouldn't spy on Danny like this..."

 

"You want to know what it is he isn't telling?"

 

"Yeah, but...it isn't manly at all to spy on a friend. And you were just against sharing your story, too." 

 

"Shut up, he isn't my friend...But fine, we'll use the ladder." 

 

And as the two of them made their ascent by the ladders hidden within an alleyway, when nearly there they could already hear the titbits of the conversation.

 

"It isn't like you to pop in out of nowhere, Walker," Danny said, his speech so conveniently sounding Japanese to everyone willing to eavesdrop. "Usually you and your goons barge in guns blazing." 

 

A villain, the two humans thought as they slowly climbed upwards, aware of Danny's hypersensitive hearing. Then what did he have to talk about? 

 

"Last time we were quite discreet, punk," came a gruff adult voice. "You know why we are here." 

 

"You want Wulf. Why else would you come against all best judgement?"

 

Finally, Kirishima and Bakugo could peek over the edge of the building and see who Danny was talking to. It was a strange man wearing all white, with skin just as pale and face absolutely gaunt. His green eyes glowed with contempt towards the boy. Walker was also accompanied by around five men with green skin and dressed in the uniform of prison guards, armed with police batons. It was a very strange choice of attires for criminals...unless they weren't. 

 

"You should read that law book for once, Highness," Walker said mockingly. "We are allowed to traverse whenever we want in our pursuit of criminals."

 

"I don't get it, are they the good guys?" Quietly asked Kirishima. "Don't look like much."

 

"Quiet," Bakugo growled. 

 

"Wulf is not a criminal, Walker, I made it clear. He can go wherever he wants." 

 

Walker approached the boy, and it felt like in the process he gained another foot of height. Altering his size appeared to be the man's power. 

 

"You are not my boss, punk. You too are not where you are supposed to be, so do not push the line." 

 

Danny did not buckle under the man's harsh gaze and imposing presence. 

 

"And you don't chase me anymore. Is this because you remember the last time you put me behind bars?"

 

"You have powerful friends, Phantom, that's all. Don't think too highly of yourself."

 

"Danny was in prison?" Whispered Kirishima.

 

If he was to be honest, Bakugo was surprised too.

 

"Wulf has a powerful friend, too," Danny's eyes flashed with green. "And I will protect him."

 

"You don't make our laws, punk. I will always hunt down litigants like Wulf. That is my purpose." 

 

"Alright, man with purpose. Are you going to leave on your own or will I have to help?"

 

The humans could see the guards reluctantly looking at each other, aware of their chances in the upcoming fight. Phantom had garnered a reputation of a very powerful ghost, with the defeats of a series of most fearsome spectres. Walker had told them that they were only going to fight Wulf, not the halfa that wasn't supposed to be there, out of the endless number of worlds. 

 

"And what are you going to do, punk? Stuff all of us into that thermos of yours?"

 

Danny gave a devious grin, before snapping his fingers. Then in an instant a green, swirling portal emerged out of thin air. 

 

"No, I will send you directly home," Phantom made an inviting gesture. 

 

Walker gritted his teeth. "How did you do that?" He hissed.

 

"Well, stole power from one, learned how to properly do this from Wulf, and now I can make portals of my own. Are you going to arrest me, officer?" 

 

Everyone could see each and every muscle of Walker's face tense out of concealed rage. "This isn't over, Phantom. You can't hide him forever. A time will come when I will judge you as well." 

 

"I thought the execution part was your favourite," Danny smiled. "Well? I hope you trust me enough not to teleport you into some hellhole." 

 

And Walker did trust him on that, it appeared, as he was the first to go into the portal. His goons followed suit and after the last one was gone, the portal disappeared at a snap of Danny's fingers. The halfa sighed, still not noticing a foreign presence. His mind was occupied with worry. Walker was perhaps the most tight-lipped of his enemies, and one of the few that had ways of traversing between the worlds, but even he could spread the information and means of getting to the halfa out of spite. He avoided the fight, but now his location was no longer unknown. Kirishima and Bakugo could only speculate about the reasons of Danny's visible distress. And from the outside, it appeared incredibly fishy. And unfortunately for their cover, the latter was not exactly patient. 

 

"The hell was that, spook?!" Bakugo shouted and blew their cover. 

 

Danny was startled by the blonde's emergence, but quickly that surprise turned into a mix of anger and suspicion. 

 

"I asked you to stay in the cafe," he said. 

 

"Like I give a shit about your orders, who was that guy?!" 

 

Danny did not answer at first. "Why don't you come out too, Kirishima? I'm sure you are dying from curiosity as well." 

 

Kirishima winced and slowly climbed out of hiding, "Sorry, Danny-san, I know what you said..."

 

The halfa sighed and rubbed his temples. The stupid problems just kept popping up uninvited. 

 

"That's fine," Danny calmed down. That wasn't the end of the world. "Look, that's not something you should worry about. Just another part of my biography that will soon come barging in even louder, I feel."

 

"This Walker guy..." Kirishima wondered aloud. "Is he a law enforcer of some kind? He wants to capture your friend." 

 

"He is nothing but a power-drunk psycho. But the one people sometimes need. Because sometimes he keeps tabs on some actually dangerous criminals. Wulf isn't one of them, Walker just hates him for his ability to make portals and escape his grasp. And now he hates me even more for the same stuff." 

 

"Hold up!" Bakugo spoke. "Why are you telling this only now?! You are persecuted, too!" 

 

"Look who is talking, our resident mute — Number two himself," Danny responded dryly. "I am not persecuted. Walker has no authority over anyone. It's his hobby that became a lifestyle. Fine, Bakugo, I'll leave your past be, as long as you don't ask me. Deal?" 

 

Bakugo looked at Danny for a moment. "Ya really think this is the same shit?" 

 

"Pretty much. The impact on the other's life is about the same, I bet. Kirishima, you can be simply asked to keep this between ourselves, right?" 

 

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah, man. I'm with you...but it's really something you shouldn't hide." 

 

"Sometimes the truth is too much to handle."

 

Danny wasn't happy with making yet another conspiracy after the Stain encounter. One tends to get tangled up when the web of lies and secrets grows too expansive. And that was the risk he was taking upon himself.

 

"Stop talking like you are some big shit, spook," responded Bakugo. "But if that keeps you off my back, then fine." 

 

And so, another secret was revealed to a few. Danny only hoped that he would not have to bring anyone else into this.

---

Despite the hiccup of the initial start, the three hero trainees managed to arrive to a temporary stability. The only complaint is that during training spars Bakugo was trying perhaps too hard, desperate to damage someone who flipped into intangibility on a reflex. Danny too, couldn't resist the temptation to tease him more. Kirishima could only sigh upon seeing them bicker over and over again. The more conventional studies went slightly less productively, as there was less room for venting out frustrations. Kirishima himself was largely content with the level they achieved, as much as Bakugo would make them think, constantly talking down on their level of readiness, especially Danny's. 

 

The exam week finally came about, and Danny was full of wonder at how much he had improved over the course of his studies at U.A. If anything, this intrigued him even more than practice, where everything was more or less clear to him. Three days of finals left little to his imagination, however, and confirmed what he already knew. His upsides were still strong, but the downsides must have been better. At least he hoped so. Kirishima seemed to be optimistic, and as they talked, Mina quickly joined in on their conversation. 

 

"What a week, huh?" She asked. 

 

"It's been three days," Danny remarked and drank from a soda can. 

 

"Must you rain on my parade, Danny-kun?" Mina grumbled. 

 

"This rain was forecasted weeks ago. We still have practicals, remember?" 

 

"You try forgetting," Kirishima responded. "How was it at Yaoyorozu-san's place?" 

 

"Oh, it was so cool!" Mina's previous made-up gloom vanished. "Did you know that her family is hellishly rich?" 

 

Danny and Kirishima looked at each other than at Yaoyorozu. 

 

"You mean you didn't know?" Danny asked. 

 

"Wait, you knew?" Kirishima exclaimed. 

 

"Dude, I am the class rep," Danny said, then huffed. "And just look at her. This deduction is honestly an improvement over how I didn't know my childhood best friend is from the upper 2%. It's her who kept avoiding the topic all that time," the halfa complained. "Figures why, her parents hate my peasant guts. An awful lot of pomposity for someone who made fortune by selling toothpick wrappers. Or was it the machine that put them on?" 

 

The conversation went its own way, and soon everyone's thoughts were on the event that was taking place at special testing grounds. Told to dress up in hero suits, they were later driven by bus to the location of the exam. Upon arriving, everyone was greeted by a surprising sight. It seemed that the entire teaching staff that was involved with class 1-A was there, gathered near the entrance.

 

"Here you will be taking a practical exam," Aizawa spoke the obvious. "Of course, it's possible to fail it. But if you want to go to the training camp, don't make any stupid mistakes. I trust that all of you gathered the information ahead of time."

 

Danny had resigned himself to the whims of fate in this regard. Perhaps it was overconfidence, perhaps the knowledge that the exam should be corresponding to their hero training program. There were rumours, of course, ones that Mina and Kaminari did not hesitate to voice, that it would be a fight against robots once again, but the number of teachers was certainly alarming for the task. Principal Nezu climbed from under Aizawa's scarf and was quick to disperse any idea the students previously held. 

 

"For various reasons, the task will be different this time!"

 

"How different?" Asked Yaoyorozu.

 

"From this point forward we want to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work," responded Nezu and climbed down. "As well as trainings in extreme situations. So, we will form teams of two to fight against one teacher." 

 

Were they seeing this, or was there maliciousness in the small furball's eyes?

 

"We have already decided on who will be fighting who, based on your strengths, weaknesses, grades and other factors."

 

The teachers went over who will be fighting whom, and eventually only four people remained. 

 

"The last remaining teams are Fenton-Kirishima," the boys low-fived. "And Midoriya-Bakugo."

 

The second reaction was less than happy about such outcome. However, both of the teams wondered about the next logical thing.

 

"So, who do we have to fight?"

 

"I AM COMING FROM ABOVE!"

 

With the booming shout the Number One hero landed in front of everyone, in all of his heroic glory. 

 

"Your fights shall be against me!" 

 

The reactions differed. While everyone else was shocked at the four having to fight a battle they would almost certainly lose, Danny was far more optimistic about the odds. The chance to face the toughest hero of that world excited him, even if it would probably be on very limited conditions. That man could snap a criminal's spine with just his finger. They had to even the odds somehow. 

 

Nezu went on with his explanation. "You have thirty minutes to either escape the battlegrounds or put these handcuffs on your teacher."

 

"Escape?" Kaminari thought aloud. "It's kinda like combat training."

 

"Is it really alright to run away?" Mina asked.

 

Danny mused that it was probably the best for him to leave the grounds. So far that world had not yet devised a way to prevent his intangibility. Well, none that wasn't naturally occurring, like Tokoyami's shadow. But simply running off was not like him. Danny glanced at Kirishima, who was giving a toothy smirk. Yeah, they were going to take the chances no matter the odds. 

 

Just as the teachers had expected. 

 

"Sure, after all you are going to fight against those who are waaay better than you," Present Mic bragged. 

 

"Better...than us?" Asked Jiro. "I find this hard to believe."

 

"Hey! Watch your mouth! You hear me?!" Present Mic shouted, tumbling into English. 

 

"This is as close to a real fight as possible," added Thirteen. "Think of us as villains and plan accordingly."

 

"You are free to fight if you think you have the upper hand..."

 

"But if the odds are against you, there is no shame in regrouping and getting assistance," finished Aizawa. "Four out of you are bound to know that."

 

"That's right!" Said All Might. "This a test of your judgement! But to even the odds we use these!" 

 

The hero showed a metal bracelet. "With these we will be basically carrying half of our body weights. It is to give you a fighting chance. We have young Hatsume to thank for this design!"

 

Danny raised an eyebrow. She was surely going up in the world. He was also starting to think that they were looked down upon. Well, they were. Not without a reason, too. Still, he was up for a challenge, oblivious to how similar his thought pattern was to Bakugo's. Danny glanced at his gloved palm and examined it. He had faced far worse. Even Nomu meant to kill All Might at his limits. But as was the case with Nomu, he would have to give it his all. Knowing his friend well enough, Kirishima leaned closer. 

 

"You aren't thinking of fighting him alone, right?" He thought it necessary to ask. 

 

"I can distract him and you can escape and pass," Danny shrugged. "It's a win-win." 

 

Kirishima shook his head. "No, that will not be a manly move, Fenton. We need to do it together...even if All Might probably wipes the floor with us." 

 

Danny smiled. "Suit yourself."

 

"Yeah...you got a plan, right, class rep?" Kirishima laughed awkwardly. 

 

As everyone else was readying for their fights, going their own ways, Danny and Kirishima did not hurry anywhere. They weren't the first ones to the chopping block. The halfa hummed thoughtfully and nodded. Yes, he had something that resembled a plan. 

 

---

Everyone unfortunate enough to face All Might would face him in the end. The discussion of the plan prevent Danny-Kirishima duo from witnessing the first two fights. Tokoyami and Tsu managed to overcome Ectoplasm's exploit of their main weakness — close combat. Yet they bested the teacher and his army of clones, thus passing the exam. Then came the fight of Iida and Ojiro. Their mobility was to be challenged by Power Loader, who could shape the ground as he liked. That, however, was not enough to stop the utterly determined speedster and an agile possessor of a strong tail. They also won and passed. 

 

At about that time Danny and Kirishima entered the monitor room. There, Midoriya, Uraraka and Recovery girl were glued to the screens, watching how Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were trying to take on Eraserhead. 

 

"Who is winning?" Danny asked, sipping on the milkshake. 

 

"They aren't doing so good..." Midoriya commented, turning to see the halfa. "Where did you get that?" 

 

"Duplication is an amazing ability," Danny smirked and winked. 

 

"Ectoplasm used his duplication, too," Uraraka said. 

 

"With all due respect for him, I don't sense a drop of ectoplasm in there," Danny chuckled and sipped on the drink. 

 

"For real?" Asked Kirishima after downing his milkshake.

 

Recovery girl gave him a side-eye. The old nurse hadn't forgotten both his refusal to check up and the conversation during the tournament. However, that statement did make sense, Ectoplasm the hero was not nearly as hesitant to visit the infirmary. And never had she noticed anything unusual about him. 

 

"Trust me on that. But I admit, I've seen ghosts less imposing than him," Danny responded casually, throwing the drink into a tiny portal that landed the shake in the dumpster. "Ancients, I love this power."

 

"You've gotten so good at this, Fenton-san," Midoriya commented, "How far can you take it now?"

 

"Well, distance-wise it ain't that far. But I do have some tricks."

 

Like ripping the interdimensional fabric. Potentially useful, but something Danny wasn't willing to disclose just yet. That one seemed like too big of a revelation to give. 

 

"Hey, look, these two seem to have come up with something," he pointed to the screen. 

 

And indeed, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu managed to overcome and outsmart their teacher. The viewers weren't clear on what was that strange fabric that they used to capture Aizawa, but that always could be clarified. And so it went further. Some pairs continued to be successful, as was the case for Uraraka and Aoyama and many others. The failed examinees were fewer in number, and, to a sympathy of former's friends, Mina and Kaminari could simply not compete with Principal Nezu's unmatched intelligence, strategy and, as some believed, bloodlust. That little bear-ferret evidently enjoyed the inflicted suffering. A memento of his past as a lab rat, as some rumours said. An interesting case was Sero and Mineta's fight against Midnight, where only the latter student emerged victorious, signalling to all that A) Mineta's perversions did not stop him from succeeding. Half the time. And B) Team effort or not, the grade could be separate for each fighter. Which was an important discovery to make, seeing which fights were going to come next. 

 

Fights against the strongest man on the planet. 

 

Midoriya and Bakugo were to be given the honour of confronting him first, amidst the brand new cityscape area. Everyone was curious, no doubt, but the halfa was perhaps the most interested. He had watched the recordings of All Might's heroic fights, but they were, for the lack of a better word, rather straightforward. All Might came, saw and won after a brief punch exchange, where his always packed the bigger force. Not much to go with, coming up with a proper strategy, but that straightforward approach was a starting point. Now, perhaps, he would get something else in terms of knowledge. 

 

Whatever he may have thought about All Might, his suspicions about how the fight would start went in line with what the rest thought. Bakugo and Midoriya could not work together. Izuku logically believed that the best course of action was to run, but the blonde chose to stand his ground, even as the entire street was levelled by the force of one special move of the Number One hero, sending the students flying.

 

"Ehm...Danny," Kirishima mumbled upon seeing the destruction. "You don't think that my hardening can handle that?" he asked with concern.

 

"He may face a problem of not knowing your limit. So he is likely to overcompensate first couple of times. Hit much weaker. Or he would risk killing you. These dampeners are also to our advantage here. He is unused to them, so he will have to adjust," Danny spoke.

 

"Speaking from experience?"

 

"Humans are such fragile things," Danny muttered dramatically, the ominous nature of the statement going over his head. Still, he was confident that Kirishima was likely to withstand the strikes until All Might found the sweetspot. And after spending so much time together and actually hitting the teen during trainings, that was something Danny knew.

 

But Midoriya was not afforded such a luxury. His power was All MIght's, his mentor was bound to know his protégé through and through. Bakugo may not have been the same, but he was a student. All Might knew what to expect, at the very least, and he was not let down. The brash explosion enthusiast was brazenly attempting to do any harm to All Might, but the tank in spandex took every explosion without batting an eye, smashing the boy into the ground. 

 

"That's gotta hurt," Danny grimaced, as both he and Kirishima involuntarily imagined themselves in that place. 

 

But that nigh defeat was followed by an unexpected twist, with Midoriya punching his own teammate, then getting them all out of All Might's immediate reach. The hero was clearly surprised, but the two kids hid so well that even cameras lost them, leaving the viewers to ponder on what had and would happen. What option would they go for, everyone thought and most came to the same conclusion - All Might could not be beaten to submission. And while Danny was convinced that no mountain could not be climbed, he had to admit that given all the conditions that climb was a near death sentence for the two. 

 

Initially, as the two emerged once again, it seemed that they chose the option to fight. However, an impressive distraction was actually set in place, as Midoriya all of a sudden blasted All Might with one of Bakugo's bracers. The ensued brief chaos was enough for the two to make a further escape. The two rushed towards the exit, but were not seeing what the viewers were. All Might did not attack them immediately not because they were that quick. No, now he was out of sight of the cameras. And that did not bode anything good. And the hero soon struck. Once again, the fight was extremely one-sided. All Might was still leagues above the examinees. However, the students did everything to stand up against him. 

 

Bakugo, in a surprising act of selflessness, tried to use an explosion to launch Midoriya to the gates, but failed, for All Might immediately caught up with the teen and stopped him. Once again, many dreaded the lack of audio on those recordings, but perhaps everything that was said out there was deemed potentially personal to the contestants. Danny wouldn't blame them, and what everyone was seeing was as clear as day. No matter what All Might would do short of death blow would only result in them getting up. The resilience was something they had no shortage of. And then, All Might took a fully charged fist strike from his protégé right in the face. It did little in terms of damage, but everything said and done must have made All Might metaphorically raise his hands and let the teens go. Even if it was not a traditional victory, the teacher got exactly what he wanted to see. 

 

"I suppose that's our entrance, dear friend," Danny said, turning to Kirishima.

 

"Yeah, let's do this," he then nodded and fist pumped. 

 

The former cityscape was already destroyed, so the next fight was going to take place in a similar one close by, making the two wonder just how many of those the U.A. had. Nevertheless, it took a while for All Might to show up, as he was overseeing the previous students' transportation to the infirmary after what he had done. 

 

"I AM COMING FROM ABOVE!" His thunderous shout alerted the teens about his presence as he landed on the street. "I hope you two are ready!" he kept being, obviously content from the results of the last exam. 

 

"Ready to pass, old man," Danny smirked and let himself be transformed into his ghost form. 

 

"That's right. We plan to do our best!" Kirishima gave a toothy grin. 

 

"Are you intending to escape, Young Fenton?" All Might asked curiously.

 

"We could," Danny said and snapped his fingers, opening a portal nearby. "But what would be there to grade, then?" he asked and closed it. 

 

All Might laughed. "Very well! I hope you will give it your all, kids!"

 

And after several seconds a signal was given to begin the fight. It started off instantaneously.

 

All Might did not attack first, first wishing to see what his two opponents had in store. It was not something ingenious, Phantom pushed himself forward with an intent to land a punch. The speed was impressive, but All Might managed to react and block the strike that pushed the very asphalt from under them. Exchanging glances, Phantom gave All Might the message. This was not a fight he was taking lightly. All Might swished his free hand to grab Danny's, but the halfa immediately slipped out and vanished. All Might switched his attention to Kirishima who loudly rushed towards him, his hardened fists about to hit. All Might easily dodged and punched the slower opponent. As expected, the first hit was not enough to make the teen falter altogether. 

 

"Impressive!" All Might exclaimed.

 

Kirishima's grin did not go anywhere. Phantom appeared far above and both his hands cracked with scorching ectoplasmic energy that was immediately released. All Might was about to leap away, Kirishima still in his hand, but suddenly he felt something grab him from underground. A hand of the duplicate. When did he...the non transparent portal, of course! The duplicate was created behind it! The momentary delay was enough for the colossal blast to impact the ground and the hero that stood atop of it. Shielded from it by the hero and his own hardened form, Kirishima did not suffer the brunt of the damage. 

 

All Might definitely felt the burning and sheer force of the blast that blew the land around him and leveled a nearby building. But he still did not buckle and still stood tall. Kirishima saw that and tried to use his sharpened limbs to break free. He landed a kick to the chest, but was immediately pinned to the ground, as the hand holding All Might's leg received a crippling kick from the free one, enough to make a clone vanish or get lost. A portal appeared beneath Kirishima before he could feel the asphalt, and the teen appeared who knows where. Danny knew, and he was flying above All Might. 

 

"Commendable, Young Fenton, but it will take more!"

 

"Well, I..."

 

He didn't have the time to finish as the hero jumped towards him. The halfa immediately went intangible, releasing at the last second to land a point blank blast into the back of the hero's head. Again, All Might definitely felt its power, that, as he was still in the air, pushed him away. But All Might managed to grab the teen and hurl him to the ground, as the halfa made a surprised yelp. He would go intangible, All Might realised, so he punched the air, the strength being enough to redirect his flight. He was about to collide, but the ghostly reaction was supernatural. Danny once again vanished into thin air, with All Might punching the ground instead. 

 

"Wow, they are still standing," Mina gushed. 

 

"Both Phantom and All Might are unbeatable in both senses of the word," Tokoyami responded. "Someone who cannot be touched fighting someone who shrugs off any damage. All Might has no counter for intangibility." 

 

"And where is Kirishima?" Asked Kaminari. 

 

The same thought actually came upon All Might. What if it was all a fluke and they WERE going to escape? The hero jumped towards the roofs once more in hopes of finding his enemies. Meanwhile, at a distance, the two teens glanced outside from inside one of the buildings. Cautious to even look out of the window fully.

 

"What now, Fenton?" Kirishima asked. "We haven't even scratched him."

 

"I can see that," Danny deadpanned.

 

"Don't tell me this was your entire plan."

 

"It wasn't. We learned what we need. All Might is incredibly fast, but he physically can't respond to everything. If we attack, we need to do that quick."

 

It was an opportune time, for almost immediately one of the walls came down, as the giant hero barged inside.

 

"Hiding is not an option, young heroes!" All Might said. 

 

"I dunno, worked well so far," Danny responded dryly and his foot lightly turned. The next second the floor turned intangible, with Danny holding Kirishima's hand, not letting him fall after All Might. After the floor became tangible again, Danny took a fighting stance before the older hero broke right through it, being met immediately with an expecting punch. 

 

To apply greater force he could not go intangible. The thunderous sound rang as their fists hit each other. But upon landing another punch, All Might discovered that Danny's chest was covered in a thick layer of ice, which worked just as Kirishima's hard skin. The floor gave up beneath them and began to crumble. Danny kept floating as Kirishima hardened his body once more and plummeted right atop of All Might with all his weight. This once again pushed the hero further, making Danny wonder. Whilst on the ground All MIght's strength made him an immoveable object. He WAS more vulnerable in the air. In the meantime, All Might grabbed Kirishima and swung him into the nearest column. Kirishima flew right through, as right above Danny turned it intangible, instead slipping across the spacious floor. The buildings were hollow, after all, and lacked internal walls. 

 

All Might immediately leaped up once more, and Danny avoided the strike, blasting the hero to no avail. All Might suddenly swung in the air and swung his fist. And finally, the halfa slipped and felt the full force, coughing out ectoplasm and flying out of the window. All Might sought to use this, and immediately jumped after him. But Danny regained his senses quick enough. His chest parted and All Might hit thin air, but the hero then swished his arm higher, to break the ring that Phantom's body had become. At the same time, Danny covered his foot with ice and kicked All Might's head, just as the hero slashed the teen's body in half. Danny put so much force into his kick that All Might went flying, just as Danny assembled back again. 

 

"Air is my domain, sensei," he declared confidently, before seeing the grinning All Might try again by jumping off the building he landed on. His strategy was always so simple, yet his power always made it work. This time Phantom blasted him with a torrent of his ice energy. In a split second All Might was covered in ice. He broke out almost immediately, but at that moment he could not see anything. Enough for Danny to hit him from above with a charged fist and a loud outburst. The strike shattered the nearest windows and sent All Might flying to the ground, which shattered upon the impact. 

 

Laughing contently, All Might got up, looking at the teen who slowly descended from the air. 

 

"Have you put too many dampeners, teach?" Danny asked jokingly. 

 

"I must say, you are quite crafty, young..." Then All Might realised something, as a devilish grin appeared on Danny's face. 

 

"Now where is my companion, I wonder. Could it be..." He gasped. 

 

All Might didn't need to hear the end of that sentence. Despite everything, the kids opted for the escape option after tricking him! The hero immediately leaped into the air, took to the rooftops in an attempt to see Kirishima from above, but Phantom kept firing at him while the hero was still willing to take it if he couldn't dodge the onslaught. Even as All Might was not suffering pain, the burning sensation was growing stronger. Like a rock being cut by waves, his thick shell was wearing down from otherwordly toxic substance. Those blasts would have vaporised a normal human, if them melting iron beams upon missing was any indication. Looking at his fist, All Might saw a slight reddening and burn, right where ectoplasm from Danny's gut spilled. Once atop of the building, All Might didn't initially see Kirishima. He was using small alleys as much as he could. All Might then spun around and attempted to hit the pursuing half-ghost, but again hit thin air, as the disembodied voice laughed at him. 

 

"How unfortunate," the voice asked him, almost whispering into his ear. "Where could he be?" 

 

All Might tried to pinpoint where the teen was, but he was not going to see him before Phantom willed it. It felt strange to not be in control for the first time since...him. Ironic how now his offspring did the same thing. But that thought only reinvigorated his confidence to teach the boy a lesson there and then.  Kirishima could not get out either. And that demanded his attention at the time. The easiest way was to intercept the teen closer to the entrance, and so he immediately leaped in its direction, leaving the now visible half-ghost to pursue.

 

"Shouldn't this be another way around?" Asked Sero back in the observation room. 

 

"Phantom-san knows his advantage," reasoned Yaoyorozu. "All Might can't just get him as long as he stays intangible, so it will be a waste of time while Kirishima easily escapes. Sensei has no choice. And this also lets his enemy wear down his defences."

 

"But can he?" Jiro doubted. "This is All Might."

 

"All Might has dampeners, right?" Mina recalled. "He also fought Midoriya and Bakugo just now. And Danny managed to fight Nomu who was meant to kill sensei at his prime..."

 

"He is turning the odds even further," Momo added. "He hasn't made a dedicated attack from the start." 

 

Once again everyone was reminded of what was hiding beneath the exterior of a cheerful class rep. All Might of course knew what was happening, and would have commended the boy, if he was not currently busy dodging the blasts with the same means. Trying to catch the halfa off guard, All Might suddenly changed direction and instead pushed himself backwards, and although he got hit with another blast, Danny didn't go intangible and was hit. All Might used this opportune moment to land another punch that sent the enemy flying. Danny let out a hiss, biting his lip, but went through the wall instead of hitting it. Danny fixed his jaw and let his healing get to work. All Might did not pursue, knowingly going after Kirishima. 

 

And Danny decided that the time came for a more direct approach. So, he went through the wall again and immediately met the stare of All Might, who stood around several hundred meters away, near the exit. The halfa landed on the ground, and opened his arms wide. 

 

"This is not manly to hide," the redhead complained, a block away.

 

"It's not manly to stand in front of a train," Danny responded, a duplicate, to be exact. One that did not actually vanish and was now leaning against a wall. "It's just stupid." 

 

"Maybe, but I want to do something!"

 

"It's not the time. You are here for a reason, man."

 

"What reason?" Kirishima blinked. 

 

"They put us all against opponents that play against our weaknesses. With how All Might fights, you can't just use your usual method and just take the beating."

 

At that time All Might punched Danny's body, covered in a layer of ice. 

 

"And for you it is your refusal to run from All Might?" Kirishima offered.

 

Danny landed a strike on All Might's face.

 

"Well...I WOULD have teleported from Aizawa," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "What? He keeps nagging me with giving my all. Anyway, as long as he thinks you are running through that gate, he is where we need him."

 

"You don't think he is that dumb, do you?"

 

"No, but he is quite conscious of his teaching skills. So...I know he will try to do his best. And that includes being as much of an obstacle to both of us as he can be." 

 

Danny slipped back after another blocked punch pushed him backwards. 

 

"Ancients, teach, you really punch like a train."

 

"Of course! After all, we must do our best at all times!"

 

"Is this really the best you've got?" The halfa shook off the shards remaining of his improvised ice wristbands. 

 

He was buying time to assess the damages he was causing himself. He could pride himself on bruising the man, and All Might could seldom hide that the dampeners were doing their job. He could swear that some wounds were actually steaming. But his own energy was running dry. He needed to use his living battery. All Might was about to lunge again and attack, when suddenly he saw a portal open to his left, a considerable distance away. He turned and saw both teens standing there. A glance back, and the wounded Phantom was gone. Absorbed into the one who was alive and well at the outside. That was...disheartening. 

 

"Is something wrong, teach?" Danny asked innocently. 

 

All Might clenched his fist, collecting his strength. Phantom knew that he had to use his main resort. He tried not to show it, but he was already getting drained. 

 

"Kirishima...you wanted some closure. Buy me some time," was his brief request. 

 

"You got it, man," said the redhead and hardened his body to the max. Danny smirked and then gave his friend a layer of ice protection by lightly blasting him with a beam. Danny and Kirishima saw how All Might readied to lunge forward. And Kirishima had enough time to ready himself. However, All Might did the unexpected, and yet something they saw before: he struck the ground so hard that the entire road was collapsing, and both teens were sent flying. The hero then jumped towards Kirishima, who, whilst blocking, still was pummeled to the ground. As Kirishima hit the surface, All Might made sure to make a kick to the stomach to keep him down for longer, but Danny floated to the shattered land and put his feet back on the ground. 

 

"You can always forfeit, young ones."

 

All Might was not very serious. He knew his students. And he proudly believed that they would not. He could hear Kirishima getting up and, unexpectedly, use his sharp edges to cling to the crevices left on the road, as well as hide behind a protuding part of the road. 

 

"You know it's not how I do things. Not as long as I have something up my sleeve," Danny said and wiped his mouth, taking a deep breath.

 

And All Might immediately realised what it was. The next second, his eardrums were assaulted by the most deafening sound in his life. It was not like Mic's, it was a haunting, low howl that made each cell of his body pulse and resonate. What was left of the road was torn asunder, the very soundwaves were visible, and each hit was like a burning scythe that cut deep. Even back in the observation room, the staff quarters, everyone had to cover their ears, even if cameras, crashing and breaking one by one, did not transmit the sound. The buildings of that fake city began to collapse like dominous, raising clouds of dust and dirt. Poor Kirishima tried to cover his ears, but then realised that the ice covered those as well to the best of its ability. His own hard skin was the only reason that very ice wasn't killing him at that time. All Might tried to push forward, but even he found himself slipping, unable to find proper footing. He could only stand, taking the damage from the ectoplasm, the debris that was hitting him, until the very ground beneath him gave up and the hero was suspended in the air for a fraction of a time that was needed for the hero to fly several meters away, until he punched the ground and managed to once again hold it. 

 

Until finally, Danny could shout no longer. Exhausted, he looked at All Might, dreadfully noting that All Might was still standing. His body was again beginning to let out more smoke, but All Might was not going to give up. Rings almost appeared around Danny's body, but it took most of his strength to prevent it. 

 

"That was...something...Young Fenton," All Might panted. "But you still should remember your..."

 

He had no time to finish, as from behind him, relatively unscathed Kirishima jumped from his cover and attacked him. Swinging his fist, the boy punched the hero. It did relatively little, but made All Might turn around, and that's when Danny made his move. Collecting all his power, he lunged forward, his fist and eyes sparking with all he'd got. And once he came to All Might, with a roar he punched him to the left side of his chest. At first, there was silence. Then, Danny looked at his hand, at his white glove that was trickling with red blood that could not be his. He turned back to see the shocked All Might, and back in the Observation room Recovery Girl jumped from her seat as well. All Might was bleeding. The hero did not say something at first, but his grin for just a split second was replaced with...Danny, for reading his opponent so well before, could not see that before All Might stood not a child, but someone else. 

 

"Well done, Young Fenton," he said half-forcefully, before jumping away. Out of bounds.

 

And at that moment Danny collapsed, switching back to his human form. But before he could fall, Kirishima caught him, letting go of his hardening.

 

"I got you, man," he said and wrapped Danny's head around his shoulder.

 

"Did we...win?" Danny asked foggily.

 

"Win? Dude, wait till you realise what you just did," said his friend and carried him to the exit.

---

 

"You idiot!" Recovery girl scolded the Number One hero in a separate infirmary as she was applying bandages to a gigantic wound in his chest. It appeared even more horrific on a smaller frame of his frail-bodied form. "Do you realise how serious this is?"

 

"I do not," All Might mumbled, deep in thought. 

 

"Then let me tell you. That boy hit you right in your wound and opened it right open. You both were weakened, so you have all your ancestors to thank for the damage not being as grave as it could have been." 

 

"That's...a relief?" All Might answered, unsure of himself. 

 

"A relief?" Recovery Girl asked incredulously. "Your old wound will be a problem even more from now on, perhaps even further limiting your ability at keeping up the facade. All because you didn't want to stop." 

 

"What was I supposed to do?" Argued the hero. "It was my job to hold this exam."

 

"All others knew when to give up. But this is just not your way, is it?" She poked his healthy parts with her cane. 

 

"You are right. It is not. And I have underestimated that boy, despite everything that I have seen...are they alright?"

 

"You didn't do much to Kirishima, and Fenton...is Fenton. He is healing as we speak. He is still alive, if we can even say this. There is also another problem."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Fenton didn't just hit you. He cauterised the wound with that same ridiculous burning substance. The substance that burns everything it touches which is not Fenton himself. There is just enough to prevent the wound from properly healing."

 

"And...can you do anything?" 

 

"How? I don't know anything about this 'ectoplasm'. And there is only one person who knows it through and through. But you know what enlisting his help will mean..."

 

All Might looked away, a grave look on his face. "We will have to let young Fenton in on the secret. The removal of ectoplasm may take too much time, especially now...when we don't know how long I can keep it up."

 

Recovery Girl nodded. "I'm afraid that is the case. Or you will have to always suffer from this injury. You don't have to tell him everything."

 

"You are still displeased that he doesn't tell you his biology." 

 

"I have my own job to do. The boy thinks that his healing factor will get him out of any situation, but for how long? And what would I do in that case? I don't even know if a blood transfusion won't kill him." 

 

All Might nodded. "Maybe he will be more open if I tell him. Better me than...someone else."

 

"At least you understand this much," she poked him once more. "Now rest, doctor's orders." 

 

Chapter 26

A.N. Okay, so here we are. A bit rushed, but I just want to get through the filler stuff in between the seasons.

---

"You've got to be kidding me."

Danny rubbed his face, pushing away the groggy feeling. He had blacked out somewhere along the way, and missed everything afterwards. Still, his recuperation process was not long, as he woke up around half an hour later. Kirishima and Mina were nearby, he saw them eyeing his heart monitor, a device that must have felt as the most useless tech on the planet, showing a line that only rarely flickered. After happily seeing him regain consciousness, the two teens that had changed into their student uniforms, told him about everything that had happened. 

"Come on, man. That's so amazing," Kirishima argued.

"Sure didn't feel that way last time I was awake," Danny muttered. 

"We were all just shocked, Danny-kun," Mina said, also clearly in awe. "You've beaten All Might!" 

"This wasn't a real fight, though. And I wasn't alone."

"It's not like I got to do much," Kirishima humbly renounced his effort. "You are still gonna be the talk of the school, for sure." 

"Somehow I feel like I still screwed up something," Danny stubbornly responded. "Not gonna look good for All Might, too. If a kid managed to harm him." 

"You fill your head with too much stuff at once, Danny-kun," Mina nudged him lightly. "I didn't pass, but even I am not as concerned as you are. And you definitely got through with flying colours." 

The halfa stared at his ever-cheerful friend and chuckled. "Maybe you are right. Shame about your exam." 

"See? Anyway...how are your injuries?" 

"Well, duplication saved me some healing. I was just really drained," Danny said slowly, unplugging the heart monitor and examining his bare arms, without any wounds. "I can come home, I think." 

"Leaving already?" 

A voice came from the door, as Recovery Girl entered the room. 

"Hey there, doc. Yeah, if I may," Danny said, already reaching for the shirt to put on.

"Well, it's not like I can determine if you are healthy, aside from the visible part," the old lady responded. 

"Come on, don't be like that. I'm fine," the halfa shrugged. "Just need to sleep and eat a bit. Been like that for years."

The old nurse hummed. "Fine then. But before you go...All Might wants to see you." 

Danny's smile faltered. "I...okay, I'll go to him. You can go ahead, guys," he said, turning to his friends.

"We will wait for you outside, man," grinned Kirishima as he and Mina left the room. 

Danny wondered what All Might wanted to say, all the way to the room where he was told the hero rested. Was All Might displeased, proud, who knew, certainly not the half-ghost. But Recovery Girl sounded unhappy and awfully serious. Just what had he done that warranted a private talk? The halfa finally found the door to the room and entered. 

"Fenton-san!" He immediately heard Midoriya's voice and the teen to whom it belonged. Recovery Girl had done well, as always, the teen was looking better than when he was being carried to the infirmary. "Are you alright?" He still chose to ask.

"Well, I was beaten and drained, but otherwise nothing I can't handle," Danny waved off the concern. 

"That's good to hear!" All Might's voice came from behind the curtain. "Young Fenton, I'm glad you came."

"Is something wrong, sir?" Danny asked. 

"Well...admittedly, yes. Your hit somehow infected the wound...do you know anything about it?"

"Inf...oh," Danny grimaced. "I'm so sorry, sir. Ectoplasm must have liquified and got into the bloodstream. But I can fix it!" He quickly promised. 

"Wonderful! But first...Young Fenton, can you keep a secret?" All Might asked him with serious notes in his voice. 

It was, of course, a rhetorical question, mostly. Fenton's ability to keep his mouth shut about essential things was the reason so many things were uncertain about him. And why he was in that room in the first place. All Might knew this, but somehow felt the need to get a reassurance for himself. That secret could not get out, especially if Recovery Girl's grim predictions were true. Danny, on his part, seemed to realise what was going on. Seeing a hero at a moment of vulnerability meant knowing the main secret of any person wearing a costume. Although...what secret identity could be there if such a hulking man never even wore a mask.

"Scout's honour, sir."

"It really is serious, Fenton-san," Midoriya said. "Nobody should know his identity."

"I can respect a fellow hero's privacy," Danny responded with slight drama. 

"Then do come here," All Might declared. 

The halfa did as he was told and froze for a moment. Yes, he probably had not expected to see a gaunt, ghoulish even man in a hospital gown in place of the very embodiment of heroism. But that initial surprise was soon replaced with realisation. 

"Wait...you were that guy in the tournament I've met!" Danny exclaimed. 

All Might chuckled. "I had to improvise, Young Fenton. Let me explain. The hero everyone sees daily is me performing at my very best. However, that form cannot be maintained forever, ever since...a great injury I sustained in one fight."

At this, the hero lifted his gown, letting the halfa see a large open scar that encompassed a large part of the hero's chest, spreading its blackish tendrils across. Danny immediately figured out what had happened, and why All Might had to stay in the hospital.

"I opened the old wound again," Danny said with guilt in his voice. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea..."

"This is fine, Young Fenton. Calm yourself. If you truly can help, then it should heal."

All Might lied. And yet, he was seeing sincere guilt in Danny's words and actions. He had no heart to tell the boy that he probably made the hero's job a lot harder. Even Midoriya didn't know that part. And just like with the half-ghost, even now All Might would do what he did best. Show everyone that everything will be fine. Still, All Might once again got the confirmation that Young Fenton was a kind soul, just like Midoriya. 

Danny nodded. "Let me take a closer look."

All Might moved the gown away as Danny sat on a chair nearby. The halfa took a good look. He could see the tints of greenish substance in the red exposed flesh.

"Hm...well, good news, ectoplasm also killed all bacteria that could have gotten into the open wound," Danny commented. "There is only one infection to deal with."

"And how can you help?" Midoriya asked anxiously.

"Basically, we open the wound and properly cauterise it once again, since it is my ectoplasm which was left in there, it will respond and burn, too. You can imagine that it won't feel like a massage."

All Might did not look certain. "Do what you must, Young Fenton," he still responded. 

"Okay," Danny sighed. "Then please lie down. Midoriya, can you get Recovery Girl? I may mess up the first step, so maybe she should do that. Besides, she knows about this injury more than I do."

"No need, I am already here," said the nurse that had come out of nowhere, putting a small box of instruments on the nearest table. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Danny smirked, as two other people present in the room exchanged glances. 

Despite certain worries about the procedure, it seemed to be going steady. Danny assured that if ectoplasm had not burned through the entire body, then it was stuck close to the surface, instead being stuck in the muscle mass. All Might's much smaller current frame made the procedure much easier. 

"But Stain looked fine," Midoriya recalled.

"True. But that man swallows blood. Who knows how his digestive system works," Danny shrugged, as he let out a tiny blast at a bare spot. His job was much less precise than the old nurse's. "Ectoplasm is very inconsistent. Much more so than when Quirks get involved."

"Where does it even come from?" The curious boy asked. 

"Well, there are several explanations. My core breaks apart everything that I eat, but it exists without me being there, too. But as for how it is found in this visible form...depends on how willing you are to believe most outlandish facts. If I told you people that there is a whole world where this substance is the component of every single thing, what would you say?"

"Such claims always need proofs," Recovery Girl said. 

Danny could open a portal here and then, but stopped himself in time. "None that I can give at the moment...fine. But this is my answer. My parents studied ectoplasm and that world as well. Ironic, given that I learned to use it myself. Thought I didn't have anything special in me."

"But weren't you born with that...core?"

"No, I was not," Danny said grimly. "At the moment I gained that power, my heart was...replaced."

"What happened?" All Might asked. 

"It popped," the halfa responded curtly and went back to cauterising the wound.

Silence fell upon the room after such a gruesome detail. Nobody dared to imagine how agonising it must have felt.

"How did you live through it?" the nurse demanded to know. "The blood and tissue was still inside you."

Danny's lips thinned even further. "I did not," he said, before quickly abandoning this inside joke. "At least it felt so. Also, intangibility." 

"And you never went to a doctor afterwards?" Recovery Girl asked. "Stupid boy."

"I...well..." Danny sighed. "Going to a doctor meant telling my parents. And just before coming here I learned that my fears were justified."

It made sense to All Might, to whom Tsukauchi had told the boy's known story. The boy that the nation of Japan thought to be one of the strongest and most powerful future heroes held a deep-seated fear not of doctors, but of what they may find out. For so many reasons he had to know who those people were, to contact and talk to them. There was also a part of every hero in the room apart from Danny that felt angry with such treatment. The halfa himself had had all the time to somehow come to terms with the fact. 

"Young Fenton," the hero said firmly, managing to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know that there is nothing that your blood, your organs or body that can make any of us think any lower of you."

"That's right!" Midoriya was quick to join in. "You are you own person, Fenton-san! Your parents did an awful thing, but this is not the reason to be ashamed of what you are."

Danny's expression became unreadable. "Not everyone thinks like you. I am already put on watch by the Commission just because I can do this," he pointed at the wound on the body of the most powerful hero. "What will happen if they find out I am even more of a freak of nature?"

"I assure you, Young Fenton. Even they care more about the end result, not about how you do this."

Danny made another pause. "And they know of your condition?"

"Of course. And they actively help me to protect my identity! I fully empatize with you, child, the Commission's desire to control everything may lead you to suspect their dishonesty..."

"Oh, no, they ARE honest," Danny deadpanned. "And that's why I don't like them. At least Hawks is cool, I guess."

"Ah, yes, I can see why you may have taken a liking to him."

"Wait, Hawks works with HPSC?" Midoriya asked in surprise.

"Oh, right, you don't know," Danny realised. "Well, gotta keep another secret, I guess," he sing-sang the sentence. 

"Even so," Recovery Girl said. "You don't have to fear anything from us. If it is something which can harm you, we always protect our students."

"That is correct!" All Might almost assumed his hero form, but, as if sensing this, Recovery Girl lightly hit him on the forehead after grabbing the cane. "Ow. You can always count on us siding with you. I am certain that they will never go and try anything malicious just because you are a powerful one."

Although they could be suspicious if their theory was correct. Maybe this was an opportune moment...

All Might looked at the boy who was obviously consumed by his own internal conflict. Yes, Danny would have to overstep his fear, the actual, unsaid fear that weapons could be made to hunt him. It wasn't just because he was afraid of needles. Danny looked like there was already too much for him to ponder on. 

Danny looked at the wound once more, one that may not have been initially made by him, but he still managed to best the greatest hero of that world. With all the stipulations, yes, but Phantom got his answer. By the end of the training he would still remain in the upper part of hero lists, older generation and newer one. If not move higher. Were his fears truly justified? Then again, the fear of new grade weapons came from people whose spines he could easily break, who weren't much of a challenge without them. 

"Thing is...sometimes I wonder if...my powers are really a Quirk," Danny slowly spoke, trying to first phase it properly. 

"What do you mean, Danny-san? It can't be anything else," Midoriya reasoned.

"Oh, it can. There are things that truly go beyond. Beyond reason, beyond this world, beyond life itself. I've seen some strange stuff, and...maybe my heart doesn't beat for a reason," Danny said grimly and briefly stopped his operation. "Maybe I AM dead and me walking and talking is just a cosmic coincidence. If so, what would your lovely Commission think? Would I even be considered human or would I be on the same level as Nomus?" 

"You aren't dead, Danny-san. You are still with us."

"I assure you, being dead does not always mean people shut up. I may not be a complete ghost, like some I've seen, but some people before made me occasionally wonder if I am still human. My own...parents did not see anything bad in cutting me apart and looking at my innards just to study. So sorry for having my doubts," Danny all but spat, but everyone knew that that anger was directed at the people of very questionable morals. 

"I had no idea," Recovery Girl mumbled after the time of silence. "I see why you are so worried, now. Forgive my insistence."

"You didn't know. And it's not like I was eager to tell," Danny shrugged and went back to operating. 

Psychology was not the nurse's field of expertise. Neither it was anyone else's in that room. However, All Might had a picture formed in his mind. Perhaps it wasn't just the fear of being ostracised. After all, if he went through all the procedures and received the medical conclusion "Clinical death", put on paper and undeniably in front of his eyes, his worst fears would be justified. Young Fenton, for all his jokes, actually feared to aknowledge what he himself percieved as inevitable truth. It sounded paradoxical at the first glance, but it still made a lot of sense. Still, All Might felt sympathy for the child. He had far too much to handle for his age. And once again the hero was impressed that despite everything the boy was still trying to be a hero. Despite the power in his possession making retribution far too tempting of a concept. 

Midoriya, being the gentile and compassionate soul, felt accordingly. The halfa's parents were horrible people. His class rep was always a joking, positive hero that in some ways even resembled the Number One. Yet, just like Midoriya's mentor, there were more complex things right beneath. His Quirk's awakening must have truly been traumatizing. That it was painful he had already been aware of, thanks to the halfa's own sarcastic recollection. Come to think of it, he still got a bit twitchy when that topic was brought up.

Neither Izuku nor All Might, of course, believed this to be an actual death. Quirks manifested in all sorts of ways. Especially given the gruesome way it must have done so. Danny himself probably realised that nobody would actually accept such a wild concept as the tangible afterlife and ghosts. Unless he spoke directly and with conviction. Something he wouldn't dare to try even now. He made his point across anyhow. His mind eventually drifted to the Number One's own secret identity. It was a far more impressive change than his, no wonder he did not even need a mask.  

And as he kept thinking about this, the small operation was over, and the nurse started bandaging All Might. 

"Well, I think that does it," Danny mumbled. "Are you feeling okay, All Might?"

"Yes, Young Fenton, thank you," responded the hero as he got a healing kiss from old nurse. 

"Fenton-san, what about what we talked about?" Asked Midoriya. 

The halfa sighed and got up from his seat. "I'll think about it. Now if you excuse me, my friends waited for far too long." 

"Young Fenton..."

"Yes?" Danny turned around near the door.

"Well...nevermind," All Might shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Young Fenton. You and Young Kirishima performed outstandingly."

Danny smiled and left the room. All Might was smiling, too, until Recovery Girl hit the hero on the head again. 

"You should have told him!" She scolded him.

"Told him about what?" Midoriya was still there. 

All Might then realised that even his protégé did not know about that belief. 

"How to put it..." 

---

"Danny-kun, what are you doing?" 

Mina's voice snapped Danny out of his oggling. He had spent good five minutes staring into the shop window of a model shop.

"Oh, ehm..." He got a bit green in the face. 

They were in the colossal shopping centre for a reason. The overly sociable class had gathered all together to celebrate the end of exams and prepare for the future. Very quickly they split into groups, with Danny going his own way, simply for the reason of his usual circle of friends all having gone their way. Maybe he had grown too used to being in an inseparable lique of outcasts. The same modus operandi would not fly. Still, it seemed that they once again crossed paths with Mina and other girls. The next to speak was giggling Hagakure.

"What's that?" she asked, looking where Danny had. 

"It's...a satellite," The halfa said, trying to bring up all the knowledge of that world's much humbler space achievements. "The very first one."

"I didn't know you had interest in space, Fenton-san, kero," Tsu commented.

"Actually, if he doesn't talk about ghosts, he talks about space," Mina grinned, being the more knowledgeable one, as Danny blushed even more furiously.

"It's not that bad," the halfa mumbled and crossed his hands. 

"It's just...unexpected," Tsu continued. 

"Well, I tried gothic poetry as per my friend's advice, but it never worked out," Danny said dryly. "So what if I am a ghost hero, I still get to enjoy small, unrelated things. I actually dreamed of going into space when I was younger."

"Oh, that's cool!"  Hagakure said. "Don't you want to do that anymore?"

"Well, I already was there, so my dream kinda fulfilled itself," the halfa chuckled. "That was an interesting story...So...what did you girls get?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, getting ready for the trip!" Mina responded excitedly.

At this, Danny smirked. She was incresibly cheerful ever since learning that even those who failed the exams got to take part. Rational deception, as Aizawa chose to word it. Nevertheless it would have been quite unfair to exclude only two trainees out of the whole class. Phantom was glad as well that his friend was going to tag along. Mina started taking out and showing various outfits and some miscellaneous stuff for the forest trip, like a brand new thermos. 

"Well, I sure have no shortage of those," Danny commented upon seeing it. 

"Mine doesn't capture villains, of course," Mina smirked. "Aaanyway, Danny-kun, are you actually prepared for the trip yourself or you will wear these even come the apocalypse?"

The halfa looked at his usual white and red shirt. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing. But you wear them all the time! You need some variety, Danny-kun. Luckily," the girl grabbed his hand. "Your good friend is here to help."

"Not again," Danny mumbled before being snatched away. 

In reality, he was glad that certain things did not change, even after his 'achievement'. Some did, however, and it was not the most welcomed shift. For one, the rumours travelled fast around the school. None knew about the gravity of the wound, of course, but it was quickly going out of control. People whispered behind his back, they gave him various sideway glances, hardly those of veneration. Curiosity was still there, but wounding the Number One and Symbol of Peace, previously thought invulnerable, was not something people very much liked. Was it Danny's fault for ruining that colourful image of indestructible saviour? Maybe. But he himself was of the mind that it was their own problem for believing in that notion. He thought so with a tint of anger, as the people once more jumped to stupid conclusions. 

But some random students he didn't care much for. What hit a bit closer to home was Midoriya's new attitude. Yes, he was not a person who would talk behind someone's back or point fingers, he still tried not to show it, but the boy had grown...wary. No matter how hard Midoriya tried to fight it himself, the theory Danny was still unaware of plagued the green-haired teen. And it showed with how he spoke with a certain degree of nervousness. The halfa wanted to ask him, and probably should have, but it wasn't like he had much time for it, what's with training camp being just around the corner. Such a good class rep he was. Maybe he just did not want to know the reason. 

Nonetheless, most of his classmates' attitude did not change. Bakugo might have started hating on him more, but that wasn't that far out of the ordinary. The rest were mostly shocked and impressed, learning what they already had known - Phantom was extremely powerful already. So, Danny secretely enjoyed even the current part of the shopping trip. The temporary company of girls earned him the scorn of his shortest classmate, the ever-watchful one, but it was over, and the girls went their own way, leaving Danny with a bag of new clothes. The halfa looked inside and smiled. No matter what, that was the best class of his life. 

He still went back and bought himself a satellite model. That was probably the extent of what the locals did in space, simply for the reason of needing good communication. For shame. Quirks could help so much in leaving the bounds of that planet, but instead they only inhibited it. Danny regretted leaving his collection of models back in Amity Park. If he were to ever visit his hometown once more, he would have to take those as well. 

His musings were interrupted as he suddenly found himself surrounded by people with adoration in their eyes and minor objects and pens in their hands. Those could only be one sort of people. 

"Oh my gosh, Phantom, can you give me an autograph?"

"Write it on my stomach!"

"What do you eat?  I want to have the same diet!"

The fans. Danny just couldn't say no to them, smiling widely. Ever since the tournament and his very flashy internship he was a rising star in the eyes of many. Not without reason and not without appeal to the ego of the ghost hero in question. Danny still held that plushie of himself, after all. What was still unusual, even though he had been recognised on the street and asked for autographs before, is the fact that Fenton, too, was drawing attention. 

"Alright, pal..." Danny looked at the small kid as he finished signing his diary. He needed to say something hero-like. "Eat your veggies and listen yo your..."

He was interrupted by the sound of the announcement speakers. 

"Attention, visitors. A villain was spotted on the mall's grounds. His location is unknown, please, proceed to the exit in orderly fashion. The mall is closed."

Danny's look turned grim. "Let's find your parents, kid."

It didn't take long, as the parents were not very far, in one of the nearby stores. Done with his sudden duty, the halfa decided that his class rep duties came right after. It would be easier if each of them was in one spot. He and his classmates had agreed to meet near the entrance, it would be a logical course of action. Danny also could only wonder what this was all about. It wasn't a villain attack just yet, if nobody even knew where they were. Quickly making his way to the meeting spot, he wasn't all that wrong, as he saw Uraraka talking to the police officer, as the rest listened. Everyone eventually noticed his presence, as Danny quickly counted heads to see that everyone was there. 

"What happened?" Danny asked Sero, who was the closest. 

"Midoriya and Uraraka had a run-in with Shigaraki," he sounded surprised himself.

Phantom's eyes went wide as saucers. He never sensed Tomura's butler's presence. What an unusual way for Shigaraki to wander about. By then the villain should have learned about the need of extra caution, but was it really the reason?

"As in, they fought? I didn't hear anything."

"No," Jiro responded. "Shigaraki just appeared out of nowhere and threatened to kill Midoriya. He already grabbed his neck."

"Fudge," Danny muttered. 

He had half a mind to go chase the bastard, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, the halfa turned around and faced Todoroki.

"I know what you are thinking, Fenton. Don't."

"So I am now an open book to you, Todoroki?" Danny asked sarcastically, before sighing. But his classmate was right, the only thing he would achieve would be another dressing down. 

He could only listen to the rest of Izuku and Uraraka's recap of the event and wonder just how easy it was for a villain to blend into the crowd. 

---

There were other things that predated the Training Camp. Sure, the incident at the mall was something that threw everyone out of the loop for a short while, but it did not change anything in the grand scheme of things. As such, the class also continued their trainings, including a rather unusual one, at the pool, courtesy of Mineta and Kaminari's perverse ingeniuity. When Danny learned that they would hit the pools thanks to them, the halfa knew exactly what they were truly after. They only desired to see the girls in swimming garments. Perhaps that's why they had Midoriya on board, as the class rep could see right through their deception. Not that Danny saw anything bad in it. It wasn't like they were naked. In the end, the two schemers were disgruntled to learn that the girls were wearing very modest swimming gear. Mineta seemed to be content even with that. 

Still, the training went well enough, teaching them more about water environments and the usage of Quirks there. From then on, it was a chill ride to the day when they would go to the training camp. But Danny still had a few things to worry about and deal with before going, the incident at the mall still fresh in his mind. Was there really a reason behind that strange encounter? After all, it came from nowhere and went just there. Shigaraki did strike the young hero as someone irrational and petulant, but such recklessness needed something to set it off. The thoughts were not much his, but the halfa lived under the same roof with a famed detective, so it was slowly rubbing off on him, and let Danny in onto some new ideas. 

"Is this really an anger management problem, though?" Danny asked as he ate his dinner noodles. "Wouldn't Midoriya be dead-er than me if that was the case?"

"True," Tsukauchi responded. "This can mean that the anger was not directed at him in particular."

"He IS always angry," the halfa shrugged. "They have it in common with Number Two."

The detective by that point was more than aware of the name-calling his charge was keen on doing. 

"The fact that he can hide so easily is concerning," Tsukauchi added.

"He got away because he did nothing. If Midoriya turned to ash in front of everyone, he would have been caught that instant, so maybe there was some sense remaining in his skull. So, he was hitting the mall, he was angry, but not enough to kill. Was he doing soul-searching or what?"

"Soul-searching?"

"Yeah," Danny shrugged and fiddled with the takeout by using chopsticks. "Villains are humans, too. They need motivation and ideals of their own. Most of them."

"You are right. But I wonder what his is are."

"He wanted to kill All Might ever since the first attack," Danny looked at the ceiling. "Ironic that even I am more successful in this regard."

"Danny-san, we talked about this," Tsukauchi said sternly. "Don't blame yourself. You were fighting, and the damage is not irreversible."

"It's not about guilt at this point," Danny grimaced. "I walked into the same trap all over again."

"What do you mean?" 

"There is a thin line between being the unbeatable hero and Public Enemy number one. Guess who was who in our little confrontation."

"Your classmates WERE told that it's best not to tell anyone."

Danny gave a sad smile. "And why is that, you think?" 

Tsukauchi sighed and put away the noodle box. "I get it. You are still afraid no matter what we say. Danny, you are not a villain, everyone can see it."

"Back home people were not as observant," Danny commented dryly. "Look, I am tired of these talks as much as you are. I don't want to keep complaining to everyone about how miserable I am. I AM a hero. But...people can be dumb. And say dumb things. I should just be more considerate of what I do." 

Tsukauchi nodded. "That's the right mindset, kid. Don't worry. If anything, you can be proud of how far you have gotten."

"Can I put it in my resume, then?"

"Well...no. But maybe this trip will help you unwind from the less pleasant thoughts." 

"This ain't a beach episode, old man. We are going to train there."

"Still, a change of scenery will do you good." 

Danny huffed. Although, it did seem logical...

---

And so, there he was, at the grounds near the school entrance, waiting for the bus, a large camping backpack hanging on his shoulders. He did appear somewhat comical, as the others were not burdened much by luggage. The rest had already dumped theirs in a common pile. 

"Uhm, Fenton, you didn't have to bring this much," Kirishima noted. 

"Oh, really? My last forest trip ended in disaster, so this time I am prepared." 

"Do I want to know what happened?" The redhead asked dryly. 

"Yes you do and I will tell it during our arduous journey to the camp," Danny responded, glancing towards a trio of excited students chanting 'training camp'. 

"Eh? You mean to say that Class A has students from extra classes, too? Isn't that weird?! Aren't you supposed to do better?" 

The halfa recognised that voice. Glancing in its direction, he and Kirishima saw the gathering of Class B students. Monoma, the copycat, was once again expressing his complex of inferiority. His rant was interrupted by a backhanded hit from their class rep.

"Hello, Kendo!" Danny saluted. 

"Nice to see you, spook," the redheaded girl nodded and smiled. "Sorry about that!" She said and pulled the downed classmate to the bus. 

The classes exchanged greetings, and the halfa's eyes immediately darted to another girl from that class that he knew. 

"Good morning, Fenton-san," Yanagi greeted him, ever-quietly. 

"Sup," Danny grinned. "How are you doing? All is good?"

"Yes, I am doing well. I think I've gotten the hang of the new power I got." 

"That's good to...what is it?" Danny asked grinning Mina, who suddenly appeared between them.

"Oh, nothing, Danny-kun. We are told to go and take our seats," she said and pointed towards Iida, who was gesturing around as usual. 

"Be there in a bit," the halfa answered with a chuckle. 

Exchanging the talk-laters, the students joined their classes. The buses soon set out from the school grounds, kickstarting a small journey. For once, it was without accidents, and the class bonding was happening not at the field of fighting. Although if someone was to look at Aizawa, who occupied the front seat, there was an echo of grim acceptance of something only he was aware of. The teacher's thoughts were of the future and what dangers it could possibly hold. The training camp held a purpose above all others — to accelerate the pace of training, to train the students for more challenges ahead, of which they would see plenty. The villain society was slowly waking up from a major slumber, every hero could feel it. All the former needed was a push, a statement. And it was just the heroes' luck that All Might got his first injury in years. Nobody must know. And nobody must know the perpetrator. 

Aizawa glanced at Fenton. They knew he was powerful in his own right, but to actually outdo All Might...well, the boy actually had common sense, he was not bragging about it at every corner. This event made the teacher realise how important it was to train Fenton how to not only become strong, but to also use that power responsibly. Because careless hero was as dangerous as a villain. Still, Aizawa, like all his colleagues, wondered just what could bring such Quirk into the world. And in light of Nomu's existence, nothing was off the table anymore.

The bus came to a stop near a larger flat area, off the serpentine rocky road. There was little to see outside other than a vast, lush forest. Still, everyone welcomed an opportunity to stretch their limbs and, in Mineta's case, find a toilet. Unsuccessful as the latter may have been, the others took in the sight and noticed that a black car was standing nearby. And those weren't simple tourists, as when the doors opened but nobody came out, a voice called out for the teacher. 

"Hey, Eraser!" 

"Long time no see," responded Aizawa and bowed.

"Lock on wih these sparkling gazes..."

"Stingingly cute and catlike..."

"Wild, wild pussycats!"

The introductory slogan was announced by the pair of young women that had exited the car and struck poses. One had short auburn hair and red attire, while the other, the blonde, was wearing blue. Both donned hero outfits that bore resemblance to their feline inspiration, with ears, tails and paw gloves. Few could notice a small boy in red cap standing nearby, eyeing the show without any enthusiasm. 

"These are the heroes who will be working with us during the training camp. The Pussycats," Aizawa made an introduction. 

"They are a four-person hero team that set up their own agency!" Midoriya exclaimed excitedly. "They are a veteran team that specialises in mountain rescue! This year will be their twelfth..."

Midoriya didn't have time to finish as the blonde put her paw over his face. 

"I'm 18 at heart!" She exclaimed, not letting go. 

"As you wish ma'am," Danny conveniently appeared near them, slowly phasing Midoriya from the grasp by the shoulders. "Thank you, Mr. Exposition," he then told Midoriya, who visibly tensed. 

After exchanging greetings, the woman in red pointed towards the mountain across the forested valley.

"You will be staying over there, at the foot of the mountain," she said. 

"That's quite far..."

"Then, why did we stop here?" Uraraka asked. 

"Oh, it's that kind of training," Danny said dryly. 

"Maybe we should go to the bus..." Sero suggested.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Kaminari agreed, just as many others. 

"It's 9.30 a.m. If you are fast..." the auburn-haired hero spoke ominously. "Maybe by noon." 

"Let's get back!" Kirishima exclaimed as almost everyone ran. 

Danny just sighed, "Murphy's law, I hate you," he muttered. 

Not a moment too soon the ground shook and exploded, courtesy of the blonde hero in age-denial, sending the students flying off the cliff. 

"You have three hours!" The host shouted to the disgruntled kids. "It's a private land, so use your Quirks as you want! Now try to get through... the Beast forest!"

"Oh, it even has a scary nickname," Danny said as he finally floated slowly to the ground.  

"You could have helped," Mina grumbled, still sore after falling. 

"It's you who ran away from me as well," the halfa shrugged. "Did you really think they dropped us so far from the camp just for a prank?" 

"Yeah, yeah, laugh as you like, smart guy," Kirishima responded. He was largely unscathed, thanks to his Quirk. "But since we are down here, we might as well go…what is that?!”

Everyone saw something come out from behind the tree line. It was a gargantuan brown beast that immediately roared upon seeing the students. Mineta was the closest to it, but Midoriya’s quick reaction saved him from being turned into a purple pancake. Koda, the usually quiet student tried to use his Quirk and calm the animal-like creature down, but to no avail. The reason was revealed quickly — the beast was not a living and breathing thing but a creature made of dirt. Must have still been the blonde Pussycat’s doing. 

“Hello, misplaced aggression!” Danny grinned deviously, as his hand glowed green. 

He wasn’t the only one to immediately assault the creature with unrestrained force. It was, after all, a bunch of moving dirt. An ectoblast, an explosion, an ice surge and Midoriya’s strike all fell upon the beast and immediately destroyed it, covering the area in dust and grime. 

“Well, these aren’t really tough,” Danny commented loudly. “Alright everyone! We were told to go to the foot of that mountain, so that’s what we will do,” he said, assuming the role of the class rep. “Mineta, go behind that tree already!”

“It’s fine…I don’t want to pee anymore!” The boy called. 

“Ew,” Danny mumbled. “Then let’s go. Stay together and keep looking around. This guy was not the last one.”

Nobody seemed to object. Even Bakugo begrudgingly accepting Fenton’s leadership role for now. With a grin, Danny opened a portal by his side, before pulling out his camping bag and putting it on.

“Why can’t you just open a portal at the end?” Kaminari demanded to know.

“Because then the whole point of this training will disappear,” Danny shrugged, the contents of the bag clanking. “BUT I got water and snacks for those who will need it. Now, onwards!”

Danny was more like Jack Fenton than he would ever dare to admit. 

The way to the camp took longer than expected. Their hosts were right in approximating the time of arrival. But there was only one problem — it did not take an army of dirt beasts into account. Beasts that were quite impressive, given how some could even fly. Yes, they were rather easy to dispatch, and everyone tried to drive their Quirks to the most of their effectiveness. However, the beasts were as plenty as, well, dirt. It was slowly taking a toll on everyone. Around noon they barely made it through the half of their journey. 

“Is there an end to this?” Mina moaned as Danny descended to the ground after learning where they were from above. 

“We still got a long way to go. We are definitely gonna be late for lunch, so…” He dug into his ever-present bag. “Anyone up for an energy bar?”

He was taken up for his word as his supply was immediately dried up and shared among the class. 

“You are a saviour, Danny-kun,” Mina said and munched on the bar. 

Danny smiled and looked at Bakugo, “You want some, Number Two?” 

“Shut up, spook! I don’t want your crap!”

“More for me,” Danny shrugged and almost bit into the treat, before it was snatched from his hand by the blonde. “Okay, then.”

“How are you prepared for this stuff?” Asked Sero.

“As I told Kirishima, last time I was on a trip, it involved a lake monster, mysterious disappearances and a run-down shack for sleeping in. This time, nothing will catch me off-gua…”

He was interrupted by another loud roar. The dirt monsters were not about to give them a lunch break. 

“Oh, shut up!” Phantom yelled back and fired an annihilating green blast that reduced the beast to dust, as well as the rows of trees. “I’m starting to get a headache,” he mumbled, noticing a brief look from Midoriya. It was as if he was trying to detect something. Danny shook his head. Now was not the time. “Alright, the more we wait the more of them we will be fighting. So let’s go.”

And so, everyone had no choice but to fight and keep going. Eventually, they made it to the end, with the clocks on their phones showing around 4 p.m. Although the setting sun was already an indicator enough. The students were tired, dirty and starving, because snack bars were just not cutting it. 

“You are late,” The blonde Pussycat said to them with a grin. Behind her stood her colleague and Aizawa, “Although I expected you to come even later, so good for you. You dispatched them easily. Especially you five,” She pointed her paw at the participants of the Stain fiasco, as well as Bakugo. “Do you have an experience with this sort of stuff?”

“More than I would have liked,” Danny mumbled, finally taking off his bag. 

The blonde grinned. “I can’t wait to see you in three years!” She exclaimed and got perhaps too touchy, forcing the teens to cover themselves to hide from a strangely misplaced signs of affection…or desperation. 

“Speaking of age…” Midoriya started, but then once again felt a paw grab his face.

“What of it?” she growled.

“Whose kid is that?” Midoriya pointed at the boy who had been with the heroes since the start. 

“Oh, he is my cousin’s son,” said the auburn-haired feline heroine. “Come on, Kota, come greet everyone!”

Midoriya was, of course, the first to approach him. “Hello, I am Midoriya from the U.A. Hero course, nice to meet you,” he said and outstretched his hand.

The boy’s response was to kick the green-haired teen into the most vulnerable place. Iida immediately rushed to his classmate, whose life was slowly fading. 

“You brute of a nephew!” Iida exclaimed. “Why did you hit Midoriya into his scrotum?!” 

“I don’t want to hang out with guys who intend to become heroes!” 

Amidst a round of surprised gasps and looks, Danny’s face gained a dry expression. “It’s not a reason to disrespect our common weakness, kid.”

“Precocious brat,” Bakugo said, strangely soft. 

“Isn’t he sort of like you?” Asked Todoroki. 

“What?! Not at all!”

“Number Two found a kindred spirit.”

“Keep talking and you will become an actual one!” Bakugo approached Danny. 

“Enough of this charade,” Aizawa interrupted everyone. “Take your bags to your rooms. Then you will have dinner at the cafeteria, bathe and go to sleep. Tomorrow we will start for real.”

After dumping their belongings the kids joined together once again at the cafeteria. They were told that the delectable dishes were only a one-time treat, as starting the next day they would be making their own meals. So, many decided to make most of it, especially the one whose ectoplasm supply was pretty exhausted after a whole day of firing beams. Next point on their agenda was relaxing in hot springs. But to one person, this simply was not enough. 

As Danny lied chest-deep in hot water, he noticed Mineta standing by the wooden fence, his gaze seemingly trying to burn through the only obstacle between him and the girls. The halfa sighed. 

“Mineta, don’t. You should know how these things end,” He said tiredly. 

“But just think of it,” Mineta responded, all but drooling at his own thoughts. “Usually they set up separate times for bathing. What an unfortunate ignorance.”

Danny noticed that this time Mineta was not the only one consumed by an accidental mental image or two. Hell, even he was still a teen. Still, someone had to stop him. 

“I’m serious, pal,” Danny said, floating out of water, a towel wrapped around his belt. “Have some dignity, would you?”

“You do not understand…walls…” Mineta pulled out sticky balls from his hair. “Are meant to be climbed over!” He exclaimed and began his ascent. 

The halfa sighed and prepared to pull him down with telekinesis. But then, Kota popped out at the top, wearing the same disgusted expression as ever.

“Before learning to be a hero, first learn to be a human,” he said and pushed Mineta down, his screams filling the air. 

A portal opened beneath him, letting him fall into the spring, rather than on a hot rock. 

“Thank you, Kota-kun!” Mina shouted from another side. 

And whatever the boy saw on the other side knocked him out breathless. The boy fell down soon after, but this time was caught by Midoriya.

“Isn’t he a bit young to react this way?” Danny asked nobody in particular. “In any case, Midoriya, mind carrying him to the nurse?”

“Yes, will do,” the teen nodded and hurried out of the springs. 

“Is he alright?” Yaoyorozu asked from the other side of the fence. 

“He should be!” Danny called back, before giving nervous Mineta a look.

“Today you sleep on the floor.”

“What?! You have no right, Fenton!” 

“Would you prefer me reporting to Aizawa?”

“Floor it is.” 

---

A.N. Ah, the stereotypical ‘talk later’ stuff. Don’t you just love when this stretches for seasons to no end? I won’t take this long. Those imaginative of you will probably guess how exactly our protagonist will learn of the theories surrounding him.

Chapter 27

A.N. Once again I took my time, eh? Oh, well, we getting to good stuff, so I am compensating the time with size. Somewhat. Enjoy, dear readers.

The training began the next morning. The half ghost was, of course, no exception. As each student was assigned an exhausting task to push their Quirks to their limits, his was to be tested as well. Aizawa's order was to use each and every ghostly ability, one by one, safe for the wail that would render the whole point of the exercise. Danny needed to train his energy stamina by driving it to the limit, which was undoable if the tank was emptied immediately. As Danny got to it, it was clear that he was to give each power everything he got. Each blast was to be as destructive as possible, each ice barrage as chilling as he could allow. It didn't mean that he couldn't eventually add a little spice, something which had not gone unnoticed by Aizawa. 

"Fenton, what are you doing?"

Danny stopped working on the statue of a strange vampire-like man with a strange, horn-resembling haircut. 

"Tiring myself out. Making these is consuming," Danny smirked and made another one. Once the image was before him, it was easier to make more statues. But elaborate objects still did put a strain, especially as he spent only seconds on them. And he built those with the sole intent of firing destructive shots upon them immediately after. It would take some time, it would take a while until he reached his limit and actual endurance training of his could begin. He needed to train his emergency supply, the last shreds of his power needed to remain for as long as they could. However, soon his attention was caught by the newest arrivals. Class B was led by their homeroom teacher Vlad King, a tall and muscular white-haired man in red and white. Danny flashed a grin to those with whom he was familiar and continued blasting, all the while listening to the conversations over the loud noises of training. It wasn't long until Kendo asked a very viable question. 

"But there are too many of us. Is this really enough to keep watch over everyone's training?"

"That's why all of them are here," responded Aizawa.

As he said this, out of nowhere appeared a young, green-haired woman. Her cat-themed yellow hero outfit, coupled with her whisker makeup, immediately gave away her allegiances.

"Yes! And we act as one!" She eagerly said.

Other pussycats joined her in their signature greeting the students had seen before. Only with a couple of new additions. What struck people the most is a giant, scary-looking man in the same feline getup, who was also a member of their team. As they struck their pose, the green-haired lady continued.

"My Quirk is Search. I can get the info of up to 100 people just by looking at them!"

"I make dirt statues for you to train," added the familiar blonde Pussycat.

"I can also contact you with telepathy," said the red, Mandalay.

"And my job is the attack through punches and kicking," said the scary giant. "All those with a power type! Follow me!" 

And as they did, Danny once-again crossed eyes with Yanagi. Smiling, he then approached Mandalay and quietly talked to her. Whatever it was, Yanagi thought it concerned her and she was right, as Danny then approached her, the same grin on his face and gleam in his green eyes, despite the current human form.

"Hello again," he said. 

"What was this about?" Asked the girl.

"I volunteered to also watch over your training. I may have some insight that can help."

Yanagi nodded slowly. "Thank you. But doesn't your classmate have this similarity as well?"

"Well..." Danny looked at the dark cave filled with Tokoyami's screams. "He is a bit busy."

"And it won't distract you?"

Danny smirked, snapped his fingers, and made a duplicate. 

"If anything, this will be another useful exercise."

"Why are you doing this? I don't mind, but..."

"Desire to help a fellow hero. And scientific interest," the halfa responded.

His grin suddenly gained a creepy tint that sent a shiver even down a horror movies' fan's spine.

Still, it wasn't anything malicious, of course. As the original was steadily reaching his limit, the clone observed Yanagi's progress and made notes. It was true that she wasn't making her own ectoplasm. She was able to lift even larger objects than during the tournament. Yanagi's own surprise made Danny wonder about the cause. He didn't have to speculate for long, as the realisation dawned upon him very quickly. With how much he himself was wasting, there was a large amount of ectoplasm in the air for her to derive power from, of which he quickly informed her. Fascinated with the discovery, Danny arrived to an interesting conclusion. Yes, the presence of such trace was well known, it's how ectoscanners operated. But what if there was a way of reversing the effect? If he was to strip the surroundings bare of ectoplasm, would Tokoyami or Kurogiri be able to act in his presence? The latter would make sure that the villain would finally fall into a trap. A tall order, he never tried the approach humans utilised with their Quirks, but it was something for him to think about as his fingers stung with burning pains after so many continuous blasts. Or maybe, his control of ectoplasm didn’t end with the simple ‘shoot and forget’?

Then the evening arrived. The exhausted kids were faced with another challenger - they would have to cook their dinner themselves. Left with no other choice but plenty of products, they eventually got to it. Danny carried the supplies around, as he was not a good cook. Usually the products came to live when exposed to ectoplasm - probably a vestige of some ghost. An unpleasant thought. He didn't want to partially become a corndog. Thankfully, there were those with more skill in that aspect, and so everyone got to eat curry of varying tastes. The one Danny got was...edible. He was so hungry and needing energy that he did not mind the taste at all, wolfing down the curry all the same.

The third day was much like the one before, filled with the same arduous training. But the poor and unfortunate students who had failed the exams were also undergoing special, yet more orthodox classes where they studied the theory. They had finished by 2 am, but had to wake up alongside everyone else. Everyone pitied them, but some were also impressed by the level of dedication the teachers were showing by staying just as late. Even if Aizawa and Vlad King (Danny kept suspiciously twitching each time the name was mentioned) would take shifts one after another each night. As the former told Midoriya loud enough for more to hear, there wouldn't be any more teachers, lest the villains caught the wind of the training. Once Danny heard it, his heart froze, metaphorically. It was all done in secret...except there WAS a rat. Danny turned to Aoyama, who was busy clutching his aching stomach. 

He could not ask him at the moment. Too many people around and not everyone could Danny spot. He didn't know the Quirks of everyone from Class B. Who knew what they could do to eavesdrop...here went his paranoia again. But since the training lasted all day and half of it Aoyama spent in the toilet, there wasn't much chance before dinner. And as everyone got busy making dinner, Aoyama was faced with a suspicious glare and a simple gesture to follow him. Fenton's look did not take no for an answer. Once they were out of everyone's reach, surrounded by trees, Danny finally spoke.

"I think you know the question I am about to ask," he said.

"You...you want to know if I told anyone of this trip, yes, I figured," Aoyama sighed. 

"Not 'anyone', Aoyama. I am asking about particular people. I thought we agreed that you tell me things like this immediately."

"But if I told them it doesn't mean that they will do something about it, right?" Aoyama tried to reason. "I told them of many things, and nothing happened."

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. "I know. But it is not like they would attack us in the mall. It was Shigaraki doing his own thing. We are here with no All Might or other teachers, except ours. And heroes that specialise in rescue, not fighting. In the middle of a forest. If they don't attack now it will mean your criminal mastermind is a dumbass. Which I doubt he is." 

"So...what do we do?" Asked Aoyama. "You know I can't do much."

"At least you show the desire," Danny mumbled. He knew Aoyama was not a bad person, but a slave of circumstances, but it did not make the truth easier to swallow. "Nothing, you can't help if you don't know their plan. We also share a dorm...I guess I will just start leaving duplicates at night. At least they won't catch us sleeping."

"Why do you think they will attack at that time?"

"There are actually two opportunities. When everyone is asleep and when we are like this," Danny gestured towards the cooking corner where everyone was. "All exhausted from training. But when like this it will be harder, because everyone is in the same spot. So, if they do attack, it will happen at night, when we all would have gone to our dorms."

"But this night it is one class against another."

Danny slapped his face. "Of course, how did I forget...This does make our task somewhat easier, but so is theirs if we get split. It IS a problem."

"Aren't you overreacting?"

"No, everything is going too well. And I am the guy who died from a button placed INSIDE a horrid contraption. It cannot go well."

Aoyama looked at the ground. Fenton's usual optimism quickly got replaced by the pessimism of the highest grade when it concerned the very occurrence of an incident. And the pessimism was projecting just as well as the former. And it stung him all the more because he would be the one at fault if anything did happen. Or someone actually got seriously hurt. At least Fenton did not shame him for doing it. A small condolence prize. Still, his class rep was probably the right person to tell this, because his usual paranoia did not give away Aoyama's double agency. After all, Fenton had brought a gigantic bag filled with God knows what even before thinking of Aoyama and the trip's secrecy. 

"Hey, spook!" 

Danny turned to see Bakugo approaching them. 

"Oh, is dinner ready, Number Two?" The halfa asked and smirked. Aoyama was honestly impressed by how easily Fenton could shift his personality. It didn't seem healthy either. 

"It is!" The blonde kept shouting. "Now get your sorry asses there!"

"Wouldn't dream of missing on your wonderful meals," Danny's voice was laced with sarcasm, but Bakugo actually had turned out to be a very good cook. Danny then gave Aoyama a pointed glance and the two followed Bakugo. 

After the dinner was over and the dishes were washed, it was getting dark. Still, that was the intention, and so everyone gathered at the edge of the forest. 

"So, with everything done," Pixie-Bob began, but was quickly interrupted by Mina.

"It's time for the test of courage!" She shouted, seconded by the others taking a special course. Their joy was short-lived, however, Aizawa spoke up. 

"I am afraid to say this, but the special class will be taking lessons with me."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Mina exclaimed in desperation, before they were being grabbed by Aizawa's scarf. 

"Your performance during the day wasn't enough, so we will be using this time as well," he said and pulled his captives after himself, deaf to their pleas. 

"Poor Mina," Danny mumbled to Kirishima. 

"Yeah, hope she will join us one of these times," the redhead responded. 

But Danny supposed it was for the better. Aizawa was more than capable of protecting them should things go south. 

"Okay," Pixie-Bob continued. "So, class B will be the first to be the scarers. Class A will enter in groups of two every three minutes. There are tags with your names written on them. Your job is to find them and bring them back. Those being the scarers must not make direct contact. Show us how scary your Quirks are!"

Danny's shoulders sunk. "But I wanted to be the scarer."

"That's certainly up your alley, Phantom," Kirishima muttered, recollecting the unpleasant experience. 

"The class that makes more people piss their pants wins!" Exclaimed Tiger excitedly.

"Stop it, that's filthy," Jirou responded. 

"I see, they are making us find more inventive uses for our Quirks by pitying us against each other!" Iida realised with excitement. "As expected from U.A!"

"Now, draw your lots on partners!"

Everyone did just as they were told, and as Danny pulled out his, his eyes darted to his partner. Fate really arranged the most interesting combinations.

"So, we are in this together, Midoriya," he spoke quietly and smirked. Well, it was as good of a chance as any.

If nothing were to happen, that is. 

---

Twelve minutes passed, and there were already screams coming from behind the rows of trees. Uraraka and Tsu had departed just then, and so the rest was waiting until their turn, including the halfa and the green-haired Quirk enthusiast. 

"Come on, what's so scary in there?" Danny asked and opened the Fenton thermos, this time sipping on a coffee. He could see the hidden brilliance of Fenton tech as he put it on his belt.

"I really wonder what they have made up," Midoriya responded. "What do you think it is?"

"Hm...well, I don't know what half of these guys can do," the halfa responded. "But seriously, we all know it is them doing tricks, not the real deal. I myself wonder if I can pull something off like that."

"You can be sometimes scary even if you don't realise it, Fenton-san," Midoriya said.

"Ehm...thanks?" 

At least the conversation was going somewhere. Perhaps, it was a good time to ask.

"Listen, pal. Don't think I didn't notice you keeping distance."

"Wh-what? No, I wasn't..."

"Was it my story that put you off?" Danny asked with grim seriousness. "I get it that when I seriously talk about this death stuff it can be uncomfortable." 

"It's not that!" Midoriya quickly and sincerely said. 

"Then what is it?" Danny urged to tell. 

Pixie-Bob wasn't far away, so she overheard their dialogue. She wondered what it was all about just as much as Danny wanted to know why Midoriya was trying to stay at a distance. But then both she and everyone else could smell something. 

"Is something burning?" She asked, drawing everyone's attention to the fact. 

"Look, black smoke!" Tiger pointed towards the clouds of black gathering over the bluish light. Which could be the blue forest fire.

Something which did not occur naturally. 

Then, all of a sudden, surrounded by purple, pinkish glow, Pixie-Bob was snatched away by invisible force and was met with a giant rock that hit her on the head and pinned her to the ground by a tall man in a casual wear and sunglasses. Accompanying him was who could only be described as a lizard in clothes that looked like...Stain's. 

"B-but they took every precaution!" Mineta exclaimed. "Wh-why are there villains here?" 

"Does it matter?" Danny asked and started to approach them, actually knowing the precise answer. "What matters is that they are as good as dead."

But he was stopped from going closer by the rest of the Pussycats. 

"Kota..." he heard Midoriya whisper in terror and realised that the boy must have been alone...when there were villains about. Then it was probably a good thing he left a duplicate back at the house. Immediately said duplicate stated looking around.

"How are you doing this evening, U.A.? We are the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!" Said the lizard with excitement.

"Wow, Shigaraki must be scrapping the bottom of the barrel," Danny responded.

"Is he? Right now I have one of you right under me," said the man with a rock. "Should I crush her?"

"Like hell you will!" Exclaimed Tiger.

"Wait a moment, sis Magne, Tiger," the lizard suddenly stepped in as a mediator. "It all depends on whether having the power over life and death follows Stain's tenets or not."

Danny blinked. That was a woman? Wait, that’s not what was important right now.

"Stain..."

"Great, the bastard got some larpers," Danny complained, his mind going back to what Giran had told him during their final encounter. Stain was bound to have followers. He phased through Tiger to face the villains directly (Not to talk around the giant of a man). "And who are you? Stain Junior? Or were you bitten by radioactive Stain?" He began his vocal assault. 

"What are you...ah, you are one of those who ACTUALLY brought Stain down. But I do not mimic, I follow his word. Apologies for late introduction..."

He took out a huge sword. Or, rather, an amalgamation of many blades on a stick. 

"I'm Spinner! And I will spin his dreams into real..."

He was interrupted by a mocking snort of laughter coming from the raven-haired teen. 

"Alright, you nailed the delusion part perfectly."

"How dare you..." 

Their argument was interrupted by Tiger stepping forwards once more. Fenton had bought time for Mandalay to broadcast instructions, so now they could fully focus on the two villains in front of them. 

"You bastards..." he growled. "That woman lying there, Pixie-Bob, has started worrying about getting married recently. She is doing her best to find her happiness as a woman, despite her age. You cannot damage her face..." the man spat as the claws on his paws emerged. "And stand there, dismissing it entirely!"

"What's a hero doing trying to be happy like the average person?!" Exclaimed Spinner and lunged forward. 

Only to be enveloped in green energy and tossed into the nearest tree. Everyone turned to Danny, whose palm was outstretched. 

"What? He was attacking. Let's deal with the idiots."

"No," Mandalay said firmly. "The students need to get to safety! We don't know how many of them there are. You are the class representative, bring them to safety. We will deal with them."

Danny looked at the hero, before an idea occurred to him. "Right. Everyone, let's go!"

As they started moving and then ran to a certain distance, the halfa turned to his green-haired classmate.

"Midoriya, the clone can't find Kota," he spoke with concern. 

The teen froze, "I know where he is!" He exclaimed. "I need to get to him!"

"Go, the clone will catch up with you," Danny nodded as Midoriya used his Quirk to jump over the treetops.

"Fenton-san, are you sure it is wise to split up? We don't know..."

"You can't bring too many here without us noticing. They came here on their own because I would have sensed Kurogiri. Besides, even if there are more villains, Midoriya is not alone. A third of my power will follow him."

"A third?"

Spinner shook his head after hitting the tree. Angry with the teen, but out of immediate sight of the heroes, he was suddenly pulled through the very same tree, without his sword and introduced to a white boot that pinned him to the ground. 

"Hello again," third Danny flashed an evil grin. 

"When did..."

"Should have spent less time dawdling. So, you are Stain's fanboy? Want to remedy his humiliation?"

"Humiliation?!" Spinner swung his tail and forced the quick to react Danny to jump away. The villain leaped to his feet. "That was a moment of his glory, you brat!"

Phantom clicked his tongue. "You do know that he was shouting that AFTER being beaten by a bunch of kids? The mighty hero killer was only good for sneak-attacking from the back, it turns out," he kept the barrage of insults. "And that marvellous speech of his was ended by yours truly. Who shut him up with a blast to the face. Are you any better, though, Ninja-turtle?" 

His demeanour had the desired effect almost instantly. Spinner was consumed by rage as he grabbed his giant sword once again and lunged forward with a loud scream. Phantom met it with a blade of his own, but the villain continued pummelling his weapon in hopes of breaking through the guard.

"Don't you dare insult him, you parody of a hero!"

"I think it was 'mummer' hero," Danny responded, pretending to be in thought as he felt the many blades of the makeshift sword get closer to him. "So what's your story? Parent issues, the society?" 

"Shut up!" Spinner yelled and tried swinging his sword horizontally. Phantom tossed his own away and turned intangible, letting his opponent pass through him. 

"Probably the latter," Danny reasoned as he made distance with his flight. 

"You think you are funny, mocking those below you?" Spinner growled. "Not everyone gets to have a good Quirk."

"Oh, you misunderstand," responded the halfa and grinned. "You are below me not because of your looks or Quirk. You are what you are. But you are also a self-righteous idiot following another self-righteous idiot. That's who you choose to be and why I don't see much merit in you."

He had realised that his opponent was incredibly susceptible to his prodding. His own distaste for Stain resurfaced. But surprisingly, Spinner took a breath and huffed. 

"Stain didn't see it in you, either. I can see why. You wear the mask of a hero, these fancy clothes, yet you are nothing but a thug yourself."

"Oh, no. A murderous psychopath didn't like me. How am I gonna live with that? Oh, wait, I'm already dead,” Phantom flashed an evil grin.

Danny launched a barrage of green beams forward, forcing Spinner on the defensive. The villain was expectedly as agile as a lizard. Spinner shortened the distance and swung his weapon again. The halfa dodged and punched the villain in the chest, emptying his gut of all the air. The weapon was too clunky, he couldn't use it to fight someone who got too close. Phantom knew that, so he used the granted opening to hit Spinner on the jaw and hands. The strikes disarmed the villain, and a kick launched him into the nearest tree once more. Danny was not going to destroy the weapon. His copycat approach made Spinner easy to read. But the time for games was running short.

"How many of you are here?" Phantom asked. "At the very least there should be three of you, but that's too small a number."

"Like I would tell you," Spinner got up, before being grabbed by telekinesis. He couldn't move a muscle as Phantom floated to him. Phantom's eyes now stared right into the villain's, unblinking and unmoving. Spinner felt a shiver run along his unmoving back. He was like a ghost, all right. And in the darkness of the surrounding forests Phantom was even scarier, realising his own desire to be the today's prime spook.

"I am a thug, remember? What's there to stop me from being more persuasive? Hey, if you look the part, do you also grow your limbs back?" He leaned and whispered. 

Spinner gulped. "Ten. There are ten of us." 

Danny examined him for a bit longer, searching for lies and in the process unsettling the villain even more. "Very well. That would be nine."

"Wha..."

Phantom hit the lizard on the head and knocked him out. Looking out towards the rest of the forest where blue flames were still raging, he decided to help the students. Two heroes could handle the magnet villain. 

---

"You alright, kid?"

Danny spoke to Kota, currently held in Midoriya's embrace. They had got to the rocky cliff just in time to save him from a tall cloaked man, whose hand was covered in exposed muscles. Kota did not respond, instead crying and not diverting his eyes from the villain. Now it was the halfa who was being driven angry. The man took off the hood, exposing his blonde head and the face, on which a huge scar and an eye replacement were seen.

"Hm?" The villain looked at them. "You were on the list."

Midoriya looked at his broken cellphone. They couldn't call for backup if the villain was more than what they could chew. And the villain certainly looked like it. So, they would have to do that alone. Like true heroes, in front of someone who did not believe in such concept. Phantom was busy examining his enemy. 

"Gee, man, share your regimen, would ya?" He asked, causing the villain to huff. 

"That's some training, boy. A part of it is putting heroes six feet under."

Kota began shaking more. Midoriya saw that and also stood between the boy and the villain. 

"Don't worry, Kota, we will protect you," the green-haired teen said. 

"Spoken like a true hero," the villain laughed mockingly. "Your kind shows everywhere, speaking of justice. You are Midoriya, aren't you? This is just perfect. We were told to take initiative and kill you!"

Midoriya froze.

"I am feeling neglected here," Danny spoke. His words jesting, but his tone serious. He then received a message from his duplicate. That was the fourth villain in front of him.

"Phantom, is it? No, you are not to be murdered. Boss said just as much."

The two heroes were surprised by the revelation, but each arrived to their own conclusion. To Danny, it was simply a continuation of some odd scheme he could not yet put a finger on. But to Midoriya, it probably made all the more sense. All for One would not want them to kill his son, would he?

"But he didn't say anything about everything in between," the man kept grinning evilly. "I'll make sure to torment all of you thoroughly!" He exclaimed and pulled off his cloak. "So show me your blood!" 

The villain jumped forward and swung his fist. He aimed for Midoriya, perhaps knowing how evasive Phantom could be. Midoriya tried to block the strike, but ended up flying into the cliffside. Phantom did not waste time and hit the villain on the head. The man smiled, unmoving even after all the force Danny had put into  the strike. Reacting quickly, Danny floated away from the counterattack and grabbed Kota to get him away from the villain's reach. The bastard sure was durable. 

"By the way, you two...Do you by any chance know where the kid named Bakugo is?"

Both teens were caught off-guard by that question. What could he possibly need with him?

"Yes," Danny responded, "He is right up 'Not-Your-Business' alley, at the intersection with 'What-the-hell-do-you-want-with-him' street."

"Oh, you are a smart one, kiddo," the villain laughed. "Think these ramblings are gonna buy you more time? It won't save you!"

He lunged forward and swung his arm of exposed muscles, but ended up hitting a glowing shield. It immediately gained cracks. Danny painstakingly realised that only a duplicate could not be enough. His consciousness existed in all bodies at once, but they were more fragile while separate. He could not allow himself to vanish and leave Midoriya with the criminal. So, the best defence was offence, he couldn't waste his limited energy on defending until he broke. 

"What's wrong? Is it difficult to talk with my fist, boy?" The villain mocked. "I honestly hoped for more."

"You can't even beat a carbon copy of myself...don't get too far ahead, walking anatomy model," Danny hissed through his teeth and smirked.

And as the villain pressed on the shield more with the maniacal grin, suddenly a small rock was flung into his face. Both the hero and the villain turned to see crying Kota.

"Water Hose...Papa...Mama..." he said through tears. "Did you torment them, too, before you killed them?!" 

"Huh?" 

The curious villain stopped his attack to look at Kota. Danny dispersed the shield and returned what little energy was left in it. The halfa listened to what they were saying, but was not diverting his eyes from the villain. 

"Your parents were heroes, kid? This must be fate," he laughed, as his sadism took place before the fight.

"Water hose...they are the reason my eye is artificial now," the villain pointed at his implant.

"It's because of guys like you...that it always, always turns out like this!" The boy yelled.

"Kids are always shifting blame. This is no way," the villain responded. "I don't have a grudge. Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to kill! And they wanted to stop me. We both were doing what we wanted. What is wrong is doing something you can't. Like your mommy and da..."

His shout was stopped by a slash. He felt pain in his right arm, and saw that a blade had cut through his exposed muscles. He did not cry, instead looking down at the halfa holding a bloodied green blade.

"What's wrong?" Danny smirked. "I got just the knife for all this meat?" 

It had occurred to the half ghost that brute force could hold back brute force, so slashing damage could do the trick. He would have to thank Sero for his gaming advice. Then, Danny noticed Midoriya moving behind the villain's back, but showed no sign of it.

The villain laughed. "Not in the slightest," he said and immediately the muscles grew back. "Scared, kid?"

"You ain’t even in top ten. No, I'm honestly impressed how unoriginal you guys are. Another brute with crazy healing," Danny responded dryly. “But they all tumble down eventually. This is the desire of me and my friend. To see the world get better,” from his palm spilled ectoplasm that he covered the blade with. “And this includes putting you out of commission even if it costs us everything!”

The villain grinned. “Then show me what you two got!” He yelled and his muscle mass grew even larger. 

Just in time for a double attack that came from both teens at once. Phantom aimed for the leg and with all his strength he cut as deep into the muscle tissue as he could. The arrogant villain did nothing to stop the double onslaught, as Midoriya struck with the full force of One for All. The strike was so hard that the cliff itself crumbled into pieces, obscuring the sight for everyone, and even burying the villain underneath rocks. Kota, blown away by the might of the strike, nearly flew off towards the forest below, if not for Midoriya grabbing his shirt with his very teeth.

“Shorry,” he mumbled, as Danny helped them both get back. 

Phantom then took a look at his classmate, whose right arm was red and swollen, and half his shirt ripped apart.

“Sheesh, you bit more than you can chew,” Danny muttered. 

Then, the same villain climbed from under the rubble, his body for a moment nothing but a sea of red muscle tissue, which retreated and revealed a barely scathed grinning maniac. 

“B-but how?” Midoriya asked. “This was 100 percent! It should hit as hard as All Might!”

“I thought Nomu taught you that that is not the limit of endurance,” Danny responded grimly, his eyes darting to the man’s leg. His mood improved as he saw how his currently exposed limb was getting green underneath the skin.

“You should listen to your friend, boy,” the villain cackled. “Your attack was too predictable. Why does it burn, though?”

“Ectoplasm is a poison that feeds on organic matter, pal. And now it is in your blood.”

“Poison?” The villain laughed. “That’s it? It will take a long while until then.”

“Yes, if I don’t stop it, it will eat up your heart and you will die,” Danny shrugged, dismissing the shocked glances from Kota and Midoriya. He was bluffing, right? “Surrender now and I will remove it. Making more muscles will only give it more nutrients and worsen the process.”

“So how much time do I have?” 

“Let me think…”

Phantom moved his finger and a loud crack followed. As long as the ectoplasm was his, he was still free to control it. His trainings were paying off already. The villain grunted and fell on his knee. 

“I’d say not long,” Danny responded coldly. 

“Phantom, aren’t you getting too overboard?”

“Overboard? This guy here wants to kill us,” Danny turned to them, the glow in his eyes a very unkind one. “And you are nearly out of commission yourself.”

Was that something called obsession or was it his own innate desire? Phantom did not care. They were in a situation where a mistake could kill not only them but also a small boy. And he would not allow it to happen no matter what. 

In response, the villain laughed loudly. “Now THAT…” He stood up with the use of his bulked up hands, as every part of his body, even the leg, despite all warnings, was covered in muscles. He really cared not if he died there or not, but it could misdirect the flow and slow the inevitable. “Is the resolve I wanted to see.”

“What are you even trying to do? What’s the League really after?” Midoriya asked in an attempt to bide time.

“Don’t know. Don’t really care,” The villain shrugged. “I’m in it simply to stretch my wings and kill!” He exclaimed and prepared to strike.

Midoriya was quick on his feet as he grabbed Kota and leaped away. Phantom was right, he couldn’t afford another hit without becoming completely incapacitated. While the duplicate was…well…disposable. 

The cliff was once again reduced to rubble as the villain struck and missed the intangible opponent. Phantom made distance and fired ice projectiles towards the mount of muscles. The icicles embedded into them, causing them to bleed.

“This tickles,” the villain grinned. As he hardened the muscles, the ice was crushed or swatted off. 

“Still playing the confident card? You are dying.”

“Oh, please. Ya don’t have the guts to off someone, I can see it in you. You are only good for scaring your fellow heroes and other cowards. If you wanted to kill me, you would have aimed here,” he grinned and pointed towards his heart. “Also, don’t think I will simply forget everything else.”

The villain suddenly struck the cliff above, and the force of impact cracked it, even reaching Midoriya and forcing him to change position again. That villain was too quick and strong to get away from. And leading him to possibly not only the rest of the heroes but also possibly villains was a dangerous bet. He was menace enough on his own. Danny needed a plan, the villain was right, he didn’t plan on killing him. And the bloodstream of that bloated muscle giant was something else. He wasn’t built like a normal human. He simply couldn’t get that ectoplasm where needed…unless... Yes, that could work, but the hit of such magnitude took strength he alone did not have. 

As the villain hit him again, Danny turned intangible and vanished. Several seconds later, as the blonde expected another attack, Midoriya heard a voice near him.

“I got a plan. We need to hit him on the head again as hard as we possibly can.”

“It won’t work!” Kota said in panic. “You already tried!”

Midoriya looked at the terrified boy and felt his resolve strengthen. They had to protect Kota. And Phantom’s plan was the only one they had. 

“One other thing about being a hero, Kota…is to try and try again and push yourself to the very limit, if you must. But we only have one shot at this, Phantom.”

“It is now or never. Kid. Whatever happens, make sure you are as far away as you can be.” 

Shaking Kota looked at Midoriya’s reassuring smile and slowly nodded. Midoriya gave him a light push and the boy ran. Not a moment too soon, the villain landed on the ground right in front of him. 

“Are you done running? As much as I enjoy watching you flee in terror, I also have other things to do.”

“Yes,” Midoriya said firmly, taking a battle stance. “You are not getting any further. And not harming anyone again!” 

The villain smirked, as his muscles grew to even more macabre proportions. He was aiming for the finishing blow, that much was absolutely evident. 

“I don’t know where your friend is…But it doesn’t matter. Whether he is hiding, I will still get to enjoy your bloodied corpse!”

Midoriya could find no opening, whether he looked, there were only muscles. But he could see why Phantom’s aim was head. No matter how durable it was, it still was the only unprotected part of his. That was it. He either put his everything to hit that bullseye, or he died there. And Kota would be left with that monster, with the weakened duplicate of Phantom’s not being of help. What happened next took only moments. The villain leaped forward, ready to swing his arm, but Phantom reemerged above him and plummeted towards the back of the blonde’s head. His hand was bursting with energy, as he was not about to hold back either. The first strike landed. No visible damage, but there was the opening in the surprised villain’s defences. Midoriya charged his fist with everything he had, probably even more, he never felt so much strength. Adrenaline or not, he struck the man’s chin. 

The immense force from both sides was colliding right where the man’s skull was. The man screamed as he was standing firm, ready to withstand everything, as the two heroes pressed all their strength into his cranium. And yet, he finally felt…pain. He slowly raised his hand for another strike, to free himself of that trap, but Phantom suddenly felt how he was being overpowered by the force Midoriya was putting out. It was far greater than what he himself could put out at the moment. He had to let go at the last second, lest he himself got caught in the crossfire. The sudden loss of counterbalance sent the villain flying several meters away.

Midoriya was looking pale, his red and beaten up body was even worse. Danny less than graciously landed on the ground and panted, instinctively grasping for air he did not need. 

“Did we do it?” Midoriya asked in desperation. His heart sank as he saw the villain getting up. “No…why…you said…”

The villain was not unscathed this time. His head was all covered up in bruises and swellings, hair had burnt in the back as well. But he was still STANDING. 

“You almost got me there,” he chuckled and slowly made his way forward. “But now you are finished!” He yelled.

And then…he froze. Several seconds of hard silence followed, until the giant body collapsed on the ground. Midoriya heard laughter from his side, and saw Phantom doing so. And after everything that happened, he couldn’t help but laugh too until he himself fell on the ground.

“What…what just happened?” He asked through the fits of laughter.

“Ectoplasm was in his blood. His muscles could delay and misdirect my attempts to get it up his bloodstream,” Danny explained. “Yet, bodies themselves rush blood to where you are hit, hence the swelling. By hitting him on the head, we made sure the ectoplasm got there by itself. Then, burning through his skull, it lightly nibbled on his brain. Not enough to cause serious damage, but brains enter the sleep mode even at that point. He is alive. I assure you.”

Midoriya stared at him, his laughter stopping. That was both a brilliant and incredibly twisted plan. “Fenton-san…you are scary, you know that?”

Danny chuckled. “Maybe…I guess you are a more proper hero among the two of us. I don’t imagine Kota following me. Still, I promise to you, Izuku,” he reached his hand and smiled. “My resolve to help people is as strong as yours.”

Midoriya looked at the hand and took it, his past reservation forgotten. Danny helped him back to his feet and then they helped each other walk.

“Hey, where did you take that power from? I thought you were near the bottom of the tank.”

“I…honestly don’t know,” Midoriya responded. “But I guess…that’s the Plus Ultra they talk about.”

“He is joking. That’s a good sign,” Danny said to nobody. “We’ll see how fun it will be when I dissipate and you will have to walk on your own.”

---

Meanwhile, Danny who was accompanying his classmates to safety was met with a sight of Aizawa finishing off one of the villains. That bad guy looked like a Frankenstein made of sawn together skin parts, some of which were burnt. Dressed in rags, he was also wrapped and immobilised by Aizawa. As expected. What was unexpected, however, is the villain previously throwing blue fire around being reduced to a puddle of mud-like substance. The initial surprise of everyone watching was interrupted by the teacher who hurried away. 

“Get inside!” He ordered. “I will be right back!”

“Aizawa-sensei!” Danny shouted and the sudden formality did stop him enough to listen what he said next. “They are after Bakugo.”

The students and the teacher stared at him in shock.

“What…how do you know it?”

“There are two…well, now one duplicate of me,” he said while out there Midoriya fell on the ground as the exhausted clone vanished. But the two of his companions should have made it there safely, they weren’t far. “There are ten villains. Two are out of commission, another might still be busy with Pussycats. And they are after Bakugo, if the bastard telling it said the truth. That’s an oddly specific goal to be a bluff. The dude wasn’t that smart.”

“Where is he?”

“Still looking for him. The forest is too big and they must have gone out of the normal path where the villains might be setting an ambush.”

“Your duplicate should get as many students as possible here. Do not engage. Remember Hosu.”

“Oh, for the love of…” he didn’t finish as Aizawa ran off. “They are trying to kill us and yet we can’t defend?” 

“Fenton-san, calm down,” Iida urged. “Your power should help them evade enemies! Can you make more duplicates?”

“I’m afraid they won’t be of much use. I have only a third of my power here. Shit, how did you do that, Vlad?” Danny muttered. 

“What’s sensei have to do with it?”

“Wha…no, the other one, doesn’t matter. Oh…they have a villain with a sleep gas.”

“What?”

“Good thing I stopped breathing a while back.”

That ability of his allowed him to make it to the epicentre of the cloud. However, he wasn’t the one to take him down. That honour went to Tetsutetsu and Kendo.

“Glad you guys are alright,” the halfa smirked as the smoke dissipated. He then took a look at the boy who used to wear a suit and a gas mask, which currently was broken and lying near the defeated villain.

“Fenton! What’s going on?” Kendo asked urgently.

“I think it’s obvious,” responded Danny dryly. “That makes four out of ten unable to pursue. Still less than a half,” he muttered with concern. “We were told to regroup at the camp. They obviously wanted to separate us. Go that way and steer off the proper paths,” he pointed towards the woods. “I’ll go find the others.”

“Hey, who put you in charge?” Tetsutetsu asked.

“He is right, though,” Kendo responded. “We will try to help others if we come across them.”

“Wouldn’t ask anything else,” Danny smirked. “But don’t go out of your way to do so. That’s what they want you to do. I am a disposable clone, you are not.”

As he said this, they ran in different directions. Danny didn’t fly up immediately to search for people they might have missed and who fell asleep. The cloud of smoke had been quite large. And that stupid fire…Then it suddenly occurred to him. What was that fire even for? It did nothing to prevent the students from fleeing towards the main camp, it only gave away their presence and didn’t allow for running deeper into the forest...

“Of course…” 

“What now, Fenton-san?” Mineta asked in panic. Danny had decided to stay with the others to maintain contact through the mental connection between duplicates. They all took residence in the camp building, under the watch of Vlad King. 

“They need as many of us away from their main prize. That’s why they never bothered to cut us off from the camp, so that we all run in here and away from Bakugo.”

Kirishima’s eyes widened. “We need to help Bakugo, then!”

“Yes, what would Number Two do without his trusted friends,” Danny gave a small smile. “But there is someone stopping us,” he pointed at the teacher. 

“Sensei!” Kirishima did not lose his determination. “Please, let us get him!”

“No,” came a blunt response. 

“Oh, so we are going to sit tight and play right into their hand?” Danny asked. “All they really have to do now is keep everyone contained here. I am already halfway…third…way there. Might as well dedicate myself by another third, sir.”

“We need you for communication. Mandalay’s is one way street,” Vlad King explained. “Besides, I am not making exceptions.”

Phantom gritted his teeth. Those rules were making them sitting ducks. They were already separated, and instead of using numerical advantage they were doing nothing. At least he had thought to make one extra duplicate, or he would be stuck there instead of making an actual difference.

Suddenly they heard the door open. “Oh, did Aizawa return?”

“Why would he…” Danny mumbled. He heard footsteps. Too calm for the situation, not so ragged to belong to someone tired or wounded. 

“Wait…something is…”

Vlad King had no time to finish as the doors were blasted with a powerful torrent of azure flames. At the last moment the teacher grabbed the nearest students and pushed them behind the shield Danny summoned. The fires dissipated, revealing the same villain with burnt and pierced skin, the very one that had been reduced to mud by Aizawa. 

But before he could act, Vlad King immediately rushed and pinned him to the wall.

“You are too slow,” the hero said and released the blood that immediately solidified in the form of a clay-like substance. The villain was now trapped. 

“Blood control! It’s so strong,” Kirishima said in awe. 

“As expected of our Mr. Vlad,” the blonde and insecure Monoma exclaimed, as Danny was once again feeling weird hearing this. 

“You are pushing hard into a place like this without thinking?” The teacher asked. “You are underestimating us.”

“And why wouldn’t we?” Came a question. “You are acting exactly as I thought you would. The moment you lost the initiative you already lost. The pinnacle of hero education U.A. and the Symbol of Peace All Might…the two most trusted figures of the hero world gathered together. If multiple incidents keep putting this trust in question, what would happen to society as a whole, I wonder. Sloppy management that keeps attacks coming through, and in the end being so weak that even a student gets kidnapped…”

Danny cursed himself. He knew exactly that it wasn’t the management, it was one particular mole at fault. 

“Bastard…you will not do that. Not on my watch!” Exclaimed Kirihsima and hardened his muscles. The others, too, readied to fight if needed.

“There are so few of us…and we have driven you into a corner,” he grinned as everything around him began to burn. 

Danny’s hand blazed with ectoenergy. So he had read their plan to a t. Others seemed to realise that too as they glanced at him. Or maybe it was his scary pissed off look. 

Before anything could be done, however, out of nowhere Aizawa emerged and struck the villain.

“Eraserhead!”

The teacher then started kicking the villain with his boots until he was reduced to mud again. 

“This guy is just trying to stir things up. He won’t tell us anything. Look. He is a fake.”

“A fake?” Iida asked. “Is this one of the villains’ Quirks?”

“Eraser, what were you doing?”

“I was planning on passing orders allowing students to fight. But I ended up taking care of Kota,” he pointed towards the door, at the very same boy.

Danny’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Teach, I left him with Midoriya…where is he?”

“He ran off to Mandalay to pass the message.”

“What message?” Danny asked.

“Ehm…Danny-kun, you didn’t hear it?”

“I did not.”

His mind had been tempered by a number of villains. It was no wonder even a friendly telepath could not get in. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Aizawa interrupted them. “Vlad, I am counting on you to defend this place.”

“Wait, Eraser, we don’t know for certain how many of them there are.”

“Fenton said it was ten.”

“Currently seven, actually, if the Pussycats haven’t dealt with the magnet lady. Sir, you realise this, too? They just want to distract us by sending these weak copies.”

“And it’s even more of a reason to let us help!” Exclaimed Kirishima.

“Yes, we must use our strength in numbers,” Iida supported. 

“No,” Aizawa said firmly. “If they seek to distract the pros, then the students are their aim.”

“Not just us, sir. They are after one in particular. Don’t you think it is not just kidnapping?”

“What do you mean?”

“If they simply wanted to kidnap a student, they would not have gone after one of the strongest ones. They would have come after Mineta and called it a day.”

“Hey!”

“We don’t know for certain if it is the extent of their plan,” Aizawa responded. “Besides, there can always be plan B. Then nobody is fully safe.” 

“Sir.”

“What?”

“They got a Nomu.” 

---

“What is it now?” Danny asked, before suddenly a giant figure of nothing else but Nomu came out of the woods and roared at him. It was the same hulking mass with exposed brains. But this time, each of its gigantic limbs ended with a working chainsaw. What a macabre sight.

“Hm, do you count as one of the villains, I wonder?”

Luckily, the beast had picked the worst opponent. As it lunged forward, Phantom jumped over, dodging a swing of the chainsaw and slashing it off with a summoned blade. Blood splashed all over him, and Danny cursed mentally.  

“If I didn’t have a spare, I would have been angry,” he commented.

The beast roared again, its roar comparing only to the noise of many chainsaws it wielded. 

“Let’s see if they improved the main flaw,” he commented.

Once more the beast lunged and Danny got under its skin. However, this time Phantom found it wasn’t as simple as before to take over the body. Perhaps it had something to do with many limbs his own mind was not accustomed to, maybe the beast’s brain had grown more complex. But the beast was keeping him out, even if in the process it convulsed and leaped in different directions, as if trying to shake off a rider. Danny could not yet see with its eyes, if it had any under a purple mask, or other senses, so he had no idea where they were, even if he could already feel how the raging beast was absolutely out of control. Until finally, the control was attained, and without a second of delay the brain was utterly fried. 

As the beast fell, Phantom appeared above it, stepping on the creature’s brain.He then noticed that intangibility did not get rid of the blood.

“Huh…” 

That was not right. It should have remained back there, it did not have any ectoplasm in it…

Before he could ponder on it, he saw that he wasn’t alone. Uraraka and Tsu were there, as well as a girl he did not recognise. And judging from her gear, she was one of the villains. However, there was something odd about her look. Was that…excitement? Did she think that the blood was his or something? Whatever it was, the reinforcements soon arrived in the form of Shoji and Todoroki, who…carried one of the class B students and Midoriya. That’s where he was. Noticing this, the girl did not drop her excited expression.

“Oh, there’s quite a few of you now, I guess I should go.”

With this, the girl ran off deeper into the forest. Danny wanted to pursue, but he had a pressing matter.

“Midoriya, why in the world you are here?”

“I had to help Kacchan…who was that girl?”

“A villain, a totally crazy one. Midoriya-san, you are hurt,” Tsu commented.

“Don’t worry about me…I’m glad you guys are alright.”

Danny shook his head, before noticing something. “Wait, Todoroki, weren’t you the one that came with Number Two?”

“I was, why do you ask?”

“Where is he, then?” 

“What are you talking about, he is right behind…” Midoriya froze with terror. Because there was nobody behind him. 

“During an emergency, never let your guard down…”

Everyone looked towards one of the tree branches. There stood a masked man in an orange trench coat and with a cane.

“The boy you are looking for is right here. I took him with my magic,” he said and played with a small, shiny blue ball. “You see, someone with his talent doesn’t shine properly on the hero side. We will give him a more proper stage.”

So that was their plan? Danny suddenly felt slight pity for them. All that effort for a goal they would not reach. But at least the other Danny was made aware of the situation and could inform everyone accordingly. 

“Give him back!” Midoriya yelled. 

“Give him back? What an odd thing to say. He does not belong to anyone. He is free to make his own choices, you egoist.”

“Oh, so you asked his permission before sticking him into a ball?” Danny asked. 

“Sometimes you just have to go an extra mile for someone’s betterment.”

Todoroki stepped forward and summoned an ice barrage that was aimed at the villain. Yet he leaped into the air.

“We want to show him that the path of you fanatics is not the one for him!”

As he landed on another treetop, he immediately had to jump away from the halfa. Danny followed right after, overtook and grabbed him by the collar.

“You aren’t really smart, going into my domain,” Danny said dryly, outstretching his free hand. “Now hand him over.”

“Kids these days are allowed to make their own decisions, you know? You of all people should know this, Phantom, right? To us there is really not much secret that you do not align with them, idea-wise,” he whispered. “Why weren’t we tasked with bringing you, I wonder?”

“Wait,” Shoji said. “Tokoyami is not here either!”

Danny heard that and glared at the man. “Alright, Houdini, you know what I am about to gently ask. I doubt you can jump off air.”

“The bird boy was my initiative, might I add. And air is not a proper surface, I agree,” the man said and the shiny ball rolled up his sleeves. “But you will do.”

The man swung his cane and hit Danny on the head, before pushing him away and him towards the nearest tree. 

“Should have smashed you immediately,” Danny growled. 

Todoroki created the titanic-sized ice mountain once more, but the villain evaded it as well. 

“I am sorry for not indulging your battle tendency. But tricks and running away is all I can do! I know I am outmatched here! Vanguard Action Squad! The target is collected. As arranged, come to the retrieval point in five minutes!” 

“We won’t let you!” Midoriya screamed. 

As everyone pursued him, the villain learned his lesson. Phantom dominated the sky and was much faster. So, he was jumping on branches. It was an even slower pace, but Phantom couldn’t use the full extent of his speed either. And Compress could use the forest and leaves to shake the heroes off. However, he had underestimated just how persistent they would be. The latter part of the plan was not working at all, as Phantom was not only always close, getting increasingly angry, but he also burned down trees with his green flames. He was leaving a track for other heroes to follow. 

“Jeez, kid, don’t you know when to give up?” He exclaimed as Phantom broke the tree with his hit, just where the villain had stood a moment ago. The glare of green eyes sent a shiver through him. WHY wasn’t he the one they were taking? But no, the second he would be out, Phantom would cause trouble. And they were told to let him be. Although it wasn’t like Phantom sought to return the favour.

Compress jumped more actively. Back to the tops, on the grounds, branches. It put some more distance between them, but did nothing to shake him off. 

Eventually they made it to a large opening, close to the wall of blue fire. Those few seconds of exposure were enough for Phantom to shift into full gear and ram into the enemy, running him through the ground. Immediately after, even more students landed on them - Shoji, Midoriya and Todoroki. Danny took the brunt of the damage, but did not let go of the trench even after the landed. However, several voices interrupted him. 

“Wait, I know these guys!” Exclaimed a man in a full-body suit. Near him stood the same blonde girl. “Who are they?”

“Mr, get out of the way,” spoke the fire-wielding villain. This time most probably the original one. 

“Roger!” The trench-wearing villain suddenly vanished in blue glow. 

The next second scorching blue flames flew towards the heroes. Phantom summoned a shield, but he could feel it, his power was waning and he hadn’t noticed! The shield cracked.

“Everyone, get away!” Phantom exclaimed, and once everyone jumped to the sides, he ducked away at the last seconds, his heart feeling the painful heat. 

Immediately the heroes were faced with enemies. As the loud villain in black and white attacked Todoroki, he exclaimed something that Danny heard.

“You and the green-haired one! You are on Shigaraki’s kill list!”

Phantom would make sure to count every bone in their bodies. Shigaraki’s too. However, before he could react, a needle with a wire flew right his way. Danny grabbed it before the needle could cut his face. The blonde was running towards him.

“Hello, I’m Toga!” She exclaimed and lunged at him with a knife, which Danny dodged. “I’ve heard your blood is green, I am so curious, I want to see it so much!”

As she swung her weapon, Danny grabbed Toga’s arm and disarmed her, before kicking her away. 

“Trust me, one guy already got brain damage from it today,” he responded. “Shoji, Midoriya!” He told the six-armed hero, who nodded and got Midoriya away from the flames.

“Oh, you are playing hard to get? I am ready to bear with it, you look so good covered in blood!”

“Why is it always the crazy ones?” Danny sighed, before the flames came after him. The halfa flew over them. 

“Don’t get distracted from the mission, Toga,” the burned villain commented. “Compress, where is Bakugo?”

The villain in question returned from the confines of his blue ball and approached the obvious boss of their operation. 

“Sheesh, you people really went extra mile. Let’s see,” he began digging in his pockets. “Huh?”

“Everyone, we are running away,” Shoji said. “I don’t know what your Quirk is, villain, but inside that pocket must have been these,” he showed the two blue balls. 

“Good one,” Danny smirked. 

“Oh, that didn’t take you long,” Compress responded. “As expected of someone with six arms!”

“Run! I’ll catch up!” Danny commanded. 

“Oh? Honourable sacrifice?” Compress mocked. “No matter, we still got friends on the way.”

Danny suddenly began to laugh, his eyes glowing even brighter. He gave a fanged grin. 

“What friends? These here are everyone left from your initial team! There are ten of you in total, aren’t there? Spinner got quite talkative when pushed to the wall.”

Compress stared at him. “You are bluffing.”

“I am not running for another reason. We got our friends, but you are not getting away. Not until you release them. You guys are here for a reason. Why escape deep into the forest…” Danny reached for the thermos on his belt as his breath became visible. “If there is nobody to get you?!” 

He hit the lid and opened it the very second when the path to escape was blocked by the dark figure of Kurogiri. However, the man immediately saw Phantom and the felt the pull of the pure white beam. 

“Hello, pal, long time no see!” He laughed, before feeling heat coming his way. Phantom jumped into the air again, but still maintained the grasp of the thermos. 

“You…” Kurogiri rasped. “Go, everyone!” He raised his voice and made even more smaller portals. 

“You don’t!” Danny exclaimed and fired towards Dabi and Compress. The former met ectoblast with his fire and they obliterated each other. 

“Our mission is not over.”

“Ah, that,” said Compress as Twice and Toga were already jumping through their portals.

“Goodbye, Danny-kun!” The latter bid farewell.

“They seemed so happy and ran away that I thought I would leave them a parting present.”

What?

“It is a habit. When I flaunt something…” he took off the mask, revealing his face, largely covered by cloth. “It means I don’t want to show you something,” he stuck out his tongue and revealed two more blue orbs.

“N-no way!” Everyone exclaimed simultaneously.

Danny planned to rush forward, but another portal appeared right in front of him and cut off his advance.

“You still have it in you to waste power like this?” He looked down and glared into Kurogiri’s yellow eyes. 

“As long as Master’s will is carried through…”

Danny couldn’t see another small portal appearing near Dabi. The villain caught on. Charging a powerful gust of flames he fired right inside the portal. 

And they came out right out of the portal Kurogiri had previously opened near Danny. The halfa screamed as the flames hit and started losing height. The force of the gust ripped the thermos from his belt. The contraption fell twenty meters down and broke to pieces. Kurogiri was now free, and Danny barely softened his landing. His clothes were burnt off, and his skin now carried wounds. He looked towards his friends.

“Get him!” He shouted and tried to get up. 

“Of course they would rush forwards when they get a chance,” Compress commented as the heroes tried to reach him. As he stood halfway in the portal. “This will be all from me…”

Then, suddenly, a beam of light came from the bushes, hitting the villain right in the mask. 

“Aoyama!” Midoriya exclaimed as the villain was forced to cough out the orbs. The green-haired hero stumbled, unable to grab anything with his broken and bandaged hands, as Todoroki and Shoji tried to grab different ones. The latter succeeded. But as Todoroki reached for another one, Dabi beat him to it.

“That’s sad…Todoroki Shoto,” the villain said as Shoto fell. “Confirm it.”

“My show is ruined,” Compress responded and snapped his fingers. 

The orb Shoji caught was Tokoyami. But Bakugo ended up right in Dabi’s arms. 

“Kacchan!” Midoriya yelled and ran forward. 

But he ended up being too late. The portal vanished. And with it, the remainder of the League of Villains. That was the last thing the duplicate saw before vanishing.

“Shit,” the last remaining Danny muttered. 

Chapter 28

One would argue that the villains had achieved a pyrrhic victory. Half of their team was now incarcerated, among them some dangerous villains, much unlike the rabble that had assaulted U.A. While their own tangible result was one kidnapped boy and injured students. Some severely. Yet, it hardly felt like an achievement, hardly something to be cheerful about. Instead, everyone's minds were plagued by many variations of what-if. What if they were faster, smarter? But the question that Danny was all about was why did they let it happen. He knew about the coming attack, yet everything he could do was to make one extra clone. He was ought to inquire sooner and prepare better. He had one job and he failed at it. The one thing that could rival his self-beating was passionate hatred for the law and rules that did nothing but hinder all hero efforts. Dabi was right, and it hurt all the more because their plan was there for all to see and adapt to.

Danny had all the time to think about it, the others were not in any hurry to talk to each other. He did not sleep on the trip back. They returned to the city in the morning. The halfa occasionally looked at Aizawa. He appeared to be sleeping, but Danny knew he was just as burdened by the incident to be doing that. The halfa did not blame him, did not envy the man who had to follow the rules and would be the one held responsible for everything. Probably would be the one to talk to Bakugo's parents. Parents...the word for some reason was now making him feel lonely. His actual ones were in another world, completely uncaring if he died there. Negative thoughts tended to attract others of its kind, searching everything around for bits and pieces to further wound one's soul. 

The following day would bring the expected uproar from the public, with journalists banging on the walls of nigh empty U.A. The vacation, after all, was yet to end. Quite fortunately, one would say, as bringing the students in after the events would look dubiously, yet closing it up was equal to admitting defeat and fear. That little and, admittedly, unessential detail the villains didn't care for. Yet, there were people inside of the school, so banging on the doors was not exactly in vain. The principal and those members of the staff who could attend simply chose to ignore it in favour of discussing future plans. 

The students were all brought to the hospital first. Some of them needed treatment, and having them all together just in case was probably for the best. Still, Danny didn't do any checkups, if not solely for the reason of being cautious with doctors, but because he didn't need any help. That duplicate never received a single scratch, so the effort was best directed at those actually needing help. The halfa felt an urge to do something, anything. Maybe he could find the villains and snatch Bakugo from right under the villains' noses. It was doable, was it not? They so far had nothing to detect him with. But first, they needed to be found, and it wasn't like Kurogiri left any trails on the road...

His thoughts were interrupted by his classmates. The ever-caring teens decided to welcome fellow students to the world of the conscious by giving one present or another. Danny was glad to hit the nearest store. He decided that focusing too much on the situation would do more harm than good. He needed a small break. It didn't work for long, as some people actually recognised him in the shop. 

"Hey, you are from U.A...Phantom, right?" A cashier lady asked him.

Danny looked at her and tried to flash a small smile. "Yeah."

"But weren't you people attacked in the forest? It's all over the news."

Danny grimaced. He couldn't share their location or the news would come storming quite soon. 

"I just live not far away, and the fridge is empty. I'm sorry, can't say much."

The lady looked at the line. "A single melon?"

"It's a big melon."

Soon after Danny was on his way to the hospital. It was there where he heard a familiar voice. 

"Danny, glad I found you."

Danny turned around to see Tsukauchi, accompanied by another officer. 

"Hey, old man," the halfa said without enthusiasm. 

"Tsugiyama, can you find the teachers?"

The officer seemed to sense the air and nodded, leaving the two alone.

"Are you alright, kid?" Tsukauchi asked and sat nearby. "I've read the brief summary, but nothing specific...is this a melon?"

"It is. As for me, physically, yes," Danny sighed. "But I am feeling like shit. Don't know what to do."

Tsukauchi looked a bit surprised. "You are not usually this pessimistic."

"It's just...imagine you eat half of the enemy's pieces in chess and are about to checkmate, and then a dog just jumps on it and flips the table. Of course you will be pissed and feeling like no matter what you do it is pointless."

"The dog being..."

"Your rules, old man. And the teachers' fear for the safety of those who CAN beat the villains. Those five in your custody are the proof."

"Just as the students currently receiving treatment," Tsukauchi argued. "I don't seek to argue with you right now, Danny...just share what you think with me."

"What I think? I think those bastards will pay for what they did," Danny mumbled. "One way or another. They are already subjected to the displeasure of talking to Number Two. But they will just keep coming, you know? They sensed weakness and the law-abiding adults just keep playing into their hands. Dabi was right, we never have the initiative."

"Maybe you are right...but without the location of their hideout, there is little we can do."

Tsukauchi noticed how the halfa was giving him occasional glances, as if preparing to say something. However, their conversation was cut short as he saw the teachers approach them.

"I'll try and be back for dinner, kid. You should be able to go there by then," Tsukauchi patted the teen's shoulder. "And Danny. Please. Don't do anything rash."

Danny did not respond. The old man wouldn't get it. Luckily, Tsukauchi did not press, as the job demanded his attention. They had to get as much information as they could, unaware of the wealth of knowledge being exactly nearby. Phantom watched them leave through the entrance and sighed once more, before deciding to rejoin his classmates. He found them near Midoriya's dorm.

"Danny-kun, where have you been?" Asked Mina. "What took you so long?"

"I just walked around with a very sad and thoughtful face," responded the halfa, handing the melon to Mineta. "How is our guy?"

"Dunno," said Kaminari and opened the door. "Hey, everyone, Midoriya is awake!"

As he said this, the entire procession entered the teen's dorm. 

"Did you see the news? The media is swarming U.A. right now."

"We got you a melon! A big one!" Said Mineta and raised a fruit the size of his own head.

Tokoyami stepped forward. "I caused you all trouble. I am sorry for that."

"No! It's nothing, Tokoyami-san," Midoriya answered. 

"Yeah. We were up against an unknown enemy at the moment," Danny added. 

"Is everyone from class-A here?"

"No, Jiro and Hagakure are still unconscious," the halfa told him. "All signs point to it being a sleep agent, so they should be fine after this nap..."

"Yes, and Yaoyorozu also got hit hard on the head and is hospitalized here. She regained consciousness, but couldn't come."

Everyone chose to omit the greatest loss they had endured. That is, until Todoroki spoke.

"That would be fifteen. Bakugo is not here."

Something in Midoriya's face changed as the memories flushed to the forefront of his mind. It was the expression of grim defeat.

"You know...All Might once said that he could not help those he could reach...That's why he tried to save everyone he could reach. I could save Kacchan, that's what my Quirk is for. But it is just like Aizawa-sensei said: "You will be decked and useless after saving just one person. My body..." he began to cry, "It wouldn't move..."

"I'll have none of that."

Danny stepped in front of him, standing at the other end of the bed. "You know exactly who you and me were up against, Midoriya. Had it not been for this," he pointed at the injuries. "You would have been dead, Kota would have. And Bakugo would have still been captured. At the cost of this you took down someone who could shrug off a hit from All Might. A guy who is a murderous sicko, atop of that. You did the world a service."

"That's right," nodded Todoroki. "We all failed."

Danny gave him a dry look. "That's not exactly making it sound better," he mumbled. 

"Still..." Midoriya insisted, "I couldn't save Bakugo."

"Then let's do it next time."

Everyone looked at Kirishima and his serious expression. Few could believe what he was insinuating. Danny was surprised, too, to hear this from his friend. Perhaps their inaction before was more than a stimulus. And the thoughts and feelings that had been building up all that time finally started to surface.

"Are...are you suggesting that somehow we find them and..." Iida didn't have time to finish as Danny interjected.

"That's exactly what he is saying and what I support. This is probably not something a class rep should be saying or condoning, but you wouldn't believe a word if I said otherwise."

"Me as well," Added Todoroki.

Iida gritted his teeth, remembering the encounter with Stain. They had caused so much trouble for their caretakers, and yet were saved from punishment by them, willing to take the brunt of the damage. He would not antagonise that trust again. 

"It is just like All Might said...This is something we should leave to the pros!" Iida exclaimed, although it was more of a scream of desperation rather than anger.

“Did it look like they could do anything? Don't look at me like that, you know just as well as I do that if you were allowed to go, and they actually went where needed themselves, Bakugo would have been here. Don't you guys feel like we all could do so much more if not for those ridiculous handicaps we gave them?”

"I do," Kirishima said through gritted teeth. "How can I call myself a man, a FRIEND if I just sat around and did nothing while all that was happening?!"

"Sheesh, we are in a hospital. It's okay that you feel that way, but please, keep quiet," Kaminari urged.

"Iida is correct, though," noted Tsu. "You all are right."

"I know that, but Midoriya, it is not too late to reach," Kirishima looked at the classmate lying on bed. "We can still try and save Bakugo."

"Stop it!" Iida kept shouting. "Stop messing around, this joke went far enough!"

"Iida-san, calm down," Shoji stopped him from approaching. "I understand how everyone is frustrated by seeing our friend and classmate being taken away. I am frustrated, too. But this is no time to act on emotions."

"Y-yes, let's leave this to All Might..." Aoyama barely started, yet between everyone he could see the burning glare of green eyes. He shut up immediately. It wasn't like he wasn't feeling shame already. Some classmate he was to sell everyone out. Aoyama could only pray that Fenton did not direct his anger at him. 

"I will have to agree, even though I was the one captured," Tokoyami agreed. 

"Everyone," Tsu spoke once again. "I know everyone is shocked about what happened, but you have to think calmly. No matter how just your feelings are, if you say you'll fight again, will break the law...you will be no better than the villains."

Silence fell on the room, as the tangible threat of being the next ones hunted by law was appalling to most. But not the one who was used to it.

"Really, now, Tsu?" Danny asked. "Guess your class rep was a villain all along, then."

"What...are you saying, Fenton-san?" She asked in return.

The halfa sighed. "What? You guys thought that I simply make all my stories up? For a year, I was just that, a vigilante. Because there was simply nobody else to help against the villains. I was loved, hated, chased by the police each time I showed my face. Yet, I kept going. Until my own parents kicked me out for being what I am. So don't try to scare me with the law. I am more than ready to take it, as long as I know I saved someone's life."

He met no response at first. Certainly, that was a revelation to most, one that both answered some questions and asked even more. 

"If you don't want a villain as your class rep, I will gladly resign, Tsu."

"I..." the girl was at a loss.

"This applies to all. Speak up now, it's better you ditch the deadweight before he pulls you down."

Once again, silence fell. It was a bit surprising for Phantom, but surprising in a somewhat pleasant way. His classmates respected him, tolerated his borderline delinquent attitude, and this was not enough to tip the scale just then.

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened, revealing a doctor.

"Excuse me, it is time for Midoriya-san's treatment. Could you, please, leave the room?"

"Y-yeah, we should probably go," said Sero. "We could check on Jiro and Hagakure." 

"Yes, let's."

Danny watched everyone leave, before he looked at Kirishima and chuckled.

"What's funny?" Asked the redhead.

"You guys went out and organised this stuff before I even had the thought. I knew we were friends for a reason," the halfa smiled, and was met with the same one, before he looked at Midoriya. "We don't have much time to waste. We need to go now or never." 

"Wait, Danny-san," Kirishima butted in. "We first need to learn where the villains are."

"Well, now you have me. Now you know. So, this evening. Midoriya, I hope you will be with us. Kirishima, if you already agreed with someone, get them to come, too."

"He just joined our plan and he is already commanding," Kirishima complained, but gave a nod. "Will do." 

The villains were used to the careful approach. Danny wondered what going all in would mean for them. In the meantime, he decided to have a talk with another classmate before he could leave.

"I hope you are happy, blondie," Danny told him. "You are now safe."

"I...I did help in the end, Fenton-san," Aoyama argued, looking around the closet Phantom had once again pushed him in. "And you know that I could help break their entire plan."

The halfa sighed. "I know. That's the only reason I am holding back. I could tolerate it when nobody got kidnapped, but now..."

"I beg you, Fenton-san, you can't tell anyone! If anything it was YOU who promised me safety!"

Danny winced. Aoyama was right. He had told the blonde that he would be helping him when the crime boss got pissed. And now, it was becoming evidently clear that he would not be able to fulfil it.

"You are right, I did," the halfa sighed. "But how do you feel about this situation? It is your doing."

"It is horrible, no other way of putting it. Is that what you want to hear? I never enjoyed this spying."

"What I am getting at, Aoyama, is that you can redeem this as well. You were going to tell your boss about our little conversation out there, weren't you?"

"I should. I was told to tell everything."

"Then you won't. There is no way the boss will know about it if you don't tell anything. After all, we don't ask you to join. And I won't trust you with my back."

Aoyama stared at him, before nodding slightly. "You won't tell, right?"

"My lips are sealed either way, but this is more about you showing who you are in my eyes. Next time, should you tell, I will simply make sure you can't eavesdrop anymore. We good?"

"Yes...now, please, can I go?"

Danny unlocked the door and vanished.

That evening Phantom was more than comfortable with the situation around his household. Tsukauchi called some time after the conversation in the dorm, saying that he was not going to make it that night. Still, he did not go into any details. Probably because they were doing something secretive. Thus, there was nobody to scold or stop him at the moment. Danny spent the rest of the day preparing a plan of action. But at the moment he was standing in front of the hospital entrance, alongside Kirishima and Todoroki. Their conversations were not long, as they mostly waited for more daring hero trainees. Eventually, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu exited the building. 

"Yaoyorozu-san, what's your answer?" Kirishima asked.

"I thought you said she is on board," Danny glanced at his friend. 

"I..."

"Wait!" A familiar voice rang behind them. 

There stood Iida, who was steadily approaching the soon-to-be criminals. 

"Why...why does it have to be you, guys?" He asked through pain, "You were the ones who tried to stop me, who tried to teach me when I ran off for personal reasons, we received amnesty together! Why are you running off to do the same mistake I did?!"

"What are you..." Kirishima felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," Todoroki stopped his friend. 

"This time there will be nobody to take responsibility but the school! And it is in a dangerous position as it is!"

"Iida, wait, it''s not like..."

Midoriya approached Iida, but, unexpectedly and to the shock of all, was met with a punch into the face. 

"I am worried, too! I am frustrated, too! I am only a deputy, but since the representative is jumping under the bus with you, I have to be the one worried sick! Midoriya, when I saw your injuries, I saw my brother on his sickbed! I don't want my classmates to end up the same way! Are you saying you don't care about my worries?! How I feel?!" He demanded to know and grabbed Midoriya.

"Iida," Danny sighed. "I can't deny, you are acting exactly as you should. Remember? I am the brash leader, you are the voice of reason. And it is our fault for not explaining this sooner. Best case scenario, we won't have to fight them at all."

"What?" 

"It was my idea to go on my own this morning, but..." he looked at the rest. "It will be hypocritical of me to deny help. Not after what we said. But our plan is not to fight them, we want to simply get Bakugo out. But we need a plan B just in case." 

"I trust Todoroki," said Momo. "If he supports this plan, then so do I, but I plan to accompany them as well. To make sure there will be no actual fighting. The class president is too rash."

"Why, thank you," Danny said dryly.

"I am not sure, either," added Midoriya. "After I heard that I can still save Kacchan, I could not just sit still."

Iida seemed to be in thought. "We can't come to an agreement, it seems. Then, take me with you!"

As everyone smiled, their eyes then turned to Phantom. 

"What?" The halfa asked.

"You never said how we are going to find the villains," Todoroki added.

"I put a tracking device on a Nomu, actually," Yaoyorozu put in, but then everyone saw Danny hissing.

"Yeah, about that..." he recalled how he had personally dispatched of the beast. "That's not how we find them. I didn't want to say it out there, because I could only do that in front of the people who are actually dedicated to our task and...who can actually trust me even after that."

"Oh, for the love of...what else were you hiding, Fenton-san?" Kirishima grumbled, before shaking his head. "You can count on me, bro."

"Do I have the word of everyone here?"

As he received more nods and agreements, the halfa took a breath.

"Alright...I may know where they are. At least approximately. I was...prepared for U.S.J. because I knew the villains would attack."

"But how?" Asked Midoriya. "Even the teachers didn't know."

"That's because nobody tried to recruit them."

It took some time for the implication to set in.

"What are you saying, Fenton-san?" Midoriya shakily asked.

"I was a guy with no documents, no money, no proper roof. Kirishima can confirm, I lived in a decrepit haunted house. Well, it became actually haunted with me inside."

"Wait...you lived there?" Kirishima asked in shock. "I thought you were just messing around!"

"Yep. So, it was awfully to take part in illegal fighting that, I suspect, were organised by Shigaraki's boss. It was no real harm. I send possible criminals to hospitals before they get to do harm AND get paid for it. It was under alias, of course, so they didn't know of my enrolment to U.A. or living with Tsukauchi. I stopped going there after U.S.J, because villains actually recognised me. Anyway, Shigaraki arranged a meeting in Kamino, that's when they were looking for people to attack the school. That and the fact that arena fights used to take place there as well lead me to suspect that their actual hideout is not that far. After we get there, I guess we will hope that my senses pick up on Kurogiri's presence."

"Fenton-san," Iida said. "Do you realise that it makes you a criminal?"

"Oh, the Safety Commission knows. That's what they used to threaten me," Danny smirked. "Really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? If they don't follow their own rules. So I really got nothing to lose in this situation. If they wanted me arrested, I would have long since taken those mugshots." 

The students exchanged looks. That was probably too many revelations for one day. They really didn't know anything about their class rep, did they?

"Look, guys, as I said, if you don't want a criminal as your class rep, I will step down. But since we are here, I ask that you trust me to lead you in this one operation."

"Well...guess you know the situation there better than we do," Kirishima reasoned. "It's a lot to take in, of course, but it wasn't like you killed someone...you didn't, right?"

"I did not," Danny sighed. He had that question coming. "Being a ghost teaches you a lot about the value of life, I guess. Anyways, we can talk about that later. We don't have any more time to waste. Let's hit the train."

They were in luck, as one was just departing by the time they got their tickets. Momo was ready to pay for everyone, and so half an hour later they were already on their way to Kamino ward. Trepidation filled the air, yet a makeshift dinner of sandwiches and snacks somehow eased the tension.

“I can feel you guys looking,” Danny said as he put away the wrapper. “We have time, so shoot. I might as well drop more things off my shoulders. But I reserve the right to keep silent if it is too private.”

“How hard was it?” Asked Yaoyorozu. “I never actually thought what being a vigilante is like.”

“Well, nobody paid me, for one,” Danny shrugged. “This also meant that I had to be a normal student the rest of the time. Of course, I always put saving people before math homework, so I didn’t study well. Always excused myself and missed lessons. There were around five or six fights a day, not counting petty criminals. It was better by the time I decided to skip town, back at the start fights took too long, I got hurt because I neither was a good fighter or had control over my abilities. Hell, I broke a ton of chemistry bickers because my hand would turn intangible all of a sudden. And being a vigilante also means that you don’t get any teachers. I did get advice here and then, learned by watching villains and such.”

“That must have sucked, man. You were all alone?” Kirishima asked. 

“Well, remember I told about my friends back home? Sam and Tucker may not have any Quirks, but they helped as much as they could. They are still helping around. There is also another vigilante, but until recently she wanted to kill me. That was the girl I actually dated as a civilian. It was…complicated.”

“I am not even going to ask,” Iida shook his head. “How come your town had so many villains and no heroes?”

“The country is big,” Danny shrugged. “But the upside is that they never sent a hero after me. It wasn’t always that way, villains started flooding shortly after I got my powers. The town presented them with a place no heroes or authorities would pay attention to. Yes, there wasn’t much they gained from it, but they got what they wanted. Those guys just wanted to terrorise people, and ours were as good as any. It was self-defense at first, but then I decided to make a difference. After beating some especially powerful ones, I got pretty famous around town. But there’s another thing about being a vigilante,” he looked at Yaoyorozu. “Don’t expect to ever be thanked for what you do. People will just take it for granted.”

“I-it wasn’t like I was planning to!” The girl quickly clarified. 

“I know. You guys got schools for that stuff.”

“But why didn’t you enrol in a hero school there to better help your town down the line?” Iida pressed. “Why leave your town and country?”

“That’s exactly what I am doing now, no? Well, kinda. Besides, I was kinda pissed at the people and my parents who kicked me out. So screw that place, really. I am trying my chances here.”

“I doubt Bakugo will appreciate us coming to save him, either,” Kirishima mumbled. 

“Number Two may toughen up however he wants, but he will thank us down the line. You know it, Kirishima,” Danny argued. “But this doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t want to fight villains before leaving. Just out of spite.”

“Fenton-san, I’ve got a question.”

“Yes, Midoriya?”

“You said you fought in an arena belonging to Shigaraki’s master…have you seen him?”

Danny’s lips thinned. “At this point I am regretting the fact that I haven’t. Should have taken down that guy before he did all this…He tried to meet several times, but I turned him down. Dunno why he is so interested, he should know I ain’t joining his little freak circus.”

“Didn’t Compress wonder about the same thing?” Todoroki recalled. 

“But he was ordered not to bring me, correct,” Danny nodded. “This is reassuring, because it means they still don’t got a way to keep me contained. This should make our mission easier.” 

“We still have to find them.”

“Anyone got a map?”

Yaoyorozu handed him her phone, and Danny started examining it. 

“Alright, so our meeting was in this warehouse,” he mumbled thoughtfully. “There are plenty of those around. I remember how rundown the place looked, so the rest was probably just as ready for new occupants. It won’t surprise me if we find what we look for there.”

“But is living in a warehouse uncomfortable?” Kirishima asked.

“Hey, I lived in a place with no running water or warming. Compared to that place, this would be a palace. Besides, we never said anything about living there. If anything, when you abduct someone, you want to keep them somewhere dark, damp and empty. When you steal money, you shouldn’t keep it under the mattress.”

Except that’s exactly what he did with his earnings in the arena.

Danny glanced up from the phone and noticed the look the rest was giving him. “What, I dealt with kidnappers before. Still persecuted for presumed kidnapping of the mayor. I was framed…I’ll shut up now.”

Apparently, now he had to watch his tongue even more. 

“In any case, it is worth checking out. We’ve got the time.”

“They could be torturing him,” Kirishima spoke grimly. 

“Unlikely. They want him as an ally, torture won’t get them anywhere,” Danny shook his head. “Although there is no stopping them when they realise Bakugo is not joining, I doubt they will lose patience in just a day, they bet too much on this.” 

“Have you met any of them before?” Asked Todoroki.

“Hm…no, only Shigaraki and Kurogiri. The rest never hit the arena, and the broker never mentioned them. Those guys are still tougher than most I have met in the arena and are certainly arrogant enough to look down on those fights.” 

“Well, you surely aren’t above that,” Iida muttered and sighed.

Danny shrugged. “I celebrated Christmas with the villains I fought on every other day. I am that weird. Even they are beings with feelings and emotions, you know. Even the ones we are up against may have sad life stories that pushed them to this point.”

“Like?” 

The halfa sighed. “Imagine you are a girl who is never lucky in life. Your parents constantly fight, in school you are mocked and bullied with no friends to help ya. Then a guy steps in and pretends he likes you. While in reality it is a sad attempt to laugh at a poor girl. Then she gets stood up, laughed at, yet in all her hopeful loneliness she forgets to turn the stove off and the fire breaks out right when she has returned and now cries in a pillow. The result? A trauma and a horrible fire incident. Since then Ember is a destructive, dangerous woman. Even if hardly the strongest one. That kind of story.”

“That’s…that’s horrible,” Yaoyorozu mumbled. 

Danny nodded. “It is. Don’t get me wrong, no matter how I feel about it, they are still villains who have to be stopped. Just like the ones we are up against.” 

As everyone nodded, they continued waiting until the train would get them to Kamino. And eventually it did, and the group of students was ready to continue their journey. Yaoyorozu took out her phone once more and opened the app. 

“Alright, then we should continue down that path. But first we need to disguise ourselves. The villains know what we look like, we must consider that we may be attacked at any moment.”

“Meh, the last thing they want now is to flash their location,” Danny shrugged. “But it is probably the police we should worry about. Kids walking around this late are suspicious, and they also know our faces.”

“Right, gotta be covert,” said Midoriya, took a stance and hid his face behind crossed elbows.

“That’s making you stand out even more, Midoriya,” Todoroki noted dryly. 

“But at this rate we won’t be able to scout very easily,” said Iida. “What are you suggesting?”

The girl pointed towards the nearest flashy discount store. “Let’s go there.”

And so, Yaoyorozu took it upon herself to prepare outfits for everyone. The first one was Midoriya, dressed like a freshly minted yakuza. Next was Todoroki in a shirt and a poorly fitting black wig. Of course, Yaoyorozu herself dressed like she was going on a ball, whilst subjecting Iida to wearing an outfit over which Danny and Kirishima laughed their asses off, calling him a Luna park cotton candy seller. Kirishima himself was dressed in a red suit not unlike Midoriya’s, whilst Phantom was to wear a white shirt and a black suit, but he ditched the latter.

With this, the group left the shop, as Midoriya practiced his yakuza-like attitude. 

“Hey, you!”

“No, you have to push your jaw forward more!” Kirishima tried to correct him.

“Like this?” Danny followed the instruction and tried his best criminal grin.

Kirishima gulped at the unnerving sight. “Pretty much.”

“There is a lady with a huge rack over there!” Iida exclaimed through a violent blush.

“Is this what you really think adults are like?” Danny asked. Yes, the kids would stand out, so they needed to look as mature as possible. Although now they looked like a gang fresh out of a cabaret. Well, except for Danny. He was just looking too out of place, which was just as bad for their cover. Which was probably even more eye-catching. “Should have dressed like your average hopeless wage worker. Then again, even I am not dead enough on the inside.”

“Yaoyorozu, wouldn’t it have been easier and free if you just made the outfits?” Todoroki asked. 

“I-it’s against the rules!” The girl rambled. “If I just make everything I want with creation, I will cause inflation! Yes, as a diligent citizen of this country I must inject cash into the economy…”

“She totally wanted to just hang out there,” Danny commented.

“Yeah, you are right,” Kirishima nodded and smiled. 

“Alright, let’s just go that…”

“Hey, it’s U.A!”

The students froze, thinking their cover was immediately blown, but the shout was caused by a large screen hanging above, showcasing a surprising scene - Principal Nezu, Aizawa and Vlad King, dressed in formal suits, were bowing down in apology. Of course. They could not keep quiet forever, and it was best they spoke instead of someone else.

“We deeply apologise for the incident that befell on 27 of our first year students,” Spoke Aizawa. “We were not prepared sufficiently enough. It is our negligence and inability to defend ourselves and our students in a place of learning that caused a just reaction from the public. We are truly sorry,” he said as they all bowed once more.

“Aizawa-sensei hates being on TV,” Kirishima muttered. 

“I have never seen him so well-kept,” Danny also noted. It must have truly been serious. Then, the reporter from somewhere in the same room as the teachers began to speak.

“Since the beginning of the school year students were attacked four times. This time they sustained injuries. How do you explain this to their families? And what are the countermeasures you are taking?”

“That’s people for ya,” Danny mumbled. “No matter how flawless your service list is, one screwup and that’s what happens. The teachers are not to blame here.”

“These reporters are treating them like some bad guys,” Midoriya whispered with anger. 

“We will increase policing in the surrounding area,” the answer to the reporter’s question followed. “We will review our security to ensure no ill befalls on our students again. That’s what we say to the families.”

The answer did not satisfy the crowd as they began whispering and even shouting. The atmosphere tensed. The students were snapped out of it by Danny, who turned around to look at them. 

“And you ask why I ditched my town. People will accept nothing less than perfect,” he said. “Let’s move, now is the perfect time.”

The way to their destination was silent. Everyone was either processing what just happened or mentally preparing for the upcoming encounter. However, something unexpected happened. Danny sensed something as they were on the way to the destination. Todoroki noticed him tensing up.

“Did you pick something up?”

“I did, but…it feels strange. It is not Kurogiri.”

“Could it just be someone with a similarly working Quirk?” Suggested Midoriya.

“No, I know this feeling. It is pure ectoplasm. Very faint, I only just noticed it, and the building is right here, which means it was just lying around instead of being actually used. It eventually loses its power and properties if not fed organic matter.”

“You mean someone is storing it? But how did they get it?” 

“Could be just a residue from some ghost, who knows. That’s what we should find out, no?” Danny gave a small smile. 

That oddity was as good as any clue. Even if it had nothing to do with the League of Villains, he needed to know what all this was about. The building didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. The lights were all off, too. So either everyone went to sleep or the villains were not currently there. Still, their goal was Bakugo, not the bad guys holding him captive. 

“Alright, first let me scout ahead,” Danny told the rest. “We may have to wait, better pull Bakugo out while nobody is looking. But until then, stay ready, anything can happen.”

Receiving nods, the halfa turned invisible. With no issue he flew inside and was met with an almost pitch black darkness. The halfa decided against shedding any light, lest there were cameras or actually someone. He could float intangibly so as not to bump into anything. And thus, he made his way to the source of light. And what he saw shocked him. There, carefully lined up, were improvised bathtubes, and there, swimming in a glowing substance, were nomus. No mistaking those exposed brains and unnatural skin colours. But nomus were expected, that wasn’t the subject of his wonder. Grimacing, the halfa dropped intangibility and poured some of that liquid into his palm. He smelled it and then took a lick. His grimace immediately turned into a look of horror. That nitrogen-like smell, the metallic taste…

“They add ectoplasm?” He asked nobody.

How? When? 

Suddenly, his mind drifted to the blood he could not phase off…That nomu must have had some mixed into his bloodstream as well. But it shouldn’t have been possible, he was a halfa, ectoplasm was not just flowing through him, it was a part of each cell in his body. With such methods it should have eaten and poisoned them…Then again, these weren’t humans, these were corpses who had been mangled in all sorts of ways. Yet, the revelation was as harrowing as it was disarming. Was it…his fault? No, it couldn’t be, he was the only ghost around, yet that ectoplasm wasn’t his…

The harrowing thought of who it could belong to settled in. Wulf…but he never mentioned having his ectoplasm drained. He probably lost it while being unconscious. The sick bastards. Danny felt his fists ball. They would not be getting away with this. Half-tempted to put an end to the creatures here and then, Danny had to stop himself. It wasn’t the reason they were there. But something had to be done. If they were allowed to research it further, who knew what destruction they would bring, all because of him being in that world?

His pondering was cut short when a metal door by his side opened, revealing a staircase leading downstairs. Danny froze. There was nobody there. Was he spotted by someone? No, they shouldn’t have any sensors installed here, right? And if he was seen, why wasn’t there any alarm? Danny took a breath and decided that if so, he needed to continue his exploration. Bakugo needed to be found. The halfa took the invitation and floated to the bottom of the stairs. Still reluctant to drop invisibility, he nonetheless proceeded to the end of a corridor, to a slightly ajar door. He flew through, and before him lied another room. Filled with many screens showcasing many places at once. And in the middle of it all stood a chair, with someone clearly sitting there. 

“There is no need to be shy, you know? I already know you are here, Daniel.”

Danny dropped the act and returned to the visible spectrum, glaring at the back of the chair. 

“Mind telling me how you knew?”

“I admit, I expected you to come after Kurogiri, yet here you are. Did you sniff out that lovely liquid?”

“I did.”

“You are probably wondering a lot of things, child,” the man responded and looked at one of the screens. “We probably have some time before heroes make it here, so why not enjoy it, hm?”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “What, you have an emergency exit?”

“Oh, no, I intend to walk out of the front door. If it is still left intact. So, ask away, I shall indulge you.”

“How did you see me?”

“Well, it is rather simple. We learned as much as we could from your friend. Including the fact that in presence of this ectoplasm the amount of nitrogen in the air increases. You just have to add a little alarm to the counter.”

Danny cursed mentally. Yes, that’s exactly how short-range ecto-scanners worked. And Wulf…poor guy would not stop blaming himself if he learned of it.

“What were you doing to him?”

“You would have found out if you decided to contact me earlier. I even gave you some time to consider.”

The halfa glared at his back. “I was taught not to talk with strangers. Especially those who kept my friend as a prisoner and did who knows what to him.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I even let him keep his Quirk.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. Then he remembered what Aoyama had told him. That man could take and give Quirks. But did his words mean that he did not even try or that he could take the power of a ghost yet didn’t? No, spectral powers functioned too differently. 

“There are things more important than a Quirk.”

“Like life? That I left him as well,” the man laughed. “He was the one trespassing, child. And given my line of work, I couldn’t just let him go immediately.”

“And if he wasn’t my friend?”

“Well, I have no use for him other than his curious biology,” the man admitted without batting an eye, making the halfa ball his fists. “How come you are so different yet both have this liquid pumping through your veins?”

Danny didn’t know how to answer. Ectoplasm was too rare to come by in that form, hell, only actual ghosts had it. And telling him about the other world was the last thing he wanted. That man was already too far ahead in that field. So, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

“I gave it to him.”

That response earned him a laughter. 

“Oh, that would explain your knowledge in how to make this work.”

Did he buy it? It was too difficult to figure this guy out.

“I have observed your talent during the tournament. And it is honestly impressive. I feel a certain kinship, even.”

“Were you always adding ectoplasm into your pets?” Danny asked. 

“No, it is but a recent addition. It took some pondering on how exactly to do so, and the answer was surprisingly simple.”

“Let me guess. Diet coke.”

The man chuckled. “Oh, are you familiar with the process as well?”

“That’s what I used to heal the nasty side effect of exposure a while back. Whatever is in there, it removes the acne just fine.”

“I am pretty certain that is normal for a boy your age.”

“Very funny,” Danny shook his head. “You are the guy running Shigaraki’s team, aren’t you?”

“I am so much more, child. Being Shigaraki’s mentor is but one aspect. Today we are having another lesson. A lesson of discretion.”

“Wait…how do heroes know your location?”

“They learned of Shigaraki’s hiding on their own. But they are sending an awful lot of heroes there, so I decided to ease the burden just a bit.”

“YOU tipped them off?” 

“Precisely. These nomus are inconsequential, you see. A failed batch, nothing more.”

“And you?”

“Things are already pretty much in motion. But I will still make a couple of additions. You, my child, are a crucial part, and you being here only makes it all the better.”

“Why? What are you planning?” Danny demanded to know. 

The man looked at one of the screens. “If you decide to stay around, and this I do request from you, you will find out. I am not your enemy, Daniel. I don’t seek your destruction, quite the contrary.”

Danny mentally prepared himself for another ‘join me and rule the world’ speech. But he was cut off by a loud crashing noise coming from above. 

“Oh, my. It already begins. You’d better go or who knows what those silly heroes might think?” The villain smiled. Danny could feel just feel it in his voice.

As much as Phantom hated to admit it, the man was right. Besides, he wasn’t the one they had come for. Shigaraki was elsewhere. Speaking of.

“Since the heroes are already going there, where was Shigaraki hiding all this time?” 

“Just a rundown bar on Pink Street. You don’t need to concern yourself with that, you will be seeing them soon enough.”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “Alright, this round is on you.”

He knew that feeling all too well. The feeling of being outplayed by a scheming mastermind, the man whose power was unknown yet mind unmatched. That man was already ahead, having prepared for any eventuality. But Vlad he knew inside out, the frootloop was a man with his own exploitable weaknesses and insecurities. Back when they first met it wasn’t Danny’s might that scored him a victory. Rather, the fear of being uncovered was just as strong within him, no matter how Masters might have tried to hide it. Phantom could do something completely unreasonable to throw off the calculations, but there wasn’t anything of the sort he could do, short of joining the villain. So, Danny had to concede at the moment and see what the heroes would do. He wasn’t on the chessboard just yet. 

“This and many more to come, I fear. By the by, this look does suit you well,” the man smiled upon seeing the boy’s reflection on the screen that was switched off. 

“It’s just a shirt.”

“Now off you go,” the villain waved him off, making Phantom grit his teeth. The halfa turned intangible, invisible and flew out. 

By going up he ended up in a small alleyway. Going even higher, he saw that his classmates were not on the spot he left them. But the warehouse was half-destroyed by a gigantic blonde woman for a hero. What was her name, something along the lines of gigantism. Accompanying her were others, such as an antropomorphic orca (he really needed to learn more of heroes) and someone Danny actually knew. Of course he recognised Best Jeanist, he had needed to know the name of the man who put Bakugo through the misery during the internship. Danny stopped ogling pretty soon. He was ought to warn them, but…he couldn’t. He wasn’t supposed to be there talking to the villain. Stupid laws. But there was definitely something planned…and what if the villain expected him to break the law?

Danny took a confident breath. The villain probably didn’t know he came with a company. It did go enough against his usual conduct to make the enemy oversee it. He could and had to get others away from something they had not signed up for. He didn’t have to look for long, as they were in a slim space between the warehouse and another building. As he became visible again, the others jumped in surprise.

“Fenton-san, the heroes were already on the way here,” Iida said. “That’s a…why do you look this way,” he didn’t fail to notice the grim expression.

“We need to fall back. Down there is something way out of your calibre.”

“The League? Is Kacchan in there?” Midoriya asked.

“Bakugo is in another place. He said that the guy will be brought here, but…”

“He?” 

“Down there. The one ordering the League around.”

As he said this, they could hear loud and slow claps. 

“Bravo! As expected of the heroes top brass!” The villain spoke loudly. “I admit, I am not in best shape at the moment, but since rescheduling is not an option…”

“Fudge,” Danny cursed quietly and looked at others. “Get out of here, now.”

“Fenton…”

Danny’s eyes glowed green, before he turned invisible. The next few moments happened in a blink. Best Jeanist tied the villain up, but it only stopped the man for a mere second. And one moment later, a counterattack, a powerful strike of black-reddish energy, followed. The strike held so much power that Phantom was blown to the side before he could do anything. Still, after he shook off the initial pain, he saw that the only one lying nearby was Jeanist, with others probably blown away, too. But the villain told a different story.

“Impressive. From the fourth hero I would expect nothing less,” the man clapped slowly, as Danny finally got a good look at a two meter tall man in a formal suit, floating, wearing a ghastly black mask. “You pulled everyone away at the last second. Not a moment of hesitation. Your steel nerves are to be admired.”

His voice dripped with such dismissal that it was impossible to realise if he was sincere or not. Jeanist, no matter how much his eyes gave away his terror, still tried to sit and propel more fibres forward. But the villain swatted it all with a single swing and a gust of air. The gust that was able to penetrate solid objects, like a human’s chest, yet hit a solid wall of green. It collapsed in an instant, but the momentum was lost, only pushing the hero back on the ground.

The villain’s face was not seen, yet he was smiling again.

“I am glad you weren’t far,” he looked at the white-haired boy glaring at and floating in front of him. “My dearest child.” 

Chapter 29

It flew over his head.

Perhaps it was due to the same reason people refused to believe he was a half-ghost: the answer was so ridiculous and surreal that nobody wished to accept it. Same case here: the villain addressed him so informally and with such sense of familiarity that Danny did not put much weight into the 'my child part'. It would take the directness All for One so far wasn't willing to show. Neither did anyone else grasp that part yet, still absorbed by the shocking and terrifying presence of THE villain.

Danny looked at the man in front of him. The villain no longer reminded him of Vlad. No, that man had nothing compared to the malicious will oozing off the villain right then. Comparable perhaps to...Danny's own, one from a distant future. The halfa knew that his classmates had nothing to put up against not only the power but this very will that could render an unprepared soul motionless and paralysed with fear. He couldn't spare them a glance, lest he gave their position away. Phantom wasn't sure how to act now that he was faced with the villain. One thing for certain - each hit of his equalled death. But he was yet to push his joining speech, so that at least gave him some time, he reasoned. Until then, Danny had to prod and learn what weakness his opponent held. But they were interrupted when Danny heard Jeanist speak.

"Ph-phantom," he rasped. "What are you doing here?"

Before Danny could answer, the villain beat him to it. 

"The boy merely wanted to help his friend. Don't chide him for this noble notion," he spoke. "And he probably saved your life. You are quite famous, aren't you, Daniel?"

"Don't act all chummy with me," the halfa responded.

"How can I not? I am proud of you, child. You've come so far so quickly."

"What are you on about?" Asked Danny, genuinely not understanding where this was going. What was there for him to be proud of?

"Ah," the villain raised his fingers. "We will talk about this a bit later, but first, let's get what you came for, shall we?"

He snapped the fingers and immediately out of nowhere, from some goo-ish substance appeared none other than Bakugo. 

"The hell..." he muttered and coughed. 

"Apologies, Bakugo," the villain said and very soon the entire League was brought forth the same way, including downed Dabi and Kurogiri.

Danny cursed. That guy alone was a problem, but now he brought his henchmen, too. They didn't fail to notice him, soon. 

"Oh, hello, Danny-kun!" said Toga and waved, but Phantom paid her no attention, it still being fully grabbed by the boss. At least he had some time to come up with a plan. 

"Master..." whispered Shigaraki from his knees. 

"Looks like you failed again, Tomura," the villain chuckled and approached him. "But don't let this failure discourage you. Try as much as you want. Look, I have brought your associates, too. As well as someone you deemed as an important piece..."

So it was Shigaraki's plan all along, Danny realised. Figures, that man was not a good judge of character. He had told Danny everything about U.S.J., after all.

"Do it again, Tomura. And again. As much as you need to. That's why I am here," the villain continued and extended his hand. 

Meanwhile, back in the hiding spot, the students were still unable to shake off the paralysis. Until another Danny showed up in front of them.

"See what I meant?" He whispered.

"F-fenton," Kirishima said through the shaking. "Who...who is that?" He asked.

"Don't know. What I do know is that you need to leave."

"We can't leave without Kacchan," Midoriya managed to say a full sentence. 

"Look at yourself," Danny whispered. "You guys can't even move."

"Why can...you?" 

"Won't be the first time I see it," Danny said grimly. "I can distract him and probably do something. But you will be on your own because I will need all the power I can get."

Danny felt a hand gripping his suit. It was Iida, whose look screamed at him to stop. In response the halfa gave him a somber look and vanished. He said all that he needed. The one Phantom glared at the villain. He needed to do something, but just jumping him was probably a suicide. 

"Am I not interrupting your touchy reunion?" He spoke loudly as he landed on the ground. 

The villain looked at him and chuckled. "Ah, he is already fighting for my attention. I am touched. Don't worry, Daniel, I am not going anywhere anymore."

"Again with your stupid riddles!" Danny exclaimed. "Spill out what you want with me already!" He shouted and threw a blast at him. 

One that was lazily swatted away. It was hardly a powerful one. But Danny reasoned that at that point one stops seeing the difference.

"So impatient...oh, he is here," the man looked in another direction. "That took him a while."

The next moment, from the sky All Might fell right upon the villain with all his force. And yet, as the ground was collapsing around them, he stood firm.

"I'll have you return everything! All for One!" All Might exclaimed.

"Will you kill me again, All Might?" The villain mocked, before their clinch erupted into a full explosion of force that tossed everyone around. 

Once the dust settled, the villain, All for One, stood firm, just shaking his palm lightly, as if he had not just stopped the most powerful man in the world. Phantom stood up, but he was right in the middle of the fog.

"You are late. It's just five kilometres from the bar to here. It was easily thirty seconds since that moment. You've gotten weaker, All Might."

"What about you? You must wear this mask for a reason. Aren't you overexerting yourself?"

At this, Phantom tried what his teacher had been doing. A powerful swing of his arm was enough to push it away, revealing his presence, much to All Might's shock.

"Young Fenton..." the hero mumbled.

"You didn't expect a boy breaking every rule to come here? You were never the brightest, but this you should have pieced together."

"Don't talk about me like I am not here!" Danny exclaimed and took a battle stance. 

All Might's mind was reeling from many questions, but his hero duty came before everything.

"Young Fenton! Step aside, this is beyond anyone you've faced!" He called.

"I ain't blind!" Danny kept talking with a raised voice. That villain had gotten under his skin for a change. "But if you think I am gonna just run away, you don't know me. As a teacher you can still give me permission, you know?"

"Isn't this a lovely sight," All for One interjected. "But those rules, Daniel. They are quite pesky, aren't they? You'd do better without them."

"I'm sorry, was I talking to you?" Danny turned to him and glared. 

If the situation wasn't so dire, All Might would have been impressed by the boy's ability to talk back even to a man like that one. The bravery was commendable. But he supposed that was another trait those two people shared. All for One laughed, as he seemed to have reached the same thought. 

"The irony is palpable, isn't it All Might? Who would have thought that you will one day teach a student with such peculiarity."

"I swear if he says another riddle..."

"That's what he wants, young Fenton," said All Might. Although, it must have meant that the boy was still clueless about the situation. "Don't. This is between me and him. I will not repeat my past mistake. This time, I will have him in prison!"

Without even giving the teen time to think, the hero lunged towards the enemy. But once again, All for One blocked the strike. But now, his left arm looked like something was pumped into it. The next second, the number one hero was sent flying across several city blocks, crashing into every building on his way.

"Air cannon plus Springlike limbs," the villain mumbled. "Kinetic booster times four, strength enhancer times three. What a fun little combination. I will try adding a few more booster Quirks," he said and looked towards a shocked half-ghost, Shigaraki and Bakugo.

"It will take more than that to put him down. And don't act so surprised, Daniel. You are no stranger to this, either. Tell me, what did you feel when you attained a new power from Kurogiri? Was it joy? Excitement? Hunger for more?"

"I would be lying if I said no," Danny huffed. "And what did you feel when you learned about it?"

"Oh, I was positively elated. Yet you don't seem to understand the full extent of what you were blessed with. I hope today will serve as a good demonstration. Do stay around. That's what you intend to do, do you not? Tomura. It is time for you to leave. And take this child with you," he pointed at Bakugo.

"Master..." Shigaraki tried to say something, consumed by anger and fear that had been lingering in him ever since All for One took interest in the brat. 

"If you think I will let you..." Danny's eyes glowed brighter. 

"You will."

As he said this, strange black and red strings flew at Danny, which he easily dodged. But the villain was aiming at Kurogiri all along. As the wires pierced right into the henchman's unconscious body, Phantom grimaced.

"What...are you doing to him?" He asked.

"You see, his Quirk is just so much better than the one I have. His can take people anywhere they want, but you should know this by now. However, since he is unconscious, I guess I will have to activate it for him."

As he finished saying this, a large portal was opened, and so he retracted the wires. 

"Master, what about you?" Asked Shigaraki, before everyone heard a loud rumbling noise. All Might was coming at the villains again.

"You have much room to grow, Tomura. Think and evolve," was All for One's command.

He floated higher and met All Might's strike. Phantom began contemplating his options. The Number One could hold his ground for a little longer. As much as the villain boasted, All Might was not someone he could easily shake off. Thus, Danny turned towards the League, then at his blonde classmate. In case his classmates had followed his advice, he was the only one who could help Bakugo escape. 

"You know, Bakugo, I really am a lost cause."

"What?"

"Well, I am already knee-deep in problems when we are done. So I guess I've got nothing to lose. You, on the other hand..."

"The hell are you getting at?"

Danny snapped his fingers and opened a portal right below the blonde. With a loud yell he fell into it, with the gateway closing behind him. The villains had no idea that it wouldn't take him very far. In fact, Bakugo ended up in the same alleyway the rest of their classmates had been hiding. And where they still remained.

"Kacchan!"

The surprised blonde looked up and saw the rest of the group.

"So you are here, too?" Bakugo asked loudly, before feeling a hand cover his mouth. It was Iida.

"Please, keep quiet, the villains are not far."

"Screw them! I'll make sure they eat through the straw for months."

"Bakugo," Kirishima urged. "Fenton-san is taking the fall for us. We can't fight. It shouldn't have been this way."

"Yeah, and why can he?"

The students exchanged looks. "We'll tell you on the way, just come with us," Kirishima urged. "Beating them won't matter if we follow right after."

Midoriya realised that Kirishima's presence was what they needed. Bakugo seemed to treat the redhead with less hostility. Even listen.

"Watch me care."

"Think about All Might!" 

Everyone looked at Midoriya. "He can't fight the main villain if he has to watch over us as well!"

That also seemed to strike another chord within Bakugo, who gritted his teeth and looked away. 

"And why...can...he?" He hissed angrily.

"Fenton-san can get out whenever he wants...And he is not going to be killed," Midoriya mumbled. "Their leader won't allow it."

Danny wiped his mouth and took a battle stance in front of half of the League. There wasn't much optimism in those of them who could be considered rational. Before them stood someone who put another half of their teammates in prison. And they did not even have any heavy hitters at the moment. Phantom looked unbecomingly serious about putting them down, if his look was anything to go by.

 "Uhm...Shigaraki, we need to escape now," Compress told his leader. 

"Not that it would do you any good," Danny butted in and gave the very same condescending smile All for One rewarded All Might with just then. 

"No...no!" Shigaraki exclaimed furiously and glared at the white-haired bastard. 

He knew what it must have been about. The brat humiliated him over and over again, and yet Master wants Phantom on their side. There was only one possible conclusion to that ascension. He was being replaced. Shigaraki could not allow this to happen. He would show Master that that brat was nothing. 

Danny glanced at the portal. He instinctively reached for his thermos and to his surprise, found none. It must have been blown away during the initial clash between the two enemies. His surprise was cut short as he saw the blonde girl running at him with a knife.

"You are mine, Danny-kun!" She exclaimed joyously and swung her knife. Phantom dodged several times and hit her with an elbow to the chest and then the back of her neck, pushing her to the ground. 

"Ouch," she hissed. "You are mean," she said and tried to stab Danny's leg as he turned intangible. She rolled away from a retaliatory kick of a very tangible second limb.

"Thank your boss," Danny huffed, his hair starting to move along the non-existent wind. "He pissed me off, so you get to be the anti-stress punching bags."

The air around turned cold as he began summoning ice projectiles at his enemies, taking over more and more ground. The villains actually found themselves on the defensive, as Phantom was not giving any of them a moment's rest. Phantom saw Twice sliding his way on the ice and towards him, swinging his measuring tape. The halfa summoned an ice wall before him, blocking the weapon strike, but Twice managed to grind to a halt, only for the wall to be broken by its own creator. The shards of sharp ice flew towards him, impossible to dodge in time. And through the flurry of ice Phantom himself emerged, grabbing the man's wounded face and pushing him to the ground. Twice rolled away from an upward kick, ignoring the stabbing pain in all his front, and swung his tape at the opponent. With his reaction, Phantom managed to grab it, cutting his hand in the process, and pulled. Twice decided to let go in time, but had to dodge a blast.

"Impressive, isn't it?" All for One asked his nemesis as they clinched once more. "The child shows such promise. You just have to bring it out."

"I won't let you," All Might growled. "And most importantly, he won't!"

"Really? Look at him now, you can feel it, can't you, All Might? The darkness that is lurking inside of him. You just have to break the seal, and none other than you will play part in this," the man sounded excited, grinning from ear to ear. 

Phantom himself was too busy to hear that exchange. He was coming after Compress. Inside that man's coat were some of their allies. Taking him down would ripe a greater prize. He knew not how the man's Quirk worked. But a basic measure needed to be applied - he could not touch anything. Phantom flew towards him, but instead of kicking directly, he flew through, avoiding the grasp that confirmed his suspicion. If he tried it instead of dodging, that's how his enemies were captured. Danny turned around in the air to land a punch.

"Stay away!" The man exclaimed and jumped aside, seeing the ice below crack after a hit.  

Phantom's offensive was cut short when suddenly he was assaulted by blue flames. After hiding behind a shield, he saw Dabi standing there. But wasn't he...Danny looked towards Twice. Of course, that man could make duplicates of other people. Phantom flew up again, seeing that Twice had just made a second fire controlling villain. But since they were copies...

Twice jumped away as the green blast blew off the copy's head before it could do anything. Phantom looked towards the other one, before letting go of the flight and falling into his own portal and falling right atop of the clone. Pinning him down to the ground. Danny caved in the duplicate's cranium, reducing it to mud. He glanced to the side and saw Shigaraki lunging at him, with a clear intent to evaporate him to pieces. Danny grabbed one hand tight and used it to swing the opponent above his head and onto the ground. Not without leaving some ice on Shigaraki. Upon colliding with the ice on the ground it melded to it, trapping the villain.

"You..." Shigaraki growled with anger, trying to get up.

Danny leaned over him. "You are a funny guy, aren't you?" He asked before kicking his head and knocking him out. Shigaraki was hardly the toughest of their bunch. Looking towards the fight between the heavy-hitters, Phantom decided to hurry up. Seeing Shigaraki beaten, Compress decided to bail. 

"Toga, Twice, let's leave to fight another day."

"We can't just leave without Shigaraki," Twice argued.

"Trust me," Compress jumped from one of his allies to another, taking them in two blue marbles. It was a huge bet, but it was either that or being utterly beaten. 

Phantom realised what was going on. Compress was about to escape. Danny lunged towards him, trying to stand between the showman and his fallen leader. However, with the corner of his eye he noticed a black and red beam heading his way. Danny became intangible at the last second, but to no avail, and the halfa felt burning across his entire body as he was tossed towards a ruined building. How did...right, of course.

"Apologies, Daniel!" All for One said loudly, not diverting attention from All Might. "But that's quite enough of a lesson."

Compress took the time to get to Shigaraki, successfully grabbing him as well. Then the villain dashed towards the still lingering portal. Danny struggled to get up, but still saw it. The halfa recalled the idea that had appeared in him a while back. What if he didn't need the thermos?

Danny outstretched his hand towards the portal. It was still ectoplasm, or, rather, a third-grade ersatz of one. He should be able to control and absorb it even from a lengthy distance. It stuck to Kurogiri like a used sticker to a second object - poorly. Danny concentrated, before feeling something click inside him. With a loud cracking noise the portal first turned green, making Compress freeze in surprise, before being reduced to greenish smoke. Danny felt his energy reserve grow. All for One had made Kurogiri spend all his power on the portal, so he absorbed quite a bit. 

"What the..." Compress turned to look at the smirking enemy. 

"Would you look at that," Danny commented, looking at his palm, engulfed by dark purple energies. He absorbed the last of it to heal the damage done by the blast.

He scored that part, but getting hit by such blast again would be just as bad. Still, Compress came first, but was beaten to it. 

The villain was suddenly grabbed by many strings and held in place. Phantom turned towards the source. Best Jeanist was still conscious. In the next moment, just as the last of his strength faded, the villain was struck by a kick that came from a small old man in yellow and white. 

"Gran Torino?" Danny recalled the hero's name.

The old man stared at him in surprise. "What are you doing here, boy?"

"Funny, is it not?" All for One continued. "Daniel was looking for his friend, so he came right to me. We had a lovely conversation before you came in and interrupted us."

"It was more you throwing endless riddles," Phantom huffed. "You were about to ask me to join you, but I am yet to hear it. Get this out of the way before we beat you up."

"Child, this is no place for you to be," Gran Torino said sternly. "Much less fight in."

"Well, it's not like you have time to force me out," Danny smirked. 

That resemblance was even scarier given the situation. But he was right. And from what he said, All for One was yet to tell him everything. But what would happen when he did?

"Once again you go against their laws, aren't you, Daniel?"

"I am ready for the consequences," responded Danny. 

"There shouldn't really be any. You would like to use your power when you want, to get the recognition. Yet so far, you were faced with fear. Your so-called parents cast you out without a second of doubt, even in the society that is said to relish these gifts you are put on eternal probation. How long are you going to have to be a slave to those who think they can order you around?"

Danny did not speak initially. That pause was enough for Gran Torino and All Might to try and attack their opponent. However, the old man was snatched by black goo and teleported right in front of All Might's punch. The latter hero couldn't stop the strike, hitting his mentor instead. All for One was about to gloat, before sensing danger from behind him. Turning sideways, he grabbed Phantom's burning fist, as the earth beneath collapsed even further. While Danny kept pushing forward, trying to overpower the enemy. All Might did not waste an opportunity, pulled Gran Torino away, and aimed to strike All for One as well.

"Detroit Smash!" He yelled.

All for One grabbed that fist as well, for a time successfully holding the opponent back, but then two heroes struck him simultaneously with their free fists, each passing the strength into those. The strike pinned the enemy to the ground, breaking the mask apart and caving the face, ugly eyeless flesh, in.

"Look at you two, working as a team. Touching," All for One said. "Is this karma repaying me in kind, I do wonder."

"What...do you mean?" Asked All Might. 

Danny could see faint smoke coming from the hero's body. The villain did, too.

"Oh, what's wrong, All Might? Not as strong as you used to be? Then again...you are better than your predecessor." 

"Predecessor?" Danny looked at All Might.

"He didn't tell you? He is one of the last in the line to a particular Quirk I created per chance. Nana Shimura is the one before him. An embarrassment, to be honest."

"Do not dare to sully the name of my honoured master with your filthy mouth..." All Might growled. 

"She was a woman with no skill but big aspirations that bit her in the end."

"All Might, he is doing the same with you," Danny realised and warned. 

"And look now here. I took something from her, other than life, and now you are keen to take a prize from me," All for One spoke. 

"Shut up!"

All Might swung his hand for another strike, but the villain blasted him with the force enough to cause an explosion and launch him into the air, with Phantom managing to summon a shield around himself, even if the earth crumbled beneath him. All Might meanwhile nearly hit the arrived news helicopter, if not for Gran Torino crashing into him and changing course. 

"Would you look at that," All for One spoke as the dust settled, turning to Phantom. "They are on time like always."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "What are you planning to do with them?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't take me for someone who murders just because. Like everyone I pursue my own goals. Noble goals of bringing the old days when everyone could use Quirks freely."

"With you being the one atop of a food chain." 

"That's just what comes with wielding the most powerful Quirks. You would know, child, surely. What are those reporters above saying, you think? Are they wondering why the rising hero star speaks to the one fighting All Might? They did get here just now, so how much of your help did they see? Can they hear us? I've heard their equipment is this advanced."

He was right in that part. They just switched said equipment on.

"This really is no place for you, child. With so much between us, do you really want to throw it all away?"

"Is this the part when you try to convince me?"

"I don't need to. You will come around. If not now, then later. Tell me, does this bring you pleasure?"

"Beating people like you is probably the only thing I'm good at."

"You are being harsh on yourself. Must be the good parenting you were involuntarily subjected to. I feel such shame that it happened." 

"How is that even your fault? You are a shithead, but not the omnipotent one."

"No, no. It is my fault. I should have paid more attention to you, be more in your life. I had my reasons, in my defense. Too busy being dead. But worry not, I am willing to make amends. My son."

The metaphorical bomb finally imploded. There was no longer room for second thoughts or misreading what he said directly. Neither for Phantom, nor for everyone else at whom the villain's show was directed. A collective gasp of surprise and multiple looks of shock and disbelief were their response. Even coming from Danny's own classmates, lost in the crowd. 

"You mean...all this time..." Kirishima was struggling to put words together.

"It can't be," Iida tried to reason. "After everything he did..."

"What, U.A. is taking villains' brats now?" Someone from the crowd asked.

"All Might had the suspicion," Midoriya blurted out to his friends. "But it doesn't mean that Fenton-san will suddenly change and join him."

"Maybe. But if that's true, just how many things he is still hiding from us?" Todoroki asked nobody in particular.

Everyone was united by one thing - they expected a reaction. And the reaction was as follows: there was a laugh. Then another. And finally the halfa began laughing hysterically through the surrounding silence. 

"Ow, Ow," Danny grabbed his stomach. "It's starting to hurt. You know, I actually thought you were serious for a moment there. You can't be that dumb." 

"But I am serious..."

The boy roared with laughter again, before having to dodge a punitive blast.

"It is not just me who believes so, isn't that right, All Might?" All for One turned to the hero.

"You too?" Phantom looked there. "But I guess that explains a lot."

Suddenly his strange behaviour made sense. 

"You know, if I got a nickel each time a megalomanic frootloop called me son, I would have two nickels. Not a lot, but it is weird it happened twice," Danny shrugged.

"You don't seem bothered at all. How can you speak with certainty that it is not true? Child, you are my splitting image from back in the day. Your Quirk is similar to mine. The dates all align."

"Except I have parents. Shitty ones, but what do you do." 

"And why would they so quickly abandon their own child, haven't you wondered? Why would they tell you that they don't consider you as such?"

Danny stood there for a moment. He almost believed it, if not for a simple fact - he was not from that world. There was no way the bastard ever could do what he claims he had. The halfa sighed, before his look filled with serious determination.

"I had the idea that you are a delusional madman. Turns out I was right. But in the end it won't even matter what you are. I am helping All Might put you behind bars and this will not change, no matter what you say!"

Upon hearing this, All Might couldn't resist a tiny smile, even through the pain and fading power. He knew he could believe in the boy's judgement no matter what. 

All for One smirked. "You are right. What I say won't matter."

But what the people believe would. He would just have to wait, no matter the outcome of the fight which he intended to win. That day, two heroes would be humiliated and ashamed. 

"All Might! I realise that you hate me with passion. Rest assured, the feeling is mutual. You took so much from me as well, including the boy. Then I suppose..."

His right arm bloated, filling with power as he readied an attack. Phantom would not let him. The halfa lunged towards him, coming from the man's left. All for One was about to swat him away, but Phantom went intangible and ended up to the man's right, where his arm was charging for a hit and couldn't budge. The blind zone perfect for landing a hit on the exposed head with the strength he could muster. All for One buckled, but now he could reach the teen and grab him with his left arm, swinging the opponent forward and into the trajectory of his strike as well. Danny put up a last second shield by pouring as much energy in it as he could, and it cracked barely a moment after the force of the strike died out. But his previous hit made sure that All Might was only grazed by the misdirected strike. 

"Naughty child," All for One scoffed. "But do you really think that you can beat your own father? I have been in this business longer than you."

"I have beaten a guy ripping whole towns from the face of Earth. I am yet to see you do the same," Phantom responded, choosing to ignore the comment. He then landed on the ground. "Don't take me for a simple trainee."

"Maybe so. But how does the Symbol of Peace feel being protected by a child, mine atop of everything? But what else can he do? I've heard the old injury of his got cracked wide open, was it not? Magnificent work, child, but unlike me, they did underestimate you." 

Danny gritted his teeth. How was he to know about that weakness he had poked? And his classmates could already hear the whispers. Those were the whispers of confusion and contempt.

All for One kept talking over the boy and to his opponent. 

"Go now, All Might, let the whole world witness your true form," the villain spoke, sparking even more questions. 

Phantom realised that he needed to divert the attention. Those stupid journalists were playing right into the villain's hand, and best he could do was to divert their attention from All Might's deteriorating body. And mere tricks would not suffice, neither for distraction, nor actually beating the Goliath. All Might had demonstrated the best approach that dealt the most damage. He needed to strike him hard, directly. Danny readied to lunge forward, his balled fist ripe with raw ectoenergy. He didn't have the strength comparable to the two opponents. However, he knew how to compensate that destructive difference.

With a loud outburst, he lunged forward and towards the enemy. The villain charged another blast and fired. Phantom had to release the energy from his own hand to meet it head on, leading to an explosion. The dust covered the area around them, Danny used the cover to strike the enemy from cover, yet his fist was snatched, and he was tossed to the ground with all the strength. If he had bones, those would be shattered to pieces. The impact pushed the dust away, revealing the villain holding him by neck, pinned to the rocky surface..

"You can do better, son. If you seek to oppose me, then do put your heart into it."

Phantom, instead of phasing out, touched the ground and turned it intangible. Losing his footing, the villain met a backward kick that sent him flying away. There he was suddenly met by All Might, who once again landed a proper punch. Danny groggily got back to his feet and shook his head, happy to see the hero back in action. His relief did not last long, as he could see how withered the man's body was. He was all but reduced to his daily form. 

"Don't think that this is over, All for One!" He still exclaimed.

The chuckling villain slowly got up from the ground, his well-kept suit by then half in tatters. 

"You are correct, my old foe. We are not done yet. But look at yourself, Symbol of Peace. By now you are nothing but the skeletal husk and sunken eyes. And that won't be the extent of today's humiliation."

"It does not matter," the hero spoke. "Because no matter what you do to my body, no matter what punishment you put it through, my heart you will never overcome!"

"Hm..." the villain seemed to be in thought. "Your heart it is then...there is something else you should know. Tomura."

"What's he got to do with it?" Phantom asked impatiently. 

"That's something All Might would know...Tomura is Nana Shimura's grandson."

That revelation seemed to have struck the confident hero like lighting. He stood there, in horror, struggling to believe or dismiss those words. 

"For all those years, I thought about what would you be most dismayed about. I worked meticulously to ensure your meeting...unfortunately there was a spammer in the works," he glanced at Phantom. "But you should be happy about inadvertently doing the same to me. But it brings you little comfort, does it?"

"Lies..." All Might could only mutter.

"You know too well that that's exactly what I would do..." He then put fingers to where the edges of his mouth would have been. "Why are you not smiling, All Might?"

The hero was absolutely devastated. He did not budge, the expression of tremor painted all over his growingly gaunt face. 

"You...bastard..."

"It really is fun!" The villain exclaimed joyously. "Perhaps I did strike..."

He saw a blast heading his way, before it exploded into his face and left only a few minor burns. 

"I don't like anyone with a bigger mouth than mine, you know?" Danny spat. "Put it to use and tell me, was he a petulant idiot before you took him in or is it just your excellent parenting?" 

"Such harsh words, Daniel. Don't be hard on him, I love you all the same."

Danny kept looking at him, contempt visible in his cold green eyes. He decided not to entertain his delusion for longer. Instead, he turned to All Might.

"Are you going to just stand there?"

The anger in the statement caught everyone off guard. 

"The villain who did this," he opened his arms and showed the destruction around. " And probably killed who knows how many stole one kid. And judging by your surprise, you probably didn't know he existed up until this moment. Is this really all it takes to take you down?!"

All for One would have raised an eyebrow if he still had any. Was he trying to convince the hero to fight? If so, it was a rather...roundabout way of doing so. 

"All Might, there are millions of people counting on you! If you are trying to shoulder a burden this heavy then step up to it!"

Danny knew what All Might was feeling like. He too had gone through that feeling, in a time that never happened. And he saw what misery such feelings brought. He had the right to feel anger, frustration, but beating yourself up about something you did not even have power over was doing nobody any favours. Yes, Danny was not the shining example of a hero like All Might. He himself was easy to anger, like any ghost, easy to make a killing machine, but that anger pushed away everything else, leaving no room for doubts and worries, even at the expense of caution. 

"Letting this bastard pocket Shigaraki is less of a sin than letting him keep his prize now that you know everything, don't you think?" Danny finished. 

All Might's expression slowly changed. The terror was gone, yet it was hard to read. But then his right arm returned to its bigger size. 

"You are right, young Fenton," he mumbled. 

He would have huffed at the amusing thought. The boy could deny it all he wanted, but his was All for One's ability turned towards better good. 

"Oh no, I guess I should watch out for a couple of swings," All for One mocked, ascending into the air and readying for another power blast of his spring-like arm. "Don't act like you still have much to throw at me, All Might. You ARE at your limit."

Before he could attack, however, he felt how his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, before the limb sprung and the attack hit empty air. Both enemies turned towards the boy, who gave a small smirk. 

"I told you to take me seriously," he said, before out of nowhere All for One was blasted by a gust of fire. 

Everyone looked for the source, seeing a number of heroes arrive, including Endeavour, who looked surprised at the scene. Figures, he was too busy saving people to watch the news and all those revelations. 

"Hm...those Nomus were a failed batch, but I didn't expect you to take them down so soon," All for One said. "But that's expected of a number two hero. Now..."

He did not have time to finish a phrase as he was attacked by all heroes at once.

"Phantom!"

Danny looked to his side and saw Endeavour. 

"What are you standing around here for, you need to leave, we will take it from here."

"After that lovely speech? No way, sir," Danny huffed, before looking at the villain. An idea sparked in his mind. Danny looked at his hands. If he got close enough... "But I can trust you to keep him occupied, can't I?"

With that, the halfa vanished from sight. Confused, but realising the inability to stop him even if he wanted, Endeavour went at the powerhouse of a villain. Even if he could not beat him, even if All Might remained an unassailable mountain for him, Endeavour would still do everything within his own power to at least buy some time for the one who still was the greatest hero to everyone. All for One was keeping his many enemies at bay, but still could not come to finish All Might Off just yet. It also suddenly occurred to him that someone was missing from that merry band. But he couldn’t pin where the attack would come from, so all he could do was wait until the boy would inevitably show himself. 

He didn’t have to wait for long. As the villain once more pushed away his opponent, he was blasted by a gust of fire from Endeavour. All for One expected the hero to come for a hit right after, but saw the flash of black and white slam into him. With a yell Phantom grabbed the man’s shoulder so tight his fingers went under skin, before head butting his opponent. All for One grabbed the teen by neck and lifted him.

“Now, child, stay put when the adults are busy,” the villain said, preparing a blast. 

But then nothing came out.

“Looking for something?” 

All for One was suddenly attacked by a storm of his own red and black energies, so hard that it tossed the villain towards the ground, just as Phantom phased out of the grip, continuing to float in the air. Danny looked at his hand, still flickering with the same-coloured sparks. His core just couldn’t contain the equivalent of a top A-rank ghost. He needed to release it then and there, so he pushed as much of it as he could and wanted to fire in the form of a destructive blast that ripped the ground asunder even more. The spot where the villain was in particular. Even the heroes watched the display of power in shock. Phantom stopped firing, letting everyone see the collapsed villain. Still, All for One laughed.

“You stole my Quirk. Just as I would expect from a progeny such as you.”

Danny glared at him, the remnants of the crimson energy even sipping into his irises. 

“You still going on about this shit? I don’t take Quirks, I take and give the energy some of you people use,” he responded, on the inside shocked at how easily the villain got up, even as his suit was in tatters and his body bruised all over. That man really was on another level. “And can replenish.”

“Remarkable. For a moment I thought you wanted to take All Might’s honour and beat me.”

“Sorry, I am not much for the whole Symbol of Peace saving everyone sentiment,” he said as the eyes of the heroes were still on him. “All I see is a bastard in need of a beatdown. I don’t care which one of us has to do it.”

“Such cynicism. You have to understand the feelings of others. If only to crush them. Of course, there is also another kind of crushing left to do.”

With that said, the villain outstretched his right arm. 

“Springlike Limbs. Multiplier. Hypertrophy. Rivet. Spearlike Bones. Air Walk…”

As he kept naming the Quirks he was putting into his coming attack, his arm was becoming all the more grotesquely enormous, riddled with various protrusions sprung from his muscle mass. 

“Sheesh, get yourself a girl instead, would ya,” Danny muttered, referring to the disproportionately large right arm, and still readying for the attack. 
 
All it took is a swing for most heroes to be pushed away by sheer force. Danny stayed intangible and was freed from the consequence. Next, the villain struck directly. Phantom allowed his opponent to fly through him, but his regained intangibility was immediately met with a force that pushed him away as well, into the nearest collapsed building. He flipped in the air and came to a screeching halt, allowing himself to see what had happened. All Might was matching the force his enemy was putting out, as they clinched once more, hitting each other’s fists. 

“I realised something after exchanging blows with you, All Might,” the villain spoke. “One for All no longer dwells within you, does it? What’s left is nothing but lingering embers, a flame about to die off all on its own. You already passed it on…Izuku Midoriya, wasn’t it?” He asked, knowing that the wave of force had blasted away the news helicopter as well. The villain only wanted to poke at the enemy’s weakness, and it worked. All Might’s momentary surprise was coupled with the use of another Quirk.

“Nullification,” All for One calmly said. 

Danny in the meantime groggily got up in a pile of rubble. His joints hurt, pulsing with stabbing pain. Some sharp pieces of rubble had torn his clothes and stabbed him in multiple places. Phantom phased them all off. He concentrated his power on healing and was about to lunge back into the fight. Phantom took off ground, but then felt something grab his hand. Looking back, he saw Endeavour, who was giving him a stern look.

“Phantom, you can’t go in there. Don’t make it worse for yourself.”

“I am already knee-deep in this, there is no point. So let me go.”

“Don’t you understand? There is no future beyond this fight if you continue!”

Endeavour had his stake in this, one that he could not disclose just yet. He couldn’t allow a boy with such powerful Quirk rot in prison. He was yet to introduce him to someone…

Phantom glared at Endeavour and phased out of the man’s grip. 

“So be it.”

But then they were interrupted by the fight happening so seemingly far away. For there, All Might unleashed his final strike of truly terrifying proportions. Phantom grabbed Endeavour and made them both intangible, as the sudden tornado ravaged the thrice destroyed area, not stopping for what felt like eternity of suspension and fear, worry about which opponent was the cause. The tornado eventually died off, the winds came to a halt. And there, in the middle of it all, atop of the defeated villainous mastermind, stood the Number One hero, beaten, exhausted, but undefeated.

“Think what you want, Fenton,” Endeavour mumbled. “But All Might is up there for a reason.”

Danny looked at the hero raising his triumphant fist, for a moment All Might returned to his hero form, as unbeknownst to many yet, it was his last job as the Symbol of Peace. And the boy couldn’t help but wonder. There was something more to him than the outwardly courage and determination. What Endeavour saw, what people were elated about was but the final show. A much needed one, one that filled people with hope and joy. After all, he never cared much for this, but before him laid an example of what people truly yearned for. Was he to adopt something or to stay true to the already established path he was already content with? Danny really wondered.

He was not allowed to continue the subsequent rescue mission, as per Endeavour’s order.  The teen felt the rush of tiredness so big that he didn’t feel like arguing. He was probably supposed to head his way, but as he went, he was called over by the elderly voice of one Gran Torino.

“Hey, gramps,” Danny called back as the hero slowly approached him. “Are you alright? You look beaten up.”

“Not everyone gets to heal easily. Especially someone my age,” he huffed, before his tone turned serious. “So now you got told about this…”

Danny immediately caught on to what Gran Torino meant. “I told him and everyone. There is just no way we are related, sir.”

“It ultimately doesn’t matter, I agree. But let this still be a lesson of where your power can take you.”

Danny chuckled and shook his head. “I got that lesson a while ago, actually. But I guess there is no end to improvement.”

“There isn’t,” Gran Torino agreed. “You could also use a lesson about rushing into a fight you cannot win.”

“I didn’t get my chance,” Phantom argued. 

Then they heard the sirens. The ambulances rolled in, alongside a surprisingly sizeable police force. As the doctors rushed to aid the injured, from the car exited Tsukauchi. Danny was happy to see him for a whole of a second, because he then saw a very unhappy, grim expression. The detective approached him and they silently stared at each other. 

“Ehm…look, Tsukauchi-san, I…”

“I am afraid it is not me you should be worried about.”

“I know that I rushed into this again, but I…”

The man raised his hand and made the boy go quiet. Instead, he handed Danny a list of paper, one that showed the signs of someone holding it perhaps too tightly.

“What’s…this?”

“An arrest warrant.”

Chapter 30

A.N. That took longer than I or you wanted, folks. But you know, the exams, the holidays, that sort of stuff. Hope you enjoy.

---

Perhaps he had it coming. Or, rather, he most certainly was to face it eventually. After so much time refusing to accept the way the things worked around there, spitting into the face of the world itself, the world eventually got tired of it and came down upon him. But Danny expected this, and thus he couldn't really say he was pissed. Perhaps that's why the Time Master was so calm all the time. It was surprising for Tsukauchi too, as he could only feel disappointment coming from the boy, not much unlike the detective's own. The latter was more so directed at the halfa, who once again went against everything Tsukauchi had told him and explicitly broke the law. They didn't talk on the road.

 

They both could understand where such public scandal could lead. What happens to guardians who allow their charges to do whatever they want and violate the way of things? Such guardianship usually got revoked. And to be perfectly honest, Tsukauchi was feeling like he deserved it fully. He was not diligent enough, he did not stop Danny when it truly mattered. And finally, there they were. Of course, it was going to be much harder for the half ghost, and the detective felt like he failed him first and foremost. But at least the department trusted him with bringing Danny in. They were all confident that he wouldn't do anything. They were correct, Danny did not make a single attempt to bail or harm anyone. The detective couldn't help but notice the irony of being back to square one, with the raven-haired boy behind a bullet-proof glass. An incessant measure, as the staff was aware. 

 

But the half-ghost was not alone for long. As he was playing with a small ectoplasmic ball, throwing it against the wall and then catching it, Danny heard the door open, and on the opposite side of the glass he saw an unexpected visitor. 

 

"Gee, the president and her ever-angry lackey, I am honoured."

 

He wasn't surprised to see the HPSC there. They were the ones handling the heroic misconduct, he was among those who got to enforce it, after all. The stern-looking woman sat on a chair and eyed him once more.

 

"You sound awfully cheery, Fenton-san."

 

"Well, no use beating myself up about it, you know?" Danny shrugged and approached the glass wall. "After all, I did nothing wrong."

 

"According to the law, you did. And at the most inopportune time."

 

"That 'inopportune time' was your ace card being nearly killed. You should thank me, my priorities were in your favour."

 

"You fail to realise that either outcome is damaging to our reputation. Yours already sustained a blow as it is."

 

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. "Don't tell me the people actually believe that shit about the bad guy being my father."

 

"So far everyone is yet to see the proof to the contrary. Nobody has your documents, nobody knows of a town you claim to be from and, obviously, of the people you claim to be your parents."

 

"Name a single proof I AM his son."

 

"Come on, kid, don't be so dense. You two act so alike it isn't funny," the assistant said. "This will add enough water to the mill. You have nobody to blame but yourself for that mistake, if it even is one."

 

The halfa grimaced and glared at the two bureaucrats. "Why are you here?"

 

"I was just getting there," the president continued. "You see, we cannot just allow you out of here. You broke the law. We cannot afford to make an exception."

 

"Despite you wishing so hard to do just that."

 

"Despite your misconducts we do see the potential in you. Letting you rot in prison instead is not something we would like."

 

"You should have thought about this before putting me here," Danny waved around himself. 

 

"We do not make laws, Fenton-san. Complain to us all you want, it is the legislature you can complain to."

 

"From the brief time I was here, I learned that you guys are not just pencil pushers. Same goes for any other ministry and commission. You are the ones proposing them, so drop the act, would you?"

 

The president was still to display any emotion. "You are not entirely wrong. But not right either. What is within our power, however, is to make sure you do not end up in prison."

 

"And how do you plan to do this, exactly?"

 

"The fine details are not for you to know. We have to hold trial, but we can arrange for a probationary sentence, especially given that you are underage."

 

"So I CAN serve a proper sentence despite my age? You guys have some shitty priorities," Danny crossed his hands and leaned back. 

 

"You can and you certainly will if you choose to ignore every warning we give."

 

"Is this a threat, ma'am?" Danny raised an eyebrow. 

 

"It is a warning. Our inaction WILL land you behind bars."

 

"Alright, so what do I have to do for you to help me? You wouldn't be asking otherwise."

 

"Simple. We will have need of your services in the future. Once you graduate, we want you to work with us. Not many get their future laid out before them so clearly, you know?"

 

Danny rewarded her with a small smile. "Oh, so in exchange I will be your debt slave, what a nice bargain."

 

"The alternative is prison and potential unemployment. Nobody needs a former convict on their payroll."

 

"You are bluffing," Danny sighed. "Guys as paranoid as you will never let me spend several years alongside actual criminals. Whether I agree or not."

 

"We can always use solitary confinement. I'm sure five years in there will do you good."

 

"Even better. I will go insane and you will be to blame," the halfa smiled. "And if I do, the world is screwed, believe me, the old fortuneteller told me so."

 

"For once take things seriously, kid," the assistant snapped. 

 

"I AM serious. You do realise I could snap your necks just like this?" The halfa asked and flicked a finger. "You want this guy in sound mind. That's exactly why any sort of prison is not something you will want to put me in. So, I am calling your bluff." 

 

"Keep this up and this surely won't be a bluff," the president said. "You gravely overestimate your position, Fenton-san. You are a child, a very rebellious one. And if you are deemed a threat, the heroes will give you your due. And before you think of running away from the country, we will have to make a call to Interpol. Your homeland may have been too permissive, but we are not."

 

To their surprise, the boy chuckled. "Oh, I assure you. If this happens, the only place I may go to is the one you will never step a foot in. The very fact you are still trying to convince me is proof enough that you really must want me in on your party. But selling my soul to you people is not something I plan on doing. This whole situation is just farce everyone has to adhere to. Because then everyone will start doubting if you are completely right."

 

"If they do, Fenton, more and more people will start joining the likes of the League."

 

"There must be something that makes people choose murderous psychos over you," Danny shrugged. "I know exactly how it looks like. I am delivering another blow to the reputation of my actually good school. But this is more than just U.A. If anything, by playing along I only make it worse. But if I cut ties with it...they won't fall so hard as with me being a constant reminder of their inability to change me."

 

The two officials could see the strained pause. The boy acted detached and cynical, but it was clear as day how painful it was for him. And true they were. Danny truly loved U.A. and would normally do anything to stay around. But this went beyond just his education or whatever hero career he might have had. His pride and his sense of what was right spoke loudly and spoke of how rotten the world's rules were. He was no stranger to defying everything. He defied death itself, what are those two bureaucrats in comparison to such force of nature? There would be no point in finishing the school if indentured servitude would be the end. And so, best to cut corners, cut the ties and be done, no?

 

"May I ask a question?" Danny turned back to them.

 

"Go on."

 

"What happened to the hero me and Hawks arrested? I don't recall there being a court hearing about this stain on the hero reputation."

 

"That's why we were secretive about this."

 

"You haven't answered," Danny narrowed his eyes. 

 

"He is in prison. Which one is none of your concern."

 

That began a staring contest between the teen and the president. Danny wished Tsukauchi was in the room with them. The lady was good at hiding everything, that's for damn certain. 

 

"I can already sense sincere and honest partnership," Danny huffed. "My answer is no. First you make laws like this and now try to find ways to bypass it yourself? No, we will let everyone see how justice here works in all of its beauty. And then we will see what happens."

 

The president glared at him. "I am starting to wonder if it was your plan all along."

 

Phantom shrugged. "I ain't that good as a schemer."

 

"Then I suppose we are done here," the president rose from her seat. "You may be willing to throw your life away for the sake of your pride, but think of those you are dragging with you."

 

"I thought I said that that's precisely why we are cutting ties."

 

"Some attachment you have to just throw it away," the assistant muttered, before being faced by a cold look of green eyes. 

 

"Keep this up and you will end up completely alone," the president finished and walked out of the room, with the assistant following suit. 

 

Outside of the room stood Tsukauchi, who waited for them and, perhaps, his own turn to finally speak to his charge. The woman turned to him and sighed.

 

"Can't imagine how hard it must have been controlling this force of nature," she commented. 

 

"He won't be anything but rude to those he doesn't like," Tsukauchi explained. "What was this about?"

 

"If such is the case, let someone he does like talk some sense into him," the president urged. "Or the consequences will be too dire."

 

The detective nodded grimly. "I understand."

 

At that the president and her lackey left, leaving Tsukauchi to piece together the words he would be saying to a boy in a precarious position. Never in his prior life had Tsukauchi imagined himself in that situation. He was disappointed, sad, and even angry both with himself and the boy who just would not listen. Perhaps that's all there was for him to say and do, to make sure his feelings get across even through the boy's thick skull. And so, the detective opened the door and entered. Danny had not left his seat, now watching his guardian take a seat across. Still, none of them spoke for a good minute.

 

"Look, Tsukauchi, I..."

 

"Don't," Tsukauchi interrupted. "I told you this will happen, didn't I?"

 

"You did."

 

"That's all you've got to say? Fenton, can you even imagine what you have done?"

 

"We did have a talk about this with the president," Danny mumbled. "Tsukauchi-san, do you remember why I came here?"

 

"Because you were kicked out, because people feared you instead of thanking, is this what you are getting at? Because if so, ask yourself what you have done to dismiss that fear. You break every rule, you held your ground against All for One already, and each fight of yours ends with people in a half-dead state."

 

"I do everything to help in any way I can."

 

"Some great help you turned out to be," Tsukauchi snapped. "Didn't you see what Stain did? A murderous maniac with a resonating message swayed many. Now you do the same without his bloody baggage. People will follow what you did and this will spell problems for everyone."

 

"I saved my classmate. I am SUPPOSED to do just that. If your world is gonna crumble because of this, then I don't know what else to say."

 

"This is the real world, not some school brawl," the detective sighed. 

 

"'Real world'," Danny huffed. "If only there was another one."

 

"Unfortunately, there is not."

 

Tsukauchi was faced with a very thoughtful look that was coming from the boy. He clearly wanted to say something.

 

"I suppose I ought to tell you this. It's only fair...at this point, for sure."

 

The detective blinked. "What are you getting at?"

 

"You can't find my parents, that's understandable. I knew from the start that you would not be able to."

 

"Did...something happen to them?"

 

"No. At least, when I last called my sister they were alright. But they don't live here. Here, as in, this world."

 

Tsukauchi stared at the boy. Those words were not lies, but then again...

 

"You are still keeping me in the dark too much," The detective grumbled. 

 

"I was being a bit dramatic, I guess," Danny huffed. "But point is, there are many worlds out there. And to yours...I am a newcomer as well."

 

Halfa's words did little to lift the veil of disbelief from Tsukauchi's eyes. Danny could see it, and so he went on.

 

"I am not crazy, old man. My origin would explain so much, though, don't you think? Why there are no records about me, my family, why I never existed up until the point you met me...and why my powers break the rules set for Quirks."

 

"Suppose you are right...why?" Tsukauchi asked.

 

"I was truthful about the reasons for coming here. I am hated at my house, my enemies target everyone around. So I had to leave and try my luck elsewhere. My friend was ready to help me, being the guy who easily travels between dimensions."

 

"You just happened to know someone like that."

 

"I just happened to know a god, so I wouldn't be as doubting. Besides," Danny chuckled. "When you are the only hero in the world you are bound to meet all sorts of people."

 

"Only? Why aren't there more?"

 

"My world doesn't have Quirks, is all," Danny shrugged. "I am an abnormality. A freak, some would say. That's why I don't understand a lot of things you people choose to do. I lived in a different place. I don't understand why you wouldn't want more people to freely help, I sure wouldn't have minded if the likes of All Might or Endeavour were around. Instead, normal humans have to put themselves in danger. That is something I don't want to see. Maybe it is hypocritical, I left them, after all..." the teen sighed. 

 

"That's...a lot to take in," Tsukauchi mumbled. "But you know this won't serve as an excuse."

 

He was indulging that rant, but he was getting more and more exhausted from hearing such a surreal story. A story which he also could not verify the validity of. For once in his life, the detective was overcome by doubt and wonder. He had to figure this one by himself. 

 

"It wasn't. I ain't apologising or excusing myself."

 

"And if there aren't any Quirks...what about you?"

 

"Simple. I died. Became an unnatural hybrid being of which there is only one other than me. Ghosts are real, old man, and half of me is one."

 

The detective shook his head. "This is insane. I don't know if there is a way for you to counteract my Quirk as well..."

 

"You think I am lying to you?" Danny sounded genuinely frustrated. 

 

"Do you expect me to just believe this tale? After you betrayed my trust so many times by now?! I think the problem of trust is something to address."

 

The detective stopped himself before he said anything else. He allowed his feeling to spill into the profession. Danny wanted to object, but realised that there was nothing he could really say. The man didn't even know the full extent of what he had done. 

 

"I trust you," Danny looked at him. "That's why I am telling you this!"

 

"Really? Then why tell me this only now? Not a day before, only when you are put back behind bars."

 

"I could just keep quiet. As if my revelation could get me anything. I just want to set the record straight before there WON'T be a chance to come clean."

 

"Are you seriously intending to go to prison?"

 

"We don't know how the hearing will end."

 

"You idiot! Everyone saw that! Going out there is a guaranteed sentence and a stain on your reputation. Or what, do you intend to go to your world?" 

 

Danny stared at him. "I admit...the thought does cross my mind more often than not. At the very least...I all but ran from there. And I just kept doing what I did without really giving thought to the choice I made."

 

"I realise that there is nothing I can do to stop you. But this will be the final nail in the coffin."

 

"I told you it's not..." Danny sighed. "I know what escaping means. I just haven't decided yet," he leaned forward. 

 

"If you do that, Daniel...you will be considered more than just a vigilante. You will be labeled as a villain."

 

"Is there really a difference?" The halfa recalled his amphibia-themed classmate and gave a sad smile. 

 

---

 

Danny never imagined himself sitting in a courtroom like this - behind a glass wall, wearing several inhibition devices on his braces and one on his neck in the form of a collar. Those had been designed to keep him down, which meant that that’s what the Commission had in store for him. Of course, they were for general use, but the collar, so they said, was specifically tailored to stop him. And such things are not designed within the frame of two days. It was perhaps at the moment the collar snapped around his neck that Danny finally made his mind about what to do.

 

It was not a decision he was making lightly. He may have had nothing better to do, but it was all a conscious effort on his part. After all, not always did he get so much freedom to stop and think. He may have hid it, but Danny was lost. At points he wanted to shed tears of exasperation or hit something as per the urge of that very feeling. Several months in that world had been reduced to nought. He couldn’t hope to continue the school, to stick around Tsukauchi who didn’t visit him again since that conversation. Danny wondered what it was that kept the detective away, but quickly stopped himself before the train of thoughts got yet another depressed passenger. And just going to another country was hardly an option, given how everyone knew his face by then and it would also be difficult to move...At least prison had free food, nasty as it was. Maybe that’s how many Quirk-wielding people ended up behind bars. A sentence for using a part of your body. Danny had all the time to nourish the newly rediscovered scorn for the existing order. 

 

But he was ready to face the coming trial. And he decided to stand by his previous decision with full certainty. There was a surprisingly large amount of people and reporters both outside the police department and near the court. Whatever their reasons might have been, to each group Phantom responded with bright proud smiles and confident proclamations. 

 

After all, did he do anything wrong? 

 

Of course, many in the crowd thought that he did, loudly shouted and threw trash at him. But he didn’t even need intangibility to dodge those. 

 

Still, he showed respect and seriousness for the entire procedure. He didn’t need to act as a clown in a matter such as that one. Quite the contrary, it would hurt as much as it possibly could if he acted appropriately. So, he patiently waited until the prosecutor stopped his accusations and he was given the room to speak. As it was him who had also refused the provided lawyer.

 

“…The accused blindly rushed into the heat of battle, possibly disrupting of the rescue operation mounted by our greatest heroes. He violated clear instructions to stay out, despite the previously issued warnings. As everyone here knows, our laws strictly forbid the use of Quirk without a license, and everyone is just as aware that the accused did just that, in front of everyone.”

 

Danny carefully observed the reactions in the jury and the audience. Within the group of the latter he still couldn’t see Tsukauchi. The halfa felt the heaviness in his stomach return. He may not have done wrong, but he could have said some things. And as a result, it was hard to see familiar faces in the audience. Yet there was one. Aizawa, of all the people, but it made sense, he supposed, the man both represented the U.A. and was his teacher. Perhaps brought in there to give a testimony or he volunteered to do so himself. Danny didn’t like the lump in his throat. Whether you make your mind on something on not, judgement from close confidants always hurt. And those tired eyes had nothing but just that. 

 

“Let the defendant have a word,” the judge said afterwards and turned to Phantom. 

 

“Thank you, Your Honour,” Danny began, trying to bring all the abysmal knowledge he had about courts. “It will be pointless to deny what I have done. But the prosecution certainly chose very heavy words. I remind everyone that the operation was disrupted the second All for One chose to come out. And from what everyone could also see, even All Might had to give his everything to beat him in the end. Was I anything but helpful in that encounter, prosecutor-san?”

 

“This verdict is to be made by fighting experts. As it stands, the law has no provisions about ‘helpfulness’. I would also remind that All Might’s fighting condition was significantly worse due to the injury of which you are the cause.”

 

“Nothing illegal about that,” Phantom responded. “It was caused during an exam which by nature has us fight our teachers. I happened to fight All Might and hit him in a spot I had no idea was his vulnerability. Mind you, I was the who made sure it doesn’t kill him.” 

 

“You’ve sworn to speak only the truth within these walls, Fenton-san,” the judge spoke. “Do we have your word that it really was an incident and the defeated villain had nothing to do with this?”

 

Danny sighed. “You do have it. I also swear that a couple of days ago was the first time me and All for One met and talked to each other.”

 

The prosecutor was looking into his papers as the conversation went. However, he was quick to butt in once he found what he was looking for.

 

“Your Honour, I find this hard to believe. Given his past records.”

 

His words caused whispers to travel around the room. Both Aizawa and Danny were aware of what he meant by ‘past records’. Yet the latter was surprised he chose to bring that part up. It only went to show that the Commission did not take lightly to his metaphorically swatting away their gracious hand of help. Even the slightest acceptance of the past deeds could end more than one year to his sentence. The HPSC finally made up its own mind, it would have seemed. If they couldn’t get him on their side, he would be out of their hair for as long as possible. Danny’s fist clenched under the table. He would get back at them. 

 

“Fenton has committed multiple offences in the past. Offences that have recently started coming up. Among those are the crimes very fitting his displayed behaviour — illegal upgrade possession, participation in an unlicensed fighting pit and the expected uncountable unrestricted uses of his Quirk. Not to mention that the boy can be considered an illegal alien, he came to our country by who knows what means. Those are merely the ones we are aware of, Your Honour. Fenton poses as a hero to hide his true nature, nature which is not too dissimilar from his presumed parent. Are we to believe that he delved into the criminal underbelly of our society and yet never interacted with the one at its helm?”

 

The past whispers turned to shouts. From the audience in the courtroom and on the other side of TV cameras both. Danny clenched his teeth and readied to speak up, but the prosecutor turned his attention elsewhere. 

 

“We also have a representative from U.A. Academy, the very institution that took this litigant in. I’d ask him to give us an explanation.”

 

The teacher rose from among the crowd. It almost seemed like he never even took off his formal suit since the day of the incident apology. And now he had to do so all over again. As Aizawa took the required seat and took a truth oath, the prosecutor approached him.

 

“Tell me, Aizawa-san, how come you took the criminal in?”

 

“His documents were all in order by the time he applied. He also achieved the highest scores for the exams, so we had no major reason not to. We knew no more than you, for the most part.”

 

“For the most part? An astute remark that absolves you of guilt for lies, because you certainly must have known about his…side activities. Being the first person to actually arrest him.”

 

“An arrest does not equal a crime,” Aizawa crossed his hands. “Fenton was at the wrong place at the wrong time in that particular instance. So we believed, at least. At the time he gave us no reason to think otherwise.”

 

“Still, that should have crossed him out of potential candidates, no?”

 

“U.A. judges by merit. During the exam he managed to show qualities expected of a hero, so we decided in favour.”

 

The prosecutor nodded. “He had us all for quite some time. But we cannot go by perception alone, can we? What does the U.A. intend to do now that the crimes are brought to light?”

 

“We reserve our decision until the end of the trial.”

 

“You seem to be under the impression that he may escape the punishment.”

 

“He will not. But the severity of it is the subject of debates. In spite of everything, Fenton still risked his own life to rescue his classmate and everyone else he saw,” Aizawa gave the boy a pointed look. Despite those words being a compliment, it didn’t feel that way. He did speak his mind, but was forced to downplay the other, conflicting feeling that he was also experiencing. “That is something the heroes present can vouch for. They did, in fact.” 

 

The hero pulled out a list of paper from his suit and showed it to everyone. 

 

“Here are the signatures of those involved. Nearly all petition for the court’s lenience on the case.”

 

Danny stared at the list. He couldn’t see the signatures from where he sat, but it mattered not. He couldn’t deny that he was touched by the gesture, grateful and somewhat relieved that they weren’t just tossing him away for stepping out of line. Still, those were the calls begging the court to show mercy. None decried the very sham nature of the trial. Aizawa still had gone to great lengths collecting those signatures, as the school also tried to stand by him as much as they could without running their reputation into the mud. 

 

“Yes, losing your star pupil will be a problem, won’t it? But the court can’t back down even if U.A. vouches for him. You have demonstrated that you cannot ensure Fenton’s behaviour. As such, he will only keep breaking the law if no punishment is dealt. This is what vigilantism brings upon you and Fenton couldn’t not have known this. And besides, he has other transgressions that cannot be forgotten if we are to uphold the law.”

 

The halfa gritted his teeth. He really was half-tempted to punch the man, but that would most certainly backfire quicker than it should. 

 

“If I may…”

 

The judge looked at the teen. “The accused, speak.”

 

“Your Honour, I believe that the prosecution chose to omit another party that knew full well about my past. The president of HPSC doesn’t seem to be here, yet she knows. She also knew it all the way back. When she blackmailed me into interning with them.”

 

It appeared that the commission already enjoyed a mixed reputation, given how some among the audience believed him. 

 

“You are not in the position to throw accusations,” the prosecutor argued. 

 

“I am not accusing. That’s what they did. As a matter of fact, they offered me a leeway out of this court,” he spoke through the sounds of a more agitated crowd. He was taking them down with him, and to hell with consequences and the look from Aizawa. ‘What are you doing’ said look screamed. 

 

“Order in the court!” The judge exclaimed and used his hammer. “The accused, what are you insinuating?”

 

“I merely want to shed some light on the way of things. Everyone goes on and on about the law, about how they have to maintain order. And how me trying to help breaks this order,” he said, looking at the crowd and the cameras, “Funnily enough, I got to see all sides of this order. I saw how people break it, how it is upheld I am seeing now and how the law itself is ready to bend at the behest of an organisation that answers to nobody but itself. How many recruits has the Commission scouted among people like me, ignoring the law, ignoring this order that must be so flawed that they simply can’t do without said violations?” 

 

“You are the accused here, Fenton,” the prosecutor said. “Shifting blame will get you nowhere. We will hear the Commission, but it will have to happen during the next hearing, if that’s the outcome we are heading towards.”

 

Danny sighed and stood up. “I said what I wanted about them. Ever since I got a fresh start, over and over again I had to face the reality — even at times when we could so something, we were not allowed to. When I investigated the case of U.S.J. attack, I was forced to play dumb and all I could do was prepare myself. I had to give away the feat of bringing down Stain, because I was not allowed to. I had chances to arrest Shigaraki yet I knew where this will lead. My fault in the fight with All for One was that I got caught. All along the way so far the authorities covered for me. U.A., so to say, did little to nothing about , so you hammering down on them serves only to hide the real collaborator. I am…grateful to my school, because their intent is genuine and I know they want me to go the right path. But the Commission and the Police had one goal in mind — to look good and get themselves another tool to use and discard when they saw fit. After all, that’s the fate they had in store for me if I agreed to be bailed out. But why would I agree? After all…”

 

He reached for the collar on his neck. It supposedly blocked his Quirk, but there lied a problem.

 

His was not a Quirk.

 

With a simple motion he phased the contraption off his neck, much to everyone’s shock and horror as the boy’s eyes began to glow. 

 

“I could get out whenever I wanted.” 

 

Aizawa could only glare, both in anger and despair. He could do nothing to hold the boy in place, his Quirk was useless against the boy’s mutation, and his scarf had to be left at the entrance. Phantom, in the meantime, phased off the bracelets as well.

 

“I tried and failed playing by the rules. I don’t deserve the attempts made by my teachers, yet I was nothing if diligent in my attempts to help. You are free to judge, to hate, but I will stand firm by my beliefs and decision. I’ll simply save all of you the trouble and accusations of hypocrisy if I decide to leave it at that. Perhaps it was not the place I was meant to be at, the path was not truly mine. Goodbye, world, perhaps we will still see each other once again!” 

 

And with that he vanished from sight, leaving the frozen audience and his dismayed homeroom teacher. It seemed…the class would need to elect a new president. The place would, evidently, become vacant. Fenton purposefully left them no choice.

 

As for the halfa, his adrenaline-filled body was rushing forward. Invisibly, he was flying across the city, using the caused bedlam to his advantage. He had some time to pack up his belongings before they headed up to search all possible locations. Phasing into the apartment and dropping invisibility, however, Danny was snapped out of his haze by a voice.

 

“Leaving already?” 

 

The teen turned to face Tsukauchi, who had been watching the live footage of the court. 

 

“T-Tsukauchi-san?”

 

“I figured you will come here before long,” the detective sighed. “And this might be as good of a chance to actually talk as any. Not like I could do this at the court.” 

 

So that was why Tsukauchi wasn’t there…Danny felt relief wash over him, but it also made him feel guilt. He was doing everything to make them stay away, yet they all just stuck to him. 

 

“I need to get my things…you are not trying to stop me, are you?” 

 

The detective finally turned to look at him. There were bags under his eyes. “You know, in retrospect…I should have known it would end like this. We all foolishly believed we could change your mind. But you are stubborn as an ass.” 

 

“Yet you still took me in. I wasn’t the one who asked,” Danny shrugged. “And beared with me, too.”

 

“That is a proper word,” Tsukauchi scoffed. “I am still mad at you for doing it all behind my back. Hell, I am even angrier now after this,” he pointed at the screen. “The Police helped you only to save its face, did it?” 

 

Only now Danny realised the implication. “Tsukauchi-san…I didn’t mean you.” 

 

“Of course you didn’t. You just can’t keep your mouth shut when it matters,” the detective sighed. “And now you are on the run, your future is in the dumpster, the reputation of our institutions takes and even bigger hit and I am a failure of a guardian. Which I was damn well aware of. I hope you are happy with how it turned out.” 

 

Danny looked at the ground. “I did what I had to do. We could all just pretend that everything is fine, but we all know it is a lie. It is as you said. You knew who I am, you knew the risks.” 

 

“What are you even planning to do now?” 

 

The halfa tapped on the ground. “I have some unfinished business. After that, who knows?” 

 

“You won’t be able to run forever, Danny. You will be alone in your little rebellion.”

 

“Maybe,” came Danny’s answer. “But I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t ready to look this possibility in the eyes…you probably shouldn’t be here. If they learn that you saw me and did nothing…” 

 

Tsukauchi sighed once more. “That was the intent,” he said and got up. Then, the detective put a hand on his shoulder. “You have chosen a dangerous path, Danny. From now on everyone will be your enemy. I can only ask of you not to lose sight of what you still are on the inside. A hero, even if misguided one.” 

 

The halfa nodded and smiled forcefully. “I will try, Tsukauchi-san.”

 

Perhaps, there was a key difference between the boy and All Might. The two prime heroes from two different worlds. As the latter smiled for everyone around him, the boy smiled for himself. Perhaps it did sound egoistical, but the boy needed it no less than a bystander, it would seem. With everything said, Tsukauchi left the teen alone, free to pack his things, his hidden cash from the fights, and take one last look around the room that used to be his home for the last several months. It pained him to leave, to abandon what had seemed to finally be a normal life for him, but it was too late to turn back now. Summoning a portal, a swirling mass of green and purple, he stepped in, ready to return to his world. 

 

One that would end up not as welcoming as he had hoped. 

 

A.N. Oh, what’s that? Finally a plot divergence again? Got that right. It is time for Danny-boy to realise his potential and then take on the world.

Chapter 31

Danny could still work on his portal abilities. While tearing the fabric of reality was no small feat, he had to make a stop in the Ghost Zone. It was relatively easy to get in, but the exit was immensely harder to come by. One should have thought about entering the Infinite Realm as following the river until entering the sea. But it would be much harder to find a river whilst swimming along the entire seashore. Wulf was different, his knowledge allowed for more direct travels. Fortunately, the Realm itself always aided the traveler. No matter where you went, you always ended up where you wanted within the reasonable amount of time. It helped to better control the world that was ever expanding. Sometimes Danny wondered how it could even function, how ghosts could even attempt to bring authority to that chaotic and unreasonable world. 

And so, whilst trying to reach familiar locations, Danny took in his surroundings. The world looked the same as the last time he was there, same as it was millennia ago and just as it would look like centuries after. The same endless swirling expanse of green and purple in the front, above and below. There was always something both serene and eerie about the Zone. Perhaps both of his halves reacted at the same time. Sam and Tucker never liked it there, even the former, so enthralled by the occult and supernatural, felt uncomfortable and lost. Still, to Danny it was more than bearable, as long as he didn't stare at the swirling mass for too long. It was akin to staring down an enormous ravine while being afraid of heights. Generally unpleasant, but even that was as good a distraction as any. 

Danny kept going for what felt like an hour. An hour of flight through sheer nothingness, mixed with an occasional empty strip of land or a door to some ghost's small domain. The halfa was yet to see anything or anyone familiar, although he was growing more and more impatient, yearning to blow something up to blow off some steam. Yet, when he landed on one piece of land, instead of angrily destroying the floating rock piece by piece, he instead tiredly dropped the bag and fell on the ground. The weight of the recent events was much faster than that of his flight. He was...lost. Even while knowing his destination, it didn't feel like one. He was already chased out from his house, there wasn't any home to come back to. He really was one lost little half ghost in an endless universe. Danny didn't have it in himself to feel depressed, he was just...tired, for the lack of a better word. He needed to stop and think of a better plan. It was the first time in however long since he saw his friends and family. 

What was he going to say to his parents, if they even wanted to entertain him? Were they going to shoot him, curse him? Make fun at how he failed at living a life on his own? He really had no clue. To each of those reactions Danny remained clueless how to respond. He had just had way too many painful exchanges. Did he really need another more? Danny shook his head. No. He came to tie up any loose ends left in that world, so that he knew for certain that it could live without him. And that he could sleep peacefully no matter where he was. And perhaps an apology for not consistently keeping in contact with his close ones was also due. In the end, Danny made up his mind. He had personally just cast away people who actually cared about him. Why would a talk with someone like the older Fentons be an issue? He was fully  in the right there, atop of everything. At least the heroes and Tsukauchi had reasons and arguments. Fentons' was unfounded blind hate. 

He was probably just overthinking it all. His afterlife was still far from over. Danny pushed away his white locks and got up, before his eyes stopped at his regal attire. Come to think of it...there was a path he was so far to try out. One that seemed so foreign he had largely discarded it. But there was something...tempting about it now. The halfa closed his white-gloved fist in determination. Grabbing the bag, the halfa made a step from the rock and continued his flight. 

He flew for an hour more, but could feel that he was getting closer. It was more of a gut feeling, there weren't any landmarks to speak of. But then, something came into view that made the halfa freeze on spot and then snort. The Realm seemed to catch on quickly with his clearly stated wishes. There might have been something concerning about the current wish taking such precedence over his previous one, but who knew, maybe it was the world's pick as well. No time like the present, Phantom thought and decided to land once more, at the edge of an enormous island. Before him lied what seemed like a mile of dead withered trees sprouting from rocky surface — the distance he was willing to actually walk in order to properly take in the sights. Of course, the centrepiece of attention was an enormous structure of red bricks — Pariah's keep. Although, its previous owner was currently busy being asleep. And hopefully it would stay that way. 

Danny felt strange coming in there like this — unburdened by the urgency of a stupid high school bet or a world ending disaster. He was free to examine his surroundings all he wanted. The castle wasn't exactly aged, nothing in the Zone aged. There wasn't even any dust. But it was still a mess, both from the battle that took place not so long ago and traps that he had set off even longer ago. The walls were shattered, the weapons and bones were scattered around, and at that point Danny was unsure of his actual goal for coming there. Sure, the thought that the castle was actually his did settle in his mind, and it was probably the intention. Whether he decided to actually make it loud and clear or not, the castle could serve as a good temporary spot to operate from. 

The prince dumped his bag on the floor near the main gates. Ghosts didn't dare to come in here, so his belongings were largely safe. Danny turned into his human form and dug out some better clothes than the yakuza-like getup he was still wearing — simple jeans and a hoodie. He looked around the hall once again and at the door at the opposite end. One that lead to the throne room, where one of his most powerful enemies slept, imprisoned within the sarcophagus. Curiosity urged him to go in there and take a look, but he ultimately decided against it. There were more important things to do than to ogle his past enemy. Danny looked back outside and outstretched his palm, succeeding in making a portal that he knew would lead him to his native world. And with that, he stepped in, firmly ready to face everything it had in store.

He came out of the portal in what seemed like a suburb. Having patrolled the city for so long, he had come to learn every nook and cranny of Amity Park. So he knew he hit a strike on that one. The halfa set a list of priorities. Perhaps he needed to hit his friends' places and get to learn what had happened in his absence. Maybe he could make it a surprise, he childishly thought and took a stroll. 

However, he soon started noticing something. The streets were certainly less crowded than before at that time of day. Danny asked a passerby for the time, and the miserable-looking man showed him the watch. There clearly was supposed to be more people outside at that time. Phantom narrowed his eyes in thought. Something was horribly wrong. It looked like Amity Park was on its way to becoming a ghost town in more ways than one. Danny was ignoring his ghost sense, but now that he focused on it, he was taken aback. His every breath for a good mile was accompanied by the gusts of cold air despite it being the middle of the summer here. The amount of ghosts was alarming. Back then, his sense actually was useful for pinning someone, but it was useless when there were just so many. It was some strange luck he wasn't spotted yet, but it seemed the ghosts were currently busy if people actually went outside, reduced in number for reasons he didn't want to know. His mind picked up the pace and decided that it was no time for surprises. He needed info and quick.

Danny opened his phone and called the closest person he could get in touch with. As he put the phone to his ear, however, Phantom heard a familiar ringtone sounding right behind him. Turning around, the halfa was greeted face to face by none other than shocked red-beanie wearing friend of his. 

"How long have you been there, Tuck?" Danny asked curiously, closing the flip-phone.

"I thought I saw someone familiar," Tuck said slowly, before happily enveloping his friend in a hug, "Oh, man, Danny, we thought you were a goner!"

"Have been for a year," Danny rolled his eyes at his own overused joke. "I'm glad to see you too, dude. Got so much to tell, but..."

"You saw the shit this town has gone to, eh?" Tucker let go of him as the tech-obsessed teen's look turned grim. "Not here. If some ghost sees you it will be chaos."

"Why?" Danny asked as Tucker led him to the closest alleyway. 

"Look, dude," he began. "I won't sugarcoat it. This shit is 'cause of you."

"Yeah," Danny mumbled and looked around. "I figured."

"You...don't seem sad about it."

"Had some time to realise that whatever I would see would be my fault. Tell me everything, man. Or better yet, we ought to call the others."

"Ehm..." Tucker started uncomfortably shifting and looking everywhere but his friend, whose expression turned into that of utter dread and horror.

"Tuck, don't tell me..." 

"They are alive!" Tucker quickly answered, raising his hands. "But you see...well, when you left we thought we could handle it, but there were too many. And each of those stupid spooks thought they got a shot at luring you out and then making sure you are fully dead. Of course, the weaker ones just lurk at night, but luckily they don't need to eat with so much ectoplasm in the air having leaked from the portal over the year. Most don't come out at this point, like ghosts do, but with so much of the city being claimed by them, it is near impossible to lead a normal life here. So people just pack up and leave before Ember or Spectra get them in their clutches and turn 'em into some twisted juice box to feed off of. I am no better myself, my folks plan on moving soon, but I am glad I got to see ya first..."

Tucker could see Danny's expression change from fear to suppressed anger. His eyes were now glowing, but Danny made no sign to stop the tale. 

"And, well, that's what Fentons told Jazz — to stay away until they can 'deal with this mess'. She is in university now, and we all convinced her it would be for the best, despite her wanting to stay. Seeing how Fentons are still trying to be a pain in their asses and Jazz is also so close to you, it would be better if she were away for the time being. Val's father always was a worrywart, so when the situation got out of control, he did his best to find a job somewhere away. But she occasionally sneaks out and flies from another state. But it is harder, because Vlad cut her funding and also decided to just leave Amity."

"Lemme guess, with me gone and Mom showing her true colours, he decided that there was nothing to catch here?"

"Well, I don't have access into the fruitloop's brain, dude. But I think so."

"But why would he still fund Valerie?" Danny rubbed his cheek in thought. 

"She said he still makes her run errands getting stuff she couldn't take. Strange stuff."

"Like?"

"Your pillow."

"My...what?" Danny was taken aback, before shaking head. "And...Sam?"

Tucker's look turned sad. "This...well, her parents were the first to pack. They are loaded and could just move to some mountain resort or something," he wasn't hiding his distaste. "Probably took away her stuff, too. She wanted to run off but her grandma, you see..."

"Yeah, she wouldn't want to leave her at the deathbed," Danny realised and sighed, "Fuck."

Tucker blinked at seeing his friend cuss for what felt like the first time in forever. 

"And all this just because I decided to ditch my job," Danny muttered. 

"Hey, dude," Tucker put a hand on his shoulder. "It ain't your fault. None of us could blame you. I mean, don't think we didn't know you were keeping us in the dark about your nightly patrols. Even during lessons your mind was obviously with your clone and not in the classroom...If anything, you can blame the ghosts or us for failing."

"No, you did all you could. I'd stick with the former," Danny mumbled, the look of his poisonous green eyes gaining newfound confidence. "But I am going to make sure they are never crossing into here again," he growled and stormed outside. 

"Wait, Danny!" Tucker called. "There is an entire army of them out there. Lemme get everyone we can first!"

Danny chuckled and turned to him. "Let ghosts sort their own debacle, please. Besides, it ain't going to look pretty. Oh, did Fentons close their portal?"

"Not really."

"Why am I not surprised...Gonna add them to the list of blame. Well, make sure the portal stays open just a bit longer," Danny smirked.

Before Tucker could ask what his friend meant, the furious half-ghost vanished from sight and took to the skies. He needed to start from somewhere. His eyes fell on a concert hall. His sense directed him just there, and it was quite simple to put two and two together. A lightbulb appeared over his head. Yes, that could work. As he flew closer, he could catch the sound of music he knew too well. She really could use a fresh repertoire. With ease Danny slipped inside the building. There weren't any customers or security. Probably all stuck inside, and for a while, too, given how even the snack bar was empty. Just as easily he entered the main hall, immediately being blasted by loud rock music and obnoxious chants, containing only one name — Ember. There she was, at the opposite end, the beautiful teenage-looking ghost with white as paper skin and burning blue ponytail. But one was not to be fooled. Danny knew that for all the smiles the fans had on their faces, ones that he could see as he walked through the crowd, were fake. They were all captives on which the siren preyed. Danny's only saving grace was his ghost half, immune from most of her charms. 

He patiently waited until the song was over and the only thing resonating through the hall were the loud cheers and chants that made the girl's hair flutter several feet higher.

"EMBER! EMBER!"

"Yes, tell me who you love!" The girl exclaimed, before her eyes fell on the figure in the hoodie standing in the first row. The person who was quiet. "Hey, that applied to you, Dipstick!"

"Oh, am I figured out already, that's a crying shame."

Phantom smirked as his eyes glowed again, making the ghost freeze. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Or do you call everyone that?" He asked and walked up to the stage, much to the boos of bewitched crowd. 

"You..." Ember mumbled, before smirking wickedly. "And here I thought you were six feet under, Babypop," she said and approached. "All the better, I get to end you myse..."

Before she could finish the sentence, Phantom landed a punch in the gut that sent her flying into the nearest giant speaker. Not before ripping the guitar off her, tearing the leather straps.

"I'm sorry, were you saying something? I must have gone deaf from that cacophony of yours," he spoke absent-mindedly as he toyed with her instrument. Then a string on it popped. "Oops."

Ember's eyes glowed brighter than her mane of azure flames. "YOU ARE DEAD!" She yelled and flew right at him. Phantom responded to it by sidestepping and hitting her with the guitar so hard it snapped in half and the ghost's flight came to a halt. Danny put a leg on Ember's chest and leaned closer. He glanced at the crowd that was slowly coming to its senses. Must have been the broken guitar.

"The hell..." she hissed. 

"There is something you idiots never seem to realise," Danny looked at her, his eyes still blazing. You are still around only because I allow it. And tonight, you all will come crawling back to the Zone with a late realisation of how much you owe to me."

Danny saw Ember's minion group of musicians coming for an attack, but then icicles appeared in the air and were flung towards them, causing enough damage to make them vanish. His cold look then was turned back to the ghost beneath him. He remembered what she valued most and what he came to do first and foremost. Make sure they never come to the human world to cause chaos, obsession be damned. 

"I'll burn you to the crisp," she threatened, summoning a gust of lame in her palm, before feeling a blade of ice near her throat.

"It won't end you, but what would happen to your vocal cords, I wonder?" Phantom wondered aloud, at last seeing a glimmer of fear in her eyes. He pushed away the remembrance of his vile future self. He knew what he was doing. 

"You wouldn't do that," Ember called his bluff. "We all know what you are."

"That's exactly why we are introducing a few changes," Danny gave the same smile that made the entire world believe in his relation to the greatest villain. Then Ember's hands were shackled to the ground by ice. "But it would also be such a waste if I don't do this."

He clawed into her skin close to the core, causing the ghost to scream in shock and surprise as Phantom scooped some ectoplasm right from the heart of a ghost. The bright green substance coated his fingers before being completely absorbed into his skin. It was a strange feeling, yet one that Danny was used to. He would still have to test the potential.

"What...did you do?!" 

"Can you imagine, I recently learned that I can take all your powers for myself," Danny smiled again. "I deserve some compensation from you guys after everything you did, don't ya think?" 

Now the ghost watched him in full horror. Phantom had just violated what was most important to a ghost. And the action did earn the expected reaction. The shackles suddenly vanished as Danny got up. 

"Remember your place next time. When I say something, it is not a request anymore. So when I say you have five seconds to enter the portal and get out of my sight," he said and opened one right near them. "You damn well use them."

Ember didn't need to be told twice, she nodded, getting up, picking the pieces of her guitar and flying into the portal. Phantom smirked. Was it really everything he needed to do all along? Perhaps there was a lesson that mere words were not enough for some ghosts. Sometimes you simply got your hands dirty. Speaking of which, there was still a crowd of now panicking people. He sighed and picked up the microphone. Time to test his new power, something that was almost instinct-like. 

"A moment of your time," Danny spoke, still not taking off the hood. "Soon this place will be swarming with ghosts. So all of you, get out and hide as far from here as you can! Oh, and do try not to stomp each other to death."

Normally the humans, being humans, would have panicked and killed each other on the way out, if they even listened to a scary hooded man. But that was the power he got from Ember. Whilst not being able to impose subservience, his voice now held an extra persuasive force on those who couldn't resist it. And admittedly, they had got there in the first place, so they could not. But it was not going to work on ghosts, obviously. There were probably other uses, but all in due time. After giving the humans a ten minute head start to get away, he made sure that the sounds from the hall were heard by each and every ghost in Amity Park. He connected to the speakers outside, opened the roof, picked up the mic, tapped on it and grinned.

"Attention all ghosts, spectres and everything in between!" He spoke amidst the empty hall. "Phantom is back from his soul-searching trip and ready to deliver you your due! I am waiting for you at Amity Park Concert Hall and if you don't show up, I'll hunt you down myself! So do save me the trouble and don't make your Prince wait!" He exclaimed and changed into his ghost form, tossing away the microphone. 

Phantom cracked his neck. He was having too much fun with this.

---

But the world he left behind was still reeling from the mess of the recent days. True, the time there flowed pretty much at the same pace, so only a few hours had passed for them as Danny was facing his enemies for what he hoped would be the last time. At the moment, nothing very serious to speak of, but everyone with proper sense could realise what had just happened. It was the open glove toss in the face of the Commission that always held a shady and untrustworthy reputation, saved only by heroes actually working under them. And this time the hit was even harder than that of Stain. 

For one, that was the hearing news channels actually decided to broadcast, instead of the videos being spread over the internet. It had an even larger spread than of someone he was going to now be compared to. All the while Phantom still enjoyed the reputation greater by miles than a murderous psychopath and actually could play the victim card in the eyes of many. His revelations brought many skeletons right out of their closets which many would use for various scopes. The Hearts and Mind party made sure to use it as an example of how corrupt the current government was and this time the outsider opposition force actually was on the same page as many more people. The journalists were dying to be the first to get a new scoop about the story. However, the Commission and the President were refusing to give commentary other than proclaiming everything a slander. 

The Commission was caught unprepared for the fallout, with its leadership left to wonder how much of the events was a deliberate plan or was it all an improvisation? Fenton had seemed so confident about going to jail and enduring it that the President had assumed he really was going to take it and that would be enough of a revenge from him — still leaving them without a pawn whilst being clean after serving the sentence (even if no proper company would have him even as a shipment loader). However, even they were perplexed at how the diligent prosecution learned of what they kept under wraps despite all bluffs. Fenton would have come to them anyhow because of aforementioned poverty after prison. So they logically wanted them to serve as small of a sentence as possible still. But whatever had lead to this, the damage was done, the best course of action would be to wait out until the protestors under the window dispersed. That's how it had always been. What was concerning to the President, however, was what Fenton the wild card would do now. The collar he so easily tore off was a special order made to I-island, and it would seem that even the greatest minds were helpless before the force of the unknown. Yet, what they salvaged in Kamino and the remaining All for One's databases sounded promising. Maybe with that they could make some advancements in a new potential field. 

The Police and the U.A. also refused to give further media coverage to the unpleasant story. However, the latter was forced to publicly announce the unavoidable. 

"The kid really decided to be an agent of chaos to the end," Present Mic spoke during their emergency staff meeting. "Already signed the papers, principal-san?"

Nezu gave a grim nod. "Yes. Unfortunately, we lost one student in the end. Ironic how it happened when we tried to rescue another."

"He showed great promise," Midnight agreed.

"Yeah, yeah. Our new rising star," Mic sighed and rubbed his temples. "But you have to admit, he was also the most unruly of our students. Is it really true he investigated the U.S.J. plans on his own?"

"He really seemed to be prepared for it," Thirteen reasoned. 

"So the kid really had connections to the underworld all along," Mic continued.

"Are you going to bring this up again, Mic?" Midnight asked.

"Look, I am not accusing anyone here. But consider this. The thought of one of our students being a spy never crossed our minds. Fenton may have been a double-agent all along, especially given how THAT guy even went as far as to call him son. Maybe it wasn't on purpose and he just said something he shouldn't have."

"You think a kid who managed to trick all of us for this long just slipped?"

"And again I would ask not to entertain this idea," Nezu shook his head. "Even if it is true, the problem erased itself."

"Yes, but he sure left scorched earth behind," Snipe interjected. "He may have defended our school, but it is a small consolation, given how everything else is going to break trust in the heroes as a whole. And at this horrible time when All Might is gone and Endeavour of all people has to replace him. He is an excellent hero, but reputation-wise..."

"Do we have any idea where the kid may be at?" 

"Given his newfound and old abilities, literally everywhere," Mic huffed. "Hey, Aizawa, you were his teach. Any ideas about that?"

The quiet hero sighed. He himself was evidently burdened by the flurry of recent events. "It is either his hometown or the streets of Japan. I don't think he is going to entertain the idea of starting over in yet another country. But we do have to try and capture him nonetheless. Fenton went ballistic, and for his own good he needs to be stopped before it gets worse."

"Yeah...how exactly, though? So far we saw that literally nothing can hold him in place."

"Other than his own willingness to stay. The only way is to convince him, but for that you have to find him. Knowing Fenton, he has probably already got himself in another mess. It is a matter of time until he shows up."

From that point onward Daniel Fenton was expelled from the school, which dismayed his now former classmates to no end. But what could they do? Especially with them being asked to stay with their families for the time being. But they were free to voice their feelings in the class chat, courtesy of Mina's insistence that they were all grateful for. 

"You guys saw the school announcement, right?" The girl in question asked first. 

"Yeah,"  responded Midoriya. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Fenton-san is a wanted criminal now, they can't keep him around. How do you even imagine him continuing his studies?" Asked Sero. 

"Yes, and this wouldn't have happened if you guys didn't just rush off there," Tsu scolded them. "I didn't want to see him go like that, but he knew what he was doing. Fenton-san knew the risks."

"We all knew, Tsu," Midoriya argued. "Guys who came with us, you weren't visited by the police, right?"

After receiving several messages confirming his suspicion, Midoriya and the others came to the same realisation.

"Since nobody came, Fenton-san probably kept quiet about us."

The students were saddened by this knowledge. Their class rep stuck to his duty till the end, even if he had to lie to those interrogating him. None of them ever doubted that for all his methods and shady nature he always put their safety first. But even if that would stop him from being there to help, he still was unwilling to compromise on his main principles. He was just like the Commission in the view of the laws in general — to bend them if need arises, but Danny was sincere about it and would not pretend or allow himself to fall into indentured servitude. 

"So..." Sero continued. "I hate being that guy, but does that mean we choose a new president?"

There was some time before he received multiple answers. Yes, it was pointless running from truth. Danny was unlikely to rejoin them after his stunt at the court. 

"It is logical to make Iida the president," Momo reasoned. "Since he is a deputy already."

That statement caused no objections from most.

"I don't think we should be deciding that in chat," Iida nonetheless argued. "Let us wait until the studies resume and situation becomes clearer."

"I don't really mind."

"Thank you Fenton-san."

Everyone froze and double-checked their screens. It was Danny. 

"You guys kinda forgot that I am still in this chat," the halfa wrote. "As I said, feel free to choose a new rep. I am gonna be busy for the nearest future."

"Fenton-san! What are you gonna do now?" Midoriya asked. 

"Decided to pay visit home. Just punched a rock star." 

He also added a selfie of himself in an empty concert hall. 

"By the way, does anybody here know how pyrotechnics work?"

His classmates did not have a response to another attached image of a potential fire hazard. 

"So that's a no?"

"Fenton-san, don't pretend like nothing happened!" Iida argued. 

"I get it. And I don't regret what I did. I meant it. It was either that or I am an indentured slave to the Commission. Don't worry about me, guys. I will be alright. Just...don't follow my lead, would you? My future may lie elsewhere, but yours is to be the best heroes your country has seen. So give it your best, everyone! Despite all the stupid rules, I had a blast with all of ya."

He went offline afterwards, leaving others to wonder what their friend was up to. 

---

The halfa did not have to wait for long. The first cohort of his enemies eventually showed up to see the half ghost sitting on an ice chair. Waiting for them. Phantom examined his first opponents. Riding his motorcycle through the walls and seats was none other than greasy blonde punk Johnny 13 and his girlfriend Kitty. They were inconsequential. Johnny's sentient shadow was the bigger concern. It probably lurked somewhere in the poorly lit part of the hall, where only the stage was submerged in light. There were also uncountable animal looking ghosts that somehow got mixed into all this. And, of course, the rest of his rogue gallery, well, most of it. But the toughest of them all seemed a gargantuan robot-like ghost that Danny immediately recognized, which could potentially surprise the ghost himself. A robotic suit of dark metal had no legs, replaced by spectral tail, its head was a metal skull with burning green fires for hair. Its stomach had a glowing green screen. 

"Someone got a death wish here," Johnny was the first to speak. "You've got a nerve calling us here, pal."

Danny lazily shifted on his makeshift throne. "You've got a nerve still being around, Thirteen," he responded, before glancing at the robot. "Hello Skulker, still chasing dreams?" He asked.

"You need to update your info, whelp," the ghost grinned and made a fist pump. "Because now..."

"Lemme guess, you now go by Skulktech? I know you are there Technus," Danny waited until the screen on the suit lit up, showing a face.

"How did you know, ghost child?" The ghost asked in confusion. 

"I have my ways," Danny sighed, swiftly getting up from the disappeared seat. "Having the Time Master's patronage is beneficial. But I don't need him to deal with you," he spoke. 

"Where is Ember?" Kitty demanded to know. "It is her haunt!"

"This whole city is MINE!" Phantom raised his voice with his power of the wail as his hair flickered. The animal ghosts all retreated back several feet further. "In case your memory needs some jogging. And you have no business being here. Neither did she. She crawled her way back to the Zone, and soon you will too," he gave a fanged smirk. "A pity, isn't it? You have to go back to the world that is also mine to rule."

"Getting ahead of yourself, are you, whelp?" Skulker readied his gun. "I recall the crown being up for grabs if someone ends you," he commented, as every ghost's eyes filled with greed. 

"So far you have been nothing but failure, rustbucket," Phantom said. "But if that's how you want to roll..."

He snapped his fingers and the loud speakers started blasting music. 

"The hell..."

"Then I shall indulge you. It is showtime!" He exclaimed with a grin and opened his arms wide, before all stage fire sparks went off at once, basking the hall in light. 

He did not give any time to act. From his eyes and hands emerged powerful ice beams that drove a wedge right between the distracted small army. Phantom veered to the left and lunged forward, smashing the nearest bestial specter into the ice wall. He then jumped against the wall and fired a powerful explosive blast right into the ghosts. Phantom became airborne, but immediately dodged multiple fists attached to bandages, flung by the mummy ghost Hotep. After dodging another strike, he grabbed the fist before pulling and swinging the specter against the crowd of enemies, before letting go and seeing the rocket aimed directly at him. Skulker fired that one. Phantom managed to dodge the rocket, but, knowing it would just turn around, grabbed it instead and threw it towards his opponents, making it fly so fast it was unable to turn and blew up, with Danny himself getting right up to Skulker through the portal and readying to slice up his costume with his ice blade. However, the ghost blocked it with a retractable wrist blade. 

"You too seem to have picked up new tricks, Ghost Child," Technus commented from Skulker's suit. "But your brawn is nothing against my unparalleled intelligence!" 

"I am in this fight, too," Skulker grumbled. 

"The world's mightiest hunter. Now a mere iron puppet for a megalomaniac coward," Phantom mocked. He then saw Skulker's second arm sparkling with electricity and immediately kicked the robot away, not so difficult whilst in the air. 

"What's wrong, whelp?" Now it was Skulker's turn to poke at his enemy. "Reminds you of something?"

"Try it and I will tear off your toothpick limbs," Phantom growled, before throwing a blast through his blade that he then stabbed the first beast that flew up to him and then punched it towards the others. 

However, he was immediately grabbed from behind by two arms made of pure darkness. Shadow. Skulker used that moment to punch Phantom in the face, but Danny responded with firing blasts from his eyes, hitting Skulker point blank. Then he used his leg to push both himself and Shadow into the opened portal right behind them. It took them right to the giant light projector, where Danny pinned the ghost right to the source of light, causing it to scream and hiss as it looked like it was receiving burns. Its strength waned enough that it let go, but Phantom stuck it in place with ecto goo, letting it wither and perish. No matter, he would regrow eventually. 

"That son of a bitch," Johnny said from another end of the hall about to go down there himself, before seeing Phantom vanish into the portal again. 

"Don't think I forgot about you," he suddenly heard the voice by his ear. Johnny turned around to see the smiling halfa before getting punched hard and staggered back. Johnny shook his head and saw Phantom put a hand on the handle of his motorcycle. Then, the next moment, Danny picked up the vehicle and hit him with all of his strength, making the ghost lose several of his teeth and fall on the ground. The handle was also ripped off as the rest of the motorcycle flew away. Danny did not hesitate to fire at it, exploding it again. He examined the handle and noticed a contraption on it.

"I thought I forbade this portal opener," Phantom commented and crushed the small device. "Shows how much you value my word," he sighed.

Kitty fired an ectoblast that he blocked with a shield, before kicking rising Johnny t into the nearest wall, through which he phased. Kitty immediately followed right after him. 

"Ancients," Phantom mumbled. Ghosts' resilience would prove to be an annoyance. 

The wall was only a temporary hinderance. All ghosts could fly over or simply go around. And he had to be quick and hold the initiative and prioritize if he was to win against such superior numbers. Those weren't even all of his enemies.

Skulker came down upon him once more with a whole barrage of ectoblasts coming from his built-in gun. Phantom remembered All for One and created a portal beneath Hotep, the first ghost of note that came in his sight, and by teleporting him right in front of himself Danny made the mummy ghost take the entire barrage and scream in pain, before Phantom's own palm burning with ectoplasmic fires was put over Hotep's face. He howled in pain at being assaulted from both sides, before finally turning into a sand tornado and enveloping both the Prince and all ghosts nearby. Phantom was hit multiple times by the occasional swapped beast that cared more about him than the tornado, but he quickly adapted and used his ice to summon a wall in front of him to stop uncontrollable flight, fired a small explosive blast to slow himself as he impacted, before pushing himself away from the tornado, using the same explosions to surely propel himself. The second he came out of tornado-granted obscurity, he immediately collided with a ghost and smashed it into a pulp with another hit.

Danny then saw Skulker fire a net his way. He swiftly cut it before it could capture him, and looked at the hunter and his accomplice again. He had to dispatch of him soon or he would keep being the biggest annoyance. But he didn't have time to think up anything before suddenly the roof started coming down, as something massive pummeled on it from the outside. Through the gaping hole, as the light of the setting sun poured in, looked a giant black dragon with green horns. Even Aragon decided to show up. The dragon prince opened his jaw and breathed fire downwards, not caring who was caught in the blast. Phantom himself quickly vanished. That guy could be a problem if not dealt with. He was perhaps the most destructive of everyone present — both because of size and fire. 

"Careful, you stupid lizard!" Skulker yelled once Technus switched off the shield that protected them and the fire stopped coming.  

"I care not for your nagging, peasant," the dragon responded, looking around. "Only I am of blue blood worthy of claiming the crown." 

"The only thing you deserve is a glass terrarium."

Aragon felt someone grab his tail. Danny smirked, before using his strength to pull and throw the surprised beast off the roof and down at the deserted park near the concert hall. With thunderous noise the dragon fell on the ground, crashing into everything on his path as he slid across the ground. He had tried to slow his flight with wings, but it did little, Aragon only hit more trees, but Phantom was also nearby, additionally blasting the dragon in the back. Aragon turned his long neck and breathed fire upon his enemy, but was met with a blast of fire. They pushed each other for a while, until Aragon's tank went dry first and the ice beam hit the insides of his mouth. Aragon tried to melt it, but he needed to recharge. The halfa flew closer, before uppercutting the beast's lower jaw. The ice cracked into pieces, cutting and wounding the dragon howling in pain. The distraction was more than enough for Danny to see the amulet on Aragon's neck, drop down in the air and rip the golden jewelry off. Once he did it and landed on the ground, the dragon began shrinking, until a regally dressed blue-skinned ghost appeared in its place. 

"Give back my amulet, you wretch!" The ghost demanded. 

"Let me think...oops," Danny dropped it on the ground. "Butterfingers," he said, before stepping on it, crushing the amulet into pieces. Ectoplasmic vapour flowed into his body. "Sheesh, I should look under my feet, too," he said, before picking up Aragon by his collar. "If your sister has no determination to take it from you, then it is up to me. There can be only one prince, remember it well. Now get out of my sight." 

He opened a portal and tossed the screaming ghost in it. They certainly got rusty over this time. At least Aragon accidentally took care of some specters. He saw ghosts coming his way, from the distance looking like an ominous flock of birds. Danny took a firm stance in the ground, taking a deep breath and waiting. Not many ghosts ever got to see his ultimate move, but it was time to give them a show. Once they got close enough to all be caught in the crossfire, Phantom released the full power of his wail. The tidal wave of ghosts came to a grinding halt, as their sensitive ears were assaulted by the terrible noise. The weaker ghosts vanished, unable to maintain their form amidst such disturbance that ripped straight into the very frequencies that held ectoplasm together. The windows of all buildings in the closest proximity shattered and lampposts bent as the prince released all his reserves all at once. Finally, the wail stopped, and Danny felt much weaker. Still, the training paid off, he still had energy to spare. The ghosts were scattered and severely reduced in numbers. But would those reserves really be enough? More ghosts would come, and he certainly would not write Skulker off either. He needed...a breather. 

Turning invisible, Danny retreated into an abandoned park staff building. There, he sat on the guest couch, wiping his forehead from nonexistent sweat. However, he was not alone for long. 

"Poor ghost boy, fighting all alone."

Danny looked to his side and saw a ghost floating there — a dark, Shadow-like figure, only feminine and definitely intelligent. 

"Penelope," Danny huffed. "You are here alone, too. And I still have it in me to beat you," he lazily leaned back.

"I could just shout loudly. Besides," her body then gained a human-like shape, revealing a beautiful redhead lady. "Feeding off all those humans did wonders for me. You made them so miserable, Danny-boy. So I guess I have you to thank."

They were quiet for a moment. 

"Well?" 

"What do you mean, 'well'?" Spectra was taken aback. 

"Where is the thank you?" Danny gave a tired smile. 

"Don't play coy, kid. I sense your emotions, remember? You can hide these things from everyone but me. You are still unsure, you feel guilty for all this pain and suffering. Oh, you are angry, too?" She smirked and leaned forward. "Not that it would help you. Stay angry all you want."

Danny sighed. "Nothing escapes you, huh?" He asked. "All you do is talk and talk. Preying on helpless like a vulture. I guess that's all a tired hag like you can hope for, I suppose." 

"What did you just call me?" The woman asked menacingly. 

Danny smirked. "Ah, you ghosts are even more of an open book. Your obsessions make you so predictable. I'm not the only one pretending," he slowly got up. "You pretend you are a top shot. Pretend that you are on top of the food chain. But you are also insecure. You are afraid of age, afraid of how you look, merely looking into the mirror is scary for you. No matter how well you hide it, this appearance is false and we both know it!"

His exclamation faced retaliation from the ghost, as Spectra grabbed him in a purple energy fist and squeezed tight.

"You will regret saying this," she hissed, before throwing him away and into the reception desk.

Phantom phased through and managed to land on his feet. "May I advise seeing a psychiatrist? Oh, wait." 

Spectra grit her teeth and fired a purple lighting his way. Danny involuntarily flinched as he dodged, and that did not go by Spectra.

"Oh, right. The little boy played with electricity too much," she cooed. "What an unpleasant memory. But you have to overcome it. The exposure therapy is what I advise!" She exclaimed and hurled more lightings as Danny was purely on the defensive, dodging and blocking, wasting the finite energy. But the image of the past incident kept materialising in his head with more and more clarity. And the more he thought about it, the less he was concentrating on the skirmish. Until eventually, the lighting struck home.

With a scream, Danny fell on his knees, only for Spectra to hit his face with her heeled boot. 

"I can't believe this pathetic child is our prince. Maybe I will make a better Queen..." she spoke dreamily before seeing Phantom slowly get up. "Oh, please, so dramatic. You couldn't protect your town so you ran like a coward. Don't start acting like you are anything but." 

Phantom stared at her with blazing green eyes, as his hair again began to flow. All those the signs of a very pissed ghost. 

"A coward?" Danny asked again, before lunging forward, being hit by the lighting again, but still landing a punch on his enemy's face. "Where were you when Pariah appeared?!" He punched again with an ectoplasm charged fist. "You ran scared shitless!" He yelled again and landed another punch that Spectra tried to block but was overpowered. "Where were you when I alone went to fight him?!" He summoned a blade and pierced her side, leaving it right in her chest, inches away from her core. "Right...you stayed put even unlike the rest, Spectra," he grabbed her face. "That suit only made me and artefact-wearing Pariah equal. You have all the reasons to fear me no less than him," he twisted the blade and even damaged her core, much to her audible pain. "And I assure you," he whispered. "I'm going to give you even more if I see you again." 

Danny pushed her to the ground, pulling out the blade, smeared with green, blackish ectoplasm. Spectra watched how Phantom wiped it with his gloved palm and absorbed it. Immediately he sensed something he instinctively knew was fear. He also was assaulted by a myriad of other feelings, coming from all over his proclaimed haunt. But among those there was something in particular. He felt how humans were rooting for him, begging him to survive and succeed. They may have been hiding, trying to stay away, but what they hoped for alone was enough for Danny to feel his energy coming back. 

"So that's how it feels," Danny mumbled as the glowing aura around him became brighter. "I guess this energy bank is quite practical."

"You...feed off feelings?" 

"Yes. And you were instrumental to this," Danny smirked. "So thank you, Spectra. See? Not so hard to say it, isn't it?"

Spectra growled and prepared to fire lighting once more, but was struck by Phantom's own. After he stopped, the ghost sensed his feelings again, unable to get past one and most prevalent — disdain. Disdain for none other than her. 

"Look, you said it yourself," she tried to bargain. "I am a coward. So let me go as far away from you as I can."

"I don't think we are past formalities."

Spectra realised what he meant. Gritting her teeth, she got to her knees and lowered her head in a bow.

"I beg you, Your Highness!" 

"Good. Don't forget it. Out with you," he opened the portal through which she ran. 

Danny cracked his neck. The break was over. Time for the next round. 

Stepping out of the building, he used his ghost sense to find the spectres, but they were looking for him, too, so it did not take long. Especially for Skulktech. Danny put an ice wall in front of the rockets, before removing it and facing two of his prime enemies all in one metal flagon. 

"Thought you could run, whelp?" Skulker asked. 

"You are gonna wish I did," the halfa responded and grinned.

Then he took a deep breath, and for a moment two ghosts' faces contorted in fear of another use of the destructive power. However, Phantom breathed out a whole blizzard that engulfed the ghost completely, covering the area around in a layer of ice. Skulker found himself unable to move in the glacial prison, leaving room for Phantom to come for his head and prepare for a swing of the sword. 

"Predictable," Skulker said, before blasting the ice from the inside and freeing himself and Technus. The explosion forced Danny to make some distance. "I learn too, whelp."

Skulker cracked his metal fists, preparing to beat up his enemy. Phantom took the stance as well, before they came at each other, each taking hits on their unflinching enemy. 

"You do realise that none of you will get the crown if you kill me?" Danny huffed after landing a punch on the suit's display and Technus's face in addition. "It is two on one, so it doesn't count."

"To hell with the crown," Skulker responded as they held each other in an armlock. "I want your pelt, whelp."

"Ew."

"Hey, speak for yourself," Technus said. "I, Technus, will graciously accept this honour!"

"Your grace is wasted," Phantom mocked.

Then, now having the sufficient energy, he tapped into another attained power, unsure of what exactly would happen. His core digested it and suddenly Danny's hands now gained strange glowing protrusions, ethereal and see-through, but looking like Aragon's own limbs. So it wasn't transforming into dragon. Rather, gaining some of its aspects. Danny had no time to think it over, because once Skulker came upon him, he struck him with everything he had. The ground shook, and the robot was sent flying with a deafening noise, crashing through the entire park and several buildings. Danny looked at his hands and the glowing spikes vanished. Wasting no time, he went flying towards his enemy, sensing that his location was finally located by the ghosts at large. Perhaps it called for the final demonstration. Standing on the street in front of the downed robot, he nonetheless saw Skulktech getting up, his armour actually mending. Probably Technus's doing, it didn't use to do that. 

"What in the name of the Ancients was that?" 

As Danny approached, he saw people in the windows, filming instead of getting away from the dangerous area. He sighed on the inside.

"I prefer a more practical showcase, if you don't mind."

"So do we."

Skulker's palm glowed with bright light as he decided to fire their special toy first. And instead they pointed it at the nearest car that still had humans inside. Danny made no indication of moving. He recognized that trick. Instead he just continued to slowly approach Skulker.

"Not a step closer, whelp! Or these humans are a toast!"

"Then why don't you shoot?" Danny put hands in his pockets as he kept approaching. "Is this because your lovely Palm Pummeler doesn't cause damage to anything but me?"

Skulker immediately moved his palm and fired at the halfa, who lazily dodged the blast. 

"How...how did you know? We installed it only yesterday!" Technus exclaimed.

"Maybe I just see the future," he said as he could now see the incoming ghosts. 

However, before anything could be said and done, Skulker was attacked from behind by a flurry of ectoblasts, chipping away at the armor and leaving him sprawled on the ground, allowing Danny to see the two people he dreaded to meet all along, two jumpsuit-wearing individuals. They were accompanied by Tucker, who still could not allow his friend to fight everyone alone. Danny did not talk to them, instead looking down at Skulker and breaking right into the chest compartment. From there he pulled a struggling ghost in a lab coat and with a ponytail of white hair. 

"Hey, Ghost Child," he laughed nervously. 

"Hey," Danny responded, before piercing the ghost's chest.

After committing what was quickly becoming a routine, he tossed away the shocked specter and took a look upwards, seeing that the army of the undead was now hesitant to come at him. Once again, the sight of someone's core being ravaged in such a manner was a terrifying concept. Danny raised his voice. 

"Such is the fate that awaits all of you! For far too long you have terrorized this town! I promised to give you what you deserve, and your future king is a man of his word! But I am also merciful. If you leave it forever and never come back...I may just look the other way. Just this once," he finished, yet his voice sounded sinister despite the shown mercy.

And the tidal wave of green quickly turned and flew towards Fenton Works, where the only gateway to the realm was located. Everyone watched them leave, as Technus and Skulker got their own personal delivery made by Danny. After they were gone, after several seconds of silence, the people nonetheless erupted into loud cheers. Finally their town was freed from what was all but occupation. People surrounded surprised Phantom and tried to show their gratitude in one form or another. But despite all those cheers, Danny's look was always coming back to the quiet Fentons.

They did need to talk.

---

A.N. Soo, I've heard a lot of theories about where I may take the story next. In terms of the plot, I am obviously having him back in the MHA universe. But not without stepping up his own game, of course.

Chapter 32

And so, the moment had arrived. The Ghost Prince was occupying the seat within a large metal RV, unsure of what to say to the two adults in front of him. The RV was so large it was almost a full-sized room, even given all the equipment and displays within it. Phantom could feel the tense atmosphere, as it pressed on him with all its might. Last time Jazz was nearby to calm each party down, but them not shooting him on sight even after the brutal show was probably a good sign. Then again, to them he never hurt any HUMAN, so it was okay in their eyes, still.

 

"Been a while," Danny mumbled. 

 

"Where have you been all this time?" Asked Maddie.

 

"Jazz didn't tell you? Been to another world, learned a couple of things..."

 

"So why come back at all?"

 

"Conscience. I mean, if I waited for longer this whole town would have died off."

 

"Thanks to your kind, spook," Jack pointed a finger at him. 

 

"So I'm still nothing more to you, huh?" Danny mumbled. "I thought all this time was more than enough..."

 

"It's not exactly easy to think otherwise...but it's not something we can just ignore."

 

Phantom nodded. "Of course. It is not easy to accept you killed your own son. Still, I didn't stop being one even after. At least half of me, if you want to be such nitpicks."

 

"You can't be both dead and alive, we've been over this."

 

"Then I really am just a walking reminder of your design decisions. Still, you never once suspected anything. I must have perfectly nailed the act," Danny spoke sarcastically. "Look, I never was mad at you for the incident. I am just as much at fault for being so clumsy. In fact, that day opened a new leaf for me."

 

"Stop talking as if you are him. You may have his memories, his attitude down to the last aspect, but how can we know that it really is you when you can't say for certain?" 

 

"I am certain. If I was just a ghost possessing a body it would have by now melted from the long use. You know I am right...how much of it is your grief and how much it is the refusal you sought to finally end your own son because all ghosts are supposed to be evil?"

 

"They are evil, Phantom, this town's condition is the testament to it." 

 

"The ones here? Sure. But even that is debatable as they are driven by an instinctive need. Do you call a wolf evil for hunting you down? They are nasty prisoners of their own ectoplasmic bodies. Most of them are out there, in the Zone, sitting quietly. And I will make sure they continue doing so. Since I am now in charge."

 

"Since when are you their Prince? If you really claim to be Danny, you have no relation to him."

 

"You don't have to be related. You only need to get rid of the previous one. This is the best way of ensuring only the strongest ghost leads and protects both us and the balance between various worlds. Since I took Pariah down, I am the Prince. Because nobody coronated me yet. Ironic, isn't it? Our family hunted their kind for generations and now I am supposed to order them around. But rest assured, I will still do everything to make sure situations like in Amity Park never happen again."

 

"How can we trust a word of a ghost?"

 

"You have to start somewhere. Many ghosts would ask me if I really should trust you, the ones who dissect those you manage to capture. But I am still willing to extend my hand and let bygones be bygones...whether you believe it or not, you are still my parents. I may hate your guts, and even if you agree it will never return things to the way they used to be, but I don't want us to be enemies."

 

"Are you afraid we will actually be a problem for your plans, spook?" Asked Jack. 

 

"I am, as a matter of fact. And if you die in the process, Jazz will never forgive me." 

 

As a matter of fact, Danny felt like no matter the past hatred, it would still crush him as well. Not that he would further show that weakness to those who would not appreciate it. He leaned forward. 

 

"And you WILL die. You couldn't even handle the weaker ones here. You are not prepared for what actually lurks in the Zone. And what I can do."

 

"Bring it, then! At least we will die standing against the fiends from another dimension!"

 

Phantom glared at him. "Right. Gonna write it on your gravestone, Dad. And then add 'which I invited here in the first place'."

 

"It wasn't us. We only opened a portal so that our research may go forward," Maddie argued. "The potential of ectoplasm even for civilian use is immense. Our entire house and this RV are powered by so little, imagine what it can do to the world! It is the ghosts who chose to come and wreak havoc."

 

"And it was up to you to close it at any moment," Danny retorted. "All your research achieved is turning this place into a ghost town in all senses of the word. The only reason you weren't lynched yet is the fact you drive around in a tank and Dad carries the bazooka even in his sleep."

 

Maddie shook her head. "We are talking about abolishing the need for energy all around the globe. People can move out from here, but the end result will solve so many problems for mankind as a whole."

 

"Is this a genuine desire to aid the needy or just your pride?" Danny asked. "Yes, it will help your need. But we both know the dangers of ectoplasm. What happens when there is too much ectoplasm in the air? The very fabric of reality twists and turns, laws of physics are broken and you may as well die. When Pariah came here wearing the crown and the ring he exuded so much ectoplasm our entire town was ripped into the Ghost Zone. It's not even some carbon waste, there is no container which can fully prevent that. If you put electric grids powered by ectoplasm all around the Earth, it is screwed. Not to mention that such an extent of ectoplasm procurement will get you the attention not only of the select few ghosts, but the entire realm. It will be a slaughter none of us wants."

 

"Is this a threat?"

 

"It will be if you refuse to listen to reason. Please, I know what it means to you. You are abandoning your biggest project, but there is no other way to keep things stable and without danger for both worlds. That thing needs to go."

 

"This IS our biggest project. One that may equal the space travel, even. You cannot deny humans this feat."

 

"Maddie..." Jack spoke slowly. "Maybe...he is right."

 

Both other members of his family turned to the large man in surprise. 

 

"Are you taking his side?"

 

"Mads...this portal thing, I am proud to have created it, just like you are, but...the cost has been too great, don't you think? First it took our friend out for decades, and then our own son..." Jack looked at the painful reminder sitting in front of them and grimaced. "He died for it to work. It keeps taking people close to us...I don't want it to take Jazzy-pants, too."

 

Danny looked at him with sadness and appreciation. Jack Fenton was a menace as a driver, disaster for everyone around as a hunter, but none could deny that he was a very soft man. However, it pained Danny that he would still ignore the fact that their son was right in front of them. Maddie looked at her husband, too, but hers was a look of bigger confidence.

 

"It won't, Jack. We will make sure of it."

 

"Just so you know, she was nearly possessed on more than one occasion," Danny put in. "So no, you won't. Or, not the way you think. I offered you the solution. Jazz believes that your research always was more important to you than your children, don't go confirming this idea."

 

Maddie wanted to object, but she never was able to deny how distant they had grown.

 

"Whatever you think about me, you never noticed any abnormality, did you? When all you had to do was pay closer attention. Shut that portal down, and you will never have to worry about ghosts coming after her again. And I will do everything necessary on my end."

 

The auburn-haired woman looked away, deep in thought. She felt a hand on her shoulder, meeting her husband's gaze. Giving a heavy sigh, she spoke.

 

"Fine. We are shutting it down. But let me make this clear," she poked his chest. "It does not change anything between us, Phantom. I don't want to ever see your face after this. If we catch wind that you are still anywhere near our daughter, if you show up in this world again, our deal will be off." 

 

Danny silently watched as his own mother was casting him away one more time. And it pained him just as much as the first one. Fentons would never change, people never did past a certain point. He would never convince them. Neither was there any point in trying. But to forbid him even from seeing Jazz, that was a blow maybe too low. That's the price they were putting forward, the cost of ensuring that no threat came to the Realm from perhaps its greatest, if not clueless, foes. Perhaps that was the greatest challenge so far, not the ghosts, not the Fentons' weaponry — to decide between his responsibility and his sister. What's the alternative? To destroy the entire household and the lab? Fentons would just scrape together a new one. Their danger lied in their vast knowledge they never bothered to write down, conceited to an extent they never even published their discoveries, hence accusations of lunacy. The research had already gone too far. It could have been stopped in their college years, but not now. The only other solution...they were right in front of him, defenseless. He was one of the most dangerous beings in three worlds. A single move of his hand — and the danger and obstacle would be gone in an instant...That, too, was a sign of great determination, no matter how macabre it was. 

 

"If that is the price we all have to pay for people to be safe...so be it...Maddie."

 

Phantom got up from the seat and opened the door of the van, leaving his past family behind. He no longer had the right to even call them his parents...something he still used to hold on to. It hurt, but at the same time, there was some finality in that conversation. With ghosts chased out and the portal closed, his duty before the town was fulfilled once and for all. Danny was now left to do what he wanted. He was the Ghost Prince, his loyalties, his attention were meant to be elsewhere. The halfa saw Tucker approach him, and Danny's look was more than enough for his friend to know everything.

 

"It didn't go well, did it?"

 

"Try to guess," Danny sighed. "I suppose...this is a goodbye."

 

Tucker didn't look surprised. "I expected as much..."

 

"The town is still dead, Tuck. Even with ghosts gone, people will move out sooner or later. You better do that, too. You have even fewer reasons to stay."

 

"Where are you going now?"

 

Danny shrugged. "Gonna need to renovate Pariah's castle. I am the Prince, so I have all the right."

 

Tucker huffed. "Never would have thought it would end this way."

 

"None of us thought what that portal would do to me. Whatever the case, I must leave this world and probably for good. Such are the terms of my deal with Fentons."

 

"Horribly one-sided, is it not?"

 

"I'd like to hear the alternative! Now that I am the Prince, there will be ghosts who would stop at nothing to end me, much tougher than our usual crowd. I shouldn't stay around, anyway."

 

"I see...you can at least call."

 

"Yes. Not like they can track these," Danny mumbled. "Tuck...make sure to find Sam, would you?"

 

"Already on it, dude...what about Jazz?" 

 

The halfa looked defeated. "No doubt they have trackers near her at all times. I know how paranoid Fentons are..." 

 

"Danny, dude...how can you be sure they are gonna stay true to their word?"

 

"I can't. But I assure you, I will know it before they even think of doing it."

 

"You don't have to..."

 

"Tuck. I made my mind! Please..." he gave him a pleading look. "Don't make it harder than it already is...I tried turning a new leaf, but only was met with failure. I can't go back, I can't start anew, so there is only one thing left for me to do, to be what I am. Yes, the only way I am leaving this post is in a box, but...running from it won't be living, or whatever it is I am doing. And as a Prince...I must put my responsibility first."

 

Tucker didn't respond first. "Jazz is gonna hate you for this."

 

"I know. Guess we will need to wait until Fentons eventually fail to uphold their end."

 

"And if they do?"

 

Danny opened a portal behind himself. "I gave them a second chance. There won't be another."

---

But the halfa had some unfinished business in the form of the only other member of their dying race. As it happened, the man was bound to be at his mansion, which was also a tall, almost satirically huge castle. And per chance it was brimming with people, affluent and wealthy ones, who were all invited there by the world's richest man who pursued one of the greatest ambitions a man may hold and thus was ready to make all the necessary deals with all the necessary people, all gathered under one roof. Of course, he wasn't pestering everyone who came — that was beyond his stature. He had dignity and respected the dignity of others. Vlad Masters was, as pun would have it, a ghost in that crowd, appearing and vanishing to make sure his guests remembered who was the owner and what he wanted of them, occasionally entertaining a conversation.

 

As such, the middle aged man with head full of gray hair was busying himself with securing a deal, standing by a fireplace of a spacious living room.

 

"So it is settled, then, Preston?"

 

"You really need to ask, Masters?" his newest friend asked and chuckled. "You will get your coverage, but don't forget your end of the bargain."

 

"You wound me by assuming otherwise," Vlad smiled. 

 

"Yeah, he may be a frootloop, but he honors his deals."

 

The billionaire froze upon hearing the voice behind them. His head spinning around so fast his ponytail flipped over his shoulder, Vlad saw Danny's human form standing in front of him, dressed in a formal suit just like everyone around. However, someone so young was still out of place in a gala this important. Vlad did not possess the ability to sense foreign ghostly presence, so Danny sneaking up like this was not anticipated. But not entirely unwelcome.

 

"And who might you be, young man?" Asked Preston. 

 

"Name's Danny. My family and him go way back," Danny responded and pointed at Vlad.

 

"I didn't expect you would actually accept my invitation," the man said in surprise.

 

"I didn't expect you to actually invite me to come," the halfa shrugged. "I've been away for months. Creep."

 

Preston stared at the exchange. For someone who was just the child of a family friend he seemed awfully familiar with Masters.

 

"Still, I am so glad you are here. Preston, you don't mind if we do some catching up?" Vlad asked and put a hand on smiling Danny's shoulder.

 

"Of course. Talk later," the magnate waved and left. 

 

As he did, Danny's smile slipped off and the halfa shook Vlad's arm off. 

 

"Who was that guy?"

 

"Preston Williams. One of the biggest media moguls there are."

 

"Why do you need to be chummy with a guy like that? Your cheese sales going down?"

 

"I prefer being known for Dalv-co, little badger," Vlad smirked as he used the nickname and saw Danny's displeased look. 

 

"Cheese and technology. What are you? Wallace?"

 

"Amusing as ever. What does any person with more money than he can ever spend want? To turn it into actual power. I decided to run for presidency."

 

Danny stared at him. "You couldn't even run a city!"

 

"Ghosts are something beyond what a simple mayor like me can solve," Vlad spoke dramatically and put a hand over his heart. "Are you going to try and stop me?" Vlad asked in a suddenly serious voice. "I don't assume you came because you decided to join me."

 

"At least you realized you have no chance. I came back because I realized that there is some unfinished business. Fentons will hopefully shut down the portal as promised, but there is also one other. Owned by a man who also is a pretender to the throne."

 

Vlad's eyes widened as his smile grew. "Daniel, don't tell me you finally stopped running from it."

 

"Exactly. That's also why I am here. You know how to use ectoplasm better than others, so it's not the destruction of your research I am looking for. But your stance on the ghost problems and me is something that really matters."

 

Vlad chuckled. "Come with me," he lightly pushed Danny forward as he himself went out of the room. 

 

Danny followed him to an empty corridor, of which there were plenty in a vast castle. Danny already had an idea where they were going — to the underground lab.

 

"I must say, I am surprised you don't dismiss my candidacy," Vlad commented. "Other ghosts ignore my contribution to locking Pariah up."

 

"Nobody likes you, frootloop. But knowing you, I can't just write you off. So I need to know what you think."

 

"Oh, really?" Vlad glanced at him as his eyes glowed red. "What's stopping me from lying, then?"

 

"Nothing. But let's hear you out."

 

Vlad huffed. "Can't say you don't butt into the picture, Daniel. I've been demanding the throne for a good while, arguing that you don't want anything to do with it. But now you return more bent on it than ever. What changed?"

 

Danny sighed. "My journey taught me a couple of things. I realized that trying to fit in is just ignoring what I am. When I was forced to conform...we had a bit of a falling out with the locals. So, I am done conforming. I am going to make my own rules."

 

Vlad smiled. "Exactly what I dreamed to hear from you, Daniel..."

 

"Be careful of what you dream about or you won't like the end result. So, you ARE coming after the throne?"

 

"Look around, Daniel. I wouldn't have started to run for presidency if I had an entire world's worth to take over. I have already given up on that. But perhaps it is for the better."

 

"Oh?"

 

"You see, little badger," he spoke as they went through the bookshelf and down the staircase towards the lab, "We will make a wonderful tandem. As a half human you will have the common sense ghosts lack. You will be able to understand the plights of humans. When I become one of the most powerful people in this world, as a half ghost, I will be able to tame the Investigation Ward and the research in this field. Isn't this what you desire most?"

 

Danny looked at him with caution and suspicion. Yes, Vlad had nothing to gain if the research continued. Surely he didn't hope to topple the king by using human pawns. That would raze his own future realm to the ground. Vlad was a frootloop, a bastard, but he was not of the insensible kind...then again, he did release Pariah, but hopefully it taught him something. And even if so, what was Danny to do to stop his arch rival from succeeding in his campaign for the office?

 

"You shut the GIW, and I will consider it," Phantom responded. "I ain't staying in this world, so I don't really care as long as nobody dies in a nuclear fire.

 

"I am glad that we have come to an understanding, Daniel. But there is something I wish to show you. It is...quite important."

 

They went through the lab that wasn't too dissimilar from Fentons'. Metal walls, a plethora of various tables with a multitude of contraptions made from the same zinc alloy as all proper ectoplasmic devices. They passed a portal Vlad had the decency to shut down when not in use. Turning it on and off was worth a bill of several months' worth of an entire district's electricity. Vlad could actually afford to pay it. Then, the gray-haired man led Danny to a secluded room, full of pipes, splatters of ectoplasm of unknown origin, with a curtained object in the very end of the room.

 

"Way to be dramatic, Vlad, what is it?" 

 

The man huffed and pulled down the piece of cloth, and what he saw made Danny freeze in shock. There was a glass tube, filled with ectoplasm, and in there was...a girl. Couldn't be older than six. But what immediately caught his attention was her white hair and more feminine version of his own past hazmat. 

 

"You sick psycho..." Danny muttered and rubbed his face slowly. "EXPLAIN."

 

"This...is Danielle. My failed attempt at making your clone. Atop of being a girl..."

 

"YOU SAY IT LIKE THIS IS NORMAL!" Danny raised his voice. "You made my CLONE. You are insane. So that's what that pillow stuff was about? You needed my hair or something?"

 

"Pretty much...Miss Gray should really remember the term 'corporate secret'. Oh, please, don't look at me like this, Daniel. This decision would have satisfied me and I would have been off your back. As I was saying, she is also lacking in terms of age and is unstable. Using her powers too much will cause her to melt like her siblings right there," he pointed at the puddles of ectoplasm. "But aren't I a genius for making even a defective half ghost? I would honestly have considered releasing her if you never showed up, but the last thing I need as a potential and actual president is a child appearing from nowhere. So for now I just make sure she is stable enough, but sleeping."

 

"How kind of you."

 

"I am not above killing children, but this would just be wasteful," Vlad shrugged. "In the end...maybe this will still do good for you. You are leaving your home for the world or worlds where you will be alone in the very end. Your so-called allies will betray you the second you step out of line like Pariah did. The Observants would like nothing more than to see you gone so that they can run the world again as they please. But there will be someone ever loyal, always ready to help and who, if we manage to create a stabilizing technology, may even be on par with you, her very own...cousin, brother, father?" Vlad smirked at Danny's expression of utter bewilderment. "I merely made her. But she is your own flesh and blood. And ectoplasm. Do make a choice, Daniel. Because who knows when I decide to finally pull the last plug on this project?"

 

"You can't do that!"

 

"Why? Technically she isn't even born yet," Vlad shrugged. "In any case...I believe you got what you wanted. I am heading upstairs. Do decide and get out before I come back."

 

With that the other halfa turned around and left the room, leaving Danny to stare at the massive tube, and a small girl sleeping within. She looked so much like his childhood photos even despite being a girl...then again the true differences start with puberty. Danielle, seemed so peaceful in that container of ectoplasm. Danny sighed and leaned against the nearby wall. That was something he was completely unprepared for. What was he supposed to do? Release her, of course, there was no debating it, or Vlad would go through with his threat. But what then? Danny couldn't just let her on her own, she was six, and that's only physical age. She was technically a family, and he would do his best, of course, but at what role? Who was he really to her? 

 

But Vlad's other words made sense to a decree. He just renounced his own family, and they renounced him, most of his friends and Jazz were scattered around as he wasn't going to live in that world any longer. If there was any chance, a sliver of hope that suddenly danced right up to him, why was he supposed to dismiss it?

 

After several minutes of pacing around, Phantom finally made up his mind. He had decided not to run from responsibility. Before him lied perhaps the greatest responsibility a living or dead being can potentially take upon oneself - to take care of a child. It did feel strange, he was only fifteen himself, but it would be foolish to deny he was forced to become older than he actually was. This was only adding to the impression. Danny looked at the nearest touchskreen console and snapped his fingers, with Technus's power doing the job of accessing the right buttons. 

 

The ectoplasm was drained from the tube, with the girl being slowly lowered to the bottom. Danny approached the tube as it opened and, albeit not without hesistation, picked her up. The ghost girl started to stir slowly, shifting in the half-ghost's hold, before lazily rubbing her eyes and opening them, revealing two green shining orbs that immediately darted to Danny's face. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed, before Danielle finally spoke.

 

"Daddy?" she asked groggily. 

 

Someone certainly made up her mind quickly. But at this point Danny was perhaps too tired to argue. He smiled lightly and nodded.

 

"I guess so," he said and flicked her long hair from her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

 

"I dunno. Head feels funny," she shook said head. 

 

"Figures. You were in that thing for some time...hey, ehm, Danielle?"

 

The girl looked at him expectedly.

 

"How...much do you know about how you came around?"

 

"Vlad made me...I think."

 

The frootloop obviously had a way to force the required knowledge into the girl's head. Otherwise she wouldn't even be talking in coherent sentences. And the frootloop decided to make Danny's life harder by preinstalling the belief of who the older Phantom was to her. Yet he opted to spare the halfa from having to explain how she came to be. 

 

"Well, pretty much..."

 

"Daddy, can we go home? I don't like it here..." The girl looked around. The sight of splattered ectoplasm in a dark basement must have been quite unnerving. 

 

Phantom sighed. "Yeah, that would be best. Come on."

 

He let Danielle jump on the ground. 

 

He wasn't going to take them straight to the castle, now that the last matter in the human world was settled. There were some basic things to take care of first, especially with the new addition to his drastically shrunken family. Like groceries. Pariah's castle was in a shortage of available food stores, for sure. But they needed to be discreet and stay cautious with every appearance. He would not jeopardise everything because of one shopping trip. Danielle was a halfa as well, so...

 

"Look, kiddo, you do know that you can turn into a human form, right?"

 

She nodded. 

 

"Then could you please do that? People will get nervous if you show up as a ghost."

 

The girl scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "But I am not gonna do anything, I promise!"

 

"And I believe you. But sometimes just seeing something so unusual can get people worried. Let's save them the trouble, hm?"

 

Danielle didn't really seem convinced, but still nodded. "Okay."

 

Same way as Danny did it, the girl switched her forms, showing a remarkable level of control. To her it was preinstalled, it appeared. Danny had had to learn the hard way, constantly reverting back and forth. And now they looked even more alike, with her raven hair and ice blue eyes. Her outfit was an interesting pick, Vlad must have bought the first things he saw. Danny prayed that Vlad had actually BOUGHT those, logistics of putting them on her aside. The outfit consisted of red sneakers, blue jeans and hoodie. She looked adorable, Danny couldn't deny that. Those were also obviously boy clothes, with how baggy they looked in certain places. Of course. Vlad had expected a boy. 

 

Danny smiled and patted her head. 

 

"Now let's do some shopping," he said, before making a portal.

 

"Woah! Awesome!" The girl breathed out and ran towards it with a speed of bullet. 

 

She was certainly going to be a handful. It was a hyperactive child with the whole arsenal of powers. Still, he was not letting anyone, be it Vlad, Fentons or supernatural forces, harm that little girl. 

---

"Explain it, Phantom!"

 

The Observants, floating green one-eyed ghosts in collared capes and robes, sent a delegation to where they knew for certain the halfa was waiting for the whole three delegates. And he knew they would be arriving, as he was sitting on a black elevated throne in his ghost form. Somewhere away from their sight were many still packed shopping bags and a little girl busy picking a room for herself. She didn't need to be there for this. 

 

"What exactly should I explain? Not everyone is as omniscient as you guys. Why are you even asking?"

 

"We are not telepaths. We see what you do, not why. Now state your intentions, child!"

 

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to finally admit what everyone already knows. This world once again is going to have a king. And this one doesn't sleep on his job," Danny pointed towards the sarcophagus. 

 

"Absolutely not! We are not entrusting the future of this world and so many more into the hands of a child!" 

 

"I am not asking to crown me here and now, though. I need you," he rose from the throne, "To acknowledge me and my future role. We all know the real reason you are refusing to give what is rightfully mine. The crown will make me too powerful to handle. I can wait for it until I prove I can wield it responsibly. But I am amending our agreement. I am taking up my duties as a prince, this place and everything within it as my domain." 

 

The Observants looked at each other. "You have no right!"

 

"I have the right to demand everything at once. The crown, the throne and your allegiance. Yet I am willing to compromise."

 

"Compromise?! So far you are only demanding!" 

 

"Merely what I am owed. Even less. Please be aware that no matter what you say here, the outcome will be the same. If you don't accept my offer, you will be no different to me than the ghosts I've beaten before. And we all know how this will end, you don't need to be a fortuneteller for that. You would not be asking Clockwork to do your dirty work if you were capable of ending me even the way I was half a year ago. I will have the throne, even if it means forcing you to bend your nonexistent knees. So do consider this generous offer, I am handing you the keys to absolute power out of respect for the duty you've carried out for millennia. In exchange for something that should be rather trivial to you."

 

"It is far from trivial, Phantom. You seek to overturn the order which has existed for hundreds of years!"

 

"The Observants are caretakers, not actual leaders, you know that. Since the start it was your responsibility to watch over the Realm until the next king came to be."

 

"Clockwork told you this?"

 

"I guess the fact you never saw me learning of it is answer enough. He is the only one invisible to your sight. You heard me, however. Cling to power longer than you should and you will end up losing all of it, don't you doubt it. But I still wish to avoid shedding ectoplasm. Your sight and ability to act upon it is invaluable to my own responsibility of dealing punishments. Let us do what Pariah refused to and cooperate. We need to act as one before the subjects or there will be no end to conflicts that will concern all of us."

 

"So legitimacy it is..."

 

"Your legitimacy is just as much under question, don't pretend it is not. But this is a rare case when by cooperating we can erase these problems altogether." 

 

The Observants once again looked at each other, perhaps communicating telepathically. They all were interconnected. 

 

"We will consider this offer. But under one condition, child. We have seen you learn the abilities of other ghosts. We don't need to explain how abhorrent that action was."

 

"Please, they did keep their powers. Even their cores will heal."

 

"That's not what concerns us. Our condition is as follows — swear off taking them from your fellow ghosts from now on."

 

Danny stared at them. "You are still afraid...very well. Until you crown me so be it. But I expect you recognising my royal status now, as well as my...daughter's."

 

It still felt odd saying this. Not exactly wrong, just...weird. 

 

"Fine then," a response followed. "You shall be the crown prince and your clone a princess. But keep that child under control. She can be just as destructive as you."

 

With that the spectres flew away, leaving the halfa to sit on his throne again and sigh. 

 

"You can come out now," Danny said and turned towards one of the columns. 

 

The girl dropped invisibility and chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry, Daddy."

 

Even her habits were the same as his...

 

"Don't be. You did not interrupt anything...was it so interesting you decided to spy?" Danny smiled and came down the stairs. 

 

"I picked a room so I decided to come tell you this!" The girl rambled. "And then I saw these weirdos...you looked like it was important."

 

Phantom chuckled. "That is one way of calling them. But I suppose I got what I wanted. Even if becoming a king may be more distant than I would like, accepting not to take something is not the same as giving something away. So I am happy."

 

"So...I am a princess now?"

 

"Since the moment you were born, kiddo," Danny tapped on her nose and made the girl giggle. "They are just stupid. Now let's see which room you've picked."

 

He was soon led through the twisted corridors to a room with a rotunda structure. One that had a large glass ceiling and a concerning amount of torture devices. Ancients knew what had been happening in there. 

 

"I'll have to clean those ones," Danny mumbled. 

 

"There's a lot of stuff!" Danielle said with maybe too much excitement as she picked up and shoved at him a Spanish boot, holding it above her head. "What's it for?"

 

"Let's...not get carried away..." Danny took the torture device and put it on the ground. "Why this room, though?"

 

"I dunno...but I like looking at the sky. It's pretty." 

 

The older half-ghost looked up at the swirling mass that was called the sky. It was, perhaps, a grim reminder that it was the world of the dead that would be his home from that point onward. The girl seemed awfully optimistic about the prospect of seeing it every single day, but it could just be that there was little to nothing she could compare it to. And maybe something within her yearned to see the skies, just like inside her father. That brought a gloomy thought.

 

"Look...Elle," he decided to shorten her name, "There is something we need to talk about..."

 

He sat on the disused rack, and the girl floated to sit next to him. 

 

"Is something wrong, Daddy?"

 

"Yeah...you have to know that I myself am not in a very good position. This is my new home, away from what most kids your age are used to. What even I am used to. I may be a prince, the future king, but providing you with what a proper parent should give may not be within my power. I am not even an adult myself. The last thing I want is to sentence you to the life you don't want. I may have spoiled mine, but yours is a clean list of paper. So if you don't want the life I am offering, I will totally understa..."

 

The little girl interrupted him by hugging her genetic parent around his shoulders, standing on her feet. She was really small, even for someone her age. 

 

"It's okay! I like it here, Daddy, promise!"

 

Danny looked into her sincere green eyes, feeling his lower lip quiver. 

 

"Are you sure? You haven't even seen what's out there."

 

"I wanna see it...but I also don't wanna you to be sad, Daddy."

 

Vlad had no idea what he had tossed away, had he?

 

"I...can get over it, kiddo..." he tried to assure her. "but I guess I just wanted to know. It's not like I could have sent you alone out there, so it really was about my conscience..." he shook his head. "Very well, then...if you once again stand firm, then being a father it is...sheesh, what a wild couple of days. Let's get your room cleaned of this stuff, hm?"

 

"Okay!" The girl beamed. 

---

A.N. So that's how it is. Our Danny boy is gonna rule his own world. With that being said, the next chapter will see him come to the world of MHA once again. Isn't that great?

Chapter 33

The Observants did not wait long to make the grand announcement. Using their combined powers the ghost collective let it be known through the very frequencies of ectoplasm — the realm finally gained an heir. Phantom's own announcement was more humble, as he did not possess the same ability. He could only summon all able ghosts to attend and solemnly swore in their presence to uphold what any Ghost King, future or not, was meant to cherish and defend. Ghosts were anarchic creatures, solitary ones. A good King was meant to protect that solitude and eternal peace from anyone daring to transgress it. His previous act of subjugation committed in Amity Park was as good show as any that he could and definitely would do everything. 

But as the new monarch was busy solidifying his newborn reign, the world he had left behind was going forward with its own existence.

With the capture of All for One, as well as the League, many were led to believe the threat to be over. However, the latter were not arrested by All Might, were they? The news clearly showed the white-haired teen subduing them. The very teen that was arrested and then vanished. That of course sparked its own series of theories and conspiracies, with everyone left to wonder where he could have left. Not everyone was satisfied with mere theories. Kirishima was one of them. He couldn't just forget that his best friend was unjustly persecuted and on the run. The redhead tried writing and calling him, but Danny did not respond. What in reality was the halfa putting it away, with him being too busy fighting off the fresh contenders, Kirishima saw as the decision to hide even deeper. For the student didn't know half of it. Still, he decided that one pointless endeavour would not hurt. 

And so, he came back to the rundown building that used to actually be haunted by one spectre. It was silly to think Danny would just hide in the same spot, but Kirishima knew his friend — he was a person who never fixed anything until it was broke. If nobody was there to chase him out, he could have hidden there again. He stepped inside the old grey building, once again finding no signs of anyone living there. It was not nearly as scary in the light of day than it was at night. But once Kirishima went upstairs, he was indeed greeted by someone. He saw Tsukauchi kneeling on the ground and examining paper wrappers. And the detective spotted him, a look of recognition crossing his features. 

"Oh, you must be Kirishima-san," Tsukauchi mumbled. "What brought you here?"

Kirishima, taken aback by the very existence of this conversation, did not respond immediately. "I...I dunno. Guess I hoped Danny would be here."

"This makes two of us," he stood up and raised the wrapper. "All made months ago. These are too old to be recent. Neither there are any tools for livelihood...he never made it back here, so I suppose this is a dead end."

"Yeah...I wasn't really expecting much," Kirishima looked at the floor. Still, a part of him had actually hoped. 

Tsukauchi smiled. "You are a good friend. But I can only ask that you leave the search to me. He is your friend, and I can't say that he is dangerous, but he is still a wanted criminal. Can't have people thinking the wrong thing. This seems to be the trend nowadays."

"And what do you want to do after you find him?"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell. Not because I am forbidden from doing so, but because I think the people up there have no idea either. But this uncertainty is what everyone is experiencing right now...everyone also wonders what the villain scene is gonna be like."

"The League is gone now, though. They are all in prison, aren't they?"

"True. But it doesn't end there. There are many other villains...and we are expecting heroes will have their work cut out for them. The villains are going to fight for a place in a vacuum All for One left. And many may get caught in the crossfire, so you kids should be ready. You are getting your first licenses soon, if you manage, that is. So keep this in mind."

"Do you think Fenton-san will show up in all this?"

"Well, he certainly won't miss it. If he still cares for the matters of this world, that is," Tsukauchi mumbled the last part. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Don't mind that...you people have still moved into dorms, how is it?"

"It's...certainly new. But it is cool we get to stay together."

"I've heard Danny's place did not stay vacant..."

"I've got nothin' against Shinso-san...the man earned his place, even if he is not as friendly at the first glance. But this also means Danny really has no place to come back to...it does kinda feel that something is amiss."

"Such is the way of heroes, I am afraid," Tsukauchi sighed, heading for the exit. "They are bound to lose a lot."

"Phantom sacrificed a lot, too. But he is no hero, that's what many stupid people think."

Tsukauchi turned to him. "Maybe. But there would be nothing to sacrifice if he just listened," the detective responded. "He always went on and on about how he doesn't belong here. But everyone will feel out of place if they purposefully ignore the way things work."

Kirishima looked at the floor. "I always thought he was just being dramatic as usual..."

"We both know that he was hiding an awful lot."

"But why did he even stay around if that's how he felt all along?"

"He was just waiting until he finally got his license. But circumstances obviously decided otherwise. If only he was patient enough..." Tsukauchi added. "I can only urge you kids not to act rashly like he did. But you will be getting provisional licenses soon, so it can't be that long."

"He didn't act rashly, he...He was trying to keep us all away from danger!"

"What do you mean?"

Kirishima bit his tongue. He wasn't supposed to say that, his emotions got the better of him. And it just had to happen in front of the man who could detect lies. But before he could say anything, Tsukauchi shook his head.

"You kids...whatever it was, I am glad more of you did not go down with him. We can't afford to lose more promising heroes."

Tsukauchi left, as both of them wondered what fate had in store for the lot of them. And what would their rogue friend do amidst that mess of his own creation.

---

"I think you've had enough."

The Ghost Prince looked into the eyes of yet another beaten and felled contestant, his own clothes damaged and his face covered in scratches from hundreds of thorns. Undergrowth's red orbs stared back at him, filled with anger and malice. The colossal ghost made up of vines and bark was beaten once more, and with the same weakness being the creature's downfall. The multitude of frozen, ice-covered plants was the testament to that, as well as the trail of destruction left on what had been a luscious forest. Prior to the Ghost Prince's visit. Phantom needed to ensure the most powerful ghosts in close vicinity were subdued for the time being. Some yielded immediately, some, like Undergrowth had required a harsher approach. 

"This is not over, Ghost child, nature will always have its way," the ghost hissed through his beak mouth. 

"Guess I will need a bigger lawnmower, then," The Prince huffed. "Although...maybe I can ensure you will never be a bother to me..."

Phantom gave a pointed look towards the ghost's chest. Immediately noticing it, Undergrowth realized what he meant. The Observants never made public that part of their deal, and now every ghost who had heard of his newfound terrifying power feared that the victorious monarch could opt to violate the most sacred place of any specter. Whether he could take the entire power or just a portion of it like he had done was a mystery to all who was neither the Observant nor the all-knowing Time Master. Or Danny himself.

"Don't you dare..."

A spiked vine sprouted from the ground behind Danny and lunged at the opponent. Phantom dodged and grabbed it, ignoring the thorns that scratched his palm. From there, ice spread along it, before Phantom ripped off a piece of frozen vine and stabbed the ghost. Undergrowth screamed in pain, before feeling spreading cold inside.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" He demanded to know.

"Simple. The ice will spread inside you until I tell it otherwise. I couldn't care less about your power, so may as well make sure you can't use it either, hmm?"

Undergrowth saw the malicious smile on the Prince's face. He could feel the deathly cold approaching his core.

"Let me spell it out for you," Phantom approached the ghost. "You cannot win. None of you can, I proved this over and over again. So you either submit now or I make sure you never will be a bother."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Undergrowth lowered his head.

"Have it your way...Your Highness..."

"Good," Phantom snapped his fingers and the ice inside Undergrowth vanished. "They are finally starting to learn. Next time you come to my castle and swear it in front of everyone as you should have. And from that moment, you will also be able to always count on my help and sympathy. Don't violate that second chance."

"Yes, I will come."

Undergrowth was bitter and furious, but he was now trying to conceal it, no matter how poorly. Phantom could appreciate the effort. 

"He is the last one on our list, isn't he, Fright?" He asked loudly, looking towards the ghost leaning against a tree.

At the Prince's call, he began to approach. It was a very tall man in black and silver knight armor. Despite the opened helmet, his face was concealed by purplish darkness, with only his eyes seen to everyone else. Behind him was always a cape of purple flames, and on his belt a green glimmering sword. 

"Indeed, my liege," he responded.

The ghost of many legends, the embodiment of fear himself. Fright Knight held many titles, but above all he was one thing — the most loyal servant to anyone who was the rightful ruler of the Infinite Realms. Despite their rocky past, Fright readily accepted the half-ghost as his new master. It wasn't the worst candidate in Fright's eyes, even if Phantom still had long ways to go. And Phantom was glad to always have someone capable and experiences in courtly matters by his side. Even if he did not fully trust the specter just yet. 

"Then I guess we can head back," Danny gave a bright smile. "It is a cause for celebration, is it not?"

"If such is your desire, Your Highness. But this will have to wait, there are other matters to assess."

The smile slipped. And here he hoped he could finally get some rest. It had been several days of endless fights with little to no sleep. With a sigh, Phantom opened a portal nearby. 

"Let's see what this is about. But I guess we will check on everything else while we are at it. Shouldn't take too much time."

The two ghosts came out on the other side. Out there, above the green tree crowns stood the castle, for which the two ghosts set out. The forestry was given a new pseudo life, as it no longer looked dead and withered, and amidst all this an occasional house would stand or be built. Some ghosts were eager to settle near the most powerful specter of the Realm, the one who was also benevolent enough to allow it. This would go against the solitary mindset of most, but many ghosts were also not above grouping together, the Far Frozen was one such example. As Phantom passed through the nascent town accompanied by his tall bodyguard the denizens of the domain greeted their Prince and bowed in his presence.

It felt...strange. Danny still wasn't used to such level of reverence. It was different even from being regarded as a hero. It was a different sort of relationship, one between the monarch and random people from the streets. It wasn't necessarily adoration, or, rather, not entirely. There had to be fear mixed into it. Phantom may not have been able to hold himself regally or exaltedly, and he wasn't even trying. The very message that the most human-like ghost in the room was also the most dangerous one should have been enough. Besides, the very embodiment of fear loyally followed him around, so that part certainly helped. 

The Prince had no time to spare for anything more than a brief look around and couple of words exchanged with ghosts he had come to know. Usually the towns sprouting near castles and palaces housed the small armies of court servants, it was not going to be any different now. Danny would certainly prefer someone but mute skeletons. The latter had their uses, they would never gossip or spread classified information, but there was no need to make a dead environment appear even more lifeless. It would not be an issue for the nearest future, but he was there to stay for far, far longer.

The castle itself could provide everything, reshape itself, but Phantom knew better than to try and renovate it on his own. So he had simply employed the service of the undead engineers and other specialists. It would take longer, but the end result would be more than satisfactory. Fright Knight told Danny that they would need to go to his working cabinet, where the former had arranged a meeting. Danny had previously allowed his right hand man to take the initiative in certain matters and here was the result. And so the two walked through the red halls, so much more spacious without bones, traps and plundered treasures lying where they should not. Eventually they made it to a large clean room, among the few that Danny had taken to quickly renovate himself, other than the throne room and the living areas. And there, sitting on a chair by the desk, was none other than Walker. Danny's mood took yet another plummet.

"You are late, Your Highness," the warden sneered. 

"Didn't I fire you?" Phantom asked sarcastically, going for his own seat at the desk.

"You did not. And we both know you can't. I run the only jail around these parts," Walker smirked. 

Danny sighed, sitting on a chair. "What do you want? And why didn't you warn me beforehand, Fright?"

"This is a private and trivial matter, my liege. I didn't see the need."

"It is anything BUT trivial," Walker argued. "Tell me, Your Highness, why do you think I want to put Wulf on the leash?"

"Is this about him again? I told you..."

"Answer, please."

"Because you are a control freak, Walker. None will ever deny it."

"Maybe. But his is the special case. There is a reason why his vagabond travels pose threat to us all. You see, all ectoplasmic research in all dimensions follow the same trend. First they discover ectoplasm, then they learn how to wield it, get more from the very air around and make tools, then there is the understanding of ectoplasm's time and space-bending properties, and then bam! They create a portal. From then on it is endless conflict until all ways are cut off or...the king has to ensure the peace of his realm one way or another. The number of worlds Pariah laid ruin to is uncountable."

"Wouldn't that harm the Realm as well?"

"The destruction of the world itself would. Nobody said anything about the people. But I think you understand where I am going with this, aren't you?" 

Danny's expression turned grim. 

"Wulf let himself get captured and drained of ectoplasm in large quantity..." Walker leaned on the desk. "Since it is my job to bring him in, the Observants informed me."

"Not even a king yet and they are already going behind my back," Danny gave a small smile that hid his disappointment. "Would not expect anything less from them."

"They know that you would not listen. And look at that, you don't."

Phantom narrowed his eyes. "Skip to the point."

"That is why Wulf is a threat. I will capture him no matter what you say, I have the Observants' permission. But this is something you cannot sweep under the rug. That's why your right hand was eager to arrange this meeting. Listen to the old folks like us, punk," Walker couldn't resist the nickname. 

"My condition was to keep quiet about this matter," Fright added. "We can't have your subjects panic, my liege. The Observants expect you to fix it, but they never issue an order themselves if they can help it. They act through mediators. And watch your tongue, warden. He is your Prince," Fright said and put a gloved armored hand on his sword.

Phantom rubbed his temples. He had completely forgotten about All for One and his actions to learn more about Wulf and ghosts. He was behind bars, but his research could have been picked by someone else. Danny realized that the Observants would not put it past themselves to punish Wulf as well for 'putting the world in jeopardy'. In case of his own world it was...relatively...simple. But that was solely because Fentons and Vlad were familiar to him, Danny knew what to offer and what to do. But the world of heroes and villains now saw him as a man on the run, someone with no ability neither to threaten, nor suggest anything in exchange. 

Wulf...Danny couldn't deny that he was starting to see his problem in a new light. But he also knew that his friend was innocent. Was he really to blame for the actions of one villain? It was unfair, but there was no arguing with Observants. They were stubborn as mules and only Clockwork could change their minds, even if occasionally. But...if there was no problem, then at least that 'crime' could be put behind them, given how Phantom could publicly defend him. The rest was something he truly could not change, just as Walker had said, but he could both resolve a looming crisis and help his friend once more. 

"I see the problem, Walker. Guess it will be my first test whether I am good for my job or not," he huffed. 

"I would suggest just wasting those involved, but what do I know?" Walker stood up. "You won't be able to forever protect the very cause of problems you are meant to solve, Your Highness. At some point you two will have to part ways and believe me..." he leaned forward, facing the unintimidated expression of the halfa. "I will be there when it happens." 

"Suit yourself," responded Phantom. "But what do you gain from telling me all this and also not telling everyone else?"

"I ain't a fool to keep an enemy out of the Prince, no matter what I think of him. You owe me for this."

"Wonderful," Danny said drily. "Fine then. As long as it is not about Wulf, you will get your favour."

Walker did not waste any time and turned to leave immediately, citing that he could show himself the way out. The Prince and his right hand were left alone to ponder.

"This...is certainly a problem," Danny sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"What do you intend to do, my liege?"

"We have a timer until Walker captures Wulf once more and humans uncover the secrets of ectoplasm. The latter is not as hard. It took my parents several years, but that world is admittedly more advanced. All for One moved way too quickly for my liking. Still, we should have some time. Until then, we need to find the research, destroy everything there and be done."

"You are more knowledgeable about that realm than I, but certainly there must be some challenges that ire."

"For one, we don't know if All for One had other labs where he researched ectoplasm. The second issue would be the Commission. They certainly know where the remnants of the lab I have seen went." 

"That would warrant a conversation or two."

"That is more than I would have liked..."

The door to the room then slowly opened, and a small white-haired head peeked inside. Seeing her genetic father force a small smile on his face despite the previous conversation, Elle took it as a sign to enter and run up to the table, hiding something behind her back.

"Something you need, kiddo?" Danny asked while playing along.

"I am a Gift Ghost! I have something for you, Daddy. Try to guess!" She said and impatiently shifted on her feet. 

"Gee, I don't know...maybe a present?"

"Aw, that's not fair!" The girl pouted. "You are too genr...general!" 

Danny smirked. "So I guessed right? Come on, I can't wait." 

"You are too impatient, Daddy," the little girl scolded him, before grinning again. "Here!"

From behind her back she pulled a list of paper and showed it to Danny. There was a drawing of her own creation. There were stick-ish but recognizable figures of him, Elle and also a bit to the side was unmistakably Fright Knight with very pronounced angry eyebrows. Danny glanced at the ever-somber knight in question and smirked.

"The resemblance is on point," he said, before putting the drawing on the table. "Excellent job. Let's decide where to put it later, okay, princess?" 

"Okay!" The girl said, floating over the table and giving him a hug before flying out of the room.

Danny gulped down the lump in his throat, caused by a wave of emotions and smiled. "I guess everything can't be so bad."

"The child should not interrupt important meetings, Your Grace."

"Oh, drop the act, Fright. You just want to hang it in your chambers, don't you?" Phantom teased. "Actually..." his tone then became more serious. "Maybe it shouldn't be just the two of us in that world."

"Are you insinuating that Her Highness should accompany us as well?" 

"Pretty much...I want her to see the world outside of here, Fright."

"You have agreed to become a parental figure to her. It is up to you to decide what she can and cannot do. An informed decision is also something a child should make when she is bigger."

"You are really stretching it with these rhymes," Danny mumbled. "Maybe we do have years until the time she can, but being informed would not hurt even now, especially given how we don't know when we have to come to any human realm next time...As for our mission, let's see Frostbite."

"You seek to use the Infi-Map?"

"This IS a quicker way."

---

"Repeat that."

Needless to say, the visit to the Far Frozen realm went less smoothly than Phantom had hoped. The snowy, glacial landscape, a wooden village filled with tall yeti-like creatures of fur and ice surrounded them, only to then be replaced by icy corridors of the inner sanctum of the village, their temple and sacred vault. Accompanying the royal and his servant was the chief of the village Frostbite, the tallest of his brethren, dressed in blue cape and golden jewelry. And the chief looked crestfallen upon hearing the Prince's reaction to the latest news.

"Forgive us, Great One, but it is true. The map is gone," Frostbite said. "We failed to uphold our sacred duty and in an hour of need, too."

"That's...a problem," Phantom sighed. "Is it Vlad again?"

"Plasmius could not have hoped to reach in there after the last time. We took all the necessary measures and our newest technologies."

"When did it go missing?"

"We check on it each ectoplasmic cycle. Just yesterday the map was there. We planned to inform you after finding some leads."

Phantom sighed. "That's nice of you to try and make my job easier, but this is something I myself have to know immediately. So I guess you don't know anything yet, do you?"

"We do have speculations. Admittedly, if someone gets their hands on the map they have already won, as it can easily transport you wherever you want. So we do our best to check for foreign presence before opening the vault. Needless to say we also didn't see any signs of breach. The vault cave is reinforced with our materials as well as steel plates from the human world in order to prevent humans from phasing through ghostly objects."

"That's...worrying. But I suppose if neither the Observants nor Clockwork decided to tell me this, it is not the most pressing issue."

"How can you say this, Great One? This is an artifact of greatest importance!"

"Don't you think we would have noticed by now if someone had used it?" Asked Phantom. "But I can't help but wonder... This is a terrible coincidence, don't you think? Just when I need the best tool for my job, it just up and vanishes. I am not going to throw accusations, though."

The Observants could see everything, but they could not read his mind, after all. 

"This does complicate our undertaking," Fright commented. "What do you intend to do now to undo the crisis in the making?"

Danny hummed. "There are other ways of getting the information we need."

---

But first they actually needed to properly come back. Establish a base of operations, one would say. An overly glorified way of calling whatever decent place they would be able to find. On the warm Japanese evening a portal opened at the grassy, empty outskirts of the city. From there immediately flew an ever-excited ghost girl wearing a sticker-clad backpack, with the only thing holding her back being her father that emerged next. Danny took a less eager look around the surroundings, the recent memories reminding him that he was not actually welcome in the city that was below. 

It really felt like it was only yesterday, so fresh was the memory of being treated like a usual thug. It truly hadn't been that long, but he would have resumed his studies by then had it not been for the past incidents. A part of him longed for it to be the case, so that he could continue to hang around with his friends, unburdened by ruling the whole world. But what had happened was probably better for everyone. Whether he liked it or not, he still had had to be killed for the crown to be passed down, even before he accepted that role. Besides, as he looked at the excited little girl, Danny thought that he would not have met her otherwise. So, as it had been the case with the terrible visions of just as terrible future, Phantom decided not to fill his heads with questions 'what could have been'. What had happened could not be changed, so he would just have to move forward.

"Don't run too far away, Elle!" He called after the girl.

"What are your instructions, my liege?" Asked Fright, who exited last. 

"Walker did not mention MY research. Fragments of which are located here and there. But if we do this, we might as well be thorough. I need you to head to the forest on this map," Danny pulled out a folded list of paper. "And retrieve my destroyed Fenton Thermos."

"You allowed this contraption to lay there?" Fright asked scoldingly as he took and opened the map. "Where did you even get the map?"

"I bought it before that disastrous camping trip. Had to be prepared. As for why I left the thermos, there were too many things on my mind," Danny rolled his eyes. "I doubt they can get anything out of it, what's with its sorry state, but we better play safe. If you encounter costumed heroes, do not harm them, you hear me? Only if you have to defend yourself and within reasonable damage. I am not even talking about civilians."

"As you command. But how am I to locate this device and meet your demand?"

"I marked the spot on your map. Thermos should be there. Search around, and if you don't find it...I guess you can try asking the heroes."

"Understood," Fright nodded, "If you have need of me, I will always answer your summon."

After saying this the ghost set out for the destination in mind, flying away and vanishing. Now that that flank was covered, the halfa could concentrate on another direction of the newborn operation — finding a hideout. He was suddenly hit by the fact that now it was a tad bit different. He was probably the richest man or ghost around. The previous kings had been amassing uncountable treasures with no real need to spend them, and while he could not just put a gold necklace in front of a cashier, there were always pawn shops and the likes. He could go for shady ones, too. They might have tried to swindle him, but it really would not be much of a loss. And they would most definitely keep quiet. Yes, those pawn shops were a good place to start. One small issue.

He didn't know any. 

Admittedly, his plan lacked in details, but that's what Phantom was about - improvising. Whatever his final decision on the current issue was, it was ultimately of little importance. What was important in reality, however, was his grander scheme. He had chosen to be discreet about putting an end to ecto research, without bringing out his small army. There were reasons for that, too, as the massive show of force would only make the locals more determined to oppose the Ghost Prince. And fighting the heroes was the last thing the Realm needed. It was, perhaps, naive to hope that the Commission would see things his way, but what other choice did he have? He had no such qualms about ridding the villains of the research, but it would be nice to receive an informal permission to do so. In both cases he would need an audience with those seeking to arrest him. Joy. 

His musings were interrupted by Elle tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie. They had been absent-mindedly walking around for a while. 

"Is something wrong, kiddo?" 

"Daddy, are these ghosts?" She asked, pointing at a group of people with mutant-type Quirks. "I can't sense them."

"Don't point fingers, Elle," Danny gently pushed her hand down. "It is rude. Especially to them. These are humans who just happen to look this way."

"Why?" The girl continued her curious enquiry as she took her father's hand.

That prompted a small lecture on the Quirks and their unique effects on humans. That knowledge was something Vlad could not preinstall into her. But the girl's attention to the unusual appearance of some mutant types did remind Danny that those people did not enjoy much love in that world. They were not exactly ostracised, but it still was seen by some as 'deformity', a defect akin to being a hunchback or cross-eyed. Danny recalled Spinner and wondered if there were more villains around who became that way because of what people said about them. He had to stop himself from going too deep into this. The halfa had his own responsibilities. Changing that world for the better was his goal of yesterday. It was no longer his duty, the world itself made sure of that. However, Elle had a different opinion. 

"Can't you tell these bad people to stop bullying them?" She asked.

Danny gave a small smile and patted her raven-haired head. "I could, but it is not as easy as we would like it, princess."

"But you are gonna be king, people do everything you tell them!" Elle argued.

"I'm afraid this doesn't mean anything in this world. Besides, even ghosts may do something when I am not looking. Don't think I didn't notice how there are fewer cookies in our cookie jar."

The girl looked at the ground in shame. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"As long as you don't try this again. We can always buy more, it is not the problem, but this is about listening to what I say. And just like you wanted an extra cookie, so do some people want to say what's on their mind and do some much worse things. I noticed the missing cookies because we live together, but this is another world. I can't even see if they do anything wrong." 

"But is there nothing we can do?"

"We?" Danny chuckled. 

He was happy that the girl was so eager to help anyone who needed it. Her heart was definitely in the right place. Sure, she was not half as happy to help clean the dishes (even with servants Danny saw the need to occasionally ask Elle to do so) or her own room (which was entirely her responsibility). But when it came to using her inherited powers, she was all too eager to apply them. Danny wasn't giving her much opportunity, as his current enemies were hellbent on killing him, and the limits of her own stability were something he was not eager to discover. Their trainings so far were rather easy-going. They had all the time, after all. Elle was in no immediate danger like he had been at the start of his hero career. 

"First they have to accept this help. And they already told me no. Now, let's not fill our minds with this stuff," Danny smiled and kneeled near her. "We are here to also have fun, Elle. Is there something in particular that you want to do?"

The girl hummed. 

---

Fright Knight's journey to the forest was an uneventful one. It was no wonder, he was ordered to not cause a scene, and so the ghost flew invisibly on his steed, right until he finally made it. He had to occasionally flick into visible spectrum in order to look at the map both to the forest and of the immediate area. Landing in the grassy clearing, the knight dismounted and took a look around. He was not gifted with the same ghost sense as his prince, so the knight had to check the entire area all on his own. He recalled briefly how that infernal contraption looked, but in its broken state it was probably even harder to find, especially with the sun going down. 

The ghost spent a good half hour looking, but to no avail. The thermos was gone. Refusing to believe that he was just looking poorly, Fright came to the conclusion that the device had already been found. Come to think of it, the local authorities must have examined the scene of fighting after everything was over. The knight sighed and shook his head. 

The boy's inconsiderate actions were causing too many unnecessary troubles. Phantom was  certainly capable, but inexperienced. And back then he had no obligation to hide that technology. Fright had to go easy on the son of two tireless and insufferable researchers. Carelessness was something to be expected. Fright's first encounter with Phantom was due to the latter's desire to win a stupid bet. But the boy was also malleable enough, willing to listen, and the ghost would make a proper king out of him.

Serving him was a nice change from being imprisoned, Fright reasoned. He was finally allowed to once again serve the undead monarch, being alotted much more authority and autonomy than under Pariah. In return, Fright would put all the necessary effort. He could not return to Phantom without any results. So, he pulled out a map once more, spotting a house marked on it. Most probably the caretakers of that land. They would know who took the thermos. 

Meanwhile, to his luck, the owners were indeed at the wooden lodge. The Pussycats, save for Mandalay who had to watch Kota's attendance at school, had been busying himself with putting things back in order, but due to the investigations and court proceedings only now could they come back and start the clean-up. The forest itself could use some tending after the destruction. And they didn't need their costumes to clean things, that's for sure. 

"How many trash bags are there?" huffed Pixie-Bob as she put one near the entrance, adding to a pile. 

"Hm...around five more, I think," Ragdoll, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "You should have just asked Tiger, no need to hurt your back..."

The blonde shot her a look. "My back is perfectly fine," she spoke slowly and menacingly, before seeing their strong comrade emerge out of nowhere, picking up the entire trash on his own. 

"It IS fine," he said. "But it will be quicker this..."

"Uhm, guys..." Ragdoll said, looking out of the window. "Who is that?"

The others followed suit and saw a figure slowly approaching the lodge. The ominous man in black armour and surrounded by purple flames. Such people did not come for merry chats. Several seconds later, the heroes already went out of the house to confront the unknown person.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" Pixie-Bob demanded to know.

"Are you the proprietors of this land?" The man asked a question of his own.

"Yes, and you are trespassing."

"I see. I have been instructed by my master to reclaim what was stolen from him. A silver thermos, crushed in a recent fight. Show me where it is and do what is right."

The heroes exchanged glances. The visitor had a strange way of speaking. But there was only one fight not long ago, and the convenient emergance of the strange visitor was suspiscious. 

"And what do you need it for?"

"You were never meant to have it."

"This just brings more questions!”

"None that I am willing to endulge. Direct me to where the object is and I will set the course."

"Look, this is a classified information. Especially to someone who just comes to restricted grounds and demands something."

"A figure of authority took it, it would seem."

In reality, it was both concerning and reassuring. While the powerful people of that world were not meant to have it, it would be simpler to find everything at once.

"I do not intend to return empty-handed. You shall divulge this knowledge or be ended," he spoke a threat and put a hand on his sword.

The Prince will have his head for this, but they were forcing him, were they not?

Chapter 34

Pixie-Bob did not wait long to put her paws to the ground. The next moment Fright was surrounded by an army of mud beasts of varying sizes.

"An impressive menagerie. This shall be the end of my flattery," the knight said and unsheathed his wicked green blade.

The first giant beast lunged forward, but Fright did not budge at its approach. As it swung its long front limb, the ghost slashed his sword without making another step. The creature stumbled forward, with its enemy right beneath it. Fright put the blade up and slashed it across the chest, splitting it in half and smearing his armour in mud. He easily phased it off and diverted his attention to the rest. His eyes glowed, before he unleashed a devastating ghost ray that cut through the beasts with ease, setting the surrounding area ablaze. The heroes realised that the newcomer was far from being a simple villain goon. And so soon after the last incident, too.

Tiger lunged forward, bravely coming at the knight who could see his approach. Quickly sheathing his sword back, Fright met the tall man's paw-gloved fists with the palms of his gauntlets with ease.

"You think you can just come and demand what you want?" The hero asked menacingly. 

"I serve a higher power. I need not your permission," said Fright, before his hands were engulfed in purple flames and his grip on the hero became tighter. Tiger attempted to pull away, but couldn't, initially. He held back the scream of pain at being burnt.

A mud beast came to his rescue. As a bear-like creation swung its paw at him, Fright did not budge. His head did not even move after the impact. However, his attention was still on more beasts, so that gave Tiger the opportunity. Instead of escaping, he grabbed Fright back, lifted the ghost and swung him into the nearest tree. The knight let go at the last second and phased through, landing on his feet. This was turning out to be more interesting than he had originally anticipated. But he himself posed a conundrum to the heroes who saw him easily evade the danger by going through something.

"That's...that's more than one Quirk!" Ragdoll exclaimed.

"Doesn't his move set also remind you of someone?" asked Pixie-Bob. 

"The Ghost Child must have left an impression," Fright butted in. "But then again, he was willing to show you some compassion. The most powerful of our ilk he may be, but I am the power that you cannot beat." 

"What 'ilk'? Who are you?" Ragdoll demanded to know.

"Fools you are if you cannot fathom this one."  

The heroes were buying themselves time. The villain's love for dramatics was certainly helping them out. Ragdoll was using her Quirk to try and detect a weakness in their enemy. However, to her shock, the Quirk could not show anything, as if it was targeting an absolute void. Search always targeted either DNA or Quirk factor. Even with Danny everything had gone well, his DNA was right there for her to find. But that man had nothing. How was this even possible? Was he a Nomu?  No, too sentient and human-like. A machine? There wasn't anything this advanced in that world. A...ghost? 

All her speculations ultimately meant little as the villain steadily approached them, blowing the mud creatures to bits. He also avoided Tiger's attacks, hitting him with his own and throwing fire and light beams at him to keep the distance. And the more he did this, the more the Pussycats were convinced that Fenton and that villain were similar in more ways than one. Their powers were one and the same in many aspects. Could it be that the ghost hero could actually share Quirks like his presumed father? 

But that would be a rather unpleasant conclusion about the boy's new alignment, would it not? If Fenton and that villain worked together, then the boy's own new morals would be put up for debate as well. 

The fight continued as Tiger lunged at the opponent once again, but this time his arms bent in an unnatural way, courtesy of his Quirk, allowing him to land a strong punch on the ghost's helmet. But Fright did not budge. Even Tiger's considerable strength was not enough to shake him. Surprised, he did not react when Fright grabbed his arm, lifted him and smashed on the ground nearby. From landing another kick he was once again interrupted by a mud creature, which grabbed him with its tentacles.

"A dirt mollusc. Charming," Fright said dryly, before pushing himself out of the grip and ripping the tentacle in the process. "I suppose I have to bring the cavalry."

Whistling loudly, he called for his loyal steed. A moment later with a loud screeching sound from the forest emerged a dark armoured horse with leathery wings and fiery mane, which immediately stomped to death the nearest mud beast and started attacking the rest. Fright turned his attention to the heroes again. 

"Wow, you really leaned into the theme," Ragdoll commented. 

"Themes are the tools of jesters. I am no mere actor. I am fear incarnate!"

Fright, however, was getting tired of entertaining the mortals. Despite what he was saying, he was still cautious of the reaction his Prince would have once he inevitably learned of the encounter. However, it would also be worse to come empty-handed atop of that. Perhaps it was the time for the best tool at his disposal. If he was quick enough, the damage would be minimal. To them, of course. Fright saw Tiger coming at him again, but the hero saw the ghost ready to swing his weapon. He put up the defence with his gloved hands, which could protect him, but he missed Fright's smirk. The next moment, he swung his weapon. It went through him, seemingly doing nothing at all, before Tiger vanished into thin air.

"TIGER!" The female members of the team exclaimed simultaneously.

"Your comrade is alive, if kept in clutches of his worst nightmare. I am the only force that can return him and may have the drive. Your secret you share and his misery ends."

The heroines looked at each other. They had no idea how the villain's ability worked, but they had to take that chance. If only to survive the encounter and warn everybody.

"The police took that thermos," Pixie-Bob said. 

"Not the Commission?"

"They probably passed it on them, but for all I know, they do usually do everything themselves."

"So which police was it, then?"

"From Hosu city. That's what we know! Now release our friend!"

Fright sheathed his sword, before snapping his fingers. Tiger reappeared, lying on the ground and shaking. But he relatively quickly regained his composure, being a seasoned hero and not having been in the realm of nightmares for too long. To him it might have felt like an hour, but it was still relatively little. Fright did not stop the heroines from running to their friend, instead calling forth his steed and sitting on it.

"My lord is a generous one. Had it not been for his direct command, you would not be alive. Next time, do what you are told from the start."

And with that, the knight rode away into the dark night, leaving the worried and beaten heroes to think what had just happened. 

And who was that lord the villain spoke about. 

---

That was something Giran could have expected and was surprised about all at the same time. The kid still had his number and was in a position where he could not just scoff at the man's questionable practices. Yet, that was awfully quick after the hero trainee's display in the court and his subsequent escape. He would expect more time to pass, just for some mental stipulations and pride to let go. Thus, to his mind experienced in psychology of super-powered individuals, the boy had something in him after all. And that juicy rumour about him being the son of the biggest kingpin imaginable. The man who put an end to a whole era. Needless to say, the information broker was quite enthusiastic about the meeting. Phantom was brief though, only exchanging a couple of jabs while in the background Giran could clearly have heard the sounds of an arcade centre. A peculiar location for him to be, the kid sure was hiding in plain sight. Or the opposite — being completely reckless and easy-going about the whole mess he was in. 

From the kid's brief message Giran could only infer the desire to meet, and he was firm enough to go and immediately point to the location. And of all places it had to be a karaoke place. It was a smart location, Phantom was certainly improving in doing shady business. Karaoke spots were everywhere, hence availability and the aforementioned "hiding in plain sight". A step above Shigaraki, who had been living in a shady bar anyone could point towards if they saw people coming in. Which was exactly what had led to the League of Villains being detained. The walls in decent karaoke places were also soundproof, so no conversation of theirs would be heard by someone simply passing the door. The biggest concerns were the possible security cameras, but he wouldn't be such an idiot so as to ignore the fact. Or Giran would be seriously disappointed. 

The sun had already set by the time Giran made it to the spot. It was in one of the main streets of Musutafu, and the broker was starting to think the kid was still sentimental about the city if that's where they were meeting, so close to people that could actually recognise him. Fenton's human appearance was known, but not something an average passerby would notice immediately. But his classmates would certainly see through his attempts to hide. Then again, the kid could turn invisible. The karaoke place was far from seedy and unwelcoming, and it begged the question of Phantom's budget. Perhaps it was also a form of diguise: who would be looking for a homeless high-schooler in a place such as that? 

Giran was polite with the desk lady. He was always polite with civilians, lest they suspected something. Polite enough people they saw everyday, but the workers tended to remember those that did not know any manners. But he would make sure to erase her memory about his visit when he would leave. The lady directed him to the booth number seven, and he told her that he would get there himself. Once he passed a cozy black corridor, he approached the door through which he could clearly hear some noise. Had he actually decided to sing? Giran scoffed and lightly opened the door, and before his eyes was the most bizarre sign.

Phantom could not sing for the life of him. He missed the notes and sometimes was making up words to compensate for it, but he was most definitely having a blast and putting all his passion and energy into it. However, someone by his side was actually trying and not half bad. The child also seemed to be enjoying this, judging by the grin on her face. Giran stared at the little girl by Fenton's side and could immediately see an absolute resemblance she had to him. But that was another revelation Giran had had no idea about and would have to remember. Phantom had a little sister, it seemed. Giran did not interrupt them, amused to watch the scene until the song was over. But he still closed the door behind him. 

"Phew, that was an exhausting one," Danny commented, putting down the microphone.

"Can we do another? Pleeeease," the girl begged. 

"Sure thing, but you will have to do without me, kiddo. We have a guest," said Phantom and finally turned to Giran. It wasn't a welcoming expression he had, but a somewhat reproachable one. "Hello, Giran. Been a while." 

"Not as long as you claimed to be. I thought it would be 'forever'."

"Time sure flies," Danny shrugged, before noticing Giran looking up at the small camera. "Oh, that, don't worry about it," the halfa said, before snapping his fingers. The camera light turned green. "It won't show anything I don't want it to."

"Now why is that?"

"A power I snagged from one of my enemies. Isn't quite on the level of making death robots out of cars and scrap metal, but this is enough," Danny said as he sat and took a sip of his milkshake. 

"So you really are capable of this," Giran mumbled and sat nearby. 

"Seems that way," Danny shrugged, omitting the part where Observants forbade him from doing that. In the meantime, Danielle started singing the next song and lightly dancing in her spot. 

"What's with the kid?" Asked Giran. 

"That's Elle. My...well...I guess we go by father-daughter thing."

Giran stared at him. "I...for once I am at a loss for words."

"That's what everyone says," Danny rolled his eyes. "Imagine what I felt when I learned it. Surprise doesn't cut it."

"How old are you again?" 

"Almost sixteen," Danny shrugged. "Then again, she is less than a month old, so it is not as bad..."

Giran simply stared. "How even..." he sighed and rubbed his temples. "And you think it is fine having her here?"

"She is a strong girl. Every power of mine was inherited by her. Besides, I am nearby. And if you as much as look at her funny," he leaned closer, "I will rip your heart straight out of your chest," the halfa threatened quietly and smirked. 

"Privacy of a client, boyo," Giran raised his hands. "I mean, the kid is right here, and we are gonna discuss some less child-friendly topics."

"That depends on you," Phantom shrugged. "Anyways, you trade information, I want to get it off your hands. Win-win."

"And what would that info be?"

"I need to know where the Commission took all the research All for One had in that lab. And if he had any others."

"You could just ask them," Giran gave a smirk, reaching for a juice box, of which there were plenty on the table. 

"I will. If only to ask for the permission to destroy it. But I'd like to come with some information on my hands already."

"Why do you want to destroy it, though?"

"Because they don't know how dangerous it is.”

Giran tapped on the ground thoughtfully, causing Danny to raise his eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Look, kid. When you up and decided to leave, it was spectacular. Nobody ever put the Commission in its place like you did. In case you have been living under a rock, the people started to look up to you as someone both capable and willing to change things. Even Stain did not cause a stir such as this. Now you come and tell me that this return of yours is just for some half-baked 'saving the world' crap. Come on."

"What do you get out of me becoming a revolutionary? Me creating chaos which fills your pockets?" Danny asked not hiding his contempt. 

"That's just a step in the bigger picture. But even the lowliest people have their own ideas of a better world. I am no exception. And besides, what would you do if the Commission doesn't listen? Walk away and forget your plans? Or are you gonna remove the problem altogether? If so, why not try and do something even more?" 

"And how many lives are gonna end in the process? I will just end up proving them right, that an uncontrolled vigilante is as evil as All for One. I don't want any part in this."

"Now where is the defiance everyone saw in that courtroom, kid?" Giran leaned closer. 

"It was me saying that I do not plan to follow their stupid rules. I and I alone."

"And thousands agreed with you. Ya won't be alone in this crusade, you know?" 

"So glad I have allies like you people," Danny grumbled. 

"Forget me, kid. We both know there are different people who take liking to your words. You are powerful enough to take charge and mold them however you like. They will listen. Your plan is naivety multiplied by stupidity. The Commission NEVER backs down. They show lenience once, it all comes crashing down. They will never accept the demand from a wanted vigilante."

"Still, who am I going to be if I don't even try?" Phantom looked at him with grave seriousness. "You don't understand what's at stake. For me, for you, for this world."

Giran sighed. "Guess I am doing this. Alright, I do have information for you."

"How much?"

"It ain't about money. It is about you learning a lesson and me confirming the reputation that I can establish contacts even with the likes of you. Reputation is everything in my line of work, kiddo. So, meet a couple of people. You talk. And then I give you the information you need. Listen...I mean it. You are perhaps the best person for that role ever seen Destro. But that guy had charisma, not the most destructive Quirk. You have both the sway and the power All for One never would have used for betterment of the world."

"You were helping him, though."

"Guilty," Giran said and got up. "But that was for money. You, however, are someone worth investing into. Don't just throw everything away.”

With that, the information broker left, leaving Danny to his thoughts. Were people really that desperate they would follow a simple teen? Well, maybe not that simple. He didn't want to be responsible for the fate of that world. Then again, he already was. If he failed to stop the Commission, it would mean disaster for both worlds. Giran was right in one thing: he did not have a plan for when the Commission would inevitably refuse. Danny himself did not believe otherwise. Those people were stubborn and, most importantly, stupid. There would be no going back afterwards. 

Why did he have to accept it all?

Danny then felt a small hand on his shoulder. Looking to his side, he saw Elle sitting next to him and then giving him a hug. 

"Are you worried, Daddy?" she asked.

"I..."

Danny wasn't sure what to tell a small child. As her father figure he should show confidence, be the impenetrable wall behind which she could always hide. That's what they say, at least. But would there really be any shame in admitting that he was a human, too, if not a partial one? 

"I guess you can say so, kiddo. It's just...if I do something wrong I may put everyone in danger."

"Well, then you should just do somethin'," the girl said sagely. "Ehm...I mean...it will be worse if ya do nothin'," Danielle hugged him tighter. "I know you will beat everyone, Daddy. Here."

The older halfa felt something on his cheek. Blinking, Danny took out his phone to see his face and then noticed a glowy ghost sticker left by the girl. Phantom touched it lightly and smiled. So far Vlad's words were to be disproved. The girl really was someone who would be by his side in a moment of doubt. He would have said something else, when suddenly his hearing caught the commotion outside.

"What was that?" Asked Elle, also possessing heightened senses.

"Bad guys..." Danny said thoughtfully.

On the one hand, staying out of sight brought him certain benefits, freedom of movement. And there was no active search for him yet, as he had left assumption that he was gone for sure. From what little he had gathered so far, the Commission was content with not bringing him up. But on the other hand, he would remind everyone that he was there, that he was someone they could not just ignore. It was, perhaps, his greatest argument and offer — to vanish completely. But until then he would probably have to make sure they see the benefit of said offer. Besides, what point would there be of his statement if he stopped being a vigilante? Danielle could also use some experience...

On the outside, a robbery was taking place. A gang of street urchins had attacked a shop. One of them, a large criminal jumped out of the shop window, carrying the entire counter. Full of glee, he ran towards a white truck, before being met face to face with a hero — a gruff-looking man with a cannon instead of his right hand. However, the hero was caught off guard when he was hit with a metal pipe from behind. The strike landed on his head, knocking him unconscious. The gang in reality consisted of four people, each wearing a piece of cloth of different colours, each corresponding to the wearer's name. 

"You idiot, you took the counter!" One of the gang members exclaimed, but they still loaded it in the truck.

"Too bad, hero! There's more than one of us! We are Team Reservoir Dogs! And don't you forget it!"

Then they, and everyone around could hear a laughter coming from above them.

"Well, points for the creative name, you four."

To the shock of the villains, Danny emerged from invisibility, hanging by his legs face down on the street lantern. 

"But I'm afraid I will forget it this very evening."

"Ph-Phantom!" The villains exclaimed in fear. 

"So you remember me. Wanna take your chances?" Phantom grinned deviously, noticing with the corner of his eye how bystanders were taking out their phones. Of course. Well, better make most of it.

"Leave it!" The man with red horns shouted as they jumped on the truck, with one of them running to the driver's seat. The other three were immediately attacked by the young hero. A series of blasts followed and hit the villains dead on, allowing the halfa to fly towards them and punch the largest villain, tossing him out of the vehicle. Turning towards the rest, he fired ectoblasts from his palms. 

In the driver's seat, the villain tried to shakily take out his keys and put them into the hole, but then he felt like he wasn't alone. Turning left towards the passenger seat, he saw a small white-haired girl. Swinging her legs slowly, she turned towards the villain, tilted her head and grinned. 

A second later the older Phantom, stopping his beating for a moment, saw how the driver was blasted out of the truck alongside the door that slid across the ground.

"The hell..." the villain moaned, trying to get back up, but failing. 

Upon seeing this and assessing the damage, Phantom froze his own opponent to the truck and hopped down. 

"You shouldn't put so much energy into your blasts. You can hurt them too much."

"I was trying!" Said a disembodied voice, before floating Elle appeared out of nowhere, pouting and crossing her small arms. 

"There are two of them now!?" Exclaimed a villain and opened fire from his gun. Elle surprised Danny by jumping in the air and creating a shield in front of them. Even though going intangible was an option Danny had opted for. Not only did she show initiative, but actually considered him…smart kid. 

"Well, I just happened to find myself a sidekick," Phantom shrugged. "How does it feel being beaten by a small kid?"

"Yeah! You are goin' down, villain!" Elle said, punching the air, before processing what had been said. "Hey! I am not small,” she pouted. 

"Sure you aren't," Danny chuckled. "Now, Elle, you need to make sure these guys can't fight back anymore. Your core is still undeveloped, so just use the ectogoo." 

"Okay!" The ghost girl beamed and turned to the last villain standing. On shaky feet. The villain shot last couple of bullets from his magazine, but Elle turned intangible, before flying towards the enemy. She hit him dead on, pushing him to the ground. Then, she swiped her palms and shot the green viscous substance, all the while Danny watched with amusement. 

She showed great promise, but Elle was a tiny girl with powers already rivalling many local heroes, and with mental programming to control them to a degree. Never once had she stumbled and used her powers by accident, unlike his first months as a halfa. Vlad really had planned to create a perfect heir. And speaking about frootloop, Danny found it ironic that he was the only person who could train her. So much like what Vlad wanted to be to him, even if with little success. From his musings he was interrupted by the girl herself, who was excitedly jumping in front of him. 

"Did I do good?" She sought her father's praise. 

Danny looked at the immobilised criminal and patted Elle's head. "I guess we will start your trainings from now on," he said before becoming more loud and speaking in front of the gathered audience, which would only expand via internet. It wouldn't hurt to tap into one of his newest power and...inspire the locals. He wondered if it worked even on the net.

"These were small fries, but they just happened to be the closest," Phantom said and shrugged. "The caliber does not matter, for even one soul lost due to even the lousiest of them is a tragedy. I make no difference, and neither should anyone. It was fortunate that someone capable of stopping a villain happened to be close, wasn't it? And I would not let even the charges against myself stand in the way of my only goal, to keep people safe from the lowest scum of this world! Just you wait. You hear that, Commission?" He pointed towards the largest gathering of phones and cameras. "Try and stop me!"

He then jumped from the truck and started walking towards the felled hero, who was slowly regaining his consciousness, bearing witness to the last moments of fighting. 

"Are you alright?" Danny asked. 

"Phantom..." the hero blinked, before huffing. "I've still got ways to go..." he mumbled, before shaking his head. "You know that I have to arrest you, too, right?" 

"Well, it's not like you can, with due respect," Phantom smiled. "So..." he whispered. "I only ask that you play along and try to capture me. Don't want you to get into trouble."

"Ah, damn it, not like I'm gonna sink any lower," the man sighed. "Alright, Phantom," he spoke loudly, "How about..."

He pointed his gun hand at Danny, before he easily vanished. "Of course he does that."

Meanwhile, as the people around were talking in hushed whispers and loud exclamations, in one of the alleyways stood three people in costumes hardly suited for a leisurely stroll. They were all lead by a young man with messy brown hair and a beak-like mask, who curiously eyes the aftermath of the fight.

"So, Phantom is back..." the leader commented. 

"Is he gonna be a problem, boss?"

"At this point there is no telling what he does next...let him keep playing cat and mouse with the Commission. It doesn't affect our plans whatsoever."

---

The students of class 1-A had grown accustomed to their dorms. The Heights Alliance was truly spectacular — dorms that were built in a matter of days, worthy of the school's status. Even though decorating their own rooms was left to the students themselves. They had had an initial contest of the best room, and it had been a good way to bond over their shared living space. Other than that, the first floor was dedicated to the common area, the living room, the kitchens and others, all for the students to use in their spare time. The same way it was on the evening of that day. With several girls occupying the kitchen and eagerly chatting, Kirishima was storming towards the main couch area, where Kaminari sat alongside few others.

"Kaminari-san," he said, coming to him. 

"What's up, Kirishima?" The blonde smiled innocently. 

"Where is that manga I let you borrow?" Kirishima asked with suspicion. "I'd like to have it back." 

"Oh, you mean Grok the Barbarian?" Kaminari hissed. "I'll give it to you in a week, I swear!"

"Kaminari...." 

"It was an accident! I spilled soda on it, forgive me!" Kaminari put his hands together and begged. 

Kirishima gave him a dry expression, before sighing. "Fine, keep it." 

"You could get him another in return." 

Both boys turned towards an armchair to their side, seeing Shinso lazily flip a page of his book. The purple-haired student lifted his tired eyes from his read and noticed how he had got attention. 

"It's only fair," he added, although he sounded rather disinterested. 

"For someone who 'doesn't need friends' you know an awful lot, grumpy," Mina suddenly emerged from behind their newest classmate and grinned. "Is it because we are growing on you?" She poked his face.

Shinso rolled his eyes and returned to his reading. The student was also slowly getting accustomed to his new class. Sometimes he would feel like he was out of place in that small jolly world. Not because of his seemingly dour and stoic nature, but because he knew all too well whose room he was occupying. The room meant for their past class rep. Used to judgmental looks and whispers, he initially believed that 1-A were doing the same while he was not looking. Phantom enjoyed popularity even among his own former classmates, so he expected them to feel like he was a last-minute replacement. What was there to say if he himself felt that way to an extent? He did not get there on his own, he managed to get in because Fenton had decided to go rogue. And it angered Shinso, drove him to try his hardest and catch up to the rest as soon as he could. Thankfully, his fears about 1-A ended up being unjust. They still welcomed him, even if sometimes they were perhaps too willing to break his comfortable shell. 

"Aw, man..." Kaminari mumbled. "I'll go break my piggy bank..." 

"Not like you have any savings," Mineta teased as he walked by. 

"The hell were you doing in my room?!" 

"You borrowed from me, too," Mineta shrugged. "I got it back before you could do this very thing."

"I shudder to imagine just what he borrowed from you," Mina shook as she dropped on an empty armchair upside down. 

"Alright, you guys," said Yaoyorozu as she approached the lounge area. "Dinner is almost ready." 

"Aw, man, I just sat," Kaminari sighed as he twirled the TV remote in his hands. "Maybe there is a good movie to make dinner even better." 

He switched on the TV, which just so happened to be turned to the news channel. And immediately everyone's eyes were glued to the headline and their ears immediately caught the lady anchor's words. 

"Several videos emerged on the internet, showing that the former hero trainee and vigilante convict Phantom is still at large." 

Within seconds, the crowd gathered around TV. 

"Danny is still around?"

"I knew it!"

"What is he doing?"

Shinso also closed his book and looked at the gathering. Yes, they still cared for Fenton, he would expect nothing less. Shinso never tried asking about him, and was  a subject to his own conceptions, true or not, that he could form as someone watching from the side.

"From the circulating footage, it appears that Phantom has taken to overt vigilantism, despite the existing charging charges against him.” 

The footage then showed the former student easily dispatching of the lowly gang.

“Heh, he’s still got it,” Kirishima smirked. 

“It’s not like these idiots are anything to write home about,” noted Mina. “Wha…”

It was then when Danielle emerged on the scene, earning collective confusion. That small girl was Phantom’s splitting image. But how was this possible? Didn’t he tell them that he only had an older sister? 

“I guess that’s one more thing he chose not to tell us,” sighed Iida. 

“Aww, but look at her, she is so cute!” Hagakure squealed, before seeing the girl easily dispatch of the criminal. “Oh.” 

“…so unlike Danny she already has and controls her Quirk while so young….” 

Everyone could see Midoriya scribble something down in his journal. He was, just as the rest, interested in seeing his classmate, even if his curious side got the better of him. Still, as he finished, his mind went back to the situation at hand. He was still conflicted and worried for his classmate’s fate. He could hear the talks on the internet, no matter how hard the government tried to keep the conversations within acceptable topics. Nobody stopped the people from discussing his presumed relation to All for One. The Commission and involved heroes stopped entertaining that theory a while back, but the general public was being exposed to that false knowledge only now. It worried Midoriya, made him wonder how Danny himself felt about that, also having heard this on that horrid day. But as long as he didn’t know where he was, he could only guess. 

“To bring someone so young into this?” Iida kept being the judgemental one. “What’s he trying to do?”

“Maybe that is his way of training this girl,” Momo suggested. “It could explain why Fenton-san decided to go against someone so low in the pecking order.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think he would have brought her if it was someone dangerous,” Kirishima shrugged. 

“You hear that, Commission? Try and stop me!"

“I guess this answers what’s he planning,” Kaminari grumbled. “He’s doubling down!” 

“Fenton-san is too stubborn. He couldn’t do anything else,” spoke Momo with concern. “Even if nothing good may come of it.”

“Does he expect to win against the Commission?” Asked Sero in shock. “Alone? With only one little girl to back him up? He’s gone insane!” 

“Doesn’t look this way to me,” Kirishima defended. “Danny can plan ahead if he wants. It’s not like him to just come out and challenge a whole institution and every hero with it.”

“But what is his plan, then?” Iida asked. “Whatever it may be,” he sighed. “It doesn’t help the situation at all. Or does he expect that this simple video will cause the Commission to respond? All it does is create more confusion and makes people anxious,” he said sadly.

Curse that guy. Iida was being torn apart by a conflict within himself. Ever so slightly Fenton was pushing the boundaries, his and those of everyone around him. Iida intended to play by the book, but then the incidents with the Hero Killer and All for One happened. It used to be so simple. And now their former friend and leader intended to challenge them as well? Had he truly gone mad?

“On the other news, there has been another attack on the Pussycats’ agency…”

---

Unlike Iida, the Commission was more confident in what they were about to do. The news sharing could not be helped, but now everyone was awaiting their response to the metaphorical glove toss. Their solution — ignore it and let it blow over, that’s how they handled out of hand vigilantes before. It didn’t mean they would just sit idly and wait - their plan was to find their enemy and eliminate him if necessary. Hawks was already dispatched, but he was only one man, they had to double their efforts. The president said just that during their urgent meeting on the subject. One that was over perhaps too quickly. She issued the orders and decreed that that was enough, she could not allow to display any weakness or hesitation even to her own colleagues. 

“Are you sure it is wise?” Her assistant nonetheless asked the question other members of the Commission had no desire to ask. “Phantom’s supporters are already saying that the Commission has been left unchecked and thus too shadowy for their tastes. We need to give them an answer.” 

“They will have their answer eventually. Once the child is captured,” the president said with finality. “We just need more time.”

“But won’t the answer buy us this much?” The assistant asked as they entered the office. 

“It will give him extra publicity. A duel requires two people,” the president explained. “If one does not show up, to hell with perception, the duel does not happen.”

“You read my mind, ma’am.”

Both officials looked towards the president’s desk, as the chair spun around and revealed Phantom’s regal ghostly form. The assistant immediately reached for the gun on his belt and pointed it at Danny. The halfa tilted his head curiously. A force of habit rather than a hope of achieving success with that weapon, it seemed. Phantom ignored it, smiled, and stood up. 

“It is way too firm for my liking anyway,” he commented. “Oh, and don’t bother with calling the security. I disabled those funny buttons under the desk.” 

“Why are you here?” The president demanded to know. “Certainly not to apologise for your stunt.”

“On the contrary,” Danny turned to look at them. “It is exactly that. In a way, at least.” 

He saw that the bureaucrats were not showing any emotions. He still opted to go on.

“I really didn’t expect the people to be so eager to share those stupid videos. All I did was to use a little trick to make them impressed with that half-assed speech.”

“What trick?” 

“A trip back home taught me a few things. I can borrow powers, remember?” Danny smiled. “In any case, I am sorry. Usually it is followed by ‘I won’t do that again’, but it is up to you.” 

“Up to us? Do you expect us to back down just because of this?” The assistant asked. 

The president could see something different about the boy in front of them. He carried himself, spoke differently than during their past meeting. Something was off.

“You are saying this like I want you to drop charges. Nothing like that. Let’s get straight to the point. If you do one thing for me, a stunt like this will be a one-time show. And I will stop being a problem for you.” 

“After everything you did, you still make demands of us?”

“What did I do? Question you?” Danny asked, his eyes glowing brighter. “I can surely do more. It is people who cling to every single figure willing to offer them something better. But. I am not interested in being that figure.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who acted the opposite this entire time.” 

“You crooks wanted to make me your indentured slave. You had it coming. It was just out of spite, not some greater goal.”

“What if we refuse your demand?”

“This will be an open conflict, then,” Phantom said gravely. “Just today I received an offer to meet with several groups. I am yet to respond. The last thing this world needs is a split. You are a bunch of corrupt bureaucrats, but one thing I give you — you maintain stability. I don’t want to be the one who disrupts it. But if I am forced to by my new duty, then so be it. A much greater alternative to thousands of deaths.”

The officials stared at him. What was he insinuating?

“You wouldn’t…it is a bluff.”

“It’s hard to bluff by using things out of your control. So it is three ways — we compromise, we fight or I am forced to…exterminate the threat.”

The pause was not there for dramatics, they could hear the boy’s echoing voice shaking. 

“So I beg you to listen and do what I ask. If you accept, I will be gone forever, my threats just a bunch of nothings, myself a coward in everyone’s eyes. Just what you need to keep things under wraps. And many lives will be spared.” 

As she was sitting in her seat, the president was deep in thought. Just what was so important that Phantom, who so far had not murdered a soul, throw around such threats? 

“I can at least listen,” she said.

“All for One dabbled in things he did not understand. What neither he nor others are meant to understand. The ectoplasm is dangerous, president. You may think it is a solution to everything, a gate to a million prospects, but in reality the prospect is only one — war and genocide.”

“This is it? We are playing pacifists now?” The assistant asked.

“Pacifists?” Danny looked at him. “You won’t be the ones declaring this war, good sir. It always happens like this, once humans discover the true power of ectoplasm, it spirals out of control.”

“You are speaking in riddles, Phantom. Are you the one to declare it?

Danny sighed. How could he not speak in riddles without revealing too much sensitive information?

“Please, let me destroy everything All for One created concerning ectoplasm. Everything I left behind. I don’t want things to come to that. Don’t make me…” he spoke softly. 

“You are made out of ectoplasm partially, correct?”

Danny blinked, still looking at the unmoved president. “Why are you asking?”

“You speak of not wishing to start a conflict. But is this what it is about really? It is the first time we see Phantom’s fear.” 

Phantom stared at her. “What are you thinking…”

“Is this, perhaps, because this is your weakness?” 

The halfa gritted his teeth. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“Then what’s in it to you? Just leave and stay out of our sight, and this will never be used against you.”

“So it is fine to use it on others?!” Phantom exclaimed. 

“We will find a responsible use. It is not up for a child criminal to dictate what he wants.” 

After a momentary silence, Danny huffed a laugh, and then another, even louder.

“Some nerve, saying this in front of someone who can kill you with a look.” 

“Then why don’t you?” The president asked as she stood up in front of the window. “You won’t need any of my permission that way.” 

Danny stared at her, as his fist glowed with energy. But then, he stopped. 

“This is why all your threats are meaningless. You are not the type, Phantom. You are a vigilante — a confused outcast who doesn’t know which side to tilt to. Not diligent enough to be a hero, not vile enough to be a villain.” 

Phantom cursed mentally. How foolish of him to hope for anything different. Those people were more machines than humans, unable to feel anything but pride and superiority. They loathed him, hated him for defiance and refusal to die for it. And it was that hatred that was now driving them to pursue the technology further. And it was also his fault to an extent, he was to be blamed just as much for not being able to impose his will.

“And who are you, president? While I am neither, you are both.” 

“Someone who is needed to ensure peace and order. You would not understand, child.”

“You are right, I don’t. Even after everything, after bringing so many of my enemies to heel, I can’t bring myself to act on my threats. While this is something a prince is to remember well. Thank you for making me understand it,” Danny muttered.

“And what will you do with this knowledge?” 

“I will get what I want. And if your own survival demands from me to obliterate everything you stand for, then so be it. I will destroy your very foundation, I will show this world what you crooks really are.”

“And what about the chaos you so fear to invite?”

“Chaos is still one step above extinction,” Phantom said with finality, also approaching the window. “Is this…your final word?”

“Do your worst, Fenton. This world endured far worse.”

“Perhaps. It still endures you.” 

With that Phantom stepped out of window, falling to the ground and vanishing. Less than a minute later, a raven-haired teen stepped out of an alleyway, pulling a cap lower over his forehead and dialing a number. 

“Giran…” Danny made a pause. What he said next could potentially lead him down a line from which there was no return. But he had to be someone everyone expected him to be. A prince did not just force, he led and brought the result. “…who did you say we are meeting?”