48 First Impressions

~{Hosu Hospital-8:23PM}~

The room was... moody.

Enso was on a chair with bandages around his arm and a part of his head, caused when Lynch caught him off guard and nailed him with a dark energy blast.

Gran Torino was standing beside him, glaring at the boy suspiciously with his arms crossed and with band-aids on his face.

Both Todoroki and Iida were in beds, wearing hospital gowns with their arms and shoulders wrapped in bandages due to the injuries they received from Stain. However, despite having been treated, their faces stared downward with nearly dead gazes in their eyes. Their classmate, their friend, had been taken by someone, by... something.

While at the scene of the crime, Iida had desperately shaken Enso, begging him to tell him where Izuku was. But the young male just remained silent while looking down, knowing that he couldn't say anything with all the other heroes around.

It didn't take long for an ambulance to come, and for the heroes to calm Iida down while Todoroki stared at the ground, emotionless. And after a short drive to Hosu hospital and getting treated, here they were now, alone in a room.

"It's all my fault... I-If I hadn't brought you all into my mess..." Iida stammered, staring down with his hands tightened into fists.

"It's not your fault Iida. I don't think it would've mattered..." Enso replied, staring down with his eyes narrowed at the ground.

Todoroki raised his eyes and glared at Enso.

"Enso... You know something, don't you?"

"Of course I do..." Enso responded, not even denying anything because it was obvious that he was indeed deeply involved with what recently occurred.

"Then you know what that thing was, don't you? You know where Midoriya is, right? And... you knew this would happen." Todoroki said, that last part coming out in more of a statement. "That villain knew you, even calling you... 'Reapy.' and I don't think it was a coincidence that you choose to come all the way to Hosu, even if Midoirya sent that message out."

Enso sighed as he raised his head to him. "There's a lot both of you don't know…"

"And I'm sure there are things you haven't told Midoriya either." Gran Torino included while staring at Enso suspiciously.

Enso turned his head to the elder. "You're... Gran Torino, correct? I wished we'd meet under different circumstances..."

"Well, we're here now, aren't we?" The elder growled.

"Yes... Did Izuku tell you about... My circumstances?"

"All that he knew." Gran Torino folded his arms. "So... Was that thing out there really 'him?'"

"I'm... afraid so."

Gran Torino couldn't help but look worried and nervous, staring down as a trail of sweat went down the side of his head.

"What do you know!?" Iida said, shouting louder than he thought.

"It's... complicated..." Enso frowned.

"Enso... Just what kinds of secrets have you been keeping?" Todoroki asked. He wasn't angry, nor sad, he just genuinely desired to know if it involved the sake of the one who saved him from himself.

"You knew Izuku was keeping secrets too, and both of you must know that if he's keeping them, then it means it's something important that others shouldn't know." Enso told them.

Hearing that, Iida couldn't take it anymore. He removed the covers and forced his sore body to move out of bed, grunting as he did so with a strained expression.

"Iida! You shouldn't move!" Todoroki said from his own bed.

Iida ignored him and continued moving, getting on his feet and standing up straight with a serious look.

"Enso..." He grunted.

Enso narrowed his eyes, standing up from his chair. "Iida, don't do anything rash-"

He stopped himself as he saw the engine boy suddenly bow at a ninety-degree angle, surprising the group.

"Please... I have to know."

There was a moment of silence before Iida continued, maintaining his pose despite his body shaking.

"This is Midoirya we're talking about... Someone beloved by the class, a hero who's helped so many of us already... And even though you say that it's not my fault that he was captured, I know deep down that I played a part of it... If I hadn't selfishly chosen to go to Hosu to track down Stain, then Midoriya wouldn't have gotten worried or looked for me. Then that villain would've never found him... I just know it."

Todoroki shifted in his bed, staring directly at Enso.

"Enso... I feel like I owe it to Midoriya to help him. Even if you don't want to tell us what's your situation is with him, at least tell us what's going to happen to him."

"..." Enso watched as Iida stood up straight, his eyes pleading to Enso to say something.

Enso gazed down at Gran Torino, who just shrugged.

"Your call. This is your secret, but make sure you don't bring in other's secrets." The veteran hero said, signaling Enso a hint not to mention anything relating to All Might, One For All, or All For One.

Enso turned back to the two, thinking about it.

"They do really care about Izuku... Not to mention they're both strong as it is. With some training from me, then maybe... No, not maybe, they WILL be valuable allies to help us. To help Izuku and share the burden... But would they be alright with the risks?"

He sighed, "No... For now, they deserve to know what Izuku's going through."

"Promise that nothing leaves this room." Enso told them.

"Yes!/Of course." Iida and Todoroki both responded.

"..." Enso sat back down. "Fine."

Gran Torino took a seat as well, knowing this might take some to explain.

"For now, I'll tell you what kind of situation Izuku is in... The villain who took him, his name is... Lynch. He is a being from another world, as am I."

Iida and Todoroki were both visibly shocked to hear this, but they didn't want to interrupt Enso, so they remained silent.

"Lynch is a powerful being and what I can only describe as a lunatic that has obtained power from several different worlds, using only his own intelligence to reverse-engineer how different powers work and then implements them so that he's able to use them. His main goal... has to do with some sort of crazed obsession he has over me. I believe it's a grudge of some sort on who I was before, but I have no memory of it."

"Hold on... Who you 'were' before?" Todoroki narrowed his eyes.

"For now, I'll say that I have some kind of amnesia."

The two students didn't know what to make of this, but Gran Torino thought of something different to bring up.

"Hold on... Doesn't that mean that you're basically the one who brought that monster in our world?" Gran Torino realized, glaring at him.

"In a way... Yes..." Enso admitted, visibly feeling conflicted over that. "But it wasn't like I had much of a choice... I had no idea who I was, didn't know where to go. The only thing left for me was to follow wherever this watch sent me to get answers..." Enso shook his head, "No, I'll explain that later. Right now, I should explain how Izuku is doing."

He took a deep breath.

"Right now... I believe you won't have to worry about him dying, nor worry about him remaining captured for too long."

Iida felt some relief, but was still obviously worried and skeptical.

But it was Todoroki who asked, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know the way Lynch operates... And if he really wants to try and... get to me. Then he wouldn't do anything devastating to Izuku so soon. Nor would he keep him for too long because he knows that I can detect Izuku with this watch, since the energy he has is what it points to."

Iida took a step forward with his eyes larger, ignoring the stinging in his body.

"If you can detect Midoriya, then we can have pros go and save him right now, can't we!?"

"I'm afraid not..." Enso said, raising it up to show that there wasn't anyone detected. "What this watch points to are individuals with some sort of power, one pertaining around energy. Izuku is one of these individuals so I would normally be able to find him wherever he is, however... Just earlier, he released this power when fighting against Stain, didn't he?"

Todoroki looked down, "Yeah... He unleashed the power of his quirk and it manifested around him. But... he nearly lost control of it, only able to calm down when Iida and I intervened."

"Figures..." Enso sighed. "This watch is able to find individuals depending on how strong their energy level is, or in other words, how much energy they're giving off. While I was on my way, Izuku's location spiked with energy on my watch, indicating that he was giving off an intense amount of it. However..."

"Don't tell me he exhausted all his power and now you can't find him?" Gran Torino assumed.

"Sadly, that's the case... But I wouldn't say that he 'used up' all the energy from his quirk. I doubt he used as much power against Stain as he did against me. But if he ended up losing a decent amount of both blood and energy, then of course his quirk must've retreated back into... wherever it was he came from, in order to recharge and heal. So because of this, the signal on Izuku is the weakest it ever was. I can only find his location if I actually get in a certain radius of where he is, but we don't even know the general area he's at... He can be anywhere at this point."

Hearing that frustrated the group, but they couldn't do anything about it.

"But Lynch knows that Izuku's energy will grow back, and he won't know when nor will he get an indication on when he does. So he knows I'll be able to find him at some point, so he won't wish to keep Izuku for too long."

"Again, what makes you think he won't just..." Iida's words trailed off, thinking about Izuku perishing.

"Because that's not how he does things... He doesn't wish to just kill whoever is close to me as fast as possible. He likes... tormenting them."

"Wait, so he's gonna-!?"

"Not now." Enso cut Iida off. "Right now, he's just formally meeting Izuku for the first time. Understanding what kind of person he is, planning how to... cause pain and anguish in the worst way to him. Basically, finding out what makes him tick and explode. The worst he'll do to him is... leave a mark."

"Hold on... A mark?" Gran Torino asked, not liking the sound of that.

Enso looked down, "He did it once when I let one of the individuals li-" He paused, remembering that he hadn't told the two students just what he's done to the unique, energy-filled individuals before. "He's... done it before." He changed his words.

"How bad can it be?" The elder hero asked in a serious tone.

Enso flashed back to images of a girl, watching as she was slashed on her forehead.

"It... can be big..."

Iida and Todoroki saw Enso's eyes remembering something disturbing, making them pipe up.

"Wh-What'll happen-!?"

"Worrying about it won't do anything." Enso interrupted before they could speak. "The best we can do is... just wait..."

"Wait? Wait!? Sit here and do nothing, while Midoriya is out god knows where!?" Todoroki raised his voice.

"I've already said we can't do anything. And even if we could, I have no doubt you two would probably get yourselves killed if you'd try to go out and find him. You'll see Izuku again, I guarantee it."

"I... I still don't understand a few things..." Iida stammered, finally sitting back down on his bed. "You say this... 'Lynch' only wishes to get into your head, so that's why he went for Midoriya... But why were you interested in Midoriya in the first place? You were the one that came here to find him because that.... 'watch' on your wrist supposedly can lead you to him, but what have you planned for everyone else like Izuku that you've met? Did you train them to fight like him?"

Enso looked down with his eyes narrowed. "That's... where it becomes troubling to explain..."

"Well... We have time now." Todoroki told him.

"..." Enso rose his head. "That would involve me going into the deeper and darker things, but...

He thought about it for a moment, thinking of telling Todoroki and Iida about his past.

He sighed, "Well... Maybe they can help us..."

Enso stared directly at them. "Enso stared What I'm going to tell you may change your opinion of me... But I hope you'll still believe that I'm not doing these things for myself anymore."

That made Iida and Todoroki skeptical, but they remained silent to let Enso speak.

Enso took a deep breath.

"My reasons for finding these individuals... It started the first time I traveled to another world-"

___________________________________________

~{Gunhead's Agency}~

Ochako walked out of the bathroom wearing some Thirteen-themed pajamas, staring down at her phone while a towel remained on her head. She had taken a shower after a day of training she had with the Battle Hero, Gunhead, and was now in a room provided for her to sleep in.

But after finishing her training for the day, while she traveled into the room to sleep in, and while she took her shower, she had one thing on her mind.

Hosu City.

Ever since receiving a text from Izuku while taking a momentary break, her mind just went through so much. She lost focus easier while fighting Gunhead, she wasn't as chirpy as she was in the day before getting Izuku's text, and would find herself zoning out a few times.

Gunhead obviously noticed and decided to let the girl off for the day, asking her what was wrong, but it didn't help much since Ochako didn't even know what was wrong with Izuku.

"Why did he send that message?" She wondered as she tossed the towel on the side.

"Why isn't he responding to my messages?" She panicked as she plopped herself down on her bed, staring at the white screen of her phone in her dark room.

"Is... he alright?"

She knew he was strong, she knew he could save so many people on his own, but what Ochako really worried about... was if he could save himself. To stop himself from inflicting so much pain, to stay the same boy that everyone loved.

She laid on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow, her phone screen turning dark.

"You're fine... Right, Deku?"

___________________________________________

~{???}~

Izuku slowly opened his eyes to a sight of blurriness.

"Ugh... My head... Where... am I?"

For a moment, Izuku believed that he was back within his subconscious due to the darkness surrounding him, but then he weakly raised his head and saw that a small spotlight was shining down at him.

He instinctively tried to move, his body no longer feeling paralyzed, but he felt something holding him down.

He weakly glanced down at his current situation as his vision became clearer. Izuku's arms and legs were chained on a smooth, metallic chair that he was sitting on. These chains didn't seem normal, as they were black but with a faint purple aura surrounding them.

While gazing at the chains, Izuku took note of the state his body was in. He was still feeling cold due to having used Ikari's energy and bleeding, but he wasn't leaking blood anymore due to Todoroki at least helping to clean his wounds a bit after their battle ended. His hero costume was pretty torn up and bloody, but he could always have that fixed later. Right now, it was clear that he was in a bad situation.

"What... happened? The last thing I remember is... We beat the Hero Killer... Then I got carried off by a Nomu... Wait, that's right! Enso came running in to save me! Then he got blasted by-!"

Izuku's eyes widened, remembering just who it was he saw, what was the name he heard. His body tensed up but his head frantically searched around the darkness for any sign of movement.

"I-I was-!? Am I-!?" He panicked as he thought about who captured him, thought about everything that Enso told him about the villain, and wondered just what was going to happen to him.

He gulped nervously before attempting to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I-I have to get out of here!"

Izuku gazed down at his chains, tugging at them first and knowing fully well that he'd have to use one of his quirks.

"I can probably use One For All to break out of these..."

"Are you sure? Those chains look ominous."

"I know, but-"

Izuku suddenly processed who he heard.

"Ikari!? Is that you!?"

"Sure is, surprisingly."

Izuku suddenly felt genuine joy go through him, forming a big smile as he looked down.

"I-I can talk to you now! I can talk to you out here!"

"Um... Is this really the time to be celebrating?"

Izuku's smile fell as he remembered his situation.

"R-Right... It's just that... We can finally communicate without jumping through all those hoops... W-We can work together now."

"Yeah... I guess so." Ikari responded, his voice slightly cheerful.

"But..." Izuku looked serious now as he gazed around the room. "We have to get out of here first... Can you use your energy out here to help me?"

"Don't think so... After that battle against Mr. slice and dice, I'm feeling sick... I could probably take shape outside with you, but that's probably about it. Losing any more of my energy or your blood while I'm out there can be risky. So... I'm staying in here."

"Fair enough... I guess I'll have to use One For All to get out of here."

Izuku took a deep breath as he started spreading power throughout his body.

"One For All... Full Cow-!"

Suddenly, the chain's around his arms and legs sparked and sent purple electricity all over his body

"NNNGARGH!!" Izuku felt the shock go all throughout him, paralyzing him and causing his muscles to tense up in pain. This electricity lasted for a few seconds before stopping, leaving Izuku steaming with his head down.

"Oi! You alright!?" Ikari asked him, not feeling the pain due to remaining within Izuku's consciousness.

Izuku panted hard with his body twitching, feeling lingering stinging from the sudden jolt that went through him.

"Wh-What... Th-The hell w-was...?" He muttered aloud in pain.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A new voice called out.

Izuku raised his head in an instant, feeling his blood go cold from hearing this echoing voice.

His pupils dilated in fear as he only saw two red glowing eyes and a jagged glowing red smile in the darkness ahead.

"If you try to get out of those, then I'm sure you'll find yourself feeling even more 'shocked.'"

Izuku felt himself gulping down air, staring straight ahead and completely frozen.

"Y-You're..." He stammered already knowing who it was.

The red face ahead of him was suddenly put out, letting the villain disappear into the darkness.

"It's about time you woke up. I thought I'd have to do it myself so we could introduce ourselves." His voice echoed in the room.

Izuku's head shot in all directions he could look, trying to find him.

"But it appears that you already know who I am, don't you?"

He heard some movement to his left, making Izuku turn and stare deeply into the dark.

"I'm sure Reapy's told you aaaaaaaaall about me. Hasn't he?" Izuku suddenly heard on his right, turning his head to see nothing there.

"R-Reapy?" Izuku repeated in confusion.

"You know, your 'BEST' friend."

"So he means Enso?" Izuku thought, still looking around the room in a panic.

"And I wonder how much he's told you about himself? I'd like to know if he's remembered anything 'interesting' as of late?"

Izuku couldn't pinpoint where Lynch was, his head just frantically looking around.

"But..."

Izuku then felt a presence right behind him, making him just freeze.

"Right now, I'm more interested in YOU."

Izuku felt big, bony hands placed upon his shoulders, making him whimper as he shivered by the touch.

"Just what kind of person are you...?"

The villain's grip on his shoulder's tightened.

"Izuku, Mi~do~ri~ya?"

Izuku slowly turned his head and looked up behind him, getting a clear view of Lynch's mask. The eyeholes and mouth carve in it, the faded colors and old scratches on it, listening to his raspy breathing behind it, Izuku didn't feel like he could keep his calm by how creepy it all was.

The rest of Lynch's appearance just added on to the creepiness factor. His large but deformed figure, his corpse-like skin and rag covered body, the noose around his neck, and his hands... his claw-like, bony fingers that could be mistaken as a giant spider crawling if in the dark.

"Ikari! Can you do anything!?" Izuku asked his partner.

"Not without both of us getting shocked again..."

Izuku couldn't help but feel frustrated, even if he was shivering due to being face to face with the one villain Enso had to fight off.

"Now then..." Lynch said, releasing Izuku's shoulders and taking steps around the boy. "Just what kind of person are you?"

He got in front of Izuku and knelt forward, studying him.

"Plain face, wimpy if you're staying quiet in fear, and a boring costume with an ugly green... Hm, it's as if someone barfed on it."

Izuku thought of his mom, who provided the main fabric and overall design for his costume.

This made him glare hostility at Lynch, eye flashing red for a split second before turning back to green.

"Oh? Looks like I hit a nerve." Lynch chuckled, examining the look Izuku was giving him. He stood back up and marched around the room, each step giving a loud thud.

"But despite looking so boring... You're the complete opposite, aren't you? I've watched your work, quite outstanding I must say."

Izuku felt uneasy when he heard him say, 'work.'

"Breaking your own arms, using so many different looking powers... Not to mention the look on your face." He stepped close and his face got uncomfortably close to Izuku's, clearly excited. "Anger, hatred... I know it all too well."

Izuku could only assume Lynch meant his anger towards Enso.

"We're pretty alike, aren't we?" He chuckled.

That just made Izuku pissed as he faced him with his flaring red eyes.

"I'm NOTHING like you!" He shouted.

His voice echoed in the room they were in, giving an indication that it seemed to be pretty large. Lynch still kept staring at Izuku, not moving a muscle as the boy screamed that.

"Hmph, how... stupid." Izuku swore he heard him sigh. "You guys are always like that... You always say the same stupid things about how you're 'nothing like the bad guy.' and all that."

He leaned even closer to Izuku, the boy leaning back.

"EVERYONE is alike in one way or another, no matter what! Farmers, doctors, warriors, terrorists, office workers, plumbers, EV-ERY-ONE!!"

Izuku was taken aback, his eyes back to green and shivering by how Lynch suddenly raised his raspy voice.

"There is always some sort of similarity among people! Little things like your favorite color or your favorite band, all the way to the greater things that truly define people such as morals and power! Every single individual will always have something similar to another somewhere! But the 'differences' among them are based on the paths those individuals take!"

"H-Huh?" Izuku uttered, confused by Lynch's rambling.

"The differences people have among one another are based on the paths they take, and the paths they take are what earn them titles, and the titles they earn are what distinguish them from others. But in the end, somehow, somewhere, someway, there will always be something that is similar, or WAS similar, between two people. So you should be able to understand that the 'good' and the 'bad,' or I guess in your world, heroes and villains, aren't excluded from this. They both could've grown up with similar elements such as looking up to the same people, loving the same things, and even having the same dreams, but no matter what, they must've been related to each other at some point in their lives."

"What the hell is this guy saying?" Ikari growled from within Izuku's head.

"But the paths that turn these people into 'heroes' or 'villains' are based on their own choices. Choices that separate people into the good or the bad, choices that are always influenced by factors. These people could've been the same kind of person as they grew up, but at one point they choose their paths differently, and there are always reasons behind it."

He was sounding disappointed now.

"If you're saying that you're NOTHING like me... Then it just proves that you don't understand enough about everyone, especially the bad guys. You don't understand their reasons for 'choosing' their different paths. That just proves to me that you really are just a kid. And kids only know how to love the heroes."

Lynch backed up a bit, his breathing hardening.

"But it's the ADULTS that can actually understand the villains."

Izuku couldn't help but feel dumbfounded by his speech. It felt... so out of nowhere, and not to mention also sounded a bit personal.

"To understand... the villains? So... Is he saying he saying that even he wanted to be something like everyone else? But then he just chose to be... what he is today? I understand that he must have reasons for going after Enso and feeling so hateful towards him, but turning into a villain just to torment him? I still can't comprehend that... That's still going too far in an unreasonable path..."

Lynch suddenly got up and shook his head, "Argh, look what you've made me do, you got me monologuing. I don't have time for this, I don't know when Reapy is gonna detect you."

Izuku's eyes widened, "Detect me? That's right! Enso can find me with his watch! Can't he!? But... Lynch said, 'when' he'll detect me, so doesn't that mean he isn't detecting me right now?"

"Well here's a question from me." Lynch suddenly vanished into the darkness once again, but Izuku heard his harsh breathing around him.

Izuku's eyes wandered around the darkness.

"Has Reapy ever told you WHY I'm here from him?"

Izuku looked behind him.

Why everything I'm doing is because of him?"

Izuku looked up.

"Why I want to BREAK him?"

Izuku felt shivers and nearly screamed as he felt the tips of Lynch's bony fingers walk up his chest, lowering his head to see the villain suddenly in front of him once again.

"Well?" His fingers walked all the way to Izuku's neck, then underneath his chin, even using them to lightly tug his head to stare at him.

"Has he?"

Izuku's breathing tightened up as he felt the cold points under his chin. He tried keeping calm, but he was unable to give an answer to Lynch, knowing that Enso never told him the origin as to why the villain wanted to torment him so much in the first place.

He ended up thinking about Gran Torino's words. "It seems like he hasn't told you everything, has he?"

Lynch saw the look on his face and the silence he kept, slowly emoving his fingers but staring at the boy.

"So... He hasn't remembered yet, has he?" Lynch said in a new, quieter tone.

"Huh?" Izuku's expression turned into surprise.

"Figures... That bastard still hasn't remembered enough... But one day, ONE day he will. He'll find his home and remember everything... And when he does, THAT'S when I'll take it aaaaaaall from him..."

Izuku heard Lynch's hands crack disturbingly as he balled his hands into fists, adding to him standing up with even his back making even more odd noises.

"So... Enso really doesn't remember his past? So he really doesn't know the reason why Lynch is after him?"

Izuku gulped nervously.

"Wh-What has Enso done to you for you to hate him so much? I mean... For someone to make it their goal to ruin another person's life and those around him... I-Isn't that too much for something you're dedicating your life to?"

Lynch's heard sounded as if it was grinding as he glanced back down to Izuku once more, making the boy wonder if it would've been better to keep quiet.

"Heh, wouldn't YOU like to know? But if I told you now, then you'd tell Reapy the reasons, and I can't, have, that, yet." He leaned down and his finger gently grazed Izuku's cheek, bringing fear into the boy's eyes. "I can't just tell him everything. He has to remember it himself. Otherwise, when he does remember, it won't have as big of an impact as I want it to."

The rest of his palm then held Izuku's cheek, his hand rather large around the side of the boy's face, chuckling as he did so.

"But let's not waste any more time. Let's quickly move on to the next part of our... 'greetings,' shall we?"

Lynch's other hand somehow snapped his fingers, the darkness of the room suddenly brightening up to reveal where Izuku was. He was in a large, white room that had large machinery in different areas along with dried up blood on different parts of the floor and walls. It turns out that the single light that had been shining down on Izuku was part of several other lights on the ceiling. Lynch removed his hand and stood back up, stepping back and letting Izuku look around.

"Where... the hell are we?" Izuku gazed around in awe. "Are we in a hospital of some sort? Maybe an abandoned one?" Izuku wondered.

"I doubt hospitals have this kind of weird... equipment." Ikari said, referring to the large pieces of odd machinery.

Izuku and Ikari heard thumping sounds coming from a distance, making the boy turn his head to a hall that led into the large room he was in. He heard some odd noises that almost sounded like clicking, and he swore he saw a strangely pale arm in the corner of the hall.

"D-Did you-?"

"Yup... I saw it... He's not alone in here." Ikari confirmed.

Lynch excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"So then, time to get to 'know' you better. What's your name?"

"E-Eh?" Izuku turned back to the villain in confusion since he swore Lynch already knew his name.

"You're 'hero' name. All of you guys have one... don't you?"

For a moment, Izuku wasn't sure if he should tell him anything, hesitant to tell the villain about himself.

"What?" Lynch questioned, noticing his hesitation as he turned his body back to him. "Now, now, let's not be stubborn, alright? After all..."

The next thing Izuku knew, Lynch had moved right in front of him with his large hand grasped over Izuku's head, making the boy shudder.

"You don't want to 'annoy' me, do you?"

The red holes in his eyes seemed to flash for a moment as he said that.

Izuku didn't wish to figure out what would happen if he didn't answer, so his eyes just looked down as he responded;

"D-Deku..."

Lynch tugged Izuku's head back up to look at his eyes, then tilting his own head in some surprise.

"Deku?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a small laugh before Lynch let go of Izuku's head.

"Quite the name."

He crossed his arms.

"I guess it means you're quite a pathetic person after all, aren't you?"

Izuku glared at him, actually leaning forward a bit.

"That's not what it means to me! The Deku I know means that I can do anything! To save anyone!" He yelled.

Lynch didn't seem amused, "Oh? So you're that 'type' of person? You think you can go around, saving everyone like some kind of cartoon?"

Izuku could swear he detected a hint of anger as the villain started circling around him.

"We both know that you weren't originally called by that meaning, were you?" He shook his head in disapproval. "For you to change the definition, it means that you were known for its REAL meaning, that's all it means."

Izuku found himself breathing harder as flashes of his childhood went through his mind, recalling hundreds of thousands of times Bakugo called Izuku by that name, by that meaning.

"So obvious..." Lynch scoffed, noticing the boy's panic.

He leaned down closer to Izuku's ear.

"You were weak once, weren't you? You were worthless to those all around you. People are judged in this world just like in any other world. Each world has its own standards, its own models, and its own trash. And to have been 'Deku' in this kind of superhuman world, you must've lacked what seems to be the most important thing here... Lacked what makes up all these 'heroes' that everyone seems to look up to..."

He raised his hand and cracked his fingers into a fist.

"Power."

Izuku could hear a serious tone.

"The weak can become the strong, but not if they always rely on the strong to fight for them. And the strong always act high and mighty when they were blessed with power they didn't work for. And these things connect back to what I've said before, where people make choices that lead their paths, these kinds of factors are the reasons that people choose to be good or bad people. Some let their powers get into their heads, while others don't have powers and are treated like trash, leading to desires of revenge. There's so much more to why someone chooses to be good or bad."

Izuku suddenly remembered his childhood tormentor once again. Although he knew that Bakugo must've worked hard to be as strong as he was now, he still recalled when the bully first obtained his quirk, remembering the change he had.

"Wh-What are you getting at?"

The villain raised a finger and put the point of it on Izuku's forehead, making him wince.

"The one thing I was curious to out find about you, is where do YOU fall into this? You lacked the power to be with the strong, and yet, here you are."

Lynch twisted the tip of his finger, making Izuku grit his teeth as a small drop of blood dripped down.

"Just how did you end up with all that power, little De-ku? And 'why' did you want your power?"

His fingers walked up Izuku's head.

"Tell me just what kind of person ARE you~"

"I-I... I..." Izuku found himself conflicted on what to say, knowing that Lynch wouldn't take silence as an answer.

"We can't tell him everything... But it seems like he won't be fooled if you lie about anything..." Ikari warned Izuku.

Izuku knew he couldn't mention One For All, and he also knew that it might be a terrible idea to mention Ikari as a separate entity. Who knows what Lynch would try to test on him then.

He couldn't say what he knew he couldn't so... He just said what he felt was right.

"You're... You're right... I-I was weak... and everyone ridiculed me for that. They said I couldn't do anything, I couldn't save anyone, I-I couldn't become a hero."

Izuku's hands balled into fists.

"I always tried to carry on, I always wanted to believe that I could do what I always wanted, to be what I've always wanted to be... A hero."

Lynch removed his fingers from Izuku's head, curiously listening.

"There are times where I thought I couldn't become a hero... Time's I thought about changing 'my' path and giving up... But then..."

Lynch saw a tiny smile form on the boy.

"I met them... I met All Might, who told me what I've always wanted to hear, that I can become a hero. And I met Enso, who taught me how to fight and shape my body to become the hero I am today. I-I've worked more than my hardest... Balancing school with training, and there were a few times where I felt like I was going to die... But I knew I had to do it, to be able to save people with a smile."

Izuku stared straight at Lynch now, no sign of fear, but instead, the smallest of smiles on his face.

"And... I did it. Thanks to his training, thanks to all the pushing I did, I have the power I need for others... I... couldn't have done it without him."

"..." Lynch stared at Izuku as he finished, feeling the genuine emotions of a boy that's done all he can to get to where he was.

"So that's how it is?"

He stood up straight, staring down at Izuku with his shadow covering the boy.

"You've got one of the strongest kinds of willpower, a passion for protecting others... A stupid idea where you can get through anything, where you can save everyone as long as you believe it. Your situation is nothing new. The underdog, choosing his path of 'heroism' and rising up to become stronger, gaining the power he wants by his own hard work. Doing what he can to help even the people that ridiculed him, making new friends to join him, acting as a role model for the world, it's one of the most repeatable paths I've seen when checking world to world... Heh, but the same scenario doesn't make things any less interesting! After all..."

Lynch visibly shook as he breathed heavily, almost sounding... excited.

"It's your kind of people that are the MOST satisfying to shatter~"

Izuku's eyes formed pure terror as he suddenly saw visions of death flash into his mind, each one involving him being ended in some way. So many ways to die, so many possibilities, so many ways to torment someone, he could feel Lynch just thinking about it, tempted by it.

Lynch's breathing seemed to get harder and harder. "Even though you changed the meaning of that little nickname of yours, the world knows what the word 'really' means. And that's how I'm going to make you feel. Completely, De-ku."

Lynch raised his arm in front of him, his palm starting to change shape.

"I'll engrave that meaning right into you~"

Izuku watched as the villain's hand grotesquely deformed, skin moving and molding into something. It was only a few seconds, but this change stopped and Izuku laid eyes on what had remained.

A branding iron. One with the word, DEKU, in all capital letters.

"W-Wait he's not thinking-!?!" Ikari realized the moment he saw this.

The world turned into static black and white colors around Izuku as he understood what was intended. His pupils trembled in his eyes as they shrunk in at the word in Lynch's hand. The only color Izuku found himself seeing was the red on Lynch's face, feeling the full pressure of what the villain intended to do.

"Y-You can't-!" Izuku stammered.

"Of course I can." Lynch let out with a satisfied breath.

The branding iron then ignited in green flames, then being put out as fast as they came. But this still left the iron brightened up due to the blazing heat coming off of it now.

"This'll leave a mark." Lynch chuckled as Izuku's chair suddenly turned so that his back was facing him.

"NO STOP!!"

Izuku started struggling as the back of his chair disintegrated, leaving his back exposed.

He desperately started charging power.

"ONE FOR ALL-!!"

He didn't even get the chance as his chains sent purple electricity all over him, causing Izuku to real his head back as pain shocked through his entire body.

"GNAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" His hands were balled into fists and his eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head.

Lynch watched in satisfaction as purple colors ignited around Izuku for a few seconds, then stopping and leaving the boy steaming with his head down, heavily panting in pain.

"Now then, without further ado~"

"N-No..." Izuku whimpered, unable to move as his body became entirely paralyzed.

Lynch's free hand reached out and grabbed Izuku's costume, ripping the back of it off to reveal his skin. He then pulled the branding iron back and aimed it in the center.

"After today, this brand will prove just what you really are. In the face of power, in the face of ME, you'll always be..."

His red eyes brightened.

"Useless."

He then thrusted the iron forward, the sizzling on Izuku's skin echoing in the room.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!"

Izuku lost the pupils in his eyes from the immense pain he was feeling, trying to lean forward to somehow get the iron off him. But Lynch just used his free hand to grab the boy's shoulder and hold him back, making sure the iron remains pressed on his skin.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE POWERLESS!?! TO BE UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING!?!" Lynch screamed with a crazed laugh. "THAT'S WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE DEKU!"

He then pulled the iron right off, letting go and causing Izuku to slump forward with his head hanging.

"And that's what it'll always mean." Lynch finished, backing up to appreciate his work as his branding iron formed back into his hand.

Izuku panted hard as sweat dripped from his body, feeling his anger building up as his twitching hands still managed to ball up into fists.

"Die... Die..." Ikari's voice echoed in his head.

Izuku clenched his teeth. "I'll kill you..."

He slowly raised his head, and gazed back at Lynch, eyes turned into a blood-red.

"I'll kill you!" His and Ikari's voices mixed.

Lynch just seemed to take pleasure in hearing that.

"Oh, how I can't wait. Next time, I'll make sure I have enough time to study you to no end. But for now-"

He waved a hand, and a large mirror appeared right in front of Lynch, reflecting Izuku's backside on it.

"I want to see your first look at it."

Izuku turned his head back and saw himself looking at the reflection, and all the anger he was experiencing suddenly... stopped.

He saw his back in its entirety. He still had that slash caused during his fight against the Hero Killer, but it was basically overshadowed by the new imprint right in the center of his back. The word, the word he had received didn't mean what he wanted it to. The word engraved on him also engraved a message from Lynch, that he would never be able to go up against him.

But what caused Izuku to feel sorrow at that moment wasn't just his back, but his eyes.

He saw his face glaring back at himself in a hateful, murderous red and black. He was reminded of all the times when his anger had caused everyone to worry, when he heavily injured himself and others. For the first time ever, he saw the look on his face from using Ikari.

And... it was just disheartening to see, especially realizing that for a moment, he actually wanted to kill Lynch.

He turned his head forward and lowered it in shame, shadows hiding his eyes, but tears now flowed on his face and dripped onto the ground.

"Oh, how I can't wait for the next time we meet. Especially since I know what makes you tick. Messing with you will be so much fun. But for now, I think we're done here." Lynch waved his hand again and the mirror shattered, the pieces disintegrating out of existence. "I don't want Reapy finding me again like last time."

He walked around Izuku so that he was in front of him, then grabbing his head force him to look at him.

"See you next time."

Izuku then felt the ground shift underneath him as Lynch let him go, then looking down to find that the same black sludge that took him in Hosu was now taking him once again.

"De-ku." Lynch finished.

He gritted his teeth as he slowly felt himself sinking into the large puddle, but mustered his courage to look up at Lynch, his eyes back to green.

"We'll stop you! Enso and I will stop you! No matter what!"

Lynch watched as Izuku slowly sank down, the upper part of his head being the only thing shown now.

He laughed.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Izuku glared at the villain before he suddenly saw his vision darkened into black, feeling a cold, thick substance everywhere around him. He started to instinctively feel dizzy and his body started feeling tired, finding himself holding his breath as he realized that he had already sunk into the large puddle. However, this didn't seem to help, as he found himself closing his eyes...

As he let his exhaustion overtake him.

Lynch watched as the puddle closed up, leaving him alone in the large, white room.

"A selfless person is always the easiest to mess with."

He raised his hand, where the center of his palm ripped open and dropped several, marble-shaped balls of flesh onto the ground.

"All you have to do to get to them, is to prove that they can't help everyone, even those right in front of them." He chuckled.

He then waved a hand, causing these wads of meat to shake before they started growing and grotesquely changing.

One by one, the marbles on the floor changed into a human body, bodies that Lynch had taken while exploring the world he was on. They were all back-alley thugs, small criminals, or homeless people living in secluded areas. After all, not many would notice these people gone in the first place... even if there were over dozens of them.

"And what better way to do that, than to show what everyone he CAN'T save ends up as?"

He crouched down and placed his palm onto the ground, where many pores opened up all over his hand and arm.

Out of these pores, dozens of critters crawled out as they made clicking sounds, creeping onto the ground and towards the corpses of all the deceased humans.

Each of them had rough, black, and spherical bodies with four, spiky legs along with two even large legs coming from their behinds. They had small heads with pincer-like mouths that contained tiny, parasitic-like tentacles flailing out them. Included were two slanted eyes on each side of their heads, some pores on their body with toxic green liquid leaking out and had cracks in their rough skin.

These creatures were no bigger than a bottle cap, and each claimed a corpse and dug its way inside through any hole of the head, whether mouth, ears, or even through the nose.

Lynch stood up in delight as he heard some crunching and eerie digging in the skin, then watching as the bodies on the floor suddenly started to change. Some of their bodies grew bigger, others started growing new features, but all of them started making the same inhuman screeches as they started standing up from the floor.

Lynch clapped his hands together, watching as his new puppets started to take shape.

"Let's start building, shall we?"