They ran down the flights of stairs, fighting heroes as they went. 

At one hallway, the group met up with a familiar face; Dabi. The cremation lord looked over the collection of battered kids his eyes settling on Shoto Todoroki. The dual-haired boy looked to be on his last leg but there was a fight in his eyes. 

There was something familiar about the sight of a battered boy willing to fight against all odds... something that reminded Dabi of his own reflection.

Slowly, Dabi stepped out of the way and gestured for the kids to continue.

"What?" Izuku wondered.

"Go," Dabi shrugged nonchalantly. 

"I don't - "Izuku continued.

"Let's MOVE IT SHITTY NERD!" Katsuki demanded running forward. The group followed, throwing Dabi confused glances. Katsuki sure as hell didn't know what was going on but he wasn't going stop and ask questions when they had the literal  king of the world on their tail.

With pure desperation, anger, and adrenaline, they somehow made it to the bottom level where they reunited with Mahirao and Fumikage.

"Let's GO!" Izuku yelled racing for the door. The group burst through it miraculously, and were momentarily blinded by the sun.

They took off down the street where they met a blockade of heroes and police.

"STOP WHERE YOU ARE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND DEACTIVATE YOUR QUIRKS!" an officer yelled through a megaphone.

The kids all looked to each other.

"Izu... You got a plan, right?" Hito asked in a low voice.

"SURRENDER AND NO ONE WILL GET HURT!" the officer ordered.

"Izu..." Hito pressed nervously.

In response, Izuku only smiled.

"SURRENDER!?" Izuku shot back. "FUNNY! I WAS ABOUT TO ASK YOU THE SAME THING!!"

The heroes and police all looked confused until there was another voice.

"NOW MY FURRY AND FEATHERED FRIENDS!" Koji yelled from atop a building. At his words, thousands of rats and birds attacked the blockade. Bugs joined the fray too, pecking, biting, nipping at the group.

The kids surged forward and easily fought their way through the blockade before making a clear bolt for the edge of the city.

Katsuki looked behind the group and realized that they were being pursued... not only that, but someone familiar was standing on the edge of the building they had just raided; All for One

"WE'VE GOT TO GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" Katsuki ordered.

It was too late.

All for One flicked a finger and sent a shock wave that made the floor beneath the kids erupt, sending them flying forward. The heroes who pursued them were gaining.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Hanta yelled, rolling onto his back and looking in horror at the approaching foes.

Izuku was looking wide-eyed at the distant man on the ledge.

"It's quite foolish to resist!" All for One's voice rang out calmly and clearly throughout the entire city. 

All of the kids shuddered at the sound of his voice. The heroes came to a dead stop at the sound as well.

"What do you hope to accomplish, young villains? You'll save your teacher and then what? Continue to dodge my attacks and run for the rest of your lives? Such a miserable existence. I should think myself merciful to end it now," All for One soothed.

Everyone was frozen in terror.

"There is no hope for this little rebellion, there is no hope to defeat me," All for One continued.

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Izuku's voice rang out, it's raspiness coming from his fearful dry throat. He pushed himself to his feet and stood shakily.

All for One's eyes narrowed, though Izuku couldn't see it.

"THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE!" Izuku argued back.

If there was one thing he had been taught it was that there was always a way to win. Either by strength, smarts, or sheer determination. Izuku was feeding off the latter.

"YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT HURT AND CAUSE PAIN! PEOPLE ARE GROWING TIRED OF IT! PEOPLE HATE YOU!!" Izuku argued.

"They fear me," All for One chuckled.

"For how much longer!?" another voice challenged; Hitoshi's. The purple-haired boy walked up and stood beside Izuku. "You've pushed plenty of people beyond the boundaries of fear! Maybe, we're done being kicked around!"

"You're foolish young children who'll die because of it," All for One scolded.

"SOUNDS FUCKING GOOD TO ME!" Katsuki roared running up to Izuku's other side. "I'D RATHER DIE THAN SUBMIT TO YOU, ASSHOLE!!"

Suddenly, all of the kids were yelling, spirited.

"YOU CAN'T KEEP US DOWN FOREVER!"

"IF WE FALL, SOMEONE ELSE WILL STAND IN OUR PLACE!!"

"YOU SUCK YOU UGLY POTATO!!"

"Potato?"

"I dunno, I guess his head is kinda shaped like it."

"I BETCH'YA HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN A GIRL'S BOO- OWWW"

"Shut it, pervert."

"WE'RE STANDING UP TO YOU!"

"TRY MEEEE!!!"

"REVELRY IN THE DARK!!"

"YEEEAAAAHHHH! WHAT HE SAID!"

"Kill them," All for One's cold voice ordered to the heroes.

The heroes would've done so... but...

Suddenly, a few individuals fled from the hero's side, ran up to the kids, and planted themselves beside them and glared at their old comrades.

"Kinda sucks when a bunch of dumb kids make you re-think your life," One of the now ex-heroes sighed.

"You wanna kill these kids!" Another ex-hero yelled, "You'll have to get through us!!"

"THEY MAY BE YOUNG AND STUPID, BUT THEY'RE ALSO DAMN RIGHT!"

"If these kids can stand up to you, the hell shouldn't I?!"

All for One seethed and raised his hands.

"Then you may all perish together," he growled.

Then a two-hundred-pound weapon of absolute power in the form of All Might slammed into him.

Was it a miracle?

No, just ridiculously awesome timing.

But... a few of the ex-heroes and kids did begin to think about the chance that maybe there was someone running this whole Life Show who was watching out for them.

All Might attacked All for One, and what looked to be all of the villains suddenly emerged from the forest beyond the city, and charged it.

The students looked behind them to their allies and in front of them to their enemies.

Izuku looked to Sato who was still holding an unconscious Aizawa.

"You get him to safety," he ordered. Sato nodded.

"We'll take care of the rest," Izuku murmured looking to the heroes in front of him.

"You think this is where it ends?" Hitoshi asked grimly, preparing himself.

"Nah," Katsuki laughed, small explosions popping in his gloves. "I've got way  too many people to piss off before I die."

That earned a laugh from Shoto, "He's right."

With that, everyone,

Everyone, 

Not just those in that city but everyone watching, everyone who heard, everyone who learned about it - fought.

Heroes, villains, kids, adults, good guys, bad guys, it was a day of reckoning with its epicenter being in that city.

This story goes all good stories go. With the bad guy being beaten. With the good guys winning and saving the day.

But this story isn't about that. It isn't about the fight or the hardships or even the outcome. It's about the story of one man who found a small newly-orphaned green-haired boy, took him in, and raised him to one day become the greatest hero.

That is what this story is about.

(Cringey, weird, whack, with another side of cringe? Yes, but I love it. 

Love y'all and thanks for reading!)