Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Oh, I am such an idiot!” Helen cried. “I let this happen, you know,” she sniffled in a lower tone before blowing her nose. “The new sports car, the getting in shape, the blond hair, the lies...”

The hearts of more than a few students went out to the poor wife. “H-hey, now,” Sero pointed out, “it’s just a misunderstanding. I mean, Bob isn’t actually cheating on her…”

“But a lot of the evidence is pointing in that direction,” Asui ribbited sadly. She’d expected the situation escalating like this ever since Bob had lied to Helen about his employment, but seeing it happen for real, that was a fair bit more. I was hoping I’d be wrong. …I have that hope more often than I’d like.

Ashido was meanwhile clasping her hands together so tightly acid was beginning to drip through the cracks. The droplets sizzled on the carpet, mingling with her tears. Just a misunderstanding… There won’t be any breakup… Hagakure and Yaoyorozu had to shake her out of her prayer to the shipping gods lest she do any permanent damage to the carpet.

The one-armed hug from her horn buddy did soothe the pain by some margin.

Uraraka was putting on a brave face, but that didn’t stop her from accepting her own hugs. Todoroki couldn’t properly reach her like Tsu, Midoriya and Iida, but he could still squeeze her shoulder. “There’s still a chance for them. They can work things out.”

Aizawa quickly wrestled the remote from the teary-eyed foghorn of a fellow teacher in an effort to keep the movie going. There’d been enough interruptions. “You and your soap operas, Mic…”

“Sh-shut it, we can’t all be gloomy twenty-four-seven like you!”

Edna was unfazed as her heartbroken guest took more tissues for herself. “Yes, he attempts to relive the past.” She flicked the used tissues into an incinerator built in the table.

“…Why does a kitchen table have an incinerator built into it?” Ojiro muttered, his eyes squinting a little more than normal at the feature.

Shoji shrugged his broad arms. “She’s a kooky lady, who knows what other features that kitchen has?”

At least E’s deadpan expression dampened the feelings of sorrow and heartbreak oozing from the screen. All Might for his part couldn’t help but dwell on her words. Reliving the past… He’d already drawn plenty of parallels between himself and Bob throughout the course of the film, but this one lined up with feelings the ex-Symbol of Peace had experienced. Sitting on the sidelines, needing protection in his present state when he had always been the one doing the protecting… Toshinori didn’t regret handing the reins over to Midoriya and his classmates one bit, but that didn’t mean he didn’t lament his own frailty.

But as he could see of Mr. Incredible’s predicament, getting caught up on past adventures was a treacherous slope. I have new responsibilities now, All Might told himself. And reliving the past shouldn’t come at the expense of neglecting the present. Or stifling the potential of the future. Both he and Bob had made more than enough mistakes for that.

“Now I’m losing him! What’ll I do?” Helen hung her head in defeat. “What’ll I do?”

That made E narrow her eyes and practically snarl, “ What are you talking about? ”

The ex-heroine glanced up with a distraught hum.

“YOU ARE ELASTIGIRL!” The smaller woman yelled in her face. “My God. Pull!” She then leaped up onto the table and proceeded to smack Helen with her rolled-up newspaper. “Yourself! Together!”

Jumping from the sudden increase in volume, most of the students flinched and winced with every smack inflicted. Bakugo nodded in blatant approval, scoffing at the chiding looks sent his way. “Oh, shut up, I’d do the same thing with any of you extras. Gender be damned!”

“…With the newspaper and everything?” Kaminari couldn’t help but ask.

He received a chilling sort of half-smirk, half-bloodthirsty grin in response. “As if I’d waste a perfectly good newspaper like that.”

E finally let up from her smacking, but she continued to radiate energy. “What will you do, is-is-is this a question?! You will show him you remember that he is Mr. Incredible, and you will remind him who you are!” A wide-eyed Helen shrank back from her enthusiasm, and Edna proceeded to trot down to the other end of the table while she went on. “Well, you know where he is, go, confront the problem! Fight!” She whirled back, limbs outstretched like a star and an excited grin on her face. “WIN!” Then she spontaneously calmed down again. “And call me when you get back, dahling. I enjoy our visits.”

“You know what? She’s right.” Jiro turned to her fellow female classmates with a smirk. “Helen’s not some helpless housewife, she’s a Pro at least as amazing as Incredible. She said it herself back in her interview: ‘Leave the saving the world to the men? I don’t think so!’” She got up and thumbed at the TV. “If Mr. Incredible can make a comeback, then why not Elastigirl?”

That set a fire in the other girls. “Oh, yeah! She can take down Syndrome herself and save Bob!” Hagakure cheered.

Momo cupped her chin in thought, the possibilities speeding through her mind. “Thanks to the homing device, Helen knows his location. Even if the island is remote, she’d surely think of a way to reach it…” Her eyes shone with eagerness. “She doesn’t even need to confront the Omnidroid itself, just rescue Bob… She can do this!”

“Heck, yeah, she can!” Ashido had bounced back from her slump and pumped her arms in excitement. “Girl power!” Tsu ribbited in agreement while the male part of the audience just accepted it all in good nature. It was only fair that Helen get as much a chance to shine as Bob did, after all. Bakugo for his part didn’t care who did the asskicking, Incredible or Elastigirl, just so long as a Hero kicked ass.

Meanwhile, Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida huddled together with blank looks. “…Mei Hatsume must never learn of Edna Mode,” the bespectacled class representative intoned frankly.

“Absolutely.”/“Not even her name.” His best friends nodded in agreement and with the exact same tone.

The scene shifted to the Parr family home. “There’s lots of leftovers that you can reheat,” Helen explained as she retrieved a bag from the closet. “Make sure Dash does his homework,” she instructed Violet while heading for her and Bob’s bedroom, “and both of you, get to bed on time. I should be back tonight. Late. You can be in charge that long, can’t you?”

“Very responsible of Mrs. Parr,” Iida commended with a nod. “It’s best not to involve the children in such a deadly situation, and Violet is both the eldest and the most responsible of the three.”

“The latter’s not exactly an achievement considering one of them’s a toddler and the other’s Dash.” Ojiro’s comment earned him a giggle from Ashido and Hagakure.

Kaminari scratched his head. “For a moment, I thought she would be taking them along, though. Well, maybe not Jack-Jack, but what with the whole Hero Family vibe the movie’s giving off…”

“Oh, please,” Jiro scoffed at her blonde classmate, “Helen’s already got Bob to worry about. Who in their right mind would bring two kids along for a rescue mission?”

“Hey, they’ve both got Quirks, Violet even has two! Plus, the costumes-”

“That doesn’t mean they’re ready to go off doing Hero work, Jammingway! We’d have better luck with Aizawa-sensei letting us do that!” Their homeroom teacher huffed in agreement at his spot.

The two continued to bicker when Todoroki spoke up. “That doesn’t mean they won’t become involved in the movie’s plot.” Children often get entangled in the messes of their parents, he added to himself, a certain chatterbox with wind powers and his animosity towards Endeavor coming to mind.

Tokoyami hummed. “It would make little sense for them to slip out of focus this late in the story…”

“Yeah,” her daughter replied with visible confusion. “But why am I in charge again?”

“ Nothing. Just a little trouble with Daddy. ”

“Now there’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.” Mineta muttered.

Vi tilted her head at that. “You mean Dad’s in trouble, or Dad is the trouble?”

“I mean,” Helen turned back to her, “either he’s in trouble…” She gave a side glance that sent shivers through the male audience members. “Or he’s going to be.” Then she closed the door, leaving a perplexed Vi on the other side.

Sato winced sympathetically. “Bob’s so gonna be in the doghouse when this is over…”

“First, she needs to get him out of Syndrome’s clutches,” Shoji pointed out. “One step at a time.”

In the parents’ bedroom, Helen placed the bag onto the bed and took out the Super suits Edna had given her. She paused while holding up her own, staring at the vibrant red (indestructible) fabric.

Watching the retiree and her new suit, as well as the anticipation swelling in the students, made Toshinori contemplate his earlier thoughts anew. Yes, he would satisfy himself with letting Midoriya and his generation take the reins, but the time came like it had for Helen to be Elastigirl once more… if the world truly needed All Might again… He would find a way. He would be here.

“Hey!” She whirled around to find Dash standing in the doorway. “What’s that?” Helen promptly stretched out her arm to shut the door in his face. But then her son’s voice came an instant later from the window. “Where’d you get that, Mom? You made a cool outfit?” She pulled the blinds down to stop Dash peaking in. “Hey, are those for us?” But Dash was already at the next one. “We all get cool outfits?” Helen covered that window, too, only for her speedy son to zip into the room, snag his suit from the bed and run out again. “Ha-ha!”

His mother called after him in vain. “Dash! You come back here this moment!”

Yaoyorozu bit her thumb a little. “Oh, dear. Of all her children who might’ve discovered the suits…”

“It just had to be the one with Iida’s speed and Kaminari’s hyperactivity, ribbit,” Her froggy friend agreed.

Her comment received more than a couple laughs and a “Hey!” from the resident electrokinetic… who then smirked. “Dash could run circles around Iida, Asui.” The laughter increased in number and volume, including mirthful croaks from Tsu (though her giggles paled in comparison to the ones Jiro was sputtering out). Much to the indignance of a certain hand-chopping class rep.

Before Helen could go get him, the phone on her bedside rang. She answered it with a cordial smile. “Hey, Snug. Thanks for getting back. Listen, I know this is short notice, but I was hoping that I could get you to-“

“ What are these ?” Violet’s voice cut her off, and he turned to find her daughter inspecting her suit.

Kirishima winced. “Oh, and now Vi’s in on this, too. With her shyness, though, I don’t she’ll be strutting around in it like Dash totally would.”

“But now only Jack-Jack is left,” Mina giggled. “When’s it gonna be his turn to find a suit? Oh, he’d look so cute in it…” She cooed to herself.

Bakugo scoffed. “The twerp’s a baby. She’s probably stashed that one away where no one would find it. Besides, he’d probably just use it as a chew toy or a blankie. Or both.” The Bakusquad collectively gagged at their “leader’s” suggestion.

While they bickered, Midoriya was pondering who Helen might’ve been talking to, pen and notebook at the ready. “Snug? Doesn’t sound like any American name I’ve heard of. Can’t be a hero name, either, not since Helen’s careful about drawing attention like that. Probably a nickname…” He continued mumbling to himself even as his friends eyed him amused. None made an effort to snap him out of it, though.

This was the best sign that Deku had recovered from his earlier crisis. So, they just hit “Play.”

Helen quickly swiped the suit away from Violet just as Dash zoomed back into the room, wearing his suit with delight and pride. “ Look, I’m The Dash! ” He bolted over to the mirror, flexing his muscles. “ The Dash likes this. Yeah …”

Helen hastily spoke into the phone, “Just a second,” before turning towards a still-posing Dash. “Take that off before somebody sees it.”

Aoyama hummed in approval, sparkles dancing about him. “Oui, the costume does suit him perfectly. Now, if only he could wear it without fear of repercussion.” That was a worry he knew… quite a bit about.

“Maybe they can write it off as early Halloween or something if anybody sees him.” Ojiro’s tail swung about a little. “Right now, I think Helen’s got more than enough to worry about beside his playing hero.”

“But you’re packing one just like it,” Violet pointed out with a frown. “Are you hiding something?”

“ Oh, please, honey. I’m on the phone and... ” While Helen was busy trying to come up with a plausible explanation, Dash crept past her to pick up the last suit: Violet’s. An exclamation from him made her notice with mounting frustration. “ Dash! ”

He ignored her, though, to pass the suit over to his sister. “This is yours. It’s specially made.”

Violet dully accepted it, visibly suspicious. “What’s going on?”

Having reached the limit of her patience, Helen herded them both out of the room. “You’re not coming! And I’ve gotta pack!” She slammed the door and slumped against it with a sigh.

Mic elbowed his friend with a snicker. “Kids, am I right?”

Eraser huffed. “She thinks she has it rough, she should try keeping an eye on twenty of them, none of which are hers.”

“Just be glad you don’t have Young Dash as a student,” All Might teased, his colleague stiffening at the thought. A hyperactive, glory-seeking speedster with a knack for mischief… Sure, some students could be a handful *cough* Bakugo *cough* Midoriya *cough* …But at least none of them pulled pranks.

The “kids” the three teachers had, though, were eagerly watching the aftermath of Helen’s eviction.

On the other side of the door, Violet turned to her brother. “What makes you think it’s special?”

“I don’t know.” Dash shrugged before grinning. “Why’d Mom try to hide it?” Then he ran off again, leaving Violet behind. Peering at her own suit, the dark-haired teen turned her left hand invisible and touched it, gasping when the suit disappeared as well upon contact. She quickly deactivated her power. Something was definitely fishy.

Hagakure crossed her arms while letting out a longing huff. “I so have to get a suit like that…”

Koda patted her shoulder and offered her a hopeful smile which did actually lift her spirits. It’s like Mashi said, maybe the support class really can make one for me! Ugh, I’m still gonna have to power through this year’s winter, though…

On another side of the audience, Midoriya was anxiously drumming his fingers against his knees. “This is it. Violet and Dash are going to follow their mom, aren’t they?”

“Definitely.” Todoroki straightened in his seat. “Dash is too excited and Violet’s suspicious.”

“But should they?” Iida wasn’t chopping his arms, but his inner conflict could be clearly seen past his glasses. “Bob is in a very precarious situation, and Helen has far more experience, I expect, than the two of them put together. It might be better if they didn’t intervene…” His words lacked their usual surety, though; Tenya remembered very well the last two time he had gone against the rules of adults. He rubbed the spot where the scars from his near-fatal encounter with Stain lingered.

Even so, it didn’t feel quite so easy. It was Midoriya who voiced Iida’s opposite thoughts aloud. “Would they be able to live with themselves if they stayed put?” The three boys sat in silence.

With the kids finally gone, Helen continued her talk into the phone. “Snug, I’m calling in a solid you owe me.”

“ What do you need? ” Snug replied without hesitation.

“A jet.” As she talked, she picked up a framed picture that showed her in pilot clothing next to another man with a big grin wearing similar garb. Both were standing in front of an old-fashioned hanger. “What do you got that’s fast?”

“ Let me think... ”

“Elastigirl was a pilot, too?!” Uraraka’s eyes twinkled more than Aoyama’s entire body ever could (the Francophile student noted with a twinge of envy). “That’s so cool!”

Midoriya was flipping through his notebook, equally excited. “There are heroes who are capable of flying themselves, but actually having a license to operate and fly a plane…?” He proceeded to mumble even as his search revealed few with such training.

“It usually takes one to three months for a pilot to acquire a private license.” He glanced up alongside others to an amused All Might. “That’s the standard time including written exams, ground school and a minimum of thirty-five hours in the air.” Noticing the surprised-inquisitive looks his way, the retired Symbol of Peace explained (with just a hint of melancholy), “My old friend Dave needed a pilot’s license so he could use the flight function of our ride. He also told me that commercial pilots have to do six to twelve months with up to two hundred hours of flight time for their licenses.”

Kaminari slumped in his seat from imagining the sheer amount of studying this endeavor would no doubt entail. Having similar thoughts, Ashido, Hagakure and even Jiro scratched “learning how to fly a plane” off their list of emulating their newfound idol Elastigirl. But Uraraka wasn’t quite so ready to give up yet; she used to fantasize taking to the skies and even out er space as a kid. The flight school sounds expensive, though, she huffed. But if Yaomomo wanted to do it, too…

Sure enough, the scene transitioned to a large white plane streaking through the skies. In the pilot’s seat, Helen took one hand off the controls to activate comms. “Island approach. India Golf Niner-Niner checking in. VFR on top. Over.”

“That’s one hell of a solid…” Shoji muttered beneath his mask. A wide-eyed Koda mutely agreed.

The sight of her piloting such a big plane and making it look easy only reinforced Uraraka’s wishes, and to her increased joy, Yaomomo seemed to be having similar thoughts. “The skill despite her years of inactivity…” the Creation Hero-in-training breathed in awe. “And to think she drew together this plan within a single day. From acquiring the plane itself to flying it to Mr. Incredible’s whereabouts…”

“I know, right?!” Every single girl’s eyes glimmered with unbridled admiration for Helen Parr. Ochaco then faced her teacher with hope. “Aizawa-sensei, is there…?”

 “U-A doesn’t have a pilot curriculum itself, we’re not that broad-minded.” He sighed at her deflating, then added, “But if you’re still serious about acquiring a pilot’s license after graduating, Uraraka, we can talk with the principal and ask if he can’t pull some strings. Other than that, it’s ultimately your decision for your future career.” Inwardly, Aizawa approved of the gravity girl’s interest. He’d already seen both her willingness to consider different hero paths and her dedication and thinking skills at the Sports Festival. It never hurt to widen one’s skillset, especially for a hero.

Midoriya watched his friend at U-A eagerly discuss possibilities with an equally excited Momo, smiling at her enthusiasm. She’s really amazing, being willing to take on such lessons… His own cheeks reddened a little as Uraraka sat back down beside him (at Bakugo’s yelling) so they could continue.

Ashido still noticed their closeness with delight.

But only static came through the radio. “Island tower, this is India Golf Niner-Niner requesting vectors to the initial. Over.” Helen repeated warily but continued to receive no reply.

All Might hummed in approval. “I’m no expert, but even the radio jargon is accurate.” He chuckled at the inquisitive looks thrown his way; the widest eyes were Young Midoriya’s, of course, but even Young Bakugo seemed to be interested. “In her earlier broadcast, Helen said, ‘VFR on top,’ which means Visual Flight Rules and refers to her flying over a cloud cover. And ‘vectors to the initial,’ I believe, is her asking for specific landing coordinates. They really did their homework while making this movie.”

“But why is she calling in like that? She’s telling the villains she’s headed their way!” Mineta had managed to suppress any comments his classmates wouldn’t have appreciated, but that didn’t stop him from asking a legit question.

Asui recognized this effort and decided to help out. “We know that, but Helen doesn’t know that, ribbit. And regardless of her being an active Hero or not, she has to keep in mind the protocol of flying into private airspace.”

“Exactly,” Present Mic chimed in. “Helen doesn’t have the full picture behind Bob’s under-the-table heroics, and a plane that size can’t just land somewhere without receiving local clearance or, like All Might said, landing vectors. It’s more than likely Syndrome’s goons have already picked her up on their radar anyway. That’s why she can’t do anymore than follow proper procedure for a pilot at the moment.”

Her worries increasing, she zipped open the bag in the spot next to her, revealing the suit E had made for her. Her hand hovered over it for a second. The retired hero took a breath to calm herself. “Easy, Helen. Easy. Easy, girl. You’re overreacting. Everything’s fine. They’re just...” she winced a little before offering, “all getting coffee!” Then her face slowly fell as she contemplated said scenario. “...at the same time. Yeah.”

“Sure,” Jiro deadpanned in agreement. “The whole crew’s just on a coffee break. There’s totally nothing suspicious about that. No way Helen’s not starting to put the pieces together.”

“But why don’t they give her a fake response or something?” Kaminari wondered beside her. “I mean, Syndrome’s got control of the whole island. Couldn’t he just have Helen land, get her out of the plane, and then lock her up alongside Bob?”

“Look at the size of that plane, Dunce Face.” He slumped a little at the familiar nickname but listened to Bakugo’s critique all the same. “You could fit dozens of people in there, like a whole group of trained soldiers or heroes. Syndrome doesn’t have a clue that Elastigirl’s the only one headed for him, hell, he might not even know who she is. All he knows is a woman wants to land a big-ass plane on his property.”

Mineta barely managed to control himself, especially seeing as Bakugo didn’t recognize his own innuendo.

With another glance at the suit, Helen pressed a button for the autopilot, removed her headpiece and got up, grabbing the bag in the process. She headed straight for the bathroom.

Eraser Head nodded at her decision. “Fortune favors the prepared.”

At Elastigirl’s destination, Syndrome was shown striding into a dark room, a large mechanical device slowly sliding apart before him. It revealed Mr. Incredible suspended between a set of metal bars, his hands and ankles restrained as strands of electricity “connected” them to the bars. Mirage sat at a set of controls on one side, a guard with his own set on the other. “You, sir,” Syndrome wagged a finger at his glaring captive, “truly are Mr. Incredible.”

Tension rose anew upon seeing both the captured hero and the one responsible for his predicament. And for Midoriya’s grief. Nearly all eyes shifted towards the green-haired student, but he was focused solely on the screen. His face showed the same determination as when he’d be facing a hero course. But some like All Might noticed his scarred right arm trembling just a little. Even so, they collectively chose not to make a big fuss over it. Yet.

“You know, I was right to idolize you. I-I-I always knew you were tough, but tricking the probe by hiding under the bones of another super?!” He threw up his hands with a big smile even as Incredible continued to glare at him. “Oh, MAN! I’m still geeking out about it!”

Midoriya couldn’t help but flinch a little at the villain’s fanboyish antics. Despite Bakugo’s assurances, he couldn’t help but see a parallel in Syndrome and his words. Even after everything that had happened since he first met his own idol, Deku still thought the world of All Might. Would I act the same way if I were a villain, and All Might were my… prisoner?

“You’re not him.” Those three small but extremely significant words from Todoroki triggered Izuku out of his self-doubt. Iida, Tsuyu and All Might all gave their full agreement to the dual-element boy’s declaration.

Only then did he realize that the tremors in his hand had stopped, and that was because someone was holding it. He glanced down to find padded fingers intertwined with his. Moving his gaze up revealed a concerned Uravity smiling at him with a silent message in her hazel eyes. You’re better than Syndrome, Deku. Midoriya glanced between his friends before smiling back and returning to the film.

The villain’s smile fell away as he continued. “And then you had to just go and,” Syndrome turned back to Incredible, “ruin the ride. I mean, Mr. Incredible calling for help? ‘Help me, help me.’” Syndrome mocked in a high-pitched voice before pacing with mounting anger. “Lame, lame, lame, lame, LAME! All right, who did you contact?!”

“Contact?” The hero frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”

Syndrome nodded to his goon by the controls. At the flip of a switch, white flashes of electricity streamed across Incredible’s body, making him groan in pain.

Students winced at the hero’s pain-wracked face, Kaminari noting, “That looks like a way lot more than what I’d shock a guy with.” He shuddered a little. “Now I can’t decide if I should up my game or hold back more.”

“Both.” The electrokinetic blonde sighed at his teacher’s admonishment.

Then he got an elbow larger than normal in the chest from Sero. “What’re you worrying about, man? You’re probably the only guy who wouldn’t have to worry about being strapped up like Incredible.”

“Nah,” Ashido shook her head, “Kirishima could tank the jolts no problem.”

The praise made her horn buddy’s face match his hair color. “W-well, I’m not so sure about that. If Mr. Incredible hasn’t pulled himself out of those restraints, it can’t be that easy. Especially with the shocks.”

Iida adjusted his glasses slightly. “I agree. The latter’s purpose is most likely to disrupt the concentration of captives, preventing them from using their powers. And the suspended state deprives power-based heroes such as Mr. Incredible of leverage to implement his strength properly. An effective prison,” he conceded grudgingly.

After a moment, the torture ceased, and he slumped forward while Syndrome leaned in. “ I am referring to last night at 23:07 hours while you were snooping around. You sent out a homing signal. ”

“I didn’t know,” Mr. Incredible huffed despite the pain, “about the homing device.” At another nod from Syndrome, the goon activated the electricity again, though the needle veered dangerously in the red zone. The result was clear as Mr. Incredible nearly cried out from the jolt.

Mic clicked his tongue, his glasses reflecting the electricity. “Of course, the shock function’s likely more there for torture than as a countermeasure against Quirks. I wonder how much more the big guy can take.”

“Um,” Hagakure scratched her invisible locks, “I’ve got a question: why didn’t Edna tell Bob about the homing device? Did she forget to mention it or something?”

“I doubt it, what with how excited she got about showing off the suits to Helen.” Ojiro frowned. “It’s a good question, though. The only answer I can think of is she chose not to tell him, but why?”

A rustling drew the two’s attention to Shoji as he leaned forward. “Edna seemed suspicious of Bob from the start. Maybe she didn’t mention the homing device because she didn’t want him to try and mess with it. Mr. Incredible wouldn’t have appreciated the feeling of being tracked, especially during his ‘hero’ work.”

Yaoyorozu turned towards the class’s tallest student. “Do you mean Miss Mode deliberately set up this situation? In order for Helen to grow suspicious and follow her husband, thereby re-donning her hero mantle herself?”

“…Well, I hadn’t considered it that far,” He admitted a little sheepishly, the vice-president blushing at her over-enthusiastic theory.

Said theory, though, had drawn a kindred spirit’s attention. “It would make sense.” Todoroki peered down into Midoriya’s notes over the movie, his friend adjusting his seating a little to accommodate. “She could’ve grown so enthusiastic about making the new suit for Mr. Incredible, not only did she continue with suits for the rest of the family, but Mode decided to prepare Elastigirl in case her husband was in over his head.”

The rest of the class stared at him both for his rare verbosity and his theory. “…That’s a pretty big jump in logic, Todoroki, ribbit,” Asui admitted.

“But considering how smart and fucking crazy that tiny woman is, Half-and-Half is probably on the mark,” Bakugo grumbled, much to the shock of those seated next to him. “Shut it.”

“And now a government plane,” an increasingly irritated Syndrome enunciated while Incredible tried to recover, “is requesting permission to land here! Who did you contact?!”

“Whatever the logic behind Mode’s decisions -or lack thereof,” Iida added in an undertone, “The result is that Syndrome believes Incredible is trying to bring in reinforcements.”

“Can’t take the risk of the government finding out about his plans past or present,” All Might agreed with a scowl. “Aside from the many heroes he lured to their deaths, his final plan with the Omnidroid is too dangerous. If Incredible and Elastigirl can’t stop him here, who knows how many lives that man will put in danger.” He also made a mental note to keep this movie out of the hands of All for One and the League of Villains, no matter what. That old lunatic would’ve been delighted and inspired by Syndrome’s schemes.

“ I didn’t send for a ,” Incredible gasped out, “ a plane. ”

“Play the transmission!” At Syndrome’s command, Mirage pressed a button at the equipment before her. A recording of Helen’s call played into the room. “...India golf Niner-Niner checking in. VFR on top. Over.”

Bob’s eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice. “Helen,” he whispered instinctively.

Syndrome, of course, picked up on it. “So you do know these people.” Smirking, he flipped off the case for a certain red button. “Well, then, I’ll send them a little greeting.” Bob could only watch in horror as his enemy pushed the button.

Ashido’s black eyes widened, and a terrified gasp escaped her. “Oh, no…”

“H-He’s going after Helen now?” Uraraka had come to the same conclusion and was gripping Tsu’s offered hand carefully enough not to make the frog girl float away but still quite tightly. “C-can he warn her?”

Tsu winced from the pressure but answered her best friend all the same. “Not unless Syndrome activates his side of the radio, ribbit, and he’s clearly not interested in a conversation. Better to just eliminate a contact of Mr. Incredible and a potential threat.”

“His feelings betrayed his love…” Tokoyami muttered with appropriate gloom. “And Syndrome can’t resist an opportunity to hurt his former idol.” That conclusion made Midoriya, Bakugo and Todoroki stiffen.

On the plane, Helen stepped out of the bathroom, clad in her new super suit. She absentmindedly tossed her bag towards a seat on her way to the cockpit when an “Ow!” rang out behind her.

Helen immediately (and angrily) turned back. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. “ Violet? ”

“Ouch,” Hagakure winced out loud at her fellow invisible girl’s pain. “I know the feeling, Violet.” She blinked (not that anyone could see it). “Wait… Violet?”

Aoyama covered his eyes with a sparkle. “Mon Dieu, she snuck aboard, did she not?”

“It’s not my fault!” Violet hastily protested as she turned visible, pushing the bag off of her. She, too, was wearing the Incredible suit. “Dash ran away, and I knew I’d get blamed for it-”

Dash ’s head popped up a couple rows back. “ That’s not true! ”

“ Dash?! ”

Aizawa facepalmed. “And of course, where one brat is, the other one’s not far behind.”

“Honestly, I figured that if either one of the kids would go after Helen, it would be Dash,” Shoji noted.

“By that logic, should Violet have stayed behind?” Todoroki cocked his head. “Or as the responsible one, shouldn’t she have followed her brother?” Dull though his tone was, the query was an honest question bereft of any sarcasm. Given his lack of interaction with his siblings… Asking was the first step to learning.

Dash sped over to behind his sister, and the two began talking over one another.

 “You said, ‘Something’s up with Mom. We have to find out what!’ It was your idea! Your idea!” Dash banged his fists against the seat, not about to take all the blame for their sneaking in. “Hundred percent all-yours, all-the-time idea!”

Violet protested the accusations. “… and I thought he’d try to sneak on the plane so I came here and you closed the doors before I could find him and then you took off and it’s not my fault! ”

Eyes darted between the two siblings’ argument, Kaminari, Sero, Ashido, Kirishima, Sato and Aoyama trying to make sense of what was being said. They gave up rather quickly, though, and settled for turning towards the classmate they were most accustomed to barely decipherable utterings.

Midoriya shrank a little from the attention directed at him, Iida and Uraraka ready to assist (across the couch, Bakugo was quietly snickering to himself). “B-Basically, Violet was the one to suggest their mother was acting suspiciously, but Dash rushed ahead and snuck into the plane, prompting Violet to follow him. But before they could leave, the plane had already taken off with them inside. So, they are both somewhat responsible, I suppose…?” He received a chorus of nods and thankyou’s for his summarization.

Ochaco even offered him a fistbump, smiling as Deku accepted it… but only for a moment. “Hang on… if they’re both on the plane…”

Helen glared at both of them before remembering one important detail. “W-wait a minute, wait a minute. You left Jack-Jack alone?!”

“…Yeah, that…” The zero-gravity girl whimpered as she slowly paled at the mental image of Jack-Jack sitting alone in the house, bawling his eyes out. (Ochaco made a note to visit Eri after the movie).

By contrast, her friend was apoplectic. “How utterly irresponsible!” Iida’s hands were chopping fast enough to turn an entire forest into lumber ready for woodwork. “They ran after their mother while leaving behind their infant brother with no one to watch him?! I expected more of you, Violet! Your mother placed you in charge for both siblings-”

“One of which is a hyperactive nine-year-old boy with superspeed, ribbit.”

“Even so, Violet is surely used to Dash’s antics by now, Asui! For her to-”

“Call me Tsu, Iida.”

Tenya’s words sputtered out and against each other as he tried to regain control of his flow; his efforts reminded many of when their class president’s Engines would clog up. “My point is, Tsu, they should have at least arranged for someone to watch over the baby before sneaking after-”

And the kids went back to talking over each other, only this time they were somewhat in agreement. “Yes, mom, I’m completely stupid...” “No, we got someone, Mom.” “Of course we got a sitter!” “We wouldn’t do that.” “Do you think I’m totally irresponsible?” “Someone great.” Violet crossed her arms in annoyance. “Thanks a lot!”

“…Ah.” Upon hearing these words (his own speed Quirk aided him in comprehending high-speed talk) Iida recomposed himself. “In that case, I retract my prior comments.”

“Props for getting a babysitter so quickly, too.” All Might leaned back a bit to reminisce about the times David would suddenly call him up and ask him to keep an eye on Melissa for a day or two.

Some were more skeptical, though. “If all of this has been going on in one day, how qualified a sitter can you get on short notice?” Sato wondered. The baking Hero had a little experience with babysitting, so he knew it wasn’t as easy as some thought. The responsibility of taking care of a tyke like Jack-Jack…

“All right!” Helen put her hands on her hips, slightly mollified. “Well, who’d you get?”

The scene changed to a red-haired teenage girl with braces talking on the phone. Jack-Jack was sitting behind her. “You don’t have to worry about one single thing, Mrs. Parr. I’ve got this baby-sitting thing wired. I’ve taken courses and learned CPR and I got excellent marks and certificates...”

“ Kari... ” Helen tried to interject over the plane phone.

“ I also brought Mozart to play while he sleeps to make him smarter because leading experts say Mozart makes babies smarter. ”

Bakugo took one look at Kari and came to a swift conclusion: “The squirt’s doomed.”

“Kacchan”/“Bakugo!”/“Dude!”

“She sounds qualified,” Koda mumbled in defense, a little off-guard though he was from her rambling. “And enthusiastic…”

Momo gave a wistful sigh. “I can still remember those days of Don Giovanni playing in the background as I took a nap…” She then spared a glance towards her best friend. “Quite peaceful, wouldn’t you agree, Kyoka?”

“If you say so, Yamomo.” Jiro shrugged. “For me, it was heavy metal. Guitar shredding, beating the drums, plus, you can make a lullaby out of any song if you sing it slow and soft enough.”

“Peaceful my butt, it’s a story of an arrogant jerk getting humiliated…” Kaminari muttered next to her before frowning at the many gimlet eyes on him. “I was talking about Don Giovanni. …What, I can’t know a thing or two about Austrian operas?”

“That you recognize Mozart as Austrian and not just German alone is an accomplishment.” Todoroki leaned back a little in thought, seemingly not noticing the conflicted look his classmate was shooting him (Was that a compliment or an insult?). “My childhood music consisted mostly of gagaku. Especially kangen, a lot of biwa-playing, but not much of modern stuff.” That was about the one thing Father and Mother seemed to be in agreement over… He could vaguely remember Natsuo grumbling about not getting to hear the latest pop like his classmates.

A lot of said classmates were eyeing him weirdly, at the moment. “…Something wrong?” But a moment later, they silently shook their heads and returned their attention to the screen.

“ Kari... ”

“…And the beautiful part is that the babies don’t even have to listen ‘cause they’re asleep!” Kari considered this for a moment. “You know, I wish my parents played Mozart when I slept because half the time, I don’t even know what the heck anyone’s talking about.”

“For some reason, I’m not surprised,” Mic drawled.

Despite the lengthy “negotiation,” Helen wasn’t convinced. “ Kari, I really don’t feel comfortable with this. Uh, I’ll pay you for your trouble, but I’d really rather call a service. ”

“Oh, there’s really no need, Mrs. Parr,” Kari assured her confidently. “I can totally handle anything this baby can dish out.” She turned to Jack-Jack and began playing with him. “Can’t I, little baby? Who can handle it? Who can handle it?”

Mina swooned a little at Kari’s actions before huffing at her seatmate’s demeanor. “Oh, chill out, Bakugo! She’s at least confident enough, and how much trouble can one sweet little baby be?”

(Somewhere in the cosmos, a formless deity broke down into a fit of malicious giggles…)

“I’m not interested in the rugrat, Racoon Eyes,” Bakugo snapped, his red eyes trained on the screen. “If he’s got a sitter, then that should be enough for Elastigirl, too.” He held up a not-quite-explosive-yet hand to stop any protests. “Have you extras forgotten that she’s about to have her own problems?”

Frowns quickly melted away in dawning horror at his words.

Helen was staring at the phone dubiously when a warning chimed out from the cockpit. She rushed in to see oncoming dots on the plane’s radar, and as her eyes widened, two missiles streaked up from the cloud cover and headed straight towards them.

Gasps and “Oh, no’s!” rapidly sounded out from the impending missile attack; despite their tumultuous time at UA, Class 1-A had yet to deal with an aerial assault.

“Syndrome’s ‘little greeting’…” Aizawa bit out, his tight posture the only sign of his tension.

A sweating All Might had dug his fingernails into the couch’s side. “And to make matters worse, Violet and Dash are on board, too.” His wound ached as he fought the urge to assume his muscle form, lunge into the screen, and try and do something to help. He hated being just a spectator for a scene like this.

Helen didn’t waste any time to jump into the pilot seat and put on her head phones. “India Golf Niner-Niner transmitting in the blind guard,” she broadcasted hurriedly. “Disengage! Repeat, disengage!”

She flipped a switch that activated a light saying “FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS” in the passenger section. The kids shared a confused/worried look before rushing for their seats, seatbelts in hand.

Back in the cockpit, Helen presse d a button labelled “CHAFF” and turn ed the control wheel hard, causing the plane to veer away from the missiles. A few bright spots popped out from its aft simultaneously in an attempt to draw them off. Dash and Violet weren’t quick enough to buckle in, though, so they began bouncing around the cabin .

The plane dived down through the dark clouds, the missiles in hot pursuit . Noticing the double threat on her radar, Helen shifted into a downward roll, releasing more chaff as the descent continued. One missile detonated in the plane’s wake, but the other kept after its target. Helen continued to grip the wheel despite the whole plane shaking, then she veered up just as the ocean became visible. The kids continued to be thrown about from her efforts, but the rocket splashed into the water while she opened up the full throttle, blasting off into the air again.

Adrenaline rushed like lightning through the audience’s veins as they followed Helen’s evasive battle through the sky. “Those are some slick flying moves!” Kaminari breathed out in awe.

“I know, right?!” Hagakure was anxiously bouncing in her seat. “She just beat both of the missiles without taking a scratch!”

Momo cupped her chin to replay the scene in her mind. “Rather than simply resort to fancy flying, Helen also implemented decoys with the chaff and her surroundings to trick their heat-seeking sensors. She must have also undergone combat training with her flight lessons in order to pull off such strategies on the go…”

Uraraka was mimicking Midoriya in busily jotting down notes on notebook she’d bargained off of him (read: ask Deku with wide eyes sparkling so much his face scrunched up and he passed it to her while almost asking her out for a date). “So, if she keeps this up, she can get the plane and the kids to safety, right?!”

Midoriya paused in his scribbling to look at his best friend uneasily, then at Iida and Asui who had the same expression. “It’s probably not going to be that easy, Uraraka.” Todoroki, though, took on the unenviable task and handled it rather kindly. “Elastigirl is a great flier, but why is she supposed to go? The only reachable land for her is Syndrome’s Island, everything else is too far away. And landing in the water is too dangerous.”

“Besides,” Aizawa contributed in an effort to both teach and take the burden off Todoroki’s hands, “those two missiles most likely weren’t the only ordinances Syndrome has at his disposal. He’s not going to let that plane escape when it’s still in range. And there’s only so many fancy tricks you can pull before that plane starts breaking apart from the strain or runs out of fuel.”

Uravity’s mood sank at the pessimistic explanations, but she rallied and accepted them all the same.

All the while, she continued to broadcast. “ Disengage! Repeat, disengage! Friendlies... ”

Back on the island, her husband could only listen in horror at this terrifying ordeal. “No!” Bob desperately begged the man who’d once been his biggest fan. “Call off the missiles, I’ll do anything!”

But Syndrome just shrugged and grinned. “ Too late! ” Then he leaned towards his former idol, his grin darkening. “ Fifteen years too late. ”

That callous comment made Class 1-A’s distaste towards Syndrome skyrocket into borderline hatred. “How dare you be so callous!” Iida was so worked up he actually couldn’t chop his hands like usual. “This isn’t a game, you are toying with lives-”

A cracking sound close by cut him off, and he glanced over to find, in a rare occasion, the biggest source of fury in the room wasn’t Bakugo. Izuku Midoriya was silently scowling straight at the deranged redhead in a black-and-white suit, his fists clenched so tightly his pen had been crushed. Ink dripped through his fingers.

And what only All Might and Bakugo realized was that he hadn’t activated One for All.

The plane veered back up into the sky, but as Aizawa predicted, the fuel indicator was beeping in warning. Helen knew she couldn’t keep playing tag much longer. “Friendlies at two-zero miles south-southwest of your position. Angels 10. Track east.” Two more missiles were already coming in from the left. “Disengage! Over!” She then turned back to her kids sprawled on the floor. “Vi! You have to put a force field around the plane!”

“Right, Vi’s got that force field Quirk!” Ashido perked up. “She can save them!” But her usual smile was a little forced, the others noticed. And for good reason…

Violet stared back at her in worry. “ But you said we weren’t supposed to use our powers! ”

“I know what I said!” Helen snapped. “Listen to what I’m saying now!” She returned her attention to the controls. “Disengage. Repeat, disengage!” The plane veered away as a third missile appeared.

Dash couldn’t help but stare worriedly out the window at the twin missiles closing in. “ Mom...? ”

“Violet!” The dark-haired girl tore her attention to her increasingly desperate mother.

“You heard her, Shrinker, quit pissing yourself and put up a force field!” Bakugo screamed at Violet. The others might’ve berated him were it not for the tangible panic mixed in with his usual anger.

In fact, from the way he was crouching in his seat and coiling his legs like a spring, not to mention the telltale smoke by his hands, it was obvious the short-tempered teen was wrestling with himself not to launch forward in the hopes it would break the wall between reality and cinema and let him blast away the missiles.

This struggle against instincts wasn’t solely limited to Katsuki, though:

From the green sparks dancing around Deku to Uravity’s outstretched fingers…

From the rumble of Ingenium’s calves to the drop in temperature around Shoto…

From the bulge of Froppy’s cheeks to Creati’s bare arms sparkling with the power of pure creation…

From Tsukuyomi’s shadow seemingly expanding to Tentacole spreading his arms…

From Earphone Jack shifting her hair for her jacks to electricity dancing between Chargebolt’s fingers…

From Red Riot’s whole rock-hard body to acid sizzling around Pinky to Cellophane bearing his elbows…

From Tailman’s coiled extra appendage to Invisible Girl’s clothes trembling…

From Sugarman clenching his fists to Anima repeatedly opening and closing his mouth…

From the light coming from Can’t Stop Twinkling’s navel to Grape Rush reaching for his hair…

Every last one of these budding heroes wanted so badly to step in and help the family even though it was utterly impossible.

If it weren’t for the fact it was just a movie, albeit one with a super-tense scene, a red-eyed Eraser Head might’ve been persuaded to give them a collective A plus on their next assignment.

All Might made himself a note to do just that, though, for the next Heroics Class. Provided The Incredibles didn’t give him a heart attack.

“Mayday, mayday! India Golf niner-niner is buddy-spiked! Abort! Abort!” Helen pleaded with mounting desperation over the radio as the weapons drew closer. “There are children aboard, say again,” the scene cut to Incredible’s prison, “there are children aboard!”

Mirage’s eyes widened in response to the last part, and she whipped about to see Mr. Incredible watch on with even more fear. “ NO! ”

That one word seemed to strike the viewers like a physical blow. As if it hadn’t been hard enough listening to the pleas of his wife, now to learn that his beloved children’s lives were on the line…

And there Mr. Incredible was, unable to do a thing to help them. Just like them, he could only… bear witness.

Helen screamed at her daughter. “Put a field around us now!”

"But Mom, I’ve never done one that big before!"

“Violet, do it now!” The missiles continued to close in. " Abort, abort, abort!"

Violet called up a force field, but it was smaller than her head and flickered out of existence instantly.

“You’ve got to make it bigger, Vi!” Uraraka yelled, tears glistening in her eyes. “Try again! You can do it!” You have to do it, she added to herself even as Tsu hugged her with one arm. Nighteye’s face and Deku and Eri’s tears flashed before her eyes. Please…

Koda shivered in worry. “C-can she really make a force field big enough to surround the plane?”

“Maybe if she had the proper training.” Yamada was biting his nail to keep himself from instinctively releasing a scream to blow the missiles away. “But she’s been taught to suppress her powers her whole life, and she’s never been in a situation like this before.” He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses. “Not that I want to put her down, but…”

Aizawa nodded beside his oldest friend. The twenty students sitting around him had all faced deadly odds throughout the entire school time at UA, and it hadn’t even been a full year yet. They had honed their instincts and their Quirks and developed the mental fortitude to use both in split-second decisions. But a girl like Violet who’d actively been trying to live a normal life? How could anyone demand this miracle from her? “Violet shouldn’t have to face this kind of danger. No child should…” He whispered the last part.

“ Abort, abort, abort! ” She tried again, but the field faded even faster.

Helen ripped off her headset. The missiles were inches away-

Hands raised, mouths opened, bodies moved- “STOP!!!!”

Every student froze in their movements, the command rippling through their ears. Aizawa blinked in similar shock, shutting off his Quirk, as he and the kids turned in unison towards the source.

All Might stared back at them even while shrinking down to his true form, but they could still see his old smile. “You can’t do anything to help them,” he pointed at the paused scene, “but you can have faith in them. Don’t forget, Elastigirl was a hero just like Mr. Incredible.”

So, he hit the play button and they watched.

Just before the missiles struck, Helen leaped out of the cockpit and stretched her whole body around Violet and Dash. The entire plane exploded, fire and metal shooting out in all directions of the sky.

And in the midst of the debris, a red-and-black but intact bundle hurtled downwards, uncurling itself to reveal an unconscious Helen as Dash and Violet slipped screaming away from her. Her eyes fluttering open and shut, the hero slowly regained her senses to gasp at the approaching ocean. She quickly stretched out her arms to reel in her wailing children. Once both were secured with her arms and legs, Helen expanded her torso to turn herself into a makeshift parachute.

The whole class and the teachers let out the breath they’d sucked in and sighed collectively in relief. “Tight thinking…” Jiro whistled in appreciation after a few seconds of calming herself. “She remembered her suit’s indestructibility and used it with her flexibility to shield the kids.”

Having received a new pen and a handkerchief from Yaoyorozu, Midoriya had returned to his scribbling, even adding a rough sketch of Elastigirl’s parachute form. “Shifting her body to adjust for the rapid decent, protected by her suit’s durability… So many different applications for her flexibility not just in rescuing others but apprehending criminals…”

Uraraka couldn’t help but giggle as he continued to mumble; she needed this break after all the tension with the plane. Besides, she was starting to get a few ideas of her own, inspired by Elastigirl.

All Might for his part simply relaxed, glad that his hopes had paid off. Sure, Mr. Incredible was still a prisoner, and Elastigirl and her children weren’t out of danger yet, but they were alive. And a hero could always break out of a tight spot.

Violet and Dash stared in shock at the water beneath them, then turned up towards their mother who simply called, “Brace yourselves!” over the fluttering of her body. They then slowly reached and sank into the water, Helen shrinking back into herself. When she surfaced, she found both her son and daughter alive, treading water and panickily yelling over one another.

“Everybody calm down.” Helen told them in a stern voice “Now, I’ll tell you what we’re not gonna do. We’re not gonna panic, we’re not gonna-” Her eyes drifted up to above them and then widened before she hastily shoved them both back down. “LOOK OUT!”

A second later, a smoking turbine crashed into the ocean. Helen and the kids barely managed to swim out of the way in time. While the latter two rapidly moved back up to the surface, their mother remained long enough to see the turbine reach the bottom. A dull explosion emanated from the wreckage.

Some jumped in reaction to the crash, even two or three yelping in surprise. Jiro smirked at a pouting Kaminari, all too happy to tease him afterwards.

Present Mic wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Now, if we could tone down the excitement for a bit, that would be just swell…”

By the time Helen had swum back up, Violet and Dash had both seemingly reached the logical emotional conclusion to their current predicament “Oh, my gosh! Who’s idea was this anyway?!”

“ Whatdowedowhatdowedowhatdowedo?! ”

Sheer panic.

“ We’re dead! We’re dead! ” Dash whimpered again and again.

Violet was babbling even while treading water. “ It blew up! ”

“ We survived , but we’re dead !”

Now, most people seeing this would cut the two kids some slack in acknowledgement that they were untrained youths who had survived a plane crash and were trapped in the middle of the open ocean. Heck, some like Kaminari would openly admit they wouldn’t be acting any better.

If you were Katsuki Bakugo, however, you would be tapping your foot while a vein throbbed atop your forehead at the babbling and lack of action.

Fortunately for less patient viewers, Helen was quick to take control of the situation. “Stop it!” She smacked the water for emphasis, shutting them up. “We are not gonna die! Now both of you will get a grip, or so help me, I will ground you for a month! Understand?!” The kids only stared at her, terrified but silent.

“…Well, that’s an effective threat.” Sero quipped, drawing a couple of snickers.

Tokoyami decided to try his luck and keep the humor going. “Hell hath no fury like a stern mother.”

Bakugo huffed and slumped in his seat. The old hag would’ve made Elastigirl her backup bestie after Aunt Inko.

Mirage checked her equipment before stating, “ We have a confirmed hit. Target was destroyed. ” Mr. Incredible slumped in defeat at this report.

And the mood quickly plummeted again.

The sight was enough to make some students want to cry. “He didn’t know before that the kids had stowed away, huh?” Denki winced, patting Eijiro’s shoulder as the red-haired “tough guy” hung his head.

“How could he have known?” Kyoka pointed out, not having the energy for a supplementary quip. “All Helen’s transmission told him was that she was in the plane, not anything else.”

Her blonde friend nodded at that before freezing, a shuddering breath escaping him. “Oh, God… What if he thinks all the kids were on the plane…?”

That thought nearly made the mood plummet all the way to rock bottom. And those like Koda was half a step away from crying. “H-he thinks he lost his whole family…” Kirishima gritted his teeth. “Jack-Jack…”

When a hand clapped down on his shoulder. “H-hey, c’mon, horn buddy!” He looked up to see Mina flash him a teary but genuine smile. “They’re not really dead, they’re alive! Elastigirl’s gonna save Incredible! And Jack-Jack’s safe at home!”

He stared back at his oldest friend, then bared his teeth into a fierce grin. “Yeah, and when they take down Syndrome, it’ll be manly as hell!”

Syndrome sneered up at him. “Ah, you’ll get over it. I seem to recall you prefer to ‘work’ alone?” Then he turned away with a cruel snicker.

It has been established by more than one person that when it comes to watching movies, there’s more than one way to raise spirits after a heartbreaking scene. Something touching like lovers uniting or a child receiving a wondrous gift. A quick comedy skit works, too.

But there was always the alternative of directing one’s ire towards an utterly loathsome character, too. “I for one hope said taking down doesn’t take too long.” Todoroki’s statement, delivered with burning coldness, was shared by plenty others. But the disdain he felt was surpassed by one other.

This time, Midoriya had the presence of mind to set down pen and notebook before clenching his fists so tightly he might’ve crushed coal into diamonds. Even Shigaraki had never triggered such outright disgust from the ninth bearer of One for All. Not like Syndrome had. The sheer disregard for life, the fact that, as far as anyone in the room knew, he had just ordered the death of children… and he just used it as another chance to twist the knife in Mr. Incredible…

“Hey, Deku.” He tilted his head slightly towards a scowling Bakugo. “Still think you’ve got anything in common with Syndrome?”

The childhood friends exchanged glares, but for once in a long, long while, not an ounce of anger was directed at either of the two. Instead, it all centered on one single person on-screen. “As a matter of fact,” Deku slowly returned his burning gaze to the TV before biting out, “I don’t.”

Bob slowly raised his face to reveal his grief shifting into anger. While Syndrome still had his back turned, he lunged forward despite his restraints. But Mirage who had been standing to the side saw his intent in time and shoved her boss out of the way right before Incredible reached them. The bonds quickly reeled the captive hero back in, his arms crossed before him.

But Mirage was trapped between those arms.

“Damnit!” “So close!” “If she hadn’t gotten in the way…”

The Bakusquad had been among those hoping the most the sneak attack would work.

Syndrome quickly got up to find Incredible glaring at him full force. “Release me! Now!”

The villain barely spared Mirage a second glance. “ Or what? ”

“ I’ll crush her ,” Mr. Incredible growled.

Yaoyorozu shifted slightly in her seat, one hand over her mouth. “He wouldn’t… would he?”

“Of course not.” Midoriya was staring at the screen, his anger concerning Syndrome put on the backburner for now. His right fist trembled a little by the side, right over his notebook. “He’s just… bluffing.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t overdo it, ribbit,” Asui mumbled, concerned for both friend and fictional hero.

“Ooh, that sounds a little dark for you,” Syndrome noted before turning away with a lackadaisical wave of his hand. “Nah, go ahead.”

Kirishima grit his teeth in disgust. “Woman saves you from being that spot, and you don’t even bother worrying about her? Just when I thought he couldn’t get any unmanlier.”

A grunt was the only answer he got from Bakugo, drawing a raised eye from the redhead.

A tiny gasp escaped Mirage as his hold tightened. “ It’ll be easy . L ike breaking a toothpick. ”

Syndrome chuckled before locking gazes with Incredible. “Show me,” he dared him.

Mirage glanced anxiously from her captor to Syndrome in the hope he would rescue her, but he didn’t budge. Hero and villain glared at one another, the camera flashing between them and her terrified face. Mr. Incredible’s eyes only burned with anger as they narrowed…

Everyone held their breath in anticipation of the outcome. Aizawa noted with muted approval how none of his students appeared eager to see Mr. Incredible make good on his words; even though this was a terrible scenario, it went unspoken that taking hostages was a very heavy action for a hero. To say nothing of killing her. It was certainly within Bob’s power, within all of their powers… That made it all the more important that the homeroom teacher instruct them properly.

Mirage was an ally to a villain and accessory to the murder of multiple heroes. But she was still a human being. Aizawa, Yamada and Yagi hoped with all their hearts that none of these kids would ever be put in a situation such as now, using a life as a bargaining chip. It was enough they carried this much tension.

One student, though, was watching with more conflict than his classmates. Kaminari and Kirishima couldn’t help but exchange glances over the way Bakugo had leaned froward in his seat, his red eyes trained on the movie. His arms were crossed together, the hands clutching his forearms tightly in a sort of echo of Incredible, and his mouth was set in a scowl, but he didn’t make a sound.

…Then with a defeated sigh, Bob uncrossed his arms, letting Mirage fall to the floor. She panted heavily but was unharmed.

All Might and Midoriya breathed simultaneously in relief, the latter exchanging looks with his friends.

Bakugo simply lowered his gaze to the carpet.

“I knew you couldn’t do it.” Syndrome frowned in disappointment. “Even when you have nothing to lose! You’re weak!” He spat before turning on his heel and walking away. “And I’ve outgrown you.”

Mirage picked herself off the floor and walked after him, but there was palpable hesitation in her steps. She even spared a quick, sad glance back to the imprisoned hero as he hung there quietly sobbing to himself.

“They’re not dead,” Aizawa reminded those who were getting emotional again. “His family’s still alive.”

All Might sighed. “But Bob doesn’t know that.” The Erasure Hero had no response for that.

They sat there wordlessly watching Bob; Uraraka and Kagakure outright wanted to jump into the movie and give the grieving man a big hug, if not set him free.

Katsuki Bakugo leaned away from the screen until his back hit the couch, his eyes darting from the carpet to the scene and back again. His usual scowl had loosened into a straight line. Syndrome’s words rang about in his skull despite his efforts to dismiss them like he would any other villain’s ramblings.

“You’re weak!” Bakugo hated the feeling of weakness. He always strove for victory. But if he had been placed in this scenario, what would have been the bigger defeat? Continue dangling in that electrified hanger rack? Or take a villain’s stooge hostage and crush them just to get free? Another part reverberated in him: “I’ve outgrown you.” Katsuki wanted to surpass All Might, his childhood hero, too…

A nudge in his side brought him back to reality, and he glared on reflex towards Kirishima. “You good, bro?” After a moment, Bakugo just huffed and nodded, a little smirk playing across his lips. Get over yourself, dumbass. After knocking sense into Deku, what’re you doing doubting yourself?

Bob’s family were still wading in the ocean, relatively safe. “Those were short-range missiles,” Helen scanned three emission trails in the sky even as the sun set, “Land-based.” She pointed towards the direction of the trails. “That way is our best bet.”

“ You want to go toward the people that tried to kill us? ” Dash questioned in disbelief.

“Sorry, Dash, but it’s not like you have any alternatives.” One of Shoji’s hands reached up to scratch his masked chin. “With the plane a sunken wreck, they have no way of radioing for help.”

Tokoyami nodded next to him. “And Syndrome was clever in choosing an island that remote as his secret base. Even if other boats were to sail through those waters, no doubt registered as private at that, it would take weeks before anyone stumbles upon the three.”

“ If it means land, yes. ”

Violet stared at her mother skeptically. “ Do you expect us to swim there? ”

“I expect you,” the Super smiled, “to trust me.”

One scene transition later, Helen had stretched her body in the form of a small boat, providing enough room for a still shaken Violet and the duffel bag. Dash was at the rear, kicking his legs so quickly in the water he was like a motorboat’s engine. Droplets splashed about as they cut a swift line across the surface.

“Brilliant!” Yaoyorozu clapped her hands in delight and awe at Elastigirl’s ingenuity. “Using your own body to form a makeshift raft while having Dash propel them with his superspeed… She must have concocted this solution before her decision to head for the island.”

Jiro smirked amused at her best friend’s enthusiasm before humming. “Vi still looks a little rattled. Can’t blame her, though, a plane just blew up with her inside it. Dash has recovered quicker, though.”

“Hey, quick is literally his Quirk,” Kaminari joked next to her, earning a playful eyeroll from her. “Besides, he’s at least finally got a chance to put all that energy to good use. Violet, though…”

He didn’t say anything, something Jiro appreciated. Sometimes, it was better not to talk about a problem.

Even with Dash’s speed, it was nevertheless nightfall as they reached Syndrome’s Island, aircraft zooming about high above them. They had luckily escaped notice, exhausted though they were crawling up the sand. Helen’s arms and legs were still slightly stretched out as she pulled herself along like a beached seal. Finally, she collapsed, Dash falling completely winded beside her. Helen still found the strength to flash her boy a smile. “ What a trooper ,” she praised him. “ I’m so proud of you. ”

Dash smiled tiredly back. “Thanks, mom.”

Iida crossed his arms in thought, then nodded decisively. “I still disapprove of Dashiell’s disrespectful antics.” Kaminari, Sero, Kirishima and Ashido all cracked up at hearing that name even as their class rep continued. “Nevertheless, the praise for his actions is well-earned, and I believe he takes after his parents in heroic will.” He was also privately contemplating if he could apply Dash’s human-motor technique if put in a similar situation. My Engines could theoretically function the same way, but I’ve never actually tested if they’re waterproof. Submerging them could risk damage and leave the boat dead in the water…

A quick check on Midoriya confirmed his friend had already written down the data. Iida resolved to discuss the idea with him after the film was complete. Copyright shouldn’t be an issue, either …

A little later, the trio had found shelter in a cave and made a fire. The kids huddled close to it while their mom sat opposite from them. “I think,” Helen began, “your father is in trouble.”

“ If you haven’t noticed, Mom, we’re not doing so hot either. ” Violet snarked in a defeated tone.

“Ouch.” Kaminari mimed a stabbing motion over his chest. “But a fair and accurate assessment.” He smirked over at Jiro. “You two wouldn’t happen to be related, wouldja?”

“Funny, I was having the same thoughts about you and Dash,” the girl shot back with a fake jab from her jack. “It’s almost like you divvy up one braincell between you.”

Todoroki’s heterochromatic eyes gleamed, but Midoriya whirled around to Yaoyorozu, hands clasped and a pleading look in his eyes. She sighed before saying, “Todoroki, if you abstain from making any secret-love-child theories, I will teach you how to make digital images with those memes that take jabs at Endeavor.”

He didn’t even need a second to consider. “Deal.”

Helen rose to her feet. “ I’m going to look for him. And that means you’re in charge until I get back, Violet. ”

“ What?! ” Dash protested.

Violet smirked at him. “You heard her.”

“Wise move,” Asui ribbited. Aizawa nodded stoically by his seat.

Elastigirl took out a black domino mask from the bag and affixed it to her face. Then she held out two more masks. “Put these on. Your identity is your most valuable possession.” Dash had already donned his while she was talking, but Violet still held hers. “Protect it. And if anything goes wrong, use your powers.”

“ But you said never to use -”

“I know what I said!” Helen snapped at Violet before she could stop herself. Both kids flinched. She took a breath, then tried again. “Remember the bad guys on those shows you used to watch on Saturday mornings?” They nodded, excitement briefly flashing between them that dimmed with their mother’s next words. “Well, these guys are not like those guys. They won’t exercise restraint because you’re children. They will kill you if they get the chance. Do not give them that chance.”

All Might suppressed a sigh at the sobering lesson Elastigirl was imparting to her kids. Watching the innocence crack just a little in their big eyes, not to mention the solemn atmosphere that had suddenly washed over Class 1-A, reminded him of how many sacrifices lay inside a hero’s life. Here’s hoping Violet and Dash don’t have to learn this lesson the hard way, Toshinori prayed. Not like… he swallowed. I did.

Violet visibly had little confidence. “Mom?”

But Helen told her, “Vi, I’m counting on you.”

“ There’s something I -”

“I’m counting on you,” Helen reiterated. “Be strong.” She then turned to her oldest son. “Dash, if anything goes wrong, I want you to run as fast as you can.”

A certain hero-in-training’s eyes widened in horror behind his glasses. “Oh, good heavens, no…”

Dash looked like he had just been handed a billion bucks. “As fast as I can?!”

“No, absolutely not!” Iida hastily whirled his arms about, only seconds away from a panic attack. “You must set some sort of speed limit on him for his own good! There is no telling what he may do with free rein!”

“They’re on an island full of goons and robots designed to kill trained heroes, Iida,” Ojiro pointed out. “Besides, how’s Helen supposed to enforce a speed limit, slap a speedometer on Dash?” Hagakure giggled at the image.

Sero tutted playfully at him. “Shame on you, class rep. Have you forgotten our school motto?” His Triangle Grin™ gleamed like he’d freshly brushed. “How can we expect Dash to go Plus Ultra in the face of adversity if he’s weighed down by a speed limit, all because of your performance issues?”

It took Aizawa a full five minutes to call the class’ laughter down from Iida’s indignant sputtering. Mic wasn’t much help, either.

“As fast as you can!” Helen smiled before hugging them. “Stay hidden. Keep each other safe. I’ll be back by morning.” Then she stood up and sprinted for the cave’s exit.

Just as Elastigirl was about to step out into the jungle, Violet’s voice rang out. “Mom!” She turned to find her girl rushing after her. “Mom, what happened on the plane- I’m sorry-I wanted to help.” Vi stumbled over her words, looking more vulnerable than ever before. “I mean, when you asked me to-” Her gaze darted down at the ground in defeat. “I’m sorry.”

More than a few shuffled about in their seats and looked away. The benefit of going to UA was learning how to hone their instincts and Quirks, but Violet had been given no such preparation. No one among the audience, not even Bakugo, could hold the failure to create a force field against her.

Aizawa certainly didn’t. Sure, his harshest critics dismissed him as a hardass with impossible standards, but he had once been a lot like Violet Parr: an introverted, insecure teenager who didn’t know if they could ever amount to being a decent hero. Such was the magic of a Pixar film that Eraser Head wanted to step into the film, put a hand on the poor girl’s shoulders, and tell her she had nothing to be sorry for.

As it was, he settled for ruminating on his own failures.

For Midoriya, Uraraka, Kirishima and Asui, there was the far too recent battle against the Shie Hassaikai. Saving Eri was something none of them regretted doing, but the cost…

Helen gently shushed her before holding her daughter’s shoulders. “It isn’t your fault. It wasn’t fair for me to suddenly ask so much of you. But things are different now. And doubt is a luxury we can’t afford anymore, sweetie. You have more power than you realize.” A doubtful Violet looked up at her, but Elastigirl was confident. “Don’t think, and don’t worry. If the time comes, you’ll know what to do. It’s in your blood.” And then she sprinted away.

Violet watched her go with one wide eye, the other covered by her hair. A gentler rendition of the heroic music played as she eyed the domino mask still in her hands. Determination slowly edged its way across her face as the young heroine donned the mask and stood resolutely before the cave.

Plenty of hands clapped in celebration of Violet’s resolve awakening, the most enthusiastic coming from the girls, of course (keen listeners would note, though, that Aizawa had been the first to start clapping). Discussions quickly broke over what her hero name could be: “Barrier Girl,” “Sneak-And-Shield,” etc. “Ultraviolet” was the most popular vote. It was as if the class was welcoming an exchange student.

Shoto watched the subtle transformation in the young girl, something knocking against his chest. It reminded him of his “training sessions” when he had been so little. Not because they were alike; in fact, the opposite. Whereas Endeavor had pushed him to the breaking point and beyond every single day, berating him when he wouldn’t have beaten whatever hypothetical villains stood before him, here Elastigirl was, kindly encouraging Violet to have faith in herself.

“It’s in your blood.” Shoto shuddered just a little at the words. Whereas Violet could draw strength from them, for him, they were just a reminder of the ambition that had burned his childhood to ash. For that, he could never forgive his father. …Even so, he knew and appreciated a mother’s comfort deeply.

Syndrome was leaning before a window inside a control room. He was overlooking a shining white rocket that looked like it could launch at any moment.

“Oh, man,” Mineta cradled his trembling head. “That lunatic’s rocket is ready? The one that’ll set that giant Omnidroid thing loose on the city?!”

Midoriya shared his smaller classmate’s anxiety (if not his interests) and contemplated the situation out loud. “When Mr. Incredible first found out about his plan, the countdown had said eight hours until the Omnidroid would be launched. He was shortly captured afterwards, and hours if not a whole day has passed since then. Syndrome finding out he was alive must’ve thrown him off, that and the homing device Elastigirl activated would’ve made him want to verify his location or his plans hadn’t been compromised.” He cupped his chin in thought, not quite reaching his usual mumble level.

This allowed the others to actually follow what he was saying. “So, that’s why he hasn’t set his rocket off even though the deadline has most likely passed?” Uraraka summed up Midoriya’s musings, pulling him back to reality. She hummed at his shy nod. “Well, between that and Elastigirl finding him, I guess that homing beacon actually did help Incredible out in the end.”

“But Incredible is still trapped and his resolve broken,” Tokoyami pointed out. “And with Elastigirl’s plane destroyed and whatever ‘reinforcements’ sent to rescue him supposedly dead, Syndrome has little reason to delay the launch any longer.”

“It’s the smartest course of action at this point,” Shoji agreed. “If all of his enemies are out of the picture, he has nothing to worry about. If someone survived like Elastigirl and the kids, he needs to enact his plan before they interfere.” His original eyes narrowed at the villain. “Either way, Incredible and Elastigirl are running out of time.”

  “ He’s not weak, you know. ” Mirage’s voice shook him from his observation.

A confused Syndrome turned around. “ What? ”

Behind him, the silver-haired woman was seated, staring at some files in her hands with a frown. “Valuing life is not weakness.” She didn’t even bother facing him.

Ashido’s dark eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Ooh, looks like there’s a little tension between her and her boss.” While she didn’t ship those two and refused to entertain the idea of Bob cheating, seeing Syndrome in hot water with Mirage was a treat.

“Can you blame her?” Jiro scoffed. “She saved the jackass from getting squeezed into pulp by Incredible, and he doesn’t even try to help her when she’s trapped.”

“ Oh, hey. Look, loo k,” Syndrome chuckled as he sauntered over to her. “I f you’re talking about what happened in the containment unit, I had everything under control. ”

Mirage turned a little to side-eye him as he approached. “And disregarding it is not a strength.”

“Hell yeah!” Kirishima pumped his fist. “Just because Mr. Incredible isn’t willing to kill anybody doesn’t mean he’s not still one of the manliest guys out there!”

Bakugo crossed his arms before him, again finding himself considering a villain’s words. And damn him, but he couldn’t help seeing truth in them. “Valuing life isn’t weakness, and disregarding it’s not a strength…” He muttered to himself so quietly only Jiro and Shoji (instinctively growing a new ear) picked up on it, ignoring their questioning looks.

But it was another who helped the explosive hero-in-training finish the logic training. “Hero, villain or civilian, one must never forget the value of a human life, Young Bakugo.” He shifted to watch All Might sitting tall despite his shrunken form. “As heroes, our first priority is to save lives, not take them. You know that.” He wasn’t asking a question, and Bakugo only needed to a give a fierce nod as his answer.

Syndrome didn’t get the message, though. “I called his bluff, sweetheart, that’s all.” He tilted her chin up towards his smug smirk. “I knew he wouldn’t have it in him to actually...”

Mirage pushed away his hand while glaring straight at him. “Next time you gamble,” she stood up and shoved the files into his chest, “bet your own life.” She then then stormed off while Syndrome stared after her in utter incomprehension, the clacking of her heels quickly fading away.

Bakugo huffed with a smirk. “Damn straight.” Mulling over all of this villain talk was one thing, but at the end of the day, he was going to be the #1 Hero no matter what. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to reach that peak by gambling with others’ lives when he took down scum like Syndrome.

Midoriya on the opposite end couldn’t help but think about those two villains he encountered a little while ago, Gentle and La Brava. While they had intended to cause a ruckus and ruin a very important day, he still didn’t consider either one a bad person. In fact, it had felt like Gentle at least wanted to try and do something right after his arrest. Mirage was by no means an innocent pawn in Syndrome’s schemes; she had baited and manipulated Bob into a trap. But she had clearly drawn a line at endangering children, and if she was disillusioned enough with Syndrome… Hope blossomed in the hero-admiring boy.

Back out in the jungle, Elastigirl pushed past oversized leaves, swatting a bug while she looked about. Soon, she noticed something tall glinting up ahead. A few more steps, and she stood before the monorail to the main base. Better yet, a pod was approaching from behind her.

The heroine bounced lightly on her feet, muttering, “Okay, okay, okay,” then sprang up just as the pod passed over her. Her hands stretched out to grab hold, and she was pulled along the rail, swaying before she swung herself up onto the pod’s roof. All without alerting the guards inside.

Hagakure watched the whole sequence in awe and cheered. “Stealth hero for the win!”

“Well,” Ojiro chuckled at her antics, “she’s not as big or super strong as Bob, so she’ll have her own way of getting into the base.”

Another few seconds of riding, and the base and volcano soon became visible for Elastigirl. She stretched herself along the side of the pod just as a hover ship hummed over her and flew into an open hangar, multiple other planes arrayed next to it. Then the pod was in a tunnel, and Elastigirl was briefly surrounded by darkness before light appeared again. She found herself staring at Syndrome’s rocket before the pod moved again into a darker section. Deciding her ride had come to an end, Elastigirl expanded her midsection and let go to land quietly on the rail. She straightened as her back was illuminated then quickly flattened herself against the wall before another pod would’ve collided with her.

“That was close,” Uraraka sighed, just as impressed with the heroine’s moves as Hagakure was. She stifled a giggle at Deku briskly cataloguing the flattening trick with a little mumble.

Elastigirl leaned out her head to check that no one had spotted her. Sighing when the coast was clear, she detached herself from the wall and backtracked a few steps. She found the rocket slowly having its top part removed while guards stood alert but thankfully facing the other way. “A rocket?” The upper half slowly slid upwards, revealing a gigantic circular opening, much to Elastigirl’s confusion.

The viewers, of course, had knowledge she lacked, so they could recognize the significance of the proceedings. “The rocket looks kinda empty.” Sato scratched his head. “Does that mean they haven’t loaded the Omnidroid into it yet?”

“It appears so.” Yaoyorozu sipped some tea before leaning a little forward. “But the size of that opening and the space made for it… It must be stories tall, far larger than any of the prior models.”

“With a machine that large and complex, they must be running extensive checks prior to inserting it into the rocket,” Todoroki theorized. “But the preparations look complete for the most part.”

Aoyama shivered in concern slightly. “Mon dieu… And Elastigirl has yet to even locate the Monsieur…”

Two guards marched down a hallway, unaware that a slimmed-down Elastigirl was hiding above them in the ceiling. She jumped to the floor as soon as they passed her, an automatic door sliding shut behind them. She straightened and began to walk the other way, but she couldn’t help but pause by a mirror showing just how much certain… body parts had gotten bigger and sigh at the result.

Kaminari had the good sense not to let his gaze linger too long, otherwise he would’ve received the same super-loud jack probe an all-too-eager Mineta got. Jiro still watched him suspiciously, though (and it helped distract her from feeling self-conscious).

Other boys had the good grace to look away or in Bakugo’s case just plain not care while the girls all made mental notes to keep up on their fitness. “Fifteen years of retirement didn’t just leave its mark on Bob, ribbit.” An unfazed Tsu pointed out.

The sound of a door opening snapped Elastigirl from her thoughts, and she managed to coil herself along the door’s arch as a guard walked through it. She righted herself and slowly backed away while he fiddled with something at his belt. But then the door slid shut automatically before she could completely slip through, catching her left leg.

“What the hell!” Bakugo snapped. “How do you manage to get your leg stuck like that?!”

Mina immediately glared at him. “Hey, it’s been a long time since she had to be Elastigirl! Cut her some slack, she’s bound to be a little rusty at this!”

“Rusty or not, this is not a good time for mistakes.” Yaoyorozu certainly continued to admire Elastigirl alongside her girlfriends, but she didn’t wish to sacrifice her core beliefs in the fundamentals of heroism. “Not when her family is at stake. Still, I believe she has the experience and presence of mind to improve.”

Elastigirl tried tugging her knee, but it was no use. She looked up to the guard, but he still hadn’t noticed her. Instead, he had opened up the door in front of him with an electronic key card, the scanner making an electronic chime as he removed it. He then reattached the card to his belt and continued his patrol. Elastigirl quickly climbed with her hands along the floor, elongating her torso as she followed him through the hallway. Her right hand reached out to snag the card…

Only for the open door to close again… onto her midsection. Startled, she shrank back to slam her upper body against the door. A glance backwards showed her leg still trapped in the other door; Elastigirl blew away a stray hair in frustration.

“Oh, come on!”

Jiro flinched from an irate Bakugo’s volume before sighing at the heroine’s predicament. “The danger of automatic doors…”

“They kill over one Americans every year, Jiro!” A snort escaped her before she clamped her mouth shut, refusing to give Kaminari the satisfaction of making her laugh.

He achieved that way too often anyway…

And that’s when the elevator opened, and a guard already inside spotted her. “Hey!”

Sero winced. “Oh, man, of course, she gets spotted when she’s trapped-”

Elastigirl’s fist lashed out to strike both guards, stunning them. She then snagged one’s rifle and smacked it against him before slamming the other against the wall, knocking him out. He fell groaning to the floor while the other guard recovered quickly enough to hit the elevator switch, shutting the door with her arm trapped between it. He smirked as the hand felt blindly about, only to frown as it slowly traveled up his chest. The second it reached his jaw, the hand became a fist and punched him out cold.

Outside, Elastigirl smiled in triumph.

“Like… that…” Sero’s jaw was hanging a little loose, and after he managed to cock it back into place, he was greeted with six smug stares. “Yeah, yeah, I get it: Don’t underestimate female Pro Heroes.”

Asui and Shoji were also taking notes on what to do if their respective limbs ever got caught in a similar situation. Not that they believed it would happen, of course, but better safe than sorry. Besides, stranger things had happened to this class.

But her problems weren’t over yet. Back at the door where Elastigirl’s leg was stuck, another guard had found it and was eyeing it confused. And then a car carrying two more guards came through the hallway where Elastigirl’s midsection was stretched. Busy chatting with each other, neither of them noticed until it clotheslined them, knocking them off. They quickly rose and aimed their guns at a worried Elastigirl’s head, trapped as she was on the other side of the door.

Uraraka flinched from the impacts against Elatigirl’s body. “Okay, she’s in pretty big trouble now…”

Iida nodded next to her. “Indeed. Unlike with the elevator, Elastigirl has no limbs free to defend herself.”

 “Well, uh…” Kaminari racked his brain to come up with a way out for her. “Can’t she stretch out a part of her stomach to clobber those two?”

“Her body’s elastic, Dunce Face,” Bakugo grumbled, “but she’s not a shapeshifter.” No way I’d ever let myself get caught in an automatic door.

The guard at Elastigirl’s leg prodded it with his rifle. Annoyed, she kicked that one, knocking him unconscious instantly and setting off his gun. Automatic fire sounded out as bullets bounced aimlessly about the frame. One ricocheted into the key card scanner and opened the door, freeing Elastigirl’s waist. Her two legs promptly retracted into her midsection and smacked the guards right into the door. Both crumpled senseless to the ground.

Mineta hummed thoughtfully. “But she still found a way out of a pinch that tight with a little luck.” And a nice big booty. See, the little gremlin could learn from his slip-ups. Like keeping his thoughts to himself. Asui still kept a hawk -no, wait, that’s Hawks’ thing- a frog’s eye on him, however.

It took some time before Elastigirl retrieved a key card from one of the downed guards in the elevator and blindly insert it into the scanner, but eventually, her arm was free. She then unlocked the door stuck on her torso before righting herself with a tired sigh.

Next came the task of gathering up all of the guards, thankfully still unconscious, and loading them up inside a nearby locker. Elastigirl shoved grunting the last one in and struggled with the door until it snapped shut. She fell down with a yelp.

“Ah, the additional struggles during a stealth mission.” All Might chuckled. “You may wish to brace yourself for when you find yourself in a similar situation, Young Hagakure. Take a few pointers from Aizawa, or maybe have Young Ojiro accompany you on every mission.”

Mashirao couldn’t help but blush, his cheeks only reddening further at the invisible girl’s giggles. Thank God that Aizawa spoke up before others could tease him. “Good point, I’ll run a few drills with you guys later about infiltration and dealing with the unconscious. Trust me, no one has ever managed to find all the bodies from my missions.” Nobody except for Present Mic could be sure whether the black-suited underground hero was joking, sitting there as he was with that creepy grin hidden beneath his scarf.

And Mic was keeping his mouth shut for once.

Back at the cave, Violet had pulled her hair back with an orange band, freeing both of her eyes, and was practicing with her force fields. One shimmered around the campfire before she dispelled it, the flames surging up in their release. She then aimed a little higher, capturing some of the smoke in a bubble. When that faded as well, the smoke scattered.

Hagakure clapped her transparent hands delightedly. Envious though she may’ve been at Vi’s additional Quirk, she still believed in and wanted to support her invisible sis. Besides, “I love what she did with her hair.” Others, boy and girl, agreed with her. It seemed like Vi was slowly coming out of her shell.

Midoriya, though, was more interested in her training. “She’s focusing on increasing the speed with which she can create and dispel her force fields. The fields can be utilized for more than just defense; if Violet can entrap the flames and smoke, then larger ones could surely hold individuals…” He jotted down the notes eagerly. Their circumstances differed, but Izuku knew how it felt to be so shy and yet want to be a hero. And somehow, he just knew that when the moment came for Violet…

Dash, though, had lost interest in watching this long ago. “Well, not that this isn’t fun,” he hopped to his feet as Violet returned to the fire, “but I’m gonna go look around.” Dash snatched up a burning stick and began to walk further into the cave.

“What do you think is going on here?” Vi snapped at her brother, causing him to turn around. “You think we’re on vacation or something? Mom and Dad’s lives could be in jeopardy. Or worse…” Her eyes darted about before she whispered, “their marriage.”

“Yeah, you really ought to curb that enthusiasm for now, little buddy,” a head-scratching Kirishima commented in a much calmer tone than Iida with his sternness and hand-chopping. “Sure, it’s manly as heck, but there’s way too much going on for you to take any chances.”

Sero quickly swiped some of the few remaining snacks before voicing his own thoughts. “Vi’s got a good point, though. Between all the lying, the getting trapped on an island headed by a hero-killing psycho and her thinking he was cheating on her… I wouldn’t be surprised if Helen wants to go for a di-”

A pink hand smacked over his mouth, scattering his sweets in the process. He turned to find twin black stars burning down at him. “Don’t even think about uttering the D-word, Sero.” Ashido hissed at him warningly. “Love overcomes all.” He wisely chose not to argue with her.

Dash cocked an eyebrow at her. “Their marriage?” She nodded, but he clearly didn’t get it. “Sooo, the bad guys are trying to wreck Mom and Dad’s… marriage.”

“Oh, brother,” Jiro sighed. “This twerp’s even dumber than Kaminari and Mina put together.”

She then deliberately faced away from the indignant, “Hey!” Times two.

Violet sighed. “Oh, forget it. You’re so immature.”

“ Okay, I’m gonna go look around. ” And Dash returned to his exploring.

“ Mom said to stay hidden ,” Vi warned him.

“I’m not gonna leave the cave.” Dash called back, walking backwards before turning around again. “Sheesh!”

“Little brothers.” Tsu shook her head with a weary ribbit.

Beside her, Iida said nothing, but inwardly, he felt he had been an exemplary younger brother to Tensei. He’d asked questions about being a proper hero, assisted him in maintaining his gear and certainly never played pranks! In that regard, he was superior to the mischievous rival speedster.

Not that it was supposed to be a competition, of course! …But if it were…

Todoroki on the other hand wondered half-seriously if he should take a page out of Dash’s book for future interactions with his elder siblings. He had noticed Natsuo deliberately riling Fuyumi up a couple times…

More guards sat inside a control room, overlooking the rocket. A massive black metallic sphere was inserted inside two wing-like structures, then the rest of the rocket slid around the entire assembly. Part of the ceiling retracted in itself, revealing the night sky.

Todoroki’s sibling-related ruminations were put aside at the sight of these proceedings. “Looks like you were right about the size, Yaoyorozu. If that sphere is the Omnidroid, and it has to be, then it can surely tear down an entire city.”

“But the question is,” the vice-rep nodded, “what is the reason for this? Syndrome loathes heroes, but why spend so much time and investment into constructing a war machine like this and set it loose on some city?”

The question hung over the air of the audience, everyone silently trying to puzzle out the villain’s plan. The teachers had no qualms with letting this happen because it was sadly not that far-fetched a possibility in their society. I’ve collected a hefty amount of grudges over the years, All Might’s mind flashed to a certain hand-wearing young man both he and his teacher had failed, and for someone like Syndrome, I’d make a prime target for hero hatred. So, what would Syndrome’s target be? Revenge? Luring out other heroes?

Midoriya was having a similar line of thought, but the drawing-out didn’t fit in the puzzle. Syndrome’s already been able to track down and contact dozens of heroes. Not counting the kids, Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and Frozone might be the only ones left from the glory days, and new ones wouldn’t be able to come out in the open. That might be why he’s setting the Omnidroid loose… as a trap… But…

That’s still not enough. It was a good thing Bakugo’s Quirk wasn’t mind-reading, or he might’ve been peeved that he was on the same wavelength as Midoriya. Syndrome wants more than just payback, he reiterated in his previous thoughts while tapping his finger against his bicep, he wants praise. He wants to prove to Incredible that he would’ve made a great sidekick, that he’s… better… His tapping ceased as a quote from Syndrome popped into his mind, back when he first revealed himself to Mr. Incredible:

“Now I have a weapon that only I can defeat…” Others were confused by Bakugo’s mutter. “Bastard…”

Dash was wandering carefree among the stalagmites when the light from his torch revealed the cave’s rock giving way to metal. He inspected it to find the whole thing stretched out into some kind of massive corridor. His smiling declaration of it being “Cool!” echoed across the metallic surface. Amused, Dash shouted “COOL!” to get an even louder reply.

Kirishima stopped trying to get a tight-lipped but very angry Bakugo to voice his thoughts, settling for a question he’d easier get an answer for. “What’s with all the metal? Is the cave really some kind of tunnel?”

Iida browsed through what little technological acumen he had. “Syndrome obviously reconfigured a large portion of the island to accommodate his weapon-building.” And hero-hunting needn’t be said. “I doubt the corridor is for ferrying, though. Its size seems redundant for any vehicles we’ve seen so far, and if it were meant to be a tunnel, the rest of the cave should have been cleaned out as well.” His eyes shifted downward in consideration of the possibilities, taking into account the other parts of the island, such as the hangars, the control rooms and the rocket…

“The rocket…” His blue eyes snapped worried up, and others who’d heard him realized it as well. “They have to get out of there. Dash and Violet need to leave the cave right now!”

“H-hold on!” Sato raised his hands reflexively, not quite sure why half of his classmates and the teachers looked so wary. “What’s the problem?”

Back in the control room, Syndrome eagerly turned a key at the desk and pressed a button that had lit up red.

The rocket’s turbines lit up with fire.

Dash’s smile quickly dropped as a strong wind blew against him and the corridor began to light up. With a yelp, he dropped his torch and bolted away before a wave of fire washed out over where he had stood.

Ashido yelped and almost jumped into Kirishima who instinctively hardened himself. “Woah, what the heck just happened?!”

Iida hurriedly explained even as sweat glistened behind his glasses. “That cave leads to an exhaust port for the launching site! The flames of the engines’ ignition is travelling through that corridor…”

“Straight into where Violet is!” Mineta finished with fright and genuine concern.

The rocket slowly began lifting itself off the ground and traveled up its ramp.

Violet looked up at hearing Dash calling her name in quick repeat and found the back of the cave illuminating itself. “What did you do?!” Dash didn’t waste time with an answer, quickly pulling her along until they were out of the cave. Just in time, too; a massive inferno shot out of it to scorch everything in its wake.

It was a tense sight, especially with the supplementary knowledge of what the launch entailed, but tension still eased a little at the sight of Dash and Violet getting to safety. “No matter how they quarrel, siblings watch out for one another.” All Might intoned, approving of Dash’s actions.

“Good sense of judgement, too, to run.” Aizawa didn’t take his eyes off the flames. “That blaze would’ve been too much for Violet at her current level. Hell, I wouldn’t expect a third-year to stop something like that.” He paused. “Well, aside from the Big Three…”

Koda trembled at watching so much of the jungle being burned away. Who knew how many animals might’ve been sleeping amongst the trees and leaves? Fictional or not, he could only hope their innate sense of danger had warned them in time.

Dash and Violet stood panting on the edge away from the flames. A noise made them turn around to see the rocket hurtling out of the volcano and towards the stars.

“So, he reconfigured the volcano itself into a launchpad for his rocket,” Asui observed while tracking the rocket’s ascent. “Hiding it in plain sight, ribbit.”

Uraraka as a childhood space enthusiast saddened at seeing a fictional launch being used for something so sinister. “Mirage did say Syndrome was attracted to power.”

“And now he’s using a lot of his power to put a city in danger.” Kaminari scratched his head. “But what’s the point?” He looked over to his most volatile seating companion. “You act like you’ve worked it out.”

“All I’ve got is a hunch right now,” Bakugo grunted in admission. His red eyes traveled back to the screen. “But if I’m right, Syndrome will spell it out soon enough. He’s the kind of guy who likes to show off.” Bakugo only spared a quick glance over to Midoriya who answered with a slight nod back.

Unaware of her kids’ adventure or the rocket launch, Elastigirl had crept up to the rafters of a monitor room, guards inspecting the screens and listening to radio chatter. She quietly stretched her neck down, avoiding detection, to get a closer look at the screens. One displayed, “ENERGY LEVEL” at the apparent cell doors on level A1.

Most of the bar readings were low, but the one for number thirteen stretched all the way up to maximum. Helen knew there was only one person on this island who needed that much power to be contained. “ Bob .”

“Huh?” One guard heard her and looked about, but Elastigirl was already pulling out. “What?”

“ Uh, I didn’t say anything… ”

“Well, even if they couldn’t stop the Omnidroid’s launch, Elastigirl now knows where to find her husband.” Midoriya decided to be optimistic about the circumstances. “And Mr. Incredible knows Syndrome and at least part of his plan.”

“Yeah, they’ll take him down and stop the Omnidroid together!” Ashido cheered, eager to see a superhero couple save the day together. The endgame dream for any hero shipper worth their salt.

The next morning, sunlight washed over the jungle, and a peacefully snoozing Dash slowly awoke… to find out he was snuggling on top of Violet. With a disgusted sound, he jumped off of her and to his feet, shuddering by himself.

“Awww…” Snickers and fake cooing rippled along the viewers. Dash was very fortunate he wasn’t part of Class 1-A, or else his friends would’ve immortalized this scene for blackmail material. And poor sleeping Violet wouldn’t have been exempted, either…

One particular meek but gentle giant was more interested in enjoying the sounds of wildlife, though.

The boy’s revulsion didn’t last forever, as he drank in the beauty of his surroundings. “Identification Please.” An automated voice made him turn around to find a blue macaw, much like the one that had been observing Mr. Incredible’s first battle with the Omnidroid, perching on a nearby branch.

Dash smiled in surprise. “Hey!”

“Hey, wasn’t a fake bird like that spying on Bob back when he was first on the island?” Sato then noticed one of his seating companions stiffening. “You okay, Koda?”

The animal-loving hero-in-training simply continued to glare at the fake macaw. “I… don’t approve of robots replicating animals.”

“Hey, Violet! Come here, look.”

Vi found herself being shaken out of her own sleep on account of an energetic younger brother. “What...?”

Dash didn’t even wait until she was fully awake before he looked back at the blue thing. “It talks!” As Violet drew herself to a sitting position, he pointed up at the branch. “There, that one.”

“So, what? He talks, too!” Kaminari thumbed over to an unamused Tsukuyomi.

Ignoring the giggles and laughter surrounding him, the feathered boy fixed the electric blonde with a cold stare. “You will pay…” Gulping, Kaminari made a mental note to barricade his door for the next few nights.

The “bird” stared at them with an unblinking tilt of its head. “Voice Key Incorrect.”

“Voice key?” a suspicious Violet got to her feet.

An increasingly testy Koda crossed his arms. “That abomination’s a security measure, isn’t it? Syndrome’s nature-mocking way of keeping track of what’s happening on his precious island?”

“Obviously, Soft Rock,” Bakugo grumbled with comparatively little furor. “They should just smash the robot to pieces before it gives them away.”

She only received a repeat of its previous words. “Voice Key Incorrect.”

Violet’s eyes narrowed at the fake macaw. “Wait a second...”

Then the macaw’s eyes turned red and it opened its beak to reveal a little speaker making a very loud alarm.

The blaring sound was painful for those with average hearing. For Jiro, it was extremely aggravating. She shoved the headphones Yaoyorozu had made her over her ears, tucking in her jacks for good measure, and clamped down on them as tightly as possible. “Why do alarms always have to be so frickin’ loud?” She hissed to herself.

Her friends couldn’t quite hear her over the noise, but they still quickly pushed over tea and her favorite snacks in an effort to dull the pain. Some even mimed getting her an ice pack for the worst-case scenario.

Jiro accepted the snacks with a quiet nod and smile as thanks. “I’m good, guys. Really.”

Once his friend was doing better, Koda returned to glaring at the fake bird even while covering his own ears. “And now Syndrome’s being alerted to their location!”

Both kids covered her ears to try and block out the alarm. “Wha-What do we do?!” Dash called.

“Run!” Violet replied while already moving away.

Dash followed. “Where are we going?!”

“Away from here!” But even as the kids tried running away, the bird-like robot took to the sky in pursuit while still releasing its alarm.

In a control room, a segment of the island lit up red. To make matters worse, the robot’s optics were connected to the security system, allowing guards to see what it was seeing: Two children dressed up like Mr. Incredible running through the jungle. Guards exchanged looks before one pushed a button. “Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert.” The PA repeated as patrols gathered and raced for their stations.

High above on a steel beam, Elastigirl could only watch in worried confusion. Outside, a section of the cliff wall slid apart so wheel-like hovercraft could fly out.

“I told you dumbasses to bust the damn thing!” Bakugo snapped at the running kids.

“What good would that do, Bakugo?” Aizawa scolded him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the guards would be notified about it being damaged or destroyed.” He shook his head. “This is an island. Where could those two hide and not be discovered sooner or later?”

Present Mic sighed. “I get what you mean, but it’s not like Elastigirl could’ve taken them with her. They might’ve gotten her caught in the base. But one way or another, the kids were bound to be involved in their dad’s adventure.” A muted grumble told him that his oldest did not, in fact, like it.

Speaking of Mr. Incredible, he was still hanging about in his prison when someone quietly walked in. Mirage deactivated the energy streams, releasing the hero who fell to his knees in front of her. She then walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “There isn’t much time.”

Uraraka smiled a little. “Looks like Mirage is helping him!”

“Or she’s just trying to wipe out a little red on her conscience,” Bakugo scoffed. “Doesn’t make her a saint.”

While agreeing with her best friend, Asui tapped her lip in thought. “True she still needs to answer for her crimes. Besides, it may complicate things for Elastigirl if Incredible is no longer in his cell, ribbit.”

“No, there isn’t.” Without even looking up at her, Incredible’s fingers wrapped themselves around Mirage’s throat. “In fact, there’s no time at all.”

Worry washed over the audience again, Midoriya in particular fearing the worst. He had never heard that kind of tone from All Might before… except hints of when they discussed All for One. Not a good sign…

Mirage clawed desperately at his hand, wheezing out a “Please...”

Mr. Incredible glared at the woman in his grip. “Why are you here?” His voice was a low growl, a far more threatening sound than the shouting he had done in his previous scene. “How can you possibly bring me lower? What more can you take away from me?”

Todoroki nodded evenly. “He still thinks Syndrome killed his family when he shot down the plane. The way he is now, he probably feels like he has nothing left to lose.”

“But he still retains his dignity as a hero,” Yaoyorozu countered in concern. “If Mr. Incredible kills her in cold blood, what is it going to do for him afterwards, especially when his family is still alive?”

“Family…” Mirage barely managed to gasp through the constriction, “survived... crash… They’re here… on the island!”

Bob’s fury melted away at the words. “They’re alive?” he asked hopefully before dropping her to the floor. The woman sucked in mouthfuls of air before Mr. Incredible helped her to her feet and, fresh off of the relief, hugged her in gratitude.

Aaaand that’s when Helen found them.

Kaminari whistled. “Awkward… And not at all what it looks like…” He shied from a trembling Ashido who was squeezing out acid droplets from her fists. “I-It was a platonic hug, you know that, Mina!”

“I do, Kaminari,” she bit out, “which is why I’m willing to forgive Bob for his brief overenthusiasm.”

A little way from her, Ochaco stared blankly at the two grownups entwined. It was just Bob basking in the relief of knowing his kids were safe, plus his wife was standing alive and well before him. It was all good… even if the scene reminded her of that time on I-Island where she had first seen Melissa looking all excited around a flustered Deku… or when Hatsume had blasted herself so she landed a certain way on Deku…

Midoriya couldn’t help but shiver a bit from the way his pink-cheeked best friend was staring at the screen.

She stared at her husband who quickly released the slim woman hastily making herself presentable. “Oh, hello.” Mirage plastered a shaky smile on her face as she approached, hand outstretched. “You must be Mrs. Incre-” Elastigirl’s fist lashed out against her jaw, and she crumbled to the ground.

“Justice is served. Homewrecker.”

Jiro sweatdropped at the pinkette’s declaration and did a double take when she saw a stoic Uraraka nodding to it, then just sighed. “Well, she did have some karma coming for her…”

Mr. Incredible smiled as he snagged her arm. “She was helping me to escape!”

“No,” she snapped furiously, “that’s what I was doing.” A beaming Bob then began pulling her by her arm over to him. “Let go of me!” Helen protested as she was reeled in. “Let go, you lousy, lying, unfaithful creep-”

But whatever further insults she had for him were swallowed up by the kiss he gave her.

And that kiss burst the bubble of tension that had been growing for certain viewers. Ashido joined Toru in swooning over the couple’s intimate moment. Yaoyorozu and Tsu were more subdued but enjoyed it all the same, while Jiro pretended she was squicked out by it.

Ochaco, too, found herself relaxing, but she couldn’t help but fantasize a little, her cheeks darkening, about… possibilities.

The guys enjoyed it, too, for the most part, Mineta accepting the kiss without any jealous grumblings. Bakugo and Aizawa just wanted them to get on with it while Koda, Todoroki and Tokoyami felt a little awkward about having a front-row seat for such affection. Iida by contrast acknowledged that both adults needed to vent a little from all the tension. He even playfully covered a flustered Midoriya’s eyes.

Kirishima, though, was lucky he dyed his hair red. Made it easier to cover his own blush for reasons similar to Uraraka.

Mr. Incredible finally pulled away to smile down at her. “How could I betray the perfect woman?”

“Oh, you’re referring to me now?” Elastigirl wasn’t convinced.

Aoyama winced with a sparkle. “Ah, such a cold retort, colder than even Todoroki’s ice…”

Todoroki turned to him in confusion, only for Shoji to state, “Let’s just say Bob better get used to sleeping on the couch for a little when they get back home.”

“Where are the kids?” A still smiling Bob asked.

All Might cleared his throat, sensing a familiar nervosity rearing its head. “Oh, yeah, about the kids…”

“They might’ve triggered the alert.” Mirage warned them as she pushed herself up.

Elastigirl spun around to her. “What?!”

“Hey, you left them in a cave that turned out to be an exhaust port for a rocket launching pad,” Aizawa pointed out. “It’s only rational that those two would get discovered sooner or later. Especially Dash.”

Mic snorted. “I dare you to say all that to their faces.”

“No thanks, I have another five months before my next appointment with my dentist.”

Mr. Incredible helped her to her feet as she elaborated. “Security’s been sent into the jungle. You better get going.”

Both heroes immediately raced for the exit, Elastigirl growling, “Now our kids are in danger?!”

“If you suspected danger, why’d you bring them?”

“I didn’t bring ‘em, they stowed away. And I don’t think you’re striking the proper tone here!”

“Oh, Bob’s gonna be lucky if the couch treatment is all that awaits him when he gets back home,” Ojiro muttered even as his tail scooped up a tea bottle.

“W-well, the good news is that they’re together right now,” Midoriya made a stab at optimistic, “and they’re surely going to put helping their children ahead of any marital strife.”

The kids could’ve definitely needed some help. They didn’t get far in the jungle before three of those whirling hovercrafts appeared behind them and promptly overtook them. They dug into their heels to stop as the guards slid down on ropes from their halted rides, guns cocked and at the ready. One asked the others, “Think they’re supers?” as the kids stood scared with their hands up.

“What are those helicopter wheel things?” Mineta’s head spun a little just from looking at them. “Why is it the bad guys who always get the cool toys?”

“Cause it makes the heroes’ beating them that much cooler,” Kaminari argued with his encyclopedic knowledge of memes. “Besides, Syndrome’s the one cooking them all up, and he wants to one-up heroes.”

Yaoyorozu analyzed the vehicles. “Regular cars or motorcycles would have a difficult time traversing through foliage that dense. They also wouldn’t be much use for the water-rich parts. Syndrome must have designed them so his guards could reach any section of the island quickly and without trouble.”

Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami, scratching his beak. “Why not go the easy way and just cut down the jungle?”

“Granted, Syndrome likely cares little for flora or fauna,” the bird-headed student explained for his Quirk, “but it serves as a good camouflage to hide his activities. Ships may not pass through his waters regularly, but those few that might stray or satellite images would only see the jungle.”

While the trio discussed it, Violet leaned over to whisper in her brother’s ear. “Dash, remember what Mom said.”

Dash’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“Hey, stop talking!” A guard snapped at them.

Kirishima opened and closed his fists. “These guys really aren’t playing around, and the kids don’t have the practice to fight them off.” He sighed. “It might not be manly, but there’s only one option for them.”

“Good thing it’s Dash’s specialty,” Jiro quipped, “and Violet has her own alternative.”

Then another called out, “Hold it! Freeze!”

Dash blinked; one second, Vi was standing beside him, the next, she was gone. “Dash, run!”

“What?”

“Run!”

“Run!” About three quarters of the class and All Might yelled at the young boy. Bakugo threw in a “Dumbass!” for good measure.

“Oh yeah!” The goons didn’t even have a chance to aim as he sped past them.

“What the-” One tried in vain to keep track of the boy. “They’re supers!”

“Not the best odds.” Aizawa shuffled slightly in his seat, the only sign of his unease despite his neutral tone. “These men have encountered heroes before, and Syndrome might’ve ordered special countermeasures and training for confronting them. Plus, as Kirishima said, these two have never really trained their powers, let alone used them in combat.”

All Might, too, sat tense, but a little smile still played along his face. “That may work to their advantage, though, Aizawa. It’s the untrained who tend to be the most unpredictable in a fight.”

Another pointed his rifle in the direction Dash had taken off. “Get the boy!” The other two quickly climbed up into their hovercycles and flew in pursuit while the third paced about in search of Violet. “Show yourself!”

Dash was running like he had never run before. The jungle was like a blur in front of and around him, which unfortunately meant he plowed face-first into a cloud of bugs while he was looking over his shoulder. Startled, the speedy boy tripped and tumbled head over heels across the ground. He came to a stop and spat out what he could.

Faces scrunched up and tongues stuck out in disgust, though Asui looked positively delighted. “And that is why my hero costume includes a helmet,” Iida commented, his jaw tightening a little. He’d undergone the same experience as Dash in the early days of practicing his Quirk’s speed, and he could still remember his chuckling elder brother offer him a handkerchief. “Happens to all of us eventually, little brother.”

But he didn’t have much time to clean his face or mouth, for the airborne guards had spotted him. Dash quickly scampered to his feet and ran away, the hovercycles in hot pursuit. Vines and leaves were sliced away by the whirling blades as they flew after him, then he snagged a vine hanging before him and swung on it, around the large tree next to him, and landed in his original spot while the hunters flew on. With a laugh, Dash took off in the direction he just came from.

But it wasn’t long before another hovercycle nearly ran into him, Dash barely ducking underneath it. He kept running and running even as he left the jungle behind and began racing across a plain of red dust and rocks. But two cycles hummed angrily right behind him, so Dash made for the jungle again. A few feet in, he caught hold of another vine to escape his chasers, but his speed lent his swing so much momentum he was catapulted into the sky. Dash fell screaming through the air and over a cliff before landing on a hovercycle that was just passing underneath him.

“Well, if nothing else, we get to see more of the island,” Ashido joked in an effort to counteract raised heartbeats, including her own. She didn’t want to imagine all the different ways Dash could’ve been killed in the last couple seconds.

“Dash is exhibiting impressive speed, too.” Midoriya flipped through the pages of his notebook in search of speed-type Quirks and heroes. “He’s able to match and even keep ahead of high-powered engines, and his reflexes are almost equal to his running speed. To think he’s only a fourth-grader…” He hummed trying to estimate what Dash’s top velocity would be if he were their age, let alone if he became a Pro.

Iida was making the same speculations, but with a more critical eye. “His inexperience still shows. Sharp turns and stopping suddenly are difficult because of his momentum, and Dash is mostly reacting on impulse. The fact he’s running through uneven and unfamiliar terrain is also working against him.”

He hung there panting on the cycle before its pilot realized he was there. “Hey!” Dash evaded the first punch, then two more before punching back on instinct. It barely fazed the grown man, but Dash smiled; he was still faster. More attempts to punch the smaller, quicker fighter failed, as he struck again. “Ha, ha!” Soon, Dash let loose with a flurry of superfast punches that knocked off the guard’s visor and left him stunned.

Bakugo snorted despite himself. “Those punches are weak as shit, but at least he’s got the brains to put his speed behind them, plus he figured out the thug can’t move as much as he can ‘cause of the cockpit.”

“Death by a thousand cuts,” the martial artist in Ojiro agreed. “If you’re not strong enough to knock out your opponent in one blow, wear them down with many weaker but quicker strikes.” He turned towards Iida. “You know, you might be able to pull off a kick version of that move.”

“I have experimented,” Iida acknowledged, “but my Engines simply aren’t suitable for that sort of attack. I have more success with single enhanced kicks.”

Midoriya, on the other hand, was considering the move by channeling One for All into speed, not strength.

Dash’s confidence quickly faded at the sight of something, though, and the guard took the opportunity to slug him off the hovercycle. Too late did he realize what had shaken the boy: the rapidly approaching side of the cliff. He barely had a chance to scream before his ride crashed into it and exploded.

And a screaming Dash was still falling towards the jungle.

Some winced at the explosion, but Present Mic was quick to tell them, “The kids are fighting for their lives. It’s fine if they don’t kill anyone in cold blood, but if the guys hunting them go down as a result of self-defense,” he nodded towards the smoke cloud, “or bad flying, we can’t begrudge Dash or Violet that. Oh, and consider this a cautionary tale: Always keep an eye on your surroundings.”

He bounced against and through the branches, trying desperately to break his fall. Then he instinctively snagged a vine and slowly slid down it with his eyes shut, awaiting the ground. When it didn’t come, he snuck a peek to find he was hanging just an inch off the ground. “I’m alive,” Dash breathed in joy before celebrating. “Yeah! Woo-hoo!”

Only then did he notice three guards were hovering nearby and had heard him. “Uh-oh.” And the chase was on again.

Aizawa palmed his forehead with a grumble. “Kid’s got a long, long way to go…”

Dash took a running leap off the side of a cliff, screaming as he fell before he caught hold of a palm tree. The trunk bent enough to lower him to the ground, then snapped back in time for a hovercycle to slice it clean in half, but the second was flying too low and crashed. Dash was too busy to notice the resultant explosion, on account of the first one tumbling in its disrupted flight across the ground and almost crushing him. Luckily, he dodged it and let it crash against a broad tree, smiling as it blew up. His smile didn’t last long, though, as two more cycles emerged on either side of him. And to make matters worse, the jungle was ending again, giving way to a beach and open water!

“Yeah, there’s room for improvement,” Mic conceded to his colleague’s judgement, “but you gotta admit, the boy’s not just a quick runner. He’s adapting to the situation as he goes.”

Sero had been impressed. “Slick move with the trees.” He smirked at the “leader” of his squad. “Satisfied with the explosions, or are they too lackluster for your tastes?”

Bakugo growled back at him. “The runt’s just running away and letting them crash into obstacles. He’d be helpless in a real fight, and these extras are smart enough to try boxing him in,” he nodded towards the oncoming water, “or lead him somewhere he can’t-”

The young speedster flinched, bracing himself for the moment he’d fall in… Except a few seconds later, he noticed a distinct lack of wetness on himself. Dash hesitantly peeked his eyes open to find he was still running on top of the water!

For once, Bakugo was stunned near speechless. A wide-eyed Kirishima mumbled, “You… were saying about… Dash can’t run…?” The angry Pomeranian recovered and grumbled something under his breath.

Jaws had collectively dropped at the scene, and none harder than the one belonging to Iida. “He’s… running… across water…” he muttered astonished and maybe just a little disheartened, all of his earlier criticisms clogging up in his throat. A boy younger than him and with little to no discipline or self-control was racing instinctively at a speed he had yet to achieve. In fact, he had never heard of anyone in his family who had done this. Not without their Engines overheating!

“Amazing!” Midoriya’s exclamation brought him back to the present. His green-haired friend was furiously scribbling away in his notebook. “To move across the surface of the water without ending up submerged… His velocity would have to be over a hundred kilometers per hour…”

Yaoyorozu tilted her head in consideration, her mind shifting from the shock to calculate. “At least 108, I estimate… Then again, he’s only nine or ten years old, which means his body has less mass. Still, his legs must be putting forth fifteen times the strength of an average person.”

All Might himself was staring, and he had probably seen and experienced the most Quirks of all among the audience. Not even his old mentor Gran Torino could’ve pulled off such a feat in his prime. The next generation… His shock slowly shifted into a smile. It always leaves the previous one in the dust.

And there was only one thing to do. “Well, Young Iida?” The glasses-wearing student rose his head dully to find All Might in his muscle form smiling at him. “Young Dash shows the right attitude in going beyond! As a fellow speedster, will you let yourself fall behind?”

The inheritor of the hero name Ingenium let these words sink in, remembering his own secret training in recent weeks. The efforts he was undertaking to be worthy of what his elder brother had entrusted with, the pain he had endured… He blinked, and he found that his circle of friends were all beaming at him and/or giving him a thumbs-up; even Todoroki nodded to him in encouragement. Looking about revealed further support from the class, including a personal challenge from Bakugo. “I’m damn sure gonna beat the twerp’s record with my Explosive Speed. What kind of class rep are you, letting me leave you in the dust?”

Tenya Iida stared only a second longer before straightening his posture and smiling back. “Certainly not! As the leader of Class 1-A, I shall not let anyone overtake me in speed! Such is my duty as the next Ingenium!” His proclamation was answered with cheers, All Might’s trademark laughter and smiles, even one of the latter from his homeroom teacher. Iida allowed himself a moment to absorb the praise, then guided their attention back to the movie. He was particularly eager now to see more of a speedster’s potential.

Dash wasn’t one to care about the physics behind his feat, he simply leaned cackling down and upped his tempo. Water surged behind him from the splashes of his steps. He raced around and along the rocky outcroppings while three hovercycles flew in from above. The lead attempted to lock onto its target as the pilot opened fire. Dash quickly veered away from the bullets while one of the cycles collided with an outcropping.

Dash swayed as he ran and headed for more rocks in an attempt to avoid the hovercycle’s firing, but the last two guards were much more careful with their flying. Soon, the chase went into a cave, and one went after Dash while the other slowed down in front of the entrance.

Inside, the boy panted as he tried staying ahead of his pursuer. Then he ran up the cave’s wall and along its ceiling, the guard glaring in shock as he passed him. Dash quickly returned to running on water and made for the exit, having apparently outwitted the guards. He smiled at the light beckoning him out…

Only for the other hovercycle to swoop down into view.

Gasping, Dash scrambled to a semi-stop before turning around and running back into the cave as the cycle flew after him. But the one he’d ditched was coming in from the other direction, and after a few moments of skidding between one way and the other, Dash just stopped running. He slipped through the water’s surface half a second before the cycles collided together, watching the explosion underwater.

“I see,” Iida hummed while following the boy’s actions, “racing atop the water only works at a certain velocity, and slowing down too much risks nullifying the effect. Stopping means sinking into the water, and taking sharp turns would be difficult, especially since the momentum increases likelihood of tripping.”

“But you could still change your direction if you start turning in advance without losing too much speed, Iida,” Midoriya offered, sketching out the idea on a fresh sheet of paper. “Despite the water, it would basically be the same as changing directions while running at top speeds…”

As the two friends discussed the prospect, Kaminari noted to Jiro (over Bakugo’s usual grumblings), “And to think a minute ago, he was Dash’s biggest critic.”

“Guess there’s nothing like a rivalry to improve a relationship, even if it’s with a kid in a movie.” Jiro and Kaminari then started (though the former was thankful the latter didn’t notice her blush from his closeness) from a weird sound Bakugo had made. Something like a cross between a grunt and a laugh?

Meanwhile, the parents were trekking through the jungle and apparently discussing Mr. Incredible’s misdeeds. “I should’ve told you I was fired, I admit it,” he said, “but I didn’t want you to worry.”

“You didn’t want me to worry?” Elastigirl snapped at him. “And now we’re running for our lives through some godforsaken jungle!”

The boys flinched from the fury in her voice, Mic mumbling, “Hell hath no fury…” They definitely didn’t envy Incredible.

“You keep trying to pick a fight,” Bob smiled despite the tension, “but I’m still just happy you’re alive.”

Ashido giggled. “Guess Helen’s gonna have to wait before she can scold Bob properly. The way he is, her anger’s just rolling off him like water off a duck.”

“She’ll have to postpone the scolding anyway, at least until the kids are safe and off the island.” Shoji scratched his head. “And finding them’s easier said than done, what with how big the jungle is.”

Back at the starting point of the chase, the sole remaining guard fired at a sound behind him. “I know you’re there, little miss Disappear.”

As he talked, a branch seemingly levitated by itself off the ground before it smacked his gun out of his hands, then jabbed him in the gut before hitting him upside the head. Violet became visible again, gripping the branch tightly, as the man fell.

“Woo! Invisible takedown!” Hagakure cheered.

“It’s rather early to celebrate,” Tokoyami warned her. “He is wearing armor and far from the only guard on the island.”

The guard was only stunned, though, not knocked out. He swept out Violet’s legs from under her and rolled away to retrieve his rifle. Violet scrambled to her feet and activated her invisibility while running as he opened fire again, only just avoiding the shots. She jumped into a nearby pool, darting about as the guard approached and spread his shots across the water.

“You can’t hide from me.” The guard scooped up a handful of sand and tossed it into the pool. After a few seconds, the sand slowly began sinking to the bottom, only to stop and land on something transparent to his left. Or rather someone. The triumphant guard took aim. “There you are…”

Todoroki frowned at the screen, worry increasing again. “These soldiers aren’t fools. Dash’s pursuers nearly captured or killed him more than once, and this one instantly devised using the sand to find Violet.”

“And it looks like Violet can’t use her powers at the same time, ribbit.” Asui’s mind raced even as she watched afraid for the girl’s life. “It’s just a hunch of mine, but as far as I can remember, any time she used her powers, it was either invisibility or force fields. But not both.” Midoriya checked his notes before giving a shaky nod, confirming Tsu’s worries. “Maybe she could pull both off later with more practice…”

“But she’s never going to get the chance if someone doesn’t help her now!” Not that anyone could see it, but Toru was nibbling fiercely on her nails.

“Hey!” A blur struck him just as he pulled the trigger, causing bullets to fly wildly into the air. The rattled guard barely noticed a splash of water on the opposite bank and aimed anew at Violet, but Dash slammed into him once more. This time, he held on and began battering the mook with high-speed punches. “Don’t! Touch! My! Sister!”

The invisible girl on the couch relaxed again while Kirishima whooped. “Go get him, you manly little brother!”

But the guard caught his fist and threw his own punch, sending Dash flying. He hit a tree and fell down dazed, regaining his senses in time to find the guard about to shoot him.

That sight was enough to make blood freeze. Sure, no one would appreciate getting pummeled at superspeed by a preteen boy, but the soldier didn’t even hesitate in aiming his gun at Dash. It was just as Elastigirl said: these men didn’t give a damn that their quarry was untrained children. They’d kill the kids and not lose a wink of sleep over it. And just like back on the plane, the students had to fight their instincts to jump at the screen. “Dash!!”

Hidden among the trees, Violet turned visible and leaped in front of her brother, shutting her eyes, just as the goon pulled the trigger…

And the bullets bounced harmlessly off the force field surrounding the two kids. Both stared in shock, Dash on the ground, Vi somehow suspended in the position her jumping had put her.

Cries of relief, joy and amazement swept out through the viewers. “Did you see that?!” Mineta bounced up and down in his seat with a big smile (and not a hint of perversion in it). “She just swooped in and saved them both!”

“Of course, she did!” Ashido cheered. “She’s the daughter of Elastigirl, after all!” All three teachers watched on proudly.

Midoriya smiled in utter awe and cried tears of unbridled joy. I knew you could do it, Violet… He knew so because there it was… that moment where Violet proved, without a shred of doubt, she was every bit a hero like her parents. She herself hadn’t been sure her force field could shield them both, but she had still thrown herself in front of Dash, the same little brother with whom she quarreled so often. A quick glance over to All Might beaming too confirmed they were both thinking the same thing:

This was Vi’s moment. The defining point for a hero, when someone was in danger and their body moved without thinking.

Dash stared up at her amazed despite the continued fire. “How are you doing that?!”

“I don’t know!” Violet admitted, still suspended over him.

“Whatever you do, don’t stop!” Dash pushed against the side of the field, then began running like a hamster inside a plastic ball. With his speed, the siblings soon left the guard behind and rolled off a small incline before rolling along through the jungle. Two more hovercycles suddenly appeared before them, only to be repelled by the force field and crash as they rolled away.

Kaminari chuckled from the funny as well as the awesome sides of their escape. “That makes for one heck of an ultimate move. But what would they call it?”

His question triggered a series of debates and suggestions, ranging from Sato’s “Super Rolling Force Field Beatdown” to Hagakure’s “Ultraviolet Rescue-and-Dash Away!” Aizawa initially tried to call the debates off so they could go back to watching the movie, but Mic stopped him. “Let the kids cool down a little. They need it after all the ups and downs this movie keeps throwing at us.” He snickered. “Pixar, am I right?” Yamada’s grin only grew at the acceding grunt he got. “Besides, it’s good practice for them.”

Then one voice spoke up. “How about… Violet Barrier Boulder Dash?”

The others turned in surprise towards the one who had suggested it: Todoroki. Finally, Uraraka said, “It’s kind of a mouthful… but it sounds cool and has both of their names in it…” She smiled. “I like it!”

“You certainly have a talent for naming ultimate moves, Todoroki!” The twin-hair-color young man smiled thankful for Yaoyorozu’s praise and further approval, an odd warmth spreading through his chest.

Bakugo muttered angrily to himself about “Superfast Crushing Murder Ball” sounding way better.

Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible slowly came to a stop in a clearing as the sounds of explosions reached them. They turned about in their spots, trying to filter out the source of them… when part of the jungle opened up and a certain force field bowled them over.

Between Dash’s speed and the energy surrounding them, neither kid recognized at first who they’d just swept up. But after a few turns, Vi’s eyes widened. “Mom! Dad! Hey!”

Jiro snickered at the parents’ predicament. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen a family reunion like this before.”

“Just be glad Togata-senpai isn’t here, ribbit, or he’d make a pun about them being bowled over or something.” Some huffed in relief at Asui’s predication, others shuddered.

The shock of seeing their parents might made Violet inadvertently drop her forcefield, causing the four to tumble together into a big heap. Not that any of them minded. “Kids!” Bob beamed at the boy and girl lying on his chest. “You’re all right.”

“Oh, you’re all right!” Helen was as ecstatic as her husband.

Vi laughed as she and Dash were scooped up. “We were so worried about you!”

“I thought I’d never see you again.” And with Bob’s statement, all four pulled each other into one big family hug.

Bakugo groaned in annoyance. “Save the sappy family crap for when you’re not in enemy territory, you morons!”

“Ah, let ‘em have the moment, bro!” Kirishima laughed. “Besides, do you really think two pros like Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl would let down their guards?”

“Though I do not enjoy it, I agree with Bakugo,” Iida interjected. “They are in a very dangerous situation, and their relief, while understandable, may cause them to drop their guard.”

Some folks sadly have no appreciation for touching family moments, though. Hovercycles swooped in to surround the four as they split apart. But the guards weren’t dealing with scared children anymore.

Elastigirl elongated her leg to kick one out of his cockpit, then Mr. Incredible punched down a cycle that flew too close. One guard tumbled about in the dirt for only a moment before Elastigirl lassoed him and hurled into another cocking his rifle in front of a staring Dash and Violet.  Another hovercycle hummed in towards them forcing the adults to roll apart, but Incredible picked up the downed cycle, gave it a few good twirls and let it fly straight towards the airborne one. As the machines crashed together into a giant of fire, Elastigirl & Mr. Incredible found themselves staring at one another before saying in perfect unison, “I love you.”

Violet and Dash just watched from the sidelines in amazement.

The students were much the same as the kids, but also a bit more varied: Bakugo was relishing finally seeing some real action again; Midoriya was hurriedly writing down ideas (and having a tiny daydream that made him redden slightly… towards a beaming Uraraka). But the happiest ones were Kirishima from the sheer manliness both heroes had displayed in taking the goons down and Ashido at the synchronized confession.

The redhead and the pinkette even started imagining themselves in Incredible and Elastigirl’s respective roles, taking down one bad guy after another before turning… to… one… another… Both of them suddenly blushed furiously when their eyes met by accident and gulped down the nearest cold drink they could find.

Kaminari quickly started bickering with Ashido for swiping his soda while Jiro frowned at Kirishima over her lost tea, inadvertently helping them recover… though neither accuser dared look at the other.

All Might breathed in the awe and excitement of his students (and doing his best not to giggle at their not-so-subtle romance fantasies), as well as that of his on-screen colleagues. Ah, to be out in the field again… Well, there wasn’t any point in lamenting about old times, but he could still help the next generation. “You’re not wrong about the dangers of letting your children step onto the battlefield, Young Iida. But don’t ever underestimate what a parent can and will do to protect them.” The speedster nodded respectfully at that.

Two more hovercycles flew into the clearing… and the Incredibles assumed battle-ready stances with matching smirks.

And Class 1-A smirked as well. “Four superheroes against a whole island of armed men with high-tech equipment,” All Might noted calm as a glacier but inwardly delighted. “Terribly uneven odds.”

Mic nodded with a toothy grin. “The poor guards don’t stand a chance.”

Dash made the first move, zipping around the family so fast he called up a cloud of dust for the cycles to fly into. The pilots opened fire, but Violet had trapped both of them in a force field to contain the bullets. Her mother stretched in to take down two guards on foot that tried coming up from behind her. Mr. Incredible pulled down another guard from his vehicle and knocked him out while Elastigirl handled another, the odds shifting increasingly in favor of Team Incredible.

That’s when all four were suddenly trapped in a familiar energy. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Syndrome swooped in from the sky, both index fingers blazing with ZP energy. “Hey, time out!”

Frustrated, Denki threw up his hands. “And of course, the guy shows up just then to ruin the fight! Stupid zero-gravity thing’s a total cheat!”

“The odds were against them from the beginning,” Tokoyami lamented, his beak curled in a deep frown. “Aside from his own contributions, Syndrome has enormous manpower and resources, not to mention the Omnidroid. And at the crux of it, they’re fighting on his territory.”

“What have we here?” He raised the immobilized heroes up, grinning as he took a closer look. “Matching uniforms?” The villain’s grin widened upon recognizing the older woman. “Oh, no… Elastigirl!?” Only the heroine’s eyes could move as Syndrome laughed. “You married Elastigirl?! Whoa! Oh! And got busy!” He wagged his hips a little, eyes shifting towards the kids suspended in his other beam, while his goons surrounded the area. “It’s a whole family of supers! Looks like I’ve hit the jackpot! Oh-ho, this is just too good!”

Mineta was currently struggling with a strange mixture of feelings, one quite unfamiliar to the lecherous little teenager: disgust, outrage… all centered around Syndrome’s movements. Now, the grape hero would freely admit he had no right to judge, but mocking the heroes right in front of their kids while they were all trapped and men were ready to shoot them dead? Even Minoru Mineta knew the villain was crossing some major lines. Coupled with the moral humanistic ones he’d crossed already…

Back in a very familiar and unwelcome room, the side on the exit displayed a large monitor playing live media footage of the Omnidroid’s wing configuration having crashed from the seaside into a city. “The ship’s unique design suggests...” Syndrome pressed a button on a remote, flipping the channel over. Similar footage from a different angle. “There were no fatalities...” Another channel flip showed tanks and soldiers approaching the machine with caution.

 “Huh?” Syndrome flashed an excited smile up at his literally captive audience: all four Incredibles trapped in the electric beams. “Huh!? Oh, come on! You gotta admit, this is cool! Just like a movie!”

Class 1-A’s smallest student was on a roll with disliking Syndrome, so he asked out loud, “What the heck’s he talking about? How is it ‘cool’ to let a giant hero-hunting robot stomp around a city? What’s the point?!”

“Yeah, I gotta agree with Mineta- urgh…” Hagakure took a quick gulp of tea to wash out the bad taste before continuing. “What’s the big plan here? Is he still going after heroes or what?”

“It’s never been about destroying a city or just killing heroes, See-Through.” She and others turned to Bakugo glaring at the screen with increased anger. “Shut up and listen, he’s gonna brag about his plans.”

Syndrome began acting out the scene. “The robot will emerge dramatically, do some damage. Throngs of screaming people!” The villain pretended to curl up in fright. “And just when all hope is lost,” he dropped the remote to pose triumphantly, “Syndrome will save the day! I’ll be a bigger hero than you ever were!”

Anger spread like wildfire across the students, all of them joining Bakugo in burning a hole into Syndrome’s smug head. “I fucking knew it,” the Explosion-maker growled. “He’s going to stage a fight with his pet robot in the middle of a cheering crowd.” It was reckless, callous and unrepentantly narcissistic… hence why Bakugo feared he might’ve done something in another life, as a… worse person. But I’m not him, he told himself, red eyes darting to the side. And neither are you…

“That’s it…?” “Team Deku” ceased their glaring to watch cautiously a bent-over, trembling Midoriya. He snapped his head up to reveal a face wracked with fury. “That’s what your big plan is?!” He all but shouted at Syndrome. “Put a whole city at risk, endanger millions of lives, all so you can play hero?!” Whatever dregs for sympathy the green-haired had left for Syndrome instantly shriveled up into nothing. There was no excuse for putting so many people at risk, no chance of justifying it with a childhood rejection…

If Uraraka, Iida, Asui and Todoroki hadn’t gripped him by the shoulders and arms, the ninth bearer of One for All might’ve unleashed a 100% Smash on Syndrome, no matter how many bones he would’ve broken. Hence their restraining him for his sake, not the villain’s. Who knows, the Smash might’ve broken the 4^th wall…

Mr. Incredible glared at the villain. “You mean, you killed off real Supers so that you could… PRETEND TO BE ONE?”

“My thoughts exactly!” All Might had reassumed his muscle form in his rage for both his student and his cinematic counterpart. Blood trickled from his mouth, so tightly pressed together were his teeth. Pain flashed through his side, and one bout of steam later, the retired Symbol of Peace was back to his shrunken state. But his blue eyes still blazed nearly as much as when he faced one other villain: his oldest enemy.

“Oh, I’m real,” Syndrome stalked over to return the glare. “Real enough to defeat YOU! And I did it without your precious ‘gifts,’ your oh-so-special powers.” He leaned away with a roll of his eyes.

Aizawa’s red eyes flared up in ice-cold fury. “It’s not about powers,” he spat at the villain. “You could have the greatest Quirk in the world, and I’d still never let you within fifty feet of UA or a Hero Agency.” For all of his exasperation with his Problem Children, he knew they ultimately had the right heart for being heroes. A cretin like Syndrome couldn’t hope to compare to them.

“I’ll give them heroics. I’ll give them the most spectacular heroics anyone’s ever seen!” Syndrome swore before calming down. “And when I’m old and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. Everyone can be a super!”

He flashed a wild grin at the captive family. “And when everyone’s super…” Syndrome laughed cruelly to himself before making a vindictive vow. “No one will be.” He left the room with a final cackle, the door closing on the heroes behind him.

Confusion began with Kaminari’s anger. “Hold on, he wants to sell off his own toys after he’s done playacting hero? What the heck’s the point of that? He’d just be making more rivals for himself, right?”

“Not if he effectively retires from being a ‘hero’,” Yaoyorozu explained in an eerily calm tone. “Syndrome wishes to eradicate the very idea of someone being ‘super,’ something he believes Mr. Incredible denied him. So, by offering up inventions that make others feel like they have powers or Quirks, he makes it seem like real heroes are obsolete. ‘Out-of-style,’ so to speak.” She added for Denki’s benefit.

Todoroki scowled. “And the prospect of how much damage those weapons of his can do in the wrong hands probably doesn’t even register to him. He might usher in a whole new generation of villains, and he doesn’t care, so long as he can spite his former hero.” Spite… something he knew well, but never like this.

Syndrome strode towards a plane ready and waiting for him, wiping his nose with an eager grin.

At the mainland, the “ship” had not moved an inch despite the news chopper flying over or the police cars, fire trucks and tanks surrounding its crash site. Then the wings split apart down its length, falling to the ground while six ports opened out along the sphere’s side to extend six tentacles. The Onnidroid’s head rose along with its body as it began to march down the street.

“Take cover!” Some soldiers hurriedly ushered civilians away while others moved in, unloading their rifles in an effort to stop the robot’s advance. “Fire at will!” But their bullets only bounced harmlessly off its chassis.

Tanks rolled in and opened fire as well, but the Omnidroid simply turned its head towards them, a port on its left side opening up. A blaster popped out that fired rapid bolts of blue energy, destroying one tank.

“Oh sure,” Shoji grumbled. “As if that thing wasn’t dangerous enough, Syndrome went and gave it a gun.”

Asui cocked her head, a slight frown the only sign of her worry. “Moreover, the Omnidroid was designed to be a threat against seasoned heroes. Ordinary military can’t do more than slow it down, ribbit.” She squinted as the scene transitioned. “And those heroes who know the most about Syndrome’s plan are imprisoned thousands of miles away on a remote island.”

On Syndrome’s Island, the captive family could only watch as the Omnidroid went on to attack one target after another. “It’s completely overwhelming the tanks.” The reporter announced with quickly increasing panic.

Eventually, Bob said, “I’m sorry. This is my fault. I’ve been a lousy father.”

“You have,” Aizawa bluntly agreed with the bound hero, “but it’s not entirely your fault.” Others shifted about in their seats, including All Might, from his assessment. Mr. Incredible had made some big mistakes in neglecting his role as Bob Parr, and his family wouldn’t be hanging there with him if he hadn’t fallen for Syndrome’s trap, but he wasn’t the one who had lured so many heroes to their deaths, and refusing to take Incrediboy as his sidekick was more and more proven to be the right decision.

“Blind to what I have.” He wearily turned his head towards Helen and Dash and away from Violet… “So obsessed with being undervalued that I undervalued all of you.”

Violet who summoned a force field and levitated herself out of her restraints. Dash, though, seemed to be the only who had noticed. “Um, Dad?”

“Shh.” Their mom was focused on their dad. “Don’t interrupt.”

“Wait,” Uraraka began to smile, “did Violet just find a way to escape?” Hope grew anew.

Midoriya’s frustration took the backseat to his Quirk enthusiasm when he saw Violet escape. “She’s using the gravity-suspension effect of her force fields to both sever the connection between the streams and levitate herself towards the controls! And to think she only learned of this effect during the jungle fight…”

“We get it, Deku,” Bakugo groaned, “so, how come Elastigirl’s letting Incredible drag out his self-pity? Can’t she see her girl’s gotten loose? She’s facing the right direction, for fuck’s sake!”

Jiro snorted as a possible reason came to mind. “Maybe she’s enjoying the chance to hear her reckless husband admit how much of an idiot he’s been. It must be cathartic after the day she’s had.”

“Or, you know, she can’t really see past the big guy.” Kaminari’s quip brought the general mood up back to a positive level. It helped that things were looking up for the Incredibles.

“So caught up in the past that I…” And Bob was so caught up in his soliloquy he didn’t notice Violet having reached the vacant controls. Still, it did mean he was speaking with utter sincerity. “You are my greatest adventure. And I almost missed it. I swear, I’m gonna get us out of this safely if I-”

“Well,” Violet’s voice drew the attention of the adults to where she was standing in front of the controls with a teasing smirk. “I think Dad has made some excellent progress today, but I think it’s time we wind down now.” She brought down her trapped hand onto the control switch, shutting off the restraints and freeing her family.

“Great job, Vi!” Mina whooped, making a high-five with Hagakure. “The Incredibles are back in business!”

Meanwhile, Aizawa had been sitting in a pensive position, only to nod decisively. “Violet is my favorite Incredible.” His students stared up at him shocked by the sudden statement, his colleagues side-eyed him amused, but the Erasure Hero was serious as a heart attack. “If she were in our world, I’d take her under my wing.”

“But you do know Midnight would try to snatch her up, yeah? Vi’s totally the type of girl she’d want to mold into a protégé.”

He waved off Mic’s argument. “Nemuri could try all she wants, I’d fight her for Violet Parr.”

All four sprinted through the halls quickly. “We need to get back to the mainland.”

“I saw an aircraft hangar on my way in. Straight ahead, I think.” Elastigirl took the lead.

“So, they beat any guards in their way, steal a jet and fly back to the city to save the day for real?” Mineta punched the air eagerly. “Sounds good to me! Elastigirl’s an ace pilot after all; she can fly any jet!”

The more studious students, however, wondered if it could really be that simple. Midoriya had begun making some sketches on an empty sheet of paper and whispering about distance and speed with Iida, Asui and Todoroki, the latter of whom served as a relay, while adding his own input, to Yaoyorozu. Bakugo didn’t partake, but he was making his own calculations mentally despite his squad’s excitement.

Soon enough, they reached a hangar, only to find it nearly completely empty. The only vehicle sitting about was a white RV. The family walked about cautiously, watching their surroundings. “Where are all the guards?” Incredible wondered out loud. Laughter rang out, and they turned towards the RV.

Sato grunted. “I was wondering why there weren’t any guards in the cell when Violet got them out. So, they’re off having their private little party while the robot wreaks havoc?”

“They already think their leader has won.” Tokoyami smirked slightly. “That carelessness will cost them.”

Inside, the guards were having a little party even as the TV showed the Omnidroid’s rampage. “Hey!” One laughed. “Every time they run, you take a shot.”

Another guard readied a bottle of champagne. “Yeah, okay.” He popped the cork with a broad smile…

Which quickly slipped away when he saw Mr. Incredible standing in the door, hand up to catch the cork. He dropped it and let the door close behind him smirking.

Most of Class 1-A and even the teachers echoed that smirk, Bakugo going so far as imagining himself in the hero’s place. He already knew what he’d say: “Now this is where the real party starts, suckers.” One day, he promised himself. One day, I’ll slip into a villain hideout right when one of ‘em’s popped the cork, and then… Tiny explosions popped between his fingers from anticipation.

Kirishima was having similar daydreams.

The RV shook about from the tussle, then a few seconds later, the hero opened the door and leaned out to whistle to his family. “Go, go!”

They ran on and continued to look about. “This is the right hangar,” Elastigirl confirmed, “but I don’t see any jets.”

“A jet’s not fast enough,” her husband pointed out.

“What’s faster than a jet?”

Then Dash called over to them. “Hey, how about a rocket?” He gestured to a second rocket just like the one that had carried the Omnidroid to the city, fully prepared for take-off.

Sero whistled. “Sweet ride! Syndrome must’ve had that one built in case something didn’t work with the first rocket.”

“B-but… what if there’s another Omnidroid loaded into it?” Koda wondered concerned. A battle with one, even a lesser model, would mean a great deal of trouble for Violet and Dash, and even if they defeated it, the family would’ve lost more time.

“I doubt it,” Ojiro assured him. “Building that super-sized Omnidroid would’ve eaten up a lot of time and resources, and the only one was loaded up after the first rocket had been furnished. I’m pretty sure they can use this one safely.” He paused before turning towards a certain five. “Wait, was that what you guys were whispering about a while ago?”

The class rep nodded. “No jet in the time period the movie is set is fast enough to cross the ocean. Not in time to stop the Omnidroid from destroying the city, anyway.” Iida’s eyes glimmered excitedly despite his words. “But a rocket’s output is far greater than that of a jet’s. They could reach the city in minutes with one!”

Yaoyorozu was smiling, too, before it dimmed. “There may yet be a problem: A rocket is also far more complex than a plane. I’m not certain even Elastigirl can successfully pilot one.”

“Great!” Elastigirl seemingly brightened up, only to slump a little. “I can’t fly a rocket.”

“You don’t have to,” She turned to Violet who nodded towards the command spot. “Use the coordinates from the last launch.”

“Of course!” Momo slapped her forehead as her smile returned. “They don’t need an actual pilot for a rocket, they can simply program it with the city’s coordinates and have it launch itself.”

Jiro mirrored her best friend’s smile, albeit with a little smugness. “Goes to show Vi picked up the brains from her parents.”

Aizawa nodded slightly, now all the more certain of his preference. Ah, what a hero Violet could’ve been…

Bob and Helen shared a proud smile at their daughter’s cleverness, only for Bob to frown. “Ah, wait. I bet Syndrome’s changed the password by now. How do I get into the computer?”

“Say please.” They spun around in surprise at the familiar voice on the intercom. Behind the glass stood a smiling Mirage with a microphone.

Bakugo frowned. “Does she seriously expect the Incredibles to trust her after the shit she’s done? What, the bitch has one little crisis of conscience and becomes an ally?”

“Do they have a choice?” Kaminari shrugged a little helplessly. “Without the password, they can’t access the computer, and smart as three of them are, I don’t think they’ve got any hacking skills between them.”

All Might nodded between the two, then said, “It’s a risk, but they don’t have any other options if they want to make it back to the city in time. Mirage was complicit in Syndrome’s schemes, and she’ll have to face the consequences same as him and the rest of his cronies. But if she can and is willing to help them, the Incredibles have to make the most of it.” Bakugo still seemed unsure but made no further argument.

Back in the city, Lucius was patting some cologne on his cheeks in his apartment, snazzy jazz music playing in the background. His easygoing nature soon fell away, though, once he noticed the Omnidroid stomping past his windows, armed helicopters in hot pursuit. He quickly dug through his drawer and spun around to press a button on his newly acquired remote. On the opposite side of the room, the wall converted into a hero set-up…

Midoriya’s eyes lit up in hope. “Right, Frozone’s still close by! He can join the fight against the Omnidroid!”

“But can he beat that thing alone?” Shoji wondered. “The robot’s designed to fight heroes, after all.”

“Frozone doesn’t have to defeat the Omnidroid.” Todoroki was leaning ever so slightly towards the movie. “He can assist the authorities in slowing it down until the Incredibles arrive and join the fight. He was a respected pro hero fifteen years ago, so he should be a familiar face.” The heterochromatic boy’s circle of friends silently enjoyed seeing him so eager to watch the white-and-blue ice hero in action.

Kaminari noticed Jiro subtly moving her head to the music, her jacks bouncing. “You like jazz music?”

“Rock’s my #1 genre,” she shrugged with a grin, “but I don’t say no to a good, relaxing beat.”

“The man’s got good taste,” Mic agreed. “If Frozone were real, he’d make it in any city’s Top 10 out of sheer coolness.”

With an empty display, Lucius noticed. “Honey?” he called out.

A female voice called back. “What?”

“Where’s my super suit?!”

“Yeah, where the hell is it?” Bakugo snapped, his irritation growing.

“Honey knows he’s Frozone?” Hagakure wondered out loud.

Uraraka tapped her chin in thought. “Well, they’re married. He could’ve told her somewhere in their relationship, or she might’ve figured it out herself.”

“What?”

“WHERE! IS!” The retired hero enunciated each word while waving the remote. “MY! SUPER! SUIT?!”

Both Jiro and Koda jumped, the former from the sudden yelling, and the latter because he hadn’t expected it from the level-headed man. “It’s Samuel Jackson, guys,” Kirishima reminded them. “I’m surprised it took this long for his character to up the volume.”

Aoyama rubbed his own ear a little. “And the question remains valid: what happened to his suit?”

Outside his window, a helicopter spiraled out of control. “I, uh, put it away.” Lucius turned around in time to watch it crash and explode.

His eyes widened and he hastily backed away. “Where?!”

 “Why do you need to know?!”

“I need it!” He ran out of his room and into another.

“Uh, yeah, he and the whole city kinda needs it!” Ashido flailed her hands about in slight panic. If this were their world, Lucius might’ve been able to slide in in his civvies and argue afterwards that it had been an emergency. But in the movie, Frozone had to protect his secret identity. No costume, no heroics.

All Might scratched his head with a sweatdrop. “Can’t say I blame Honey, though. Superheroics are still technically illegal, after all, and it wouldn’t do much good to have Frozone’s old suit lying around.”

But Honey wasn’t budging. “Uh-uh!” Clothes began flying out of the open doorway. “Don’t you think about running off doing no derrin’-do! We’ve been planning this dinner for two months!”

“Ah, that explains why he was freshening up,” Yaoyorozu realized. “Some restaurants of high enough class have waiting lists for reservations so long, it can take you weeks before you have access to a table.”

“Not that I’m one to pass up on stories of romantic fine dining, Yaomomo,” Ashido turned a flat, dark-eyed gaze on her, “but this really isn’t the time for that! Frozone needs to get out there right now!”

“On an unrelated note,” Sero commented despite the tension, “they’ve got a sweet apartment. Roomy, too.”

Sato shrugged. “Must be how they can afford getting into one of Yaoyorozu’s swanky restaurants.”

Lucius hurriedly checked the suits in a closet. “The public is in danger!” He bolted into another room.

“My evening’s in danger!”

“Your evening will have to be postponed, Mrs. Best!” Iida chopped his hand furiously. “There is a serious situation outside your very home that needs Frozone this instant!”

Lucius leaned out of the room into view to shout, “YOU TELL ME WHERE MY SUIT IS, WOMAN! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD!”

Yes, he realized this wasn’t the best time for a couple’s argument, but Kaminari couldn’t help cracking up. “That sounds like a total Bakugo thing to say.”

Bakugo didn’t even argue with that. In fact, he was secretly storing that quote away for possible future use.

"GREATER GOOD?!" Honey retorted. "I AM YOUR WIFE!!" Lucius leaned slowly back into view with the most long-suffering expression imaginable before shaking his head. "I'M THE GREATEST GOOD YOU ARE EVER GONNA GET!"

Laughter sputtered out amongst the viewers. The girls were even promising themselves and each other that they’d cite Honey if they got the chance. …As girlfriends, of course! Wife was way, way down the road.

Sero was so busy laughing he even elbowed Bakugo in the side despite the known danger of such an act. “I bet this is what’s gonna happen to you when you’re married.” His teasing would’ve only sealed his fate.

Luckily for “Triangle Face,” even Bakugo was too busy trying to control his own chortles to get ticked off. “Li-hike I’d ever let myself get hitched to a woman who’d stop me from hero work over a damn dinner.”

“This is why I never married,” Aizawa, one of the only audience members not laughing, grumbled. And even he appeared faintly amused.

Said mirth, though, faded at his oldest friend’s comment. “Oh, please, you’d be even more whipped than Frozone.” Mic just sneered at the glare shot his way; it alone wasn’t a counterargument, after all.

Doesn’t seem very hero-related… Todoroki considered the interaction. Still, could prove useful later…

Outside, the situation was continuing to worsen. The driver of a gasoline tanker stopped in his tracks and barely managed to get out before the Omnidroid snatched it up. People ran off panicked in every direction as the robot hefted the tanker before throwing it spinning away. A blue carriage was in its path.

“My baby!” A bespectacled mother quickly pulled her child out and tried to get away, but it was too late. She crouched down over her baby in vain, bracing for the tanker to crush them both.

“NO!” Hands reflexively shot out, but their owners just barely remembered that they regrettably couldn’t do anything to help. It was similar to what All Might had told Midoriya once: “Even a hero can’t save every life.”

But a field of energy surrounded the truck, holding it aloft as Syndrome hovered confidently with his finger outstretched. “The Supers have returned!” A man called out in surprise and relief.

Two emotions no one among the class shared. “You’re putting hope on the wrong guy!” Uraraka glared at the villain. “He’s the one that made the Omnidroid and set it loose in the first place!”

“We know that, but they don’t, Ochako,” Tsu reminded her, both girls unhappy.

“Like him or not, at least the mother and her baby were saved…” Koda was conflicted about the situation himself, however. On one hand, now that Syndrome was here, he could hopefully neutralize the robot so it wouldn’t attack anyone else. On the other, that the city’s fate currently rested in the hands of a glory-seeking psychopathic man-child…

A woman questioned, “Is that Fironic?”

“Fironic?” A man called out in excitement.

“No,” a different woman pointed out, “Fironic has a different outfit!”

Midoriya quickly made a side note about this “Fironic” hero. He figured the character himself wouldn’t pop up this late in the film, but he could always speculate afterwards.

Bakugo crossed his arms with a click of his tongue. “What are you extras getting so excited about? That’s a villain, damnit! Besides, you all decided you didn’t want Heroes anymore!”

Eagerly lapping up the attention, Syndrome waved his free hand. “No, no, I’m a new superhero! I’m SYNDROME!” He released the truck, letting it fall to the ground and explode behind him.

The audience frowned collectively at Syndrome’s antics. “Sloppy, callous idiot…” Aizawa growled as his hair flowed upwards, his eyes blazing. “That truck could’ve crushed more people than the mother and her baby, and its explosion put everyone there at risk.”

All Might shook his head in disgust. “As if Syndrome even cares about collateral damage.” He never cared, the retired hero reminded himself, not even all those years ago when he tried to be Incrediboy… Bob could’ve turned him down gentler, but he wasn’t wrong in dismissing him.

The Omnidroid approached, but Syndrome remained calm even as it reached for him. “All right,” the false hero discreetly pressed a button on the remote in his left gauntlet, “stand back!” The arm shuddered to a halt just before it could touch him. Locked onto Syndrome’s smirking face, the Omnidroid closed its claw, but he flew out of reach and began blasting zero-point energy at it. “Someone needs to teach this hunk of metal,” he pressed another button before pretending to punch its side, “a few manners.” The arm closest to him detached and fell to the street with a heavy clang. Syndrome faced the crowd again and spread his arms out with a triumphant laugh.

“Oh, come on,” Kirishima wagged his arms at the TV, “that was so obviously fake! You cannot tell me that the bystanders are buying his showboating bull.”

Shoji had stretched out two ears towards the movie. “I’m not sure they are. There is a little bit of cheer here and there, but most of it’s coming from Syndrome himself. If I had to guess, most of the people are busy just getting to safety so it leaves him with little of an audience.”

Ever the thinker, Yaoyorozu took this observation even further. “In hindsight, Syndrome’s debut as a hero would likely become a highly controversial topic. The various news teams are surely recording the ‘battle’ from a safe distance, and more observant viewers may pick up on the discrepancies between his actions and the Omnidroid’s. And even if that didn’t become common knowledge, his lack of care towards civilians or property damage would surely reignite the criticisms that drove heroes underground in the first place.”

“No offense, but this is all supposition and not that relevant right now,” Ojiro kindly argued. “First, we ought to worry about whether there’ll still be a city left between those two.”

But unbeknownst to its creator, the Omnidroid was scanning its detached arm. “CONTROL STOLEN BY EXTERNAL SIGNAL.” Processing this conclusion, it turned its gaze from the limb… “LOCATE SOURCE EXTERNAL SIGNAL.”

And found it. “SIGNAL SOURCE: REMOTE CONTROL.” Its targeting system locked onto Syndrome’s gauntlet. “DESTROY REMOTE.”

Before Syndrome could react, a single shot blasted off the gauntlet. It fell to the street below, and he barely turned in time to avoid a claw lashing out for him.

Kaminari smirked, an earlier piece of dialogue coming to mind. “Guess it got smart enough to wonder why it had to take orders, huh?”

Bakugo chuckled with rare amusement towards his dopey classmate’s comment. “The dumbass programmed his toy a little too well. And seeing as he doesn’t know a thing about fighting for real, he’s fucked.”

Panicking, Syndrome flew in the dispersing crowd, even shoving aside civilians, as the Omnidroid continued to blast at him. Then a shot struck his left rocket boot, causing him to lose control. Syndrome spun screaming up and towards a nearby skyscraper, slamming into it headfirst. He landed with a thud on a lower roof and tried to get back up with a groan but fell unconscious.

Iida nodded firmly. “Good riddance.”

“We can’t celebrate yet,” Shoto pointed out. While he too enjoyed the sight of seeing Syndrome fall to his own hubris, he hadn’t forgotten the bigger picture.

“He’s right,” Asui agreed with her dual-colored classmate. “Like him or not, Syndrome and his remote were the only things standing in the Omnidroid’s way, ribbit. With Syndrome knocked out and the remote lost, there’s nothing to stop its rampage.”

“Yes, there is.” She turned to see Midoriya sitting there with a confident gleam in his eyes. “There’s one family that can definitely stop it.”

Outside the city, a new rocket was swiftly approaching. It split apart in mid-flight, but unlike its predecessor, this one carried no Omnidroid, but a single RV somehow suspended between the final pieces.

All Might even assumed his muscle form to smile in pride. “The real heroes are on their way!”

Dash and Violet were sitting at the RV’s table in the back. “Are we there yet?” The son whined.

Up in the driver’s seat, Mr. Incredible grumbled, “We get there when we get there!” He took one hand off the wheel to open his window, papers fluttering about from the sudden rush of air. While the kids shielded themselves from it, he called up, “HOW YOU DOING, HONEY?”

“DO I HAVE TO ANSWER?!” Was Elastigirl’s strained… well, answer. She had stretched out her arms and legs underneath the RV’s roof rails to hold onto the aerial parts.

Ashido clutched her arms whimpering. “Yowch, I would not want to trade places with her.”

“But it’s the only way to keep the wings connected to something as small and ill-shaped as the RV, ribbit.” Inwardly, though, Tsu agreed with her friend’s complaint. Her tongue ached just looking at Elastigirl.

“Why the RV, though?” Aoyama questioned. “It is hardly functional in such a colossal array, nor is it stylish.” He added the last part more quietly, though it still made some classmates roll their eyes.

“It’s not like they had options or much time,” Aizawa told him. “The RV was close at hand and familiar.”

Jiro’s jacks coiled slightly around her frown. “Okay, but how are they supposed to land with something that small in…” She trailed off as the pieces slid in place. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The city was within view; it was nearly time. “Kids,” Incredible called back to them, “strap yourselves down like I told you!” They promptly rushed over to seats on the side, Violet in front of a small control panel. This time, they had a chance to fasten their seatbelts. “HERE WE GO, HONEY!” With that shout to Elastigirl, Incredible checked to the kids. “Ready, Violet?” His daughter had one hand raised over a large button. “Ready? NOW!”

Vi slapped her hand on the button, and the wings split apart. Elastigirl released an exhausted cry while releasing her grip on them, then slid her way into the passenger seat up front. Mr. Incredible couldn’t spare a glance at her; without the wings, there was nothing left to keep the RV airborne. It began hurtling under its own momentum towards the city. Incredible stepped on the gas in anticipation. “This is gonna be rough!” An apt description of the impending situation.

“No…” Iida actually took off his glasses and cleaned them in the hopes it would present a clearer image. But when he put them on again, he couldn’t deny the movie’s reality. “They are actually planning to…”

“This is totally insane…” Kaminari accidentally crushed the chips he’d gotten in anticipation of what came next. “Cool, but insane…”

The van flew over an overcropping, knocking down a streetlight in the process, before landing at full speed onto the right lane of the main road. It bounced once, then drove on to a slight chorus of angry car horns left in its wake. Still, the RV veered smoothly around other drivers without losing speed.

Kirishima’s eyes turned into shining saucers. “Rough and insane, but manly as heck!”

“It’s not the Incredibile,” Uraraka pumped her fists, “but Mr. Incredible still has tons of experience with high-speed driving!” Between the earlier idea for flying lessons and the scene just now, the gravity-manipulating student was getting ideas about vehicular applications of her Quirk. Crazy chases with cars, improvised flight modes… I gotta step up my tolerance for when I’ve got my license, Uraraka decided.

Mr. Incredible kept a steady grip on the wheel and drove well, but there was still the matter of where to go. “The robot’s in the financial district. Which exit do I take?”

“Traction Avenue,” Elastigirl advised.

“That’ll take me downtown,” Incredible disagreed. “I take Seventh, don’t I?” He began steering the RV towards the indicated exit.

Mineta gaped slack-jawed at the adults. “They just pulled off one of the craziest air stunts anyone’s come up with, and now they’re arguing about directions?” He slumped backwards in his seat. “Talk about being a devoted married couple…”

“To be fair,” Midoriya ran some fingers through his hair, “their means of… entering the city would have thrown off any normal sense of direction. And they do need to reach the Omnidroid as quickly as possible.”

Ojiro eyed him with a half-smile. “Or it’s just a joke about directions, Midoriya.” His green-headed friend blushed but shyly nodded in concession.

But Elastigirl screamed at him, “DON’T TAKE SEVENTH!” And startled by the shout, the RV veered away and back onto the main road.

“Great,” Bob complained, eyes on the road, “we missed it!”

“You asked me how to get there and I told you!” Helen argued, snapping a hand in his direction. “Exit at Traction!”

“That’ll take me downtown!”

Mina giggled at their back-and-forth. “What is it with guys and asking directions?” That of course spawned a series of protests from the boys, predominantly the Bakusquad, that evolved into an argument for turning back towards Seventh while the girls joined their pink friend in defending Elastigirl’s insistence to take Traction.

Her eyes widened at the sign ahead. “It’s coming up! Get in the right lane! TAKE THE RIGHT!”

“WE DON’T EXIT AT TRACTION!” Another car honked at them.

“YOU'RE GONNA MISS IT!”

“Take Traction!”

“Don’t exit!” Aizawa just shook his head at his students’ yelling. Knew I should’ve brought some Aspirin…

Incredible took only a moment to stare at her before spinning the wheel with a battle cry. The van rolled down onto Traction Avenue, scraping against the divider in the process. It narrowly avoided a collision with a bus and a honking gas truck. Incredible hit the brakes, causing it to bump against some cars parked on the right before flipping.

Violet’s eyes and mouth opened as wide as possible as she screamed in fright.

Koda covered his face with both hands in light of this scream; he feared how this drive would end.

The RV still had too much velocity, and Incredible could hardly keep it steady anymore. He stomped with both feet against the brake, the wheels whining as the van began veering left. Soon, it flipped over and began rolling across the street. The passengers bounced around in their seats relatively uninjured; the value of seatbelts had been proven once again. Eventually, the thoroughly battered RV rolled into a vacant parking spot and leaned dangerously on the side before slumping upright on its wheels. Parts dangled loosely and fell off as it rested.

“Plus points for proper parallel parking,” Mic quipped, drawing snickers from his students. Shoji and Sato took the lull in action to reassure their timid friend that family was all right.

“Minus points for going over the speeding limit,” Aizawa retorted, half-smile hidden beneath his scarf.

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?”

The parents panted at their seats, then Bob asked, “Is everybody okay back there?”

“Super-duper, Dad!” Violet flashed him a dazed smile, peeling herself off of her seat.

Dash giggled beside her. “Let’s do that again.” Both parents smiled in relief.

“L-let’s not,” Koda pleaded, one hand over his chest. “Just watching that was exciting enough for me.”

“I take it you’re not a fan of roller coasters, either?” Receiving a head shake for a reply, Tokoyami patted his larger friend’s arm. “Unfortunately for me, Dark Shadow is quite enthusiastic about them.”

“Ah come on, Fumi! It’s good training for stressful situations!” Nobody bought that excuse from the sentient Quirk. “…Okay, it’s fun! Live a little!”

Then the Omnidroid stomped ahead of them. “Wait here and stay hidden,” Incredible told his family. “I’m going in.” He got out of the RV and began to charge towards the robot.

But Elastigirl moved over and stretched out an arm to spin him around by the shoulder. “While what, I watch helplessly from the sidelines? I don’t think so.”

Uraraka straightened eagerly. “Yeah, she can help! She’s been doing this as long as you have, Incredible!”

Iida nodded as well. “He alone stood little chance against the upgraded Omnidroid on the island, and this model is sure to be even more advanced aside from its blaster. It would be best for both of them and the city to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible.”

“I’m asking you to wait with the kids.”

“And I’m telling you,” she marched up to him while the kids watched, “not a chance. You’re my husband.” She gently gripped his chin. “I’m with you, for better or worse.”

Bob peeled her hand away. “I have to do this alone!” He turned around.

“Come on, man,” Kaminari whined. “There’s no shame in asking for help in a fight.”

“No shame for you, maybe,” Bakugo huffed to the blonde’s slight chagrin. “Let him fight already, dammit!”

Helen was exasperated at this point. “What is this to you? Playtime?”

He spun around to glare at her. “No.”

“So you can be Mr. Incredible again?”

“NO!”

“Then what?” She stepped closer to him. “What is it?”

He gripped his forehead, seemingly lost. “I’m not...”

“Not what?”

“Yeah, not what?” Jiro crossed her arms in annoyance. “Seriously, what’s up with this?”

Shoji scratched his chin. “Not sure they can both take it on? No, that doesn’t sound right.”

“Not sure about the kids’ safety?” Koda offered. “He could be really worried about them, and we can’t blame him for that.”

“I-I’m not strong enough.” He admitted, his frustration growing.

The adults and more than a few students stilled at his words, comprehension washing over them. Others misinterpreted his meaning and, Jiro in particular, made to protest, but heads shaking pointed looks stopped them in their tracks.

“Strong enough,” she repeated with a huff. “And this will make you stronger?”

“Yes--NO!”

Her own frustration was bubbling over. “That’s what this is? Some sort of workout?”

Bob snatched her up by the shoulders and yelled, “I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!” into her face. Helen stared back at him in shock even as he set her back down again. “I can't,” he muttered in a defeated tone, his gaze lowered. “Not again.” He peered slightly up towards her with a reiteration. “I’m not… strong enough.”

Silence. There were no more protests or arguments among the audience, no voices speaking up in defense of one side or another. All of Class 1-A and the three teachers supervising them simply watched the scene.

Guilt was an inherent part of a hero’s life. The adults understood that, and so did unfortunately some of the students already. Helen hadn’t realized it in her own frustrations, but Bob had been so relieved in seeing her because he thought she and the kids were dead. He had to listen to them being chased by the missiles and seemingly being killed, powerless to stop it. It shamed some viewers that they’d forgotten that, and others...

Midoriya’s gaze briefly drifted to the floor again, that final interaction with Sir Nighteye flashing before his eyes. He thought he’d known what it meant to be helpless as a Quirkless boy, but watching the hero breathe his last with a broken Togata-senpai over him… He tried his hardest not to blame himself, but still…

And what the poor insecure boy didn’t realize was just how much it hurt those sitting beside him to see him like that. Uraraka in particular wanted to do something to help, but she couldn’t on account of her own grief. She had been part of that mission, too, after all. And despite her best efforts, she hadn’t been there to help Deku or Eri during the toughest parts.

For Tenya, he couldn’t help but flash back to the call he’d received of his brother being attacked. For just a brief moment, he’d feared the absolute worst had happened to Tensei. And then to learn he’d never be able to walk let alone be Ingenium again… Iida couldn’t even grieve right out of the shame that rippled inside him.

Conflict warred inside Bakugo’s head, one voice in particular screaming outrage and disbelief at what Mr. Incredible had just said. He was the world’s equivalent of All Might, and All Might always won the day, no matter how many villains he faced. He had always been strong enough, right up to his last fight. The fight he had because of- He bit his tongue. But the pain triggered images of his folks, and Katsuki couldn’t help but glance around his teammates, some of whom he’d call friends. I’ll always be strong enough to protect everyone… I can’t-won’t lose anyone. It was what he’d vowed that night after fighting Deku.

Eraser Head had been less than impressed with many of Mr. Incredible’s decisions throughout the movie, but even he couldn’t just dismiss this confession. After all, he knew that feeling of utter defeat, the moment where someone close to you died simply because you weren’t… strong enough. It was why he pushed these kids so hard, because he knew that damnable feeling and didn’t ever want them to feel it too. And worst of all, some of them had. I can’t lose anyone else, Shota muttered in the back of his mind. A glance to Mic told him his best friend was thinking the same thing in that moment. …I just can’t.

And Toshinori Yagi?

He could only slump forward in his seat, the memories from before playing again. Truth be told, he had felt a little envious towards Bob for being able to marry, start a family… things All Might had never taken the time for. And with the direction his life had taken, he would’ve probably found his partner in a fellow hero, someone who would insist on fighting by his side against all threats. Including All for One…

There was no way Toshi could’ve kept One for All and that it implied a secret from a hypothetical family. The danger would’ve been too great and unfair to them. It had broken his teacher’s heart when she had left behind her son, right decision or not… and would he have been any better? Would he have taken the risk only to find his family murdered by All for One out of sadistic cruelty? …I’m not strong enough either, Bob.

Violet and Dash stared from the van as their mother reached up and pulled their father together into a deep kiss. Helen then leaned away to stare at him gently. “If we work together, you won’t have to be.”

Tears began streaming down Ashido and Hagakure’s cheeks, and they were only the most overt in their relief. Kirishima bumped knuckles with Kaminari, Sero and even Bakugo, Todoroki and Iida exchanged a respectful handshake, a couple hugs got thrown around, Jiro even accepting one from Yaomomo. As for Uraraka, she managed to her fingers into Midoriya’s tight fist and give him a little squeeze. He looked up to exchange a sad but grateful, tearless smile with her.

No student of Class 1-A would ever have to fight alone.

“I don’t know what’ll happen,” he wearily admitted.

“Hey.” Elastigirl grinned up at him. “We’re superheroes. What can happen?”

Hagakure sniffled in joy. “Aw, she’s using his words at their wedding, too.”

“Yeah…” A similarly touched Kaminari smiled… only to freeze up. “Oh boy, remember what happened after he asked that?”

A high-pitched scream rippled out from Violet, her and Dash staring bug-eyed at something above, then one of the Omnidroid’s claws stomped down on the van. They barely got out and started running away before it was crushed like a soda can. The parents were leading the kids to the sideline when another arm smashed into the pavement in front of the latter two, cutting them off. The robot towered over them.

Bob & Helen turned around to see horrified their kids’ situation. “VI! DASH! NO!!!!” Helen screamed.

Later on, the audience may’ve expressed some frustration with much the movie made their emotions bounce about. From joy to terror to humor to sadness to fury and right back to joy so it could start all over again. Pixar films…

Basically, the current mood was fear, or in one case, fearful exasperation. “You just had to go and bring attention to things getting worse, Charge Dolt?!” Jiro furiously smacked Kaminari’s arm with an empty soda bottle.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He protested against her (more-annoying-than-painful) assault. “Elastigirl said it, not me!”

Tokoyami huffed by his spot. “And this is why you should never ever tempt fate. She is a cruel mistress.”

Sato stared at the trio in disbelief. “Could you guys save the routines for when the kids aren’t in danger?”

Dash flinched in fear as a claw surged towards him, but Violet put up a force field in time to block the blow. The undeterred Omnidroid began raining blows onto the barrier, but even as the road buckled beneath them, Vi managed to keep it up. It still winded her, though, and when the robot slammed its entire colossal body on top of them, the force of the impact knocked them flat. She fell unconscious from the effort of protecting them.

Shoji winced from the last blow. “The force field might’ve protected them from getting squashed flat, but it’s still dependent on Violet’s concentration. All that concussive force at once would take a toll on anybody.”

“With her out of commission, Dash will have to get them out of there, ribbit.” Asui pondered this. “But that’s if they were facing the Omnidroid alone.”

Dash leaned worriedly over his big sister. “Violet?”

The Omnidroid blocked out the sun as it made for another crushing attack. Dash braced himself over Violet’s body while the shadow descended upon them, but instead of being quashed to a meaty pulp, he heard a thud and a persisting groan. A glance behind revealed the source: “Dad!”

Mr. Incredible strained with both arms and legs to keep the extremely heavy body off of his children. “Go, go!” He bit out, Elastigirl reaching in to grab a recovered Violet. The mother quickly led them out to safety.

“About time you two got into the game!” Bakugo’s fingers balled into fists and opened only to close again. Tiny sparks crackled between them. “Now it’s time for the final boss fight!”

With them gone, Mr. Incredible adjusted his position to push the Omnidroid up with his hands. Then a claw reached in to snag the hero out from under the Omnidroid before it tossed him into a thankfully vacated office building, desks and papers scattered by Incredible’s crashing.

“Good thing no one was inside when he crashed through.” Midoriya cupped his chin to consider the situation. “The military must’ve pulled back and focused on evacuation when they realized their weapons were ineffective and Syndrome went down. Hopefully that means there aren’t any civilians around to get drawn in.”

“I’m okay, mom. Really.” Violet tried assuring Elastigirl as she carried her to behind a building about a block from the fight, Dash right next to them.

But Helen’s worries weren’t easily assuaged. “Stay here, okay?” She told them before sprinting back towards the Omnidroid, the kids looking after her but staying put (for now).

“You sure it’s a good idea benching them? They did put a damn good fight against Syndrome’s guards until he showed up. They could help,” Sato pointed out.

Mineta stared up at him. “No way are those guys in the same league as that super-sized robot! Heck, I’d be hiding right next to them if I were there.” That surprised no one. “Better the parents don’t have to worry.”

“Oh, like those two aren’t going to involve themselves anyway…” Present Mic huffed. Eraser Head nodded in resigned agreement. They had their parents’ blood and a taste for adventure now.

The Omnidroid scaled up the side of the building it had thrown Mr. Incredible into. Its visor reached the broken windows in time to see Incredible charging up to it. A single punch from the hero sent the robot crashing back to the ground.

Mr. Incredible landed and rolled onto the pavement before coming to a stop on one knee. A sound drew his attention to behind him, and his mood brightened. “Frozone! Yeah!”

The hero skated on freshly formed slides past his best friend and began icing over the Omnidroid.

“Aw yeah!” Hagakure punched above her invisible head. “Now all three pros have joined the fight!”

Todoroki perked up in his spot, Uraraka quietly giggling to herself. He’s like Deku with All Might…

In his defense, he wasn’t the only one excited to see the ice hero in action. “Finally convinced Honey to give up his suit, huh?” Ojiro noted with a tiny smirk.

“She probably wringed another dinner evening out of him, an even fancier one,” Shoji chuckled.

“Bob!” Elastigirl ran up to Incredible, but then Frozone sailed over them to slam onto the roof of a yellow car. He bounced off it with a grunt.

An irate Mr. Incredible whirled around. “Hey!” But the Omnidroid smacked him aside against a building. He rolled grunting along the street. It set its sights on Elastigirl next, but she nimbly jumped out of the way with her elongated legs. The heroine clung to the side of a building before evading another attack, then Frozone slid in to try and freeze the claw in place. The Omnidroid wrenched its claw free of the ice and turned its blaster on Elastigirl, who stretched and dodged along the street.

“Okay, this isn’t going that well,” Sero commented wincing at the robot’s blows. “That thing really is Syndrome’s masterpiece on the whole hero-fighting business, huh?”

Bakugo stared intensely at the screen. “That thing’s size and armor keep it from taking any significant damage. Ice blasts aren’t enough to trap it in place. And that gun helps keep the pressure even when its target’s out of range.” His foot tapped against the carpet. “But there’s something about its fighting… something off.”

“Syndrome would have spared no expense in buffering whatever weaknesses the Omnidroid might have,” Iida countered, a rare lack of hostility between the boys. “That is precisely why he built so many previous models.” And tested them against so many heroes, he needn’t say. “The heroes need some advantage.”

A dazed Mr. Incredible picked himself off the pavement when his eyes landed on something white nearby. He picked it up while getting to his feet and studied it, a memory coming to mind: Back when Syndrome had revealed himself to his former idol, he had called off the Omnidroid by pressing something on his remote. The same remote Bob was now holding. “SYNDROME’S REMOTE!!”

Aoyama’s eyes lit up with sparkles. “Aha, the monsieur has discovered the advantage!”

All Might’s angular face shifted into a triumphant smile. “Like a special item dropped during a boss fight…”

Perhaps he shouldn’t have shouted that to the world, though, because the Omnidroid’s head whirled around to lock onto the remote, then Incredible’s “uh-oh” face. A claw smashed down on top of him and hoisted him up. Mr. Incredible nearly dropped the remote in his ascent but caught it and began jabbing at whatever buttons he could find. Then the arm holding him suddenly detached, dropping him to fall yelling down to terra firma.

Violet and Dash saw this happen from their spot, and the former figured out what their dad had: “The remote controls the robot!”

Kaminari sighed in relief. “For a second there, I was worried the thing wouldn’t work. It got blasted and knocked around pretty badly…”

“No worries, bro,” Kirishima patted his shoulder, “Syndrome probably built that thing to last. It was supposed to be his secret weapon against the robot.”

“Too bad for him he didn’t consider the robot figuring that out,” Jiro snarked. “Some genius…”

Incredible quickly got up and began dodging the shots now aimed at him. “Hey, dad!” He then saw Dash hopping on his spot on the other side of the Omnidroid. “Throw it! Throw it!”

Mr. Incredible reared back his arm. “Go long!” He then hurled the remote like a football far across the street, the Omnidroid’s visor following it.

So did Dash’s eyes, and he was smaller and much faster. He sped after the midair device even as the robot’s blaster fired multiple bolts after him. He managed to avoid them while passing a visibly concerned Elastigirl.

Aizawa closed his eyes, the Forest Training coming to mind at seeing the mother’s face. “…Sorry, Mrs. Parr,” he murmured as though she could hear him, “but like it or not, those kids are in danger as long as they’re within the city limits. And it’s only rational that they use any and every advantage to stop the robot.”

“Don’t worry, Aizawa.” His tired eyes opened to see All Might watching the screen. “Young Violet and young Dash are more mature than you think. They know better than to fight the Omnidroid directly. It’s enough that they help keep the remote out of its claws.” The erasure hero silently conceded to the logic.

The remote flew towards the pond, so great was the force it had been thrown with. Water splashed up from the energy blasts that struck its surface, but the speedy boy ran across it, reaching out to catch the little white toy. “Got it!” He then reached the pond’s end and raced up onto the street. He didn’t get far, however; while the Omnidroid couldn’t keep up with his speed, it could outmaneuver Dash by blasting a car in front of him. Dash yelled at the sudden explosion and tried backtracking, but more blasts detonated cars all around him. Soon, he was trapped in a ring of fire.

“It adjusted its aim to anticipate where Dash would run and cut him off.” Yaoyorozu frowned worried for the younger boy’s safety. “And for all his speed, he can’t run through fire without risk of burns.”

“The suit can protect his body, but the smoke…” Iida have been warned about situations from his older brother; the best way to deal with a speedster was to put them in a place where their speed was of no help. “Meanwhile, the Omnidroid approaches to finish him off.”

A running Mr. Incredible saw this and called out to Elastigirl. “Honey, take out its guns!” Then a blast struck the concrete before him, throwing him back.

Still, Elastigirl had got the message and quickly came up with a plan. Pulling a manhole cover loose with a groan, she stretched out one arm while holding onto it and caught the cover with her other hand. She took a moment to aim before releasing it, and the makeshift discus shattered the blaster emplacement on the Omnidroid’s head.

Ashido grinned. “Now that’s sharpshooting!” Uraraka and Asui promptly memorized the move, planning to try replicating it later with their respective Quirks. Tsu didn’t look forward to man-hole taste, though.

Midoriya’s eyes then lit up as a lightbulb went off in his head. “It was so focused on Dash it failed to anticipate Elastigirl’s attack…” He spun in his seat. “Kacchan, that’s the flaw in its programming, isn’t it?”

“Took you long enough, Deku!” Despite the words, Bakugo put little bite in them and even explained to the inquisitive looks sent both their ways. “No Shit-droid ever had to fight more than one hero at a time, so even with its upgrades and learning crap, the robot’s still programmed to deal with one threat at a time.”

“That’s also why it hasn’t managed to kill any of them yet.” All Might confirmed, proud of his pupils. “It’s not used to fighting groups of heroes, and the more spread out they are, the better chances they’ve got.”

Meanwhile, Dash was still amidst the flames when Frozone’s voice rang out. “Dash!” The white-and-blue hero slid into the circle to pick up the boy and secure him onto his back. “Gotcha!”

The Bakusquad whooped in joy at SJ-hero’s slick rescue, Bakugo settling for a pleased smirk. He was more focused on keeping track of the battle, though he didn’t need to note everything down like Deku did.

Another student was similarly deep in study. Ever since Frozone had appeared in the battle, Todoroki had been hyper-focused on him. It wasn’t just the blasts of ice the hero could create, though Shoto filed that away for future reference as well. It was his mode of transport. The way his hands sent out waves of ice to freeze the moisture in front of him at the exact same time as his legs carried him forward… There was no hesitation or fumbling in his movements, just slick skating across ice that hadn’t existed seconds ago.

Shoto had pulled out his phone for recording (solely for research, so the copyright gods might let him off for that), but his own eyes tracked every step of the ice-slide process. If I can manage to produce the same results with just my right side, I could boost my mobility like sensei has advised me. Not to mention it’d be an alternative for Father’s flame-hovering technique.

The Omnidroid, now without its blaster, spotted Frozone racing with Dash, and more importantly, the remote in tow. It swiftly retracted its legs and rolled after them in ball form. Frozone noticed their massive pursuer and quickly changed course before collision, heading out onto the water. His hands repeatedly snapped out to freeze a path for them while the Omnidroid returned to its feet and took a big leap. Both heroes only had a second to notice the oncoming danger before it plunged into the water, throwing them both high.

A massive wave surged out from the impact, but Frozone twisted in midair to unleash his powers on it. Water instantly turned to soft snow that covered the street, saving Dash’s life as he bounced onto the white substance. However, he had lost his grip on the remote which now clattered on the street.

Bakugo growled. “Damnit, can’t that brat keep a better grip on the remote?”

“That’s what you’re focused on?!” Kaminari stared at him incredulously. “Dude, he just turned a giant freaking wave into a snowfield, just like that!”

Todoroki burned that technique in his memory. I’ve never tried creating snow before, but in theory, if I were to freeze the moisture around me or my targets into ice crystals fast enough… it could serve as a cushion for falling civilians or to smother flames without damaging surroundings like solid ice would.

Mr. Incredible had running for the fight when he saw the remote and made a break for it. The Omnidroid spotted him as well, though, and launched one of its its claws to snatch him right when he was about to grab the remote. “No!” Incredible reached futilely for the device as he was flung away.

The Omnidroid headed straight for the remote, Elastigirl seeing this and moving ahead. An approaching Frozone quickly coated the road in front of the robot with thick ice, causing it to stumble about. Elastigirl then stretched her body out from one lamppost to another so when the Omnidroid pitched forward, it tripped over the heroine’s body and crashed.

A slick combination move that not only their resident dual-element user took interest in. Shoji was wondering if he could grow out enough limbs in time to pull off Elastigirl’s part before he refocused.

But even then, it reached out to grab the device…

Only for it to seemingly levitate out of the way. A familiar yelp sounded out, making it clear that Violet had turned invisible and was dodging the robot’s tentacles. A little futilely grabbing for the unseen teenager, and the Omnidroid, missing two legs and three claws by now, was unsettled enough to collapse onto its side again.

Hagakure giggled triumphantly. “Score one for the invisible teammate!”

“Another prudent lesson there: Never underestimate the use of less flashy Quirks,” Aizawa advised his students. “With the right timing and a little intelligence, any ability can be a game-changer.”

Violet turned visible again as she ran up to Helen, Dash and a worried Frozone. “Violet!”

“Mom, I’ve got it!” She held it up to them. “I’ve got the remote!”

The Omnidroid righted itself and began stomping towards them. Meanwhile, Frozone reminded the Incredibles he knew the least about what was going on. “A remote? A remote that controls what?” While he was asking, Violet was pushing random buttons on it as their enemy approached.

In desperation, she hit another button that caused rockets to activate underneath the Omnidroid’s claws. It blasted forward and over them, unable to control its flight. “The robot?!” Frozone watched alongside the others as said robot flew right into a skyscraper.

“Oh boy,” Ojiro sighed, his tail swishing about a bit from rising anxiety. “They might have the remote, but they don’t have a clue how to work it.”

“And Frozone wasn’t even with them on Syndrome’s Island, so all he knows is a robot appeared out of nowhere and is going on a rampage.” Tokoyami hummed by his spot. “No one but Syndrome knows how to use his remote properly, and even if he weren’t out of commission, it’s doubtful a spiteful man like him would assist.”

Sato cracked his knuckles with a growl. “They could persuade him.” Koda shivered a little at his suggestion.

“That would take too much time, and the Omnidroid would only continue tearing apart the city,” Yaoyorozu shot that down. “If only there was some way of piercing its armor, but it’s withstood tank ballistics, blows from Mr. Incredible, freezing and multiple collisions. What more does it take?”

Further behind them, Mr. Incredible was trying to pry himself loose of the claw.

“It’s coming back!” Dash saw the robot picking itself up once again and snatched the remote from Violet, hitting a button of his own. That one only opened up the claw holding Mr. Incredible, causing him to fall out with a yelp.

Kirishima winced as the hero hit the ground. “Kinda helpful, but still the wrong button.”

Not realizing this, Dash could only conclude, “That wasn’t right.”

“Give me that!” Vi took the remote back.

Kaminari gripped his head in panicked frustration. “Why couldn’t Syndrome just put an easy shut-down button on the thing? Hell, did he even bother adding some kind of shut-down protocol or something?”

“Sure, he did, Jamming-yay!” Jiro snapped nervously. “There’s no way he didn’t add some kind of failsafe for the robot, even if he’s a total egomaniac man-child who built a machine that can get smart enough to turn against him…” The two stared at one another in rising horror, then back at the screen. “…Oh hell, did he?”

The possibility washed over the viewers along with the worrying prospect that it may be plausible. “If he did…” Mic noted warily. “…Then the best that remote can do is slow the scrapheap down. And they’ve got to figure out a way to shut it down on their own.” He wracked his brain for a solution. “But how are they supposed to get through that armor?” Even his Loud Voice at max volume probably wouldn’t break it.

Behind them, Mr. Incredible had scrambled to his feet. “We can’t stop it,” he muttered to himself in frustration. “The only thing hard enough to penetrate it is...”

A memory flashed through his mind of when he’d defeated the Omnidroid’s eighth model; the robot had smashed its claws into its own body trying to get him. Back in the present, Mr. Incredible turned to the claw still beside him and realized the answer. “...Itself.”

“That’s it,” Izuku breathed. “The only way to pierce the Omnidroid’s metal is with its own metal, and he can use the claw like a tip to run it through!” His smile turned back into a frown. “But does Mr. Incredible have enough strength on his own for a piercing strike? Judging by its width…” He mumbled a few calculations.

“What if he aimed for the head?” Mineta offered. “It’s not that thick, and busting it would definitely take it down!”

Asui shook her head. “How is he supposed to throw the claw that high and that accurately? Besides, Elastigirl used a similar trick earlier, ribbit, and the Omnidroid won’t fall for that twice.”

The rest of his family was focused on the oncoming threat, Dash noting, “It’s getting closer!”

Mr. Incredible picked up the closing claw while Violet was desperately pounding on the remote’s buttons. “It doesn’t work!”

“Kids!” Their mother scolded them just as her daughter hit a button that ignited the rocket function of the claw their father was holding. He stumbled about in an effort to control the thrust.

Uraraka’s eyes brightened. “The rocket mode… that could give the claw enough power to punch through the armor!” She paused at Incredible’s stumbling. “…Assuming, you know, he can aim that thing properly.”

Then Elastigirl swiped the remote. “No, that’s not it.”

“It’s not doing anything!” Frozone pointed out, none of them aware of what was happening behind them.

“Do they seriously not hear that commotion behind them?” Sero asked incredulously.

Ashido elbowed him. “They’re probably a little preoccupied with the giant killer robot right in front of them!”

“Lucius, try to buy us some time!” Elastigirl told her friend while she studied the remote.

“Try the one next to it!” With that parting advice, Frozone rode up a hastily created ice ramp. He pressed his feet together while in midair, a metal snowboard unfurling itself that he used to speed faster towards the Omnidroid.

Despite the growing apprehension, Todoroki mentally added the snowboard feature to his plans. If I use my ice to make slides… His eyes widened and focused on his left hand. And my flames as propulsion…

While the ice hero was putting up a wall of ice in front of the robot, Incredible was struggling with the claw. “Honey!” The Omnidroid swung a tentacle through the ice.

Elastigirl pushed the top button, causing the rocket to deactivate. Mr. Incredible stared at it as a plan pieced itself together. “Wait a minute.” He called over to Elastigirl. “PRESS THAT BUTTON AGAIN!” Finally hearing him, Elastigirl hit… the button she’d just pressed. This one caused the claw to start rotating while closed, making it resemble a drill. “NO, THE OTHER ONE!” Incredible told her. “THE-THE FIRST ONE!”

“First button!” Her finger hovered over the one Violet had pushed. “Got it!”

“Okay, then hit the button already!” Mineta was about to start pulling out hair from the suspense.

Midoriya was almost as nervous, but he disagreed. “No, not yet.”

“It’s getting closer!” Dash repeated, this time with more fear.

Frozone continued to throw up ice walls, but with so little time, he couldn’t make them sturdy enough for the Omnidroid to not shatter them with one hit. “Look out!”

“He can’t hold that thing back much longer…” Kaminari muttered. “Isn’t it high time they let that claw missile loose?!”

“No.” he and others looked at a hyper-tense Bakugo. “Frozone needs to keep blocking that damn robot, get it to advance on the Incredibles.”

Elastigirl waved a hand towards Dash and Violet. “Get out of here, kids! Find a safe spot!”

“We’re not going anywhere!” Violet refuted, and Dash didn’t argue.

Kirishima silently gripped his fist in front of his chest. Brave of you, kids. You’re as manly as your parents…

“PRESS THE BUTTON!” Mr. Incredible shouted behind them, claw still at the ready.

“Not yet!”

“Helen!” The Omnidroid broke through another of Frozone’s barriers.

Bob’s face was one of impending horror. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!”

“A CLOSER TARGET!” A determined Helen shouted back at him. “YOU GOT ONE SHOT!”

“Oh, she wanted to get the robot closer so Incredible’s claw hitting it would be guaranteed?!” Ashido finally got the picture. She chided herself briefly for doubting Elastigirl before returning to the movie.

Yaoyorozu had recognized her plan from the beginning, but she watched warily. “It’s their best chance of success. If the claw were to miss, they’d have to acquire another such piece. Something the Omnidroid would surely prevent from happening.”

“Then why make Frozone bother with all of the ice walls?” Sero asked exasperated. “If they need a closer target…”

“Learning robot, remember?” The tape hero-in-training, tense as it was, felt a slight chill from Todoroki’s voice, but he reassured himself he was in no danger. “The Omnidroid could realize they’re setting a trap if they made it look too easy.” Shoto elaborated. “Good thing it by default prioritizes one target at a time.”

Aizawa leaned straight against the couch’s back, his eyes glued on the screen. “This is their last shot.”

“Which means they won’t fail.” …Sometimes, the underground hero admired All Might’s conviction. Be that as it may, the teachers and students could only watch with bated breath.

The Omnidroid smashed through the last of Frozone’s ice walls; it was nearly on top of them. Elastigirl finally hit the button.

The claw’s rocket blazed to life even as its front continued to spin. “EVERYBODY DUCK!” With that warning out of his mouth, Mr. Incredible released the makeshift missile and fell backwards. All of the heroes threw themselves to the ground as it hurtled towards the Omnidroid…

The students themselves ducked despite being out of danger, so engrossed were they in the scene.

The claw tore straight through its owner’s armor and punched out the other side with the power core embedded on its tip. It clattered heavily against the road while the assembled Incredibles and Frozone peered inside the Omnidroid’s sparking new hole. The Omnidroid, still as a statue, slowly tilted over with a mechanical whine towards the lake and crashed in, waves rising in its wake. Its hole sparked a little more, then it blew apart in a fiery explosion.

Sighs of relief mixed with cheers and big “Yes’s!” as the class finally relaxed in the wake of the Incredible triumph. “They did it… They did it!” Deku laughed to himself as he, Uravity, Ingenium, Froppy and Shoto were pulled into a victory hug by his idol.

“Of course, they did!” All Might laughed as his muscular arms encircled those kids closest to him. “Heroes can always pull out a win in a pinch!” He squeezed them a little more, chuckling at two’s matching blushes and Todoroki’s nonplussed expression… before shrinking back down with a bloody cough.

Ojiro kept smiling as he turned to the screen. “The claw’s spinning must’ve helped it bore a hole through…” he chuckled. “Kaibara is gonna be ticked he didn’t get to see this.”

The heroes braced themselves against the shockwave but were unharmed. Mr. Incredible was the first among his family to straighten, then he flashed a chuckle and smile at his best friend. “Hey, Zone.” Frozone just laughed right back at him with a “I see what you did there” finger raised.

Clapping and cheers started surrounding the tired family, and they looked to find civilians stepping into the open full of gratitude.

A befuddled Syndrome finally regained enough of his senses to pick himself up from the roof. He found a rapidly increasing crowd gathering around Frozone and the Incredibles. “Huh?” His shock warped into a jealous snarl. “No!”

Bakugo barked a mean laugh at the villain’s face. “Serves you right, ya smug wannabe! The real heroes picked up the slack and beat your shitty robot!”

“Think they’ll catch him?” Kirishima cracked his knuckles eagerly. “He’s got some major payback coming, and that’s not even talking about going to jail for life!”

“Eh, he might slip away for now,” Uraraka smiled all the same, “but they’ll catch him soon enough!”

“Hey, did you see that?” One senior man nudged another on the sidelines. “Eh? That’s the way to do it. That’s old school.”

“Yeah,” his friend agreed while he laughed. “No school like the old school.”

Shoji blinked. “…Who are those two? I don’t think they appeared before in the movie.”

He then heard a big gasp beside him, then Koda was digging out his phone. “No way…” His eyes doubled in size as he shouted in delight, “I knew it! They’re Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston!”

“…Who?” Tokoyami traded a look with an equally befuddled Dark Shadow. Most didn’t know the names.

Yaoyorozu recognized them, clapping their hands in delight. “They were the two final members of Disney’s Nine Old Men! Nine of Disney’s first and most revered animators,” she quickly explained, “who worked either separately or collaborated on the studio’s films. One of their collaborations was the original Snow White!” That trigger a chorus of murmurs, most having seen that film at least once, of course. “Sadly, they have all passed away, with Thomas and Johnston having been the last.”

Iida therefore suggested another moment of silence for them, which the others accepted. Once it was over, Kaminari eyed a blushing Koda teasingly. “No wonder you knew who they were…” The animal-loving hero managed to smile shyly back. “Nice tribute for them, though.” He nodded eagerly at that.

Frozone laughed in delight as he scanned the crowd. “Just like old times!”

“Just like old times.” With one hand encircling his wife, Mr. Incredible slapped his buddy on the back with the other.

Frozone winced from the slap but gingerly righted himself. “Yeah.” He winced. “Hurt then too. Ow.”

“No worries, pal,” Sero laughed, “you can kick back for the rest of the week, I’d say.”

“Not if Honey has anything to say about it,” Ashido countered teasingly.

Bakugo laughed for once with “his” squad. “She’ll make Frozone wish he was still fighting the robot.”

In the next scene, the Incredibles were getting a ride back home in a limo with tinted windows.

Mineta let out a wolf whistle. “Travelling home in style after a hard-won battle. Sweet!”

Inside, Agent Rick Dicker was explaining the government’s efforts. “We’ve frozen all of Syndrome’s assets. If he even sneezes, we’ll be there with a hankie and a pair of handcuffs. The people of this country are indebted to you.”

“Very rational,” Aizawa grunted approvingly. “Now that the family can testify against Syndrome’s actions and have surely revealed the location of his island base, the authorities can legally shut down his resources.”

Jiro giggled to herself at the agent’s hankie line. “I’m so gonna say that one of these days.”

“Does this mean we can come out of hiding?” Mr. Incredible asked hopefully. Helen had her ear pressed to the car phone.

“Let the politicians figure that one out. But I’ve been asked to assure you we’ll take care of everything else.” Rick gave his old friend a glum-looking but sincere smile. “You did good, Bob.”

Bakugo’s grin slipped a little. “Politicians? They’re the ones who banned heroes in the first place! Why should they get a say in what happens next for heroes?”

“Just the way it is,” Ojiro noted. “But after today’s adventure, I think they can afford to have some hope.”

Helen was listening to some messages recorded on her number. “Hi, this is Kari,” the sitter Vi and Dash had gotten for their baby brother said. “I have a question about Jack-Jack...”

She couldn’t concentrate well because Dash was playing with the automatic window opposite from her. Finally, she sighed at him, “Come on. We’re in a limo.”

“You are disrupting your mother’s concentration and taxing the window’s mechanisms unnecessary, young man!” Iida disapproved with four swift chops of his hand. “You might’ve saved the city, but that is no reason to misbehave in another’s limousine!”

 “Some of us have never even rode in one…” Uraraka muttered to herself wistfully.

Meanwhile, a smiling Bob was eyeing their daughter from the side. “Hey, you’re wearing your hair back?”

“Huh?” Violet stuttered a bit, stroking her hair self-consciously. “Yeah, I just... yeah.”

“It looks good.”

Vi smiled up at him for the compliment. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Yeah, you look great, invisible sis!” Hagakure gave her a thumbs up (or, well, held a sign with a thumbs-up picture). “You look so confident with your hair like that!”

Tsu smiled at the former shrinking violet (heh…). “It’s not just her hairstyle, ribbit. Even if the circumstances weren’t the best, she’s found some confidence in herself.”

“She’s earned it,” their teacher agreed, similarly happy (on the inside) for a fellow introvert.

Meanwhile, Dash was still full of energy. “That was so cool when you threw that car!” He beamed at his dad.

“Not as cool as you running on water!” Bob shot back full of pride. Even Rick was still smiling.

“Yeah, that was manly!” Kirishima flashed a broad sharp grin. “Let out that energy, buddy, you’ve earned it!”

Iida for his part reaffirmed his future training for running across water.

“Hey, mom!” He whirled on Helen. “That was sweet when you snagged that bad guy with your arm and kinda whiplashed him into the other guy. It was so sweet!”

“Honey, uh, yeah,” she gently tried to shush him, her attention still on the phone. “I’m trying to listen to messages, honey.”

While Dash chattered on, Kari was slowly sounding more… tense with each new message. “Mrs. Parr, it’s me. Jack-Jack is fine, but weird things are happening.” Beep. “Jack-Jack’s still fine, but I’m getting really weird-ed out! AH! When are you coming back?” Helen frowned at the phone.

Bakugo was frowning, too. “The hell is going on over there…? How hard can it be to watch a baby?”

“I know, I asked the same thing a while ago!” Ashido then froze, her pink whitening just a bit. “Oh boy, I tempted fate when I did that, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but we won’t hold it against you.” Kaminari’s joke fell flat this time.

And Dash finished his storytelling with one declaration: “That was the best vacation ever!” He fell with his back against his seat. “I love our family.”

Shoji rolled his eyes in good humor. “Nothing like a life-threatening adventure to help you appreciate your family.”

His mother was even more concerned as the messages continued. She could even hear Jack-Jack crying in the background. “I’m not fine, Mrs. Parr! Ah! Put that down! Stop it! You need to call me!” Beep. "I need help, Mrs. Parr!”

“Bob, listen to this.” He leaned over with a frown at her urging.

“I’m gonna call the police or someone...!” Kari wailed over the recording before it switched to a somewhat calmer, final one. “Hi, this is Kari. Sorry for freaking out, but your baby has special needs.”

Bob exchanged a perplexed/worried look with Helen. “Special needs?”

All Might stared confused at the on-screen phone. “What does she mean with ‘special needs?’ Is Jack-Jack sick or something?”

“Relax,” Aizawa drawled, “I’m guessing the baby just discovered its own Quirk.” Others whirled on him shocked, but he sat there calmly as ever. “It’s the most logical conclusion to make, considering the boy’s heritage. The girl probably just panicked because she didn’t know of that side and wasn’t expecting it.” A fresh sense of eagerness washed over the viewers; this day just kept getting more exciting!

The limo came to a stop. “Here we are.” But neither really heard Rick’s announcement.

Their attention was on Kari’s next sentence: “Anyway, thanks for sending a replacement sitter.”

“Replacement?” Yaoyorozu chewed over the word; something wasn’t right about this. Other than the obvious.

Iida adjusted his glasses in thought. “It’s only natural, I suppose, but…” He didn’t like it, either.

That sentence did make Aizawa bolt up in his seat. Present Mic frowned with matching concern. “What replacement, Helen and the others were occupied the entire time with fighting the Omnidroid… and… Syndrome…” He trailed off.

Class 1-A’s rep turned to his deputy while all three teachers stared at one another. Their eyes widened in dawning horror.

“Replacement?” Helen repeated terrified over the rest of the message. “I didn’t call a replacement!”

One by one, the classmates caught on to why the color had drained from their representatives and teachers, and their faces soon became a near-perfect match. Those were words you never wanted to hear from a parent.

“Oh, no….” Midoriya trembled slightly in his seat. He couldn’t be sure if it was out of fear or anger. “He wouldn’t…”

Not for the first time did Kacchan disagree with Deku. “Oh, hell yeah, he would…” But this time, there wasn’t a hint of smugness in his tone, only fury.

The Incredibles threw open the doors and raced into the house. Bob was the first one inside to find Syndrome standing in the kitchen. They gasped, but the grinning villain whirled around to freeze them all with a ZPE beam.

Syndrome faux-softly shushed them, a snoozing Jack-Jack tucked in his arm. “The baby is sleeping.” A wicked cackle rippled out from the villain.

Todoroki’s nostrils flared as ice and flame curled around his fingers. “He is.”

“You took away my future,” he snarled at the captive Incredibles. “I’m simply returning the favor. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be a good mentor. Supportive, encouraging. Everything you weren’t. And in time, who knows?” He leaned in close to Jack-Jack’s sleeping face, his smile sharpening. “He might make a good sidekick.”

“Bastard!!”

“Let him go!”

“You touch one hair on Jack-Jack, and I’ll-”

With that, Syndrome hurled the heroes through the wall on his right, then blasted away the ceiling with a triumphant laugh.

Helen was the first on her feet. “He’s getting away, Bob!” Syndrome activated his boot jets and flew through the hole; Jack-Jack wailed, having been awakened by the noise and finding himself separated from his family. “We have to do something! We have to do something now!” The four stared through the hole in their ceiling to see a crying Jack-Jack reaching for them.

Bakugo snarled, frustrated with the Incredibles and himself for letting their guard down. Should’ve known Syndrome would pull off a dickish move like this… If he had been there, the teen would’ve blasted himself straight up to snag Jack-Jack free and throw a Howitzer Impact at the kidnapping bastard for good measure.

Unfortunately, no one in the family could fly like him, and Elastigirl clearly couldn’t stretch that far. The further up Syndrome flew, the worse the odds of saving Jack-Jack grew…

They rushed outside while the poor little guy turned slightly towards his captor. Then Jack-Jack burst into fire, surprising Syndrome.

Eyes opened wide as saucers, some like Koda, Uraraka and Hagakure instinctively screaming, “Jack-Jack!” in fear for his life. They quickly calmed down with help from their friends, but the surprise remained.

It was All Might who put their shock into words. “Jack-Jack… does have powers…”

They all turned to Present Mic, who just held up his hands helplessly. “Don’t look at me, I never got a card for the tyke!”

Syndrome held the burning baby away from him, only for Jack-Jack to suddenly shift into solid steel. Thrown off by the abrupt weight gain, Syndrome sank screaming back down, straining to pull himself and the baby to his getaway ride. That’s when Jack-Jack seemingly turned back to normal but shaking and with a very angry look aimed at a much less confident Syndrome.

Elastigirl and the others were too far away to see Jack-Jack’s powers, so she feared the worst. “Something’s happening! What’s happening?!” She asked Mr. Incredible who had no answer.

Jack-Jack’s skin and eyes turned red, his ears pointed, his arms muscular and a row of sharp teeth grew from his teething mouth. The villain screamed in fear as the demon baby began throttling him, his flight path utterly disrupted.

They watched utterly befuddled by the rapid transformations both for Jack-Jack and in terms of power.

Eventually, Kaminari found his voice and his smile again. “What’s happening is your baby’s kicking Syndrome’s sorry ass!”

That kickstarted the laughter and chatter as they talked over the development. “He turned into fire, then metal like Tetsutetsu, and now he’s some kinda demon baby!” Mineta half-screamed, half-laughed. “What the heck kinda power does he have?!”

As if on cue, everyone except for Bakugo (who was enjoying Syndrome’s beatdown by a baby) turned to Midoriya who was brimming with speculative energy. “It could be a shapeshifting Quirk, something that alters his body composition to suit his mental state. Fire and steel as a defense mechanism… If grown up and trained, he might be able to assume other forms… or maybe he has more than one power, like Violet…” He went on with his mumbling, slowly becoming unaware of his mirthful surroundings.

Meanwhile, Hizashi had noticed the guy sitting next to him having paled, difficult though that was to make out between Aizawa’s complexion and his scarf. “Aw, what’s the matter? No wait, let me guess.” He put a finger to his forehead and pointed another at the frozen teacher. “You’re imagining what it would be like if Jack-Jack were to enroll in UA? If he happened to end up in your class?”

Aizawa shrunk into the couch’s cushions, a shiver rippling across his body. Mic grinned; he wasn’t a sadistic man, but poking fun at his classmate had always been fun. “Yeah, I can see why that would be a toughie for ya. Especially since that power looks like a transforming Quirk, the type you can’t erase…” He faked a sigh. “And if little JJ has picked up his dad’s habits-Ggrk!!” Capture Cloth cut him off choking.

“Stop. Talking.”

“We have to stop him!” An increasingly desperate Helen shoved Bob. “Throw something!”

“I can’t! I might hit Jack-Jack!” Bob countered in the same tone.

Demon Jack-Jack was pummeling Syndrome all over his rotten skull, tearing out clumps of hair to his increasing pain, then started climbing down with one last kick to his jaw.

Sero winced but still had a sharp smile on his face. “Can’t we let the little tyke clobber him for a couple more minutes? He seems to be having fun.”

“Syndrome or Jack-Jack?” Jiro joked, triggering more laughs from her friends.

Yaoyorozu finished a small bout of giggling before speaking. “Even so, Jack-Jack is miles above the house and appears to have little control over his powers, whatever they may be. It’s also safer if there’s as much distance between him and Syndrome as possible.”

Down below, his mother had an epiphany. “Throw me,” she whispered to herself.

Demon Jack-Jack had reached Syndrome's feet. He wrecked the villain’s left jet boot, causing Syndrome to fly up and slam against the wing of his jet. The jolt caused Jack-Jack to fall loose, his body turning back to normal as he fell crying down.

Asui’s tongue shot out on reflex, nearly sticking itself to the screen before she reeled it back in. Discussions quickly broke out on who would be best to catch the falling baby, the general consensus leading to Uravity with her gravity-nullifying touch, Tsukuyomi and Dark Shadow (so long as it wasn’t too dark out), Creati by making a parachute and/or something very big and soft to land on, and maybe Shoto if he got the hang of creating snow instead of ice and Grape Rush if he could pop off enough hairballs.

Fortunately, one of his parents had a plan. “Bob! Throw me!” Dad caught on immediately, picking up Mom who’d straightened up and launching her like a javelin towards their youngest, seemingly powerless child. Jack-Jack immediately calmed down and gurgled happily as Helen pulled him into her lap.

Uraraka and Midoriya watched the scene before turning to one another. “Next time training together?”

“Definitely.” They sealed it with a fistbump, certain viewers coyly interpreting this setup as a hero date.

Syndrome didn’t have anyone to help him, but he still managed to steer himself towards his plane’s door. While Elastigirl assumed her parachute form, the rest of the Incredibles watched Syndrome point menacingly down at them. “THIS ISN’T THE END OF IT! I WILL GET YOUR SON EVENTUALLY!”

Mr. Incredible glared up at his onetime number-one fan who had caused him so much grief these past few days, then glanced about until he locked onto his new car.

Everyone glared disdainfully, not at all impressed with Syndrome’s monologuing. For Bakugo, Midoriya and All Might, there was nothing they wished more in that moment than for Bob to shut him up for good. Except maybe the chance to do so themselves.

Syndrome thoroughly deserved it after all the death and destruction he had caused, all the heroes who had suffered because of his machinations… No redemption, no second chances. Not for him.

“I’LL GET YOUR SON!” Syndrome closed his eyes while punctuating his monologuing with an evil laugh. He opened them to gasp at the car hurtling towards his plane. “Oh, no...”

“Thank you!” Bakugo shouted grinning.

The car smashed against the front of the plane, and the resulting explosion sent Syndrome falling backwards until he landed in front of the turbine. Panicked, he tried clawing his way out, but his boots were too damaged, and his fluttering cape only kept pulling him closer to the rotating blades. Then with a snagging sound and a face of sheer terror, Syndrome was sucked in.

Despite their opinion towards the villain, everyone, including Bakugo and Aizawa, winced alongside Incredible from the explosion that followed.

Aoyama nodded shakenly. “Wh-While I shall proudly continue to wear my cape… I recognize the logic behind Madame Mode’s policy towards them…” Aizawa reached over to pat his shoulder; a rare gift.

Tokoyami nodded mutely in agreement.

Jack-Jack giggled about in Elastigirl’s arms as they slowly floated down, his eyes trailing up to the fireball behind them. “Look at Mommy, honey,” he was told. “Don’t look down. Mommy’s got you. Everything is all right.”

Mommy and Jack-Jack landed a few seconds before the debris did, pulverizing the house and kicking up a massive cloud of smoke.

They watched with bated breath; surely, there wouldn’t be a tragedy this close to the ending. Some, though, placed their faith in one particular Incredible.

Soon, the smoke began clearing away to reveal the Incredibles huddling together… safe inside the force field Violet had created. They inspected their surroundings before Helen beamed at her eldest child. “That’s my girl.”

Hagakure beamed so much her smile was practically visible. It was almost as baffling as Aizawa’s grin.

All Might, though, settled in his seat with a proud gleam in his normally shadowed eyes. Well done, Young Violet. His thoughts were echoed by everyone else in the room, including Bakugo. Albeit… differently worded.

Dash was grateful, too, but he couldn’t help asking. “Does this mean we have to move again?”

Luckily, his family wasn’t too worn out to laugh with him. “Oh, man...” Incredible turned to find the boy on the trike staring starry-eyed at the Incredibles. “THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!”

“Kid, you should’ve seen the rest of their day.”

Three months later, the stands were filled quite nicely at the Metroville stadium. Dash, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a 2 and running shorts, stood at the ready amongst other boys on the tracks. His family watched from the stands, well, most of them.

Kirishima brightened at seeing the boy’s wear and location. “Hey-hey, looks like he gets to try out for sports after all! Manly way of putting his energy to good use!”

“He’s earned it after all the racing he did,” Sato finished his soda. “Just hope he’s got some self-control.”

As the PA made its announcements, Violet was chatting with a friend by the side. “Do we have to have cheerleaders at the track meet? I mean, what is that all about?”

“Well, I always thought it was more like a...” She trailed off as a certain someone stepped up.

Tony greeted them with a shy, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Vi smiled back.

“Tony’s talking to her!” Ashido squeaked in delight, her fists up to her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t dare hope for the teenage shipping!”

“You’re, uh, Violet, right?” he fidgeted slightly.

“That’s me.”

Violet’s friend walked off, exchanging waves with her. “See you, Vi.”

Asui had a sly smile on her face. “How nice of her, giving her friend the opening.” She made a note of that.

“You look different.” Sure enough, she was sticking with her new hairstyle.

“I feel different,” Vi admitted before adding, “Is different okay?”

“Always.” Nearly everyone said without hesitation.

“Hey, different is...” He smiled before clearing his throat. “Different is great. Would you wanna...”

“Yeah?” Vi watched him eagerly.

Tony kept stumbling over his words, but the hope in either’s eyes never dimmed. “Do you think maybe... you and I... you know...”

“Yeah?”

“Do you...” He stopped. Having a cute girl put her finger on your lips would do that.

“Shh. I like movies.” Violet suggested with a little grin. “I’ll buy the popcorn. Okay?”

Ashido and Hagakure were practically blurs in their seats, and even Yaoyorozu was twisting a handkerchief about between her fingers from anticipation.

“A movie.” Tony repeated like he was in a trance. “There you go. Yeah...yeah!” His face lit up, then he realized the girl he “asked” out was walking up the stands. “Wait, wait,” he called after her, “so, Friday?”

“Friday,” Violet confirmed as she moved to join her parents and Jack-Jack.

The Bakusquad was promptly trapped in a crushing, pink-armed embrace. Bakugo’s roars in protest were drowned out by a high-pitched squeal so powerful Jiro nearly thought she’d go deaf. She just barely managed to wedge her earphones in place, trying not to recoil from Kaminari’s drool; the noise seemed to have short-circuited his brain. It took a full two minutes to free the group.

Aoyama sighed dramatically, sparkles dancing around him. “Ah, such sweet l’amour…”

A certain girl was subtly taking notes on how to accept a date from a tongue-tied boy.

The starter pistol sounded off, and off the boys went. Dash, though, started with a leisurely jog which put him at dead last. His smile only softened as he noticed his family cheering him on.

“GO, GO, GO, GO, RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN! COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, PICK UP THE PACE!”

“COME ON! RUN DASH RUN! RUN, RUN, GO, GO! RUN, RUN, RUN!”

Dash promptly put just a little more speed into his run, effortlessly overtaking the others.

That, of course, made his folks a little worried, so they adjusted their shouts. “AH! NO, NO, NO, NO!! GO FOR SECOND!”

Dash stared at them confused, his pace slowing. And a man sitting right next to them was just as weirded out by their antics.

“AH! NO, MOVE BACK! MOVE BACK! JUST A LITTLE BIT! DON'T GIVE UP! MAKE IT CLOSE! GO FOR SECOND!! CLOSE SECOND, CLOSE SECOND!”

Tokoyami rubbed his ears a little but smiled all the same. “The burden of not being too fast, lest they realize who he is.”

Kirishima patted his grumbling friend’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, I get it…” Bakugo huffed. The situation was still stupid in his eyes, but he understood the logic. Besides, Dash could cut loose in hero mode, that was more appropriate for his speed anyway.

Dash finally got the message and sped up in time to make second place, much to the pride of his parents.

“YEAH! That’s my boy!” A slightly winded Dash gave them a double thumbs up amid the thoroughly exhausted (or nigh-unconscious in some cases) rival runners.

“WHOO HOOO!”

Iida nodded satisfied, as did a more reluctant Aizawa. “Still needs a bit work, but he at least understands the concept of restraint. In that sense, second place is well-earned.”

A little later, they were walking out into the parking lot, Dash proudly holding a second-place trophy where he sat on his dad’s shoulders.

“Dash, I’m so proud of you,” Helen praised up at him while nestling Jack-Jack in her arms.

Dash laughed before admitting, “I didn’t know what the heck you wanted me to do.”

“That’s fair,” Midoriya chuckled sheepishly. “All those shouts at once are hard to follow through…”

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to an underground rumble coming towards them. It sounded like an earthquake, but localized, concentrated. Cars was flung about in the parking lot and people screamed as they rushed out of the way. Then a titanic mining drill with two blades burst out of the concrete and slowly came to a stop before them.

A hatch opened up on top for a mole-like man in a dirty overcoat, a miner’s hat and metal hands holding a microphone. “BEHOLD, THE UNDERMINER! I am always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me! I hereby declare war on peace and happiness! SOON ALL WILL TREMBLE BEFORE ME!”

No one flinched this time from the drill’s entrance. “So, this is a classic villain’s monologue,” Todoroki guessed.

“Pretty much, you’re bound to run into them with the more dramatic villains,” Mic confirmed before flashing a grin at the screen. “But boy oh boy, did Mole-breath pick the wrong parking lot…”

Indeed, the students all knew what would come next.

The family stood there staring for a moment, then Bob Parr’s eyes narrowed. He turned to see Violet, Helen and Jack-Jack already wearing their domino masks. A glance upwards showed the same for Dash. Then the camera tilted down to reveal Mr. Incredible’s mask, just before he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the golden “i” amidst a heroic red.

And that’s when the credits began rolling.

For the next few minutes as the “Incredits” played, there was nothing but applause, cheers and wolf-calls. From the shy Koda to the hyper-aggressive Bakugo to their stoic homeroom teacher, every last member of the audience had thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Well, here it is. The final piece. Yes, I’m aware that it took me over a year and a half to get us this far, and YES, I am sorry about that. I have no excuses other than that my life doesn’t revolve around this story, and seeing as I imagine a few of you don’t give a damn about my life, it’s only fair that I don’t give a damn about said individuals or their griping.

And so, I’ve decided I’m not doing any sequels (yeah, I heard the rumors of Incredibles 3) or bonus features. Sorry, but I just don’t have the energy for it. For that matter, I won’t be writing any other react-fics for the foreseeable future. I’ve got other ideas and a life, and honestly, after everything that happened with THIS story, I don’t think it’s worth it. I started this for fun, and somewhere down the line between trying to imagine in-character reactions for twenty-three individuals, Fanfiction.net taking it down despite my best efforts to keep it up, writer’s block, and endless pestering from SOME readers to get it done (don’t worry, fanfictioner8, you’re not the only one on my official shitlist) … It honestly hasn’t been fun for a long while now.

I’ve finished “Class 1-A Watches the Incredibles” more out of obligation and less because I enjoyed it.

Now it’s done, and so am I. If someone else wants to pick up where I left off or show me how to “properly” write a watch-fic, be my guest. Any comments to beg, goad or threaten me into going on will be deleted with extreme prejudice and no second thoughts, warnings or regrets. I MIGHT try my luck again sometime in the far, FAR future, but not now. I hereby wash my hands of this.

Those of you who waited patiently even though I REALLY dragged it out between chapters (and I’m truly sorry for that), gave me constructive criticism over the years and/or just plain enjoyed reading this story, thank you. Thank you for everything.

And for those of you who are dissatisfied for one reason or another, with all due respect, I can’t even pretend to care anymore.

Deal with it and have a lovely day.

Oh right, I promised you a surprise. Here ya go:

Once the credits had ended, people started getting up and stretching. “Anyone want to check out the bonus features?” Sero held up the second DVD, a hungry look in his eyes.

Some like Kaminari looked eager, but most shook their heads. “No, thank you,” Iida politely declined. “I will be doing some running now to get feeling back in my legs.” And train to match Dash’s speed, everyone added to themselves. “May I be excused, or do you have need of me, sensei?”

Aizawa waved it off, already walking towards the doors. “Need to catch up on grading papers. However,” he turned to acknowledge the truth, “that was a good movie, both in story and with plenty valid parts concerning heroes. I’ll be conducting sessions based on what we saw in the near future, and of course, you’re advised to think about the lessons shown and maybe improve yourselves on your own time.”

A chorus of nods and murmurs in agreement rang out; Todoroki, Midoriya, Uraraka, Bakugo and even Hagakure seemed especially keen on hitting the training courses. Aizawa and All Might would make proper arrangements.

Then Shoji spoke up. “Hey Jiro,” he held up the package, “there are still a couple of other stuff in here, and it was addressed to you. Mind if we pack it all out, or do you wanna do it yourself?”

“Nah, go ahead.” She assured the bigger student as she walked over, other gathering around. The book, it turned out, contained both artworks and official stats for all the Supers shown in the film; it was passed to Midoriya who acted like he’d been awarded an Oscar.

Jiro whistled as she pulled out a sleek vinyl record. “Classic, looks brand new, too…” She squinted at the tiny text. “Incredibles Movie Soundtrack… MINE!” She promptly clutched the record to her chest like it was her first child. Present Mic eyed the punk-rock student jealously as she stroked it. “My precious…”

Kaminari dug about until he found a CD version of the soundtrack, the DJ teacher accepting it grumpily. He couldn’t help but ask his music-loving friend, “Do you even have a record player in your room?”

“Yaomomo can make me one.”

The taller girl did a double take at her best friend who was staring at her strangely/intensely/pleadingly. She sighed. “I suppose Yaomomo can make you one.”

Todoroki was ready to retire early; he wanted to begin his Frozone training first thing in the morning. He happily (for his standards) accepted a white-and-blue mug Shoji pulled out and offered him, then his gaze fell on the machine at the bottom. It was a sleek metal-gray but felt like plastic in some areas, triangular in appearance, with an obvious bottom that wouldn’t slide easily. The four buttons had some slight markings on each one, but it was hard to make out their function. At the top, there were two seemingly removable rods with big red buttons atop, on either side of a projector, but no slide for a disc or the like.

Asui hopped over to him, the two sharing a curious look. As Todoroki set it onto the table, she noticed a power switch on the side and carefully switched it to On. “Greetings.” A male recorded voice rang out from the device, drawing everyone’s attention. “Welcome To The SITR Module. To Access The SITR, Please Press The Alpha Button. For Introductions, Please Press the Beta Symbol.”

Tsu and Shoto exchanged a look before eyeing the machine more carefully. Sure enough, the markings were actually Greek symbols: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Omega. “Could be something dangerous…” Tsu warned as Todoroki nodded before deciding to press Beta.

“The hell’s a sitter?” Bakugo grumbled as he pushed past confused classmates and hit the Alpha button at the same time despite the teachers’ protests.

A bright blue light was emitted from the projector, halting about four meters from its origin and expanding into the size of a doorframe. Next to the device, a hologram flickered into existence, a life-sized model of someone they’d just seen in the movie. Life-sized… and short.

“Hello, my dahlings,” the transparent Edna Mode grinned broadly at them. She glared briefly at a suspicious Aizawa. “A hero wearing a literal hobo suit… If I were tangible, I’d give you the makeover of a lifetime!”

Even as his erasing glare tripled from the snickers surrounding him, Holo-E flicked her holographic cigarette holder to the doorway behind her. “Follow me, and I shall give you a tour of the SITR.”

“S-Sitter?”

“No, SITR, short for Simulation Incredibles Training Room.” Her grin somehow grew bigger, triggering a strange mix of trepidation and excitement inside the watchers. “If you thought merely watching superheroics was enough to get your heart racing, dahlings, then wait until you try them yourselves.”

Holo-E then strutted through the doorway with a challenging gleam in her “eyes”. “And teachers, don’t forget the styluses. You’ll need them.” Both rods clicked out a little, ready for removal. Bakugo, Midoriya and Todoroki were the first ones in. Shota Aizawa could only sigh as the rest of the class followed. “Come teach at UA, it’ll be fun…” he grumbled even while Mic pulled him along. The former snatched up a stylus on the way.

All Might took the other and brought up the rear with his trademark grin. “Pixar movies…”