"For this exercise, we're simulating how well a group of you fare against a strong villain. This is to test your teamwork, and how well you can work together."
The scene of today's session was an arena, not unlike the tournament grounds from the Sports Festival.
"I wonder who the villain will be?" Midoriya mumbled to himself, earning a glare from a few of his classmates. He didn't notice, however, he was too busy running through a list of pros.
"Midoriya will be playing the role of villain."
"M-Me?"
"Yes, you," Aizawa spat angrily. Midoriya was taken aback by Aizawa's snapping. The teacher sighed and explained. "You have a powerful quirk, and you already work well with your classmates in battle."
It didn't feel like they worked well together recently, Midoriya thought, nevertheless blushing slightly at the praise.
"Your first batch of opponents will be..." Aizawa glanced at his tablet. "Uraraka, Todoroki, and Bakugo." Midoriya gulped.
"Mr. Aizawa..." the boy started, and Aizawa groaned.
"Bakugo and Todoroki will wear quirk dampeners. Anything else?" Aizawa asked. Midoriya shook his head. The teacher seemed to be in a bad mood today. "Timed battle, heroes and villains start on opposing sides of the arena. Midoriya, get up there. You three, come over here."
From his corner in the arena, he watched as Aizawa handed the cuffs to Todoroki and Bakugo. The teacher was whispering something to the three, but Izuku had no idea what he was saying. The three heroes nodded and climbed up to the arena, and stared Midoriya down.
The fight was a blur.
Right off the bat, Erasure was activated, and Izuku's quirk was nullified.
Before he could process why his quirk wasn't working, a vicious explosion from Bakugo struck him. He was knocked flying towards the edge of the arena. For a split second, his mind was cast backwards, back to the halls of Aldera High. He quickly regained awareness when he felt One for All thrum back into being.
First things first, distance, he needed distance. Distance gave him time to come up with something. He planted his feet back on the ground and, dialing his quirk up to a brisk 5%, kicked off into the air, activating Float, his most recent addition to his arsenal.
The crackling of Todoroki's ice quirk directed his attention back to the arena. The glacier was shooting towards him at an alarming rate.
'I-It doesn't look like his quirk is dampened at all!' Izuku panicked. Calming down and aiming a flick, he fired off a blast, breaking the ice apart. 'I guess everyone has gotten that much stronger.'
He was safe, if only for a second. Not long enough.
Uraraka had gotten on a large piece of ice, and Bakugo had sent it and the girl flying at him.
'The ice should've been shattered by Kacchan's explosions... Todoroki must've made it specifically stronger to withstand them and Uraraka made it and herself weightless so she could reach me.'
Izuku was proud to see them working together. Float stopped working at that point, and Izuku began to fall.
'Erasure again?! Crap, what do I do?' Izuku panicked again. Uraraka and her ice platform were still headed his way, he decided to aim for her. He'd figure it out from there.
He got closer and they made eye contact. She was glaring fiercely at him. He'd seen her determined look, and he knew it well, but this was different.
'Villain,' he heard her mutter, just before she punched him.
Just like at the entrance exam, time seemed to slow to a halt. He was playing the role, but why'd she say it like that? Like she meant it?
Izuku hit the ground.
***
Gasping for breath, Izuku's mind shot back to the present. The black spots dancing in Izuku's vision subsided as the wound in his side closed.
'Izuku?' Mipha's voice had a frantic edge to it. 'Are you okay?'
"I'm- I'm fine," he managed, getting to his feet.
Izuku then felt overwhelming relief from each of the vestiges and spirits.
'I'm glad,' Mipha sighed. 'You used my power, but you didn't move...'
"Link, who was that?" he asked his predecessor.
'That was... Demise. The first evil to be sealed by the Master Sword. He cursed the one with the blood of the goddess, and the one with the hero's spirit, to clash with an incarnation of his hatred time and time again.'
Link's cadence was slow and delicate, he was remembering something long forgotten.
"Zelda." Izuku remembered. "He's going for Zelda and All Might."
He picked the Master Sword off the floor and warped home, dread welling up in his chest.
He appeared in the bedroom, and the first thing he noticed was the sheets on the floor, and a golden light seeping into the room from under the bedroom door.
He opened the door and had to shield his eyes from the blinding glow. Quickly acclimatizing to the harsh lighting, he blinked, and while he was preparing for the worst, he didn't expect what he saw.
Zelda had Ghirahim, the spirit of Demise's blade, on his knees. This was the second time Izuku had seen her sealing powers in action. While Ghirahim was clearly struggling to even stay on his knees, the spirit had a disconcerting smile on his face.
Before Izuku could even begin to process what he was seeing, a voice interrupted him.
"Master."
A voice. Female, monotone, and soft. He knew this voice. The sword? It wasn't usually this clear. It was usually muffled, and Izuku had to focus to pick out words. But now the voice rang crystal clear.
"Raise your blade skyward."
Unsure, Izuku did so, and before his eyes, a divine glow trickled down the steel, and the blade was bathed in holy light.
This was a new league of power, one that could stand to the Demon Lord.
He swung, and the divine sheen left the blade.
The light struck Ghirahim.
Ghirahim was no more.
As the golden glow subsided, Izuku turned to his family. Zelda was wide awake, Eri was in Inko's arms, and they'd all been shaken by the appearance of the evil sword's spirit.
"Everyone is safe." Izuku realized. "You're all safe."
He sank to the ground, finally allowing himself to breathe, and process what'd just happened. He felt the tender skin where Demise's sword had cut into him. He'd been cut by blades before, but this had hurt.
"Izuku?" He looked up to see Inko's worried face. "What just happened?"
"That was Ghirahim," Zelda said, her eyes glassy.
Mother and son turned to look at Zelda. Like Link, she'd recognized the spirit from another life. She met his eyes.
"That means... Demise?" she asked him, as the emerald returned to her eyes. Izuku nodded grimly.
"You remember?" he asked.
"Echoes," she shook her head. "Not memories."
"Demise is still out there. I-I- don't know if I can beat him."
"Yes, you can."
"Master, if I may."
"The voice in the sword," Zelda gasped. She heard it too. Before Izuku could say anything, the speaker appeared to the family.
The form was blue and purple in color. They wore a blue gem on their chest, a cape, a purple miniskirt, and leggings.
"Greetings. I am Fi. I aided the first hero of the skies on his journey. After he defeated Demise, the remains of the Demon Lord's consciousness was sealed within the blade," the spirit said. "I apologize for not revealing myself sooner. I was... weak."
"It's fine. You've helped me a lot, and I appreciate it," Izuku said honestly.
"I'll continue to render aid to the best of my ability."
Izuku paused, sharing a quick look with his wife. He turned back to the spirit.
"Can you tell me how Demise was beaten the first time around?" he asked hopefully.
"The Hero of the Sky utilized Skyward Strikes, the ability you just used to exterminate Ghirahim. Barring that, the Hero was able to land attacks with the Master Sword."
"Skyward Strikes... Okay."
"While Demise's ultimate goal is to conquer the world, it seems he was willing to tolerate All for One's wish to kill All Might. I would advise travelling to U.A. to defeat him before he enacts his end goal."
"Understood."
With a curt nod, Fi returned to the hilt of the Master Sword. Simultaneously, Izuku remembered Inko and Eri were still in the room.
"Mom?" he asked. "You heard all that?"
Finding herself unable to speak, the woman nodded. This was enough for Izuku, who shifted his attention to the white-haired girl in her arms.
"Hey, Snowflake, I gotta go," he said softly. He saw the protest rising in her eyes. "I have to go after the bad guy who sent that thing here. Get some sleep, okay? I promise I'll be here when you wake up."
"Just be safe, okay?" Inko said, finding her voice again.
"I will."
He gave them a small smile and turned to face his wife.
"I'm not staying put," she said, crossing her arms. "Plus, you promised."
"Fine," Izuku mumbled. He gave her a once over, and she just realized was still in a nightgown.
"I-I'll go put something on," she said, making her way to their room. Izuku followed her in, plopping down on the bed as she rifled through their shared closet.
As he waited, he ran a tentative finger over where Demise's sword (Ghirahim?) had cut him. It wouldn't leave a scar, thanks to Mipha's Grace, but he couldn't remember ever feeling that kind of pain. His heart was out beating of control.
'Damnit, why did I have to remember that?' he thought bitterly. The memories hadn't helped.
"Izuku, what's wrong?"
He looked up to see Zelda's concerned expression.
"I... I'm scared," Izuku admitted. "He—Demise—made short work of me, and..." He trailed off.
"Someone once told me it was okay to be scared," Zelda recalled, and Izuku remembered those as his words. On the slopes of Hebra Mountains, the first time Zelda tried out shield surfing. He'd said that to cool her nerves.
"I think shield-surfing is different," Izuku responded. "Plus, you still broke a leg."
"You're missing the point, Izuku."
"I know, but I'm not supposed to be scared. I'm supposed to be the Hero, I'm supposed to have courage!" he said, his voice noticeably wavering. "But I'm scared, I'm scared, Zelda."
"Someone once told me what you are is more important than what you're supposed to be."
He recognized those words. He'd used them to help Zelda see herself as Zelda, not Princess Zelda.
"You can't keep throwing my own words back at me," Izuku managed to chuckle. "Come up with something original."
"Courage is not the lack of fear. To have courage is to stand in spite of fear. You were scared when facing the Calamity, yes?"
"I..." Of course, he was afraid.
"It might not feel like it, but you are courageous. Courage is not something to be remembered, it is never forgotten," she said firmly, before smirking at him. "Original enough?"
"Yeah... Yeah, that's good," Izuku hugged her. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it," she smiled. "You would have done the same for me."
It was just before dawn as the two left the building. On getting outside, Izuku pulled out the Slate, and Zelda raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't the medallion active in our room?" she wondered aloud. Izuku nodded.
"We're not teleporting," he told her, selecting and activating a rune. Wisps of Sheikah energy descended from nowhere, wrapping around each other and forming their vehicle. The Master Cycle Zero.
Zelda couldn't help but groan. Izuku chuckled softly. She didn't like the Cycle.
"This is the fastest way we're getting to U.A.," Izuku reasoned, getting on the cycle. "Plus, the terrain is nothing like Hyrule's. Much smoother."
"I know, it doesn't mean I have to look forward to it," she mumbled, getting on behind him.
***
As they rode to U.A., Izuku became increasingly aware of the excited energy radiating from Zelda. He'd felt something similar from her when she first got to see inside a shrine.
"You're buzzing, Zelda," he remarked, and she shifted behind him. "What is it?"
"I knew the sword had a voice, I assumed only the wielder could hear it, and when you first did? I was elated! But now? Now I've met the spirit of the sword! I can finally ask about the old stories, Hyrule's records are incomplete, and-" Zelda caught herself. "Oh, this is not appropriate. We're off to the fight of our lives, and here I am gushing about Hyrule's history."
Izuku, a hand over his mouth, the other steering the cycle, said nothing.
"You're laughing at me!" Zelda realized with a huff, her grip around Izuku's waist tightening.
He was, and didn't bother to hide it anymore, chuckling out loud.
"Glad to see you're taking this as seriously as I am," she muttered, but Izuku could hear the smile in her voice.
"We'll win," Izuku said, a small smile on his features. "It'll be over."
"It will," Zelda agreed.
"Fi, anything more you can tell us about Demise?" Izuku asked the sword, changing the subject.
"Demise is immensely resilient to all forms of harm," the voice replied. "The Master Sword is the only thing capable of damaging him."
"Figured," Izuku said with a sigh.
"The boost in speed your quirk grants you will be useful in landing slashes on him," Fi added. "Presumably, he should have access to All for One's arsenal of quirks, but he hasn't acknowledged the existence of them, not even the passive quirks. He either hasn't acclimated to using them or may not have access to them. Either way, swift action is advised."
"Agreed," Izuku didn't want to imagine the Demon Lord with quirks.
"Ghirahim was extremely vulnerable to Mistress Zelda's abilities as a reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia's mortal form," Fi continued. "There is a 70% chance Demise has a similar weakness."
"What?" Zelda asked sharply.
"I think I mentioned this when I told you about that dream," Izuku said, referring to the night he'd first turned into a wolf.
"I... I didn't believe you," she admitted sheepishly.
"I was a wolf, Zelda," he deadpanned, before softening.
"Well, I believed that part," she said with a huff. "I just assumed I was... that I was a representation of the Goddess."
Izuku thought back. To be fair, Hylia hadn't outright said Zelda was a reincarnation.
"You're allowed to be amazing," Izuku reminded her. Zelda said nothing, but the arms she had wrapped around her lover's waist tightened.
As they approached U.A., the couple noticed what could only be described as a huge sphere of darkness around the institution.
"This is Demise's doing. I sense him inside it," Fi informed them.
They skidded to a stop, just before the Cycle would've penetrated the darkness. The two got off the vehicle and stared wordlessly at the construct of evil.
"Ready?" Zelda asked, the triangle on the back of her hand pulsing with energy.
"As I'll ever be," Izuku replied, unsheathing the Master Sword, the blade shimmering.
They stepped into the darkness.
Demise stood at U.A.'s entrance. Waiting for them.
"You mortals. So tenacious," he spoke casually. "Seems you dealt with Ghirahim. Rarely is the one with the blood of the Goddess so in tune with her power."
He gestured around them, to the swirling darkness blotting out the sunlight.
"In here, in this realm, your kind will sleep a lifeless sleep. Once they sleep long enough, I draw on their power. As my power grows, so does the realm. Soon, there will be nothing but this realm. None will even notice it grow, they will be powerless to stop it. All that remains will belong to Demise."
The Demon stepped closer.
"The three of us are the only ones who can even perceive this realm. You two are Hylia's lapdogs, whilst I am a god."
Izuku snarled at the snide remark, One for All activating unbidden.
For a second, all was quiet.
And then man and demon moved.
Izuku and Demise clashed. Without his blade, Demise blocked Izuku's strikes with his forearms. Once again, it felt like Demise didn't even feel the blade, but Izuku fought on relentlessly, forcing Demise back inch by inch.
At some point during the brawl, Zelda exploded in light. The Demon Lord hissed in pain, involuntary recoiling. Izuku pushed harder.
Demise was backing away a little faster now.
'That's it,' Link whispered. 'Keep the pressure on.'
The Demon Lord jumped away. In the realm of darkness, a thunderstorm began, and electric rage sparked in Demise's gaze. Izuku charged towards him, sword raised.
Demise, moving far quicker than his size would suggest, sidestepped the slash, and punched the swordsman hard in the gut.
Tainted electric shocks ran through Izuku's form. It was all he could to keep his grip on the Master Sword.
One blow followed another. Each more painful than the last.
Dread began nagging in the far corners of his mind. Suddenly a column of light slammed into Demise's face.
The mere presence of Zelda's light had marginally weakened Demise. No, Zelda focused the light on the Demon Lord, and it was burning into his grey, scaly skin.
Blinded by Zelda, Demise threw a haymaker, and Izuku ducked the punch. He angled the point towards the Demon lord's torso and thrust the blade forward. The point of the blade disappeared into the heart of evil.
The ancient evil let out a pained, pathetic gurgle.
It was not a smooth or fluid movement. Izuku pushed the hilt as hard as he could, the blade travelling roughly through Demise's body. The point reappeared, peeking out Demise's back.
In one motion, Izuku withdrew the blade, and black viscous blood spilled out of the laceration.
The Demon Lord stumbled. Backwards, then forwards. Then onto his knees.
"Done in by a mortal," he rasped bitterly.
The Demon Lord then fell forward and lay still. The rain stopped.
As he stood over the body of Demise, Izuku raised the blade skyward a final time. Instinctively, Zelda focused the divine light on the blade, and the power on the Sword surged.
Once more, he plunged the blade deep into evil's heart.
From the point where the sword was buried, Demise's body died, the skin losing its luster, drying out as decay spread to his entire body. It crumbled within a minute.
Demise was gone, and in his place lay All for One. Dead.
Nana was the first of the vestiges to speak.
'...There's no way this one is fake, right?'
Izuku didn't think so. There's no way the villain could have planned for this outcome.
'I won't lie, this feels... unceremonious,' Daigoro muttered.
'As opposed to being... ceremonious?' En replied.
'I, for one, think this is rather fitting. He cheated death for so long, taking advantage of people at every turn, and in the end, he was used as a puppet,' Hikage said.
'Yeah, I see that,' Two murmured in agreement.
'It is what it is, I guess.' Three said. 'Good job, kid.'
'So long, brother mine,' Yoichi finished.
'You did good,' Link praised, a levity to his voice that Izuku hadn't heard before.
'Even dead, you're still a man of few words, eh?' Revali chuckled.
'Revali! Not the time!' Mipha scolded the Rito. 'We're proud of you, Izuku.'
'Yup! You and the princess make quite the formidable team!'
'The little bird really has grown into a shining eagle, hasn't she?'
Catching his breath, Izuku glanced at his wife. She was also breathing hard, as the short battle had taken a lot out of her. He was proud. He'd dealt the killing blow, but ultimately Zelda had tipped the scales in his favor. She finally noticed him staring at her.
"W-What?" she asked, between panting breaths.
'Yeah,' Izuku thought back, a smile on his face. 'Yeah, she has.'
Fi chose now to manifest before the two.
"Demise has successfully been destroyed," she told them. "As such, his realm is disappearing."
Fi glanced upwards, prompting the duo to do the same. Sure enough, the shroud of darkness was unravelling, and daylight was breaking through.
As the sun shone on U.A. once more, the couple warped away.