The preparations for the exams were filled with surprising discoveries all around. Those who latched onto Momo's unquestioned intellectual superiority were also shocked to find out that her family was bathing in riches, studying within the confines of her enormous mansion, enjoying the finest tea given by most joyous Momo. Not often had she got visitors, and so many in fact. The same could not be said about the three boys who for some cosmic reason ended up banding together for trainings, both physical and intellectual. The latter was initially done at the closest cafe with free internet, but Bakugo was not making it any easier.

"No, you dumbass!" He yelled into Kirishima's face, hitting him with a folded workbook. "It's hydrogen! What are you looking at?!" He then barked at the terrified waitress.

"Sheesh, Bakugo, you'll break through his hardening this way," Danny spoke, scratching his temple. "Sorry about him," he sheepishly smiled at the girl.

Flustered, she dismissed his apology and went to service other customers. Bakugo's murderous gaze was now directed at him.

"You asked to be trained, so that's what we are doing!"

"Physical training comes later, Number Two," Danny responded dryly. "We are doing physics."

"That's fine, Fenton-san!" Kirishima grinned, his face showing the use of his Quirk. "Practice makes perfect."

"This a game to you two?!"

"I for one enjoy our get-together," Danny smiled. "For the sake of not being kicked out, though, please lower the volume."

"You are no boss of me, spook. You still suck at history!"

"Guilty," Danny shrugged, sipping on his milkshake. "And you are behind me in English."

"You were raised with it."

"He scored better than you in Japanese," Kirishima pointed out.

"You want to get another hit in the head?!"

"Alright, this is getting us nowhere. We all need a break," Danny sighed and leaned back. "I just realised I know little to nothing about you, Number Two."

"Call me this again..."

"Or what, Bakugo?" Danny continued. "You call all of us by insulting nicknames, yet none of us complain. Just cheer up a bit. Take it with stride. You are second only to, well, the best scorer in U.A.'s history."

"Uhm, Danny, I don't think that's what he wants to hear," Kirishima said carefully.

"I for one didn't want to hear my Dad telling me the story of how he wanted a pony all of his childhood. Was I asked? No. The world is sometimes like this," Danny shrugged. "But come on, like, what's the story with you and Midoriya for one. Your hatred towards me I can understand, I am a little shit, but what did he do?"

"That's none of your business, spook!" Responded Bakugo and hit the table with his fist.

"After how Iida, the most sensible guy in our class, rushed off to hunt the guy named "Hero Killer", I ain't taking any chances of you guys doing something stupid. It IS my business."

"Harsh," Kirishima mumbled. But he couldn't deny that for someone so seemingly irresponsible Danny was trying his best. So he was still on the halfa's side on this one. But as much as the redhead trusted Danny to do the impossible, that provocative talk was not going to solve all the problems.

Perhaps it was hypocritical of him, Danny thought to himself. He could hardly be called a person who always acted sensibly and righteously. And he himself doubted that he could give a proper word of advice. But the words of Stain still rang in his head. He still could not understand why it struck a cord within him. If Jazz was there, she would have told the oblivious teen that it was because Danny himself was not confident in what he did. And beneath the surface, that's just how he felt. It was one thing briefly uniting with Skulker to destroy a universe-ending payload. Playing into Shigaraki's, into his master's hands was totally another. One alliance with a murderous villain was not similar to that with a man who only wanted Danny's blood. And pelt.

"There is nothing I want to say to you two," Bakugo responded. "Is this why you decided to jump where you weren't invited, spook?"

"It's up in the air who invited who," Danny rolled his eyes. "But I suppose I could always ask the other party..."

Bakugo growled. "If that's what you are here for, then I ain't gonna waste my time here!"

Danny sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "I am helpless before your ultimatums."

But as he finished saying this, all of a sudden a gust of air escaped his mouth. Kirishima and Bakugo immediately recalled the last time they saw him do that and tensed. Danny, in the meantime, stared into nothing upon realising to whom this ghostly trail belonged.

"I'll be back in a moment, guys," Danny stood up.

"Danny, if it's Kurogiri again..." Kirishima began but then was cut off.

"It's not him. But this is gonna be a private conversation. This bastard..."

There was only one reason for him to be in that world. And Danny would make sure to see him out. The halfa wasn't listening to any arguments that followed as he nearly bolted out of the cafe.

"So much for sensibility," Bakugo spat and got up himself.

"Wait, are you coming after him?" Kirishima asked. "He asked us to stay here."

"Like I'm gonna listen to that spook. Ye coming or not?!"

The two of them were lagging behind Danny, and it made tracking down a teen that could go through any wall and fly extremely difficult, but luckily it didn't come to any of that. The halfa was also too focused on his goal to notice a tail behind him for an entire mile. Both Bakugo and Kirishima, oblivious to even the less savoury parts of their class rep's biography, could only wonder what that whole trail chasing was about. And their curiosity, however poorly concealed, was evident. Eventually Danny stopped and looked up towards the roof of a multi-storied building. As he looked around, his classmates hid behind an empty bus stop. Once Danny thought that nobody would see his unsanctioned Quirk use, he jumped towards the rooftop.

"You use the fire escape ladders," Bakugo declared, his fingers tricking with small explosions.

"Wait, it's gonna be too noisy."

"Do I look like I care? I want to know what the spook is hiding!"

"Maybe we shouldn't spy on Danny like this..."

"You want to know what it is he isn't telling?"

"Yeah, but...it isn't manly at all to spy on a friend. And you were just against sharing your story, too."

"Shut up, he isn't my friend...But fine, we'll use the ladder."

And as the two of them made their ascent by the ladders hidden within an alleyway, when nearly there they could already hear the titbits of the conversation.

"It isn't like you to pop in out of nowhere, Walker," Danny said, his speech so conveniently sounding Japanese to everyone willing to eavesdrop. "Usually you and your goons barge in guns blazing."

A villain, the two humans thought as they slowly climbed upwards, aware of Danny's hypersensitive hearing. Then what did he have to talk about?

"Last time we were quite discreet, punk," came a gruff adult voice. "You know why we are here."

"You want Wulf. Why else would you come against all best judgement?"

Finally, Kirishima and Bakugo could peek over the edge of the building and see who Danny was talking to. It was a strange man wearing all white, with skin just as pale and face absolutely gaunt. His green eyes glowed with contempt towards the boy. Walker was also accompanied by around five men with green skin and dressed in the uniform of prison guards, armed with police batons. It was a very strange choice of attires for criminals...unless they weren't.

"You should read that law book for once, Highness," Walker said mockingly. "We are allowed to traverse whenever we want in our pursuit of criminals."

"I don't get it, are they the good guys?" Quietly asked Kirishima. "Don't look like much."

"Quiet," Bakugo growled.

"Wulf is not a criminal, Walker, I made it clear. He can go wherever he wants."

Walker approached the boy, and it felt like in the process he gained another foot of height. Altering his size appeared to be the man's power.

"You are not my boss, punk. You too are not where you are supposed to be, so do not push the line."

Danny did not buckle under the man's harsh gaze and imposing presence.

"And you don't chase me anymore. Is this because you remember the last time you put me behind bars?"

"You have powerful friends, Phantom, that's all. Don't think too highly of yourself."

"Danny was in prison?" Whispered Kirishima.

If he was to be honest, Bakugo was surprised too.

"Wulf has a powerful friend, too," Danny's eyes flashed with green. "And I will protect him."

"You don't make our laws, punk. I will always hunt down litigants like Wulf. That is my purpose."

"Alright, man with purpose. Are you going to leave on your own or will I have to help?"

The humans could see the guards reluctantly looking at each other, aware of their chances in the upcoming fight. Phantom had garnered a reputation of a very powerful ghost, with the defeats of a series of most fearsome spectres. Walker had told them that they were only going to fight Wulf, not the halfa that wasn't supposed to be there, out of the endless number of worlds.

"And what are you going to do, punk? Stuff all of us into that thermos of yours?"

Danny gave a devious grin, before snapping his fingers. Then in an instant a green, swirling portal emerged out of thin air.

"No, I will send you directly home," Phantom made an inviting gesture.

Walker gritted his teeth. "How did you do that?" He hissed.

"Well, stole power from one, learned how to properly do this from Wulf, and now I can make portals of my own. Are you going to arrest me, officer?"

Everyone could see each and every muscle of Walker's face tense out of concealed rage. "This isn't over, Phantom. You can't hide him forever. A time will come when I will judge you as well."

"I thought the execution part was your favourite," Danny smiled. "Well? I hope you trust me enough not to teleport you into some hellhole."

And Walker did trust him on that, it appeared, as he was the first to go into the portal. His goons followed suit and after the last one was gone, the portal disappeared at a snap of Danny's fingers. The halfa sighed, still not noticing a foreign presence. His mind was occupied with worry. Walker was perhaps the most tight-lipped of his enemies, and one of the few that had ways of traversing between the worlds, but even he could spread the information and means of getting to the halfa out of spite. He avoided the fight, but now his location was no longer unknown. Kirishima and Bakugo could only speculate about the reasons of Danny's visible distress. And from the outside, it appeared incredibly fishy. And unfortunately for their cover, the latter was not exactly patient.

"The hell was that, spook?!" Bakugo shouted and blew their cover.

Danny was startled by the blonde's emergence, but quickly that surprise turned into a mix of anger and suspicion.

"I asked you to stay in the cafe," he said.

"Like I give a shit about your orders, who was that guy?!"

Danny did not answer at first. "Why don't you come out too, Kirishima? I'm sure you are dying from curiosity as well."

Kirishima winced and slowly climbed out of hiding, "Sorry, Danny-san, I know what you said..."

The halfa sighed and rubbed his temples. The stupid problems just kept popping up uninvited.

"That's fine," Danny calmed down. That wasn't the end of the world. "Look, that's not something you should worry about. Just another part of my biography that will soon come barging in even louder, I feel."

"This Walker guy..." Kirishima wondered aloud. "Is he a law enforcer of some kind? He wants to capture your friend."

"He is nothing but a power-drunk psycho. But the one people sometimes need. Because sometimes he keeps tabs on some actually dangerous criminals. Wulf isn't one of them, Walker just hates him for his ability to make portals and escape his grasp. And now he hates me even more for the same stuff."

"Hold up!" Bakugo spoke. "Why are you telling this only now?! You are persecuted, too!"

"Look who is talking, our resident mute — Number two himself," Danny responded dryly. "I am not persecuted. Walker has no authority over anyone. It's his hobby that became a lifestyle. Fine, Bakugo, I'll leave your past be, as long as you don't ask me. Deal?"

Bakugo looked at Danny for a moment. "Ya really think this is the same shit?"

"Pretty much. The impact on the other's life is about the same, I bet. Kirishima, you can be simply asked to keep this between ourselves, right?"

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah, man. I'm with you...but it's really something you shouldn't hide."

"Sometimes the truth is too much to handle."

Danny wasn't happy with making yet another conspiracy after the Stain encounter. One tends to get tangled up when the web of lies and secrets grows too expansive. And that was the risk he was taking upon himself.

"Stop talking like you are some big shit, spook," responded Bakugo. "But if that keeps you off my back, then fine."

And so, another secret was revealed to a few. Danny only hoped that he would not have to bring anyone else into this.

-Linebreak-

Despite the hiccup of the initial start, the three hero trainees managed to arrive to a temporary stability. The only complaint is that during training spars Bakugo was trying perhaps too hard, desperate to damage someone who flipped into intangibility on a reflex. Danny too, couldn't resist the temptation to tease him more. Kirishima could only sigh upon seeing them bicker over and over again. The more conventional studies went slightly less productively, as there was less room for venting out frustrations. Kirishima himself was largely content with the level they achieved, as much as Bakugo would make them think, constantly talking down on their level of readiness, especially Danny's.

The exam week finally came about, and Danny was full of wonder at how much he had improved over the course of his studies at U.A. If anything, this intrigued him even more than practice, where everything was more or less clear to him. Three days of finals left little to his imagination, however, and confirmed what he already knew. His upsides were still strong, but the downsides must have been better. At least he hoped so. Kirishima seemed to be optimistic, and as they talked, Mina quickly joined in on their conversation.

"What a week, huh?" She asked.

"It's been three days," Danny remarked and drank from a soda can.

"Must you rain on my parade, Danny-kun?" Mina grumbled.

"This rain was forecasted weeks ago. We still have practicals, remember?"

"You try forgetting," Kirishima responded. "How was it at Yaoyorozu-san's place?"

"Oh, it was so cool!" Mina's previous made-up gloom vanished. "Did you know that her family is hellishly rich?"

Danny and Kirishima looked at each other than at Yaoyorozu.

"You mean you didn't know?" Danny asked.

"Wait, you knew?" Kirishima exclaimed.

"Dude, I am the class rep," Danny said, then huffed. "And just look at her. This deduction is honestly an improvement over how I didn't know my childhood best friend is from the upper 2%. It's her who kept avoiding the topic all that time," the halfa complained. "Figures why, her parents hate my peasant guts. An awful lot of pomposity for someone who made fortune by selling toothpick wrappers. Or was it the machine that put them on?"

The conversation went its own way, and soon everyone's thoughts were on the event that was taking place at special testing grounds. Told to dress up in hero suits, they were later driven by bus to the location of the exam. Upon arriving, everyone was greeted by a surprising sight. It seemed that the entire teaching staff that was involved with class 1-A was there, gathered near the entrance.

"Here you will be taking a practical exam," Aizawa spoke the obvious. "Of course, it's possible to fail it. But if you want to go to the training camp, don't make any stupid mistakes. I trust that all of you gathered the information ahead of time."

Danny had resigned himself to the whims of fate in this regard. Perhaps it was overconfidence, perhaps the knowledge that the exam should be corresponding to their hero training program. There were rumours, of course, ones that Mina and Kaminari did not hesitate to voice, that it would be a fight against robots once again, but the number of teachers was certainly alarming for the task. Principal Nezu climbed from under Aizawa's scarf and was quick to disperse any idea the students previously held.

"For various reasons, the task will be different this time!"

"How different?" Asked Yaoyorozu.

"From this point forward we want to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work," responded Nezu and climbed down. "As well as trainings in extreme situations. So, we will form teams of two to fight against one teacher."

Were they seeing this, or was there maliciousness in the small furball's eyes?

"We have already decided on who will be fighting who, based on your strengths, weaknesses, grades and other factors."

The teachers went over who will be fighting whom, and eventually only four people remained.

"The last remaining teams are Fenton-Kirishima," the boys low-fived. "And Midoriya-Bakugo."

The second reaction was less than happy about such outcome. However, both of the teams wondered about the next logical thing.

"So, who do we have to fight?"

"I AM COMING FROM ABOVE!"

With the booming shout the Number One hero landed in front of everyone, in all of his heroic glory.

"Your fights shall be against me!"

The reactions differed. While everyone else was shocked at the four having to fight a battle they would almost certainly lose, Danny was far more optimistic about the odds. The chance to face the toughest hero of that world excited him, even if it would probably be on very limited conditions. That man could snap a criminal's spine with just his finger. They had to even the odds somehow.

Nezu went on with his explanation. "You have thirty minutes to either escape the battlegrounds or put these handcuffs on your teacher."

"Escape?" Kaminari thought aloud. "It's kinda like combat training."

"Is it really alright to run away?" Mina asked.

Danny mused that it was probably the best for him to leave the grounds. So far that world had not yet devised a way to prevent his intangibility. Well, none that wasn't naturally occurring, like Tokoyami's shadow. But simply running off was not like him. Danny glanced at Kirishima, who was giving a toothy smirk. Yeah, they were going to take the chances no matter the odds.

Just as the teachers had expected.

"Sure, after all you are going to fight against those who are waaay better than you," Present Mic bragged.

"Better...than us?" Asked Jiro. "I find this hard to believe."

"Hey! Watch your mouth! You hear me?!" Present Mic shouted, tumbling into English.

"This is as close to a real fight as possible," added Thirteen. "Think of us as villains and plan accordingly."

"You are free to fight if you think you have the upper hand..."

"But if the odds are against you, there is no shame in regrouping and getting assistance," finished Aizawa. "Four out of you are bound to know that."

"That's right!" Said All Might. "This a test of your judgement! But to even the odds we use these!"

The hero showed a metal bracelet. "With these we will be basically carrying half of our body weights. It is to give you a fighting chance. We have young Hatsume to thank for this design!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. She was surely going up in the world. He was also starting to think that they were looked down upon. Well, they were. Not without a reason, too. Still, he was up for a challenge, oblivious to how similar his thought pattern was to Bakugo's. Danny glanced at his gloved palm and examined it. He had faced far worse. Even Nomu meant to kill All Might at his limits. But as was the case with Nomu, he would have to give it his all. Knowing his friend well enough, Kirishima leaned closer.

"You aren't thinking of fighting him alone, right?" He thought it necessary to ask.

"I can distract him and you can escape and pass," Danny shrugged. "It's a win-win."

Kirishima shook his head. "No, that will not be a manly move, Fenton. We need to do it together...even if All Might probably wipes the floor with us."

Danny smiled. "Suit yourself."

"Yeah...you got a plan, right, class rep?" Kirishima laughed awkwardly.

As everyone else was readying for their fights, going their own ways, Danny and Kirishima did not hurry anywhere. They weren't the first ones to the chopping block. The halfa hummed thoughtfully and nodded. Yes, he had something that resembled a plan.

-Linebreak-

Everyone unfortunate enough to face All Might would face him in the end. The discussion of the plan prevent Danny-Kirishima duo from witnessing the first two fights. Tokoyami and Tsu managed to overcome Ectoplasm's exploit of their main weakness — close combat. Yet they bested the teacher and his army of clones, thus passing the exam. Then came the fight of Iida and Ojiro. Their mobility was to be challenged by Power Loader, who could shape the ground as he liked. That, however, was not enough to stop the utterly determined speedster and an agile possessor of a strong tail. They also won and passed.

At about that time Danny and Kirishima entered the monitor room. There, Midoriya, Uraraka and Recovery girl were glued to the screens, watching how Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were trying to take on Eraserhead.

"Who is winning?" Danny asked, sipping on the milkshake.

"They aren't doing so good..." Midoriya commented, turning to see the halfa. "Where did you get that?"

"Duplication is an amazing ability," Danny smirked and winked.

"Ectoplasm used his duplication, too," Uraraka said.

"With all due respect for him, I don't sense a drop of ectoplasm in there," Danny chuckled and sipped on the drink.

"For real?" Asked Kirishima after downing his milkshake.

Recovery girl gave him a side-eye. The old nurse hadn't forgotten both his refusal to check up and the conversation during the tournament. However, that statement did make sense, Ectoplasm the hero was not nearly as hesitant to visit the infirmary. And never had she noticed anything unusual about him.

"Trust me on that. But I admit, I've seen ghosts less imposing than him," Danny responded casually, throwing the drink into a tiny portal that landed the shake in the dumpster. "Ancients, I love this power."

"You've gotten so good at this, Fenton-san," Midoriya commented, "How far can you take it now?"

"Well, distance-wise it ain't that far. But I do have some tricks."

Like ripping the interdimensional fabric. Potentially useful, but something Danny wasn't willing to disclose just yet. That one seemed like too big of a revelation to give.

"Hey, look, these two seem to have come up with something," he pointed to the screen.

And indeed, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu managed to overcome and outsmart their teacher. The viewers weren't clear on what was that strange fabric that they used to capture Aizawa, but that always could be clarified. And so it went further. Some pairs continued to be successful, as was the case for Uraraka and Aoyama and many others. The failed examinees were fewer in number, and, to a sympathy of former's friends, Mina and Kaminari could simply not compete with Principal Nezu's unmatched intelligence, strategy and, as some believed, bloodlust. That little bear-ferret evidently enjoyed the inflicted suffering. A memento of his past as a lab rat, as some rumours said. An interesting case was Sero and Mineta's fight against Midnight, where only the latter student emerged victorious, signalling to all that A) Mineta's perversions did not stop him from succeeding. Half the time. And B) Team effort or not, the grade could be separate for each fighter. Which was an important discovery to make, seeing which fights were going to come next.

Fights against the strongest man on the planet.

Midoriya and Bakugo were to be given the honour of confronting him first, amidst the brand new cityscape area. Everyone was curious, no doubt, but the halfa was perhaps the most interested. He had watched the recordings of All Might's heroic fights, but they were, for the lack of a better word, rather straightforward. All Might came, saw and won after a brief punch exchange, where his always packed the bigger force. Not much to go with, coming up with a proper strategy, but that straightforward approach was a starting point. Now, perhaps, he would get something else in terms of knowledge.

Whatever he may have thought about All Might, his suspicions about how the fight would start went in line with what the rest thought. Bakugo and Midoriya could not work together. Izuku logically believed that the best course of action was to run, but the blonde chose to stand his ground, even as the entire street was levelled by the force of one special move of the Number One hero, sending the students flying.

"Ehm...Danny," Kirishima mumbled upon seeing the destruction. "You don't think that my hardening can handle that?" he asked with concern.

"He may face a problem of not knowing your limit. So he is likely to overcompensate first couple of times. Hit much weaker. Or he would risk killing you. These dampeners are also to our advantage here. He is unused to them, so he will have to adjust," Danny spoke.

"Speaking from experience?"

"Humans are such fragile things," Danny muttered dramatically, the ominous nature of the statement going over his head. Still, he was confident that Kirishima was likely to withstand the strikes until All Might found the sweetspot. And after spending so much time together and actually hitting the teen during trainings, that was something Danny knew.

But Midoriya was not afforded such a luxury. His power was All MIght's, his mentor was bound to know his protégé through and through. Bakugo may not have been the same, but he was a student. All Might knew what to expect, at the very least, and he was not let down. The brash explosion enthusiast was brazenly attempting to do any harm to All Might, but the tank in spandex took every explosion without batting an eye, smashing the boy into the ground.

"That's gotta hurt," Danny grimaced, as both he and Kirishima involuntarily imagined themselves in that place.

But that nigh defeat was followed by an unexpected twist, with Midoriya punching his own teammate, then getting them all out of All Might's immediate reach. The hero was clearly surprised, but the two kids hid so well that even cameras lost them, leaving the viewers to ponder on what had and would happen. What option would they go for, everyone thought and most came to the same conclusion - All Might could not be beaten to submission. And while Danny was convinced that no mountain could not be climbed, he had to admit that given all the conditions that climb was a near death sentence for the two.

Initially, as the two emerged once again, it seemed that they chose the option to fight. However, an impressive distraction was actually set in place, as Midoriya all of a sudden blasted All Might with one of Bakugo's bracers. The ensued brief chaos was enough for the two to make a further escape. The two rushed towards the exit, but were not seeing what the viewers were. All Might did not attack them immediately not because they were that quick. No, now he was out of sight of the cameras. And that did not bode anything good. And the hero soon struck. Once again, the fight was extremely one-sided. All Might was still leagues above the examinees. However, the students did everything to stand up against him.

Bakugo, in a surprising act of selflessness, tried to use an explosion to launch Midoriya to the gates, but failed, for All Might immediately caught up with the teen and stopped him. Once again, many dreaded the lack of audio on those recordings, but perhaps everything that was said out there was deemed potentially personal to the contestants. Danny wouldn't blame them, and what everyone was seeing was as clear as day. No matter what All Might would do short of death blow would only result in them getting up. The resilience was something they had no shortage of. And then, All Might took a fully charged fist strike from his protégé right in the face. It did little in terms of damage, but everything said and done must have made All Might metaphorically raise his hands and let the teens go. Even if it was not a traditional victory, the teacher got exactly what he wanted to see.

"I suppose that's our entrance, dear friend," Danny said, turning to Kirishima.

"Yeah, let's do this," he then nodded and fist pumped.

The former cityscape was already destroyed, so the next fight was going to take place in a similar one close by, making the two wonder just how many of those the U.A. had. Nevertheless, it took a while for All Might to show up, as he was overseeing the previous students' transportation to the infirmary after what he had done.

"I AM COMING FROM ABOVE!" His thunderous shout alerted the teens about his presence as he landed on the street. "I hope you two are ready!" he kept being, obviously content from the results of the last exam.

"Ready to pass, old man," Danny smirked and let himself be transformed into his ghost form.

"That's right. We plan to do our best!" Kirishima gave a toothy grin.

"Are you intending to escape, Young Fenton?" All Might asked curiously.

"We could," Danny said and snapped his fingers, opening a portal nearby. "But what would be there to grade, then?" he asked and closed it.

All Might laughed. "Very well! I hope you will give it your all, kids!"

And after several seconds a signal was given to begin the fight. It started off instantaneously.

All Might did not attack first, first wishing to see what his two opponents had in store. It was not something ingenious, Phantom pushed himself forward with an intent to land a punch. The speed was impressive, but All Might managed to react and block the strike that pushed the very asphalt from under them. Exchanging glances, Phantom gave All Might the message. This was not a fight he was taking lightly. All Might swished his free hand to grab Danny's, but the halfa immediately slipped out and vanished. All Might switched his attention to Kirishima who loudly rushed towards him, his hardened fists about to hit. All Might easily dodged and punched the slower opponent. As expected, the first hit was not enough to make the teen falter altogether.

"Impressive!" All Might exclaimed.

Kirishima's grin did not go anywhere. Phantom appeared far above and both his hands cracked with scorching ectoplasmic energy that was immediately released. All Might was about to leap away, Kirishima still in his hand, but suddenly he felt something grab him from underground. A hand of the duplicate. When did he...the non transparent portal, of course! The duplicate was created behind it! The momentary delay was enough for the colossal blast to impact the ground and the hero that stood atop of it. Shielded from it by the hero and his own hardened form, Kirishima did not suffer the brunt of the damage.

All Might definitely felt the burning and sheer force of the blast that blew the land around him and leveled a nearby building. But he still did not buckle and still stood tall. Kirishima saw that and tried to use his sharpened limbs to break free. He landed a kick to the chest, but was immediately pinned to the ground, as the hand holding All Might's leg received a crippling kick from the free one, enough to make a clone vanish or get lost. A portal appeared beneath Kirishima before he could feel the asphalt, and the teen appeared who knows where. Danny knew, and he was flying above All Might.

"Commendable, Young Fenton, but it will take more!"

"Well, I..."

He didn't have the time to finish as the hero jumped towards him. The halfa immediately went intangible, releasing at the last second to land a point blank blast into the back of the hero's head. Again, All Might definitely felt its power, that, as he was still in the air, pushed him away. But All Might managed to grab the teen and hurl him to the ground, as the halfa made a surprised yelp. He would go intangible, All Might realised, so he punched the air, the strength being enough to redirect his flight. He was about to collide, but the ghostly reaction was supernatural. Danny once again vanished into thin air, with All Might punching the ground instead.

"Wow, they are still standing," Mina gushed.

"Both Phantom and All Might are unbeatable in both senses of the word," Tokoyami responded. "Someone who cannot be touched fighting someone who shrugs off any damage. All Might has no counter for intangibility."

"And where is Kirishima?" Asked Kaminari.

The same thought actually came upon All Might. What if it was all a fluke and they WERE going to escape? The hero jumped towards the roofs once more in hopes of finding his enemies. Meanwhile, at a distance, the two teens glanced outside from inside one of the buildings. Cautious to even look out of the window fully.

"What now, Fenton?" Kirishima asked. "We haven't even scratched him."

"I can see that," Danny deadpanned.

"Don't tell me this was your entire plan."

"It wasn't. We learned what we need. All Might is incredibly fast, but he physically can't respond to everything. If we attack, we need to do that quick."

It was an opportune time, for almost immediately one of the walls came down, as the giant hero barged inside.

"Hiding is not an option, young heroes!" All Might said.

"I dunno, worked well so far," Danny responded dryly and his foot lightly turned. The next second the floor turned intangible, with Danny holding Kirishima's hand, not letting him fall after All Might. After the floor became tangible again, Danny took a fighting stance before the older hero broke right through it, being met immediately with an expecting punch.

To apply greater force he could not go intangible. The thunderous sound rang as their fists hit each other. But upon landing another punch, All Might discovered that Danny's chest was covered in a thick layer of ice, which worked just as Kirishima's hard skin. The floor gave up beneath them and began to crumble. Danny kept floating as Kirishima hardened his body once more and plummeted right atop of All Might with all his weight. This once again pushed the hero further, making Danny wonder. Whilst on the ground All MIght's strength made him an immoveable object. He WAS more vulnerable in the air. In the meantime, All Might grabbed Kirishima and swung him into the nearest column. Kirishima flew right through, as right above Danny turned it intangible, instead slipping across the spacious floor. The buildings were hollow, after all, and lacked internal walls.

All Might immediately leaped up once more, and Danny avoided the strike, blasting the hero to no avail. All Might suddenly swung in the air and swung his fist. And finally, the halfa slipped and felt the full force, coughing out ectoplasm and flying out of the window. All Might sought to use this, and immediately jumped after him. But Danny regained his senses quick enough. His chest parted and All Might hit thin air, but the hero then swished his arm higher, to break the ring that Phantom's body had become. At the same time, Danny covered his foot with ice and kicked All Might's head, just as the hero slashed the teen's body in half. Danny put so much force into his kick that All Might went flying, just as Danny assembled back again.

"Air is my domain, sensei," he declared confidently, before seeing the grinning All Might try again by jumping off the building he landed on. His strategy was always so simple, yet his power always made it work. This time Phantom blasted him with a torrent of his ice energy. In a split second All Might was covered in ice. He broke out almost immediately, but at that moment he could not see anything. Enough for Danny to hit him from above with a charged fist and a loud outburst. The strike shattered the nearest windows and sent All Might flying to the ground, which shattered upon the impact.

Laughing contently, All Might got up, looking at the teen who slowly descended from the air.

"Have you put too many dampeners, teach?" Danny asked jokingly.

"I must say, you are quite crafty, young..." Then All Might realised something, as a devilish grin appeared on Danny's face.

"Now where is my companion, I wonder. Could it be..." He gasped.

All Might didn't need to hear the end of that sentence. Despite everything, the kids opted for the escape option after tricking him! The hero immediately leaped into the air, took to the rooftops in an attempt to see Kirishima from above, but Phantom kept firing at him while the hero was still willing to take it if he couldn't dodge the onslaught. Even as All Might was not suffering pain, the burning sensation was growing stronger. Like a rock being cut by waves, his thick shell was wearing down from otherwordly toxic substance. Those blasts would have vaporised a normal human, if them melting iron beams upon missing was any indication. Looking at his fist, All Might saw a slight reddening and burn, right where ectoplasm from Danny's gut spilled. Once atop of the building, All Might didn't initially see Kirishima. He was using small alleys as much as he could. All Might then spun around and attempted to hit the pursuing half-ghost, but again hit thin air, as the disembodied voice laughed at him.

"How unfortunate," the voice asked him, almost whispering into his ear. "Where could he be?"

All Might tried to pinpoint where the teen was, but he was not going to see him before Phantom willed it. It felt strange to not be in control for the first time since...him. Ironic how now his offspring did the same thing. But that thought only reinvigorated his confidence to teach the boy a lesson there and then.  Kirishima could not get out either. And that demanded his attention at the time. The easiest way was to intercept the teen closer to the entrance, and so he immediately leaped in its direction, leaving the now visible half-ghost to pursue.

"Shouldn't this be another way around?" Asked Sero back in the observation room.

"Phantom-san knows his advantage," reasoned Yaoyorozu. "All Might can't just get him as long as he stays intangible, so it will be a waste of time while Kirishima easily escapes. Sensei has no choice. And this also lets his enemy wear down his defences."

"But can he?" Jiro doubted. "This is All Might."

"All Might has dampeners, right?" Mina recalled. "He also fought Midoriya and Bakugo just now. And Danny managed to fight Nomu who was meant to kill sensei at his prime..."

"He is turning the odds even further," Momo added. "He hasn't made a dedicated attack from the start."

Once again everyone was reminded of what was hiding beneath the exterior of a cheerful class rep. All Might of course knew what was happening, and would have commended the boy, if he was not currently busy dodging the blasts with the same means. Trying to catch the halfa off guard, All Might suddenly changed direction and instead pushed himself backwards, and although he got hit with another blast, Danny didn't go intangible and was hit. All Might used this opportune moment to land another punch that sent the enemy flying. Danny let out a hiss, biting his lip, but went through the wall instead of hitting it. Danny fixed his jaw and let his healing get to work. All Might did not pursue, knowingly going after Kirishima.

And Danny decided that the time came for a more direct approach. So, he went through the wall again and immediately met the stare of All Might, who stood around several hundred meters away, near the exit. The halfa landed on the ground, and opened his arms wide.

"This is not manly to hide," the redhead complained, a block away.

"It's not manly to stand in front of a train," Danny responded, a duplicate, to be exact. One that did not actually vanish and was now leaning against a wall. "It's just stupid."

"Maybe, but I want to do something!"

"It's not the time. You are here for a reason, man."

"What reason?" Kirishima blinked.

"They put us all against opponents that play against our weaknesses. With how All Might fights, you can't just use your usual method and just take the beating."

At that time All Might punched Danny's body, covered in a layer of ice.

"And for you it is your refusal to run from All Might?" Kirishima offered.

Danny landed a strike on All Might's face.

"Well...I WOULD have teleported from Aizawa," Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "What? He keeps nagging me with giving my all. Anyway, as long as he thinks you are running through that gate, he is where we need him."

"You don't think he is that dumb, do you?"

"No, but he is quite conscious of his teaching skills. So...I know he will try to do his best. And that includes being as much of an obstacle to both of us as he can be."

Danny slipped back after another blocked punch pushed him backwards.

"Ancients, teach, you really punch like a train."

"Of course! After all, we must do our best at all times!"

"Is this really the best you've got?" The halfa shook off the shards remaining of his improvised ice wristbands.

He was buying time to assess the damages he was causing himself. He could pride himself on bruising the man, and All Might could seldom hide that the dampeners were doing their job. He could swear that some wounds were actually steaming. But his own energy was running dry. He needed to use his living battery. All Might was about to lunge again and attack, when suddenly he saw a portal open to his left, a considerable distance away. He turned and saw both teens standing there. A glance back, and the wounded Phantom was gone. Absorbed into the one who was alive and well at the outside. That was...disheartening.

"Is something wrong, teach?" Danny asked innocently.

All Might clenched his fist, collecting his strength. Phantom knew that he had to use his main resort. He tried not to show it, but he was already getting drained.

"Kirishima...you wanted some closure. Buy me some time," was his brief request.

"You got it, man," said the redhead and hardened his body to the max. Danny smirked and then gave his friend a layer of ice protection by lightly blasting him with a beam. Danny and Kirishima saw how All Might readied to lunge forward. And Kirishima had enough time to ready himself. However, All Might did the unexpected, and yet something they saw before: he struck the ground so hard that the entire road was collapsing, and both teens were sent flying. The hero then jumped towards Kirishima, who, whilst blocking, still was pummeled to the ground. As Kirishima hit the surface, All Might made sure to make a kick to the stomach to keep him down for longer, but Danny floated to the shattered land and put his feet back on the ground.

"You can always forfeit, young ones."

All Might was not very serious. He knew his students. And he proudly believed that they would not. He could hear Kirishima getting up and, unexpectedly, use his sharp edges to cling to the crevices left on the road, as well as hide behind a protuding part of the road.

"You know it's not how I do things. Not as long as I have something up my sleeve," Danny said and wiped his mouth, taking a deep breath.

And All Might immediately realised what it was. The next second, his eardrums were assaulted by the most deafening sound in his life. It was not like Mic's, it was a haunting, low howl that made each cell of his body pulse and resonate. What was left of the road was torn asunder, the very soundwaves were visible, and each hit was like a burning scythe that cut deep. Even back in the observation room, the staff quarters, everyone had to cover their ears, even if cameras, crashing and breaking one by one, did not transmit the sound. The buildings of that fake city began to collapse like dominous, raising clouds of dust and dirt. Poor Kirishima tried to cover his ears, but then realised that the ice covered those as well to the best of its ability. His own hard skin was the only reason that very ice wasn't killing him at that time. All Might tried to push forward, but even he found himself slipping, unable to find proper footing. He could only stand, taking the damage from the ectoplasm, the debris that was hitting him, until the very ground beneath him gave up and the hero was suspended in the air for a fraction of a time that was needed for the hero to fly several meters away, until he punched the ground and managed to once again hold it.

Until finally, Danny could shout no longer. Exhausted, he looked at All Might, dreadfully noting that All Might was still standing. His body was again beginning to let out more smoke, but All Might was not going to give up. Rings almost appeared around Danny's body, but it took most of his strength to prevent it.

"That was...something...Young Fenton," All Might panted. "But you still should remember your..."

He had no time to finish, as from behind him, relatively unscathed Kirishima jumped from his cover and attacked him. Swinging his fist, the boy punched the hero. It did relatively little, but made All Might turn around, and that's when Danny made his move. Collecting all his power, he lunged forward, his fist and eyes sparking with all he'd got. And once he came to All Might, with a roar he punched him to the left side of his chest. At first, there was silence. Then, Danny looked at his hand, at his white glove that was trickling with red blood that could not be his. He turned back to see the shocked All Might, and back in the Observation room Recovery Girl jumped from her seat as well. All Might was bleeding. The hero did not say something at first, but his grin for just a split second was replaced with...Danny, for reading his opponent so well before, could not see that before All Might stood not a child, but someone else.

"Well done, Young Fenton," he said half-forcefully, before jumping away. Out of bounds.

And at that moment Danny collapsed, switching back to his human form. But before he could fall, Kirishima caught him, letting go of his hardening.

"I got you, man," he said and wrapped Danny's head around his shoulder.

"Did we...win?" Danny asked foggily.

"Win? Dude, wait till you realise what you just did," said his friend and carried him to the exit.

-Linebreak-

"You idiot!" Recovery girl scolded the Number One hero in a separate infirmary as she was applying bandages to a gigantic wound in his chest. It appeared even more horrific on a smaller frame of his frail-bodied form. "Do you realise how serious this is?"

"I do not," All Might mumbled, deep in thought.

"Then let me tell you. That boy hit you right in your wound and opened it right open. You both were weakened, so you have all your ancestors to thank for the damage not being as grave as it could have been."

"That's...a relief?" All Might answered, unsure of himself.

"A relief?" Recovery Girl asked incredulously. "Your old wound will be a problem even more from now on, perhaps even further limiting your ability at keeping up the facade. All because you didn't want to stop."

"What was I supposed to do?" Argued the hero. "It was my job to hold this exam."

"All others knew when to give up. But this is just not your way, is it?" She poked his healthy parts with her cane.

"You are right. It is not. And I have underestimated that boy, despite everything that I have seen...are they alright?"

"You didn't do much to Kirishima, and Fenton...is Fenton. He is healing as we speak. He is still alive, if we can even say this. There is also another problem."

"What is it?"

"Fenton didn't just hit you. He cauterised the wound with that same ridiculous burning substance. The substance that burns everything it touches which is not Fenton himself. There is just enough to prevent the wound from properly healing."

"And...can you do anything?"

"How? I don't know anything about this 'ectoplasm'. And there is only one person who knows it through and through. But you know what enlisting his help will mean..."

All Might looked away, a grave look on his face. "We will have to let young Fenton in on the secret. The removal of ectoplasm may take too much time, especially now...when we don't know how long I can keep it up."

Recovery Girl nodded. "I'm afraid that is the case. Or you will have to always suffer from this injury. You don't have to tell him everything."

"You are still displeased that he doesn't tell you his biology."

"I have my own job to do. The boy thinks that his healing factor will get him out of any situation, but for how long? And what would I do in that case? I don't even know if a blood transfusion won't kill him."

All Might nodded. "Maybe he will be more open if I tell him. Better me than...someone else."

"At least you understand this much," she poked him once more. "Now rest, doctor's orders."